Roy couldn't believe the word that was just uttered; eyes widened in horror; something truly horrifying could be buried in the ground where he currently sat. "WHAT?! Are you serious FullMetal? Homunculi are nothing but fairy tales and horror stories, there's no way that they can be artificially created."

Tim raised his hand and offered a few words of his wisdom. "I know the term Homunculus can strike a lot of fear. However, while what Edward said was slightly true, the scarier part is that they may become even stronger than a Homunculus."

King raised an eyebrow, how could something become stronger than what he truly was? "So, are you suggesting someone's taking these people, making them sick, and turning them into a weapon?"

"You hit the nail on the head Furher," Tim serenely replied as he pulled a vial of some medicine from his bag. "Someone is taking something and injecting them with something almost akin to a Philosopher's Stone. The stone in of itself possesses AMAZING power, but if in the wrong hands the rebound would be astronomical. These fake stones, which I can't even imagine how they're being made, are causing a lot more harm than good. Someone has to have the right biology or something to make them work quite right."

"DOCTOR MARCOH FINALLY GOT SOMETHING RIGHT IN HIS LIFE!" an older man's scratchy voice echoed in the room.

Riza quickly put her hand right by her gun. "Who's there?" she questioned. She just knew something wasn't right.

A secret passage door opened right in the Furher's office and everyone saw an older man, clearly in a doctor's coat waltz his way up from a dark, desolate staircase.

"Just what the hell is this?" Edward asked, he couldn't believe what he is seeing. A man walking in like he had no care in the world. "WHO ARE YOU?!" the young alchemist demanded.

The old unnamed stranger didn't say anything, he allowed an ugly smile to appear on his face. A golden tooth was brandished so revoltingly, he grabbed something from his pockets with a particular, red sheen to it. "You see, while you're right on the mark about Philosopher's Stones, these are pseudo stones. Stones of my creation to allow whatever I'd like to happen to their bodies."

Everyone was disgusted, but Roy had fury written all over his face. "Furher Bradley, what in hell are you doing with allowing this?" He clenched his hands tightly, ever so slowly sliding them down to his pockets. "If you've got a secret passage here, then what other secrets are you hiding?"

King gently placed his teacup down and stood up. He stared right into the Colonel's face. "You see, ha, you've been right this entire damn time."

A couple of moaning sounds came from the secret passageway and human after human started to stumble on top of one another. Their blank expressions and lack of bodily controlled struck fear into everyone else in the room.

Winry wanted to run, she wanted to scream. She would never think a military base would harbor something so ugly and vile.

Without a moment's notice Roy grabbed his gloves and set whatever monstrosities on fire. However, King didn't flinch whatsoever.

"EVERYONE FOLLOW ME!" Roy loudly ordered. He hoped with creating enough of a distraction, that the others would get the hint.

Marcoh and Edward grabbed whatever was in their bags, they didn't have enough time to grab all of their findings.

"IT'LL BE MY PLEASURE!" Olivier replied, cutting the door down in two with no issue. "We Briggs men know when it's time to get out and I've had enough of this godforsaken base." She gave a little nod towards Winry, making sure she would be protected.

Izumi wanted to make sure Tim and Edward would get out safely as well. "Whatever you do, make sure you're protecting someone!" Izumi yelled out.

They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw other normal-looking humans acting as if they had no will of their own. Morfran stepped forward and with the flick of his wrist, the human subjects went up in flames. "Go on my dear children! Show them what the Philosopher Stone was meant to do!"

/

The city of Central was quiet, it felt like any other day; people were out shopping, enjoying each other's company.

However, the air was stagnant, as if something were starting to loom over the wonderful city.

The sky somehow managed to keep its blue sky, but an uneasy feeling was crawling underneath and a more blood-filled color would eventually fill in the air.

/

Morfran made sure his precious children wouldn't be wasted on something so trivial. He held his hand up and like a tamer, the monsters stopped. "You know, on second thought. Furher, let them run for now. One way or the other they'll submit to something that is far greater than whatever humanity could possible offer them."

