Chapter 2

Alphonse had run to the colonel's office as fast as he could after the two had been taken, grateful for once to have a body that never tired. He had rushed through the city streets in a blind panic, barely noticing the people who either jumped out of his way or stood aside in concerned confusion. It was almost muscle memory that got Al to Central Command, his mind racing as fast as his own body. He had almost broken down the office door in his haste, scaring most of Mustang's crew as he began to recount all that had just happened.

"I just hope they believe me," Al thought as he watched their expressions carefully. He knew what he was telling them seemed impossible, but sometimes truth was wilder than fiction. "I need to get those two back as soon as possible! Who knows what their kidnappers might do."

As he finished the story of his brother and the colonel's abduction, Alphonse looked around the room to see a wide range of emotions written on the crew's faces. Breda and Havoc were looking at him with a sort of horrified disbelief, a lit cigarette hanging dangerously from Havoc's gaping mouth. Fuery's eyes were wide with concern while Falman seemed to be pondering the situation deeply. Only Hawkeye stood seemingly unfazed in the center of the room, her eyes betraying nothing of the emotions hidden inside her.

"Who would even think about abducting those two?" Havoc voiced Al's earlier thoughts as the man slowly regained his composure, the rest of his comment muffled slightly by his cigarette. "They're both essentially living weapons!"

While most of the room nodded in agreement, Hawkeye let out a loud cough to get everyone's attention. "If what Alphonse has said is true, not that I doubt him in the slightest, then we need to do all we can to find who has taken Edward and the colonel and where they have been taken to."

The crew nodded in agreement, casting nervous glances at each other. They seemed lost without Mustang there to lead them, and for the first time Alphonse felt dread flutter at the back of his mind. "What if they can't find Ed and the colonel? Maybe their kidnappers knew that if they took Mustang his team would be useless…"

Instead of panicking, as Al had worried they would, the crew turned to the only one strong enough to get them through this crisis. All eyes were on Hawkeye as she took a moment to compose herself, thoughts seeming to flicker in her light brown eyes as she formed a plan.

"Breda," The lieutenant's attention snapped back to the present as she locked her gaze onto the portly man. "I want you and Falman to go to the scene and find any clues that the kidnappers may have left behind. I assume you both know the general area around the building collapse?"

As Breda nodded, Falman got to his feet. The two soldiers shooting a quick salute before they quickly and quietly left through the office doors. Alphonse watched them as they disappeared down the hallway, wondering if he should have offered to go along with them. He was distracted though as Hawkeye began to speak again.

"Havoc, I want you to search the colonel's desk. There may be a slim chance that he may have something revolving around the Elric's mission hidden there." Havoc let out a small huff, smoke billowing from his nose as he made his way to Mustang's smaller office.

"No real hope there. I'll probably just find names and numbers of various women. He might have that picture of my ex-girlfriend that vanished from my desk…" The man muttered to himself as he left, Hawkeye either not hearing or caring enough to reprimand him.

"Fuery," The smaller man jumped as the lieutenant turned her attention to him. "Can you get in touch with Major Armstrong? Alphonse said that the information given to Edward was classified to state alchemists, there is a chance he may know something about the case. He's also part of investigations so his help would be much appreciated."

As Fuery nodded, making his way over to the nearest phone, Hawkeye shot him a look that stopped him in his tracks. "I need you to do this as discretely as possible; we don't want any higher ups to find out about this."

Fuery nodded, instead returning to his own desk and settling down amongst his various equipment, as Alphonse turned to the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant," Al spoke up almost hesitantly, fidgeting slightly as she turned her hard gaze towards him. "I-Is there anything I can do to help? I know I'm not part of the military…But if there is anything I can do to help…"

Alphonse trailed off as he saw Hawkeye's gaze soften, her features seeming to relax slightly as she gazed at him. "I want you to go through your brother's belongings to see if he hid anything important. I'll also need you to tell me every detail of what you saw today. Anything you can tell me about Edward's mission would help as well."

Al nodded, his armor still clattering quietly as he held back his own doubts and fears. He was determined to remain strong, to be as tough as Ed would be in this situation, but he was still very worried about his brother and the colonel. Hawkeye seemed to sense this as she crossed the room to put a reassuring hand to his shoulder.

"Everything will be fine, Alphonse." Her voice was gentle but still held a confident tone as she looked at him. "I'm sure we'll find those two as fast as we can. Rest assured that we will find them, no matter what it takes."

Al could see that her eyes were dark with worry, despite her confident façade, and he respected her all the more for it. If Hawkeye could stay strong in the face of this troubling situation, then he could as well.

"Thank you, lieutenant." While Al knew that Hawkeye and the rest of Mustang's crew were more than capable to handle this on their own, he still felt a twinge of fear for the two. "Hang on brother and Colonel Mustang, we'll get you two back safe and sound. Just hold on for a bit longer…"

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Edward let out a quiet sigh as he shifted uncomfortably in his cage, the chill in the air and the concrete below seeming to seep into the very marrow of his bones. The basement was always cold, though it never reached a temperature low enough to cause hypothermia, it was just enough to keep him in an almost near constant state of shivering. The chimeras seemed to bear the cold better than Ed and Mustang -most likely because of their fur- though they always looked tired and worn, like they were still suffering but had learned to ignore it over time.

