Edward landed lightly with a soft huff, dust filtering around him as it was disturbed. He coughed lightly as it filled his nose, and for a moment he paused, waiting carefully for the dust to settle. At first, he could see very little, but his eyes soon adjusted to dim lights that lined the floor, which were bright after the darkness of the ventilation shaft. He stood, somewhat surprised that he could see at all. But he shouldn't have been, he guessed, looking at the dim yellow lights that lined the corridors. Abandoned his ass. He knew there was something going on here. His hunches were usually right.

Now aware that he might not be as alone as the abandoned outside implied, the boy stayed close to the wall, walking along the corridor's edge carefully and taking in as much detail as he could in the inadequate light.

He was standing in a long hallway made of concrete and devoid of all doors. The floor was covered with large tiles, the same color as the walls. Dust and debris covered the ground, but the middle of the corridor was disturbed, as if it had been walked over recently. So…at least this part of the lab had not been maintained for a while. That could mean that it was simply not oft used, but it could also just mean that there was only a very small crew operating this lab.

In a way, it made sense that the project might have been put on hold. After all, if Grand was the one who was running the operation…well, he wasn't exactly around anymore, was he? Shaking his head slightly to dislodge that unpleasant memory, Ed continued to creep down the hallway.

After a few minutes of encountering no one, Edward straightened and walked to the middle of the corridor, picking up his pace slightly. There was nowhere to hide after all, even if he did encounter someone.

Ed regretted that rash decision a second later when the floor beneath him gave an ominous click. The young alchemist froze instantly and looked down, heart leaping into his throat. He had stepped on a depression plate. That could only mean….

Trap!

Ed barely had time to react when a sharp scrape behind anounced that something was coming at his back. With a startled cry, he dove forward, hoping desperately that it was the right move.

It was. A rush of air passed over him, almost against his back, and the startled teen looked up just in time to see a wicked looking blade disappear back into the wall. He had no time to rest however, when a second blade fell from the ceiling, right for his exposed middle. Ed flipped onto his back and lifted his automail leg desperately, catching the blade as it fell with a sharp clank, tearing through his boot and scraping against the metal painfully. The teen gasped as the force of it nearly dislocated his hip, but he ignored the pain in favor of scrabbling out. Body straining with the weight, he shimmied his flesh leg aside before releasing the blade. It snapped down like a guillotine with a sick crunch, throwing debris into the air. Ed gulped in great gasps of air. That could have been him! The blade retracted into the ceiling menacingly slow, waiting for the next foolish victim to pass by.

Edward backed up slowly, still on his back, his gasps echoing loudly off the empty halls. Okay. Definitely not abandoned.

Click. "Ah…!" Ed startled as the floor gave behind him. He turned back slowly, heart racing. His hand, his treacherous, stupid hand, sank into the floor with another ominous sound and the boy paled and clenched his teeth. He whipped back around as the walls surrounding him seemed to lurch and moan with mechanics coming to life.

The boy did the only thing that he could have done. He screamed and ran for his life.

Spikes shot from the walls, blades fell from the ceiling, boulders chased him and the floor was removed from his feet, only a black abyss to catch him. The alchemist was forced to use all of his agility and flexibility to survive the gauntlet he found himself in, flipping and dodging and really fucking glad he was such a small target or else he would be dead!

"What the hell! I did not just think – Ah!" A spike from the wall narrowly missed his eye and he was forced to stumble back.

It was a mistake, one that Edward would regret for a long, long while.

