Hi everyone! Sorry again for the long wait! I'm going through some tough times with my friends so I haven't been in a good mind state lately, but I managed to write this next chapter tonight!

Enjoy!


Last Chapter

"You're Colonel is gullible isn't he?" The man laughed, "As if I'm going to let either of you live through this."

Okay Edward, he thought to himself, it's time to get yourself out of this.


Roy Mustang made the drive from Central Headquarters to the harbor in almost no time at all. With all the papers for the case file stacked on the seat next to him he drove through the streets of Central at the highest speed his car could manage.

Roy was thankful for the timing of this whole situation; sure, he would rather be sleeping at 3 in the morning, but the god-awful hour also meant that no one was out in the city to notice him running several red lights and violating many traffic laws. Lord knows he could never make Fuhrer with so many stains on his driving record.

As the car screeched to a halt in the harbor, Roy recalled what Stephen Gaelman had instructed him to do, "I will be waiting in the harbour, you will walk to the end of the third dock, and only once I've verified that you've handed me all the documents will I tell you Edward's location. No harm will come to you if you follow my every order."

God, Roy wanted nothing more than to burn them all to a crisp. He could still hear Edward's screams ringing in his ear as he glanced around the harbor, looking for the third dock. Once he found it, he placed a foot tentatively on the wood, took a deep breath, and then began making his way to the end of the dock.


After what felt like hours, Edward finally managed to use his finger nail to etch an array into the back of his chair, using what little energy he had left to transmute the ropes to dust, freeing him arm.

Before even reaching to untie his ankles, Ed ripped a length of cloth from his tank top, using his teeth and his one arm to hastily warp it around his wrist. He tied it tight, hoping to staunch the flow of blood.

After untying his ankles, Edward stood up but immediately felt dizzy, nearly falling over before he grabbed hold of the chair to steady himself. Damn it, he thought, I've lost so much blood already.

Cradling his injured wrist to his chest, Edward noticed that the blood had already began to seep through the cloth. He tore another strip of cloth and tied it tighter around his arm, hoping to at least slow the flow of blood that was seemingly pouring out of his body.

Taking a few more tentative steps, Ed determined the shape he was in. Without his automail arm, which he couldn't see anywhere in the room, his balance was off. Each inhale sent pain shooting through his ribs, and his head was throbbing from when he was knocked out earlier. A few more steps determined that though he was in tough shape, Edward could still walk, maybe even run once he got his bearings back together.

"Damn Colonel Bastard," Edward muttered to himself, "Stupid enough to fall for a set up like that," placing one foot in front of the other, he finally made it to the door, grabbing hold of the frame to keep himself steady, "I'm fucking bleeding out in a warehouse," he stepped out onto the street, his eyes adjusting to the dark, "and I've still gotta go save his stupid ass."

Looking around the street, Edward realized he was in a back alley way, and as he walked towards the main street, still clutching his injured arm to his stomach, he recognized his surroundings.

Fairmont Avenue, Edward recalled the name of the street, two blocks away from the harbor.

His automail arm was still no where to be seen.

Accepting that he would have to continue on with only his flesh arm and grunting with the pain of his injuries, Edward took off running towards the harbor, hoping that he could make it there in time before it was too late.


Roy stood at the end of the dock and looked around expectantly. He had followed their every order, now all he had to do was wait.

But I don't have time to wait, Roy thought earnestly, Fullmetal's bleeding out somewhere and this mafia's just taking their sweet time.

"I'm getting impatient," Roy called out to the darkness, unable to see any movement through the shadows. He shifted all the papers into his left hand, holding them up in the air, "I've brought what you wanted, now let's do this."

Roy's voice echoed across the dark harbor, ringing in his ears as it carried across the waves. He looked at the papers in his hands. He hadn't bluffed; he brought every single paper of the case file with him. The whole thing.

Roy Mustang was not one to bargain with criminals, but above all else, Roy Mustang was no one to lose the life of as subordinate. Regardless of the circumstances, he would always protect those beneath him.

Finally, a voice replied to his.

"Colonel Mustang," the low voice carried across the harbor waters, making it impossible to determine just where it was coming from, "I see you've done as we asked. To make sure you're not trying to play us, I am sending one of my men to confirm that those are the correct documents."

Roy ground his teeth, wanting more than anything to get this over with. The criminal's voice continued.

"Cooperate with us, and maybe you'll see the Fullmetal Alchemist alive again."

Roy clenched his fists, "Stephen Gaelman," he called, "let's get this over with. You have my full cooperation."

