Chapter 4


If anyone asked, Edward would tell them that about a full day had passed since their escape attempt failed. That was the best guess he could come up with, however vague. Not knowing for certain was infuriating. He didn't know when he should've been sleeping and when it was safe to let his guard down, at least for a few hours. Never before had he thought the time of day would matter in a kidnapping. To make things worse, the fact that Ed wouldn't be able to think straight without proper sleep was gnawing at his nerves.

He was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, his wounds burned, the list went on. At least their captors had the decency to give them more water and bread, even though the servings were somehow smaller than last time. (They didn't think it was possible.) Edward didn't want to accept anything those bastards gave him but he knew that rejecting any of it would be pointless.

Besides; he had no right to complain in comparison to Mustang. The man had been shivering for hours on end and even the contrasting light brown light couldn't hide how pale he was. When he was returned to the small, confined room after nearly drowning, he looked so tired but Ed wouldn't let him rest. He didn't know how cold one had to be to die in their sleep, but he couldn't risk it. It wasn't until water stopped dripping from Mustang's hair and his shirt no longer clung to his skin when the teenager finally decided to let the older alchemist drift into unconsciousness- and even then, he constantly shifted in and out of it. Even his own coughing was enough to jolt awareness back into him, at least for a moment.

Not a single word had passed between them since Ed decided that Mustang was no longer in danger of dying. Hours stretched on in complete silence, save for the occasional coughing. In the past few days, that had become normal for them. They would talk until they ran out of things to say, then wait for something new to happen. The silence in between was not awkward or uncomfortable. It could almost be called peaceful. But due to the complete lack of peace in their current situation, that silence was horribly daunting instead. One of the few ways they could occupy their minds was to wonder and dread when and how the nearly pristine absence of sound would be broken.

When it finally happened, it was sudden and loud. The entire floor shook from the impact of an explosion, waking Roy and sending him on high alert, while Ed shut his eyes, half expecting the ceiling to cave in.

Part of him thought it was just an earthquake, until several pairs of feet stormed past the door and up the staircase, barking commands at each other. The sound of gunfire and glass shattering quickly followed.

"Do you think we're…?" The blond hesitated, reluctant to raise his hopes any higher. "Ya' think we're getting rescued?"

Mustang stared intently at the door, watching shadows run through the sliver of light underneath. It was difficult to believe that the very same person had looked so drained and unfocused not long ago.

"I can't think of any other explanation." Another explosion was heard, followed by more heavy gunfire.

"Finally, we can get out of his hell hole," Ed sighed and leaned against the wall once more. It was slightly unfortunate that everything they went through to get the ignition glove (or rather, everything Roy went through) was for nothing but he really didn't care at that point. They just had to wait for the Amestrians to finish upstairs and they would be freed. It felt so close; Edward could already feel the relief of standing up and moving his arm, and eating food and reuniting with Al again. (He tried not to think about how worried his brother must have been.)

His hopes intensified when the doorknob turned but as fate would have it, the man who opened it was not dressed in the iconic blue, but rather a mixture of black and grey. He was entirely unfamiliar; he was relatively tall, likely in his mid-thirties and had a head full of dirty blond hair. It looked as if he hadn't shaven in several days but he had the strong build of a military man. And of course, he was being tailed by Nicholas, Evelyn and one of the people who had apparently been tasked with bringing them food and water occasionally.

The blond walked in confidentially with an unnerving smile in place and looked down at the two fFalchemists with sharp brown eyes. "Colonel Mustang and Major Elric; it's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it could've been in different circumstances. My name is Vance Madsen and I'm here to relocate you two." He spoke in a way that made Ed question whether or not they were being mocked. "You could also call me the leader of this little operation."

That was the guy who decided anyone involved with the government was corrupt and deserved to suffer for their crimes. The one who Ed could blame for everything he had to endure those past few days. It was Vance Madsen who deserved to get the crap beaten out of him.

Vance gestured to the alchemists and the three rebels behind him stepped forward. Evelyn drew another circle on the wall that held Roy's restraints, which released him when it was activated. His arms were forced behind him and tied once more. The one man who had not been introduced secured him by the arms as they all waited for Evelyn do to the same for Ed. However, since he only had one arm, the rope was instead tied around his torso, restraining his limb to his side.