While Edward didn't know the exact number of days since his and the colonel's capture, it had to have been nearing the mark of a little over a week. In those few days the scientists had refused to feed their new captives, most likely in an attempt to weaken the two alchemists. They also enjoyed tormenting Ed and Mustang, regularly sticking cattle prods through the cage bars or harshly stabbing them with needles. The contents of the syringes were a mystery, but they always left the two of them feeling weak and sick, a similar feeling to the after effects of the tranquilizers used on them but not putting them into a more blissful state of unconsciousness.

Ed felt like he was suffering more from the food deprivation and needle sticks than Mustang was, his body already taxing itself to keep his automail limbs functioning even though he was now unable to move them. Edward was starting to get used to the near constant weakness, though his hunger pangs were still strong enough to wake him from his sleep. Sammy had noticed this and began to offer up his own dry dog food to Ed and the colonel. While his stomach was desperate for anything to eliminate the pain, his pride kept him from accepting something made only for dogs. He also didn't want to deprive the friendly chimera of his food; the scientists barely fed the poor beasts to begin with.

A small groan from his right broke Edward from his thoughts, causing him to turn his head towards Mustang. The colonel was still asleep, curling up more tightly under his thin blankets as his body trembled from the cold. The man looked as miserable as Ed felt, and he had to hold back from reaching out to Mustang, though he longed to give the colonel some sort of physical comfort.

Edward still remembered waking up after his failed, and in hindsight, very stupid escape attempt to find himself curled up in Mustang's arms. The colonel has pressed himself as closely as he could towards Ed, his arms emerging through the bars of Edward's cage. While the man had still been asleep he could see the fear and worry written on his sleeping face. He couldn't remember what exactly had happened for him to wind up in the colonel's arms, but he must have been really hurt for Mustang to try and comfort him, to look so scared even in slumber.

While Edward had felt a strange warmth flood through him at the colonel's contact, he had forced his aching body away from Mustang's warm embrace, no matter how much he longed to stay. Nothing good could ever come from getting that attached to anyone, much less the colonel of all people. Getting close to someone like that only led to heartache in the end, nobody stayed around forever as Ed had learned from a very young age.

From his left he heard Sammy let out a yawn before settling more comfortably among his small nest of pillows and blankets, his nose buried beneath his fluffy tail. Through Sammy, Ed and Mustang had learned a lot about the other chimeras that he called his pack.

There were the two lovers, Anna and Cale, who rested in cages right across the room from them. They had been captured together in a failed attempt to see if chimeras could breed and produce viable offspring. In the cage next to them was Faye, the youngest chimera who had seemingly been adopted by the two. She was the smallest chimera, from a mixture of her age or the dog breed she had been merged with, they didn't know for sure.

Sammy knew every chimera trapped in the basement, from tiny Faye to the large and threatening William who lurked in the cage located farther along the wall. Then there was the elderly Number Twenty-Two, who seemed to prefer being addressed by his number rather than his name. The empty cage beside him had belonged to his wife, who Sammy called Number Twenty-One. She had been killed in the testing process of the collars Edward and Mustang now wore; through Sammy they had learned that she'd been a positive aspect of The Pack.

It was obvious that Sammy cared for them all, regularly checking in on every member when he could. The scientists ignored the loud barks for the most part, though sometimes they would yell or kick the cages in an attempt to silence them. Every time the scientists would get mad, Sammy would take the blame and bear the occasional punishment in their stead. He was a good and caring leader and The Pack seemed to look up to him.

"Pup?" Ed heard Sammy's rough and warped voice, turning his head to see the chimera looking at him. His eyes were hazy from sleep and he let out a small yawn before noticing that he had Edward's attention. "Pup is awake, yes?"

"Yeah, I've been up for a little while now." He said as he looked up toward the skylight, warm morning sunlight streaming through. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Did Pup sleep good?" At first Edward had been irritated that Sammy called him 'Pup', thinking that the chimera was making fun of his height. Over time he realized that Sammy used it as a term of endearment, a nickname he had gifted to his newest young member. While Ed was still occasionally annoyed by his new name, the chimera only ever used it with a friendly tone.

"As good as you can in this stupid cold cage. How you've been able to do it for so long truly amazes me." The chimera let out a small snort of laughter, shaking his head almost wistfully.

"Sammy has had much practice. It gets easier over time." Sammy stood up and stretched out his long body, the cage giving him plenty of room to move about comfortably. Whether the chimera was referring to his transformation or that he'd gotten used to his cage long before, Ed didn't want to ask. "Is Roy still asleep?"

Edward glanced back over at Mustang, seeing that the man had barely moved since the last time he had checked. "Yeah, just like the rock that he is."

"Roy was up late. Said he was thinking about a plan," Sammy settled back down amongst his blankets, his gaze still lingering on the colonel. "Roy seemed angry before sleeping. Plan must be hard."

Both Edward and Mustang had been racking their brains in their goal to think up a good escape plan. The scientists must have known that their food deprived minds wouldn't be able to piece together a coherent plan because after a few days they had gotten nowhere. All that usually ended up happening was an idea would be thrown around before the other would find a clear fault in it. This usually led to hushed yelling and heated arguments, so for the last day or so they had stopped planning together. While Ed was starting to lose hope, the colonel was stubborn, still trying to think of something that would result in freedom. Though if he had been up all night in an angry mood then he probably hadn't come up with anything useful.

