Book excerpt: In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical "auto-mail" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his brother and himself...the legendary Philosopher's Stone. A homunculus manages to breach impenetrable Fort Briggs, and the Elric brothers discover a terrible alchemical secret that pervades every corner of the world as they know it! Meanwhile, Major Kimblee and a ruthless General Raven make Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong an offer she can't refuse... Whose side is she on, really? And how far is she willing to go?