I am alive! Somehow. So, the explanation you are owed - my health issues have taken a turn, amidst the pandemic and all, so it has just been...pretty much the focus of my existence for the past handful of months. I still do not have answers, and a procedure that didn't exactly go as planned has turned my already screwed-up lower back into a much more serious issue that I won't be able to address likely until the pandemic is over. (I live within the US, where we are "reopening" despite climbing cases, and my wife is high-risk. It's lovely.) And now I get to retry said procedure, a lumbar puncture in fact, next month. As before...transparency because I want to make it clear that my passion for writing, my love for this story and my OC, has not and will not dim. Life and my own physical limitations are wrecking a lot of my ability to actually write and it is the worst thing, believe me. I have *planned* so very much for this story, but I've had to step back and focus on my health first. With that said, while waiting for my procedure and between all this nonsense - since we've been home since, er, March, beyond necessary outings - I have written a chapter! I cannot promise when the next update will be, and I know how terrible that is as a reader. I really do. When I published this I set out to never go longer than a month between updates, and I've failed that. But I'm making the conscious decision to look after myself, so I can keep writing for years and years to come, rather than wrecking myself to pump out half-assed material. I hope at the very least the quality is the same, and that if anyone is still reading - and in fact I keep getting reviews/comments?! - this journey is enough to keep you hooked, despite the lags in updates! With that, I'll return to resting and keep working on Lissa's story. She isn't finished, and neither am I.

Sitting in an idling car outside Fort Briggs, Lissa struggled not to be too obvious that she was sneaking glances at Ed. They'd been separated, just temporarily, on Kimblee's orders. At first she'd thought they were just feigning the argument, playing a little frustration up to make it realistic—because Edward had never been genuinely angry with her like that, not over protecting him… He'd accepted that as a facet of her personality.

Until he'd started cursing at her… Which made her question it, seriously, if they were actually having a genuine argument. And then Ed hadn't fought against being separated…

But that parting comment, and the subtle little wink…

Just like Resembool. But in Resembool…that's when I stormed out to their old house after him, when I refused to let him push me aside and turn down my help… When…when we both thought the other was angry with us, that our relationship was in trouble before it really got started…

'Once you decide they're worth your effort… You'd do anything for them.'

That's what he'd said about her, about what she was willing to do for the people she cared about. Not in a negative light either. And they had agreed, in Resembool, that he would at least let her help him… That if he found himself in too deep a situation to pull himself out, then he'd let Lissa help shoulder the burden.

And Resembool was where they'd first kissed… Where they'd bypassed friends and tumbled headfirst into all of this, the tangled mess of emotions…

Lissa touched a finger to her tattoo, the one Ed had indicated. Bypassing all this…together. That's what you wanted to say, isn't it? That we're doing this together. I wish we could've talked in private…

She caught his gaze across the roadway, and saw Ed raise his hand, ever so slightly, to rest at the top of his head. 'Taller,' he mouthed.

Her heart stuttered in her chest. Lissa almost laughed. That was the time she'd realized he'd grown—a silly, lighthearted moment that led into those promises, the agreements to support each other rather than do everything separately… It was a subtle, sweet way to bring her back to that moment. The time when they'd overlooked the heaviness between them in favor of what mattered.

Looking away from him, Lissa tapped the tip of her nose in acknowledgement, fighting back a smile. They'd be okay. Her sweet golden-eyed boy understood.

There was a commotion over by the car Ed and Al had been ushered into—and Lissa watched, sort of awed, as Winry somehow managed to talk her way into coming along. She had to admit… Though Winry probably had no real business tagging along with them, the girl had some serious guts down in there. Lissa rather admired that.

Once that was settled, their small caravan took off for Baschool. A nearby abandoned mining town, from what she understood. On the way, Lissa settled with her forehead against the glass, letting her thoughts just run wild.

Ed wouldn't use the Philosopher's Stone… He'd used one once, only once, with absolutely no other options, when he'd escaped Gluttony's stomach. That was a time of desperation, not a situation like this, where they had a brand-new lead to follow with Xingese alkahestry and enough freedom to search on their own. Once they found Mei Chang-

Mei!

Lissa gripped the lapel of her coat tightly. Of course! This was the piece she'd been missing! Ed was using the search for Scar to actually search for Mei, since they'd been traveling together. Chances were, if they found Scar they'd find Mei Chang as well, or at the very least a solid lead on where the hell she ended up. This was her boyfriend's clever-as-fuck way to keep searching for the little Xingese girl, while buying time to figure out a way to avoid all this as well.

She forced back a grin. So that was Ed's play. Smart. Lissa could follow along with that.

They pulled up in Baschool, and Lissa stepped out of the car, her boots crunching in the snow as she stretched out with just a hint of the Dragon's Pulse.

Rotten fruit. Shit.

Lissa tugged her outer gloves on and gritted her teeth, using the action to hide her distaste. So there were chimeras nearby, then. She didn't know what that meant—and she couldn't yet risk tapping into her senses too much, not with so many of Kimblee's men around. At least Major Miles had come out with them, with a couple soldiers she assumed were loyal to Briggs.

"Hey, Liss…" She bit back a smile as Ed stepped up behind her, reaching out to take her hand and pull her into him. "I don't wanna fight, okay?" he murmured. And that was genuine, an honest feeling from him. "Please. Let's just…handle this together."

She smiled and leaned into him, and rested her forehead into his. "Okay. Together." Lissa pressed her finger to the back of his hand, right where her own tattoo was inked, and saw the corner of his lips quirk up. "C'mon, let's go make sure our little brother knows we aren't gonna bite each other's heads off anymore."

Ed snorted. "He might have been relieved, after that night at the hotel…"

Lissa swatted his arm. "Shush."

They joined Al and settled into the snow beside him, hands tangled together, argument completely forgotten. Lissa wondered, just for a moment, where Winry had gone off to—then she noticed the strange way the air was whistling through Al, and glanced at him sideways. How the hell did they sneak Winry in there?

Oh well. Far be it from her to question the boys' methods at this point.

Nearby, Major Miles was taking a little control of the operation, despite Kimblee's insistence he was leading it. "We'll need to split into search parties," Miles announced, arms folded over his chest. "All squads are to contact us here immediately if you spot Scar."

"Yes, sir!"

Ed tensed beside Lissa, and all three turned to see a couple of Kimblee's personal guards stalking up behind them—two bulky guys with sharp glares plastered onto their faces. "We've got orders to keep the three of you company," the blond explained shortly.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed sighed.

Al leaned in towards him and Lissa. "You think they're Kimblee's men?" he whispered.

"No doubt about it," Ed confirmed softly.

"We saw them earlier," Lissa tacked on, squeezing his hand. "They'll only answer to him. So we need to be pretty careful."

With the two of Kimblee's guards following their every move, the three set out with a small squad to go hunting for Scar. Lissa kept her hand tight on Ed's, unwilling to let him go again—even for just a short span of time, she didn't like being separated from him and Al. Faking things for Kimblee wasn't worth being split up like that.

It's bad for me mentally, too.

Ed gave a quick tug on her hand, flashed her a sideways look, and Lissa understood. So we're leaving them. Good.

"Aah! There was someone right over there!" Al shouted, leaping forward and pointing into the nearest open building. At his cue, Ed and Lissa jumped and stared that way too, as though they'd seen something as well.

"There was?!" one of the soldiers wondered, baffled.

"He went this way!" Al cried, rushing forward with Ed and Lissa following.

