A/N: I'm just going to say that I HATE IT that FFN doesn't allow me to use certain techniques to separate these chapters into sections like I want to.

Rant over.

"Now where would a seven-foot-tall suit of armor run off to?"

Ed was standing in the middle of an empty street when he asked that question aloud, at least loud enough that the two meandering hunters managed to hear him and locate him after having scouted the streets looking for the Elrics. It appeared the only truly bustling part of Dublith was in and around the train station, the rest of the town seemed almost…well….deserted in some areas.

After having realized the Elrics were missing, Sam and Dean mutually agreed it was best to run ahead and find them rather than take the time to fill Izumi in on the issue. Initially they'd believed that both boys had gone missing together, but from the looks of Ed it appeared that Al was the one missing and the older Elric was in the same boat as the Winchestrers in searching for him.

"Well that's one down, now where's metal-man?" Dean asked the young alchemist upon their approach. Ed had heard their footsteps from a distance and turned to face them, strangely enough he didn't snap at them to leave things alone and to let him handle it.

Though Sam was still waiting for it to happen.

"I don't know, I went outside and he was gone," Ed replied, eyes scanning up and down the street. He was coat-less for a change, allowing Sam to catch a glimpse of the pocket-watch chained at his right hip. Part of his certification as a State Alchemist from what Sam remembered.

"Same for us," Dean did some glancing of his own. "We thought maybe something had happened to the two of you."

"And you didn't warn Teacher?" Ed clearly wasn't of the mind to rid himself of the habit of calling her that.

"Didn't think we had time," Sam answered. "So where do you think he could be?"

"I'd be happy to tell you where you can find him."

The trio spun around to face a cloaked shady figure standing within the shadows of an alley, his hood raised to hide his face. Sam and Dean pulled their guns ready while Ed kept his hands within clapping distance of each other, ready to transmute a blade out of his arm if necessary.

"But first you tell me what his secret is," the man's voice crackled as he spoke and it was laced with a giddiness that made Sam's skin crawl.

"How about this instead? You tell us where he is," Dean cocked his semi-automatic, "and I'll be sure to leave enough of you behind so that the cops can identify you."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," the slithery voice continued. "You kill me, you lose your brother. I'm the only one who knows where he is."

"So it's like that huh?" Sam smirked, reaching behind him to place a hand on the Transmutation circle he'd drawn on the wall of one of the buildings after they'd found Ed. He was getting quite good at drawing them while in a hurry, it was almost second-nature. The wall erupted into an explosion of blue light that traveled to the ground, the stone pieces coming apart as the force shot straight for the creepy figure. One large piece shot up and backward, flinging him into the air only to land at Edward's feet.

"Not bad," the young alchemist praised Sam's quick-thinking just before he slammed his metal fist into the stranger's face. The force of the blow was enough to knock his hood off, revealing a large and bulbous head with sickly-green skin and a long nose. Dean raised a foot to knock him flat on his back and plant his boot right at the mans neck, keeping his gun trained on the stranger's face.

"You want to start talking or should I let these two have some more fun with you?" Dean replied cynically, a sly grin on his rugged face.

"You….fuckers…." was all the strange man managed to hiss out, Dean's boot was beginning to cut off his airway.

"Well that wasn't very nice," Dean raised his foot and let it drop directly into the man's stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"Where's my brother?" Ed queried, managing to keep his voice even regardless that he was clearly pissed off.

The man was busy coughing after having Dean's boot on his neck, so he didn't answer right away. But when he did, it was to pitifully attempt bravado once again despite his outnumbered state, "You can't defeat me…..you need me after all….."

"Well now you're just being difficult," Dean reached down to pick him up by the front of his clothes, dragging him to somewhat of a standing position. He held him slightly away from himself as though offering him to the other two, "You want to do the honors Elric?"

"I think Sam deserves a shot this time," Ed replied with a smirk. "After all he is the one that took him down in the first place." The young Alchemist and older Winchester glanced pointedly at Sam.

"My pleasure," he replied, pulling his fist back and letting it fly into the man's solar-plexus. He nearly doubled over again but Dean's grip on his clothes kept him from doing so.

"Are you going to talk now?" Ed queried, using his metal hand to crack the knuckles of his left fist.

"D-Devil's….N-Nest…" the stranger finally croaked, heaving from all the blows he'd taken.

Dean flashed a million-dollar smile at that, "See? That wasn't so hard now was it?"