"It's been a struggle to think of a good plan." Ed muttered, still watching Mustang as he slept, oblivious to the world. "But Mustang won't give up…Even if I already have…"

"All will be fine, Pup." Sammy must have heard the hopelessness in his voice as he reached a paw through the cage bars and placed it above Ed's automail port. He turned to look at the chimera, seeing sympathy glitter in his light blue eyes. Sammy then tried his best attempt at a smile, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as his lips pulled back to show his sharp teeth. "Pup should tell Sammy more about armor brother! Pup's stories are good and armor seems nice."

Edward smiled sadly back; while it felt good to talk about Alphonse it only served as a reminder that he may never see his younger brother again. Sammy seemed to enjoy his stories about their various adventures though, and watching the chimera's eyes light up as the story neared its usual happy end always made him feel better.

"Let's see…Did I tell you about the time he found a stray kitten in the rain and kept it hidden in his bedroom for a whole week?" At the over enthusiastic shaking of Sammy's head, Ed let out a laugh before launching into the story.

As Edward told the chimera every detail about the event he relished in the happiness that radiated from him. Sammy was clearly enjoying the story, letting out small howls of laughter at certain points. But as Ed was about to tell him how Alphonse had managed to keep that damn kitten hidden so well, the chimera tensed up.

"Sammy, are you okay?" He asked as Sammy's ears folded tight against his skull, his wide eyes now glittering with fear as he let out a low whine.

"N-No…Sammy smells bad scientist…Bad scientist coming, never means anything good…" The chimera was shaking, his nearly panicked gaze suddenly snapping back to Edward. "Bad scientist hurts The Pack…Nearly killed Sammy long time ago…Bad scientist is pure evil…"

Before Ed could ask any questions he heard the sound of someone walking down the metal staircase that led into the basement. He watched as a very tall and lanky man turned in their direction once reaching the bottom, his cold gray eyes locking onto Edward as a twisted smirk parted his thin lips.

"Ah, so you must be the new experiments." The scientist walked towards him, his light footsteps barely making a noise as he stalked closer. "Doctor Lawrence has finally allowed me to meet you. I'm so excited to see what two military dogs can handle."

"Leave them alone!" Edward jumped as Sammy let out a fierce snarl from beside him. The chimera's eyes were wild, holding no traces of human intellect as he bared his fangs.

"Oh, hello Number One, I see you've taken a liking to those two. But don't worry; you know I'll be careful with them." The scientist walked until he was a foot away from Sammy, his dark eyes seeming to gleam with twisted delight. "Now be a good boy and stand down, you'll only end up hurt in the end."

While Sammy visibly flinched at the scientist's words he continued to growl. "No! You no hurt friends!"

"Not the smartest of moves, Number One." The scientist shook his head before producing an elongated taser from one of his lab coat pockets. With almost unnatural speed the scientist lunged forward, electricity crackling as Sammy let out a howl of agony. The shock continued for a few more seconds before the chimera slumped in his cage, eyes closed as he twitched involuntarily. The scientist then turned a twisted grin towards Ed, who stared at Sammy's limp form in fear.

"Don't worry; he'll be fine in a few minutes. That shock was nothing compared to my collars, but you would know about that, wouldn't you Edward?" The scientist stepped back from Sammy's cage, kneeling down so he was eye level with Ed, his grin only growing as he sensed the fear coursing through his body. "Now, you and your superior will be coming with me for a few…Tests as I like to call them."

Before Edward could think of any form of reaction to this horrifying man, he heard movement from his right. Mustang was waking up, struggling against his blankets as he fought his way into consciousness. The colonel's eyes opened and focused on Ed before locking anxiously onto the scientist.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot to deal with you as well…" The scientist let out a rough laugh before pulling a syringe from the other pocket of his lab coat. Edward watched on helplessly as he stabbed the needle deep into Mustang's partially exposed leg. The colonel looked at the scientist in confusion before his eyes widened and his pupils turned to pin pricks.

Edward felt pure terror flood through him as Mustang let out a shriek of pure agony. Ed reached a hand out to the colonel as he writhed in his cage, his wide and fearful eyes locking onto Edward as another scream ripped itself free from his throat. He then suddenly went silent, body falling limp as his breathing sped up into pained gasps.

"Mustang!"

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Mustang had been dreaming of a way to escape the hell that was the basement. Unlike most dreams that were either full of unbelievable scenarios or just a jumbling of random thoughts, this one had been much more lucid.

In the dream he had found himself in a situation similar to the one he was in before losing consciousness. It was dark, but through the dim light he could make out the sleeping figure of Edward. The boy lay almost peacefully among the blankets, his loose golden hair gleaming through the darkness, bringing the colonel both comfort and despair.

"I need to get him out of here…" Mustang thought as he watched Ed sleep, seemingly oblivious to the dark world around him. "He should never have been involved in all this. I dragged him into this mess and I need to keep him safe until I can get us out."

But how could they escape? He had thought long and hard about this, most nights ending in him falling asleep in a rage. There really was no easy answer.

They could try to get their hands on the controller that unlocked the cages, but only a select few scientists had access to it and they guarded it with their lives. They couldn't manage to find a way to wretch off their collars; the lock on the back of them prevented any real attempts. Since the collar's shock could be remotely activated they couldn't even fake illness or injury that could free them of their cages. Alchemy was out of the question and attacking the scientists would be foolish without any sort of weapon.

"Think…There has to be something that will work. Just keep thinking…" Mustang was broken from his thoughts as a snarl echoed around him. As he began to search for the source of the noise he noticed that Ed was thrashing wildly in his sleep.