Ignoring the shouts behind them, the three took off running headlong into the building, skidding around a corner and trying to put distance between them and their two shadows. Lissa shot her hand forward, carving them a path through the air, and with that little boost they were able to duck around a corner unseen. Ed and Al immediately put up a wall behind them, a quick transmutation that hopefully would pass scrutiny for the moment.

Lissa grinned almost savagely at the boys. They waited while the soldiers chattered a moment, ensuring nobody noticed the wall hadn't been there originally—and once they were satisfied, the three alchemists crept away into Baschool.

"And that's that!" Ed announced, leading the way out onto the snowy rooftop. He cut a quick path over to the next building, just a short leap away, and Al and Lissa followed without question, both deferring to Ed's pathfinding abilities. Or at least, his sense of where the soldiers had gone. Lissa hadn't gotten to see as many head out as he had.

"I don't sense anybody coming after us," Lissa told them, reaching out with just enough of her alchemical senses to be sure. "No disturbances in the air or anything."

Ed smirked and nodded. "I'm pretty sure we lost them," he agreed.

"So where to now?" Al asked, peering around curiously. "If the tip about Scar was real, then he's got to be here somewhere."

"Now we just have to find him." Ed tugged open a door and led them off the roof, winding his way down a staircase as though he owned the building.

Lissa wound her arm around his and smirked. "And hope that Mei Chang is with him—or at least he knows where she is," she pointed out. "Don't forget that bit. Plus, we have to keep an eye on Kimblee's soldiers too, and the Briggs ones. We can't get spotted or we're just back where we started."

He waved his free hand at her. "I know, I know, Liss. Just… Lemme have this one, okay?"

She laughed, but nodded anyway, too soft for him at the moment. "Fine, Ed. You can have this one," she relented.

Lissa didn't mind letting him take the lead, so long as she kept enough of both her senses active to ensure nobody was nearby—so she just chatted absently with Al as they went, Ed just following his nose or whims or whatever to pick what buildings they went in, what areas they searched. After all the stress, the anxiety, the worries… It was just…nice to be together like this.

"So…are you two…okay?" Al wondered after a while, sounding truly concerned. "I heard you yelling earlier…"

"We're fine, Al," Ed reassured him quickly. "Some of that was just a show for Kimblee."

But Al was a bit too sharp to miss that. "Some. But not all of it?"

She gave him a reluctant smile. "Ed got pissed because I tried to get him out of part of our orders… Carving the crest of blood, the last piece of the nationwide transmutation circle. I offered to make myself a full-blown sacrifice as a sort of Equivalent Exchange."

"WHAT?!"

Lissa squeaked as Al grabbed her by her upper arms and lifted her up, his glowing red eyes peering what felt like all the way into her soul. "What are you-"

"Lissa, you can't do that," Al told her fiercely. "I know what you were trying to do, and I understand, believe me, but… That's not the right way to handle it. Okay? You can't just take that kind of suffering and put it on your own head to spare us—we can't accept that as a way to get our bodies back. As a way to do any of this. We just…can't."

Guilt swelled in her chest, and Lissa bowed her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Alphonse. You're right, I… I shouldn't have… I just…" She swallowed hard. "I just want to help, however I can."

Al set her down and gently took her shoulders instead, bending so he was at her height. "We know that. And you always do. But Ed and I have to fix this, without anybody else suffering. That's the only way we can make it right."

Lissa smiled, a bit weakly, and reached up to rest her hand on his helmet. "Well, I'm still gonna be right here helping along the way, little brother."

Ed snagged her around the waist from behind, tugging her into his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder. "You'd better be," he told her, grinning as he pressed a kiss into her cheek. "You belong with us, Liss. Right?"

That made her laugh, despite herself, and she turned to wrap her arms around him in return. "Nowhere else," she agreed. "Now, come on. We've gotta find Mei Chang, right?"

Moving with renewed energy now, they set back off into Baschool, into the labyrinth of empty buildings and snowy alleys. It didn't take long to get completely lost, with only Lissa's vague senses of the soldiers to tell them where not to go, at least. She wasn't really worried about being lost, though. Three highly talented alchemists could handle themselves. No, the real concern was for night falling, when the cold would really set in… And a fire would only lead Kimblee and his men straight to them. That was Lissa's real worry.

"You know what?" Ed grumbled, after several hours of totally fruitless searching. "This place is…too damn big!"

"Seriously," Lissa agreed, pausing to lean into the wall beside a window and adjusting her scarf. She'd started to get hot underneath her winter clothes. "What the fuck is going on here in Baschool? I've never seen a mining town this freaking huge."

Al nodded wearily. "It's gonna take weeks to search every one of these buildings," he lamented.

Ed slumped against Lissa's shoulder and dropped his chin nearly to his chest. "It would make things a hell of a lot easier if Scar and that girl just came to us."

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen," Lissa snorted.

"Alphonse!"

She looked up sharply, her jaw dropping. "You're kidding me," she breathed.

Ed exchanged a stunned look with her. "No way…"

"It can't be!" Al murmured.

"ALPHONSE!" Mei Chang shrieked, rushing headlong into the room. "I can't believe it's you!" She flung herself right up onto Al, knocking him flat on his back and clinging around the neck of his armor, practically sobbing.

"She did come to us," Ed muttered, rubbing his eyes like he'd seen a ghost.

Mei giggled and peered down at Al excitedly, her tiny form utterly dwarfed by his armor. Not that she let it deter her for a moment. "What in the world are you doing here, Alphonse?" she asked him giddily.

Al stared right back up at her, maybe a bit shell-shocked himself. "Mei! I didn't think we'd ever find you!"

The girl gasped. "You came this whole way…" Her cheeks flushed pink. "…just so you could find me?"

"Yeah," Al confirmed, totally oblivious. "I really needed to see you."

Lissa nudged her elbow into Ed's side. "You never taught him a thing, did you?" she whispered. "Poor kid has no idea."

Ed raised his hands. "Hey, don't look at me. I still don't know what I did to catch you."

Across the room, Al struggled to his feet while Mei was lost in her own head, doe-eyed and giggling. He really was oblivious. It was hilarious to see. "I need you to tell me all you can about alkahestry," Al began, trying to rein the conversation in desperately. "Can you-"

"He followed me for hundreds of miles!" Mei giggled, cutting him off inadvertently. "He said he only needs me!"

"Al's not the only one!"

Lissa cringed and chased after Ed as he lunged for the little girl, narrowly catching him around the middle before he snatched at Mei Chang's coat. "I need to see you too, little girl!" Ed told her fiercely, struggling against Lissa's hold. "Tell us everything you know! You're not leaving until we've got what we want!"

Mei giggled again and pressed her hands to her cheeks. "Oh no! Both brothers have fallen desperately in love with me!"

"Nuh-uh, don't be greedy," Lissa growled, yanking Ed back so he was behind her, though he looked startled by the sudden shift. "You can go after Al all you want, Mei Chang, but my boyfriend is not up for grabs."

The girl peered up at her curiously. "Well, that's okay!" she chirped. "Edward's just not my type anyway."

Lissa folded her arms over her chest and sniffed. "Good."

Startling everyone out of the moment, Winry knocked on the inside of Al's chestplate and called, "Let me out, Al!"

"Oh!" He hurried to undo the clasps holding the chestplate in place. "Sorry, sorry!"

While Mei Chang looked utterly scandalized, Al let Winry clamber out and sink to her knees on the concrete, rubbing her temple gingerly. She looked a little bedraggled, from her probably uncomfortable journey inside the unyielding suit of armor. "Mmh… I kept bumping my head," she muttered.

