Author's Note: You know what it's like to spend the summer without much in the way of inspiration or creativity? Well I do! The worst has been for the one incomplete I should be focusing on, and the shrink's not returning my calls- what a [CENSORED]! But this is the long- awaited next chapter of Toxic Toast, and if you haven't checked it out already, I've started an APH fanfic for all you Nation lovers out there! I claim no ownership of Doctor Who or FMA.

Chapter 14: Skin-Walker

On the way back, Envy morphed into a lean youth in clothes expected of a university student. It would be easier to use techno-jargon with the Doctor without being questioned that way. Along the way, a MP tried to stop the three from passing a roadblock. Envy however, walked forward with a purpose in his step.

"Sir, you can't go beyond- Oh." The MP yielded to what Envy had shown him- his fob watch. Or rather, he held it up inches away from the man's face for a second as he strode past. It was a dangerous move, and he could be charged with falsely passing as a State Alchemist, but really, the fob watch is the signature of a Time Lord as well. If the guard didn't recognize that the inscription on the face was a Time Lord rune, it wasn't Envy's fault. You'd want Time Lords to handle this situation anyway.

"There you are! I was getting worried," the Doctor called, ignoring Envy mutterings about the "idiotic military getting in the way." "Well? What'd you figure out?"

"It was, err… a particle beam?" Elisa turned to Envy for verification as she handed the schematics over to the Doctor. Envy nodded.

"Gooood, good," the Doctor said, donning his glasses. "Peterertian, by the looks of it, this ship. Bit dated, though."

"Peteretian," Envy muttered rolling the name around. "They're only what, ninety light-years away? Defiantly in the neighborhood, then."

"Why's that so important?" Winry asked, leaning against an exposed joist. The Doctor drew in a breath, about to answer, when a resounding boom thundered down the valley.

"They're back!" he shouted instead. "Into the TARDIS!"

Elisa grabbed Winry's wrist, pulling the shaken mechanic. She slammed the door shut as the Doctor was focused on a monitor and searching the frequencies as Envy started up the TARDIS.

"What are you thinking? This wood box can't protect us!" Winry screamed as the TARDIS shook wildly, it's core beating.

"Try using your imagination! Boxes make great forts!" the Doctor cried.

"That, or houses," Elisa added, clinging to a support.

"And don't forget rocket ships," Envy finished on the other side of the console.

"Ah! Here we go!" the Doctor cried. "Attention, Peterertians, you are under violation of section fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation, assault on a class five planet. I therefore order you to leave Earth's space at once."

A laugh like a landslide of pebbles came through the speaker, followed by a voice, "What makes you think you can stop us?"

"What makes you think I can't?" the Doctor's raised his brow, voice like a karate master's stance: not aggressive, but brimming with a horrible calm.

"A little man like you couldn't touch us," the voice came, interrupted by some background noise.

"Then tell me why you're attacking innocent people," the Doctor demanded.

The voice screeched in anger. "You call 'em people? Your lot are the problem, thinking cyborgs are worth shit!"

"Them fightin' words," Envy whispered from the console. One second later the ship shook from a particle blast. "Doctor." Envy gave him a dead stare.

The Doctor returned it, saying, "If they're going to fight, better us than Rush Valley. Go ahead."

Envy rushed out the door, body crackling. They had moved the TARDIS to the top of the valley, so Envy had enough space for this.

It was always an adrenaline rush, taking the shape of a golden eagle, even more so than his true form. But this was the first time Envy really needed to use it in battle. If nothing else, he would be a distraction. Beating his wings, Envy climbed up among the ships, bombing and raking with his talons. He knocked them off course, and flew upwards, drawing one away. Envy evaded the ships fire, weaving, veering, diving, until he was certain that the only thing the pilot was focused on was Envy. Spying on another ship, Envy wheeled sharply and dove, the first ship following. Envy reached out with his talons, and snared the ship. He could not pull it with him; rather was he swung around it, putting the second ship where he was a moment before. That place was right where the first ship was headed.

It was a ball of fire. The force of the explosion nearly knocked Envy out of the sky. Burning debris pummeled his wings and fell to the town below. Envy could barely hear the screams above the explosion's roar.

The ship he held onto took enough of the force that its shell acted somewhat as a shield. Envy's wings were exposed and burning, and in the pain, he couldn't regenerate, but reverted to his human form. The rest of his survival of a two hundred foot fall rested solely in the fact that as a Homunculus, he had a few extra souls he could use for coming back to life. Then there was slight factor that the remains of ship's shell were falling right above him. Oh yes. This was going to hurt.

When his neurons had re-grown properly in his skull, and having come around, Envy was distinctly aware that his right shoulder and arm were waiting for a mass of metal to be removed from where they were supposed to regenerate. It also didn't feel like he had enough energy to return to his true form and push the hull off. Envy would just have to wait for help. A nap seemed like a nice idea at the moment.

That moment ended with a great deal of noise and weight being lifted off his damaged limb. Envy sighed at having to get up despite being pinned, trapped and laying on a pile of rock that was digging into every exposed pressure point. But it was that persistent sunlight that really got him. With his new hand, Envy rubbed his eyes and pushed himself up. Wiping the gunk out of one eye, he looked around him, and saw two figures standing over him, sun behind their backs.

"Doctor…?" Envy began to stand up unsteadily, but was knocked over by a wall of heat and light. Those flames… Envy was tackled. A pair of sweaty hands pressed down on his shoulders, and an energy burst bored into his nodes. It felt like he was being torn apart. Envy tried to throw the figure off him, but his body was convulsing on it's own. Along his spine and up into his brain, a firestorm went off. It died down quickly, but his Philosopher's stone didn't activate. Envy knew he was in danger, but his body was sinking into unconsciousness. He couldn't fight it…