The Game of Three Generals

by Lady Norbert

A/N: I couldn't leave you all in so much misery for long! I started writing this on my lunch break at work and have done nothing else since I got home. (I also read all your reviews out loud to my husband. I think he's kind of proud of me...)

As you're about to find out, a couple of you managed to guess exactly what's going on!

Chapter Seventeen: Drop Rule

Drop Rule: The rule in shogi which allows captured pieces to be dropped onto the board; that is, returned back into play under the control of the player who captured them.

"Fire!" shouts Piper.

To a man, the seven members of the firing squad lift their rifles and shoot.

Every single bullet sails over the head of their assigned target, missing him by a ridiculous, and clearly deliberate, distance. Mustang, evidently realizing that the shots have been fired and he's not feeling any pain, slowly opens his eyes and looks down at his unbloodied body in perplexity.

Piper is visibly incensed, although he can see by the bewildered expression on Mustang's face that he has no idea what's happening. A light rain begins to fall. "What the blazes are you doing?" Piper calls across the parade grounds. "I'll have you all discharged for insubordination!"

The tallest member of the firing squad reaches up and pulls off his mask, and as the bushy dark blond hair comes into evidence, Havoc gives the traitor a grin. "Sorry, sir," he calls back, "but we've been given orders to ignore anything that comes out of your mouth!" He looks over at the Chief, whose eyes grow wide with shock and delight as Breda, Becky, Douglas, Ross, and Brosh unmask themselves too. "You okay, boss?"

"And you say I have a flair for the dramatic?" Mustang shouts back. "That's some timing, Havoc!"

"We learned from the best! Douglas, Brosh, hurry and untie him!"

"Rebels!" Piper shouts. He turns to his MPs. "Shoot every last one of them!"

"Wait!" yells Breda, and the MPs are evidently brought up short by the seriousness of the shorter man's tone. "We have incontrovertible proof of Mustang's innocence! You can't kill him!"

"That's impossible," Piper declares. "You're lying!"

"Oh, yeah? See for yourself!" He gestures to the seventh member of the firing squad, the one who has not yet removed his mask. Mustang stares as the mask comes off, and seems ready to faint on the spot.

"Fuhrer Grandfather?" he blurts, using his wife's pet name for the old man.

"Stand down!" shouts Grumman, and the dumbfounded MPs lower their weapons. Havoc fully expects that this will be the end of it, but what happens next shocks them all.

"I said shoot, you cowards!" Piper rages.

"But sir! That's the Fuhrer - he's alive! If he's alive, Mustang can't have murdered him!" protests one soldier.

"I can see that, you idiot. Shoot him first!"

"Treason!" shouts someone; Havoc's not entirely sure who. Piper, however, yanks a gun out of one soldier's hands and fires down into the parade grounds. His aim is wild and uncontrolled, so he hits nothing but dirt. Two of the MPs attempt to take him down and, to the onlookers' horror, he shoots them without a second thought. He then turns and aims at them again, this time clearly setting his sights on Grumman.

A screech of tires interrupts the proceedings as a military-issue truck thunders onto the grounds and swerves to a halt, shielding the "rebels" from Piper's view. "Get in!"

"Falman, who the hell taught you how to drive?" Mustang yells, helping Grumman into the backseat and covering him carefully. "My God, you guys are a sight for sore eyes!"

"Tell us later, we're still taking fire!" The MPs are still struggling to stop Piper's rampage, and he's meanwhile getting in a few shots in their direction. They barely get the door closed before Falman hits the gas pedal and tears out of the area.

"Okay, so does someone want to explain to me what exactly is going on?" Mustang asks as they leave the parade grounds behind.

"Short version - we all deserted our posts to come back and stop your execution," says Breda. "Once we got back to Central, we met up with Fullmetal, and General Armstrong held a big meeting at her family mansion. Turns out she called Miles in Ishval and had him round up your supporters there to bring them here to help."

"Which is how we got here," Douglas interjects, pointing to himself, Ross, and Brosh.

"She sent Miles to find Madame Christmas, since she'd been missing since your arrest, and he came back with both Madame and the Fuhrer."

"Which begs the question of where you've been all this time, sir," Mustang says, turning to his grandfather-in-law.

"With your mother. I wasn't in the office when it blew," he clarifies, smiling in his benign way. "But I was near enough that I got hurt by the blast, and I knew at once that it was sabotage. So I got out through the sewers and made my way to your mother's place. She's been helping me recover. I've been following the situation," he adds, "and I would have announced sooner that I was still alive, but with both you and Riza in the enemy's grip I was afraid of what might happen. When you were sentenced to death I knew I had to act, but it wasn't until Lieutenant Colonel Miles showed up that I was aware that our allies had returned to Central."

"By that point," Havoc says, "we decided to just hijack the execution and see if we could take down Piper at the same time. I didn't expect him to try to kill the Fuhrer, but then again, after what General Armstrong told us, I guess we should have been prepared for the possibility. So we had Falman on standby with the getaway vehicle, and he knew to come get us if he heard shelling."

"This is a little crazy." Mustang shakes his head, running a trembling hand over his face and chuckling. His aspect changes, suddenly, as he's seized with evident fear. "What about Riza?"

"General Armstrong and Fullmetal are getting her out of the mansion," Havoc assures him. "She'll be fine."

He visibly relaxes, his countenance once again growing businesslike. "So what now?"

"We head for Central Command to show the higher-ups that our fearless leader is still alive, thus proving your innocence and - one would assume - overturning your conviction."

"I don't know how many members of High Command are in on this," Mustang warns them. "Acheron himself said that Hakuro was innocent - he was just a dupe - but he didn't say anything about anybody else."

"Well, we've got some friends waiting for us there."

"Miles?"