"Edward!" The colonel cried out as he reached for the boy, memories of the shock collar replaying in his mind as he seemed to be struck by wave after wave of crackling electricity. As his hand made contact with the boy's skin, Ed let out a howl of pain. Before he could do more to help, Mustang was suddenly awake and clawing at his blankets as he fought to free himself of the dream.

His eyes snapped open and he looked at the boy in the cage beside him, his body relaxing slightly to see he was unharmed. Ed was looking fearfully at a man who kneeled in front of his cage and Mustang let his own wary gaze rest on him as well. The man appeared to be a scientist, and as his sleep addled mind tried to understand the words being spoken by him, Mustang caught the silver gleam of a syringe before it was stabbed roughly into his leg.

The colonel tensed, expecting weakness or nausea to take over like it usually did when the scientists gave them injections. He was completely unprepared for the undiluted agony that coursed through him.

Mustang let out an almost instinctual shriek as fire seemed to burn through every nerve of his body. Every part of him hurt, never had he felt such intense pain as he sought out Edward, praying to any higher power that the boy was spared from such agony.

He screamed again as Ed's eyes gleamed with pure terror and he began to reach for Mustang, who suddenly felt his own body go limp in response to the painful injection. The colonel's breath came out in quick and labored gasps, even breathing seemed to hurt too much to bear.

"Mustang!" Edward screamed as his trembling left hand landed to rest on his shoulder. The touch sent a wave of agony through him as Mustang held back another pained scream. He grit his teeth against it, not wanting Ed to worry more about him than he should instead of himself.

"What the hell did you give him?!" The boy turned to glare at the scientist, his fear seemingly burned away by the anger in his voice. While the colonel was shocked to see Edward actually defending him, he knew all too well the protective feeling that the boy was now feeling.

"It's a special concoction of mine," The scientist spoke in a nasally voice as he let out a small laugh. "It prevents movement by making every muscle and nerve burn with agony. This can last for days without the antidote, isn't it just wonderful?"

Wonderful would not be the word Mustang would have used to describe the nearly unbearable pain that seared through his body. The scientist was right about the serum preventing movement, any involuntary twitch of his muscles sent a rush of agony crashing through him. He could even swear that his beating heart was causing him pain.

"Why did you only give it to him?" Mustang felt his aching heart skip a beat as he heard Edward speak up. There was anger in his voice, sounding too much like a challenge that the colonel was all too familiar with. It made him want to glare at the boy and order him to shut the hell up, to do anything to save himself from this agony.

"There's no need to," The scientist's voice was full of smug satisfaction, his narrowed eyes gleaming almost triumphantly. "I can tell that you're in no state to put up a fight. Automail is both a blessing and a curse, isn't it? Even when you aren't able to move it, it still takes the same amount of energy away that it uses just to function."

"No, I don't need to give you this injection. You'll be coming with me whether you want to or not." Mustang could practically feel Edward's anger radiating off of him in waves. He watched as the boy leaned himself closer to the scientist, every muscle tensing as though preparing for a fight.

"And why the fuck would I willingly go with you?" Ed's voice was a low and dangerous growl, his eyes gleaming with sheer hatred. "If you let me out of this cage I'll destroy you. Do you really want to test your luck?"

Instead of showing fear the scientist only laughed and clapped, seemingly amused at the thought of the boy trying to fight him. "Oh Doctor Lawrence was right, you do have such a wonderful fire burning within you!"

"I know as well as you do that right now you're all bark and no bite. We've been starving you two for a reason you know. If I really wanted to, I could just snap your thin little neck and be done with it." Ed cut the man off with an enraged snarl, his left hand leaving Mustang's arm to claw desperately at the scientist through the bars.

Instead of finding his usual enjoyment at the boy's reaction, Mustang felt dread form a pit in his stomach. At this rate Ed would only end up hurting himself or being hurt by the scientist, who seemed to view the boy's rage as a joke. This man held more power than they did at the moment and he had no clue how it would be used.

"Anyway," The man easily moved out of Edward's reach with a small shrug. "No, you'll willingly come with me. Because if you don't, I won't give your superior the antidote, and he'll suffer for days, all because of you."

Ed froze, the anger seeming to leave his body all at once to be replaced with a horrified reluctance. The boy turned his attention back to Mustang, eyes glittering with sadness and an almost calm acceptance. The colonel knew at once what Edward was about to do.

"Edward, no…" He wanted to shout at him, but the effort of even opening his mouth hurt too much. The only sound he made was a pained moan, sounding nothing like the words he wanted to say. "Please just stop. I can handle this pain, as long as it means you won't get hurt…"

"Do you promise to give him the antidote if I comply?" Ed asked as he turned and placed his hand almost protectively over the colonel's chest. The boy sounded defeated but resolute and it only made Mustang want to scream at him.

"E-Ed…" Mustang finally managed to gasp out, the boy's golden eyes locking onto him as he tried to say more. "N-No…D-Don't…"

"I promise. If you come along with me I'll give it to him." The scientist's voice was low and tempting, making the colonel think of someone teasingly holding out a hunk of meat in front of a starving dog. "I'll be taking both of you to my lab, and once we get there your superior will be given the antidote."

"T-Then…Then I accept…" Edward hung his head in defeat as the scientist clapped with excitement. He held up a single finger before retreating into a nearby room, the sounds of metal hitting metal echoing through the basement. Mustang could hear the low whimpers coming from the caged chimeras, but his attention was fixed firmly on the boy beside him.

