Chapter Text
It was quiet.
Ed was trying to use stealth, so quiet was fine, but it seemed too quiet. He couldn't hear anything, not really. Well, except for the slight thump of his automail whenever he stepped with his left leg, but he was being as stealthy as a metal limb would allow. If Ed had learned one thing while chasing psychopathic alchemist in his youth, it was that the crazies were never this quiet. And if they were, then the bastards were up to something really bad.
He felt a chill run up his spine. Where was Al? It felt like Ed had run around most of the deserted building already, he should have met up with Al by now. Split up, search, scream if there's trouble (or just fight, because they were the Elric brothers and could surely take down one man even when separated), then meet up in time to storm the central room with Roy while acting like they hadn't disobeyed his orders and split up in the first place.
Ed turned down another hallway. He saw a flash of gold disappear at the other end, and clicked his tongue twice quickly against the roof of his mouth. Al's face peeked back into the hallway. Ed caught up, and the two headed towards the center of the building.
They paused just as they reached the door. Ed looked around, but there wasn't any sign that Roy was nearby. He glanced at Al. He couldn't help but remember a comment Greed made while they were trapped in Gluttony's stomach. Ed usually tried very hard not to remember almost being digested, but, looking at Al now, he had to wonder if there was any truth to the assumption that he and Al had Elric Brother Telepathy.
'What do we do now, brother?' Al's face clearly said.
'I don't know. Storm in anyway?'
'That'll go well. Do you want the General to fry us?'
'Not particularly, but what are we supposed to do? Just wait here?'
Al looked around before shrugging. 'I don't know. This is why I asked you.'
Ed jerked his head in the opposite direction of where they came from. 'We could go look for him.'
'Or we could wait here for more then two minutes before deviating from the plan, brother.'
'But what if Roy's hurt? Then he'd want us to go looking for him.'
Alphonse looked skeptical.
'We're the cavalry,' Ed's eyes argued.
Al arched his eyebrow. 'I don't think he's hurt.'
A loud bang rang out from the closed door next to them. It was followed by a muffled grunt.
A smug look. 'See, I told you he needed help."
Ed was expecting Al to look exasperated, but why was that look laced with incredulity?
Oh! Roy was in trouble!
Ed turned to the door, and with a swift kick of his metal leg, knocked it open.
The brothers stood at the end of a catwalk, underneath which, was a large transmutation circle, Roy Mustang, and a man, whom Ed assumed was the psycho that caused today's mission.
Ed ran onto the catwalk, all pretenses of stealth forgotten. He made it half way before the psycho pressed his hand to a circle etched onto the stairs near him. The electric current of the transmutation travelled up the stairs and encased the catwalk. The walkway lurched, then stilled. Ed, both arms spread for balance, made eye contact with Roy before the ground beneath his feet lurched again.
"Brother!" Al cried as he rushed forward and grabbed Ed's arm. The metal holding the walkway up snapped, and with a sickening groan, half of the catwalk hurled toward the ground.
Ed and Al each managed to grab onto the railing, but were now dangling from the rickety metal, each with one hand holding their precarious support and the other hand gripping each other.
Ed heard Roy shout his name before he felt the heat of fire at his back. The beams above him groaned again as the air pressure changed.
"Stop!" Ed shouted. The fire died. Ed looked at his brother, and knew that their faces both said the same thing: 'Jump!'
He tucked into a roll as he hit the ground, and saw Al do the same from the corner of his eye. The metal above them creaked and groaned, and Ed tried to cover Al with his body while at the same time rushing him out of the way as the catwalk started to fall.
"Ed!" He looked up to see Roy reaching out to pull them to safety. Before he could reach Roy though, metal crashed to the ground behind him, and following the reverberations through the floor was the blue glow of alchemy. Ed looked over his shoulder to see the psychotic alchemic asshole with his hands pressed to the transmutation circle on the ground. The same circle that Ed and Al had managed to land directly in the middle of. Shit.
Ed turned and reached towards Roy with one hand while shoving Al towards him with the other. Ed had no idea what this circle did, but there was no way it was good.
Before either brother could escape the circle, a brilliant white-blue light filled Ed's vision. He heard Al cry out just before he lost consciousness.