Roy Mustang was at a loss for words. They just couldn't come, it was impossible to voice how he felt. In truth, there hadn't been much listening to be done, the figure before him was enough to capture even a deaf person's attention. In any other country it could only be considered a monster, pure and simple. The kind of monster that parents make legends about just so that they can get their little ones tucked up in bed. Roy was a bold man, he'd seen many soldiers killed on the battlefield, he'd seen children hold their parents hands as he burned them both, but still this took him aback. It wasn't that he'd never seen something like this, no, he'd certainly seen his fair share, but he'd never seen Fullmetal like this. The runt of a boy, innocent and childlike despite having been tossed a deck that even most adults couldn't bear the weight of, was now looming over him like a Shinigami.

He tried to get a grasp of his words and veil his shock, but it was futile. He still couldn't speak, he could only stare. It was like he was a child consumed by a disturbing yet captivating circus act that he couldn't bear the sight of but couldn't pull his eyes away from either. The boy had claws for heaven's sake! His golden eyes were still every bit as golden, but when they met Roy's they sent chills down his back. He wasn't afraid of Fullmetal, he knew that he wouldn't do him any harm, but he was afraid for Fullmetal. It was impossible to wrap his mind around the fact that this thing was really the immature alchemist he'd known for nearly a decade.

In this country, a select few would not call him a monster, they'd call him a chimera, but they'd run from him all the same. A chimera…was that even possible? Yes of course it was, he knew that…but was it really possible that Fullmetal could become one? His heart was beating out of his chest and he wanted to throw up simply due to the injustice of it all. Fullmetal looked awful, like something that had crawled out of a warped fairytale in the midst of devouring cute little piggies.

He'd had his humanity torn away from him and what was left was a science experiment, gone wrong, or right, depending on how perverse your mind was. Roy finally took a deep breath, closed his eyes and quickly opened them again, calming himself down. He couldn't afford to say anything stupid, this wasn't the time for any friendly mockery, whatever he said would have to be reassuring, and for Roy Mustang, that might pose a bit of a challenge. "So this is it…huh?" He mentally cursed himself, that wasn't reassuring at all! He sounded disappointed, what the heck was he disappointed about!? He decided to try again, "I can't believe this Fullmetal…What happened!?" He was mad, mad at whoever had done this to his subordinate and he made that clear…well at least the anger came out loud and clear but Roy wasn't quite sure whether Fullmetal understood that it wasn't directed at him, and he let a whole nother string of curses dance around his brain.

Fullmetal starred deeply into Roy's eyes. It haunted the Flame Alchemist. Chimeras had never bothered him; he'd never really considered their lot in life. He'd heard about Jerso and Zampano's quest to get their bodies back, but he'd never really understood it. In the brief thought he'd given it, he'd reached the conclusion that they were being dumb. Plain and simple stupidity was in order. They already had their bodies! They were right there! Yes, there was an added bit to them, some sort of animal, but who cares? It only made them stronger! They could be human when they desired, and super-human when it was required, it actually sounded like a pretty sweet deal to him.

But now that he was really thinking about it, he understood them. Sure they could look like normal humans whenever they wanted, but could they really ever feel like a human when they were in every sense sharing their bodies with a beast? And even after all that searching for a way to get back to normal, Zampano and Jerso had come up completely empty-handed. Lacking courage, Zampano had drunk himself to oblivion and still hadn't returned to his wife's side. After all, how could he? No one would want their love ones to see them and turn away in fear. The thought of it was enough to drive any man mad, and Zampano had simply fed it and doused it in alcohol.

This same fear was what had kept Fullmetal quiet. Even if he knew that his brother would understand, even if he knew that he would support him, how could he be certain that Winry would? And even if she did, what if Gracia and Elicia didn't? What if May didn't? Or Paninya? Or any one of his many friends…What if someone actually looked him in the face and called him a monster? He'd certainly had his reasons for wearing a mask, and Roy almost felt a little guilty for forcing him to take it off.

