Chapter 23: The Banshee Alchemist- Edward's Grievance

"Hey come on Ed-snap out of it!" Darius said snapping Edward out of his daze.

"Huh?" Edward asked shaking his head from Darius interrupting his thoughts. Ever since having had General Burns and his wife over for dinner last week, having found out that Winry was pregnant, he found it difficult to keep his mind on anything other than Winry. The next day after the dinner Winry and Edward had gone to the doctors just to confirm whether or not Winry was actually pregnant or not. However when the doctor returned to meet them in the waiting room with a congratulatory smile on his face it was clear that the Burns' had been right in their assumption. Since it was still early in Winry's pregnancy, approximately 3-4 to weeks according to the doctor, she didn't have to worry about stopping her work at the hospital or working on automail. At least not for the time being. Dr. Brooks had assured Winry she'd be capable of working for a few more months at the least, although the doctor did heavily recommend that Winry not over work and be sure to take regular breaks and not to stress herself out.

Edward was ready to have Winry take it easy for the remainder of the day but she went straight to her work room insisting that she had something she needed to finish and was well armed when Edward tried to dissuade her as she threw her wrench at the door causing Edward to duck and hide assuming his wife would be fine. A week later she continued to spend a lot of her time at home in her workshop making her husband both worried and curious on what it was she was doing; unfortunately Winry had had no intention of sharing her project and insisted that he just trust her. Now at work Edward had been thinking about his wife during a late night group debriefing where Darius was alerting the team about the most recent Chimera attack.

"I was talking about the turtle looking Chimera that we captured two days ago!" Darius reminded him as he pointed to a crudely drawn picture of the chimera. "Had the body and head of a snapping turtle and limbs of some wolf or something. Managed to break into the city and take down some buildings before we were able to bring it in."

"Any deaths?" Edward asked worriedly.

"Thankfully no," Darius assured him. "The Chimera was moving slowly enough that people were able to get away before it did any serious harm to people; although there are a few injuries but nothing serious."

"That's the second attack this week," Zampano said uneasily looking at the paperwork for the other Chimera attacks that had occurred. "Where the heck is Demikhov getting all these Chimera from? He can't be making them all so quickly can he?"

"I can't say, I never got into this line of alchemy," Edward said with a frown as his mind seemed to wander thinking of the past. "But it's possible that someone as experienced as Demikhov can simply reuse his research to increase his production speed. The problem he'd probably be facing is finding subjects to keep creating his Chimera, or for somewhere to store them."

"So what, we wait for him to use up all the animals or people he's using to make Chimera and attack him when he's alone?" Jerso asked confused.

"We don't even know if he's using people yet," Heinkel reminded the group.

"Heinkel's right," Edward said with a nod. "Animals are easy enough to find and he hasn't exactly been using anything exotic has he? Lions or Gorillas? Aside from the first Chimera we captured everything else has been combinations of common animals you could find in the wild. What I am worried about though is that the Chimera we did capture spoke."

"Spoke?" Yoki asked surprised speaking up for the first time since the meeting started.

"Yeah it called me a 'puny snack' before I took it down. So that one might have had some human in it." Darius and Heinkel looked at one another holding back smiles as Jerso had to struggle not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Zampano asked oblivious to what was so funny.

"The Chimera didn't talk Ed," Heinkel said looking over to the young Colonel trying not to laugh. "It was Darius."

"WHAT?!" Edward shouted.

"Puny snack," Darius said in a gravely tone that perfectly resembled the tone Edward had heard before. "The thing was going to eat you it was the only thing I could think of to get you moving." Before anyone could say anything else Edward leapt across the room bringing Darius to the ground as he put his First Lieutenant in a head lock as he yelled angrily.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING ME SHORT FOR?! I'M AVERAGE SIZED NOW YOU DAMN APE!" As the two fought and the others tried to separate them from each other an alarm went off getting everyone to stop fighting to look around.

"The alarm?" Heinkel said worriedly looking around.

