Readers: HOLY SHIT YOU UPDATED!WE HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE OCTOBER!
Me: Yep
Readers: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?
Me: Writing a novel...it is almost done. Also here's a new chapter :) I'm going to TRY to get back into this story now. I've been living in canon land for awhile with my OCs. Enjoy.

Chapter 17

They had investigated all around the train station. Ed had immediately dropped down to the warped fence, following the trail into the woods to find uprooted trees and large blocks of earth. Hawkeye had outfitted them all with guns but Ed had refused hers. She was too busy trying to remap the struggle. It was hard to tell with so much destruction if another alchemist was involved. That is until she came to the last few trees at the edge of the farm fields. They had perfect circles cut out of them.

"Lust," Ed hissed out the word like a curse. She had left the homunculus buried under a pile of burning rubble. Nothing should have survived, and yet here was evidence to the contrary. Did that mean Gluttony had survived too? Pride was dead. Roy had seen to that. And Wrath had been dragged back into the gate screaming. Ed and Alphonse had disposed of Sloth. Greed was locked up. She had last seen Envy falling down an elevator shaft right before she collapsed the building on Lust and Gluttony. That should have been the end of it.

"Are you sure," Roy said coming over to check the trees. "I thought you said the only one left alive was Greed, and he can't do any more harm where he is."

"I'd know her handwork anywhere," Ed assured him.

"Do you think it was revenge?"

"Could be," Ed said and bent down to examine the footprints. It looked like something or someone had been dragged back towards the train station. "Are there any roads near the station?"

"Just one. It heads North away from town to the mountains," Fury said. He held out the map he was holding. Ed followed the road up, her finger finally settling on an old observatory at the summit. "We can check there first."

The way up to the observatory was a quiet one. They finally reached the old building and found the outside surrounded by guards. Havoc parked the car down at the bottom of the road and they carefully made their way up, hiding in the shadows.

"Sir," Hawkeye whispered. "There's too many of them. I doubt we'll be able to break in with just the five of us."

"Then I'll go alone," Ed said and clapped, creating a hole in the fence. "You guys stay out here and do damage control." Roy grabbed her shoulder, to stop her.

"I'm coming too," he said. "Hawkeye we might be on the run when we get out. I need you to station yourselves to cover us and have the car ready for a quick getaway."

They slipped through the hole and around to the back of the building, Ed making a door in the wall. It opened into a small hallway and after a quick check that no one was around they careful made their way into the building. Ed's whole body tingled with adrenaline as she peaked inside open doors and looked for any sign of her brother. But it looked, for all purposes, like a normal office building. There were desks lined with papers and maps of Amestris. At the sound of approaching boots they dove into an empty room, hiding behind the door until they passed. Ed peaked around the room. It looked to be a private office with a large oak desk standing center stage. But what drew Ed's eye was the alchemical symbols scattered on the papers covering it.

"Roy," Ed whispered, motioning for him to look at the papers. "These look similar to the one you gave me." He saw the progression of research, each circle changing as it became closer and closer to the one that Roy had given Ed to study.

Suddenly, Roy grabbed one of the papers and his jaw tightened. "Harbring," he cursed and showed the paper to Ed. It was a letter to a Dr. Nuremburg about a confirmation of money transfer to a facility several miles northeast of Fort Briggs.

There was a click from the door and Ed grabbed Roy, dropping them both behind the desk and out of sight. Roy huddled with his back against the wood and Ed sitting in between his legs to make them as small as possible. He wrapped one hand around her protectively with the other ready to snap. Ed poised to clap at the moment someone rounded the desk and spotted them.

"I've already sent the alchemists," someone said. "What do you want us to do with the spares?"

"Bring them. I'd rather use them for parts then our subjects," another replied. There was some shuffling and a piece of paper was picked up from the desk. "Here are the supplies we need. Make sure you get them and have them at Lab C by tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll be retiring for the night, and keep an eye on the homunculus. I don't want them going wherever they want," the man said.

"Sir?"

"I don't trust them, especially that one that can change his face." The light switched off and there was a movement as two people exited the room. "When this is all over I want them exterminated. This is my…" But the rest of the conversation was cut off as the door closed. There was another click as the lock was drawn.