He didn't know where Zampano and Jerso were now, he didn't know if Jerso was watching out for his friend and weaning him off his flask, but he did know where Edward was, and he knew that he was in pain so deep that it wasn't even evident on his face.

Fullmetal quickly shifted back into a human, clearly not comfortable in his wolf-like form. He sighed and continued to stare at the general. He was silent. At this point, they were both too strained to even attempt to make sense, so talking was a useless art. The pity in Roy's eyes and the hurt in Fullmetal's was enough to fill the silence.

"Hey Al, Winry, you hungry?"

Alphonse spun around, he recognized the voice, but was still a bit caught off guard. He couldn't really be blamed for his jumpiness though, after all, his guardian had just been assassinated and the killer was still out there somewhere. The man speaking to him, however, was about as much of a suspect in his mind as Xiao-Mei. And in fact, he was starving. All the drama of last night had put the needs of his body on the backburner for awhile, but sitting out in the hall with Winry once again was starting to make his mind wander. Of course, he originally started out considering the important things. His brother's imposing incarceration, Pinako's funeral, Winry's tears, but a person can only take so much worrying before their appetite starts to sneak back and return a bit of normalcy to all the current craziness. Besides, after not being able to eat for so many years he had developed a newfound love for any and all cuisines. "Yeah," he whispered, nodding.

Winry mumbled something in-between her heavy sobs, but no one could make out what she was trying to say. "What was that?" Havoc asked, bending down closer to the girl.

Al had to admit that even though he'd seen it many times before, it was amazing to see Havoc back up on his feet and 'hard' at 'work.' Under any other circumstances he would have smiled at the man and maybe even hugged him, but he was depressed and no matter what a smile wouldn't form. "I'm not hungry," Winry repeated, lying her head back down on Al's shoulder.

Havoc nodded and straightened back up to give Hawkey the once over, "How bout' you?"

She quickly shook her head, but then stopped and started nodded, "Yeah, a bit."

Havoc rushed off down the hall to grab something for them, and once again the grave atmosphere clouded in again. "Winry," Al whispered, "You need to eat something…"

She shook her head and buried it deeper into the soft fabric of his shirt. Moments later Havoc came back holding a bag from which he produced burritos, he took one out and handed it to Riza, and then passed the rest of the food over to Al. Al starred down at the contents, there were two burritos left, he didn't need two burritos. Sure, he could eat them, and he might even want to, but he knew that he'd have to put his offer on the table again. "Winry, here," he said pulling one out and poking her in the back with the soft flour tortilla.

She pulled away from him, knocking the burrito to the ground, "I'm not hungry, Al!" she shouted, standing up and stepping on the food in her wake, "So just…leave me alone."

Al starred down at the salsa staining the floor, his pants, and Winry's boots, as she walked down the hall in a fit of rage. She had a certain grieving process, tears-anger-tears, she'd gone through it when her parents died too, and Al understood that she needed to go through it again. She was mad at the world for taking her grandmother away, and since she couldn't yell at the world she'd taken her angry out on Al instead, and her delicious burrito. Havoc clapped Al on the shoulder and he bent over to clean up the remains of Winry's lunch. "Moody women, can't live with them, can't live without them," he mumbled, casually as if flirting on mourners was part of his daily routine. Al just shrugged as he took a bite of his own helping while Hawkeye shook her head in annoyance; she was obviously the more considerate of the two military personnel. Though, in his own way Havoc was really trying to be there for the kids, he just didn't understand that the mood in this hallway was one that could not be lifted.

Al knew that he'd have to go after her and tell her that he was sorry for worrying about her, but first, he just wanted to finish his burrito.

Envy knew that he'd have to say something eventually, but gosh this moment of somber silence was ironic. Roy Mustang…Roy Mustang felt sorry for him. It was hilarious! He could hardly keep from bursting out in laughter. He'd killed the man's best friend, but simply by taking the form of an annoying pipsqueak and telling some phony sob story he practically had him shedding tears of compassion. It had been so easy! He could look like whatever the heck he wanted, so pretending to be a chimera was child's play! He'd taken the form of a wolf before, and he'd taken the form of a human, so how hard could a mixture of the two really be? The hard part, that came after. He'd have to explain just how Edward Elric had been enough of an idiot to allow himself to be turned into a chimera, and even if the runt was naturally an idiot, Envy was still fresh out of ideas.

