"Where is it you ask? As if I'm obliged to answer to you. My creation is in a safe, convenient place for the time being. When it's needed, I'll get it." said Michael, the man behind Ed and Winry's kidnapping and the attacks on Aura.

"And just what do you need it for? I'm telling you that thing can't be trusted and needs to be destroyed before it causes more problems. You claim to know so much about me, but did you even pay attention to the destruction the last created homunculus brought on? How could you want to bring that kind of creature back into being?" Edward said angrily.

"You wouldn't understand, creating it wasn't something I wanted to do. It was something I needed to do. And I did learn a lot about you, Mister Fullmetal Alchemist. You've had quite a few interesting adventures over the years, haven't you? Although, the one that caught my interest happened to be the discovery of your sister here. Specifically, the fact that your dear sister is from a different version of our world. And not just that, but she apparently shares lineage with both our world and this parallel one. A rare situation that has made her a very uniquely powered individual. A half-breed, if you will."

"I prefer the term 'Glitch' myself, but hey, whatever works." Aura added in with a shrug of her shoulders, interrupting Michael for a moment before he continued.

"Whatever the name, learning this encouraged me to work on my homunculus project. And once I had successfully created it, the new life I made confirmed what I had been hoping to discover. That there is indeed a parallel world at the other end of the portal. My family is alive and whole in your sister's world, I know it. And now our plan is nearly complete for both myself and my homunculus to get what we've each so desperately wanted for so long."

Edward pounded both fists against the table and stood up suddenly. "You crazy bastard, you're planning to use the homunculus to get you to the other side, aren't you?! Just to see a family that may not be there and may not even recognize who you are? You'd bring death and destruction to your own world for that pipe dream?"

"I'D DO ANYTHING TO SEE THEM AGAIN!" Michael's cool demeanor gave way to one of rage and anger. "You don't understand how much it hurts... how could you dare to judge me or my pain..." Michael hung his head down and took a few breaths to regain his composure. "I don't expect anyone to understand, but there is one thing I'm sure of. I know that you wouldn't let your family end up the way mine did. Not if you could do something to stop it. So I'd suggest untying me and let us be on our way before that starts to become a possibility."

Edward leaned across the table and laughed heartily. "Ha ha! And what makes you suddenly think you have that kind of leverage over me now? You're the only one here, and honestly you're a little tied up at the moment to harm them!" Edward gestured his thumb towards his brother and sister.

"Very well, but please don't forget I gave you a chance to do this the easy way. LEVEL TWO ACTIVATE!" Michael yelled up at the ceiling. Seconds later, Aura clutched at her chest and screamed out in pain.

"Agghhh, it's this...pain again...can't move... Ed, it's his device, he can...activate it by...voice! AHHHH!" Aura dropped her travel bag on the floor and collapsed to her knees by the table. She had one hand over her heart and the other desperately gripping the side of the table. Lan Fan immediately ordered her guards to search the surrounding area for the device before disappearing herself.

"You son of a bitch, turn it off, NOW!" Edward said as he reached across the table and punched Michael in the face. He swung again and demanded the device be turned off again. The room was deafening between Aura's cries of pain and Edward's yelling. Despite the commotion Michael remained calm, even during Ed's assault. Edward swung several more times before stopping to catch his breath. Michael used the pause to speak again.

"I have no intention of turning the device off until I'm released and allowed to leave with Aura. She is an integral part of our plan, but if you don't let us go, I have no problems with allowing you to kill her by proxy. Listen to her scream Edward, there are five levels on that device and she's only on two right now. Maybe you should see what happens on level three, I hear that's when the bleeding starts..."

"Stop this now, you're killing her!" said Alphonse, who had gone to Aura's side in an attempt to catch her and make her more comfortable. Aura was still crying out, trying to not let this pain overwhelm her like it had done the first time. It's like something is squeezing my heart, constricting its movement and energy somehow. This must be what a heart attack feels like.

"You know what to do to make it stop Fullmetal! Untie me and let us go now, I won't tell you again before I move on to the next level!" Michael yelled to the brothers. Al looked at Edward, who was panicked over hearing his sister in so much pain. He held his hands up on either side of his head and cringed at the thought of letting his sister be taken away by this mad man. But what could they do to stop this control he had over her?

He slammed his fist back against the table again and shouted out "ALRIGHT, STOP THIS NOW." He stepped behind Michael's seat and clapped his hands together. He touched the rope binding his arms and they broke apart and disintegrated into dust at his feet. "You're free, now turn it off!"

Michael stretched his arms out in front of him, then slowly stood up as Edward stepped in front of him. "I said I'd stop it once she and I were allowed to leave. Get out of my way, the longer you stand in my way, the more she suffers. I don't want that any more than you, but I'll let it continue if need be." Ed moved aside and let him pass by. He approached Aura and yelled out "DECREASE TO LEVEL ONE!". He picked up her travel bag and threw it over his shoulder, then leaned over to bring her to her feet. Her cries of pain seemed to lessen after he decreased the power level, but she could barely stand on her own. She stood doubled over as her captor held her against him for support.

"It'll be completely turned off once we're gone. Don't follow us or I'll skip to level four. Please don't test me, she's been through enough already." His frowning expression softened for a moment into what could have been seen as remorse or sorrow. "I do apologize for this, but I told you I'd do anything to see them again. And I meant it." He walked out with Aura, keeping his eyes on the two brothers until they cleared the threshold. As she disappeared from sight, Ed made like he was about to go after them, but Al held him back. Ed resisted for a moment, then collapsed to the floor and slammed his fists down in anger. "Tell me we didn't have a choice Al! Tell me we had to let them go to keep her from dieing!"

"Shh Ed..." Al said as he approached the doorway and cupped his hand over his ear. "I can't hear her anymore. He must have turned it off, so at least he kept his word in that regard. And no, we didn't have a choice brother. He was intent on either taking her with him to get to his family, or kill her in the process."

Lan Fan and her guards returned from their search. "I'm sorry boys, we couldn't find any trace of that box you described to us earlier. We should go get Aura back and recapture him before he gets too far ahead." She made to leave, but Edward put up his hand and gestured for them to stop.

"No, we can't approach him again. He threatened to hurt her even more if we gave chase, and I believe he's desperate enough to do so if he's stopped again. We have to think of some other way to get to them before he can use that device or before he uses her to open the portal. I'm at a loss right now with where to even begin though. Her screams are all that I can hear, even in this silent room. He knew exactly what our weakness was, and he exploited the hell out of it. After all the planning to catch him, we ended up the ones who were cornered."