Thank you all so much for reviewing!

This chapter is, essentially, Maes info dumping on us all, made even worse because I had a pretty bad headache when I wrote the last parts. Sorry, it has to be done. After this will hopefully be a few feelsy recovery chapters, but for now- have Maes talking ;u;

"Ed, you went missing four months ago. You and Al were in the city, taking some time off- and then, one day, we got a call from your brother saying you hadn't come home the night before. That's all we know- all that we ever managed to find out." Maes sat back in his chair, folding his hands together over his knees get a better look at everyone around the room. "The case was assigned to me, for all the good I did… it was as if you'd just vanished into thin air."

They'd moved locations, despite Maes' better judgments; the small bedroom of before had been getting rather cramped, and this was setting up to be a long meeting, one he hadn't wanted to do pressed in next to everyone else. Granted, his idea had been for just some people to leave the room- he'd wanted Ed and Roy to stay in bed and rest, damn it- but, well. Here they were instead.

They'd moved a little bit of the ways down the hallway to where Maes suspected Roy's sisters collected to take a break during the nights, the largest room on this floor. He'd somehow ended up with a chair all to himself while Riza and Havoc, the former looking slightly uncomfortable, had a couch across the room. The madame still stood at the door, looking almost as if she was standing guard now, Vanessa by her side, and Ed and Roy…

Maes sighed, his gaze landing on the two alchemists again.

It had been a struggle to even make it down here, for the two of them. Roy had been steady on his feet, somehow- Maes was inclined to suspect a miracle- but it Roy had had to all but carry Ed every step of the way, glaring daggers whenever anyone had tried to help and only just managed to get Ed halfway comfortable on the softest looking couch in the room. Roy again had one now gloved hand on his arm, Maes' jacket still slung loosely around his shoulders, looking warily defensive, almost ready to become hostile in a way that chilled him.

Ed, at least, looked too tired to care about fighting them.

"So, you think they kidnapped me to that hospital, then?" Ed asked hoarsely, rubbing his eyes for a brief second. "We really didn't do anything to actually get admitted there? They just- just grabbed us?"

Maes nodded gravely. "We think so now." It was with no small nudge of guilt that Maes admitted to himself their investigation had never once got close to that hospital Ed and Roy themselves had escaped from. Swallowing tightly, Maes pushed that particular realization back and continued on, glancing to Roy now. "I work in investigations, it was my case, but Roy, you're Ed's superior- you were inextricably involved. We kept looking together, but about three weeks after Ed first went missing, you left the office, telling your lieutenant you were just checking up on a long shot; would be back soon. …That was the last time we saw you."

That had been one of the worst days in this investigation, he remembered reluctantly. It had taken them all many, many hours to even believe it- first Ed, then Roy? No, it had to have been a mistake, something, anything else other than Roy going missing when Ed was already gone…

But Roy, just like Ed, appeared to have just vanished off the planet.

"We found your car in a hospital parking lot, actually," he said, hesitantly meeting Roy's eyes. "The same one you two escaped from. …I'm guessing you don't remember what you were doing there?"

Roy, after several seconds, just shook his head blankly, blinking. He didn't even try to say a word, only staring at him, and Maes sighed again.

"That's okay," he said quietly, trying to hide his disappointment. He'd not expected anything better than that, after all… but that wasn't important now. It just wasn't. They'd fix this, after all- they would! The moment Al got here, that would be their number one focus, he swore it- maybe he couldn't do anything about the suffering Ed and Roy had endured, but he could, at least, fix this.

He sighed deeply, forcing himself to focus again- for Ed and Roy's sake, if not his own. "Well, like I said- Ed, you went missing four months ago. Roy, you went missing two weeks after that. Now, alongside all of this, we were hearing some increased reports of revolts and riots, but these were all in the countryside, mostly just in some mining towns that were already a bit unstable anyway- none of this was supposed to be my concern, but I kept tabs on it, we all did. To- be safe, I suppose," he said grudgingly, shrugging. No need trying to explain their complicated, long-term goals to Roy right now. Maes sincerely hoped he would never have to do that. He wanted to fix his best friend- not try to awkwardly, second-handedly teach him his entire life.

