Canon Review! (part two)

[firebornfidelis]

Chapter 59: The Immoral Alchemist
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Page 29-33: As Roy and Maes are talking, an Ishvallan with a knife sneaks up on them. Neither of them have ready weapons that compare to what he’s wielding, but just before he can stab either of them one clean shot goes straight through his head. Roy is startled, pulling on his glove, but Maes tells him it’s all right and that they have the “Hawk’s eye” on their side. Roy questions him and Maes goes on to explain that she is an ace sharpshooter who is “causing quite a stir among my circle of friends.” He says that she is still in the academy but that she is such a skilled sniper that they brought her to the front lines. Roy says that if they had to bring a “kid” like that out to the front, then they must be getting desperate. Meanwhile, Hawkeye is sitting in her sniper tower, underneath her cloak and looking through the scope of her rifle. Through it she sees Roy, recognizes him and looks surprised.

Roy and Maes make their way back to the camp, Maes leading the way so that he can introduce Roy to the little sniper that saved them earlier. She is sitting by the fire, her rifled wrapped up and lying beside where she kneels, and accepting a cup of something from a blushing man with another rifle. Maes walks up, thanking her for the shot that saved him and Roy, and she stands to face them. She greets Roy, calling him Mr Mustang and saying that it is “good to see him again.” She looks tired and beaten down and so different from the innocent frightened face of the girl at the door of her father’s study. But then she corrects herself and refers to him as Major Mustang, and asks if he remembers her. He answers “How could I forget?” but in his head he is thinking “This is terrible! Even her eyes have become those of a murderer!”

Page 39: Later on, away from everyone else at the camp, she sits with her back to him and breaks her hard façade, only for him, and looks so sad. She talks about her father, admitting that she was afraid of him because he looked like a man possessed when he did his research. “But I still believed my father’s words, that this great power was something that could be used for the benefit of the people. That’s what I believed. I thought that alchemy was something that could make people’s hopes and dreams come true and that the military existed to protect the future of this country. Please tell me, Major, why are we killing citizens when we, as soldiers, should be responsible for protecting them? Why is alchemy being used to kill when it’s supposed to help people?” She questions him with the beliefs of a child and the grief of an adult, unable to reconcile herself in either direction, no longer able to hold on fullheartedly to her childish faith and unwilling to let it go entirely and allow herself to become the cold killer the military wants her to be.

Chapter 60: In the Absence of God
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Page 1-4: Back in time again, a young Roy and Riza stand in front of Berthold Hawkeye’s grave. The two of them, but especially Riza, look very small and alone standing in the empty graveyard. She apologizes for having to rely on him to make the arrangements for the funeral. He says it was nothing, claiming that her father was his mentor and he would do anything for the man. He turns to her, with concern in his eyes, and asks if she has any other family. She shakes her head, looking very tired. She explains that her mother died long ago and that both her parents were estranged from their families and had never told her about any other relatives. He asks what she is planning to do now, but she hasn’t decided yet. She considers it fortunate that her father “made sure I received a good education, so I’m sure I’ll find some way to get by on my own.” He smiles, agrees, and hands her a card, telling her that she can contact him if she ever needs anything. He says he’s likely to be in the military for the rest of his life and she, taking the card into her hands with slightly startled look, says “Please don’t get killed.” The look on her face as he speaks is very childlike, and he tells her that he can’t promise that because in the military you never know when you’ll end up dead in a ditch like a piece of garbage. He goes on to say “But if I can help strengthen the foundation of this country and protect its people with my hands, that would make me happy.” He laments, for this reason, that Master Hawkeye never taught him his secrets. He apologizes, turning his face away, saying that he must be boring her, but she disagrees, saying that she thinks his is a wonderful dream. She tells him that her father didn’t take his secrets to the grave and that he wrote them down in a code that would be indecipherable to the average alchemist, and he asks her (though he was already told by Hawkeye himself that she had the notes) if he wrote down his findings after all. She says “No, not on paper anyway. He said he couldn’t risk the destruction of his life’s work or have it fall into the wrong hands.” Mustang asks how he recorded his legacy and Riza bends her head far enough for the top of the tattoo to become visible above the collar of her jacket and says “That dream, can I trust my back with it so that I can help make it come true? Can I truly believe that there will be a future in which everyone can live happily?”

Page 5: Back to Ishval, the two of them beside one another in the desert. She says “There was a time when I believed that. How could we have fallen so low?” She’s solemn, looking down, and he looks very affected by her words and by his own deeds in this war.

page 8-10: Maes, Roy, Riza, Kimblee, and a group of other soldiers are sitting around the fire discussing the morality of the war. Kimblee can’t seem to understand why they can’t all just look at it as a job. He points to Riza for an example. He calls her “little lady” and asks her if she doesn’t like her work, saying that it is written all over her face. Roy looks at her from across the campfire. Her rifle is lying against her shoulder and she says “That’s true. I don’t enjoy killing.” “Really?” Kimblee asks, scrutinizing her, and says “When you drop an enemy can you tell me in all honesty that you don’t, for a moment, indulge in the satisfaction and pride of a job well done, Miss Sharpshooter?” She looks a little horrified, but it is Roy that jumps to her defense, grabbing Kimblee by the collar and yelling “That’s enough!” but Kimblee is basically unfazed by him, saying that they are the ones who are hard to understand. “Is it evil to kill with alchemy?” he asks. “Is it more virtuous to kill with a gun? Or maybe you were prepared to kill one or two people but not thousands? The moment you put on this uniform of your own free will you know something like this could be expected of you. If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t have put it on in the first place. Why do you act as though you’re the victims when this was the path you chose, free of coercion? If you are going to pity yourselves, then don’t kill anyone in the first place. Don’t avert your eyes from death. Look straight ahead. Look squarely at the people you’re killing. And don’t forget them. Never forget them. Because they won’t forget you.” Both Roy and Riza look extremely affected by his words, looking down horrorstruck, and Riza takes them all in, knows them as truth, and holds on to them long after the campfire is out and the soldiers moved on.

