The press of the scalpel was ice cold against their skin as it nudged under the hem of their fitted top and slid gently upward, slicing the material cleanly in half from the bottom to the top, halfway up their throat. Surprised that they hadn't yet been cut, Envy cracked one eye open and risked a glance at the man crouched before them. He was clearly focused on carefully slicing away the sections of their clothing that kept their top around their shoulders, but he was taking cautious effort not to damage their skin. Shuffling footsteps, pen scratches against paper, and soft breathing could be heard just behind their back, and they uttered a startled hiss when the pressure of hands became evident against their body.

"Doctor, the markings on the shoulder blades and the spine appear both on the material and the flesh." A woman's voice, out of their line of sight, but clearly intrigued. The man kneeling before them replaced the scalpel on the tray and looked past them toward the sound of her voice, he nodded once, then placed his hands on their rib cage, taking hold of the fabric of their top.

"Let's see how this goes then." He quickly pushed the material backward, peeling it from their body like the rind from a piece of fruit. There was a distinctly uncomfortable pulling sensation along their body, particularly where the markings on their back melded through the material. Envy grit their teeth together and willed themselves not to complain, not to show distress in front of the humans. A moment or two after they had removed the top from their torso, their ears detected the tell-tale sizzling of alchemic reaction. No longer connected to the stone powering its creation, the material began to dissolve into an ash like substance and fade away. The surprise of the humans was almost amusing, though Envy would have enjoyed it better if they weren't chained down and still at risk of injury.

"Did you make notes of that? Good. Alright then, cut the rest of it all off, we may as well get a look at what we're dealing with here."

Envy jerked at the order, squirming around in their bindings as several pairs of gloved hands began working to either pull off or cut away what clothing they had left on their body. What are they doing?! Their shock finally brought their voice back, a sharp, indignant outrage lacing their words.

"Get your hands off me! Stop that!" Despite their scowling and twisting about, their clothing was successfully striped from their body, leaving their pale form exposed to the scrutiny of all in the room, including the stone-faced colonel. Envy's gaze faltered when they met his eyes, humiliation forcing them to look away as their dark hair fell freely around their naked body. They could feel heat creeping into their face as they knelt on the metal flooring. Gloved fingers curiously brushed against their back, moving their long hair aside to trace the shape of the markings that were a unique part of their body.

"Doctor, the symbol is a trio of circular nodes connected by lines that form a v-like design between the scapula and the vertebra. Each node appears to have a small inner circle ringed by a larger one. The texture is smooth, warmer than the flesh around it, and slightly raised." The woman's voice again. They growled softly at her touch, satisfied when her hand quickly retreated from stroking their skin.

"Keep your hands OFF ME!" Snarling, the homunculus jerked violently against their restraints, their movement severely hampered by the position they were forcibly tethered into. "You damn humans, filthy trash, touching me like I'm some kind of rodent you can toy with!" Finding no slack in their restraints, they began to crackle with energy from their stone, though they could feel the sluggishness of the transformation, it was still reshaping their arms, that is, until a sudden explosive pain erupted across their abdomen. They hunched forward as much as their bindings would allow, air and saliva spilling from their mouth as they focused on the boot planted firmly against their stomach. The wheeze of their next breath was cut short as the boot was removed, only to return a second time, striking harder, the force bouncing their knees against the floor. Mustang's face came into their line of sight and they flinched away from the fury in his gaze. He's going to burn me!

"The only filthy thing in this room is you, homunculus. Try that again and I will set you ablaze. Now shut your mouth and be still!" Mustang's threat was a guarantee more than a warning, Envy more than understood, and nodded to show it as they coughed and spat out the bile that had risen to the back of their mouth.

The doctor and his team wasted little time getting back to work, their hands exploring, moving Envy's hair up and out of the way as they poked and examined every inch of their form. Someone brought a small, luminous light over and held it above them at an angle that shone down into their face, forcing them to squint at the brightness of it. Some bold soul reached out to hold their chin steady, as their lids were forced to open wide and allow the light to shine straight into one of their eyes.

"Large eyes, violet in color, slit pupils. Cat like, or snake like, but they constrict normally in bright light."

"Do you see this? The skin of the pelvic region is completely smooth, no definable genitalia, no scars, nothing. Fascinating. The pectorals are also smooth, it's like a doll's body, intriguing."

