Author's Notes will now be located at the bottom of chapters.


Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly in the warm autumn air, thin wispy clouds slowly drifting across the pale blue sky. As a gentle breeze blew through the city, fallen leaves danced in the wind, swirling as though caught in an eddy and looking like small plumes of fire in the sunlight.

Alphonse and Edward walked down the sidewalk, dodging the twirling leaves as they made their way to the train station. There had been a slight mix up when they had called to book their hotel; somehow they had ended up on the outskirts of Central, instead of staying near the command center as planned. While it was an inconvenience, it did give the brothers the time to bask in the beauty of fall, a season that had never really happened in their hometown.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Al asked as he turned to look down at Ed. The older brother seemed to have been lost in thought as he started slightly at the armor boy's voice. He looked up at his younger brother and smiled.

"It sure is, I hope the weather is as nice where the colonel is sending us." As he spoke Edward averted his gaze, focusing on the amber leaves on the sidewalk. They were almost the same shade of gold as his brother's eyes and hair, Al mused to himself as a leaf crackled from under his foot.

"Is the mission still classified?" Alphonse asked as the breeze picked up once again, leaves fluttering around the two brothers. Ed looked back up at the armor that housed the younger's soul, his face looking stern while his wide eyes seemed to hold an apology.

Unlike most missions Edward and Al were sent on, this one seemed to be much more serious in nature. The older brother had been told by his superior, Colonel Roy Mustang, that the information had to stay between state alchemists. Normally Ed would at least give him some small bits of the details behind the mission, but his brother had been unusually tight lipped. Al guessed that either their task was very important, or it held more danger than normal.

"Sorry Al, I'd tell you but I think it's better if you didn't know the details. Even the colonel hasn't told me much, though he seems to be the one that knows the most about it." Edward turned his head so he was looking forward, straight down the sidewalk, his body suddenly tensing up. "And speak of the devil…" He muttered just loud enough for Al to hear.

The younger brother followed his gaze, surprised to see the colonel himself walking briskly towards the two. The man's black hair seemed a little messier than usual, probably from the wind that pushed at his blue military attire. Mustang raised a hand in greeting as they met in the middle, slowing to a stop as Ed let out an annoyed groan.

"What the hell do you want?" Normally if a solider were to speak to his commanding officer in such a way he'd be court martialed, but the colonel's dark eyes stared back at the irritated blond, seemingly unfazed.

"Good afternoon to you too, Fullmetal," Mustang's voice was calm and professional; the man had seemingly mastered how to keep a level head when interacting with the ornery teen. "I came to give you some last minute information about your mission."

Al could see the colonel was staring pointedly at him, a small gleam of sympathy in his eyes as the older brother bristled at his side. As Ed opened his mouth, most likely to give an angry retort, Alphonse spoke up. "That's fine, I understand. I'll just go on ahead, brother."

Before Edward could do, or say anything, he walked past the two state alchemists. He continued to walk on even as he heard his brother growl an insult out at Mustang. Alphonse just sighed to himself, knowing that Ed would have voiced his anger even if Al were allowed to stay and hear about the mission.

The only information Ed had been allowed to disclose was that the mission involved chimeras. Since both he and his brother had spent some time learning about them from Shou Tucker, the former expert on the subject, they had a feeling the colonel would choose them to investigate anything related to the creatures. Al felt a pang of sadness as he thought of Tucker's daughter Nina, and how both brothers had been powerless to help her before she was murdered alongside her twisted father.

"Maybe this mission is a bad idea," Alphonse thought as he continued walking ahead. He could hear his brother and the colonel speaking to each other in quiet voices, something that rarely ever happened. "If even Ed doesn't know about the details, it must be serious. And if we were to run into another case like Nina's…I don't know if we can handle that again so soon…"

A sudden loud bang broke Alphonse from his troubled thoughts as he saw the ground quake beneath him, causing his hollow armor to rattle. He turned around to see that a nearby abandoned building had collapsed, though whatever had caused its demise hadn't sounded natural. Thick dust blocked his view as rubble cascaded around him, he had been lucky to have been far enough away that nothing had fallen on him. It was then that Al remembered that Ed and Mustang had been just a few paces behind him…And now he could neither see nor hear them.

"Brother! Colonel! Are you okay?!" The armor boy called out into the dust, fear flooding through him when he heard no response. "Oh god, don't let them be crushed below all that rubble!"

