Here is the next and last chapter to this story! A huge thank you to everyone for reading this story and for all the response to it! I have enjoyed writing it so much and it makes me happy to know that you all have enjoyed reading it. Writing this story has been a crazy ride. I honestly didn't even expect to write half of what I threw in, but it made writing this story all the more enjoyable. Anyways, I hope you guys are ready for this. Here goes nothing!

As usual, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. There's probably a good reason for that.

A young boy dressed in all black stood before him. He almost didn't recognize the boy. His long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but he would know those golden eyes anywhere. He hesitantly walked toward him, but the boy took a step back with every step forward that he took.

"Edward?" he asked, not wanting to believe it was really his subordinate.

Ed's lips were sewn shut. He seemed to be trying to tell him something anyway, causing blood to stream from the stitches. Suddenly, he turned around and ran away. Without even thinking, he started to chase after his subordinate. He stumbled when a spike seemingly appeared out of nowhere and nearly impaled him. He looked up to see Ed crouching down with his hands on the ground. There was a blue flash and he rolled away just in time for another spike to appear, but this time it grazed his arm.

This wasn't Ed. Well it was, but something was off. Ed would never hurt him, not of his own free will anyway. He quickly got to his feet and met Ed's gaze. The kid's eyes displayed no emotion. Normally he could see wisdom that grown men can only dream of attaining in those golden eyes, but they were completely blank.

"Colonel!"

He risked a glance behind him and saw Hawkeye running toward him, along with the rest of his men. He tried to yell at them to stay away, but no words came out of his mouth. He heard another clap. Several spikes shot up from the ground, impaling every one of his men. He tried to move toward his team, but it was as if his limbs were made of lead. Unable to move, he could only stare in horror as their bodies slid further down the spikes. He thought they were all dead until he saw Hawkeye slowly turn her head, blood spilling from her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she croaked before her eyes glazed over.

He didn't feel anger. He didn't feel sadness. A cold numbness spread from his heart to the rest of his being. He had let his men down. He didn't keep his promise of protecting those he loved.

"This shouldn't be too surprising to you, Colonel."

The voice made his blood freeze. This wasn't just anyone, it was him. The one that he hated more than anyone in existence. He reluctantly turned toward the voice and was greeted with the sight of Vincent hugging Ed from behind.

"How could you expect yourself to protect your entire team when you couldn't even protect your own son? It's your own fault that he turned into the monster that he is."

Vincent pulled out a knife and examined it. Ed remained motionless, his eyes still completely blank.

"Why don't I do him the favor of not having to live with the guilt of everything he's done?"

He slit Ed's throat and let him fall to the ground.

"EDWARD!" Mustang screamed as he bolted upright.

He was startled to see that Hawkeye, Hughes, Falman, Havoc, Breda, and Fuery were crowded around him. He looked around and noticed that he was lying in a hospital bed. He blinked and looked at everyone, confused.

"Where am I?" he managed to ask. "And where's Fullmetal?"

Everyone glanced at each other, each one reluctant to answer. Hawkeye was the one to speak up.

"You're at a hospital in South City. You were unconscious when we found you, and we couldn't wake you up. We saw injection marks on your neck, so we knew you were given with some sort of drug. Lieutenant General Raven thought it would be best to transport you to South City. The chance that a doctor that could identify what drug you were given and help you was higher here than in Kanon. However, none of the doctors here were able to identify what it was. Since it wasn't physically hurting you, they thought the safest option would be to monitor you closely until it wore off. They were concerned that giving you something else would potentially do more harm than good."

"Where's Fullmetal?" Mustang asked yet again.

"Your broken subordinate belongs to us now. He'll be our human weapon by the next time you see him."

Those disturbing words echoed in his mind, but he tried not dwell on them. After all, he promised that he would get Ed out of there. He had complete faith that his team had found them both. Ed was probably just in a different room. His team was here with him because he had woken up first and the kid was just sleeping. Although, he would have thought that they would be in the same hospital room, but there was probably a good reason why they weren't. The lack of an answer was slowly starting to get on his nerves.

"Where is he? Why isn't he here with me?" he asked more forcefully.

Fuery and Falman looked extremely uneasy. The two slowly backed toward the door, conflicted with wanting to be there for their Colonel and not wanting to see his reaction.

"We're going to go find General Raven. He will want to see you now that you're awake," Fuery reasoned.

The two left, and Mustang looked each of those remaining in the eyes.

"You all found him, right?"

The four shared a sad look between them. That alone answered Mustang's question. However, he refused to believe it.

"Roy-" Hughes started, but was quickly interrupted when the Colonel grabbed his shirt and yanked him closer.

"You don't understand. Edward can't spend one more minute with those Drachmans. Please, Maes, I'm begging you. Tell me that you found him."

The Lieutenant Colonel's heart broke when he heard his best friends plea. He was already worried enough as it was for Ed, but hearing the desperation in Mustang's voice only made it worse. Ed and Al were the closest thing that Elicia had to older brothers. He had grown to love those two boys as if they were his own and he definitely knew how Mustang felt about them. Not finding Ed made him feel as if someone drove a butcher knife straight through his heart, and seeing the broken look on Mustang's face twisted it, causing him even more pain.

