NOTICE!!! Before reading this I recommend going back and rereading the first chapter. It's been rewritten and is now roughly two times its previous length.
Mustang had gone in the opposite direction the General had been heading in, opening every door in the search for his youngest subordinate. It was terrifying, imagining that behind any of those doors, Roy might find the body of the boy who he had been working with for the past few years, but he may also find the boy alright. As unlikely as that was, Mustang still hoped. He hoped that the boy was alright, that he wasn't dead and that he, out of everyone, wouldn't be the one to find the body if Edward was dead. It was selfish, yes, but he wouldn't be able to stand telling Alphonse that he was the one to find his brother's body.
Alphonse. Roy couldn't help but feel his gut twist. No matter who found Edward, he would have to be the one the to tell Alphonse he was dead. Roy froze. He was thinking that Edward was definitely dead. He still had a chance. They didn't know what the General had done to him. They might be able to save him. But that also meant they might find him with his throat slit, blood spilling on the ground. They could find him with a bag over his head, his oxygen cut off. Or he could have possibly been choked. Maybe he'd been stabbed. He could be bleeding to death as they searched. Or maybe it was quick? Like a knife to the heart? Or throat? Or it could be slow and painful. He could be lying there, wishing for death to come.
Fear robbed him of breath for a moment. As the ability to breathe returned to him, though, he could think. They needed a team of medics in any case. The closest of his subordinates was Breda. He called out to him, "Breda, run and make sure we have an ambulance on its way! And inform the infirmary that we have an unidentified medical emergency!" Breda saluted him and made his way to an available phone. That was done. Now was only to find Edward.
He watched his men work as he pulled open doors himself, searching each room for Edward. They had to find him soon because Mustang refused to tell Alphonse that Edward was dead. And the sooner they found him, the more likely he would live.
He ripped open another door. No bleeding corpse, but there also was no Edward. Another empty room. He scowled deeply.
"Colonel, This one's locked!" Havoc shouted, filling his tone with an air of seriousness that cut through Roy's thoughts. Please, don't be a false alarm! I need this to be really where we find him alive! I don't think I can bear another disappointment!
Roy wasn't giving himself anymore time to think, though. He probably should have thought about this. "Move out of the way," He ordered, moving up to the door and bringing his hand up to snap his fingers. He prayed to who knows what and snapped.
BOOM!!!
Edward wanted to cry out as he heard the voices of people outside the door, but even taking the next breath was too hard a task now. Everything was burning, and it hurt so much. And, anyway, he knew that, even if he could cry out, his voice would be too weak to be heard by the people outside. That didn't change that he wanted to be saved. He wanted to call out and feel safe.
He was actually terrified. This was scary. It hurt, and it was killing him. There wasn't anything that wasn't in pain. It was all he knew now. Constant pain. It burned. And his lungs refused to work they way they were intended to. They might have hurt the most. They were so painful. It felt like someone had had the bright idea of filling his lungs with whatever they could find that would burn in there and make him suffer.
The burning, fire-like, pain was spreading through Edward's body at alarming speeds. He could feel his entire body quickly going numb. Then the pain spiked. He felt threads of pain slither through his otherwise numb body. There was nothing he could do. All he was aware of now was the immense pain he was in. It was the spike of pain as it all went numb again. He needed... He couldn't remember what he needed. It was too numb and painful.
Pained rasps escaped his dry throat. He had already told himself that he couldn't escape by calling out. He was right.
There was a splitting snap and crash. It was an explosion that filled the air with dust and smoke, making the nearly impossible task of breathing even harder. Everything was so dull and numb.
The door blew off its hinges. Mustang prayed that if Edward was in there, that he didn't just get hit. He moved in, ignoring the urge to cough as his lungs were tickled by the smokyness and dust in the air.
On the floor was the damaged door. He would have to pay for that, he knew, and...
"Edward?!" The boy was gasping for breath on the ground, clutching his chest and throat. His eyes were closed, and his face was deathly pale. With the light shining on him, he saw the layer of too much sweat. His cheeks had the only colour. Even his hair looked dull.
"Chief?" Mustang heard whispered from behind him. Before he knew it he was kneeling on the ground in front of the boy. At such close quarters, Mustang could see the greyish-blue colour of Edward's lips.
