Chapter I

Down the Well

"Did we lose em'," Ed asked while trying to catch his breath.

"I think so," Al replied as he took a quick glance around the area. He couldn't see anybody or anything except for the run down buildings of Ishbal. Then, out of nowhere, a bullet was ricocheted off of Al's armor.

"Apparently not," replied Ed as he turned towards the direction of the gunshot. Frank Archer, the Lieutenant Colonel who replaced Brigadier General Hughes, was standing opposite of them with about thirty military troops.

"Edward Elric, we demand that you turn yourself over to the military immediately," he ordered.

"And why would I want to do a stupid thing like that!" Ed shot back his temper flaring. Archer suddenly burst out in laughter. Just the sound of his laugh gave Ed the chills. It held no emotion and appeared to frighten even Archer's own troops.

"Come now Edward, have you already forgotten that you're wanted all across central," Archer said still holding an icy smile, "Besides, the Fuhrer only wants to discuss what happened in Liore. After all, Scar was spotted at the scene and one of our high ranking officers was brutally murdered."

"Stop hiding behind that crap!" Ed yelled, "You were there! You were right next to me! You could just as easily tell him yourself!" Archer glared at him, his eyes narrow and full of hatred.

"What's wrong Lieutenant?" Ed asked lowly, "Did I strike a nerve?" Archer's anger suddenly subsided.

"Edward, why do you show so much hostility towards your own comrade," Archer replied, "Especially since the Fuhrer only wishes to speak with you. And why do you refuse his request when you clearly claim you have nothing to hide? That is unless you really do have something to hide."

"I have nothing to tell you bastards!" Ed shouted.

"Well, I'd really hoped it wouldn't come to this," Archer said hanging his head low. Ed and Al looked at him intently both unaware of what his next move was.

"FIRE!" Archer yelled as he raised a pointed finger towards the two. Ed and Al both gasped. Neither of them thought that Archer would go that far. But unfortunately for them, the troops obeyed their ranking officer and shot their bullets straight at them.

Ed quickly clapped his hands together and smacked the ground. Large blue sparks flew as a giant rock wall appeared in front of Ed and Al just in time.

"That was close," Al said.

"Yeah no kidding," Ed agreed, "Now let's get out of here before that wall collapses." Al nodded and then both of them set off at a sprint. Moments later, the wall shattered causing a small pack of dust to scatter around the troops. Archer quickly searched through the dust to see them running a little ways away.

"There! After them!" Archer shouted, "I want both of those boys. Dead or alive!" The troops ran off at full speed, guns loaded, and Archer following behind them. Ed quickly turned his head back to look at the distance between them. They were catching up, and fast.

"Come on Al!" Ed yelled as he ran past his brother, "We have to pick up the pace!"

"Right," Al replied as he quickly caught up. They continued running for quite some time until they saw ruins of an old temple up ahead. Ed looked over at Al and gave him a small smirk as if telling him to do something. Al caught his intention. As they approached the ruined building they ran inside. The military followed them inside but when they entered the boys were no where to be found.

Archer pushed away all of the mobbing troops as he made his way to the front of them. "Damn it. Where did they run off to?" Archer questioned himself. "Alright troops! Search the entire premises! I want them found!" he ordered as the troops split up and ran in various directions.

Meanwhile, Ed and Al were hiding down in an underground tunnel that was just left of the entrance. Thankfully Archer hadn't noticed it seeing how the entrance was just a small dirt hole in the worn down temple.

"Brother?" Al asked in a whisper, "How did you know this tunnel was here?"

"This is the same tunnel Lyra, Rose, and I used to get out of Liore," Ed explained, "See?" Ed pointed towards the right to show a path already leading up to where they were.

"You mean this tunnel leads all the way to Liore?" Al questioned.

"Yup," Ed replied, "And we used it to escape to Ishbal. After that Lyra and Rose left with the other refugees."

"What's this?" Al asked as he pointed to something to the left. Ed turned away from the pathway to where Al was pointing. It appeared to be a large metal wall.

"I…don't..know…," Ed trailed off, "I didn't see this before."

"I wonder what's behind it," Al said as he searched for a lever or someway to open the wall.

"Let me try," Ed said as he approached the wall. Ed clapped his hands together and then placed them on the wall. Again blue sparks flew and the wall was configured into an archway. Both Ed and Al walked through the archway to find an amazing sight. There was a whole other tunnel only this one was lit with small torches hanging on the walls.

"This is weird," Ed said, "Really weird."

"I wonder where the tunnel leads," Al replied.

"Well, there's one way to find out," Ed answered as they began walking down the tunnel. Then suddenly, the archway began releasing several blue sparks as it reverted back into a metal wall. Both brothers turned around and gasped. How could the wall revert back?

"Don't worry Al," Ed said trying to sound like it wasn't a big deal, "I can fix it, no problem." Though trying to sound confident, Ed had a bad feeling about their current situation. He approached the wall, clapped his hands together, and touched the wall. But, instead of the wall transforming, pink sparks flew off the wall and nothing happened.

But Ed didn't give up that easily, he repeatedly used his alchemy to try to change it back. "Brother…" Al trailed off.

"No Al, don't worry," Ed tried to reassure him, "I can do it." Ed kept trying and trying, but still nothing happened. 'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!" Ed shouted as he pounded the wall with his fists.

"Brother," Al replied as he put a hand on Ed's shoulder, "It's okay, we'll find another way out." Ed stood up and nodded as he said, "Yeah let's get moving," and started walking.