"The triangular marking on the center of the forehead is made of the same structures as the symbol on the back, though the pattern is different."

"The mark on the left thigh is the one described in the documents. A dragon biting its tail, encircling a six pointed star."

"Oruborous. I believe that's the symbol noted in the Elric reports."

I hate you! I hate you all! I'll kill you for touching me, just wait! Being discussed and prodded this way was difficult to endure. Envy wanted to strike them all down for it, and their muscles trembled with their anger, but one glance at Mustang kept them still, their fingers fisting around their chain tightly. Stop staring at me like that!

A frigid piece of metal was pressed against their shoulder blades, eliciting a gasp from them at the cold sensation. They hissed in indignant anger while the humans moved the flat metal object into various positions along their back. They could hear soft mumbling behind them, counting. Curiosity edged along the irritation brewing in their mind. They're taking measurements? For what purpose? A sudden series of flashes blinded them momentarily, causing them to jerk their head to the side and blink in a bit of a daze. The odor of chemicals assaulted their nostrils and they were blearily aware of the humans moving around them with several standing cameras.

"Preliminary examination of the homunculus is complete. If you would please bring the equipment, we will begin the second phase." The doctor stepped back as his team scurried about, moving several wheeled trays closer to Envy's position. They craned their neck about, trying to get a glimpse of what might be on the trays, but were unsuccessful. One of the humans reached down between their knees and removed a cover off the flooring that they hadn't noticed previously, exposing a circular drainage grate. Envy's eyes widened at the implications and they glanced around in renewed anxiety. What are they going to do to me?

Their alarm was justified when an unexpected pain jolted through their right shoulder blade. The sensation was cold and stabbing, jarring their thought process to a halt as they cried out in a mixture of shock and agony. Something had pierced one of the nodes on their back, they could feel their stone attempting to heal the injury, but whatever was causing it was embedded deeply, nullifying the alchemic healing process their body naturally possessed. A slow trickle of blood seeped out from the edges of the wound, sluggishly dripping down the curve of their back.

"Fascinating! Simply astounding!"

"Doctor the hypothesis was correct! The injury isn't healing."

"Yes, but we need to see if the same is true for other parts of the body."

Envy flinched and cried out as several cuts were made in their skin. The purpose for the grate became all too clear as blood dripped steadily from precise slashes on their legs, torso, and upper arms. The flicker of crimson energy from their stone arced up around the wounds, but was ineffective at healing any of them. Stop! That hurts!

"So they are connected to its abilities after all. Very well, hand me the next needle."

Fighting against the inevitable was a futile effort, but Envy made a show of trying to writhe away from the next two punctures to their back. They twisted in their restraints, cursing, and whimpering at their inability to free themselves. I have to get out of here before this gets any worse! Focusing on their body, the homunculus attempted to call on their shape shifting power, willing their form to change, even if it meant risking Mustang's fury, they had to get away, they had to at least try, they couldn't just submit, it wasn't in their nature to just submit to torture like this. To their shock, they remained exactly as they were, bound, in their preferred form, and under the scrutiny of the humans in the room.

"Did you make note of that? Those fluctuations of energy around it? I'm going to make the assumption that we've blocked the transformation ability it has. This is all intriguing, let's move on, pierce them all."

Terror raced up their spine at the doctor's order. No! Leave me alone! Stop this! In horror, they watched the doctor's hand come closer to their head, a thick needle held between his fingers.

No, no-no-NO! "Stop! Don't do this! STOP! NO!" They shook their head from side to side, struggling until a pair of hands forced them to be still long enough for the sharp end of the needle to slide into place. Two more were inserted, and the energy of their stone seemed to be caged, all the strength rushing from their body as it went slack against their restraints. Their fingers twitched slightly, and they could grimace as they hung limply in their bindings, but every attempt they made to move their arms or legs failed.

It hurts! What did they do to me?! This-I can't move! What is this!? Take them out! Stop it! I don't like this, why can't I move? What have they done?! Fear washed over them as they knelt, unable to control their limbs and at the mercy of the doctor and his team. Hands pulled their chin up, positioning their head in a way that allowed them to look upon several curious faces. They wanted to scowl, but the glint of a scalpel had their eyes widening in fear again. The blade came closer, then pressed against the upper part of their neck and sliced inward.

