I ate silently, not paying attention to the flavor of the food. People bustled past my lonely table, but even their numbers decreased as time went by. Iris and Asra still hadn't returned from wherever the heck they went, while Ed and Al were holed up in their room. I didn't really want to leave them alone, but I was hungry. That and their conversation technically wasn't any of my business.

After I had finished the very last pea, I cleared my dishes. As the in-hotel restaurant began to close up shop, I remembered that Ed was refusing to eat. I ran back to the cashier.

"Excuse me!"

"Sorry, we're closin' up."

"Ah, wait! My idiot refused to come eat, so can I just get something for him?" The older man stared at me for a moment, then released a long breath. He reached under the counter and pulled out a paper bag.

"I gotta leftover sandwich. I'm afraid that's all I got."

"Thank you so much!" I slapped a few of the strange bills on the counter in front of him before running upstairs. In retrospect, I undoubtedly overpaid the man. I skipped up the stairs to the room the Elrics and I shared.

Inside the room was dark and gloomy, mirroring the brothers' mood. I waited for my eyes to adjust before making my way to a lamp. The quiet of the room was deafening, and I searched for appropriate words to break it. I glanced at the brown paper in my hands, then flicked on the lamp.

"Um, Edward, don't you think you should eat something?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Whether or not you feel hungry, your body needs food."

"She's right." Al's short sentence gave further evidence to the turmoil hiding behind their eyes. I frowned. Plopping onto the seat next to Ed's feet, I set the bag on his chest.

"H-"

"It's a sandwich. Just eat it." Ed started to object, but was interrupted by his stomach growling. I laughed as Ed grudgingly began to eat.

For several moments the only sound in the room was Ed's chewing. After he finished, he crumpled the paper in his automail hand. My eyes were drawn to the metal prosthetic. Ed noticed where I was looking and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

I looked up to meet his eyes. Then I sighed, dropping my head again. I was plum out of fancy words that made my friends wonder if I was a thirty-year-old trapped in a fourteen-year-old's body.

"What?! What was that look for?!"

"ELRIC BROTHERS, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! IT IS I! OPEN UP!" Major Armstrong's voice pierced through the door.

"What do we do?" Al asked nervously.

"I'd open it before he breaks it." I sweatdropped. May I mention that sweatdropping is weird?

"Nah, just ignore him." As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a harsh cracking as the doorknob came free. I made a startled squeaking sound. I didn't remember that he actually broke it… The large man stepped into the room, nearly blocking his two subordinates from view.

"I heard, Edward Elric!"

It took many minutes of drama, the clicking of 'the truth behind the truth', and Armstrong laying out a huge map on the table before I let out another long breath. I really had to stop sighing so much.

"That's the building for the fifth laboratory, but it's not currently in use. There's a risk of it collapsing, so it's been declared off limits."

"It's here." Ed stated.

"What makes you so sure?" Brosh asked.

"Sergeant, there's a prison right next door." I pointed to the square on the map. "The perfect place to get humans to experiment on. Nobody would miss them."

"And if prisons from other jurisdictions were involved… I wonder if the government has anything to do with this." Al's comment caused quite the reaction from Ross and Brosh. "This is why we told you to pretend you never heard anything!"

Armstrong rolled up the map in a single swift movement. "This could become a highly political issue. I shall look into this. In the meantime, 2nd Lt., Sergeant, speak of this to no one."

"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers saluted simultaneously.

"And you, Elric brothers, behave yourselves. Lex Hadesty, I expect you to keep them in line!" Yeah, because I have so much control over them. I rolled my eyes while Ed and Al freaked out. Armstrong doubled in size. "Look here, you two! You were just thinking of sneaking off to investigate, weren't you?!"

"No! We weren't, we weren't!" Armstrong 'hmpf'-ed in disbelief. He, Ross, and Brosh filed out of the room. The door was pulled back into place, the large chunk where the handle once was missing as proof of Armstrong's presence.

Ed and Al stood up as quietly as they could, sneaking into the bedroom. I trailed them, and the sad part was that they didn't seem to notice until I cleared my throat. They looked back at me, looking like a couple of deer caught in headlights.

"I'm coming with you."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Al commented.

"Neither is sneaking out. Besides, how many times have I been good to have around?"

I had to say, I really didn't like the streets of Central at night. They sort of resembled the ones in horror movies, right before someone gets eaten. Even worse, I kept tripping over things.

"Can!" I whispered hoarsely as it slid under my foot. For what seemed like the millionth time, Ed caught my arm and pulled me back up.

"Geez, you sure are clumsy."

