Shock.
A feeling Roy had grown accustomed to throughout his life, but it seemed as though there was always going to be something waiting around the bend to throw him right back into that state.
The state where the world moved around him, and his body moved with it, but with seemingly no control of his own. He moved on autopilot, issuing orders, he was doing that now, but the words he spoke didn't register in his mind. For all Roy knew, he could be telling his team to go home for the night, or he could be asking for help. But as the world moved forward, at such an odd pace, too. Was it going faster or slower than normal? He watched from the recesses of his mind as his arms reached down to help up the prone figure on the ground. One arm, one leg, bloodied and beaten.
As he lifted the little body up in his arms (too light, he's too light) he didn't focus on what was wrong, what shouldn't be there, but on his face, eyes closed in sleep, but his brow was furrowed in pain and his jaw was clenched. There were things there that he could recognize, like the little scar over his eyebrow, but the bigger scar (a burn scar. Who had burned him?) that started where his ear (was that an ear?) did, and crossed the bridge of his nose to taper out under his right eye, that scar was new.
His eyes left the boy's face and he looked up as he ran up the staircase, towards the dark of East City's night, and his mind began to wader back.
How long had it been since Edward had disappeared? How long since Alphonse, flesh and blood, had all but broken down his office door in a panic, asking where his brother was, why he was whole, and what had Edward done?
Years. It had been years, but was it one or two? Three, perhaps? It was hard to tell. The first weeks flew by as his team inspected the hotel room the brothers had been staying in. There was no circle to be found, no marks indicating either a transmutation or a struggle, and not a single witness or clue to bring any sort of hope to Al. Poor Al, left alone without warning, whole again but overwhelmed by sensation.
How long had it been since he'd seen the younger (and previously thought last) Elric?
It was months after Ed vanished when Al left for the Rockbell's home back in Risembool. Roy wouldn't forget the day Al came into the office for the last time, explaining through tears that he couldn't stay there without his big brother. He couldn't walk through the streets or even sit in his room without feeling the loss. He said that he was going to Risembool, going to the Rockbells to finally have a home.
"I know it doesn't make sense," he had said, "going back to where I would miss him the most, but I'd have Winry, and Granny. We don't have a body, but we're going to make a headstone anyway, right by mom's." Al had finally looked Roy in the eyes then, "and thank you, Colonel. You did so much for us, and I'm sorry I can't repay you."
Roy could still feel the lump in his throat.
"Nonsense." He'd replied, "You owe me nothing at all, if there's anything else I can do..."
"One thing, just one." Al said, "please keep in contact. I want to mourn, but I don't want to forget. Maybe I'll come back someday, someday when it stops hurting. But until then, just whenever something happens, something good. A promotion, or a birthday, or just when something funny happens here-"
He'd cut off then, maybe there was nothing else to say, or maybe he just couldn't find the strength to continue, but he said his goodbyes, and left. While Roy kept his promise, there really wasn't a lot of contact between them. He called on birthdays, and on the anniversary of when Ed supposedly died, just to tell a story of Ed, something to make Al laugh.
The memory carried Roy from the building they had found the body in, and into the car, where he shoved into the back next to Riza, who applied what first aid she could as Roy cradled the missing boy in his lap.
"Sir."
Riza, always composed, even in the face of such… Well, it wasn't quite disaster, but it was hardly a miracle.
"Sir." Came the voice again, and suddenly Roy was back in control, at least somewhat.
Roy forced out a "yes" but it sounded a bit far off.
"We can't take him to a hospital, not like this." Riza spoke in a low tone, "there's no telling what they'd do to him."
"No." Roy agreed, and looked down at Ed.
God knows what had happened to him. Golden ears, resembling a cats stuck out from either side of his head, right where human ones once were. The rounded tips were darker in color, and spots of the same tone were flecked across his skin, dapples over his shoulders and thighs, where he had only the torn and dirtied remnants or a nightdress to cover himself. From his single hand, his fingernails appeared to be missing, but pushing down on the darkened pads on his fingertips caused a sharp black claw to slide out of almost nowhere.
There was a long tail that stretched out from the base of his tailbone, the same golden color as his ears and hair curled up at the end, where a tuft of that dark colored fur grew out, but interspersed in that fur was a feather of similar color.
