[A/N: Oh my dear audience, how easily led-on you are... 3]
All hope was lost. He was dying.
...an explosion...
...crash...
...fire...
...a circle of light...
"Colonel! Colonel, come on! Don't be such a wimp!" Roy Mustang recognized Edward Elric's voice. It took him another moment to realize that the circle of light above him was the room in which he had been just moments ago. It seemed Edward had used his alchemy to singe a hole into the floor. He had fallen through to a crawl space below.
Roy was weak, but he could sit. His memories flooded back into his mind and suddenly it hit him.
Was he a homunculus...?
"Fullmetal..." Ed nodded, watching him carefully as Roy looked at his hands. They were bleeding from multiple cut wounds.
He almost smiled when they didn't heal themselves.
"...What happened?" he asked, feeling strength slowly seep back into his body.
"You were stupid." he whispered harshly, helping Roy up. "But I can yell at you for that later. We need to get out of here. Alphonse is waiting. Hoenhiem volunteered to distract Father while we got you out, but I'm not sure exactly how long he can do that..." Hoenhiem's voice traveled through the circle along with Fathers slightly angered one. Ed led the way into the darkness.
Roy was crawling weakly behind when the pipes around them came alive with alchemy magic and started thrashing around them blindly. One had just flown inches from his face when they saw the light of the opening. They dashed as fast as they could towards it. Ed dropped down first and Roy, dodging one last wild pipe, fell clumsily out and into a hallway. Alphonse was there, full gleaming suit of armor and all. He ignored Roy's weak protests and picked him up off of the floor. Cradling him in his big metal arms, they began running loudly down the hall. The only thing Roy could do was watch the room numbers float by as they ran for what seemed like hours.
D8... D9... E1... E2...E3...
Suddenly, a large metal door loomed in front of them. It took Edward a clap and a moment to make an opening into it. Upon entering, they realized that they had discovered a security room. It was filled from floor to ceiling with computer monitors. A blueish green hue of light from the screens was cast over the ground, providing the only source of light in the otherwise dark and dry room. The screens showed multiple rooms, most empty. Others had Chimera's walking with a guard like pace in some unknown part of the facility. They were set in rows with the floor littered with cables.
"Can you walk?" Alphonse asked to Mustang. He nodded and Alphonse set him carefully to the floor. He swayed slightly, but held himself up by the walls and walked slowly, studying each monitor for a familiar face.
Riza.
Edward and Alphonse followed slowly behind.
"I wasn't expecting you two to come so quickly..." Roy said quietly, studying a blond Chimera. Ed snorted and Roy moved on.
"Well, you're trail wasn't exactly the easiest to follow, but we managed." Alphonse said. Roy knew what he meant. Before he and the Lieutenant had left, he had taken steps to inform the boys where they had gone, in case they had been reported missing. Papers with coded messages, objects of significance, the gang at Central knowing bits and pieces... He had figured it would take them a week, maybe two to figure it all out. He was glad to discover that he had underestimated them once again.
Suddenly, he stopped. Hawkeye's prison was in front of him on a screen. When he could make out the condition she was in, his heart started racing.
Her room was tiny, barely enough room for any human, with just enough room to sit and cradle her knee's to her face. Her blond hair was brown with dirt and hanging in loose wisps down her back. Roy touched the monitor and stared, watching hot red blood drip from her hands as they hung off of her knee's. She was hurt and broken, her silent sobs resonating savagely from her body.
Roy's anger resurfaced with a vengeance. He lashed out, throwing his naked fist into the screen right next to Riza's. Before impact, however, he felt someone hold him back. Edward had caught his fist in the air and held it tight. Ed had his head downcast, his eyes were glazed over, and his hand was squeezing Roy's fist with more than just his strength. Roy saw then that Edward understood. Or was it more than understanding? Ed had been in the same position as Roy was in now, except constantly. Roy realized then that Ed already knew the blazing anger that Roy now felt coursing like lava through his own veins. And, yet, Ed had held Roy back.
It dawned on Roy that Edward was no longer the child he remembered. These two boys, he thought as he looked at them, had been through almost as much as he had and in half the time. Sure, Ed was still on the smaller side height wise, but he and Al had the strength and compassion of someone much older; perhaps older than Roy was himself. The sudden realization was enough to steady Roy's fist for the time being. If Ed could be mature, so could he.
"Brother, look!" Alphonse suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the screen Roy had been about to destroy. It showed Hoenhiem running, looking badly injured, and Gluttony in pursuit, tongue dangling. Ed and Al looked at Roy.
"We need to help him!"
Roy nodded. "You two go. Get Hoenhiem and get out of here. I have to find Riza." he said. With one last look of understanding from Ed, the boys turned back toward the door and ran. "Thanks" Roy whispered, taking a small moment to appreciate the two. Without them, both him and his Lieutenant would be at Father's mercy.
Roy looked to Riza's monitor again. Her sobs had stopped. There was a title above the monitor labeled D5. Gathering every little bit of strength he had left in his body, he turned to leave. However, something fast and dark darted out of the corner of his eye.
For a split moment, he saw Envy duck from view of the camera on a monitor marked HALL D.