The Briggs automail engineer looked at Ed with a frown.

"Well, at least you had the sense to come here with the right automail, but why didn't you stop by the Northern Command Center to let us know you were coming?"

Ed shrugged. "We were in a hurry, it didn't occur to us."

The engineer poured out a cup of coffee. "Well, next time, make sure you do, okay?"

"Fine."

The engineer handed Ed the cup. He accepted it and took a sip.

"That'll be a hundred Cens."

Ed looked at the engineer incredulously. "Seriously? It wasn't even that good a cup of coffee."

The engineer smirked. "This is the north. Get used to it."

Ed and Al had been escorted to the medical bay of Fort Briggs to be looked over, and were supposed to meet with Major General Armstrong before long.

After Ed had finished his cup of coffee, Olivier entered the room, flanked on either side by Captain Buccaneer and Major Miles.

She took a seat and looked at Ed disdainfully. "Hello, little red runt. From what I hear, you two are close to my brother, Alex. Is he doing alright?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah."

Al leaned forward. "Alex is doing just great."

Olivier's expression didn't change. "No matter. Never mind him. Tell me why you had bypassed the command center to meet me. I want to know it all, including why your armor is empty."

Ed shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, that's something we don't like to talk about."

The engineer smiled reassuringly. "There's no reason to worry. Folks around here have plenty they wanna hide. Everybody up North has something that he or she doesn't like to talk about."

After a moment of hesitation, Ed and Al told them about how they were trying to get their original bodies back, but carefully omitted the details concerning the Fuhrer and the Homunculi.

Olivier tapped the hilt of her sword thoughtfully. "I see. So you're looking for this girl with a strange cat. I understand."

Ed looked slightly relieved. "So does that mean you're gonna help—"

"I'm not done. What I understand is that you two are a couple of reckless idiots who cause trouble with every last thing you do."

Olivier glared at them coldly. "Honestly, how could the people at Central let you two run around loose? I don't want people like you in my fort. Get out of here right now."

Ed and Al looked at her, their faces stunned.

Olivier leaned back. "At least that's what I'd like to say. But I'm interested in Alkahestry. You two, you are acquainted with this girl from Xing. You've met her before?"

Al nodded. "Yeah, we have, though briefly."

"She has a skill our country doesn't. You can never know too much. Especially here in the north, where we are right next to Drachma. If we use it right, Alkahestry could make an excellent weapon."

Al protested. "Wait a second. Alkahestry is specialized for medical purposes. You can't just…"

Olivier snapped. "Be quiet. You're nothing but lap dogs living safely within your city walls. But we are the ones who protect you. We few who are brave enough to defend the country's border. My job is far more perilous than yours. I will make use of any knowledge that I can get my hands on."

She stood up. "Leave the task of finding this Alkahestry girl to me. You two will stay here inside the fort. And Major Miles."

Miles looked at her. "Yes sir."

"Put them to work. A man who does not work has no right to eat."

Ed smiled wearily. "You have a point."

As Olivier walked back down the hallway, Buccaneer turned toward her, his face serious.

"Those two boys haven't exactly had easy lives, General."

Olivier shook her head. "I believe they may have witnessed some carnage in their time, but I can tell that on the inside, they remain soft and weak."

Her eyes narrowed. "And what's more, they're still hiding something. Those two have a secret they aren't telling us."

Major Miles escorted Ed and Al to another part of the fort. After several minutes of silence, Ed spoke up.

"So, exactly what kind of work will you have us doing?"

Major Miles said nothing.

"That doctor said people around here have a lot of things to hide, so what are you hiding, Major?"

Major Miles remained quiet.

Ed scowled at him. "It's no fair for you guys to ask all the questions and never answer any."

Miles stopped, and slowly turned around. He looked at the brothers carefully.

"You really want to know?"

He took off his glasses.

Al gasped. "Red eyes!"

Ed's eyes widened. "An Ishvalan! I don't understand. We were told all the soldiers from Ishval were purged before the extermination."

