Good evening, folks! This here is a followup, to show you how I plotted out this monster and what I had in mind when I started. A great deal of this belongs to Inkydoo, who assisted in much planning and bouncing, as well as Silverfox2702, who then served to cause delays by infecting me with D. Gray Man. This chapter will deal with what I originally envisioned the fic to be and my notes - next chapter is all about deleted scenes! Enjoy!
-x-
There are three fictional towns: Arturu, Jannai, and Rountal. The sensei currently lives in Rountal, but old records will indicate he lived in Jannai at some point, four years before the plague. Franklin was born in Arturu/Jannai. A plague wiped out most of the village before a cure was discovered, and when it was subsequently resettled, it was renamed Jannai. Franklin hails from Jannai. Patterson hails from Arturu (because he was ten when the plague struck, as opposed to Franklin's five.)
Franklin was born in 1906. He transmuted a Stone out of forty people in 1919 at age of 14.
Patterson was born in 1901. He is two years younger than Ed.
The plague hit Arturu/Jannai in 1911.
(Here there were two maps of Amestris so I could keep my geography correct, but of course those don't display here on this particularly site.)
New Characters:
Franklin's sensei – Avram Blane
Lily Blane - Avram's wife and Patterson's adopted sister
Cretian minions working with Franklin
Timothy Patterson as bad guy
Second Lieutenant Kain Fuery
Drachman leader (and government) – Shurik Tolya, Supreme Commander of Drachma (his Eminence)
Brooks – one of Mustang's bodyguards
Goodman – the other bodyguard
Major Heymans Breda
Pasie Dueys – School secretary
Major General Alex Louis Armstrong (promoted from Brigadier General)
Breckhart, Elric, Morris, Sorn, Swolls, and Tringum – list of alchemists Al gets from Mustang
Darr Swolls – little-known by Al, 30s, Ishbalan
Morris – lives in dorms, black
Franklin Sorn – lives at 812 Treewell (Cobalt lane intersects it and can be caught off Division Circle)
Mechanical Alchemist – Franklin Sorn
Binding Life Alchemist – Lieutenant Colonel Al Elric
Winding Tree Alchemist – Russ Tringum
Quiet Alchemist – Swolls (modifies frequency of objects – walks through walls, eliminates/causes sound)
Saundra – alchemist mentioned in PAA:FA as injured by Irving (possibly female teacher in Academy)
Arei and Finn – two boys that witnessed the Ishbalan attack (aka Franklin transmuting a Stone)
Zachariah Bindlow – old man from cafe in Jannai
Bert – old man from cafe in Jannai
Rachel – waitress from café in Jannai; dating Arei
Mira Bansk – office assistant with Paise Dueys
Chamber Speaker Durnd – Parliament official in the hospital
Dr. Ackernath – sees to Pinako Rockbell
Lucille – blonde female alchemist, known to Franklin
Master Sergeant Denny Brosh
Ambassador Agata – one of the Drachman ambassadors, witnessed the assassination attempt
Sergeant Sheska
First Lieutenant Maria Ross
Bren Durrell – the Flint Alchemist, deceased by Irving's amplifier
Challiel – Mustang's secretary
Sergeant Pindank – Ed's research assistant in Sorn's library
Madelyne and Dolph Price - Sorn's guardians and owners of a donut shop in Liore
General Terese Enora - Cretian general
Commander Reinken - Cretian commander in charge of Edward
Specialist Sapud - Franklin's Cretian contact
Nidler - enemy alchemist
Luis - Cretian torture expert
Lanan - Cretian alchemist
Ike - Cretian medical officer
Speaker Morian - Parliament house rep that opposes Mustang
Dr. Murly - Hakuro's staff doctor
Anya Sein - alternate Cretian general
Lieutenant Colonel Jean Havoc
Sadie and Bonita - Pinako's nurses, know Patterson, work for Ackernath
First Lieutenant Vato Falman
Dr. Lise Dalyell - Ed and Al's new doctor - brown eyes
Major General Lee Tash - interrogating Sorn, Patterson, and Blane
Marcus - giant orderly, works for Dalyell
Daugherty - organizing witnesses for the Parliament trials
Official timeline (not narrative timeline)
(You may notice I diverged a bit, but when I originally plotted this thing, this is what it was supposed to look like. =)
Franklin transmutes a test Stone out of forty people at a religious gathering one year prior to Ed and Al's return to Amestris, having decoded enough of their notes. He is not able to determine the 7-point circle, using the 6-point everyone knows and loves. It seems inefficient to him, which was why he was looking for a better array. His sensei assisted.
Franklin uses the destruction around Central after the events of PAA:FA to transmute tunnels around the ruins of Lab 5. Determines he will not be able to mine enough Red Stone before the Cretain army has mobilized on West City. Acquires some Red Stone during this operation, uses it in experimenting with resurrecting dead animals/creating chimera/seeing if they survive brief movement through time.
Franklin acquires a small piece of the remains of Craege Irving (highly toxic to alchemists, toxic to humans, giving off alchemic energy as alchemic bonds around the molecules break down.) Franklin plans to use a smidge of those remains to create an explosion (think substitute for uranium) of alchemic energy used to boost the effects of his test Stone. Hasn't done it yet; it's found on his bench after he falls under suspicion.
Hakuro suspects internal help in the assassination attempts based on Edward's lie in PAA:FA, and begins investigations, informing Parliament but NOT Mustang or his people. Hakuro pulls Breda in to investigate Mustang's men, which is how Patterson hears that the investigation is going on.
Franklin is contacted by the Cretians for more information on West City's fortifications. He does research/manipulates orders there that is later discovered by Edward, leading him to find Franklin in West City. Franklin determines that things are moving more quickly than he expected, and he makes preparations to leave Central for an area west of West City. He also begins a list of loose ends that need tying up. (He knows that Patterson lived in his town, but does not know Patterson has a link to his sensei.)
Narration starts off with Mustang meeting with Drachman officials. The recent assassination attempts on Mustang and the attempt to destroy Central are discussed. Drachman leader insinuates that if Amestris doesn't do something about the party responsible for framing them, they may have to have him killed just to protect their pride. Drachmans leave Mustang with three 'diplomts,' all women, and tell him to get married. It is inferred that Mustang marrying a Drachman will ease border tensions significantly.
Mustang isn't very happy about this; Ed's lie regarding Irving has caused some of this problem. Hakuro meets with Mustang immediately after, informing him of the preliminary investigations and revealing the results. He has identified several alchemists that have shown irregular behavior. On that list is Franklin Sorn as well as Russell Tringum. He also identified a variety of possible informants, including Kain, Sheska, Havoc, Patterson, and one of the two bodyguards Mustang stole from the Speaker. Mustang calls in Hawkeye to follow up on the narrowed list, knowing that Sheska, Havoc, Patterson, and Kain may be under suspicion because of actions they took during the uranium bomb plot. At this point, in his mind, the most likely suspect on the list could be one of the new bodyguards he picked up. He also assumes if one is dirty, so is the other.