The sounds of shattered stone hitting the sidewalk eventually slowed. Through the settling of the dust and debris he heard the loud slam of a car door as someone hastily shut it. An engine revved to life nearby as the dust dissipated enough for Alphonse to see a white van parked in front of the former building. He didn't remember it being there before the accident though…

"Ed! Colonel!" Al called out once again, fearing the worst as the van revved its engine one more time before it sped away down the road. As it passed him the armor boy was able to see the driver's face for no more than a second, but the image of the man was ingrained into his mind.

The man had short blond hair and blue eyes, his tense expression telling him more about him than anything else. Soon the car was gone, and as the dust settled completely, Al could see that his fears had been correct. Both his brother and the colonel were gone, not a scrap of evidence left behind to show they had even been there except some scuff marks in the dust.

"Oh no…" Alphonse began to tremble with fear. "I have to do something…I need to tell Mustang's crew what happened! They must be able to help!" His thoughts were a frantic mess as he took off down the road, in the opposite direction that the car had fled in.

As Al ran towards Central Command he wondered who would even attempt to abduct the two highly skilled state alchemists, let alone in broad daylight. Either his brother and the colonel's captors were powerful enough to think they could get away with it, or they were fools that would soon be caught.

Alphonse hoped with all his heart that they were the latter, but he wasn't so sure himself about that.

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"Damn does my head hurt…" Edward thought as he slowly blinked open his eyes before shutting them with a groan. The room he found himself in was pitch black, the cold air combined with the concrete beneath him was slowly stealing away the warmth of his body. As he lay on his side, his body trembling from the cold, Ed could tell that he had been stripped of his clothes. The fabric covering him was thin, feeling similar to a hospital gown in texture.

Slowly, as his senses returned to him, memories began to flow behind his closed eyes. Edward could remember the sounds of the building beside him collapsing suddenly, the feel of Mustang's strong arms enveloping him protectively as dust obscured his vision. At first he had thought that they had been buried by the rubble, but then he felt something sharp dig into his neck, a new pair of arms taking the place of the colonel's as he was dragged away. Even now Ed could feel a constant pressure against his throat, as though someone's cold and calloused hands were wrapped firmly around his neck.

Edward then decided to try to move his arms, but both were bound tightly behind his back. Worse, his automail arm failed to move at all. He assumed that whoever had taken him had found out how to disable it, leaving the limb as nothing but a heavy metal paper weight.

The room was eerily quiet as Ed struggled against his bindings; wherever he was he seemed to be alone. Fear coursed through him as he wondered where he even was or how he had gotten here. Where was Al? Or Mustang? The colonel had been the closest to him when the building fell, while his brother had been farther ahead. He desperately hoped that nothing had happened to either of them, though he had a feeling that Alphonse had never been a target of these people.

While it was extremely difficult, Edward had managed to get himself into a sitting position with the limited use of his left arm. As he sat up more, trying his best to stand, the pressure on his throat tightened. Ed realized with a pang of dread that he was chained to the floor by his neck, the thick metal clattering against his concrete prison as he tried his hardest to tug himself free.

It was useless though as he slumped awkwardly to the ground, panting as his tired body trembled against the stone. What the hell had he been drugged with? Edward felt weak and shaky, like he had been forced to run a mile in a minute. His limbs felt heavy and his body ached with exhaustion. He could feel that his hair had been untied from its usual braid, strands now brushing against his shoulders.

"How the hell did any of this happen? Who would go out of their way to kidnap me? Do they even know who they're dealing with?!" Ed thought in indignation, though his anger was short lived as a heavy weariness seemed to settle deep in his bones. As much as he hated to admit it, he really wished the colonel was with him right now. True, the man could be a real jackass, but he would know what to do. Mustang always seemed to know what he was doing; he always had a plan even if it seemed to be something small and useless.

Edward started at the sudden sound of thick metal grinding against the stone floor of the room. He closed his eyes tightly against the sudden brightness as the prison door opened, his head throbbing more painfully than it had been before. He could hear the sound of shoes clicking against the concrete as someone entered the room. Ed figured that the best thing to do would be to pretend he was still unconscious, he let his body go limp as whoever opened the door walked farther inside.

"There's no need to pretend to be asleep." A man's deep voice boomed as he let out a small laugh. "I know you're awake. If you won't comply, well I have many ways of assuring that you will."