Miles put his glasses back on. "It's true that Ishvalan blood flows in my veins. But my father and my grandmother were not from that region. They were a different race. My eyes are Ishvalan though. My grandfather's blood runs strong."

His expression became harsh. "Amestrian, it was your people who destroyed the land of my grandfather."

Ed didn't back down. "Ishvalan, your people destroyed our countryside, and one of you is responsible for murdering our friend's parents."

Al looked at his brother uncertainly. "Careful, brother."

Miles and Ed stared at each other for a moment, then Miles suddenly began to laugh.

"I'm sorry, but that's the first time I've heard anyone give me that kind of an answer."

Ed frowned. "What? You were testing me?"

Miles shook his head. "I know it was rude. Since the war, Amestrians always view me with a mixture of guilt and pity. To be honest, I'm getting tired of it. But you're different, aren't you?"

Ed closed his eyes. "Well, Major, an Ishvalan tried to kill me and then briefly fought alongside me. After all that, my feelings are a bit conflicted."

He looked back at Miles seriously. "Besides, I think people should try to ignore their race and just treat each other as equals."

They began walking again, and this time Al spoke up.

"Major Miles, were you on active duty during the war of extermination?"

Miles nodded. "Yes, I was. I've been under General Armstrong's command since then. The war began right after I was posted here. Many of my relatives including my grandfather were killed in the east. I fell outside the military's purge requirements, so I was spared."

Ed looked at him uncertainly. "You didn't hold a grudge against the military?"

Miles smirked at him. "You don't understand how the world works now, do you?"

Ed held up his hands. "I know I'm ignorant about some things. If I offended you, I'm sorry."

Miles tilted his head thoughtfully. "An ignorant State Alchemist, you say. Ha, interesting."

The three of them got into an elevator, and Major Miles pressed a button to a higher floor.

"I did resent the military's actions. And I also had doubts as to why General Armstrong would keep me as a staff officer. The presence of someone with Ishvalan blood could cause discord among the soldiers stationed here. It would've been easier for her to get rid of me. Eventually, I just came right out and asked her."

He thought back to how General Armstrong had responded.

This is Briggs. No matter what happens, this territory must not fall. Every soldier here must be both strong and flexible. You must move as one cohesive unit following me, your leader, in all things and all times. In short, we do not have the luxury of discrimination here. The blood of several races flows within you. And with that comes varying strengths and values. You can see this country in a way that others cannot. I was born and raised in Amestris. In order to lead, I need someone with your eyes. Now shut up and follow me, Miles. Understood?

"Her words made sense. I knew she was speaking without deception. I even went so far as to ask her, 'What if the Ishvalan blood within me cannot forgive what the military did to my people?' And do you want to know what the General said to that?"

Fine then, bring it. On behalf of the military, I will accept your challenge anytime. I'll fight you one on one.

Miles smiled softly. "That was it. I knew she was a leader I could count on."

Ed shivered. "What a scary lady."

Al nodded. She sounds even tougher than Teacher.

The elevator stop led outside. The three of them disembarked and stepped into the chilly air.

Miles glanced back at the two brothers. "You know what the law is here?"

Ed nodded. "Survival of the fittest."

"That's right. Without power, you die. And if you have it, you might survive. That fact always remains the same 365 days a year. It's a simple life, really. Whether you are a private or a general, race, ethnicity, and gender make no difference."

Miles gestured at the myriad of icicles that had formed on the roof of the walkway. "These icicles all need to be scraped off. That'll be your job for today. When you are finished, one of my men will show you to your quarters."

Miles gave them two scrappers, then left.

Al was able to make some good progress, but Ed…

He glared up at the icicles. "Dammit, I can't reach."

He threw down the scrapper in frustration. "Screw this."

He clapped his hands together and pressed them to the wall. He used his alchemy to change all of the ice into steam, which abruptly dissipated into the cold night, leaving the roof bare and smooth.

Ed stepped back in satisfaction. "There, that wasn't so hard."

"Is that you?"

Ed and Al turned around to see who had spoken.

Al gasped in surprise. "Officer Falman!"