"Hey, watch the burn!" Ed blurted out when the coarse rope scratched against the red, blistered rectangle on his flesh arm.

The teenager was promptly ignored however as Nicholas lifted him up to his one foot, then heaved him over his shoulder, earning many loud complains and insults. Vance Madsen nodded approvingly, and then turned to leave the room.

"We're going outside, right?" Roy suddenly spoke up, his expression unreadable. Once he received a nod, he continued. "We'll both freeze to death before we take five steps out of this building, as we are now." He quickly glanced at the many jackets and coats that collected dust on the wooden table.

Vance and Nicholas looked at each other for a moment. Apparently agreeing, Madsen tossed Ed's black jacket and coat over his entire body, making it look like Nicholas was carrying a red body bag over his shoulder, rather than a living person, who was mumbling more curses under his breathe.

Meanwhile, Roy's military jacket and coat were both thrown over his head as well, making it difficult but not impossible to see past.

"There," Vance breathed and stepped back to examine his handiwork. The red wasn't any more discrete than Ed's golden hair, but it at least kept them from complaining; or freezing to death, which wasn't quite what Vance had planned for them.

The blond man picked up a submachine gun that had been left outside and turned back to face the restrained alchemists. He held the weapon naturally, clearly having much experience with it.

"Let's get one thing straight before we leave," he began, his original smile had vanished and replaced by something cold and serious. "Don't think that just because your friends are so close, that you have any chance of getting away with your lives. The moment either of you try anything, you will die. My patience has worn thin with you two. I'm not a fool; it's clear that you're both too stubborn for your own good. You had a chance to come to your senses... I'm sure you'll both regret that decision in time."

On that happy note, Vance turned and led the small group up the stairs. As Roy was led to follow with a pistol aimed at his back and Ed was being carried, they were able to see more into the building that has trapped them for almost a week.

The staircase led up into another hallway. The right opened to what appeared to be a modern living room room, complete with oak wood and leather furniture that was all currently being used as barricades by the black-clad rebels to block the steady flow of bullets that flew through the windows.

Thankfully, they turned left instead. The hall was lined with many closed doors. The back door at the end was slightly larger and opened with a gust of cold air, chilling the unprepared alchemists down to their bones. Whether it was behind the clouds or the mountains, the sun had already set.

Directly ahead of them were four trucks lined up; two of them looked like the typical Northern military issued vehicles, while the other two appeared to be the same model but without the Amestrian insignia.

How the hell did they get their hands on those? Ed wondered as he tried to move his bangs and red hood away from his eyes.

At second glance, he realized they were in the middle of a forest. Snow came down steadily, coating everything in sight. The clearing behind the building was being well-defended by the group of rebels. It appeared that the Amestrians had the building surrounded but were pushed back, away from that particular area. Edward was surprised to see that their firepower was actually decent, considering that Mustang spoke so lowly of them before.

Cautiously, they were all hurried to one of the unmarked trucks. On the way, however, Mustang suddenly inhaled sharply and glanced at Ed quickly before looking back at the second unmarked truck. Edward followed his gaze.

The second vehicle was being loaded with crates, all filled with various supplies, from the looks of it. When he saw what Mustang gestured to, he had to force himself not to gasp; his automail arm was resting in the back seat on top of one of the boxes. He suddenly recalled Eveyln telling him that his arm was waiting for him somewhere if he decided to team up with them. She also mentioned something about going to another base in that case as well.

Before the sight could process much further in his mind, Ed and Roy were shoved in the roomy backseat of the first truck, with someone to guard them on each side, and two more went to the front seats. However, Vance, Nicholas and Evelyn all stood outside the car. The blond put a hand on the truck's outer frame and leaned in slightly. "I'll see you two at the top of the mountain."

With that said, the boss stepped back, facing the direction of the fighting. Nicholas followed, who looked entirely uninterested in his parting with Roy and Edward. Meanwhile, Evelyn appeared to be relieved they were leaving.

