Roy Mustang was seething. It had taken him less than thirty seconds to recognize and identify the runes and design of the alchemy array they had shackled him to.
This was no ordinary transmutation they were about to incite. Roy remained calm though. Maybe he was being scared by his enemy. There was always a chance he was dreaming a nightmare, unlike all those silly lies he did feel pain in his dreams. Both emotional and physical pain translated in the horrors he viewed every night.
He knew such a hope was a long shot. Optimism had carried him this far, he would continue to use it to his advantage.
Now as he shifted to keep his left leg from cramping up he took in the full sight. A blocked window stared back at him. Perhaps a closed viewing room? He wondered if someone were already inside waiting to watch. The walls were gouged and scratched in a number of places, obviously making chimera was this room's sole purpose.
There was evidence of blood stains in a few places, they had been scrubbed but not erased. This made him feel worse. With the horror of what he hoped was merely a threat looming over his head he wished he could at least talk to Hawkeye one last time. He really needed to apologize to her.
With chimera there was never a guaruntee that a subject would survive the fusing process. He himself had read a number of disheartening reports about failed attempts. Making a chimera had no set of foolproof instructions. Different alchemists used varying transmutation circles and different creatures proved to make the process even more complicated. The only correlation he knew of was that all four elements had to be represented on the array.
With the odds stacked against him he tried to get a look at the runes bordering the circle around him. He could only see a portion but the flow seemed unusual to him. Instead of starting with day as most did it started with night. This was done in a reversed format. Unlike most arrays that used runes along the outer edge in a set format this one worked with it's own.
It goes from night to day. From death to life? No wait that can't work. He looked again and corrected himself. They separate the soul from the body, but instead of letting it go wherever souls go they hold it here in the center of the circle. While the bodies of the creatures being fused are deconstructed and reconstrcuted together the soul remains stagnant in the containment field. This allows the alchemist to focus on fusing the new body. Once the body is complete the soul is returned to it's orignal form, except that the form has been irrevocably changed.
As Roy solved the circle he heard the door behind him open. "This circle is only used for making chimera where the dominant ingredient is a human. You found a way to succeed by stalling the soul for a few minutes until the fusion is complete." He said aloud.
"Very good Mustang. I would expect nothing less from a State Alchemist with your reputation." Gold tooth appeared from his right carrying a small terrarium. "Too bad you are on the wrong side of the runes. It is a most marvelous spectacle."
Roy glared at him. "Is that the other creature?"
"Indeed. Take a look at what you'll be combined with. This is a salamander, have you heard of them?"
Roy nodded. As a child he had once visited a zoo with his aunt. She had taken him for his birthday one year and they had spent most of their time in the reptile house. Madam Christmas had found the building utterly revolting. She despised snakes and lizards, but Roy had liked them.
That day a zoo keeper had let him hold a number of creatures. He remembered holding a small snake and a large iguana but the thing that had struck as the most interesting was the salamander. It had been slimy and rather docile in his hands. It had just kind of sat there silently and looked at him.
His aunt had made him go wash his hands in the bathroom. If there was one thing she would not stand for it was him being dirty. There just wasn't room for dirt in her life.
"Good." Gold tooth murmured. "Go ahead and contemplate all the horrifying ideas you can imagine." He grinned at this.
Roy stared at him blankly as he plucked the yellow and black animal from it's habitation and placed it on the ground next to the Colonel.
He then left the room again.
This was taking a long time. Were they making sure everything was in place and just why was this happening? Would someone tell Roy?
He glared at the salamander. It really wasn't the poor animal's fault, but he really really didn't want to be fused with it. Sure he had heard a little of the chimera Ed and Al had met. They seemed like perfect transmutations by the description.
But if this were some sort of way to keep him from acting against his enemies surely they would make him into something that could never return to society. He felt his blood run cold at this thought and he suddenly realized the alchemist's words.
Ideas of hideous near failures filled his mnd to the brim for a few brief moments before logic rose back to it's place. No. He would not dwell on the horrors because they still needed him to commit human transmutation to become a sacrifice. That meant he would maintain his mind and the physical necessities to perform alchemy even if just one more time.
