(A/N) Hello! I apologize for the delay, but I've been working on my Halloween costume all week and it's taking me forever. I'll give you a hint, it's based off a character in this story. I'll have to post pictures of the final product somewhere so you all can see! Anyways, I figured I should probably tell you when this story is set. I'm thinking it's right after the boys return from Liore, but before they meet Tucker and Nina. It may not be completely compliant, but it's as close as I can get. And look! Finally some action! Also, I should warn that the descriptions might be a bit graphic, so please don't read this if it'll make you uncomfortable. I love you all and I don't want to cause anyone to be uncomfortable. I'll quit squabbling so you all can read the story!
Chapter 3: Tears That Won't Fall
The sight of the destruction was unsettling, to say the least. Edward and Alphonse had seen their fair share of devastation plenty of times due to the nature of Ed being in the military. This wasn't even in their top ten worst encounters. Ed had seen worse, they both had. But this just seemed so mundane. It was a simple manufacturing company, just a building where small prototype parts were machined. It was reasonable that they'd had to make cuts. Aluminum and steel machining was becoming more popular with the widespread use of Bridgeport over the past few years, and the small company couldn't keep up with the demand.
Ed noticed a large bolt protruding from the wreckage and winced. Three people died in the explosion and following collapse. He noticed the dried blood by a broken milling machine and shut his eyes. Were one of the victims impaled by any of the machinery? Did Crane know people were inside? Ed understood full and well the capabilities of someone drenched in desperation, but Callaway just didn't seem like the kind of place where people were brought to that level.
Alphonse's armor clanked as he walked closer to the rubble. "Brother, this looks like alchemy."
Ed gave a hum of agreement and stepped over some chunks of concrete. He squatted down and moved a few pieces away from the base. "I'd say he destroyed the foundation. It looks like he transmuted it so it couldn't hold the weight of the building. I'm surprised he was able to contain it so only this building was damaged. There's hardly a scratch on the other two."
Jeremy had been silent since they'd arrived. "I've never seen alchemy like this up close. They have us work with alchemists in our training, but this is entirely different. I thought alchemy was supposed to help people?" His voice held a hint of sadness in the last remark.
"There's a lot about alchemy they won't teach you at the academy."
They finished their investigation quickly, Ed and Al garnering all the information about Crane's alchemy the could find, and Jeremy writing a description of the scene. The last two officers who'd been assigned to the case had also taken reports of the sight, but Jeremy took a third for good measure. He was known for catching small details, so maybe he'd caught something different.
The three headed towards the hotel rented for them a few blocks away. Ed and Jeremy would go over the reports from the last two officers to determine how they would approach Crane if and when they found him. Al decided to review their alchemy findings so they wouldn't be caught off guard if he attacked them first.
Little did they know, their encounter with Crane was going to happen sooner rather than later.
…
Whispers drifted in and out of Ed's mind: a quiet laugh here and there, but mostly just soft words and stories. He opened his eyes and blinked away the morning light. The clock only read 7 am, but he was conducting an investigation so he needed to get moving. They may have stayed up a little too late the previous night, but there was a lot of information to cover. An initial report and two detailed investigations had a tendency to be lengthy.
Alphonse noticed his brother starting to stir. "Oh, Brother, did we wake you?"
Ed yawned and stretched, placing his feet on the dingy carpet floor. "Nah, it's fine, Al. We need to get going anyways."
"Where do you think we should start today?" Jeremy was spreading jam on some toast and looking over the case documents. "The files say Crane tends to show up once he hears the authorities are in town, but he also makes a real mess of things when he attacks. We have his last known address, but I'd doubt he'd be there. And his only known family is up north."
"He clearly hasn't left the area, which means he hasn't finished getting his revenge." Ed took the toast Al had brought up for him, and finished it in a few swift bites. "There's only the one company location, but none of the executives were there at the time. My guess is he's planning on going after them next."
Jeremy shuffled through some papers and pulled out a few sheets. "Well, the manager owns another shop across town. And the HR representative that gave Crane his termination notice lives in an apartment complex just outside the city. There haven't been reports of any other attacks, but the military has been in the area since the day after the first attack."
