"Raiden, I need my arm."

Muffled whining was all Envy got in return, the small redhead still grasping the desired limb in both hands.

"Seriously. Raiden, you can put your head on my lap, but I need my arm." Envy glared, a small spark of satisfaction igniting in his chest when the boy shivered in fear. "Now."

Raiden scrambled to do as he was told, relinquishing his grip and curling up on his right side. He rested his head on Envy's thighs, watching as a pen came down and scratched words on the paper in front of his eyes.

"Raiden," Alphonse started softly, approaching the couch with an outstretched hand. "Why don't you and I go for a walk and leave Envy alone for a little while?"

There was no gap between the last word of Alphonse's sentence and the first word of Envy's.

"Don't tell us what to do. I can handle my own brother." Envy almost growled, baring his teeth and feeling the vibration rising in his throat, but he stopped himself. "Besides, you have work to do."

To say Alphonse was surprised by the outburst would be an understatement, but to his credit, he simply smiled and nodded his head. "I understand. Let me know if you change your mind."

"I won't," the homunculus mumbled, keeping the words under his breath if only because he could feel Mustang's eyes boring holes into his back.

Raiden blinked up at Envy, then blinked at Alphonse, and then blinked at Envy again. Then he laughed, a childish giggle that danced lightly on his tongue.

"What's so funny?" Envy snapped, not looking away from his notes.

Raiden giggled again. "You make weird faces when you're mad."

Envy gave the boy a sideways glance, causing him to jump and cower in fear, chewing on his bottom lip to comfort himself. Envy let his gaze linger for a few seconds more, and then he got back to his work, tapping his pencil on the coffee table as he tried to reorganize his scattered thoughts.

If a homunculus requires two Philosopher's Stones in order to be made without Father, then one of them was used up creating an inhabitable body, and the other is sitting on my lap. Envy glanced down, scowling as the boy began to trace idle patterns on his own bare stomach. That much makes sense. There have been enough disappearances to make two small Philosopher's Stones for the purpose of creating a homunculus. It would be possible, even if the Stones would be weaker, but it doesn't feel right. I just can't—

"Brother, are you ticklish? 'Cause I am!"

Envy froze, every one of his senses instantly focused on the creature below. He took in the sparkling blue eyes, wide with innocence despite the horrors his tiny lifespan had already put in his path. He heard the tittering laughter and cheerful but broken sentences, undimmed by the hours spent writhing on a hotel bed. He felt the joy—the complete and unadulterated elation—that had been in no particular way earned either by life circumstances or the person that blinding smile was currently directed at. It was pure, and honest, and warm, and soft, and heart-wrenchingly precious, and it was everything a homunculus was not supposed to be.

"You're a child." Envy muttered the words under his breath, his revelation pushing the gears in his head just enough to get them turning on their own.

Raiden blinked. "Huh?"

Envy took the boy's face in his hands, shaking him softly. "You're a child. That's it. That's what I missed. You don't have one of the new Stones at your core, you have an older one, one made mostly or entirely out of children."

Raiden blinked twice.

"Envy, what are you going on about?" Mustang's voice came from behind, followed by the rustling of papers and the sound of him pushing back his chair in order to stand.

"We went to investigate in the West because people were going missing, right?" Envy looked up long enough to see Mustang nod and then returned his attention to Raiden. "But nothing in the report mentioned a specific demographic going missing. There is no way the military could have missed the fact that most if not all of the missing persons were children, and yet Raiden is mostly if not entirely made of them."

Raiden tensed uncomfortably, his fingers curling through the fabric of Envy's shirt, but the older homunculus paid him no mind and continued to speak.

"Think about it. Think about how he behaves and interacts with people, think about his speech patterns and the simplified language he uses, think about how easily he trusted us and how quickly he decided we were his family." Envy twisted at the waist and braced one arm against the back of the couch, meeting Mustang's eyes. "It makes sense tactically, too. Children are easy target, mostly because they're small and weak and unbelievably easy to lure away from safety, but also because their minds are like sponges. They can be taught any number of things, and the traits their owner didn't like could be rewritten."

Edward's voice came from behind, slow footsteps signaling his cautious approach to the conversation. "So, you're saying his actual Stone is… made up of little kids?"

Envy turned back around in time to see Alphonse biting his lip.

"That's horrible," the younger brother muttered.

Envy waved it off. "Sure, sure, but that's not the important part."

"It's not important?" Edward exploded, that typical righteous anger flaring in his eyes.