Envy screamed.

The sound of their shriek was cut off as the blade cut through their vocal chords, the resulting gurgle of sliced tissue and flowing blood filling their ears as the doctor continued to cut, working his way through their throat till the blade began to slide right, then left. Something hard and metal was pushed into the wound, forcing it to widen. Envy's eyes were open wide, rapid blinking doing nothing to stave off the steady flow of tears pouring down their cheeks. Their mouth was open in a nearly silent scream, the occasional gurgle of their damaged vocal chords breaking the silence of the room. Their fingers clawed at the air in jerky twitches, the only movement they could make to show their distress. Amongst the cut layers of sinew and flesh of their neck, the brilliant glow of their Philosopher's stone shown in the light, glinting as it pulsed with energy and flooded power through the veins sprouting out of it like roots.

Pressure was applied to their stone, they weren't sure what was stroking against the surface of it, but the feeling of it being touched was utterly violating, it coiled a knot of revulsion in their gut and brought on a wash of fresh tears and a sputtering sob that couldn't fully form due to their injuries. Blood spilled down the front of their chest, pattering against the metal floor before pooling around the grate. Tears, snot, and saliva leaked from their face as they waited for their agonizing examination to end, helplessly enduring every touch, every pinch, every flash of photography, every moment of exposure.

No more, stop! Let me heal! Take them out! Their eyes searched frantically about the faces they could see, finding Mustang's gaze at last and imploring him to end their suffering. Through their tears it was difficult to read his expression, and they couldn't be certain if he was grimacing out of disgust or something else, but he did reach out and place a hand on the doctor's shoulder, offering a gruff command.

"This is sufficient."

Relief rocked their mind as the doctor nodded and began working with his team to remove the object forcing their throat open and the numerous needles embedded in their body. Their stone pulsated energy through their form, healing the various cuts and knitting muscle and flesh back together. Strength slowly returned to their limbs and they uttered a soft moan as they shuddered at the phantom touch of fingers against their stone. Envy kept their eyes downcast, watching as the blood on the grate dried and slowly turned to ash. They felt drained, weak, and thoroughly exhausted. The doctor and his team were shuffling around the room, gathering their instruments and documents together.

"I want the records from the examination on my desk as soon as you have all of your documentation assembled. If you have any further details to discuss you know how to reach me. I'll take the homunculus now." Mustang's tone was detached, lacking empathy or malice, and Envy found that they were grateful for his emotionlessness as their chain was removed from the hook and their ankles freed. They stood slowly, a tremor notable in their body as they fell into step with their warden.

Once out in the hall way, Mustang surprised them by taking hold of their chin once again, forcing their head up to look them in the eyes. His face was unreadable as he scrutinized them, and Envy's throat felt dry as they attempted to swallow. What now?

"You took that better than I anticipated. I had every expectation that I would have to burn you at least once, but you managed to behave." He sounded genuinely surprised, then abruptly frowned. "You're fine now aren't you? Your stone is working, so unless you want to parade around naked you should give yourself some clothing."

Envy blanched at the comment, realizing with a rush of heated shame that they had neglected to repair their clothing in the wake of their examination. They scowled in their embarrassment, their cheeks a bright red as they quickly created a duplicate of their preferred outfit over their body. Mustang's snort of mocking amusement wasn't lost on them and they bristled with indignation, jerking their face away from his hand.

"That was torture, you know that." They scowled at him, their posture tense despite the weariness they felt. The colonel gave them a long, hard stare before reaching out to collect the chain dangling between their wrists and tug it forward, yanking them in close.

"It's nothing compared to all the Ishvalan people you had experimented on, tortured, and used to make stones in the laboratories. Did their screams make you feel pity? Did the sight of their wounds and their blood bring you remorse? What about the prisoners you used for other experiments? Did you think it was torture to strip them from their bodies? Did you feel sorry over it?" His words were laced with anger, and Envy responded to the questioning with a bewildered expression.

I'm not at fault for all of that! He's blaming me for everything!? They shook their head, slowly exchanging their surprise for a frown. "You're not being fair about this, Colonel Mustang. I didn't touch any of those insects, and besides! Those prisoners were sentenced to death! So what if they became armor soldiers! Why do you care!?"

