Ah, yes, updates… Longer chapter this time, didn't know a good place to split the story, so you don't get any real cliffhangers this time around… aren't you lucky? D

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All of a sudden, a huge storm blew in out of nowhere. The wind began pushing the plane way off course, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing before they ended up over the ocean. Thankfully he was a skilled pilot, so the landing was an easy one.

Indy shook Ed awake as the pilot checked the plane for damage. The small alchemist sat up and looked around.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We got caught in a storm. We're somewhere in Africa now."

"Does that mean we're stuck here now?" Ed asked irritably.

"If the plane's damaged, then yes, unless we just happened to land next to a town or city."

Ed groaned and looked out the window. There was a steady downpour of rain. He couldn't see very far, but he saw a shadow in the distance. It was moving.

Ed pointed this out to Indy, who looked out the window with Ed for a moment. "Stay here," he said as he went to the door. "I'll go see what's going on."

Ed continued to look through the window as Indy left the plane. After another moment, the shadow came close enough for Ed to see that it was a man. He spoke with Indy for a moment before turning back. Indy entered the plane and walked over to Ed.

"What was that all about?" Ed asked.

"That guy knows a mechanic nearby. He's going to see if he can get help."

"So are we near a town or something?"

"I guess so."

After a while, the man came back with two other men. One of them had a toolbox and began helping the pilot fix the plane. Eventually, he turned to Indy and spoke in a strange language.

"What's he saying?" Ed asked.

"He says it's going to take a few days to fix this, so we should go to his master's house to wait."

"His master?"

"Yeah, Mr. Smith. This guy works for him."

Ed blinked. "Wait, you mean that guy who said he knows my father?"

"That's the one."

"That's convenient."

"Sure is."

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After a trek through the African wilderness, they came to a house in the center of a small town. It wasn't big by Ed's usual standards, but it was the biggest house in the town.

The mechanic knocked on the door and stepped back. Moments later, Mr. Smith opened the door and looked with surprise at the two soaked travelers.

"Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"

"We were flying to Egypt, and we had to make an emergency landing nearby."

"Oh, so you're the ones my mechanic went to help. Come in, come in."

They entered the small house, and a servant took Ed's suitcase.

"Here, you two can stay in the guest room. I'm actually glad you're here. There's something I've been trying to figure out. Maybe you can help me. Of course," he continued. "You should change out of those clothes first. I wouldn't want you to get sick."

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Ed pulled off his shirt and sat on the bed for a moment. "So, what exactly does he do around here?" he asked Indy, who was changing behind him.

"He's studying African culture, and helping the poorer villages around here."

Ed pulled a dry shirt out of his suitcase before looking at his arm. He checked to make sure nobody was watching, other than Indy, and used alchemy to dry off the cloth that covered the metal.

Ed sat staring at his arm for a while, trying to figure out some way to avoid having to answer too many questions. Indy looked at his arm too for a moment.

"Just wear a long-sleeved shirt. Better make it a light one, though. Even though it's raining right now, it'll be hot when it stops."

"Right," Ed muttered, pulling on a light brown shirt. Once he was dressed, Ed followed Indy to the living room, where Mr. Smith was sitting in front of a pile of papers. He looked up when the two entered and gestured for them to sit down.

"So, Edward, you know a great deal about alchemy, right? Could you help me tomorrow? We found an odd transmutation circle nearby and we can't figure out what it's for."

"Yeah, sure," Ed replied, not wanting to be rude. Mr. Smith smiled and stood up.

"Very good. We'll go over early tomorrow morning."

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Ed woke up in the middle of the night to a hand covering his mouth. When he tried to pry it off, he realized he couldn't move his hands. Someone was pinning him down.

Ed looked around the room. Indy was still asleep, blissfully unaware of the fact that Ed was in the process of being kidnapped. Ed struggled to bring his hands together, but to no avail. He saw a shadow at his feet and kicked out at it. There was a muffled grunt, and whoever it was grabbed onto his flailing legs and pushed them down. That's when Ed tried to wake Indy up, but his voice couldn't be heard through the hand that was covering his mouth.