The feathers. As much as he wanted to ignore them, at the same time he could hardly look away from the wings that sprouted out from Ed's back. Right under his shoulder blades, feathers burst out and grew into two gigantic wings, golden wings dappled with browns, and tapering out into a near black at the tips.
Not even his remaining left leg had been left alone. Right below his knee, his skin was obscured once more with fur as it twisted into that of a feline hind leg, right down to the paw.
Ed was a chimera.
Someone had taken Ed, who had already suffered through so much, and fused him with animals to an unknown end.
Roy clenched his jaw, "We'll take him back to my home, I've a spare room he can stay in. I'll get Fuery to set up a secure line, and I'll get Dr. Knox to check him over."
Riza nodded, and nothing more was said as they were driven by Havoc back to Roy's townhouse. Riza continued to apply first aid, cleaning the many cuts that were scattered over Ed's arm and leg, but leaving the possible wounds under his clothes to give him some privacy, some dignity in this form.
When they were but a few minutes away from their destination, Ed began to wake up. His eyes opened, golden irises surrounded by black, and surrounding a slanted pupil that widened as it took in his surroundings.
"Colonel?" Ed rasped, trying to move away from his grip, "it hurts."
Roy's heart lurched at the soft voice as the boy began to writhe.
"Where does it hurt?"
Ed moved his hand to press down at the loose fabric over his chest, and it began to soak with blood.
Roy's heart skipped a beat.
"Havoc! Get us there now!" No longer caring for Ed's privacy, he ripped the fabric to expose the wound.
It was a burn.
It was right in the middle of his chest, slowly oozing red blood, bubbling, and blackened on the edges, with brown coloring making its appearance amongst the bleeding.
Ed needed medical attention, and he needed it now, but the best they had was Hawkeye and a bag of antiseptic wipes and band-aids.
As they pulled into the driveway, Roy opened the door and jumped out with Ed in his arms before the car had even stopped moving.
Hawkeye followed after him, calling Havoc in with them.
As the door opened Roy immediately went for his living room, and carefully laid Ed down on the couch, moving the edges of the nightdress away from his wound.
"Forget the secure line!" Roy called to Hawkeye, "Get Knox here, now!"
"Colonel?" Ed asked again, and when Roy looked back to him, his pupils were dialated and his breathing was steadily getting faster. "What's going on?"
"He's going into shock!"
"Captain Hawkeye is on the phone with Dr. Knox." Havoc told him, looking at the wound on Ed's chest and turning a bit green.
Roy could only just make out Hawkeye talking, but it still helped him a bit.
"Colonel!" Ed groaned, "Where's Al?"
Injured, bleeding, and changed, and still Ed is asking for his little brother first.
"Where's Al?" He repeated, but his eyes were unfocused and glazed over. "I need Al here if we're going on a mission."
Roy's blood ran cold, a mission?
"He's delirious." Roy realized, "How soon can Knox be here?"
Riza joined the two men from the kitchen, "He isn't happy, but I told him it was urgent. He'll be here in half an hour."
"That's not soon enough!" Roy growled, trying to think. Being in the military all three of them had gone through different levels of basic medical training, but Roy was versed in treating burns, whether they be his own or others when his alchemy goes awry.
"Get me some ice water and a rag. There are pots in the cabinet to the right of the sink."
"On it," Havoc said as he left the room.
"Riza, upstairs in the cabinet of my bathroom there should be a tube of burn cream. Bring it down."
"Sir." And then she was gone too.
Ed was breathing frantically, and his hand had come up to grasp at Roy's arm.
"Is Al okay?"
"Al's fine, you just relax."
"I can't relax, Al isn't here, oh and it hurts! Why does it hurt?" Ed began to shake.
Knox couldn't get there soon enough.
"You've been burned, Ed." Roy explained, "and you need to sit still so we can treat it."
Ed nodded and closed his eyes as Roy moved Ed's hand from his sleeve to Roy's own hand. "It'll be okay, Ed. "We'll make it stop hurting."
Ed's glazed over eyes opened to meet his, "Everything?"
"What?"
"Everything hurts. Will you stop all of it?"
Roy held Ed's hand tighter. "Of course." He ignored the claws digging into the palm of his hand. "Everything will be better."
Riza showed back up first, but Roy could hear water running in the next room over.
"Go help Jean," Roy said as he took the half-empty tube of ointment, "I need that water."