Chapter 61: The Hero of Ishbal
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Page 39-42: The war is over and the troops have been recalled from Ishval, but Riza is kneeling on the ground, standing a burnt stick up in the center of a mound of debris and dirt. Mustang comes up behind her, saying she’ll be left behind if she doesn’t get going. She doesn’t say anything. He recognizes the mound as a grave and asks if it is for a fallen comrade. No she says, it’s for an Ishbalan child who’s body she found by the side of the road. He makes no comment on that, but says that the war is over and they should go home. “Inside me the war isn’t over yet. No, it will never be over as long as I live. It was my decision to trust you and pass my research on to you. I also made the decision to join the academy in hopes of improving the lives of this country’s people. As much as I regret what’s happened, I can’t escape the fact that it was my choices that brought me to this position. I’m a killer. And no amount of denial or repentance can absolve me of that.” Her fist tightens where it rests on her knee and she seems almost to shake as she speaks, her mouth wavering as if she is on the verge of tears. Her back is to him. “I have a favor to ask of you, Mr Mustang. My back, I want you to burn it beyond recognition.” He yells at her, saying he could never do such a thing. “You have to!” she shouts. “If I can’t repent, the least I can do is prevent the creation of another flame alchemist. I want the secret that’s written on my back to become illegible. To remove the burden of my father’s legacy and allow me, Riza Hawkeye, to be independent. It has to be done. I’m begging you.” He looks horrified, she looks determined. He looks away, and agrees.

Page 44-47: Roy is gathering his subordinates, Kain Fuery, Vato Falman, Heymans Breda, Jean Havoc, and finally Riza Hawkeye. He asks her, despite what she went through in Ishbal, if she still chose this path. She says that she made the decision to wear this uniform of my own free will, mirroring Kimblee’s words to them at the campfire. He asks her area of expertise and she answers guns. “I like guns. Because they’re not like swords or knives, the sense of death doesn’t linger on the hands.” He answers “That’s just self deception. Are you lying to yourself so that you can continue to soil your hands?” She immediately answers “Yes, sir. We soldiers should be the only ones with blood on our hands. No one else should have to go through what we went through in Ishbal. If the world can be expressed through equivalent exchange as the alchemists claim, then for future generation so be happy, as payment we must carry corpses on our backs through a river of blood.” He studies her a moment, looks away, then stands. He tells her he plans to make her his assistant and that he wants her to watch his back. “Do you understand? Being entrusted with my back means that you may also shoot me in the back at any time. If I ever stray from the path, shoot me with your own hands. You have that right. Do you accept?” She answers “I do, sir. I will follow you into hell if you ask me.” He explains his geometric progression of protection, I protect you, you protect them, they protect more people. “No matter what happens, stubbornly cling to the will to survive. Live and help to change this country.”

Chapter 62: Beyond the Dream
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Page 2-9: She concludes her explanation of Ishbal. Ed asks about Roy’s desire to become president and the military dictatorship, saying that if the government stays the way it is even with Roy as the fuhrer there will still be needless killing. Riza says that their first goal should be to reinstate the power of the Parliament and negotiate disarmament with the neighboring countries, abolishing the state alchemist system being one of those disarmaments. She (and Roy) knows that means that there is a likelihood of their going on trial for war crimes once peace is established. She says, knowing the Colonel, that he is likely to do anything he can to protect his subordinates from being implicated. Edward argues that it was the homunculi who started the war, and she says that, though they may have started it, she and Roy and the military carried it out and that they should be held accountable. She believes that, because they killed so many, they have no right to chose when to end their own lives but that they want, at the very least, to make sure the next generation has a “happy existence.” Edward cries out that that isn’t fair, that they should want to be happy too and that self-sacrifice is only self-gratification. She says “This isn’t about martyrdom. Because we survived Ishbal, we feel it is our duty.” Then she turns the conversation back on him, saying that he is like that too, that he puts all his own needs second after the desire to return Alphonse to his body. She tells him to stop worrying about her and Mustang and focus on his goals because there are many people waiting for the day when he succeeds.

They head towards the door. She tells him that she will get in touch with him if she finds out anything that could be of use saying, “It’s ironic, I know so little about alchemy yet I’ve been assigned the position closest to t he homunculi and the Philosopher’s Stone.” He asks, since they both know she’s a hostage, if she will be all right. She says “Look on the bright side, as the president’s aide, if he lets his guard down I can always cut his throat while he sleeps.” He looks nervous and says “Yeah, bright side,” and then remembers to tell her that Scar is still around so that she can warn the Colonel. He thanks her for telling him about Ishbal and she just smiles and waves goodbye.

Page 38-41:She pops her head into the old office and addresses the Colonel. He looks surprised (and maybe a little scared) to see her. She says she came to get some things she left behind and, as she collects some documents, tells him that Scar is in the area. He says he’ll have to be careful and watch his own back because he is losing a talented bodyguard. She agrees and tells him not to get killed (a mirror of a much younger version of herself, at her father’s grave almost ten years before). He says he has loaded quite a burden on her and she laughs quietly, saying that she may have placed her loyalties unwisely. “If you think you have,” he says, “then shoot me. You made a promise to me on that day.” His words are serious, heavy, reminding her that it is still her job to make sure that he doesn’t stray from the path. She smiles under the weight of it and says “I can tolerate it a bit longer, sir.” He laughs then and says she’s too good to him. Then she clicks her boots, salutes, and says “’til we meet again.” He agrees. As she’s going out the door, she leans back, smiles, and says “Please don’t slack off, sir.” Roy sits down in his empty office, and ticks off all the things he no longer has. He touches the pieces of his chess set, naming them off as if his subordinates are knights, bishops, rooks, and settles his finger on the black queen saying “Even my queen has been taken from me.” Then he finds General Grumman’s number in the underside of the king. He goes to Madam Christmas’ bar, and answers her inquiry as to how he’s doing by saying he had a bad week. She suggests that he and “Elizabeth” go somewhere fun. He drops his head onto the bar and says “Another man took Elizabeth away from me.”

Chapter 63: The Promise Made for 520 Cenz

Page 5: Edward makes the promise with Roy for a handful of pocket change, holding him accountable for achieving his dream. Then, as he and Al are leaving him, he says to Roy “And you’d better not worry the lieutenant.”

Chapter 67: Burgeoning Borders

Page 13: General Armstrong is questioning the boys as to why they are unwilling to tell her everything. She suggests that perhaps there is a hostage involved, that she had heard something about the Elric’s “childhood friend and Mustang’s subordinate.” Armstrong says “We often trained with the soldiers from Eastern HQ. I know of Hawkeye and Havoc. It would be a shame to lose them. There must be something we can do.” Falman asks about Mustang and Armstrong says she doesn’t give a rat’s ass about him.

Chapter 69: The Foundation of Briggs
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Chapter 70: The First Homunculus
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Page 7: While warning Winry about Kimblee, Edward remembers his conversation with Riza in her apartment, and that everything she told him was from her point of view. Then he remembers (with some distortion that includes her and Hayate both laughing) that she ‘accused’ him of being in love with Winry, and he flings himself across the room. When Winry yells at him he says “I just remembered something I wish I hadn’t!”

