Metallic Hearts -FullMetal Alchemist- Episode Fifteen: The Ishbal Massacre

Armstrong: "Representative of God, try executing me, the Strong Arm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong. I shall show you the artistic alchemy method that has been passed down for generations through the Armstrong family." Armstrong threw up a stone and punched it. Yellow sparks sent it flying as Scar side stepped it. "Another!" He punched the ground and spikes flew up from the ground around Scar. Armstrong took his military coat off to reveal his huge muscles. A spot light seemed to appear on him as he flexed. "Behind destruction exist creation. And in creation exist destruction. Destroy, then create... This is the law of the universe!"

Scar: "I'll deal with you after I've killed FullMetal, MetalCat and the Crystal Alchemists." Armstrong jumped up and went to punch Scar in the face. Scar moved to the left and Armstrong caught his sunglasses. They crashed to the floor and he looked up at the General. "A combination of arm strength and Alchemy, I see. This seems quite troublesome."

Armstrong: "Brown skin and Red eyes... Wait!" Scar ran at Armstrong, who ducked from his hand. The wall behind them exploded when Scar's hand touched it. "I thought your God's forbids Alchemy. The Transmutation process of Alchemy can be described in three steps. Understanding, decomposing, and reassembling. You must be stopping the Transmutation process at step two, decomposing. You are indeed using Alchemy."

Scar: "I'm only doing what this arm tells me to do... Even if it goes against God's will!" There was a huge explosion in the alley were the two were fighting.

Ishbal Massascre

Ed looked around and motioned for the three of you to follow him. You all stopped under a coffee shop.

Al: "Brother, what are we going to do now?"

Ed: "I want to get as far away from that sunglasses guy as possible." A dog next to you barked and you looked down the street. A couple of military cars drove your way. "Marco." Ed grabbed on to you and pulled you against him. You blushed slightly as he pulled his coat over you. Al and Marco hid behind some plants. "I'm sorry..." Ed turned to a waitress. "Can we use your back door?" You all snuck out the door and walked down a back alley.

Al: "We're not going back to East Headquarters?"

Ed: "Brigadier General Gran is..."

You: "Was..." You whispered.

Ed: "Was, involved in this, which means the Colonel can no longer protect Marco."

Al: "I see. And there are a lot of people from Central City there, too."

Marco: "There are people from Central here?"

Ed: "The Fuhrer and his party are here."

Marco: "To capture me?"

Al: "No, that's not it." As you walked out of the alley you noticed some kids playing tag.

Marco: "We don't have to run anymore.. I don't care if that man kills me. He has the right to do it."

With Roy and the Military

Breda turned over a heavy rock that was in a pit in the alley where Scar and Armstrong fought.

Breda: "Colonel! We found him!"

Roy: "Major. Hey, Major! What happened?"

Hughes: "Woah! That was close. It's a mess here."

Havoc: "Lieutenant Colonel, where is Brigadier General Gran?"

Hughes: "If he's still alive after what happened to him, then the great Iron Blood is able to come back to life after being turned into hamburger."

Kain: "But he was an expert in hand-to-hand."

Havoc: "And he got his ass handed to him by Lita." Hughes just shrugged. Hughes motioned for Rot and said Flame Alchemist walked up to him. "It's Scar. No doubt about it."

Armstrong: "He... he was an Ishbal person. I am sorry I could not carry out my orders, Lieutenant Colonel. I saw his ... skin and eyes... They were indeed the traits of an Ishbal person."

Roy: "I see. So he has good reason for going after the State Alchemists."

Back To You

Ed: "Why do you have to be killed just because he's from Ishbal?"

Al: "The Ishbalens were the ones who started the war for independence, right? A lot of them died, but the military also suffered casualties."

You: "If everyone who lost a war wanted revenge, there'd be no point. A war without end."

Marco: "It was no war... It was a massacre. The people of Ishbal were a tribe in the East that worshiped Ishbala as their one and only creator. Their view of religion was different from ours. We believe that everything in this world can be solved mathematically. And we value the Equivalent Exchange in Alchemy. But the people of Ishbal regarded Alchemy as an act of the Devil that morphs things God created into something evil. Protests erupted because of that... But 13 years ago... An officer accidentally shot a child on an inspection. After that, large scale civil wars and riots took place. Eventually, the civil war spread through the entire east area and turned into a seven year war. In the final years of the war... The higher ups called in the problem solvers. The State Alchemists."

FlashBacks

Marco: "Why! The Ishbal people possess neither Alchemic knowledge nor modern weapons because of their teachings. Is there a meaning in trampling them even more?"

Gran: "Did you bring it?"

Marco: "That thing is still in it's research phase. And there shouldn't be any reason to use it..."

Gran: "But the civil war continues to spread."

Marco: "Because we are trying to subdue them with power, more tribes support the enemy."