Roy relaxed and let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Envy is here," Ed said softly as she stood up and helped him to his feet. She rushed to the door but Roy pulled her back and behind him. "Roy we don't have time…" Roy put his finger to her lips to shush her.

"Just do me a favor and stay behind me," he said, feeling more at ease this way. Roy knew Ed was capable of handling herself but if someone was to fire at them, Roy preferred to take the bullet. He opened the door slowly and checked the hall was clear before running. Ed stopped when she spotted a door that led to a flight of stairs. They descended down and found themselves in a sort of boiler room. A guard stood at the other side of the room, blocking a door. He raised his rifle at their sudden appearance, but before he could squeeze off a shot, a burst of flame blinded him. The gun grew so hot he dropped it and before he could reorient himself Ed trapped his legs in the floor with alchemy.

"Where are the prisoners," She asked grabbing him by his collar and shaking him. The man just stuttered blankly at her and she shook him harder. "Where is Al!?"

"Ne delay mne bol'no," the man uttered obviously terrified of the screaming woman slowly squeezing the air out of him.

"Prisono," Ed said, switching to Drachman, and the guard pointed to the door behind him. Ed stood and gave him a swift kick to the head rendering him unconscious.

"Did you have to kick him, Ed?" Roy asked as he rummaged for the key in the man's pockets. He unlocked the door.

"We'll have more time to escape if he can't yell for help," Ed explained, going into the dark room.

Most of the cell doors stood ajar and they began systematically looking through each of them. "Alphonse?"

"Hello?" A voice called from farther down the line. "Edna? Oh thank god. Is the colonel with you?"

"We'll have you out in a moment," Roy assured as both Falman and Breda's faces appeared. A little bit of alchemy to rust away the locks and cuffs and both soldiers were free.

"Where's Alphonse?" Ed asked.

"Gone," Breda explained, rubbing his wrists. "They took him and the other alchemists about a half hour ago."

"Who else was here?" Roy questioned as well.

"Not sure exactly, but I know Larson, the Obsidian Alchemist, and Bailey, the Terracycle Alchemist, were locked up down here with us. I think Kissel too although the way the guards talked he was taken to the medical ward."

"Right we check the medical wards and find out where the prisoners were taken," Roy ordered giving Breda his spare gun. Falman went out and took the rifle from the unconscious solider.

"But Colonel…what about?" Breda nodded in Ed's direction and watched as she smirked. "Oh don't worry. I can handle myself," Ed assured and cracked her fingers. "They didn't call me Fullmetal for nothing."

Breda and Falman both looked confused but Roy waved it off quickly. "We'll explain later. For now we need to move."

Then they were off, up the corridor they had come and rushing down the hall. Luckily most were empty with it being so late at night, but a few times they'd had to stop and skirt around a guard or passerby. Ed's heart was hammering as adrenaline rushed through her and the mantra of Alphonse Alphonse Alphonse flitted through her head. At least he was alive. That gave her hope. And from what those men had said earlier, they needed him alive for something. But how long was that? How long until their luck out?

They followed the glowing green signs down to the medical ward, but it was empty save for a panicked nurse that Breda aimed a gun at while Falman tied her to chair. A few words with Ed in Drachman revealed Kissel was long gone.

"They took him and the others to the trucks a few hours ago."

"HEY!"

Ed glanced over her shoulder as Roy twisted and sent a ball of fire toward the two armed men standing in the doorway. There were screams but they didn't check to see if the victims were dead as they leapt over they're burnt bodies. They started to sprint down the hall way, the lights suddenly turning red as an announcement was made over the intercom.

"Stay close to me!" Ed instructed as they neared the end of the hall. She clapped and her hand slammed against the wall, opening a hole to the courtyard beyond. A siren was going off now as the sleeping guards sprang to action. Ed rushed towards the trucks, but was snatched back as the ground where she'd been was peppered with bullets. She looked up at Roy who held her protectively against his chest. Several bangs turned her attention back to the guard tower to see the figures above disappear. Looks like Hawkeye and Furey were on the hill with the sniper rifles. Ed broke free of Roy's grasp and clapped. A wall of earth sprang up on either side of them, creating a protective tunnel that led to the trucks.

