Roy and Ed were driven to the lab in a military car with a chauffeur this time so as to not embarrass other soldiers like last time. Plus, it helped that Roy was in his military uniform this time. When they got the doors, the two soldiers who had fussed at them the first time were there and they stood straight as boards when they saw the two of them.

"Welcome back, Colonel Mustang and Fullmetal Alchemist, sirs!" they yelled in unison.

"At ease boys..." Roy said with a lift of his fingers to assure them he was not mad.

The two deflated and Ed smirked at their rigidness. He was glad he was never a military brat and that he just happened to fall into it more than join it.

The two were led down the white hallways again and to the lab where the Fountain of Youth was being made. Dr. Striker met them at the door this time and was grinning ear to ear.

"I'm so excited that you both made it! I have wanted to show you what it can do to humans for the longest time and now that the military has given me a prisoner of war to try it on, I can show you all the many things that can be done with my experiment!"

Roy nodded a little as he walked after the doctor. They came to another door and Dr. Striker stopped there.

"I will have to ask you to please take off your jackets and put on lab coats as well as a gas mask. We're going to use the gas to show you the experiments quicker."

Edward wasn't liking that he had to take off his coat but he obliged as well as the Colonel and they donned on the lab coats and gas masks. Dr. Striker nodded and then opened the door. They were in a room that had a thing glass pane and had a prisoner from Drachma chained to a pole in the middle of the room.

"I'm going to show you the three uses of the serum that I was thinking of. The first is going to be interrogation." He pressed a button. "Interrogation gas!"

Gas filled the chamber and the Drachman spy yelled out in fear until his cries sounded more like a child's cries rather than a man. When the gas lifted, there was a five year old boy in frumpy clothing shivering next to the pole and looking very confused.

"Do you know your name?"

"What have you done to me!?" he yelled in his childlike state.

"What is your name?"

"What's it to you?!"

Dr. Striker looked at the two alchemists.

"You see, changing them into a child will allow for easier interrogation. This is not an exact way to do it but eventually, you will get to them. Watch." He pressed the button again. "Little Drachma child." The man-turned-boy turned around in a circle. "Son, can you tell me your name?"

"Danny... My name is Danny."

"See? With kindness, the childishness comes out in him and he answers any and all questions."

"Interesting." Mustang said.

"There is also the option of making him forget who he is as well and making him live with an Amestrian family and allowing the aging process to be quickened and defeat our enemies that way. Or, we use the torture method."

Gas filled the chamber again and the boy turned back into a man. He was confused and looked around when more smoke filled the chamber. He yelled out but was only about four years younger than usual. He looked around a little and Dr. Striker motioned for them to watch.

"Why are you spying on Amestris?"

"Like I'd tell you!"

"If you don't tell us, we will make you grow younger and younger until you are nothing but a child. We can kill you then, you know?"

"Drop dead! I won't tell you a thing!"

Dr. Striker made more smoke come into the chamber and the man yelled again. When the smoke cleared, he was almost a teenager.

"Do you see?"

"Yes, I see how it can be effective. Very interesting work you have here, Dr. Striker."

He bowed in the praise. "Thank you, Colonel."

"It's a little unethical, if you ask me." Ed said, looking up at them.

"How do you say?"

"Screwing around with people's bodies like that? It's a bit inhumane to just juggle their bodies around in age. They'll fall apart eventually."

"It won't through too many processes, dear boy. It will only reverse their age to about the age of a nine month old baby. Once that point has been reached, they will grow normally."

"So, you're going to keep them against their will anyway?"

"That is war, boy."

"You'll have to forgive my friend here, he's never been in a war like I have. He doesn't understand these things."

"I know when things ain't ethical."

The three of them left the room and went to talk elsewhere.

***********************

"So, do you think the military would fund my research to use?"

"I can see where it would definitely be useful in interrogations but you also said medically it can be used?"

"Yes. If injected into different things, it can be reversed back into remission or made easier to understand how things started."

"So, you're playing with life."

Dr. Striker looked at Edward as he stared at the adults.

"No, dear boy, this is science. An alchemist as yourself should understand that."

"It was different when it was with animals and such. Having a puppy again is all fine and dandy but people... If someone got a hold of that, they could live forever one a continuous cycle. That's immortality, Doc."

