ROY
"We've caught one of them sir, the small one. The other one escaped, but we're on his tail. We won't let him get away," Havoc said through the phone.
"Good. Bring him to Central for questioning as fast as possible. I have some questions I'd like to ask him personally. Put the city in lockdown, make sure nobody leaves until you find the other one. Use as many people as you need to catch him," Roy answered. "Any news of Marcus?"
"No sir, just these two. It seems like they broke off and separated after they left Keller." Havoc sighed angrily.
"Alright. Call me later with updates on the situation."
East City huh? You can't hide from me no matter how big the city is. Roy leaned back in his chair and stared at his desk. His small stack of paperwork was clumsily sitting on one side of his desk, while the other side contained a big folder with papers and pictures sticking out of every side. It was Hawkeye's investigation case.
For the last two months they had been actively searching for the three men responsible for Riza's kidnapping. It was only last week that they received a call from Eastern HQ stating that there had been some sightings of a couple of men who matched the drawings. Roy had immediately sent out his team to East City, but not before giving strict orders to Eastern HQ to control the city's exits by any means of transportation. After working so hard to find some clues out of almost nothing, he definitely wouldn't want to risk letting them escape.
Roy stared solemnly at empty space. Being sound proof, both from the inside and outside, his private office was completely silent. With most of his team gone, he found the silence too cold and lonely. If Hawkeye was here, what would she do? Everyday, he would think of her. He would think of her just being beside him. The more he thought about her, the more he discovered new things about her that he hadn't even bothered to pay attention to before. He had been so used to her constant presence and efficiency that he had forgotten all the little things she used to do for him that made his work so much more bearable and easy.
Now that she wasn't by his side, he could see just how much she had helped him get through his days. For example, in the morning, his steaming cup of coffee didn't magically appear on his desk the moment he walked into the office. His paperwork wasn't always there for him to sign them when he arrived, but if they were, it was almost always messy and unsorted. Sometimes, luckily, he had conflicting schedules, which brought even more trouble for everyone at the office. All in all, the little things that Riza always took care of meant a lot to all of them and, not surprisingly, kept them all on the right track at the right pace.
In eight hours I'll get some answers. They had finally caught one of them after all their efforts. The last two months were difficult, very difficult, for all of them to get through. The other guys were always staying strong and hopeful, but he knew they were feeling the same way as he did on the inside. He appreciated their efforts to try to keep him hopeful, but sometimes he found it unbearably difficult to put on a fake mask and to pretend like he was alright when he clearly wasn't on the inside. It didn't help with the fact that the frustration and negative emotions kept building up inside of him, waiting for him to explode at any moment.
He knew he hadn't been himself lately and he knew he had taken it out on them sometimes when he shouldn't have. Despite his mood swings, his subordinates' loyalty toward him didn't seem to waver. They understood his situation and continued to support him with all their might, working long hours to fill in the gaps of Hawkeye's case and helping him with all of his responsibilities and duties. Roy knew that without their support he wouldn't have been able to get back up, not after what they had found that night.
He could hear them calling him and getting closer and closer.
"Fuhrer Mustang! Fuhrer!" He could hear all of them; Havoc, Fuery, Breda and Falman. Finally he saw the light at the other end of the hallway out of the corner of his eyes. The men carrying the lamps were coming toward him. He couldn't tell who they were since his eyes weren't adjusted to the light, but he knew his men were among them.
"Fuhrer!" Havoc exclaimed when they finally saw him, but his state must've worried them since they all dashed toward him.
Roy was sitting on the floor, his back leaning against the wall facing the cell. He was staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. His face was devoid of emotions, but his tense facial muscles and his slight frown reflected the distress inside of him.
"Fuhrer Mustang," Fuery said quietly. Roy turned and looked at them. He couldn't see the other people behind them, but he knew others were present. Havoc quickly offered him a hand, pleading him to get up with his eyes. I can't let other people see me like this, right? He understood that, but it didn't mean that he cared about it at the moment. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. His failure had taken the rest of his energy away and all he wanted to do was to be left alone.
"Chief," Havoc said with insistence. Roy noticed the determination mixed with sorrow in the intonation of his voice. Leave it to them to care about my reputation, he thought sarcastically. Finally, he took his hand and was strongly pulled up.
"Thanks," he said under his breath, so only his men could hear.
"Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye wasn't here?" Breda asked.
"No. When I arrived, they were already gone. They left a note saying that I was too late." Roy answered monotonously.
Suddenly, the lights came on in the hallways, making them all squint and blink rapidly in order to adjust their eyes.
"We've found the switch!" Someone yelled from afar.
"I want a team to search every inch of this building and another one searching the vicinity," Roy immediately barked out orders. "Any clues found must be directly reported to me!"
"Yes sir!" everyone said in unison before scurrying away.
"You four stay." When they turned around to face him, he extended his hand toward Breda, "pass me that lamp."
Roy took the lamp and walked to the entrance of the last cell. He held it at arm's length, illuminating the small room. The others peeked inside from behind him.
