The night had been a true test of wills, the first several hours of which had passed in palpable silence between prisoner and warden. Envy's gaze had initially remained locked with Mustang's in a mute stare down but the battle had quickly become tedious to the homunculus. They were frustrated, exasperated truthfully, over the circumstances of their new future and the resolute and stubborn refusal of anyone to tell them a single piece of information about the matters they were actually concerned with. Envy couldn't have been less interested in their new mission of atonement that the humans had planned for them, all they wanted was information on their family.
Did any of the others survive? The question gnawed at their thin patience, droning in their skull with increasing demand until they could hold their silence no longer.
Abruptly, Envy lurched to their feet with a suddenness that drew Mustang's gloved hands up into the air. The movement of his fingers into a position where snapping was only seconds from bringing a scalding hot demise to their being caused an immediate halt in their approach to the cell bars, and they spared him a glance that held more fear in it than they would ever have wished to allow, but the memory of his fire was suddenly fresh in their brain and they dared not test the alchemist now. Cautiously, Envy sat back down on the floor of their cell and gnawed at their lower lip a long while before glancing back toward their warden.
"I want to know who else survived." Willing their voice to be more confident didn't seem to be working, but Envy ignored the tone of raw nervousness and pressed onward. "I know that Wrath and Pride were waiting with Father, I know Greed had betrayed us all again, but no one will tell me what happened to them. Where are they?"
Mustang stared evenly at them, his expression cold and unyielding. His hand had returned to his lap at least, Envy noted, but there was no forthcoming verbalization. The homunculus felt anger welling up inside of them, outrage at being pointedly ignored steadily overwhelming their fear. They bared their teeth and clenched their bound hands into fists.
"I know you heard me! Where are they?! I've been sitting here for hours with you! Say something! I just want to know if they're alive!" Desperation wasn't a term Envy liked to apply to themselves, but it crept into their tone without regard to their sense of personal dignity.
Mustang remained silent and the time marched on with a steady tick-tock of hushed minutes.
The man took the passage of time in stride, regarding his captive with an air of cold disdain that the homunculus found to be grating on their fragile ego. They shifted under his gaze, scratching their nails against the floor and huffing loudly as they looked from the cot on the wall, to the stone walls, to their bars, and finally back to Mustang's scowling visage. To avoid his stare they attempted pacing the length of their cell, but doing so only emphasized their captivity and added to their agitation. With a loud clanking of their chain, Envy collapsed into a heap in the farthest corner of their cell and scowled at the wall in mute fury. Their mind was whirling with questions and the lack of information was eroding their small sense of stability.
This would be a lot easier if he would say something! Look at him! Just sitting there like a rock! Isn't he going to sleep? He's human isn't he?! Adopting a more perplexed expression, they tilted their head slightly and addressed their warden. "Aren't you tired by now? I'm not going anywhere, and you won't answer my questions, in fact, you haven't said anything at all! So at least go to sleep and quit staring at me, it's uncomfortable!"
Roy leaned forward in his chair, resting his gloved hands on his knees as he gazed evenly across the distance at his captive. Envy couldn't contain the twitch in their face at his scrutiny, and the faint trace of a smirk on his lips that caused made their breath hiss out between their teeth. Taking in a deep breath, the man lifted his head and narrowed his dark eyes.
"I'm pleased to see you still have a strong sense of fear for me, that should make keeping you in line easier. I'm not going to stoop to your level and get into a petty argument with you, homunculus. You haven't earned any answers to your questions, you haven't earned any sense of compassion or dignity from me, and only time will tell if you ever do. As for sleep, I've gone without it before, I can do so again tonight." Roy's voice held a mixture of arrogance and irritation in it that Envy felt like a hammer striking at their spine.
"I don't want to earn your compassion!" The vitriol clawed out from their throat with each syllable, fueled by the stress of their continued confinement. "All I want is-!"