Edward debated silently for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to try and call the man's bluff. His natural defiance told him to ignore the order, to not cave for anyone let alone this nameless man. His more sensible side really didn't want to find out how the man would inforce compliance though.

The sound of bare skin shuffling against the concrete from somewhere behind the man made him tense up. Who else had the stranger brought with him? But the low groan that followed sounded strangely familiar, causing him to open his eyes.

The man that stood over him was tall and broad, his silhouette highlighted against the light shining from the hallway. Ed thought silently to himself that if his body hadn't felt so horrible he could have taken the man down in a heartbeat. He was more focused on the form behind him, and as he identified who it was his mind was torn between feeling joy or dread.

"C-Colonel, is that you?" Edward whispered, his normally brash voice sounding as weak as the rest of him. He saw the figure stiffen, his lowered head jerking upward at the sound of Ed's voice.

"Fullmetal, they got you too then…Are you alright?" Mustang's voice was full of concern as he tried to step closer, to be at his subordinate's side. As he did though Edward could hear the now familiar sound of rattling chains. He squinted his eyes against the light, seeing that the colonel was dressed in a thin hospital gown as well; a collar around his neck was attached to a thick chain that was held by the man. Mustang seemed dazed, his eyes glassy as though still fighting off the drug in his system. He looked just as confused and tired as he himself was.

Before Ed could respond he saw the man's leg move just a few moments before he felt a sharp kick connect with his side. He just managed to hold back a cry of pain as he writhed on the ground, the man above him smiling broadly.

"Good to see that the tranquilizer dose wasn't too much for such a small body." Anger flared through Edward's body, his mouth opening in preparation for an angry retort. Instead of his rage being voiced an involuntary scream ripped itself free from his throat as he was kicked again.

"I was starting to worry that it might have been too much," The man said in a casual tone as he delivered another agonizing kick. "This was a newer concoction, we haven't fully tested it yet, but it seems to have done its job."

As Ed cried out against another painful kick he saw the colonel's form stiffen in rage. "Stop it! He hasn't done anything to you! What kind of man kicks a child while he's down?!"

Though Edward was annoyed at being referred to as a child, Mustang's words made the man pause. He stepped back before turning his head to look at the colonel. "Ah, so I see the rumors weren't true at all. I thought you and this brat hated each other…Good to see that you two care for the other." The man's voice was a low rumble, sounding like a large cats purr.

"G-Go fuck yourself…You c-creep…" Ed managed to gasp out, the pain from his battered ribs getting rid of the heat behind the words. The man only let out a laugh as he turned his attention back to Edward.

"I like that fiery attitude of yours…I'll enjoy slowly extinguishing it." Ed tried not to shiver at the man's pleased tone. "You know I could have either of you killed in a heartbeat, but I need you alive for what I have in mind."

Before either of them could react the man bent down, unlocking Ed's chain from the ground swiftly before jerking it up in his large hand. Edward let out a small grunt of pain as he was forced off the ground, stumbling as he got to his feet. "Now let's go and get started, I'm sure you two can't wait to see what's in store for you."

As the man tugged on the chain that connected to his own thick leather collar, Ed felt his legs begin to tremble violently. The man seemed not to notice, or care, as he dragged his two helpless captives along. Before he could fall to the ground there was a sudden support pressed up next to him. Edward turned his head and saw that he was now leaning heavily against the colonel, whose dark eyes glittered with concern.

"Hey," Mustang called out, causing the man to pause as they left the dark concrete room and entered into a hallway. "What have you done to him? He can barely stay on his feet."

"It's probably just a side effect of the tranquilizer." The man shrugged as though it wasn't really important. "It'll wear off eventually."

The colonel seemed ready to argue with the man, but Ed shot him a look that kept his mouth shut. Mustang only nodded, letting Edward lean deeper against him as they were dragged along the hall.

They soon entered a room with cages set deep into the stone walls. Inside were what looked like smaller animals, but they seemed odd and twisted. As they passed them Edward was able to get a closer look at some of the creatures.

In one cage there was a three headed lizard with large and glowing florescent green spines. Another contained an eyeless lizard with a mouth at the end of a long and thick tail. Next to it, in a separate cage, was a larger rodent with goat like eyes and sleek praying mantis arms. Each cage's contents only filled Edward with more and more dread. Where were they and what was going to happen to them?

"My, I seem to have forgotten my manners." The man said suddenly, his voice almost apologetic. "My name is Doctor Lawrence, but you can just refer to me as 'Master'."

