DA: Hey everyone! It's that wonderful time of week again and I've just finished my last anatomy lab (thank God I'm so familiar with the nervous system) so I'm now 100% free on Fridays! Gotta love college. Once again not gonna bore you with meaningless ramblings. Let's get right to the chapter shall we!

Disclaimer: Still got nothing witty. I think the wit has drained from me for the month...

Well, hope you guys are ready cause here we go!

Darkness to Dawn

Chapter 12

Ed took a deep breath in, looking over the edge of the bed. Had the floor seemed so far down before? He couldn't seem to remember. Winry was back at her hotel room for the night, the doctors had turned the lights off for him to go to sleep, and Al and Mustang had already left for the warehouse. Everything was in order for him to make his escape. The only thing left for him to do was actually get off the bed, something apparently harder than it looked. Squeezing his eyes shut, he inched off the bed, listening to the light clacking of his automail toes against the floor, soon followed by a cool sensation as his flesh lowered to follow the false limb. So far so good.

With both feet flush against the floor, he heaved himself upright, his metal hand clamping around the head of his bed as a wave of dizziness overtook him. He sighed lightly as it passed, nodding to himself. It was just his lack of being upright these last few weeks. Releasing the headboard, he eased his weight evenly across both feet, wincing as his still healing muscles pulled. His knee ached sharply in protest, demanding for him to relax it. The closing hole above his automail also complained at his weight, threatening to reopen. He wavered for a moment, but for the most part was stable. Phase 1 complete.

Treading light so as to not alert the overly perceptive nurses, he made his way over to the window, growling softly against the pain. The bruises for the most part had faded, but the whip lashes and knife lacerations alike were slow in healing. Not to mention, every time the damn array activated, the carving reopened, making that specific injury fresh. Walking wasn't exactly fun in this condition, but he did it anyway. He didn't want his brother and Mustang going in there alone. It was his problem, so he should deal with it.

A sliver of moonlight across the windowsill illuminated the small array he had carved here earlier that day during his physical therapy for his knee. He had paused, feigning exhaustion, at this spot for not even a moment, but long enough for him to create the circle without being noticed. Ed brushed his hand over the marking, activating the alchemic reaction coded into the circle. Blue light glimmered out from the initial array, lining the side of the hospital until it reached the bottom. When it faded, the outer concrete was riddled with cracks and holes, enough to give Ed a clear shot at climbing down.

He frowned at his work, his critical gaze not too fond of the messy job he'd done. Normally, he would have created a full ladder, but this was unfortunately the best he could do in the time that had been allowed for him in the short time he'd used to create the array. With a light sigh, he pushed the window open with his prosthetic, cursing his broken limb with every thought. Latching his metal fingers around the strip of wood that stretched from the inside of his room to the open air, the teen swung himself over the edge, digging his slipper clad feet into notches in the outer wall.

The night air was frigid, a blast of cold air ripping right through his hospital garb. The temperature dragged goosebumps to the surface of his skin, pebbling his fair skin with texture. He shivered, pressing his bandaged forehead into the rough siding. The wood above him creaked in protest, a majority of his weight supported by the thin board. He couldn't stay here. Swallowing harshly, he lowered one foot down to feel for another crack, stubbornly keeping his eyes on the wall in front of him. He was totally not afraid of heights. Especially when he was unable to transmute on the fly and covered head to toe in severe injuries.

Ed crawled down the side of the building slowly but surely, only moving one limb at a time to ensure his safety. His foot slipped a few times, but the steady grip of his automail saved him, not yielding to the heavy weight. It was moments like these that Ed was glad his hand wasn't flesh. Climbing down the side of the building with two real hands would be far more dangerous, especially with one arm completely useless. He pressed the sling tighter to his torso, his lips pressing together in concentration. Sweat pricked his forehead, the frigid wind turning it to ice water as it slipped down his face, the tracks going numb.

Repressing a shiver, he continued down, his foot moving to find the next hole. Just as he moved one, the other foot slid out of its slipper, throwing him off balance. His metal hand tightened around the concrete, the fingers digging individual holes in the stone. Shit, shit, shit. Continuing to swear harshly under his breath, he scrambled for another foot hold, heart thudding in his chest. His shifting weight increased the pressure of his hand on the wall, loose stones showering him from above. Shit. His bare automail toes were splayed against the wall for some additional support, his other foot, still clad in the slick slipper, still scrambling for purchase on another imperfection.