"All you want is to have a chance to slip away! A chance to go back to causing pain and misery everywhere you step foot! An opportunity to kill again!" Mustang's voice was accompanied by an abrupt movement from his chair, his right hand came up, index finger pointed accusingly at his startled captive. He continued, the steady tone of his voice wavering with inflections of fury. "You think I actually believe that a homunculus could change for the better? Do you actually think that I want to guard you all the time like this? I know what you are! You started a genocide, you murdered my friend, you plotted to destroy this entire country, you caused suffering at every possible opportunity and you enjoyed it! You reveled in it! So don't think for a moment that I believe you can change! You are nothing but a monster, an ugly, twisted beast clawing for its own survival; but mark my words, Envy, I'm right here, and when you slip I will bring you right back to where you belong. Did you forget so easily what can happen to you? What will happen to you, if you make a single mistake?"
To say his words and threats unnerved them would have been an understatement. Perhaps if they had not already endured consecutive deaths at his hand they might have laughed at his posturing and his scowling visage, but Envy was no longer a being who had the luxury of not knowing terror first hand. They recalled full well how it felt to be caught within the fires of his rage, to be trapped beneath the crushing pressure of his boot and the piercing glare of his hatred. That look, albeit less murderous, was still visible in his glare. Envy swallowed thickly, regretting their earlier outbursts, wishing they could put some sort of barrier between them and their warden. Everything was too exposed in their small cell, there were no places to tuck away from his dark eyes, they were fully exposed to his disgust and it served to make them feel as small and wretched as it had in the tunnels.
After a tense silence passed between them, Mustang sat down and returned to watching at his prisoner with a resolute frown, and Envy twitched and fidgeted in a mixture of renewed fear and anger. Their chained wrists began to ache, the metal of their manacles chaffing their skin any time they moved their hands. Misery was not a companion they were fond of entertaining, but they were beginning to understand its presence all too well. Their wordless sentinel kept his watchful gaze locked on their every movement, minimal as they were. Envy didn't feel confident enough to speak again, simply running their tongue over their lips a few times or shifting their weight against the wall of their cell. Their gaze swept across the room, fleetingly meeting Mustang's own for only a moment.
Inwardly, they felt bitterly betrayed by everyone, their stressful situation stirring up a litany of colorful curses and angry thoughts. Why am I having to put up with this?! The pipsqueak said it was going to be a second chance for me! He promised I would be fine! He lied-they ALL lie! Humans can't ever be trusted to tell the truth, they just scratch around for the next chance to knock you down to their level! Mustang! What's he plotting now? I HATE him! I hate that smug look he has, like he's so superior just because I'm in here and he's out there. If things were reversed I'd make him scream, he'd be begging for forgiveness for what he did to me-no, not just to me, to her! To LUST! I never got to punish him for her death, why didn't Father let me and Gluttony go after him? Oh, sacrifice-right, ha! How did THAT turn out Father? You should have let us kill him. Things would have been different, and you could have brought Lust back! Their thoughts raced, memories of their sister pervading their mind.
Time seemed to slow and all thoughts of Mustang and their cell faded away as their focus centered around the tall, dark form of the sultry homunculus. Lust had been so strong, unfalteringly proud and confident in her abilities and objectives. At times, long ago when Envy was young and had been feeling particularly detestable, Lust had been the one to tear out the pain, pull them from the mire in their mind and shake a sense of self-worth into their core. She was their anchor point in that time, the calm smooth tone of her voice subduing the doubts and loathing that had plagued their consciousness, and they had followed her with more devotion than they had held for any of the others. So many flashes of memory were buried under the passage of the years, too many conversations and quiet moments between them, back before Gluttony had been created, Lust had truly been their closest sense of family. Had things not changed, had Greed not abandoned them all, had Lust not become more guarded afterward, maybe they would have tried harder to show her how grateful they were for everything she had done for them.