"Fullmetal? You're going to be alright. We've got you. Just try to breathe." Mustang knew that if Edward were capable he would have spat at him, saying something along the lines of "Oh, yes, Mustang, because I was thinking about not breathing but you make a compelling argument!" (likely loaded with profanities). With the strong, suffocating guilt Mustang was feeling for not recognising the pin's origin earlier, he would have gladly taken the boy's anger, even at its height.
A dry choking noise resonated from the crumpled blonde. Roy removed one of his ignition gloves, reaching out with that one hand. He search for the boy's pulse. It was weak, and all over the place. Not good. Heat radiated off of Edward, almost burning the famed Flame Alchemist.
"How bad is he?" A frightened whisper from behind Mustang could be heard.
"Bad," was Roy's only reply. He gulped down the worry threatening to engulf and choke him. "Lieutenant Havoc, run down to the infirmary and inform them that we need an oxygen mask for Fullmetal. He's been..." Roy looked over Edward's body, making sure not to miss any possible injuries. Not seeing any injuries, he came to his conclusion, "poisoned." The word tasted like acid on his tongue.
A shuffling could be heard from behind him as his Second Lieutenant hesitated upon hearing the word "poisoned".
"Now!" Mustang shouted. "I know Breda went down to get them but we need an oxygen tank! He's hardly breathing at this point!"
The shuffling ceased and was replaced by the quick, receding steps.
Roy returned his attention to the, now shivering, boy. At least he was trying to shiver. His body seemed to be too weak to function properly.
"Edward, you are going to be okay. I promise. We're here. And we're going to help."
Mustang really hoped that he wouldn't be breaking his promise today. He couldn't break it. He needed to keep Fullmetal from dying.
Edward heard the words of the people around him, but for the love of all things good, he couldn't remember what it was that the words meant. Their meanings were just lost to him. Floating in a sea of confusion.
Having an understanding of his surroundings was getting considerably harder, if not impossible. It was something that he needed but couldn't have.
As time passed on, Edward came to the realisation the one of the voices was gone. He wasn't sure when it happened, only that it had indeed happened. A shiver of icy chills crept up Edward's spine. The numbness that had spread throughout his whole body was laced with cold weights. He could feel them holding him down.
For a moment, Edward forgot to breathe in the next breath. Or his body did. His dull, exhausted mind was screaming at him to breathe. A burning desire for oxygen in his lungs brought him back to his senses. Now his body wanted him to breathe, and he was planning on listening.
Roy panicked when Edward stopped breathing for a minute. He was about ready to give the kid CPR in order to revive his frozen lungs, when a shaky, broken breath filled Edward's lungs and escaped out of his mouth. It was weak but he was back to breathing. Or wheezing.
"Fullmetal, don't scare me like that again or- or I'll have to court martial you." Roy sighed shakily. He was grateful for anything that fell into the category of breathing.
Mustang placed his uncovered hand on Edward's forehead.
Hot. And getting hotter.
Removing his hand from Edward's forehead, he, once again, took in the boy's sickly appearance.
"Fullmetal, you need to hold on for a little longer. We are going to help you. I'm going to lift you, now. Remember, you've got Alphonse to get back to. You can't die, got it?"
Edward said nothing. He didn't even show any recognition to the fact that Roy had spoken.
"Fullmetal, just breathe." Roy's arms snaked under Edward's back and knees.
The only indication that Edward even knew that he was moving was the timely twitching of his eyelids as Mustang lifted him.
"Just trust me."
Fuery watched the Colonel as he carried a sweating and hardly breathing Edward out of the previously locked room. Fear settled in fast. He wasn't completely sure Edward was breathing. He had just assumed that because he couldn't see him breathing that it must have been shallow or something. What if it had stopped? Havoc had run out towards the infirmary looking worried and frightened. Had he died in that time? It was an unbearable thought.
"Colonel, is he-"
"Fullmetal has been poisoned. Go search the General for an antidote. He works for the TRI-Generals, and I don't believe that he, or the rest of their group, would just take the chance of something going wrong during his mission." If they needed an antidote then Edward had to be alive. It was encouraging, if only slightly.