Hakuro is also pressing forward with his court marshal, and suspends Edward's military privileges. Effectively, all it means is that he can't command other soldiers. He also says he knows Edward was lying, but he insinuates he doesn't care as long as the lie stands up to scrutiny. He informs Mustang he will (unfortunately) be trusting the Elrics, since they arrived AFTER the first assassination attempt, and will require Ed's full cooperation in investigating some of the students in the Academy. He also pulls rank and insists that military presence in the school be increased. Mustang agrees.
Edward is given the information discussed in Mustang's meeting with Hakuro over the phone and by a soldier. He goes to teach his last class of the day; Franklin does not show up for class. He runs into Armstrong and Olivia in the hallway – Olivia's in town for her brother's promotion.
Mustang has Al pulled from his last class, also by a soldier, for a brief meeting at HQ. He gives him the mission to investigate the five alchemists suspected on the list, including Franklin and Russell. He also has Hawkeye start her own background checks on everyone, including Sheska (who found some of the evidence). He tells Al to keep the mission secret; Hakuro's soldiers would not be subtle, but if he was, it might give these alchemists reason to trust that Al was trying to watch their back instead of turn them in.
Al returns to the school in time to catch up with Ed, telling him he's going to repair the city as usual. He's uneasy lying to Edward, and learns Franklin was not in class. He then leaves to visit Franklin's home, discovering the piece of Craege Irving Franklin has hidden there. It's miniscule but still enough to kill if swallowed.
Ed leaves school to continue his mission of cleaning up parts of the city from the feedback. He discovers an old tunnel that had been run into the ruins of Lab 5, and begins to worry that red stone may have been taken. More worryingly, he finds a chimera that has been dead only a short time. (This chimera was transmuted by Franklin to test the small amount of Red Stone he was able to find.)
Bothered enough about the piece of Irving he found, Al reports to Mustang unofficially (to protect the Prime Minister from being 'aware' of transgressions.) Mustang isn't pleased. He orders Al to perform a more complete search into Franklin Sorn, including his past and family. He also sends the military out to locate the missing young alchemist. This military order is eventually passed to Hakuro, who begins a very thorough investigation into him.
Edward suspects that Franklin Sorn may have been the one to want to mine Red Stone, and worries that those attempts to mine were why Franklin appeared to be suffering from the feedback sickness on and off since PAA:FA. He also worries the youth might have recently overdone it, which was why he missed class. He goes to Franklin's address only to find Al there, pouring over Franklin's notes. Al admits he's been ordered to investigate the boy; Ed tells him what he's found. The two immediately assume Franklin used the city's demolition as an excuse to poke around Lab 5. They find some of their own notes, completely deciphered, and a few deciphered wrongly. Some relate to their attempts at human transmutation. Some relate to the doorway Al transmuted during the Thule Invasion. Some relate to notes on the Gate. Some are math too complex for either Ed or Al to decipher without significant time. They assume he's been mining the red stone all last month, but still can't explain why he would keep a piece of Irving. While they're there, someone attempts to break in. He does not speak. They repel the attacker, who open fires with a gun, but are unable to detain them.
(From Al's POV) Ed and Al fight with giving this information to Mustang or going to handle it themselves. They decide to get more complete information before worrying Mustang. Al follows his previous orders, going to Franklin's hometown of Jannai to complete his research, while Ed (without orders) attempts to determine if Franklin is still in Central. By now it is night.
The following morning, in Jannai, Al discovers the name of the alchemist that taught Franklin, as well as the woods no one played in after forty tree-huggers went to live in the woods and were all slaughtered by some Ishbals that had hidden there after the war. The citizens do not mention the town was once called Arturu, and will refuse to discuss it or speak of it, thinking it bad luck. Al calls Fletcher in Central (knowing his brother is busy and won't be reachable by phone, and that he can't use Sheska until she's been cleared), asking him to locate Franklin's teacher while he investigates the reports of the marauding Ishbalians. At this point, Al sees Hakuro's men in the town.
Fletcher runs into Hawkeye at the library, who is doing her own research, this time with Sheska so that she doesn't know she's under investigation. He learns the sensei currently lives in Rountal and assists Sheska, learning that Patterson is under investigation and that he was born in Arturu. He also learns a few details about hometowns of Havoc, Breda (being investigated to throw suspicion off him) and Hawkeye. Sheska offers to finish up his sensei research for him, since she's doing that kind of research on others. She believes that after all her hard work, Mustang is going to fire her like Maes did to protect her from Hakuro's investigations. (Humor bit.) Fletcher reassures her that no one would ever let her go, and goes to make a phone call.
Meanwhile, the missing Franklin has been running around the city, trying to get everything in order. He knows Hakuro has been stepping up security and that he's running out of time. He meets someone who demands to know why there were strangers in his house, thus being alerted that the 'two blonde men' are either the Tringums or the Elrics, and that Mustang must have ordered them to do it. He reassures the man that everything is still according to plan, and that the information is still accurate, both for the attempt tonight and the attack on the city. He does not specify at this point which city. Once the man leaves, Franklin redons his disguise and contemplates where to go, since he obviously can't go home.
Mustang does Parliamentary things and waits for reports may meet with officials or have a scene with the Drachman ambassadors, possibly a cute heart to heart with Hawkeye, or to catch up with Breda and Kain wanting to go back on duty like they mean it.
Ed is found to be waiting once again in Franklin's home, going over the notes. He spent the day teaching his and Al's classes. He hopes that Franklin will return, not wanting to leave the piece of Irving behind before he splits town. He begins to understand the math but still doesn't know what all the variables are. Some of it relates to astronomy, some of it relates to geography, and some of it appears to simply be wrong. It appears to possibly be attempts to determine how Al opened the Gate to Earth. Ed wonders if Franklin is actually attempting to get their army to defend Central? Ed also finds an appointment scribbled down on the back of a piece of paper, and plans to go there the following morning and see if there are any clues. (The appointment is encoded, but it's easy to figure out. It's a trap for anyone perusing his notes.) Ed is confronted in the house before he can finish studying the notes by Hakuro's men, and spends the rest of the night arguing with them and Hakuro. (Because of his court marshal, he is not allowed to investigate ongoing military concerns, but he refuses to divulge what he's learned, because technically he can't be debriefed either, being a civilian.)
(Clue is a play of an abandoned storefront on Plantir and Tracer, the corner Mustang and Ed rounded to meet Craege Irving. It's a scribbled birth announcement for someone named Toman Praw, giving the time as eight am, and the day doesn't match the year. The year is the storefront address backwards, and the day and date matches the current year.)
