Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does. I only own the OC characters.
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Mustang was back at his desk in headquarters. With the confirmation that Edward had been abducted by chimeras, he couldn't help but feel worry for his youngest subordinate. He knew how risky it was to send out an Amber Alert and involving the military. It could expose the Elric brothers' secret: the performance of a taboo, human transmutation. But the fact that the chimeras had left Central with Ed meant that he could literally be anywhere in the country. Therefore, he needed said country to be on alert for the blond alchemist, before his captors took him somewhere where they could never get him back. That thought scared Mustang the most.
So far the only leads they had to go on were the remaining records from Laboratory 5, as scant as they were. The only files that remained were the enlisted staff records back when it was in use. A certain Dr. Howard Martin had sparked interest in the search, but hope was immediately dashed when it was found out the man was already dead. According to a dated obituary, he had died of a sudden heart attack. He was especially famous in Laboratory 5, performing experiments with chimeras that almost always ended up with success. However, there was nothing mentioned about using humans for these experiments.
Mustang sighed. 'These people really know how to cover up their tracks,' he thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. Picking up the receiver, he prepared himself for another update without progress.
"Colonel Mustang," the voice of Sergeant Major Cain Fuery crackled on the other end. His tone was very stern. Stern enough that Mustang perked up when first hearing it.
"Yes, what is it, Sergeant Fuery?" he asked, his tone demanding that the mousy soldier tell him everything he knew.
"We've received word from a sentry posted on a trading road in the west that they have spotted the perpetrators behind Fullmetal's disappearance. They also saw that they had Edward with them," Fuery answered.
"What did they look like?" Mustang questioned, a little desperate. 'Finally. The first lead in almost two days.'
"According to witnesses, there were four of them, three men and a woman. One man was brawny, one was tall and skinny, the other looked young. The woman had black hair. They escaped the sentry with a stolen military vehicle with the Fullmetal Alchemist in tow. They appeared to have been heading for the western border," Fuery summarized.
A spark of hope ignited in Mustang's chest. He didn't care that Ed's captors had escaped with their quarry. He now knew where they were going, and he could easily catch up to them. He began to clear up the mess on his desk, the receiver tucked in the crook of his elbow. "Where exactly is this sentry posted?" he asked the sergeant.
"It's at a busy part of the trading route two miles outside of a western village called Braxton," Fuery replied.
"Thank you, Sergeant. I'm on my way to the village." With that, the colonel hung up the phone. He walked out of his office to meet the gaze of his lieutenant. "Get ready, we're going to Braxton," he said to the hazel-eyed woman.
"Of course, sir, but may I ask what for?" she inquired as she followed her superior officer out into the corridor.
"Fullmetal and his captors were spotted fleeing from a sentry posted on the trading route outside of the village. They were heading west," he filled in.
Riza understood Mustang's intentions of wanting to go. She followed him without another word spoken between them. They walked together in silence. They had just made it outside of Central headquarters when they heard the familiar clanking sounds of a hollow suit of armor approaching.
"Colonel! Lieutenant! Where are you going?" Alphonse questioned, catching up to them.
Riza stared at Mustang. Everyone on his team knew that Mustang had agreed to let the youngest of the Elric brothers aid them in their investigation to find his brother. Hawkeye was waiting to see what Mustang would do in this situation.
Knowing that it wouldn't help the soul-filled armor if he lied, Mustang decided to tell the truth. "You're brother's been seen on a trading route outside Braxton. His captors were fleeing towards the west with him"
"The west? Why would they be taking Brother to the west?" the armor asked.
"That's what I'm going to go find out," Mustang answered, knowing what was coming next.
"I'm coming too," Alphonse stated. "I need to know where they're taking my brother."
"It might be dangerous, Alphonse. Personally, I would feel better if you stayed behind," the colonel said.
"I'm coming with you." Alphonse said it with such finality that you had to be asking for a death wish if you refused him. Knowing that he had lost, Mustang sighed.
"Fine, but I don't want you getting into any trouble," he relented.
