Fullmetal Alchemist

Invaders of Gallia

Episode 39

A HERO'S FALL

Vine Enraged

Opening Theme: Kanashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)

"RAGING BLAST TWIN BLADE DANCE!" Vine shouted as he agilely cut his way through a group of rebel soldiers.

"I'm encountering these goons in greater numbers, meaning I must be close," he determined as he continued his search.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ahhh!" Zeri yelped as a flame blew him onto his back.

"Zeri!" Julianna cried in dismay as a V2 aimed for the downed Darcsen. Seconds before it fired, Imca jumped in front of it and swung Var, knocking the gun up and forcing it to fire harmlessly into the sky.

"Darn it!" she hissed as the V2 forced her back, "we aren't losing here!" She looked up and prepared to charge again, but stopped in her tracks. Seven V2s had weapons pointed at Squad G and her, and they were seconds from firing! "No! Get back!"

"Get back to where!?" Zeri replied.

"Oh man, this is bad! Everyone take cover!" Avan ordered as cadets ran for cover and dove to the ground, despite knowing they had almost no chance of evading the attack. The V2s fired simultaneously, unleashing a carpet of blue flame that approached the students.

"We're done for!" Zeri cried out in despair. Nobody expected a tank to suddenly roll between the cadets and the flame as the flames struck the vehicles side.

"Huh? That's the tank that came with Vine's crew!" Avan realized.

"What's he doing!?" Cosette cried.

"Gramps! Are you insane!?" Lavinia shouted, "get out of there!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Inside his tank, Balwin Lane had a triumphant smile on his face.

"Well waddaya know. I didn't think that would work, but I guess it did.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Using a pillar to propel himself upwards onto a building top, Vine spotted his target bellow him.

"Found you!" he shouted as he channeled energy into his swords.

"HERE WE GO!" he roared as he swung both swords, firing a pair of blasts at the Supply Vehicle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The V2s attack left Balwin's tank severely damaged as they began to charge for another shot.

"Well. It looks like I survived the first one. I guess these V2s aren't as tough as they look," he declared triumphantly.

"Gramps!" Lavinia's voice cried over the radio.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Get outta there, Gramps! That tank won't take another shot! You've got to..." Lavinia cried into her radio.

"It's alright, Lavinia," Balwin's voice came over the radio.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"If I move this tank, then it's those kids of yours who take the blow instead. I know that isn't what you want to happen," Balwin revealed.

"Then let me help! The Dream can take it!" Lavinia begged.

"NO!" Balwin shouted, breaking his usually calm demeanor for the first time, "you stay back. This is my last fight, and I will handle it alone."

Lavinia opened her mouth to reply, but before she could shout anything, the V2s opened fire.

"GRAMPS!" Lavinia cried as the blue flame struck Balwin's tank, resulting in an explosion. At that moment, Vine destroyed his target and the V2s shields dropped.

"They're vulnerable!" Ed shouted, clapping his hands together, "now to stop 'em!"

"Take 'em down!" Avan ordered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ali jumped back as Dirk fired a blast into the ground where she had been. As soon as she landed, she charged, swinging her lance, which slammed into Dirk's shield. Ali yelped as Dirk managed to knock her off balance and she just managed to raise her shield before Dirk blasted her, driving her back into a nearby wall which crumbled down on top of her.

Dirk approached the rubble cautiously as Ali exploded from the pile and charged at him. Their shields collided, creating a burst of energy that sent them both sliding away from each other.

"Damage Moderate," Dirk confirmed, "proceeding with operation."

"You aren't proceeding with anything!" Ali shouted, "I'm gonna stop ya!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ed rose his automail blade to block a V2 that was swinging its weapon at him. The V2 suddenly dropped to the side as Vine landed behind him, his sword held out as if he'd just swung.

"What the heck, Colonel, what took you so long!?" Ed shouted.

"Sorry, I got held up," Vine replied, his gaze fixed on the ruined tank. Lavinia had exited the Dream and was apparently crying as she knelt in front of the rubble. "No… Don't tell me!"

"He saved us," Cosette cried, "but…"

Vine clenched his teeth as he walked to the destroyed tank.

"Gramps…" Lavinia sobbed.

"Get up, Lavinia," Vine ordered as he transmuted a second sword from Balwin's destroyed tank, "we can mourn our losses later, but for now, you need to make sure his sacrifice isn't in vain by getting back in your tank and protecting those kids."

Walking around the tank, Vine faced the V2s. "Fullmetal, take the others and go after Baldren! I'll handle this and catch up. Avan, Ali is fighting your brother. See what you can do, but don't get yourself killed."

"Hold on!" Ed protested, "you can't…"

"We can't let Baldren leave this harbor!" Vine shouted back, "we can't waste any more time here! Besides…" he said as he turned, "if I'm being honest right now, you're in my way."

"I don't think I like what that means," Zeri admitted.

"You kids might wanna go," Imca ordered, "I've only seen him like this once before, and it wasn't pretty."

"Hold on, what're you doing?" Ed demanded.

"I'm gonna enjoy the show," Imca replied.

"Raging Blast…" Vine said as he crossed his swords in front of him as several V2s prepared to fire on him.

"Vine! LOOK OUT!" Cosette cried.

"TWIN BLADE DANCE!" Vine roared, swinging his swords agilely and unleashing a barrage of crescent blasts that slammed into V2s and sent them flying.

"He just took down a dozen V2s with one attack," Zeri stuttered in surprise.

"Get going, Fullmetal!" Vine ordered.

"Right! Let's go guys, we have to keep Baldren from escaping!" Ed ordered.

"But Ed…" Cosette protested.

"Don't worry, Cosette," Avan replied, "I bet once we're all gone and Vine doesn't have to worry about us, he'll have these guys dealt with in no time, right Vine!" Vine responded by turning his head and flashing a confident smile, before jumping into the air to avoid several V2 blasts.

"Let's go," Ed ordered as the others hesitantly agreed and Squad G headed towards the port.

"I'm not getting rid of you, am I," Vine sighed as he glanced back at Imca.

"Not a chance," Imca replied, "we'd better hurry and wrap this up if we want to finish before Mustang arrives."

"Too late," Vine replied, smirking as a wall of flame rolled over the V2s.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ali let out a roar as she slammed her lance into Dirk's shield with her lance and used a blast of flame to blow him back, knocking off his helmet. She was about to fire a killing blow, when she realized this and froze upon seeing Leon's face.

He looks just like Avan! She thought in dismay as her hesitation allowed Leon to fire on her, engulfing her in flame and launching her back into a building.

"Target eliminated," Leon declared, "continuing operation."

"You'll have to do better then that," Ali declared as she walked out of the cloud of smoke. Her uniform had a few tears and a cut on her forehead was bleeding, but she was otherwise unharmed. "I knew you were Avan's brother, but… you look so much like him. You were one of ma… of that woman's early experiments, weren't you."

"Reengaging target," Leon replied as he approached Ali.

"You can't answer me," Ali realized, "you're not even really Avan's brother anymore. Just a hollow shell."

Raising her lance and shield, Ali prepared to attack.

"Let's finish this!" She shouted angrily as she charged.

Closing theme: Into the Light (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)

"twin Blade Dance."

"There're more then I expected."

"Baldren's sending everything he's got to stall us, but it won't work."

Next time: Death of the v2s RAGING BLAST, ROARING FLAME.

"Game over you freaks."