"I'm not clumsy! The ground just hates me, tables and chairs are bullies, walls get in my way, and litter is downright mean!"

"Right." Even in the dark, I could see Ed's metallic eyes roll. I at least managed to get a small chuckle out of Al. When we reached the boundary wall of the fifth lab, Al immediately gave Edward a boost up. I clung onto Alphonse's back while he climbed the string of barbed wire. We circled the building, finding no open doors. Finally, Ed noticed the side vent.

"Hey, Al, give me a boost." In seconds, Ed had removed the grate and was climbing in. I still hadn't decided if it would be better to go in or stay out. On one hand, Ed would be more physically hurt, but Al would be emotionally…

"Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Alright or not, you can't really fit in here"

I made a quick decision. "Besides, he's not going in alone."

"But-" Ed objected.

"Just get in the vent." I said, Al helping me up. "Thanks. Oh, Al, listening to homicidal maniacs is bad for one's health. Besides, they're usually wrong."

"Okay?" The look on Al's face was priceless. Plus, I'd always wanted to say that!...Don't judge me.

"Just remember!" I climbed into the vent. Dang, this is small. I had overestimated the size of the vent. It was only about two Ed-widths thick, and anyone who pays attention would notice that he's not exactly a thick person. At least not in that sense. And there was a certain part of me that was most certainly wider than Ed. There was just a tiny bit of wiggle room when it came to shoulders, though, and I was thankful for that.

For several minutes, our entire focus was on crawling forward. I made sure that I was a good foot behind Ed. I didn't really fancy the idea of a red-soled shoe in my face. My glasses kept sliding down the bridge of my nose, and each time I pushed them up they slid further.

Suddenly Ed spazzed out, his feet coming dangerously close."I just called myself small!"

"Edward, knock it off!" I growled irritably, slapping his right leg down to get his attention. "Shouldn't you be focusing on getting out of this darned thing instead of how you're able to fit in it?"

"Right." In a split second, Edward had regained complete composure. "How are you doing back there?"

"I'm… squished. Other than that, nifty. Please keep moving."

"Maybe I'll just stay here a little while longer…"

"Not. Funny. I can set your rear on fire now."

Even in the dim light, I could see the sweatdrop. "Gotcha." Finally, Ed announced that we'd reached the end. I could see the dim light working its way up. He grunted as he pushed on the metal grate. He moved up, putting his full body weight on it. Finally he worked his way onto his back, pushing the 'ceiling' to try to get it to give.

"No luck?"

"It's not budging. And it's either out here or back outside." Sure enough, when I looked ahead my eyes could only make out another silver wall. And idea crossed my mind, and I immediately blushed at how I would have to get to the grate. But that was a lot more tolerable than crawling backward and leaving the lab untouched.

"I… have an idea. I-Is it possible for you to move over?"

"Does it look like I have room to move over?"

"W-Well then scoot down. I have to be able to get at the stupid thing." He moved toward me a little. Better do this now before I chicken out.

"What do you think you'll be able to do?"

I sucked in a breath before beginning to crawl over the blonde alchemist. My face was red enough to make a tomato jealous, and I was incredibly glad I couldn't see Ed's face. I tried to press my back to the 'ceiling' to give some space between our bodies, but there simply wasn't enough room.

There were hundreds of fangirls who would just love to be in my position, but I just wanted to be out of it. They could feel free to replace me in that vent any time. After what seemed like ages, I reached the vent. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room, and I was still on top of Edward.

"Hang on." I muttered, reaching over his head with my hands. I clapped them lightly, fire instantly began dripping down onto the metal. It began to glow, and if it wasn't already warm enough in the vent, it just got hotter.

As the metal slowly melted, I cursed silently. I cursed the idiots that designed this bleeping vent. I cursed my genes for passing large chests down the family line. I cursed teenage hormones. I cursed how warm his body was against mine, how I could feel each rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. I cursed how close our faces were, how even in the darkness I could tell that his analytical golden eyes were locked onto me, and most of all, I simply cursed how incredibly attractive I found the Fullmetal Alchemist.

And then I cursed my brain for thinking that.

Relief swept over me as the last of the vent grate liquefied, leaving the space open. It was quickly replaced as I crawled backward off of Edward. I was thanking everything I could that he had remained silent.

"Good work." He said quickly. I could only manage to utter a speedy 'thanks'. He dropped down, landing perfectly on the floor below. I pulled myself to the opening, and finally got in a position so I was dangling out the hole. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let myself fall. I landed fine, but on my first step my ankle twisted. Though I quickly regained my balance, as we walked through the halls, I had gained a very tiny limp.