"Excuse me?! Who is this woman, Alphonse?!" Mei demanded harshly. Then, without warning, she descended into inconsolable tears. "How could you do this to me?! Am I not enough for you, Alphonse?"

Al flailed his hands frantically at her. "N-no! It's not like that, she's just a friend!"

Lissa sighed and pulled Ed into her, tucking him under her arm and resting her head against the side of his. "Jeez. All the natural charm in the world and zero ability to use it. Ed, we really have to help our little brother figure this out."

Ed wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. Don't talk to me about Al dating, please."

"Hey, Mei! You shouldn't go running off like that!" an older man's voice came from outside. Lissa looked up, confused, as a man with a distorted, scarred face stepped into the doorway and stared at them all in some kind of shock. "Ah! The Elric brothers are here?! And Miss Caito?!"

"Wait, what?" Al turned to him, baffled.

"Who are you?" Ed asked.

The man stepped into the room and touched a gloved hand to his own cheek. "Right, my face. I'm Dr. Marcoh."

Lissa recoiled in surprise. "You're who?"

Al was just as stunned a she was. "Dr. Marcoh!"

"But you look…" Ed gave him kind of a horrified gaze. "What the hell happened to you?"

Marcoh pushed his hood off and shook his head. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing here first?" he suggested.

But before anyone could so much as reply to that, another man walked in, this one sporting a long, thin moustache on his upper lip. He let out a shrill sort of yelp when he spotted them all. "You three?!" he seethed. "What are you three doing here?!"

"And who are you?" Ed asked him dryly.

The man flicked his gaze between the three frantically. "Wha—don't act like you don't know me! How could you have forgotten Yoki, the great proprietor of Youswell?!" The last bit he said with the utmost pride, like it was some badge of honor.

Ed rubbed a hand on the back of his head. "Rather easily, apparently. Are you sure we've actually met?"

Yoki wailed at that. "How cruel! And after you destroyed my life?!"

Lissa eyed him curiously. "After we did what now? When was this supposed to have happened, exactly?" She folded her arms over her chest.

He curled his lip in distaste. "Three years ago! In what used to be my mining town. Youswell!"

She looked at Ed and Al, frowning, trying to remember this creep. "Er… Youswell… Sorry, I don't remember meeting any seedy homeless guys in a mining town," Lissa told him with a shrug.

"Yeah, I think we'd remember that," Al mused, nodding.

But Ed smirked, a bit evilly. "I remember kicking out some corrupt Lieutenant from a mining town, years ago," he snickered. "But that guy was really, really stupid and pathetic. Kinda easy to forget, if you ask me."

Yoki wilted right to the floor.

Oh, Ed's first real assignment as a state alchemist, Lissa recalled, giving Yoki a disdainful look. I do remember that guy. What an ass.

She was dragged from her thoughts as Mei Chang let out another wail and crumpled right at Winry's feet, sobbing anew into her hand, with Xiao Mei mimicking every bit of it. "It's not right!" she cried. "I'll never let a thieving hussy like you take him from me!"

Winry looked up at Lissa in shock, from where she'd knelt down to console the girl. "Did she uh… Did she just call me a hussy?" she asked, stunned.

"I already told you," Al insisted, looking down at the crying girl and seeming a bit miserable. "She's just a childhood friend!"

Ed sank down beside the girl too and crossed his legs. "Y'know, you should think about something else," he counseled, waving a hand. "Like…alkahestry!"

Lissa rolled her eyes and sat beside him. "That's gonna work."

"It was worth a shot!"

"You better listen to me, dammit!" Yoki demanded fiercely, apparently angry he'd been left to whine on the floor. Honestly, with everything else they had to focus on, Lissa just did not care about some pathetic former mine owner. Not when they had much bigger problems to deal with first.

Ed turned his nose up. "Yeah, how sad," he sneered. "Life is hard. Trust me, I know just how you feel."

"Are you patronizing me?!" Yoki raged.

Lissa jabbed a finger in his direction. "You! Shut your mouth. Bigger problems, Yoki. Much bigger problems." She then rounded on Ed, who shifted away from her with wide eyes. "And you have no idea how to handle a crying child, apparently." Lissa had never thought she was particularly good with children… And she'd been kind of…terrified of little kids when she was younger, something little Nina Tucker had helped her make peace with. Surely she could handle one little crying Xingese girl.

So Lissa shuffled forward and placed her hand on the girl's back, gently as she could. "Y'know, Mei… Nobody's trying to get to Al before you," she consoled the girl softly. "I mean, between you and me, he's kind of oblivious."

"Hey," Al complained, pouting a bit.

Mei peeked her head up and stared at Lissa owlishly, behind hands still pressed over the lower half of her face. "But he-"

"He was just helping Winry get away from some really terrible people. That's all. I have my own dummy to handle—and one's enough, trust me." Lissa reached back and ruffled Ed's bangs, making him swat her hand away. "You're in the clear, kid. Okay? Now." She stood up and offered Mei a hand. "We're lucky we ran into you guys, because we have a lot to discuss. I'll tell you what." Lissa pointed at a nearby bit of pipe, definitely big enough for a few people to sit on. "Why don't you and Alphonse go hang over there, while Ed and I figure out a couple more seats for everybody?"

That perked the little girl right up. She bounced up, using Lissa's hand as a boost, and then grabbed Al's hand and yanked him off. "Come on, Alphonse! You can sit with me!"

Winry stood up beside Lissa and wiped a hand across her forehead. "Jeez. Thanks, Lissa. I was starting to think she'd actually murder me for that." She shook her head wearily. "Usually I'm fine with kids, but…"

"Usually I'm kind of terrible," Lissa admitted, grinning. "Right. Shall we corral the boys?"

With Winry's help, they were able to create a sort of circle over where Al and Mei had settled down, using some salvaged crates to sit on, though Ed opted to stand with his hand resting on Lissa's shoulder, maybe a bit possessive. Not that she minded it at all. Hell, even Yoki came to join them, though he was left standing a bit awkwardly when he didn't get his own damn seat. Lissa had taken a seat sharing a crate with Winry, a bit wary of having the girl out and unprotected like this.

"So…have you been researching all this time?" Dr. Marcoh asked of Ed, Al, and Lissa, regarding them curiously. "What's led you all the way up here?"

Ed crossed his arms. "I've…learned a lot since we met. Like what it takes to make a Philosopher's Stone." He was being careful, Lissa noted. Cautious. They'd been burned one too many times on this journey and Edward was finally trying to…put up some kind of a barrier.

Marcoh's gaze turned down.

"I know there's something wrong with this country, and there's something rotten with its alchemy." Ed inclined his head to his left, towards where Mei Chang sat on the far side of Al. "We've decided to look into the possibilities of Xingese alkahestry and we figured that she could help."

"You're on the right path," Marcoh confirmed, nodding. "But you aren't the first person to put all of these pieces together…" He reached into his jacket and withdrew an old, tattered notebook, well-worn and held together with an old-world string binding. "This book is a collection of his research and theories."

His? Who's he?

"It's written in code, but we believe this book contains all of the answers that we need," Dr. Marcoh explained, staring down at the book like he really did believe that.

Ed's hand tightened on Lissa's shoulder. "If we can decipher what's in there, then Al and I can…"

Marcoh dipped his head. "Perhaps. I believe so. But they'll be impossible to translate without the assistance of Scar."

Oh, no.

"What do we need him for?!" Ed demanded, fisting his hands at his sides angrily.

Lissa took his wrist, trying to ground him a bit. "It's the code, isn't it, Dr. Marcoh?" she asked quietly, getting the old alchemist to look at her. "He's the only one who can actually decipher however it was encoded."

