Behind Closed Doors
Summary: Children have been disappearing all over Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)
Warnings: Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…
Authors Note: Last Chapter of 'Part 1'... Yes people, that was the plan I mentioned in the previous chapter; I'm splitting this story into 'Parts' because it's just too damned big for my organisational skills (which, btw, are very lax to begin with:S) but fear not, there is a 'Part 2' on its way! Lol…
Just a word of warning, I'm gonna take a break from this fic for a bit to update some of my other outstanding fics but don't worry, I'll never abandon a story; besides which, I've had too much fun writing it! I have no estimated time of update so you'll just have to be patient with me… sorry!!
For compensation, this chapter is twice as long as the previous ones… 11 pages instead of the average 4/5. Aren't you guys lucky?! I know my fingers aren't… cools burning fingers in a bowl of ice cold water…
Well enjoy the end of 'Part 1' and I'll see you lot in 'Part 2'…at some point… .'
No need to keep an eye out for a different story or sequel either, I'll still post it under this title.
Any questions or queries, you know where to click…
Lots of love
Zer0
x
Ch10; Of Fights and Bitter Ends…
Ratatatatatatatatat…
Alphonse ducked his head down as he ran blindly down a bland looking corridor. He cursed the moment he left Roy's side as he dodged round another corner, putting on another burst of speed, hoping to lose his new shadows before they turned and began firing again.
Ratatatatatatatat…
"Yahhhhhh!" Gods how he hated guns! They were loud, explosive and violent things that should never have been invented! Desperately, he turned down another corridor and glanced wildly around looking for an exit.
That was when inspiration hit.
"If you can't find an exit… make one." Those were his brother's words from when they'd travelled to Lior for the first time and fought against the so called priest in the basement of the Cathedral. There'd been no exit there either, so Edward had made one using Alchemy.
Alphonse's eyes narrowed in determination.
'Here goes everything…'
A flash of blue light and a hiss of alchemical static later, and the hallway was completely clear. The following guards couldn't believe it; the boy had disappeared into thin air. Oh the price he'd have paid to see their faces!
He hadn't disappeared of course. He managed to transmute the wall into a hole and jump through it before transmuting it back to its original form. He turned, panting heavily, and studied his surroundings. He was in a large warehouse again but instead of wooden crates and boxes, this one was full of metal cabin units; some piled on top of one another while others were just on their own or sat in groups.
He stood and held the wall for balance until his head stopped throbbing from the chase. The moment passed and he began to wander around the units, peering inside some of the ones that were open. Some held boxes or mechanical objects, others housed treasures and fineries. One even housed a young beautifully rare thoroughbred foal of some species or another, he couldn't remember which, and it had surprised him because he hadn't expected to see a live animal looking back at him when he peered inside. He set it free; the poor thing couldn't escape while locked inside the unit if the buildings decided to collapse… atleast this way it had a chance of finding an exit before the buildings caved in.
The clip clop of its hooves echoed loudly in the warehouse as it galloped off in a random direction. Alphonse trundled on, struggling to find an exit or even a brick wall to transmute through.
But then a shuffling sound caught his attention. Was there another animal trapped or had someone followed him in here? A shout suddenly called out and another one responded. Alphonse froze, certain he'd been caught until he realised he couldn't see anyone; which meant they hadn't seen him either; which also meant he had the element of surprise.
He listened carefully, trying to discern where they were coming from.
"Damnit, the bloody horse has escaped…"
"Forget the horse, this shipment's more important."
"Tch, all I'm saying is I'm not cleaning its mess up…"
"We won't be here you twit, so stop worrying and get his legs, the kid's heavy."
Alphonse's eyes widened at the words 'the kid's heavy…' could they mean Edward? His heart skipped at the thought of finally reuniting with his brother. It hadn't really been that long since he found out but to him it'd felt like years had passed. Far too long for his comfort.
A strong urge to see his brother's familiar face gripped him tightly and he ran silently in the direction of the voices. Seconds felt like minutes while millimetres felt miles as he ran, trying to find his brother.
"Careful! If the goods get damaged we get it in the neck… remember the policy?"
"Ok, ok I'm sorry but he's just too heavy. Who'd have thought a kid this small would weigh so much?"
Alphonse almost cried; it had to be Edward! No one else could be small and weigh as much as he did! His legs powered him on until he was sure he was only one more row away from his brother. He stopped, not wanting to lose his surprise element just yet.