"Of course not." Envy replied without hesitation, irritation slipping into his tone at the sentimentality, the sheer humanity of the outburst. "What is important is what that information means. We know this particular Stone wasn't made recently because children haven't been going missing, but we also know that at least one Stone was made recently."

"Why?" Mustang muttered, pressing his knuckle to his lip and frowning at the floor. "Why the sudden urgency? If he was so patient and organized before, why did he randomly abduct so many people in such a short time to make the second Stone?"

Envy smirked, nodding his approval. "Now you're getting it, but that's not all."

By now, the other members of the team had made their way across the room, forming a semicircle around the couch. Riza was the first to actively push her way into the conversation, folding her arms and placing a hand under her chin as she pondered.

"If Raiden's core was made from the old Stone, then the new Stone was used to form his physical body." She lifted her gaze and met the eyes of their captive-turned-advisor. "How many souls would someone need to create and inhabitable human body?"

Envy shrugged his shoulders. "Five, maybe. You really don't need a lot, because the soul is the unique part."

Riza nodded, quickly understanding why he had said there was more to the revelation. "Which means they still made two Stones, they just didn't use the other one to make Raiden."

Edward growled to himself, glaring at the floor with a quiver in his fists. "Which means there's probably a lot more Stones than just those three. For all we know, neither of the most recent Stones were used to make Raiden."

Envy grinned. "You got it, pipsqueak. Plus, it would explain how this guy managed to get from occasionally kidnapping easy targets to rapid-fire abduction of difficult targets."

"Practice," Havoc muttered, disgust evident in both his tone and facial features.

Alphonse continued to chew on his lip, staring at the floor with his hands on his hips and a deep crease in his brow. "We have no idea how many he made, and with all of the wars the homunculi caused, it's going to be hard to tell which disappearances and deaths are a result of those conflicts or our suspect."

"I would say suspects." Mustang dropped his arms, meeting Alphonse's eyes. "I think it's safe to say the man we caught wasn't working alone. Up until these recent abductions, we had no idea any of this was going on, so he wouldn't have had any reason to be rushed unless someone else was putting pressure on him."

Envy threw his feet up on the coffee table and folded his arms behind his head, staring his warden dead in the eye and daring the man to argue while he still held information hostage. "Exactly. While we sit here discussing what we should do next, they're already on their next move."

"Which is what?" Riza creased her brow, unfazed by his displays of grandiosity. "They lost Raiden and their scientist."

"Did they?" the captive smirked at her. "They lost their lab rat and a scientist."

Envy startled at the sound of Edward's boot striking the coffee table, the artificial human automatically locking his arms in a defensive position until he was certain the anger wasn't directed at him.

"You mean to tell me after all he went through, Raiden was just a test run?" Edward's fists shook at his sides, fury flashing in his eyes. "What was the point of making him then? Wouldn't that be a waste of their Stones?"

Confidence immediately regained, Envy held up two fingers and wiggled them in the other's face. "First of all, depending on how many Stones they have, they might not have considered it a waste. Second of all, I don't know for certain he was a test run. Maybe they wanted him to be childlike because it would make him easy to manipulate. But again, you're focusing on all the stuff that doesn't matter."

Edward opened his mouth, probably to scream, veins nearly popping out of his forehead.

"Because what you should have gotten from the information I just gave you is not that poor Raiden got used and thrown away like trash." Envy gave the boy a cocky grin. "No, what you should have gotten out of that information is that he was a test run. In other words, while you're busy throwing a childish tantrum over the notion of justice and human rights, someone out there is hard at working making their first real homunculus."

Alphonse cleared his throat, looking Envy in the eye and staring him down without so much as blink. "He was a successful test run, which means he is a real homunculus, whether they wanted him to be or not. He is a person. Did you forget that in your haste to show off, Envy? Or are you really just too simple-minded to understand the basic concept of integrity?"

Silence.

Envy opened his mouth and then shut it again, chest tightening as heat began to rise in his cheeks. His tongue felt swollen, thick in his throat, and it was only with a great amount of effort that he managed to grind out a reply. "What am I, then?"

It was Alphonse's turn to be silent, his brow creasing with confusion, as though he didn't understand what the other male was implying. So, Envy made it clearer.

"Did you forget, in your haste to shut me up, that I'm only being kept around as an asset and a tool? Or do you really just hate me too much to practice the basic concept of integrity?" Envy kept his eyes on the floor and tried to ignore the heat still rising in his cheeks, knowing the counterargument was weak but refusing to back down anyway.

Raiden, who was still laying obediently over Envy's lap, shifted his head into the older homunculus' field of vision. He stared, his expression full of pain but lacking anger. He reached out, lightly touching Envy's cheek and whining.

