Author's Note: This semester, I'm taking a few classes with heavy workloads. I will try to keep ahead of the chapters, but life being what it is, I might not post polished chapters regularly. If you've come this far, in Toxic Toast, then you probably want to see it play out, and I am VERY grateful for the dedication and interest you've shown for my story. I should have mentioned by now that I'm trying to base it off a season of Doctor Who. Holy Crap! That's ten more-or-less disconnected stories! What have I got myself into? Well, for one thing, lots of opportunity for character development. Will Envy come to follow in the Doctor's footsteps (or at least in his general direction)? Read and review. I do not own FMA or Doctor Who.

Chapter 7 Monsters

"Dalek," the Doctor said darkly, his stance tensed.

"Those canned squid?" Envy asked, surprised. He didn't expect the oldest enemy of his new people to come up so soon. "Why Earth?"

"You know our race," it said. "Who are you?"

"You don't know, Dalek? I would have never thought your kind would forget me."

For a brief moment, it hesitated. Then, "You are the Doctor. You are the Enemy. You and your Human friends will be EXTERMINATED!"

Envy took the chance to whip his arm out- tipped with eagles' talons- and smash the Dalek into the wall. " 'Friends,'" Envy said, "from what I heard I didn't think you'd knew the meaning of the word."

The Doctor herded the other two into the stairwell, and with his screwdriver, locked the door.

"What are you doing? There are still people out there!" the woman shouted. "Who are you? What are those things?"

"Those people won't be people much longer whether we try t'save 'em or not, lady," Envy said as he dragged her down the stairwell.

"You! You're horrible! A monster!"

"You're not the first to say that," the Homunculus replied. "Doctor! Where do we go from here?"

"Get off at the next floor- the lock won't hold them for long, but if they don't know which floor we escaped to…"

They clamored into a hallway and barged into the first office they saw. "Everyone remain calm!" the Doctor cried. "I'm the Doctor and these are my two lovely assistants. There's been a teensy problem upstairs but with the cooperation of you folk we'll get this all straightened out in a jiffy." He ousted one office worker from his seat, and took over the glowing upright tablet the man was working at.

"Hey "

"Fate of the world work, buddy," Envy said. "Those one of those computers you mentioned?"

"Yeah. If I can get into the building's security systems, then I can figure out what the Dalek are up to."

"How do you not know what a computer is?"

Envy gave here a look. "Ever hear of 'time travel'? I came from the year nineteen-fourteen to say this: WE'VE GOT BIGGER ISSUES HERE."

"How Who are you?"

"Envy. And you, honey-bear?"

She stiffened up proudly. "Elisa Grant. Journalist." She was taller than Envy by half a head, and somewhat of a stocky build. You couldn't call her fancy, but the sandy blonde girl had a bit of spitfire in her light blue eyes.

"Journalist, huh? What'll it take to keep a secret?"

"Envy," the Doctor scolded.

"Hey, I saved our lives back there- it's not my fault the girl took it badly."

"What are you?" again she asked.

"Many things. Most you wouldn't believe," he smirked.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"If I wanted to, why'd I drag you with me? But as for the Dalek, now they'll be interesting," Envy purred. In fact, he was kneading the back of the chair in anticipation, grinning mad like the Cheshire Cat1 that he was.

"Found it!" the Doctor cried. "And here we are, and the Dalek were there. Let's see… nothing, nothing, nothing… AH there! Fortieth floor!"

"That's maintenance- they have maintenance levels every twenty floors." Elisa said.

"Perfect place for the Dalek to hide. They always go for the tucked away parts in major landmarks."

Envy leaned over the Doctor's shoulder and peered at the layout on the screen. "Those… things- the equipment- it's all very decorative. Is there a way I can see them better?" The Doctor fiddled around on the keyboard a bit more. "Thanks. Ah, thought so. Don't recognize any of the patterns specifically, but I know Amestris alchemic symbols when I see them."

"And if you look at the way they're laid out…" the Doctor added.