Carefully, he peered through a gap between one unit and another and searched desperately for a sign of Edward. A large tanned arm blocked most of his view but it quickly moved as the guy stumbled slightly under the accused weight. That was when he saw it; a flash of gold slid past the gap as the guy who'd stumbled dropped Edward to the floor and none-to-gently either. Edward didn't even flinch.
Alphonse worried his lip at that. What had they done to him? Why was his brother so out of it? No one sleeps so deeply like that.
"It's no good I can't lift him, go find a trolley!" The man said. From what Alphonse could tell, he was a short but sturdy man. He definitely didn't want to find himself fighting him… he was still hypersensitive to his senses, anything more than a light brush would either send him into La La land or the fiery pits of hell.
"I hear that muscle weighs more than fat does…" The second man replied, completely throwing his partner for the loop. Alphonse ignored the comment, his eyes were locked on the small view that he had of his brother's face. It was so eerily still.
"So? What's that got to do with the price of cheese?" The first man asked as he knelt down and rolled Edward onto his back, making sure his hands were still tied securely and that there were no extra damages from the fall. Alphonse was brought back to reality as Edward's head rolled with his body and ended facing upwards. His blood boiled at the sight of Edward tied up and unconscious in the hands of the enemy. This very scene was what he'd been most afraid of…
"Cheese? Since when were we talking about cheese?" The second man's voice trailed off as he walked into one of the metal units. Alphonse curled his fists, fighting to keep control of a body he was still getting used to. They say it's the soul that gives a person his emotions but the body reacts in its own way too; a release of adrenalin, a burst of testosterone and a small rise in body temperature all accounted for the rage and frustration he was feeling right now.
"Gah, it's a figure of speech…" The first man replied waving dismissively at the unit the other guy had disappeared inside.
"Oh, well anyway, if muscle weighs more than fat it could explain why he's so damned heavy!" The second guy explained as he returned with a rollable trolley fitted with a bed of straw. The first man paused in thought and actually took the time to look at the boy he was trying to transport.
"Oh? Hm he does look a little muscular. And his arms are rock solid. You could be right Jay." He leaned over and tested the sleeping boy's arms to be sure, squeezing his biceps a little. Alphonse had to bite his tongue to keep from beating the guy to a pulp. No body touches his brother like that! It was like grading a cow for slaughter!
"Hn, see? Who said useless info was useless?" The second man said smugly before reaching down the help heave the boy onto the trolley.
"Whatever, just keep your ego in check or you won't fit in the train." They began to roll the trolley away from the unit.
Alphonse frowned, his emotions forgotten. Train? So the USTO had its own underground train station? What were his options now? He could follow them alone and possibly get himself caught or killed. Or he could go find Roy and get help, but that would mean leaving Edward and dodging bullets too.
Hm… maybe if he left a note or a clue here, then Roy would find it and come to the rescue. His hopes were almost crushed as the idea of an enemy finding it also made itself known. But then again, the enemy were a little preoccupied with a small invasion of State Military soldiers. But would that mean Roy'd be too busy to find it? No, Roy was looking for Edward; he'd spot anything suspicious like a note. Plus if he left it in a glove of his, then there'd be no way Roy could miss it.
Quickly, with scrawled handwriting, he wrote a message about finding Edward, following the enemy and heading for a train station. Then something quick about leaving clues before stuffing the paper into his glove and hanging it discreetly on one of the unit frames before quietly following the two men who were carrying his brother to his doom.
She didn't see it coming nor did she spot it until it was too late. She couldn't move out of the way quick enough to avoid the devastating blow… but someone else had. A loud crack resounded through the floor as a large slab of concrete rose up and blocked the barely visible alchemical energy shot that had been rushing rapidly toward Riza's head. Dust and debris shattered the pristine room sending all within into a coughing frenzy. Both enemies effectively blind to one another.
Now was her chance! With the blond now unable to shoot, the red haired witch was quick to dash for an exit, but somebody had beaten her to it.
"Going somewhere Miss?" Alex Armstrong stood in front of her looking very formidable. Red eyes widened in fear as a small squeak escaped her painted lips. In an instant she was detained and held fast in a gentle iron grip.
"Kaa-San?" An uncertain voice called out from the dust and debris that was still falling. Alex gave the woman a squeeze on her shoulder, warning her that if she wished to stay alive, she'd better co operate in a civil manner.