A tall man dressed in all black stepped out from the shadows of one of the harbor buildings. He began making his was over to the third dock where Mustang stood, his strides seemingly matching the pounding of Roy's heart as he tried to control his breathing.


By the time Edward got to the harbor, his lungs were burning, his ribs were throbbing, and he was fairly sure that he was still missing a few too many liters of blood to function properly.

As quietly as he could, Edward made his way through the buildings of the harbor, keeping in mind to stick to the shadows so as to not be seen. He wasn't quite in view of the docks when he heard a familiar voice call out, "I'm getting impatient."

Quietly, Edward cursed the Colonel. Maybe if the Roy knew these men were planning on killing him he would keep to his manners a little bit more.

"I've brought what you wanted, now let's do this," The Colonel's voice once again carried through the harbor.

Damn, thought Edward, this is going to go down sooner than I thought.

Still keeping to the shadows, Edward picked up his pace, running towards the docks as quickly as his exhausted body could manage.

Ed heard a voice call back to the Colonel - the leader from the warehouse- he remembered with a shudder, recalling the tight grip on his arm as he sliced it open. The voice boomed across the waters, "I see you've done as we asked. To make sure you're not trying to play us, I am sending one of my men to confirm that those are the correct documents."

Edward knew that was a lie; the man wasn't going out to check documents, he was going out to murder Mustang and steal the papers. Edward finally made it to the edge of the buildings, before him there were only docks. Across the water on the third dock he could make out the dark figure of his superior.

"Cooperate with us, and maybe you'll see the Fullmetal Alchemist alive again."

Maybe his vision was failing from the blood loss, but Ed was sure he saw Mustang clench his fists in anger. Leaning against the dark wall of a building, Edward cursed himself for being used as nothing more than a bargaining chip.

Edward started analyzing his surroundings, looking for materials to transmute, or anything at all to help in this situation.

Instead of finding help, he found hindrance. Off to the side of the building, upon the crest of a slight hill, Edward spotted a sniper lying in the grass, taking aim at Mustang. In the back of his mind, Edward could hear Mustang replying to the gang leader, but all Edward could think about was the time it would take him to run the distance towards the sniper.

Despite the unbalance brought on by his lack-of-arm, Edward broke out into a sprint. Glancing down towards the docks, he saw a man looking through the case files Mustang had provided. After a few more flips through the pages, the man gathered all the papers together in his hand, waved at the sniper, and nodded.

Still running as fast as he could, Edward watched as the sniper poised his finger over the trigger, taking a deep breath in preparation to shoot.

Without thinking, Edward shouted as loud as he could, "Mustang, it's a trap, get down!"

He threw himself at the sniper, hoping that he had given his superior enough time to get his ass out of the way of the lethal bullet.


Upon hearing Edward's warning, Roy instantly dropped to the ground. The moment he collided with the wood of the dock he heard a gunshot go off somewhere on the right side of the harbor. There was a splash in the water next to the dock and Roy could only assume that the bullet that submerged itself there had been intended for his skull.

Looking to the spot where the sound originated, Roy could feel his heart drop to his stomach. There on the crest of a slight hill Roy could make out the faint figures of Edward and another man going toe-to-toe.

Roy jumped to his feet, drawing the gun from his holster and turning to point it at the man behind him. Before he could even get his finger on the trigger, the man landed a punch to Mustang's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. Roy raised the gun again, taking aim as the man rushed towards him.

A gun shot rang out across the water as the man dropped to the floor, a bullet wound in his shoulder bleeding heavily. The papers from the case file were still clutched in his hand as Roy stepped closer to the man, gun still raised.

"Hand me the files," Roy commanded coldly, "now," he added aggressively.

The man hesitated, so Roy fired a shot into the floor boards between the man's feet, punctuating his demand.

The time without hesitation, the man held up the case files. Roy snatched them away hastily, then leaned down and knocked the man out with the butt of his gun.

Standing up with the case files in hand, Roy Mustang looked towards the hill where he saw Edward last, but couldn't find his subordinate anywhere. He started towards solid ground, and as he got closer he saw the sniper still unconscious on the hill, Edward still no where in sight.

Suddenly, a scream filled the harbor.

It was a scream that was unnervingly familiar.

Roy Mustang broke into a sprint.

"Edward!"


That's all for now folks! I don't see my situation with my friends getting any better, but hopefully I'll still find time to update soon.

I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last.

PLEASE review, times are tough right now and it honestly means so much to me.