He wanted to fix both of them.

The revolts hadn't been a necessarily big concern of his, at the time, with his whole terrified focus still on Ed and Roy- but he and Riza just hadn't been able to turn a blind eye to the increasingly worrisome riots. They'd both recognized the pattern from what Amestris had done in Ishval's beginnings- how one conflict had ignited another, and another after that, how the aggressions had spread like an infection, and realizing that on the map had been like a kick to the gut-

But this time, Amestris' responses had actually been the right ones.

They'd frantically analyzed East City's responses more than once, all but irrationally terrified that this was set to become another Ishval- but, from everything Maes could see, even everything that Riza's paranoid eyes found, East City had been desperately trying to quell the rebellions.

And, even more than that, another Ishval wouldn't make any sense right now. The Ishvallan War's public support had been rock bottom by the end, and not even Bradley would be eager to jump right into another conflict- and besides, the cities that were crumbling had already been loyal Amestrian cities. They'd been mining towns, trading outposts… cities that the military wanted, and already had.

It had taken some time for Maes, Riza, and Roy's team to realize what the generals in East City probably already had.

It had been civil war in the making, all right.

This time, Amestris just wasn't the aggressor.

Maes grimaced unhappily, focusing his attention on Ed and Roy again. Christmas surely knew all of this from her own spies, and Riza and Havoc had learned it right along with him- his only concern was his best friend and the injured boy resting against his arm. "Things went along like this for about two months. Like I said, we were all way more focused on finding you than the rebellions going on out east. But, about eight weeks ago- that's when everything changed."

Ed glanced up at Roy worriedly, his eyes shadowed, hand clenching. He mumbled something quietly, far too quietly for Maes to have heard it- or anyone else, for that matter- and Roy nodded tensely back, squeezing his arm. His pale, unhealthy face shadowed with worry again, and when he finally looked back at Maes, there was nothing but anxious distrust in his dark eyes.

His best friend had never looked at him like that before, and something about it made sadness clench in his stomach.

"We know that that was about the time when the hospital forced you to make gold," he said gently, voice softening.

Once again, Ed and Roy both stiffened. Ed in particular looked so abruptly worried his face almost faded to a faint green.

Roy again shifted a little more in front of Ed, protectively, almost possessively in a way that Maes had never seen from him before this tragedy. He stared at Maes across the room, eyes narrowing, gloved hand tensing but not to snap, no; just tensing over Ed's arm, burned back stiff with anxiety, and when he spoke his voice was low with that same obvious, nervous sense of apprehension.

"We're not supposed to make gold, are we."

Maes' eyes widened, some of his own reluctance to broach this swept back by surprise. "You know that?"

Roy glanced uneasily at Ed again, Ed who was frowning over at Maes, still half hiding behind him and touching his sleeve but finally some of his familiar confidence back in his eyes. God, it was the most reassuring thing he'd seen all day. "Not exactly. We just… knew it was wrong, somehow."

Maes sighed, forcing himself to remain calm and, more importantly, keep his inner torment off his face as he looked over at Ed and Roy. He knew this wasn't a situation where showing his real anger, sadness, or guilt would help, but- god, he was furious. It had been hard for him to realize at first, but it wasn't just memory loss, that had been done to them. It was everything that stemmed from that. Roy trusted him, thank god, but only just, and Ed was flat out afraid of him. He knew he'd done something wrong and was terrified of what Maes and the others were going to do to him because of it.

After all the suffering they'd already been through, now, more than ever, was when those two needed to be able to actually trust and rely on their friends.

They didn't need this.

He took in another steadying breath, forcing himself to remain calm. He wasn't sure how much help that would be to Ed and Roy, but it would be better than potentially frightening them if he let them see how angry he was on his face- because neither were in any sort of mindset to realize he was not angry at them. "We know you were forced. Nothing bad is going to happen to you because of it. We just need to know what you did; that's all."

