Chapter 11:

It had been days since the hunger in her stomach had turned into a deep feeling of nothingness. She could feel herself growing weaker as her body ate away at the nutrients of her muscles to even stay alive. She had no need to use the restroom because her body did not create waste anymore. She simply slumped forward where she lay, utterly defeated. Her hair tangled around her face in a matted mass that caused her to look savage and dangerous, though at this point she wouldn't be able to move very far even without her binds.

Beside her, Jericho was nearly at the same point as she, though she had been down in the hole much longer than he had and still seemed to want to get free. He smirked at the thought of his nickname for this place. The Hole seemed fitting due to it expanding to darkness all around with seemingly no ceiling and only one source of light emitting from a single bulbed lamp in the center of the almost circle their backs created. He found himself looking back at the lamp and judging the distance from himself to it. They were tightly formed together, it couldn't be more than two feet away from his back. It was constructed out of what appeared to be copper and aluminum with a steel base to keep it upright. The bulbs base was bared as well, with a large copper loop going up to a close arch above the glowing hunk of glass that emitted the dull light.

"What are you doing?" Emly's voice was weak and raspy as she asked him the question after the fourth time of him looking backwards. He smiled down at her frail form and let out a soft shushing sound.

"I have an idea." He whispered the words only after the gleam off of Lusts eye was hidden by the large door, "I am tired of awaiting rescue. We have to rescue ourselves." She squirmed and wiggled until his body jerked backwards.

"What are you going to do?" she asked after a fit of coughing.

"I'm gonna break that lamp and use the sharp edges to cut my rope bindings. Then I could draw a circle and-"

"Oh listen everyone Lover boy's got a plan to rescue all of us in the dark with a broken lamp." Richard's voice sounded strong and scornful.

"What is your problem dude?" Jericho exclaimed as his head whipped around to glare at the rich kids back.

"I am being realistic. Maybe if you didn't smart off to them every time they checked on us then we would have eaten by now." Richard huffed.

"It's his fault we haven't got no food?" He rolled his eyes at the fat kid's statement.

"It's her fault to!" she knew if Richard could have pointed specifically to her in that moment than he would have. For once she was thankful of the ropes binding their arms. She turned her head away from Jericho as he exchanged heated words with the spoiled brat that they had been stuck with.

"Jericho just-" she was shocked at how close he was as she turned her head to face him once again, causing their lips to just barely brush against each other as he turned towards her at the sound of her voice, "sorry!" she exclaimed as loudly as her weak state allowed and looked away once again.

The large hotel where the Xingese prince chose to stay was a very stylish and fancy building with a large dining room surrounded by grandeur statues and paintings. Edward Elric certainly did not belong in a place like this; he was sure of it as the other patrons glared at his clothing and over all appearance. Ling Yao, for his part, was dressed in the finest clothes that money could buy, with silk robes trimmed in golden thread and a brilliant white cotton shirt tied in place by a royal red ribbon, he looked like the hotel was made around him, a homage to his princely looks.

"So you need my help?" he asked as he summoned a waiter from nearby who was carrying a large bottle of wine that cost more than the brothers rent. Two glasses where filled to the rim with the red liquid before Ling turned to look at Ed again.

"Sadly you are the only one I can think of that is willing to go outside the law in order to get what you want." Ed grumbled as he watched the red liquid in his glass swirl around the rim before settling to a mirror like surface.

"I knew you would still appreciate my talents." He smiled at the young alchemist as he moved a sweet cake to his lips and took a small bite of the sweet fluffy mass.

"You're the only choice I have." The grumbling of Edwards vice was barely heard over the din around them. The prince seemed to relish in this as if Ed had claimed he were a god.

"You know what to say to make me swoon don't you Fullmetal?" he purred as she rested his chin on his folded hands.

"Are you going to help me?" Edward sighed and rested his forehead against his fingertips.

"Of course I will help! I love helping!" he exclaimed proudly.

