Second Lieutenant Maria Ross paced one way, then another. The ground blurred beneath her eyes, and were she to notice, she would realize that she was swiftly wearing a path in the grass beneath her feet.

They were standing outside of the library's first branch, the moonlight effectively lighting the area. Ross's men stood at attention as their commanding officer wore a path into the ground with her frantic pacing. They remained completely silent, afraid that if they drew her attention she would begin to lecture them of their incompetence once more. Not that a man there didn't believe they deserved it. They had failed in their task. Badly. The Elrics were missing, and not a one of them had noticed until it was too late. And they knew that no one felt that responsibility more acutely than Ross herself.

Ross paced and checked her watch for the fourth time in just as many minutes. They were late. Mustang had said twenty minutes, and he was late!

Right now, those boys were in terrible danger, she could just feel it. Her pacing became more frantic until she resembled a caged lion.

Brosh stood well out of the way of his rampaging partner. He knew better than to talk to her when she was in a state like this, although he didn't think he had ever seen her this worked up for the three years they had known each other.

Instead he occupied himself with the queer creature currently nestled into his arms. It was shivering slightly, and he rubbed it's back, trying to soothe it. It seemed to be struggling to stay awake, and every once in a while it would lift it's head from the folds of his jacket and look around, letting out piteous noises as if calling for someone before retreating back into the warmth. It seemed even more distressed than Ross herself, and Brosh groaned inwardly at what they had gotten themselves into. Just a bodyguard assignment, they said. Just a few kids that need to be watched over, he was assured. They had not been kind enough to inform him that he would be charged with the most troublesome teens in Central. And with what they had discovered…he shuddered. This was not what he had signed on for. He wasn't suited for this kind of cloak and dagger corruption game. He didn't want any part of government conspiracies, and yet here he was. He glanced over at Ross and gulped. It was too late though…there was no getting out of this now. They were too involved, and just like his partner, he wanted to see those boys safe again before they got killed.

A car, out of place in the silent darkness of the early morning, peeled quickly around the corner and into the perimeter, coming to an abrupt stop before the assembled men. The headlights flickered off and the door was thrown open. Mustang, dressed in his full military blues and a long black coat thrown over his shoulders stepped out of the vehicle, and he was swiftly followed by three more men; Lieutenant colonel Hughes, Major Armstrong, and Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

Ross, abruptly ending her pacing when the car had approached, walked up to the officers swiftly and snapped a salute, Brosh riding her heals and doing the same. The men behind them followed suit, and Ross remained silent, waiting for orders.

"Report," Mustang barked as soon as they were assembled.

"Sir," Ross began, dropping her hand and falling to attention, staring straight forward, "at approximately oh-two-hundred hours, Major Edward Elric and his brothers Alphonse and Alex disappeared, escaping from the window in their quarters."

"Where? Why?" Mustang said through gritted teeth, black eyes narrowed.

Ross hesitated momentarily, wondering just what to tell them. They didn't have time for this! They needed to get to those boys now! But Ross had no way of knowing just how deeply into the military this corruption went. What if she was talking to one of the very men that was behind this in the first place?

Armstrong, as if sensing her fear, spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "They discovered something, didn't they," he said, thinking of their research.

"Yes," Ross said quietly, deciding that she could trust the officers before her. After all, the Elrics themselves had spoken highly of all of them, calling them friend. If they trusted them, then they couldn't be involved…She lowered her voice so that the men behind them couldn't hear and told them everything she knew, from the brothers breaking the code to figuring out the projects conducted by the military. As she spoke, the expressions of the officers before her became more grim with her every revelation.

"Fifth Lab, huh," Hughes said once she was finished. "I've had my eye on that place for several years now, but we were never able to get close enough to investigate. To think that this was what was going on all this time…"

"And those idiots are jumping right into the fire once again," Mustang growled, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Human experimentation," Hawkeye said softly. "Sir…"

"I know," Mustang said, dropping his hand. "On my authorization, I order you to conduct a full sweep of lab five. Get in there, and get those boys and get out. Dismissed!"