The hallways were lit by dim yellow lights, all of the corners left in shadows. In the eerie silence, soft sounds of our footsteps seemed equivalent to an elephant on bubble wrap. Finally we came out into a more brightly lit room. Which I found ironic, due to the fact the Philosopher's Stone circle drawn on the ground was covered in bloodstains.

"Is this… Is this the circle used in transmuting a Philosopher's Stone?"

"No, the blood's just there for decoration." I mumbled sarcastically, earning a dirty look from Ed. I shrugged innocently. Ah, sarcasm… You have been neglected.

"Very good. I don't know who you two are, but if you can tell just by looking at the transmutation circle," Yeah, the blood was still a huge indicator. Out of the shadow walked a suit of armor; one that was definitely not Al. And on top of that, he was armed with a very sharp looking sword.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am the one charged with guarding this place. I'll go by Number 48 for now. I am under orders to eliminate anyone who comes in here. Don't think ill of me, kids."

"Don't think ill of me once you're beaten by one of these 'kids'." In a flash of blue, Ed transmuted his automail into a blade. It then occurred to me that I didn't know if Winry actually forgot the bolt or not. She might have remembered, considering she was showing me how everything worked. But if she didn't… I clapped my hands, letting the pale flame flicker in my palm.

"Alchemists, hm? Let's see what you've got." Faster than anyone should be able to move, 48 was inches from Ed's face. In that one moment, we both realized we were in a bit over our heads.

48 swung down with his blade, Ed just barely escaping its biting edge. He danced away on light feet. 48 charged at the blonde, but before he could get even halfway there, I threw a ball of fire between him and Ed. Surprising all three of us, it exploded into a wall. The armor brothers skidded to a stop.

Now, if I had been thinking, I would have realized that chucking fire near someone would gain some attention. But sadly, I did not notice until 48 turned to me. Ah, craaaaap. I squeaked, running around my own wall of flames to more or less hide behind Ed.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ed glanced at me, "And you said you didn't fight."

"I never said anything about defense. Just don't expect me to hit him."

"Good with me." Ed shot me a quick grin before rushing in to meet 48's attack. Ed just barely managed to block his incoming sword, the strain of holding it back evident. Pushing it way, Ed dove in for a strike only to meet 48's sword once again. Ducking beneath it, Ed rammed his foot hard into the belly of the armor, knocking them both away from each other. I could only do so much with my fire, especially when they were so close together, so I held back, waiting until interference would be helpful.

Understanding lit in Ed's eyes. "Hey, hey, hey! You're hollow inside, aren't you!"

"I'm impressed you realized that."

"I spar against someone like you all the time."

"Oh, so there are people like me on the outside, too, are there?"

"To think there's another idiot out there who came up with the idea of bonding a soul to a suit of armor!" Calling yourself an idiot is a bit harsh, don't you think…? I watched silently, not wanting to intrude on a conversation, even one with a psychopath.

"Let me introduce myself once again. '48' is my condemned prisoner number. In life, or should I say, back when I had a living body, I was known as Slicer, the mass murderer."

"So you are a prisoner… Tell me, they use condemned prisoners in this place as ingredients to make the Philosopher's Stones, right?"

"That is difficult for me to answer. They just recognized my skills, gave me this body, and made me the watchdog of this place."

"Which means you have a seal that serves as a medium for soul and armor."

"Yes, that is correct." 48 reached for his mask, lifting it to reveal the zigzagged bloodseal. "If you destroy this, you win."

"It's very kind of you to show me your weak spot."

"I'm the type that likes a challenge in a fight."

"As long as you're being kind, why don't you just let us leave?"

"There's no way a mass murderer would allow his prey to escape so easily."

"It was worth a shot though," I chimed as Slicer adjusted his grip on his sword. Then the fighting resumed, sword against automail blade. Sparks showered around them as the two metals met and deflected on another. 48 then hit Ed's automail hard enough for the sound to ring throughout the room.

Ed paused for a moment, a startled look on his face as he glanced at his arm. In that one look, I knew that Winry had in fact forgotten the screw. Slicer took this opportunity to send a strike towards Ed's head. Ed ducked in time to avoid a very unpleasant haircut. I sent a volley of flame at Slicer's sword, altering its path considerably as Ed backflipped away.

Once again a flurry of sparks lit the area, ending in Ed being kicked to the ground. Knowing Ed wasn't in the literal line of fire, I let loose a stream of flame at the katana. Ed jumped back to his feet, and used Slicer's distraction to knock his head clean off.

"Ed, there's a second brother controlling the body!" I warned before there was time to surprise him. Even with it, the younger Slicer managed to dig his blade into Ed's left shoulder. Edward was soon backed into a corner, and a feeling of helplessness overtook us both. I looked at my smoldering hands.