He took you away, Lust, he destroyed you. I couldn't do anything about it, and it's not fair! He took you away from us, from me! I want you back! It's NOT FAIR! Without meaning too, their fists clenched tightly enough to strain their knuckles, and their breath pulled in shallow sharp inhales. The sadness of her loss was heavy to bear, more so than their chains, and it fought to make itself known, the telltale prick of moisture welling up in their narrowed eyes. Envy blinked rapidly to rid themselves of the tears before they could spill over. They wouldn't weep in front of that man again. Whether it was from battling the steady wave of despair and bitterness sweeping up over them, or the exhaustion of their confinement that caused it, Envy passed the rest of the night in a sullen silence that drew a curious and intent observation from their warden, but they didn't have the energy to acknowledge him anymore.
Dawn was announced not by sun light greeting their dismal location, but by Mustang's sharp voice breaking the stillness that had pervaded their prison.
"It's time Envy. Get on your feet and stand back against the wall." He stood near the door, key fitted in the lock as he watched them slowly rise and wait where he had instructed. Envy wasn't certain where they were going to be taken, and they wanted to question him, but hesitated considering their previous evening. They watched the door to their cell swing open, the bars held firmly in a gloved hand.
"Step out here and place your hands on top of your head. I want to see them at all times. We are going to walk down this corridor and go up a flight of stairs. You will walk slowly and make no attempt to escape or fight, is that clear?" Mustang's stern tone received nothing but a frown and a sharp nod from his captive, and then he continued. "Once upstairs we will take a short walk to the room where you will be processed."
As they exited their cell and brought their hands up to their scalp Envy's brows furrowed together. They didn't know what to make of that word and their curiosity was mingled with a knotted feeling in the pit of their stomach. Something about the way it was said made them uneasy. Mustang took the chain between their arms and placed it behind their back, the cold metal sent a shiver down their spine as it draped over their bared skin. Suddenly, Mustang's hand darted out to catch hold of their jaw. The move was unexpected and aggressive, jarring them into a tensed posture as they attempted to arch as far away from him as possible, their hands clasped around his arm with a defensive grip, though they dared not pry his hand off. He squeezed slowly, leaning in close and lowering his voice to a harsh whisper.
"If you fight this, if you make any attempt to injure anyone, I will reduce you back into that filthy leech form, do you understand me? You have no say in this matter, no rights here, and I don't want to hear a single word from your mouth." He gave their head a slight jerk before releasing his grip and standing up straight at their side. "Walk Envy."
The journey they made was silent save for the ominous echo of their footsteps. Along the way Envy couldn't help but mull over their situation and fret about what was to come. Abruptly, Mustang's hand came out to pull them to a halt before a solid wooden door, which he knocked on once before grasping the brass knob and turning it. As he pushed the door open, he placed his other hand against the small of their back and ushered them into the room.
The first thing they noted was the dull white of the walls, not a pristine sort of white, but the faded, dingy color of decaying egg shells. The light wasn't particularly bright, but it illuminated enough to allow them to clearly make out several desks stacked with books and files on one side of the room, and a heavy, yellowed curtain that had been set up as a barricade to whatever was tucked on the opposite side. There were several humans in the room, all wearing long white coats, some also sporting gloves and masks. Envy blinked owlishly at their appearance for a split second before realization began to set in.
Lab coats-these are doctors? Scientists? Why are they-wait, no-NO! Is he going to have them experiment on me?! This is processing?! Fearfully they turned to look at their warden's grim expression, their body tensing in preparation to fight or flee.
"Be still Envy, remember, if you disobey me in any way you will regret it more than if you just submit now." The Flame alchemist's tone was threatening, his warning accompanied by the firm pressure of his hand enclosing around their upper right arm. They sucked in a slow breath, seconds passing by in silence as their gazes locked-one hostile and commanding, the other agitated and panicked. Envy pushed back as they released the air in their lungs, twisting violently within Mustang's grasp in a bid to lurch back toward the door. Consequences or not, they couldn't bear to willingly be experimented on. Their chained wrists strained as they attempted to reach for the door knob, only to claw desperately at the air as they were hauled off the floor and carried away from their only escape route.