The Devil's Nest turned out to be an old bar that was located in a back-alley, the front door stationed at the bottom of a small set of stairs so that the bar itself was positioned below ground level. The trio, now accompanied by their new informative creepy companion ( being dragged by Sam and Dean), had burst into the Nest with guns at the ready. Not a single soul was to be found at the bar itself, but a set of stairs leading to the basement, and what was seemingly the source of the voices the three heard, was their next best bet. Dean had bashed creeper-guy in the back of the head with his gun to knock him out, not wanting the son of a bitch to squawk about their presence prematurely. However making an entrance while carrying this kind of baggage proved to be a problem, so the boys (with Edward's full blessing) decided that using creeper-guy as a form of entry would work perfectly. So naturally upon finding the door that lead to the supposed room where the voices could be found, the Winchesters launched their temporary prisoner right at it, knocking it open, and he landed in a heap on the floor groaning with pain.

The three of them stepped inside the room, Edward flanked on both sides by an armed Winchester, looking beyond pissed to find Al chained up in the middle of a room full of what appeared to be creeper-guy's friends, one of them tall and built that carried a large hammer, another that was shorter with slicked-back hair and a katana, and two more standing back a ways as though awaiting orders. It was the one closest to Al that had caught Sam's attention, with his spiked hair and biker's outfit, but more intriguing was the marking on his left hand. It appeared to be some kind of red tattoo of a winged snake eating its own tail with two overlapping triangles in the middle.

An Ouroboros.

"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed, sitting Indian-style on the floor, hands and feet bound together in chains.

"Never really crossed my mind that you could get kidnapped," was Ed's form of response at finding his brother in this position.

"Brother! This guy's a Homunculus!" Al warned Ed, nodding his head towards the man directly in front of him.

Sam had vaguely heard that term before, in passing when he was doing research for other cases. From what he remembered of it, a Homunculus was an artificially created dwarf, supposedly made in a flask by an alchemist. However that was just a theory, Homunculi in general were only a theory. At least they were supposed to be. But not so much in this world.

"Are you serious?" Ed replied to Al's statement, clearly surprised but not overwhelmed by the news.

"I didn't think those things could exist," Dean commented, he was surprised too.

"After all that stuff you told me about and you think this is impossible?" Ed retorted.

"There's multiple levels of crazy kid," Dean shot back. "This is just a new one for us."

"Hey, way to ruin it," the Homunculus in question replied stiffly to Al's accusation, seemingly ignoring the small exchange of snarky banter between Ed and Dean.

"We might be able to get some leads from him on how to get our original bodies back," Al ignored the Homunculus' comment to point out that little fact to his brother.

"You seriously think you can trust whatever he tells you?" Sam reminded him cautiously. "He did kidnap you after all."

The Homunculus appeared to be unaffected by Sam's words, grinning maliciously and raising his left hand to display the marking as though he were brandishing a trophy he was proud of.

"An Ouroboros tattoo," Ed commented on the marking, so he was familiar with it as well.

"Aren't you observant," the Homunculus replied, clearly amused with the whole situation. "I was hoping I'd only have to deal with the little armored giant."

"Why don't you just ask your partners whatever you want to know," Ed told him.

Based on what Al had told him, the Elrics had recently fought against other Homunculi at the Fifth Laboratory, or more specifically Ed had fought them while Al had been preoccupied with one of their minions that had been very similar to the younger Elric. In that he himself had been a soul bound to a suit of armor, and apparently wasn't alone in that regard, one of his buddies having been inside the lab at the time fighting Ed just before the Homunculi arrived.

It still blew Sam's mind that they even existed.

"Partners?" the Homunculus asked him, confused by Ed's words.

"Yeah," Ed answered him. "The rest of the Ouroboros gang from the Fifth Lab. They had a couple of armor-bonded souls with them as well."

"You don't say?" the Homunculus appeared intrigued by this bit of news. "Well it's kind of a long story….but we don't talk much anymore…..I've got a little proposal for you, you guys are pretty desperate to get your bodies back right? Because I could teach you how to fabricate your own Homunculus in no time at all….In return all I ask is that you teach me how to transmute a soul. Classic Equivalent Exchange."

Ed was silent during this little speech, the weight of the Homunculus' words kept even the Winchesters speechless.

"But I really don't understand why you would want your other body back," the Homunculus went on to say. "Seems like you've got one that's perfect already."

"No I don't!" Al yelled back, the Homunculus had definitely struck a nerve.

"You're joking right?" the monster continued. "You don't need to eat, you don't need to sleep, you don't even need to use the toilet. Sounds great to me."

"That's enough," Ed interrupted him, his voice cracking to reveal the pure rage he felt. "Shut your damned mouth."

All heads turned to face Edward, even Sam and Dean couldn't help but cast a sideways glance at the young alchemist. The vehement fury with which he spoke was startling, it even made a shiver go up Sam's spine.

"SOUNDS GREAT TO YOU? EASY? PERFECT? YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE HELL HE'S HAD TO GO THROUGH STUCK WITH THAT BODY! And you want to know how to transmute a soul? YOU KIDNAPPED MY BROTHER AND YOU WANT TO TRADE SECRETS WITH ME? I'M GONNA CRUSH YOUR BRAINS! I'LL SMASH YOU! END YOU! AND I WONT GIVE YOU SLIME ANYTHING! In other words, there wont be an exchange with you SCUM!"