"Connect the dots and you've got a transmutation circle," Envy finished. He smirked. "From the very beginning, someone's been a rat. Working with the Dalek. What a fool."

"What's it do?" Elisa asked.

"How should I know? I already said I don't recognize the elements in it. All I can tell by the basic pattern it that melds together whatever things're in the circle."

"If someone is working with the Dalek- it's happened before " the Doctor said, "then it's an alchemist who's in league with them- Dalek can't do alchemy on their own."

"What'd anyone have to gain from the squid?" Envy asked.

"The promise of power. And it's always a lie."

Envy snorted. "How is it that one bastard sees another bastard and thinks that the other won't stab him in the back if opportunity arises if they decide to work together? It's so stupid- I can't believe there are still humans that think that way."

"Envy," the Doctor said.

"You really are a monster."

"Well, honey-bear, I'm not keeping you here. Why don't you just run, then?"

"Envy."

Elisa stiffened again. "THOSE things are monsters. I've seen what they do. They've got to be stopped."

Envy stared before grinning leery. "Girl, you got guts. I like your stuff. See if you don't get yourself killed. I'd like to find out what you'll do. You gonna report on this or what?"

"Envy!"

"Whaat!"

"Go see where the Dalek are," the Doctor said. Then to Elisa, "Sorry about him- he has an… interesting background. I'm working on it.

The Homunculus snorted again and left the room. He saw in a convex mirror that the hallway was empty. Creeping over to the stairwell door, Envy sent some of his fingers under the threshold, and created eyes at the tips. Finding nothing in that area, he sent his fingers both up and down the stairs. Several floors down, the Dalek were hovering their way through the passage. He retreat his fingers and reported.

"Four of 'em," he said. "Eight floors beneath us. They don't even seem to be looking for us."

"That means they're ready to put their plan into action," the Doctor concluded. "Let's go. The elevator."

"The elevator? It'd be faster. Why wouldn't they take that?" Elisa asked.

Envy rolled his eyes. "Geez. Imagine someone opening the door onto them, and then screaming. That attracts attention. Then the squid have to take time to nix everyone in earshot," Envy paused to let her respond. She didn't, and he went on. "Now say you got one person in a sealed off area someplace not used as much, who can't see the Dalek coming. Less people to kill means fewer delays- and more for sacrifice if need be."

"I can't believe anyone can think that way." Elisa said

"Well, the Dalek do," the Doctor responded. "It's good to have someone who knows how to think like the ones you're fighting."

Envy gave Elisa a huge smile, one that shuts the eyes, revealing his sharpened teeth. Elisa shifted her weight and watched the floors count down.

The elevator came to a halt at the forty-third floor. The doors wouldn't open. "Shit!" "No no no NO NO!" Then the lights went dark.

"What!" Elisa cried.

The Doctor bolted over to panel and pointed his sonic screwdriver at it. Envy had studied bioluminescence, but for the first time had a use for it. He began to glow. "What?" he asked after seeing Elisa's reaction.

The Doctor cursed. "It's no use. They've completely shut off the power to the elevator." He looked up at the ceiling and then directed the screwdriver toward one odd panel in it. "That won't stop us though." He jumped up, popped the panel to the side, and pulled himself up.

Envy crouched, wrapped his arms around Elisa's knees and hoisted her up through the opening. She protested, but took the Doctor's arm to pull her through. Envy followed.

The Doctor lead the group to the elevator shaft's ladder, where they clamored all the way down the remaining three stories. Arriving at the right door, they heard beyond it the muffled voices of the Dalek, speaking to another, more organic voice. "The rouge alchemist…" the Doctor said.

Envy licked his lips. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's crash a party, shall we?" He transmuted his lower half into a snake to give himself an anchor around the ladder, and dug his fingers in between the elevator doors. He heard the room on the other side fall silent. His chuckle came from the bowels of Hell. "Weee'rrrree heee-errrrre," he crooned as forced the gates open.

1 Alice in Wonderland- yet another Book I must read. (And it fits him so much!)