"E-Ed…" The colonel tried his voice again, anger and sorrow building up within him. It took all his willpower not to start screaming or crying as he gazed at him. Why would Edward sacrifice himself like this? Why would he give in for Mustang's sake?

"Mustang, listen to me for once." The usual fire behind the words was gone, replaced with a tired acceptance. "I can't just let you suffer if there was something, anything, that I could do to stop it. I know you're probably not too happy with me right now, but we need to stick together. If I have to suffer alongside you…Then I'll do it, just as long as you're safe."

"Dammit Edward!" Mustang wanted to scream at him, to grab him in both hands and try to shake the foolishness out of the boy. "It's my job to keep you safe! All you have to do is follow orders for once in your fucking life! And those orders are to do anything to keep yourself alive!"

"W-Why…" Was the only word he was able to force out past the agony and sorrow flowing through him. The colonel wanted so desperately to just scream, to voice his frustration at being so damn useless as to not be able to keep his subordinate safe.

"Why?" Ed's voice held a hint of sadness as he gazed down at Mustang, golden eyes glittering with unshed tears, his fingers curling gently against his chest. "Because…Because I actually fucking care about you, you know that?" The boy turned his head away for a moment, taking deep and shaking breaths before he turned back to face him. "How could I just let myself sit back and watch you go through so much pain? If the situation was reversed, could you do the same?"

Mustang was stunned to hear Edward admit to caring for him. If this was anywhere else, at any other time, he would have just laughed and teased the boy. But now everything was different, so much had changed between them in the past few days that it seemed impossible to even think of playing it off.

"It'll be okay…We're going to be fine…" Ed whispered as he seemed to hold back a sob, trying his hardest to make the lie sound real. All Mustang was able to do was hold back his own tears, gazing at Edward with a mixture of pride and sorrow as he watched a single tear escape from those brilliant golden eyes. Ed was able to give him a small weak smile as the scientist exited the room with a metal gurney in front of him.

"Are you two ready for all the fun we'll have?" The scientist's voice was light and almost joyful as he wheeled the gurney to a stop beside Mustang's cage. He then began to dig around in his lab coat pockets, eventually producing a small controller from one as he pressed two buttons. The doors to Mustang and Edward's cages swung open with a loud clatter. Once again the imprisoned chimeras around the room let out various fearful and angry whimpers.

"Go fuck yourself," Ed growled feebly as the scientist knelt down in front of the colonel's cage. The man simply laughed as he grabbed Mustang by the ankles, effortlessly pulling him from his cage as he felt his muscles scream painfully at the physical contact. He was then lifted onto the gurney, surprised that such a lanky man held such strength. The extra movement only made fire course through his whole body, his breath hitching in response to the pain.

Mustang could hear the scientist respond to Ed, but the words seemed too far away and he couldn't catch what was said. His body continued to throb painfully with each heartbeat, like the very blood running through his veins was liquid fire. While he was still angry with the boy for relenting so easily, part of him was just glad that this agony would be ending soon.

As the pain ceased slightly the colonel saw the scientist returning to stand in front of the gurney, Edward slung limply over one shoulder. While Ed looked fine physically, showing no new wounds or bruises, he looked deeply disturbed as the scientist pulled the gurney along behind him. He could hear the vile man whistling cheerfully as the boy gazed at him, his golden eyes slightly bloodshot and still glittering with tears. Mustang wanted to ask why Ed looked so worried, but the boy simply shook his head sadly as though reading his mind.

"Don't worry…I'll be fine, everything will be better once you get the antidote." Edward whispered with a small smile that did nothing to reassure him. The boy was hiding something from him, he could just feel it deep within, even past the agony rushing through him.

He was distracted though as Ed reached out with his left hand. Even though they were now too far apart for such comforts, Mustang felt just a little bit of relief. If he could have moved he would have tried to return the gesture, instead he gave the boy a grateful look.

The hallway seemed too short as they were soon taken into a sterile, plain white room. Silver tools glittered on the various surfaces scattered around the room, none of them looking like they would be a pleasant experience. They stopped towards the back of the room, the scientist quickly securing the colonel's metal gurney in place as he dropped Edward onto a metal table beside him. Ed's body hit the steel with a loud and painful sounding thud, temporarily stunning the boy as the scientist laid him on his back and tied him down with thick leather straps around the wrists and ankles.

"Oh my, excuse my horrid manners," The scientist said casually as he tightened Edward's restraints that held down his working limbs. "My name is Mark Kramer, you can just call me Doctor Kramer, or just Kramer if you prefer. So rude of me to not introduce myself before all the fun begins."

"Now, once both of you are secured, I'll be giving the colonel his antidote. I don't want you to be in so much pain before the activities start." Doctor Kramer said as he did the same to Mustang, turning him painfully onto his back before restraining him as well. The man moved out of his view for a moment, clanking echoing from somewhere behind him as the colonel turned to look at Ed.

The boy gazed at him, his eyes never straying from Mustang's face as Doctor Kramer grumbled before the metal clattering ended. The man soon reappeared, a syringe in one hand as he pressed the needle into a vein in Mustang's neck.

While the needle stung going in, the relief was almost instantaneous, the fire fading from his body as though being washed away by a cold rain. The colonel held back a sigh, his tensed muscles relaxing as he continued to gaze at Edward. The boy had a small, almost peaceful smile on his face before his attention was warily returned to Doctor Kramer.