"Lavender, stand down. We've been beaten." The red head resigned before lowering her head finally accepting defeat.
"Hai, Kaa-san." Lavender lowered her hands and stood placidly in the middle of the room. Riza narrowed her eyes in thought and suspicion. Lavender looked like a normal ordinary eight year old, but it was obvious something was not quite right; she was too calm, too obedient and level headed for an eight year old. A horrid thought struck her but she kept it to herself, unsure if it was the truth or not. She'd have to wait and see.
The dust cleared away a few minutes later revealing a very dusty Riza facing the newly detained red head with a no-nonsense scowl set firmly in place.
"The boy you had with you in the truck." She said watching the red's reaction. The woman nodded, showing she knew who the Lieutenant was talking about. "Where is he?" The red hesitated before replying.
"I'll take you to him…" Riza nodded, approving the young woman's decision to surrender. On the outside it seemed she had accepted defeat but Riza knew better; the woman was only trying to stay alive until her 'friend' could rescue her. Either way they were now her prisoners and she was going to milk them for all the information she could.
"Fine, lead the way…"
Alphonse cursed for the third time in the space of half an hour, a trait more common to his older brother rather than the calmer nature of himself. But he couldn't help it; it was the third time in that same space of half an hour that he'd had to hide and risk losing sight of his brother in favour of staying alive long enough to find said brother again. It was annoying and frustrating but he wasn't going to complain just yet. Luck had been kind so far… it's just a shame that fate had to step in.
The corridor was finally clear and he could see the double doors that the two goons had wheeled his brother through. Now was the perfect time to make a run for it. He readied his legs and braced his arm on the wall in order to help push him off quicker. He gave himself a mental countdown but he barely got past the number "two" before a large hand struck his shoulder from behind.
He yelped in surprise and shock then whimpered in pain as the large hand squeezed tightly. His senses went into overdrive as he fell to his knees, the sudden jarring of his body adding to the sudden onslaught of sensory feedback.
"Well, now what do we have here?" The deep voice brought him back somewhat from the brink of complete collapse. Had he been caught? Was this it? Was this how it ended?
"You know, I managed to lose me a few kids back in that cave, so I was thinking maybe another one would do me a little compensation…" The grip on his shoulder tightened painfully and Alphonse cried out before collapsing to the floor in pain. "But then looking at you I don't think you'd survive for very long…" The pain subsided, the man released his hold but Alphonse remained on the floor, still reeling from the overload of pain. The man was obviously connected to his brother's kidnapping and he was getting away… he had to do something! Anything!
"What do you want with my brother?!" That stopped him. A triumphant smile barely managed to escape before disappearing completely at sly smile forming on the man's face. What had he just thrown himself into?
"Brother eh?" The man back peddled and was knelt in front of the boy in seconds, peering greedily into the young father's eyes. "Hmmm, perhaps I can start a 'Fullmetal' collection… (A/N: Who wouldn't?!) I bet you have a pretty wife at home don't ya?" Alphonse scowled. It was quite common for kids as young as he to be married and supporting a family at his age but somehow his assumption just seemed too personal. "And maybe a little tot too. I bet he'd go for a small fortune…" Alphonse snarled defensively.
"Don't you touch my son you filthy, perverted paedophile!" The man's smile grew. Reverse psychology was a strong fort of his after all so getting an over excited kid to confirm his suspicions without asking the obvious questions was a cinch. (A/N: Yes people, "Cinch" is a word… look it up!)
"Whoa easy tiger, I won't touch your kid, I won't even look for him… if you play nice." One look at those hard beady eyes and Alphonse knew he was in way over his head. He had no choice but to surrender for now. Hopefully Roy was following his clues and would be able to save both him and his brother before time ran out. He sighed and lowered his head, signalling his defeat.
The man grinned before hoisting the kid off the floor by his right arm and steering him through the double doors he'd been headed for to begin with. For several seconds they were quiet, both in their own thoughts about riches and brothers. Until Alphonse broke that silence.
"You didn't answer my question…" He stated bravely. If he was going down he wasn't going to go without knowing what he was in for. The guy, he guessed was Derry, looked at him as a humoured grin found his grizzled chin. For some reason the man was strangely calm and collected. He seemed confident in his ability to pull this stunt off… almost like he knew something they didn't. It unnerved the young father.
