Hi people! This is the writer speaking! Please give me you thoughts on the story and where you think it should go! Even flamers are welcome because even they at least tell me what isn't to like! So help me out, Ok?

"Fullmetal! I have received information about a large number of missing people in the southern region. We believe that one of our scientists is the cause. He is Dr. Raleigh. I want you to go and investigate Fullmetal, and don't try stopping him on your own! This mission is too dangerous for just you and your brother to handle!" Mustang ordered.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't worry, we'll take care of it. See ya you perverted old man!" I called back to the colonel as I left the room.

"So where to Big Brother?" Al asked.

"The southern region. Some guy named Raleigh is causing trouble and it's our job to beat him up and drag him back here," I told him, completely ignoring the fact that Mustang had ordered us not to fight him.

"Alright, let's go get our stuff from the hotel then."

As we packed our few belongings, I couldn't help but feel that something was off. I wonder if Al?

"Meow."

Yep, just as I thought. Another cat Al picked up off the street.

"Alphonse! Go put that cat back where you got it!"

"Big Brother, w-what are you talking about? I don't have a cat!"

"Al! I said to PUT THE CAT BACK WHERE YOU GOT IT," I hate having to scold Al for picking up cats, but with all that we do, it would probably get thrown around so much inside of Al's suit case that it would die. I wanted one too, but it would definitely live longer out in the streets. It wasn't hidden in Al's armor, only because he didn't have it anymore. Al was human again.

"Do I have to Big Brother?"

"Don't start with the pouting Al. You know we won't be able to take care of it!"

"But!"

"No!"

"Fine, I'll go put it back then."

"Alright, I'll meet you at the train station."

When we reached our destination, we asked around for where Dr. Raleigh's house would be. It didn't take long to find out where it was once one of the town's folk pointed out that it wasn't a house at all, it was the large mansion in the center of town.

"This place is HUGE Big Brother!"

"No kidding. Well, let's go get a hotel room before it gets dark. We'll raid the place later tonight."

"Sounds good to me!"

Later on, as we snuck in through a window towards the back of the mansion, I got another bad feeling, not the bad feeling that was Al having a cat in his suitcase, but a truly bad feeling.

As we made our way around the building, looking for an entrance to a basement or secret room, we came to a pitch black room.

It didn't have any windows, and smelled horribly.

"Ugh, what IS that?"

"I don't know… maybe they forgot to take out the trash?"

"Doubt it."

"Maybe we should find a light?"

"Yeah."

The moment the light came on, I basically grabbed Al before he had even managed to open his eyes from the blinding light, and covered his eyes.

"Wah?! Big Brother, what's wrong?"

"Sorry Al, but I'm afraid you don't get to look at this room."

"Why not?"

"Don't ask. Just follow me," and I dragged him through to the other entrance, all the while making sure that he wouldn't get the slightest peek at what was in the room. I didn't want Al to have nightmares after all.

As soon as the door was closed, I let go of Al.

"What was all that about?"

"We found the missing people, and their pets."

"You mean?"

"Dead, and that had to be most of them too."

So we continued the search. Eventually, we found the basement stairs and quickly went down them.

"It's about time!"

"Shhh! Big Brother! We don't want them to know we're here yet!" Al told me quietly.

The moment we came to the bottom of the stairs, it was no longer necessary to be quiet.

As the light flicked on, a voice came on over a loud speaker.

"Welcome, young guests. What do you think of my home? My name is Dr. Raleigh, and I must ask you to stay a while. I'm positive that you'll enjoy your stay!"

"Yeah right! Now show your face you big coward!"

"I'm afraid that setting foot in the room you're in is dangerous right now. I'll introduce myself in person later on."

"Dangerous? Big Brother, what could he mean?"

Before I answered, the room sealed itself and gas came pouring in.

"Sweet dreams, I'll see you when you awaken," and the loud speaker clicked off.

"Big Brother! We have to get out of here!"

"Sorry… Al… can't… move…"

"Whoa, where am I?!" Al asked, sitting up suddenly.

I wouldn't have even known that he had sat up, if we hadn't been so close together. The room around us was too dark to see anything outside the range of nothing.

"Shhh! Al! Quiet!! There are guards just outside, and they don't know we're awake yet!"

"B-Big Brother? What's going on?"

"You don't remember? We were supposed to apprehend a crazy guy that was doing all sorts of illegal stuff."

"I remember all of that, but I still don't remember how we got here!"

"Oh, sorry, 'here' is a cage in Raleigh's lab, and we got here because the b locked us in a room with sleeping gas."

"Well, what are we going to do Big Brother?"

"We'll-"

SLAM. The door to the room where they were being held opened. A relatively small man walked in, a large grin on his face. His strange, purple eyes glinted, a stark contrast to his blond hair.

