Scene Eight: Several miles outside of Central.

Even though he knew the scene before him was more then likely going to be unbearable, Ling begged Greed to let him take over. He had been so quiet up till now about letting the homunculus have control but he needed it more then ever at this point. He knew that he wasn't going to like what he found, just knowing the facts made this situation grim. Edward had been missing for more then a day and now it was the end of second. From what he knew about Envy, that was plenty of time for him to leave quite the impression on his friend. There was no doubt in the Xingese Prince's mind what Envy was capable of and willing to do. The abomination wasn't going to simply take Ed and tie him up somewhere just to leave him alone. Ling knew from Envy's pure joy he'd witness in Gluttony's stomach how he handled the human race. It was not going to be pretty. So here he was asking, even groveling to another monster that held him captive. And the response was just as he thought it would be.

"Trust me kid, I don't think it would be good for you."

"But he's my friend." Greed let out a weary sigh. He and the armored brother had separated. After wondering around in the dark for way too long, the homunculus stumbled onto an abandoned house. Ling recognized it almost immediately. This was where they had all met up after they caught Gluttony. Of course how could anyone not notice the place, half the house was missing. Something felt different this time though. The remaining shutters were closed and the door was locked even though you could walk in from the large hole off to the side. Although it was faint, Greed noticed a dim light from inside. Envy did know about this place and they were running out of ideas. Cautiously Greed moved in. He wasn't sure where Alphonse had gone but if Edward was in there, he wanted to be the one to find him.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Edward thought he heard movement and it caused his stomach to turn in an uncomfortable way. The voices in his head grew louder, letting him know that there was a homunculus nearby. In a moment of panic, he twisted his wrist only to let out a whine when the metal of the chain grounded into the raw flesh. He sucked in his next breath through his teeth. His head was swimming as he knew there was nothing he could do. He wished he was unconscious again. Even though the other souls made his thoughts hazy at best, he was still too lucid.

In a moment of desperation he grabbed onto the chain and yanked at it. The chain links dangling past his hand swung back and forth until the end hit him in the back of the head. The room went spinning and something unseen griped his midsection, making his stomach flip. The feeling caused him to close his eyes before he finally threw up. It didn't make him feel any better. Regardless of the damage he did to his head, at least he wasn't able to think clearly. Now he would at least be less coherent for whatever Envy was planning this time.

Edward heard his name hollered from across the room as the door opened all the way, squeaking on it's hinges. It didn't sound like Envy, or at least to him it didn't. Ling hurried over and immediately went for the chain holding his friend up. For whatever reason Greed had let him out even though he'd been against it at first. Edward wasn't sure if it was Ling or Greed or even Envy but there had been concern in his voice which gave Ed some hope. His tired gaze met his friends and it was clear Ling needed to get him out of there. Greed had been correct when he told Ling he probably didn't need to see his friend like this, but he felt that he needed to do something. In a rushed movement he tried to undo the chain which only seemed to cause Ed more pain.

"Sorry, I've gotta get you down though." It was clear that he was frustrated when he realized how badly the chain had dug into Ed's wrist. After several minutes of trying to get it loose, he decided to stop once he realized it wasn't possible with his bare hands. Ling felt helpless as he looked around the room for something that could break through the links. Before he was able to find a solution, he heard a gasp from the door.

"Brother!" The suit of armor hurried over only to halt when he noticed how bad Edward looked. Blood smeared across his chest as well as down the side of his face. The bruises were becoming more evident by now over his chest and abs. The broken blood vessels wrapped around to his back. Alphonse snapped out of it and clapped his hands together. The chain dissolved and Ling moved in quickly to keep Edward from falling forward. Al noticed his brother's metal limbs and clothing further in the room. Knowing Al didn't want to leave Ed's side, Ling followed his gaze and moved in that direction. He grabbed up the pile and got back over to the Elrics. Al was quick to grab the red jacket and wrap it around Ed before scooping him up. Edward relaxed into Alphonse' large frame, leaning his forehead against the cool steel.

"We've gotta get out of here before Envy comes back. Really don't want to go up against that guy," Ling suggested. Alphonse nodded and moved for the door. They got several feet away from the house before Al realized that he wasn't even sure where they would go. A soft moan brought his attention down.

"Al..." Edward's head dropped to the side and Alphonse shifted him in his arms.

"It's okay Brother, you're safe now." Ed closed his eyes again. He was definitely in bad shape and there really was only one place that Al could think of to bring him.