"Wait for me!" shrieked Al as he ran to catch up.

"What's the matter Al, you scared or something," Ed teased.

"No, of course not!" Al replied shakily.

"Right….," Ed said sarcastically as he shot Al a disbelieving smirk, and they continued walking.

After a long moment of silence Al decided to bring in conversation. "Hey Ed?" Al questioned quietly.

"Yeah?" Ed replied as he looked up at his brother.

"Do you think that Dad's alright?" he asked. Ed gave him a shocked looked. He had forgotten about how their father had disappeared again.

"I don't know Al," Ed admitted, "With him having some connection to the homunculi it's hard to say." Al didn't say anything but had a sad look about him.

"Everything okay?" Ed asked with concern.

"Yeah," Al answered, "It's just that ever since we left Tucker's warehouse, I've been wondering why he left. I still had so much to ask him, and…I wanted to get to know him better."

"That's just it Al," Ed said harshly as he stopped walking, "He left because he doesn't care! He never did!"

"Brother," Al replied, "Despite what you think, I still believe that Dad cares about us." Ed's face expression showed that he disagreed. "All I'm saying is that if he didn't care about us, then why did he come back in the first place?" Al finished and began walking again. Ed's serious face soon left to be replaced with a calm saddened expression.

They continued walking for quite some time, neither of them breaking the silence until Ed knew what he needed say.

"Hey Al?" Ed said quietly as Al turned to face him, "I'm sorry about what I said."

"It's okay," Al replied, "Let's keep going." Ed agreed as they continued, but the tunnel just kept going and going.

Ed suddenly stopped walking and let out an annoyed sigh. "Al, I'm beginning to think this tunnel's never gonna end," he complained.

"Come on," Al urged, "Let's go just a little farther."

"Alright, alright," Ed unhappily agreed, "I just hope going back will be quicker than it was going in." Soon after, they finally reached the end of the tunnel. And at the end of the tunnel stood something neither of them expected to see. It was an old wooden well. And behind that nothing.

"WHAT?!" Ed exclaimed, "YOU MEAN WE CAME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE FOR A STUPID WELL!"

"I don't get it," Al replied as he walked towards the rim, "Why would someone put a well all the way down here?"

"And a dried-up well at that," Ed said as he and Al looked inside of it. Both of them stared into the well for a few moments before Ed broke the silence.

"Well, we might as well go back and try to find another way out," he suggested.

"Yeah," Al agreed as he turned away from the well. Just as they started walking away, all of the torches went out leaving Ed and Al in darkness.

"What the hell?!" Ed shouted in shock

"What's going on?" Al asked.

"I don't know," Ed admitted as he searched his pocket for a source of light. He soon found a small match in his pocket, which he quickly scrapped against the side of the tunnel wall and lit.

"Al, are you okay?" Ed asked as he moved the lit match towards where his brother was standing. Al nodded his head. Ed quickly lit one of the torches with his match to create more light. Ed looked around suspiciously.

"Brother, maybe the wind just blew them out," Al suggested hoping that was the case.

"Come on Al, we're in an underground tunnel! Where is wind going to come from?" Ed pointed out.

"I don't know!" Al exclaimed, "I was only suggesting the possibilities!"

"Well never mind that!" Ed replied sounding annoyed, "Let's just try to find a way out of here." Al nodded as Ed picked up the lit torch in his hand. As they again began to walk away, Ed heard a strange noise coming from behind him. He turned around sharply, but nothing was there.

"Something wrong Brother?' Al asked.

"Did you hear that?" Ed replied as he walked back over to the well and peeked inside.

"Hear what?" Al questioned shakily. "Oh, ha ha, very funny," Al said, "You're just trying to scare me."

"What are you talking about Al!" Ed exclaimed, "I'm serious." Ed searched the bottom of the well with the torch in hand. Below he saw a pile of bones, that didn't look human. Al walked up next to him and looked in too.

"Those bones," Al commented, "They weren't there before."

"I know," Ed said, "I'm going to check it out." Ed then flew himself over the rim and landed on his feet at the base.

"No Brother," Al warned, "Come back. Something isn't right." But Ed didn't listen to him, he just crouched down and examined the bones.

"These bones are defiantly not human," Ed replied, "But they're not from an animal either." Ed sighed. "Oh well, Al help me back up."

Al leaned over the rim and reached his armored arm down. Ed reached up and grabbed his hand as Al pulled him up. Suddenly, as Al was pulling Ed up to the rim, Ed felt his watch begin pulling down towards the well.

"What the-," Ed looked at his watch as it pulled downwards preventing Al from bringing Ed up. Seconds later, the watch pulled itself from his waist and landed with a thud at the bottom of the well.

"My watch!" Ed exclaimed as he looked down at it.

"Ed, just forget about it," Al said trying to pull Ed up again.

"No way!" Ed replied as he let go of Al's hand and dropped to the bottom. Ed picked it up and looked it over. "Stupid thing," Ed said as he reattached it to his belt, "Wonder how it came off?"

Al just sighed and replied, "Ok, now come back up." Just as Ed reached to grab his brother's hand, his feet sunk into the ground.

"Huh?" Ed looked down to see himself start sinking into a blue void. "Al hurry! Pull me up!" he shouted now panicking and rapidly reaching for Al. Unfortunately Ed had already sunk too far into the well.

"Brother hang on!" Al shouted as he reached farther in, but by doing so lost his footing and fell in too.

Both Ed and Al were engulfed by the blue light and sucked down the well. Within seconds, neither of them could be seen inside the depths of the well.