DA: Welcome back everyone! It's Friday so you know what that means! Another new chapter! If you're new to the story, well I hope you've enjoyed so far and I hope you will continue to enjoy as I continue on. This chapter has be worried. You're all either going to love me, or you're all gonna hate me. But that, of course, depends on your personality type.

Disclaimer: I only own a winry cosplay and a few of the manga books, not the copyright of the series itself.

DA: The usual gore and intense language warnings apply. Though compared to that dream, I think this chapter is pretty tame. Haha. Anyways, Enjoy!

Darkness to Dawn

Chapter 4

Ed arose to awareness slowly, pain the first thing his mind registered. A low groan escaped his throat, rising from deep within his chest. All in all, not an unfamiliar situation. Yet. Voices reached his ears, muffled as if spoken through water. It took a few minutes to fix that problem, the muted sounds soon clarifying into words. "-he's waking up, sir," someone said, shuffling around the room. Footsteps echoed, sharp and clacking as they approached him. Something warm closed around his chin, yanking it upright. With a moan, he cracked open his eyes, a blurry form appearing in front of him.

"So I see," another man said, voice smooth and deep. He blinked, trying to clear the never-ending blur over his entire field of vision. "He still looks a little dazed. Perhaps we should give him a few minutes to collect himself." The hand left his face, letting it drop back onto his chest. Pain burned up his neck, stiff from staying in the same position for too long. The room was clarifying, though slightly, the singularly colored floor diverting to detailed tiles, some chipped, and others stained with something he'd rather not think about.

His head felt thick and stuffy, throbbing on beat with his heart like it always did after he overused his alchemy. His arms were wrapped behind him, held together by a cold chain that bit into his flesh wrist. His legs were similarly tied. A wooden chair held him upright, supporting his weight when he wouldn't. But shit, what had happened? Last thing he remembered was smarting off to Mustang before he left for battle. He shifted, pain flaring up his side. Oh... Of course. He'd given himself to the enemy. Fucking brilliant Ed... Scowling despite his tight face, he lifted his head up and looked around, quickly counting the number of men and their ranks. Two grimy sergeants, a lieutenant, and a Brigadier General. Added with the fact that he couldn't move, his situation ranked a measly "oh shit, I'm screwed".

"I see you've finally pulled yourself together young man," the Brigadier General said, identifying himself as the man who had touched Ed earlier. The alchemist's golden eyes turned on him with a steely glare, eyebrows pinched together.

"You look like you're in charge. Where am I?" Ed asked, trying his hardest to put as much authority into the question as he could. It worked if the vein already starting to pulse in the older man's head was anything to go by. Interesting. It always took a few snide comments for Mustang to start showing outward signs of annoyance like that. Maybe the Colonel was right. He had a gift. But now was the wrong time to think about that.

"Already full of questions I see." Even the man's voice was touched with the beginnings of anger. "As am I, young man. Maybe we can help each other out. You answer my questions and I'll gladly answer one of yours. An 'equivalent exchange' of sorts. Don't you alchemists value that phrase?" If it was at all possible, Ed's eyes narrowed to the point where his irises were barely visible, not at all liking the inflection of the man's voice. The Brigadier General smiled, carefully gauging the expression on the blond's face with beady brown eyes. "I'll start by answering your question. You're in a prison compound in Creta. How long is up to you. Now will you do me the dubious pleasure of telling me your name, young man."

"Like you don't already know it. I'm sure you've been through my things already." The older man backed off, eyes twitching at the obvious refusal to answer. Straightening, he clasped his hands behind his back, keeping the frozen, fake smile firmly stationed on his face. He knew that this particular boy was going to be trouble. Of course a little wheedling was necessary to get what he wished.

"I'm not quite sure you understand the situation you're in right now, young man. I'm going to ask you one more time before things escalate." He paused for effect, turning to face the wall. "So what is your name? Or would you prefer me call you puny alchemist for the remainder of your stay here?" Ed's teeth clenched at the height reference, blood pressure rising in his anger. But he fought down his rant, forcing his head to clear. Glaring at the Brigadier General, he formulated a witty comeback.

