A/N: I really like this chapter and the next chapter (I wrote them as one whole chapter then split them into two later on). They were easy to write and have lots of action and suspense in them XD Remember guys, four reviews for chapter 20!

Chapter 19-

The room was vast, circular, and like always it was a dusty white colour. The Elders stood out incredibly in contrast. They were god-like and ethereal, and held a beauty unlike anything Mustang had ever seen before in his entire life. Their scrutinizing and judgemental eyes had no pupil or surrounding white areas; they were unending pools of deep crimson, and managed to glare at all seven humans at once. The Elders, dressed in robes of deep black or ruby, held completely still, and Mustang started to wonder if they were actually statues- except that nothing made by man could look like that. There were just three Elders in the room- all seated on majestic chairs that seemed more like thrones, only a couple of feet above Mustang's head. However, there were eleven other empty thrones lining the circular walls, and Mustang inhaled carefully. He didn't think he could stand the sight of fourteen of these creatures. Then, one of them spoke.

"On your knees, filthy mortals," he ordered emotionlessly, and Hawkeye couldn't pinpoint exactly where his voice came from- it seemed to come from all directions at once. When none of the seven reacted in time, the male Elder narrowed his eyes. That was all the warning that came before all of the humans felt a sudden pain flare down their throats and into their chests, their hearts suddenly unbearably heavy- so heavy none of them could stand up anymore. The seven all collapsed wearily onto their knees on the floor, suddenly acutely aware of just how bloody and dirty they were from injuries and travel. The group must look like a mess.

Havoc looked back up to the Elders just in time to see the woman on the left also narrow her eyes, and braced for the worst. However, nothing could prepare him for what came next. An excruciating pain exploded from inside of him, as if his internal organs had been set on fire and were ripping themselves apart. He gasped and collapsed completely, eyes wide, and felt himself being torn apart-

-only for the feeling to fade soon after into nothingness. Havoc shook uncontrollably, but no more pain came. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Colonel and the Lieutenant had also collapsed, like him. Al, Winry, Fuery and Falman came to their sides worriedly, but couldn't see anything outwardly wrong with the three. Havoc couldn't find the strength to move, or speak.

"That was the punishment you deserve for disobeying our orders. You disgusting parasites are lucky we allowed you to live. Surely you are grateful to us." The woman sneered.

"What the hell did you do to them?" Winry blurted angrily. In the same instant she spoke, her eyes became dazed and unfocused. Al shook her shoulders gently, trying for a reaction, but Winry just stared off into space unresponsively.

"Do not speak!" the man ordered. "By surviving the penance tunnel, you have proved to be worthy of a higher purpose than your current low ambitions."
"Ambitions to live away your short, meaningless lives in the dirt," the woman cut in cruelly.

"We, chosen representatives of the Elders, speak for our entire counsel. You are to be set a task. To fulfill this task is to prove your atonement," the man continued, never moving a muscle.

"As if repulsive humans like yourselves can gain such a higher level of meaning as atonement," the woman injected ruthlessly. The officers found themselves getting angrier by the second; however, Al seemed to be in slight shock, and Winry looked limp- as if she was uselessly drowning in some kind of despair.

"If you can gain atonement by fulfilling your task, we will graciously let you go back to your pointless lives with no more damage than a slight memory adjustment. However, if you fail…" the man glared intensely at the seven.

"If you fail, we will locate and kill your friends, families and loved ones in front of your very waking eyes like the annoying rodents you are!" the woman looked like she wanted to laugh in happiness, but withheld from the action to maintain her 'dignity'. "And afterward, you will receive a similar fate… with the appropriate level of agony involved."

Mustang shuddered, still on the floor. Somehow he thought their appropriate level of pain was vastly different from his own. None of the humans spoke- an unnatural force prevented their mouths from moving.

"The task is a simple one, fit for the likes of you. It involves the new vampire you contact so much," the man then moved, just to gaze at the third Elder momentarily before glaring back to the humans in front of him.

Finally, the third Elder spoke, in a surprisingly soft and completely undisgusted tone. "You must locate the soul of the vampire known as 'Edward'. Then, in order for him to take his proper place here in the Clan, you must destroy it."