Al has since traveled to Rountal per Fletcher's phone call, which is only an hour from Jannai, to speak with the sensei. He is a nice older man, providing letters from Franklin proving he was staying in touch with his pupil. He asks if anything is wrong; Al says with the climate of distrust in Central the Academy decided to check into the background of all the students. It is revealed that Fletcher is incredibly bright, and more powerful than the sensei. He was called 'Red Edward' when he first passed the exam because of how much he was like the famous Elrics – but now, of course, he's got his own name because he surpassed them by following the rules. The sensei seems very proud of Franklin. Al leaves to return to Jannai for sleeping before going back to Central the following morning.
An assassination of Roy Mustang is attempted. Hawkeye is forced to shoot the assassin. Olivia is with Mustang, as he is trying to get her to pretend to be his girlfriend to freak out the Drachman diplomats and get them off his back. One of the Drachman 'ambassadors' witnesses the attack, and states the dead assassin is not a Drachman. She then states she wants to leave, immediately, for Drachma. Hawkeye wonders if perhaps the Drachman ambassadors were placed to determine Mustang's security, and how their assassins were failing, to improve their chances. At this point the reader is certain Franklin gave the assassin the information necessary to get as far as they did. The assassin also makes a very stupid mistake, one that Franklin could have told him to avoid.
The following morning, Al has returned to Central. He's worried enough about what he found that he wants to report in. He meets Ed taking a shower at home, having not slept, on his way to the 'appointment' he found in Franklin's notes. The two decide to check it out together before reporting in to Mustang, and leave.
Sheska has been hard at work as well, doing all the research Hawkeye assigned her on all the others being investigated. Fletcher returns to the library after working his shift cleaning up the city (his brother relieved him) and Sheska is able to give him the information he requested. The sensei was born in Central, lived in East for a while before moving to Arturu and lived there for somewhere between four and eight years before moving to Rountal. She then mentions that he must have lived there during the plague, when the city was renamed to Jannai. Initially Fletcher doesn't think anything of it, but later remembers that Patterson was from Arturu. Interested in whether the doctor remembers this sensei, he goes to the hospital to ask.
Parliament is meeting about the assassination attempts, and urging Mustang to take action. He refuses despite the suspicious behavior of the Drachman diplomats, whom he has placed under house arrest for their own safety. He argues that this attempt was even less likely to work than the last, and that the party responsible is slipping up. He praises Hakuro for his work to uncover the plot, and Parliament for their continued patience. He promises that when the true culprit is revealed, he will respond swiftly and with appropriate military action. Olivia is seen watching him through narrowed eyes from the audience.
Ed and Al end up at the place where the appointment was, and Ed immediately suspects it was a meeting with the two guys that opened fire on them two nights ago. They are therefore cautious, but still trip boobytraps. (Franklin's specialty is transmuting things with a mechanical nature.) Both brothers are lightly injured by the equivalent of a shrapnel grenade. Edward was exhausted as it was, and seems a little more disoriented than he should be, so Al makes the executive decision they should get patched up and report back to Mustang, now believing that Franklin is deep into something that doesn't look good.
Fletcher finds Patterson in the records room, and asks him about growing up in Arturu and whether he knew Franklin or Franklin's sensei. Not suspecting anything outside of a "Hey, do you know this guy, what do you think of him?" he is caught unawares and given a paralytic that kills him. Patterson is very kind to him as he dies, but does not tell him anything more than that his death is not meaningless and that he will do everything he can to help Russell. The last things Fletcher hears are the Gate doors opening, and a giggle of recognition.
(Un-narrated at this point) Franklin entered the hospital to get rid of records of him breaking his leg badly as a kid, and being treated in Central. He is trying to hide the location of his guardians, to protect them in case he fails. He is afraid the Tringums or Elrics will catch him before he can transmute the Stone. Franklin sneaks into the Records room (near the apothecary) and witnesses Fletcher's death. As soon as Patterson leaves, Franklin uses his Stone (which he retrieved at some point) to transmutes Fletcher's soul back to his body. He has just enough Stone left over (and ingredients in the apothecary) to create a dead human body that looks exactly like Fletcher. He asks Fletcher why Patterson killed him, but Fletcher honestly has no idea. He's extremely shaken; the Gate took him but he can't remember what happened after that, only waking up on the floor seeing Franklin. Franklin convinces him to come into hiding, so they can watch Patterson and try to figure out what's going on. When Fletcher tells him what he was asking, Franklin immediately suspects that Patterson is up to something relating directly to him. When Fletcher calms down, he will come to the same conclusion. He knows at this point that Franklin has already transmuted an incomplete Stone, and probably plans to make another.
Narration continues when Ed and Al end up in the hospital, being treated by none other than Patterson. Nothing in his conversation seems any weirder than any conversation he had before. He gives them both stitches and a shot of antibiotics, then decides to keep Ed for observation for a few hours. This enrages Edward, but Patterson tells him he's not sure about the feedback issue from PAA:FA and he's not happy that Ed has been cleaning up the feedback still in the city. Al determines that Mustang can't receive his report secretly for several hours anyway, so decides to stay with his brother while Ed catches a little sleep. He calls the academy to cancel both their afternoon classes.
Russell gets off shift and heads to the Academy to meet his brother after his class. He learns that Fletcher never showed up to teach it from a student that he catches in the hall that was supposed to be in it. Curious, he stops by the office and discovers Al has already called in from the base hospital to cancel his later class as well. Suspecting that Al and Fletcher might have gotten into trouble together, Russell heads for the hospital as well. He ends up in the Elric's room, but they haven't seen Fletcher since yesterday, when Al guiltily admits that he asked Fletcher to look into something for him. Irritated that he was left out, Russell leaves it alone. The same nurse that was in Ed and Roy's room before notes that she saw him a couple hours ago, when he ducked into the Records room.
All three boys head that way (Ed points out that the nurse knew where they'd gone and he was still in the damn hospital) and they find Fletcher. Patterson was called when Ed ignored the nurse that told him to go back to his room, and enters only a few moments later, already yelling at Edward before stopping. Ed holds Russell back from performing human transmutation on the spot, and Patterson swears he will find out how Fletcher died. He has them removed from the room by soldiers if necessary.
About this time Mustang was to be briefed by Al anyway, and he is seen arriving in the hospital. He meets with Patterson very briefly, who gives him the basic rundown – it appears to be heart failure, but he'll know more once the autopsy is done. He insinuates he thinks Russell should not be left unsupervised due to the scene he saw in the room when he walked in, and Mustang immediately assumes Russ thought about attempting human transmutation. He goes to the Elrics' room, where the three are being held by a soldier, and gets an explanation. He cuts Al off as he attempts to add more information, then has Ed released to accompany Russ home. Russell protests; Mustang doesn't budge. Ed and Russ head to Russ's new place, and Al gives Mustang the further information.
