Ed groggily opened his eyes. The broken glass of the high windows provided no barrier for the harsh sunlight that filtered through. Ed blinked, his eyes trying to accustom themselves. He couldn't remember what had happened. He had a headache, and his arms felt sore. He looked up and found his wrists bound to the wall behind him, high above his head.
"Where... where am I?" Ed tried focusing his mind. He needed to remember what had happened to him. Last night's events came back to him in a flash, worsening his headache. Ed gasped, remembering the person who had attacked him and Second Lieutenant Ross yesterday as they made their way back from the cafe. He hadn't seen the person's face, having been taken out from behind. His eyes scanned the room he was in. The place looked like a warehouse, with high windows and stairs leading up to the floors above, boxes sparsely placed around the room. Some looked to be decaying, covered in dust and spiderwebs and mold. The concrete wall provided little warmth, the light that penetrated through the chicken wire on the windows didn't reach the floor. There only seemed to be one door, located on the far wall opposite him. That would make escaping more difficult, Ed thought to himself as he tried to wriggle his hands free. He looked up to see his wrists were held in place by a leather strap that was bolted to the wall. Talk about overkill, Ed noted. A sudden thought occurring to him, Ed gazed down and confirmed that his ankles were bound the same way. He also realized why he felt sore, for he hung on the wall by his wrists and ankles alone, a good two feet above the ground.
"Sleeping Beauty awakens," a voice purred from a distance. Ed's head jerked up at the sound. He tried to pinpoint it's origin, but the emptiness of the warehouse seemed to create echos, making it difficult to locate the voice's owner. Ed scanned the shadows surrounding him, looking for his kidnapper.
"Having trouble seeing?" The voice sounded feminine, and young. Ed craned his neck, trying to detect an outline in the darkness surrounding him.
"Who are you?" Ed was glad his voice didn't give away the fear that was starting to twist his stomach. A soft laugh echoed through warehouse, making Ed shiver.
"You are my last one, so I suppose it won't matter if I tell you who I am, or what I want..." The words bounced around in the warehouse. Ed waited for someone to emerge from the dark, but he wasn't entirely sure what he would do after that. It's not as if he could fight this person, being tied up and all, but if he managed to escape at least he would know who the person behind the kidnappings and murders is. Ed strained to hear the sounds made as the person moved around in the warehouse. Suddenly there was a loud rush, like his breath leaving him at once, and there was a mouth next to his ear, smiling, the person's breath tickling his bangs. Ed gasped. How did they move so fast, I didn't even see them come up next to me, Ed thought.
"Hello, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," the voice murmured. The person slowly made their way around to face Ed.
"You're... you're a woman!" Ed's eyes widened in surprise. His kidnapper stood, her lean frame making her seem like a giant from his point of view, her luscious dark hair falling in waves along her back, her bright blue eyes scrutinizing him like her prey. She had delicate features and she didn't look very strong, but Ed noticed the thin wires of muscles that wrapped around her arms and legs. He knew better than to let appearances fool him, but he was shocked nonetheless that a woman had taken down eight state alchemists. His kidnapper's eyes narrowed at his exclamation.
"What? You don't think a woman can take down eight state alchemists by herself? I'm not as weak as I may look, but I like to keep a lean figure," she divulged, running her hands down her hips. Ed snorted.
"If you're so tough, why not take me head on? Why did you ambush me and Second Lieutenant Ross?" His kidnapper smiled.
"I'm not an arrogant prick like you. I know when I have the disadvantage. If I had taken you head on, I probably would've been shot down by your babysitter before getting the chance to have a go at you. Besides, full-out battles are too much effort. You should know, considering how often you break your automail," the woman chuckled.
"How do you know about that?" The woman laughed again, a genuine sound of amusement.
"There are a lot of things I know about you, Edward, some things that weren't even in your file," the woman taunted, Ed's military file suddenly in her hand. "Looks like there's a lot of things we can go over during your stay. There are some questions I want to ask you and-"
"You're an idiot if you think I'm gonna answer anything for you," Edward interrupted with a snarl.
"We'll just see about that, Edward. But first, I believe I owe you an introduction," the woman said politely, pulling up a chair from seemingly out of nowhere.