In shock they realized that Mustang had managed to hoist them up around their waist and lift them from the floor with surprisingly little effort. It was a cold slap of reality that served to remind them of how far they had fallen, how weak they had truly become. Never outside of their parasitic form had anyone been able to physically move them before.
If he can just pick me up like this what else can they do to me?! How am I so weak? What can I do? They struggled, kicking and arching to free themselves in vain as they were brought behind the curtain and thrown roughly onto a cold surface. Their bound wrists were quickly hoisted up above their head, the chain locked onto a hook dangling from the ceiling. Envy found the tension on their chain forced them onto their knees on the hard metal floor. As they adjusted to the pressure on their arms and shoulders they felt another set of cuffs enclosing around each ankle, effectively trapping them into their kneeling position. Frantically, their eyes scanned around at the masked faces surrounding them. Outrage and horror mingled together in the pit of their stomach, their face contorting into a deadly scowl as they lurched against their confinement and screeched in fury.
"Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me! I'll kill you if you-!"
Their threat was cut off by the resounding sound of a slap as the back of Mustang's hand collided with their left cheek. The blow jolted their entire head to the side where it remained, slightly downcast as they inhaled harsh breaths and felt the trickle of metallic fluid against their tongue.
I'm bleeding, he split my lip. Blinking, the homunculus slowly raised their head in order to gaze at the face of their warden. His eyes held no compassion, no sympathy, only cold disgust, and anger. Mustang reached out and dug his fingers into the strands of their hair, pulling forcefully to maneuver their head in whichever direction he pleased. They hissed in pain as their head was yanked left and right, their gaze sweeping about to take note of the five humans in lab coats standing around them and the tables placed behind them against the wall, though they couldn't make out what instruments were waiting on their shadowed surfaces.
"Consider that the final warning I will give you. Threats will not be taken lightly homunculus. You let anymore out and I'll burn your tongue. Think back to how it felt the first time, I know you can remember." His voice was low, sharp and dangerous. Envy swallowed thickly, straining against the hold he had on their hair and trying not to let their fear show in their eyes. When they remained silent and still under his gaze, Mustang seemed to be satisfied and released his tight grasp. Their scalp ached from the force he had exerted on them, but they remained quiet, waiting in great trepidation of what would come next.
One of the doctors stepped closer to the colonel, Envy observed that the man had a thick pair of wire rimmed glasses on his narrow nose, and thinning gray hairs on his head. He cleared his throat a bit before attempting to address Mustang, though both men kept their eyes trained on the bound homunculus.
"We've collected the basic notes from the various reports that were sent over beforehand, but this will be something of an invasive examination. Are you certain my people are going to be safe?"
Envy blinked, their nostrils flaring at the word invasive. Their violet eyes locked onto Mustang as he replied, his steady gaze unwavering and merciless.
"I gave you my word I would keep him under control. Your team has full permission to do what is necessary to complete a thorough study of the homunculus. I can't take him out into the public if I don't have the proper information on him. I need to know everything you can determine, weaknesses, abilities we may not have seen during battle, physical notations, whatever you can find will be useful, so I will make certain he behaves." The implications of his words were all too clear, not that they had pretended the situation could be leading to anything other than experimentation, but now they began to fear the worst.
Are they going to dissect me? Do they want my stone? It's just information they need, isn't it? They could just ask! They don't have to do this..! Their lips parted in an attempt to speak, to voice their willingness to share information for the sake of saving themselves undue pain, but their words died in their throat as the group of humans began moving all at once around them. Envy watched in growing horror as a female with dark brown hair pulled into a high bun brought a tray over to the doctor with the glasses. The man reached down and picked up a scalpel, turning his attention briefly toward another, younger looking man to his left.
"Make detailed notes of everything." His attention returned to Envy as he approached, his fascinated gaze locking with their wide eyes for a moment before focusing instead on their torso. The hand holding the scalpel extended toward them as they shut their eyes tightly, refusing to watch what was about to happen.
"Well Colonel Mustang, everyone, let's begin."