The snow hadn't let up by the time Ed managed to open his eyes. He looked wearily around the cave, his head pounding. Envy was sitting next to the fire, poking at it with a stick. The fire had almost died, which explained why Ed was so cold.

Envy looked over at Ed. "Wait here. I'm going to get more wood."

Ed snorted. "What, you think I can just get up and walk out of here?"

Envy walked over to Ed, kneeled down, and moved his face so close to Ed's that Ed tried to pull his away, but Envy forced Ed to look at him. "As a matter of fact, I do. Or have you not noticed that your arms and legs are free?"

Ed hadn't noticed. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I do not want to take care of you. If you can do things on your own, then you're going to do them. There is no way in hell I'm going to sink down to that level." Envy roughly pushed Ed's head back. "Now stay here."

Ed watched as Envy left the cave and considered running away. But then his new inner sense told him not to do that, so he resisted the urge. Besides, he was in too much pain to make it very far.

Once the fire was going again, Ed found himself sitting and staring into it. The only thing that brought him out of this trance was Envy shoving something under his nose.

"Eat it. I'm not going to let you starve to death."

Ed took the food and tried to eat, but as soon as he swallowed, he began retching uncontrollably, and the food came back out. Luckily, Envy had had the sense to rush Ed outside, so the cave remained clean, and more importantly, odorless.

Ed lay on his side, staring into the fire. The blanket he'd been sleeping on was now covering him lightly, and Ed moved so that it protected him from the cold stone floor.

A few hours later, Envy tried to get Ed to eat again. The results were the same, except that Ed had coughed up some blood as well. Envy scratched his head as he watched Ed gasp for air outside.

"Okay, I guess you'll have to go without food for a while." Envy looked at the snow. "Maybe I'll just stick with water."

Ed didn't move an inch as Envy melted some of the clean snow in a small pot. He wondered vaguely where Envy had gotten all of this, and then he realized that this cave was suspiciously convenient, especially since it had shackles bolted into the stone.

He decided to ask Envy. After all, how could Envy possibly make Ed feel worse? Of course, Ed had forgotten about emotional torture.

Envy grinned as he reminisced about the cave. "Ah, yeah, this place. It's been here for most of my life, and I used it when someone like you tried to escape from us and blurt out our secrets. Actually, he died with those restraints still attached to him."

Ed felt sick. He ran outside, and Envy followed with a resigned sigh to make sure Ed didn't puke all over himself. Luckily for Ed, he didn't. Envy gave him some time to calm down before bringing him back inside.

Ed slept for several hours after that. When he woke up, the snow was still falling. He looked over at Envy. The homunculus was sitting in front of the fire, staring at Ed with a smug grin on his face.

"Sleep well?"

Ed thought back to the multiple dreams he'd had. "No, but I guess that's part of your little plan for breaking me, right?"

"No, but it did make my job easier."

Ed shakily got to his feet and glared at Envy before sprinting out of the cave and into the white. He didn't get far before his legs gave out and he fell into the snow. He started. He'd forgotten that his shirt had been taken off.

Envy grabbed him roughly by the arm and began pulling him back to the cave. Ed tried to struggle, but his body was too weak. Once inside the cave, Envy pushed him down and shackled his arms.

"You little sneak, don't ever try running off again," Envy said before bringing his foot down into Ed's chest. Ed bit his lip, trying not to scream. Instead, his lip began bleeding profusely. Envy kicked him again before leaving him alone. Ed felt tears roll down his face.

--------------

To his surprise, Ed woke up with a bundle of cloth under his head. He looked around and saw Envy working on the fire. The homunculus stared into the flames for a while before turning to Ed.

"I'd like to know something."

Ed was quiet.

"What exactly can you do with your new body?"

Ed looked away. "I don't know."

"Is that so?" Envy asked.

"Yeah, it is."

"Damn." Envy released Ed's arms from the restraints and gave him some water. Ed stared at the dark cave entrance as he drank it.

"It's still snowing," Ed muttered.

"No, really? I hadn't noticed," Envy shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It'll stop by tomorrow morning."

"How do you know?"

