Stand by You

XXIX

"The Briggs Way?" We asked.

"That's right," Buccaneer smirked, grabbing Edward's head tightly. "Give me a hand, alchemist." He scooped Edward up with one of his arms.

"Brother!" Alphonse cried.

"Ed!" I yelled.

"You too tin man, as well as you Clocky," Buccaneer continued.

"Just a minute, you can't..." Edward sputtered but Buccaneer placed a pistol between Edward's eyes.

"You are forced to help us under threat," he smirked. "You've got no problem with that, right?" Buccaneer noticed Falman. "Who's this?" He asked.

"A comrade that I used to work with," I informed.

"All right, help us out," Buccaneer nodded.

Falman's jaw dropped as he began to protest but he was ignored as Buccaneer dragged us over to enormous reserve where a huge tube came out of it. Buccaneer dropped Edward and picked up a bunch of oil jugs and began to toss them at us while connecting them to the tube. "Hurry, and don't spill any!" He threatened as he carried the two jugs without any problem as all four of us struggled to carry one with two hands.

"Buccaneer, Gate 8!" Miles informed.

"Yes, sir!" Buccaneer nodded.

We went up to the next level and Buccaneer helped us hide up top in the darkness while he waited by the elevator. When the elevator door ringed, the Homunculus emerged. "Where am I?" He asked.

Buccaneer jumped at him and grabbed his arm, flipping him over. "Alright!" He yelled at us. "Do it now!"

Falman, Edward, Alphonse and I all simultaneously dumped the oil on the Homunculus and ran down so we could be with Buccaneer. "So? What next?" Alphonse asked.

"How are we going to get him to the gate?" Edward questioned.

The elevator door dinged and opened partially as Buccaneer smirked and saluted. When we saw what was inside, Edward and Alphonse's jaws dropped along with mine. General Armstrong was inside a tank that was in the elevator and as soon the door was open wide enough, she began to drive it forward. "Move it, little red runt!" She yelled. She drove the tank forward and fired it at the Homunculus. He slid backwards and broke the doors open behind him and slammed against the metal railing, creating a dent where his body used to be. The giant bullet slid off his stomach as he got back up. "Hey!" General Armstrong yelled inside the tank. "One more shot!"

"We're out of ammo!" A soldier inside responded.

"In that case..." Falman drew out a pistol and fired twice at the icicles above, making them drop on the Homunculus, distracting him momentarily.

"Ouch," He muttered.

Edward, Alphonse and I ran up to the Homunculus and swung back for one big, giant, three-way kick that sent him flying off the railing and into the snow and snowstorm below. "All right!" Edward grinned as he pumped his fist, unable to see the Homunculus beneath the heavy snow.

"That's cold-weather climate blended fuel," Buccaneer explained as he came out with us. "It vaporizes regardless of extreme cold, and its heat of evaporation saps body temperature in an instant. Plus, we've got this blizzard. That will freeze him instantly, right down to its brain."

General Armstrong joined us as we spotted the outline of the Homunculus in the heavy snow. "You can hibernate there until spring, you big lummox," She sneered."Buccaneer, take these three away!"

"Yes, sir!" He saluted.

"HUH?!" We have shrieked as Edward and Falman were being dragged back by the collar as Alphonse and I followed him.