Throwing on his coat, Ed walked towards the door and signaled for the others to follow. "We'll start with the HR guy. Crane took this personally and the face that fired him belongs to that person. And even though we may not want to cause a scene, the sooner we draw him out, the sooner we catch him. Put on your jacket, Walsh, we want the town to know that there's new military in town."
…
Apparently, word spreads fast in Callaway. The group made a couple stops to ask for directions, making sure to flaunt Jeremy's coat and Ed's pocket watch. Even though it was still decently early in the morning, people were already out and about and the streets were bustling with activity. Ed would later blame the crowd for his delay in sensing the oncoming danger.
From a group of people waiting by a crossing sign, a scream broke through the mundane chatter and dust filled the area.
"It looks like our man came to us!" Ed shouted as he covered his eyes and peered towards the chaos. He turned to Jeremy. "Make sure everyone is out of our way and get ready to back us up!"
Jeremy nodded before running towards the crowd. "Yes sir!"
People scattered and cleared quickly with Jeremy pointing the way, and as the dust settled, a figure appeared.
Joe Crane was as average looking a man as you could imagine. He looked like your typical Amestrian man. His demeanor was not unfriendly, his eyes held no benevolence, his words were not harsh. He looked like a brother, a neighbor, a childhood best friend. He looked normal. And that's what made him truly terrifying.
Crane waved his hand to clear the air and took a step forward. "I didn't imagine the state would send another officer, especially since the last two couldn't quite catch me." He put his hands in his pockets and walked closer to Ed, focusing his gaze on the child. "You best get out of here, son. Your armored friend might be fine, but if I have to fight this military boy things might get a little messy. I'd hate for you to get hurt."
The brothers were taken aback by his words. He seemed friendly and Ed wasn't sure this was the right man. He definitely matched the description and even admitted to having the military after him.
"Hey! I am a State Alchemist! And you're coming with us!" Ed clapped his hands and slammed them on the ground, sending cement hands towards Crane to capture him.
In an instant, Crane raised his hand and just as the transmutation was about to close around him, they burst apart and fell to pieces. More dust filtered low to the ground and Crane sighed. "Why on earth would they make a child a state alchemist. Please just go, I have no intention of killing children."
Ed gaped as he halted his assault. He mentioned killing so casually, as if he were discussing going to work or getting groceries. Ed couldn't be hindered by Crane's disposition, he had to keep fighting so no one else would be hurt. "I'm not backing down!" He sent another attack, hoping the sheer force of the transmutation would knock Crane off his feet. Unfortunately, it was a repeat of the previous attempt and the concrete crumbled in a flash of blue.
"A flash of blue… he's performing alchemy without drawing a circle…" Al took the opportunity to go after Crane and they went back and forth with their transmutations while Ed devised a plan. He quickly realized that the cuffs on Crane's wrists had transmutation circles etched into them. "He isn't destroying our attacks, he's just transmuting them into broken shards."
Alphonse was forced back as Crane decided to go on the offense. He created a split in the pavement, wrapping the excess material around Al. The boy was undeterred though. "Just come quietly! We don't want anyone to get hurt!"
Jeremy finished directing people away from the scene and unholstered his gun, aiming it at Crane. "Put your hands over your head and get on your knees!"
Crane gave a sideways glance to Jeremy and shook his head. "When will you all learn that I have no quarrel with the military. This is a personal matter, and I'd appreciate it if you all would leave. I'm getting fed up with your intrusions."
He turned towards the nearest building, which happened to be a several story office complex. By this time, a crowd had gathered and was peering through the windows, watching the events below unfold. "I hate to have to do this, but I don't have time to entertain you any longer." He knelt to the ground, placing his palm flat on the street. His cuff began to glow and the ground rumbled. The walls on the building's first floor started to crack, and a loud crumbling sound filled the air, coupled with muffled screams.
"He's going to destroy the building!" Al ran towards the office and quickly drew a circle. Pillars shot up from the ground and held the building up as it began its collapse. It slowed the crumbling cement, but Al had to hurry to draw more transmutation circles to keep the building from falling apart.
During the chaos, Crane attempted to escape and ran down the street, turning a corner. Jeremy followed immediately, but Ed hesitated. He didn't want to leave his brother behind.