Kimbley: "Are you trying to say that the Fuhrer is doing something wrong?" He blew on his nails and smirked.

Gran: "We have already had thousands of casualties, as well as civilian casualties in the tens of thousands. This is war. Crystal Alchemist, show it." Marco sighed and set a brown briefcase on the table. He opened it and inside were three small glass containers with bright pink liquid inside them. "To end the war as soon as possible..." Gran held up a bottle and smirked. "Starting tomorrow, I permit the use of transmutation amplifying devices."

End of Flashback

Ed: "So, what happened after that?"

Marco: "Nothing."

Al: "Nothing?"

Marco: "In one night everything was wiped clean in the battlefields the Alchemists were sent to."

With Scar

Officer: "Stop! Over here!" Scar pushed off the wall as the two officers shot at him.

Armstrong laid in a bed as Mustang stared out the window. Mustang and Hawkeye saluted as the Fuhrer and his secretary walked in.

Back to you

Boy: "Ouch!" Marco walked over to the fallen boy.

Marco: "Show it to me." Marco took out the stone and healed the boys ankle. "On the battlefield, I met a married couple. They were doctors, and they treated everyone, ally or foe. How does it feel now?" He moved his ankle and smiled. He stood up fully and bowed.

Boy: "Thank you." And the kids ran off again.

Marco: "However, there were casualties, too."

Roy stood infront of two dead bodies, looking scared as hell, holding a gun.

Marco: "Colonel Gran, what happened here?"

Gran: "This became a gathering point for Ishbalen insurgents. These two doctors were involved."

Marco: "Involved! They were curing them. Saving anyone they could."

Gran: "That's right and the ones they saved were coming back to murder my men. Later that day, after the bodies were moved, Mustang stood infront of the blood stain on the floor. He dropped an empty beer bottle and put the gun under his neck, ready to pull the trigger.

Marco: "Stop that. You were a soldier under orders in a time of war... I'm the one who carries the sin. These doctors gave everything, in the means of saving people. I, meanwhile..."

Roy: "How can we ever make this bearable?"

Marco: "If I run away, will you keep quiet and let me escape? So I left with the Philosopher's Stone and research that told how to make it. But I acted much too late. Most of the Ishbalens had been exterminated. Only a handful of them survived."

Ed: "But there would be no reason for them to come after you."

Marco: "What could be more legitimate?"

You: "He's dragging people onto this that have nothing to do with it. How can you talk about legitimacy?"

Ed: "He's a fraud. He hides behind the ambition of this war so he can claim it's noble."

Al: "If someone took Lita away from you, wouldn't you want revenge?" Ed smiled and set his hand on your head.

Ed: "Nah. She's not worth it." You scoffed and gave him 'the look.'

Al: "Well, I know if someone took you away from me, I might do the same thing. Isn't that Equivalent Exchange."

Ed: "No! That's not the Law. A life doesn't equal a life, you should know that by now! Destroying life's doesn't bring life's back. We just live and be content while we can. Come here..." Ed brushed against you as he leaned over and fixed Al's cracked arm. "Dr. Marco, why don't you let us hide you in our home town for a while. It's just three days on a train from here."

Al: "It may be hard on us going back."

You: "Not at all. We have friends there, the Rockbells. I'm sure they'll be..." You stopped as you saw the look on Marco's face, it was pure horror.

Marco: "No, I can't... I can't go there..." Dr. Marco turned around and ran.

Al: "Dr. Marco, what...?"

With Scar...

Scar stood infront of a firing squad.

Scar: "Foolish troops, don't think you'll be spared. I know you all are using Alchemically modified weapons. God judges you!" He set his hand on the ground and the wall exploded where the soldiers were standing. There was a gunshot and Scar stopped. Roy stood behind him, his right hand a gun that was pointed into the air.

Roy: "That's enough."

Riza: "Colonel, wait!"

Scar: "Colonel Mustang? Roy Mustang? The Flame Alchemist?"

Roy: "The one and only." Roy threw the gun to Riza who caught it. "I feel sorry for your grievances, but no one hurts my men.

Scar: "Yet another soul who parts from God's path."

Roy: "Brave enough to attack the Flame Alchemist? I'll make you a funeral tire."

Riza: "Colonel!" Scar ran at him. "Stubborn man!" She ducked down and kicked him at the ankles, making Roy crash to the ground. Riza shot at him with her gun and Roy's and Scar ran.

Roy: "That's no way to get promoted Hawkeye."

Riza: "Easy, Colonel, I just saved your life. Your flame attacks no good in the rain."

Havoc: "She's right, Colonel. Wet gloves can't make a spark." Scar touched the wall.

Riza: "Fire!" Scar used the crack in the wall he just made to climb up the side of the building and onto the roof. "He's certainly a fast one."

Roy: "After him, Lieutenant Breda. Go to the Train Station, wait for FullMetal. He'll try to smuggle Marco out of here."

