Huzzah! I present to you all yet another chapter! Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story thus far! You guys are awesome and encourage me so much!

I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Just my cult and my plot.

Roy didn't know how long his eyes had been glued to the window. The window looked out to the courtyard, providing him with the view of the rain pouring down on his youngest subordinate. He knew the kid had to be freezing. A few of the cult's guards surrounded him. He and Havoc had been in the barracks for a few hours, and he noticed that the guards rotated every hour, probably due to the cold rain.

The Colonel glanced at the bed next to his. Havoc's eyes were closed. Roy ordered him to try and get some of sleep while they waited for the rest of the congregation to turn in for the night; however, he had a feeling the man wasn't sleeping at all. He had been hoping Jean would get at least a little rest because he spent most of his nights at the Sanct worrying about Ed, but their current situation was much worse. He wasn't sure why he even bothered trying to get the man to sleep.

"You're awake, aren't you?" he whispered.

The Second Lieutenant cracked open one of his eyes with a wry smirk.

"How'd you guess?"

He pulled himself into a sitting position at the edge of his bed, just like the Colonel. He stared out the window. The two military officers were silent, but the silence was incredibly tense. Neither one of them wanted to mention how injured Ed already was and how much more difficult it was going to be to get him out.

Roy figured that if the rest of his team back in the warehouse heard what the Jones brothers said during the evening service, they were going to call East City for reinforcements if they hadn't already. They would probably wait until he made contact with them before they made any decisions about coming to the Sanct.

The thought of ordering them to storm in and get Ed crossed his mind. With additional forces from East City, they could easily take out the cult's militia. Unfortunately, several casualties would probably result from that.

Ed wouldn't want that. He knew the young alchemist well enough to know that.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kid approaching the two military officers. Even though the only light in the barracks was coming through the windows from the lamps in the courtyard, he recognized the long brown hair. Havoc noticed him as well.

Zayne stood before them, a lantern in hand. Before either military officer said a word, he put a finger to his lips, a silent warning to remain quiet. He motioned for them to follow him. Quickly and quietly, they followed the kid out of the barracks. They all made their way through the halls until they reached the sanctuary.

That was definitely convenient. The whole reason the Colonel and Second Lieutenant were just sitting in the barracks was to wait until they could get their best chance to get to the bugs in the sanctuary and contact their forces in Freyvale.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," Zayne began, "I just wanted to be certain we wouldn't be overheard. The rest of the congregation should be asleep by now with the exception of the guards, but they can easily be avoided. I must also apologize for dragging you two all the way to the sanctuary. There's something I feel the need to show you."

Zayne opened the door and poked his head into the sanctuary. After determining no one was in there, the three entered. Jean glanced briefly at his commanding officer, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

It would be so easy to retrieve the microphones Jean had hidden throughout the large room, but doing so would risk breaking any trust Zayne might have in them. Neither of them knew what the kid wanted to discuss with them. Their curiosity piqued when Zayne climbed up the steps of the stage and walked straight to the back wall.

The wall was made of stone, so it was safe to say both men were shocked when Zayne pressed against the stone to reveal a door hidden within the wall. He turned on the lantern and motioned for the two to follow him.

The thought of finding the bugs were out the window. The forces in Freyvale could wait a few more minutes. The Colonel and Second Lieutenant quietly bounded up the steps to join Zayne, but Roy staggered when he crossed the threshold of the hidden door.

"Are you all right?" Zayne asked.

Havoc looked at his superior, also concerned.

Roy desperately wished he could explain it to them, but he just couldn't. Neither one of them were alchemists. Neither one of them could feel the dark energy that was practically suffocating him.

"I'm fine," he managed to say.

He knew by the look Havoc was giving him that the man wasn't convinced, but they would discuss that later. He finally got a good look around. It was pretty dim since Zayne's lantern provided the only light. Before the three was a staircase that descended into blackness. Eerie shadows danced along the wall, not helping the foreboding aura that worsened by the second.

"I probably shouldn't have come here," Zayne started as he led them down the stairs, "I feel like the Jones brothers would be upset if they found out I was ever here, but I couldn't help myself. I know I wasn't supposed to, but I followed my dad after the service when he got his calling from the Moon. He and Natalia were supposed to come to the sanctuary at midnight for the Moon to speak with them. I saw the open door. I got about halfway down these stairs when I saw a flash. I thought I would get in trouble for being here, so I came back the following night. That's when I saw this."

Having made it all the way down the stairs, the three now found themselves in a small room. Zayne walked to the middle of the room and set his lantern down to illuminate the entire space.

Roy's heart stopped when he saw what was drawn on the floor.