Fuery ran off to complete his orders, glancing back at the boy and his commanding officer. He could see that the Colonel was taking Edward in the direction of the infirmary.
The Colonel is obviously scared for you, so, please, don't die, Ed. For all of us.
Alphonse was walking towards the military base. He had spent the time Edward had spent discussing things with the Colonel grocery shopping. They were almost out of food at the dorm, which was funny considering Edward was the only one who could eat and Alphonse had just been shopping a few days before. He had already dropped the groceries off at their dorm room and was now coming to find Edward so that they could go back to the dorms together. He assumed that he was still at headquarters if he wasn't back at the dorms yet. He was hoping that they might discuss a new theory of transmutational energy transfers, Alphonse hadn't been able to understand it well, but Edward promised to teach him everything he knew about it after his "important", if we chose to quote Edward, meeting with the Colonel.
Alphonse strolled down the sidewalks, happily taking in the clear skys and sunny day. He wished that he could feel the sun on his skin. But it was only this armour. He was looking forward to days that he and Edward would spend lying in the soft grass, soaking up the sun. He was lost in thought as he approached the front doors when he heard the unmistakable sirens of an ambulance. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for the person who needed the medical attention that truck would provide. He was about to enter the building, when looking back he saw the ambulance. He expected it to drive on by with sirens blaring and lights flashing, but it didn't. It parked right outside of the military headquarters.
If Alphonse had a body he would have probably been sick to the stomach with worry.
What if something happened to Ed?! No, that's ridiculous! There are countless people in headquarters. It would be very unlikely for it to be Brother.
Alphonse rushed into the building all the same. He was only met with more worry. This time a more understandable worry. Fuery was at the front desk with a man in cuffs, and Hawkeye was searching him.
"Tell me where the antidote is!" Hawkeye was demanding as she ripped through the man's pockets. Fuery was also busy patting the man down. It looked as if he was near tears.
"There isn't one," was the nonchalant reply given.
"You expect me to believe that? You work for one of the most wanted criminal groups in Central. That's got to make you paranoid. So where is it?"
"There was never one in the first place. We didn't, and still don't, expect him to live." The man, who Alphonse could now identify, by the stars and stripes, as a General, said.
"But what if you had consumed the poison?" Fuery inquired hopefully.
"I didn't intend to."
"I don't believe him." Hawkeye said, her face as stoic as always. "Check his boots. He was messing with them before Edward arrived."
"What about my brother?" Alphonse asked. The three officers hadn't noticed the boy's approach, regardless of the fact that Alphonse was a seven foot tall suit of armour.
"Alphonse?! What are you doing here?" Fuery asked squeakily, avoiding the question, terrified to answer. He had no intention of being the one to tell the young boy that his brother was probably dying from being poisoned. He didn't have the heart to.
"I'm here to pick up my brother. What were you saying about him?"
"Alphon- " Hawkeye began only to be interrupted by the General.
"He's dead. You're talking about Full-" Hawkeye pushed the man down, placing her foot on his back.
Alphonse dropped down onto his metal knees.
"N- no that- that can't- "
"Alphonse, your brother isn't dead, but he has been poisoned." Hawkeye tried to reassure.
"What?!"
The medical team bust in through the doors with a stretcher ready.
"Where is the patient?!" One of the paramedics called.
"Sergeant Fuery, take them to the Colonel." Hawkeye ordered.
"Is my brother with the Colonel?! Take me too!"
"No, Alphonse, you need to stay here." Hawkeye's eyes were strange. They almost looked like they were begging him not to go with Fuery.
"What is- what is going on? Please- please, tell me? I want to know!"
Fuery turned away from the two, approaching the medical team. He started leading the paramedics away in the direction Alphonse's brother was in. Alphonse could follow and find his brother, but what would he find?
Thanks for reading and for the reviews, favourites and follows!
I lost this document and then read it and hated it so I've been rewriting it multiple times, and I'm tired of that so I hope this isn't too bad. But I still kept some parts so I might have missed some mistakes because this story has been in the making longer than A Man's Revenge (my first published fic), and it was really bad. Also I don't have a working computer at the moment so I'm writing this on my phone and will continue to do so for the time being.
-UNAU/IME