The force behind that passionate little speech was powerful to say the least, everyone visibly stunned by Edward's volume. But the moment was over, and the Homunculus was not the least bit phased by Ed's words. On the contrary he appeared bored with the whole spectacle, giving a slow clap to go along with his bored expression.

"I guess we're doing this by force again," the minion with the slicked-back hair reached for his katana, stepping forward as he slid the blade free.

"Don't kill him alright?" the Homunculus reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah," the minion agreed, advancing on Ed.

"You're a lot smaller than a prisoner I know," Ed jumped into the air, spun around, and knocked the minion flat on his back. He immediately transmuted his arm into a blade, glaring at them all challengingly.

"Next."

"Roa," the Homunculus addressed his largest man. "Get the armored kid out of here. Guess we'll dismantle him."

"Right," the minion, Roa, grabbed Al and hoisted him onto his shoulder.

"Hey hold on!" Al exclaimed just as Ed charged at them yelling "Drop him!"

The Homunculus took that moment to engage Edward in battle, fists flying, Edward's sword slashing through the air. It was quite something to behold, the fact that no matter how many blows either of them took, they still kept going.

The minions took this opportunity of momentary distraction to try and escape, finding only Dean and Sam in their way, but katana-man and the big guy made quick work of the two of them. The man with the sword made a slash at Sam, the tip of the blade cutting into his shirt and leaving a mark across his chest. The mad carrying Al slammed his knee into Dean's midsection, then a fist into his face, knocking him backward where he slammed against the wall and slid to the floor. From his lack of movement Sam guessed he was out cold, but he didn't have time to dwell on that fact, he barely moved out of the way before the katana was on him again. Ducking low he managed to dodge the tip of the blade, but not the fist that came flying for his solar-plexus. Sam dropped to his knees, hand pressed to the wound on his chest, blood seeping through his shirt and dripping onto the floor. Another minion slammed a fist into the side of his face, knocking him all the way to the floor. None of them waited to see if he would try to get up again, instead they chose to make a run for it, Al still on Roa's shoulder.

Today just wasn't their day it seemed.

He didn't dare attempt to move around too much, he was already losing enough blood, his vision was still clear though he had to wonder how much longer before it became blurred with dizziness.

Ed and the Homunculus were still locked in battle, Ed having used alchemy to attempt to gain the upper hand on one or two occasions, but nevertheless the Homunculus was still standing. His hands had turned completely black, the nails like pointy claws. Every time Ed made a swipe at him with his blade, the Homunculus would simply use his bare hands to knock the blade around, without getting a single scratch in return. At one point Ed pounced onto the mans shoulders, wrapping his legs around his neck, twisting around so that the spinal column snapped. Blood spurted out from the force of the move, and the Homunculus went down on his back.

Sam felt the first fuzzy sensation in his head.

Remember me?

"Guard your head next time," Ed said triumphantly, but his victory was short-lived.

Tug

There was a blurriness around the edges of his vision.

You havent forgotten me have you Sammy?

"Edward…."

The Homunculus slashed out at Ed, creating a deep gash in his side with his long nails. Ed stumbled back, hand pressed against the wound as the Homunculus sat up, cracking his neck.

The two of them began swimming in and out of focus.

Tug

"Aw that hurt," he replied casually, as though he dealt with issues like this on a daily basis. "That move would've hospitalized most people."

I'm hurt Sammy…I thought we were friends…..

It was getting cold.

Tug. Tug.

"But you're not like most people huh?" Ed replied cynically.

The world was tossing and turning.

The floor was strangely comforting now.

What's the matter Sam?…..Not feeling too good are we?….

"Well my body is," the Homunculus answered him.

It was getting darker.

"All that sets me apart are my Ultimate Shield and my advanced healing powers. Nothing special, but you're never gonna beat me so I'd suggest making a deal."

Sleepy-time she comes Sammy….

"…..Ed…."

Then everything went black.

"He couldn't have passed out from the wounds," a deep voice muttered from the open doorway, calm and accusing. "This is something else."

He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, nor did he know where he was, but from what he could make of the voices just beyond earshot he had to be back at the Curtis' place. Everything was so hazy and every sound came in and out of clarity, becoming muffled then clear and back again. He was having the strangest sense of déjà vu, recognizing the softness of blankets and a pillow, the comfort of a mattress supporting his frame. The only difference was the light he could sense through his eyelids, there was barely a glow to be witnessed, which led him to believe it must but either nighttime or close enough.

"No it's not the wounds….it's….I can't tell you."

