CHAPTER 1

The Kidnapping

Ed's head was whipped back by a swift kick to the jaw, and his body was thrown to the ground like a limp sack of yams. All the flesh and bones in his body ached. The only part of him that he could really count on the keep moving was his right arm, which was shackled to his left by a heavy wooden wrist stock. He couldn't even clap his hands together where as moving them at all was impossible. Ed's only defense was to lay on the ground like a slug and hope that the Homunculi wouldn't give him a fatal blow to the head. They held his life in their inhuman, abnormal, sinful grasp, and he held his brother's life within his own mouth. A pitiful scream was heard from the corner of the stone chamber. Two of the devil creatures were hanging onto a struggling tin can, as they tried to rip its chest plate off. His brother, Al, was writhing in his own shackles, trying to keep the monsters off him, but a suit of armor is no match for two desperate Homunculi. A bright stream of red blew through the entire room, as the chest plate was ripped off and carelessly thrown to the side. Al's impassive helmet structure, looked as if it could cry as he looked down at the blood red rock in his chest. The Philosopher's stone, lit up the room in its entrancing lit, and smothered any candles in the dark dungeon. That was exactly what the Homunculi were after.

As the two boys struggled against their restraints, a single voice cried out through all the chaos. "It's over Fullmetal," the lady said calmly from the room's stairwell. She stepped carefully down the cobblestone stairs and crossed the chamber to the rest of the crowd. A normal gaze would recognize her as a regular secretary worker, but Ed and Al saw her as another Homunculi, their mom. "This is checkmate, you got no more moves to take that will spare both you and your brother's life," she threatened with her soft voice, which cut through Al's armor like razor blades.

"It's not checkmate, Sloth," Ed managed to say through his exhausted lungs and beaten mouth. He painfully turned his head to look at the thing he regrettably created and so desperately hated. His Mother's face gleamed at him in utter curiosity. He managed a half hearted smirk, "The only things keeping me alive are the instructions on how to use the stone. If you kill me before I say them, you have nothing," he said weakly. All of the Homunculi looked at Sloth. She glared impassively at the boy whom she could make only a hazy recognition. Though he tiredly gasped for air, the boy surprisingly continued. "I am not the only one keeping my brother alive you know," he threatened the Hommunculi, edging even closer to the end of his rope. "You can't kill him, or you lose the entire game , sloth." He brought in another shaky breath, "If you kill him, you lose the stone." Ed gave a weak laugh.

"No, Ed." Sloth said more coolly than ever, "I still have pieces on the board. There is more than one way to hatch an egg, and killing you was not one of my options." She smoothly walked over and crouched down to where Ed laid sprawled upon the floor. Her cold, careless hand ran through the blood matted hair on his head. He tried fending off her evil touch, but he could only throw a menacing stare at her. "There are certain things, my friend Wrath wants from you." Her arm moved from his head, and jabbed Ed in the left fleshy arm. "Your arm might be a nice match to his other one. Maybe that might change your mind." Wrath, who was the one who gave him the grateful round house, made a menacing smile at him as he moved towards his reward. Ed tried to crawl away, pushing himself with his left leg, but was thrown to the side as his pursuer treated him to another kick to the ribs. Al screamed. Another kick to the side, flung Ed to the center of the death chamber, strangling to keep his consciousness. His vision was blurring in and out, as his mind swam for the shallows. The only thing keeping his concentration was Al's pitiful struggle against his captors. The last thing he heard was a thunderous clap, and a bright flash of red.