Page 30-38: Late in the evening, Hawkeye goes to the fuhrer’s home. She looks grim going by all the guards, thinking how incredible the security is and how she’ll never get used to it. She enters the house and Mrs Bradley comes down the stairs to see who’s there. Riza apologizes for disturbing her and announces herself as Lt Hawkeye, the president’s personal aide. She informs the first lady that she has urgent documents for the president. Mrs Bradley comments that they certainly keep the Lt working late. She makes no comment on that but tells Mrs Bradley that she would be much obliged if the president could look over the documents she carries by tomorrow. Mrs Bradley says he’s not in now but that she’ll make sure that he gets them. Riza thanks her but then feels a presence behind her, something familiar and disturbing. She turns, afraid, but then only sees Selim. Mrs Bradley looks surprised that he’s awake and Riza looks relieved that it’s only a child. Selim says he had heard a sound and thought his father had come home. Mrs Bradley introduces Lt Hawkeye and they greet each other. Selim too acts surprised that she’s working so late and thanks her for working so hard. She tells him as well that she came with some urgent documents but that she will be leaving and she apologizes for disturbing him. He says it’s too bad she’s leaving already, then the butler comes to usher him back to bed.

As he leaves, Mrs Bradley comments on how much Selim loves his “step-father” and how she thinks he wants to be a soldier when he grows up. Hawkeye smiles and says that he is very bright. Mrs Bradley gushes like any proud mother, joking that because he’s adopted she can brag as much as she wants. Hawkeye asks if he gets his outgoing nature from her side of the family (assuming that, especially since she knows that Bradley has no family, that he was taken in from some distant relative of hers) but she says no, that he is related to her husband. Hawkeye is shocked and starting to put together the pieces. Mrs Bradley invites her in for tea to wait for the president’s return, but Hawkeye declines, saying that she only came to deliver the documents and bowing before she leaves.

Once out in the night, hurrying away from the fuhrer’s estate, she starts sorting her thoughts. The Colonel told her that King Bradley had no family because he was raised in isolation as part of an experiment, and that because of that he should have no blood relations. And now she knows, from the feeling she had earlier when he was standing behind her, that he is probably a homunculus, too. At that moment, Selim appears, saying “So you’ve found me out?” and lamenting that his mother is a chatterbox. Hawkeye freezes with her back to him. She starts talking, saying that she had felt a presence earlier that she couldn’t place, but now that he is behind her she can remember it clearly as being the same as what she felt when Gluttony was behind her. She asks him directly who he is. He says “Considering the circumstances, it’s rather bold of you to question my identity, Lt Hawkeye. You displayed good judgment by not drawing your gun. You’re clearly not skilled enough to defeat me. But I won’t lay a finger on you as long as you remain quiet about this.” She smiles even though it is clear she is afraid, and says “How kind of you.” Then she asks him again if he is a homunculus like Gluttony. But before he can answer, she corrects herself, saying that she feels some kind of pressure coming from him that isn’t like Gluttony. He confirms it, saying that he and Gluttony are the same in many ways, but that he’s offended that she would consider them to be in the same league. Then he tells her that he is the first homunculus, Pride.

Chapter 71: In the Grip of the Red Lotus
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Page 1-4: She asks what he means by “the first homunculus” as his little shadow hands start reaching across the space between them. He replies that it means nothing more and nothing less than what he said. He calls her brave for trying to draw as much information out of him as possible. He calls her impressive and asks her to join his side. Even with his shadow arms wrapping around her body she scoffs, saying he must be joking and that all his side wants are convenient pawns, not allies. Pride declares it a shame and tightens his arms around her, squeezing her throat and her hands and scratching her cheek. She smiles grimly and says “Your threats are useless. After all, what would you gain by killing me now?” He agrees and slowly begins to withdraw from her. He says “But you know what will happen if you speak of this to anyone, don’t you? Colonel Mustang and your other friends will not go unharmed. I’ll always be watching you from the shadows.” It seems as if she finally feels his absence and she whips her head around. The doorway where he was standing is empty, but she looks afraid. Her cheek is bleeding and she examines a red mark on her wrist where Pride squeezed. Looking down at her own shadow she remembers his words “I will always be watching you from the shadows.”

Chapter 72: A Chain of Negativity, a Pebble of Goodness
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Page 1-6: Hawkeye walks home, every shadow suspect and every sound loud in her ears. She opens her own door and flinches in fear when she sees two eyes peering out of the darkness. Hayate steps forward and she is relieved and turns on the lights. She sinks to the floor just inside the door, hands to her face and remembers Pride’s promise to watch her from the shadows. She puts her hands on her knees and repeats to hers that she is fine and Hayate sniffs worriedly. She jumps when the phone rings and is afraid to answer it at first. She hesitantly picks up the receiver. She recognizes the Colonel’s voice when he pretends to be a florist saying her order is ready. She snaps that she didn’t order any flowers. He apologizes and says “I got drunk and bought a ton of flowers. I’d be really grateful if you’d help me get rid of some.” But in her short silence he senses something and asks her “What’s wrong? What happened?” She looks surprised, then worried. She knows she can’t tell him anything, especially over the phone. She tells him it’s nothing, but he doesn’t believe her. She knows he doesn’t but she repeats that she is fine and tells him that she can’t take any of the flowers because she doesn’t own a vase, then thanks him for calling and hangs up. She kneels down beside Hayate and takes him into her arms, smiling, and says “How does he have such uncanny timing?” Meanwhile, the Colonel is left to stare at the receiver and wonder what happened to her.

Chapter 74: The Dwarf in the Flask
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Page 14-20: She’s in the mess hall eating, Pride’s scratch still on her face, and the Colonel asks if he can sit with her. He says “What’s wrong? You seem a little down. What’s the matter?” It’s clear he’s not prepared to let whatever he sensed in their phone conversation earlier just die. She doesn’t meet his eyes and says that it’s nothing at all, then asks him how work is going. He makes a show of the papers and pen he has, saying that “Since I was deprived of my assistant I have to resort to doing paperwork over lunch to get caught up.” Then he asks the same question of her. Still not looking at him, she teases him a bit, saying that the president is organized and doesn’t slack off, and that some people are just more capable than others. He stares at her and says “I don’t like where this conversation is going.” Then he suggests that they go out and get something to eat together some time. She says “Isn’t that what we’re doing right now, sir?” He says that’s harsh and that he has now struck out twice today since General Armstrong flat out turned him down already. She says “Again, sir?” and he says “Yup. She’s as cold as ever.” She pauses, takes a drink, and then taps her cup on her tray. He catches the signal. She starts her code now, seeming to carry on a normal conversation about Scar and the Elrics and running maneuvers with Eastern and Northern HQ soldiers, but Mustang takes note of all the names she lists off. She taps her cup on the tray again as she finishes and then gets up, saying that she shouldn’t have been chatting so long because she has to go on duty. She leaves and they both look like they are casually parting. He goes to the bathroom, hiding in a stall as he pieces her message together, getting more and more afraid and finally spelling out “Selim Bradley is a homunculus.”

