"Ed! Ed run faster they're coming! Come on brother we have to-ED!"

Ed jolted awake and was instantly blinded by white light. He grimaced and squinted, where am I? And where's Al? He to get up from the slumped sitting position he was in but discovered a strap that held his torso in place and his arms were-

"Hey! What'd you do with my arm you jerks!" The automail had been removed, rather forcefully, and it was obvious that it would take a lot of repairing to put back into working order, if he ever found the actual arm. "You're going to have one angry mechanic on your hands when she finds out!" His left arm was also tied as were his feet. At least they left my automail leg alone.

He struggled more but it was obvious it wasn't doing any good and no one had responded to his shouts so he turned his attention to the room. It was octagonal and seemed to be carved out of a beige stone, there were markings carved into the walls as well, but he couldn't see them well enough to see if they meant anything. The ceiling was too high to see and the cold walls faded into inky black. There was a single lamp pointed directly at him, leaving most of what was in front of him in the dark.

"Oi! You obviously spent quite a bit of effort getting me here, and now you're just going to let me rot? Seems counterproductive to me." His voice echoed in the room but otherwise there was no response. Ed sighed and tried maneuvering his right side in a way that would allow him to use the broken automail to cut through the strap. Damn, I can't turn enough to get the strap on an edge of the metal, but maybe if I stretch it out enough…

"It's too tight."

Ed's head snapped up and he searched the room for the strange child-like voice.

"I'm not in there."

"Then where are you?! Too afraid to show your face huh?" Ed kept looking around, it sounded like someone was talking right next to him, like a kid was right next to him. "What'd you do with Al?!"

"Al? You mean your armored pet?"

Ed scowled, "He's not my pet you brat!"

"Really? What then, a servant? A slave? An entertainer?"

"You should shut your mouth or you're going to be real sorry when I get out of here!" Ed yelled, enraged. "I don't care if you're a kid I'll still knock you around real good!"

"So confident. Last I checked you were the one strapped to a chair, about to be integrated, not me."

"So is that what this is? An interrogation? If it's military information you're after I don't have it, I'm only in it because it's what I have to do." Ed tried again to work at the strap. Does this brat really not know who Al is? Or is he just trying to rile me up? "And you didn't answer my question, what'd you bastards do with Al?!"

"My my, you really don't have any manners do you? You should learn to mind your tongue, it'll get you in trouble, especially here."

"Where is here?" He was desperate to get some information from this kid.

There was a pause, "You know, I was only trying to help save you some unnecessary pain. Those straps are much too tight to try and manipulate. I would know."

Ed sat frozen. This kid had been a prisoner too? He didn't sound older than ten…

"And your pet, Al-"

"He's not my pet" Ed mumbled.

"Your pet, Al, I wouldn't be too concerned about him."

"What does mean? Answer me!" Ed yelled, fearing the worst. What had they done to him?

"You're hopeless. I'm only trying to help, you're wasting all your energy. Al is nobody, he doesn't mean anything to you, right?"

"Of course-" Ed stopped, was this brat trying to tell him that if he showed any attachment to Al they'd use him to get the information they want?

"Finally. You're spectacularly dull, even for a military dog."

"Hey! It's not my fault you decided to be a smart ass and make me guess this whole time instead of just telling me-"

"Sh," the voice interrupted, "there are ears everywhere and they're coming. I'll leave you with some parting advice, alchemist, don't provoke them, and don't show weakness. They will not hesitate to kill you or anyone else. Keep your loose tongue in check." The voice faded out as if it was getting farther away.

"Wait! Who are you? What is this place? Why are you helping me?" A million questions ran through Ed's head, all of the answers to which seemed to be in this kid. "At least, tell me this: how old are you?"

There was a long pause and Ed thought that whoever his helper was had left, when the voice spoke again very softly and close to his ear, making him jump. "I'm Musuke, and I'm eleven. Good luck alchemist, maybe you can make it out…"

Just as Musuke's voice faded out loud bag of a door opening and heavy footsteps echoed throughout the chamber. And the world plunged into darkness.