Ed felt rage and anxiety build up within him; he wanted to tell the man off, like hell he would refer to him by that name! Before he could even open his mouth, Mustang gave him the same look he himself had given him only minutes ago, causing Ed to just glower at the doctor's back.

"This is the facility that I run," Doctor Lawrence said proudly as he gestured with his head to the seemingly endless rows of cages. "We specialize in chimeras, as of late though we've been focusing on a larger project…Chimeras that can understand, and speak, the human language."

Edward felt like his blood had frozen in his veins, what the man said only equated to one horrible thing. "T-That means that…"

"Correct," The doctor said in a delighted voice. "You two are now going to take part in those experiments. We've never transmuted alchemists before, much less one with automail limbs, so this should be enlightening to our studies."

"Why us?" Mustang growled angrily, though Ed could see a growing horror spread across his usually stoic face. "You could have found much easier subjects to capture. The two of us will be escaping as soon as we can, most likely destroying your lab in the process."

While Edward expected some fear to come over the man, he only laughed loudly as they left the unsettling room behind and entered into a shorter hallway. "Now that would be a bad idea. Those collars around your necks were made just for you two. They can detect even the slightest use of alchemy even before the transmutation is fully activated by the user. The shock you'll receive is strong and potentially lethal. I have a feeling that you're smart enough not to test that second part out for yourselves."

As Doctor Lawrence finished speaking they entered an even larger room. This one was huge and circular, comprised of three levels connected to stairs that spiraled down to a basement of sorts. A large skylight cast warm sunlight into the room, glittering off the steel cages that lined the walls.

The first level housed a few dogs of differing sizes, ranging from a small terrier to a large shepherd. The second floor seemed to be comprised of doors that led to cold and sterile rooms; the lowest level was home to the chimeras.

"You know who we are, don't you?" The colonel's angered voice wavered slightly in the still air as they were dragged down towards the third level. "You must know that people will know we're missing. The military will find you and put an end to all of this."

Doctor Lawrence's smile only grew larger as he turned around to look at his two prisoners. "You two are the only ones who know of our activities. Colonel Roy Mustang, you were going to send the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, and his brother Alphonse to investigate our facility. But you kept the information between state alchemists. With the two of you here, we won't be caught because you are the only ones who knew where, and who, we are."

"H-How do you know that?" Dread dropped like a stone in Ed's stomach to see even the confident colonel look horrified and confused. The drug in his system seemed to have loosened his lips, allowing no secrets to remain hidden. Mustang's eyes were wide and glassy and he was trembling against Ed.

"I told you, I have my ways." The man smiled as they reached their destination. Large cages lined the walls; they were much larger with thicker bars than the ones in the previous room. Inside twisted dog like creatures stared fearfully up at them as the doctor reached into his pocket. He soon produced a device with many red buttons labeled with different numbers. With a press of a finger two nearby cage doors creaked open.

"In you go." Doctor Lawrence said as he separated Edward and the colonel. He quickly undid the bindings of Mustang's restraints before violently throwing him into a cage at the very end of the row. The colonel looked dazed from the force of the doctor's shove, giving the man plenty of time to shut the cage door. As he did so a loud and unnatural beep sounded, the lock sealing electrically.

Ed swayed at the disappearance of Mustang's support, his trembling legs nearly giving way before Doctor Lawrence grabbed him and held him up as if he weighed nothing, undoing his own shackles in the process.

"One last thing…" The man muttered as he held Edward up a little higher, reaching down to place a large hand to Ed's left leg. His hand hovered over the automail limb for a moment before he grabbed a normally hidden and nearly impossible to find lever. With a swift and experience movement, Edward felt his leg go completely limp, now just as useless as his arm. All he could do was glare at Doctor Lawrence as the man laughed and roughly shoved Ed into his own prison.

"I've studied the basics of automail," He said as he slammed the cage door shut. "I know that every type has a shut off switch, it just took a little longer to locate yours."

"I'll show you, you fucking bastard!" Edward snarled as he wriggled around in his cage, trying to get access to his limp automail arm. The doctor only laughed at his struggling, leaning down so he could lock his eyes on Ed through the cage bars.

"What did I tell you about trying to use alchemy?" Doctor Lawrence tapped on the metal bars, an almost disapproving look on his face. "If you really want to test out that collar so badly, I can set it off remotely."