While Edward and the gang followed Roy in hot pursuit, King remained where he was. He didn't emote, didn't flinch at all, but was ready for the real battle ahead. "Colonel Mustang, I hope you have the strength to endure what you're willing to put everyone else through." He quietly walked over to the landline phone and made an important call. "Please make sure that all doors of the base are unlocked at the right time. It's time that they can see what an army of Homunculi can do."

Roy was in utter shock to the truth he witnessed, but he wanted to make sure everyone got safely where they needed to be.

Winry kept a tight grip on Edward's hand, the last thing she wanted to lose was someone as important as him.

However, Tim was unable to keep up with them and Izumi quickly grabbed him to throw him on her shoulders. "An old man like you shouldn't be running like this, but I'm willing to help out so no one else has to die."

After a couple of agonizing moments, they eventually made it to their temporary destination.

They were all in complete shock, but Olivier wasn't surprised in the slightest. She lightly tapped her foot against the barrels over in Warehouse 13. "What do we do now? Wait here until we get cornered like rats in a maze? I'm not a fan of being disadvantaged like this. We need to call in some sort of calvary."

Just as she spoke, Kain and the others came in through a secret passageway. "Alrighty folks, I know you guys just ran here from the base, but we got to keep moving. Don't worry, no one else is aware about this passage. We made sure we've got enough materials stocked back at the barn."

"A barn?" Edward questioned, "What are you guys plotting to do, preparing yourself for a zombie apocalypse?" he followed up with a slight chuckle, but got slapped in the back of the head by Winry.

"Ed, don't be rude." She said with a slight exasperated tone.

Alphonse sighed in exhaustion, "Come on guys, we can make the jokes later. Besides, I think the last thing we want is some sneak attack in an underground passage."

They all nodded in agreement, however Tim once in a while turned his head to make sure no "strangers" would pop out of nowhere. Izumi gave him some reassurance. "Don't worry, nothing gets pass me. If I can handle two scrawny Elrics at once, then I think whatever those things are back at military base are nothing."

After a couple of silent minutes of getting through the dimly lit cavern, a large door was opened by Riza and everyone could sigh a moment of relief. She promptly put a padlock on it. "Who knows how long we have, but this should buy us some time."

However, Ed thought a few steps ahead and transmuted a metal-like gate over the door. "It'll take a really strong ram or person to bust through this, but this should buy us a decent amount of time. I hope, but we need to come up with some sort of plan. Not a fan of these odds against us."

Vato went into the kitchen area and grabbed a couple of backpacks for everyone. "We made sure that by the colonel's orders that we have enough food, water, and other provisions for everybody. I believe Kain and Jean have some very important information to share with everyone."

Winry made herself comfortable on the floor with one of the nearby blankets, she wasn't used to a situation like this but she made the best of it.

Jean went into one of the walk-in closets and grabbed some maps and a few jars of what looked like gun powder. He also made sure Armstrong was part of the picture as well, however he wanted to make sure the set of siblings wouldn't squabble. "Listen, I know you two may not get along perfectly, but shut up for what I'm going to be saying. It seems that for the past few weeks alone people were randomly getting 'sick' and getting medical treatment for whatever said ailment was. Kain and I have been able to find out that these people who were 'sick' were actually being targeted for a specific gene in their body. It seemed that this gene would be the ticker to cause people go crazy because no normal person just goes normal to pyscho within minutes. Also, Marcoh might start to be targeted soon since you've arrived."

The old man was confused, he shook his head in disagreement. "What are you talking about? I just showed up and now a rumor mill is going around?!" His voice slightly cracked, he simply couldn't believe it.

"I hate to agree, but yes Marcoh, you've got a target on your head now." Kain responded, he had his hands on another particular letter. "From what I was able to hear from Mustang's girls, someone by the letter of 'M' would be visiting households and treating them for some kind of ailment. I hate to say it, but that might be your name thrown under the bus."