"I think this is where they kept her," he said aloud. He heard Fuery gasp and the others moving around to get a better look. "None of the other cells in this building look like they've been inhabited except for this one."
"Bandages and an empty antiseptic bottle? She must've had a serious wound," Breda mused.
"That could kill her if left untreated," Falman finished. That's right. Just what did they do to her? Roy's hand clenched tightly on the lamp's handle in a poor effort to contain his anger.
They all stared in silence, taking in the details. The foul scent coming from the room was bad enough at the doorway. He couldn't even imagine how it must've been for her to be locked in there for such a long time.
Roy took a careful step inside and squatted, looking at something on the floor. Apart from the dark blood stains, there were some white smears here and there.
"What's that?" Fuery asked. The white markings formed a slight arch with another small one on the side, almost perpendicular to it. Roy studied them carefully. He raised the lamp a little higher and saw another similar pattern two feet away.
"Hold this." He gave the lamp to Falman who was squatting next to him. He removed his glove and touched the floor. It was cold and rough. Suddenly, he started scratching his nails on the ground sideways, in the same shape as the other markings.
"Oh!" Fuery exclaimed, "how did you know it was that?"
"I thought of Hawkeye. She hates having long nails." I knew her since she was a child and I've never seen her grow out her nails. The thought of her being so close but so far away at the same time saddened him. How could they have kept her here? He looked to his right and saw the old rag that was probably a blanket. He clenched his fists and got up. "Secure this area. Take pictures and gather the evidence."
"Yes sir," they saluted him. Before he left, he took a last look at the dark room. They kept her in the darkness all by herself. He couldn't even imagine the state she was in, to be left alone for such a long time in that cell, not knowing how many days had passed. Roy clenched his jaws hard, but it was getting more and more difficult to restrain himself from burning down the whole place.
Roy made his way back to the room in which the video had been filmed. He leaned against the desk and stared at the chair, imagining her sitting there. If only I could've made it in time. Many people were working around him, but no one dared to interrupt his thoughts, especially not when his eyes were that dark and murderous.
"Sir, we've found something," a soldier declared nervously. Roy nodded and followed him wordlessly. He was brought to another cell, different from the one she was kept in, with vertical bars on all three sides and was illuminated.
He gingerly stepped inside the cell when he saw the mess it was in. The whole floor was practically painted with dried blood. He watched in horror as he imagined what could've happened.
"And this, sir" he was brought out of his thoughts when he looked at the owner of the voice who was pointing to something on the floor, which was tossed carelessly to the side. Roy instantly knew what it was, but was hoping he was wrong. He walked over to it with dread in his heart. He slowly went on his knees in front the object.
"We believe it's the skin of a punching bag, judging from the texture and the thickness of the material," the same man said quietly.
Roy already knew that. He lifted the opening and took a look inside. It was caked in blood and a sickening smell came out of it. Roy closed his eyes and let go of it. He could feel his eyes prickle and clenched them shut, willing the tears away. The lack of sleep, the stress and all the gruesome scenes he was witnessing was starting to be a big emotional burden. Stop it Roy. Control yourself.
He got back up and looked at the ceiling. A large hook was drilled into the center. Everyone looked but nobody made any comments. It was more than obvious what had happened here. Roy looked away and made his way out of the cell.
"I'll leave it to you to take care of things here," he told the soldier who had brought him here.
He walked back to the main room more drained than ever before. He was beyond exhausted, but he couldn't rest his mind. Where are you Hawkeye? Are you still alive? He had gotten word from a soldier outside that there was nothing and no one in the vicinity. They must've already left for some time before I even arrived. The more he thought about the situation, the more it confused him. Hawkeye had told him that it was a trap, but he didn't understand why they would've set all of this up and left before he even got here. Something was amiss. Did they just want to target someone important to me?
Roy's head was pounding painfully. By the time Havoc and the others came to get him, it was already past midnight.
"Sir, we should head back to Hillion Valley and call it a night. Nothing else has been found. We'll continue the search tomorrow" Havoc said. She hasn't been found. He didn't know whether it was a good or a bad news. She might still be alive. He looked at all of them and saw just how tired they were. I probably look just as bad. He knew nothing else would be found no matter how long they looked.
"Right. Let's go back."
Back at Hillion Valley, they quickly checked into a hotel. Roy, obviously, had a suite to himself, while the others shared rooms. He didn't bother to turn on any lights. He headed directly to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. I look like shit. The more he stared at himself, the more he got frustrated and angry.
He washed his face roughly with cold water. He looked at himself again. Too late. He grimaced in guilt. You failed her. You only had to be there on time, but you couldn't even do that. His throat was constricted and his breathing difficult. He collapsed on his knees and laid his forehead against the side of the counter. For the first time since Maes had been murdered, he sobbed quietly, letting his anguish, guilt and fury out through his tears.
When Havoc came to get him the next morning, he was in a disheveled state, still dressed in the same clothes as the day before. Havoc quickly invited himself in and closed the door behind him.
"Chief, you should wash up and get dressed." Havoc had bags beneath his eyes, showing just how much sleep he had gotten himself. Roy stood there looking at him miserably.