"Sir," the men around him chorussed. Ross relaxed slightly, relieved. They could do this. They would get Edward and his brothers back.

Armstrong immediately took control of the men and began barking orders, as Hughes left to find a phone to call backup. They would need all the help they could get.

Soon enough there were only four people left on the field; Ross, Mustang, Hawkeye, and a reluctant Brosh.

Mustang was looking down at the ground, thoughts rushing through his mind furiously, a deep frown on his face. Riza placed a bracing hand on his shoulder and the colonel twitched, leaning slightly into her strong support. After a moment, Riza patted his shoulder once before leaving to wait next to the car.

"Sir," Ross said, pulling the colonel out of his thoughts. Before she could continue though, a yowl pierced the tense quiet and Brosh grunted in alarm as his unexpected charge wriggled in his grasp. Mustang looked over with wide eyes as the small chimera broke free of the lieutenant's grip and leapt at him. Out of reflex, he caught the creature and held it at arms length. It struggled for a moment, crying, and he instinctively brought it to his chest where it clung to him immediately.

"Jäger?" Mustang said in bewilderment.

"You know that creature," Brosh asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I was there when…" he said distractedly before abruptly cutting himself off. "Why is it here?"

"Alex left it behind," Ross said grimly. "Along with this." He looked up sharply. "A message was left for you." She held up her clenched hand and pulled open the crumpled note, regretting that she had damaged it in her distress. Mustang took it from her hand and read it swiftly. His expression became pinched. Ross watched the play of expressions over his face carefully. He really did seem to care…She had been right to come to him.

"That damn kid," he growled, carefully placing the note in his pocket before snapping his eyes back up. "Anything else?"

"No sir," both officers saluted and Mustang nodded sharply. "Then gather with everyone else. We leave now." He spun abruptly, causing his coat to fly behind him and Alex's chimera to grip onto his shoulder and cling there, and strode to the car. He climbed in, already telling Riza to drive, and the door shut behind him.

Ross turned away, worry renewed at his reaction. So they had known that something was coming. They had known and done nothing. But, she supposed, how could they have known? How could Alex have known? She shook her head. Whatever the case, they needed to pull this off.

Before something tragic happened.

o-0-o

Edward Elric's world was nothing but a haze of red and pain and urgency, calculations and alchemical equations passing behind his eyes in rapid flashes of inspiration. Marcoh had long since fallen silent, staring at the boy with unreadable eyes. Ed ignored him, too absorbed in his work.

The notes, Marcoh's notes, drifted in and out of his mind, along with his own ideas that he had compiled ever since he had first heard of the philosopher's stone. He could do this. He could create it where others failed, where Marcoh had failed. He would…

The blood red liquid in the tanks swirled in the corners of his eyes, even as he stared at the transmutation circle branded onto the floor in a desperate effort to ignore it. It moved as if there were unseen currents within, though Edward knew there was none. It moved like it was alive…

Edward was grateful as another wave of agony abruptly interrupted that thought, his wounds becoming more painful by every dragging minute. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about all the lives that were sacrificed to make the work he was about to finish. He didn't want to think about how he was just as heinous as the researchers before him to go through with this. He wielded his pain like a weapon to fend off the thoughts, and desperately focussed only on the task before him.

As he worked, he mumbled to himself, coherent and incoherent thoughts blending together as he talked himself through it. "Storage tank above this floor….is there enough materials? There has to be…Marcoh's notes suggested using two circles, but that's not enough…Gunna need to boost this transmutation circle…" he gently placed his hands on the ground at the edge of the circle. A flash of light later, the design had changed, becoming more complex. He pulled back and grunted in satisfaction at the work. Now for the ceiling…

o-0-o

As the boy worked, the alleged Tim Marcoh stood aside at the edge of the room, looking on with an interested expression. Not a bad performance on his part, not bad at all. The kid was following his suggestions hook line and sinker. All he had to do was dangle the fate of his brothers over his head like a lure and he blindly stumbled down the path the man wanted. Humans really were pitiful, predictable creatures. But so easily manipulated. He had almost had a hiccup when the boy kept mentioning some note that the real Marcoh left, but the man was still able to pull it off. And the award for the best leading actor goes to…