"I'm so sorry, Roy. We searched the entire base and didn't find him anywhere. We tried to call the soldiers at every border so they could tighten security and hopefully stop them, but the Drachmans had cut off all forms of our communication for the first twenty-four hours after we found you. All radio signals were jammed and none of the phone lines were working. Fuery worked nonstop until he could get our communication up and going again, but whatever the Drachmans did was enough to stump the poor kid for an entire day. General Raven sent the reinforcements from South City to each border to carry out the orders, but the Drachmans got a head start on us," Hughes solemnly explained.

Mustang's grip on his shirt slowly loosened, but a look of despair took over his face.

"What do you mean the first twenty-four hours? How long has it been since you found me?"

"You and Ed were missing for five days. We found you nearly three days ago, sir," Hawkeye answered him.

The Colonel looked as if he didn't believe her. It couldn't have been three days. Even if three days had passed, Vincent had mentioned that there were other bases in Amestris. There was the slight chance that they never left the country, but then he remembered what Luka had told him when he tried to escape.

"Should you escape, my best guess is that Vincent's superior would want him transported to Drachma."

Three days was more than enough time to get Ed out of the country and to Drachma. If Vincent and all of his men could sneak into Amestris, he was fairly sure that they could all sneak back out.

"No," Mustang whispered to himself.

This couldn't be happening. He made a promise to Ed, and he broke it. Vincent's chilling words echoed in his mind.

"You and your little subordinate will be completely broken by the time I'm done with you."

"Your broken subordinate belongs to us now. He'll be our human weapon by the next time you see him."

Mustang drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his arms, his eyes starting to tear up. Vincent was definitely a man of his word. He proved that when he was willing to do anything, even viciously ripping his subordinate's innocence from him, to follow through on his promises. What made matters worse was that he was safe with his team while Ed was stuck in his clutches. He kept his face hidden as the tears started to flow down his cheeks. He couldn't let his team see him as weak, but his shaking was a clear indication that he was crying. Hughes sat down next to his friend and pulled him into a hug.

Hawkeye, Havoc, and Breda watched the two, unsure of what to do. Mustang was such a strong leader. They wouldn't follow him if he wasn't or his intentions weren't in the right place. They were also aware that even the strongest men had emotions and would have moments of weakness, but none of them had seen Mustang ever break down aside from Hughes. If the Colonel was crying in front of them, he must have been through what could only be described as pure hell. If they knew what happened, they might be able to help him get through it, but they were all aware of the possibility that they might never know what happened to the Colonel and Ed for the five days that they were held captive together. Mustang might not talk to anyone about it that he doesn't have to. Havoc was the first of the three to make a move.

"Everything's going to be okay, Boss," Havoc said as he put a hand on his superior's shoulder, "We'll get Ed back."

Breda and Hawkeye moved in closer, Hawkeye grabbing Mustang's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze while Breda rubbed his hand up and down his back in a soothing manner. Mustang's trembling seemed like it was starting to calm a bit. Everyone's heads snapped up when a familiar clank of armor could be heard coming down the hall.

"No," Mustang gasped, "Alphonse…."

Hawkeye's eyes widened. She momentarily forgot that she called Alphonse the previous day and told him to get to South City and come to the hospital as soon as he could. She didn't see it fit to explain everything over the phone, but she knew he could definitely could tell that it had something to do with his brother. Fuery and Falman returned with Alphonse following them.

"Colonel," he said, shocked at the scene before him, "Where's my brother?"

*break*

"Father's not too happy about this," Envy commented as he sat on top of the Fuhrer's desk, letting his legs swing freely, "You let one of his sacrifices get captured by Drachmans."

Wrath huffed in annoyance, continuing to stare out the window.

"Don't remind me. It's not like you would have done any better. Unlike you, I have a country to look out for. I thought that sending the two strongest state alchemists after the Drachmans would be the best chance of preventing a war with Drachma, especially since they were under specific orders not to kill Flame and Fullmetal. We don't need any unnecessary war to lead to any potential sacrifices getting killed. Besides, they won't kill the kid. All we have to do is get him back by the time Father needs him."

Envy laughed, completely amused that Wrath was the one in trouble with Father for once.

"How exactly are you planning to do that? Are you expecting me to go after him now?"

Wrath smirked.

"Not yet. From what I understand, the Drachmans are merciless. If they could manage to break the kid's spirit, it will be much easier to manipulate him. Having a powerful alchemist like him on our side could definitely be beneficial."

Envy laughed yet again. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Wrath was a Homunculus since he had to put up the proper front that the Fuhrer of Amestris should have. It was good to know that he was still just as ruthless as the rest of them.