This voice he could recognize anywhere, no matter the circumstances. It was the same deep and husky voice that had influenced his world as far back as he could remember. From the moment his toddler mind could comprehend it to the day his adult self could fully appreciate it, he'd always felt that voice's owner to be the greatest teacher in his life. Regardless that on many occasions he and its owner didn't see eye-to-eye.

"Well it appears we have another fallen comrade to whom I feel obligated to express my gratitude."

That voice, announcing a third member to the party, sent a chill up his spine.

"How's he doing? His wounds were not too great I hope."

"No it's nothing like that," the life-long familiar voice was an odd mixture with the voice of the one he felt wasn't quite right.

"Well then, I hope you wont mind my seeing to it that he gets all the protection he needs….and for you as well."

"Meaning what?" The familiar voice became instantly suspicious.

Sammy…

"You and your brother are prodigies that would be of great use in the military. The way you protected Edward Elric, giving your full support and protection no questions asked. You have the markings of one who could move up in the ranks if given the chance. You and Sam."

Oh Sammy…

"I don't think so," the familiar voice was now calm but with a latent tone of annoyance. "Considering the fact that we got our asses handed to us I don't think we'll be of much use to you…..sir."

"If you say so," the less trustworthy voice replied, seemingly content with this decision. "I suppose we should give him some more time to rest. He'll wake up when he's ready."

Is it naptime again Sam?

"Right."

Later, he wasn't sure how much later, he came to again to find he was alone.

Or at least he'd thought he was.

"Hello Sam Winchester."

Sam sat up with a jolt, suffering momentary dizziness from the sudden movement, eyes squinting in the dimly-lit room to focus on the one and only King Bradley perched on a chair next to his bed. Sam was back in his designated bedroom at the Curtis', still in the clothes he'd worn earlier save for his shoes and jacket. This was an odd situation to say the least, the last time Sam had even seen the Fuhrer was back in the hospital when he'd paid him a visit at his bedside. That previous sensation of déjà vu became even more significant once he realized this appeared to be a pattern in the making for the Fuhrer and himself.

"Feeling any better son?"

Well the annoying voice in his head had skipped out for the time being it seemed, and it was strange to have someone that wasn't his father (or close enough) call him "son", but other than that….

"Uh yeah….I'm okay."

The Fuhrer's mustache bent into a curved "M"-shape as he smiled, "Well that's good to hear. I've got to tell you Sam it was a bit surprising to find you and your brother with the Elrics again. It appears the four of you have teamed up."

Sam wasn't sure how to respond to that, once again sensing that something demonic about Bradley, but he kept silent. After all this was the second time he'd met the man, it would be rather ridiculous to attempt anything with him. Besides what was there to prove? The military didn't build a case based on a person's gut-feeling, and Sam doubted that Edward would believe him.

"Sam I must ask you something important, and you should know that plotting against the military results in dire consequences." Bradley had traded his usual charmingly cheerful tone for his more serious one, the kind you would actually expect of a ruler of a large country like Amestris.

"Uh….sure. Anything." Sam felt tiny all of a sudden, like a child on the brink of a scolding after their parent caught them doing something they shouldn't.

"Have you had any previous encounters with the suspect named Greed?"

"Greed?" The name didn't ring a bell….or…..wait…

"The Homunculus that fought Edward Elric. Have you ever encountered him before?"

So the thing's name was Greed? Cute.

"Uh no…..no, not that I remember."

"Let me rephrase that: Have you or have you not made any deals or negotiations of any kind with the Homunculus named Greed?….If so…I'll have you executed right here and now."

There had been many occasions where Sam's life had been openly threatened, some of which the threats were verbalized prior to the actual attack. But not a single one of those times had Sam ever truly felt the full weight of the words. Until now. The way Bradley said them, and the intensity of his gaze, all cold and focused, was enough to make him feel instantly cold inside.

"No. Never."

Bradley continued to eye him suspiciously, "eye" being the key term considering the patch he wore, but it only lasted a few more seconds. He immediately slipped back into his charming persona and stood up, laying a hand on Sam's shoulder with what Bradley must believe was a reassuring smile.

"You take it easy son."

With that he clasped his hands behind his back as he'd done the first time and walked briskly out of the room, Sam finally realizing that the door had been open the entire time….with Dean standing just behind it, having just walked up.

Once the Fuhrer was out of earshot, Dean walked into the room and quickly shut the door behind him, the fingers of his right hand wrapped around what appeared to be a cup of something hot to drink. When he brought it over to Sam, who took it almost greedily not realizing just how parched he'd been, he noticed that it was tea. Sam had never been much of a tea-drinker, but it was better than nothing at the moment, and it tasted pretty good. He set the empty cup on the nightstand by the bed, rubbing a hand across his chest, having just realized that he'd received a patch-job for the cut across his chest. It didn't hurt much, just a little sting really, but it sure left a long and wide red stain on his shirt

Fumbling with the covers, he mindlessly tucked them around his waist. "So…..what happened?"