Everyone gasped in disbelief, especially Edward. "What. The. Hell?!" his eyes and voice were filled with that fire; a burning sensation was felt in his core. "People are being abused for some sick, experimented project and they want to stick the blame on Marcoh? God, sounds like the military couldn't give a damn and are willing to follow like loyal dogs; like they couldn't figure out their ass from a hole in the ground, even when shit smells." He clenched his metal hand, the knuckle joints were slowly being cracked.

However, Armstrong didn't take the news that well, his eyes flashed in complete horror. He couldn't believe it. Thoughts of horror and betrayal filled his mind; he was in utter shock that he thought he was fighting for something, but instead that fight was turned back against him.

"SNAP OUT OF IT, ALEX!" Olivier rudely yelled at her younger brother, "Look, I know you care about Central and your glorious rewards, but right now we need to have a plan and make sure no one else dies. YOU GOT THAT?" Her eyes always had that gaze, that fire was always there.

Edward walked on over to console Armstrong. "Listen, I'm sorry it had to come to this. Trust me, I was shocked too to not only see that Bradley's a traitor, but the fact that someone is willingly taking innocent lives and turning them into something so foul and disgusting. We'll make sure that they pay for what they've done."

Armstrong took a few moments to compose himself. With a few deep breaths and him taking off his jacket in glorious fashion; metal gauntlets gleamed with ferocity, he was ready to endure anything to come his way. "For one, an Armstrong family member never backs down, even when things seem bleak. I will vow with every ounce of muscle on this body, I will BREAK them down into miniaturized pieces!" He flexed his arms with such joy to them, that even his smirk managed to come back.

However, a more pressing matter needed to be tended to; how on earth would Edward and the others manage to deal with a large army? What would the stakes be for attacking right back at the military base? How many lives could be lost?

A knock was heard by the kitchen, and everyone turned their heads in anticipation it was someone else. It was actually Heymans carrying some rather interesting mason jars that had a red sheen to them. "Woah, woah! Calm the flames down in here. Havoc's special girls managed to grab these when they had the chance, and no one suspected a thing."

The jars rattled with red crystal-like material, as if anytime they were shaken, a glimpse of light would come off of them.

"My god." Roy quietly uttered, "Are those Philosopher Stones?" He wanted to see them for himself. He and Tim inspected them with great detail, analyzing every fractal with a fine-toothed comb.

"They're not quite the real thing; these were artificially created and given to patients as some 'medicine' to help with whatever ailment they had. Specifically, people who have some sort of asthma, anxiety, or anything that can affect their breathing. That was the genetic component this creepazoid Morfran doctor was doing to his patients. Slowly turning them into zombies and commanding them on queue to do anything he wishes." Heymans sighed in disbelief; he didn't like the situation they were in at all. "I've got to wonder how many people he has under his thumb and if there's any way to save them."

"I don't think so," Edward replied. "Once the stone has become fused in the body, it's literally impossible to separate them. I remember when a false priest used something like that it caused a pretty bad rebound effect, but the stone disintegrated in front of my eyes. If it's infused into their bodies, they've already adapted and not in a good way. We need to find some sort of edge over them."

"Well, if we have to fight fire with fire, I think it's about time we bring it back to them tenfold." Roy coyly retorted, he sat down on one of the couches and propped his feet up. "I don't think it'll take normal manpower to bring those freaks down, so maybe, just maybe we can use these stones in our favor."

Everyone's eyes widened, especially the young alchemist. "Are you crazy?! I don't think we can handle a fragment of them, let alone a whole one of those fuckers. Pardon my language, but how can we even start to think about using them?"

Tim stood up from his chair and walked over to where Heymans put the jars down. "There might be a way to do this and that there are no repercussions from it."

"HUH?!" everyone exclaimed.

The old man opened up the jar and inspected one of the fragments in his wrinkly palm. Every curvature or cut of that crystal laid perfectly in his hand. "I think I might know a way to control the stones and make sure no one else acts crazy. I made sure I brought some with me, but with a few vials of diazepam and a few milliliters of Tegretol, I think I can find a way to have them under control by me. It will still allow you to have your own choices, but I'll just be like a little angel on your shoulder. Well, a not so pretty angel, but you get my drift."