"Do you get it now?" he asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

Roy shrugged, "I'm honestly not sure, Fullmetal, how…how could something like this happen?"

It was increasingly difficult for Envy's brain to keep up with his mouth. "It seems that Creta has developed an interest in bio-alchemy…" he whispered.

Roy cocked his head to the side, "Are you saying that this is the result of the border wars!? Creta's new weapon is kidnapping their enemies and experimenting on them?" This was all a bit hard to believe, very hard to believe, but still…it isn't like Fullmetal would do this to himself.

Envy slowly nodded, yeah sure, why not? Creta could take all the blame and Envy would just kick his legs up and watch the ants scramble about under his feet, until he stepped on them, that is. "Most of the civilians were just brutally murdered, they've been killing them off little by little but this time it was just a full blown slaughter."

"Without a trace of blood?" Roy asked, "That's odd."

"They took them back to Creta with them, practically kidnapped the whole town and sorted through those who would be of use to their experiments and those who wouldn't, obviously I was…of use." He could only hope that he was making sense, but he wasn't so sure. If anything that he said sounded impossible then he was done for and a fierce battle might break out right here and now. He was trying to think things through, but he was really just too arrogant to do so fully. So, he came off as highly improbable, but the proof was in the pudding and Roy still had his blind faith in Fullmetal, with the added effect of pity Roy would believe anything the homunculus said. He was a smart man, but all the logic in the world wouldn't be able to decipher the truth from the lies in this situation. Fullmetal couldn't be lying about being a chimera, so why would he lie about Creta? Logic and truth didn't see the sense in that, and neither did Roy.

"So, where are all the other chimeras?" That was the real question. If Fullmetal was telling the truth, then there would have to be some other survivor out there.

Envy shrugged, "How should I know? I barely made it out of their sick little lab myself." Of course, this was code for, I'm a giant liar who isn't even creative enough to build upon my lies, but Roy didn't need to know that.

"Hum…and the Fullmetal Alchemist 'hero of the people' didn't think to try to take anyone else with him…?" Roy asked, casually sipping coffee and acting like each question wasn't a stab in the back to Fullmetal.

Envy sighed, this was becoming exhausting. It was so hard for a murderous homunculus to keep up with the pipsqueak's hero complex…He was tempted to turn his hands back into knives and end the conversation with the general bleeding out on the ground, but with a bit of willpower and patience he kept his hands as hands and Roy's blood inside of his body. "I didn't know where any of them were! And besides…all I was thinking about then…was coming home to Al."

Roy nodded his head ever so slightly, "I understand, Fullmetal, now give me the details, the more the better. Leaving out a single thing could put you behind bars for the rest of your life, so you'd better be ready to answer some questions." This, the Pendleton case, was really something that he had a bit of authority on. If Roy didn't like the boy's answers that really could have a say in his hearing.

Envy sighed once again, "Fine. But I want some coffee."

"I didn't even know that you drink coffee, Fullmetal," Roy replied, grinning.

"I think it's time to start," Envy muttered, running his fingers through 'his' flowing golden hair.

Winry wasn't mad at Al, not in the least. She wasn't even mad. She was just…scared. Her brain was spinning a million miles a minute and she felt like she'd just gotten off a carousel on steroids. She couldn't focus on any one thing; her mind flickered from Pinako to Ed, Al, and a pure abyss of useless depression. She felt like she was breaking down from the inside out and she just wasn't sure how to put herself back together again, or if she even could.

What if Ed was guilty? No…not possible…right? What if the killer came back and murdered Al? That was unlikely…she hoped. What if the killer came back and murdered her?