Marcoh's mouth tightened. "It's-"

Something exploded, echoing in the deserted town.

Mei jumped up and worried her hands together. "What do you think that was?" she asked fearfully.

Marcoh got up and crossed to the window, peering out with a deep frown set on his face. "That's the building Scar was in!" he realized, pointing across at smoke now trailing upwards from another abandoned building, just a couple blocks away. "You think it's the military?"

"Look, all of you just need to stay put and hide out in here," Ed ordered, snapping into action immediately. "Lissa, Al, and I will find out what's going on."

"Just keep an eye out for Kimblee and his men," Lissa cautioned as she hurried out after the boys. She didn't much like leaving them all alone—but truth be told, Mei could probably keep them safe with her alkahestry, she was pretty fearsome when she wanted to be. Besides… Everyone in Baschool would be heading towards that smoke, it was hard to miss.

Lissa fell into step beside Ed, looking over at him and Al worriedly. "So…do we think Kimblee found Scar, or is it something else?"

"Hopefully it's not Kimblee," Al sighed. "Otherwise we're just going straight back to him."

Ed's automail creaked as he made a fist. "Whatever it is, we've still gotta find out what's going on. We can't risk any of the military finding everyone, especially not now that we've gotten Winry out too."

They used the rooftops to slip across to the building where the explosion had occurred, and as they crept down the stairwell, following the sounds of battle, Lissa dared to tap into her senses for just a moment—and promptly slipped on a step, ramming into Al's back.

"Lissa?" He turned and steadied her quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Rotten fruit," she whispered, staring up at him and feeling a tinge of fear brush at her spine. "Chimeras, Al. I'm sensing chimeras."

Ed scowled down the stairs. "Dammit. Still…" He reached up and grabbed her hand. "You keep your head clear, okay? Are you good to fight?"

She pushed her senses down and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine, Ed. Let's go."

They headed out into the corridor, Lissa forcibly holding her senses down to keep from being overwhelmed and rendered useless, and finally emerged into a wider room dotted with support columns. And at the center was Scar, pinned to the floor by his right hand with some kind of goop holding him there…with two chimeras standing over him like they were about to deal a death blow.

"Well, look at this," Ed drawled, resting his hands on his hips. "I guess we got here just in the nick of time, huh?"

The grey-skinned chimera with spikes on his back turned to them in shock. "What—didn't they just run off somewhere?"

"His voice!" Al's body tensed up. "Brother, Lissa, I think these are Kimblee's goons… The ones he brought from Central. I recognize that one's voice."

"They are?" Ed narrowed his eyes, staring at the two. "Yeah, I think you're right."

The same chimera snorted at them. "We've already got this under control," he snapped, speaking to them like he assumed they would've recognized him. "You just sit tight while we take care of Scar."

Lissa smirked at the boys. What, this guy thought that would actually work?

Al lunged forward, quick on his feet as always, and rammed his fist into the grey one's face. "Aah! Talking monsters!" he screamed.

"What's wrong with you?!" the chimera demanded, holding his face. "We're all on the same side!"

"I've never teamed up with any freaky-looking monsters!" Al asserted, dealing a harsh uppercut to the chimera and sending him flying once more. Then he ducked back out of reach as Ed and Lissa moved up to support him, a single unit.

Ed grabbed onto Lissa and pulled her into him. "Help us!" he cried. "They're pretending to be our friends so they can eat us!"

"The chubby one has an enormous mouth!" Al wailed, feigning terror. "He could eat you in a single bite!"

"Maybe he ate our friends!" Lissa sobbed, using all her strength to hold back laughter.

The green-yellow one growled lowly at them. "You obnoxious brats… Settle down!" He pursed his lips—and then expelled some kind of saliva at the three, forcing them to break ranks to dodge. Lissa released Ed as he darted forward, twisting her hands in a burst of rapid-fire alchemy to push him quicker and move her and Al out of the way as well.

Boosted forward, Ed easily dodged the chimera's attack, ducking in right under his guard and dealing a series of quick blows that knocked the chimera away. Ed used the force to spring back to rejoin Al and Lissa, though it was obvious he'd startled the creature.

Ed suddenly began to grin, laughing almost maniacally, bouncing on his toes with some kind of sudden excitement.

"Uh…brother?" Al edged, glancing sideways at Lissa.

"What are you laughin' at?!" the chimera demanded, incensed.

He attacked again, but Ed, still laughing gleefully, darted forward and dodged, yet again counterattacking and knocking the chimera on his back this time. Then he giggled and gave a few punches to the air, his eyes vibrant with delight. "It's so light!" he crowed happily. "It's incredible!" He kicked out with his left leg, just relishing in…his new automail, apparently. "Amazing, it's like they're not even there! This cold-weather automail is magnificent!"

Lissa groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. "I'll be sure to let Winry know your thoughts. Just—be careful, dummy!" She lifted her hand in time to see him wobble, off-balance from the lighter weight, and caught him around the middle to steady him.

Ed grinned at her sheepishly. "Oops."

The green-yellow chimera shoved to his feet and glared at them. "You're gonna regret messin' with me, kid!"

"Wait, so my punches are lighter too?" Ed wondered, wrinkling his nose.

"You didn't think that could be a side-effect?" Lissa asked of him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well I-" Ed grunted as the chimera caught the two off guard, managing to hit him right on the crook of his arm with a glob of that…saliva stuff. Lissa recoiled in surprise, narrowly avoiding another shot from the chimera, forced to roll backwards just to evade him.

The chimera laughed and pointed at Ed triumphantly. "Let's see how fast you move covered in my spit!" he taunted.

Ed yelped in disgust, staring down at his arm like he wanted to rip it off now. "Your special power is saliva?!"

Lissa boosted to her feet with a burst of alchemy and raced at him, through another torrent of—ugh, spit—and snapped, "Oh, you haven't seen fast!" She twisted her hands and slipped between the particles of air, ducking and weaving as she slid right past the saliva flying her way. Putting all of her weight into it, Lissa spun round at the end and rammed her heel full-force into the chimera's abdomen, knocking him end over end across the room. He landed on his feet, but seemed winded, stunned by her attack.

"Saliva, huh?" Ed cast a look to Lissa, rather pointedly. "Well, if that's the case…" He took off running, clapping his hands together on the fly as he headed straight for the chimera. Lissa tracked his movements, sending a quick rush of alchemy his way to create a corridor as the chimera attacked again. Ed ducked down, sliding right underneath the chimera's legs, and pressed his hand to the glob of saliva still clinging to his sleeve. "Let's break it down—and revert it to water!" He flung his hand out, splashing water onto the chimera's back before springing out of reach again.

The chimera yelled in surprise and began scrabbling at his own back, where the water had instantly frozen right on his skin. "Agh! It's freezing!" he cried.

"And now…"

Lissa spun to see Ed had loomed up behind Al. She winced, unable to stop him as he kicked poor Al right into the chimera. He slammed right into the frozen patch on the chimera's back, yelping in surprise, and immediately pushed to his feet—but with the chimera stuck to him.

"What do you think you're doing, brother?!" Al demanded, irritated by the whole thing.

The chimera wailed and writhed where he stood. "Don't move, don't move, my skin is peeling!" he begged frantically.

Ed smirked at his brother, clearly not at all guilty. "I think from now on I'm gonna call that one the Wet Tongue on a Freezing Flagpole Attack!"

"That's a real mouthful," Lissa observed, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh, it'll catch on."