"Screw this!" I growled and a huge burst of flame went straight at the body of 48. As he toppled over, Ed employed Scar's trick, blowing the legs and the torso apart. Both of us released a breath. I went straight to the katana, flinging it away. I sunk down to the ground next to Ed.

"Now you've done it, you little brat!"

"Ugh, that's just gross!" I couldn't help but laugh at Edward's facial expression, but it soon stopped when noticed the blood soaking into his clothes.

"How's your shoulder?"

"It'll be fine." He stood up slowly, leaning against the wall. "Didn't you say you wouldn't hit him?"

"…" I didn't say anything. I made an exception because Slicer was armor. Against someone of flesh and blood, I wasn't sure that I would be able to do the same. The younger 48 was still wiggling on the ground, and I felt a mild wave of nausea.

I was startled by the sound of a sigh from the older Slicer. "My brother, I hate to say it, but we've lost."

"You're not gonna tell me you're actually three brothers, are you?" Edward poked the lifeless legs.

"No, no." The younger Slicer waved.

"Kid, just hurry up and destroy us."

"Don't ask me to become a murderer." Ed scoffed.

"With bodies like these, are we even people?"

"If I don't consider you to be people, then that would mean I don't consider my brother a person. My brother is human. You guys are also human."

"Wacked up humans, but human nonetheless." I shrugged. "Translation: no dead psychopaths."

"Heh. We two, as brothers, have been stealing, destroying, and killing for as long as we can remember. And now, for the first time, we're being treated as human after we've taken these forms… It's hilarious!" My eyes flicked around, waiting for some sign of Envy or Lust. "As a parting gift, I will tell you everything. The ones who made the Philosopher's Stone and ordered us to guard this place."

No ridiculously long fingernails shot from the darkness. Nor did a gender-confused palm tree come to give Slicer a stabbity death. Did that mean that this was going to be closer to the 2003 version?

"Hey, are you okay?" Ed questioned, picking up the older Slicer by the hair.

"It's just… You know what, nevermind. Are you sure your shoulder's okay?"

"Yeah. We can look around here a little more." I compared the Edward I saw in front of me to the one from the Lab 5 episode. There was no blood on his face, no gash on his side. Evidently I made the correct decision coming through the vent with Ed…

Thankfully Ed had already begun following 48's instructions and wasn't facing me. I swear, the awkwardness of being sandwiched in a vent with him is going to haunt me for the rest of my life, I thought as I flushed.

The rest of the Lab was increasingly boring. It didn't help that I jumped at every noise, still waiting for homunculi to pop out. It wasn't until we reached a room that practically glowed red that anything happened.

The thing was, it wasn't the same red room as the 2003 version. There weren't barrels of red water, there wasn't a transmutation circle on the ceiling. But there was on the ground. And it was eerily familiar.

"That's…" I didn't have a photographic memory or anything, but you tend to remember things that send your life in to a spiral of 'what the fudge is going on's.

"I've never seen a transmutation circle like this before." Ed commented. I moved toward like I was in a trance, dropping to the ground and running a finger along the edge of the circle. A small part of me hoped it would spark to life, but it remained dead. "What's with you?"

"It's… It's the circle I touched right before I was teleported here. Only bigger."

"You were supposed to come out here, too." A masculine voice caused us both to jump, making me squeak and Ed drop 48. 48 muttered crankily. A man stepped out of the darkness. He was darkly colored, with dark skin, dark brown hair, and eyes void of light. I didn't know who he was, but there was one thing I did. He was bad news.

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Damon. My organization detected a disturbance in the Gate and we guessed someone should be coming through here. You are quite an odd case. Not only in that you didn't come through here, but that you appeared in another city."

Ed bristled with hostility. "How did you know where she-"

"Iris informed me, of course." I felt a shiver down my spine. Iris had mentioned a guy named Damon before, someone who explained things to her. Was it possible a person who gave me the willies this bad could be the same?

"You know Iris?"

"Indeed. Her mute friend as well." When he smiled, it faintly reminded me of a cat that ate the family fish. "You may want to back away from that transmutation circle. It should activate any moment now."

"Are you from Lex's world, too?"

Damon didn't once take his freezing eyes from me. "Of course. I am the holder of the Eris stone." He held out a sulfur-yellow stone. I couldn't remember hearing about a goddess named Eris. I knew of Eros, the god of love, but Eris was lost on me.