"What didn't happen?" was Dean's initial response, pulling the chair recently occupied by Bradley closer to the bed and allowing himself to fall into it sans grace and dangle one arm over the back. "It was a mess I'll tell you that much. Al's pretty well freaked out, and Ed and Izumi were knocked around a bit."

"Izumi was there?" Sam hadn't thought about the possibility of her showing up during the fight.

"Oh yeah she was," Dean answered him, seeming on the verge of propping his feet up on the bed then deciding against it. "I came to just as she was kicking Greed's ass….but she pretty much coughed up a lung and the bastard got away."

Sam felt immediately concerned for their Teacher, "Is she okay?"

"You know her, she's tough as nails," Dean grinned. "It'll take much more than that to take her down."

"What about Al? And all those minions?"

"Dead. Well the minions are dead, and Greed is too from what I heard, Bradley took him down. Not bad for an old man." Dean's admiration for the Fuhrer's skills was evident in the boyish giddiness of his tone. "And it wasn't just him, he had a small army with him, including that big guy we saw back in Central, the major guy with the fists you know?"

Sam nodded, remembering the Hulk-like man from two months ago that had helped to take down Freezer. "And Al?" He didn't want to dwell on the Fuhrer just now.

"One of the minions was sort of using him like a puppet and well….Bradley shanked her….while she was still inside….the kid's pretty well torn up." There was something in Dean's voice that sounded a bit concerned, and even the tiniest bit protective.

Sam didn't doubt that Ed was playing his protective big brother role right this very minute, and considering what Dean had just told him, the poor kid had been through quite an ordeal. Having his brother there for support was what he would be needing the most at a time like this, because that's what Sam would've wanted. To have his big brother there as a subliminal reminder that he would be okay, that he was taken care of.

"We're going to have to talk about this sooner or later Sam, might as well do it now while no one's pestering us." Dean was now deathly serious, looking directly at his brother.

"It's fine Dean," Sam wasn't in the mood for this right now. He'd already figured out that his wound had not been the majority of the reason why he'd blacked out. Nor was the fist he'd had slammed into the side of his face. He'd taken hundreds of shots before, not a single one of them had knocked him out quite so easily.

Dean continued to stare at him intently for a moment or two, as though expecting Sam to change his mind. Either he was tired of asking, or he believed him this time (which Sam doubted), but nonetheless he still stood up sighed heavily muttering "whatever" just as Ed stuck his head into the room.

"Hey Sam, everything okay?" His head was bandaged and his hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, which for some reason felt a bit strange for Sam. It seemed so out of place.

"Yeah I'm fine, just got knocked out," he didn't feel like attempting to explain anything of his mental status to Ed right now, who still didn't believe their alternate-universe story. Adding his lack of (total) mental health to the pile would only make matters worse.

"That's good. Well if you two are done I think you should come and visit Al…he remembers now."

It took the hunters about a minute to pick up on what Ed was referring to, but Sam got there first. "His memories about the Truth? What did he say? Did he see anything significant?"

"Whoa hold your horses," Ed held up both hands. "He won't say anything until the two of you are present…..don't ask me why…he wouldn't say."

Dean and Sam exchanged looks, but the gesture was unnecessary given the fact that neither of them would skip out on something like this. Sam threw back the covers, following Ed and Dean as they went to a side-door that that led outside to a small alleyway, where Al sat sans his breastplate. The piece in question was currently on the ground next to a bucket of water with a towel hanging over the side. Ed must've been cleaning Al's armor, which had been coated in the blood of the minion he'd had inside of him.

"Al?" Sam broke the moment of silence to cautiously approach him. The other two filed past him, Ed moving to stand next to the bucket.

Al's head had been hanging when they first saw him, but he lifted his face to look at Sam upon hearing the younger Winchester's voice. "Hey Sam….Dean…..thanks for coming."

"Thanks for the invite," Dean offered as politely as was possible of someone with his typical brand of cynical humor. Though he did appear thankful, albeit somewhat bemused, that Al would want to include them on this.

Al didn't appear the least bit offended by the comment, in fact he seemed to understand that this was just how Dean was. Given the way Ed responded to certain comments, Sam wasn't surprised by this at all. "So….do you want to hear?"

Sam could tell this was a huge deal for him, and why shouldn't it be? From what he'd learned of it the Truth wasn't some comic book you flipped through for fun. It was serious business.

"You don't have to tell us everything Al," he reassured him calmly. "Just tell us what you can."

"It's not that I cant…..or don't want to…..I'm just…I just feel tired is all," Al replied softly.

"Alphonse….." Ed began, but Al calmly cut him off.

