~Author's Note~
So sorry to be gone so long, but hopefully now that it's summer, there will be much more! :] And now, we're really getting started, yay! Enjoy!
Jean and Breda arrived at the front gate driving their respective cars.
"Justicar, Hughes, and Armstrong, you go with Breda. Head to the southern sector. If you see Fullmetal, get him back to his hotel room. If you see Scar, hold, and we'll head him off. Understood?" Roy barked, getting into Havok's car with Riza and two other soldiers.
"Yes, sir," the three of them said, getting into the car.
They sped off in opposite directions, no one saying a word, everyone just frantically searching, scanning faces. They kept their eyes and ears open but they found nothing.
Just when Alee was beginning to panic, Second Lieutenant Havok's voice crackled over the radio, "We've spotted them. They're tearing up the city! At the foot of the clock tower. The Colonel wants Major Armstrong and Lieutenant Colonel Justicar to come around the west side of the courtyard to distract Scar while we get Fullmetal out of there. You guys need to hurry. He's beat up pretty bad…"
"You heard the man, Breda. Step on it!" Alee snapped.
"Sir!"
He spun the car around and sped back in the opposite direction, towards the clock tower. Alee drummed her fingers impatiently on the dashboard, praying Roy could stall him long enough for them to get there
"Let us out here," she snapped impatiently as they drew nearer to the clock tower. "We go the rest of the way on foot. With luck, we'll have him cornered. Major Armstrong and I will keep him busy enough for you to surround him."
"Yes, sir," answered Breda, turning off the car and reaching for his pistol.
As they got out, Alee pointed an alleyway out to Alex and said, "Head down there, Major. You'll come out close to that building and ambush him. I'll try and get him to you."
"Yes, sir," Alex said, hurrying off.
Alee then dashed down the next alley towards the sounds of gunfire. She came to a halt at the mouth of the alley, taking the whole scene at a glance.
Alphonse lay on the other side of the square, in pieces, his whole right half blasted away. Edward knelt at the foot of the clock, missing his automail right arm. Unable to complete his circle, unable to transmute, she knew Ed was now totally defenseless. Two soldiers were making their way towards the dazed child to pull him out of harm's way. Another soldier lay dead, face down in a pool of his own blood, killed in the same manner as Tucker.
Colonel Mustang was sprawled in a heap in front of her, Riza standing over him protectively, firing at a man which Alee had no doubt was Scar.
That man. He dodged Riza's shots, darting away from her. He was too fast; Alee could hardly believe it. Only when Riza's pistol clacked, empty, did he stop, giving Alee a chance to get a better look at him.
If his record was any indication, he was a force to be reckoned with, and looked the part. He was tall and imposing with dark, browned skin and white hair, close cropped on the sides. Her first thought was of an Ishvalan, but she knew that was impossible. Their race was all but entirely wiped out by the end of the war. The only way to be sure was by his eyes which were obscured by dark sunglasses. However, just as Alex had said, a prominent white, x-shaped scar stood out starkly across his forehead, dragging over his cheekbones. It was no wonder the man hadn't been caught before now, his scar was his only defining feature. He wore unassuming clothing; a yellow jacket and black pants. If he wasn't fighting them right now, Alee would've taken him for no more than just another citizen.
"What was that for?!" Roy cried, untangling himself from his uniform.
"You're useless on rainy days," Riza answered sharply, slamming another clip into place. "Please stand back, Colonel."
"Oh yeah!" Jean mumbled, looking up at the sky, rain still coming down. "He can't put sparks out in this moisture."
Alee smiled. Maybe Mustang was down for the count, but she now had unlimited power.
"Lucky for me," Scar called in a deep, husky voice. "You came to fight me, but you can't make flames." He flexed his arms, readying himself for another attack.
Now was her chance.
Alee jumped into the square, pressing her hands together. Once again, she felt the rush of power, every cell in her body energized; she threw her hand to the ground, willing the water to freeze and jump. Rows of razor sharp icicles pushed into existence, drawing from puddles and the falling rain, headed right towards Scar.
He dodged the onslaught, barely diving out of the way in time.
"Unfortunately for you, "Alee cried, "water is my element!"
"Another state alchemist. God smiles upon me. You are none other than Alee Justicar, the Winter Alchemist," he said, righting himself easily.
"You know me then," Alee laughed. "If you know who I am, then you must know what a grave mistake you've made. If you were half as smart as you sound, you would run."
However, Scar didn't run. His strong features twisted into an ugly grin. "State alchemists, sympathizers, and everyone who tries to stop me!" he snarled menacingly. "I WILL DESTROY EVERYONE HERE‼"
"Go ahead and try it," Alex sneered, appearing from the alley and taking a powerful swing at Scar.