Once again, Ed and Roy shared an anxious, guarded glance, and it took most of Maes' self control to keep his face calm.

"I made gold for them," Ed finally admitted, still gripping onto Roy's sleeve and tensed, eyes narrowed as if he expected to need to defend himself any second now. "I'm not sure how much, but- but it was a lot. I did it every day pretty much, until…" he stopped, frowning, then just shook his head and shuddered. "Until the end," he finished decisively. Then, face still shadowed with something Maes couldn't quite define, the kid looked up at Roy, the hard distrust in his eyes softening in an instant. "Roy wasn't doing it for as long as me, but it was the same for him. I mean, I think? I didn't know near the end, but, I guess it was mostly the same, right?"

"Er…"

Maes, in the middle of already turning away to write the information down, stopped. He looked back at Roy, who- was suddenly flushing a faint red, a red that he didn't think had anything to do with fever. He suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable- and this time, Maes realized, Ed was just as surprised as everyone else.

Roy coughed again, eyes averted as he suddenly pulled at his collar, shifting awkwardly and fidgeting. "Er," he stammered again, not looking at any of them. "Well, that's not exactly… accurate."

Maes hesitated, biting his lip. He had to fight the urge to try and comfort him, knowing that with Roy as he was now, it would do no good; a glance around the room told him the others felt the same way, while Ed was just staring, obviously completely lost. "Roy," he said gently after several moments, forcing himself to at least sound calm. "Roy, what do you mean? You need to tell us the truth, so we can be accurate about everything that's happened."

For a moment, Roy just fidgeted, looking even more embarrassed than before. Then, the flush high in his cheeks, and his eyes planted on the ground, and his voice just a smidgen higher than it ought to have been, he finally spoke.

"They tried to have me transmute gold. I just… couldn't."

There was an awkward silence.

"I… I nearly had it," Roy went on after several seconds, still refusing to look at any of them, and especially Ed. "I usually could get a few sparks out of the circle. A-and, I, I-" He flexed his injured hands, and even from across the room Maes could see his fingers shaking, voice wavering with either more embarrassment or, infinitely worse, pain. "I wasn't lying, before! I can use my array! That's how I escaped- I drew it and I used it and it worked, I wasn't lying, but- …I just never actually… could make gold."

Maes blinked.

He stared at Roy- almost red-faced, now, it was almost ridiculous how embarrassed he seemed, especially considering none of this was his fault in the first place- then looked to Riza, who looked just as surprised as he felt. Sure, on one hand, Maes thought he should be relieved; the less gold for their enemy to work with, the better, but…

Roy couldn't use it? At all?

"I'm sorry," Roy said suddenly, regret clouding his face as he looked down at Ed, then, almost nervously, back to Maes. "They hurt Fullmetal because of it. They- they hurt-" He broke off, clearly fighting to steady himself enough to get the words out, his voice cracking. "They said they'd hurt him if I couldn't do it. I'm sorry- I tried, Fullmetal, you have to believe me, I didn't want them to- the circle just wouldn't work, but- I was trying, I was, that's why they put you in that room, Fullmetal, that's why you-"

Ed elbowed him in the side and rolled his eyes in the same motion, glaring at him. "Will you shut up? I don't know why you ever trusted a word they said; I think it's pretty apparent they were going to do whatever the hell they wanted no matter what you did. Dumbass."

"But I still could've-"

"Dumbass," Ed told him again, poking him even harder than he had before, this time hard enough it seemed Roy was helpless but to give him a weak smile back.

After several moments, it was Riza who cleared her throat, the noise quiet in the silence. Roy turned towards her automatically then flinched back, the hand on Ed's arm tightening and his expression transforming in an instant. That, too, was worrisome, and reminded him yet again of how Roy had reacted to first seeing Riza at all- but Maes didn't have time to think about that now.

"It might not be anything to worry about, sir," she said quietly. "Edward's a metal specialist. It makes sense he'd have little trouble with a reaction involving only metals, but you're a fire specialist. I don't think it's necessarily a cause for concern that you couldn't use a circle so removed from your specialty." She paused, transferring her gaze to Ed, giving him an encouraging smile. "What about you? Did you perform any other transmutations while there, or just this one?"