Ed shrugged. "I'm just guessing, but it's slowing down, so there's a good chance it'll stop."

Envy looked outside. "That's good. I'm sick of sitting around in here. You're rather boring when you're so out of it."

"Shut up."

Envy smirked and stood up. "You're trying to tell me what to do again. Don't you remember me saying I didn't like that?"

Ed stared blankly at the cave wall. He knew what was coming, but he wasn't about to let Envy think it would affect him. He simply braced himself for another attack.

Envy stared at Ed for a while. "What, are you giving up already?"

Ed was silent.

"Okay, then. Here's the deal. If you admit that I beat you and swear not to cause trouble, I'll be nicer."

"And if I don't?"

"The answer to that is pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Ed thought hard about it for a while. On the one hand, if he gave up, he'd be in a lot less pain. On the other hand, if he gave up, there was a good chance that they'd lose the fight, and Ed didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. He shook his head.

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" Envy asked.

"There's no way in hell I'll ever lose to you," Ed replied. Envy smirked and roughly pushed Ed forward so that the alchemist landed on the ground with a sickening crack. Ed cried out at the sudden pain in his ribcage. Envy leaned in close to Ed's ear.

"I promise you, you will be broken. I have no problem with beating you within an inch of your life."

Ed groaned from his place on the ground. He watched the fire burn as he slowly lost consciousness.

--------------

Al stared blankly at the ceiling. It was what he had been doing for the past several days. Nothing seemed to bring him out of it, not even the food that was brought into his room by Greed. Al had called him Ling once, and all Greed had done was stick a piece of food into Al's mouth.

"I'd rather not have you starve to death, okay?"

Al heard the door open, and waited for Greed to come into view. But this time it wasn't Greed. It was someone else.

"Hello, Alphonse."

Al looked at Wrath's face with a complete lack of interest. Then he resumed his inspection of the ceiling.

"Oh, come now, the ceiling can't be that interesting."

"Yes it is," Al replied without any emotion in his voice.

"Then take a break from it and listen to me."

Al merely grunted an acknowledgement.

"Your brother has escaped."

Al blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that. "What?"

"A few weeks ago, the same experiment that was performed on you was performed on him. Afterwards, he seemed to forget himself and he ran off. Since then, there have been reports of him being in the south, the west, even the north."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you have a right to know. He is your brother, after all."

Al was quiet for a while. "That experiment. What happened with it?"

"As far as we know, it succeeded. However, we haven't been able to observe your brother, as he's been gone for so long. With the Flame Alchemist, no less." Wrath began walking to the door. "Envy has made his way to the north. I will be going there in a few days myself." He stopped walking. "It would be interesting to see how much of his humanity your brother has retained."

Al sat up and tried to ask a question, but the door closed before he could get a word out. He fell back on his bed, tears streaming down his face. "Brother…"

-------------

Ed woke up with a pounding headache. He groaned as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Envy wasn't in the cave.

Ed rolled over onto his side and pulled his blanket closer around him. He was cold. The fire had gone out, and the heat in the cave was slowly ebbing away. Sunlight was coming in through the cave entrance. The snow had stopped.

Ed shakily got to his feet and walked outside. He looked around. Envy was nearby, gathering snow in a pot. He looked up when he realized Ed was watching him.

"Get back inside."

Ed ignored him. He was cold, but he was enjoying the sun on his face. It was almost warmer outside than in the cave.

Envy sighed and walked up to Ed. He grabbed Ed's arm and pulled him inside. "Stay here. And get the fire going again. I'm not in the mood to freeze."

"Fine." Ed sat down and did as he was told. He stared at the flames as Envy came in. "How long are we staying here?"

"We're leaving today."

Ed's eyes narrowed. "What, I thought you were trying to break me."

"Shut up. There are plenty of ways I could do that, but I'm sick of staying in this stinking cave. It smells like blood too."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Gee, I wonder why."

"You've sure got a lot of energy today. Hungry?"

Ed shrugged. Envy pulled out some food and handed it to him. "Let's see if you can actually eat it now."