Russell is extremely angry – he feels he has been left out of something and it might have had something to do with what happened to Fletcher. Edward tries to reassure him, and Russ blows up in his face. Al eventually returns and has a conversation with Russell.
The following morning, Hakuro confronts Hawkeye. He reveals that he has spoken with Franklin's sensei, who told him a State Alchemist had just spoken with him as well. He orders Hawkeye to divulge the reports – she can obey or be court marshaled. Mustang's shorter bodyguard was in the room, and notifies the larger bodyguard through a look that Mustang needs to be brought into this argument. Hakuro appeals to Hawkeye's relationship with Mustang, but she stalls. Mustang arrives in time to order her silent, then pulls Hakuro aside and divulges a good deal of the information. Hakuro immediately points out the obvious link between the investigation and Franklin's sudden disappearance, as well as the men that attacked the Elrics and the boobytrap that was set for them. They determine uneasily that Franklin has been helping someone, but they still can't agree if it's the Drachmans, Cretians, or Aerugonians. Nor can they think of a way to find them.
While Hakuro is present, Hawkeye forwards a phone call to him. It's from Patterson. He tells Mustang that the body appears clean, and it looks as though Fletcher died of heart failure, but that there are several substances that could cause that that will not show up in tests. He hesitates, and Mustang calls him on it. He tells Mustang that there's something else unusual; the body was room temperature, which would normally happen 18-24 hours after death, depending on ambient temperature. He says he can't think of any substances that would have so quickly lowered Fletcher's body temperature. He suspects foul play. This is just enough information that Mustang realizes the body could be a doll. He orders further tests (while playing directly into Patterson's hands) and suspects that Franklin may have had a hand in the death of Fletcher.
Mustang contacts the Elrics – he gives Edward complete freedom to track down Franklin by any means necessary. He has full run of Franklin's notes, contacts, everything. He orders Al to find out what Fletcher was doing in the records room, telling him that Patterson believes Fletcher's death was not accidental. Al hesitates, and asks if he has anything besides suspicions. Mustang says he will wait for their information before issuing any further orders. Ed and Al feel badly for leaving Russell unsupervised; Hakuro admits that it's unlikely Russell is involved in the scheme if his own brother has died because of it. They pull military supervision off of Russell, but Mustang orders Maria Ross to keep an eye on him.
Once the Elrics are safely on missions, Franklin's sensei comes to Russell, claiming he resurrected Franklin a month after his death. He says he needs three alchemists to perform resurrection (more would be better, but no more than three can work together well enough to accomplish their goal. The circle needs to have borders, corners, and symbols that are all divisible by three for a successful resurrection.) Because Russell was so used to working with another alchemist (his brother Fletcher) he would be an excellent replacement for the sensei's now-dead colleague. In return for help in locating his wayward apprentice before something terrible befalls him (for the sensei was already visited by Al and knows the military is looking for Franklin and it isn't good), when they find Franklin, the three of them will revive Fletcher. Suspecting the sensei to be the key to finding out what happened to his brother, Russell leaves with him. Russell leaves his wallet in the house, missing enough for train fare, as a clue to anyone that might follow. They purposefully ditch Maria. She reports back to Hawkeye immediately.
[This happens one day later. For the first day, Russell receives those wishing to pay their respects, and Blane makes the offer. Russell then ditches Maria to walk the city beneath Central, or just around Central, thinking. He returns and may be spotted by an Elric sleeping. He takes his pills haphazardly; they may be one of the clues Al uses to determine that Russ isn't out on a walk, and has actually left to go somewhere.]
Unnarrated: Due to Franklin's concerns about Patterson, Fletcher is in disguise, tailing Patterson. He sits outside the hospital until Patterson leaves to kill Mustang, and follows him.
Edward goes back to Franklin's notes, eventually deducing that the geography he was looking at matches his hometown. He is now certain that Franklin is attempting to transmute a Stone, but can't figure out the assassination angle. Why try to have Roy killed? He finds his notes on Lior and goes over them, eventually noting that Franklin seems especially centered on the idea of transmuting an army. At that point, he puts the assassination plot and the Stone somewhat together – Franklin is trying to incite a war specifically to use the attacking army as ingredients for his Stone.
Al returns to the hospital and Patterson reveals what has happened to Pinako – she fell and cracked her pelvis. She left it for a long time, which has significantly impacted their ability to get the bone back together without hugely invasive surgery, which could kill her. She is either confined to a bed for the rest of her life (no life as far as Pinako is concerned) or must undergo the risky procedure. She doesn't want an alchemist messing with her, having seen what became of Hohenheim, Tricia, and the Elrics, and would have refused the Tringums even if they'd offered. (She will later be talked out of this.)
Al goes to the records room, trying to determine what Fletcher was looking for. They assume that if Franklin killed him, it was to prevent him from finding something – a faulty assumption, but one that leads them to find what Franklin really was trying to hide – the record of his guardians. Patterson enlists Al's help in determining that the body he has of Fletcher is really a doll; Al confirms it. Patterson tells him he thinks the body must have been switched between finding Fletcher and the initial autopsy, and suggests that perhaps the killer took the remains for some reason. They report back to Mustang that the body is a doll; Mustang informs Al that Russell ditched Maria Ross an hour ago. Patterson theorizes that Russell might be attempting to resurrect his brother, or worse yet, someone else already has. At this point Al remembers that Franklin might have had some Red Stone, and is afraid Franklin might have done it to increase confusion, or to accomplish some task for him.
With no other leads, Al discovers Franklin's guardians now actually live in Central. Thinking perhaps the guardians might know where he is, Al goes to meet with them and get information. They are the first people to say anything disparaging about the sensei; for some reason Al trusts them implicitly. They give him interesting information. He spent two years with them when he had a falling out with his sensei, then a year after he went back to Blane, he certified as a State Alchemist. (Blane claimed Franklin on his taxes, so the only proof the guardians had him is the medical record.) Al is finished before lunch.
Edward immediately heads back to HQ to report to Mustang, not trusting Franklin's phone thanks to Hakuro's soldiers. Mustang agrees to see him, and Edward gives them his theory – Franklin is trying to start a war to transmute a Stone that he will use to resurrect his dead village. Everyone thinks this is a likely scenario. All suspect Russell has ditched Maria in an effort to either help Franklin transmute a Stone or to steal the finished product from him, or is working with another alchemist that might have done so. Maria is able to give a description Al matches to the sensei – they now know Russell left with him. The military begins searching for Russell Tringum. It is now 10:30.
