The constant rumbling and groaning of the ground below their glass cell eventually roused the homunculus from their slumber. Envy couldn't quite understand what was happening initially, but as the tremors continued to quake below comprehension of the cause came. Envy's mind reeled in realization.
This is from fighting deep underground, fighting with Father! Did one of those idiots open the door for him? Did they give him access to that stupid Gate? I can't tell anything from in here! Why did I agree to help them?! Frustration and bitterness welled up inside the leech like being as they scrabbled off of Edward's glove and pressed their large head to the cool pane of the glass. Violet eyes searched frantically for any possible means of escape, but found nothing within reach. Envy cast a scowling glance toward the air holes high above them, knowing there wasn't any way to get through without shifting their form, which in their current weakened state, wasn't possible.
It wasn't long till the quaking of the ground ceased, much to Envy's shock, and the stillness brought with it a creeping fear that perhaps, the humans had been defeated. Hushed breaths were the only sound for several long minutes, Envy could feel their nerves tingling with the icy touch of terror at the thought that Pride, Wrath, or Father himself may find them this way. Struggling was pointless, the glass was thick and heavy, too difficult to crack by throwing their tiny body against it. As Envy paced back toward Edward's glove the ceiling of the tunnel gave an unexpected shudder, the roaring sounds of collapsing brick and mortar rushing toward their location just ahead of a blast of smoke and debris. Envy's shrill screech was drowned out by the deafening sound of the ceiling crashing down around them.
It's dark...am I dead? I can't see anything, something is tangled around my legs! Wait...this is..the runt's glove? Then...that means.. Blinking through the haze of dust, dirt, and smoke their eyes were able to glimpse fractured rays of light shining down over the rubble surrounding them. Envy stared up and found to their shock that a metal beam had toppled across the tunnel at an angle and lodged in the opposite wall, acting as a protective barrier over the top of the glass box as rubble fell around it. "I'm alive..? Ah..ha..ha ha ha! I'm alive!" Through luck, or some force the homunculus couldn't understand, their little prison had been shielded perfectly in the wide shadow of the support beam, though it did appear that a few bricks had created some small cracks in a few of the walls. Once the joy of survival had passed Envy turned their mind to other important concerns. "How am I going to get out of here? Are they still fighting? Who won? What if I'm stuck in here forever?! They forgot about me, stupid humans, you just can't trust them. Why was I so stupid?! Hey! PIPSQUEAK! SCAR! HAWKEYE! MUSTANG!" A few quiet moments passed after their last shout, and as they began to gather their breath for another burst of yelling the wall of debris a few feet to the right exploded. Envy jerked sideways as bits of rock plinked forcefully against the glass, chipping at the cracks formed by the previous cave in. If the container's walls shattered, the top was very likely to crush them. Before that could happen a pair of hands reached down from the cloud of dust and lifted the top of the container away. Envy looked up in stunned silence as Edward Elric's battle worn face greeted them with an exhausted grin.
"You know, I'm really getting sick and tired of being hauled around in jars and boxes like some kind of lab experiment." Envy growled and paced in a circle around their new accommodations-a tall mason jar, complete with air holes way up at the top, and shot a withering glare at the chuckling response they received. Their new means of containment was carefully placed on the center of a bed side table in a hospital room where the two Elric brothers were being treated after their victorious battle. Edward had filled Envy in on some of the details but hadn't answered all of their questions, claiming that some things weren't at his liberty to explain. Envy was troubled at the refusals, particularly since they involved information about Greed, Pride and Wrath. They had learned that Father had forced the Gate of the World open, become a perfect being, and then lost as the souls he had claimed for his own revolted against him from the inside out, joined by the might of the military and alchemists. In the end he had been sucked down into a void within himself, Edward had supposed that Truth had taken him into the Gate, but whether it was certain or not he couldn't say; all he could tell them was that their father had lost the battle and was gone.
It had been a lot to digest for them, and for a long while Envy had been silent and still within their jar, staring blankly across the room at the bed Alphonse lay sleeping in. The younger Elric was tethered to numerous medical bags of fluid and pain soothing medications, nurses routinely came in and out with clip boards, monitoring him and scribbling notes, passing warm smiles to Edward and confused or frightened glances at the strange creature on his bed side table.
Envy eventually decided that flashing their teeth at the nurses was more entertaining than dwelling on the unknown. At least seeing a human startle at their presence felt almost normal. It wasn't long before Edward began to chide them for scaring the nurses and Envy hissed in response. "If you don't want me to frighten them, then give me something to do here! I'm bored in this damn jar you know? Staring at your dumb face and that lump sleeping in the corner isn't doing anything to make my situation any better. You won't even answer my questions! What's going to happen now? Where do we go from here huh?! I can't stay like this! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get around on these stubby limbs? And even if I could run, one serious injury and I'm dead!" Envy snarled in anger, thumping the jar with one small claw. Golden eyes stared at them thoughtfully as Edward's lips pursed together. Envy could tell he was running calculations and potential out comes in his head.
