Chapter 3: Rebirth

WN: *Pokes head above trenches* to anyone kind enough to read this, I am so very sorry for the late update! A combination of ill health and life I am sad to say L Still having been watching Brotherhood recently has given me a much needed nudge to update this fic and a whole new set of ideas J anyway, onwards with the story!

Screams, that's all I could hear, then I realized; those screams belonged to me; I could feel in that moment every bone in my body break; each giving a sickening crunch as they did so, twisting and reforming, reconfiguring me into god knows what; I gave a primal scream; I could see even those bastards take a step back; then something occurred to me; didn't Colonel Bastard kill Lust?!; why was she here; unless that long haired megalomaniac made another one; it was close to the promised day; Al… I had to get his body back; how could I do that if I died, how could I face them again if I died in this way.

"Damn… damn… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Then my world went completely and utterly black.

? Days later.

"Sir; he's… awake….." I could hear sounds; were they… words? And my body; I could feel it on fire; that every part of me was in agony.

"Oh move aside idiot; let's see if this change helped him look less like the pipsqueak that he is!" I desperately tried to get to my feet, only to stumble and fall. I could hear cackling; my mind somehow registered it as laughter; but it felt so disconnected. I then realized one of my limbs felt awfully heavy… it was like one of my legs was made of some strange thing; it was shiny; I then tried to focus; suddenly snarling, my fur.. wait fur?! rising on my skeletal back.

"It's no use full metal pipsqueak; honestly I am surprised that with your short stature that you survived such a process; still father will be pleased" I focused once more; realizing that the figure has stepped closer; then… Envy; everything suddenly rushed back to me; Al, Mustang; Central; the Homunculi; Wrath; the promised day; the transmutation; alchemy… pain… wait…

"What… have you done, pain" I struggled; my mind feeling like even forming the simplest of words was too much of a daunting task. I snarled, managing to struggle to my feet again.

"Welcome to your rebirth; Full Metal Alchemist!" I could smell; wait, smell?!" I could sense a new person there; someone evil.

"Bradle- Wrath!" I snarled. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to tear their throats out one by one; escape, my pack needed me. I lunged forward; only to collapse once more.

"Haha, you are now a true dog of the military; it's a shame really; as a human; you had great potential; but Father feels you are to troublesome to be left with your humanity intact; instead he's decided to have you lead the next battalion; alchemic chimera soldiers. Soon the military will declare you dead; after all; it has been several months since you went M.I.A; and then what will the Flame Alchemist do; and Armour Boy; that brother you are so fond of; it's a real shame. Wrath crept closer to the cell I had the misfortune of residing in, effectively cornering me.

"It's a shame really; you humans are such arrogant creatures; homunculi are the superior species; Father was right about you; it will be easier with the other sacrifices vulnerable now; you should have joined us voluntarily whilst you had the chance boy" It was then he took of his eye patch; and stared coldly at me. I felt absolutely dead inside. How we could have missed this. Our Fuhrer was monster; our leader, all that time; a blood thirsty inhumane being, conceived by evil. I had to escape; I would escape.

"Well done so far on your progress men; however I do expect him to be ready for the next stage soon"

"Yes.. yes sir"

And with a flourish, the old man walked away, taking a curious looking Envy with him. I glared after them, a feeling of dread as I knew that I was probably as far away from human as possible; would anyone truly recognize me in this form?... it was at this point, I remembered what Winry said to me… that she would cry for us as we never did; as tears rolled down my face, dripping ominously onto the ground below me; I knew then that this would be the one time that there would be tears from the Full Metal Alchemist.