She went to reply—the word dummy hanging in her mind—but the air was ripped through by a sudden disturbance just beside her, and Lissa grabbed Ed around his shoulders, shimmering with alchemic energy as she yanked them both out of the way of a volley of spikes. The other chimera had gotten back up, dammit!

"For the last time, quit attacking us!" the grey chimera demanded. "We're supposed to be on the same damn side!"

Ed jabbed a finger in his direction. "You shut your snout, pig! I've never seen you before in my whole life! And you must be the enemy if I don't know you!" he yelled, keeping up with their deception from earlier.

Lissa rested a hand on her hip and nodded. "None of our allies look like that!"

"I bet you can't even prove to me that you're on our side," Ed challenged, and made an impatient gesture with his hand.

For a dummy, you're certainly clever.

The chimera grunted irritably. "Fine. I'll transform back to prove it to you." He stood to his full height and began to retract the spikes along his back.

Ed gave Lissa a pointed look, and she nodded, bringing her hands forward. She created a bust of compressed air for Ed to leap off, giving him a height advantage as he brought his leg down hard onto the chimera's unsuspecting head and neck, ramming him full-force into the floor. "Thanks for the opportunity, sucker!"

The green-yellow one looked over in horror. "Zampano!" he yelled.

Lissa smirked down at the grey chimera—Zampano, apparently. "Man. I can't believe he actually fell for that," she snickered.

"It's kinda stupid to drop your defense during combat," Ed agreed, grinning at her.

The spitting chimera renewed his attempts to get free of Al's freezing armor. "Dammit, let me go!" he demanded angrily.

"All right, big guy," Al sighed, grabbing him with one arm around his neck and the other pressed into the side of his head. "Why don't you take a little nap?" With a sharp pull, Al rendered the chimera unconscious, letting him slump to the ground in a heap with a quick transmutation to free him.

"Sometimes I forget how badass you are, Al," Lissa noted appreciatively.

Across the room, Scar transmuted the saliva that had been pinning him and rose to his feet, glowering over at the three alchemists.

"He just had to go and free himself," Ed sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "Do you really think you're gonna get away?"

"Give up, Scar," Al told him fiercely. "It's time to pay for what you've done!"

Wait, what? Lissa looked between the boys uncertainly. Dr. Marcoh had said they needed Scar to decipher those all-important notes… Yet they were still intending to take him out? That didn't seem like the right choice, it really didn't…

"I will kill you if you try to stop me," Scar warned, sinking into a fighting stance.

The boys rushed in together, but Lissa took a step backward, alarm bells ringing in her head. "Wait, Ed, Al—this isn't—just hang on a second!"

"You offer your arm to me?" Scar mused aloud, as Ed raced towards him. "Then I'll take it!" He caught Ed's right fist in his hand, a few latent alchemical sparks bursting as Scar attempted to deconstruct Ed's arm again—but of course… He was still thinking of Ed's old arm, the type he'd already destroyed that night in East City, what felt like a lifetime ago.

"I hate to tell you," Ed ground out through clenched teeth, "but my arm isn't steel anymore!" He swung out his left leg and knocked Scar's leg out from under him, sliding back out of reach to rejoin Al as the Ishvalan got to his feet again, still ready. "Don't make this difficult!" Ed snarled.

He and Al brought their hands together—and Lissa saw Scar bringing his hand down towards the ground in the same moment.

These idiots!

Lissa rushed forward, body wreathed in blue energy, as Scar destroyed the floor—his same old tactic, like he'd used underneath Central. Like he always used. She opened out her alchemical senses and focused on the position and trajectory of everything around her, the debris, the dust and particles flying all around as Scar sent the boys flying. Lissa tracked the three of them, too, shifting and darting side to side, her feet scarcely touching the ground as she cut a starlight-trailed path through the destruction.

And when the boys landed, and Scar leapt forward to attack them—Lissa stood right in the way. "Not this time!" she snarled, bringing her arms to bear.

"Don't hurt them!"

Scar skidded to a halt, stunned as Winry yelled out. She stood in the doorway to the side, her face set, jaw tight as she regarded him.

Lissa cursed under her breath as the boys leapt past her, Ed knocking Scar back and into a piece of debris. Al rushed forward and pinned his right arm, using alchemy to trap him there securely.

"What are you doing here, you idiot?!" Ed demanded of Winry, rounding on her.

"Ed, don't," Lissa told him softly.

Winry's gaze turned resolute, and she stepped forward to cross to them—but a gloved hand rested on her shoulder and stopped her. "That's close enough," Major Miles intoned, walking into the room as well, flanked by two Briggs soldiers.

Ed glared at him. "You brought her here, Major?"

"She would've followed us," Lissa murmured, taking his arm and pulling him into her. "You know Winry, Ed."

The soldiers approached the fallen chimeras, guns out, their faces tight with some kind of disgust. "What are these creatures?" one asked aloud.

"I'd guess they're the result of some ungodly experiment by our superiors," Miles posited, crossing to scowl down at the chimeras as well. "Tie them both to that column," he ordered, with a jerk of his chin.

While the Briggs soldiers hurried to do that, Miles strode purposefully over to Scar, past where Lissa stood with the boys, and drew his pistol—which he then aimed right at the Ishvalan's head. "And as for you, Scar… I regret having to treat one of my own people so harshly, but I can't just let you walk away. Not after what you've done."

Scar regarded him almost coolly. "Your own people, huh?"

Miles glanced back at the alchemists still standing nearby, hovering. "You three can leave," he told them shortly. "We've got it from here."

Lissa took a step forward, panic rising. "Major Miles—you can't, we have to… We need…"

Footsteps clicked behind her, and she turned, stunned to see Winry only a few feet away, being narrowly held back by Ed and Al. "Stop, Winry, stay back!" Ed told her anxiously.

But Winry fixed her gaze past Lissa, her breathing steady and sure. "Let me go. It's all right."

Ed gritted his teeth. "It couldn't be any less all right!"

"Miss, you need to stay back," Miles added, giving her a certain sharp look. He wanted to just pull Winry out of here, regardless of her wishes.

"Just let me… Please understand." Winry's voice remained certain. "You have to let me talk to him… I need to, Ed." She looked back at him, just for a moment, but that was all it took. Ed released her and moved out of the way.

Lissa took a step back, allowing Winry to pass, closer than all the others—she didn't move to rejoin Ed and Al, either. She was…unhappy with them. They'd lost sight of what Dr. Marcoh had said, that they needed Scar to translate the notes that might well save their lives, and the lives of everybody in Amestris. Revenge was not worth that loss. And some part of her…understood where Winry was coming from. Her own parents had been killed in the same conflict, and though Lissa didn't remember them, didn't have the same aching sense of loss… She still knew what that did to a person, not having answers, not knowing the truth of what had taken her parents away…

So she remained there, a last line of defense to keep the boys from interfering in what Winry needed to do.

"Why," Winry began slowly, softly. "Why did you kill my mother and father?"

Scar looked up at her, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. "There's nothing I can say that won't sound like an excuse. And nothing can change the fact that I am responsible for their deaths. I killed them."

Lissa shut her eyes a moment. So he didn't deny it.

"Young girl… You have every right to pass judgment on me," Scar told her honestly.

Winry hesitated a moment, staring down at him—then she crossed to a nearby crate and bent, reaching into it, and pulled out a loose strip of cloth. She walked back to Scar and knelt before him, her gaze steady, no hesitation in her movements. "Your arm… You'll die if we don't bandage it." Without any fear, Winry leaned in and began to wrap the cloth around Scar's upper arm, where he'd been injured in his earlier fight with the chimeras.

"Winry?!" Ed took a step forward, but Lissa reached back and stopped him, shaking her head.