After a moment, Ed could make out the face of the man who had his hand over Ed's mouth. It was the mechanic who had agreed to fix the plane. He smirked at Ed before bringing the butt of a rifle into the side of Ed's head. Ed grimaced at the intense pain and went limp. He was barely conscious as his captors tied a rope around his arms and carried him out of the room.

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Indy woke up early the next morning. When he looked over toward where Ed had fallen asleep the night before, he was surprised to see that the young alchemist wasn't there. He got up and walked into the kitchen, where Mr. Smith was eating breakfast.

"Oh, you're up," he said, not really looking at Indy.

"Yeah. Where's Ed?" Indy asked.

"Oh, he went out early with my men to take a look at that circle. My mechanic said he was awake before anyone else. He'll be back around nightfall."

"Oh, okay," Indy muttered as he sat down. He spent most of the day assisting Mr. Smith with research and such.

That evening, Indy sat on the deck of the small house, waiting for Ed to show up. Mr. Smith joined him as the stars became brighter. "How strange," he muttered. "They should have been back by now."

Indy stood up. "Think something happened?" he asked.

"No, I doubt it. They probably were just running a bit late. If they don't show up in the next hour or two, then it probably means they didn't leave soon enough and are spending the night out there. I don't want them crossing through the wilderness at night."

Indy sighed and continued to wait. After a couple of hours, he gave up on waiting and went to his room. He was slightly surprised to see a few drops of blood on the floor.

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Mr. Smith examined the blood on both the floor and the small couch where Ed had been sleeping. After a few minutes, he straightened and turned to Indy.

"This isn't good," he said before leaving the room. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted those men."

"What, you mean the ones that Ed went with this morning?" Indy asked, following Mr. Smith to a small closet.

"Yes. Edward went with them, but I doubt it was willingly. And now there's no telling where they are."

"But why would they take Ed?"

"Don't you get it?" Mr. Smith asked Indy. "The reason that that boy knows so much about alchemy is because he is an alchemist. Those men are greedy. They'll probably force him to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. How do you know Ed's an alchemist? There's no way you can prove that."

"Think about it. He can easily decipher alchemy texts that take years for normal adults to understand. His father is Hohenheim. In case you didn't know, Hohenheim is perfectly capable of using alchemy, so it stands to reason that his son would have the same abilities. I know it's hard to believe, but…"

"No, I believe you. I've seen that kid use alchemy before."

"Then you should understand why it's so important to get him out of there. Come on. If we leave now, we may have a chance of finding them."

"But where would they have gone?" Indy asked.

"My best guess is that transmutation circle we found the other day. Those men are the ones who found it, so they might be trying to get Edward to use it."

They grabbed some supplies and jumped into a car just outside the village. The engine roared as they drove through the night.

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"Ugh… my head…" Ed muttered as he opened his eyes. He was in total darkness and firmly chained to the floor. Once Ed remembered what had happened the night before, he tried to bring his hands together, but to no avail. They were too far apart. He lay on the ground for a long time, not quite able to move. His head ached terribly.

He heard a noise, and light flooded the room. Ed shut his eyes as a pair of footsteps approached him. As a shadow fell over his face, Ed opened his eyes a little. Someone was standing over him. Ed couldn't see the man's face.

"So, you're awake."

"What the hell do you want with me?" Ed asked, ignoring the searing pain in his head.

"I know who you are. You're an alchemist, and we require your skills for a project."

"What kind of project?" Ed asked.

The man kneeled down next to Ed, his face still impossible to see because of the light behind him. "You know how to create a human being. We need that knowledge."

Ed blinked. "How did…"

"How did we know you could do something like that? It's simple. Your little friend told us."

"My… friend…?" Ed asked, trying to think. Then it dawned on him. "What did you do with him?"

"He's sitting with some friends of mine nearby. He'll be happy to see you."