She couldn't handle losing one more person, in fact, she'd felt that way before her grandmother was gone too, and now it had been amplified a thousand times. She didn't dare think of what she might do if she lost both Ed and Al…She didn't dare, it was unfathomable. Then, she would truly be completely alone in the world with no family to cling to whatsoever. Already, every blood relative she had was gone, and to lose even her self appointed brothers…She had never been a suicidal person, never even thought about it. She'd had her fair share of hard times, actually far more than her fair share (the world had cheated her a bit), but yet she'd stood strong. She used her knives to cut even slices of cake and her pills to keep her healthy and cold free. But, for the first time in her life she wondered what she might do if she was really taken to that brink of desperation and pushed off the side of its highest peak.

She had only ever felt even close to this the day that she'd realized that Ed was never coming home. The day that she'd starred out the window and thought. She'd had too much time on her hands and the sun was shining so brightly in the sky, it was peaceful really. The peace let her mind run through its valleys and the daises in the grass were withering. That, had been the moment that it'd really occurred to her that Edward was probably dead. It was random really, he'd only been gone for a year and a half then, but that realization came to her so clearly that she'd been left with no choice but to accept it. She had almost felt as if something deep inside of her, some psychic part of her that hadn't yet presented itself was giving her its firm perspective on things. Her all knowing split personality was certain that he was dead, and in her fragile state of unknowing she'd listened. From that day on, Ed had been dead to her. Not in the way that she didn't love him anymore, but in the way that she'd needed closure and she'd chosen to close things in the most depressing manner possible.

Al, apparently, never got the same premonition, so he moved on with as much hope as a newborn babe. Winry had hated that, and loved it all at the same time. If he kept hope alive, maybe she should allow herself to doubt her doubts and open her mind up once more. On the other hand, she was so afraid of deluding herself, so afraid of facing disappointment later that she was willing to take on misery like a truly despised travel companion.

Still though, even when her whole family was suffering through those impossible three years of missing the boy with the shining eyes and the even brighter smile, she hadn't thought about taking her sorrow out on her own body. She hadn't cut her skin, or taken a sip of alcohol, and she wasn't going to now. She missed her grandmother, and this time she could be certain that optimism would be delusion, but she would keep walking forward. If Ed and Al got ripped away from her, she might crumple to her knees, lock herself in her house and never face the sun again, but she'd still try her very best to walk forward. Even if it would only be to the bathroom and the kitchen.

She felt bad now for snapping at Al like that, but was too upset to attempt at apologizing. She was trapped in a delicate state of mind and was afraid of what might come out her mouth next, so it would be best if she just stayed on the roof alone with the wind blowing through her hair. As much as she wanted solitude, however, apparently it wasn't meant to be, someone was tapping on her shoulder. She spun around and was surprised to see Al. At times, it still felt a bit off not to hear his footsteps from a mile away, he snuck up on her a lot now and she was worried that one of these times she'd get stricken with a heart attack and die. It wasn't probable in the least, but hey, if the strongest women she'd ever met could be stabbed to death in the space of just a few minutes, then anything was possible.

"Hey, Winry," Al whispered, taking his finger off her back and then jabbing it back into her skin again. It was on the edge of irritating, but she knew that she'd already been enough of a jerk and yelling at him for being obnoxious would not do anyone a lick of good.

"Sorry," she whispered back, trying her best to keep it short and sweet.

He smiled at her and shrugged, "It's fine! I understand!" His smile slowly faded until he looked like he was on the verge of tears again, "I don't blame you for being upset, Winry…I am too. Granny was…like a mother to all of us."

A lump formed in her throat as tears spilled down her cheeks and she pulled her brother into a firm hug. He couldn't have put it in a better way. Pinako had been more than just a mother to her, she'd be everything. Everything and everyone she'd ever needed. She'd been there for Ed and Al every step of the way too, without her Ed would be dead, and thus, Al would still be an empty shell of hulking metal that could hardly walk around without crashing into walls and stepping on babies.