"You love having people in your debt." Edward grumbled. The prince smiled and patted his head playfully.

"That to. So tell me, what or who am I looking for hmm?" at this question Edward pulled out a small picture of Emily and her family he had gotten out of the evidence locker on her parents murder case.

"This is Emily Hagraven." He stated as he pointed to where she stood in the center of the photograph, "I have reason to believe that the Homunculi took her and hid her somewhere in order to either get at me personally, or to get at her parents studies."

"Ah, so you want me to risk my life scurrying around their hidey holes hmm?" Ling took the picture and studied it carefully, "She's very plain isn't she. Too bad for whoever she falls for."

"Will you do it?" Ed asked after grinding his teeth together in frustration.

"Yeah, I'll do it. But you owe me a big one. We are talking about me risking my life here." He shrugged and laid back against the back of his chair.

"I know, it's worth it," Edward stated as he took the picture back after it was offered to him.

"Oh it is hmm?" Ling smiled and brought his wine glass to his lips as he sank into his thoughts. Ed turned away from him to slip the picture back into his back pocket.

"It's important that you find her because she's my, she's my student and I can't lose her and risk all the information I've given her falling in the wrong hands." He stated quickly to cover up the fact that he was over eager to see her again.

"So it's not important that she's alive as long as your information is kept away from the Homunculi?" he asked slyly.

"No, it's important that she remains alive, safe and sound, got it?" He sighed as he rested his forehead against his metal fingers, "The other missing ones too, if they are with her I need them safe and sound as well."

"I don't do search and rescue missions." The prince's usual bright cheery face was shrouded in a dark frown as he looked down at the small blonde before him.

"No, I don't mean rescue them. As long as you can tell me where they are I can rescue them myself." Edward's metal hand connected with the wood of the table with a loud bang as he stated his plan.

"So we have a deal?" Ling held his hand out as his eyebrow raised at Edward's outburst.

"Yes, we have a deal. I think I will regret this soon." Ed grumbled as he took the prince's hand in his own and gave it a firm shake. Ling chuckled and laid back once again in his chair.

Lust stood outside the door to the sacrificial room and crossed her arms under her large breasts. The brats had not uttered a word for so long that she thought they were close to death in there. Pride had specifically told them that they were not to feed the prisoners, which cause Gluttony to moan and groan due to his hunger and dislike for bony things. She flicked a stray hair off of her shoulder as wrath approached her. He was still dressed in that girl's uncle's skin and looked every bit the stern officer as he drew nearer.

"They should be close to useable. The time is drawing near." He stated as he came to a stop before her.

"They were arguing a while ago about something. Two of the boys were yelling at each other. The girl hasn't made a peep for a day or so as far as I can tell." She frowned at the thought of being stuck in such a meek body; she would have to change that after the ritual.

"She more than likely is starving and is too weak to do anything. She was in there three days alone, and that was before she woke up." He mumbled softly as he leaned into the partially open door to look in on their soon to be new bodies.

"Great I get a weakling." Lust huffed as she flipped her hair over one shoulder, "Can you get any more sexist than that?" He chuckled and shrugged at her statement.

"Not my problem." He stated as his eyes locked on Jericho, his future shell, causing him to smile to himself, "Mine seems fairly strong still. He may just survive the ritual yet." He added as he turned and walked away from her and down the hallway.

Lan Fan slipped back into her hiding place amongst the shadows as the tall figure of a man passed by. She had followed the same aura trail as before and once again found the one called Lust. The woman was taller than Lan Fan by nearly a foot and was well endowed with breasts and hips that where accented by the clothes that she wore. Just the sight of her reminded the young body guard of their last meeting, when she and Ling Yao where still just after the Philosophers Stone. The woman had been ruthless and cunning, nearly killing Lan Fan as she managed to escape with her prince and her life. She had sworn that the next time they met she would destroy the Homunculus that haunted her dreams.

