Disclaimer; I don't own anything

A/N; Two years passed before I had even realised it. Life got in the way, and the motivation and inspiration that I started this story with slowly faded until I was looking at it and continuously saying 'I'll write it later'. I always have intended (and always will intend) to finish this story, and I have planned the rest of it out now. For everyone who has stayed with me, thank you and I hope this chapter was worth it. For those who sent me reviews recently and reminded me that I needed to do something about this story, thanks for giving me the kick I needed.

Please enjoy this chapter and expect more to come!

Chapter Ten

Bad-temperedly Edward kicked at the stone wall of his cell with his flesh foot. He regretted this almost instantly; not only did dull pain explode from the point of impact, but his automail decided, at that moment, to act up and collapse beneath him, sending him crashing down to the floor.

Grumbling and cursing to himself Edward rolled over and sat up. It had been hours since Cooper had left him in this cell after forcing him to chase that mouse, and there had only been so long that he could be depressed about that. Now he was mostly sulking about being trapped.

'I hate this place,' he thought viciously, suppressing the urge to kick the wall again.

It was dark, and enclosed, and it kept him trapped and away from his brother, who was likely going mad with worry by now. The last thing Edward had wanted was to concern his brother, especially during the stages of his recovery.

He hadn't allowed himself much time to think about what was going on outside of here apart from the stray thought, but now that he wasn't trying to figure out what to do next or convincing himself that he was likely going to die, it came to him that he was rather curious about what everyone else, particularly his brother, was doing. He knew they would be looking for him by now, but would they think to look in all the likely places? Mustang, after all, was a proper military officer, and traversing the sewers of Central, as he had often made Edward do, was quite beneath him.

Then again, if Alphonse had something to say about it, then Mustang would be doing so now. Edward allowed himself a brief grin at the thought, slightly relishing the thought of Mustang trudging through dirt and grime for...

How long? Edward's smile turned into a frown. How long had he been here by now? Apparently he had been unconscious for a day after the transmutation, but that didn't really tell him anything. He could have been here for a week or more for all he knew. Or maybe he had only been here for a few days.

If it had been a long time, though... well, Mustang would have to be close by now. There were only so many areas that would be suitable for Cooper's planning, especially since the man was evidently very focused on not drawing any attention. Between Mustang and Alphonse he was certain that they weren't too far away.

At least, he had to hope so. With Cooper's successful experiment, Edward didn't know what was going to happen to him now. Not only was he still alive but he was also still functioning on a relatively normal level. What would that mean for him? What would Cooper decide to do with him?

All of a sudden he heard footsteps. Heavy, slow footsteps that Edward's keen ears said were unfamiliar – they couldn't belong to Cooper, then. The smell was different as well; that thick, cloying smell of death was there, but it was mixed in with the pungent odour of sweat and, oddly, smoke.

Unless there was someone else down here that he hadn't met (and that thought made him feel more anxious than he wanted to admit to) the person approaching the cell was likely the rather violent henchman that was currently helping Cooper. Edward's skull still ached in remembrance of the two blows it had suffered from this man.

Moments later the door creaked open, slowly as though to prevent him from taking the opportunity to escape. Edward wasn't an idiot, though. The man currently standing in the doorway was a mountain, broad, stocky and tall, and he was currently at a severe disadvantage with his injuries as well as his faulty automail. Therefore he simply sat where he was and instead focused on the tray the man was holding.

He had been so focused on the man approaching the room that the smell of the food he was carrying had somehow passed him by. But Edward could smell it now, and it made his stomach growl fiercely as it reminded him that it had been quite awhile since he had eaten anything, what with being unconscious for much of his unwilling stay.

"Food," the man grunted. He put the tray on the ground and pushed it toward Edward. "Cooper says you're to eat it all."

"Why?" Edward asked warily, eyeing it; was it poisoned?

The man allowed a brief, dark grin to cross his face. "You'll need your strength for another experiment soon."

He turned and left, the door slamming heavily behind him. Edward sat, frozen, listening to his retreating footsteps as his mind contemplated his words.

Another experiment?

Of all the things Edward had thought Cooper would do now, somehow this had not been at the top of the list. The man was insane, he truly was; did he honestly think it was possible to try another transmutation?

He thought he was going to be sick, the hunger giving way to thick nausea. That's what he wanted, right? He was going to try and transmute Edward again. And if that happened...

'Food.'

The thought forced its way passed the panic trying to cloak his mind. He could still smell the food, strangely good despite the fact that it was likely a far cry from even the terrible hospital food that he had eaten what seemed like years ago. It took him a moment to realise that the thought had at once been him and not him.

It was base instinct, he suddenly understood. His body needed food, no matter what his mind was thinking, and the now rather large animalistic instincts was reminding him of that. Food was in front of him, therefore he must eat.

At the same time, though, Edward rebelled against this notion. Perhaps Cooper wouldn't try the transmutation if he didn't eat. He had specifically left the instruction to do so, and if Edward didn't follow it...

