Gambling Game
Ch.1 Ace My Test
Sheets of rain pounded down outside Eastern Command and long, gloomy shadows were casted along the walls of the tall building. There were long senses of quiet that flooded through the room in which the Colonel and his subordinates refrained from idle chatter; Al had just called in from Resembool. His voice was shaky and eerily distant and lost. It was nothing short of depressed and the message was devastating. It echoed through Roy's ears like a yell of that from a canyon. "Colonel... I-it's brother, h-he hasn't b-been home... for a-almost a week now.." came the raspy, stuttering voice of Edward's younger brother, Alphonse.
Roy held his head in his hands, his fingers entwined in charcoal colored hair. He couldn't shake the feeling of insignificance within himself; he felt so small and helpless. Ed had made a run for it before, but he always came back at least a day later, starved and tired from his failed escape. This time, he hadn't returned and Roy hadn't a single piece of evidence in his hands to go on. Was Ed murdered? No! That was almost impossible, not to mention insanely difficult for anyone to accomplish. Especially with such a rambunxious teenager who was a State Alchemist.
But it could happen; even Ed had blind spots, though that was difficult for Roy to admit himself.
The Colonel closed his eyes helplessly before looking up and gazing at Riza. She returned his lost and saddened look, gulping softly. His onyx searched her tan colored orbs for an answer, at least one of the millions he had, but none were of sufficient quality in his mind. His hair fell into his eyes. What had happened to Edward Elric?
Answers, if at least one out of all of them, he wanted that one to be solved and he wanted it figured out now. Suddenly torn from his thoughts by a loud gunshot outside, Roy grabbed his black rain coat and through it over his shoulders, quickly rising from his chair. "Sir!" Riza saluted, raising her hand to her forehead.
Roy nodded before running to his door and thundering out. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, let's go!" he bellowed, racing through the busy hallways, eyes narrowed, but clearly unfocused to the situation at hand.
He hadn't a moment to spare as he shoved through the heavy doors and outside into the darkened streets.
Lightning illuminated the shadowed city and thunder rumbled through the town, bouncing off the walls and creating a loud, earth-quake effect. Roy's pale, ivory skin seemed to glow like the moon in the dark. A scowl lined his lips and he abruptly turned into an alleyway, reaching his destination point. This was where the gunshot had sounded. This was where the chase began.
Hughes stood in front of several other officers, his eyes holding a sad but sincere note of anxiety. Slowly, he bent down and gently ran his fingers over something. A finger, a hand? Roy's eyes went wide with terror; it was an automail arm, Ed's automail arm and it was severely damaged.
Blood lined the metal and the wires were ripped and tattered like an animal had attacked Edward. Hughes gulped before pushing back up off the ground and gently shoving his glasses up farther along the bridge of his nose. "Confiscate the automail and remove everything from the scene, I want a thorough examination over all the pieces of evidence." Hughes said, his eyes closed gently.
"Maes, what's going on here?" Roy asked, setting his hands on his best friend's shoulders and glaring him in the eyes.
Hughes let out a soft sigh before blinking his eyes back open to face Mustang. "Roy, I wish I could tell you, I really do, but this- this is overwhelming to any of us in the Investigation force as of now. I've ordered a thorough ex-"
"I know that Maes! I want to know whose automail that is!" Roy yelled, cutting Hughes off before his voice silenced to a whisper. "I need to know that isn't Fullmetal's... If anything, I wish it was just some spare automail that an animal sunk its claws into and tore apart Maes."
"I wish I could tell you that's all it was, but then we saw this... It's soggy yes, and cryptic, but it's legible and I hate to let you see this... When we first found the automail, it was clenched into a fist, and there was a piece of weathered paper in it. The Investigation force opened it, but I doubt you're going to like what it says..." Hughes whispered, gently taking Roy's hand and setting a small, tattered note down in it.
Mustang looked at Hughes hesitantly before averting his eyes to the small document and just the quick glance he had caught made him shudder. Fear washed over his body. THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST WILL DIE IN VAIN IF YOU DO NOT FIND HIM WITHIN THREE DAYS! THIS WARNING IS ISSUED TO ALL WHO WISH TO HELP BUT IF YOU'RE LATE YOU HAVE MOST DEFINATELY FAILED! TO ACE THIS TEST YOU MUST PASS ANOTHER; ONE UNKNOWN TO ONLY FULLMETAL'S BROTHER... Roy's eyes shot up to Hughes before his friend motioned back down to the paper. "It gets worst, flip it over and read.."
Roy nodded and turned the note over, afraid to the horrid writing he would find on that side. The black ink had faded through and the letters had smeared slightly, but Roy continued to read. LISTEN CLOSELY AS I KNOW ALL OF YOU HAD HEARD, THE GUNSHOT THAT FIRED HELD ONE SIMPLE WORD! IF YOU CROSS MY PATH AND BETRAY THIS NOTE, YOU'RE FRIEND HERE WILL PERISH WITHOUT ONE SINGLE HOPE! Mustang's head jotted up. "W-why doesn't the last part have any evidence; why doesn't it hold any clues! How are we supposed to find Fullmetal without any clues!" he asked quietly.
"I guess that was to make this little 'test' harder," Hughes implied, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Whatever it is, Edward's gonna' be in a lot of pain until we find him Roy..."
"Then hurry up and figure out where the hell he is!" Roy snapped, his eyes narrowing in fury.
Maes nodded and quickly turned around, ushering the Investigation squad out of the ally. With that, Roy turned on his heels, remaining silent as he walked back to Head Quarters in the heavy rain, Riza following after him. And the storm raged on...