Title: The Forged Alchemist

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Summary: The Homunculus have left Amestris in shambles, and the new Fuhrer is an incompetent who is leading the country to downfall. When all hope is lost, Edward puts to the test a theoretical array, and enter Edwin Auric, the son of Hohenheim of Light, and elder half brother to Edward and Alphonse Elric.

Chapter 12

The sleek lines of the black military vehicle carrying Colonel Edwin Auric glimmered as it passed under the streetlamps, throwing off wet reflections as rainwater sluiced off the windows. The Colonel's face was impassive, though there was a spark of something akin to anticipation in his eyes as he closed the file and set it on the seat beside him.

"Everything seems to be in order. Will we be expecting to encounter Brigadier General Gran while we are out here?" he asked.

"There is a good chance that we may cross paths with the Brigadier General, Sir," Corporal Gyver said from the driver's seat, "Reports also indicate that the State Alchemist Killer may also be in the vicinity."

"Is that so?" Edwin murmured, "Then Colonel Mustang and Majors Armstrong and Elric will have to be careful, Colonel Mustang especially."

"Do you intend to intercept the State Alchemist Killer when he targets the Brigadier General, sir?" Lieutenant Pryce asked.

"Goodness no," Edwin's smile was cold. "Gran has played his part. If he survives, then we have one more ally to our cause, if not, it's no great loss. He knows what to expect. If he cannot survive despite the forewarning, then he is useless to us." There was a pause and Edwin added in an insincerely sweet tone, "I will pray for his survival though, because we can use the extra hands."

His staff said nothing. It was generally accepted that when the Colonel's tone changed in such a way, that it was the closest he would come to being sincere when he dealt with a person that he had never liked even the first time around, no matter how useful he was to the cause in the present.

"And the Elric Brothers, sir?" Lieutenant Pembrooke asked as she tucked the files into a satchel and set it on the floor.

"That question does not need asking," Edwin's voice softened, and the lines of his face smoothed out while his eyes became golden velvet pools, "Those two will be fine, but they will need our support. Strong as they are, they're both only just children after all."

~*~

Edward found that the trip without Al was almost unbearable, why did his brother have to send Al away? It's not like a seven foot tall suit of armor could be hurt. Oh right, he thought numbly as he cried out a belated warning only to see the Brigadier General's head explode in a fountain of blood. Deconstruction.

He knew better than to get too close, he had Al to think of, and if he got hurt, Edwin was going to murder him. He yanked the gun out of the holster at the small of his back, hidden under his coat, completely disregarding the state alchemist pocket watch that swung free after being dislodged and as taught, he undid the safety, chambered a shot, took aim, and pulled the trigger.

Tim Marco had accepted his death, so when the sharp retort of a gun sounded and a small hole appeared in Scar's forehead between the eyes, he had been surprised. He turned slowly, and his eyes widened at the sight of the young alchemist who had been sent to him with a letter of introduction from, of all people, Edwin Auric, and the glint of silver at the boy's side sent a thrill of recognition down his spine. The boy was a State Alchemist, and he'd shot and killed the infamous State Alchemist Killer.

Two cars pulled up near them in rapid succession, and two familiar men exited the vehicles. Roy Mustang blinked at the cadavers and shook his head while a golden haired officer strode up the street to where Edward was, and had pulled the boy close in his embrace.

"I never thought the kid had it in him," Roy murmured as he examined the body of Scar, "He always aimed to capture instead of kill…"

"Flame!" Edwin Auric's voice rang above the hubbub, "He's going into shock! Let's get Fullmetal back to Headquarters!"

"Damn, that's right," Roy sighed, "Guess you'll be alright on your own?"

Tim Marco nodded mutely. He was going have to leave though.

"Fine," the Flame nodded curtly as the Forge Alchemist somehow passed him the younger boy's gun while cradling the Fullmetal in his arms. Roy checked the safety, satisfied that it was on, passed it to Hawkeye as he climbed into the car, and Edwin passed him Edward.

Roy's car pulled away and Edwin got into his own car and was about to close the door when he noticed Marco had stopped nearby.

