Title - Still a Sinner
Chapter -2
Author - Fullmetal-Alchemist1uk
Disclaimer - I don't own FMA damnit
Rating - PG13
Pairings - None
This is an AU fic in which Ed is unsuccessful in binding Al's soul to the armour.

Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang stared across the dark fields of Resembool, eyes narrowing in the rain. He had originally been interested in being there because of Hohenheim, apparenly the military had been interested in him for a long time because he was supposed to be a genius alchemist. His thoughts turned briefly to the letter he had found not too long ago, the return address and the name of Elric had jumped out at him. So, not even the sons knew where the father was. Hopefully, the boys would have their father's talent for alchemy but would be easier targets, so at least this journey wouldn't be a total waste. Maybe the older brother, the one who had written the letter, would be good enough to impress even Hakuro and his minions.

Roy frowned as a sudden glare of light flickered from the house across the hill and felt his stomach turn. He knew enough about alchemy (or at least alchemy other than his own specialty) to know what a rebound looked like.

But he had never heard of one that looked that fierce before.

Just what were those boys up to?

Then it seemed so obvious. The letter had been pleading, if the reader had known where Hohenheim was, tell him to get home as soon as possible since his wife was ill. Obviously, something had happened and were the boys stupid enough to try -

And as suddenly as it started, the light vanished.

Roy cautiously pushed the front door open, concerned that it hadn't been locked. He carefully searched all the rooms before making his way down to the basement.

He was sure he wasn't going to forget that sight in a hurry.

The room was dark and quiet, and nothing seemed out of place, aside from the complicated array in the middle of the floor - and there was so much blood. Mustang felt sick. True, he had been toying with the idea of human transmutation after Ishbal but Hughes and his own sense that he would at least try to make the military better before he died had prevailed. So much blood...

But no corpses.

He made his way gingerly over to the suit of armour that was lying partially on the array, and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw an array - was that.. was that drawn in blood - on the back of the inside of the armour, horribly cracked, as if the attempted transmutation hadn't worked. He didn't know what the array was for, so that was another thing he'd ask Hawkeye to check out when he got back to Central.

What of the Elric brothers? Had it been them who had tried this? There wasn't many alchemists, especially in this area, either powerful enough or had a motive to try human transmutation, so it had to have been them. Only, what happened to them? Even if they had failed their bodies would have still been here. He sighed and carefully made his way upstairs.

Perhaps he'd have better luck asking any of the neighbours, perhaps it might fill in a few of the questions now raised by this horror.

As he left the house he was unaware of the old woman who watched him from the side of the Elric household, her smile cruel yet amused.