"I've never seen this before in my life," Zayne continued. "I'm aware that I've never seen the Scriptures, but something just seems wrong down here. I didn't tell anyone else about this because I thought I would get in trouble, but our brothers and sisters kept getting callings from the Moon and coming down here. I got concerned."

"When did your dad get his calling from the Moon?" Havoc asked.

Of course he knew approximately when because he knew when the victims were found, but he was wondering if he could get any more information from the kid.

"About two months ago, on the one-year anniversary of Brother Absalom's return to the Sanct."

The Second Lieutenant's eyebrows rose.

"Brother Absalom hasn't always been at the Sanct?"

"I don't know the full story," Zayne said as he shook his head. "From what I understand, he led with Brother Jeremiah and Brother Corinthian for years, but he just disappeared one day. My family had been a part of the congregation for two years before Brother Absalom returned. Things around the Sanct were never the same after that. My dad didn't like it. I don't think he ever told my mom or my brother, but he was starting to lose faith and wanted to leave the Sanct, but then he got his calling. It was just too weird. I didn't think anyone else in the congregation would listen to me, but I thought you two might since you're from the military."

The Colonel barely registered what the kid and Havoc were discussing. He couldn't take his eyes off the ground.

He was staring at a human transmutation circle.

*break*

Lieutenant Breda desperately wished he would hear something, anything. A flutter of hope surged throughout the warehouse when they heard footsteps in the sanctuary, but it faded as time passed and they didn't hear from their comrades.

"Sir, what do you want us to do?" he asked.

General Grumman's face remained unreadable.

The Second Lieutenant remembered how shocked he was when the General himself came along with the extra reinforcements from East City. They had arrived just before the evening service started. The General was already furious when he found out that someone let it slip that the military was in the Sanct.

The only thing that could be more frightening than an angry General was how angry the Flame Alchemist was going to be when he found out about this. Whoever gave away that information remained anonymous, but Grumman seemed dead set on finding out who did it.

Well, he would have to do that later. Everyone in the warehouse listened in silence as the Jones brothers conducted their evening service. The only way to describe what they were hearing was absolutely insane.

Then there was the snap and Ed's scream.

Breda winced as he remembered it. He knew the kid got beat up pretty bad by one of the brothers, but he had been foolish enough to hope that would be the worst of it. Even normally stoic Falman paled a bit when he heard Ed scream. Fuery tried his hardest not to let it show, but he was incredibly worried and scared for their youngest comrade. The watery eyes he was trying to hide gave that away. General Grumman maintained his composure quite easily, but even he couldn't stop a flicker of concern from crossing his face.

After the evening service was over, the General thought it would be best to wait to see if the Colonel got a chance to make contact with them. Roy would have the best insight on the situation and could tell them what the best course of action would be.

But it had been a few hours, and they were met with nothing but silence. It had been long enough. They had to do something.

"We should—" Grumman started, but was interrupted by a familiar voice that brought relief to the tension in the warehouse.

"It's me," Roy said quietly. "Both Lieutenants and myself remain uninjured. Injuries for Major Elric include bruises and a broken ankle. Despite the injuries he obtained, do not invade the Sanct. The Jones brothers have a militia that will respond with violence should they feel the need. We can't unnecessarily risk the lives of the women and children in the congregation. I will contact you all again when I have an update on our situation or anything else on the murders."

The warehouse was met with silence yet again, but it wasn't as tense as the silence that previously filled it. Even though it was rushed, they had at least heard from the Colonel.

All eyes in the warehouse turned to the General. After a moment of contemplation, Grumman made his decision.

"We will follow Colonel Mustang's orders and not invade the Sanct," he announced as he moved toward the map Breda had pinned up when they first set up the base. "However, we will move our base here." He pointed to the tree line that began half a mile away from the Sanct. "Colonel Mustang may not need our help now, but I can guarantee he will soon. We need to make sure we're available the second he requires our assistance. We will move quickly and quietly. Do I make myself clear?"

The General's eyes narrowed at the end of his announcement. His anger at the fact someone nearly ruined this mission was quite obvious.

Instantly, every soldier in the warehouse saluted.

"Yes, sir!"

*break*

"I don't understand how that can be alchemy!" Zayne hissed as they walked through the Sanct. "Alchemy was created by the Darkness! It goes against the Moon's design!"

Roy fought the urge to roll his eyes. A part of him was frustrated that the kid couldn't see that he had been lied to, but he also had to remember that this was all the kid had known for the past three years of his life.

Well, he couldn't say for sure that the kid had been lied to. When he saw the human transmutation circle, his first thought was that the Jones brothers had drawn it. Unfortunately, there was a flaw in that logic.