"Hmm? What question?" They turned down a different corridor but there was no sign of Edward anywhere ahead. He was toying with him, seeing how far he'd go before breaking down again like earlier. But Alphonse had a surprise for him; unlike his brother, he could tame his anger and focus it on something productive. Sure he had his moments… events of a few seconds ago notwithstanding, but on the whole he was a calm and controlled person. He wasn't about to be baited.
"About my brother, what do you want him for?" He replied evenly. To be quite frank, it puzzled him. Why would a mass kidnapper want his brother? He couldn't remember any cases of kidnappers apart from 'Barry-the-chopper' but he was a serial killer not kidnapper and that was ages ago, besides the guy was dead. So what did this guy want with Edward?
"Heh, getting him was just a lucky break. I'm a slave dealer; I take whatever body count I can… your brother was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like you…" Alphonse frowned as they entered a strange room only to pass through and end up in another corridor. So that was the deal here; Edward was just another body to work in some slave house until his identity had been discovered, which in turn endangered him even more. Well atleast it was a new enemy and not an old one… they tend to be the most underestimating kind and they don't have a previous grudge either…
"So you kidnap kids and force them to work for you?" He asked fishing for more information about this unknown assailant. Reverse psychology could be played both ways.
"Oh no, I don't force them, they do it willingly." That threw him. Willingly? He had to be lying, that was it.
"Willingly?" He asked disbelievingly. They turned another corner but Alphonse was quickly steered into another hall, this time with steps. He was pushed in front but the grip on his arm never faltered.
"Yes, just like your brother will…" He couldn't see the man's face but he could hear the grin in his voice. He suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down his spine.
"He'll never do your dirty work for you, willing or unwilling." He replied hesitantly. But he realised too late that if his life was threatened, Edward wouldn't even think twice about obeying someone else's commands.
"Oh he will, because he won't know how to say no." Alphonse was once again thrown off guard by that comment. The stairs ended abruptly and Alphonse was jerked through another door into yet another hallway.
"I don't follow." He stated just as they stopped outside a set of double doors. Derry just grinned.
"It's a little trick I learned from a land far, far away… it's a handy little technique called brainwashing…"
"Brainwashing…?" Alphonse was still puzzled but his confusion was cut short as they entered the room they'd been stood outside.
The red clad woman lead them through several meandering corridors where at some points they had to fight their way through hired guard men and/or random customers who knew how to fight. It was slow progress but somewhere along the lines they'd finally made it… though Riza didn't see how the woman had come to that conclusion; they were in another warehouse for Pete's sake.
"Are you kidding me?" She asked narrowing her eyes at the young woman. Her patience was wearing thin. The woman shook her head fiercely.
"No, he's kept in one of these cabin things. I should know, I visited almost every hour until Derry-kuns forbade it." She pouted slightly at that thought but Riza ignored it. Instead she turned her gaze back to the warehouse. There were thousands of the damned things, too many to go looking though each one by themselves. She growled; if this woman was just yanking her chain then so help her god…
"Which one?" She asked through gritted teeth. The red head sighed, knowing this was probably the last time she'd see her beautiful Eric-kun today. But she had faith that the game was not over yet. Derry would see to that.
"I'll take you there." She offered knowing she wasn't very good with giving directions. She'd found that not many people understood what she had to say. It was annoying but then Derry had never let her down, he'd come to her rescue all the time… just like she knew he would for her now.
"Fine…"
They wove through endless rows of cabins in a never ending pattern. Several times Riza caught herself peering inside the cabins, glimpsing the several priceless treasures or ultra technical gadgets inside. She wondered how they managed to get hold of the stuff let alone hide them here in this underground building. Forensics were gonna have a field day here… Up ahead, the red head stopped in puzzlement at one empty cabin.
"Odd. There was a purebred Shire foal in there…" Riza gave the cabin a once over before deciding she didn't care. She had more pressing things to worry about.
"It's probably escaped somehow; your concern is not here." The red head sighed dramatically acting more like a scolded teen rather than the young woman she really was. This concerned Riza further but she kept quiet again.
"Fine, it's this way…"
They soon stopped outside another empty container, several shades of shock on many faces. Riza's eyes widened at the sight of blood on the straw… her eyes narrowed dangerously. Some one was going to pay…
The red eyed woman stared in disbelief. The boy was gone… Eric-kun was gone… and so was Derry. Then something clicked into place in her mind. It was like a veil had been pulled back by a familiar despairing emotion. Images began to plague her mind, old memories merged with new ones, old emotions confused her current ones and she felt herself going numb. She slowly slid to the floor in despair. Riza spotting the movement in her peripheral view quickly knelt down to the woman's new height.
