Saint Jude is the patron of lost and hopeless causes.
In which the protagonists decide 'the devil you know' is for idiots.
Oh God, oh God-
He'd known it was going to happen, he tried to push the rubble off and-
Shit that hurts-
-like his entire back was on fire, like being roasted and stretched over a rack at the same time-
-bugger I'm not-
-wasn't healing. Just two big gaping holes through his shoulders wide enough to stick a finger through if he could get his hands to move-
This is what it's like for them, it doesn't heal and it doesn't stop and-
He heaved himself upright, biting back a scream as so much brick and mortar pressed against what was left of his shoulder blades. Then suddenly he was on his feet, so quickly he almost tumbled over again, the dust was everywhere and the light was too bright and-
He's here. Oh God he's here-
For a moment he couldn't move.
-she used to say? One of the saints, what was his name?-
The rest of them were still stunned, he'd probably missed the brunt of it because he'd been kneeling, but Lust at least was bound to wake up soon. He picked his way toward the nearest soldier wincing with every jarring, shuffling step.
Saint Jude,-
He couldn't feel his hands but he could see them. He tried to clench it into a fist and snarled when his fingers only curled. A couple of dozen quick repeats and he could pick things up, even if it burnt like buggery.
-hope of the hopeless-
The soldier, no the colonel, looked like he was coming round. Envy was quick. A swift kick flicked his gun from his holster into the air. He caught it, sending another set of shocks up his arm.
Pray for me.
He ran outside.
-
It was brighter than it should have been. Every inch of his body felt thoroughly tenderised, which was depressingly normal but the flaring, throbbing hurt in his left ankle was a little worrying.
There was a shadow. Someone standing too close, tall and slim…..Piper? He squinted, forcing his eyes to focus through the plaster and….Damnation.
He waved his arms ineffectually in an attempt to block its kick but the blow didn't land.
What was….
An empty holster clattered into his field of vision. He stared after it for an unnaturally stretched moment before his tired brain put two and two together.
Lockheed scrambled to his feet yelling something at the retreating homunculus. He staggered after it before common sense prevailed and he collapsed beside a pile of rubble to take stock. He spotted Macchi and one of the prisoners getting to their feet, Piper looked dazed but from what he could see she wasn't injured, Kraus… He pushed himself upright again and began searching the wreckage.
It didn't take long. Kraus had a tendency to complain and a predisposition to volume.
And suddenly they were all around him again in complete disarray, looking to him as if this mission hadn't been enough of a disaster already.
He turned to Piper. "First priority is the van, protect it, or if you can't get everyone who's injured evacuated before making any attempt to achieve the objective-"
"Suh-"
"Macchi, get those two," He waved at Kraus and the prisoner. "Further back, and see if you can find her sister. Don't engage the homunculus unless absolutely necessary."
From somewhere beyond the safety of the rubble came yells and gunfire. Screaming children.
Lockheed struggled to his feet and hobbled after the homunculus that had stolen his gun.
-
Pride curled into a ball and screwed his eyes shut. The world was an incessant whirl-wind of motion around him, spinning through all the could's and may be's until he couldn't think, couldn't breathe and all he wanted was for it to stop. But that was the problem; it was impossible to shut out the world. While everyone else on the planet had a barrier against the outside, a line in the sand between me and everything else, a little quiet space inside their head that was their own, Pride had nothing. And the roar of universe flooded in until all he could hear was the thousand different ways the wind could whistle, all he could feel was the millions of ways the ground could rock with each alchemic shockwave, all he could smell was the infinite mixtures of dust and air.
Think…….he had to try and think……something was happening……something important……something….
….there had been soldiers…..
..dusty torn uniforms…..
……then they had moved…..Susie had moved him because…….because……something about…….
And then the dog had been barking and………
…someone….important…….Al?
And Susie had started yelling…..
…..No not Al……
And he……him….Pride…..himself……..had done…….something……something when he could see because-because
'tsee-
And then………something…..and someone.…brother....gunshots……lights….
Where's Susie?
-
Envy pelted outside with everything; the burning in his arms, the cold that was spreading from his shoulders as the last of his strength ebbed away, the raw hole that was forming in his stomach, fading into the background until there was only him. And the gun.
Hohenheim was only metres away, his back to Envy, walking steadily away because…..He hadn't heard, probably because whatever he'd done to collapse the walls had…..
Why the walls-
He stumbled as his foot caught against a trainer, the bastard was right there and he was gaining and……It took what seemed like an age for the appropriate cogs to turn.
No, god no-
He turned round so fast he almost fell over. He scrambled over the wreckage towards-it had to be Pride because there was no way Susie had legs that long and no military officer would wear running shoes.......
Not again, please not again….
Something inside him froze over.
Get up.
But he's….oh god he's-
He's a homunculus, he'll fricking live, GET UP.
Oh god what if she's under there too?
HE'S GETTING AWAY-
Too late. I'm too fucking late, why am I always too fucking LATE?