"There must be another attack!" Edward stated as he released Darius who stood up easily seeming to have had nothing wrong happen from Edward trying to strangle him. Edward ran outside and pulled aside a soldier who was already running past the room to head towards the problem. "What's the situation? Is it another Chimera?"

"Yes sir!" the soldier said immediately confirming Edwards fear. "Apparently it's a flying one, it went through our defenses and is already in the city!"

"Get the car! We need to catch that thing!" Edward ordered. Everyone (excluding Yoki) ran outside and hopped into the car, after having grabbed weapons from the armory to capture the Chimera, where Darius turned on the car and immediately shot out of the parking lot into the city while Heinkel played with the radio trying to find someone talking about the Chimera.

"So what's the plan boss? We going to try capturing this one?" Jerso asked as he held a harpoon gun looking weapon in his hand, similar to one that Zampano held as well.

"If we can, I'd settle for scaring it off and following it back to its nest." Edward said as he looked out the window for the Chimera. Suddenly the group heard a loud shrieking noise coming from above them, Edward stuck his head out of the car to see where it came from when the site of a massive white bird flew overhead. "There it is!" he shouted.

"That's the one I was tracking a month ago!" Zampano noted as he copied Edward sticking his head out of the other window. "The one who killed that banker!"

"Load the harpoons you two," Edward said to Zampano and Jerso. "And you keep on it," he ordered Darius.

"You got it boss," Darius said slamming the pedal to the ground as the car sped up after the flying Chimera. Jerso and Zampano climbed halfway out the car windows as they aimed their weapons at the Chimera waiting for the best moment to attack. Without any preamble Zampano fired his shot hitting the Chimera in the leg, causing the beast to fall several feet in the air before gaining altitude.

"I got him!" Zampano cheered as he tightened his grip on his weapon which was still connected to the harpoon in the Chimera's leg by a thick chain. It wasn't long until Jerso fired his shot managing to get it in the shoulder of one of the Chimera's wings.

"Shot two is a hit," Jerso informed.

"Let's bring this bird down!" Edward cheered. As Darius slammed on the brakes in hopes to force the Chimera down to the ground the Chimera instead continued flying where it spun the car around and proceeded to drag it down the road.

"AHHHH SHIT!" Zampano cried out as he struggled to keep the weapon in his hands.

"WE CAN"T PULL IT DOWN!" Jerso shouted as he to struggled to keep his grip. Darius gunned the engine in the other direction in hopes to slow the Chimera down but all it did was keep them in place in a game of tug of war with the Chimera.

"Go faster!" Edward shouted over the roar of the engine.

"I'M GIVING IT ALL IT'S GOT!" Darius shouted, Edward looked down at the speedometer and was surprised to see they were already going 90 mph.

"Somebody grab this thing," Zampano pleaded. "I have an idea!" Edward pressed his legs to the side of the car and took the harpoon gun from Zampano's hands before jerking forward barely able to keep from being pulled out of the car window. Zampano crawled onto the hood of the car where he immediately transformed ripping his uniform in the process. Once he had transformed into his Spiked Boar form a number of sharp needles appeared on his back as they seemed to aim themselves at the flying Chimera. Firing a volley of needles the Chimera let out another loud shriek before falling to the ground due to the speed it was being pulled by from the car. However their victory was short lived for just before the Chimera hit the ground it spread open its wings and went towards the car with its talons drawn before it. Zampano leapt off the car before the Chimera reached it where the beast's talons pierced through the car ripping the hood off as it pulled back.

"Everybody out!" Darius shouted as he slammed on the brakes sending the Chimera to the ground in front of them. The remaining four in the car got out just as the Chimera managed to get back on its feet, shrieking loudly into the night as it spread its wings attempting to take flight.

"Don't let it get away!" Edward shouted. Darius and Heinkel changed their forms in mid stride as they leapt onto the Chimera's wings in hopes to weigh it down. Jerso remained nearby Edward as he transformed where he released globs of saliva at the enemies feet preventing it from moving. Clearly not liking the fact that it had been restrained and struggled from beneath the weight of Darius and Heinkel on its wings as it tried to toss them off.