Al's words though, did more than just portray her feelings towards her grandmother; they made her realize just how much she loved him. She loved Edward, but he'd missed the last three years, the last three years where all Winry had, had was Pinako and Al. Their little family of three had been glued together with sticky grief and would never let go of each other's hearts. She'd need him, now more than ever. She'd need Ed now more than ever too, but she was worried that he'd leave her again, he just didn't feel as constant anymore, as reliable as Alphonse who had and would always be there for her. He was her brother in every definition of the word, and she was going to hug him until her tears slowed and her gentle whimpering quieted.

Coffee in hand, in both their hands actually, they continued their conversation. Though both of them knew that this was far more than just some casual exchange over a cup of coffee, this would determine whether Fullmetal had any sort of future or not, at least, that's was Mustang believed. Envy knew that this conversation was as pointless as pointless gets. Fullmetal wouldn't have any sort of bright future, that had already been determined, Envy though; his future couldn't be stopped by any stupid human trying to play with his made-up authority.

"So, you were staying at a hotel and you heard shouting outside of your window," Roy stated, practically parroting exactly what Envy had just told him.

The homunculus nodded, "Yeah."

"And that was when the Cretans came, correct?"

Another nod.

"Then you left your hotel room, got hit in the head with the butt of a rifle and woke up in a makeshift prison cell surrounded by other civilians and a few Cretan alchemists?" Roy pressed, trying to get the facts straight in his head before asking any further questions. Envy just nodded once again, trying to figure out what the general was getting to. "So, what did it feel like to be turned into a chimera?"

Envy had not been expecting this question, and he didn't like this question, not one bit. Anything he said would sound wrong, he'd either come off as too vague or add some impossible little detail that would give him away in two seconds flat. If he lied about this, it could be verified with a simple phone call to that gorilla guy, or the lion man. He'd have to be careful, but he couldn't take an hour to think of the perfect answer either… "It felt like I was being ripped apart, all over again." He prided himself on that last bit, it was a nice touch, and his brief knowledge of the gate had contributed in it a lot. The gate had stolen the pipsqueak's arm and leg as an equivalent exchange, but what was the equivalent exchange in becoming a chimera against a person's will? That was a curious thing…What was the equivalent exchange in dying, and what type of equivalent exchange had Pendleton really received? He hadn't a clue, all he knew was that he liked equivalent exchange when it cheated others out of equality and gave him all the goodies. He was an all powerful homunculus after all, and apparently alchemy's number one rule favored him so much it was willing to break.

"Really? How does it feel to have another creature practically living inside of you?"

Envy shrugged, "I can't actually really feel it that much, other then that my more feral nature might show a bit."

Roy grinned widely, "Feral nature? Fullmetal, that showing is not a new thing."

Envy didn't get what he meant by that, perhaps he was referring to the pipsqueak's hot temper, but that wasn't really what he'd meant by feral, he'd been thinking more around the 'animal instincts' line, but whatever. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, "Can't you be serious about anything?" he growled.

"Right, right, sorry, Fullmetal," Roy said, with a slightly annoyed sigh, "Now just tell me how you escaped from Creta and I'll let you go back into the hall where you can tell Alphonse how aggravating I am."

"Gladly," Envy mumbled. "The alchemists hadn't expected me to learn how to utilize my strength so quickly, and I broke the bars in the middle of the night, put a guard to 'sleep' and ran off into the darkness, you happy?"

"Not especially, that's pretty vague...what exactly did you do to the guard and why was there only one stationed? How was the building set up and where were you in retrospect to the exit? And what exactly were the bars on your cell made of?"

Envy groaned, he was really going to be in this office for the rest of his immortal life, he could see it now, sitting across from a skeleton that was still asking him the most ridiculous questions in the universe and grinning like an idiot the whole way.

Riza Hawkeye wasn't sure what was going on in Roy's office anymore, they had both really been in there for hours and she was beginning to get a bit worried. For all she knew Edward really was guilty of Pinako Rockbell's murder and was currently doing the same to Roy Mustang. She resisted the urge to push the door open, however, and instead focused her attention on the sounds around her, make sure that there was still highly muffled voices coming from inside and not any cries for mercy, not that Roy would necessarily be the one crying. Though her ears told her that all was well her hand hovered over her holster all the same.