A pink glow began pulsating from the drawing next to me. I quickly stood and moved closer to Ed. If all else failed, I could use him as a meat shield! …Yeah, no. I still hadn't remembered the fire god/goddess. And I had an knowing resource, albeit an obviously bad one.

"Do… Do you know what mine is?"

"Hephaestia, of course." Hephaestia… Did he mean Hephaestus?

I didn't have a chance to ask.

The circle erupted in a violent explosion of red, tiny black arms flicking around the edges. Out of the massive eye in the middle came a shadowed figure. Their face was hidden, but I felt a tiny pinch in my gut. A sneaking suspicion I wouldn't like where things were going.

As the light died, the person looked around like a confused child. She wore a tied black jacket and simple jeans, her hand clenched around the chain of her amulet. It was a faded gray. Her dusty blonde was cropped short, and black rimmed, rectangular glasses framed her pale eyes. I felt my breath catch. It was Lucia.

I didn't pause to think, I just ran up to the dazed girl. "Lucia! Are you okay? How'd this happen? Do you know what Truth took?"

She looked at me blankly for a moment. "Who are you?"

"Who- It's me! Lex? Lex Hadesty? Alexandra Sarah Hadesty! Your friend!" Each sentence I spoke seemed to confuse her more, and I felt winded. Had Truth really taken her memory?

"I don't know you!"

"Well, what do you know?!" She paused, a frustrated look on her face. I didn't know if I wanted the on looking males to interfere or not. I just wanted my friend to remember.

"I… My name is Lucia Jane. I was… on my way to a… to someone's house. Someone I was worried about… because she disappeared… I think. Then… I… I can't… There was some freaky white dude, I remember that much!"

"Look, I am your friend. I went missing a few weeks ago. Several months before that, two of our friends were gone."

"Yeah, Iris and Asra."

"Exactly!"

"Exactly what?" As soon as the light in Lucia's eyes had appeared, it was gone. "Who are you?"

There was a sympathetic sigh from Damon. "The poor child. I will take her to our headquarters and see what we can do for her memory." He took her wrist and gently began leading her away. Just as I began to follow him, long black strips flew past my vision and through 48. Edward jumped away from the Ultimate Spear. Ultimate Fingernails if you ask me.

"Oh, my. Three Ydites and the Fullmetal pipsqueak, all in one place!" And lo and behold, the green-haired fright himself walked into the doorway next to Lust.

As if on cue, Ed exploded, "Don't call me small!"

"But a pipsqueak is a pipsqueak, right, pipsqueak?"

"We will make our leaves out this way…" Damon commented, whisking Lucia away before I could object. As much as I worried about her, I knew she would be relatively safe with the creepazoid. Edward, on the other hand, was in much better condition and ready to fight Envy. Which would end badly.

The two homunculi strode confidently into the room. Their movement would give an advantage in fighting, but left the exit wide open. A perfect path for making an escape. Just as Ed clapped his hand, I gave his automail a hard yank, pulling all the parts completely out of place. I kept my momentum which forced him to run out the door with me.

"What did you just do?!"

"Yell at me later! We gotta get outta here be... before they blow the… darned place up!" My asthma simply made running and talking a lot more complicated than it should've been. "Besides… It was breaking anyway!"

Focus was then turned to the wonderful activity of getting the fudge out before everything fell on us. As we ran, I took a quick puff of my inhaler. I didn't know what I would do when it ran out. We rolled out onto the grass just as the building fell to pieces behind us. I coughed as I breathed dust, less and less oxygen going where it was supposed to.

"We have to find Al." Ed said, wincing as he yanked me to my feet. I could only nod. We found Al panicking along with Ross and Brosh. He instantly relaxed when he recognized his brother.

Very little conversation occurred after that. Ed finally passed out from blood loss, his shoulder wound a heck of a lot deeper than it looked. I leaned heavily on Brosh as dizziness became my main focus. I barely noticed as we were driven straight to the hospital.

All in all, I would say that the fifth laboratory pretty much sucked.

I think this is the longest chapter I've written... It also happens to be my current favorite. The vent bit was the first time I'd actually tried writing something like that, so you should really review and tell me how I did.

I'm probably pushing the amount of OCs one should have, but they are necessary to the plot I have in mind, and other than Lex, they're not going to be there all the time.

...I really don't like Damon. He is simply an evil I must bear writing.

Edit: When reading over this, my parents rushed me and I missed two sentences that were intended to be deleted. For those of you that read this before it was fixed, Iris and Asra were notin the fifth lab. For those of you who read this after, a little piece of trivia: The original concept for the red room scene included Iris and Asra. I believed that they were not needed in that place, so I scrapped the idea, however, I missed a two sentence. I apologize for the mistake.