"Don't do that," the sin admonished quietly.

Raiden only whined louder and pressed into his older brother, the hurt dissolving into disoriented fear as the wires began to connect inside his brain. Envy could actually pinpoint the exact moment Raiden realized there was nothing he could do to make his older brother feel better.

"Stop that." Once again, the correction he offered was soft in tone. "This isn't your fight. Stop fussing."

Mustang cleared his throat then, drawing everyone's attention to himself and effectively breaking the unspoken restriction on speech. "You said whoever our suspect was working for or with is making a homunculus right now?"

Envy nodded, trailing idle fingers through Raiden's hair. "If they aren't doing that, they're attempting large-scale human transmutation, but I would bet my money on them making another homunculus."

"If that's—"

Everyone stopped, turning towards the door as the handle began to turn, the wooden panel swinging in to reveal a decorated general with a chip on each shoulder and a mustachioed scowl beneath his nose.

"Colonel Mustang, we need a word with you and the homunculus."

Envy looked at Alphonse, staring until the younger Elric looked the other way, and then he slid out from underneath his brother and got to his feet. He stepped towards the door, looking over his shoulder to ensure Mustang was coming with him.

"Lieutenant Havoc, get me information on unsolved abductions." Mustang gave orders to everyone in turn, stepping towards the door as he spoke. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, find out how the interrogation is going. Elrics, brush up on your knowledge of human transmutation and the Philosopher's Stone. Raiden—well, you just keep doing what you're doing, I suppose."

Everyone responded in the appropriate way—with a salute and a solid, 'yes sir!'—save for Raiden, who startled at the sudden noise and movement, and then it was Mustang and Envy trailing behind General Shoulder Chips down a long corridor.

Envy looked to Mustang, meeting his eyes and faltering before looking back up again. Where are we going? He spoke only with his eyes, hoping that the colonel could offer him some sort of silent reassurance.

But Mustang only stared back, his expression clearly stating, I don't know.

Envy swallowed and looked the other way, nodding to himself and biting on his lip in an attempt to sate the anxiety swelling in his stomach. Of course not. That would be way too easy.

He jumped ever-so-slightly when he felt a hand brush against his shoulder, violet eyes wandering back to the man he knew he had aggravated with his behavior not twenty minutes earlier.

Mustang gave him a faint smile, tilting his head as if to say, Don't you trust me by now?

Envy turned to look at the general's back and then turned back to his warden. It's not you I don't trust. He folded his arms over his midsection, as if protecting himself from an invisible assailant.

Mustang reached over and placed a hand on the small of Envy's back, applying just enough pressure to indicate he was the one leading them down the hall, not General Shoulder Chips. It's going to be alright.

Envy dropped his gaze to the floor. I hope so.

He really, really did.

"So, are we going to talk about this, or are you just going to sit there and stare vacantly into the middle distance?"

Envy hummed half-heartedly, shrugging his shoulders and continuing his endless observation of the world beyond the window. What is there to talk about? He wet his lips, watching the reflection of his tongue move across the glass. More importantly, what's the point of talking when it doesn't make a difference?

"You should know by now that avoiding it won't end well for you."

Sighing, the homunculus dropped his chin to the windowsill. "I'm never going to be free again, am I?"

Mustang arched a brow, quirking his lips and folding his arms into their usual position over his chest. "Were you under the impression that you would be?"

"No, but… it's real now." Envy closed his eyes, pressing his face against the glass and relishing the cool temperature of the surface. "I don't want to, Mustang."

There were a few moments of silence, and then came the rustling of a uniform followed by the heat of a body sitting close by.

"You don't want to what?" the colonel asked softly.

Envy opened his mouth, shaking his head and trying to think of something to say; some collection of words and phrases that might explain what he felt.

"You understand that you are property of the Amestrian Military, and that you shall henceforth obey any and all orders issued to you by the State without—"

"—through me."

"...yes, of course. Orders issued to you by the State through Colonel Mustang without objection or resistance?"

Envy turned to look at Mustang over his shoulder, hoping he would find some semblance of warmth or understanding there. "I don't want to work for the military. I don't want to be property. I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a prisoner."

Mustang raised a quizzical brow. "Envy, we talked about this. People like you and I don't get forgiveness. There are consequences that cannot be avoided, no matter how sorry we are or what we promise we'll do to make things right. This is one of those consequences."

"So?" Envy tore himself away from the window, starting down the hall more out of a need to get away than an intention of going somewhere. "Does that mean I have to like it?"

