Disclaimer: I am not affliated with Fullmetal Alchemist, besides writing this fanfiction.

Chapter 5: Aftermath

The soldier didn't know what to make of the site upon opening the door. They were expecting an empty room or one scared teenager (maybe even a child). Yet they reel a step back seeing a man lost in pleasure and unsure of what to do. They've never been to war and saw the atrocities of rape that occurred there, but to see it here.

"You! Off him, now!" The man, his pants open and breathing heavily is startle to see guns pointed at him. Keller quickly gets off Edward, trying to explain himself, thinking they were with the laboratory. One soldier roughly pushes him against the wall, handcuffing him as they other checks on Edward.

They search for a pulse on Edward's throat. "He's alive, get the medics!" Examining Edward they could see blood, but couldn't find cuts and wounds - a thought of why the blood was there did nudge at his mind, and he couldn't help but reel another step back from Keller.

x x x

The warehouse was once used for refugees of past wars. Alphonse eyes glaze over the numerous beds that ran throughout the building. All the beds in an almost perfect line filling with people (kids and teens) as the came through the garage doors. Alphonse wonders if this is what the warehouse looked like decades ago, when there was a war and refugees to fill beds.

The confusion was evident on some of their faces and others…. Alphonse couldn't help the smile that slyly sneaks onto his face. He could remember the ones that smiled; they were old enough to understand the situation. The lab facility was in ruins from explosive charges, gun shots, and the little alchemy involved with the assault.

So as everything laid in ruin around them, they smiled (even laughed) at the destruction around them.

Though, as Alphonse did smile for these teenagers and children, he quickly scans them for that familiar patch of golden hair that belongs to Edward. A few times his eyes were tricked by blonde hair that to radiates in the bright lamplight. His brain would quickly assess that 'No, it wasn't Edward but someone else. But where's Edward?'

"Excuse me?" Roy would laugh at Alphonse meekness towards women. The nurse at the current moment is crazily flipping through papers, writing names and symptoms, and things Alphonse had no knowledge of. "Have you come across an Edward Elric by chance?"

The women's eyes widen in disbelief. Not from familiarity, but from the very idea of actually having to stop her current work: to find a name (one of many) in the hastily made roster sheets. The nurse repeats the name to herself searching for Edward Elric. Around the tenth page she finds the name, "This boy was transferred to a hospital. We didn't have the material to take care of his injuries."

'Hospital!' "Which hospital?"

"The military hospital", the nurse quickly tells Alphonse. She had jumped from the urgency in his voice.

"Thank you." Alphonse runs off and out of the warehouse, almost knocking people off their feet. The military hospital wasn't far away. All the lights were on around the base, 'it's probably only eleven.'

"Alphonse!"

Effectively stopping in his tracks without tilling forward towards the ground, Alphonse turns to see Roy. He hadn't even realized running past Roy. Giving his salute to his superior, Alphonse waits patiently hoping Roy would be quick.

"Where are you going?"

"The military hospital, sir." Roy watches Alphonse fidget in spot. He raises an eyebrow at the teenager's urgency.

"Did the assault…" Roy questions.

"The assault had carried out as plan. There was some resistance", Alphonse speedily says.

Roy nods, "You may then proceed with your original task." With amusement, Roy watches Alphonse give a quick salute and run off. Continuing onto his destination Roy watches the fiasco around the warehouse. It had been a decade since it was last used. Around the time he was enlisted into the army to help fight in a war between two warring nations. Due to the request from the neighboring western country, Creta, Amestris government had chosen to help in their war. (For political and economic reasons of course).

"Commander Mustang." A youthful-looking boy gives him a stiff salute. "I'll be your escorting you to the meeting."

"Escorting?" Mustang contorts his face to one of questioning. 'Why do I need an escort?'

"There's a rumor of…danger. More will be discuss at the meeting, the location you have been prescribed has been change."

'Danger.' Mustang frowns from the thought. 'They're still resisting then.' "Proceed then" Mustang signals, telling the recruit to lead the way keeping his face as emotionless as possible.

x x x

"Can you tell me the room Edward Elric is residing in?" Alphonse politely asks the man at the front desk.

"His he one of those kids?"

Alphonse blinks at the man, 'those?' "Uh, yes…."

The man has a look of sympathy, though Alphonse was sure it was directed for the kids of the recently destroyed 2nd lab. The look quickly erases off the man's face as he remembers the instructions he was given. "I need to see clearance."

Alphonse felt some intimidation from the man's sudden change to his stoic expression. Pulling out his I.D. in question if it was enough, Alphonse watches the man pull out a roster and check for his name on the very short list. Looking at the sheet he could count six names; about half of the names he could recognize, one of the names being his own. Though why his name was on a list with people that obviously outranked him was the real question.

"If you could write your name, time of entry, and then put down your signature." The man passes a clipboard with a single piece of paper on it. Alphonse follows the instructions given, seeing the military are taking extra precautions.

Passing the clipboard back, Alphonse waits as the men checks the sheet. "Alright, just head up to the sixth floor. You'll have to show this I.D card to the guards upstairs." Alphonse looks at his military I.D. as its pass back to him. The picture on the card wasn't really different than how he looks now, just a one-year difference. He could imagine his face maturing just a slight bit and a small growth in height, though for Edward he'll always be tall. Alphonse could feel the laughter in his mind. Edward is a year older than he is, and when he discovers that Alphonse is the taller one hell just might break loose.

'Edward, did he get caught in a crossfire?' Alphonse thought suddenly shifts him to one of worry. From his knowledge, there were at least two incidents where crossfire between the military and the facility guards involved the test subjects. A number of them were hurt in the incident; so was Edward one of them? The golden-hair teen couldn't be found when Alphonse had searched for him in the left wing.

It naturally had sprouted curiosity in Alphonse.

Author Note: I'm sorry if you find this chapter short. But I'm not kidding when I say, I had a hard time writing this chapter.

Place it down as me missing Ed and my love for(joking of course!)