And this time, it was Ed's turn to dodge the question.

Ed squirmed just like Roy had, breaking their gazes to frown at his own lap. "Um. Yeah," he muttered, coughing. "Just that one."

Maes grimaced, sharing Riza's cautious glance. Well, if that wasn't the lie of the century. He looked just like Roy had, when trying to admit he'd never managed to work the gold array. He didn't believe it for a second, it was obvious no one else in the room did- but another look at Roy stopped him from speaking up.

Roy, clearly, knew it wasn't the truth. But Roy was still watching Ed with only concern in his eyes, and didn't seem bothered in the slightest about the lie, only just worried that the kid was okay.

The old Ed, he could've pressed, and tried to get the truth out of.

This Ed? The one who didn't know him? The one who, at least on some level, was actually afraid of him?

After what he'd already been through, Maes didn't want to risk it.

"Okay," he said gently, trying to reassure Ed that they were moving on. He saw the flicker of relief in Ed's eyes, the way the fear faded, and Maes had to take a second to press back his own sadness before continuing on. "Well, as I said, the little rebellions going off around the countryside really changed around two months ago. We can't track it exactly, but I think it's when you two- or… Ed, I guess, started making gold. Their manpower suddenly increased; they tripled in size, they went from using these ancient, half-broken guns to the cutting edge, smaller towns were just mysteriously giving up without any protest and joining- this all came out of nowhere. That kind of power and structure takes money, money terrorists usually don't have, and to have kept it going this long? This would take an incredible amount. And given that the government prints the money, and the government itself had no idea where it was coming from… something like gold is the only thing that makes sense." Maes sighed gruffly, rubbing a hand over his face in exhaustion as he leaned back in his chair. "We weren't ready for it at all. We were fighting this small growth of uprisings but suddenly it was like an army had sprung up out of nowhere… it's been a nightmare."

Ed moved a little closer to Roy, who was just sitting there, staring at him like he barely understood the words coming out of his mouth. "Y-you think Ed's been… funding this?" he said hoarsely, eyes widening.

Ed paled.

Havoc figured it out before Maes did, this time, the lieutenant pushing himself forward, leaning a bit to try and catch Ed's eyes. "We think someone took advantage of you. And probably not just you, Ed- this is a huge operation. There are probably dozens of others who were forced into helping these people; it's not all on you."

Riza nodded as well, and for all Roy didn't seem to want to look at her, Ed didn't seem unsettled as she spoke up for him, the fear and guilt on his face seeming to withdraw with every word. "And if it wasn't you, they would've found somebody else. The only person to blame is the one who forced your hand."

Ed still didn't look very convinced, not even when Roy nodded emphatically and lent his voice for support. But at least he didn't look so awfully, dreadfully guilty he was about to choke on it, but Maes decided to move on anyway, and quickly, for Ed's sake. "Right," he said, clearing his throat, making sure Ed understood he agreed with everyone else in the room that this was not his fault. "We all live in the capital, so we've been pretty well removed from the effects, but there weeks ago the Fuhrer declared the city under martial law. The rebels aren't here yet, most of us are still doubting they'll ever make it this far, but for now, there's no one allowed in or out. Blockades all over the city, there's a curfew up, the military on red alert- that's one of the reasons you're hiding here. The military's just too damn busy to properly keep you safe…" Maes paused here, trying to find the words to go on, then just sighed and shook his head. It'd be too complicated to explain how important they were as assets to the military- that in their current state of affairs, no matter how physically abused and emotionally torn Ed and Roy were, the Fuhrer would force them to fight. No need to confuse, or worry them, with that now. Maes and Riza had no intention of letting the Fuhrer get to them. They were safe here; that was all they needed to know.

Speaking of the Fuhrer, actually- though this was another detail he saw no reason to mention to Ed and Roy- no one had heard anything from him since the declaration of martial law. No common soldiers like Maes, at least. He had his suspicions a few of the generals knew where he'd gotten off to, but as far as HQ and the rest of the city knew, Bradley was as gone from the face of the earth as Ed and Roy had been until four days ago.