Crack! A startled yelp leaving his lips, his hand was suddenly holding nothing but a chunk of what used to be a part of the outer wall, a weightlessness filling his being as he started free-falling the remainder of the way down. Fuck. This was going to hurt a lot. His hand wheeled back as if to slow himself down, his feet still frozen in shock. He could almost feel the ground fast approaching as gravity preformed its job. Ed's mind flew through possibilities, but none of them practical due to his lack of his other arm. He wondered vaguely if he should scream, the cold night's chill breezing upward against his already cold skin.

Warmth encircled him, strong arms breaking his impact with the hard ground. He grunted at the still painful contact, another, older voice mirroring his own complaints. Slowly, he opened eyes he hadn't realized had closed, a pair of onyx eyes staring into his own. Well, fuck. He'd thought that Mustang had already left. It was just one thing after another, wasn't it? "Are you alright Ed?" the Colonel asked, a hint of concern in the man's voice that Ed chose to overlook, as always. After all, Mustang was a manipulative bastard, the only reason he would care was if it benefited him in some way.

"Fine," he responded tersely, quickly shifting the look of shock on his face to a glare. "Put me down." A trace of relief brushed against Roy's face before it vanished, a scowl replacing it instantly. He set the teen on his feet, hands primed to catch him if he fell. Once on his feet, the blond searched for the slipper that had caused his fall, spotting it next to the base of the hospital. He brushed it off before shoving his automail foot back into it, frowning harshly at the damned shoe.

"Ok, if you don't mind me asking, Fullmetal," Ed winced internally at his military name, knowing the inflection in his superior officer's voice. He prepared himself for the lecture. "What the hell were you thinking?! You know you're not supposed to up and around. If we hadn't been around, you would have died. It's a good thing your younger brother knows you better than you know yourself." The teen flinched at the mention of Al, glancing up to spot the familiar metallic glint of his younger brother's form.

"I need to come bastard!" he snapped, molten golden eyes flicking to Mustang. "And not just because of what we need to find. I...I need to know..." His voice cracked, softening at the last confession. The dark eyes cooled slightly, a strange glint of understanding overtaking the anger. Next to the dark-haired man, Al sighed.

"Alright... You can come along, brother," Al conceded, his tone effectively conveying his dislike at the decision. Ed jerked around to face his brother, surprise once again gracing his features. "But, only if you don't do anything that would strain your injuries." The teen chuckled underneath his breath, shaking his head.

"Yes, Al," he agreed, his voice annoyed. Roy frowned, but said nothing, knowing that he had nothing to add to the conversation any longer. Ed had laid down his cards, a very good hand at that, and Al had set his own rules to the game, leaving him out of any decision they made. Kids... He met Riza's tawny gaze, shrugging at her. Her lips lifted slightly to display her amusement, her eyes etched with the concern she felt for the older of the two Elrics. But they both knew that they had lost.

FMAFMA

The moon was high in the velvet sky when they reached the wreckage of the Cretan building, Ed growing more and more tense with each step. Hawkeye, who was keeping at the rear to watch their backs, placed a gentle, reassuring hand on his shoulder. Roy was blatantly ignoring the younger alchemist, anger rolling off of him in waves. Al strode between Flame and Fullmetal, periodically glancing back at his older brother. Overall though, the disapproval at Ed's presence far overtook any worry or anger that peppered the atmosphere. Ed knew he shouldn't have gone, but he had to see this building's remains for himself; he needed the closure.

Large hunks of brickwork indented the dew-softened ground, slabs of concrete scattering alongside them. Ed, his flesh leg trembling beneath his weight, sighed, his metal fingers lacing into the golden strands that hung in his face to brush them back. Finding any book, much less the specific one they needed, intact in this mess was going to be damn near impossible. "So," he began, grasping the plaster in the sling to feign the appearance of crossing his arms. "Where are we gonna start?"

"You are going to find a nice rock somewhere and sit the hell down before you fall, Fullmetal," Mustang sniped, barely controlled rage boiling beneath his words. "We-" At this, he gestured to the remainder of the group. "On the other hand, are going to dig through this rubble to find something of use." Ed glared at the older man, mind racing for a comeback. Mustang's dark eyes glowered at him from over his shoulder, a gloved finger pointing to a boulder that lined the clearing. "I mean it Fullmetal. Now go." Huffing, the blond stamped over to the rock and dropped heavily onto it, scowling at Roy. The Colonel rolled his eyes and turned to Hawkeye and Alphonse, giving swift orders to split up and search.

