Disclaimer: I still don't own FMA


Chapter Two

Ed couldn't move. His mind was numbed by the man's words. "Under arrest?" He asked incredulously. "But for what?" The punch that his words earned sent him reeling.

"Brother!"

Ed sprang back to his feet. He wouldn't let these people take Al! But in a moment, the soldiers' guns were trained on him again.

"Now, now," The tone of the officer's voice was sickening. "We can't have that, can we?" He nodded to the man who held a struggling Al, and the gun was pressed a bit more firmly to the youth's head.

"Al!" Ed jerked forward, only to have his arms pulled back from behind. He winced at the pain. "You son of a-" The butt of a rifle slammed into his stomach and he doubled over.

"Let's get one thing straight," the officer's voice was callus. "Your brother's life means nothing to us. So unless you want him dead I suggest that you do as I say. Got it?"

Ed glared defiantly up at him, golden eyes flashing with rage.

A cruel smirk played at the corner of the man's mouth. "This one will be fun to break," he said. "Let's move out."

They were dragged into the street without reverence. Neighbors that they had joked with only just that morning jeered loudly, screaming out obscenities toward the brothers. At best they stood silent, watching with vindictive gazes as the young men were forced into the military truck. But both reactions to the arrest were painful.

Ed paused, searching for a single friendly face in the crowd of spectators, but even Glacier looked on without emotion. Why do they do nothing? Why do they just stand by and watch or treat us like the enemy? Ed wondered. A rifle jabbed into the small of his back. "Get in the truck!" the soldier demanded.

Reluctantly, he obeyed the order and climbed into the back of the vehicle. A moment later, the engine roared to life. As the truck jerked forward, he chanced a glance back. The flaming ruins of the building that had been their home cast a reddish glow to the surrounding area, making this nightmare all the more surreal.


Eventually, they reached their destination. Tall stone barricades, barbed wire, and searchlights swinging back and forth; the sight sent chills through Edward's body.

Security was tight. It took them nearly half an hour to get through it all. Though he was sick of it all at the time, Ed would later wish that he could have remained in that truck.

Finally the back of the truck was swung open. "Get out!"

The brothers complied with a sense of dread. Although they had tried to get some rest on the way here, their mind had been far too busy. It would have helped if they had been able to talk to each other during the drive, but any attempt at communication between the two of them had been violently discouraged.

As soon as they stepped out they were confronted by another officer. "Which one of you is Edward Elric?" He demanded.

"That would be this one, Sir." The officer from earlier said as he shoved Ed roughly forward.

"So, this is the infiltrator." The man looked Ed over for a moment with mild interest before motioning to a few of the soldiers behind him. "Take him to interrogation."

The men stepped forward with venomous smiles, and Ed's heart skipped a beat. "What about my brother?" he asked in a panicked voice.

"He will be taken care of."

For some reason, that didn't comfort Ed at all. "Al!" he screamed. Desperate, he struggled to reach his brother, only to be dragged back. "Al!" He yelled again.

"Ed!"

The answering cry wrenched his heart.

"Silence!" Harsh blows rained upon the brothers. The other soldiers just watched with mild interest as the brothers were separated.

Through eyes blurred by tears, Ed could see his brother being dragged to a building. Then the door clanged shut, and his ordeal began.


Al was shoved forcefully into a small room. Almost instantaneously a bright light was turned on. Rough hands forced him to the center of the chamber.

"Why are you and your brother here?"

Al tensed at the menacing tone in the questioner's voice. "I don't understand. You brought us here," he said uncertainly.

"That's enough! No more smart comments!"

Someone slapped him hard across the face.

"Now tell me. What is your purpose in Germany?"

"Our purpose?" Al honestly had no clue what the man was getting at.

The interrogator decided to skip to the next question. "Who sent you?"

"No one sent us. I came here to be with my brother."

"Why was your brother here?"

At this Al went dead silent. He was not going to tell them about Amestris, about the Philosophers Stone, about the Gate, or about alchemy and its rules. Those things had no place in this world, and these people did not need to know about them.

His refusal to answer angered the interrogator, who nodded to one of the soldiers beside him. "I had hoped to avoid this," he said in a tone that made it obvious that he hadn't "But since you refuse to cooperate it seems I have no choice." The man he had beckoned to, tall and muscular stepped out.

Al gasped as the man came into view. He was bald except for a single lock of blonde hair sprouting from his forehead and sported a thick moustache. His chiseled features were prominent and he could have won a bodybuilding championship with little effort. His pale blue eyes were cold beneath a heavy brow. In short, he was the parallel of Alex Lois Armstrong.

In Amestris, he had been a kind of unwanted bodyguard to the Elric brothers, but it was now this same imposing figure that cracked his knuckles before Al; the same heavy hands that beat him; the same booming voice that laughed at the boy's pain.

When it was over, the interrogator's voice filled the room. "Let's try this again," he said, "Why was your brother here?"


I know I said Monday, but I finished ahead of schedule. Next chapter will be up in a cople days. In the meantime, please drop a reveiw.