"You always tell Edward that, Colonel," Alphonse replied jovially. Mustang couldn't help but smirk. Together, the three of them made their way to the train station to find the next available ride to Braxton.
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When Mustang climbed off the train onto the platform, his back muscles felt sore. Long train rides always did that to you. He stretched his arms above his head to relieve some of the tension. "I don't understand how Fullmetal can stand sitting in a position like that for so long," he complained.
"Well, most of your job is just sitting at a desk all day, sir," Hawkeye replied, as if they were making casual conversation.
"Thank you for the reminder, Lieutenant," Mustang answered, miffed slightly. Leave it to Hawkeye to always make him look like a humungous dork.
"Come on, we have to get to the road," Alphonse urged, clearly impatient to find out what had happened with his brother. The two soldiers could only comply, following the hollow suit of armor towards town.
The village of Braxton was no different than any of the other trading towns in the country. It was rather small compared to others, but the typical venders of wares were not absent on its streets. Everything from produce to sparkling jewels were being sold in stalls lining the streets. However, the group made up of two soldiers and a suit of armor were not interested in browsing, rather they only came for their own business. It wasn't long before they made their way to the outskirts of town, and towards the busy part of the trade route.
When they arrived, soldiers were milling about the area, still cataloging everything that happened several hours prior. The sun was just beginning to set, setting the world alight in an orange twilight. Mustang looked among the throng of soldiers until he spotted the one he was looking for. He casually strode up to him.
"Fuery, what's the status right now?" he asked the mousy-looking man.
The Sergeant Major turned at the sound of his name, and gave Mustang a salute when he approached him. "Hello, Colonel, glad you could make it," he addressed. "The perpetrators didn't leave much behind, we're still trying to find a definite trail."
"I see," was all he said, before walking ahead to where the car had initially sped off towards, leaving Alphonse and Riza with Fuery. The blond woman engaged in her own conversation.
"Did you get any definite descriptions of Ed's captors?" she asked Fuery.
The man in question shook his head. "Only what I told the colonel over the phone," he replied. "Would there be any records of them anywhere?"
"If they came from Laboratory 5, which they most likely have, then no. All of those records about what went on in that lab have either been destroyed or altered," Riza answered.
Alphonse had been following the conversation intently when he noticed the colonel was walking back towards them. "What did you find, Colonel Mustang?" he directed towards the approaching man, causing everyone to turn to him.
"Just enough that we can follow where they're headed," he replied.
"Really? How so?" Fuery asked, incredulous.
Mustang turned back where he had walked from. "They left a distinct trail, veering off of the main road. They seemed to have been avoiding the busier streets, bypassing villages and towns altogether. That's probably why they hadn't been spotted until now. However, they are still headed west," he explained.
"That's great news. We'll be able to find Brother in no time," Alphonse stated excitedly.
Mustang grinned. "Hopefully. I guess it seems that now all we have to do is follow where they lead us." He gazed off into the setting sun, the stress of his missing subordinate easing off of his shoulders.
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The car jostled around every time it hit uneven ground. However, Edward was kept from bouncing around the floor of the car by Roxy's and Chung's feet on him. From his position, he couldn't see where they were going. He could still see Bimbo and Salazar in the front seat. After a while of silent driving, Roxy spoke up. "We can't keep this car. We have to get rid of it somewhere."
"But they'll find it, won't they?" Salazar asked incredulously.
"They will eventually. We can't help that now," she answered, shooting the bound alchemist a withering glare at her feet. "If we ditch it, then at least we'll be long gone when they do."
Salazar sighed. "I suppose you're right," he relented.
"Awww, but Chung likes this car," the primate-like man whined.
" I know Chung, but we can't risk it. We need to shake the military off of our trail," Roxy explained to the young man.
"Over here should do nicely," Salazar said before turning the wheel sharply to the right. Edward could feel the shift of the vehicle going off-road. The car stopped, and was shut off. The chimeras climbed out of the car, Roxy being the last one out of the back seat, dragging Edward out with her. Without another word, Bimbo took him from Roxy's hold, and slung him onto the usual place over his shoulder. They continued their journey, leaving the stolen car in the shadows of the trees.