"Quiet, Ed," Winry ordered softly. "I think… I think this is what my parents would have wanted." She continued her work, with Scar watching her the whole time, eyes wide, truly shaken by her actions. "Mom and dad saved his life before, after all. There has to be a reason for that."

Scar took in a shuddering breath. "Does that…mean you're forgiving me?"

Winry's eyes shot up to his face. "Oh, don't get me wrong!" she snapped. "I don't forgive your wanton murdering." She finished binding his wound, twisting the cloth tight with a stick, and then stood up from him, something softening in her despite the way her shoulders were still squared, her posture rigid.

Ed stepped up beside Lissa, looking worriedly over at the blonde. "Winry…"

"It's all right," Winry told him softly. "I won't cry." She found it in herself to smile over at him as she added, "Didn't I promise that the next time I cried, they would be tears of joy?"

Lissa smiled too, recalling it—Winry had agreed that when they saw her off from Central last, before Gluttony's attack, before all of that. She'd promised to withhold her tears until Ed and Al got their bodies back, and she could cry over that instead. It was a sweet sentiment, but honestly, Lissa hadn't been sure she'd keep to it until then.

Reluctantly, Ed found a half-smile for her and pulled Winry in, giving her a sideways hug of support, just for a moment. But then he rounded on Scar and stared the Ishvalan down, his jaw much too tense. "Listen, Scar!" Ed snapped. "No matter what Winry says, I still want to beat you bloody…and drag you down to the Rockbell family grave to pay your respects." He flinched when Lissa touched the inside of his wrist, just lightly, trying to keep him grounded. There was no place for that now—Winry had made sure of it.

Scar raised his head after a moment, his eyes focusing past the alchemists, and called, "Major Miles, wasn't it? Can I ask something?"

Miles stared down at him impassively. "What?"

"Earlier, you said I was one of your people," he pointed out lowly.

Still holding his gun out, Miles strode closer and nodded. "That's right. I'm part Ishvalan, on my grandfather's side." He took his goggles off with his free hand, revealing his telltale red eyes. "I wish we didn't have to meet like this…red-eyed brother of mine."

Scar tensed as he regarded him. "How can you bring yourself to be part of the Amestrian military?"

Lissa slipped her hand into Ed's, anxious. It was one thing when they'd spoken with Miles, found equal ground… But Miles was standing there pointing a gun at Scar. For him to ask that now, in this situation… Two Ishvalans surrounded by Amestrians… It was tense, to say the least.

"My objective is to work from the inside," Miles told him evenly, "to change how the people of this country view the people of Ishval."

Scar flinched at his declaration. "I don't think that great a task will be easy to accomplish."

Miles inclined his head, fully aware of that. "Who knows how long it will take? But still… My mixed blood gives me a slight advantage, at least. I'm an Ishvalan pebble tossed into the ocean of the Amestrian military. Maybe in time, the ripples I create will become great waves." He replaced his goggles, covering his eyes up once more. "And do you want to know what the most ironic part about it is? It was an Amestrian who set me on this path in the first place."

Lissa wondered at that… The idea of mixed blood being a blessing was strange… And especially resonant since she herself might have distant Xingese blood in her own lineage. She didn't quite know what it would mean for her if that were confirmed, as Amestris and Xing didn't have as rough a history as Amestris and Ishval—yet at the same time, mixed blood was so very rare, even between those countries. If it were true…would she look at it the same way as Miles someday?

Scar bowed his head, unable to look Miles in the face any longer. "Look at me," he sighed roughly. "I am a festering wound of hatred born of the great Ishvalan War." But then he found the strength to look back up, something different in his gaze as he stared at Miles once more. "I'm thankful that there's someone like you out there."

"Major." One of Miles' soldiers stepped up behind him, offering the receiver of a radio.

Miles cut off his conversation immediately to take the call, bringing the receiver to his ear and furrowing his brow as he listened. "Copy? Major Miles here. We captured Scar. We're holding him in area D. Inform Kimblee."

Lissa clenched her fist at her side. Dammit… But we need him. Kimblee's just going to kill Scar and ruin everything!

"Whatever the circumstances may be between us," Miles began, turning back to Scar once he'd finished with the radio, "I cannot let you go. You must accept judgment."

Wait…that feels like…

"Hold on!" Dr. Marcoh called out, stepping into the room, with Mei Chang peeking out behind him anxiously.

Al jolted in surprise. "Mei!"

"Dr. Marcoh?" Ed glanced at Lissa in surprise.

Lissa frowned across at the two. "I thought we said you should stay behind," she muttered.

But Dr. Marcoh wasn't deterred, his gaze fixed on Major Miles. "Please don't take Scar as your prisoner," he begged. "We need him!"

"Why?" Miles demanded. "What use can he possibly be?"

Squeezing down on Ed's hand, Lissa pointed out, "This is why I was trying to stop you and Al from attacking him earlier, Ed… You can't forget that we need his help."

Ed gritted his teeth. "I was trying to forget that part."

"Look, the fact is, it doesn't matter who hates who right now," Lissa told him firmly, tugging her hand free and turning to gaze across everyone. "I lost my parents to an Ishvalan raid too, you know, and most of my childhood memories. But we have bigger things to worry about now, right? Like the lives of every single person in Amestris." She crossed her arms angrily over her chest. "There's a transmutation circle stretching across our entire country that's set up to kill everyone inside it, for whatever the homunculi are planning. We can't ignore that."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Lissa's right," Al agreed, sighing. "We can worry about our grudges later. Right now, we need Scar's help deciphering those notes so we can stop the homunculi. He's the only one who can."

Miles eyed him. "Deciphering notes, huh?"

May hurried forward, eager, Dr. Marcoh right behind her. "Yes!" the girl almost chirped, latching a hand onto the side of Marcoh's coat. "It's groundbreaking research that tries to fuse Amestrian alchemy and Xingese alkahestry."

"But all of the important parts are unreadable," Marcoh explained, "written in ancient Ishvalan—by Scar's brother. Scar's the only one who can make sense of it." He looked at Miles pleadingly. "Don't you see?"

Lissa nodded firmly. "And we need to figure out what the notes say. The entire country depends on it, and that's not an exaggeration."

Miles made a low noise in the back of his throat, considering everything. Then he looked to Mei rather curiously, like he'd recognized her—or perhaps Xiao Mei—for the first time. "So you're the alkahestry girl, huh? I have orders to bring you back to the fort."

Mei recoiled in fear, ducking behind Marcoh to hide. "Me? But what do they want with me?!"

"Don't worry," Miles reassured her. "You'll receive a warm welcome, I'm sure." He sighed and twisted his mouth as he thought through everything in front of them, the difficult situation they'd ended up in. "Well, let me think here… Scar needs to be kept free, and it would be just as bad if they found out that Dr. Marcoh was here as well." He gave a single nod. "All right. I think it might be best if we took you back to Fort Briggs to hide you from the senior military staff."

Ed stepped between him and Scar, incensed, raising a hand in protest. "Hold on, what are you saying?! You mean we're bringing that monster with us?!"

Miles stared him down. "We need to decipher those notes, right, Elric?"

Glowering at Scar, Ed snarled, "There's not a damn thing I want that guy's help with! Just hand him over to Kimblee!"

"The transmutation circle," Miles shot back. "The one this country was formed to make. I heard all about it from General Armstrong. We know something's about to happen that will affect all of Amestris and its people. We need to know what the notes say. That's more important than anything else."

Lissa took Ed's arm and pulled him back a couple steps, getting him to look at her. "You know he's right," she told him softly. "We don't have to like it to admit that it's our only option."