"It's okay brother," Al told him, "it's just been a long day that's all."

Ed was about to say something in response, but he quickly closed his mouth, choosing instead to resume his previous chore of wiping Al's breastplate clean with the wet towel.

"Well I think it would be easier for you to understand…," Al went on to explain, "…if I tell you exactly what it's like…."

He knew the moment he'd been taken, but not of anything beyond that.

He was here…. He was there.

He was nowhere.

There was a door to enter in.

And a door to leave through.

He found himself in a place that existed.

But wasn't real.

It was like a void.

It was Heaven.

It was Hell.

It was none of those things.

But it was something.

He felt as though he were in a kind of dream.

A dream where you felt that you knew what was happening.

And where you were.

And who surrounded you.

But this place felt so alien.

So…empty.

And yet so full.

And there was the presence.

Hers.

He reached for her…..she reached for him.

He came closer…so did she.

She grabbed his wrist…she wasn't herself.

She was him.

His body was falling to pieces…stripping away bit by bit.

It didn't hurt.

Not really.

But it was so strange.

The him that he'd thought was her took the pieces.

And put them on himself.

Now he was him.

And him was he.

He was Alphonse.

And he wasn't Alphonse.

Who was he?

He'd seen the flicker of images like film…heard the endless string of whispered voices.

They didn't have the answer he was looking for.

Who was he?

His brain hurt….there was too much.

Too much.

It hurt.

He wanted it to stop.

And then it did stop.

And he was her.

But she was gone.

And It was there.

But it wasn't alive.

Only he was.

And then he was gone again.

And back again.

He came back to the voice.

Ed's voice.

But something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

He glanced down at himself.

And his metallic body.

"What did you see?" Ed finally asked after Al finished explaining what it had been like to have his body taken.

"Well…..it was definitely weird," Al replied, unintentionally confirming Ed and Izumi's previous statements of how strange and overwhelming the experience could be. "But unfortunately, I didn't find out anything on how to get our bodies back."

"That's okay," Ed reassured him, wringing the towel out and tossing it into the bucket before reaching out to hand Al his breastplate, which he quickly reattached to himself. If Sam didn't know better, he'd say that Al was feeling a bit better now that he had all of his pieces back where they should be. He imagined that Al must feel the tiniest bit vulnerable when he wasn't entirely "together".

Although despite this small reassurance, his voice still carried a sense of defeat when he said, "Well I guess we haven't made any progress."

"Don't say that man," Dean politely scolded him

"He's right," Ed agreed, much to the hunter's surprise. "It's not entirely true. Remember what the Fuhrer told us back in Central? About the unrest amongst the ranks of the military?"

"Mhmm," Al agreed. "And it all had something to do with the Philosopher's Stone and those Ouroboros guys. He said he was trying to gather info on them."

Ed appeared lost in thought as he pondered the facts, "Well Greed was obviously connected to them somehow. But if so…..why'd the Fuhrer slaughter everyone? If he was trying to figure out what they were up to….why didn't he catch them and make them talk?"

"Not only that," Sam piped in, "but why come down here himself to take care of it? I mean yeah he helped out with the Freezer guy but that was a blatant issue of national security. This particular situation was on a small scale, why not just let his troops handle it?"

"Not to mention he seemed pretty eager to kill off anyone that has to do with whatever's going on here," Dean added his two-cents in, "and from my experience they usually do that to shut you up, not let you talk. Somebody's hiding something, I'll swear on my damn car."

"No matter how you look at it, none of this adds up," Ed replied, reaching down to pick up the bucket with his flesh hand. He turned to face the other three with a serious look, "We've been warned. We need to get closer."

"Right," Dean agreed. "But if this is military-related it might be a good idea to start with the source first."

Al glanced at him sideways, "You mean Central?"

Dean nodded, "The very one. I can call Bobby and ask him to keep an eye out for anything suspicious while he's there."

"Good. That'll give us some advantage at least," Ed replied with a grin. Sam had the feeling this as close to a "thank you" as Dean was going to get…..for now.

During that moment Sid stuck his head out of the doorway and looked pointedly at the Winchesters. "Phone call boys. It's your friend from Central."

"Wow, uncanny," was Dean's form of response as he moved swiftly past Al and back into the house. Sam and the Elrics immediately followed, although Sam was sure that Ed and Al were more than likely going off to be by themselves for a while to talk. They needed a moment to coordinate and do whatever the hell they had planned.

Sam followed his brother into the shop, where the phone was located on the counter near the register. The receiver was lying off the phone-hook, awaiting them to answer the call. Dean designated himself to answering, but he held it out just enough so Sam could hear him as well. Lack of cell phones in this place meant no Speaker option to choose when they both needed to listen in on a call.

"Hey Bobby," Dean responded cheerfully, announcing his presence at the phone. "Find anything?"