Only a half hour in and Mustang was already frustrated. There was no fucking way that they were going to find a single book in this gigantic fucking mess. (That he'd created, the back of his mind reminded him unhelpfully). With an annoyed grunt, he dropped the rock he was holding and snapped out of reflex, his hands only clad in standard gloves rather than his trademark ignition cloth gloves. He resisted the childish urge to kick the hunk of brick and plaster and glanced back at his youngest subordinate, quickly scanning the small form like he had every few minutes since the start of the mission.

Ed had become far more pale than he had been earlier, the color leeching from his fair skin as if bleached. And though he'd complained about being made to sit out for the first few minutes, he'd quieted, shifting on the boulder to elevate his knee. Mustang grimaced at that sight, knowing that it had to ache, a lot. All in all, the kid looked like hell.

Sighing, the Colonel went back to work, leaning over to lift yet another piece of rubble. His back twinged in protest as he did so, complaining about the hard labor that it'd been made to do. Rolling onyx eyes, he tightened his grip in preparation, muscles bunching beneath the military jacket. "Um, Colonel Mustang?" Al addressed from a few meters away, tone confused. Roy let go of the debris and stood, brushing off his hands. Alphonse had a piece of wall clutched to his chest as he stared at the spot that it used to occupy, red eyes unreadable.

"Yes Alphonse?' Mustang responded, ignoring the hint of breathlessness in his voice. The armored boy dropped what he was holding and met the older man's eyes.

"Is there supposed to be a staircase here?" In the distance, Ed sat up, moving his leg out in front of him with a wince that they all chose to ignore. Mustang's mind immediately fell back to the floor map that they'd used during the rescue. There hadn't been a basement. At all. Shit, that had to have been dug recently.

"No, I don't believe so..."

"Well," Ed interjected, bringing attention o the fact that he'd moved from his spot. Al swung his helmet around to gawk at the blond, the shorter boy peering down into the dark stairwell. "Shall we?" He gestured to the opening, smirking at Roy. The older man opened his mouth to state his opinion on the matter when Ed cut him off. "And I can walk down a few stairs. I swear, you've gotten paranoid in your old age bastard."

Paranoid? Paranoid wasn't the word to describe what Roy felt. But Ed didn't know that. The boy didn't know a lot of things, things only Riza knew about, though the others probably made their own theories. He didn't see Roy's face when Havoc had reported Ed missing; didn't see when he'd stayed up at night worrying and trying to figure out what the hell the enemy had done with his subordinate; didn't see the elation he'd felt upon finding the kid nor the parental-like concern in his eyes when he'd sat in the hospital room days after Ed had been brought in; And most of all, Ed hadn't witnessed Roy's guilt, the times he'd nearly broken down because he bore the blame of Ed's capture. Not like he'd admit any of this to the boy. Some things were better left unsaid.

Roy shook his head and sighed, combing fingers through his black fringe. "By all means, Fullmetal. After you."

FMAFMA

The basement was as dark as the stairwell leading to it, the inky blackness oppressive as they stepped into its depths. Roy sighed next to Ed, his hand rustling his uniform in search of something. With a snap, light blossomed into the darkness, fading as quickly as it was made. This time, the Colonel swore, alchemy charging the air as he prepared to ignite another burst. Just as it was released, lights overhead flickered on, illuminating the rather large chamber. Ed glanced around, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. There was no switch nearby that he could see. Strange. Continuing his search, the confusion on the boy's face turned strained, a smile twitching on his lips. Mustang was frozen where he had been when the lights had turned on, his eyes wide and his hand reaching out to create another explosion to reveal some features of the room.

"Well, bastard," Ed snorted, the older man slowly relaxing from his stiff position. "Looks like you were useless yet again. Perhaps you really can't teach an old dog new tricks." Roy sputtered at the comment, whipping around to glare at the blond alchemist. Ed just snickered and walked to the head of the group, resting his metal hand on his hip. "Anyways, this place is huge, we should split up and search separately."

"Fullmetal, I am the one with the highest rank here, therefore, I give the orders, not you," Roy informed him, recovering from Ed's previous statement. The teen just raised an eyebrow, smirking expectantly. "And I say that we should divide and conquer."

"My suggestion and yours mean the same thing dammit!"

"True, but I used words that your short vocabulary wouldn't comprehend."

"Dammit Mustang! Always the height jokes with you. I am not a shrimp!"