Roy shook his head in disbelief, but he had a small smile underneath it all. "It might be a gamble, but I'm willing to take any chance of us to overthrow who's at the top of the throne. So, what do we need to do?"

Edward was aghast to hear such a suggestion. "Are you serious? You don't know what this could do to you. It could tear you two or god knows what else… are you willing to go through with this?"

Roy firmly stood up and boldly stated, "Whatever it takes, I'm willing to go down that road; no matter how much physical pain I might go through, it's worth it to me to make sure everyone is safe in the end."

Olivier perked up a little bit and chuckled. "Normally you Central men are willing flee at any moment's notice, but I'm happy to hear that. The few men like you and the men I control at Briggs are the only ones willing to fight fear in its face. Dr. Marcoh, what do you need us to do?" She took her sword off and carefully laid her jacket down on a couch, exposing her right arm, waiting for an injection.

Winry threw her jacket off in a hurry and yelled with vigor, "I want to help too!" Her arm shook from the anxiety of it all, but she was ready to fight. "I'm tired of seeing people being hurt and not being able to do anything. I help people with their automail, but I know I can help a lot more. As we sit here, others are dying!"

Everyone else in the room swallowed that realization, something had to be done. How many more lives would be lost? How much longer till their security would get breached?

It would only be a matter time till they were found by the Mannequins, or even worse the Homunculi.

Tim made his way to the kitchen to have more counterspace. "Please give me a few moments to make a few vials. However, I do not say this without any caution or care to the wind but be prepared for whatever might happen. If it comes to the worst of it, I have no issue using my own alchemy to take people out. I know I may not seem like it with my age, but I know a few tricks up my sleeve. I wish I could fight like all of you youngsters, but my body wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Then, we will fight for your battles," Izumi responded with a calm tone to her voice. She tilted her head and sighed. "To think, we would be actually fighting monsters. It's scary enough with some of the military, but whatever lays in those horrid grounds, I'd shudder to think what else is happening."

/

Whilst the military was slowly devolving into something far horrific. The Homunculi slowly awaited to be told what to do. Father had always envisioned these things, waiting for the right moment to play his own cards. "My children, I do hope that the day when my vision becomes true, everyone will see it that way. Besides, it's thanks to Morfran here, a human being with connections to so many people."

A gold tooth gleamed, all of the wrinkles on his face seemed to connect all together. "You see Father, I respect what you intend to do. You get people to fall in line or you only have one choice to enforce them. I see either way, people will recognize the only way to advance in humanity is evolution. I have the key to all of humanity and make them tremble. Father, your role is to be the God you were truly meant to be not be confided to as a normal looking human, your power is something that I couldn't even begin to imagine." Morfran turned to his awaiting subjects, his ugly smirk came through and more stones gleamed in his hand.

However, the rest of the Homunculi were growing bored. They were just itching to do something, to bring some sort of necessary chaos. Greed sharpened his claws up against a pipe. "I hate being forced to do things like this, but if it means I get to have my own army to control, then I'll have a boatload of fun!" He manically laughed, reveling it all, the chance to let some steam out. "However, Morfran, I do have to ask you,"

Pride was off in the corner and was always leery towards Greed, he could never quite trust him. "Greed, if you think you can harvest what both Father and Morfran have done, forget about it. Stick to the plan and everything will be yours." His voice slightly crackled, all of the souls that dwelled within him.

The greedy Homunculi put his hands up, having no interest in the physical items. "Pride, how foolish of you. I have no interest in being a God, I just prefer to have all of the materialistic means in the world. Being a God might be great, but I prefer to mess with the things in my own hands. Morfran, just how did you manage to make these stones so powerful?"

As usual, the ugly, golden tooth shined, as if it was full of life and vigor. "YOU SEE, Father is the one who created these stones for me. Everything trails back to him, and he will become the rightful ruler of this world! Let it be known that all Homunculi, Mannequins, and Father will be feared!"

However, there was something else that Morfran had up his sleeve that no would ever believe to happen.