"Yes?"

"I couldn't answer his question," Marco whispered.

Edwin paused and fixed a cold, tawny eyed stare on the former State Alchemist from the corner of his eye. "I didn't think you would," Edwin said calmly, "But he had the right to try."

"It's in the First Branch of the National Library," Marco said hastily, "My notes that is."

A cold smile crossed Edwin's face, "I see. Stay safe Marco. And beware of the Seven Sins."

The former Crystal Alchemist blinked in confusion as the Colonel pulled the door shut and the two military vehicles left, leaving only the hulking figure of Major Armstrong as he commanded the unit that cleaned up the scene, washing away bloodstains and removing cadavers. There was a minimum of property damage, nothing that needed the Strong Arm alchemist's attentions, and then they were gone also.

"It seems the military is as efficient as ever," he muttered as he returned to the wreckage of what had been his home for the better part of the last decade.

He did not expect a sultry looking woman to be there.

"It's been a while, Dr. Marco," the woman smiled thinly, "It seems in watching over the Fullmetal boy, I've achieved an interesting result."

"Y-you!"

"Don't worry," she smirked, "I'm not here to take you back. Even without you, we're making a great deal of progress."

"You… You can't mean that you're still making those things!"

"Humph," Lust gave a decidedly unladylike snort, "You've completely forgotten who it was that taught you how to make the stones."

"And you've forgotten exactly whose son was just here."

Lust and Marco jumped and turned to stare at the soldier crouched on the window sill.

"You!" Lust cried, leaping out of the chair.

"Forge…" Marco breathed, "Thank God…."

"Hello Lust," Edwin smiled coldly as he hopped off the windowsill into the room and wandered toward the homunculus, "I wonder if you'd recognize this?"

He held out a locket, and Lust's eyes widened in shock. "Where did you get that?!"

Edwin's smile transformed into a satisfied smirk, "Why, Scar had it. Quite the surprise don't you think?"

"And what are you planning on doing with that?" Lust hissed.

"I can do one of three things with it," Edwin said, his smirk vanishing behind the emotionless mask of a military dog, "One, I can use it to seal you, two, I can use it to force you to vomit red stones and then kill you, or three, I can use it to deconstruct your very existence."

Lust hissed angrily and lifted her hand. Before her fingers could shift and lengthen, there was the sound of a gunshot, and Lust cried out in pain as she was thrown back into the chair. Her fingers scrabbled weakly at the wound which was not healing and she grimaced in pain as she struggled to dig the bullet out of her shoulder.

"What have you done?" she cried.

"Transmuted a bit of your original body into the bullet of course," Edwin said calmly, "It's not likely to kill you, but it should slow you down a bit. Not that it matters, since you are going to do exactly as I say, or you can say goodbye to the notion of becoming human in the near future. Are we clear on that, Homunculus?"

Lust gritted her teeth and growled, "Crystal."

"Excellent," Edwin smirked. "So here's what you'll do. You will continue to watch over my brother, but at the same time, you will keep an eye on Yock Island in Dublith. Wrath will appear there, and when he does, you will become his attendant. Gain his trust, and make him loyal to Edward Elric…"

Tim Marco, who was watching the spectacle, felt a shiver run down his spine. The Forge had only become more ruthless as time passed. How long would it be before the ends justified the means for the young man, and he no longer differentiated right from wrong?

"You should pack up and leave soon," Edwin told him just before he left with the Homunculus, "I've arranged a temporary safehouse for you to stay in, but I wouldn't suggest staying there for more than a month or two."

And then Marco was left alone in his home, which was no longer a sanctuary from the military. He sighed, and knew without a doubt that he had suddenly become one of Edwin Auric's pawns, and he had no choice but to move according to the Colonel's wishes if he wanted to stay safe.