*break*

Mustang watched the sun as it set. He had managed to escape his First Lieutenant and get to the roof of the hospital. He loved her along with all of his men, but he had to be alone. He nearly broke down again after explaining to Alphonse that his brother was now a prisoner of Drachma. He couldn't stop thinking about Edward and what was possibly happening to him right now. Had Vincent known that the amount of the drug he had was enough to keep him out for three days, he probably would have taken him along with Ed. Then Ed wouldn't be alone. The guilt of not saving him was slowly starting to consume him. He figured he should probably return to his team, but he couldn't face them again. Not yet.

"Colonel?" a hollow voice asked.

Mustang nearly jumped out of his skin. How could he let a suit of armor sneak up on him? He really needed to be more careful.

"Hello, Alphonse," he said softly, "How did you know I would be here?"

"Everyone was searching for you, and I wanted to help. I decided to look some place where Ed would probably go if he were trying to hide," he paused and chuckled, "You two are actually a lot alike, whether you two will admit it or not."

The Colonel gave him a small smile, knowing that Al was trying to make him feel better. Just like his older brother. The younger Elric sat down next to Mustang and watched the rest of the sunset. Neither one of them said anything for the longest time. Al knew the Colonel wanted to be alone, but it wasn't safe for him to be. If the man wanted to talk, Al would be there for him.

Mustang was conflicted with Al's presence. In a way, it brought him comfort, but it also brought him guilt. Every time he looked at Al, he saw his failure of not protecting Ed. Worst of all, Al wasn't even aware of what happened to his brother while they were held captive, or what Mustang was forced to do to him. He wasn't sure if he could ever bring himself to tell the kid what occurred in that hell of a prison. The Colonel cleared his throat, interrupting the silence.

"Alphonse, I'm so sorry," he began, "It's all…."

His voice trailed off when Al put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to shift his gaze to the suit of armor.

"Colonel, you are not to blame for anything that happened. First Lieutenant Hawkeye told me the Drachmans were targeting you and Ed. You two couldn't have possibly seen yourselves getting captured as you were doing a mine inspection. I don't know what happened to you two for those five days and I know you don't want to talk about it right now so I won't make you, but none of it was your fault. Having known you for three years now, I know that you protected Ed to the best of your ability while you two were together, and I can never thank you enough for that. It isn't difficult to see that you think you failed my brother, but you didn't. You're blaming yourself just like Ed would if the situation were reversed, but I don't see you being able to blame yourself for anything. The Drachmans obviously were given some sort of orders to take my brother back to Drachma, and nothing anyone could have done would have stopped them. They were prepared and we weren't, but we can't think about what could have happened anymore. All we can do is work to try to prevent this war with Drachma and get my brother back. I have complete faith that you will figure out a way, Colonel."

Mustang stared in awe at Alphonse. He and Ed had so much maturity and wisdom, and they were so young. The Colonel felt his eyes tearing up. Edward and Alphonse Elric were two of the greatest people he had ever met. He didn't deserve to have them in his life, which made him feel beyond blessed with the fact that he did. He felt a brief pang of guilt. Ed also had complete faith in him, and that resulted in him being stuck with the Drachmans. He shook his head. Al was right. He couldn't dwell on what happened anymore. He had to start figuring out what he could do to get Edward back. He wouldn't let his sons down again.

*break*

Ed could hear voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. It was like hearing someone speak underwater. He willed his eyes to open, but they wouldn't obey him. He groaned and shifted around slightly, causing someone to stroke his hair in an attempt to calm him down. However, it was having the complete opposite effect. He could just tell that it wasn't Mustang. The voices started becoming clearer.

"I think he's finally starting to come around."

It took a couple of tries, but he managed to open his eyes. Vincent and someone else he didn't recognize were looming over him. He wanted to get away from them, but his limbs felt too heavy to move.

"You've done well, Vincent!" the stranger praised.

Even though he was still drugged, Ed could tell that he looked much older than Vincent, so he assumed that this was his superior. He had to suppress a shudder when he realized that it was Vincent who was stroking his hair. Where was he anyway? As if he could read his thoughts, Vincent spoke up.

"Welcome to Drachma, Edward Elric."

Given that this is the last chapter and there are many things left unresolved, I can proudly announce that there will be a sequel to this story! This was meant to be mostly a torture fic, so the next story will focus on the war with Drachma and the effects that this story's events will have on Roy and Ed. The sequel will be titled "War Rages On." I have enjoyed writing this story so much and I'm extremely excited to write the sequel!

Just a heads up, I will not start posting the sequel for about three weeks. Unfortunately, it is the end of the semester for me, so I really need to focus on my final exams and projects. I will not be updating any of my fanfiction until after finals week, so don't think that I'm just abandoning you all because I'm not! I also won't have much time to read fanfiction for the rest of the semester, so that's kind of depressing. It just makes me look forward to summer even more!

Again, I don't think words can express how grateful I am for the response this story has gotten. You guys are absolutely fantastic and it makes me happy to know that you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Also, just a side note, I want to write a lot of fanfiction this summer, so feel free to message me with any requests or suggestions!

Until next time,

alightintheshadows