"So, do you think that the chief's guilty?" Havoc asked a cigarette between his fingers and his lips.

It took her a moment to realize who he was talking about, and when she finally did all she could do was shrug. "I'm not sure, but I think it's best to always be prepared for worst, Havoc."

He sighed, "I knew that you'd say something like that. I really hoped that you wouldn't though, I'm not asking for facts, Hawkeye, I just want your opinion."

"I can't give you my opinion," she replied, "I think he's innocent because I want him to be. I think he's guilty because that's what the evidence has told me." She paused, for a moment before asking, "What do you think?"

Havoc grinned, "I think he's innocent."

"Why's that?" she questioned.

"Because he's Edward Elric, there's no way he'd do something like this! Come on, Hawkeye, have a little faith in humanity!" he answered, chuckling a little.

She suppressed a smile, not wanting him to know how contagious his optimism could be. "So, you think he's innocent because you want him to be too."

Havoc rolled his eyes at her and pulled his cigarette away from his mouth. "That's not…" he sighed, "Yeah, yeah I guess so."

"What is it?" Envy asked, leaning over the desk in a vain attempt to hear the voice coming in through Roy's telephone. The look on the general's face suggested that the conversation either wasn't going well, or hadn't stood a chance of going well in the first place. Roy glared at him and pressed down on the homunculus's shoulder until he was planted in his seat again. After a few more minutes of impatient agony Roy set the phone down and starred at Envy, hard.

"Looks like you've got a busy day ahead of you, Fullmetal," he announced.

Envy grinded his teeth as he tried to keep from ripping the man's throat out, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"I hope that you've enjoyed our little interview, because you have another one in an hour, good luck," Roy said, grinning, laughing, and pissing Envy off.

"It's not funny!" Envy walked towards the door, opened it, and quickly slammed it behind him.

Hawkeye was still standing by the doorway, her face made of stone despite the homunculus's obvious outburst. "How did it go, Edward?" she asked, innocently enough.

Envy rolled his eyes at her, "I had a blast."

She smiled at him warmly, "I'm sure that he wasn't near as hard on you as the professionals will be."

"Thanks, lieutenant, that makes me feel much better."

Talking to him, she almost felt bad for ever doubting him. Maybe she really should have more faith in him…Maybe Havoc was right, for once. Speaking of Havoc, he was still there, smoking a cigarette and patiently watching the scene play out before him. He finally spoke up, "Nice to see you're alive and well, chief, it's been awhile."

Envy smiled at him, it felt unnatural, but he figured that it's what the real Edward Elric would do. "Nice to see you too!" he beamed.

"Winry and your brother ran off that way," Havoc said, pointing down the hallway.

Envy nodded, "Right thanks!" He ran the direction that the second lieutenant had suggested even though he wasn't certain he wanted to deal with those two humans constant whining at the moment, but with Ed's love for them to account for he really wasn't left with much of a choice.

Hawkeye waited until he turned a corner and couldn't be seen anymore before quickly opening the door to the Flame Alchemist's office. "Sir," she whispered, before clearing her throat and trying again, "How did the interrogation with Edward Elric go?"

Roy shrugged, "Fine, I guess."

She was dying of curiosity but was worried that prying might not be the best idea, so she settled for a simple, "What conclusion did you reach?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I…he's…innocent?" He didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but with all the uncertainty in the world he couldn't possibly make it sound like a statement.

"He is, Sir?" Hawkeye asked, "So he didn't kill Pinako Rockbell or have a hand in the disappearance of Pendleton?"

Havoc stepped into the room and sat down on the chair Envy had been in moments before. "Oh so you just listen to him when he say's the kid is innocent, huh?" he mumbled, sounding pretty annoyed. "Why don't you ask him if he thinks Edward is innocent because he wants Edward to be innocent?"

Even though the question was coated in Havoc's whiny childlike complaints, the words were Hawkeye's, and they struck Roy in a way. What if they were true? What if despite the fact that they weren't even intended for his ears they were still every bit as valid? In reality, he hadn't a clue whether Fullmetal was innocent or guilty, he'd simply given Hawkeye the first answer that had popped in his mind, and it had popped in because he'd invited it for dinner.

