Morphed

Chapter Three

I feel it deep within,
It's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become
The nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

~Monster (Skillet)

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Edward walked into Mustang's office on Monday morning, with the written report in his hands. He had spent the weekend at the Hughes' house, mulling everything over, and, on Sunday night, he had decided that he didn't want to risk that 'consequence' that Mustang had warned him about, and had stayed up for hours writing down what he had in his hand. He figured it was better that than risking Mustang's anger. He had seen something disturbing in the man's eyes that day in the hospital room, something he had never seen before, and, while he would never admit it to anybody, it had frightened him. So here he was, with this dumb report (which briefly outlined everything that had happened to him in the basement except the Transmutation that had turned him into the monster he was now, including the more...intimate...things that had happened to him. Surely that would satisfy the bastard), hoping that it would be good enough. He was early, and there was nobody else in the office yet, except for Mustang and himself.

Mustang looked up when he came in, and the man's eyes narrowed. He looked...somewhat surprised, and Edward presumed that it was because he was early. His suspicions were confirmed when Mustang said as much and Edward strode through the lounge and over to his desk, handing him the yellow envelope containing his report. Mustang opened the envelope and pulled out the papers Edward had slaved over the previous night.

He scanned them briefly.

And burned them.

It took a moment to get over the initial shock of Mustang snapping his fingers, and watching his hard work go up in smoke and fall to the desk, nothing but ashes. When he did, his blood boiled with rage. "What the Hell was that for, bastard?" He yelled, slamming his hands on the table.

"Two reasons." Mustang said, a tone in his voice that Edward couldn't identify. "First of all, it's messy."

"Who gives a damn?" Ed shouted. "I slaved over that-"

"I'm not finished yet." Mustang snapped, and Edward fell silent. "Firstly because it's messy, and secondly, I asked for a full, detailed report on what happened. This is neither."

"What do you mean, it's neither?" Edward yelled.

"I mean, this is not detailed in the slightest. A ten year old could have written a better report than this. You only vaguely mention things, and I'm not an idiot, Fullmetal, I see the gaps. It's as clear as day that there are things that should be in that report that aren't."

Edward froze in the act of stepping around the desk to punch the bastard's face. "H-how so?" He asked cautiously. Surely the Colonel could not have worked it all out from a glance, could he? Surely he couldn't have figured out the truth so quickly...

"There are gaps. Just like in the documents we recovered at the scene. Things are missing. You claim that nothing happened down there, apart from your rape, but-"

"Don't!" Edward shouted, surprising both Mustang and himself.

"Don't what, Edward?" Mustang shouted back.

"Don't you dare try to presume what happened to me down there! Don't you dare! You have no idea what you're talking about! You don't understand ANYTHING! You say you know what's missing from that Goddamn report, which I spent hours on by the way, so why don't you tell me! Because I'd sure like to know, what you think is so Goddamn important! And how dare you talk about my rape like it was nothing! How dare you! I may not be old yet enough to fully understand everything that that is, but I know it's something I never want to go through again, because it hurt!