Chapter 77: The Tables Turned; A New Transmutation Circle
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Page 2: Edward, having been dropped down a mine shaft and impaled with a steel beam remembers Hawkeye telling him “No matter how difficult things become, no matter how foolish you look writhing under the weight of your burdens, you have to keep living for the people you love.”

Chapter 80: The Prodigal Father Returns
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Page 20-24: The Fuhrer is sitting at his desk, a crick in his neck. Hawkeye lays some papers out beside him and he tells her it’s time for a break and orders her to make some tea. She brings out a tea set and starts working. He leans back in his chair and says, basically, that he knows that she knows about Selim and about himself being homunculi. She just answers with “yes, sir” to each of these assertions and then asks “Now that I’ve found out, will you kill me, sir?” She knows she is in so deep she can barely see daylight but she asks it as if it is a simple question. He answers it as if it is simple, too, just a no. He says he’s curious what she, as an ordinary citizen, feels about the fact that the head of the country and his son are both homunculi. She is quiet a moment, but then says “I think it’s sad that your family, the one thing that the people of Amestris should be able to believe in, was artificially created. You’re just playing at being a family, aren’t you, sir? You homunculi look down on us humans as fools. You mimic us and laugh at us from the shadows. Isn’t that the truth, sir?” And the entirety of that assumption is practically lifted verbatim from her encounters with Lust, Gluttony, and Pride. But she still isn’t too scared to say that to Wrath, her Fuhrer and the man holding her leash and keeping her captive. He agrees that he is playing at being a family, but takes it further and says that he is playing at being a dictator, too, because his power, position, and subordinates were given to him like game pieces. He admits, with his back to, that he did choose his wife on his own. She looks surprised, studies him a moment as if he is trying to figure out what that means. She jumps when he asks if the tea is ready and hands him a cup, looking on in a sort of bereft confusion as he drinks and pronounces it delicious.

Chapter 83: The Promised Day

Page 28-35: Another rare day off for Hawkeye. She’s dressed nicely, wearing what appears to be a black dress (possibly the same one she was wearing in Ch 30) with a three-quarter cuffed sleeved jacket that buttons in the front over her midriff. The collar of the jacket is pushed up to stand against her neck and it is belted at her just above her hips. Over the jacket is a long light colored coat with conventional lapels and edging there and on the cuffs. She carries a relatively large purse and is wearing low heels and a necklace. Her hair is up.

She is at the train station meeting her friend Rebecca (who was sent from Eastern by General Grumman specifically to see her) and brings Hayate with her. The two women go shopping and, though Rebecca leaves with several bags, it doesn’t appear as if Riza buys anything. Rebecca tells her that the usual combined training between the troops of the North and the East HQs was rescheduled for spring and relocated to the Eastern command center rather than the northern due to a border skirmish with Drachma. She says that, since she’ll be so busy in the spring, she has to get as many days off as possible now.

By this time they have seated themselves as a table at a café, Hayate laying under the table (with his leash likely caught on purpose on one of the legs of Riza’s chair). Rebecca asks if Riza has gotten any days off lately and she answers that she thinks she has more days off working for the president than she did when she was working for Mustang. Rebecca leans forward accusingly and says “You went straight from the Colonel to the president, huh? How did you scam your way into that job, Lt Riza Hawkeye?” She matches Rebecca’s attitude, leaning forward with a glare and saying “Can you stop saying things that make me look bad, 2nd Lt Rebecca Katarina?” (though I prefer the scanlation phrasing on that one, “I’ll thank you not to imply I didn’t earn [it]”). She asks Rebecca about her prospects, saying that it seems like General Grumman likes her (which I believe is the only time in actual canon thus far that she even mentions her grandfather). Rebecca shouts that he is a dirty old man (he did spank her at the firing range) and starts yelling at Riza to introduce her to a good man from Central. Riza picks up Hayate and drops him on Rebecca’s face, saying “Here.” She calmly sips her drink as Rebecca assesses and declares that Hayate is male all right. She then starts squeezing the dog, shouting “Hayate!! How can you put up with such a stingy, cold-hearted master?!” Hayate yelps for her but Riza only looks up at the clock that is chiming and says “Your train’s arriving soon, isn’t it?”

At the train station, Rebecca flaps her arms and declares she is going to find a good man and quit “this crummy job!” She indulgently okays, and tells her to hang in there. Before leaving, Rebecca calls out for Riza to say hello to Havoc for her. She agrees and waves goodbye. Then, looking down at Hayate in her arms, she sees the note that Rebecca slipped into his collar. She takes it out inconspicuously and decides that it is early enough in the day to pay a visit to the hospital.

Havoc tells her that, once he’s a little more stable, he is going to be moved to a hospital out in the east to be closer to his family. She says it’ll be lonely without him and that, if that’s the case, she wished she had brought a better gift. But she pulls a pack of cigarettes (Tobaccy brand wild blend) and offers them to him on the condition that he only smoke one a day. He thanks her excitedly saying he had just run out. Riza pulls back the curtains and opens his window as she tells him that Rebecca says hello. Havoc asks her if she has seen the Colonel lately and she says no (but seems to glance at the curtained off second bed in the room where he had been when he was still hospitalized). She tells him that she spoke to the Colonel briefly in the cafeteria, but nothing since, and that, if he should see him that he should say hello for her. And she leaves. Then Havoc pulls the curtain on the other bed away to reveal the Colonel, saying that she probably knew he was there so there wasn’t really a point in hiding. Mustang says that they have to remain vigilant because they are both being watched and it would be suspicious if they were meeting in private. Havoc offers him a cigarette, he declines, and Havoc holds up the pack, saying “This one has your name on it,” extending the rolled note that Hawkeye found in Hayate’s collar for him to take in place of a cigarette. He leaves, reading the note. It says that after the year ends when the next season starts, on the Promised Day, the North and the East will make their move. Hawkeye cleans her guns in preparation.