They ran, Breda returning fire to the men standing in the hole they'd left in the building. Ed started desperately looking in the back of the trucks. "Empty. They're all empty," she said in frustration.

"They must have already taken Alphonse with the other alchemists. I think I know where we're they've gone," Roy said as he snapped, clearing a path around the trucks. "Get in." They all clambered into one of the vehicles and Falman revved the engine. "Hold on." He punched it and they sped out and away from the building, barreling through the metal gate and down the road away from the facility.

Ed opened the door and looked behind them at the soldiers already in pursuit.

"Ed what are you doing?" Roy asked as the girl moved to the edge of her seat and braced herself. "Wait!" He reached out but it was too late. Ed launched herself from the truck and rolled to a halt. She stood up slowly; a lone figure standing against an army. She would not allow them to hurt anyone else. They would pay for what they'd done. She took a deep breath and clapped, pouring all her ferocity into the array as she placed her hands on the ground.

It felt like an earthquake. The road before them buckled and Falman hit the brake as they looked back to watch rocks the size of houses bounce down the mountainside towards the facility, crushing walls and personnel alike. In moments it was over, the building demolished and the last of the men wounded or worse. Ed then stood up, cooly dusted off her hands, walked back to the truck, and hopped in.

"Let's go find Alphonse."

"Ed…Edna…Edward Elric!" Roy snapped at the possessed woman. Two days ago they had rescued Breda and Falman, but the men had been ignorant to the enemy's plan. Since then Ed had been sleeping over at Roy's, pouring over notes and scrap pieces of confidential documents Roy's crew recovered. But so far they had come up with almost nothing.

What they did know was that the enemy was: One, trying to create some sort of human transmutation super bomb. Two, working with the homunculus Envy, Lust, and maybe Gluttony. Three, needed alive and skilled alchemists to do it. Four, had most likely taken those alchemists to a Lab C somewhere northeast of Briggs. And most importantly, Five, Harbring was involved in this whole mess. And if he was involved then the Fuhrer was involved which meant they had to rescue Alphonse alone and in secret.

"Hmm…what?" Ed replied tiredly as she marked yet another possible location on the map she'd been staring at for two hours. There was too much mountainous terrain to cover. Not to mention the facility could be hidden or even underground. It would take a miracle to find it at this rate.

"You need to stop." Roy protested from across the kitchen table. "You've been at it for days. You barely sleep and you haven't eaten since last night."

"I can't," Ed argued. "This is my fault. I'm sure of it." Her hands gripped the table. "Al's not a state alchemist. They had no reason to go after him. The only reason was me!" She pointed at herself and cursed the exasperated tears that stung her eyes. She hastily pushed them away. "I am dead. Can't they just let me rot in peace and leave my family alone?"

"Stop Ed." Roy moved around the table and pulled her into his chest. He felt her tense, like a hurt wild animal wishing to attack, but then she relaxed into him. She let out the stress and deeply inhaled Roy's musky scent. He needed a shower. They both did. So much had happened they hadn't really talked nor done anything in terms of them. Romance seemed like such a superficial thing when people were getting kidnapped for who-knows-what terrible scheme.

"I know you feel like it's your fault, but this isn't helping Alphonse," Roy reasoned. "Maybe we need to go at this a new way. I know someone inside Briggs. Someone we can trust."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Ed wondered. "Let's go talk to them then. We don't have to tell them everything, but if we explain about…"

"I didn't say anything because I don't know if they'll help," Roy explained.

"And why wouldn't they?" Ed looked up to study Roy's face. He looked anxious.

"Well…its Armstrong's sister."

"Armstrong's…? So what? She an old girlfriend or something? Roy I don't care about that," Ed said dismissively. "Besides if she's anything like Armstrong then its fine."

"That's just it," Roy sighed. "She's as cold and frigid as Briggs and that fort is all she cares about. Not to mention a message could take weeks to reach her."

"Then we'll go in person," Ed reasoned. "The worst that happens is we're back to square one." It wasn't like Ed hadn't done that before. So many times the hunt for the stone had ended with them back to square one. Thinking of the stone made Ed think of Alphonse. Don't worry baby brother. I'm coming for you.