Riza left, and with her they came back with the biggest pot Roy owned and plenty of ice.
Soaking the soft rag in the water, and taking some chunks of ice out with it, he lay the towel over the burn and tried to get some of the blood off.
He wasn't prepared for Ed to jerk away.
"No, no!" Ed wheezed, trying to sit up, but failing once the burn began to fold in on itself as he moved.
There was a knock at the door.
But it was much too early for Knox.
But sure enough when Havoc returned it was with Knox at his side, both their arms full of supplies.
"How'd you get here so fast?" Roy asked, glancing at the clock. The thirty minute drive had taken the man only fifteen.
"Your Captain said it was urgent, so a may have ignored a few signs and speed limits. Knox didn't wait for any reaction, but just went ahead and knelt down next to Ed. "Thought this kid was dead." He commented, but took the rag Roy was using and began to dab at the bloodied burn. "How'd this happen?"
"I don't know." Roy answered honestly, "And we thought he was dead, too. We found him in someones basement during a routine inspection."
Knox shook his head. "This is bad, very, very bad. Not quite third degree, but at least he won't be needing a skin graft."
The doctor worked for the next three hours, going through many of Roy's towels and washcloths to use to soak up the blood that seeped from the burns and the pus that poured from the blisters.
At one point, he began stitching.
It was a time to be thankful, Ed wasn't conscious enough to notice the needle.
By the time dawn came, and early morning light helped illuminate the living room, Knox stood, and sighed, wiping his hands on his trousers. "Thats all I can do now. I'll be back with some antibiotics and an IV, some pain meds too. Keep him resting and both that burn and the infected cuts should heal up just fine."
He turned to look Roy dead in the eye. "But, Major General, I don't know what to tell you about his new features."
Knox was a good doctor. Waiting until his job was done to point out something as jarring as that.
As Riza saw the man out, Roy had Havoc help him get Ed, who had since fallen asleep, up off the couch and into the nearby guest room without jarring the injury or wrinkling the large bandage covering it.
As they got Ed rested against the pillows and beneath the navy blue comforter, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"You and Riza head on home and get rested. I'm going to call in sick for a while to take care of Ed. You can draw up some kind of reason I'll be needing an IV, antibiotics, and pain medicine, right?"
As Roy saw his two subordates out not an hour later, both under the knowledge that Roy had managed to catch a very serious strain of 'flu after visiting Elysia's school a few days back.
Easy to believe and easy to ignore.
And better yet, it would give him a minimum of two weeks before Headquarters would even allow someone who had been so sick to come back.
As he went inside he found that there was one person who he had to call. It was almost time, anyway.
Dialing the number took no focus whatsoever, he knew it by heart now.
But as he waited for Al to pick up, he realized he had no idea what to say.
"Hello?" But sure enough, Al answered the phone. "This is Rockbell Automail, how can I help you?"
"Alphonse." Roy greeted, "It's good to hear you, how have you been?"
There was a moment of quiet, before Al spoke again.
"I'm fine." He said, "So is Winry, but Granny is getting on in years. What's this about?"
Roy quickly prepared a lie. "Its been almost four years since Ed died. We all miss you, why don't you and Mrs. Rockbell come up for a visit? I've found some of Ed's old mission reports, and they're quite enjoyable to read now."
Al was quiet. Roy hoped he would catch on. Not once in almost four years had Roy invited Al to come back to Central for Even a day. He wouldn't not until well after Al would have elected to come back himself.
"Would it be like a memorial party?"
He didn't catch on.
"Yes, if you'd like. There was never a funeral, but we could hold some kind of memorial for him if you'd like. Otherwise it would just be a get-together. You and the old team, maybe some old friends of yours."
"It would be nice to see everyone again, I think I've dragged each detail about mine and Ed's childhood there is to know out of Granny. Sure, we'll come."
"Good, could you get on the next train?"
"The next train?"
"I don't know when the next time Gracia and Elysia will be in town, and I don't know when they'll be leaving." Roy lied easily. He felt the same prick of guilt he did whenever he noticed how easy lying had become, but at this point he had no choice.
"Oh, then I'll pack right away. I'll see you in a day."
"In a day. I'll get everything prepared then," Roy said his goodbyes and hung up.
Now to find out what he would be telling Al when he actually showed up, expecting some kind of funeral.