Mustang said nothing for a moment or two, the only proof that he was still involved being the sound of his footsteps following behind, and then he spoke, his tone softer and laced with something vaguely defined as sympathy. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

Envy let his shoulders sag slightly, an invisible weight coming down on top of him and drawing him to. "Tell me what to do, Mustang."

The colonel fell in step beside him and folded his arms behind his back, smirking. "You know, for someone who won't stop bemoaning his lack of freedom, you certainly seem to enjoy receiving orders."

Envy glowered, but there was a distinct lack of anger behind it. "For somebody who wants to rule an entire country, you really like to avoid giving them."

Mustang chuckled softly, putting a hand on the homunculus' shoulder and bringing them both to a halt. "Your orders, soldier, are to keep moving forward. You make the best of what you're given, look for opportunities to improve your situation, and you keep moving forward. It's all you can do."

Envy nodded, his hands buried deep in his pockets, his gaze locked on the floor. He tensed when he felt the soft cotton of an ignition glove pull on the underside of his chin.

"Everything is going to be alright." Mustang grinned. "As long as you don't slack off and you show me proper respect at all times."

Envy swatted the hand away, glaring. "You wish, Mustang."

"Tsk, tsk. That is no way to speak to your commanding officer." Mustang rapped his knuckles against Envy's skull. "Honestly, though. What did you want me to say? 'You're free to go?'"

Envy shrugged his shoulders and started walking again, deciding there was no point in running and adjusting his course to take them both back to Mustang's office. "I don't know, I—I wanted a way out."

Mustang frowned slightly. "Envy, you have to know that isn't a possibility."

Envy said nothing.

Mustang opened his mouth to speak but then paused, contemplating his next move for several moments before actually making a play. "Tell me what you would do with your freedom."

Envy once again offered a shrug with his reply. "I don't know. It'd be nice to travel… it's been a century or so since Father sent me out of the country. I'd like to visit a couple places where I spent a lot of time when I was growing up." He wet his lips, unsure of how Mustang would respond to his next statement. "I would really like to… find a secluded place somewhere where I can set up a—a memorial of sorts for my family. Nothing fancy, just a… thing. Just a place I can go to when I…"

Miss them. But he didn't say that out loud.

Mustang looked at him, a shadow crossing his eyes as he considered the man before him.

"Hey," Envy pre-defended. "Don't get mad at me. You asked."

Mustang kept his icy stare for another moment or two, and then it dropped. "If you will go to Hughes' grave and pay your proper respects, I will help you find a place to put your memorial."

Envy pursed his lips and arched a brow at the colonel. "Really?"

Mustang nodded once.

"Hmm…" Envy considered the option for another moment or two. "I'll do that. When do you want me to go?"

"Sometime after we sort out this homunculus business." Mustang struggled to let go of discussing the deceased, but after a moment or two, he was able to continue on a more business-related note. "Speaking of which, do you have any thoughts on that?"

"I don't think I can give you much more than I already have until we hear what the others found out. I think our best bet is looking at the unsolved child abduction case files. If we can find out where they began, maybe we can find out where they went from there." Envy ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I guess we should talk to Raiden, too. His brain might be child-like, but I'm sure all those kids remember where they grew up." He paused. "Probably. Hopefully. If not, our next best bet would be showing Raiden pictures of famous landmarks and seeing which ones invoke an emotional response."

The duo arrived at the door, and Envy reached out to grab the handle.

"Envy." Mustang put a hand on the homunculus' shoulder, waiting until the young man looked at him to continue. "Are you alright?"

Envy blinked, letting his gaze drop down to the hand for a moment and then pulling it back up. "If I'm not?"

"Then I need to know, otherwise it will cause trouble for the both of us." Mustang's frown deepened, his hand once again moving to grasp the younger male's chin. He tilted the other's head back, moving it from side to side as if he were examining an injury. "Besides, let's not pretend we didn't have a conversation about my care for you just a few days ago, shall we?"

Envy looked the other way, fighting the heat in his cheeks. "I'm fine."

Mustang sighed, shaking his head and lightly rapping his knuckles on the boy's skull. "You dirty little liar." Reaching past his subordinate, he swung the door out of the way and ushered the younger man into the room. "Let's get to work."

"Yeah, yeah." Envy snapped his fingers, aware of the fact that everyone in the room was staring at him but choosing to look only at his brother. "Raiden, you and I need to have a sit-down talk."

Raiden tilted his head to the side, blue-green eyes blinking slowly.

Envy cackled.