~*~

Edwin Auric stood at the window of the room, the moon light spilling through and illuminating his features painting them with an ethereal silver glow. He turned slowly as the sound of cloth rustling sounded through the room, and his eyes fell on the figure in his bed. He sighed. He should have known that it was a bad idea to give Edward a gun, especially after drilling it into the boy's head that it's a bad idea to get in up close and personal with a dangerous person skilled at hand to hand. Edwin remembered his first kill, he'd hardly had the time to dwell on it since he'd had to concentrate on staying alive on the Drachman Fields…

He shook his head, dislodging the memories from his mind. His General was counting on him, and it seemed that no matter what changed, things still stayed the same. Edwin felt a twinge of regret in his chest as he studied the features of his younger self, as familiar to him as the reflection in the mirror. Edward was so young…

Golden eyes hardened. He was Edwin Auric, the Forge Alchemist. He'd make absolutely sure that the circumstances that made his existence necessary was not repeated. Some how, and the Homonculus known as Lust would help him with it. He left the dormitory, the cavalry skirt flaring with his every movement.

"Well?" Edwin asked seemingly empty air, "What progress with Kruger?"

Lieutenant Pryce appeared out of the shadows to walk beside her commander. "Lust is with Councilor Kruger and Lieutenant Kruger as we speak. They should be gone by dawn."

"A pity Brigadier General Gran didn't make it," Edwin murmured, "He would have been a great help harrying the good Lieutenant."

"Not to question your methods sir," Lieutenant Pryce murmured, "But is this course wise? So many things can go wrong… Especially with Liore in an uproar…"

"Irrelevant," Edwin said firmly, "The more trouble Bradley has, the better our chances for success. The End is near. We cannot balk now."

"Yes sir," Pryce murmured as she and Edwin parted.

Please don't fall farther into darkness…

The plea lay between them, unspoken, unheard, but acknowledged nevertheless.

She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. 0457 Hours. Almost dawn, and with it, the wind that would fan the flames of rebellion. And the true start of Colonel Edwin Auric's plans. The start of a new future.

~*~

Roy didn't even twitch when he turned away from the coffee maker to find Edwin Auric, impeccably groomed, bright eyed and alert, seated at his kitchen table, flipping idly through a file. He's used to this by now, no matter that his locks are reinforced with alchemy or that his windows are alchemically sealed as well, or that his entire house was a mass of alchemical booby traps, Edwin Auric had always managed to get in, even back in Central when they'd just returned from Ishbal. The only sign that the blond was not as well rested as he looked was the subtle trembling of his hands and the rapid blinking to moisten his eyes. Roy set a cup in front of his peer, receiving a quiet thank you which he acknowledged with a nod before settling at the table with his own cup and the newspaper.

Roy knows his friend stays in the dormitories, and that his staff could provide the blonde with the same things he gets at Roy's house, but this has occurred so often in the past that there's no point arguing. It's not the physical things that Edwin was looking for, and Roy was the closest that the blonde would get to the officer in his memories.

"I'm being transferred back to Central in mid-April," Edwin said calmly.

"Really?" Roy asked, turning the page, "That's fast."

"Not fast enough," Edwin replied in a tone that in any other person would be called testy, "Not if we hope to save Hughes before he gets killed poking his nose where it doesn't belong. So I set off Plan F."

"Plan F, huh?" Roy's hands tightened on the newspaper. "That's… Reckless. A great deal of blood will be shed for this."

"I know. I wish that it wasn't necessary."

"I do also."

The room is silent but for the rustling of paper, and when Roy lowers the newspaper to reach for his coffee, Edwin is gone. The only sign that the blonde had ever been present was the empty coffee cup. Roy is not concerned. This too, was normal.

~*~

Edward woke to find himself in the dormitory, and his brother was seated at his bedside, tawny eyes fixed on him in a placid, unwavering stare.

"I'm glad you're awake, Edward," Edwin said firmly, "And although you have just been through an ordeal, there is much that needs to be discussed. You have killed a man, the State Alchemist Killer, who was integral to my plans, and therefore, the scenario has changed. Your mission briefing can no longer be put off."

"Brother?" Edward whispered, confused.

"Get up and get dressed." Edwin stood up, "And hop to it, little brother! We don't have all day!" He paused and added, "Well, actually we do, but the point of this exercise is to get this over with as quickly as possible and hopefully with the least amount of casualties possible."

~*~

TBC…