"We need a net or something!" Edward called out looking back towards the car.

"We don't have one!" Jerso replied as he looked back towards Heinkel and Darius who were losing their hold on the Chimera. Edward stood there feeling useless not being able to do anything when suddenly Jerso fell to his knees with his hand's covering his ears.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked worriedly as he turned to Jerso. Jerso didn't reply as he proceeded to fall to the ground just as the other Chimera followed suit: Zampano, Darius, and Heinkel, even the massive bird Chimera seemed to be in tremendous pain as they all fell to the ground one after another.

"Colonel Elric!" a familiar voice called from behind. Edward spun around to see Lieutenant General Burns approach him with another man walking besides him in a major's jacket with his mouth open slightly. "I'm glad that we were able to make it in time," the General said as he saluted Edward.

"General I'm sorry but- the others, there's something wrong with them!" Edward said panicked looking at his team.

"Ahh that's right, Felix would you mind?" The man besides General Burns nodded as he slightly moved his mouth and Edward could have sworn he thought he heard him whistling. However whatever it was he was doing it seemed to relax Edward's team as their gripes of pain ceased as they all sighed in relief from having been relieved from whatever it was that had been tormenting them.

"Let's get that beast restrained before the soldiers get here," General Burns ordered as he looked from Edward to his team. "We wouldn't want them to see you boys like that anyways." Darius and the others nodded as they quickly went around looking for anything they could use to restrain the now unconscious bird Chimera lying in a matt of feathers and blood. "Colonel Elric," Burns said regaining Edward's attention. "I would like to formally introduce you to Major Felix Mendelson, the Banshee Alchemist. Felix this is Colonel Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"It's an honor sir," Felix said in a barely audible whisper. Felix was roughly the same size as Edward if not a little shorter with short chestnut brown hair that seemed to be styled to spike backwards on his head. He wore the standard issue State Alchemist outfit uniform with the chain of his pocket watch visible from one of its pockets. Edward noticed that Felix was no longer keeping his lips pursed and that the massive bird Chimera hadn't moved since he stopped.

"Did you stop that Chimera?" Edward asked incredulously looking at the massive bird that his men were binding with found chains and rope. Felix didn't say anything but smiled as he nodded his head proudly.

"You have to forgive him Colonel. Due to Felix's unique use of Alchemy it's best if he doesn't talk much until we get him something to drink," General Burns explained.

"Something to drink?" Edward asked confused as soldiers began arriving with trucks to transport the Chimera.

"Just trust me Colonel," General Burns urged him with a dutiful look.

State Military Base

Upon returning to Edward's office a glass and a pitcher of water was immediately brought for Felix as he, Edward and General Burns were seated in Edward's office; Darius and the rest of Edward's team were in the infirmary getting their injuries tended to by the medics. Upon receiving the glass and pitcher Felix poured the water into the glass nearly filling it over the rim before bringing it to his lips where he drank the entire glass of water in one go while exhaling loudly once he was finished.

"Thirsty?" Edward asked with a playful smile.

"Very," Felix said in a normal if not raspy sounding voice. "My throat always gets raw when I use my Alchemy without my proper equipment."

"Right," Edward said obliviously as he looked to General Burns for some clarification.

"Major Mendelson uses sound based Alchemy Colonel," the General informed him. "He can manipulate sound waves and use it as a weapon."

"That's not all I can do," Felix said modestly not wanting to sound like he was a weapon.

"Sound Alchemy?" Edward asked interestedly. "I've never heard of anyone using sound in alchemy before. I was taught that you needed to work with matter in order to transmute anything."

"Well it isn't really sound per say," Felix explained. "It's the vibrations that sound makes." Without any preamble Felix clicked his tongue creating a far louder than expected sound that shattered the glass Felix had just drunk from as shattered glass covered Edward's desk as he jumped from the small explosion.