Another spike was coming straight at his head, and he was just slightly too slow to dodge it completely. With a curse, he snapped his head forward, but as the spike lodged itself in the wall it pinned his braid with a painful wrench of his neck. Edward only had time for his eyes to widen in surprise and a startled gasp before the rest of the spikes were upon him. He turned desperately to the side, using his automail arm to block as much as he could and dodge the rest, but he could not avoid them all. The next few seconds were a blur of motion and terror as the spikes rained down on him. One slammed into his steel shoulder, deflected, but still managing to nick his neck. A second he was able to hit aside with his forearm, but he could not bring it back in time to catch the one that came right after it. The wicked metal bit into his side, but Edward could only focus on the ones still coming. He jerked his hips forward and one lodged behind him, he slapped another with his flesh hand before it could pierce his face, and the rest of his body became a blur of movement until suddenly…the barrage stopped.

Chest heaving, Edward stayed perfectly still as his world slowly came into focus out of his narrow, adrenaline fueled tunnel vision, ears roaring from the force of his blood pumping through his veins. He was contorted rather awkwardly, his back arched against a spike lodged behind him, his legs spread apart between the riddle of spikes lodged into the wall, a toe barely supporting almost his entire weight. His arms were clenched defensively in front of him, still tensed and waiting for another assault. Ed's neck was bent uncomfortably backwards by the metal still locking his hair to the wall, and a spike behind his nape pushing it forward painfully.

Loud gasps and whimpers broke through his clenched throat as he flinched every other second, still waiting for another attack that didn't come. After a few seconds he was able to calm down enough to come back to reality.

"Fuck," he gasped, looking around wildly, but still not quite willing to move in case another trap was set off. He didn't know exactly what he had been expecting, but it was not this. A guard or two, maybe a few attack dogs, some alarms…but this…this was insane! Someone really did not want anyone to get into this place, and they were very willing to make sure that didn't happen.

Ed groaned as his muscles spasmed in pain from his position and still he did not move, even as his airways were brutally restricted. There could be another switch, and with him pinned to the wall, he definitely would not be able to survive that. He tugged at his braid, the follicles pulling sharply, and barely managed to get his arm back to attempt to tug at the spike. It wouldn't budge, not without any leverage. And there was nothing to push against in this position. Instead, he began tugging at his hair, which was hopelessly tangled and knotted at this point. Letting out a growl of frustration, Edward did something he knew he would regret later. He transmuted his arm into a blade and cut through his hair viciously, the golden locks fluttering about his shoulders before falling to the floor in a glittering wave. His head snapped forward and he took in a great lungful of air, finally able to breath properly.

As his head cleared, a surge of anger gripped him and he was suddenly furious. Furious with himself for being so stupid as to try and attempt this alone, and furious with the fuckers who had set up these ridiculously elaborate traps in the first place. And especially furious as his hacked hair fluttered against his suddenly much more exposed neck.

"Enough!" Edward wrenched himself from the wall, ignoring the other pressure plates he had set off by moving. He clapped his hands together in a sharp snap, the transmutation circle he wanted flashing behind his eyes like neon in the dark. Before any more traps could try to kill him, he slammed his hands to the ground, setting off a massive transmutation that smoothed the walls and fused any cracks together. There would be no more traps! No more games!

A bit tired from how much energy that took, but feeling grimly satisfied with his work, Edward stood. And then he fell to the ground with a startled gasp. "What–" He looked down at his side…and all the blood drained from his face.

There was a spike lodged in his right hip.

"What else," he groaned. With trembling hands, Edward forced himself to examine it. It looked vicious, about the length of his forearm, and it was sticking out of his hip like he was some kind of sick pincushion. He grit his teeth, and with a strangled cry, he grabbed the metal and yanked it out of himself.

Suddenly, the adrenaline that had been keeping him from feeling the wound fled and the pain hit him like a battering ram. He threw his head back in a silent scream before snapping his jaw shut sharply. Focus!

Quickly, he ripped his coat from his shoulders and transmuted it into bandages, wrapping himself up as best he could before he bled out. This was not good. The wound was only about the width of his thumb, but the metal had dragged across his hip bone before lodging into muscle. It hadn't pierced anything vital, but the gouge would undoubtably slow him down.