"Hmm. I don't know. Why don't you tell me? You already know I'm an alchemist from your words, General. And I look pretty young don't I? And look at this-" He wiggled his mechanical arm for emphasis, already smirking at the shades of red entering the older man's face. "Automail. So tell me, who am I?" His head jerked to the side, his cheek already burning a bright red. The Cretan General's hand was raised, already poised for another hit. Even after being slapped, Ed couldn't keep the cocky smirk from his lips, laughter bubbling in his throat from his own words.

"It's not smart to mouth off to me, Edward Elric. But you will learn that in time. Won't you?" The man's lips pulled apart in a sickening grin, the anger flecking the edges of the expression.

"If I had a dime for every time someone told me that..." The back of the hand struck the other side of the boy's face, a thick ring scraping skin from the cheek. Blood instantly welled to the spot, overflowing and sliding gracefully down his face.

"One day you'll learn when to hold your tongue when you're talking to your elders." Ed looked up, his expression sarcastic and confident. His eyes were flashing with defiance.

"Look, General Shithead. I've had my commanding officer nagging about that to me for years. If you can't tell, the lesson hasn't quite sunk in yet, but you're welcome to try. Can't guarantee success though." Though his hand was poised to strike again, the Brigadier General thought better of slapping the alchemist again, turning around and sighing in exasperation.

"Alright. Let's try something else. Your Fuhrer. What is he planning for Creta? Where is he right now?" Ed shrugged as best he could when both arms were secured to the chair he was seated in, carefully crafting his features to emit ignorance.

"How should I know? I'm just hired help." The greying man spun back around to face his prisoner, his eyes narrowed now in visible fury. This guy seemed to snap quicker than Mustang too. Storming up to him, the Brigadier General grabbed the collar of his black jacket, teeth clenched.

"Tell me what you know about your Fuhrer Elric or this will be the last conversation you ever share with anyone!" Ed remained calm, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the man.

"Really? You captured an alchemist just to get information about Fuhrer Bradley? Did it even cross your minds that any halfwit soldier from the Amestrian Army might know this information? Kind of a waste of resources to go after a state alchemist." He smiled at his captor, the glittering defiance in his eyes a sight to behold. The grin soon faded, replaced by a grimace, as a fist buried itself in his gut, a choked groan rolling from his mouth. Pain arched up from his stomach, his sides also complaining at the punishment.

The Brigadier General reared back and struck again, the blow hitting the lower section of his ribcage. The chair fell backwards, his chained hands striking the floor harshly, but softened the impact for his head as that also jarred against the hard tile. Ed coughed, harsh and grating against his throat. Two soldiers, the sergeants, placed him upright once more, the boy dazed at the sudden change of pace. "I warned you boy. But you didn't listen. But that's alright. I can see that we're going to get nothing from you information wise." The blond's eyes widened, still wheezing slightly from the punches. "So, I'm going to change tactics here." The Brigadier General strode up to Ed's chair once again, that wicked smile again in place. "I'm in need of a skilled alchemist. Perhaps you'd like to fill that position. What do you say?"

Ed spat, the liquid slightly tinted with blood, at the man, appearing disgusted at even the thought. "Fuck you." The Cretan's expression remained unchanged, one hand signaling someone behind him.

"I see then. Have you met a Cretan engineer before, Edward?" A man materialized from behind the chair, a metal toolbox clutched in a gloved hand. "They're very skilled at what they do. In fact, one might say they're even more skilled than an Amestrian engineer, but I wouldn't know that; I've never met an Amestrain engineer. But it seems you have. You'll have to tell me what you think." The Brigadier General nodded at the greasy man, fear creeping up Ed's spine for the first time since he had awoken.

