I'm a bit confused by the stats for chapters 19 and 20, which I posted simultaneously yesterday, as chapter 20 has 23 more visitors? So if anybody has missed chapter 19, then I'd recommend you go back and read it, because that's the one where Ed's mind breaks so it's an important one.

Chapter twenty-one

Jean did as he was told and pointed his gun at the lock. "I'm shooting it now, Boss," Jean warned and then did.

Which caused Ed to shriek, sending shivers down Jean's spine. Things were wrong, really wrong, but asking just to what extent would probably be a bad idea right now. And so he just watched as the Colonel wrapped Ed securely in a blanket, restricting his movements. The small boy was shrieking, fighting against him as he carried Ed over to the now open cage door. "We're getting him out of here now," Mustang said sternly, his eyes revealing that there was more to this than meets the eye. "She's not hurting him anymore."

Then he stepped out of the door.

And stopped suddenly as his legs began shaking.

Then he fell to his knees and hugged Ed tightly to him, Ed's shrieks muffled by his hug. Tears began streaming down his cheeks and he kissed the top of Ed's head. "We're actually out of that thing," he said weakly, looking up at Jean who was slightly unnerved by it all. "It's been twenty damn days inside there."

Then he placed Ed securely against his chest and removed his collar and then his own and threw them away. "We're out, Ed. We got out, so please just talk to me again!" Ed just reduced his shrieks to squeals, and Jean guessed it had something to do with the fact that the Colonel was outright crying as he looked at the boy. "Just give me some sign that you actually understand a damn word I'm saying!" The Colonel pleaded desperately.

Ed was only staring at Mustang, no understanding in his eyes as he whimpered continuously, a hint of curiosity in the golden orbs as he watched the Colonel's tears. Jean found the scene absolutely heartbreaking.

Damn it, we were too late.

The Colonel just hugged Ed to his chest again as he sat there, shaking. Jean removed his uniform jacket and put it around Mustang's shoulders. "C'mon, Boss, we're getting you home." He squeezed his right shoulder and felt his boss lean his head on his hand and Jean couldn't help noticing just how cold his cheek was. He didn't remove his hand, however, he didn't have the heart to do so. Jean had a feeling that the two alchemists had been through much more than what the evidence implied. After all, Ed's stumps were completely healed up. There should have been some traces of the procedure, even if the automail ports were removed the moment they got here twenty-four days ago. Ed was also supposed to have a stab wound in his abdomen, but there weren't any signs of that either. And his wrist clearly wasn't broken. But why that Warren guy should have lied about something like that didn't make any sense either.

"Hey, Boss, we —"

Then suddenly Jean was thrown through the air and he heard a shot being fired right before he landed on his side. He turned around quickly to see a brunette in a tight-fitting red dress holding Ed by the throat with only one arm, the boy screaming and flailing, the blanket left on the ground. Jean was pointing his gun at her and Breda was shouting for her to drop Ed and give up.

How the hell is she able to do that?!

"I don't think so! You put down your guns or I'll snap the puppy's neck!" the woman shouted, her balance perfect despite her slender form. She shouldn't have had the strength to hold Ed like that.

"Do it! Now! That's an order!" The Colonel barked out, his voice strained with panic and anger.

And so Jean put down his gun, hating himself for doing this.

"I meant all four of you! I know you're there behind the bush, I can smell you!" the woman shouted over Ed's frantic shrieks.

Jean cursed inwardly. That whole chimera thing was obviously true no matter how far-fetched it had sounded.

Ed was staring wildly around, kicking and fighting for his life, looking more like a trapped and injured wild animal than anything. "Get back in your cage, Roy, or I'll make you break his limbs."

Then suddenly a shot rang out and the woman fell to her knees with an enraged scream, letting go of Ed as the Colonel leapt at her with a roar of his own.