"I heard they're using the Rockbell girl as a hostage against you," Miles added. "If we act now, we can disgrace Kimblee and find someplace to hide her where they can't touch her."

Ed clenched his teeth—but let out a harsh breath and nodded. "Fine. You're right."

Lissa guided him back a few more steps, well out of the way of Miles' gun. She was so damned tired of guns, honestly, she wouldn't mind never seeing one again. At the very least maybe she'd never see one pointed at Ed again.

"Listen up, Scar," Miles snapped, bringing his gun to bear again. "If you're willing to work with us, I'll postpone your judgment day. Well?"

Scar eyed him. "It doesn't look like you're going to give me any other choice." He inclined his head. "Yes, I'll help you decode the notes."

"I have your word on that?" Major Miles asked him lowly.

"You do. I swear on my Ishvalan blood. You can trust me, my red-eyed brother."

Well…trust was a stretch. But Lissa had been sucking it up and dealing with people she detested for years now—she could handle it a little longer if it meant saving everyone in Amestris and defeating the homunculi.

"We have a deal, then," Miles agreed. He turned to Winry apologetically. "My apologies, Miss Rockbell. You'll have to wait a while before we can punish your parents' killer."

But Winry just nodded once, recognizing what had to be done. "Fine."

The heavy feeling of rotten fruit brushed past Lissa's block on her senses as the chimeras woke up, tied to the pillar nearby. She saw Mei wince at the same time, her gaze drawn over inexorably—and Lissa remembered, stupidly late, that of course Mei Chang could sense the Dragon's Pulse too. And I haven't asked her a damn thing about it. I'm a complete idiot.

"Right, I almost forgot about these two freaks of nature," Miles observed, frowning at them. He turned to his two Briggs soldiers and ordered, "Dispose of them."

What?!

"Hold on a second!" Ed protested quickly.

Al hurried to put himself in front of one soldier's gun. "Wait! You don't have to kill them!" he insisted, panicked.

"I see no reason to let them live," Miles told him, merciless. "Kill them."

But Al wouldn't be deterred. "No! A life is a life!" he asserted. "What better reason do you need than that?!"

The green-yellow chimera scoffed at him. "Showing us mercy. How adorable."

"You're just a sentimental fool," the grey one, Zampano, spat. "We didn't ask for your help, did we?"

Lissa frowned at them. That sounded so…oddly defeatist, rather than nasty to Al… She didn't know what to make of that.

"Look at these bodies. What kind of future can we have?" the green-yellow one asked darkly.

So that's it…

"If you're going to kill us, do it!" he snapped.

But Al stepped towards them, something clearly on his mind. "I don't understand," he murmured. "Don't you have families? Loved ones?"

"Sure we do," the chimera told him bluntly.

Zampano nodded. "But as soon as we got these bodies, they were all told that we were dead. And to them, we are."

"Don't you want to see them again?" Al pressed.

Zampano's head hung down. "Even if we did, how could we go back to them like this?" he asked dejectedly.

Oh. Oh, goodness, Alphonse… Lissa tightened her arm around Ed's, her heart dropping as she realized it—this had…struck a chord in Al, a plight similar to his own… Feeling trapped in a body he couldn't handle, couldn't live with… He felt bad for these chimeras, who clearly hadn't been given much of a choice in what had happened to them. She was overwhelmed for a moment by the giving, open nature of that boy's heart and soul.

"So you don't want to get your original bodies back then?" Al asked them, looking down at the chimeras almost severely. "You're content with the way you are now? Is that it?!"

"No! How could we be?!" Zampano snapped.

The green-yellow one nodded angrily. "Of course we want our true bodies back!"

"There's your answer!" Al told them fiercely, jabbing his finger into the chimera's face. "I don't want to hear a bunch of fatalistic nonsense! Why not live, and learn whether there's a chance of getting your bodies back?"

The same chimera glared at him and averted his gaze, scoffing. "How could you possibly know what we're going through?"

"And what chance do we have of going back?" Zampano asked skeptically.

In response, Al only lifted his helmet off and knelt down, revealing the empty interior of his armor. "Well, I'm going back. No matter how long it takes. I'm not giving up!"

Lissa felt Ed's hand grip down on her forearm, and she rested her own hand atop his, understanding. The sheer strength of character it took not to give up, to keep pushing, fighting like Al did… She didn't think she had anywhere near that kind of inner strength, not for a moment. It had been difficult enough to keep moving forward with what little she faced in comparison to him. Al was the one who deserved his fate the least…and yet he might have been the only one capable of handling it.

"Major!" one of Miles' soldiers called, from where he'd crossed to the open window.

Miles moved to join him. "What is it?"

"It's not good," the soldier told him. "A snowstorm."

Miles frowned deeply. "We can't complete a snowbound march with this equipment… We have no chance of reaching the fort, not in weather like this."

Winry looked uncertainly between Ed and Lissa. "What do we do now?" she asked softly.

"This is a mining town, isn't it?" Yoki asked, speaking up for the first time since he'd rejoined their group. Lissa didn't even recall when he'd come in. "Why don't we just go into the underground tunnels?"

Everyone just…stared at him in bewilderment.

Yoki shifted uncomfortably. "Wha—what's wrong?" he asked, hunching his shoulders. "I mean, this is a pretty large mine, right? So surely there's a tunnel that can take us beyond the mountains. Uh, I think. At least, there should be one."

"That's it!" Ed rounded on him in surprise. "That's how everybody can get out!"

Yoki preened a bit at that. "Hey, give me some credit. This is what I did for a living," he pointed out, pleased with himself.

Miles and his soldiers quickly produced a map of Baschool, and one consulted it, checking the solid black lines that denoted the tunnel systems. "He's right," the soldier confirmed. "The tunnels come out past the mountains."

"Right." Miles pulled out a notebook, scribbled something in it, and passed it to Marcoh. "Once you run into Briggs soldiers, just hand them this. I've explained our arrangement, so you shouldn't have trouble with them."

Marcoh took it gratefully. "Thank you." Then he turned, eyeing where the four kids still stood in a group, sticking together automatically. "But there's still the matter of young Miss Rockbell."

Oh, dammit. That's right…

"She can accompany us to the fort, of course," Marcoh continued, "but when word gets out that she's missing… Won't the Elric brothers and Miss Caito be the first people they suspect?"

Al squared his shoulders. "We can handle ourselves."

Ed smirked and stretched his arm, brandishing his automail like he was flexing his muscles. "Yeah, I hate to brag, but I've got a pretty smooth tongue, y'know."

Lissa coughed into her glove, biting back the comment she wanted to make.

Miles grunted. "No, this is Kimblee we're dealing with. He's very skeptical. And as I understand it, he's using General Armstrong's brother as a hostage against Miss Caito as well. We can't take any risks. He's automatically going to be suspicious of whatever you tell him."

Anger roiled through Lissa's veins. Alex… He'd have no idea that his life was being dangled over her, continuing to work in Central and go on about his business without a damn clue… It destroyed her to think that he was in danger just because he'd been kind to her, because she'd allowed that relationship to be such an important part of her existence. She wasn't sure how she'd forgive herself for that, ever.

"Um…" Winry shifted awkwardly on the balls of her feet. "I hate to be the one to suggest this, but…uh…" She looked up from the floor, something more resolute blooming in her expression. "What do you think Kimblee would do if I was suddenly taken hostage by Scar?"

Lissa felt her jaw drop. That was…wickedly fucking smart. Damn.

"You want him to kidnap you?" Al asked her, totally stunned.