I wonder if he knows that he squishes his lips up like that when he thinks about things? He looks like an idiot, or a duck. Envy snorted softly to hide their chuckle.
"I know you want to be strong again, and I'm sure that form isn't your favorite, but Envy, you can't really think they're going to just give you that kind of power. You're going to face their questions first, and I'm not allowed to be there with you." Edward stared solemnly at them, and the homunculus felt a cold weight settle in the pit of their stomach. Interrogations were not something they wanted to endure, certainly not in this situation. The last time they had been in a jar and interrogated had been up North, after losing to Marcoh, Scar, and the Chimeras. Envy remembered the way their body had been slammed between the walls of their container, ricocheting painfully as they had been shaken nearly to the point of vomiting. This time it could be much worse. Trying to quell the sense of dread, they voiced a cautious query. "When will they come for me?" Edward shrugged, and shook his head.
It took two days for the military to come and collect Envy from the Elric's hospital room. Two days for the homunculus to wonder and worry about what they would be forced to endure. Envy's nerves were on edge as their jar was placed on a wide table in a dimly lit room. Peering around they could see the figures of several military officials. A man with a pointed mustache and thick glasses sat at the head of the table, peering at them with an indeterminable expression. To the left was a woman with piercing blue eyes and a wave of golden hair that cascaded down her back and over the right side of her face in very loose curls. Her pink lips were pressed into a harsh line and her scrutiny made Envy's unease worse. On the right of the table was Mustang himself, scowling and dark as usual, and the sight of his hands folded together on the table made the Homunculus' throat feel dry in memory of the fires a single snap could summon. There were other figures in the dim light of the room, but these three were most prominent, and Envy was certain would be the ones addressing them.
The man at the head of the table inhaled slowly, then leaned forward a bit and spoke. "It would appear that we have something of a conundrum with regard to you, homunculus. You see, we can't allow you to cause any more damage than you have up till now, and yet, I have been informed that you made some small effort to be of aide to us before the final battle. Also, it has been explained to me that the Fullmetal Alchemist made a pact with you, to give you a second chance as it were." Here he paused, his tone carefully neutral.
"Unfortunately for you, Edward Elric does not determine the fate of war criminals. You are responsible for much suffering in this land, and you have shown very little proof that we should trust you enough to risk allowing you to live. What can you offer that should save you from execution?" The woman's brisk voice abruptly cut in, startling Envy a bit as they turned to find her calculating gaze looming over them. Wide eyes blinked as their mind whirled with possible answers. This wasn't something they were prepared to answer. Bargaining for their life? What could they offer to tempt any of these humans?
"What do you want me to say? I've been defeated all ready, destroyed in fire numerous times till I was reduced to this pitiful form, I'm barely alive now. If you want to kill me then do it, make the runt's words meaningless. I don't have anything to offer you, we tempted you with the dangerous power of the Philosopher's Stones, and I doubt any of you three want one now." A derisive snort escaped them as they turned to look from one face to the next, trying to mask their fear with anger. "If I was at my full strength you wouldn't be looking down on me like this, you damn humans. Playing at being gods, is it fun? You want me to beg or ask for mercy? You've won! I've lost everything, I have nothing to give you and I don't know what you want!"
The woman slammed her hand down on the table surface, causing a tremor that made Envy stumble within their jar. She leaned in, her scowl fixing on Envy's large eyes. "You're correct little worm, you have lost everything. Still, before that you were quite powerful weren't you? In the north of Briggs we determine things through strength. One has the ability and the will to survive or one does not. A being with the kind of strength you once possessed could certainly be useful. If you could be trusted, but at present that seems impossible." Her musing ended as her gaze traveled past Envy's jar to fall on Mustang. His silence had been palpable, thick with resentment and frustration, but as he took a breath and sighed, the tension seemed to ease up just a bit.
"As much as I would rather see you executed, to do so at this point would come with complications. There would be no honor in simply destroying you right now, you haven't tried to escape or fight back since your defeat, and despite being obnoxious, you've been cooperative. There is a chance you can continue living, under certain conditions." As Mustang's words echoed within Envy's ears, they felt deep inside that same twinge of hope they had experienced in the tunnels. Showing interest, they shifted their body against the side of the jar that was closest to the man, watching with interest as a faint smirk flashed across his face.
"So you aren't ready to die then hmn? Well, let me explain the terms for you, homunculus. You will be restrained to a handler, a warden who will keep you under close watch twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You will act only in accordance to their command, and you will work to rebuild this country, as penance for your crimes." He paused a moment, allowing Envy a chance to process what was being offered. When the homunculus nodded slightly, he continued. "Given the fact that there is only one man in Armestris who controls flame alchemy, which is the most effective weapon against you, I will be your warden. You will obey my every command, where I go you will go, and if you defy me, fight me, or attempt to escape me you will suffer the consequences of those decisions. This is your only choice, if you can prove that you're able to be reformed then you might earn that second chance after all. If you can't handle it, then we can execute you. It's your choice."