He could not for the life of him determine what the foolish boy before him was doing, but then again, he never did understand alchemy. Whatever it was though, it looked impressive, at the very least. If all he had heard about this boy was true, then they would have their stone by dawn. He chuckled to himself in amusement as the boy stumbled, clutching at his side in pain. The kid didn't seem to notice just how much blood he was losing however, as he continued to work without pausing. The man eyed the blood on the floor, the trails left every where the boy had walked, and wondered idly if they would get the stone before he bled out and died. It would be annoying, but not too big a deal. After all, there were other alchemists they could manipulate.

But Lust might be a bit put out that her pet alchemist died before finishing the job. She, after all, had put the most work into this particular project. Oh well. He grinned, exposing his white teeth. Not his problem if that other one died as a result. That was her game, not his.

He frowned slightly to himself as the kid suddenly stopped working, just staring into the middle of the circle with a blank expression on his face. The man sighed, checking his wristwatch. He hoped this would be over soon. He hated having to be in such an ugly form for so long…as the kid continued to stand still, the man pushed himself off the wall in annoyance. He would get him moving again. Time for Act Two.

o-0-o

Edward stood on the edge. Literally and figuratively, he stood on the precipice of all of his beliefs, all of his codes that made him, him. He was at war with himself, and the pain was no longer working to keep his conscience back.

I can save them…

But they are people! Just like me! Just like Alphonse…

Alex's face as he learned the truth…I'm going to die….

Alphonse as he gazed up into the raining sky, unable to shed tears for his miserable existence…I want to be human again…

Are these strangers more important than your family?

Were they? Were all of these lives trapped in that red water really worth less than the souls of his brothers?

These strangers that can't be saved…

But did that matter? Could he really be so selfish as to chose two lives over all of them? Who was he to decide this? Who the hell was he?

His side throbbed hotly, sending a wave of dizziness over the besieged boy, and he welcomed it. Deserved it. Deserved the agony for what he was considering…

The young alchemist fell to his knees before the circle, but did not move to activate it. Would…would Alex and Alphonse really want him to do this? Would they consider their lives worth more than all of these trapped souls around him? But he was the eldest, he had to save them…It was his fault! His fault…But…

"What's the matter, boy," the voice of Tim Marcoh intruded on Edward's struggles, but Edward barely twitched.

Would they…?

Edward closed his eyes in defeat. No. No they would not. "I can't," he whispered.

Edward's world was suddenly turned on its head as a massive blow to his shoulder caused him to slide violently to the side. The teen yelped in pain and surprise as he was forcefully removed from his seat and thrown onto the ground. He looked up in surprise to find a leering Marcoh standing over him, a look of disgust on his face.

"What do you mean you can't, you damned pipsqueak. I expected better."

Edward's golden eyes widened in shock as the voice of Marcoh was replaced by an almost effeminate and much younger sounding male's voice.

"What…?"

The man ignored him and looked up and to the side, seemingly into the open air. "You hear that? Your pet won't go through with it. Time for Plan B."

"Who the hell are you," Ed growled, trying desperately to get back to his feet. But for some reason, his limbs weren't responding to him, even as he was seized with alarm. Even though he felt a painful spike of fear, his heart only continued to beat sluggishly.

'Marcoh's' face contorted into an uncharacteristic sneer as he looked down at the struggling boy. "I know, I am a wonderful actor. You didn't suspect a thing. All those weeks of guarding that fool paid off."

"What do you mean? Where's the real Marcoh?!"

The smile dropped off the man's face abruptly and he kicked Ed in the middle, knocking out his breath in an agonized wheeze. "Shut up. I don't have anything to say to the likes of you. Though I know someone who does."

"You can drop the form, Envy," a husky female's voice came from the direction of the door, and Edward looked up in alarm through watering eyes. "You don't need it anymore."