Chapter 85: The Empty Box
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Page 20-21: In a warehouse or the underground somewhere with Breda, Fuery and Hayate. She tells them that the president is away and took Selim with him so now is the time to make their move. She is wearing her shoulder holster with a two guns in it. She pulls on her jacket and you can see that sewn into the lining are a series of pockets made to fit spare rounds, probably for her revolver or her rifle. She picks the rifle up out of its case and clears it before addressing 2nd Lt Breda and Master Sgt Fuery. Breda says “We have no rank now, ma’am. We’re deserters.” Fuery says “Ah, man, my future looks so bleak.” Riza smiles, a little sheepish, and says “I’m sure the Colonel will take responsibility for everything!”

Chapter 87: An Oath Made in the Underground
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Page 10-13: The Colonel finds Hawkeye, Breda, Fuery, and Hayate in a mess of an underground room or basement of some kind. She’s smiling, rifle slung over her shoulder and holster belt obvious on her waist. Breda comments that he’s late and that they were thinking of leaving without him. He laughs, saying his verbal abuse is comforting. He asks if they were followed and Hawkeye says that Hayate would have let them know if they had been. Roy says the dog is pulling his weight and Fuery agrees, saying that Hayate should have a rank. Roy makes him a second lieutenant and Fuery squawks because that makes the dog a higher rank than him. Roy asks what the Bradley family is up to and Riza tells him that she knows their schedule for the next three days. But then he tells them all that the train the Bradleys were on fell into a canyon. Breda speculates that Grumman planned it. Roy wonders whether the absence of Pride and Wrath is a good chance or a trap. Breda says that, even if it’s a trap, they have no choice but to move forward, and Fuery agrees. Roy offers them an out, saying if they want to escape then now would be the time, and they all say “Too late for that, sir.” She asks him for orders. He studies them for a moment. He says “We have a one-way ticket to the battlefield. If we fail, we can never come back. Which is why there is only one order I can give to you all. Don’t die! That is all.” They salute.

Page 16: Mustang’s gang stop the car that is transporting Mrs Bradley. Riza opens the door, gun in hand, and says “Sorry to disturb you so late in the evening, ma’am.” Mrs Bradley asks her why she is doing this, then Mustang sticks his head into the car and asks her to come with them.

Chapter 89: Soldiers’ Return
13 Frames - 1 Line

Page 10-18: As Mustang and his people move, Hawkeye is the one tending to Mrs Bradley. The first lady is understandably distressed and, while urging her on, Riza does seem to be trying to comfort her too. As the only one of the deserter officers that actually knows her, Riza would probably have been the best choice for it, but I think even if she didn’t know Mrs Bradley she would have taken that position anyway.

Page 25: Mustang’s coup is an attempt at a deathless battle. Hawkeye snipes enemy soldiers, shooting them mostly in the foot.

Page 35-41: Hawkeye looks pretty surprised when an ice cream truck maniacally swings up next to them, but then Rebecca jumps out of the back, yelling “Yoo hoo” at Riza. She opens up the side of the truck to reveal a whole array of weapons and ammunition to replenish the insurgents’ supplies. Maria Ross announces herself as the driver. And, when the troops load up, everyone (including Mrs Bradley) get in the back but Maria (who is driving), the Colonel, and Riza who sits beside him. And she is there, along with Breda and Fuery, when the Colonel makes the call to find out who sent the shipment of munitions to hear that it was Havoc.

Chapter 93:
13 Frames - 5 Lines

Page 13-14: Still sitting beside the Colonel in the ice cream truck (which now looks like a meat truck thanks to alchemy). He tells Maria to leave the trashing above ground to the men from Briggs. He and Hawkeye are going to take another route.

Page 30-43: The Colonel makes his grand entrance, sweeping fire along the zombies with Philosopher’s stones, and Hawkeye stands behind him, aiming her gun passed him and into the room. They are now standing in the same room where Mustang defeated Lust and he says “Takes you back, doesn’t it Lieutenant? I can still see the tears running down your cheeks. Such pure tears, if only I could see them again.” It seems like an odd thing for him to say, even though he is only teasing her, but he’s probably riding pretty high on his own awesomeness at the moment. She is not amused and says “I thought you hated water? It makes your abilities useless.” Which is really the best jab she has at him. But before he can really react to the “useless” he notices Scar who is taking out zombies left and right. Scar tells him to fight now and talk later, and the Colonel yells “Don’t try to order me around!” Riza, however, can see the sense in the order and immediately says “Roger, we’re targeting these white things, correct?” Mustang’s horrified reaction at being disregarded is also ignored as Edward tells her that guns won’t work and Darius says that bullets don’t hurt them. “Not again!” she cries. “They don’t work on anything these days!” The Colonel sees that their legs should be taken out, Ed yells at him to quit posturing and he snaps up a flame that burns along the zombies lower halves.

A moment later, Mei and Envy drop into the room. Envy assesses them, recognizing the Fullmetal Alchemist, the Flame Alchemist, Scar, and the Chimeras. The Colonel addresses him and recalls him as the shape-shifting homunculus. Envy affirms and greets him, but then asks Scar if he’s “cool” with the fact that a state alchemist who served in Ishval is fighting beside him. Scar simply says “I’m aware.” Riza stands beside the Colonel as Envy asks him if he likes to see others suffer. He teases Ed in much the same way as he did Riza earlier, saying he likes to watch foolish creatures dance like puppets, and then that it amuses him to see the homunculi running around carrying out their “inane plans.” Then, serious as a heart attack again, he asks Envy who killed Maes Hughes. Ed and the chimeras look at him and they can see he isn’t joking any more. Envy says it was Maria Ross. He says he knows she didn’t do it and Envy tries to rile him up by making fun of his killing an innocent woman. But Roy isn’t joking anymore, he tells Envy to shut up and answer the question. Riza aims her gun at Envy, and she probably already knows that nothing good will come of the answer to this question but she remains quiet. Envy admits to doing it but the Colonel doubts that “an imbecile like you took down Hughes.” Envy shape-shifts into Gracia and says “An imbecile is someone who falls for a stupid trick like this.” He laughs as the color drains from Mustang’s face like it did from Hughes’ when someone who looked like his wife shot him. But the Colonel is deadly serious and says “That’s that. You killed Hughes. That’s all I needed to know.” And Riza knows that this was the one chink in his armor, that this was his biggest weakness and worst stumbling block and she can see everything unraveling, and she probably already knows what she will have to do. The look on her face says it all. He is becoming the monster she was afraid of.