Much later, Russell and the sensei end up in an area just outside town, waiting for a train that will take them back to Jannai. Russell notes that the sensei's fiancée has an odd bracelet; he begins to ask pointed questions. The sensei is vague about the answers, but grills him on where Franklin could be. Russell finally refuses to play along, calling the old man out. How did he know Fletcher was dead? The old man threatens the fiancée, saying he can guarantee she dies by sundown if anything happens to him. Fearing that sensei has given her a poison and must be alive to give her an antidote, Russell is effectively trapped. The sensei makes a phone call to Patterson, ordering him to kill Mustang (not in so many words.) He explains that Franklin is likely to fail at this point, but Russell is capable of transmuting a Stone, and if he's very, very good, he'll let Russell use what's left of the Stone to revive his brother.
Ed suspects, due to the geographical notes, that Franklin had special interest in Creta or Aerugo – western Amestris. He takes the next train he can in that direction, the one he and Al used to take to Creta when researching the Stone. On the train he remembers the lay of the land a little better, and starts thinking like Scar would – if he was going to transmute an army, how would he do it? He assumes from the notes that Franklin has no plans to transmute Amestrian citizens, and on the map he finds a place just west of West City that would be perfect – the plain slopes down so it would be impossible to see the array if you were approaching from the west, heading east, but it would be plainly obvious from the east side, facing west. In that way it would be easy to place the army before transmuting.
Ed reports back to Mustang when he arrives at the midway point to West City – it is now early evening. Mustang tells him to stop Franklin from transmuting the Stone, no matter what it takes. Ed correctly interprets this order to be 'Kill Franklin if necessary.' Mustang then concocts a plan to handle the army that will be arriving shortly on either West or South City's front porch, immediately summoning Olivia Armstrong.
Meanwhile, Al is assembling information and looking over Franklin's notes again. He tries to find someplace in the city the remains could have been taken or transmuted, or a Homunculus hidden, but finds nothing.
It is now early the next morning. Edward finds the place on his map, finding Franklin standing there, waiting for the army. He is just on the border with Creta. Ed can actually see the cloud that signals the approaching army, and he can see the array Franklin has built (with alchemy.) It's still the usual 6-pointed circle. He moves to destroy it; he and Franklin have a brief but vicious fight, in which Ed is able to subdue Franklin as easily as Mustang got him all those years ago. He tells Franklin he can't bring back the dead; Franklin hesitates, then tells Ed why he's transmuting the Stone. Ed points out the math is wrong - Einstein theorized such travel would create a paradox, destroying the timestream. Ed also realizes the sensei has put him up to it, and a few pointed questions reveal everything else: Franklin did not organize the first or second assassination attempts. He did, however, try to become an 'informant' for them, and by selling information, was able to determine Creta was behind the attempts. He built trust with the Cretaians, giving two assassins information that was incomplete, but good enough. The Cretian general believed his information that Drachma was about to be attacked, withdrawing forces from West City. In this way he enticed an army to his array.
Ed wonders if there was any other informant for the first assassination attempts; Franklin says he doesn't know, but he imagines there was. (Patterson and the sensei were those instigators, to plant the idea in Franklin's mind.) Franklin reveals that he suspects Patterson, but does not admit to seeing the murder or resurrecting Fletcher. About this time Ed and Franklin realize the advanced divisions are too close, and that downhill geography that would work so well for an array will not help them in the slightest. Ed makes an executive decision to try to scare the army off, now that they aren't transmuting it, to buy Mustang more time to reinforce West.
Ed and Frankin hold back the Cretian army by making them think the Amestrian army is there. Franklin transmutes things with mechanical applications; makes some machines that create dust, like approaching artillery. Franklin is revealed to have seen the Gate when he transmutes without a circle in front of Ed. At that point, Ed asks when he saw the Gate, but Franklin refuses to say. He seems very surprised; first clue that he might have actually revived Fletcher. They succeed in scaring off the advanced division, but not the force behind it. They attempt to hide, but an enemy alchemist exposes them, and they are captured. Franklin is recognized as one of their inside informants and branded a traitor, and Edward is recognized as the Fullmetal Alchemist. Franklin tells them that Amestris is expecting them, and the army is in place in West; the Cretian general (female) decides to check for herself. Both are kept alive as the army moves. Ed and Franklin slowed the army down by an entire day.
Mustang correctly guesses that West is more likely to be attacked than South, because of defenses. He has sent both Armstrongs there, and gives orders that West HQ make it appear as if they have all left; when the Cretian army crosses the border and scouts the city, it appears as if the military is indeed largely absent. He knows now that if Edward is successful, there will be a war, and victory is the only thing that will stop the downfall of Amestris. It will also solve some other problems. Mustang's seamstress comes in with two uniforms, demanding the soldiers try them on so she can make sure they lay right. (He has had his seamstress make Breda and Havoc Cretian uniforms, which she has done – extremely begrudgingly.)
Despite Franklin's protests, the general decides that his intel was actually sound. They had kept Edward as a high-value hostage in the fear they would meet the army on the border; they arrange a firing squad - the first shot of the war will be a bullet that kills a National Alchemist. While they have Edward, they attempt to beat more information regarding Amestris' defenses out of him. Edward is extremely shaken by the torture, as it reminds him of Germany, and is not his usual badass self. He does not, however, give them any information. He finally offers up some lies when they threaten to torture Franklin, and Franklin begins to see the consequences of what he's done.
Patterson makes his move to kill Mustang, but Fletcher intercepts him in HQ. It's fairly late, so there are few people in the hallway. Fletcher does not stop to chit-chat, intent on simply stopping Patterson and making sure he's captured, when Mustang, Hawkeye, and Denny round the corner. He immediately attempts to surrender, but Mustang can't be sure he isn't a Homunculus, and it appears he was attacking Patterson. Mustang snaps his fingers.
Unnarrated: Havoc and Breda infiltrate the enemy's ranks per Mustang's orders at dawn, and Havoc takes the place of one of the firing squad soldiers. He shoots on 2, not 3, grazing Ed's skull. The shot gives the appearance of shooting him in the head and killing him.
The attacking general decides to put off the battle until later in the afternoon, when the sun will be in the eyes of the defending West City. This gives Breda and Havoc just enough time to get in there. Franklin does not recognize Havoc, having not spent as much time with Mustang's men. He watches Edward get dragged out before the firing squad and believes Edward has been killed. The general keeps Franklin alive, to face his fate not as a prisoner of war, but as a traitor to the country of Creta. (Plus, he's a 'whelp.') Edward's body is slung into a cart attached to a horse, and sent into West as a declaration of war.
Franklin is beside himself. He doesn't know why the army isn't in West and believes Creta is about to take West City. He also believes Edward is dead. He was left with the base camp, and after about an hour and a half the army moves out. Very shortly, the soldier that shot Edward enters the tent. Franklin doesn't recognize Havoc and makes an ineffectual attempt to kill him, when a second solider he DOES recognize enters - Breda, to yell at them for making noise. The three of them hightail it out of the base camp, with Franklin in 'protective custody'.
