Everyone seemed to freeze when they realized that Jessie had been poisoned. Even Russell and Fletcher. Jessie herself seemed to be the only one with the presence of mind to act.

"Guys, come on - we can deal with this later. None of this will matter if we're caught."

"If they catch you we'll all be in trouble," Fletcher agreed, "So please get out of here quickly! I promise I'll explain everything later."

Ed thought it over quickly, then nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

Ed ran for the nearest window, and Jessie and Al quickly followed. As she passed Russell, he pressed something into her hand. She didn't have time to look at it, but the look in his eyes told her that whatever it was, it was meant to help her.

Nodding once, she slipped it into her pocket and followed the boys.

Once outside, the trio quickly headed for Belsio's place. Jessie followed her brothers silently, ignoring the chatter between them. As they reached the house, she stayed in the yard while the boys went inside. She knew that the poison was affecting her body, and she didn't want them to see.

Safely hidden deep within the orchard, she reached into her pocket to pull out whatever Russell had given her. When her fingers grasped its rough edges, she withdrew her hand. She stared at the stone glittering in her palm for a long moment.

A red stone… he'd actually given it to her, to save her life…

The sound of a branch snapping caught her attention, but before she could fully turn to look for the source of the sound, she was surrounded by a group of men. One of them was the guard from the previous night.

"You lying little bitch," He growled, grabbing her arms and twisting them behind her back, "You're one of the fakes too!"

"No, you misunderstand! I was fooled by them too! They lied to me just like they lied to everyone!"

The guard didn't believe her, and tied a rope around her wrists as he led her out of the orchard. She didn't have to ask to know he was taking her back to the mansion.

She tried to fight, to free herself, but there was little she could do. Her whole body hurt, she was dizzy and weak… she could barely even hold her head up. The men easily overpowered her.

When they arrived at the mansion, she wasn't taken to Mugear as she expected. Instead she was taken downstairs to the basement. The lead guard opened a door and shoved her into a small room. She stumbled and hit the floor, but was too weak to get up.

The guard said nothing further, simply slammed the door and walked away. His heavy footsteps could be heard all the way down the hall. Laying there on the cold floor, Jessie closed her eyes, too tired to keep them open. She was surprised when she heard a familiar voice a moment later.

"Jessie..?"

She strained to open her eyes, and through the blurriness saw the outline of a familiar face.

"Russell? What are you doing down here..?"

His hands were bound too, but not behind his back. Pushing himself to his feet, he moved to her side and helped her sit up.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why did they come after you?"

"I guess because they thought I was your accomplice." She said, blinking in an attempt to clear her vision, "But how did they find out that you were lying to them?"

"We can talk about that later. You're sick. Did you use the stone?"

Jessie shook her head, leaning back against the wall and coughing. She turned her head away from Russell as she coughed, not wanting him to see that she was spitting up blood.

"I didn't have the chance," She answered, "They found me right after we got back to Belsio's house."

Russell wiped blood off the corner of her mouth with the back of his hand, frowning slightly.

"Then they probably took the stone, too," He said, "And I don't have another one on me…"

"Brother…" Fletcher's voice rang out, "I have this one."

Jessie couldn't see the boy, but Russell crawled to the other side of the room and she heard him whispering to his brother. She hadn't realized he was in the room too.

As she sat there she closed her eyes again. She was tired, so tired…

"Hey," Russell's voice sounded in her ear, "Come on now, don't you fall asleep on me."

"I'm tired…"

"I know you are, but that's the poison talking. You have to fight it. Don't let it beat you, Jess. You're stronger than that."

Jessie didn't answer, but she struggled to open her eyes. She succeeded just enough to make out Russell's blond hair and white shirt. She could see the colors, but not the details about them.

"Alright, that's good," Russell encouraged, "Now, this stone won't completely heal you, since you're already showing symptoms. But it will help."

Jessie tried to nod, but she didn't know if he could see it or not. He leaned closer, holding out the stone in his hand, and she could see a dull red light gleaming in front of her. She wasn't sure what to expect from it, but after a few moments she began to feel better. Stronger, more alert. She could open her eyes again. The first thing she saw clearly was Russell's blue eyes staring down at her.

"Hey there," He smiled, "Welcome back."

She couldn't help smiling back at him. It was a small, tired smile, but it seemed to make him happy. He sat down beside her on the floor, close enough that their arms were pressed together.

Neither spoke. She looked around the room now that she could see it clearly, and saw Fletcher sitting near the door. He offered her a small smile, which she returned, but before anyone could say anything further, the window on the door opened. Mugear was on the other side.

"You're useless!" He hissed, "You just had to put the contingency phase 2 into effect!"

"Brother, what is phase 2?"

"Simple really," Mugear said before Russell could answer, "You introduce the red water into the drinking supply of pregnant women."

Jessie glanced back at Russell, but the horror in his eyes showed her that he hadn't known what phase 2 was. She breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that.

"It permeates their placenta," Mugear continued, "A factory of biological condensing."

"No…"

"You shut up!"

Mugear ignored both boys.

"When the process is done, you extract it and transmute it into a stone. It's foolproof – lets mother nature do the work." He paused for a moment to look at the boys, then continued.

"It's a shame… you've obviously inherited your father's cowardice." He said, shaking his head in disgust. He turned to leave then, but Russell's voice made him pause.

"Wait, just tell me one thing, Mugear – did my father ever use that method on someone?"