"Because you had no right! You think you're so superior to humans, even now you still think that way! You think you were on some higher level of existence? Playing at being a god?!" Mustang's outrage grew with the intensity of his voice.

"My Father was a god! He gave you miserable fools the alchemy you cling to! He gave you everything! He gave it to you and he took it back! He-!" Envy's snarl was cut off by an open palmed slap to the face. They whipped their head back to face their warden, only to be slapped again. Mustang took hold of their hair with his free hand and shook them forcefully.

"Your father was a monster! Just like you are!" He tightened his grip in their hair, forcing a groan from their lips as he pressed them painfully against the wall. "And don't forget, you turned on him in the end. You obviously didn't have that much faith in him, did you Envy? So what kind of god could he have been, if his own offspring couldn't stand by him?"

Those cynical words cut deep, shocking them into silence. Envy gazed at Mustang's smoldering expression and found no spiteful comeback to retort with. They lowered their gaze, mulling over his words as he finally removed his hand from their hair and used the grip on their chain to force them down the hall at a steady pace. They stumbled on the stairs, hopping slightly as he hauled them out into the late afternoon sun. A car was waiting for them with the engine running, the familiar face of one of Mustang's closest subordinates greeting them with her usual stern look.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, is everything ready?"

"Yes sir, the location has been prepared to your specifications."

"Good, let's get going then, it's a long drive out of the city." Mustang turned his attention to his captive and ushered them toward the car with a gruff command. "Get in the back Envy, be quiet now, I'm tired of your voice."

Hawkeye held the door open as Mustang shoved them into the back seat and then joined them, sitting beside them and waiting as the lieutenant took her seat behind the steering wheel and began driving them all down the main road from the facility they had spent the night in. Envy had no idea where they were headed, but considering how easily angered Mustang became with them, they assumed it might be wiser to obey for the time being and keep their thoughts to themselves. They focused their attention on the scenery as it flashed past their window, frowning sullenly.

I knew it was going to be terrible with him. Now that woman's here too and they're whisking me off to who-knows-where. They aren't even talking, why is everyone so silent around here? It's so boring. I wonder if this is another type of Mustang-contrived torture? Bore the homunculus to death. At least I have a view-oh look-a tree. There's a bush, and a rock, another tree-oh a sheep! There's another one, and that's a black sheep. More sheep, and lots of plain, boring, grassy hills. This is what I turned on father for-torture, boredom, and sheep hills.

The combination of the engine hum and the gentle bouncing of the car began to have an impact on their weary mind, lulling at the edges of their focus as the scenery seemed to meld into one bland green and blue blotch of color. Envy didn't intend to do so, but their mouth opened wide in a rather loud yawn, accompanied by several blinks of their eyelids in a bid to stave off their exhaustion. They kept their face pressed close to the window, their forehead resting on the cool glass at an angle that allowed them to see Mustang's profile in the reflective surface. He was scrutinizing them again.

Does he have to bore into me like this all the time? He has a serious staring problem, and I should let him know it! Except-I don't want him to hit me again. I shouldn't care, I shouldn't be afraid of him! He's just a stupid human! One good strike and he would be dead-but he's beaten me so many times already, and I'm so tired anyway. Maybe I'll just close my eyes a little, and then I'll wake up and this will be a nightmare, I'll be back with Gluttony, and Lust! Father will be plotting with Pride and Wrath, Sloth will be complaining about having to dig, and Greed will be running and hiding from us like the rat he is.

It was a wonderful fantasy to imagine that things were as they had been less than a year ago, but Envy didn't get the chance to fully slip into sleep before a hand was roughly tugging at them, shaking them into alertness. They blinked a few times, frowning at Mustang as he gave them a stern look and squeezed their shoulder.

"We'll be arriving shortly, I'm not carrying you inside, so you may as well keep your eyes open." He released them, folding his arms over his chest and focusing on the road ahead.

Curiosity ebbed into their mind and the homunculus shifted around on their seat, leaning around to see past the driver's seat as the lieutenant pulled the car off the road and onto a gravel parkway. A large wood and brick house stood nestled between several groupings of trees. It appeared to have two levels and an attic, if they could guess by the shuttered windows in the roofing, and several of the lights on the first floor were lit, which could only have one implication. More of Mustang's cronies are here, wonderful.