Because they're facing a real army and West was only able to get its usual resident force roused, victory is not certain. Olivia is still in the process of outfitting her hidden soldiers with reflective gear and setting up her ambushes. She's on the phone with Mustang when the wagon - and the still-unconscious Edward - passes into the city. She therefore reports that Edward is dead.
Al attempts to track down Russell, fearing that Fletcher really has or will be transmuted into a Homunculus. Russell left his wallet on the table, with his cash splayed out. He normally carried the same amount of cenz, and exactly the right amount for a train ticket out of Central is missing. Al guesses they've headed for Jannai in the hopes of catching Franklin there after he makes his Stone, and just barely catches the next train, on which Russell, sensei, and the fiancée are.
Lots of battle with the Cretian army. Things aren't going as well as the Cretians had hoped, but the Amestrian forces are taking heavy losses. The two female generals note one another on the battlefield, and head toward each other.
Mustang is in the process of reinforcing the West as best he can, but it was too difficult to send an entire army as quickly as he was able to dispatch the four soldiers. He didn't really burn Fletcher to death; just his arm, to see if he healed it. It's still a bad burn, and Fletcher is in a lot of pain. (This was to encourage the Homunculus to heal it, if the healing was something they controlled rather than a symptom of the Red Stones.) He had the man stripped to determine there was no tattoo, but how to check for a soul? Fletcher has told him what he knows, which fits the timeline, and Mustang leaves him alive to watch Hakuro interrogating Patterson. Fletcher is bound in the normal way alchemists are held, and Brosh is assigned to him.
Al finds Russell and sensei on the train, and initially believes Russell left willingly. Sensei orders Russell to protect him; knowing the girl will get it if he doesn't, he moves to do so. During the fight, as soon as the sensei is out of earshot, Russell gives Al the information he needs. He suspects the bracelet is the problem, and given the intricate design, he suspects that much tampering will set it off. Al agrees to take on the sensei if Russ can handle the bracelet – he agrees. Al asks Russ about Fletcher – Russ is shocked to learn the body was a doll., and says he didn't take the remains. Al then fears Franklin or the sensei transmuted the remains into a Homunculus with the Red Stone he took from Lab 5 to cause further chaos. At this point both believe he is still dead.
The two generals meet. Olivia takes some damage but defeats the other general, actually cutting off her head and tossing it over her shoulder by the hair, walking back across the battlefield towards West City. This single act significantly weakens the attacking Creta, and they are repelled.
Al and Russ fight the sensei. Russ is able to remove the bracelet, and once that's done Al makes short work of the sensei. The sensei laughs and says he transmuted Fletcher's body into a Homunculus as a distractionary technique. Al is barely able to prevent Russell from killing sensei; sensei nearly escapes but is stopped by Russell and Al.
[Edward wakes up in the battle infirmary in West, sunburned and with a throbbing skull. He is extremely relieved that all is well, and sees that Franklin has already started withdrawing.] Possibly changed.
Al and Russ return to Central before Ed et al, and Mustang once more tries to get Al away from Russell. This time Russ is FURIOUS, and flatly refuses to be left out. Mustang caves, and takes them to Fletcher's cell. He asks Al how risky transmuting a piece of his soul into a Homunculus would be, and whether it's a good test. Al tests by trying to put a piece of his soul into Russell, who is willing to be experimented on. He is unable; no room for a piece of his soul. They weight the risk of possibly getting a piece of his soul permanently trapped by the Red Stone that might be inside Fletcher. Al is willing to take the risk, and they determine that Fletcher is really Fletcher.
Mustang and Parliament draw up documents accepting the surrender of Creta. They detain the diplomats sent by Creta, and give them Mustang's ultimatum – you can fully surrender to Amestris, or you will be annexed. Drachma is satisfied that its name has been cleared, and pulls its diplomats. Ed is fully recovered. Fletcher, mostly healed by his brother, explains what happened, asking about the Gate. The four uneasily wonder if the Gate has taken a special interest in them, or it merely knew that one of them would come for him just as they had come for Ed.
Mustang makes a note that the supposed Stone Central has left over from the Irvings can be explained away as being used when Ed held back the Cretian army. He also notes that would be a good reason to explain the arm and leg coming back – that he either was wounded in combat and forced to heal himself, accidentally growing back the arm and leg too, or it was used by Al to resurrect him. Ed fights with losing this last link to Winry – Al tells him to accept it, because it signifies the end of their old relationship and without that last crutch maybe they'll finally get over themselves. No one knew he had it on when he was seen in West besides the doctor, who would be sworn to secrecy. None of the soldiers that saw him with or without it in Creta are still alive.
Franklin is being held for treason. Fletcher notes that Franklin didn't have to do what he did, begging for clemency for Franklin. Franklin refuses to speak a word in his defense, refuses to eat, refuses to meet anyone's eyes. It is insinuated that he has even been beaten or worse by the soldiers that held him until Hawkeye puts a swift and angry stop to it. (Redeem Hakuro for Rose's pregnancy) Franklin confides in her, demonstrating to her that he is truly sorry for what he's done to her satisfaction.
At this point Riza and Mustang have a conversation regarding Franklin. It's obvious Hawkeye thinks of him as a child, and relates him to Edward. Mustang brings up the Drachmans telling him he needed a wife, and Parliament as well. Mustang feels that he's finally solidified his position. Amestris is officially stable at this time, and will be gaining territory to boot. Drachma is happy to leave them the hell alone and Aerugo won't touch them at present, after the crushing defeat of the Cretians. He finally feels that he can relax enough to do something he's waited a long time to do – begin dating girls he actually likes. He points out he will probably have to fire her to break the tension; there's no need for her to protect him anymore, after all, he's at the top. She points out she'll never stop protecting him, or their five kids. Mustang is unable to tell if she's joking or not, and she leaves the room to continue working.
The sensei owns up to only the parts of the story they can guess; he is quickly convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Patterson is held, admits to everything including the first assassination attempts, and asks for a death sentence if it means Franklin will be spared. Hakuro wants him executed for treason; Mustang fights for life imprisonment instead because of the circumstances of his sister. He commits suicide by the end of the fic to eliminate the issue, saying that his death is not meaningless (echoing what he told Fletcher when he killed him.)
When Patterson commits suicide, Franklin breaks loose and attempts to perform the same transmutation without the Stone, to try to undo one of the deaths he caused, but is talked out of this by the Elrics, who point out it would 'be meaningless.' In the end, he is pardoned, because he's still underaged and the damage he caused can be pinned to the other two, one dead and the other being executed by the State. He also saved the life of an alchemist that would otherwise have died, and heroically attempted to hold back an entire army almost single-handedly. If not for the stand he and Ed made, West would have fallen. However, Mustang makes it painfully clear that he betrayed all of them, and he will have to earn back their trust the hard way. He also pretty much assigns the kid to Edward, as payback for all the shenanigans he pulled.