Al clearly sensed this and, without stopping his work, shouted at Ed. "Go, Brother! You have to stop him! I can handle this!"
Reassured, Ed turned and started to run. His coat billowed behind him as he picked up the pace. "Al's right. If I don't stop this guy, he'll just cause more problems. Hopefully Jeremy slowed him down."
Ed rounded the corner and saw Jeremy crouched behind a piece of rubble, panting. "Ed! I landed a shot on him, but it's barely slowed him down!"
Sure enough, Crane had a bullet wound in his arm which slowly trickled blood. However, it definitely had no effect as he continued to cause waves of destruction. The pavement was torn to pieces, and small buildings lay crumbled in the street. Fortunately, it seemed that no civilians had been caught in the crossfire. People in an apartment building peered through their windows, some on phones dialing the authorities and others holding onto their loved ones.
The bullet may not have slowed him down, but it certainly pissed Crane off. "I'm done dealing with you!" He threw his hands on the ground and both of his cuffs began to glow. Just like with the office building, the apartment complex started to crumble.
"Shit!" Ed clapped and started to reverse the damage done by Crane, but it wasn't enough. A chunk slid off the building and crashed right next to Ed, who was still trying to save the building. People were wailing, and Ed could faintly hear a baby crying. There were so many lives at stake, he couldn't fail now.
Jeremy jumped into action and fired more rounds. "You son of a bitch!" He closed in on Crane and landed a few more hits, none fatal though.
Ed was too preoccupied trying to stop the building's collapse to pay much attention to the ongoing fight. He couldn't get the cries of the people out of his mind. Help me! Oh god, we're going to die! Somebody save my baby! He closed his eyes and tried to block out the voices. He transmuted more support structures and started to successfully stabilize the apartment. He didn't want to leave it if he wasn't certain it would be safe, so he continued to transmute until he was satisfied with its solidity.
Suddenly, as he finished his last transmutation, the world seemed to fall into silence. There were no gunshots, no screaming, no structures collapsing. Only his own heartbeat sounded in his head as he turned around. He hoped, prayed, that Jeremy had been able to stop Crane. But praying had never worked for Ed before.
…
Blood.
Too much Blood.
Ed's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened in shock. "There's too much blood."
Underneath a large chunk of debris, Private Walsh was trapped, being crushed by the weight of the cement. His eyes stared blankly at the sky as blood trickled from his mouth and pooled around the rubble.
Ed's feet wouldn't move. He was glued in place, frozen by shock. "I need to move. I need to help him. I… I need to move." A groan escaped him as he forced himself to move forward. He collapsed on his knees by Jeremy, hesitant to move the rubble as it could cause more damage.
"Private? Walsh?" Ed asked quietly. The Private hadn't moved since Ed had knelt beside him, his knees dipping in the pool of blood. Jeremy's face was ashen, and his chest was crushed in a way that should have been impossible. His eyes were dull, staring at nothing.
"Jeremy?" Ed's voice cracked, and he couldn't hide the hint of desperation. Deep down, he knew that even if he was alive, there wasn't anything he could do. Moving the debris would just cause Jeremy to bleed out faster, but not moving it meant he wouldn't be able to get help. Regardless, Ed was certain it was too late.
"No." Ed squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists. His whole body tremored with rage and sadness. Suddenly, he got to his feet and lunged at Crane, who'd been nursing his bullet wounds for a few minutes.
Crane was too wounded to run, but that didn't stop Ed from throwing punch after punch. "You bastard! You damn bastard! How could you!? You monster!"
Ed had beaten the man bloody by the time two metal gauntlets grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him away. Ed fought against the hold. "Let me go!"
"Brother! It's over! The military sent backup and they're going to arrest Crane!"
Ed stopped fighting and turned around to face his brother. "Al, he-"
Al shook his head. "I know, Brother. Private Walsh is dead." Al's voice seemed to ring a little more hollow, and his eyes dulled.
Ed bowed his head, holding back his tears. He couldn't cry, not when Al wasn't able to. It wasn't fair. "If I'd been a second quicker, I could've saved him. But I wasn't, and he's dead now. It's all my fault."