According to Zayne, all three brothers were in the barracks when he returned. Apparently some of the kids were wanting to hear from Brother Absalom about his encounter with the Moon. He also said he and several others saw the brothers on the nights of the other callings. Roy supposed it wasn't impossible for them to be the ones behind it, but it didn't seem likely.

There was also the fact that none of the victims were alchemists, so none of them would even have the knowledge to perform human transmutation.

Just when he got a lead, he only got more questions.

"I don't know what else to tell you, Zayne," he solemnly replied.

He and Havoc needed to talk to Ed. He would be lying if he said he didn't know anything at all about human transmutation, but the kid probably had more insight on the subject.

The three had been on their way back to the barracks when they noticed they couldn't hear the rain anymore. Running to the nearest window they could find, they saw a couple of the guards dragging Ed back inside.

Much to the Colonel's surprise, Zayne didn't seem the slightest bit concerned when he said he and Havoc needed to find the young alchemist. The kid guided them through the seemingly unending maze of hallways. Neither military officer would have the slightest idea of where the guards would take their young comrade, so they had to rely on Zayne completely.

"Shouldn't we have told them about the transmutation circle?" Havoc whispered as they continued on.

Roy shook his head. He had intentionally left out that important detail when he spoke to those back in the warehouse. He didn't know who else General Grumman would send in given the situation. Actually, the Colonel wouldn't be surprised if Grumman himself decided to come.

Mentioning the human transmutation circle had crossed his mind, but he didn't feel the need to alarm those in Freyvale. The thought of forbidden alchemy being performed here might cause panic in another high-ranking officer which could cause their forces to invade the Sanct. While General Grumman probably wouldn't do something so rash, another officer might. The lives of the innocent civilians would be put at risk unnecessarily.

Although, given how everyone reacted when Ed had his ankle broken, he highly doubted anyone in the Disciples of the Moon could be considered completely innocent.

He would tell the others when he had more answers.

Colliding into Zayne snapped him out of his thoughts. He was about to demand why the kid stopped walking when he pressed a finger to his lips. Zayne peeked around the corner, noticing there was a room with one guard posted outside. His eyebrows rose as he recognized the guard.

He turned to face the two military officers.

"No one usually comes to this side of the Sanct, so I can almost guarantee they have Ed in that room. Considering my brother is currently guarding it, I'm pretty sure I can distract him long enough for you two to at least check that Ed's in there. I'm not sure how much time you'll have to talk to him, though."

Before either one of them could say another word, Zayne made his way around the corner and down the hallway. Jean watched as Zayne talked with his brother. He wasn't sure what the kid was saying to him, but soon the two brothers were walking and disappearing down another hallway.

Jean motioned for his commanding officer to follow him, and the two stealthily made it to the previously guarded door. They were completely shocked to find the room had been unlocked.

Of course, the guards didn't realize Ed had lied to them when he said the transmutation circles on the gloves were what allowed him to perform his alchemy. Although, given the beating, a broken ankle, and the fact he spent almost the entire night out in the freezing rain, Ed wasn't in any position at all to escape. Especially since the room was supposed to be guarded, there was really no purpose in locking the door.

Sneaking into the makeshift prison, the Colonel and Second Lieutenant found Ed against the back wall of the room. His clothes were drenched. The kid had to be soaked to the bone. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was shivering uncontrollably. He had curled in on himself the best he could with his wrists still restrained behind him and now his ankles were bound as well.

The young alchemist looked absolutely miserable.

He didn't even open his eyes when Roy and Jean came into the room. It took the Colonel a second to realize that the teen was probably trying to sleep. Given that he had barely slept the entire time he'd been at the Sanct and what he'd been through just mere hours ago, that was a reasonable conclusion.

The two approached the shivering alchemist in silence, both wanting to do something that would help him. The closer they got, the better they could hear Ed's teeth chattering. The kid could get really sick if he didn't get warm soon.

Without much thought, Roy joined Ed on the ground and peeled the kid away from the wall, pulling him against his chest. Unconsciously, Ed curled closer to the new source of warmth. Soon enough, the Colonel was leaning back against the wall with his subordinate in his lap. He wrapped his arms around the shivering teen to share as much of his body heat as he could.

His eyes widened when he felt how cold his young subordinate was. The urge to burn the brothers for subjecting Ed to this grew with each passing moment the kid was in his lap.

"What the hell?"

Roy perked his head up. Havoc was trying to get a look at Ed's broken ankle. It was swollen and Ed's foot was bent at an odd angle, which made them both cringe, but that wasn't what caught Havoc's attention.

Small rivulets of blood were flowing down his flesh foot and dripping onto the stone floor. Looking down at Ed's wrists, he noticed the white sleeve of his flesh arm stained in blood.