"Edward, stop!" He froze and turned his head to look at Mustang. The colonel was in the cage to his right, so close that his outstretched hand rested lightly on Ed's shoulder. "Don't do anything reckless."

"At least it looks like one of you has common sense." The doctor laughed as he stood back up, turning his back to the cages as he began to exit the room. "Behave and don't try anything funny. I'll let the first successful chimera tell you more about our project."

As Doctor Lawrence walked away, heading up the stairs that led to the second level, Edward felt a chill run down his spine. He looked towards Mustang to see that he was looking at something just over Ed's shoulder with wide and horrified eyes. He followed the colonel's gaze and felt his muscles tense with dread.

In the cage to Edward's left sat what looked like a normal dog. Its fur was a light brown color, thick and ragged but thin enough to see how malnourished the poor creature was. Sandy blond hair led from the top of its head to end in a long and sweeping tail, which seemed to wag in eager excitement.

"Hello!" The chimera's voice was light but warped, sounding similar to a dog's bark. Its tone was nothing but friendly as it gazed at him with hazy blue eyes. Its eyes looked dull, the irises seemingly clouded over as if the dog half of the chimera was more in control than the human half. "Welcome friends!"

"No…" Ed watched as the chimera cocked its head to the side with a confused expression in its face, one slightly bent ear perking up with curiosity. "No…I am not staying here to…To become something like that. Fuck what that doctor said; I'm getting us out of here right now using alchemy!"

"Edward!" Mustang cried out, his fingers tightening against his right arm in an attempt to stop him. Ed looked back towards the colonel; the man's eyes were wide and full of deep concern. "Just hold on, okay? Let's just take a step back and think this through."

"There is no thinking it through, this is our only option!" Ed could hear his voice tremble in panic as he glared at his concerned colonel. Mustang only stared imploringly back at him, his hand moving up his shoulder as his fingers lightly grazed the skin around his collar. While Edward knew the touch was meant to be comforting, it only angered him more as he shrugged him off.

"I-I have to do this! I won't allow us to just sit here and accept our fate. If anything I'd rather die trying to free ourselves than become a mindless beast!" Before Mustang could say anything more in an attempt to dissuade him, Ed moved his arm and awkwardly clapped his hands.

The last thing he heard was a cry of panic from the colonel and a concerned whine from the chimera to his left before agony exploded through Edward's head. He didn't even get a moment to think of an array to free him of his cage as his body began to convulse violently.

His whole body felt as though white hot daggers were piercing at every nerve as the unbearably painful energy continued to course through him. Ed was vaguely aware of a warm hand brushing against his neck as an involuntary shriek of pure agony escaped through his clenched teeth.

Soon the current flowing through his body ceased, allowing his convulsing form to still as the world began to fade to black. Edward felt himself go limp as he slumped against the metal floor of his cage. Somehow he had ended up on his back, his limbs occasionally twitching against his control. The last thing he saw was Mustang's panicked face, his mouth moving though Ed could hear no sound. He closed his eyes, gratefully letting the dizzying darkness sweep him away into unconsciousness.

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"Edward! Ed, please wake up!" Mustang cried out as he looked at the boy's limp body, fear coursing through him. He had tried to stop Ed, but the Fullmetal Alchemist was well known for disobeying orders. The colonel's heart had hammered in his chest as he was forced to sit back, watching on helplessly as Edward was struck by wave upon wave of electricity that radiated from his collar. He had reached out to the boy, but his spasming hadn't stopped and he didn't seem to be aware of anything other than his own agony. Ed's body had stilled a minute or so ago, but the boy didn't seem like he would awaken soon, if he ever did at all…

"Edward, please just open your eyes…" Mustang's voice was low and full of worry as he gently nudged at the boy's automail shoulder. There was still no response. Ed was so still, his breaths coming in quick and uneven gasps as his body trembled weakly. He just wished he could do more for the poor boy.

As the colonel hung his head, feeling defeated at not being able to help Edward at all, he began to take stock of the situation they had found themselves in. The basement was dimly lit, the only real light coming from the skylight above as the sun streamed through the glass. Around the circular room the walls were lined with large cages with thick iron bars, almost all of them contained a doglike chimera.

Both Mustang and Edward's cages were at the end of one row, a door to his right put an end to their line of cages only to resume on the other side of the doorway. The cages were slightly off the ground, a steel grate like liner separated their bodies from the concrete below. The metal was covered with a thin sheet with two equally as thin blankets and pillows bundled at the back of the cage.