Hawkeye switched back and forth from glaring at Havoc and regarding Roy with mild concern. "Because," she answered carefully, "Mustang has facts now, what do you have?"

Roy put his hands up to silent them, "No…You're right, lieutenant, I honestly can't be sure yet whether Fullmetal committed the crimes or not. All I know…is that he is now a chimera."

Hawkeye spun around from facing Havoc to facing Roy in two seconds flat, her large eyes nearly being thrown out of their sockets and Havoc spit his cigarette out of his mouth with such force that it nearly hit Roy's cheek. "What's that supposed to mean!?" Havoc shouted.

"He showed me his new chimera form, and one thing that I can be sure of, is that it is one-hundred percent real."

"Brother!" Al cheered, upon seeing Envy climb up the steps to the roof. He hugged the fraud and smiled widely at him. "How did it go? The general realized that you're innocent right?"

Envy grinned at him, "Yeah, I'm sure that he did."

"That's great, Ed," Winry whispered, a small smile framing her lips as well.

Envy smiled back at her, "You know that I didn't do it right, Winry?"

She quickly nodded at him, "Of course." Though, in fact, like Roy Mustang she hadn't a clue what to be sure of anymore. She wanted to believe that Ed was innocent, but she was also terrified that if she defended him she'd be defending her grandmother's killer, and she was more afraid of that more than anything else.

"Good…because I don't think…that I could bear it if you actually thought that I was capable of something like that."

Al let go of Envy and turned towards Winry, still smiling as widely as ever. "Don't worry, Winry, brother and I will find Granny's real killer and bring them to justice!"

Winry nodded, "I want to help too."

"It's going to be dangerous, Winry," Al warned.

"So? It isn't like Ed's anymore powerful than I am anymore," she replied, smartly.

"Hey!" Envy shouted, "I still have way more fighting experience than you!"

She shrugged, "Maybe, but I guess we'll see who's protecting who when the time comes. All that really matters is that we do catch the guy."

"Right," Al agreed.

Heavy footsteps interrupted their conversation and Winry looked up to see a large man dressed in a military uniform walking towards them. "Edward Elric," he boomed, "It's time for your interrogation."

"It hasn't even been an hour!" Envy snapped, receiving a glare from the man.

"What's going on?" Winry asked.

Envy shrugged, "Apparently the general is too much of an idiot for the state to rely solely off of his interrogation, but don't worry, I'll pass this one with an A+ too!" He gave her the thumbs up sign as he followed the man back down the staircase.

"So wait, let me get this straight, Edward was kidnapped by Creta and turned into a wolf chimera?" Havoc gaped, trying to get his dropped jaw back in hinge.

Roy nodded, "That's what he told me anyway."

"Does Alphonse know about this?" Hawkeye asked him. He slowly shook his head in reply. "Shouldn't we tell him, Sir?"

Roy shook his head again, "I'm certain that Fullmetal would rather we didn't, he'd probably rather tell his brother himself."

"Yes, you're almost certainly right, but if things keep going on this way he might not get a chance for quite awhile, and I really think that Alphonse deserves to know," Hawkeye replied.

"What do you mean 'going this way'? You really think that he's going to be locked up…don't you?" Roy questioned, feeling unsure of whether he wanted an answer or not.

Despite his uncertainty Hawkeye supplied an answer, "Yes. Whether he is innocent or guilty, he looks guilty…without a doubt. Those who don't know Edward Elric will feel without a moments hesitation that a murderer is in their midst and they will incarcerate him. That is why we may need to tell his brother, because I don't think that Edward will get the chance."

"Whoa, that's jumping the gun! Everyone knows that the chief is a hero, so there's no way that they'd lock him up that quickly!" Havoc shouted.

"Havoc, open your eyes. He's the only survivor from Pendleton and he was the only one at the house when Pinako Rockbell was murdered, what does that sound like to you?" she asked, remaining perfectly calm, with just the slightest tinge of annoyance.