The door shut, trapping the cold, icy air inside. Ed's jacket and coat draping over his body were better than nothing, but overall did little to protect him. At least it saved him from feeling completely vulnerable. He glanced out the window to finally get a look at the place that trapped them for almost a week.

It was a large cabin surrounded by many towering trees; it fit very well in the forest and would have looked entirely unsuspecting on any other day. There were several wide windows on the sides and front that would have complemented the building if they weren't all covered by blackout curtains and destroyed by bullets. No average citizen hiking by would have been able to guess that the residence of that cabin were torturing State Alchemists in the basement.

Good riddance. Edward was at least glad to be leaving, despite the knowledge that wherever he was heading was most likely worse; all the more reason to escape before they arrived.

Black and blue clad soldiers were scattered around the clearing, relentlessly firing on each other. Ed squint his eyes in an attempt to recognize any of them, but he wasn't able to make anyone out within the chaotic darkness. He wanted to yell for help- he almost did; but the reminder that their lives no longer mattered to the rebels kept him quiet. If those thugs gave up on convincing either Roy or Edward to join them, then they were only alive for amusement.

The truck roared to life and quickly turned away from the cabin. If there were any driving laws out on the dirt paths of the Northern mountains, Ed was sure the driver had no interest in following any of them. The vehicle flew through the trees, lurching from side to side to dodge fallen logs, large rocks, and so on. The teenager wondered if he should have bothered with keeping himself from falling onto the guard on his left, but he eventually decided that he was in no mood to get punched in the face.

"Vance Madsen," Roy muttered, staring at the back of the seat in front of him, locked in concentration. Ed and the two guards who sat in the back with them all glanced at the older alchemist, upon registering the name of their boss. "That name is familiar… if only I could place it."

While Mustang pondered the name, Edward was more focused on their current situation. He turned his head to look through the tinted back window; though it was difficult to see in the dark, the other truck that carried his automail arm was still trailing closely behind. Ed shifted his weight anxiously, impatiently waiting for when they would inevitably make their move. From the way Mustang's eyes shifted to examine every detail of the truck, the path outside and the rebels that surrounded them, the blond knew he was formulating a plan. The only thing he could do was wait for the right time.

He did, however, pull his right leg up to chest, his foot hanging half-way off the seat. He was able to see a fraction of the white glove poking out from his shoe, a silent reminder that it was still there and their plan, whatever it was, would work. Ed hated to admit it, but he wasn't able to do much in his current state. He had to put his faith in Mustang.

Eventually, Roy shifted his body to the right, turning his back to Ed; his restrained hands within reach of Ed's shoe; or rather, the ignition glove that was hidden inside. At that point, he was just waiting for the prefect opportunity, though Ed wasn't sure what would signify it. The path had straightened considerably as they drove up the slope of the mountain. The teenager assumed Mustang was waiting for a sharp turn, or a pothole; something that would jerk the vehicle and hide any sudden movements.

He felt fairly confident that Roy would have been able to grab the glove without a distraction if he had to, but he also understood why the older man didn't want to risk it. Neither of them were worried about reaching their destination any time soon, anyway. It would've been an unwise move for the rebels to keep their bases too close to each other, had that been the case.

Ed's only concern with waiting was that with every passing second, they only drove further away from the Amestrian soldiers who were there to save them. However, that fact wasn't worth rushing the process and making a mistake.

As the minutes passed, Edward rested his head on his raised knee and looked outside at the moving scenery. Snow and trees flew by and the darkness engulfed everything past a few yards, making the forest look uninviting and endless. He had no doubt that it was at least twice as cold outside of the truck, which was far from warm anyway.

He idly wondered if being out in the cold would calm is irritated burns… Probably not. He wished they would heal already; the stomach wound forced him to sit up straight all the time and the arm burn was quite distracting, to say the least.

Edward's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the vehicle drove over a ditch, disrupting every person in the truck. He only barely registered Roy slipping the glove out of his shoe and swiftly sliding it on his left hand.

Finally.