Chapter 94:
47 Frames - 12 Lines

Page 15-23: Mustang addresses Scar and Edward and tells them that he will handle it, that Envy “belongs to me.” One of the chimeras stutteringly says “Sure, we’ll go on ahead.” Even he can probably tell how bad this is going. Envy tries to stop him, reaching out with a horrible hand to grab the chimera, but Roy sends a flame right through Envy’s throat. He says “You don’t have the luxury of speaking to others while I’m here. That filthy mouth of yours must have a lot of oil in it. It burns very well, Envy.” Edward asks Riza if the two of them really will be okay alone with Envy. She looks steely and says “We’ll manage. And if we can’t . . .” She sends them off. She knows that if she can’t reel him in she is going to have to kill him. This is a reality for her, but she doesn’t particularly want witnesses. Because if she has to go through with it, it will be the darkest moment of her life. The chimeras tell Ed to come along because it seems pretty clear that the Colonel will defeat Envy. Edward, seeing the same thing Riza does, says “It’s not about winning.”

Envy turns reshapes himself into his larger, monstrous form and comments on what a beautiful friendship Hughes and Mustang had for him to be so dead set on revenge now. The Colonel raises his arm and tells Riza to “stand down” because Envy is about to start taking him seriously. He burns away Envy’s eye fluids and comments on how painful it must be before enveloping him in flames. “I can’t believe you made yourself a bigger target,” he says. “You really thought bigger would be better? Stand up you demon. Regenerate your body. You’re going to drown in pain and agony until you finally die.” Envy remembers that Roy used these flames and killed Lust, and he breaks the door with his tail and makes a run for it, turning back into his regular human shape. Mustang makes his way over to the rubble of the door and starts to climb over to go after Envy, and Riza calls out to him. He tells her to stand guard and that he will kill Envy himself. She stands in the dust for a moment, sets her teeth, and follows.

Page 31-46: Riza makes her way deeper into the underground in search of Envy (who has just escaped the Colonel again). He makes himself look like Mustang and then runs into her on purpose. But Riza could hear him approaching and crouched in wait, pointing her gun at him around the corner when he catches up. But she looks surprised to see his face. He glares and turns away, saying, “I told you not to follow me, lieutenant.” She apologizes, saying “Forgive me, sir, I couldn’t simply stand around doing nothing.” She asks where Envy is and the Colonel(Envy, of course) says that he lost him. He tells her to stay close, addressing her again as Lieutenant, and tells her to come on. She smiles at the back of his head and draws his gun. Something tells her this isn’t her Colonel and she’s pretty sure about it, pointing her gun at the back of his head. She keeps smiling, almost wickedly, as he asks “What’s the meaning of this Lieutenant? You do realize who you’re aiming at?” She smiles, more sure each minute, and says “Excuse me? You’re joking right? When we’re all alone, the Colonel always calls me Riza.” His shape seems to shift a little, a little flash of alchemy on his cheek, and he turns toward her saying “You two are together?” but before he can finish his sentence, she shoots him in the head and says “Just kidding. Well, thanks for falling for it. Now do me another favor and die.” She draws two guns from a pair of holsters on the back of her belt and opens fire. Envy takes the bullets and extends his arm and cuts into her shoulder as she drops the handguns and reaches for her rifle. She shoots him twice, once in the head and once in the chest, and he falls to his knees. Sticking his hand beneath one of the floor tiles, Envy sends creepy Envy limbs under the floor and wraps her up in them, throwing her down onto the floor hard enough that her hairclip breaks and falls away. Envy laughs like a maniac now that he has her in his clutches, saying that he’ll bring her to her “precious colonel one limb at a time!” Then the hallway fills with flames that swallow Envy but merely cause a wave of heated air that blows Riza’s hair back. The Colonel burns him a few more times before approaching, looking like a demon himself as he looks down at Envy. “That is one of my dearest subordinates you’re attacking,” he says, and Envy does look scared. He spares Riza a glance, his eyes looking like those of the murderer he became in Ishval. He says “No more recklessness, Lieutenant. I told you I’d kill him myself.” Riza, lying on the ground with her hand on her wounded shoulder, just looks on. Mustang turns back to face Envy, glaring down, and Envy starts to yell but Mustang burns him before he can finish telling him not to look down on a homunculus. His flesh burns away and tiny fetus Envy falls out of the forehead of a skeleton that crumbles away. Hawkeye just looks on in horror. The Colonel zeros in on the tiny homunculus, placing his boot on top of him and saying that Envy is an ugly emotion. Envy begs him not to kill him, but the Colonel, looking like a demon, says “Get the fuck out of my sight, Envy,” and prepares to snap.

But Riza is on her feet before he can, revolver drawn and pointed at the back of his head (for real this time). She winces from the pain in her shoulder but holds steady. He glances over his shoulder and asks her “What’s the meaning of this?” She answers by saying “That’s enough, Colonel. I’ll clean this up.” His face doesn’t change when he says “He’s one flame away from being gone forever. I don’t need your help and I don’t want it. Lower your gun.” “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. Please open your hand.” She is willing, as ever, to dirty her own hands to save him, and she knows what killing Envy will do to him. She doesn’t want him to become a monster and it is her duty and her promise to make sure that he doesn’t. But he’s dangerous right now, almost lost to vengeance, and he screams “No, god damn you! Now drop your gun!” At that moment, Edward shows up, pushes Mustang’s foot away with alchemy and grabs Envy himself. He waves for Edward to hand Envy over as Riza continues to point her gun at his head.

Chapter 95
26 Frames - 13 Lines

Page 4-23: She continues to hold her gun to the back of his head as he says “He deserves a painful, humiliating death. Give him to me.” Edward refuses and the yelling starts, the Colonel shouting “Give him to me, Fullmetal, or I’ll burn your arm off with him!” Edward isn’t afraid of him, yelling back “Just take a good look at your face before you do anything! You think you can lead a country looking like that? That’s what your goal was supposed to be!” Scar, who is calm and fairly unaffected by the situation pipes in with “Or will you let your fury turn you into little more than an animal? That’s your other option. It won’t bother me if you sink to our level. I have no right to stop anyone from taking revenge. However, I wonder how a world lead by a beast in human skin would end up.” Riza, who is still (as ever) aiming that revolver at his head, says “I can’t let you kill Envy, Colonel. But I don’t intend to let him live. I take care of him.” He yells “It’s taken so long but I finally have him!” And, for once, she yells back. “I understand! But it’s not to help the country or save a comrade! You only want to kill him to satisfy your own hatred!” Her voice drops and we can finally see how much her hand is shaking, how much this is taking out of her, how scared she is. “Please, Colonel, don’t go where I can’t follow!” And her head ducks, she looks like she’s about to cry. This is the child again, begging. She has nothing but her purpose, her determination to protect him, and if she is forced to kill him she will have less than nothing because not only will she no longer have a purpose, but she will be a failure at the one thing she devoted her life to. She is ready to break but she holds steady.