While his metal prison was big, the colonel knew that he wouldn't be able to lie down completely straight without his feet hitting the bars. He was able to sit in a slightly hunched position without slamming his head against the roof of the cage, which was how he now sat. Both Mustang and Ed's cages were very close to each other. He was easily able to reach an arm out through the cage bars to run his hand through the boy's hair in a soothing gesture. The colonel silently begged Ed to open his eyes, to show him that he would be okay.

"Pup will be fine." The chimera was looking at him from over Edward's limp form. Its blue eyes glittered sharply with humanlike intelligence before becoming hazy as it continued on. "Pup is young and strong. Pup will wake up."

"How do you know that?" While Mustang felt a little weirded out by talking to something that looked so much like a dog, he needed some reassurance that his subordinate would survive, and the chimera seemed friendly enough.

"Pup not like Number Twenty-One. Twenty-One was old…She wasn't strong enough to live through the shock…" For a moment the chimera lowered its head sadly, eyes glistening as it shook itself free of the painful memory. "What number are you?"

"Number?" For the first time the colonel noticed that his and Ed's collars had silver tags attached to the front of them. He lifted a hand to feel that one side had his real name engraved into it while the other side read Thirty-Five. In the pale sunlight he could make out the number Thirty-Four on Edward's tag.

"I don't need a number," Mustang tried to keep the anger out of his voice as he continued. It wasn't this poor beast's fault that he had one to begin with. "I have a name, and it's Roy Mustang."

"Name Roy? That's good name." The chimera's tail began to wag as he nodded towards Ed. "Pup have name too?"

"His name is Edward." The colonel felt a shard of hope pierce his heart as the boy stirred slightly in his pain induced slumber. It was quickly shattered when his eyes remained closed. With a sad sigh Mustang laid down in his cage, curling in on himself slightly as he maneuvered Ed onto his right side. Now that the boy was facing him he could see that Edward's eyes seemed to be moving rapidly from behind his closed eyelids. He gripped the poor boy's shoulder tighter as he looked back at the chimera. "Don't you have a name?"

"Yes, I have name! Name is Sammy! Sammy is Number One, but Sammy likes his name more." The chimera barked happily, eyes glowing proudly as he continued on. "Sammy leads The Pack!"

"The Pack?" Mustang felt a faint chill run down his spine. He didn't like where this was going.

"Yes, all chimeras are part of The Pack. Roy and Pup are new members." Sammy must have misread the horror that slowly began to show on the colonel's face. He quickly perked his shaggy ears and lifted a paw in a reassuring manner. "Do not be afraid. Sammy will watch over you now!"

"T-Thank you…" While the chimera seemed happy at what he thought was a comforting statement, it did nothing to lessen Mustang's fear. He looked back at Edward, watching the boy as a small spasm seized his body and a quiet moan escaped his lips. Were he and Ed doomed? How could they even begin to plan an escape with so much stacked against them? And if the boy never regained consciousness, could he even do this on his own?

"God, I brought him into this mess…He should be with his brother right now, not trapped in this living hell…" The colonel closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to wail his misery aloud. This was all his fault; he had been the one to hear of the mission, he had been the one who thought it would be best if Edward knew about it as well. Mustang had known it was potentially dangerous information to know, so why had he even thought of disclosing any of it to the boy?

He had failed in his duty to keep Ed safe. He had failed miserably…

"Pup will be fine, Roy." Sammy's voice was soft and gentle as he placed a misshapen paw over the colonel's hand that currently rested against Edward's shoulder. His paw felt reassuringly warm compared to the boy's cold and clammy skin. "Trust Sammy. Sammy has seen Twenty-Two live through the shock. Twenty-Two is old, but he is still alive."

Mustang didn't know if what Sammy had said helped calm him in any way. He was still deeply concerned about Ed's wellbeing; even if the chimera seemed sure he'd wake up. What if the boy's body couldn't handle all the stress it had been put under? What if the drug that still lingered in his system made him react badly to the shock? The colonel shook his head; he needed to stop that line of thought.

"What is this place?" Mustang asked, hoping that knowing of any useful information could ease his worry.