"Miles, Armstrong, Fuery, the rest of your team from Ishval - it's a big old reunion."

"General Mustang!" wails Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong. "The plan was a success and you're alive! I cannot begin to express my relief!" Everyone is collected on the stairs leading up into Central Command.

"Express it later," Mustang says shortly. "We've got another coup to perform. It's great to see you all and I can't thank you enough for what you've done, but for now, let's leave it at that. Miles, what's the status?"

"I haven't heard anything from General Armstrong or Fullmetal," he says, frowning. "They went to the executive residence to retrieve Colonel Mustang but there's been no sign of them. I do have some interesting news, however."

"Interesting good or interesting bad?"

"You tell me." He smiles. "A certain party from Xing is approaching the city."

"Alphonse?"

"Indeed. It's possible that Fullmetal's gone to bring his brother up to speed on what's happening, which will be an asset if things get ugly."

"Which I think they just did," says Fuery. "Look!"

A handful of soldiers come spilling out of the main entrance of Central Command, aiming rifles at the allies. "Give yourselves up," one of them shouts. "We don't want to hurt you."

"Stand down!" snaps Grumman.

That, at least, gives them pause. "Fuhrer Grumman?"

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Hold them there!" shouts Piper's voice. They turn and see him exiting a vehicle, still carrying a gun; Havoc wonders about the fate of the MPs who fought him, and feels a little sick. "Many apologies, Fuhrer Grumman, but as you've been declared legally dead, you no longer have authority over these men."

"Is that true?" Ross wonders.

"It's a very loose interpretation of the law," Falman muses, "but... I suppose an argument could be made for the veracity of the statement."

"Even so," Breda protests, "the fact that he's standing here proves that General Mustang didn't murder him."

The soldiers behind them seem very confused; Havoc supposes that if he were in their position, he wouldn't quite know what to do either. However, more soldiers - several more - are emerging from the crevices of the spiderweb-shaped city, and the way they hold their weapons indicates that they are far less uncertain. These are Piper's men, or rather, Acheron's men; either way, they are not friendly.

"Now," says Piper, "we continue with the aborted execution. As deserters and therefore traitors to Amestris, you can all share in your commander's fate."

"Not so fast!"

"Ladyship, you're safe! Thank Ishvara," says Miles, almost sagging with relief at the sight of the blonde General.

Olivier Mira Armstrong emerges into sight, seemingly from out of nowhere, looking cool and effortlessly beautiful. With impossible dignity, she addresses herself to Piper. "As I said to Mustang only a few days ago, I've killed better men than you in my sleep."

"Well, if it isn't the stunning Northern Wall of Briggs," he replies genially. "Have you thrown your lot in with these turncoats?"

"I'm afraid so." Her hand is on the pommel of her sword.

"Suit yourself." And as she starts to draw the fabled weapon, he snaps his fingers. The three soldiers standing closest to him, evidently his more loyal followers, lift their rifles and hold them mere inches from her face. She pauses, trying to assess the situation.

"This is your only warning," Piper announces. "Drop your weapons or I'll kill her too."

"Don't be stupid!" she calls. "Shoot the bastard!"

"Ah, Lieutenant General," he sighs, "you overestimate them. These are not your Briggs Bears. These are Mustang's followers - they are men of mercy. Weapons on the ground, turncoats, or the General dies now."

"Do it," Mustang says shortly. Hesitantly, they comply.

"Mustang, you jackass! He'll kill me anyway!"

"Not yet," he replies. "You're a bit too valuable to kill. Now, let me see. We have the chainsmoking sniper and his perky little fiancee; we have the pot-bellied strategist; we have the walking dictionary and the shrimpy radio nut. We have the beautiful General and her adoring baby brother, we have his two pet Lieutenants, and we have the contingent from Ishval Command. Oh, and of course, we have the less-dead-than-advertised leader of the nation. An impressive little army, Mustang. But it does seem like someone's missing, doesn't it?"

Havoc glances at the Chief, whose face is impassive. His eyes, however, are flickering with anger.

"Oh, of course! How could I forget?" Piper holds up a little hand-held radio. "Do you know what this is, Mustang?"

"A communications device."

"Obviously. But more specifically, this is how I keep in touch with my men at the Fuhrer's residence. I need give only one instruction." He brings the device to his lips. "Kill the prisoner."

"No!"

Piper laughs. "I didn't press the button," he says. "That was just to show you what I could do. Your Excellency, I'm afraid you and your chosen heir are too great a liability to leave alive. But for the rest of you, I'm extending a special one-time offer. Change your allegiance."

"Never," Havoc growls quietly.

"Change your allegiance," Piper repeats. "Throw in your lot with Mustang, and you die with him... and then you'll never know whether I give that order or not. But if you join me, that's the best chance you have to spare - what is it you like to call her? Your queen?" He chuckles. "I really don't have any desire to harm her, you know. I will if I must, but I'd like to give you the chance to save her life. Not to mention... the baby."

"Piper, your boss promised!" the Chief protests. "Acheron said they wouldn't be hurt!"

"He said they wouldn't be hurt by his orders," Piper clarifies. "But I do have some autonomy, you know, and you never thought to ask me to promise. So what's it going to be?"

Havoc glances at his friends - specifically, at the other three 'chess pieces.' He can see the same terror and uncertainty in their eyes that he feels in his own gut. Abandon the king to save the queen? He doesn't play chess, but he knows that's not the right move. Dying to save the king is the task of a loyal knight. But if he dies, he has no guarantee that he'll save either one.

On the other hand, if they turn their back on the king now, the queen herself will probably gun them down at the first opportunity. That's just the way she is, after all. And they would deserve it, for such disloyalty.

He sees in their faces that they've come to the same conclusion. In unspoken agreement, they nod at him. Speak for us all.

"No!" he shouts.