He sighed, "It sounds like he's guilty."

"Exactly, hero or not, his good name has been stained and letting him go free could possibly pose a threat to Amestris. If he really took out Pendleton, then who knows what he's capable of, especially if he's now a chimera."

"Fine, but we'll face this when the time comes…" Roy replied, "If the time comes."

Hawkeye nodded, "Of course, Sir." She paused and the office went silent for the briefest of moments before it dawned on her that she'd forgotten to ask something. "Oh and, Sir, you remembered to ask Edward about Selim Bradley, didn't you?"

Roy slowly shot her a blank look that was anything but reassuring. "No, I forgot, but I highly doubt that the two occurrences are related in the least."

"You still should have asked," Hawkeye stated, her eyebrows creasing ever so slightly.

"Like I said, it really doesn't matter, lieutenant," Roy mumbled back, his eyebrows furrowing as well.

"Both Edward and Selim disappeared within the same week; I'd hardly call it a coincidence, sir."

Roy glared at her, "So what are you suggesting? Edward was in two places at once?" He scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Lieutenant, I'm sorry to inform you that alchemy is still not able to create clones."

She bit her lip to keep from yelling, "I'm not saying that, actually, Selim's disappearance could work in Edward's favor."

"So, Creta targeted Selim too? That doesn't even sound remotely possible…" Havoc grumbled, spinning around in the desk chair.

Hawkeye starred down at her hands, "Or perhaps Selim was in league with Creta."

"Are you suggesting that he's become Pride again?" Roy asked, clearly in stark disbelief.

Hawkeye quickly nodded, "Yes, Sir, I believe that we may have a homunculus on our hands."

Roy rested his head in his hands, "So then, Pride…seeking revenge against Fullmetal allied with Creta to wipe Pendleton off the map and Fullmetal along with it?"

"I'm not sure, Sir, but from Mrs. Bradley's report it seems as though Selim went missing before the attack on Pendleton, so what you just stated seems increasingly likely," Hawkeye replied, setting her hand firmly on Havoc's chair to stop his childish spinning.

"That's all good and well, lieutenant, but you forgot something," Roy whispered.

"Oh, and what is that, Sir?" she asked, dubiously. She had thought the facts over well before making such a suggestion, and the prospect that there might be a hole in it was quite surprising.

"If Selim…or rather, Pride, had really wanted revenge against Fullmetal, then he would have just killed him, not turned him into a chimera. That is, after all, the nature of all homunculi," Roy whispered, his voice filled with worry and somberly masked fear.

Hawkeye was silent, he had her stumped. Homunculus…revenge…killing…There was more to Roy's little observation then met the eye. "I think…that a homunculus murdered Pinako Rockbell."

"Ah, so Selim's plan to murder Fullmetal was spoiled by Creta's desire to experiment and he went to Resembool to take the matter into his own hands, but wound up killing the wrong person, or maybe her murder was a warning to Fullmetal…"

Hawkeye slowly nodded, looking a bit unsure of whether the gesture was appropriate or not. "That may be the case…" Though, in her head she wondered if this all might be a bit too big for Selim Bradley to take on, it all sounded so far-fetched that the doubts couldn't help but flood in. And, in the back of her mind she wondered if he might have had help…If they might be dealing with more deadly sins than just Pride.

Ah Geez, I apologize for being so dreadfully late on this update, and this chapter is really not near as spectacular as I had hoped, but I had to get it posted, I didn't want to make you guys wait another two weeks. I hope that it turned out okay, besides being really long and not doing much with the progress of the story. On a brighter note, happy tenth chapter! Yay! I finally made it into the double-digits, and to thirty-five thousand words!

Thanks a ton for reading and please review! I appreciate all of your reviews so much; you guys really are all the best and thanks so much for being patient with me, I'll try to start updating faster!

Also, how long do you think each chapter should be because I just keep getting longer and longer and I don't know if you like long chapters or would rather that I just write shorter ones and get them posted out to you faster, so leave your opinion in a review please, thanks.