Oh, who was he trying to kid? Cooper would attempt it no matter what, and eating the food that had been left for him wasn't going to change that. If anything it meant that he would at least have a full stomach when he faced Cooper's newest madness.

'When...'

Edward had blinked. He was sitting there, deliberating what would happen when Cooper used him for yet another experiment. No thought of escape had entered his mind, not even once.

He had... given up?

The door was locked tight by now, his mind, the logical side, argued. Getting free would mean the possibility of running into that henchmen yet again, or perhaps even Cooper. Wandering around before had already told him that this place was a virtual labyrinth and that getting out of here would be easier said than done. There was nothing that he could do except simply wait for the inevitable.

'...the inevitable. When did it become inevitable that it would happen, no matter what?'

Slowly Edward stretched his legs out in front of him. There was a sudden fire that had started up within him at these thoughts, bright and burning as doubts and fears were swept away by it. It might end up being that it was inevitable.

But Edward Elric had never let this get him down before. He had never sat back and let things happen, no matter how dire the situation. He had almost died a few months ago, a pole spearing him straight through his side, and he hadn't even given up then. He had fought and he had lived, and he had gone on to fight another day.

Alchemy loss... a flesh arm that had previously been metal... a henchman that was twice as tall as him and three times as broad... a mad scientist... none of these things mattered! If Edward had the will to try, no matter the outcome, then he would.

Edward clenched a fist. The food was still calling to him, and he surrendered to these instincts as he finally realised the wisdom of them. Cooper would not poison him because he needed him. It meant Edward could eat with worry. He could eat and strengthen himself for the encounters that were about to follow.

It was time to make a second attempt to escape.

FULLMETALALCHEMIST

Alphonse frowned thoughtfully, pen hovering over the map as Mustang watched him intently. They were deciding where they should go for the day of searching. There weren't many places left, and Alphonse's mind was spinning with facts about each of them.

Finally, however, he circled two areas, both very close to each other.

"Here," he said, tapping the circles with his pen. "This area here is all but abandoned; I can't believe I didn't think of it before. You can see how this area, here, is close to the outskirts of the city, and is right near this small forest, here. I don't know how to get in, though. This area, which is closer to the city, has easy access through the sewers, though it's difficult to find the exact entrance into it; you'll just have to search." He frowned at the two circled areas. "Brother and I came here a long time ago, though I doubt he'll remember. We were searching for someone, but we didn't find him. We both went into the one closest to the city... but only Brother found the entrance to the other one, though I don't think he actually went in. He said something about the forest, though..."

"Well, we'll look at this one, the one that is easier to get into, first," Mustang said, quickly scanning the map and committing the area to memory. "If we're lucky we'll manage to get into both areas today."

"After that there's only four more areas that are possible," Alphonse said, eyes flicking over the map. "If he isn't it them... we'll just have to search the ones that are slightly less likely due to the possibility of discovery."

"So be it," Mustang said, standing. "Look over those less possible areas and decide if any of them were perhaps more likely than you had considered; we may need them if we don't find Edward in the next few days."

Alphonse's hand clenched on the bedspread. "Yes, I'll do that, then."

Mustang's face softened slightly. "Don't lose hope yet, Alphonse. I know we're getting close now, I just know it."

The strange conviction in Mustang's voice, for from making him wonder, filled Alphonse with renewed confidence. If the colonel believed that they were nearly there, then he would believe it too.

"I'll leave you to it," Mustang said. "I believe Miss Rockbell will be dropping by soon, and I will need to organise the search for that entrance as soon as possible if we hope to cover so much ground today. Please take it easy."

"I will," Alphonse said with a smile.

With that Mustang was gone, leaving Alphonse alone in the room. He didn't allow his thoughts even a moment to creep up on him, though, instead turning to the map and gazing at it intently, much of it already marked off.

All the while he chanted a mantra, believing in it as fully as possible.

'We're close, we're close, we're close...'

FULLMETALALCHEMIST

It had not impressed Edward in the least to realise that the lock that Cooper had used to replace the one that Edward had broken was simply something heavy on the other side of the door. A swift kick in the moments that his automail was actually working was able to solve that problem; while he wasn't able to topple it he was able to move it forward an inch or so, which was just enough room for him to slip out of the room.

It was likely a good thing it hadn't fallen. The heavy shelves that had been placed in front of the door would have caused an almighty crash that would have made Cooper and his henchman come running. At least this way he still had a while longer of anonymity.

The passage was exactly the same as the last time he had escaped, dim and dank with no sign of light anywhere. Last time he had turned left. This time, however, he turned right, limping up the corridor determinedly and making as little noise as possible.

He was quite determined to make sure that no noise meant no noise. Frustrations and irritation could get him only so far, but in a situation where he had to be, and remain, subtle and quiet there was no room for fits of temper. He had tried this last time, and it had gotten him caught. He had to learn from that, as he had learnt from his other experiences, and do everything in his power to get himself free of this place before anything worse befell him.