Ed groaned. The pain was a bit much for him. He felt his eyes closing as the man stood up. "You begin your work tomorrow."

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Indy jumped out of the car before Mr. Smith turned it off and ran toward the cave that housed the mysterious transmutation circle. Once at the entrance, he slowed down and looked inside. There were a bunch of people sitting around, one of which Indy vaguely recognized. He was about to get closer when he felt a gun pointed at his head.

"Well now, why don't you go on in and check for Ed?" Mr. Smith asked with a smug grin. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Indy was about to retort when the people from the cave came out with guns. One of them grabbed Indy's hands and wrenched them behind the archaeologist's back. Mr. Smith gestured for Indy to enter the cave. Indy ended up sitting next to a fifteen-year-old boy who looked like a wounded puppy. The boy had a bruise on his face, but his hands were free.

"Now then, let's see if that alchemist is worth the trouble of getting him here."

"Wait, you mean all this was a setup?" Indy asked.

"Of course. With power like that, I'm amazed you haven't been taking advantage of it yourself, Dr. Jones."

"Because that's not fair to Ed. Do you really think he's going to be willing to help you?"

"Of course he will. He does let his emotions get the better of him."

Just then, someone walked up to Mr. Smith. "The boy's unconscious at the moment. You'll have to wait."

"Very well. Take these two away for the moment. They can come back for the show."

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Ed lay on the floor for a while, trying to think. What all did they know about him? Were they keeping his hands apart on purpose, or was it just a coincidence? And what exactly were they planning on making him do? He thought about it for a long time, but eventually he gave up. His head hurt.

After a while, someone entered the room and walked up to Ed. Ed looked sleepily at the person. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Get up."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"What do you think? I can't move like this."

The man sighed and let Ed go loose. Ed tried to make a break for it, but his body didn't respond the way he wanted it to, so he didn't accomplish much other than sitting up. The man stood next to him for a moment before holding out a hand. "Jeez. You're pathetic."

Ed slowly walked behind the man through some tunnels until they came to a large cavern. He was surprised to see Mr. Smith sitting nearby. The man next to Ed forced him to sit down next to the old man. Smith put down the papers he was looking at and faced Ed.

"So. You're awake."

Ed didn't respond. He hadn't trusted Mr. Smith, but he had hoped that the man would at least be somewhat kind to him. Instead, Ed found himself being forced to use alchemy for a man who didn't give a damn about Ed's life. Mr. Smith stood up and walked to the center of the cavern, where there was half of a transmutation circle on the ground.

"Now then, I'd like you to finish this."

"What is it?" Ed asked.

"You're a bright boy, you should be able to figure that out for yourself. Go ahead and look."

Ed stood up and began observing the unfinished circle on the ground. He paced around, trying to figure out what it meant. Finally, he stopped. "Human transmutation," he muttered. "You're trying to make a human?"

"Several humans, to be more precise. I need a lot of men for my next project, and what better way to get them than through making them?"

Ed shook his head. "You're a fool."

"I've heard that humans are nearly impossible to make. That is why I'm asking you to help."

"Asking?" Ed muttered. "That's an interesting way of putting it."

"Maybe I can convince you by offering something in return?"

"Yeah? Like what?"

"The lives of your companions, for one, and also," Mr. Smith put a hand on Ed's shoulder. "The chance to be reunited with your brother."

Ed broke away from the man in surprise. "You know where he is?"

"Yes, and I can make sure to let you see him again."

Ed paused. He thought hard about Smith's words. Getting to see his brother again? Was that really worth risking his life again? And what about Indy and Jeff? He couldn't exactly leave them to die. He thought about his brother again. Then it dawned on him.

"All right, I'll do it," Ed muttered.

Smith smiled. "Good, good. I have everything you need to do this. For now, though, why don't you just complete the circle?"

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Jeff sat in a corner of the room, his arms wrapped around his knees. "Sorry," he muttered. Indy looked over in confusion.

"What?"

"If I hadn't hung around Ed so much, they would never have found out that he knows so much about the human body, and then you wouldn't be in this situation."