Quick as lightning, Scar ducked. "Another one?!" he grunted, rolling away.
"Hmm. You dodged that," Alee huffed. "Not half bad…" He pulled his iron clad fist out of the building, leaving a gaping hole. "You brazen insurrectionary! I've had enough of you. You want to destroy everyone here? Don't make me laugh‼ Why don't you try to beat me first?! I'm the Strong Arm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong!"
"So many of you today…one after another…" Scar said, smiling nastily and taking a few steps back. "But it saves me the trouble of having to search you out. This must be a gift from god!"
That was the second time he mentioned god, Alee realized, clapping her hands together. Was that his play? This was all a religious crusade? It made her sick to think of. It made her sicker still that this is what Isaac had died for.
From the falling rain, her token weapons solidified into existence: an ice sword and shield.
"So you won't back down, eh?" Alex goaded, picking up a piece of rubble. "Then as a sign of respect for your courage, I'll show you this!" He threw the rubble into the air saying, "The elegant alchemical technique passed down through the Armstrong family for generations!" He spun and redirected the rubble with his fists towards Scar. With a crack and a zap, it formed itself into a spearhead. Scar stood his ground, moving his head aside at the last second as the spearhead impaled itself into the wall behind him.
"And again!" Alex cried, punching the ground. The cobblestones shot up in a tumult and as the wave of bricks neared Scar, they formed into sharp spikes.
Scar sidestepped them all, only one ripping into his jacket. "You…" he growled in frustration, laying his right hand on the spike holding him back. Just like that, the spike broke apart, crumpled from where he touched it.
There was no doubt about it. That was destruction alchemy.
Alee charged Scar. He whipped around to meet her, raising his right arm. That must have been the key to his alchemy, Alee reasoned and made a note to stay to his left. She raised her shield to meet his destruction. As shards of ice rained down on them, she swung low with her sword. He jumped away, eyes darting to Alex, but he was too busy talking to bother them. Alee was glad for the blood pounding loudly in her ears, blocking his ramblings out.
She kept Scar on the defensive, clapping her hands again and again, hurtling shards of ice at him. He dodged each attack, drawing closer and closer.
"—Isn't that right, Scar?" Alex finished with a flourish.
At the sound of his name, Scar looked around at Alex and Alee took the chance to transmute a wall of the thickest ice she could muster around him.
With a deafening crack, it shattered from within and clattered to the ground. Alex darted close to Scar and took another swing.
Soon Alex was close enough to start fighting hand to hand. In seconds it was clear that Scar was just as skilled at hand to hand combat as he was with alchemy. Coupled with his speed, he was indeed formidable and maybe even Alex didn't have a chance.
"Just between you and me, I heard he even killed old man Grand," echoed Hughes' voice in her head.
Alex certainly couldn't hold out forever.
Well then, Alee just had to even the odds.
She pressed her palms together then threw them to the ground. Energy zapped across it, crackling and turning all the puddles to slick ice. As the energy reached Scar, his footing started to slip, just as desired. Finally given the upper hand, Alex landed a hard blow sending Scar into the wall behind him. He steadied himself as Alex swung again. Alee noticed a kind of stillness gripped the killer. Then she saw it: Alex had swung too wide, he was open, and Scar was poised to make the kill, waiting like a tensed snake…
Then suddenly, Alex stopped, he pulled back.
A gun shot rang out, echoing around the square. Riza had a rifle leveled, shooting four more times, all of them dodged.
"Did you get him?" Alee heard Roy yell.
"He's fast," she replied, "One shot grazed him, that's all."
Scar's sunglasses clattered to the ground, broken. Alee could see the bullet nicked right along his temple, blood running down from the wound. He steadied himself and glared around at all of the soldiers surrounding him.
Alee gasped.
"Red eyes!" Alex exclaimed. "And his brown skin…"
"He's an Ishvalan," Roy sneered.
A survivor…
Scar stood up to his full height and scowled. "Perhaps there are too many of you…"
"Whoa there," Roy said, raising his hand. All the soldiers around them leveled their pistols, all aiming right at Scar. "Don't try to run for it. You're surrounded."
Unfazed, Scar brought his right hand up. He was going to destroy the ground, Alee thought wildly. He was escaping! Almost involuntarily, she stepped towards him.
He slammed his hand on the ground as Alee rushed him. With a sickening jolt, the ground caved in, throwing Alee aside. Then it was gone and she was falling.
The sewers rushed up at her. Too fast. She hit the floor, more rubble following her down. The shock jolted through her body, vibrating her bones, she hit her head sharply—