With you.

Marco ran down the alley way and put his hands on his knees.

Ed: "Marco, wait! We won't take your research away from you."

Marco: "No... I can't go..." Your ears perked up as you heard gunshots. You heard the rush of wind and Scar jumped over the balcony. He stopped and looked at you weird. This was the first time he had seen your ears and tail. The other times you had your bandana or hood up.

Scar: "So that is why they call you Metal Cat. I thought it was because of your movements. Graceful and agile like a cat." He looked over at Marco and went for him. Al ran over and grabbed his arm. "This time, I know you're just an empty suit of armor!" With a simple swipe of his hand, the whole right side of Al's armor was shattered.

You: "Al!" You and Ed ran up to Scar. You side kicked him but he just jumped out of the way. Ed went to punch him, but Scar grabbed onto his hand.

Scar: "By putting your hands together, you make a circle, then transmute with the circulated power. You cannot transmute with this annoying arm. I will destroy it." His Alchemy crushed Ed's arm and he was thrown back. You caught him and you both crashed to the ground. Scar walked up to you both and you stood infront of Ed protectively. You glared at him and he just stared at you. "I will give you a moment to pray to God."

You: "Sorry, but I stopped believing in God along time ago. You said your older brother died in Ishbal, right?"

Scar: "He was killed by a State Alchemist."

You: "I'm a State Alchemist. Kill me that would satisfy the equivalent trade."

Ed: "What the hell are you talking about? I said that wasn't Equivalent Exchange at all."

You: "He's not a State Alchemist! I alone should be enough."

Scar: "I promise I will not kill either of the Elrics. But you are wrong, Metal Cat Alchemist. The despair I went through after losing my older brother and my people..." He pulled his sleeve down to reveal the tattoo on his arm. "Your life is not an equivalent trade."

You: "Then why do you seek revenge?" He never answered you, he just set his hand on your forehead. You closed you eyes and kneeled on your knees slowly.

Al: "What are you doing! Stand up and run! Don't..."

You: "Shut up, Al! I'm just doing what's fair!" Scar's hand glowed red and he clutched it. Marco was walking towards you, the stone in his hand. It was glowing the same color as Scar's arm. "Marco? Are you stupid? You were supposed to run!"

Marco: "I looked up some old documents on Ishbal. I saw the drawing on your arm in the document. This is not the complete thing, but it is the Philosopher's Stone. After all, that arm is..."

Scar: "Stop! Don't say it!"

Ed: "What's going on? Marco isn't using the power of the stone." Scar ran towards him and Marco threw the Stone. It absorbed into Scar's arm and he yelled out in pain. Scar turned around to run but he stopped when he saw several soldiers infront of him. Before he could use his Alchemy to hurt someone else you jumped onto his back. He grabbed onto your hair and flung you off him. You crashed into the wall and slammed onto the cement ground. He used his Alchemy to create a hole in the ground and he fell through.

Havoc: "Sewers, huh?"

Roy: "Don't go after him."

Havoc: "I won't."

Hughes: "Hey! Are you done?" Roy: "If you were here, you could've at least backed us up."

Hughes: "Shut up! Don't get normal people like me involved in your talent show of weirdoes"

Roy: "Hawkeye, take care of human traffic. Don't let anyone come near here." The others looked on at the scene infront of them.

Ed: "Lita, are you all right?" You sat up slowly.

You: "I think so..." Ed reached back and slapped you. You were flung back and you crashed to the ground. You laid there for a second. That was the first time Ed had ever hit you. And it hurt more than it should have. "Ow... What was that for?"

Al: "Why didn't you leave us and run?"

You: "Because you would have been killed."

Ed: "That's not a good reason to choose death, dumbass!"

Al: "I'll tell you as many times as it's needed. We need to live, continue to live... And research Alchemy, and return to our normal bodies. Dyeing, I won't allow you too ... die alone." At that, Al's arm fell off. You couldn't help but snicker.

Al: "Look! Now my arm broke off!"

Ed: "We're a mess."

You: "Totally uncool."

Al: "But we're alive."

Ed: "Yeah, we are that Al."

Armstrong: "Is that armor the... I've never heard of a soul transmutation."

Roy: "He must have attempted the transmutation desperately. That's why the bond between them is so strong."

Riza: "The Fuhrer's secretary is here."

Roy: "The Fuhrer's Secretary?"

Secretary: "The Fuhrer's perfecter will take charge of Marco. We will not harm him. That is the message."

Roy: "But... I understand."

Ed: "Marco!"

Marco: "I told you, Ed. I cannot go to your hometown."

You: "Why?"

Marco: "The two married people that died on the battlefield... were named Rockbell."

Al: "Brother, I just heard Mom's voice."

You: "Al, we just had a brush with death. Don't get unstable on us now."