Falman waved in greeting. "The Elric brothers, what are you two doing here?"

Ed raised an eyebrow. "What about you? I thought you were at the northern command center."

Falman rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I was for a while, but then northern command bumped me up here."

Al noticed a new star on his uniform. "They promoted you."

Falman smiled happily. "Yeah."

Ed looked slightly impressed. "Hey, that's great, congratulations."

Falman gestured for them to follow him. "I'm supposed to take you straight to your quarters, but I know you guys are trustworthy, so how about a little tour?"

Ed and Al nodded, and the three of them went back inside the fort.

Falman gestured down at one of the lower floors, where a large amount of people were busy working on various machines.

"The development sector."

Ed peered over the edge. "Whoa. What's it for?"

Falman explained. "It was General Armstrong's idea. This department researches the country's latest technologies and develops them into weapons."

Ed thought back to Captain Buccaneer. "Does that include combat automail?"

Falman nodded. "Yeah. Now come on, follow me."

They made their way down a long flight of stairs and emerged in a large room full of pipes of varying sizes.

"This is the lowest level of Fort Briggs."

Ed looked around thoughtfully. "It's warm down here. Not like it was up above."

Falman smiled slightly. "All the fort's most important functions, its lifelines come through here. Even if the fort is attacked, this area will remain safe."

Ed stood around gaping slightly, and consequently, a worker almost walked into him.

The worker scowled at him. "Hey kid, move out of the away. Not a great place to stand."

Ed hastily stepped back. "Sorry."

Several other workers were already near one of the pipes.

"Hey, Bobby. It's this pipe. Over here."

Bobby put his ear to the metal.

"It's coming from underground. Sounds like, like someone's digging through the rock."

The workers began to look alarmed. "Maybe it's spies from the Drachma. They could be digging a tunnel under the fort."

Bobby looked at them urgently. "It's close."

Ed looked at the pipe cautiously. "Who on earth could be digging this far underground?"

A few yards away, the intruder continued to dig away at the rock, groaning with fatigue.

"What a pain. It's so annoying. All this digging. It's killing me. But, I guess dying would be a pain, too."

Then all at once, the intruder burst through the rock, blasted a hole in the pipe, and emerged in the heart of fort Briggs.

Olivier frowned. "Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist?"

Miles glanced at the report. "He was severely wounded in a cargo train headed here. He was checked into a hospital at the base of the mountain. The full cooperation of the Briggs branch is requested."

Olivier leaned back in her chair. "Why was Kimblee headed up north? I thought he was serving time in prison."

Miles shook his head. "Apparently, he was released on the Fuhrer's orders."

Olivier tapped her finger against the hilt of her sword. "I don't like this."

A worker burst into the room, startling Olivier and Miles.

"We've got an intruder, from underground, sir!"

Olivier's eyes widened. "We what?"

Ed stared at the intruder in horror.

He was enormous, at least twice the size of Captain Buccaneer, with hands larger than most people's heads. His entire body was covered in muscles that looked like they belonged on a body builder. Chains dangled from his wrists, and an ouroboros tattoo was on the back of his right shoulder. On the left side of his head, just above his eye, was a pulsing black mass that seemed to move independently of its host.

A homunculus. Dammit. Do they know we've come here to find a way of fighting them? This isn't good.

Ed, Al, and the Briggs workers stared warily at the intruder for a moment, when all of a sudden the intruder dozed off.

Ed looked incredulously at him. "You're sleeping?!"

Sloth looked sluggishly at the Elric brothers. "What's this?"

Ed held up a finger. "I'm guessing that creepy guy back in Central who you call Father told you about us."

Al took a step forward. "But you see, we're just trying to find a way to get our bodies back, that's all."

Sloth tilted his head. "Why should I care about you?"

Ed blinked in surprise.

Sloth began to lumber off to the side of the room. "Go dig a hole. How annoying. What a pain."

Ed lowered his voice. "You mean he doesn't know."

Al leaned down. "No, I don't think he's heard about us from Father or Fuhrer Bradley."