Seeing as they were unable to communicate, Ed had to get in Mustang's head and figure out what he was planning next so he could help. Logically thinking, the first thing he would probably do was free himself from the rope around his wrists, which would be difficult to do in their current situation if he were to struggle out of them like last time. Of course he would rather use his alchemy. His thoughts were confirmed when he noticed Roy was looking at him in his peripheral vision.

Edward strategically cleared his throat once, twice, then instantly broke into a five second long coughing fit, causing the two guards to watch him warily, then went back to casually gazing out the window.

Nothing happened for several long seconds after that.

Anxiously, Ed wondered if what's what he was supposed to do. Did Roy burn through the rope yet? Surely that was enough the hide a quick snap. He didn't want to draw any attention to the man by turning to make sure. However, he did believe he sensed a nervous confidence radiating from the other alchemist. Unless he was imagining it, that was a good sign.

Not even a minute later, two things happened simultaneously: the driver swerved around a large rock in the road, and Roy lashed out, elbowing the man on his right directly on the side of the head. Ed noticed the sudden movement in the corner of his eye and decided to take out the guy on his left by doing the only thing he could; head-butting him squarely in the face, and possibly breaking his nose. Before the other occupants in the truck could register what was happening, Roy brought up his left arm and snapped; red alchemical lighting fired from his fingertip and shattered the front window shied upon impact. The truck lurched to a halt as the two men in front tried to protect themselves from the flying shards of glass.

Meanwhile, with a single snap of his fingers, the rope around Ed's torso loosened and he was able to pull it off. He was immediately dragged past the unconscious man and out of the car by Roy as the two in the front recovered. The sudden movement caused their jackets to fall into the snow. Ed would have picked his up and put them on due to the sudden decrease in temperature, but he had higher priorities to focus on.

"Shit, it's cold," the teenager hissed as he was forced to lean against the side of the truck to keep himself from falling down.

Mustang turned his attention to the other vehicle while Edward scratched a transmutation circle into the metal door with a small stone that was found on the ground.

The other truck which carried Ed's automail had swerved to a halt made an attempt to turn around. They most likely saw the use of alchemy and realized how outmatched they were.

"Cowards," Roy said under his breath, his teeth clattering from the cold, and his frosty breath vaguely visible in the night. He snapped his left hand in the direction of the vehicle, instantly melting the front tires. The wheels spun furiously, only making the damage worse until the truck was unable to move at all.

Edward activated the completed circle and the opened door formed into a crutch. He used it to pull himself up, but instantly wished he used a different material or at least had a jacket on; the metal was freezing cold to the touch, making him reluctant to actually use the thing at all.

Before he could move, the man who was previously in the driver's seat slid out of the vehicle with a pistol in hand and brought it up to aim at the kid. However, Edward raised his crutch, hitting the weapon out of the man's hand, and then turned to hit him upwards, directly underneath the chin, instantly knocking him out. Once that threat was taken care of, Ed struggled to put his red coat on before he could freeze to death due to his sleeveless shirt.

While he was doing that, Roy had taken cover behind the truck as the two rebels apparently gave up on trying to flee and instead decided to shoot to kill, also hidden behind their truck's opened doors. One of them found a radio and updated their friends on the situation, and requested back-up.

Using his pin-point aiming, Roy was able to light both of the men's clothing on fire, causing them to panic and swap priorities to save their own skin. As they were distracted, Roy ran forward to the left side of the truck and swiftly punched the closest rebel in the gut, making him to fall to his knees, then collapse face down into the snow, putting out the fire that threatened to burn his chest.

The Colonel threw the back door open and almost immediately spotted Ed's arm sticking out of a crate that was filled with various supplies as well. He grabbed the appendage and scanned around to the area to find the driver of the second vehicle had thrown himself into a pile of snow to stop the fire that nearly engulfed his entire arm.

He walked closer to the first truck, not wanting to get too far from Edward before everyone else was taken care of. As he stood at equal distance from both of the black trucks, he shifted his gaze from one to another in an attempt to figure out where his attention was needed more. He turned to look back at the second truck just in time to see the fire from the melting tires spread into the hood and reach the engine.