When leaving the car, Edward noticed that the sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the land. No one said a word while they trekked along the trail. They journeyed long into the night, until finally finding a clearing in the woods large enough to set up camp. A single stump jutted from the clearing, like a blemish. The bronze giant set Edward down so he was leaning his back against the stump.
The others repeated the procedures from the night before. The stake that held Edward in place was attached to him and buried in the ground, like before. Dinner was set to cook, and while it was, Roxy fixed the young alchemist with her intense stare. "I don't know why you insist on feeding him. He almost got us caught today," she said bitterly.
"Even if he almost did, it's our job to make sure he's in peak condition when we get home. I'm sure Dr. Martin would want his help in creating the Philosopher's Stone," Salazar explained.
When Salazar removed Ed's gag to feed him dinner, the young alchemist spat out, "I'm not going to help anyone create the Philosopher's Stone."
Salazar was a little taken aback by the outburst. He blinked at Edward. "Well, that's quite a profound statement. Care to share with us why?" he asked.
"Not to mention that you should realize you're in no position to refuse anything from us," Roxy added.
Edward scowled at them. "None of you understand. The Philosopher's Stone isn't something that you easily make. What makes you think that this Dr. Martin will even follow through on making you human?"
"If you're asking whether we trust Dr. Martin, then the answer is yes. He saved us from being terminated like all the other experiments in Laboratory 5. He gave us a home, where people like us would be deemed as freaks among society. Is that enough to convince you?" Salazar answered.
Edward's voice became low. "Would you still give it to him if you knew what it was made of?"
"I guess it depends. What is it made of?" Salazar countered.
This effectively shut up the young alchemist. He slumped his head in defeat. He kept silent, still acting on his promise that he wasn't going to tell these creatures anything.
"Even though you aren't cooperating now, that'll change when we get home. Dr. Martin has several methods to... persuade you," Roxy said with a hint of malice.
Edward couldn't helpbut feel a twinge of fear in his stomach. But it was quickly squelched frombeing filled up with dinner. Afterwards, the gag was replaced, and everyoneturned in for the night. The young alchemist eased himself on his side, hisback still against the stump, and allowed sleep to claim him.
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Author's Note: Hello again, everybody! I apologize for the delay in updates. It's been hard to get around to writing for several reasons. I went to go see Markiplier on tour last Thursday. That was awesome by the way. Last Saturday, my mom forced me to go to a social event (tubing down a river). The only interesting thing that happened was that I sliced my leg on a shuttle bus (long story). I'm also taking care of my friend's four, tiny dogs while she's off on a cruise. On top of that, I'm going to a Metallica concert tomorrow, and my driving test is on Thursday. On Friday, I have to babysit for a woman in my neighborhood for a couple hours. Hopefully, I'll be able to post the next chapter on that day. If not, then it might be on Sunday, or next Monday. My dad recently moved again and I need to unpack my stuff when I go there this weekend. So, fun times all around!
On a completely different note, the story that I used Angela_the _Otaku1101's account to publish came up on my feed, since I'm following her now. The one thing that caught my eye was that it received 333 views. Mind equals blown. There were also so many great reviewers on those chapters. To answer the one on the last chapter, the reason why I used movie canon was because that was the only element of Silent Hill I was exposed to. I never watched any playthroughs of any of the Silent Hill games, except for Silent Hills P.T., and that took on a completely different standpoint. Anyway, the views is what really made my heart want to burst. I have to thank Angela_the_Otaku1101 profusely for spreading the word about that. It also makes me feel even more bad that I didn't finish it. A lot of people were upset that it ended on such a massive cliffhangar. But at the time, life got in the way. And when those issues were sorted out, high school started for me, and that was very demanding. Sometimes, life really likes to trip you up. Anywho, that's all in the past. I hope this story makes up for my sin;P Reading over the Silent Hill X Gravity Falls Crossover really made me cringe for some reason. I definitely think my writing skills have improved since then.
Again, praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.
See you next time!
-The_Mayflower