"Nice to hear from you too Dean," Bobby's issue with their lack of traditional hospitality on certain levels clearly evident in his snarky tone. "But yeah I did manage to find something in the Central Library."

"The Library?" Sam queried, frowning. "I thought you needed clearance to access the Library. How'd you pull that off?"

"Son you don't get to be my age without learning a few tricks," Bobby pointed out, sounding prideful.

"What'd you find out?" Dean interceded, clearly wanting to get to the point of the call.

They could hear Bobby's chuckle on the other end of the line, "You're not going to believe this…."

Somewhere in the bowels of Central, deep beneath the Command Center, where a labyrinth of hallways lined with pipes of various sizes lead in many directions, at the heart of it all was their "home". The pipes themselves snaked along almost every wall and ceiling, all of them coming together in this place called "home", where they connected to a single spot in the middle of a large room. "Large" didn't quite do it justice, the ceiling itself stretched higher than that of any sanctuary known to man, a gaping hole allowed for the bright light that lit up against the vast darkness near the walls. At the very center of this steady beam of light was a large stone chair, with every table-like surface around it cluttered with books and flasks and what appeared to be a series of glass tubes connected together in such a manner they resembled what you might find in a professional laboratory.

Just beyond this small section of the room gathered a team of Ouroboros-clad individuals, all of whom wore dark outfits save for one that sported a military uniform. His dark hair was slicked back and perfectly groomed, his uniform was spotless and well-pressed, a sword-sheath strapped to his side while the actual weapon was clasped in his hands, the blade pressing into the stone floor acting as a cane of sorts. He had a mustache, one exposed eye was closed while the other was covered by an eye-patch. He appeared to be either lost in thought or sleeping as he stood.

"Welcome back Fuhrer," the one known as Lust purred seductively to the uniformed character. "How was your inspection of the south?"

"To say the least, it was a very productive visit," the Fuhrer replied in an almost stoic manner. "It seems both Fullmetal's younger brother and their teacher are worthy candidates for human sacrifice. Oh and one other thing…..I made an unexpected catch." He tilted his head slightly upward to indicate just behind him, where the Homunculus Greed dangled, chained to a large stone shard, Bradley's four swords pinning him to the rock as well. Random spurts of red light flickered here and there as his body attempted to regenerate itself, but it didn't appear to be of much help

"Talk about a blast from the past," Lust replied in a slithery voice. "It's been a century since I've seen that face. Rise and shine Greed, you can't sleep all day."

Greed opened his eyes, having been drifting in and out of consciousness for some time. "Well, well the gang's all here."

"Looks like your Ultimate Shield let you down after all," Lust commented, sounding disappointed.

"Maybe, but you never do Lust the Lascivious," Greed replied…..well…..greedily. "Feel free to piece me with your Ultimate Spear any time you want." He turned his purple eyes to gaze upon the fat one, "Hello Gluttony the Voracious. Still haven't found the right diet for you yet huh?" He then focused his eyes on the Homunculus with the hair that dangled in long tendrils, "And little Envy the Jealous, please for the last time get a new outfit." He glanced around a again, searching for someone else, "And where is Sloth the Indolent these days?"

"I'm sure he'd love to be here slacking off," Lust answered in her own seductively flippant way. "But we have to keep him working."

Greed flashed a sly grin, "Sorry to say it, but it's kind of depressing that none of you have changed in the past one-hundred years." He glanced down at the Fuhrer, "So….who's the new edition?"

Bradley didn't even glance in his direction to answer coldly, "I am Wrath the Furious."

"Fuhrer King Bradley and Wrath, one and the same," Greed commented, seeming to find the concept amusing.

"Indeed," Lust replied. "The humans know him as the leader of Amestris. But the truth is he was created by Father for the final stage of the plan."

"A Homunculus that can grow older?" Greed seemed almost baffled by this. "That's impossible."

Envy gave a sudden burst of laughter upon hearing this, "Oh really? I thought nothing was impossible! You used to toss that one around like it was your catch phrase. You change your mind or something?"

Greed gave a sly grin, "Shut your worthless trap ugly."

Envy's eyes widened and a deep furrow creased his brow as he bared his teeth at Greed, clearly not in appreciation of the insult.

"Uh-oh, that's a scary face," Greed replied tauntingly. "Go on and let it out. Why don't you show us what you really look like? You hideous freak."

"You scum!" Envy snarled, ribbons of red light began flickering across his back. "Call me that again and I will destroy you!"

"Stop your nonsense, both of you," came a voice from the center of the room where the large chair and various flasks were.

Greed gasped upon hearing that voice, while the others simply shifted their attention to it. Perched in the large chair sat a man, his hair was purely white, as was his beard and mustache. He wore white robes, and was quite large. His voice was deep, and carried cool and clear across the room when he spoke. His voice was like the Fuhrer's, but where the Fuhrer's spoke of authority, the white-haired man's spoke of an old-soul that had experienced plenty of the world and lived to tell the tale.