"Just find where the Homunculi are hiding and return to me with the information. Do not confront them and do not stick around too long." Her prince's words rang in her ears as she ever so carefully made her way silently upwards along the large pipe she had hidden in. They were underground, deep underground. Deeper than the sewers which she had to climb under to get to her hiding spot and which she was now clambering into with a relived sigh. She pulled out a map of the sewer system and marked an x where the unmarked man hole was located. Her mission was completed. She had found the Homunculi which the blonde was positive had his little friend and had found a way for them to easily sneak in for a rescue, however she heard the conversation that had went on between the two and could never un-hear it.

"I should tell my prince." She thought softly to herself as she stealthily ran to a metal ladder and began to ascend it.

"So she was below out feet the whole time?" Alphonse was sitting in the floor next to the bed that held Ling Yao who was busily drinking from a wine bottle and smiling triumphantly. Edward stood by his brother, holding the sewer map up to the light to be able to see it more clearly. Lan Fan had not said a word since she and Ling had showed up on the brother's doorstep and was now standing by the window, watching carefully for anyone who may have followed them.

"I knew that they would take them somewhere underground. It's like their trade mark or something." Edward mumbled more to himself than to anyone else as he compared the sewer map to the map of the city.

"Just like rats or roaches, they will scurry into their dark little holes to hide away from the eye where they feel safe." Ling stated out of nowhere.

"That almost makes sense." Alphonse added his opinion causing Ling to smile and shrug.

"I almost make sense a lot." He stated proudly as he turned his eyes to the metal man with a child's voice.

"Did you hear anything at all? What they might be planning or how many victims they have?" As Edward asked the question Lan Fan shook her head almost automatically. If her prince did not think they needed to know than they did not need to know. She looked at her leader then, paying close attention to the drunk act he was putting on, for it was just that, an act. He had little to no alcohol in the bottle he was drinking from, and only hoped to stay sober in case they let on what they had planned to do with his information. She was not sure what he was planning or if it was her place to wonder. He was her prince that she would protect with her life if need be, so keeping a secret from associates of his was no big deal.

"No, we just saw them down there and got the hell out." Ling piped up before she could say anything. She nodded her agreement without uttering a word. Alphonse watched as Edward eyed her carefully before returning to studying his map. The moment that his eyes had locked on hers Alphonse had saw a glint of recognition in them. Edward knew something that the others were not telling them.

"I'm going out." He grumbled as he shoved past the two guests and moved towards the front door.

"Wait brother." Alphonse grabbed his metal shoulder and turned him around to face his glowing eyes.

"What Al?" Ed glared up at him, clearly angry about his brother stopping his important plans. His right hand clutched the map tightly in the fist that it formed. His eyebrows where shaking as well as the corner of his lips. He knew that these small signs meant his brother was stressed and antsy. He wanted to go right then and there and save whomever he could from the Homunculi, no not just whomever he could, her. He couldn't wait to run to Emily's aid and to hell with the guys who had come up missing. To Alphonse it all seemed like the perfect trap for Ed.

"Ed just wait, we will go get Mustang and miss Hawkeye and the others and we will figure something out with the information we've been given." Al stuttered this out quickly as he looked around him nervously.

"You do that." Ed growled as he brushed his brothers hand away easily, "I for one am going to take action against them for once and do something." He made a soft 'tch' sound and turned towards the door once again, "I'll be back with Emily, while you're out doing nothing tell Mrs. Hugues that we want a welcome home dinner for her." With that he was gone, leaving just the door slamming in Al's face.

She was moving, up and down in a rhythmic pattern that had to signify being carried or walking. She opened her eyes slightly to see a metal grate floor below her face becoming closer and farther away as her capture took one step then another. She was being carried by the Homunculi that looked like her uncle, and was slung over his shoulder to where the bone of his shoulder cut painfully into her ribcage. She could see the Homunculi known as Envy behind her, carrying Jericho over his shoulder in much the same way as she was being carried over wraths.