"The plan now is to see which method of pain causes the most distress for you two." The relief was short lived as a dreadful chill ran down Mustang's spine. Ed didn't seem as shocked as he himself felt, this had probably been the information the boy had been withholding from him this whole time, he thought with horror.

"I will perform a series of tests, not too pleasant for you, but enlightening for me." Doctor Kramer moved closer to Edward, walking around the table so he could stand by the boy's right side and well out of range of Mustang. The man then grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and began to cut away Ed's hospital gown. "And since I can't bear to cause Colonel Mustang so much pain after all he's suffered, I'll be starting with Edward instead."

"No..!" Mustang's voice returned to him as he watched Doctor Kramer remove the boy's gown, letting the fabric rest around Ed's hips before drawing back slightly to look at his various medical instruments. "Leave him alone…Torture me instead!"

The man only laughed as he turned back to face him, a wicked smile parting his thin lips. "Oh don't worry, I'll be getting to you in due time. It's just that Edward here volunteered to go first, isn't that right?"

"E-Ed…" The colonel felt like the rest of his body was made of lead as he gazed at the boy. But Edward's head was turned away from him, his body trembling as Doctor Kramer let out a loud laugh. "W-Why…"

"You've got yourself such a brave subordinate there, colonel." The man said as he leaned over the shivering form bound to the table before him, a long scalpel gripped in one hand. "I can't wait to see if that bravery holds up!"

With his final word Doctor Kramer jerked his arm, slicing the scalpel deeply along Ed's chest. The boy flinched, remaining silent as another slash was carved alongside the first one. Mustang could only pull against his bindings in vain. While the antidote had provided blissful relief it had also left his body sore and weak.

"Stop…He doesn't deserve this…" The colonel's voice sounded just as feeble as his body, words trembling in the air as Doctor Kramer withdrew from his victim. The man ignored him as he grabbed a new, serrated scalpel from the nearby table. He once again sliced at Ed's chest, blood now beginning to flow down the boy's thin sides to pool on the metal table below. Still Edward made no noise, only letting out a quick breath as another slice parted his flesh.

"You're much tougher than I could have imagine, Edward." Doctor Kramer said as he stood back to admire his grisly work. Mustang felt an almost animalistic growl rumble through his chest to rip free of his throat as the man returned to his various tools. "But no matter, everyone has their limit."

"Coward!" The colonel snarled, struggling vainly against his bindings once more. "Come over here and mess with me instead!" But he was ignored once more as Doctor Kramer took a small knife from his tray of torture. The man let the tip of the blade gently graze the skin above Edward's pronounced ribs before letting it hover over the boy's stomach.

"Does watching this bother you, colonel?" Doctor Kramer asked as the knife was plunged into Ed's abdomen. The boy turned his head, his gaze momentarily meeting Mustang's before he let out a short scream. The fear and agony that had been in that fleeting look before those golden eyes had closed only served to anger Mustang more.

"Of course! Not only is he my subordinate, he's a child! What monster tortures a fucking child?!" He knew he should be playing it more coy, but after many long days of pain and hunger the colonel couldn't control the primal anger burning within him at seeing Ed being injured.

"But you were the one to bring him into the military." Doctor Kramer's voice was sickeningly soft as he withdrew the knife from Ed's stomach, a small spurt of blood following along with the blade. "You knew full well that something horrible could happen to him, but you chose to ignore it."

The man was right; Mustang was the one to blame for Edward's suffering. He had brought the boy into the military, he had known that there was a high chance of Ed either having to kill or be killed. But he had ignored all that at first, as over time he grew fond of the hot headed blond and tried his hardest to keep him away from anything too dangerous. And look where that supposed caution had gotten them. While it was the colonel's fault, it gave Doctor Kramer no right to torture the boy for someone else's mistakes. "So this is my punishment then? You, maiming a child, just to prove a point?"

"Oh no, no, this is for science. I have nothing personal against either of you two." The man said as he dropped the bloody knife back onto the tray, reaching now for a long metal rod. "This just happened to be a great opportunity to mess with the military, to turn its dogs into dogs."

"M-Mustang is not at fault here…" The colonel was surprised to hear Edward speak up, his voice shaking but resolute. He saw the boy glance at him out of the corner of his eye, a small fleeting gleam of fondness in his gaze. "I joined the military of my o-own accord…"

"Then you are just as foolish as your superior." Doctor Kramer said in a blunt tone, more focused on putting the rod over an open flame, the metal glowing white as it absorbed the heat. Mustang knew with a sickening jolt what torture awaited Ed next.

"I h-have my reasons…Mustang only helped-. " The boy's words were cut off by a pained scream as the rod was pressed against the flesh of his thigh, a horrible sizzle following it. The sound and smell of burning human tissue only made the colonel think of Ishval, of all the suffering he had caused while there…All the suffering he was now causing Ed…

"And look what its cost you in the end." Doctor Kramer sneered, dark eyes gleaming malignantly as he pulled the rod away. He paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought before shrugging to himself and turning back to his tray. "Foolish boy."

"I-I wouldn't change a t-thing…" Edward's voice seemed to be growing weaker and weaker, blood still oozing steadily down his sides as his body trembled from the pain and beginnings of shock. The boy turned his head, looking at Mustang with pained golden eyes before the sudden sound of crackling electricity distracted them.

The colonel was only able to watch on in horror as a taser was pressed to where Ed's automail met flesh. The boy threw his head back, slamming it hard against the metal table as he let out a horrible shriek. His body thrashed against his restraints, the blood now flowing faster from his open wounds. "No, stop! Hasn't he suffered enough?"