"Holy shit!" Edward exclaimed as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Like that," Felix said in a raspy sounding tone as he reached for the pitcher of water drinking out of it quickly before putting it down. "The vibrations I made shattered the glass. The louder the noise the stronger the impact."

"I'm guessing that you must have the Transmutation Circle on your tongue then," Edward thought aloud causing Felix's eyes to widen slightly in surprise proving to Edward that he was right. "But I don't think it's possible for one circle to amplify the sound you made and to control its vibrations."

"Your right," Felix said impressed. "I have two circles tattooed on my tongue: one on the top and one on the bottom."

"Could I see them?" Edward asked. Felix responded by opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue for Edward to see. Edward examined both of the Transmutation Circles tattooed on his tongue as he marveled at the ingenuity of the two circles working together.

"A binary helix circle in collaboration with a volute pentagon circle. Not much use on their own,"

"But together they can amplify any sound I make from my mouth into a sonic blast," Felix finished as he closed his mouth.

"And all the water?" Edward asked.

"It's harder for me to vibrate sounds if my throat is moist. Plus water dilutes my circles temporarily so I don't blow a hole through a wall or something when I talk."

"Interesting," Edward said clearly intrigued by the new form of Alchemy.

"I thought that given the Major's skill set and records he'd be a vital asset in fighting off the Chimera and, hopefully, finding Demikhov."

"I'll do everything in my power to help Colonel Elric," Felix assured him as he saluted Edward. "And I just want to say that it is an honor working in the same district as the man who took down Father. Everyone in the military talks about that battle; what you did was amazing!" Edward couldn't help but smile at the praise as he checked his own pocket watch inwardly moaning at the late time.

"Well Felix it was a pleasure meeting you but its late and I'm sure my wife will be furious that I was out fighting again. General I'll have my report in by tomorrow if that's alright with you."

"That'll be fine Colonel," General Burns said with a smile.

"And Felix feel free to requisition anything you need in the armory area," Edward told Felix. "You're welcome to charge any basic needs to the account."

"Thank you Colonel but everything I'll need was sent to my apartment; the General and I rushed to your location when we saw that… bird thing fall, that's why I didn't have my things," Felix explained.

"Well the offer stands if you need anything," Edward assured him with a smile. After a round of saluting and farewells Edward made a quick stop to the infirmary to make sure his men were all right. Aside from Zampano dislocating his shoulder from when he leapt off the car everyone had gotten away with minor injuries, Jerso simply being there for moral support. Upon hearing that Edward was going home he offered to drive Edward home which he accepted gratefully tired from the night's activities. Bidding farewell to the rest of his team Edward and Jerso borrowed a regular squad car (their car having been destroyed) as Jerso drove Edward home in silence both of them too tired to want to start a conversation. Upon arriving home Edward thanked Jerso for the ride and bid him a good night before heading into the building to get to his apartment. Upon entrance into the apartment he noticed the light to Winry's workshop still on with the door slightly opened. Frowning slightly Edward walked towards the door pushing it open slightly as he peered into the room smiling gently at the sight before him. Winry had fallen asleep some time earlier as her head was resting atop of a metal looing forearm with her tools scattered around her.

"Damn gear head," Edward muttered with a gentle smile as he quietly walked up behind Winry where he put one of his hands under her legs with his other arm wrapped around her back and waist as he carefully lifted her into a bridal carry. After leaving the workshop Winry immediately began to stir as her eyes groggily began to open.

"Mmmm…. Ed? Is that you?" she asked groggily as she seemed to press her face into Edward's shoulder. Edward smiled warmly as he quietly shushed Winry.

"Go back to sleep," Edward told her quietly as he carried her into their room and towards their bed where Edward gently laid her down after pulling the covers back. Upon landing on the bed Winry immediately cuddled into a ball where Edward threw the blanket and sheets over her where she cocooned herself in the bed. Edward laughed before taking off his uniform and taking a quick shower before crawling into the bed next to his exhausted wife.

"Ed…?" an exhausted Winry was barely able to mumble.

"Yeah?" Edward asked quietly.

"Did you see my project?" Winry mumbled clearly struggling to stay awake.