Biting his lip in thought he desperately tried at his bonds again. But they were too tight and the pillar was so wide that he could not create enough slack to stand up and pull his arms over it. After a few attempts at pulling the ropes loose and trying to pry the knots free he leaned against the stone behind him in defeat. He then tried scratching a circle with his nails but it seemed the stone had been fortified, which meant those claw marks had come from awfully strong beasts.
Trapped he glared at the salamander again. This time he wished it would catch on fire and incinerate to ashes. Then he would be free from the transmutation. Making a chimera required two or more live subjects.
Roy finally turned from the slamander and looked up at the observation window.
The blood drained from his face accentuating the dark bruise around his eye. A chill ran down his spine and his blood turned to ice. Of all the low down dirty things Wrath could think of, this was the worst. There facing him in despair was Riza Hawkeye along with Fuhrer Bradley. This was the end of his sanity. They couldn't force her to watch. It wasn't fair to her.
Damn them! He cursed mentally and tried to reach Hawkeye with his eyes. They met and she wavered on the bring of breaking down. He kept his gaze steady. His eyes held hers in a gentle but authoritative stare. Don't worry about me. His eyes told her. Keep fighting no matter what. I can handle this. Don't let him see weakness.
Riza's eyes cleared somewhat and he relaxed. She would not give Bradley the satisfaction of seeing her crumple, nor would Roy. He was about to be debased in a few minutes already. No point in giving the enemt what he wanted.
"Ah Colonel Mustang, I see you've already put everything together." Bradley's voice came through a grate in the wall and it held a mild undertone of enthusiasm. "Do you know what this is?"
Roy refused to speak. He understood the question by the sweeping gesture that bastard made as he spoke. But the flame alchemist felt like he didn't owe Bradley anything, so he kept his dry lips tight.
"Stubborn as ever I see." Bradley mused. "Mustang I never do anything without reason. You should know that. I did not interfere with your men until you got too deep. Provoking me once was deadly enough, but you are so foolish as to incite my anger again. I know you contacted the East. I won't ask how, that isn't important. The only thing you need to know is that this is the last time I will discipline you. If I discover further insubordination after this I will kill you, I don't care how useful you may be."
So this was a punishment. Now that made sense. What was the best way to torture a stubborn human who refused to give up? Desroy him from inside. Bradley had been destroying him for years now, first the civil war in which Roy had become a murderer; now he planned to revoke his humanity.
Roy frowned in thought. Bradley spoke as though he expected Mustang to return to his post. Was this merely a sham transmutation to scare the piss out of him? He didn't think so. He looked back at Riza and decided he had one chance.
"I'm sorry." He said in a gentle voice. Bradley looked like he was about to reply but He continued. "My mistakes brought you here Lieutenant. Please forgive me."
Wrath stared in annoyance at the soldier. He made a gesture with his hands. It was time.
Roy swallowed hard as he made one final futile attempt at escaping his bonds. With no way out and Riza forced to be a witness he cleared his mind. The best way to get through this with some level of dignity was to keep calm and focus. He remembered Berthold Hawkeye drilling those two principals into his mind.
Remaining calm allowed him to see everything as it was, not how it looked. Staying focused gave him the opportunit to channel his anger into one thought that would keep him from going insane. His thought was how much he was going to enjoy seeing Wrath fall with the other homunculi in the spring.
That being said Gold tooth came back into the room.
Roy tensed knowing he was about to feel an excrutiating amount of pain. Gold tooth grinned maliciously. "I don't need to tell you the Fuhrer expects a good show."
Roy sneered at the other alchemist. "Well I hope he likes dissapointment."
Gold tooth shook his head as he knelt. "You are a rebelious one aren't you. No matter, this should help fix you."
Gold tooth placed his hands on the outer ring of the circle Roy was trapped in and the markings slowly came to life. Energy began to glow around him and it travelled through every rune and line.
The salamander ducked its head as the light reached an almost blinding shine.
Roy closed his eyes and prepared himself. He needed to keep his cool or Bradley would see him crumble. That was unacceptable. There was no way Wrath would get the show he desired. This was just another battle he had to face and he wasn't going to lose his mind.
In those few moments he had never hated anyone as much as he hated the Fuhrer.