"Hey, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have said so much about Ed's talent either. And even if I hadn't, there's still the fact that Smith seems to have met Ed's father at one point in time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, did Ed ever tell you how he lost his arm and leg?"

"You know about that?"

"Yeah, he showed me."

"No, I don't know anything about it. When I asked, he just said it was because he had done something stupid. He didn't elaborate."

"I wonder if it has something to do with alchemy."

"Could be. And then there's his brother-" Indy cut his sentence short as two men approached. They took the prisoners out of the room and brought them to an open cavern. Ed was standing nearby, and he looked with regret at his friends.

"Ed! What are you doing?" Indy shouted at the small alchemist. Ed looked away.

"He's about to help me out," Mr. Smith said, putting a hand on Ed's shoulder. "In exchange for your lives and getting to see his brother."

Indy stared at Ed in shock. "Ed, you don't actually believe him, do you?"

Ed looked at Indy again. "Sorry, but this… this is all I can do…"

"Don't be a moron! Ed!" Indy was about to continue when he saw Ed make a gesture with his hand. Indy stopped and looked at the ground. "You're being stupid, you know that?"

Ed looked back at Indy with sad eyes before turning to Mr. Smith. The old man nodded at Ed, who took up a position at the edge of the circle. He kneeled down, quickly brought his hands together, and placed them on the circle. There was a huge flash of light, and smoke filled the room.

Indy coughed and tried to look through the smoke. He felt something go through the ropes around his hands, and looked back to see Ed standing behind him, a wild grin on his face and a blade sticking out from his arm.

"Did it work?" they heard Smith call out. "I can't see anything."

Ed looked over at where the voice had come from and disappeared into the smoke, whispering to Indy, "Help Jeff." Once he had been lost from sight, Ed shouted, "I… I think it did… let me- Argh!"

"What? What happened?" Smith shouted. Indy laughed quietly as he grabbed Jeff's arm and led him through the cavern to the exit. Once outside, Indy pointed at a car. "Wait here," he said. "I'm going to help Ed."

Inside the cavern, Ed was using alchemy to cause quite a panic. There were flashes everywhere, and Ed would occasionally shout something like, "NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" and "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

Once Indy found Ed, the two made their way out of the cavern. Ed used alchemy to block off the entrance before turning to the car. Mr. Smith was holding a gun to Jeff's head.

"You brat. You tricked me."

Ed brought his hands together as he faced Smith. "Let him go," he muttered darkly.

"No, I don't think I will. Put your hands down, otherwise I'll kill him." Ed let his arms go limp as Smith laughed. "That was quite a display of alchemy there. I didn't realize you could use it without a circle."

Ed glared at Smith. "Let him go. He has nothing to do with this."

To Indy's surprise, Smith pushed Jeff away from him and turned his gun to Ed. "Very well. It's become painfully clear that you're of no use to me anyway," he said as he pulled the trigger. Ed fell back in surprise, clutching his chest. Indy was about to rush the old man when the car exploded, sending Smith flying. Once Indy was sure Smith wouldn't cause another problem, he ran to Ed's side.

Ed was clutching his side. "Heh, that guy doesn't know how to aim."

Indy looked at where Ed's hand was. "You're lucky he didn't hit anything important. Come on, let's get you out of here."

Jeff helped Ed get into another car as Indy got it started. Indy was surprised to see how well Jeff was taking all of this. He was even more surprised to see how Jeff was treating the now semi-conscious Ed.

"I've been wanting to become a doctor," Jeff said when he realized how surprised Indy was. "My brother's been helping me with that dream. Before Ed came, I was spending most of my time at the hospital, learning everything I could and helping patients."

"That's a good thing to learn," Indy replied as he drove through the night.

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Ed slowly opened his eyes. He looked around at the room he was in. It looked strangely familiar. After a moment, he realized he was in a hospital.

Ed tried to sit up, but it was too painful. Instead, he just looked at the ceiling, waiting for someone to come in. After a while, he heard the door open and looked over. Indy walked over to the bed and sat down next to it.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked.