He clenches his teeth and seems to calm. He doesn’t turn to face her as he says “If you’re going to shoot, shoot.” She looks horrified. He asks “What will you do after I’m dead?” Maybe it’s a bid at convincing her to put down her gun because he knows he is her weakness, or maybe he has accepted death and really wonders what that lost little girl who is still standing over her father’s grave is going to do without him to take care of and to take care of her. Her head drops further. “I have no desire to live a happy, carefree life all alone. After this battle, my body will leave this world with the corpse of the flame alchemist.” (*note - there is some debate over the exact translation of this quote. This quote is from the Hisshou Buraiken scanlation, but there is another that suggests that she is actually saying that she will destroy herself to protect the secrets of flame alchemy and not specifically that she wants to die because she is dead. This alternate translation fits better with my analysis of her, but I’m waiting for the official translation from Viz to make a final decision here). He squeezes his shaking fist and finally snaps his fingers, blowing up part of the wall beside them. “Unacceptable,” he says. “I won’t lose you, too. What a messed up situation. Letting a child anger me, being lectured by my enemy, forcing you to act like you did.” The look on her face is hesistant (and possibly a little confused at his placing so much value on her). “I’m such a fool.” He turns, finally, to face her, and his eyes are troubled but repentant. He puts an hand on her gun and turns it away saying “Put down your gun, Lieutenant. I apologize.” And, drained, he collapses on the floor. She looks at him, that same brain-lag that was seen in the fight with Lust back again, her gun held limply in her hands, and sinks to the floor as well, relief washing over her.

Envy isn’t having it. He starts up his yelling again, trying to incite the four of them to fight each other. He points out the things they have done to each other, saying he himself started the Ishval war by killing a child, and that Lieutenant Hawkeye killed plenty of people in that conflict. But Ed figures him out, realizing that the name Envy is literal, that he is envious of humans and their ability to support each other, to stand back up even after they’re brought down. He gets angry, bites Edward and makes him let go so Envy falls to the ground. Hawkeye is back on her feet, again pointing her gun and ready to shoot but Scar stops her, saying “He doesn’t have much longer.” Envy, angry and humiliated, pulls out hisown philosopher’s stone and crushes it and dies there on the floor. “Suicide,” says the Colonel as she stands beside where he is still sitting on the ground. “You cruel bastard.”

Chapter 98
6 Frames - 7 Lines

Page 39-41: They’re moving again, Edward and Mustang leading and Scar and Riza bringing up the rear as they resume their search for Mei. The alchemists start snarking at each other, Ed saying that he and Scar brought Mustang back from the edge and Mustang denying, saying it was his lieutenant that did it. Scar and Riza look on, Scar telling them to shut their mouths or the enemy will hear. And Riza speaks only to Scar, saying “While I still have the chance, I want to thank you. It may enrage you as an Ishvalan, to have someone like me thank you, but I’m grateful that you persuaded the Colonel to stop. He . . . was almost lost forever. Thank you.” And she says this as if she believes that her own part in stopping him was little or nothing and that Scar was really the one who did it. And she probably does believe that. He pauses and then tells her that he doesn’t need her thanks. At that moment, they come upon the doctor with the gold tooth.

Chapter 99
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Page 24-40: The four of them approach the old doctor, who tells them he is the man who created King Bradley. Mustang assumes, from that information, that he is on the side of the homunculi. The doctor raises a hand in signal and a troop of soldiers come down from the ceiling and set to attacking them. Mustang thinks they are puppet soldiers but the doctor corrects him, saying that they are all the ones who trained to be King Bradley but never got the chance, that they are spares. One of them elbows Riza’s rifle out of her hands. She draws a handgun instead and aims for the doctor himself, but some of the soldiers jump in the way and take the bullets for him. The doctor kneels down on the little circle drawn under his feet, hinting that there are five labs in Central City which could form the points of a pentagonal alchemy array. Riza remembers the curved hallways connecting the labs and deduces that they must be the lines that connect the points. The doctor uses five of the soldiers to activate the array which transports Ed, Al, and Izumi to the chamber where father waits. They eye opens and takes Ed, Mustang looks to the doctor, and Riza points her gun at the would-be fuhrers.

Chapter 100
10 Frames

Page 44-50: Riza fires both her revolver and a semiautomatic at the attacking soldiers, but she runs out of bullets and has no time to reload before she is tackled to the ground by one of the Bradleys. Mustang prepares to snap and burn the soldier who has her but another slits his glove right through the array, making it useless. They take him down, too, two soldiers holding his arms. One soldier holds Riza, a strong arm around her neck still gripping a sword above her shoulder, and one hand holding her right arm behind her back as she pries at the arm around her neck with her left. Four soldiers surround Scar with their swords all pointed at him. The doctor then tells Mustang that he wants him to perform human transmutation, and that it doesn’t matter who he tries to bring back just so long as he tries and is forced to pass through the gate. As Riza looks on, Mustang refuses, saying that he would be insane to try knowing that it would fail and he would just become the fifth sacrifice. But the doctor says that it doesn’t matter if he fails so long as he comes back from the gate alive. He refuses again, and the doctor tells him that there is no more time. The soldier holding Riza moves quickly at those words, bringing down the sword that was above her shoulder and slitting her throat. Blood splashes out and she falls forward, eyes wide and shocky, and lands on the floor as Mustang screams for her and the doctor asks him again if he will perform human transmutation.