He didn't know what to make of it.

Just that it surely wasn't a good sign.

"Of course, we never put any of this shit together until that nurse ended up in your office," Havoc offered, scowling a bit. "Susan?"

Ed and Roy both stiffened, their eyes widening together, and that was all the reaction needed to confirm everything Maes and the others had suspected. "Susan?" Ed gasped aloud, letting go of Roy a little to lean forward, shaking his head. "A nurse? But- but that's-"

"Maes-" Roy started worriedly, uncertainty darkening his eyes.

Maes nodded back. He tried to fight the grimace he could feel growing on his face, knowing he should remain impartial, but- hell, this was going to be his least-favorite part of this entire conversation, and he'd already hated most of it already. "Yes," he admitted tightly, jaw clenching. "Three weeks ago, this woman, your Susan, came in to the police to report that her psychiatric patients were being mistreated, but her hospital wouldn't do anything about it. She even reported your names, but, unfortunately, most people don't know you by your names- not even other military officers. Most of us know you by your alchemist codenames, so the officer she spoke to didn't even realize the implications." Maes glanced away in annoyance, clenching his jaw. That was all it had taken, just the bad luck for Susan to get this green, young officer… this could've been ended a month ago for them, he could've saved Ed and Roy so much pain if it hadn't been for this…

But Maes had already been agonizing over this for the past week, as had all of Roy's staff. No sense in continuing to do so even more now.

"Well, with the country on the brink of a damn war, nobody cared about this report- it took three weeks for someone who knew your names to finally bother to read it. I got it straight away then, but… that's still three weeks later than it should've been. I'm really sorry it took so long… though even if we had gotten it sooner, I'm not sure how much we would've been able to help you," he admitted sadly, shoulders slumping. "The first thing we did was call the hospital, and they said they had no patients admitted with your names. I'll be honest, we still don't know how they pulled that off. And I led some of your men there a few nights ago, Roy, after you'd come back home- this was definitely some sort of anti-military operation. The entire ward was completely cleaned out, and not one single staff member returned- and we kept watch waiting for them. It was definitely where you two were held, but there's next to no evidence left there of it." He paused, grimacing again. "We're still holding Susan in custody, and the other nurse who worked with you. Ann. Deciding what to charge them with."

Or if we get to charge them at all, he thought miserably.

"Um.." Roy cleared his throat, his gloved hand clenching a little. "You said you found… nobody there?"

Maes blinked in surprise. "Yes. Er- why? Should we have?"

The two alchemists glanced at each other again, looking uncertain and confused. "Well… yes," Ed said, tilting his head. "We left both my guards behind. They were alive but we tied them up, they weren't going anywhere- and Roy did the same to his guards, too. There… there was nobody there? At all?"

Maes sighed in disappointment, shoulders slumping again. This Justin had probably cleared them all out of there once he'd realized his prisoners had escaped- more people who had hurt Ed and Roy, more people who he might not be able to punish for it. "No," he sighed regretfully. "There was no one. When we're done here, do you think you could describe them to us? Given the situation, there's really no promises we can make, but… we will look for them, at least. We will do everything we can to try and stop them from getting away with this."

It took several moments, but Ed finally nodded- if hesitantly, seeming to doubt how much help he'd be, but at least willing to try, or unwilling to say he couldn't help. Roy looked even more reluctant than Ed, though, and when all the attention turned to him, first went silent- but then, pale and cold, he spoke.

"I killed my guards. I don't know what happened to the bodies, but you don't need to bother looking for them. They're dead."

This time, it was Maes' turn to stiffen. And Riza and Havoc right along with him.

Dead?

They were dead?

Maes opened his mouth, questions already rising, and by the look on Ed's face this was a bombshell to him, too, but the coldly, almost desperately withdrawn expression on his best friend was enough to keep him quiet. He swallowed tightly, disbelief and shock making him sink back against the chair, and for several moments, he had no idea what to say.