Immediately after realization hit him, the truck went up in flames, throwing the two nearby men flying to the sides. Warmth radiated from the explosion, giving everything around them an orange glow. It was no secret that Edward had every intention to avoid killing people, but the same could not be said for the Colonel, who quickly forgot about the two and turned to the only remainder with an annoyed glare. He was clearly more upset about the lost supplied rather than the people.

The man who was previously in the passenger's seat of the first truck had fallen out to avoid the glass and was covered in many small cuts.

"… the hell," he muttered in amazed confusion upon seeing the destruction that occurred in what felt like several minutes, but was realistically only a few seconds. Roy raised his gloved hand up threateningly as he held Ed's automail under his right arm, and the cornered man inched closer to the open truck. "You wouldn't destroy your only way out of here." Like you did to the other one, the unspoken words followed.

"You're right about that," Mustang replied coolly. "So I suggest you step away from the truck now."

While the two men stared each other down, Edward picked up his black jacket and Mustang's coats and hobbled over to Roy's side with the freezing crutch. He considered using alchemy to grab the other man before he could do something stupid, but the ground was likely too frozen to make the circle and Ed's hand was too numb to scratch the design into the side of the car with the necessarily speed, anyway.

How was Roy not freezing to death? His white button-up shirt blew in the icy wind, and yet he focused primarily on the enemy ahead of him; it appeared that he had completely forgotten about the life-threatening temperature and failed notice how his own arms shivered.

Ed watched the two nervously, his grip tightening around the jackets and the crutch. The nameless rebel didn't appear to have anything to use against the two alchemists but the longer they stood in the freezing cold, the more paranoid and impatient he became.

Without warming, the other man lunged into the car and slid to the passenger seat, most likely impaling his arms with glass shards. Roy's hand twitched, just barely refraining from snapping. He wanted to spare the vehicle from receiving any more damage if possible. Besides, what was the worst that their opponent could do in the car?

The two alchemists braced themselves, expecting him to come back out with a gun in hand.

"I'll see you in Hell!"

The red flag sent Ed into a state of high-alert. What did he mean by that? Their current angle didn't allow them to see what he was doing inside.

Something must have clicked in Roy's head, because barely a second later, he swiftly grabbed a confused Edward, ran and dove to the ground, away from the truck just before it too suddenly combusted.

Edward didn't understand what happened. The burst of sound and disoriented his thoughts. His ears rung and he couldn't see anything besides a trace of white fabric, snow and his automail arm due to the fact that his head was stuck in between the frosty ground and Roy's body.

He tried to speak but he wasn't sure if any words came out of his mouth. Mustang moved off of Ed and somehow found the energy to pull himself to his feet and drag Edward further away from the wreckage as flaming scraps of metal were threatening to hit them. Once he deemed the distance safe, Roy dropped to his knees and then shifted into a sitting position as he rubbed his eyes warily, despite the blanket of snow underneath him.

The ringing in Ed's ears died down and his shock passed as he too forced himself to sit up in the snow. His eyes drifted over to the two trucks, now both encased in raging fire.

And just like that, the several men who risked their lives just to kill Roy and Edward were seemingly forgotten.

"Good job," Edward said flatly as he watched the light dance off the surrounding snow and trees. Yes, his comment was very sarcastic at Roy's expense, but he wanted something besides the cracking flames to break the silence.

Mustang's only response was an annoyed groan, obviously upset by how the events refused to unfold according to the plan.

They sat there for a moment, both trying to register the fact that their only means to escape the forest safely had literally been blown to pieces.

"We need to get out of here," Roy began, slowly pulling himself to his feet once more and picked up the metal limb. "They called for back-up." The older man offered Edward a hand, but the teenager gave him his blue military jacket and dark winter coat instead, then forced himself up with the help of his metal crutch. Roy accepted the clothing thankfully, apparently remembering just how cold he was.

They took a moment to cover themselves to better fare against the weather. With some assistance from Mustang, Ed removed his red coat, put on his black jacket, then put the coat back on again over it. He right sleeve hung limply at his side, allowing the wind to blow it from side to side.