"That is why I want the military to have it. I don't want to keep it to myself."

The maid suddenly tripped and fell, the tea flying all over Roy. He hissed at the scalding tea and she gasped, getting a towel to try and wipe his face.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, patting the wet spots on his cheeks.

"It's fine. Dr. Striker, do you have a bathroom?"

"Yes, on the left."

Roy went to the bathroom and began to wash out the stains in his coat.

*********************

As the two rode home, Ed felt that maybe he had crossed the line with the immortality idea. Maybe he was overreacting...

"Was I overreacting a little? I mean, about the immortality part?"

"Not necessarily. It's a good point to bring out. It means that there will have to be a limit that each person can use it before it becomes ineffective, which we presented to Dr. Striker. He really wants to get this experiment in with the military, so he will do anything to get it in."

"I didn't want you all the think I was just losing my mind."

"If we thought that, you wouldn't have been chosen to this mission."

Ed nodded as Roy looked out the window. He was beginning to get a little tired and he knew he needed to stay late to finish some work at the office. He took out his pills and shook a couple out into his hand.

"What's those for?"

"Helps me get some energy so I can do my work."

"What? Getting too old to do anything?" Ed said with a smirk.

"You're funny. You don't have to do half the stuff I have to do. Don't grow up, Fullmetal."

Ed laughed a little. "If I get some of that stuff, I won't have to."

Mustang laughed a little as he took the pills dry, swallowing them.

They went back into headquarters and Riza met them in the hallway.

"How was the mission, sir?"

"Eventful, but pleasant. Here?"

"Dull as ever, sir."

Mustang chuckled as the two went to their room. Mustang went to his office to finish up some things. He began to work on signing some papers when they began to get very blurry. He shook his head and continued along but the more he tried, the blurrier they got. He finally sat straighter and set his pen down, a horrible headache overtaking him. He rubbed his face with his hands and sat back, trying to get his bearings. He stood up and went to find the headache medicine he had grabbed and stuck in his coat pocket but it suddenly seemed as if it were a million miles away. He leaned against the desk to try and gather his strength back up but when he took a step forward, all he did was fall to the floor.

*************************

Riza stopped writing and looked at the door of the office. Was it her imagination or did something just 'thud' in there? She got up and delicately knocked on the door. When he didn't answer, she opened it slightly and found Roy getting off of the floor.

"Colonel?"

He looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"Why are you on the floor?"

"I got suddenly dizzy and I tried to stand. I think I should go home."

"Are you trying to get out of work, Colonel?"

"No. I can't focus on anything and everything is bouncing around. Every time I want to go home doesn't necessarily mean I am trying to get out of work, Lieutenant." He snapped as he stood up with the help of the desk.

Riza nodded a little. "I'll call for a car for you."

"Thank you."

Riza went to her desk and asked for a car and then went back to the Colonel. She helped him to his seat and he chuckled a little.

"What's so funny?"

"You're always here even when I don't want you to be."

Riza sighed. "Did you hit your head too?"

"I might have." He said with a smile.

"Are you trying to be funny, sir?" she asked with a serious expression.

Roy made a face and pushed her away.

"You're no fun, Hawkeye."

"I'm not here to have fun, sir."

"Well I can see that. I don't think you have ever had fun in your life. I'll fix that though... one day you'll have fun."

"I'm fine just the way I am, Colonel. I don't need your help with anything."

"Nah, I'll get your life in gear."

"Lieutenant?" Havoc asked, knocking and opening the door at the same time. "The car driver is here." He looked at them standing close to each other. "What are you two doing?"

He threw his hands up and quickly left when Riza pulled out her gun to 'check' the safety. Roy smirked a little, knowing that she was the best person on his team and the only person he could trust explicitly. Not to mention the amount of love he had for her that she would never know he had.

"Your car is here, Colonel. Go home and get some rest so you can be normal again."

Roy smirked. "Sir, yes, sir." He said with a lazy salute.

She rolled her eyes at him as he grabbed his coat and hat and left the office.

Riza watched him and breathed in deeply. She was very worried about him.

++++++++++++++++++++

those people be trippin... . anyhow, so more on the Fountain of Youth serum in development and how to use it. and what if ed's right? what if someone decided to use it for that purpose?