Al sat cross legged on the stone floor of his cell. He couldn't get the image of their masked attackers dragging Ed's limp body away from him. Being unable to knock him out, Al got to witness the whole thing, until they put a bag over his head. He knew they went in a car, drove for a long time, and walked several miles, but he had no clue where they were. It looked like they hit Ed hard enough to kill him, I hope he's alright.
He got up and walked around the cell. He'd already tried calling out and got no response, but before he tried alchemy to get out he needed to know exactly what was going on.
"Is anyone out there? Ed? Anybody?" He knew it was useless to keep trying but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Just then a clang coming from behind him made him jump. He spun around and saw a small slit in the wall that wasn't there before. Looks like someone was listening afterall. He approached it and looked through the opening, it was completely dark on the other side.
"Hello?"
No response. He tried putting his hand through the slit but his hand hit a glass barrier. What could be over there?
Al stood looking out the little window for a few more minutes before continuing to pace around the cell. Why hasn't anyone come to see me yet?
After what felt like another hour of mindless pacing Al was getting tired of waiting. He crouched down to the floor and started to scratch a transmutation circle into the stone with his armor. "I'm coming brother, just hold on."
"So he's your brother?"
"What?" Al jumped up and looked around for the childish voice. "Who's that? You've seen Ed?! You can come out, please don't be afraid."
"My name's Musuke." The voice sounded like it was right in front of Al. "And I'm not afraid."
"Then come out, I'm not going to hurt you." Al put his hands up and backed away from the partially drawn circle.
"I know you won't. But I can't come out, you can't see me."
"Can't see you?" Al asked, confused. "So, you're like a ghost?"
"Sort of," Musuke explained. "I'm like you Al, they bonded my soul with a seal."
"To what? I don't see anything to bond you to."
"To the air."
"The air?!" Al started and backed up, "Oh gosh I'm sorry am I touching you? I hope I didn't walk through you earlier I'm so sorry!"
A soft bell-like laugh sounded in front of him, "No you didn't, it's fine. You're so much nicer than your brother."
"You've talked to Ed?!" Al gasped, He's alive! "Is he okay? I'm sorry I know he can be a bit harsh at times."
"He certainly can. Yeah I talked to him, and he's okay for now. They took off his right arm though."
"Oh no," Al covered his face with his hand, "Winry is going to be so mad when she finds out."
"That's what he said too. They're going to interrogate him." Musuke said sadly, "I haven't known anyone to make it out of an interrogation, I'm sorry but you're brother is as good as dead."
"Don't say that! We've been in worse situations before and we got out okay." Al bent back down and continued drawing his circle. "I've got to help him, thank you so much Musuke."
"I wouldn't do that," Musuke warned, "They might not be responding to you, but they are listening, and watching. If they see you use alchemy they won't hesitate to kill Ed."
Al stopped, he couldn't risk his brother's life like that. He sighed and sat back down, "So who is "they"? Who's keeping us here?"
"I don't know. I've been stuck here a long time, listening to everything that goes on, but all I could find was that they call themselves the Drakma." Musuke sighed, "I'm sorry, I wish I could help more, you're worth saving, Al."
If Al could blush he would've, "Well, thank you for helping as much as you have. It's better than nothing."
They sat in silence for a while and Al thought Musuke had left. He went up to the slit again and looked out: still dark. What's out there?
"That's where they're keeping Ed." Musuke said from behind Al.
Al jumped and instinctively slashed at the air, and surprisingly felt some resistance.
"Oof!" Musuke grunted, "that hurt."
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry Musuke! You scared me and I just-" Al stuttered, "so sorry!"
"That's okay I'm fine now, I forget that no one can see me sometimes." Musuke groaned.
"Is, is Ed really down there? In the dark?" Al looked through the opening again.
"Yeah, that means they've started. They leave you in the dark to make you uncomfortable and freak yourself out."
Musuke sounded sad, like he felt sympathy for what Ed was going through. Does that mean, this kid was down there once too? The thought horrified Al, how could they do that to a kid?
"Musuke, you don't mean, you've been down there do you? You're just a kid."
"I was only nine. They took me away, stole me in the night." Musuke said wistfully, as if deep in a memory. "I was very happy. We lived in Central, we were well off, my mom and dad loved me very much." A wobble entered his voice and Al's heart broke. So young.
"They took me," he continued with a sniff. "They broke in in the night and knocked me out. I woke up in the room down there, all alone."
"What did they want with you? How could they do something like that?!"
"I don't know. They kept asking me strange questions, I can't remember most of them, but I seemed to be getting every answer wrong. They hurt me in more ways than I thought was possible. When I asked why they were doing this to me they stopped and said 'Because we want to know how much pain a kid can suffer until they break. And because we can.' That was the only question of mine they answered the whole time." His voice broke and Al heard a soft sob.
"Musuke, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have asked." Al tried comforting him, not knowing where to direct his words to, "Forget I asked, you don't have to say anything else."
"No I need to tell someone, I have to get it off my mind." Musuke was determined and Al nodded and leaned back, ready to listen. "They stayed true to what they said, they hurt me until I broke. Then they drew a circle around me and there was a bright light. I thought I was going to heaven at last and it would all be over, but then I woke up like this. I didn't know what was going on, I was so confused. I couldn't see myself but I knew I was there. I panicked and screamed, and one of the men who did it said 'Amazing, I didn't believe you could etch a blood seal onto something so small.' It took me a while to figure out but they had etched the seal onto the air molecules themselves. I don't know how. I think I was originally made up of one or two molecules but I soon learned how to control my own charges so I could form a somewhat working body, although invisible."
Al was stunned, "But, how could that even be possible?! How is their alchemy that precise? It's incredible." Musuke was silent and he realized his mistake, "I'm so sorry that was insensitive, I'm just confused as to how that's possible. It was horrible to do it to a living person, a kid no less."
"Yeah." Musuke began composing himself again, "It's been a long and lonely two years, trying to understand what I am and how to live with it."
"I'm sure. Let me know if I can make it any easier for you, okay?"
Then Al felt a pressure against his chest plate, "Thank you Al, thank you for listening."
Al realized Musuke was hugging him and he carefully wrapped his arms around where he thought the boy's body to be. "Of course, if anyone would understand, it's me and Ed."
"Well what are you waiting for? I know you're there you bastards! What do you want from me?"
Ed's voice echoed into the cell and Al spun back to the opening but the lights were still off. "Ed! Ed I'm here! Ed!" Al yelled as loud as he could.
"Are you scared of facing a tied down beat up kid? Pretty pathetic if you ask me." Ed didn't seem to be responding to Al and Musuke confirmed what he already thought.
"He can't hear you, they sound proofed the room. The only reason you can hear Ed is they wire little speakers into each cell. They must want you to hear as well as see what's going on." Musuke stopped and Al felt his fingers indent slightly, he was holding his hand. "You might not want to watch."
"I have to." Al looked back into the darkness and was surprised to see a light turn on below. He was up high on the wall of the room where Ed was and had a good view of the whole scene.
Al felt a squeeze on his fingers, "It's begun."