HE did this! THAT BASTARD and if you don't fucking well GET UP OFF YOUR ASS NOW you might never get another chance! He's RIGHT THERE, and all you've got to do, all you have to do to make it all stop to make it all right again is GET UP and pull the fucking trigger! Well?! What the hell are you waiting for?! You haven't FORGOTTEN have you?!
No…..never….
Everything hurt, and it took forever to get to back to his feet. And Hohenheim had turned around.
Saint Jude……
The muscles in his arm screamed, the gun felt as though it weighed more then a beached whale, his hand was shaking. But he got it wavering at shoulder height, which was when he realised that Hohenheim was carrying something-
Someone-
Envy snarled, his grip tightened over the trigger-
Hope of the hopeless-
Hohenheim shifted his daughter to his shoulder and clapped his hands.
-
Lockheed got there in time to see the shockwave floor the homunculus. Its body crumpled, as if it had been given a gentle push. The alchemist, one hand now supporting the child slung over his shoulder gave a small satisfied nod and turned round as though nothing had happened.
The sensible part of him, the part that carefully said all the right things to the right people, did the paper work and kept up with politics was screaming all the reasons why he should just let the alchemist walk away.
But he had a little girl slung over his shoulder.
He'd flattened the house behind him more thoroughly then a bomb strike. He'd knocked over a homunculus in passing as though it was nothing more then an irritation.
But he had a little girl slung over his shoulder. And whatever he wanted her for couldn't be good.
"HALT!"
The alchemist kept going. Lockheed ran after him, arm raised and ready with the array on his ring glowing.
"I'm a State Alchemist if you don't stop I'll-"
He moved fast. Whirling round before the words were fully out of Lockheed's mouth, his hands coming together and his cold concentrated gold eyes focused entirely on the Lt Colonel.
Which was when Envy managed to stagger back to his feet and fire.
The first shot went wide, but it was enough to break the alchemist's concentration. The second shot clipped the alchemist's shoulder and his hand went automatically to the wound.
The homunculus was yelling. The alchemist was backing away. Lockheed sent a few targeted jets of air towards him before the man recovered his senses enough to clap.
Hohenheim filled the air with smoke.
The creature kept screaming and firing into the cloud until he ran out of bullets. But the alchemist was gone long before it cleared.
-
The first thing that came to mind as the smoke spread out was that he couldn't see the homunculus anymore. Oh it was still there, he could hear it screaming blue murder, staggering and probably falling over the scattered rubble. Lockheed followed the sound, moving slowly and cautiously and cursing every higher ranking shmuck who had put him in this position.
"-Goddamned BASTARD SON OF A BITCH!!! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!" The homunculus swore at the smoke, he was close enough to see its silhouette now; he raised his hand just in case.
He saw its legs buckle, watched it fold and collapse against a heap of bricks. How had that prisoner's Klatchi array worked? Did he have time to sketch one out quickly now that he was only a few feet away.
"I'll kill you," Envy whispered, "If it's the last thing I ever do."
Just a little closer....Lockheed stumbled over the wreckage, causing a minor landslide. The homunculus whirled round, faster then anything with holes that big in its chest had a right to. Lockheed found himself staring down the barrel of his own pistol.
They stared at each other. It, no he, was shaking Lockheed noticed. He was covered in plaster dust, tears streaming down his face, which was probably because of the smoke, and blood staining thick red lines from the holes in his shoulders all the way down to his thighs. It occurred to Lockheed that all he needed to do to disarm the creature was wait five minutes for its arms to give way.
He smiled. "You're out, boy."
When Envy's expression didn't change he took a step forward. Envy jerked the gun up at him.
"You're out," Lockheed repeated patiently. "It only takes six rounds."
He waited for the information to filter through.
"Your weapon's useless. You have two holes the size of golf balls in your shoulders and you are not healing. You could try to fight or run, but I highly doubt you'll get much further then our van on your own power. We have medical supplies. Unless you really want to bleed to death I suggest you come with me."
By the time Lockheed got to end of his little speech the creature looked utterly terrified. He dropped the gun with a clatter; his arms fell like dead weights. He glanced at something sticking out of the rubble then glared sullenly up at the colonel. Lockheed followed his gaze.
Hellfire.
"Friend of yours?" He asked casually.
Envy's expression hardened, which Lockheed took as an affirmative. He sighed and stepped around the homunculus to get a better look. Whoever was under there would be quite thoroughly crushed, probably already dead but-
He rummaged briefly in his coat pocket, producing a penknife. He sank into a crouch beside the curious homunculus. It took him a moment to remember the array, but it was simple enough, more translating matter then transmuting it. The creature winced as he activated it and the array sparked into life. The wreckage opened up like a flower.
There was a boy in the middle, mangled but knitting back together as they watched.
Lockheed raised his hand ready to slice him in two when he attacked. But when the boy eventually uncurled and opened his eyes he just stared blankly into the clearing smoke.
"Run you idiot." Envy croaked.
Pride's face broke into a slow smile. "Brother!"
"Run you short retarded-"
He was cut off by two gunshots.
"Ah, Piper," Lockheed began, endeavouring to sound as though he'd planned this timely intervention. "Would you kindly escort these two gentlemen back to our van?"
-