"Miss, are you ok?" The red head barely moved. Her despair was evident. "Miss?" Slowly, the red head brought her hands up to her eyes. Faint marks marred her wrists and she stared at them in denial. A tear fell from her crimson eyes slowly followed by several more.
"Miss?" Riza tried again, knowing she was pressed for time but the young woman spoke up finally.
"Kara." Riza blinked, somewhat stumped by the simple word the woman had said before said young woman spoke up again. "My name is Kara… I remember… he did this to me… no. No! I don't want to remember! No! NOOOooooooooo..." The young woman broke down in a fit of sobs before completely falling upon the floor, crying for something the onlookers could only imagine. The sudden behaviour change seemed to confirm Riza's first assumptions; these two girls weren't quite all there anymore. What could have done this to them? How could this have happened? Was this what they had planned for Edward?
"Lieutenant, I've found something." Riza looked up and found herself face to face with Breda, a grim look on his face. At her frown, he held up a small familiar looking glove by the index finger. She reached for it but he shook it gently, a teared piece of parchment fell from inside to the floor. She reached out with confusion, picking up the parchment she found it to be the expensive kind, much like the parchment they used in the military. She unfolded it and found a scribbled note…
Colonel, it's Al.
I found brother. It's a code 5a situation (see end of chapter), I'm gonna need help getting him back. I'm following them now, but I'll leave you a trail to follow.
Head North-west and take the second exit from here, I'll leave markers for you to follow but if you lose your way look for a train station somewhere, they're heading that way.
A. Elric
"Al..." Riza's eyes narrowed at the new revelation. "Major, escort these two back to our safe spot. Feury you go with them take Bennie and Dirk too. Falman, Breda, Kenshin and Jesse you're with me. Move out!" Her orders were met with slick movements as the team separated themselves and jumped into action. She took off in the direction instructed in the note. While running she took out her radio and tuned in to Roy's channel. He was not going to like this.
"Team 2 to team 1 what is your position?" She asked, formulating a plan in her mind as she exited through the second set of doors that Alphonse had mentioned. A large arrow carved into the wall, obviously made using alchemy, pointed the direction they needed to go. She gave a sharp nod and the team took off following the directions Alphonse had laid out for them.
"North wing heading west bound. What's your status?" Roy's slightly static ridden voice crackled in her ear.
"East wing heading North-west, Two suspects are detained, east wing is clear… we uh, got a lead on the target… Alphonse is following." She replied following another sketchily drawn arrow on the wall pointing through a set of double doors.
"Al's following! Damn that boy!" Roy's curse was all-to-expected. Riza brushed it off before replying in a tone that suggested perhaps he was overreacting.
"Sorry sir, it couldn't be helped…" Another arrow, another corridor, another bland sight with no sign of Edward or Alphonse except for another arrow pointing in another direction.
"I know, good job Riza, keep going... " Roy's voice sounded apologetic and sincere. She knew he was just worried about the two brothers. With Edward gone it was a shock and painful ache, but with Alphonse in the firing line of the enemy (figuratively speaking of course) the Colonel's blood pressure must be dangerously high.
"Don't worry sir, we'll find them... and when we do, there's gonna be a lecture or two about all this too." She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied.
"Damn right lieutenant… damn right."
Adrenalin seemed to be the only thing that was keeping his legs working. He was tired, in pain and sick with worry for the two boys. He didn't know how he was still on his feet but if he stopped now, he knew the brothers wouldn't live for very long. So he pressed on, pushing his body to its maximum limits then surpassing them in a miraculous show of will power. His shoulder gave a painful twinge in protest but he was past feeling it now.
He was in the east wing, heading to Riza's last know position. There was no need to worry about enemy fire seeing as his first lieutenant had managed to clear the area. He came to a T - junction in the warren of corridors and took a right before almost colliding with another body. He twisted in order to avoid a complete head on collision but he didn't twist enough, the other body slammed unceremoniously into his left shoulder and white hot pain shot a burning course through his entire left side.
"Yahh!" His cry caught the attention of the person he'd collided with. Through the sudden pain he could hear a familiar voice, only this time it wasn't echoed by static.