Chapter 101
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Page 10-42: She’s lying on the ground, one hand pressed to her throat as the blood pools under her. Her pupils are shrunken to tiny dots and she definitely looks like she’s experiencing some shock. The Colonel yells for her, telling her to answer him and desperately fighting against the two soldiers still holding him. One of the soldiers, probably the one who had been holding her, grabs her by the collar of her jacket and drags her, dropping her again when she is beside the little circle drawn on the floor. She seems to come to herself a bit, wincing and blinking a bit as she is thrown down. The doctor tells Mustang again that he needs to perform human transmutation, and that anyone is fine. He suggests that even Riza, were she to die on the floor there, would be fine as a subject. Roy looks quite distraught but says nothing. Riza looks up at the doctor who stands beside her and says “I won’t die. I’ve been ordered not to die, you see.” She’s covered in blood, it’s running between the fingers she holds to her wound and pooling again on the floor. The doctor makes an offer to Mustang, showing him a philosopher’s stone and saying that he will heal her before she bleeds to death if he does a human transmutation, and reminding him that she will die if left untreated. He asks what Mustang will chose, but the Colonel does not answer right away. Riza is silent and the doctor comments on it, turning to look down at her and wonder if she is dead. But she musters enough strength to say “Colonel, there’s no need to do human transmutation.” She is clearly not doing very well at all but she glares at him. He doesn’t seem to know what to do with her life or the world in the balance of his choice. But she glances up, as if to tell him “There’s no need to do human transmutation because reinforcements have arrived.” He is surprised, but he understands and refuses to do a human transmutation. The doctor calls him cruel for abandoning her. He turns it back on the doctor who had just used the would-be presidents as tools and cannon fodder. The doctor disregards it, saying they should be thankful for everything he gave them in their lives. Roy says that’s why the rug will be pulled out from under him.

At that moment, the doctor is yanked up into the ceiling and drops the vial containing the philosopher’s stone onto one of the soldiers heads and it rolls away from where Riza lays on the ground. One of the chimera’s has pulled him up wrapped in his tongue. The one who looks like a boar drops down and lands behind Riza, panting an arm in front of her protectively as one of the soldiers tries to advance. Mei comes down as well, throwing her knives at some of the other soldiers, allowing Scar and Roy to get away from them. Roy dives for the philosopher’s stone but it is kicked away by one of the soldiers. He burns a few soldiers that get in his way and Darius, the gorilla chimera, drops down from the ceiling and kicks one of them away. Roy goes to Riza’s side, picking her up off the ground and holding her, touching her shoulder and trying to wake her, yelling at her to get a hold of herself and open her eyes, but it seems she is no longer able. Mei comes over, draws a circle and brings her into it so that she can seal the wound. She stirs and makes a noise and he leans above her as Mei says that she has stopped the bleeding but that Riza still needs to see a proper doctor. He grabs Riza in his arms and holds her close (this scene is the first time in canon that we see him make any physical contact with her that she didn’t initiate in order to assist him) and says “I’m sorry, thank you!” She says his title and he releases her to look at her face. She still looks like she’s in some pain and suffering from bloodloss, and she begins to say that she’s sorry but he tells her not to talk, just to rest. She looks up at him and says “My eye signal, you recognized it well.” He says “We’ve been together a long time, after all. Besides, ‘If you do human transmutation I’ll beat you to death. That’s what your stare was telling me, right. ” She smiles and seems almost to laugh. He turns and thanks everyone else for showing up and saving him. Mei remembers the philosopher’s stone a moment too late as Bradley shows up and picks it up. Mustang helps Riza up to a standing position and holds her up, one hand protectively on her shoulder and keeping her close to him.

Bradley sizes them up, looking at Mustang particularly. He says “I thought that of all people you would not have hesitated to use human transmutation if someone important to you were to fall right before your eyes.” Roy answers “I may have been a little like that before, but the current me has people to stop me, and people to point me in the right direction.” Riza grimaces and doesn’t look at Bradley while Roy is speaking. She doesn’t seem to keen on reliving that particular experience, even if it did turn out all right (so far). Bradley says it surprises him when humans change and it makes him angry when they don’t do as he expects, and all of it with a smile. A moment later Pride appears, injuring the chimera holding the doctor as he comes down through the ceiling. Wrath goes at Mustang and the Colonel hands Riza over to Darius, who takes her up in his arms as Roy goes toward the fuhrer. He makes some flames but they seem to have little effect on Wrath and the homunculus pins him to the ground, stabbing a sword through each of his hands. Riza calls out to him, but Pride moves in her direction and Darius holds her over his head and away from the sweeping shadow eyes. Pride uses the doctor’s body as material and lights up the transmutation circle to send Roy to the gate.

Chapter 102
7 Frames - 3 Lines

Page 8-14: Mustang is pinned to the transmutation circle and he begins to dissolve, being transported away. She calls for him, but it’s pointless. He disappears within a moment with Pride at his heels and they are left behind with Wrath and the ballooned remains of the doctor. She sees it and is afraid for a moment, but she realizes that it isn’t Mustang. Wrath informs them that Mustang has been transported to Father’s room, but that he can’t be sure whether all of his limbs were intact when he got there. He draws their attention, saying they can see the state he’s in, that his wounds are no longer healing. He knows he is going to die and he wonders which of them will be the one to kill him, addressing Riza as “Mustang’s loyal dog.” They all realize that he is trying to distract them from whatever is going on “below.”

Chapter 103
3 Frames

Page 9: Darius, Jelso, Zanpano, and Riza sit beside the broken floor as a black cloud billows up from below. She is still in Darius’ arms, the gorilla supporting her weight. Riza remembers what Wrath said about Roy being transported to Father’s room with the possibility of not having all his limbs still attached. She is feels helpless and afraid, but still determined.

Chapter 104
3 Frames

Page 18 and 28: She stands with the chimeras near the crack in the floor, at the center of the circle that Father is using. A black sphere expands from the hole and envelopes her, Wrath, Scar, and the chimeras. This is where Anatole’s Riza leaves her world.

Chapter 105
2 Frames

Page 7 and 24: Riza and the chimeras were protected from having their souls removed by whatever expanding alchemy enveloped them, and now they sit as spectators as first explosions, and then a typhoon of souls pass through the hole in the floor.

Chapter 106
10 Frames - 5 Lines

Page 20-28: She and the chimeras are still sitting on the edge, looking down as if waiting for whatever is next to come through when the Armstrongs and the soldiers show up. Alex Louis steps forward, calling out to her, and she answers with “Major!” They both look pretty well beaten up at this point. When Izumi raises herself and Mustang up on a stone hand, she sees him and calls out “Colonel!” Izumi embraces her husband and then hands Mustang off, saying “Take care of the Colonel.” Sig takes hold of Mustang’s arm and Riza reaches out towards him, not quite touching, and asks if he was injured. He tells her (and Armstrong who now stands behind him as well) that they got his eyes, keeping a hand over his face and his eyes closed. Izumi, Al and Mei continue to the surface and Mustang asks Riza how badly she was hurt. She says “Not again, you need to worry about yourself! Your eyes!” He interrupts her, saying “Lieutenant, can you still fight?” He opens his eyes and she can see that they are empty, non-functional, and she looks shocked for a moment before the question registers in her mind. Determination returns to her face and she answers with a sure “Yes, sir!”