Ed temporarily weasels out of this because he technically is still on trail for desertion. Hakuro makes a note to have the charges dropped.
THE END.
Notes:
In reality, Franklin did not use it. He's been saving it for a rainy day, on the off chance his real Stone cannot be transmuted, and he planned to use Craege's remains for an extra boost of alchemic power for his test Stone if his large array failed.
Franklin's grand plan is to lure the Cretian army to his array to transmute them into a Stone. He has fooled them into thinking that Central has pulled Olivia from Braggs to bring her into the plot to quietly defeat Drachma, and that the armies will be in the north and not on the western border. However, there is a decent army stationed in West. Franklin is counting on this, to ensure that if the army gets past his array for any reason, Amestris won't actually be overwhelmed.
Franklin is at the core of the assassination plots - has been planning all along to make it appear that Cretia has been framing Drachma and is actually the one behind the attmepts. This is backed up by Olivia when she goes to Central for her brother's ceremony - the Drachmans can't have been responsible.
Franklin's sensei comes to Russell, says he resurrected Franklin a month after his death. He says he needs three alchemists to perform resurrection (more would be better, but no more than three can work together well enough to accomplish their goal. The circle needs to have borders, corners, and symbols that are all divisible by three for a successful resurrection.) Because Russell was so used to working with another alchemist (his brother Fletcher) he would be an excellent replacement for the sensei's now-dead colleague. In return for help in locating his wayward apprentice before something terrible befalls him (for the sensei was already visited by Al and knows the military is looking for Franklin and it isn't good), when they find Franklin, the three of them will revive Fletcher. In this way, Russell 'disappears' so the prevailing theory that Russell is now trying to help Franklin transmute a Stone, transmute his own, or steal the one Franklin is suspected of wanting to transmute, seems more likely.
In actuality, Russell knows damn well that no one can bring back the dead, because he's seen what the Elrics can do, and if it could be done, Trisha Elric would be alive and well. He suspects that this man will lead him to the reason his brother was killed (at this point he begins to accept that Fletcher really is dead) and for this reason leaves without burying his brother, knowing he will be buried with full military honors and justifying it as something Fletcher would want. He was already allowed to 'say goodbye' by Patterson and the Elrics when the body was found. Because of his not close relationship with his mother, we can justify that he doesn't put much stock into funerals anyway. He will admit he did not attend Edward's or Alphonse's.
While the sensei takes Russell into hiding, Patterson determines that the remains that were found when the Elrics and Russell found Fletcher are a doll. His own tests have also determined that there is no food in the digestive tract, no callouses, and no scars. He must make Mustang think that Fletcher is a Homunculus, in case he goes to the military for help. It also becomes his job to find Fletcher as quickly as possible, to kill him again.
Fletcher goes to Patterson after he is walking Sheska out of the library and she mentions that Arturu was renamed to Jannai after the plague that wiped out nearly all the villagers. This link is important because it means that Patterson might have known the sensei. Fletcher goes to him to ask if he knew the sensei and what kind of guy he was. He doesn't realize that this link might mean more than a coincidence, but Patterson, knowing that Franklin's plan is about to be completed, kills him to slow the investigation.
The sensei worked with the local doctors to find the 'cure' for the plague. He was experimenting with bio-alchemy, trying to find a way to infect the body with a virus that would unnaturally extend life. He was specifically looking for a virus that infected the most number of cells the quickest, making the plague extremely deadly very quickly, but it wasn't particularly contagious. Once nearly all the adults were wiped out (most actually dosed with the virus while being told they were receiving treatments to keep them healthy) he 'magically' cured them, which floored Franklin the same way Izumi appealed to the Elrics. It is also the reason Patterson feels loyalty towards sensei, and became a doctor.
The sensei wants the Stone to elongate his own life.
Fletcher acts as Franklin's ace in the hole, appearing at an opportune time to save the day (using alchemy.) He is suspected of being a Homunculus, obviously, and is nearly killed. Fletcher is able to prove his humanity by demonstrating that he does not have an Ourbourous tattoo, and Al confirms he has a soul because he is not able to put a piece of his soul into Fletcher (which he hypothesizes could be done with a Homunuculus.) Or Ed could detect that Fletcher actually had a soul.
Timeline by character:
Patterson – lived in Franklin's hometown. Has one surviving sister; this sister is currently 'engaged' to the sensei as a younger woman. She will be killed or otherwise harmed if Patterson does not further sensei's wishes to his satisfaction. At first Patterson was as enthralled with sensei as Franklin was – he saved the town. Because of the plague, Patterson became a doctor. Sensei asked him to help Franklin along, and Patterson believed that alchemists really could travel back in time, just like Franklin did. It was one of the reasons he's so good with alchemists – he studied them as a curiosity in medical school, as well as automail, another curiosity.
When he discovered in his own studies what sensei had done, he confronted the man (bad idea) and his sister was taken as insurance. Since then, Patterson has been attempting to prevent any link between him and the sensei to be discovered, which is why he killed Fletcher. He knew the sensei's plan was about to come to fruition (now betraying Franklin rather than helping him) but could see no other way. He believed he could get the Stone away from sensei and back to Franklin, so that Franklin could undo all the evil they'd done.
When sensei realized Franklin was going to be stopped, he orders Patterson to kill Mustang in order to incite multiple armies to attack Amesris. He goes to do so, being intercepted by none other than Fletcher in the capitol building. Fletcher is able to incapacitate him easily, not killing him because he knows full well he will be suspected of being a Homunculus and needing Patterson to explain his side of the story, which at this point no one knows but Al and Russell. Patterson is held, admits to everything including the first assassination attempts, and asks for a death sentence if it means Franklin will be spared. Hakuro wants him executed for treason; Mustang fights for life imprisonment instead. He commits suicide by the end of the fic to eliminate the issue, saying that his death is not meaningless (echoing what he told Fletcher when he killed him.)
Sensei – Trying to live forever. Uses bio-alchemy, the Tringums' specialty, to try to further his life. Uses the children that adored him in the village he almost wiped out, until Patterson figures out that sensei was responsible for his parents' deaths. He kidnaps Patterson's sister, taking her as a fiancée as an insurance policy and forcing Patterson to keep working for him. He also uses Franklin's knowledge of the affairs of Central to hire assassins from Creta to frame Drachma, trying to take out Mustang. At this point, he doesn't care if they succeed or not.
He tells Franklin his dearest dream would be to go back in time and see his own daughter again, who died before the Ishbal massacre during childbirth. Both her and the baby died. He tells Franklin no one can bring back the dead, but he wonders if it would be possible to somehow save them. Franklin is blinded with respect, and tries his best to make his aging sensei's wish come true. In this way sensei is able to easily manipulate the boy.