The engineer pulled a screwdriver out from his kit and pushed up the black leather covering the automail leg. The blond tried to jerk it away, but his restraints made it impossible to move. The tool quickly removed the faceplate on his shin, revealing the colorful wiring below. The man thumbed through several of the wires before pinching one, being yellow in color, between his fingers. Pulling a strange device from the metal box, it was swiftly attached to the wire, beeping quietly as it was activated. The mechanic went through his entire leg like this, picking and choosing wires to clamp the tiny machines too. It tickled to have the interior of his automail played with like this. The arm received the same treatment, though this one was a bit more painful for it had been in worse condition than his leg. He winced as the internal wiring was plucked and pushed aside, sharp jolts of mild pain shooting up his arm. Ed kept his teeth clenched and remained silent, unwilling to let the Brigadier General know about his pain, though the smug expression on the soldier's face told him that he already knew. Dammit.

The mechanic backed off, leaving the face plates off the prosthetics. "What the hell did you just do to me?" Ed snarled, trying to move his fake limbs to shake the devices out of them. The Brigadier General just smiled, full of menace.

"You'll see, Edward. I'm going to offer the position again. Let's hope for your sake you changed your mind. So, will you join us?" The alchemist just scowled at the older man, golden eyes incredulous. The grin widened, pulling a small remote from within his pocket. "We'll see about that." His finger smashed down on the button and, at first, nothing happened. Then pain, starting off lightly, started creeping up Ed's artificial limbs. The sensation only increased, surging to up them as he threw his head back with muffled moans. Well, at least he knew what the devices were for. His thoughts swam underneath the agony, each pulse scattering any coherency that gathered in his brain. It ended quickly, the boy gasping for oxygen that had been missed in the pain. Tangy blood gathered around his tongue, the tip throbbing in protest.

"So, Edward? Will you join us?" Still gasping for each breath, he leveled his gaze back at the bastard General.

"Go t' h'll," he mumbled around the mouthful of blood, feeling it drip down his chin. His eyes widened with mute horror as the man's thick thumb pressed down on the button once more, the pain instantaneous. Only when darkness began closing on his vision did it end this time and when he came back into himself, the world had gone blurry.

"Why don't you make it easy on yourself, boy, and just say yes?"

"Cause I have people to protect asshole. And no pompous Brigadier General who thinks a little pain is gonna bend a misbehaving prisoner to his will is going to change my mind." Despite the blood dribbling absently over his lips and the light pants accenting his words, the statement was effective, leaden with conviction. The man grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his dazed eyes to the beady brown of his captor's.

"You have no idea how bad this is going to get. I will break your will, Fullmetal Alchemist, no matter how long it takes." He released the boy and stepped back, heading towards the door. "I'm done for today. You are free to do what you wish with him." The sergeants grinned suddenly, making their way towards the weakened form chained to the chair. The lieutenant thought about joining for a moment, but left with his commanding officer, leaving the other two in the room alone with only the prisoner to keep them company. Ed swallowed, almost wincing at the thick blood that ran down his throat, and prepared for pain.

FMAFMA

"Brigadier General, what's the prognosis?"

"This one's going to be tough to crack, but I'll get it done. Before the deadline."

"Don't forget about that deadline, Hubert. It is of utmost importance that we get it working before that date."

"Please don't call me that. Brigadier General is just fine. And it will be done."

"I am not so sure, Brigadier General. We might have to resort to plan B the way things are looking right now."

"You were watching?"

"Of course I was watching. What do you take me for, some incompetent fool?"

"What are my next orders?"

"Move him to our base in Central. It'll be easier to complete it there when our target is nearby."

"Yes, sir."

DA: You guys hate me now, don't you...? Hehe. So many of you were begging for Ed to be okay. Heh. Looks like rescue might take a little while. And for those bloodthirsty few, the torture only gets worse from here. So stay tuned. XD

Sorry this chapter was so short. I hope you enjoyed anyway! As always, tell me what you think and I hope to see you all next week!

May your hearts stay strong,

DarkAngel555