"Whatever you say, Fullmetal. Don't you have a basement to be searching?" Ed grumbled under his breath, anatomically impossible suggestions uttered just loud enough to be heard. But he limped off, his eyebrows drawing together once more as he turned away from the bastard. Something wasn't quite right about this place. A familiar sort of energy filled the air, charging for an unknown end. Pushing the premonition far from his mind, he trudged to the nearest table, a workbench by the look of it. Metal tools were scatted on the chipped wooden surface, all worn with use and covered in rust. Didn't seem like the area was in use anymore. Strange, considering the place had to have been built only a few weeks ago.

A layer of dust coated a nearby table, this one similarly covered with a variety of tools. The next one he checked was even worse, plans littering the bench top. The papers were pushed aside and spread neatly, as if they were being used before the workers had left. With a wince, he leaned over to study their contents when a glimmer from floor in front of the table caught his eye. No way. Was that...blood? He pushed himself upright, golden eyes staring at the wet stain on the ground. Unconsciously, he stepped around the bench, bringing himself closer to discover what the hell it was.

The stain was on a pedestal, only slightly raised from the floor beneath it. It curved and followed the lines of the surface that it laid, creating a very familiar shape. Ed smiled slightly, the expression colored with disbelief. Honestly, did the Cretans have nothing else better to do than to study alchemy? He doubted it. They had seemed pretty adamant about making him work for them, so they couldn't have been any good at the science. That was the only explanation he could think of that would justify what had occurred during his captivity, or at least, the only one that made sense.

Calling the others over, he circled slowly around the array, suddenly hit with a splash of deja vu. He'd definitely seen this specific rune somewhere else before now, but where? Every memory from the very end of his imprisonment to his awakening in the hospital was vague and blurry at best, nonexistent at worst. So if he'd seen it sometime during then, it was highly unlikely that he'd find out what it was. With a sigh, he glanced at Lieutenant Hawkeye, who'd arrived first after his summoning. She appeared perplexed, her fine eyebrows furrowing. Clad in her military issue pants and a black undershirt, her pistols were on view for anyone to see, a warning to those that might consider crossing her. Her sapphire blue jacket was around Ed's shoulders, strung there since the start of this impromptu mission. She'd given it to him upon noticing the slight tremble to his movements, the night's chill soaking through his thin hospital sleepwear.

"Well well," Mustang whispered by his ear, breaking the young alchemist from his thoughts. "What do we have here?"

"It looks like alchemy," Al responded, cutting off his brother's smartass response before it could be said. Ed pouted, huffing quietly to himself. Sometimes he thought that Al could read his mind, like his armor gave him special Elric telepathy or something of the sort. He'd have to look into that later.

"Yea..." Ed murmured, shaking the ridiculous concept from his mind. Maybe the pain was getting to him more than he had originally thought. "What the hell were the Cretans planning?"

"Beats me. I couldn't figure out one Cretan circle, much less two."

"Sometimes it takes solving a few puzzles to get some answers. I bet this opens a doorway or another opening of some sort. I'm going to get a closer look." Without waiting for permission, he stepped up onto the platform, his wandering eyes eagerly exploring the contours of the diagram. Al, watching his older brother carefully, was trying to recall where he'd seen this array before. A metallic gasp echoed in the emptiness, dread forming within him as he watched Ed crouch down to press his only available palm to the array.

"Brother, no!" The warning reached the boy's ears too late, his metal hand grazing the wooden surface. A blue glow ran from the blond's fingertips to the entire circle, running through the lines and activating the symbols etched within. The energy crackled up and Ed screamed, the array on his back responding to the one on the floor. "ED!" The teen collapsed to the floor, choked moans rolling from his throat. His hand curled around his lower back as if to protect it from more injury, the pressure only making the burning agony even worse.

A laugh reverberated around the room. "At last," the newcomer announced, stepping out onto the balcony that observed the whole workroom. "The final piece has fallen into place. Now all of Amestris will bow to the might of Creta!" Concealed in the wall of the basement, a pair of burning red eyes flickered into existence, their light reflecting off the metal of its body.

DA: Heh heh. Cliffhanger. Don't worry, next chapter is only a week away. It'll go by fast. I have to admit, I think the escape from the hospital scene is one of my favorite scenes in this whole story. I'm not sure why, but I really like it.

Alright, announcements. This story has at least one (maybe two depending on how I feel like splitting it up) solid chapter left and a short epilogue that I'm going to mix in with some comments of my own. Yep, we're almost done here folks. Almost at the end of the road. But don't worry, still got lotsa fun to go. Hehe. Yep, you'll enjoy next chapter I think. Or you'll all hate me. That's usually how things go with me.

See you all next week! Don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'd like to reach 100 reviews by the end of this, but no pressure. I'll still post next week regardless.

May your hearts stay strong,

DarkAngel555