Franklin excels, and sensei gives him a wider and wider leash. He helped Franklin transmute a Stone out of forty people but assumes Franklin used that Stone when he was able to perform amazing alchemy to become a State Alchemist, a year before Ed and Al returned to Amestris. He knew it was incomplete and small, and he knew that it bothered Franklin. He knows that as Franklin grows older it will be harder to keep controlling him, and when Parliament is in the act of trying to regroup and have a Prime Minister, he chooses the candidate he feels will be more likely to act rashly – the younger one. That candidate was Roy Mustang.
When Roy takes the seat and does NOT retaliate for the assassination attempts, sensei grows impatient. However, Franklin latches onto the idea of transmuting an attacking army, having learned that it happened in Lior by translating the Elrics' notes. He mentions to sensei that the political atmosphere is tense, and sensei manipulates him to choose an army to transmute – the Cretians, the ones sensei originally approached. Franklin is able to give them better information. However, sensei is beginning to suspect Franklin is starting to have doubts.
He praises Patterson for getting an in with the State Alchemists, making him get closer to Roy Mustang. When both State Alchemists and soldiers appear at his door, he realizes he must act or his plans will fall apart. Patterson tells him he was forced to kill Fletcher Tringum; sensei orders him to use it as a distraction from Franklin to buy them more time, thus the Homunculus plot. He approaches Russell Tringum, knowing the distraught man is also powerful enough to transmute a Stone, and offers to give him back his brother if he'll help to find Franklin. In reality, all he wants is Tringum out of Central, and to cause more distraction.
Russell is not as easily fooled as sensei had hoped, but is quickly silenced with the same threat that keeps Patterson in line; Patterson's sister. Sensei has created a bio-bomb that will kill her if not treated with a substance every eight or so hours, and is extremely unstable; any attempt to transmute it without previously knowing its complex structure will cause it to explode. This prevents anyone from getting it off her, killing him, or kidnapping her. Under this threat, Russell has no choice but to remain with the old alchemist. He is able to leave enough clues that Al is able to track them down, catching them during a train switch. Al handles the sensei; Russell saves the girl. At this point, Al tells Russell that the body in the hospital is a doll; the sensei laughs and says he transmuted it into a Homunculus, again, as a distractionary technique. Al is barely able to prevent Russell from killing sensei; sensei nearly escapes but is stopped by Russell and Al.
The sensei is taken to Central, forced to confess, and is executed for treason by the end of the fic.
Franklin: Unlike Ed, Franklin was able to kill strangers to transmute a Stone, for the purposes of practice, so he could transmute another to save his village. He justified the deaths as undoable, because when he was able to go back in time he would save his village and never become a State Alchemist, never need a Stone, and never kill them. His sensei had a lot to do with this.
His entire family, including an older brother, die during the plague. He is adopted by his guardians, and fixates on the man that prevented everyone else from getting sick. This man realizes he's talented in alchemy and helps him, even telling him alchemy will one day allow him to travel in time.
The young boy then decides to go back in time and save his family, since no one can bring back the dead. He spends every waking moment learning all sciences, all alchemy, all math, applying it towards this goal. Eventually he comes up with a time travel theory – when he returns he'll be five, but he can take materials back with him. He'll appear where his five year old self is, but in clothes far too big for him, with the cure. He believes he can transmute the matter with him in the timestream. In that way, there's no parallel world he can destroy – he can actually alter his own timeline. His belief that time travel can be achieved is strengthened when Ed and Al return, because it proves his parallel world theory, which is required for time travel to work. Everything he does toward that goal therefore has no consequences.
Once he hears about the attempted assassinations, he begins to wonder if he can't use the political climate to force a specific army into attacking Amestris, thus giving him everything he needs not only to make the country safer but to get his Stone. He continues to believe that he will succeed, thanks to the praise he receives as a State Alchemist, being compared to Edward Elric, who was able to do the impossible. He learns how to offer up information and eventually (with the help of his sensei) becomes a trusted informant of Creta. He gives information for two of the assassination attempts, and then leads Creta to believe that Amestris is going to attack Drachma. Olivia Armstrong's appearance in Central for her brother's promotion backs this up, and Creta moves in on West.
He begins to realize something is wrong before the beginning of the fic, mostly due to the rushed tone of things and the fact that he knew nothing about the assassination attempt that occurred before the city was attacked by the Irvings. Creta is getting tired of waiting for Mustang to declare war. They decide to off him for good, and lean on Franklin for better information. He knows he can't continue giving the info without getting Mustang killed, but he keeps reminding himself that even if somehow Roy is killed, it won't happen once he transmutes the Stone. He must accomplish this above all else now, because the plans he (and his sensei) put into motion are too big to stop at this point.
Franklin specifically checks to make sure West's defenses are up to par, but they are only as good as peacetime defenses. He writes a brief letter to Hakuro as a 'concerned citizen,' suggesting Creta will invade, but that letter is actually misplaced by the military and found after the events in West. He does his best to prevent Ed from stopping him, but in the end, he is beaten, and Edward suggests facing the oncoming army – facing the consequences, if you will. He sees the wisdom in Ed when they are exposed by the enemy alchemist, and Ed surrenders. He sees the courage in Ed, when he's being beaten. He sees Ed face his execution angrily, never giving an inch and never really giving up. It teaches him that he can't do the impossible, because he's not Edward. He realizes his own deep selfishness too late, and it shatters and disgusts him.
He does not recognize Havoc when he and Breda come to rescue him, and once he is rescued he's heartbroken. He refuses to eat, and is too ashamed to meet anyone's eyes, let alone respond to them. He can think of no way to atone for what he's done. When Patterson commits suicide, he considers performing the same transmutation without the circle, to try to undo one of the deaths he caused, but is talked out of this by the Elrics, who point out it would 'be meaningless.' In the end, he is pardoned, because he's still underaged and the damage he caused can be pinned to the other two, one dead and the other being executed by the State. However, Mustang makes it painfully clear that he betrayed all of them, and he will have to earn back their trust the hard way. He also pretty much assigns the kid to Edward, as payback for all the shenanigans he pulled.
-- Left to be done
- Mustang and Hakuro have conversation re: Edward and Hawkeye
Pinako makes her decision
Franklin at trial with Madelyne and Dolph Price - Al must be present waiting to collect Russell for Pinako's surgery
Pinako's surgery - during which Ed and Al have heart to heart
Mustang and Hawkeye have convo
Trial wraps ups - Al confirms the Prices will be keeping an eye on Sorn
Pinako is on her way home - Ed and Win talk - Win offers him armor
Ed goes to court martial
Al goes to court martial
Ed and Al meet with Roy - he assigns Sorn to Ed, Hakuro promotes him to lieutenant colonel
-x-
Author's Notes: And that, folks, is where we ended up! But when I wrote this I didn't have my timelines quite right, so there wasn't enough time for Win to present Ed with new armor. Oh well. I guess that'll be a short for Odds Without Ends. ; )