Roy's gloved hand, clenched tighter than ever before, was what told him what had to have happened.

Roy had already told them he'd used his array before, after all.

And now, they knew how.

He'd killed his guards with it.

Maes didn't know whether to regret that, because based off the look on Roy's face alone, that was two murders that already haunted him- or to indulge in that very small, vindictive part of him that was actually selfishly glad, that someone who had hurt his best friend so badly was dead.

"…I see," he finally said, fighting to keep his voice steady. He didn't trust himself to say anything else; still unsure of what to feel.

Roy continued to avert his eyes stubbornly, his pale face just as stubbornly clear of any emotion. "I'm not sure how much use I can be in describing them to you. I was pretty heavily drugged. All I can remember now is that one looked a little like you," he nodded at Maes, "and the other had dark skin, white hair, and red eyes. I'm sorry, but that's all."

This time, it took all of Maes' self control not to react outwardly. One half-glance at Riza showed her in the exact same state of restrained shock that he was in.

An Ishvallan?

An Ishvallan was one of the people who had done this to Roy?

Maes' stomach turned uncomfortably, a cold wave shivering down his spine.

That, he knew instantly, was one particular bit of information they'd need to avoid discussing with Roy, no matter what- although he wasn't sure if it even mattered.

The moment Roy had his memories back, the fact that one of his torturers had been Ishvallan was going to transform this, in his best friend's mind, from an undeserved assault… into retribution that was long overdue.

The fact that Roy had killed the man was not going to make this any easier.

Maes shook his head to himself miserably, rubbing at his exhausted eyes as he sank back into his chair, body sore and fatigued and heart now just as heavy as well. They'd all felt the strain of it, these past few weeks, and his team and Roy's even moreso, dealing with the sudden almost war while also desperately looking for Ed and Roy at the same time… god, these past few days was probably the most relaxed he'd felt in half a year. He still was barely getting any sleep.

Maes bit back a curse a moment later, staring back over at Ed and Roy. What was he complaining about, again? He'd just been doing his job. Overworked, maybe, but they all were- they'd all just been doing their jobs while Ed and Roy were being, by the sound of it, tortured.

There was no comparison.

He felt guilty for even thinking it.

"There's still one thing I'm unclear on, though," Roy ventured on finally, seeming very eager to move the conversation on. Maes returned his attention to his best friend immediately, just as eager to do the same, and didn't miss how Roy's gaze landed on everyone else, but slid straight past Riza. "If this really is part of the civil war's efforts, then why would these people go to so much effort to get us? Surely there are alchemists who aren't in the military. Hell, I think Justin himself was an alchemist- why didn't he just use the array himself?"

Ah. Finally, a safe topic. "Well," Maes began, starting to smile, "that's actually what we're about to find out."

Ed and Roy, predictably, only looked more confused than before. Maes reached down for his briefcase on the floor and glanced at his watch in the same moment. Nodding satisfactorily, he nodded over at Havoc, gesturing to the door. "It's about time for him to get here. Mind going downstairs to wait, make sure he doesn't get lost?"

The lieutenant nodded back immediately, getting to his feet to head for the door, leaving Maes to continue explaining. "As you two have learned, just because making gold is illegal doesn't mean it's impossible. The government has to have some way of finding alchemically made gold, though; otherwise it'd be too easy for any one alchemist to completely destabilize our entire economy. So-" He paused, rooting around until he found what he was looking for, then withdrew it with a grin. "We use this."

It looked relatively innocuous. Just a small bottle of a murky blue liquid that was, for all intents and purposes, relatively harmless. Ed and Roy still stared at it in complete confusion, and so warily it was as if they expected it to explode in his hand. Holding back another smile, Maes started to explain. "This is a dye that reacts with traces of alchemy. It's safe and relatively inexpensive; every military office has some on hand just in case they have a suspicion of illegal gold. Here, I'll show you."