With a shuddering breath, he did his best to push back the pain, something he had an unfortunate amount of experience doing. He could ignore it. He had to. This mission was just too important to give up now. His brothers were counting on him. He was actually glad that Alphonse or Alex didn't follow him. The traps were set for people much larger, and they would not have escaped. Ed looked down at himself. He had barely escaped. No, better they had been left behind. Still, he would have killed for Alex's healing powers right about now, or even Alphonse's immunity to pain.

Suddenly he was more pissed off than he had been in a long, long while. Running his hand through his now unfamiliarly short hair, he let out a dark chuckle and a smirk that was more anger than amusement pulled at his mouth. Whatever was in this lab must be really important if someone was going to so much trouble to defend it. He was going to find the truth and nothing would stop him, not some stupid traps and definitely not something as trivial as pain!

Edward stood, only wincing slightly as his wound tugged, and pulled his shirt down over the bandages. He began walking forward, willing his muscles to obey his commands, and slowly his limp went away, pain ignored completely. By the time Edward finally came to the end of the hallway, traps no longer giving him any trouble, his considerable mind had shut away any weakness that could be taken advantage of. With only a small pause, he threw open the large double doors leading into the next room, and stepped through.

Edward's eyes were assaulted by the color red as the light changed dramatically, bathing the room in a crimson glow. It looked like some kind of lab. Long tables lined both walls in the long space, and in the middle was what appeared to be a pedestal, about the size of a human, what was clearly restraints resting limply on the empty surface. Edward shuddered. This must be one of the rooms they did experiments in. It wasn't a pretty sight, and for once, Edward was not glad to be right. Not glad at all. He walked into the space slowly, noting that this room couldn't have been used very recently, since the surfaces were covered in dusty and scattered lab equipment. Still, as he passed by the central table, he couldn't help noticing an ominous stain that looked black in the red light. He quickly looked away.

There was only one door on the other side of the room, and Edward started for it. A click reached Edward's ears, and he flinched badly, thinking he had set off another trap, and prepared for the worst. He was proven wrong a second later as the door on the opposite side of the room began to open.

Cursing his rotten luck–silently–Edward dove behind the only thing he could; the table in the center of the room. Heart pounding in his ears, he cautiously peered between the legs as someone stepped into the light.

Whoever it was was a stout man. He wore black shoes and pants, and around his ankles appeared to be a white coat. A scientist then. The man paused at the threshold of the door and Edward held his breath, tensing his muscles in case he needed to fight. The man merely mumbled to himself, however, and began to slowly walk into the room. Edward peeked cautiously from his hiding place, as it seemed he had not noticed him.

He squinted through the dimness. As he suspected, it was a heavyset man, older, maybe in his sixties. He wore a white lab coat and had short black hair, graying on the sides above an old wizened face. He seemed to be occupied with something in his hands, not even paying attention to his surroundings. Edward tensed as he came close to the table, but he only passed it, not even glancing up from the object he was fiddling with.

This was it. Should he make a break for the door or take this scientist out to question him?

Before Edward could make a decision, the man turned back around. Ed froze, holding his breath as the man paused. He was completely exposed from this angle, but if he moved, the man would see him. But he needn't have worried. The scientist didn't even look up from what he was holding, which turned out to be a small journal, and he wrote something down. He started walking forward slowly again, seeming to pace, and Edward got a really good look at his face. His golden eyes widened in surprise. It couldn't be…But no, he looked exactly like the man in the photo. Edward never forgot a face…

As the man walked back across the table, Edward made a move. He stood silently, and like a panther, slunk through the room and behind the man. Not hesitating for a moment, he grabbed the taller male and slapped a hand over his face, muffling is startled cry. Edward muttered to himself at the awkward angle, and kicked the scientist's legs out from under him for better leverage. He smirked. That's better. Edward leaned forward with an unyielding grip and growled into the man's ear.

"Don't move."

Ed couldn't see the man's face from his position, but he could feel him tense as if about to struggle. Ed quickly brought his automail hand to his neck and squeezed in warning. The man stilled.