"No. At the last minute he had a crisis of morality and backed out. If only he'd gone through with it, he'd have saved his wretched life."

"Saved..?" Jessie echoed, "You mean -"

"You liar…" Russell cut in, "You said that he left here alive."

Mugear walked away then, ignoring any further words from Russell.

"Well, now what do we do?" Fletcher asked, "We can't just sit here and wait for them to kill us."

"Don't worry, Ed and Al will figure something out. As soon as they realize I'm gone, they'll know where to look."

"But how long will it take them to know you're gone, Jessie?" Russell questioned, "You were gone all day yesterday with no issue."

"That's because I told them I was leaving. This time they know I should be at Belsio's house with them. So when they find out I'm not, they'll figure out that something is wrong and come find me."

...

True to her word, her brothers' showed up at the mansion before dawn the next morning. They didn't come to the basement right away, but Al's armored footsteps could be heard clearly through the floorboards. After about half an hour, the door to their little prison opened, and the boys stood there alone.

"Hi." Al greeted, as if the situation were normal.

"I know who you guys are now," Ed told the other boys, "And I know that your father was actually Nash Tringham."

The boys looked shocked to hear the name, or maybe to hear it from Ed. Jessie was surprised too. She'd read about Nash in Central – so had Ed. But she had no idea that Russell and Fletcher were his sons.

"What I don't know," Ed continued, "Is why you two would so foolishly continue his work."

Russell looked angry for a moment, but then his eyes softened and he lowered his head.

"Because… it was his dream. And as his son it was my duty to see it through."

"So you honestly think this is what he wanted? You do realize the suffering that toxic water is causing the people of this town, don't you? Your father realized it – that's why he chose to abandon his research. And I can tell you right now that you're not gonna find happiness by chasing your father's failed dream."

Russell didn't say anything to that, and after a moment Ed stepped into the room, laying a hand on both his and Fletcher's restraints.

"Live your own life, and stop with all the acting, trying to be someone you're clearly not."

He used alchemy to break the bonds holding the restraints together, and they crumbled to the floor. As soon as he was done, he moved to untie Jessie's ropes.

"Your red water almost cost you your brother, and may yet end my sister's life," Ed continued, "If the fate of the town isn't enough to wake you up, maybe this will be."

"Edward, don't use me like that," Jessie argued, "I'm not a guilt trip. So don't treat me like one."

"No, he's right."

Everyone stopped and looked at Russell.

"I almost lost my own brother today, and if we don't get you to a hospital, you could die too. That's the best reason I've got to rethink things."

Jessie blushed at his words, but before she could say anything, Al spoke up.

"A hospital? We better hurry!"

"Al, I'm fine. We need to deal with Mugear first, okay? Now come on, we need to get out of here."

None of the boys liked it, but she was right about Mugear. Ed walked to the door, looking out into the hall to make sure there were no guards around.

"Good, it's quiet. Didn't really think he'd send anyone after what I told him…"

"What you told him..?" Jessie echoed, "Wait, never mind. I probably don't want to know. Can you and Al take care of Mugear on your own?"

"Of course! But what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna get these two out of here." She said, nodding toward Russell and Fletcher.

"Well then go. We'll be fine. He's just one old man – how much harm can he really do?"

So Jessie and her brothers parted ways, and while the boys went upstairs, Jessie led the Tringham brothers to the farthest corner of the basement she could find.

"What are you doing, Jessie?" Fletcher questioned, "There's no exit down here."

"Well, like Ed always says - if you can't find a door, make your own."

The boys were confused by that until she slapped her hands onto the wall, and constructed a door.

"Alright, let's go."

Russell whistled lowly and Fletcher stared in awe, both impressed with her work. The trio ran from the building and were making their way to the nearby forest when suddenly gunshots rang out from somewhere inside the house.

"Ed, Al!"

Without a second thought Jessie ran back toward the house, fear filling her mind with terrible thoughts.

"Jessie, wait!"

"You guys stay here - you'll be safe until I get back."

"Not a chance!"

Jessie didn't argue with the boys as they chased after her. In truth, she could probably use their help. She had no idea what she would find when she got inside and found her brothers.

She tore through the house as though the devil himself were on her tail, and even the guards she encountered were no match for her right then. Anyone who got in her way was quickly removed, be it through alchemy or just her own determination.

When she finally found her brothers, they were running from Mugear, who had a… machine gun?

"What the hell is he doing with a machine gun?" She wondered. She didn't wait for an answer, though, as her eyes quickly scanned the room in search of something she could use to help her brothers. Russell and Fletcher did the same and quickly came up with an idea. Using a potted plant from the corner, they used their alchemy to extend the vines and wrap them around Mugear's arms, effectively tying him up.

As soon as he was incapacitated, Ed and Al pushed against the pillar they were hiding behind, dropping it on top of Mugear. As soon as the situation was resolved, Russell looked to Ed.

"Well, Ed, I do hate to interrupt but it looked like you needed the help."

"Eh…"

Russell chuckled at his response.

"We're not going to be chasing our Dad's dream anymore. You're right – it's time we live our own lives."

Fletcher smiled at his brother's words, relieved to hear them. Before he could say anything, the brief calm was shattered by Al.

"Brother, Jessie, look!"

He pointed to the whole in the floor caused by the pillar they'd pushed. The gap in the wood revealed that there was a hidden staircase beneath the floor.

"A secret passage…" Ed sighed, "Come on guys – time for a chase!"

Quickly donning breath masks, the teens headed downstairs.