As suddenly as it had started, the taser was withdrawn, leaving Edward gasping for breath as an agonized moan forced its way through his gritted teeth. Doctor Kramer only smiled before turning away from them. "Of course. I've gotten all the information I needed from him anyway. Thank you for complying, Edward."

"You sick fuck," Mustang snarled, continuing to watch Ed as the poor boy closed his eyes and murmured something too quietly to hear. Every muscle seemed tense, and occasionally his body would tremble violently for a moment. The colonel was glad that Edward's suffering seemed to now be at an end.

"And now, since you wanted this so badly earlier…" Doctor Kramer ignored Mustang's comment, carefully withdrawing a clear liquid from a vial and into an empty syringe. A horrible dread flowed through his body as he realized what was going to happen next. The man turned back towards the boy, syringe gleaming in his hand as he advanced towards Ed. "I'll be generous and let you have the same serum I gave to the colonel. We don't want you missing out on such fun, now do we?"

As the needle was pressed against his neck, Edward's golden eyes snapped open, fear glittering in their depths as he flinched away from the syringe. This only made Doctor Kramer's smile broaden as the needle finally pierced the boy's skin. "How interesting to see that you also fear needles, that is very good information to know."

"Get your hands off of him! You've already caused him enough pain!" Some strength found its way back into Mustang's body, a deep and nearly uncontrollable rage flowing through him as he pulled vainly at his bindings. But it was too late; he could only look on in horror as the syringe's contents were injected into the boy's neck.

Ed's eyes widened, his pupils seeming to disappear in a sea of gold as he let out a scream of pure agony. The colonel knew all too well the pain Edward was now feeling as the boy went limp, the rage inside of him only growing as he watched Ed suffer. Golden eyes painfully rolled in their sockets as the boy gazed into Mustang's onyx gaze, the look so full of pain and fear that he had to hold back an enraged scream.

"Don't worry, I'll give him the antidote and bandage him up after I've conducted my experiment on you, colonel." Doctor Kramer's voice was an unpleasant hum of satisfaction, but Mustang ignored him as he continued to hold Edward's gaze. He tried to give the boy a reassuring smile as the man began to walk to a new tray of instruments to the colonel's left, but he knew it had come out looking too forced to be helpful. "And don't think I didn't catch that fear in your eyes as I burned your subordinate. How horribly ironic that the infamous Flame Alchemist fears fire of all things!"

"N-No…Leave…A-Alone…" The colonel was stunned as Ed gasped out those words, still summoning up the strength to talk while liquid fire coursed through his veins. His gaze never left Mustang as the rest of his words were spoken through a pained whimper. "O-Only…M-Me…"

"My, my, what a foolishly brave boy," Doctor Kramer said as he began to cut away the colonel's hospital gown, a small laugh being heard over the metallic snipping of the scissors. "You'd really go through more pain to save your superior?"

"Edward, just shut up." Mustang said as he tried his best to glare at the boy. Ed had already suffered through so much, and he wouldn't allow any more harm to be done to him if he could prevent it. He could hear Doctor Kramer laugh as the sound of a small, concentrated fire filled his ears. "You've been through enough; let me take some of the burden off of you now."

Edward opened his mouth, as though ready to speak some harsh words at either the colonel or the man, before Mustang was dragged into a world of searing agony. The hot metal rod had been pressed against his side, bringing not only pain, but horrible memories that began to play out before his eyes.

There were charred bodies everywhere, flames surrounding him on all sides as he breathed in the terrible scent of burning flesh. The fire flew high into the dark and humid night, embers burning red among the faintly glowing stars above. A single Ishvalan child was huddled in front of him, crouching over the blackened body that had once been his mother as he wailed in grief. Mustang knew what he had to do…What he had been ordered to do…

"M-Mustang…" A quiet and agonized voice floated through the hot desert air, sounding so familiar yet so far away from all of this. He reluctantly ignored it as he raised his hand, fingers poised to snap as the boy slowly turned to look back at him. The colonel froze in terror as he recognized the child before him, no longer Ishvalan but blond haired with golden eyes that glimmered fearfully in the fire light. He began to scream with horror as the boy was burned away, body charring into smoke that fluttered away with the wind.

"Mustang!"

As suddenly as the burning pain had been brought on it began to recede, leaving the colonel both physically and mentally ill. Those golden eyes were still locked onto him as he took in a deep breath, trying so hard to break free of the haunting nightmare he had just seen. It had all just felt so real, too real…

"That affected you much more than I had expected. I feel no need to try any other methods of pain on you; nothing could give me a better reaction than that!" Doctor Kramer said in a jovial tone, clattering following his voice as he moved to stand at Ed's side once more. It was then that he realized that his burn had been covered with gauze and bandages, a new hospital gown now covering him as well. The restraints had also disappeared…God, how long had he been out of it, lost in that horrible nightmare?

"Ah, if only you could have seen the horror on the poor boy's face…" The man tsked almost sadly as he reached for a new syringe, full of more clear liquid, and pressed it into Edward's neck. Doctor Kramer pushed down on the plunger, injecting the contents into the boy's body as he let out a small sigh. "He was so worried when you stopped responding…Oh, the delightful look on his face as you started howling in terror…"

Had he actually been screaming aloud? Mustang could tell it was true by the terrified and tearful golden eyes that were gazing at him. Ed sucked in a quick breath, turning his head away to the side and breaking eye contact. The antidote now seemed to take effect as the boy's muscles relaxed before he began to tremble weakly.