"Is that…barbed wire?" the Colonel hesitantly asked.

"Y-Yeah…."

Roy looked startled when the boy in his arms shifted slightly, as if to get more comfortable. Ed's eyes fluttered open.

"Are you with us, Chief?"

Ed blinked a few times. His eyes widened when he recognized Havoc. He curled in closer to Roy, his brow furrowing when he realized he was warmer than he should be. He looked up to see his commanding officer looking down on him, quite noticeably concerned. He then realized he was in Mustang's lap and leaning against his chest.

The older officers instantly noticed the blush that crept up Ed's neck and onto his face.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he hissed.

The young alchemist squirmed a bit to try to get off of the Colonel's lap, but the strong arms around him kept him in place.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Fullmetal," the Colonel assured. "You were left out in the rain all night. You're cold. We need to get you warmed up." Ed still didn't look comfortable. "If you want, we won't ever speak of this again."

The teen took a deep breath as he finally started to relax in Roy's arms.

"You two really won't talk about this?"

Havoc grinned at his young comrade.

"Talk about what, Chief?"

Ed smiled at the Second Lieutenant as he let himself relax completely. He noticed Jean was now staring at the barbed wire that bound his ankles. He shook his head when the man reached for the wire.

"Don't," Ed ordered weakly. "I heard the guards say Corinthian was coming to see me soon. If you untie me, he'll know you were here. Besides, you two still didn't answer me. What the hell are you doing here?"

The kid was starting to get frustrated with the lack of an answer. Glancing up at the Colonel, he could see the concern still in his eyes. He knew his commanding officer was trying not to show it, but he was failing. The same could be said about Havoc.

"Please stop looking at me like that. There's nothing for you two to worry about. I'm fine."

"Like hell you're fine!" Roy quietly snapped. "Corinthian broke your ankle and the bastard is coming to visit you again. I'd say we have every right to be concerned."

Ed couldn't get himself to look either man in the eyes. He knew the Colonel wasn't mad at him. His superior was just frustrated at their situation. However, he didn't like the idea of the three military officers worrying about him. They still had the murders to solve.

"Anyway, Zayne showed us a hidden door in the back wall of the sanctuary," Havoc said.

This definitely got Ed's attention.

"There was a staircase that led down to some sort of basement," Roy continued. "There was a human transmutation circle drawn on the floor. That's the source of the dark energy we're feeling."

A shiver rushed down Ed's spine, and it wasn't because of his cold, wet clothes. Jean's eyebrows rose. Understanding gleamed in his eyes. At least he now had an answer as to what had been bothering the kid since the second they arrived.

"Do you think the Jones brothers are trying to perform human transmutation?" Ed ventured.

That didn't make any sense. None of the brothers were visibly missing anything. He knew exactly what happened when one attempted and failed human transmutation.

"It doesn't seem likely. The brothers seem to have alibis during the times the victims were receiving their callings."

Ed's lips quirked into a frown at Havoc's answer.

"Have you heard or read about any other rebounds that can occur after a failed transmutation?" the Colonel asked.

Ed shook his head. He remembered that the victims had nearly every bone crushed in their bodies. He'd never read about anything like that when he researched the taboo.

Roy sighed in frustration. He was really hoping his young subordinate might have known something that could give him and Havoc more to work with on the investigation. The sooner they found out exactly what was going on at the Sanct, the sooner they could get Ed to safety.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Ed mumbled. "And I'm sorry I blew my cover. I know I wasn't supposed to—"

Roy unconsciously tightened his arms around the kid.

"We'll talk about that later," he said sternly, interrupting the young alchemist. "But for now, don't do or say anything that will anger the brothers and cause them to hurt you even more. That's an order that you better follow, Fullmetal."

Ed smirked.

"No promises."

The Colonel huffed in annoyance, but tensed when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He looked down at the young alchemist in his lap. The kid gave him a reassuring nod. As gently as he could, he set Ed back down on the ground and against the wall.

Ed instantly missed the warmth the Colonel provided him. He tried to keep his shivering to a minimum when his superior and the Second Lieutenant glanced at him one last time before sneaking out of his prison. He didn't want to give them any more reasons to worry about him as they were leaving.

"We'll visit you again as soon as we can," Roy assured him.

The two slithered out of the room, reluctantly leaving Ed alone.

And there's the fifth chapter! I hope you all enjoyed the slight parental moments at the end. I definitely had fun writing them.

I'm so excited for next chapter already! There will be a bit more action in the next couple of chapters, and answers to a lot of questions that you all might possibly have! I'll try and update as quick as I can. Until next time!