"It's time you resolved this sibling rivalry, your Father does not wish to see such ugly behavior."

Greed chuckled, "Hey pops, long time. I know it's been a hundred years and all but you sure do look decrepit."

Father closed the book he was reading, alchemy-related judging by the symbols, and set it aside. "Greed, you are both my son and a piece of my soul. So why would you betray your loving Father?"

"I'm surprised you asked," Greed obviously thought this to be nothing more than some type of game they were playing. "I mean you know that answer better than anyone dad. I'm Greed the Avaricious. You were the one that made me this way after all, I'm just being myself. I simply had larger ambitions than spending my life working for you."

If Father was affected by these words, he didn't show it. He remained more stoic than even Bradley was capable of, "And if I were to ask you to return and work for me again?"

"Hmm," Greed appeared briefly thoughtful. "Never."

Still stoic, Father simply replied with, "As you wish."

At that moment gears began to whir and turn. A large hole opened up in the stone floor below where Greed dangled, releasing thick pulsing streams of hot air. A large cylindrical metallic container began rising from this hole, attached to which were various tubes that connected to some of the pipes running along the floor that ultimately connected to the center of the room where Father was seated. Inside the container itself was a hot bubbling substance that wasn't quite the same as lava but certainly had the same appeal. Steam rose off of the surface of the liquid in rolling waves, the heat radiating from it would've been unbearable for most humans, but the Homunculi appeared unaffected by the heat waves. In fact they didn't seem at all concerned about Greed's fate, not even when he was on the verge of death in the pit of liquid-fire.

"Geez, talk about cheesy," regardless that he was to meet his end, Greed still maintained his sense of humor. Even when he was lowered down and his feet splashed into the hot liquid, making him howl in pain, he managed to laugh at the situation, quite maniacally.

"Why don't you come on in kids? THE WATER'S FINE! Nice and hot! Just like the flames in Hell! I'll send you a postcard, let you know what they're like!"

He dropped further and further, the liquid now up to his waist.

"And when the rest of you get there, I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU!"

Father reached out his hand in Greed's direction, "Now return from whence you were born. Return to my depths and rejoin my soul. Return Greed!"

"If that's what you want dad!" Greed continued to laugh, his eyes glowing bright red. "Just don't blame me when I give you a stomachache! YOU DID IT TO YOURSELF!"

He continued laughing even as he sank fully into the hot liquid, flickering streams of red light shooting out all around him. There was a suctioning sound as part of the hot liquid was being pulled into the various tubes connected to the container. The substance traveled through the tubes and eventually into a large flask holding a clear liquid, the substance turning that liquid into a crimson color. Finally it continued on, dripping into a wineglass of which Father picked up and held it out to his Homunculi children.

"I propose a toast my children. I shall drink to the Promise Day, and to your undying loyalty," his eyes glowed red as he tilted his head back and emptied the contents of the glass into his mouth.

"You can't be serious," Dean exclaimed softly, lost for words. "How is that possible?"

"Beats the hell out of me," Bobby replied, equally as lost. "But it's been staring us right in the face this whole time. We just never realized it. Had to rely on memory alone considering our lack of a hunter's reference section."

"How could we not notice this?" Sam asked, baffled. "I mean we've been seeing this stuff for how long now?"

"I'm thinking these are different than what we're used to," Bobby pointed out. "In fact I wouldn't rely on my opinion that that's even what they are. I just said they look like they're the same thing."

"Still though," Dean seemed to think for a moment. "I kept wondering why some of those Transmutation circles looked so damned familiar…or at least partly. This is more fucked up than we imagined."

"What should we do?" Sam inquired, trying to think of the next best step.

"I'll keep digging here, see what else I can find," Bobby reassured him. "You two just keep doing what you're doing."

"Sure thing," Dean agreed. "Oh and Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"You mind keeping an eye out on Central Command?" Dean suddenly seemed as though he hated to ask, but Bobby was their only lifeline at the moment. "Can't go into detail right now, but something doesn't smell right with that place, particularly the military."

"I'll see what I can do, you two just keep your noses clean alright?" And then he hung up.

"Unbelievable," Dean replied, Sam knowing he was referring to the information they'd just received rather than Bobby's method of ending a call.

"I know right?" Sam shook his head, his mind racing. "It just doesn't add up."

"Nothing has added up to much of anything since we got here," Dean reminded him, rolling his eyes.

Because the reason why Sam had thought the Flamel on Edward's coat was familiar…The reason why every time he'd ever glanced over an alchemy book and felt the strangest sense of déjà vu…..

Some of the symbols used in the Transmutation circles….were Enochian.