SCARLETT

The fighting started almost immediately.

They were trying to hit this 'Father' character. But he managed to counter their every move with Alchemy.

There! An opening!

He was so focused on Ed and Al that no one would see her...

There was a loud clang as her arm-blades met his neck.

"What the... hell?" she gasped.

He didn't even flinch! There was no sign she ever tried to cut his head off!

"This is a waste of time." the man sighed.

She received a strong shock, throwing her away from him, and suddenly the ground started to shake.

After the shaking stopped, Ed and Al tried to perform more Alchemy. But there was nothing.

Pretend to be out!

Her eyes were closed to the point where she only had a slit open, and she laid stock-still, breathing slowly.

Ed and Al were pinned by Envy, Ling was pinned by Gluttony.

"No! Don't interfere! I came to this country looking for a Philosopher's Stone, and now this man wants to give me one!" Ling snarled at Ed and Al.

"Well, this is interesting..." Father said softly before dropping whatever he held in his cupped hand onto a scratch on Ling's cheek.

What happened next shocked her into opening her eyes.

Ling writhed and yelled, screaming in pain, his body contorting. When it finally stopped, he wasn't Ling.

Dublith. That's where this guy was familiar from.

"You." she said, siting up. "But you're not..."

"What's that?" the thing inhabiting Ling's body asked.

"Oh... So that's it. You took the spirit of the old Greed and 'purified' it, erasing all of his memories in hopes that he'd behave better." she sighed.

"You're a very smart lady. How do you know these things?"

"Her eyes are special. With them, she can see things an ordinary human can't." Envy told his master.

"That's right. Being the only titanium human has unusual side-effects. Including that now, I have graphs, diagrams and other things I can activate at will when I'm fighting." she said icily.

"Titanium human?"

"That's right... She's a Chimera... mixed with titanium, the strongest substance known to man..." Ed grunted.

Her tattoos glowed. She was miffed, and it was showing. With loud, wet rips, every blade she had, only larger and meaner, poked out of her skin.

"What... How is her Alchemy still working?" Envy shouted.

"It must be unique, developed should something like this happen. I remember now. Envy once took on an assignment in the guise of a soldier..."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna kick his ass for it. He hit me pretty well, and I went through Hell and back again because of it!"

EDWARD

The door opened. They all turned to look.

A growling Chimera stood there. But in seconds, it exploded in a shower of gore.

Scar! And...

That girl!

"You again!" Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're popping up frequently."

"I could say the same." Scar replied.

"Scarlett, shut up. Help us?" he asked.

"I don't need to... They're going to..." she said quietly.

The panda Al had picked up bounded over to the girl. Scar and the girl held a very short conversation, and then...

"How dare you! You'll pay for breaking a maiden's heart!" the girl screamed, again performing the strange long-distance Alchemy.

"Told ya so!" Scarlett yelled.

"About time!" he grinned from behind the refuge he and Al had taken from the fight. He clapped his hands together and attempted to do his Alchemy.

What the hell!

"What... Why is their Alchemy working but not ours?" Al asked.

"I dunno, but we're not completely helpless..." he grinned.

He ran out towards Scar. "Hey! Scar! You know who started the Ishvalan Civil War?" he yelled.

He had Scar's attention now.

"It was Envy! In the guise of a soldier, he shot and killed an Ishvalan child!"

"Hey! Shut it!" Envy snarled.

Scar was upset now. Scarlett, at the reminder, had also flipped her lid.

He and Al scurried away from where they'd been standing.

Total destruction!

That's what he thought as he looked at what the two Ishvalans were doing.

Wait! Look at Scarlett!

Her eyes were literally glowing. Her tattoos had not dimmed, even though her blades were all out. It seemed with every blow she struck, they glowed stronger and the blades grew larger and larger...

What the hell!

She didn't look human anymore. No. Now, she looked almost like a monster. Titanium fangs jutted over her lips, long silver claws followed the shape of her fingers, and the blades, he saw, were serrated.

Was this what she was created for? Is this the reason Scarlett was made?

They were in danger themselves. The destruction wasn't confined to the region of the fight.

No.

It was spreading, coming close to them...