"From now on the two of you will be experimented on together." Doctor Kramer said as he bent over Edward, stitching up the long and deep gashes in his chest in a professionally quick manner. "The mental and emotional strain you both show when the other is suffering is truly a sight to behold! You two are proving to be the most interesting pair that I've had the pleasure of experimenting on."

Mustang watched on in silence as the man thoroughly sewed Ed's torn flesh back together, the boy still keeping his gaze averted from him as his chest and stomach were swathed in bandages. As Doctor Kramer undid the restraints, freeing Edward as he held him up to put a new hospital gown on him, the colonel finally found his voice. "E-Edward…I'm so sorry…"

The man set the boy down, much gentler than the first time, as he let out an amused snort. Once he had turned away though, Ed finally was able to return Mustang's concerned stare. Tears glimmered in the wide golden eyes, the boy's mouth opening for a moment before shutting as he shook his head, seeming to not trust his voice just yet. Instead Edward weakly raised his left hand, setting his trembling palm down on the colonel's arm. The look in the boy's eyes said all that needed to be said; full of so many emotions that Mustang felt tears well up in his own eyes.

"Now that we're all done here, I'll take you two back to your cages." Doctor Kramer said as he effortlessly scooped Edward up and slung him over one shoulder. He unlocked the wheels on Mustang's gurney and pulled him along behind himself. "Oh but don't worry, the fun has only just begun."

They went down the short hallway, entering the circular underground room once more as the chimeras locked in their cages howled and whined their displeasure. The man ignored them as both the colonel and Ed were returned to their still open cages, the metal doors clanging shut as the chimeras uproar began to die down. Mustang caught a quick glance of Sammy gazing at Doctor Kramer in terror, his body trembling as the man left the room, but he swiftly turned his gaze back to Ed and the colonel.

"Are friends alright?" The chimera asked in a worried tone as the man disappeared from his view. His blue eyes roved over both of them frantically as he let out a small whimper. "Bad scientist no hurt friends too bad?"

Instead of answering Sammy, the colonel rolled onto his left side to look at Ed, watching as the boy did the same. They gazed at each other for a few quiet moments before Mustang broke the silence.

"Why did you let him do all that to you?" The colonel's voice held none of the fire in it that he had intended to direct at the boy. "I could have handled the pain; there was no need for you to give in so easily." Edward's eyes narrowed angrily for a moment before he let out a sad sigh.

"Like I said earlier…I couldn't let him hurt you…I couldn't have allowed you to suffer that agony alone…" Ed's eyes glistened with tears as he gazed at the colonel. "Don't you dare tell me you wouldn't have done the same…"

Mustang returned the boy's weak glare for only a moment longer before he let out his own sigh. "I-I would have done the same…It's just that I am meant to protect you…You should just do anything to keep yourself safe…"

"I will never let you get hurt if I can help it…" Edward said as he buried his head into a nearby pillow, letting out a low moan before continuing. "We're in this together…We'll just let them do what they want until we can get out…"

The colonel didn't have the heart to voice that the likelihood of escaping was growing worse and worse as each day passed. Instead he just pressed himself against his cage, threading his arms through the bars to hold Ed as best as he could. The boy leaned into his touch, raising his head to reveal glistening, bloodshot eyes.

"Edward…I care about you too you know? I care so god damn much…It just hurts to see any harm come to you…" Mustang's voice broke towards the end and he forced his eyes to close against the tears welling up in them. He was surprised to feel a warm and slightly trembling hand placing itself gently onto his shoulder. The colonel opened his eyes to see that Ed had lost his own personal battle against his tears.

No more words were spoken after that; they didn't need to be for the both of them to know the other's true feelings. The two of them silently cried instead, Mustang running one hand as best he could down Edward's back while the other was now being used as a pillow by the boy. Ed's single hand remained on the colonel's shoulder, occasionally moving to wipe away a stray tear that leaked from his dark eyes.

Eventually though the stress of the days experience finally caught up to them as the two fell asleep in each other's embrace. While both of them wished that the pain and torment would be ceased against the other, they knew that only worse was on its way and that there would be no escaping it.


This, so far, has been the longest chapter I've uploaded lol. I just really got into writing this one and here we are now. Sorry if the ending seemed a little cheesy though lol.

And now you guys get to meet another scientist, another one from the prologue. He's a little...eccentric isn't he? Yeah he was fun to write, and if you get his name reference then you're awesome. (Hint: The last name of a horror movie villain from my favorite horror series)

Anyway, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one gets pretty dark, so a quick heads up. I have no real clue when it will be uploaded. I like focusing on one chapter at a time, so if I'm working on Chapter Four then I won't work on Chapter Three. It's easier this way for me, so I don't get too confused about what chapter has what in it. My chapters also go through multiple rewrites, there are almost always at least five drafts of every chapter. I'm just really thorough with my writing lol.

Also I want to add that I'll be uploading more character references onto my Reddit. At the moment the only one posted is Sammy's, but I'm hoping to get the chimeras named in this chapter and the two known scientists done. I just have to find the time to really work on them, but they will be uploaded before Chapter Three.

Thank you all for reading and to everyone who has favorited, followed, and commented on this story. You guys make writing these stories even better and I love that you guys are enjoying the story. So far this is one of my favorites, and it's going to have a lot of chapters, so keep an eye on it!

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

:3