Ed had the same reaction as usual, and Envy waited patiently for him to get over it. "I guess that answers that question."

Ed barely made it back into the cave before he collapsed. His chest ached terribly. Getting sick with broken ribs was not his idea of a good time. He took a shaky breath and tried to move back to his 'bed.' Envy sighed when he saw just how hard it was for Ed and moved him over.

"You're pathetic."

"Shut up."

Envy smirked and watched as Ed closed his eyes. "You only have a few hours, pipsqueak. Then we leave."

"Leave for Central?" Ed asked wearily.

"Exactly." Envy patted Ed on the head. "You know, you're a lot more stubborn when your little friend can't be hurt."

"Leave me alone."

"Can't do that. Hey, you know what? It's fun messing around with someone's emotions. Like yours. And that man…"

Ed opened his eyes again. "What man?"

Envy grinned evilly. "Oh, I'm sure you know who. I transformed into his wife, and after that, killing him was easy."

Hughes…? "You bastard!" Ed shouted, trying to get to his feet. He wanted very much to kill Envy.

Envy pushed Ed down and moved his face within inches of Ed's. "Oh, poor you. I killed your precious friend." Envy kicked Ed in the ribs, causing Ed to spit up blood. "Now get some sleep. We're leaving soon."

But Ed didn't sleep at all. After a few minutes, he opened one eye and looked at Envy. The homunculus had his back turned to Ed. After a while, Envy got up and went outside. Ed closed his eyes again.

Get up.

Ed opened his eyes. "What the…"

Edward, get up. Get out of here.

"Who-"

Trust me. I know the homunculi very well. You will be able to escape if you listen to me.

"Wait…"

Don't speak out loud. After all, I'm inside you.

Okay, Ed thought. You want me to leave?

Yes. Get out of here. It may be hard, and it will definitely be painful, but you can do it. I'll help however I can.

Who are you?

It doesn't matter at the moment. Just go.

Okay. Ed stood up and walked shakily to the cave entrance. He looked around. Envy was nowhere to be seen. Now what?

Go straight. And go as fast as you can. Actually, use alchemy to make a path.

Okay.

Ed brought his hands together and placed them on the snow in front of him, opening a pathway for him to go through. He walked as quickly as he could down it and transmuted it back to normal afterwards, hoping that it would prevent Envy from knowing exactly where Ed was going. After a while, Ed came to a road.

Can you continue?

Yeah.

Then turn right and follow this road for a little bit. Then someone will be able to help you.

How do you know all this?

Isn't it obvious? There's bound to be someone who wants you back at Briggs. After all, you can fight the homunculi better than anyone up there.

Ah, right. Ed staggered wearily down the road. After a while, his legs refused to respond, and he tripped. He landed face-first on the snowy road.

Get up, commanded the voice.

I… can't… Ed replied. It hurts…

---------------

Roy walked down the road with all senses alert. He'd been searching the area for a long time, but he couldn't determine just where Envy was. He knew that the homunculus was probably still in the area because of the storm, but he knew nothing else.

He sighed as he looked down the road. Then he gasped. There was a dark object lying in the snow. Roy ran forward and swore when he saw just what the object was. Ed coughed, and blood came out of his mouth. He looked up at Roy with haunted eyes. "Colonel…"

"Fullmetal! What the hell happened to you?"

Ed looked down. Roy heard a sob. He sighed. "Can you walk?"

Ed shook his head.

"Okay. I'll carry you. Just hold on."

Ed let out a moan as Roy picked him up and began walking back toward Briggs. "Don't worry, Fullmetal, I'll get you up there in no time. And then someone can help you."

"Colonel…"

"Don't talk. You need to conserve your energy."

"Please…"

"Shh."

"Roy…"

Roy blinked. Ed rarely used his first name. "What is it?"

"Envy… he…"

"He did this to you?"

Ed nodded. "He also… Hu…" Ed curled his hands into fists.

"What was that?"

"Hughes… I know you want revenge… it was Envy…"

Roy tightened his grip on Ed. "Okay… Don't worry about that right now. There's a car coming. We might be able to get a ride."