Carefully, Maes slipped his wedding band off, gripping it in a handkerchief as he raised it up for all to see. "My ring, I know for a fact, is absolutely, one hundred percent, safe. Which is the only reason I'd ever do this to it- but, here. Watch." Maes dabbed a generous amount of the dye on his ring, then raised it up to the room again so they could all see the blue drops roll off the band without consequence, each one soaking into the cloth one by one. "That's what is supposed to happen, to gold not made by an alchemist."

Ed shifted uncomfortably, frowning at it. "…What if you did that to mine, then?"

Maes shrugged. "The entire rock would be dyed red. No matter how good an alchemist you are, you can't change that. At least, that's what is supposed to happen… I have a little theory that I'm going to test out momentarily that may prove otherwise."

And, speak of the devil- with those words, Maes could already hear the footsteps coming up the stairs. Smiling again, his excitement growing, Maes got to his feet, crossing the room to open the door, just in time to wave Havoc and Alex Louis back in his direction.

"Thanks so much for coming," he said warmly, beaming up at the Armstrong.

"The pleasure's all mine, sir!" he exclaimed, so loudly he knew Ed and Roy would've heard it all the way from the back corner from behind him. "Anything for the colonel!"

Maes smirked, knowing both just how true that statement was, and just how much dreadful trouble they could get into if anyone else heard it. "Come on, then. Let's get started."

Alex Louis followed behind him into the room, and, as he'd predicted, immediately sprang upon a very startled Ed and Roy, boisterously exclaiming how glad he was to see them again, how relieved he was that they were okay, the honor that it was to be here- if Maes had had just a little more sleep, anything approaching a healthy hour all week, he might've been able to listen, even chime in once or twice. As it was, all he had the fortitude to do was allow Riza to run interference as he pulled out everything he needed, setting it down in the table of the center of the room and waiting for a moment to break in so he could get the show started.

"Ed, Roy," he finally began, smiling encouragingly down at the two, seemingly overwhelmed, alchemists. "This is Major Armstrong. He's a State Alchemist, just like you. To really prove my point, I'd need to get a civilian alchemist up here, too, but I'm afraid I couldn't find any willing to commit a felony with little assurance of safety- so this will have to do."

Alex Louis stepped forward next, pointing towards the waiting array Maes had pulled out. "This is the same array Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and I found that you were being forced to use. From what I can gather, it's needlessly complicated- I don't think it was drawn by a metal alchemist. On top of that, it's several transmutations crammed into one; the initial transformation, then the purification, then the refinement. I've studied it some, so I'm capable of it, but many alchemists wouldn't be."

"That probably explains why Colonel Mustang couldn't use it," Riza said quietly, frowning at it. "Right, sir?"

Roy averted his eyes once again, hands clenching a little and a distinctly uncomfortable light in his eyes. "Ah. Right," he muttered, staring very hard at Armstrong.

There was another awkward silence. Riza looked stricken at the downright cold answer, almost shocked, while Maes again stared at his best friend, his eyes narrowed.

This was something they were going to have to talk about. There was no avoiding it anymore.

But, that was for a later time.

"Like he said," Maes went on, clearing his throat, "this is the exact same array you used to make gold, Ed. Major?"

And, in short order, the alchemist moved forward, first examining the small rock Maes had left in the center of the circle- and then, without further ado, pressing both hands to the circle.

The rock, in a blur of electric blue light, transformed into one shiny, very small, nugget of gold.

Ed and Roy in particular looked uncomfortable at this, and Maes made sure to move on quickly.

"From what I've been told, each alchemist's alchemy is uniquely identifiable. Which means, this," he raised the dye's bottle to shake it gently, "can be altered, to simply not respond to certain alchemists. And if I'm right, it has been."

Without waiting longer, because Maes had his taste for dramatic effect but certainly not now, after everything everyone had been through, he uncapped the bottle, and squeezed yet another generous amount down onto Alex Louis' alchemically crafted gold.

He held his breath.

And, once again, just like it had with his wedding band- there was absolutely no reaction.

It was exactly what he had expected- and exactly what he had feared.

State Alchemists could make gold, and sell it, all that they wanted.

Ed and Roy had been taken because they were State Alchemists.