Ed nodded. "Judging by his behavior, I'm guessing this is Sloth."

A bullet pierced the ground near Ed's feet, causing him to jump in alarm.

Buccaneer glared down at them. "Aha! So it turns out that you really are a filthy Drachman spy."

Ed shouted. "No, we're not!"

"I saw you talking to the intruder like you knew who he was."

"No we weren't!"

"Your lies won't fool me!"

"We're not lying! We've never even met that guy before!"

Ed glanced to the side, and he and Al hastily ran out of the way as Sloth tossed a large chunk of metal toward them.

Sloth looked around uncertainly. "What is this place? This place big. Can I stop digging now that I'm here?"

He began to lumber toward the elevator, and Buccaneer's men took aim.

Buccaneer yelled. "Fire!"

They fired a volley into Sloth. The bullets pierced his head and chest, but Sloth didn't react at all. After a few seconds, red alchemical sparks emitted from his body and the holes closed.

Buccaneer looked at Sloth in shock. "What the hell?! The guns aren't affecting him at all!"

Sloth made his way onto the elevator, and accidentally flipped the switch to take him to the next level.

Buccaneer looked at him grimly. "This is bad. That thing's going up to Development. Get him, go!"

Ed, Al and Falman followed them to the next floor.

Ed looked at Sloth warily. "Let's see if we can help."

When Sloth reached the next level, the workers had prepared a barricade of boxes and barrels to slow him down.

Olivier carried a rocket launcher on her shoulder, and opened fire on Sloth as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. The homunculus was engulfed in flames, and Olivier looked satisfied.

She turned to a nearby officer. "Put it out."

The officer nodded. "Sir."

But before long the smoke cleared, revealing Sloth to be completely unscathed.

Olivier frowned. "I know that I hit it."

Buccaneer called up to her. "It's no use. Firearms won't work against him."

She looked at him sharply. "What? Withdraw all non-combatants immediately."

She tossed the rocket launcher to one of her subordinates, who hastily grabbed it before it fell to the ground.

"Shut off the alarm. It won't help anything if the Drachmans figure out that we're in trouble."

One of the soldiers waved at Olivier. "General. We have tanks."

"Have the trials been complete?"

The soldier grinned. "We don't need to worry about trials. These are the development team's pride and joy."

The soldier climbed into one of the tanks, and Olivier leaped on top of it.

"Remove the fuses from the shells."

"Yes sir."

They moved the tanks into position. Their job was made easier by the fact that Sloth had decided to stop moving, and was just looking around aimlessly.

"Ready to go. The first round is locked and loaded."

Olivier shouted. "Fire!"

The tank fired, and the round took Sloth's head off.

Before they could savor their victory, however, the skin and muscles began to regrow, and a few seconds later Sloth was as good as new.

Sloth rubbed the back of his head. "Pain is a pain. Pain is annoying."

The soldiers' jaws had dropped, staring in disbelief at what they were witnessing.

Olivier was the first to recover. "Don't just sit there. Load the next round!"

Ed yelled at her. "It won't work. Try whatever you want to, but he won't die."

Olivier looked at him sharply. "He won't? Just what are you saying?"

Buccaneer looked at him suspiciously. "How does a kid like you know something like that?"

Ed glanced off to the side. "Because we…"

Olivier glared at him. "Drop the act. You will answer all of my questions clearly and completely. First off, how do you know about that thing? Are you a Drachman spy?"

Ed shook his head. "I'm not."

Olivier pointed at Sloth. "Is that thing a spy?"

"I really doubt it."

"Does that thing know you?"

"No, apparently not."

"What is that thing?"

Ed grimaced. "I can't answer."

Olivier's eyes narrowed. "Who does that thing work for?"

Ed shook his head in frustration. "I can't answer that!"

Olivier frowned. "Why can't you answer me?"

Ed clenched his fist. "I can't answer."

Olivier looked at him carefully for a moment. "This is my last question. Are you on our side, or you in league with that thing?"

"I'm not with him. I don't want to see anyone here get hurt."