"Sammy does not know." The chimera removed his paw from the colonel's hand as he looked around the room. "Sammy knows it is a lab though…"

"I kind of figured that." He thought to himself, knowing that Sammy was only trying to help as best he could. The dog in him seemed to be more prominent now though; maybe he could reach the human side like he had seen earlier. "But where are we? Do you know the region?"

The chimera tipped his head, closing his eyes for a moment as though concentrating hard. When he opened them again his eyes had a sharper look to them, seeming more human than before as he nodded. "Up north. Still in Amestris. It's always cold here…Can remember seeing it snow once…"

Mustang was shocked at the intelligence that now radiated from Sammy. For the first time it felt like he was talking to an actual human, and it gave him a small sense of hope. If he and Ed were truly destined to become chimeras, could they retain their humanity? "Do you know what they'll do to Edward and I?"

"Yes…Sammy is so sorry." As suddenly as it had appeared, Sammy's eyes hazed over again, almost like the human inside had fled to hide behind the animal's mind. His blue eyes glistened sadly as he stared back at him. "Sammy will do all he can to protect Roy and Pup."

The colonel wanted to ask more, to know exactly what he and Ed would be up against, but he knew that some ignorance of their situation would be better than knowing every detail. While he didn't know if he would ever be ready to find out so soon, Mustang knew he definitely wasn't ready at this moment.

As he debated that thought silently, the colonel felt his heart skip as Ed began to stir. His limbs seemed to be more under his own control as his left arm reached up to brush against Mustang's firm grip on his shoulder. The boy's brow furrowed as he let out a small, miserable whimper and began to squirm in discomfort against the floor of his cage.

"Edward, can you hear me?" The colonel tried and failed to keep the hopeful excitement from his voice. At the sound Edward's eyes opened slightly, glassy golden orbs slowly focusing on Mustang. Gradually the boy seemed to regain his memory, his gaze now wide and full of fear and pain.

"You're going to be alright," Mustang said quickly as his free hand moved to run its fingers through the blonde's hair. "Just get some rest, okay? You'll feel better when you wake next."

"O-Okay…" Ed murmured, his eyes already beginning to close as he leaned gratefully into the colonel's gentle touch. Normally defensive and mindful of his personal space, Edward was only allowing the contact because he was so worn down from pain and fear. The boy's left hand was now gripping his wrist firmly, as though making sure Mustang was still there. "M-Mustang…I-I…"

"Don't try to talk, Ed." The colonel soothed, his hand on Edward's shoulder moving down to brush against his neck, and the wretched collar that had nearly killed the poor boy. "I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you."

While he knew the promise was hollow and had clearly been broken before it was even made, it seemed to bring Ed some comfort. The boy let out a small sigh as his eyes opened once more to look back at Mustang.

"S-S…Stay…" The colonel felt like his heart would shatter at hearing the broken voice emanate from someone so strong. He was able to nod sincerely, his emotions written clearly on his face, before Ed lost his battle to stay conscious.

"Here," Mustang was surprised to hear Sammy's voice as the chimera grabbed one of Ed's blankets in his mouth. He flung his head back, draping the boy in the thin fabric before reaching for the second one. "Pup will feel better if he is warm."

"Thank you, Sammy." The colonel said as he carefully tucked the blankets as best as he could around Edward. The boy's hold on his wrist and the metal bars of the cages made the task a little difficult, but together he and the chimera managed to cover most of him.

"Sammy looks out for his pack." The chimera said simply as he gently ran his long and flowing tail along Ed's spine, his eyes full of warmth. Mustang continued to stroke the boy's hair, trying his best to keep at least one part of his promise in keeping Edward safe.

"I'll do all I can to get you out of here…I won't let the two of us rot in this prison. Whatever it takes, I'll keep you safe and get you home to your brother. I swear on that, Edward." The colonel kept his gaze locked on the sleeping boy, watching over him as the sun began to set and the basement was plunged into shadow.


I've decided that my Author's Notes will now be located at the bottom, just in case I need to talk about spoilers lol.

Anyway, I'm glad to have this finally uploaded! Chapter 2 will be coming out towards the end of July or early August, this all just depends on if anything comes up in my personal life. I'm also trying to stay ahead of chapters, so while Chapter 2 has been fully written out, it still needs typed and edited which takes about a week or so, depending on various other factors.

Thank you all for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! I also want to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story so far. You guys are awesome and are the whole reason I even keep writing.

I love you all, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

:3

[EDIT]

Fixed a small spelling error that messed with one sentence.