"Colonel! Are you alright?! Colonel?!" He blinked the pain from his sight and found Riza's beautiful face staring down at him with a worried expression set firmly in place.
"'m fine. We gotta move." He replied, taking her offered hand and pulling himself upright. The corridor spun wildly but he gave it no time to unbalance his feet as he quickly took control of the situation.
"What's the situation?" He asked boring his dark coal eyes into hers. The pain was subsiding which meant it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. Riza gave a nod.
"Al's directions ceased a while back. We have reason to believe he has been captured. But his note said to look for a train station, that's where they're taking Ed." She reported. Roy nodded before asking his next question.
"Any sign of them?" Riza nodded once knowing who the Colonel was referring to. After a few more turns Riza's group had caught sight of Derry and Alphonse and had quickly given chase but the man had lost them not long ago.
"Yeah we just lost them…but I think I know where he's going." She replied quickly, seeing the pattern of hallways in her head and comparing them to the old blueprints that Victor had in his study. She had a vague idea of where this new train station might be situated.
"Tell me while we move!" She gave a curt nod and quickly took off with Roy keeping pace beside her. She explained her assumptions on the way.
Alphonse saw the train and knew that if he didn't do something quickly, he'd disappear along with his brother. Not quite how the rescue mission was supposed to go… he looked around trying to find a distraction or something to help divert Derry's attention in order to buy some time for Riza to catch up again.
"What'll you do with us?" He asked suddenly, putting on a frightened expression. If he appeared scared or nervous then Derry would underestimate him… maybe.
"You'll see soon enough…" The man replied as he directed Alphonse toward the end carriage. "Now get insi-" he began but a refreshingly familiar shout interrupted him.
"FREEZE!" Before Alphonse could react, Derry had whipped his gun out and held the open shaft to his head.
"You wanna see your kid again then you better behave. No heroics or I will find him and your pretty little wife and I'll gut them in front of you." Alphonse paled visibly and all thoughts of escape flew from his mind. He'd have to rely on Roy to get him and his brother out of this one.
"Turn around now." Riza's voice shouted from somewhere behind. He swallowed thickly and allowed Derry to direct him in where to stand. As he turned he found the familiar gazes of Riza and Roy lock with his own frightened stare.
"One wrong move Colonel and you lose both Elrics." The larger man sneered, cocking the pin on his gun. Roy glared back at the man, fingers poised and ready to flick at a seconds notice. It was a stalemate.
"Let the boys go and we'll let your 'daughter' and the kid go free." Roy made the first move; bargaining for the brother's freedom. Derry grinned coyly.
"A slick move Colonel, but I've made my sacrifice. I couldn't care less about the wench and the brat. You'll have to make me a better offer than that." Roy's frown deepened. He certainly hadn't expected that. "I'd hurry too Colonel, my train's about to leave the station." And as if on cue, a whistle blew loudly, echoing dramatically around the makeshift platform they were currently stood on.
"Fine. The military will buy them back. I know its money you want." Roy replied, playing for time until a better plan came to him. Derry barked out a laugh.
"Money?! Yes, I'll admit money is a big player in the deal's I make but my deals also involve protection and alliances with big people with big names. You can't offer me protection from the military so don't even bother trying to lie… face it Colonel, you failed. And do you know why you failed?" Derry paused, savouring his victory against the so called Great Flame-Alchemist. "…Because you're weak." Roy bristled at that comment and would have retaliated dangerously had his eyes not found Alphonse's pleading look.
Another whistle deafened the group on the platform reminding all that time was running out. Roy scowled at the kidnapper, a lethal look in his eyes; "When I find you, you won't live long enough to regret this."
Derry's eyes grinned. "Make no mistake Colonel; I'll do what it takes to escape." He aimed the gun at Alphonse's head again. Roy growled in frustration. "We'll discuss this deal another time perhaps…" He stepped onto the carriage dragging Alphonse with him, just as the train gave another loud, sharp whistle. "Do something to upset me and the brothers will pay the price…" Roy growled again but stayed put signalling his team to do the same.
"You harm one hair on their heads, and it'll be your last…"
The train began to pull away slowly, taking with it the two boys he'd vowed to watch over. Derry grinned…
"We'll see about that Colonel…" Derry laughed, issuing a challenge for the Colonel, "We'll see…"