They turned to look at their warden as the car came to a halt and the engine was shut off, meeting his raised eyebrows with a sour expression. Hawkeye pulled the door open on their side, and the colonel ushered them out with a firm hand around their upper right arm. They made a small effort to shrug out of his hold, more to make a display of their displeasure than to try and escape. Mustang only snorted in response and tightened his grip, striding forward, and hauling his scowling captive along. Riza Hawkeye's steps fell into place behind them as they strode up the stairs to the porch and into the foyer of the house.

The entry way was a testament to the entirety of the house, minimally decorated, suitable furnishings for basic living and comfort but no serious effort applied to taste or style. Envy couldn't exactly call it a dump considering they had lived a vast majority of their life in underground tunnels filled with mechanical pipes and chimeras, but they gave the place a sneer of contempt all the same as they were marched from the foyer through a narrow hallway and into the sitting room. Settled onto the faded floral print couch and arm chairs of the room were several humans, some of whom Envy didn't exactly recall by name, but knew they were part of Mustang's handpicked team. The one with the scruffy four o'clock shadow and half-finished cigarette they did remember, he had been Lust's information target shortly before her death.

"Jean Havoc." The name spilled over their lips like a curse, startling the man in the middle of his greeting to Mustang. The colonel's sharp gaze locked onto them, but they ignored it, glaring and jostling their chain as they gestured at the uneasy man with their bound hands. "You were paralyzed, Lust stabbed your spine! How are you-ah!" They jerked their attention around to their warden, fisting their hands and shaking their head as he stared at them coolly. "You used a Philosopher's stone on him, didn't you!? You just wiped away everything! Every trace of what she did? Just like that!? You humans think you're so resilient, huh?!"

"Envy, it would be wise for you to shut your mouth. Now." His tone was stern, but they could see the storm in his dark eyes and knew it would be better to bite their tongue before they put their foot in too deeply. Mustang's gaze lingered on them, holding their own until they huffed and glared at the floor. The tension in the room seemed to hang thickly until Havoc coughed and made his way over to slap the colonel on the shoulder in welcome.

"Roy, I don't even know how you got stuck with this assignment, but we'll all be here for you, and uh…it's nice to see you? Envy, was it?" Jean gave them a curious look, obviously trying to think back on when he had met the homunculus.

Rolling their eyes, they snorted at his attempts to be congenial, sneering contemptuously around the room until Mustang's hand enclosed around their arm once again. They blinked up at him, surprised to find his face so close to their own. His breath was hot against their skin as it puffed out past his lips.

"You don't have enough manners to be here, obviously. I also recall you complaining about being tired in the car." He stood up straight, turning and stalking across the room toward the stairwell, dragging the homunculus along at a pace that had them stumbling over their own feet just to keep up with his longer stride. "Say good night Envy." The sarcastic remark caught them off guard, a sudden flush staining their cheeks as they scurried up the steps with him and rounded the turn of the second-floor hall way.

"What?! Good ..night..? Hey! Stop dragging me around!" Complaining did little to alleviate the hurried pace he had adopted as they came to the final door of the hall. The door was opened and Mustang ushered them in by the small of their back, ignoring their scowl with his usual dismissive attitude. He flipped on a light switch, illuminating the room in a warm glow from the ceiling lamp. "You know, I really don't appreciate being man-handled like some wayward mutt on a leash." They snapped.

Mustang turned a curious look toward them, slowly removing his military jacket to drape it over the back of a wooden chair positioned next to a small dresser. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and folded his arms over his chest.

"Is that so? From where I'm standing that's exactly what I'm seeing, a beast, on a leash, snarling and growling at everyone because its angry and not getting its way." His lips quirked up into a smirk as Envy bristled at the insult. "Now before you go spouting off at the mouth and get your ass in deeper trouble, I suggest you consider a few things." His warning tone brought their irritation to a pause, their eyes focused intently on him as he walked across the room to a narrow bed with a large metal frame. He turned, examining them with a thoughtful expression. "Come here."

