Prologue

...

Central Command, Amestris - January 14, 1920.

Roy Mustang scanned through the report once, and then twice, as if the whole thing was just some kind of an elaborate joke to keep him on his toes. He could expect such a thing coming from Havoc, but how could he doubt it when the case had been delivered to him personally by Lt. Hawkeye? She had presented him with a manila folder - regarding contents that reeked of disaster - while remaining completely stoic and devoid of any traces of laughter. Therefore, it was pointless to deny the facts that lay right in front of him, regardless of how absurd they sounded. Still, he inwardly lamented the departure of his serene morning before composing himself.

He folded his hands together and directed his gaze towards his Lieutenant. "To be honest, I was hoping this matter could be avoided for a little while longer."

The Flame Alchemist had known this day would come ever since the Fullmetal brat had vehemently insisted on breaking the seal that subdued one of the homunculi, to no avail. The kid's face had twisted into an expression of pure outrage and despair when the subject of the deceased Dante was no more than curtly dismissed. Roy had agreed with releasing the homunculus, but not in the name of vengeance. He knew that interrogating the homunculus for information would have significantly aided in the defeat of the rest of them. Except, it hadn't been his choice to make at the time.

The decision was solely up to the former Fuhrer, who gave them all a fabricated excuse about how releasing the homunculus would prove to be too hazardous. Roy had been the only one to see through his lies, and the bastard taunted him with the fact by putting the mansion under a state of lock-down. The military initiated constant surveillance that spanned for several kilometers of the forest, and anyone who trespassed was arrested on sight. He had been very much aware of the hidden challenge lurking in the fuhrer's actions, but he was astute enough to not rise to the bait.

But that had been nearly five years ago, and between recent chaotic events and his new promotion to fuhrer, the surveillance surrounding the mansion had weakened. All it took was for one guard to slip up, and suddenly everything came crashing down. An unidentified chimera managed to sneak past security and into the perimeter, where he entered the mansion and went on to destroy the only two things that was holding the homunculus captive - the seal and his remains.

According to the report, the homunculus had been in no condition to escape, even with the help of the intruder. The chimera was soon apprehended and sent to Central for questioning, along with his unconscious passenger. Apparently, the homunculus - labeled Greed, according to the statement - had successfully been released from his prison, but still remained in a comatose state that no one could wake him from. Of course, this information complicated things. Before Al disappeared three years prior, he had explained everything to Mustang from the manipulative Dante to the technically innocent homunculus imprisoned within her mansion.

Now that the latter had finally been brought to the attention of the Assembly, the subject could no longer be avoided. Despite the fact that he could simply choose the easy way out and terminate the homunculus, he owed it to the Elric brothers to at least give the homunculus a fair chance. After all, this particular homunculus had apparently defected from the rest, and as a result, could not be held responsible for any crimes committed by the rest of his kind. Yet, the kidnapping of Alphonse Elric could not go completely unpunished, either.

"It seems we're at an impasse," he said, frankly. "I can't imagine the Assembly will be pleased to hear that the homunculus has been brought to Central. He needs to be sent elsewhere immediately, or they just might start demanding his head on a pike."

He wasn't joking.

Lt. Hawkeye nodded, nonetheless. "Why not transfer him to Southern Headquarters, then? Their medical staff should be more than capable of handling him. I doubt he'll be much of a threat in his current condition, anyway."

Roy sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair. "He will wake up eventually, Lieutenant. I want him as far away from Central as possible when that day comes, but before he can go anywhere, we need some leverage against him. I'm not going to risk putting anyone in danger if it can be helped."

"Of course," she agreed in stride, curiosity flickering in her brown eyes. "What do you have in mind?"

The chimera had destroyed the remains in the abandoned mansion, but he vaguely remembered the crumbled skeleton on the table being incomplete during the investigation. Instantaneously, he recalled a distant memory of his final battle with Pride, and suddenly an idea struck him. It would be a stretch to anyone else, but the old man had always been so predictable. He was keen enough to be entirely confident in his newfound deduction. After all, he hadn't just been elected for his good looks.

"Inform Private Sheska to send me a copy of the forensic lab records. In regards to the chimera," He leaned back in his seat, entirely at ease. "He's not affiliated with any criminal organizations, and the report states that he spoke fondly of the homunculus during his interrogation. A loyal crony, perhaps? In any case, with that kind of mutation, he wouldn't last a day in prison. Warrant Officer Falman should be able to keep an eye on him in the meantime."

"I'll notify them at once. Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?" she asked.

"That'll be all. Thank you, Lieutenant. Dismissed."

She hesitated for a brief moment, as if she were about to say something else, before nodding and turning to leave.

When the door closed behind her, he waited a few painstakingly slow moments until her footsteps had faded away completely. Only then, did he lower his head into his hands - thoughts racing a mile a minute as the dire reality of the situation finally began to sink in. There were so many concerns and possibilities jumbled together, that he couldn't possibly make sense of every one of them. Above all however, he wondered if he had made the right decision by letting the homunculus live.

Do not make me regret this.

...

Note -

Last year, I wrote a very short oneshot dedicated to Greed, and it seems some people wanted to see more of him. So here I am, many months later, having finally decided to start writing this idea that has stuck with me for a while now. This prologue may be confusing, because I've altered the universe in order to make this plot work. But most importantly, this story takes place during the 2003 anime only. In other words, if you've only read the manga, or have only watched Brotherhood, you will probably not understand what's going on. Certain events have been changed, and I've explained a bit in this chapter, but they will be expanded upon later.

Lastly, this is going to be a slow burn Greed x OC fic. It's also not the central focus of the story, so it'll take a while.