"I saw part of it on your desk but I don't know what it was," Edward admitted. Winry turned around in bed as she rested her metal cold hands on Edward's side as she pulled him into an embrace as she nestled her face into his chest.

"Good," she said smugly as she quickly drifted back into sleep. Edward chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer to him as he quickly followed her to sleep.

One Week Later

Edward was absently reading a magazine in the waiting room of the doctor's office while Winry was talking erratically clearly nervous about going in to see the baby for the first time through what the doctors called an ultrasound. Edward could tell from the unease in Winry's voice that she was nervous but the blonde father to be wasn't really listening. Instead he couldn't help but think of Felix's arrival and how the soldiers of South City, including his own team, seemed to gush at the Banshee Alchemist's impressive alchemic skills. There had been two more attacks involving Chimera that week and Felix was able to subdue them before they made it to the city and didn't have to do anything other than whistle. Not to mention the attempted robbery that occurred at Colin's bank, the same bank that a group of men had attempted to rob on Edward's first day as Colonel. Felix had been there with a violin case apparently trying to make a withdrawal when several men pulled out guns in an attempt to rob the bank. Felix didn't panic of course; in fact the story was he was completely calm. The men demanded that he open up his case to see what was inside; when he did they were surprised to see a violin covered in a single elaborate transmutation circle. From there the rumor was that Felix merely plucked a few cords off of the violin before the men involuntarily dropped their guns and began dancing sporadically followed by several random patrons of the bank; when asked later by officials what he had done Felix simply explained that he made the men want to dance giving no more explanation then that.

"Ed are you even listening to me?" Winry said loudly with a pouty look on her face as Edward snapped back to the current time and place.

"What was that?" Edward asked mentally kicking himself at the angry expression now on Winry's face.

"Have you been listening to a thing I've said since you've picked up that magazine?" Winry demanded angrily as Edward thought fast to spin the conversation around.

"Of course I have," Edward assured her causing Winry to narrow her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Oh really? Then what was the last thing I talked about?"

"You were demanding to know if I was listening to a thing you said since picking up the magazine," Edward said with a small, hopeful, smile in hopes that Winry would let him off the hook. Winry merely rolled her eyes and crossed her arms and legs muttering how Edward never listened. Edward sighed as he kissed Winry's cheek apologetically wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Win," he apologized. "I was just thinking about work stuff and my mind was wandering."

"What work stuff?" Winry asked curiously, angry tone now absent from her voice.

"Well the State Alchemist I told you about arrived last week."

"Does he suck at it?" Winry asked smugly causing Edward to laugh in surprise before shaking his head with a fond smile.

"No the opposite, he's an amazing alchemist; I couldn't do half the stuff he can."

"So what's wrong with him?" Winry asked curiously.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Edward explained as he closed his eyes in thought. "It's just that…" Winry looked at her husband curiously for a few moments before her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh I see what it is," Winry said knowing causing Edward to look down at her in surprise.

"You do?" Edward asked not even sure of what it was that was troubling him.

"You're jealous of him."

"WHAT?!" Edward shouted not willing to believe what his wife had said.

"Well what else could it be?" Winry demanded. "You say he's doing a good job, he's good at using Alchemy, and there's nothing wrong with him. Unlike you whose struggling as a Colonel, can't use Alchemy and I can make a list three miles long about what's wrong with you Ed."

"WELL YOU'RE NO DREAM YOURSELF!" Edward shouted angrily as he mentally thanked his luck that there was no one else in the waiting room with them. Edward closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath as he felt a gentle, slightly calloused, hand placed on his cheek. Edward opened his eyes to see Winry looking up at him with a loving smile.

"You should know though Ed," Winry said as she brushed Edward's skin with her thumb, "That even with all your many, many, many faults, your still the best husband in the world. Plus, you have a damn sexy left leg." Edward chuckled gently at Winry's attempt to console him as he gently grabbed the hand palming his cheek as he held it in his before kissing it gently.