They started walking away from the path, seeing as the fire could easily attract unwanted attention. The wind knocked Ed's blond bangs into his eyes but he was physically incapable of brushing them away. His foot had already gone numb and he feared that if he held onto the crutch for any longer, his hand would freeze in that position. Thankfully, he didn't have to actually make contact with the steel because he pulled his sleeve over his hand.

He spent the majority of the walk watching his frosty breathe disappear into the air and listening to the uneven crunches in the snow. Since the adrenaline from the prior events had died down, Ed had just been trying to keep his mind off of the frozen metal ports that attached to his shoulder and leg, and the unbearable hunger. The blond occasionally felt light headed and he could have sworn that his stomach was going to somehow eat itself. There was no doubt that the Colonel agreed, judging by the way he would grab at his own stomach as if that would quiet it down.

After several minutes, Roy stopped and asked Ed to lean against a nearby tree and hand him the crutch. Not willing to put up a fight, he complied.

Mustang used the admittedly small crutch the draw a large transmutation circle in the snow, coughed several times, then straighten himself up once more. Sometimes, Edward forgot that the older man was able to do anything besides flame alchemy.

When activated with a flash of light, a dome was created from the ground, complete with a small door and what appeared to be the top of a chimney. It was tightly surrounded by large trees, concealing it well.

The older alchemist knelt by the entrance and set the automail arm inside, then returned the crutch to its owner.

"Get inside. I'm going to get some fire wood." The man was shivering from the cold and had his arms wrapped around his own body. His breathing was noticeably slower and it looked like every movement took tremendous effort to pull off.

"Hey." Roy turned to look at the kid with heavy eyes, having been stopped short of walking away. "Trying to do everything by yourself? I'm gonna help."

"Just get inside." His tone was strict and final, though almost lost within a gust of wind, which threw hair into both of the alchemists' eyes.

Ed's eye twitched from annoyance due to both Roy and his own bangs. And yet, he was admittedly reluctant to disobey the order; something the military had tried to hammer into him for years. Mustang looked like he was on the verge of passing out, and yet he didn't want any help.

"Fine; see if I care," the younger alchemist huffed and limped into the 'cave', relieved to be out of the rushing wind. The inside was pitch-black, just as cold as the outside and thankfully devoid of snow. All Ed could gather about the dirt igloo was that he had to crawl to get inside, and was able to stand up; the top of his head touched the ceiling. He understood that Roy wanted to make the dome as unnoticeable and small as possible.

Wait… Is this Mustang's way of calling me short?! Bastard…

Edward blindly found a wall and slid down it, tossing his unfortunately designed crutch to the side, hoping his skin didn't accidentally make contact with it in the darkness.

The Colonel soon joined him, lighting up the inside of the cave with a collection of sticks in his hand that he had previously set on fire so they could function as a torch. Without wasting a beat, the man inched towards a small semi-circle that jetted out from the main body of the dome to form a crudely made fireplace. He quickly and carefully placed the many sticks inside and with a snap, created a comfortable fire.

The blond teen crawled over to his arm that was resting by the entrance, then moved back towards the fire and set the metal limb in front of it, then sat against the dirt wall. Mustang watched him warily.

"You intend to attach that thing tonight, don't you?" Roy asked quietly, leaning against the wall next to the fire. He sounded just as exhausted as Ed felt.

"There's no point in putting it off… And if you're worried about me getting frostbite, don't be; whether or not I have the automail on or not won't make it any less likely," he explained, unconsciously placing a hand on his leg port in a vain attempt to keep it warm.

Mustang considered him quietly for several long seconds before giving in. "Fine; so how's it done?"

Ed looked down at the limb; the fire's light lit up the metal, making it look not as cold as it truly was. He leaned over to his crutch and placed it between the arm and the makeshift fireplace, but only after he slowly scratched a circle into the hard ground. He transmuted the crutch to create a small metal stick that resembled a thin lever.

"Alright," Edward sighed as he hauled the arm over his body, then onto his right side and allowed his jacket and coat to fall off of his right shoulder before laying face up on the ground. He then pulled the arm up to his shoulder port. "You have to stick this-" he held up the transmuted lever. "-into the shoulder joint once my arm is in place. Then turn it quickly and hold it there as my nerves connect."