"Hello boys. Having a nice chat were we? Well, sorry, I'm going to have to interrupt," snapping his fingers, he pointed at me. The two guards that had been previously watching the door came in and opened the cage, dragging me out of it.

"What the hell are you planning Raleigh?! Cause whatever it is, you aren't getting away with it!"

"HAHAHA! Your words are so cliché! I'm not going to get away with this? Please, tell me how you'll stop me."

"Wipe that smirk off your face!" I clapped my hands together ready to transform my automail into a blade, when Raleigh pulled out a gun and aimed straight as Al.

"You think I'll let you do that, young Edward Elric? Well, I don't believe your brother here has any protection from a bullet, so I'd put your arms down and follow quietly if I were you."

I judged the distance from myself to Raleigh. By the time my blade would be completed and I'd gotten out of the guards' grasps, Al would be on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound. I was also too far from Al to dodge in front of the bullet since I was already by the door. I had no choice.

"Fine, you can do whatever you want with me, but if you touch Alphonse, even just one small scratch, I'LL KILL YOU!" I yelling at the man on the other end of the room. The guards grabbed him tighter and marched me out the door.

"Big Brother! Don't worry about me!" Alphonse called after him. "I can take care of myself!"

"I know Al! See you in a bit, okay!?"

Before Alphonse could answer, Raleigh closed the door to the room, leaving him in darkness once more.

"Don't worry young Edward Elric, no harm shall come to your brother, just as you requested, but it means that you'll have to take his share as well. Are you sure you want that?" Raleigh asked, looking rather serious.

"I don't care what you do to me, just as long as Al isn't touched."

"If you say so, just all the worse for you I suppose. It'll actually be a good research opportunity…"

When we had apparently reached our destination the guards threw me into the room and left.

"You sure you want to send your guards away?" I asked Raleigh.

"All I have to do is tell the newest guards to your brother's cage that you broke the agreement, and that your brother will pay the fine, his life. I don't even have to move a step to do so either. See this radio here? All I have to do is press this button and your brother will no longer be breathing. So I assumed it was fine to send my guards away, you know?"

All I could do was glare. I could tell that the man wasn't bluffing.

"Well now, step into the middle of the room and sit on the chair after changing into these. Hurry up!"

As soon as I had put on my new clothes, or more accurately, a small towel to wrap around my waist, I was pushed down into the large chair. Upon sitting, I heard a strange noise.

"What was that, I wonder?"

"Now don't move!" and before I could think anymore of the strange noise, I was in pain. "I said, don't move!"

Raleigh was taking off my automail and the automail ports. Raleigh hadn't given me anything to get rid of the pain, and port removal was more painful than attachment. I couldn't even move, and I was more than about to pass out

Suddenly, the horrible pain became a dull throb. Luckily, Raleigh had done the removal of the two ports correctly, minus the pain killers. It would have hurt worse otherwise.

When Raleigh finished he stepped back, laughing.

"Aww, is the little runt in pain?" he asked in a mocking voice.

"Y-you bas-" before I could finish, Raleigh slapped me, making me fall out of the chair and onto the floor.

"I wouldn't call me names if I were you. Your brother, remember? If you must address me, call me 'Master'."

"If Al wasn't in trouble, I'd"

"Uh-uh-uh! No threats either."

I could only lay on the floor barely able to move, and glare.

"Say 'Yes Master, I promise not to harm you emotionally or physically!'"

"Like hell I will."

He took out the radio and pressed the button.

"NO!! Fine! I'll say it! YES MASTER, I PROMISE NOT TO HARM YOU EMOTIONALLY OR PHYSICALLY!!"

"Good boy!" as he pressed the button again, I could hear Al screaming in pain on the other end. "Sorry boys, false alarm. Leave the boy alone."

"Yes sir!" and the radio clicked off.

"Now you see? You have to do exactly what I tell you to do. Otherwise your brother will be in pain. Now then, get up and sit back down in the chair. Oh, and whenever I tell you to do something, say 'Yes Master, I'd be glad to!'."

"Yes Master, I'd be glad to," I managed to say, as I pulled myself back up into the chair.

"Good! Now then," he clicked a different button, "I need someone to bring me a wheelchair."

"Yes sir!" the reply came.

Shortly after, someone ran in with a wheel chair.

"Thank you! You may go back to your post now."

"It was no problem sir, thank you sir!" The guard said, leaving once more.

"Now then, get in the wheel chair."

"Fine."

"Now what did I tell you?"

"Yes Master, I'd be glad to."

The moment I had positioned myself in the wheelchair, Dr. Raleigh strapped me in.

"We don't want you falling out now!"

And the overly chipper man pushed me towards an unknown destination.