"Thanks Winry," Edward said quietly as Winry smiled up at him. Suddenly the door in front of them opened revealing an older man with glasses and a gentle smile as he looked towards Edward and Winry.

"Ahh Mr. and Mrs. Elric, if you two are finished yelling at one another (he said good humoredly) we can begin the procedure." Edward and Winry blushed embarrassedly at having been heard as they stood up from their seats, still holding hands as they walked towards Dr. Brooks following him into a room. "Now Mrs. Elric if I can get you to sit up on the chair there we can begin the procedure." Winry nodded as she took her seat on the recliner like chair as she looked to the doctor uneasily.

"This isn't going to hurt is it?" Winry asked warily unsure of what measure of examining the baby the doctor was planning to use.

"Oh good heavens no," Doctor Brooks said with a smile. "No the needle is far too sharp for you to feel a thing," he added pulling out a syringe with a foot long needle. Winry brought her legs protectively in front of her stomach while crushing Edward's hand still intertwined in hers as the doctor burst out in a fit of laughter. "Hohohoho that never gets old," he explained as he showed that it was a gag needle. Winry sighed in relief as Edward yanked his hand out of Winry's as he tried to get the feeling back in his hand.

"So what are you going to do doc?" Edward asked wearily fearing the state of his hand.

"Oh it's a rather simple procedure," Doctor Brooks assured him as he put on a pair of rubber gloves. "And it's nowhere near as invasive as a giant needle." Once the gloves were on Doctor Brooks went out of the room for a brief moment before bringing in a strange monitor like device and a strange hose connected to it.

"What the heck is that?" Edward asked curiously as he looked at the device.

"Oh it's a magnificent device from Drachma," the doctor told him as he grabbed a tube from a nearby drawer.

"Drachma?" Edward asked suspiciously as he looked at the machine again cautiously.

"Oh there's no need to be suspicious," Doctor Brooks assured him as he squeezed a glob of glue out of the tube. "Let me clarify: the machine's design was made in Drachma but this was made in Amestris. All it does is sends a sound wave too high for people to hear through your wife's body while giving us a look at the inside of her body."

"More sound waves huh?" Edward mumbled to himself as Doctor Brooks lifted up Winry's shirt slightly before rubbing the glob of glue onto Winry's stomach. She cringed slightly causing Edward to look at her worriedly as she smiled assuringly shaking her head.

"It's just cold Ed I'm fine," she assured him.

"Let's have a look now shall we?" The doctor turned on the machine and pressed the end of the hose onto Winry's stomach where the goo had been spread. Meanwhile on the monitor a grainy image appeared on the screen showing what the young couple assumed was the inside of Winry's body. "Now it is slightly early for us to be doing this," Doctor Brooks warned as he continued to move the machine down her stomach. "Normally it takes six weeks before we can see anything, but since Winry is approximately five weeks pregnant or so we might be able to- look there!" Edward and Winry looked to the screen anxiously as a gray and grainy image appeared on it. It was hard to tell what the majority of the inside looked like but one thing was clear as they looked at the screen: there was a little body on the screen.

"Is that…" Winry was unable to finish her thought as she looked at the small shape within her. Edward didn't say anything but gently wrapped his hand over Winry's giving her a small squeeze to let her know he was there. She squeezed his hand back as their fingers intertwined as they continued to look at the screen.

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?" Edward asked in a cracked voice.

"No not yet," Doctor Brooks told him. "In fact I'm surprised we found the little fella so early on. Normally it'd take a few more weeks for a clear enough picture of the child, so we got lucky now didn't we?" The Doctor laughed as he looked at the couple staring at the image of their child on the monitor. "I suggest making another appointment in two weeks or so, this way we can make sure that the baby is developing properly. How does the fifth sound for you two?" The Doctor was ignored as the first time parents continued to watch the screen with astonishment as if expecting the baby to grow legs and arms and start dancing. Doctor Brooks merely smiled as he gave the young married couple a few moments alone knowing that they'd want time to admire their unborn child. After all, how often can you have your first child?"