Ed had gone very pale in the face. "H-hold on, Winry… You're saying… You want us to let him go?"

Winry nodded firmly. "Right. Scar runs away, carrying me. Then, Ed, you and the others try desperately to stop him. Or at least… That's what you pretend to do. You understand?"

"You can't do that! You're crazy!"

"Well I don't have a choice, do I?!" Winry snapped back, in the face of the boys' panic. "I'm a hostage either way, so I might as well get to choose my captor!"

Al pointed at Scar as though seeing him would change her mind. "But he's a mass murderer!"

Lissa furrowed her brow. "So's Kimblee," she pointed out lowly. "It's not a bad plan, seriously, give it half a chance…"

Ed glowered at nothing in particular. "Al's right! There's no reason for you to be risking your life!"

"Don't you get it?!" Winry demanded. "It's time for you two to learn you don't have to do everything alone!" She sent a fierce look in Lissa's direction. "Isn't that right, Lissa? Isn't that what you're always getting on them about?!"

Lissa nodded slowly, carefully extricating her arm from Ed. "Yeah, it is." She crossed to Winry and put her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "Look, Winry's right. We're out of options here. You can scream about it all you want but it's not going to change the situation we're in. Sometimes…" She met Ed's gaze, blue against gold. "Sometimes you have to let the people you care about take a risk or two, and there's nothing you can do but watch."

"Make up your minds," Miles snapped at them urgently. "The storm is coming in. If we don't hurry, we won't be able to get out of here at all."

Ed spoke through clenched teeth. "I don't trust him. I don't trust him at all."

Lissa huffed at him. "Well, I don't either. But I trust Winry." She nodded at the blonde firmly. "Win, if you say you can handle it, then I'll trust you on that. Nobody else can tell you what feels right to you."

At the window, one of the Briggs soldiers called, "I can see Kimblee's forces now!"

They were out of time. Lissa saw the realization bloom on Ed's face as he clenched both fists and yelled, "Dammit!" He spun and fixed his harshest glare on Scar, who was still trapped behind him. "Scar! If you do anything to hurt her, I'll-"

"I won't harm the girl," Scar cut in firmly. "I keep my promises."

Still looking murderous, Ed crossed to him and clapped his hands, pressing his palms against the restraints Al had transmuted—and in moments, the Ishvalan had stood up, towering over Ed and rubbing his arm. Lissa ducked forward and pulled Edward back by his shoulder, afraid he might attack anyway, just faced with the situation.

"Us too!" the green-yellow chimera cut in desperately. "Please, you have to take us with you too!" He fixed his gaze on Miles. "I know you don't trust us, so I understand if you want to keep us tied up."

Zampano nodded his agreement. "Kimblee shows no mercy to troops who fail to accomplish their missions. One way or the other, we're dead. Besides…" He looked up at Al pointedly. "We don't want to give up either."

Marcoh regarded them curiously, approaching the two. "How do we know you mean that?" he asked. "You realize, if you do anything to obstruct us, the whole country could be destroyed. Including your families and everyone you care about." Well, that was certainly putting it into perspective… Blunt, but effective.

Both chimeras seemed genuinely startled by that information. "Wait, hold on! Just what are you saying?!" the green-yellow one demanded. "I don't understand. The Central forces weren't told about any of this!"

"Please, we need to know more!" Zampano begged. "What's going on?"

"We can trade stories on the way," Miles cut in. "Transform back and you can come with us. We don't have time to argue."

While the chimeras hurried to do just that, Lissa stepped away from Ed and approached Dr. Marcoh. She didn't know when there would be another chance to do this, to speak with him, and she had to know. "Dr. Marcoh…" Lissa waited until he'd looked down at her. "You… When we met before, you said you knew my parents. You said they were your colleagues, but that you didn't know about me." She swallowed hard. "Please, tell me… Were they…working on the Philosopher's Stone as well? Is that why you knew them?"

He sighed heavily. "I'm not sure I should lay all this on your shoulders…"

"I'm a state alchemist now, Dr. Marcoh," Lissa told him lowly. "I have everything on my shoulders. But this… I need to know the truth. I have—nightmares, horrible things that I think might be memories out of my childhood… But I can't make sense of it. You're the only person I've found who knows anything about my parents. I don't have another choice here."

Dr. Marcoh regarded her a moment, pain twisting his already scarred face. He let out another rough breath, his shoulders slumping…and nodded. "Yes. They were my colleagues while I was researching the stone. Both of your parents were heavily involved in the process, right from its inception. They were in deeper than even I was. To be honest, I… I wouldn't know the extent of their involvement, whether they were aware of the homunculi or not… But…" He looked away from her. "I can't say it would surprise me."

Lissa sucked in a breath. So her parents…had been part of the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. A complete one. With human sacrifices. "We saw…underneath the Fifth Laboratory. So they…"

"They worked there, yes." Marcoh shook his head wearily. "But they never once mentioned…having a child. It wouldn't have disqualified them from the project, others had families, but… The fact that they didn't speak of you…"

Something twisted in her abdomen. "What…what would that imply?"

A muscle quivered in his jaw. "I…really shouldn't say…"

"Dr. Marcoh, please," Lissa breathed. "I need to know. I don't care how awful it is. The things I keep seeing… I… I have to know what it is…"

"I would guess… For two scientists, two powerful alchemists in their position, given what we were doing, and taking into account your own unique alchemical abilities…" He bowed his head. "It would imply to me…that they were…using their work on the stone as a basis for human experimentation in their own laboratory."

Human experimentation. On…me.

He took her shoulder and squeezed down, but she barely felt it. "I'm so sorry, Miss Caito… There isn't…much I can say to soften a theory like that…"

The nightmares, the visions of cuts all up and down her arms, the bright red light, the pain, unending pain… It all made sense. Lissa remembered Ed saying on the train to Rush Valley, when she'd awoken from a nightmare so violent and overwhelming it had lingered even once she woke up, that people tended to repress painful memories, ones too much to handle. So…had she repressed most of her childhood? When her parents were killed, had some subconscious part of her just…sealed those memories away to protect her?

Yet…that didn't ring true. Lissa knew, in some deep, hidden part of herself, that she hadn't pushed her own memories away. If that were the case, why did they keep coming back in those wretched nightmares?

She only realized she was trembling, head to toe when Ed suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest, warm against the chill that had taken her over. "Hey, Liss, what's going on?" he asked her quietly. "Did something happen?" But she couldn't reply, she didn't know how to… Not here, not when they had so much still ahead of them…

"C'mere," Ed murmured, tucking her head under his chin and tugging his cloak around her, just enough to shield her for a moment. "It's okay, Liss, I've got you… Just breathe, take a second…" He turned his head and asked lowly, "Dr. Marcoh, what the hell did you say to her?"

"I…I didn't…"

Lissa stood up to her full height and shook her head quickly. "It's not his fault," she managed to say. "I asked for something. That's all. Just…" She took Ed's hands and pulled him in closer. "Please. Just wait. I'll tell you later. But first…we've got to get everyone else to safety." Yes, that was right… Brush it off for the moment, let it fester and grow down in her gut, so she had something to draw on when they went running back to Kimblee.

Edward leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Okay. I trust you. Later, then."

Though it made something shatter inside her chest, Lissa managed to smile at Dr. Marcoh as Ed pulled her away to rejoin the others, keeping her hand tight in his. She would worry about all of it later. For now, they had a job to do.

(I have just realised this is one big scene without any cuts. In the show it is *not*, at least not strictly, but apparently I chose to string it together that way. Over 11k words. Oops?)