Mustang's face paled. "Isn't that something that only experienced, medically trained, automail technicians should be doing? I'm not sure if-" He stopped and coughed.

"Oh, come on; it's simple. And you have to remove the shoulder plates too, to get to the joint." Ed shook the lever in his hand for emphasis and pointed out that one of the ends resembled the end of a screw driver.

Defeated, Roy accepted the tool and shifted over to Ed's right side. He gingerly lifted the limb and set it inside the port. The Colonel could only assume he did so correctly, since Edward didn't comment.

After gingerly unscrewing the protective plates over the shoulder, the insert for the lever was revealed. Roy had seen the inner mechanisms of automail before, but he'd never really gotten the change to examine it closely; especially the arm that belonged to his young subordinate.

"Oh, and make sure to hold my shoulder down… I've never had my automail attached without someone holding each limb down, but… it'll be fine."

Mustang said nothing in response. He was understandably nervous; attaching automail had to feel like surgery to anyone who was inexperienced. The majority of the process was surgery, after all. But anyone should be able to connect the nerves at that point, with proper guidance.

The Colonel placed the lever inside the small opening and hesitated. Paranoid thoughts are undoubtedly running through his head. Such as: what if something went wrong? What if he turned the level too far and broke something, or twisted it the wrong way? He didn't have the knowledge to fix any complications regarding the metal limb and Edward doubted he could do anything if he got injured in the process. The younger alchemist ignored the fact that the same thoughts occurred to him as well.

He's undergone the experience plenty of times and knew for a fact that there was very little to worry about. It must have been the lack of sleep that was tampering with his reason.

Every sensible part of his mind told him that nothing was going to go wrong. It was simple; just connect the nerves. Easy.

"Now just push it down and hold it. Don't stop until I say so, alright?"

Roy nodded, his mouth dry. He adjusted his grip on the handle and put his left hand down on Ed's other shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

Ed just nodded his eyes shut tight as he braced himself.

"Alright… Three…"

Edward gulped, fearfully anticipating the pain to follow. He hated the countdown…

"Two…"

Instead of saying 'one', Roy took a deep breath and pressed down on the lever, turning it forward. It only turned about 90 degrees before he felt something click, which he assumed to be the nerves connecting.

Edward inhaled sharply and dug his heels into the frozen ground as his left arm clawed into the dirt. His shoulders pushed back against Roy's force, struggling against the intense burst of agony that burned through his entire body. His mind demanded that he resist.

Roy held the lever there despite Ed's fussing until the teenager relaxed, breathing deeply and he waved Mustang away. The Colonel sat back and removed the lever, wiping a glimmer of sweat away from his forehead. He then moved back to his spot besides the fireplace.

They remained there in silence, with only Ed's rapid breathing and the crackling of the fire to fill the air. He slowly lifted his automail arm into the air and looked up at it as he experimentally bent the elbow, circled the wrist, and tested the fingers. It wasn't perfect considering it wasn't much more than a patch-up job, but it would do.

It was strange for the almighty Edward Elric to appear so weak and drained. Roy never knew just how painful attaching automail could be. Of course, he heard the stories of grown men being brought the tears as the nerves connected- but to see it first hand was entirely different. It also showed just how strong the young Elric truly was.

Eventually, the blond found the strength to pull himself up and drag his own body back towards the wall, on the opposite side of the fire as Roy. He was trying to hide his strained breaths and the involuntary shudder.

"You alright?" Mustang asked quietly as the blond worked on attaching the plates back onto his arm. He knew both of them were far from alright, but it was the only thing to say in the current situation. He couldn't refrain from voices his concern at the very least.

The teenager used his flesh arm to attempt to rub some heat into the metal port under his clothing. "Yeah, I'm fine. My ports just hurt from the cold… It wasn't bad back at the cabin but out here… I can handle it, though… How are you doing? You holding up okay? " He asked, directing the focus away from himself. The Colonel had been looking pale and out of sorts since the day before, for obvious reasons.