"Fine. What happened?"

"We got out and drove to this city in the middle of the night. Smith got arrested, too."

"Where's Jeff?"

"He's with his brother, who was in the city looking for him. They're going home in a couple of days."

Ed tried once again to sit up, but Indy pushed him down. "I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"What exactly made you decide to trick Smith?"

Ed gazed at the ceiling. "When he said he'd help me see my brother again, the way he said it didn't imply that he meant Al would be free from the Nazis. I figured he meant that if I helped him, we'd end up back in Germany, and I didn't want that. Besides, it's impossible to create a human with alchemy."

"How do you know it's impossible?" Indy asked.

Ed was quiet for several minutes. Finally, he spoke again, his voice barely audible. "I've tried it before. You've seen the results of it."

"What do you mean?" Indy asked.

"Do you think it's just a coincidence that my brother's the way he is? Or that my body's like this? No, if you try human transmutation, you're doomed to fail." Ed looked at the ceiling. "And of course I had to drag my brother into it."

"Why did you try something like that?"

Ed sighed. "We were really young when our mom died. All we wanted was to see her again. We just wanted to be happy. And," Ed paused. "We thought we could do it. Ever since then, we've been trying to find a way to regain what we've lost, but everything's been a dead end so far."

"What else can I do? I already tried once, and look what good that did. I'm sick of this." Ed pulled his legs closer to his chest. "Nothing ever works for us." It was at that moment that Indy finally understood just how serious Ed had been.

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Jeff sat quietly outside Ed's hospital room. He had wanted to talk to Ed before nightfall, but at the moment someone was changing Ed's bandages. After a while, Jeff heard a crash in the room, and some shouts. Jeff tried very hard to resist the urge to go into the room to see what was happening.

After a while, two very flustered people walked out of the room. One of them walked down the hall while the other stopped in front of Jeff.

"Your friend's healing well, but it would have been nice to know beforehand that he hates milk."

Jeff looked at the man in confusion. "Is that what that was all about?"

"Yep. I take it you didn't know about his milk issues either?"

"No, I didn't have a clue."

The doctor sighed. "Well, you can go in there now, but don't expect him to be too happy."

Jeff nodded and cautiously went inside the room. Ed was sitting with his arms crossed, looking out the window. He didn't look happy in the least.

"Ed? Are you okay?" Jeff asked cautiously.

"No, I'm not okay. Those two just force-fed me the vilest stuff in the world."

Jeff suppressed a laugh. "Well, milk is good for you."

"Hey, I don't drink milk and I turned out fine."

Except for the fact that you're short, Jeff thought, but he didn't say that out loud. Ed glared at him.

"You want to say something about my height, don't you?" he asked in an accusing tone. "Well, you know what? It also has something to do with the fact that I have this weighing me down." Ed pointed to his right arm as he said this.

Jeff decided it was time for a subject change. He sat down next to Ed with a sigh. "How's your side?"

"It's fine. It should be healed in a couple of days."

"That's good. Jim says we're going to head back soon. Do… do you know what you're going to do after this?"

"Nah, I don't have a clue. I'll probably just keep traveling and trying to find my brother."

"What will you do after you find your brother?"

"I'm going to try and find a way to get home. Although, I don't know how easy that'll be."

"Why are you trying so hard?"

Ed stared at the bed. "I messed things up big-time for the two of us. Al is suffering a lot because of my bad decisions. I have to make it up to him, and the sooner, the better."

It was quiet in the room for a long time. After a while, Jeff stretched and stood up. "Well, I should go now. I probably won't be seeing you again, so goodbye. And thanks."

"Thanks for what? If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have had to deal with any of this."

"Maybe not, but now I know that I can become what I want to be. And besides, it was kind of fun, in a way."

Ed watched as Jeff walked to the door. "Hey, maybe we'll end up seeing each other again."

Jeff shrugged. "Could be. Bye."

"Bye."