A beautiful figure drifted gracefully through the open door, sliding out of the darkness like the moon emerging from beind the clouds. Black waving hair drifted over petite shoulders and red lips and eyes gleamed as brightly as the tattoo on a generous bosom. Edward gaped as a spark of recognition spiked through him, and he desperately tried to catch his breath.

"Finally," the imposter groaned. "I thought I would never get out of this form…" A reaction, almost alchemical in nature, began at he base of his feet with a bright white light, sparking over his entire form. Edward stared on in shock as he seemed to shimmer before changing shape completely, going from an old man to a young, almost effeminate man. He was slim, toned and tall, his exposed midriff cut with muscle. He grinned a menacing smile beneath gleaming red eyes and long black hair, held back by a band over his forehead. Meagre clothing barely covered the rest of him, only a short black shirt and pants of the same material. His long legs were exposed, and Edward saw an identical tattoo to the woman's on his leg.

"What do you think," the shapeshifter asked him, leaning down over Edward's heaving form. "You like it?"

"Homunculus," Edward spat, as if it was the most disgusting insult. He snapped his golden eyes over to the woman, who stood with her arms crossed over her middle, a smug expression on her face. "You bitch. You're the one who's been stalking my little brother, manipulating him all this time!" He growled deep in his throat, almost anomalistically. "Lust."

Envy pulled back with an annoyed frown even as Lust's smirk became broader. She closed her eyes, as if enjoying a pleasant breeze. "Ah, yes, that little one. He will serve me very well in the years to come."

Edward shuddered, lifting himself painfully to his hands and knees. "What do you mean!?" Edward was thrown violently to the side once more as Envy, annoyed at being ignored, kicked him viciously in the face for his impertinence.

"None of your damn business, pipsqueak. Now, get on with the transmutation, we don't have all day."

"DON'T call me that," Ed grunted angrily, sitting up once more and spitting blood from his mouth. He glared at his tormenters with piercing golden eyes. "What the hell makes you think I'm going to do what you want? There's no way I'm going to help you!"

Lust sighed and looked slightly annoyed, as if talking to a misbehaving child. "Forgive me, I forgot to provide you with proper motivation."

"What–" Ed was interrupted by a dull scraping coming from the hallway, and he flicked his eyes over to the door in fear of another monster. He recoiled in shock with a whimper of distress.

There, walking through the doorway, was another homunculus. But Edward barely payed attention to it's menacing bulbous form, because being dragged behind him were the two things Edward held most dear in this world.

"Al! Alex!" Edward shouted desperately and tried to stand but he was kicked down by Envy once more. He looked up through watering eyes at the terrible state of his two brothers and despaired.

Alphonse looked the worst off. He was being dragged by his shoulder plate, and it looked like his limbs were completely gone from his battered form, ripped away by some ungodly force. Alex appeared to be alive and whole, but his clothes were destroyed by some fierce battle. His red-violet eyes were open and blank, reflecting the room around him but not his soul. It was like he wasn't even there, and he was being dragged limply by the nape of his neck. Alphonse whimpered as he was pulled to a stop and discarded by the obese homunculus, and Alex did not react at all as he was further dragged to the other side of Lust, both brothers on either side.

"You see," Lust continued, sitting on the broken armor as if he was no more than a piece of furniture, "I collected them the second I knew you were on your way here."

"You bitch," Ed gasped, clutching at his injury. "What did you do to them?!" His heart raced and he felt sick, but he could do nothing, no matter how much he willed it. He was too beaten down.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about what we've already done. I would worry more about what we will do." She smiled deviously, red lips quirked, and stroked down Alphonse's side. "Now, make me what I want, and you might just survive this little ordeal."

"What do you even want with it anyway!?" Edward cried desperately. "Why don't you just make the damn thing yourself? Why us?"

Lust looked down at the floor beside her feet at the comatose form of Alex. The boy still had not moved at all since the beginning, and Edward's heart raced in fear to what they might have done to him. "I want to save him."