Initially, they balked at the command, but as irrational as it was their feet seemed to be in revolt against their brain, carrying them the distance across the wooden floor to stand beside him near the bed. Mustang appeared satisfied with their cooperation, and rewarded them by pulling out a key from the pocket of his uniform trousers. Their eyes widened in shock as he fit the key into their manacles, releasing them from the heavy chains they had worn for the past day. Envy absently massaged their wrists, looking up at him warily. His gaze was harsh, but his tone lacked the violence it had held earlier in the day, a more matter-of-fact attitude seeming to settle over him.

"First, you need to understand that you have no rights here, you don't have any freedom to assault my men, verbally or physically. You lost all of that when you surrendered to my complete authority. Secondly, if you do insist on being a foul-tempered, belligerent being, there will be consequences. For example, you've lost the privilege of staying in the room and hearing what the plans are for the next week. Your attitude is more than I'm willing to tolerate. Get into the bed."

Envy's gaze turned from their warden to stare at the bed, and then back to him. Their brows rose in a questioning look, and they couldn't help feeling utterly confounded and slightly embarrassed at the way he was speaking to them. Mustang sighed, bringing one hand up to rub at his left temple.

"You can get in on your own, or I can put you in it, but either way, you're going to bed."

Well that had settled it, Envy had no intention of letting the colonel pick them up and stuff them into the bed, they had dealt with enough forceful maneuvering by him for one day. Despite the oddity of the situation, they climbed onto the mattress and laid down on their back, resting their head on the pillow and watching as he leaned down near the head of the bed. To their dismay, he stood up holding a long leather strap in his hands, which was subsequently fastened around their left wrist, fed through the metal bars of the headboard, and tied to their right wrist. He glanced at them briefly as he leaned over their body, clicking his tongue at their scowl.

"Don't act so surly, you didn't think I would leave you free to move around up here did you?" He went around to the base board of the bed, attaching leather bindings to each of their ankles, then securing them to the mattress itself with a large leather strap that was belted down over their waist. Envy grunted, squirming about on the bed to no effect, there was little flexibility in their bindings. What a moron, does he really think I'm not going to just shape shift my way out of these ridiculous restraints?

They watched him walk over to the dresser and riffle through the top drawer a moment. They had to crane their neck to keep an eye on him, but soon enough he returned, clenching his fist around an object they couldn't make out. As if he had heard their traitorous thoughts aloud, he leaned in swiftly, and took hold of their chin, brandishing three thick, short needles in his hand. Envy's eyes widened.

"I can't leave you unattended knowing you might try to slip out and escape. The processing proved to be very useful after all, you see." Calmly, he slid the first needle into one of the nodes on their forehead, pushing it through the material of their headband and the flesh beneath. Red crackles of alchemic energy sputtered around the metal intrusion, but were ineffective at fixing the small wound.

"One of the reports I received a while back had contained an interesting account of a battle between the homunculus Greed, and King Bradley, or Wrath, I should say." He pushed in the second needle, his grip on their chin firm as he continued. "In that battle, Greed was impaled through several of the markings on his torso, halting his ability to carbonize his body, it was like the power switch had been shut off." The final needle went in, and Mustang gave Envy's right cheek a condescending pat.

"When all of them were pierced he was incapable of movement, just like you, earlier today. I had you go through processing for several reasons, but one of them was to confirm the theory that Greed's situation wasn't unique to him, that those little lines and circular nodes on your body are directly connected to the powers your Philosopher stone provides you with. I'm satisfied that you'll be staying put now, so get some rest Envy, maybe tomorrow you'll be able to stay civil long enough to learn something about your future."

With that, Mustang tossed a blanket over their body, collected his jacket and then crossed the room to the doorway; flipped off the light switch, and left, shutting the door with a click. Envy laid in the dark, listening to him lock their door, and walk away down the hall.

How DARE he talk to me like that?! I'm one hundred and seventy-five years old! I don't have manners? Say good night?! PUT ME TO BED!? I'm not some unruly human child! And that bastard, Havoc! How dare he smile and act like he's perfectly fine! I know what she did to him! Lust! It's like you didn't even matter, everything you did they just wiped away with their alchemy, how do I fight this? They aren't as stupid as I thought. Lust, you were right. You were always right, and I've been such a fool.

In the shadows of their room, Envy finally allowed themselves to express their helplessness and frustration through muffled sobs and tears.

Lust, what do I do now? I need you, help me.