Envy felt the convulsions twitching all along their small body, pangs of disbelief and shock shot through their mind as they tried to grasp the severity of the choice laid before them. NOT HIM! WHY HIM!? Just look at his face! He's going to make me miserable on purpose every day for his own enjoyment! I don't want this, why can't I go with the woman? I hate the snow, but Briggs would be a hundred times better than being Mustang's dog! Still-I don't want to die. I don't have a choice really, do I? Looking into Mustang's smug face was almost sickening to them, but Envy closed their eyes, lowered their bulbous head a little, and sighed deeply in resignation.
"I'll do it. It's not much of a choice, but if it's the only one, how can I say no?" They frowned as much as possible in their current form, then blinked at the unexpected chortle from the man at the head of the table.
"Excellent! I'm curious to see how this will play out. You both will have a difficult path ahead of you. Mustang, I expect you to use restraint when possible, this creature has never known the life you are about to impress upon it, you will be the one in need of great patience my friend." He chuckled softly, eyeing the jar and the glowering being within it. Mustang sighed heavily and nodded. He then reached across the table and took the jar in both hands, opening the lid and setting the container on its side so that Envy could slowly scrabble over the lip, flopping gracelessly onto the wooden surface of the table. Violet eyes gazed suspiciously at the humans, coming to rest on the woman who was holding up a vial of something Envy hadn't ever expected to see. They knew the crimson liquid all too well. The same fluid that had been pumped into the undying doll soldiers, liquid energy that could revitalize their stone, though there wasn't much of it.
"Führer Grumman has insisted that if you were to cooperate we supply you enough of the material left behind by the immortal army experiment to regain your human form. Do not assume you will have access to any of the liquid Philosopher's Stones beyond what we allow you. If you attempt to discover where it is located, or obtain more of it on your own Mustang will deal with you. Understand?" Her voice was cold as ice, brokering for no response other than a nod of acquiescence, which Envy was willing to give in exchange for the vial. The moment she had placed the tiny bottle on the table, Envy bumbled across to it, tore off the lid, and devoured the entire container within their small maw.
The surge of fresh energy went straight to their core, sending jolts of power and heat throughout every fiber of their being. It wasn't much, in fact it barely felt like it would be enough, but the small rush of energy was accompanied by little red sparks of alchemic reaction that signified their transformation. The effort to shape shift was arduous at such a low power level, and Envy could feel the odd sensation of their limbs protesting the forced change as bones and muscle lengthened, flesh stretched and paled to a soft cream color, claws became fingers and toes, their mouth changed from a vertical slit to a horizontal pair of lips with teeth and tongue, and the familiar fall of their wild hair brushed against the skin of their back. The pleased look couldn't be hidden in their eyes as they gazed down on their preferred form, quickly patting each limb and checking for their oruborous on their left thigh. A subtle smoothing of the material of the clothing they had created to cover their body let them know they were indeed back to normal.
Almost normal, I can tell I'm still very weak, even if I'm not a parasite any more, I can't take my unleashed form, and my strength and regenerative abilities are almost nonexistent like this. I don't even know if I can shape shift very easily without more stones. Envy chewed their lower lip lightly, opting to not inform any of the humans of their current situation. There wasn't any point in volunteering dangerous information if they didn't absolutely have to.
The humans were looking at them with a mixture of awe and tension in their expressions. Envy was momentarily amused by their faces, but tried to keep their smug mood to themselves. Their quiet moment of glee was broken by the feeling of a hand enclosing around their right arm, followed quickly by an uncomfortable shackle clicking tightly around the same wrist. Envy's eyes went wide as Mustang promptly placed a companion manacle around their left wrist, securing them in cuffs connected by a length of heavy chain. A look of confusion was abruptly replaced by a deep scowl, which the Flame Alchemist met evenly.
"Did you forget the arrangement all ready? I don't want any arguments, or any back talk from your blabbering mouth, you're going to come with me, to a cell, for the rest of the night, and tomorrow we'll start working on that penance you're going to be serving." The growl in Mustang's voice was severe, his tone full of the promise of swift punishment should Envy try to be defiant. Though the homunculus outwardly conceded, sliding easily off the table and allowing Mustang to guide them out of the room by a firm hand around their upper left arm, inwardly they were seething at the belittling attitude the human had taken with them.
Just because I'm cooperating doesn't mean I don't deserve to be treated with some respect, these damn military types. I'll show you Roy Mustang, I can make this difficult for you too. Their footsteps echoed in the hall way that led to the cell block. Envy was escorted into a narrow prison cell with barely enough space for the wooden cot that rested against the back wall, and enough flooring to pace if they chose to do so. They sat down with a huff on the wooden cot, lifting their head to gaze from their bound wrists to the bared door. On the other side sat Mustang, regarding them with the same scowl he had worn most of the time since they were in the tunnel. Envy arched a brow as they realized that the man wasn't making any effort to leave. It was going to be a long night.