"What?" Ed whispered, strangled.

"Just what I said," Lust stood from Alphonse and walked around Alex's body. Gracefully, she crouched to her knees and leaned over him, her long black hair tickling his chest. "You see, I was the one who saved him from your cruel abandonment. After that, I suppose I felt a bit…possessive." Lust gazed down into Alex's vacant red eyes and gently brought her hand to his face, stroking a strand of golden hair into place. To her surprise, Alex twitched away, a spark of consciousness flashing once before fading back into blankness. She smiled. How cute. The little tiger was resisting…

"Don't touch him," Edward spat, shuddering at her possessive crouch over his younger brother.

"And what right do you have to say that," Lust purred. "You were the reason he is in this state in the first place. I was the one who saved him, protected him, guided him." Edward flinched back from her words, but she was relentless. "You abandoned him to death, then you foolishly allowed him to consume poison…do you have any idea how close to death he was, how much pain he was in?" Her words were sharp, but while she meant them, she was also enjoying the pain she was bringing across the boy's expression. "Even now he is dying…the philosopher's stone can save him…"

"Brother, don't listen to her!" Alphonse's voice suddenly shattered the tense quiet, jerking Edward out of his almost hypnotized reverie. He snapped his eyes to his younger brother, another stab of pain in his heart at seeing him so broken. But the youngest Elric's eyes were blazing red, piercing. "Don't listen! Alex would never want us to use the philosopher's stone on him if it meant sacrificing other people. And neither would I!"

"Shut up!" Envy stalked over to the broken armor and kicked him viciously in the middle, sending him sliding back into the wall with a startled cry.

"Alphonse!" Edward tried to stand to go to his little brother's aide, but his limbs were no longer responsive and dizziness blurred his vision. Alex twitched again, and Lust watched him with interest. He seemed to be becoming more responsive now. Soon enough he would be as resistant as Greed. They needed to finish this soon…

"Enough of this," Envy exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "I don't care if they are important sacrifices, I'm going to kill them if I have to listen to any more of this nonsense." He stalked over to the shuddering form of Alphonse and appeared to be about to crush him with his foot, but a menacing child's voice interrupted him, to his annoyance.

"Oh, Lust, can I eat him?" The large homunculus, having been silent this whole time, suddenly spoke up. He brought his big meaty hand to his face and sucked on a finger, looking longingly at Alphonse.

"Oh, Alright," the woman said, still not looking up from her limp charge. "Go ahead. I suppose we can find others to take their places…Although this one doesn't have much time left." She stroked Alex's face once more, and this time was startled as the boy grabbed her hand weakly. "Shh, little one. It will be over soon…"

The large man grinned unnaturally widely and immediately fell upon a terrified Alphonse. Al let out a distressed whimper as the creature began to feast on his lower abdomen with sharp teeth, steam rising where steel met acid.

Edward watched on in horror. This is all just a nightmare. Just a nightmare! "Stop it! Please! He's my little brother!"

"And you can save them both," Envy said coldly. "Now will you do it or just watch him die!"

The desperate boy's eyes snapped between his two brothers in despair, and he watched in horror as one was possessed and the other was being eaten right before his eyes. It was never meant to be like this. Why did it have to be like this!?

Alphonse whimpered in fear and the creature consuming him began eating faster, now reaching his chest plate.

Edward snapped. Something in his mind broke and violently recoiled into his center, and he roared in denial, his voice breaking from the strain.

"NO!" He slammed his hands together and snapped them to the floor on the edge of the transmutation circle before anything more could happen. Before anything worse could happen.

The red, red world turned white.

Next Chapter: The Truth.

This is it guys. One more chapter and then the epilogue. End game. The next chapter might be pretty long, so you might set aside a bit of time. I'm already working on it and I expect it to be out tomorrow, so don't mind the cliffy too terribly much. I promise it will be worth it.

Please show me your support if you like this story. I really appreciate every comment, hit or fav/follow. It motivates me like nothing else. Now, back to writing. See you soon!