Mustang felt his heart drop into his shoes. Destroy Fullmetal's soul? Turn him completely into some bloodthirsty, vicious monster? No way in hell would he do that! But he couldn't bring himself to speak.

The second woman continued. "This is a task only you can do-"

"Remember, death comes with failure," the first woman cut her off hurriedly, causing Hawkeye to wonder. "Now leave my sight. I cannot stand to have such horrible, revolting things in the vicinity for so long."

Mustang blinked, and started. Before he'd closed his eyes, he'd been on the floor, a couple of meters below the Elders, under their deadly interrogation. But when he opened his eyes again, he found himself out in the corridor again, looking at the closed doors that led inside. When had the Elders moved them? He gazed around and found his team behind him, all looking as stunned and dazed as he felt at the sudden change of scenery. There was a slight pause.

"Is… everyone alright?" Mustang asked slowly, feeling his voice come back to him. His strength also returned, and he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, took a breath, and sat up properly. His question was answered by various groans and nods as everyone slowly got up off the smooth floor.

"Sir, Winry doesn't look right… she's not responding to anything, either," Fuery spoke for the first time in a long time, waving a hand in front of Winry's face. She gave no reaction.

"Can she walk?" Hawkeye asked, hiding her worry with professionalism. Fuery and Havoc both attempted to get her to move, but to no avail. They didn't know what the Elders had done to Winry, but it looked like she wasn't going to recover any time soon.

Mustang frowned concernedly. "Carry her." Havoc picked Winry up in a piggyback position and the group began to walk. This level was completely deserted- but an unspoken consensus among the seven urged them all to put some distance between them and the Elders. Eventually they all wearily settled in a small, circular niche carved into one of the walls. Every single one of them was abruptly, unexplainably tired.

"Did anyone else notice what I saw?" Hawkeye started the conversation, her voice rasping horribly from her unhealed injury.
"What?" Falman asked as everyone looked at her.

"The horrible woman cut off that other woman when she said 'This is a task only you can do'. I think they might actually need us, but they didn't want us to know about it," Hawkeye said thoughtfully.

"And that's why we're still alive…" Fuery gulped.

"I don't understand something," Al suddenly spoke. He'd been silent since they'd left the Elders.

"What's wrong, Alphonse?" Mustang asked Al. The teen shifted unhappily.

"Well, they said… that our task was to find and destroy Brother's soul. I don't understand- wouldn't his soul be in his body?" Al's face scrunched up in thought as he tried to figure it out. Everyone else froze- they'd completely forgotten that Al didn't know about his Brother's soul being gone! Al had been kidnapped when the rest of them had found out, and no-one had been willing to break the bad news to the usually bubbly teenager.

Mustang hesitated. "Um, well… er… I guess… uh…" His mouth was moving and sounds were coming out, but he just couldn't think of a good way to word it.

"Alphonse…" Mustang put his hands on Al's shoulders and tried to look directly into his confused eyes. "Your brother… Ed doesn't have a soul."

There was a moment of silence before Al's unusually sharp "What?" echoed through the dim tunnel.

"I'm sorry, Al. Ed… he gave up his soul in order to get your body back," Mustang rushed on. "He did it for you."

"B-but- he said he'd found a new type of Alchemy which bypassed the need for a price! I helped him research it!" Al cried, distressed and horrified. Havoc flinched, but Mustang remained steady.

"He did it for you," Mustang repeated. "He didn't know he'd still need to have price until you two had already started the transmutation. Then it was too late. But don't worry; we'll get it back for him."

"…Really…?" Al asked slowly, placing his trust in the older man.

"I promise," Mustang replied. "After all, if we're the only ones who can find and destroy Ed's soul, doesn't that mean we're also the only ones who can find and save it? It's up to all of us to help Fullmetal. Between all seven of us, we'll figure it out. Okay?"

Al took in a shuddering breath. "Okay!" He gave a small half-smile. Everyone else sighed in relief that he took it so well.

"We have another problem…" Fuery carefully intervened. "What happens when we don't 'fulfill the task' or whatever? Us and everyone we know will die- they'll kill us all!"