"Nod once for yes, shake once for no," Ed said quickly. After a moment's hesitation, and another warning squeeze of his throat, the man nodded.

"Your name is Tim Marcoh." Edward could feel the man tense beneath him again, but this time he did not try to escape. Hesitantly, he nodded once. The teen couldn't believe what he had just discovered. Tim Marcoh? Here? But how could that be? He thought Lust had taken him…or killed him. So why would he be here? Ed needed answers, and there was only one way to find out.

The younger alchemist thought furiously, considering the pros and cons of letting him go. He could raise the alarm if Edward wasn't careful, but at the same time he had caused enough of a ruckus earlier for that to have happened anyway, and no one had come running. "Is there anyone else here?" Marcoh shook is head once, a sharp jerk. "Will you scream if I let you go?" Another shake.

Decisively, Edward nodded to himself. He had to know why this man, who they presumed dead, was here. He released him and stepped back.

Marcoh let out a gasp of air, spinning quickly to face his assaulter.

"Who are you!? How did you get in here!?" He drew up to his full height, which was not really very considerable, and glared at the young man before him.

Edward snorted in the back of his throat. "It wasn't all that difficult," he lied, leaning slightly to the side to relieve pressure on his wound. He crossed his arms arrogantly.

"But the door, the traps!" Marcoh was guesturing wildly, but then his eyes narrowed, taking in Edward's appearance. Ed, not wanting to be examined too closely, lest his injuries be discovered, interrupted him.

"I found your note."

Marcoh's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"In your house," Edward clarified, wondering just what other note he could have been referring to. "You know, 'find the truth hidden within the truth.'"

Marcoh looked confused for a moment more, something Edward did not miss, and then his expression cleared, as if he finally remembered. "Ah. You found it then. Is that why you are here?"

"Yes," the boy said cautiously. "We read you research, and it led us here…"

"I see." Marcoh seemed to slump where he stood, a terrible sadness taking over his features. "Then you know then; the secret to the stone."

The boy nodded, frowning deeply and looking down. "And the truth hidden within the truth…it's that the military was condoning experiments to create it, wasn't it?"

"…Yes."

"Why are you here, Marcoh," Ed suddenly demanded, gesturing with his automail hand. He shifted again, his side burning hot and the wet bandages tugging. He had to finish this quickly. He wouldn't be able to ignore it forever. He was losing too much blood, and he was beginning to feel disoriented. "How did you get here? I saw your house. It was destroyed, and you were obviously attacked."

Marcoh shrugged. "Yes, I was. Strange people came after me, and I was barely able to escape with my life."

Ed's eyes narrowed in suspicion. This man was able to escape from Lust? He found that hard to believe, what with everything Alex had told him about the woman. So how did he manage that…? "Why are you here," he repeated.

The man before him sighed. "You are an alchemist, correct?"

Ed nodded.

"Then maybe you could help me. You see…I returned to finish my work.

Chuckles evilly. Yup that's right. Ed's hair is gone. Please forgive me. Don't worry, I've already made it up to you by drawing a sexy pic of him with short hair, which is now my profile pic. You see, I feel this overwhelming need to make Edward mine, and that means making a few changes. After all, what is the fun of keeping him exactly the same as he is in the series? Is this a fanfiction or isn't it?! Well, that's not the only reason. I really don't think Edward would ever risk his life for something as trivial as vanity. Honestly, I could see him just hacking off his hair without a second thought, just like he did here, if it meant a choice between his life or his looks. Doesn't mean he has to like it though, heh.

Oh and I drew Jäger too. I've set up a DA account and I'll be uploading those pics as I draw them.

And oh my, what is Marcoh doing at the fifth lab? Wasn't he captured? Weeeeeelll not exactly. You'll see.

Next chapter: Red, red and more red. Edward will never think of his favorite color the same way again.