The next second, there was a bone-chilling snap, and the brunette lay limply on the ground, the Colonel panting heavily where he was kneeling in front of her. "You're not laying a damn finger on him ever again, you freak," the man growled darkly.

Ed was trembling, watching the dead woman with wide, tearful eyes.

The scene made Jean's blood run cold. He had never heard the Colonel sound like that. He was deeply satisfied with killing her. He was proud to have snapped the woman's neck in cold blood.

No, Mustang wasn't the same either after this. The man crawled over to Ed who was whimpering where he lay trembling on his side, his left arm held protectively over his head and his back to the cage, effectively trapping him. Mustang picked the shivering boy up again and pressed him to his chest while pressing his lips to his head. "It's over. It's finally over. She can't ever hurt you ever again, Ed," he said, his eyes closed and gently rocking back and forth. His voice as he spoke was so soft and gentle and such a complete contrast to his words after he killed Melanie.

Jean heard the crunch of boots on gravel and looked up at Sergeant Ross, one of the soldiers that had come from Central together with Hughes during the investigation. Jean suddenly realised that she'd been coming from the opposite direction of which the wind was blowing, meaning that Melanie hadn't noticed her.

Mustang spoke hoarsely, still rocking a whimpering Ed in his arms. "You're the one who fired the shot?"

"Yes, sir. I'm Sergeant Maria Ross, I heard the screams and came to cheek it out."

"Then you're going to be a Second Lieutenant by next week if I have anything to say about it."

Jean got inside the truck after Mustang and Ed. Fuery was up front with Falman, getting out the message that they had found the two alchemists. Ed was staring wildly around him and squealing loudly at being carried inside the truck. Breda had got in before them and was handing them a black military coat that someone had left behind. They'd get it back later, so it wasn't a big deal. Mustang gently eased the boy's arm out of the blanket and put it inside the coat and closed it around Ed before gently setting him down on the floor. Jean thought it was a strange thing to do, but the second Mustang let go of Ed, the boy began scooting backwards until he reached the innermost corner of the truck and then he curled himself up inside the coat underneath the bench, his bandaged fingers and toes disappearing into the overly large garment. The Colonel sighed heavily and sat down on the bench after draping the blanket around his own shoulders. He had already protested that they didn't need to call for the ambulance that was driving around because being inside it would probably stress Ed out even further right now. When the tailgate was in place, the truck started and they drove off.

Jean looked over at the trembling form in the corner and felt his stomach twist sharply, his curiosity getting the better of him. They had already told Mustang the basics about how they found them. "Boss? Warren said that Ed had a stab wound and a broken wrist… Why aren't they there now? His stumps are also completely healed, so what's going on?"

"Xingese healing alchemy called alkahestry. They've been healing us up as they went." His eyes filled with despair and guilt. "Although they couldn't do that with Ed this last week because they couldn't get him to lie still, so they've been injecting him instead."

"So Ed's been like this for a week?" Breda asked, his eyes betraying both anger and pain.

"Yes. Melanie gave him some drug and he's been like that ever since." The Colonel looked down sadly for a few seconds before he looked back up at them. "Listen, you wouldn't happen to have something to drink that isn't water?"

"Sorry, Boss, afraid not."

"Then a breath mint? Chewing gum? Hell, I'll even have a smoke."

Jean produced a pack of cigarettes and gave it to him before he found his lighter and held it at the ready. Mustang's hands were shaking as he fumbled with the cigarettes, and Jean decided that the truck was driving slow enough for him to sit down next to Mustang on the other bench instead. He nearly fell in the process, but he managed it even so. He gently grabbed his boss's hands and took out the cigarette for him and placed it in his right hand.

Mustang brought it up to his mouth shakily and Jean lit it for him. "Thanks, Havoc." Then he began laughing shakily, the tone heavy with relief, pain, sorrow and bitterness. "Believe it or not, but two weeks of dog food with a hint of vomit and a sprinkling of blood from a punctured lung doesn't leave the best aftertaste."