Reminder: Italics are flash backs (or thoughts). So lets get to the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa, i just borrow them and use them for my entertainment.
Chapter 3 - Hanging On
Ed was still in the restroom sitting on the floor with his knees tucked up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them.
'What's wrong with me?' He thought. 'This isn't me, I don't act like this.'
He brought himself gradually to his feet and swayed over to the restroom sink. He looked at himself in the mirror while turning on the water, he splashed his face a few times hoping that would clear his mind. Unknown to others Ed has been fighting a war inside himself, that even his brother didn't know about, for quiet some time. The specific title for Ed's condition was Self-Injurer or at least that's what he had been told.
"I'm not going to do it" he whispered quietly to himself. He quickly grabbed a paper towel and dried his face, then practically ran from the restroom. He was walking down the hall pretty fast, lost in his minds ramblings that he wasn't going to cut again. It wasn't worth it. Turning the corner rather fast Ed bumped into Havoc.
"Hey there boss, what seems to be the rush?" Havoc said while smiling around his trademark cigarette hanging between his lips. "Are you in that big of a hurry to see the Colonel?"
Ed stared up at him in a bit of a shocked state .
"Oh um, sorry, didn't mean to run into you like that."
Havoc put a hand on Ed's head "No worries boss, just watch those blind corners." With that he continued on his way.
Ed had just realized that he was indeed heading in the general direction of the Colonel's office.
"That's it I'll just hang around Mustang for a while until this feeling goes away" He started at a dead sprint and didn't stop until he reached the office door, swinging it open he saw Hawkeye still sitting behind her desk and Ed rushed passed her.
"Ah Ed the Colonels not in …"
Before she could finish her sentence Ed had disappeared into the office and closed the door behind him.
"…at the moment" she finished looking at the now shut door, left wondering what that was all about.
++Show Me The Way++
All that paper work had made Roy hungry. The fact of the matter was, his thoughts weren't allowing him to finish anything. so he came up with a rather defined plan and marched out of his office stating he was hungry and his work couldn't get finished with him in that state.
Hawkeye just sighed, she had a pretty good idea that hunger wasn't the case, but if that was the best excuse he could come up with … She sighed again
"What am I going to do with him?" she stated as she continued with her work.
++Show Me The Way++
Mustang sat alone in the mess hall picking at his food, he took his pocket watch out.
'10 minutes till 5' he thought 'no wonder the foods still warm.'
In all honesty he wasn't really that hungry but he felt if he stayed locked up in that office for another minute more he was going to go on a barbequing rampage, which would look extremely bad on his record. Mustang allowed a mental picture to play out in his mind, he could just picture what the headlines would read.
"Today in central, a high ranking official went on a murderous killing spree. Not only was this man an Alchemist he was the one and only Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang" the headlines would read.
"I don't know what came over him, he was in his office doing routine paper work and then bam he snapped, literally" said an interviewed personal.
Mustangs mind was jolted back to reality when someone sat across from him.
"You know Roy you really need to take care of yourself and stop stressing so much." Hughes chuckled.
Mustang glared at him then dove his fork into his pile of potatoes and shoved them into his mouth. Mustangs eyed him as he took a drink which spoke novels telling Maes to spill the beans in a manner of speaking.
"We didn't find anything out of the ordinary at his house" He began. "but the funniest thing happened" Hughes grabbed a bagel off of Roy's tray. "One of his neighbors remembers hearing a moving truck outside the residence late one night."
Hughes took a bite of the bagel and Roy waited patiently for Hughes to continue.
"Then the next morning some guy that the neighbor hadn't seen before was moving stuff into the house." Hughes pushed the remaining amount of the bagel into his mouth.
"If he moved, why does the military still have that address as Dennis Wilson's current residence" Mustang said "It's what's on his file that Hawkeye brought into my office this morning." The Colonel ran his hand thought his jet black hair trying to analyze the situation.
Hughes laughed.
"Wait there's more." Maes stated. "He still receives his mail there to keep up the appearance that its still his house. Plus the neighbor hasn't seen anyone come or go from that house in a few weeks or so."
That sent off a bell in Mustangs head. "Right around the time these kidnapping started happening."
Hughes nodded "Exactly."
It was pushing it a little to far for them to think that they had this all figured out, they still didn't know why the Mercury Alchemist seemed to be involved, or what they were planning to do and furthermore they had no clue where they were hold up. They had a pretty good idea that it would have to be in Central but in a big city like Central there were plenty of places for rats to hide.
++Show Me The Way++
Ed had settled down on the Colonels office couch trying to get himself to relax and concentrate on something else. Before he realized it he had fallen fast asleep.
On the outskirts of the city, Al sat in what looked to be a basement. Just recently waking up he looked outside through a little rectangle shaped window at the sky.
"Where am I?" he said quietly to himself
'How long have I been asleep?' his mind questioned 'Where is Ed? Is he ok? Am I going to be ok?' What happened?'
Al tried remembering what had happened but it was all kind of fuzzy. He remembered leaving his brother to go get some medicine. Leaving the store just as they were closing for the night, he also remembers being followed.
"Oh no-" his voice rang out "I've been kidnapped." he remembered everything now.
++Show Me The Way++
Al had thanked the merchant for staying open a few minutes later to fill Ed prescription. Then he left the store heading down the street towards the building where he and his brother were staying in.
Two blocks away he stopped to look at a mother cat and her three calico babes sleeping in an ally.
That's when it happened.
A tall man with black pants and a dark hooded jacket came into view as he stepped in-between Al and his view of the cats.
"The Fullmetal Alchemist, pleasure to meet you." the man said with a slight snicker in a low husky voice. "We've been looking for you."
Al turned as he heard some scratching sounds behind him but it was to late.
One of the Alchemists behind him had already drawn a transmutation circle and activated it, sending three metal pikes jolting towards Al. Although he appears to be slow Al dodged two of the pikes but the third one, well Al wasn't so lucky. It pierced though his chest plate knocking him to the ground. Al managed to keep a good hold on the contents in his hands.
Al laid motionless on the ground. His eyes focusing on the sky.
"Brother, help" he called in a weak voice, then he slipped into a slumber and the eye sockets that normally shined white went black.
The second Alchemist turned and walked around the corner. Just then a van came into sight, the three men loaded Al into the it.
"This was easier then I thought." The first Alchemist stated as he climbed into the front set next to the driver. The Alchemist with the black hood climbed in by Al and slid the door to the van closed. "Of course it was, what would you expect from a child."
The three Alchemist turned to face the back of the van. Now looking at the man setting in the shadows. "Master Wilson will be pleased" The Alchemist in the front said as they began to drive down the road.
Al brought his knees to his chest and sat in the basement. Watching the sky slowly change to a orange color as sunset approached. "Brother …help me" he wined in a small voice.
+++To Be Continued+++