Olivier glanced back at Sloth. "Then tell me what that thing is made of."

Ed let out a breath. "His body's structure and compositional elements are probably the same as a human's."

Olivier looked thoughtful. "The same as a human's. Buccaneer, bring me some tank fuel, now. We're going to douse it."

Ed shook his head. "I told you it won't work, General. Set him on fire, but he still won't die."

"I understand. I learned from my last attack that we can't kill it. The best that we can hope for is to stop or delay it. So we'll have to hit it with something even stronger than fire."

She smiled coldly. "Now you get to see the Briggs way, kid."

Ed blinked. "Uh, the Briggs way?"

Buccaneer grinned. "That's right. Come alchemist, give me a hand."

He gestured at Al. "You too, tin man."

Ed protested. "Hold on, we can't just…"

He froze when Buccaneer pointed a gun at his head.

"You were forced to help us under duress. How does that excuse work for you?"

He glanced at Falman. "Who's this?"

Ed smiled uncertainly. "He's an old friend of ours."

"Ah, then he'll help too."

Falman gaped in surprise, but hastily obeyed Buccaneer.

Miles called up to Buccaneer. "Buccaneer, head for Gate 8."

"Sir."

Olivier pointed at Sloth. "Let's move. Drive it into the elevator!"

Her tank crashed in Sloth, and pushed him for several yards before he came to a halt.

Sloth groaned and slowly began to lift the tank with his bare hands.

"What a pain."

Olivier yelled back at several of the other tanks. "Move it! Push us!"

They obeyed, and pushed Sloth almost into the elevator.

"Good! It's working! Rotate! Turn right!"

The barrel of the cannon turned and smacked into Sloth. He flew back and collapsed in a heap inside the elevator.

"Do it, Miles! Close it!"

"Sir!"

The elevator dropped Sloth off on another floor, and he slowly lumbered out.

"Where am I?"

Buccaneer rushed out of a nearby passageway, grabbed Sloth's arm, and hurled him to the ground.

"All right, do it now!"

Ed, Al, and Falman then drenched Sloth with the fuel.

Buccaneer grinned. "Nice."

Al set down his canister. "Okay, what next?"

Ed scratched his head. "Yeah, how are you planning on getting this big guy through the gate exactly?"

The elevator dinged open, and Ed was stunned to see a tank inside.

Olivier shouted at him. "Move it, you little runt!"

Ed hastily got out of the way.

The tank fired a shot directly into Sloth's stomach. The impact sent him flying back, and his massive weight smashed the outer gates opened. The tank fired one last shot, sending Sloth flying off the edge of the fort and into the snow-covered ground below.

Ed looked down at the falling homunculus with satisfaction. "Nice."

Buccaneer smirked. "That fuel is specially blended for the cold. It'll vaporize almost instantly, and as it evaporates, it'll sap his body heat. This blizzard will help too. It'll freeze him right down to his brain."

Down on the ground, Sloth looked at his body sluggishly.

"It's so cold. Body won't move. What a pain."

He collapsed to the ground in defeat.

Olivier stared down at the homunculus as his body began to be covered by snow.

"You can sleep there until spring, monster."

She glanced back at the brothers. "All right, Buccaneer, now take these two away."

"Sir."

Ed protested. "Hey, hold on a second. We helped you, why are you doing this?"

Olivier placed her hands on her hips. "You were forced to. That was just the excuse you needed to fight, right? Besides which, I'm not letting you go anywhere until you explain exactly what that thing was and what it wanted."

Author's Note: So this part was more or less the same as Brotherhood. I realized that the last few chapters have kind of gone here there and everywhere, and this is the first chapter in a while that has just stayed focused in one place. It'll also be the last one focused on just one place for quite a while.

I made a few changes to Sloth. The thing on his head is basically something Father put on him to make sure that he digs in exactly the right place. Because I don't think Sloth would be too reliable on his own, and would probably end up digging in the wrong direction. And I made it so that his skin isn't super hard, because being impenetrable is Greed's thing.

Next time, a lot of stuff happens, so much that I have no idea how to summarize it.