The Price of Life [Fullmetal Alchemist]

Chapter Forty Three

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Winry stands at the doorway, just above the stairs. Everyone stops to stare at her. It must be below freezing out, but she's sweating. Her nerves are shot.

"Winry!" Sonia races up to shield her, then quickly escorts her back into the stairwell. "What are you doing! I thought you were with-!"

"It's quite alright," Major Miles said, walking up the steps. He walks into the room. "The Elrics have apprehended him now."

Sonia can breathe easier. Scar is bound by the same material as the pillar he crushed and is against the wall. Miles is quick to pull out his gun.

"While we may have the same blood, I cannot simply let you go, Scar."

The kids watch the scene unfold, but Winry pushes past her friend and goes up to the immobilized man.

Ed pulls at her sleeve. "Winry," he says seriously.

"Please, just let me talk to him." She gently tears his hand away. Her eyes are already bleary, but her determined expression means business. Sonia gives the brothers a panicked look, but they gesture for her to calm down. She goes to stand by them, watching carefully.

"You murdered my parents. I want to know why."

"Scar gave her an annoyed grimace. "That does not matter. What matters is it happened and is irreversible. I take responsibility for those deaths, but can do nothing about them now."

"I understand how much this means to you, Winry, I really do, and I'm sorry but we're gonna need to wrap this up! There's no way Kimblee and his men didn't notice all the ruckus we made in such a quiet town. They'll be here any minute! They can't have Scar, we need him!" Sonia pleaded to Winry, grabbing onto her elbow. "Trust me," she whispered, "I want to see justice served to him just as bad as you. But these research notes are just too damn important!"

The blonde didn't look very happy, but she understood. "Fine. But I have a plan." She turned to Scar. "And you're going to help us, whether you want to or not. We're your only option."

"What's the plan?" Alphonse asked.

"I'm going to be Scar's hostage." She negated everyone's voice of reason. "You'll have to get us both out of there once the military spots us."

"Okay, great," the other girl said sarcastically. "How will the rest of us even get out?"

"The underground tunnels should suffice as a getaway route," Yoki mused.

"We could move throughout the tunnels to get back to the fort," the Major added.

"I do not approve of this!" Ed shouts. "Why should Winry have to risk her life?!"

"I'm a hostage either way!"

"There's no other choice!"

"This is the best plan we have, Ed" Sonia reasoned, putting a hand on his shoulder, right where his flesh met metal. Her hand was warm. He tried to think straight. He couldn't tell whether she cleared all of his thoughts or jumbled them all up into a hot mess. "Ye of little faith," she whispered mockingly into his ear.

'Yep,' he thought. 'Definitely a hot mess.'

No one noticed the moment, all of them scaling the details of the plan.

"This is really dangerous," Al warned.

"I know. But I need to decide my own fate. This is my idea and I plan to see it through. It'll work. I know it will. Just please, put a little trust in me."