Roy considered the teenager for a moment; his diversion was not lost on him. "I'm fine." As if it was on cue, Roy suddenly inhaled sharply and sneezed into his arm.

"Are you getting sick?" Edward didn't need to ask.

Roy shrugged and turned his unfocused gaze to the fire. "I'll be fine."

Edward scoffed in disbelief but said nothing more on the topic. The silence stretched on once more until Mustang finally chuckled, earning a curious and mildly irked glance from the teenager.

"You know-" he shifted his position against the dirt wall and held his hands up to the fire. "-you and I are really quite similar." The golden eyes fell on him, expression unreadable. "Hawkeye once told me that, but I didn't see it at the time." The older man yawned and glanced away, towards the fire.

Edward watched him tentatively. It was so strange to see another side of his superior officer. He only knew him as the manipulative bastard who only cared about gaining rank. The blond was never able to tell just how much he cared and how far he was willing to go for the people who followed him. Throughout the terrible experience they've endured the past few days, some of Mustang's masks had slipped off, revealing something much more human underneath.

Some part of him still wondered if it was all just an act. By Mustang showing concern for his subordinate in a life or death situation, he would somehow gain something from in. But that just didn't make sense. Ed could think of many unreasonable explanations, but they didn't feel right. Therefor, Mustang had to be honest, right? This situation was just far too real for him to be manipulative. They both knew what was at stake.

The dull pain in his left leg and right arm increased, instinctively causing Edward to throw a hand on each port, miserably attempting to make the pain go away. While he was distracted, he failed to notice the Colonel watching him

"Hey, come here."

The teenager looked up at the voice's source in bewilderment as the fire's orange glow reflected off of the figure. Even in the dim lighting, he could see the Colonel's calm, almost nonchalant expression. "What? Why?"

"Just do it."

The younger alchemist hesitated, then reluctantly dragged himself past the fireplace, so he was about two feet away from Mustang in the small cave. It was curiosity that got him to move, above all else.

The older man tapped the dirt ground between him himself and the fire, wordlessly telling him to sit there.

Bemused, Edward furrowed his brow. "I was fine before," he muttered uncomfortably. He knew that Mustang was simply trying to help him, but it was still... embarrassing.

"Stop being stubborn, Edward. You're going to get hypothermia if you don't at least try to keep warm here."

Ed scowled but Roy did have a point. The blond grudgingly shifted over and sat up against the wall between Mustang and the flames, tensely folding his arms over his knees- or rather, knee. As soon as he felt the older man's shoulder against his own, he grew incredibly stiff in a vain attempt to somehow go unnoticed, despite the fact that he was invited to sit there.

He hated to admit it, but he did feel slightly warmer after moving. The wall, ground and air were as cold as ever but there was warmth mixed in as well. It was faint but it was there; Ed wanted to latch onto it and keep it from being swallowed by the frigid temperature, just like everything else.

Ed figured that sitting next to the Colonel would help fend off the cold but the other alchemist was surprisingly warm. He could only assume that it was because he was getting sick and it was worse than he originally thought. He should've said something. Edward should've yelled at him for keeping quiet.

And he would've, if his eyes weren't so heavy. The nerves connecting took a lot out of him. He opened his mouth to say something but no comprehensible words came out, besides idiot as his shoulders finally relaxed.

The blond hadn't gotten any decent sleep since he was captured; his body was screaming at him to save the thinking for later and rest so he could temporarily forget the hunger, his wounds, the aches and pains, everything.

Edward decided that it was a good idea. He'd deal with everything later so he could get some well-earned sleep for once.


AN: Sorry for the delay!

So, if I'm ever taking a long time to upload something, feel free to check out my profile for updates!

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter overall. There's just so much happening here and I really didn't want to spread it through more than one chapter and risk dragging it out. But I've basically written it twice now and this is the best it's going to get. For now. I just want to get to the parental fluff scheduled for chapter 5...

Also, I live in a desert. Therefore, I know nothing about the cold. I haven't even touched snow in years. So, dear readers, be merciful. ;-;

Well, thanks for reading and have a nice day.

(P.S. Car bombs were invented in the very early 1900's. Fun fact)