The car stopped next to Roy and the back window opened slowly. Roy looked with dismay at the person sitting inside.

"Well, well, it's the two stray dogs I've been looking for," Wrath said. "What are you doing all the way up here?"

Roy bit his lip and tightened his grip on Ed. Wrath looked at the unconscious boy and opened his door.

"Get in. We can't have him dying."

Roy gently placed Ed on the seat and sat next to him, taking a moment to wipe some of the blood off of Ed's face. Wrath got in and the car started again. It was dead silent inside the vehicle, and when the ride was over, Roy breathed a silent sigh of relief. Then he was arrested and put into a prison cell.

---------------

Having spies in Central when plotting to fight against a corrupt government was a very good idea. Without these people, the Major General would have been caught off guard at the Fuhrer's arrival, and their plans would most likely have been ruined. However, she had been warned, and she now walked calmly behind King Bradley as they headed toward the room where Edward Elric was being treated.

"As I recall, you had arrested the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother the previous time they had come up here, correct?"

"That's right."

"And you sent that chimera back underground?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good."

"If I may ask, sir, what exactly have those two done against the military?"

"They have come up with a conspiracy theory and are trying to overthrow us."

"And they're enough of a threat for you to come up here in person?"

"You're skeptical? Ah, well, I suppose it is hard to believe. Actually, the Fullmetal Alchemist has had rather bad luck lately. It seems he's been subjected to a rather inhumane experiment, which may explain the state he's in at the moment."

"How cruel."

"Indeed. Ah, yes, I have a subordinate who may come up here. He was assigned with the task of looking for Mr. Elric, and I wish to see him as soon as he arrives, if he does arrive here during my stay."

"Of course."

By then, they had arrived at the medical area, and Olivier quietly opened the door. Ed was asleep on one of the beds. Olivier turned to the person who was taking care of him.

"What's the report?"

"He'll survive, but he isn't going to be moving for a while. We've got multiple head injuries and heavy damage to his chest, so it's hard for him to breathe without feeling a whole lot of pain. I'm giving him painkillers, but that probably won't be enough. He'll just have to deal with it for now."

"Has he said anything?" Bradley asked.

"Not really. For the most part, he's been silent, and when he does try to talk, it's impossible to understand him."

"Is there anything else that can be done?"

"Not really. I did everything I could, the only thing that'll help now is rest."

"Then I want him moved into the prison with Mustang."

Olivier saluted. "Yes, sir."

After the Fuhrer left the room, Olivier looked over at Ed. "So what did he say?"

"What, the kid? He said something about Envy, but it was hard to tell what he was talking about."

"All right. You did well. Get someone to bring him down to the prison. I have some things to take care of."

"Will do."

-----dash-------

Roy looked with concern at the alchemist on the bed next to his. Ed hadn't moved since arriving in his cell, and his face was contorted in pain. After a while, he opened his eyes, and Roy stared at him with hope, but then Ed simply looked around before closing them again.

An hour or so passed in silence. Ed opened his eyes again, this time looking directly at Roy. "What's going on?"

"The Fuhrer found us on his way to Briggs. We're in a prison cell at the moment."

Ed cringed.

"Don't worry, Envy isn't here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"What's… what'll happen now?"

"We're waiting until you're fit to travel. After that… we'll be going back."

"I don't want to."

"I know, but we don't have a choice. How are you doing?"

"It hurts…" Ed's stomach growled.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Before Envy…"

"He starved you?" Roy was now wishing Envy was nearby, so he could torment the homunculus ten times more than he'd wanted to after finding out about Hughes.

"No… I just couldn't eat… Got sick…"

Roy's previous desires didn't die down much. He put a hand on Ed's forehead and wasn't surprised to find that he was burning up. Ed looked at Roy for a while. Something about those eyes worried Roy immensely. They looked lifeless. The last time Roy had seen that look in Ed's eyes was when he had first met the boy, but this time seemed much worse.

"What did he do to you?"

"All this…"

"Did he do anything else?"

"No… I'm hungry."

"Don't worry, we'll get you something to eat soon."

----------------

My knee hurts. Weird.