And when he spoke of everything in his power...

He hesitated. He could feel them there, two very different sets of instincts that pressed against his own, urging him to act in ways that he wasn't comfortable doing. He was neither cat nor dog, he was human... but, as he stood in the dingy corridor of Cooper's hideout, he suddenly realised that these very different instincts could be incredibly useful.

If he could use them together... a combination of a cat's stealth, a dog's sense of smell and a human's intellect... well, anyone trying to catch him would find it near on impossible. Could he, though? Did he dare attempt something that he had never been willing to try before, especially right at this important juncture?

'If I don't try now, when will I?' True, there was no better time than to attempt it now, despite what could possibly go wrong. And even if those instincts did take him over (which, if he was willing to admit it to himself, was what scared him the most right now) then those same instincts would still be directed toward flight and escape. After all, even animals knew when it was time to flee.

Edward didn't want to lose himself, but he was still standing here, he was still relatively human in mind. There were just a few different instincts that he was having to contend with now. If he took them and made them his alone, even for just this short while, then what would he have to worry about? He was still be human, he would still be himself... he would just have a few different skill sets to fall back on as well.

'Alright.' Edward straightened his back, swallowing with slight difficulty. He was unaccountably nervous, because never before had he ever thought to try something like this, instead preferring to pretend that he was completely normal. In this situation, however, where someone had seen through that pretence to the lie within, then his only hope was to do as they didn't expect and surrender to what he had previously ignored.

For the first time Edward would mentally become the part chimera that he had been turned into... he just hoped that he could control it when he did so.

FULLMETALALCHEMIST

Mustang was feeling a strange sense of urgency. Admittedly, yes, it really shouldn't be all that odd; his young subordinate had been missing for a good few days now, and he still had no idea if they were any closer to finding him.

But Mustang also had good instincts of his own, born of the years through the Ishval war and then the following bid to take power and rise to the top. Right now those instincts were telling him that something important was going to happen today. There was something about the places Alphonse had sent them to, something that would indicate some sort of breakthrough on Edward's location.

'Soon,' his mind kept whispering. 'Soon...'

His soldiers seemed to have picked up on his different outlook on this particular day. There was an atmosphere of anticipation as they marched toward the location marked on the map, the soldiers muttering quietly to each other instead of staying silent as usual. Mustang couldn't bring himself to care. His own trek toward the underground area was less of a march and more of a half-run, forcing the soldiers to follow.

Of this he knew for sure; Mustang would not be leaving today until every inch of the areas Alphonse had sent them to was checked out.

FULLMETALALCHEMIST

Golden eyes glowed slightly in the darkness as a figure crouched in the corner, surveying the area around him. Slowly he padded out of the shadows, tensed and ready to flee if need be, bare feet and hands lightly padding on the ground. With a swift leap he darted to the next corner, eyes narrowing slightly as he waited to see if anyone would notice.

'Caution. The predator could be near. Avoid at all costs.'

A strange scent hit his nose and he twitched slightly, raising it up in the air. One instinct battled for dominance and the first momentarily ran out as lips pulled back to bare teeth. He recognised this smell. It was the death-man, the one that chased and hurt.

'But it is not strong. He is not here. Move on.'

The first instincts shoved back to the front and the cautious journey continued. Keeping to the shadows, a feat not difficult in the dreary corridors, he continued on his way. He could feel that other instinct sitting near, the strange one that felt of predator and danger. Now, though, he realised that he was not the prey; he would need it to sniff out the danger as well as indicate where the escape was.

'We must work together. All of us. All three of us.'

Edward was there, right at the front, his mind working as it normally did. He could feel them, cat and dog, but he was starting to realise that they weren't just cat and dog. This strange merging of three different instincts was forcing him to realise something that he hadn't wanted to face.

Those instincts were not an outside influence. They were his.

It was a strange thing to understand. Edward was not a dog, and he was not a cat, but the partial transmutations had given him instincts that he had always considered were separate from his own mind. But they weren't. Far from it. The instincts only got so strong because he had yet to work out how to control them properly. For this, though, as he acknowledged and used them as they were meant to be used, he was in complete control. He was there, in one mind, as he utilised each of the instincts he had been given at some point in his life; there had never been more than one mind in his head.

It was all him. Nothing was ever going to change that now, because there would never be a way to go back to the way he once was, before Tucker's dreadful attempt so long ago; he had certainly researched it enough.

So if he couldn't change it…

Then it was about time he embraced it.

Coming Up; Chapter Eleven; Cooper isn't about to stop now that he has achieved one resounding success, despite that trying again could result in the destruction of his test subject. As Mustang draws nearer and Edward tries another escape, time slowly ticks away from them…

Thanks to;

Thanks to everyone who has stayed with me through the years as well as those who have reviewed in the last few months; it gave me the motivation to continue and finally get this chapter done, as I have been intending for so long. I hope that the next chapter won't take even a tenth as long as this one did, and I'm grateful to everyone who has stuck by and waited. I hope this chapter was worth it.