"I don't understand why we have to move them, Lust saw just one little girl, big deal lets feed her to Gluttony." Envy growled from behind wrath.

"I like that idea." She could hear Gluttony sucking on the thumb of his free hand as he followed behind Envy. All she could see of Jericho was his limp slightly swaying feet that where still bound by shackles. She focused on her arms and found they were still quite bound by feeling the harsh rope scrape across her raw skin with every step her captor took. She was gagged now, with a sour tasting cloth bundled up in her mouth and tied in place by an oily feeling rag. This terrified her more than the thought of being moved. If they felt that they had to gag the group of prisoners then they must be going somewhere nearby civilization. Perhaps they were getting ready to do the ritual that she was supposed to be a sacrifice for. She wiggled against her bindings causing her captor to clutch her tighter with his arm.

"Never thought the girl would be the first one awake after that gas," She felt the rumble of his chest as he spoke, "I thought she would have gone ahead and died already." The annoyed sound that escaped his throat caused cold dread to fill her body.

"She's Lusts remember?" Envy grumbled from behind her.

"Who cares? Lust could use someone better." She could not believe the harsh words she was hearing from her uncle's voice.

"Well that's true." Lusts voice came from beyond the hallway to her right. She turned her head as they passed by the area where it had come from and saw the woman glaring menacingly at her. Lusts hair was sagging and seemed washed out, the same could be true for under her eyes and other body parts that usually where perky and alluring. She wanted to say something like 'you don't look so good.' In a snobby tone, but the gag made that impossible.

Edward found himself in an empty cellar like room under the sewers. Though there had been no sign of the Homunculi, he recognized the floor covered in chains from the photo that Envy had left for him to find. He clutched it to his chest as he stood in the doorway looking in on the now empty room. She had been there, perhaps only mere moments before he arrived. They had to have known he was coming and took her away. Somehow he felt like the sneaky prince was to blame for his missed opportunity. He kicked a chain on the floor as he crossed over to the middle of the room, and looked down as a strange sight caught his eye. All the chains had locks at the ends of them; each and every set of chains that lined the circle did, except one that proudly displayed a pair of large metal cuffs on the other end of the lock.

"They haven't gotten all one, two, three, four, five, six, seven; they haven't gotten all seven captives yet. What are they planning on doing with them?" he sighed and squatted sown where he had stood.

"I thought she would have gone ahead and died already." Huh? He turned towards the faint sound of voices and strained his ears to listen.

"She's Lust's remember?"

"Who cares? Lust could use someone better."

"Well that's true." After hearing the faint female voice he jumped up and ran out of the room. They were still in the tunnels; he still had a chance to see her again, to save her! He ran with no fear of being heard. Even if they did hear him coming it would be too late for them. They would see no mercy from him on this day. He would make sure to eradicate the Homunculi even if he had to die trying. The tunnels narrowed as he ran; the sounds from the group ahead of him grew louder and louder, his hope growing with each octave, until they cut out completely as if they were never there to begin with.

He stopped short as the sounds around him suddenly blended into an almost deafening silence. It was impossible; the tunnels where brick and concrete sound should have been bouncing off of every surface around him, amplifying it a thousand times over instead of cutting it out completely.

"Where did you go Emily?" he asked the darkness as he ran his fingers along the wall, looking for any mark or indention that would give away their hidden exit. About ten feet from where he began his search for the door, he found the smallest hint of Alchemy usage along the right wall. Taking a deep breath, he placed his palms together and willed the door to open itself as the blinding white light lit up the tunnel. When he placed his hands against the wall it gave way like rice paper in the rain. He was astonished to see another tunnel lined with dim lamps hanging from the ceiling leading off into the darkness, and even more surprised when this tunnel led to a set of wooden stairs that seemed to go up forever.

(End of Chapter 11: Big rescue scene in next chapter!)