"I've been thinking all night Havoc. I've been thinking... about everything. They kidnapped her and tortured her. It was all to get to me, but I couldn't make it in time. I failed her." Havoc looked at him with a saddened expression. "Tell me. What should I do now Havoc? I don't know what to do anymore."
"Stop talking like that!" Havoc raised his voice angrily. None of them had ever seen him this way, so desperately lost. At a time like this, when they had suffered a hard blow, the most important thing was to stay strong and to support each other. If their leader couldn't even do that then it would affect the rest of them.
"She's alive," Havoc continued, "we haven't found a body yet so you can't just lose hope like that. The others also depend on you for strength. We need you to be strong. Hawkeye would've wanted you to continue like you've always had. She's the one who had been waiting the longest for you to reach the position you're in today. You can't fail her now. You are the Fuhrer. It's your job to order us to find her and this Marcus guy!" Havoc was practically screaming.
Roy looked away, feeling ashamed of himself. Not only had he given up hope in finding her, he had also failed as a leader in the most crucial time.
"I'm sorry Havoc." Havoc stared at him, then sighed.
"Me too. I'm sorry for lashing out at you. We're all stressed out to the max right now. She's like our older sister too you know. We're just as lost as you are, but you've never failed to lead us so we're all depending on you right now."
"I know. Can you give me some time to get ready?"
"Sure boss. I'll wait right outside the door."
They spent the day at the military HQ going through the information and the clues they had gathered, but in the end, they were still at a dead end. They had to take the train back to Central at the end of the day, since Roy could not afford to be away any longer. The Fuhrer's sudden departure had disorganized his whole schedule, including some important meetings he had missed during the past two days.
A portrait of Marcus had been made and sent to every military and police office, but a week had passed without any news. The fact that he had to continue on with his duties like nothing had happened frustrated him even more. Every night he would look things over, trying to find a hole or a detail that they might've missed. He began to eat and sleep less, which was starting to show and worried everyone around him. When one of them made a comment about it, he tried to change, but it didn't help that much. I have no time to eat and sleep. There's too much to do. Roy Mustang was becoming a workaholic.
"Roy Mustang," he answered his private phone.
"It's me Roy-boy"
"Ah, Madame Christmas, how are you?" Roy asked, sincerely glad to hear his step-mother's voice.
"I should be the one to ask you that. I've been hearing some nasty rumour about our dear Fuhrer. Something about him slowly wasting away. Is that true? Have you been sleeping and eating properly, boy?" she asked sternly. Roy couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Leave it to her to worry about my health.
"I've just been caught up with some things lately," Roy gave a sad excuse, not feeling like explaining.
"I know you've been researching non stop about Elizabeth's case, but don't forget you're not the only one doing that. Your whole team, oh heck, you've practically got the whole country searching for this man. Trust in them a bit more and get some food and sleep!"
"I know, I know. I just can't help it. I want to find her," he added the last part quietly. I want to know that she's alive.
"I know. That's why I'm calling you." Roy's eyes snapped open and he had his full attention on the receiver.
"What do you mean?" he asked eagerly.
"A friend of mine in Hillion Valley knows two people, a couple, who saw those three men in the parking lot the day they kidnapped Elizabeth. They were in a car not too far from them, hidden in the shadows, doing god knows what, when they saw them transfer cars, carrying another person with them. They were close enough to see their faces too. Apparently they were afraid to talk about all this time until now, after the whole country's been looking for them." Roy felt his heart leap. It was the first good news he had heard in two weeks after that day. He had been especially dejected after they had questioned the man who had first witnessed the car transfer and found out that he was too far away to see their faces and could only say that there was a big guy and a smaller skinny one among them.
"What are their names and addresses?" Roy asked impatiently. Madame Christmas gave him the information and Roy wrote them down frantically. "Thank you so much Madame Christmas."
"No worries Roy. Just make sure to catch them and make them pay for it," she said gravely.
When Roy hung up the phone, he stood motionless, thinking about the next step. He would have to send someone over there to question them and hopefully make a portrait out of the descriptions they could give them. Roy quickly opened his drawer, took out a little notebook and skimmed through it. When he found what he was looking for, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Alex Louis Armstrong speaking," said an almost normal voice.
"Mr Armstrong, this is the Fuhrer. How are you doing?"
"FUHRER MUSTANG! WHAT AN HONOUR IT IS TO HAVE A CALL FROM YOU!" he exclaimed with passion, which made Roy hold the receiver away from his ears.
"Alex, I need a favor form you," Roy cut him off quickly before he could start rambling on for too long. "It's about the Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye."
"Hmm, of course Fuhrer Mustang. I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. If I can help you in any way, I'd be more than honored to do so." Armstrong quieted down after he heard the topic.
"There are two people in Hillion Valley, just outside of Ishbal, who have seen the people who kidnapped Hawkeye. I'd like to ask you to go over there to question them and try to make out some portraits of those men."
"OF COURSE I WOULD LIKE TO HELP! FOR GENERATIONS, THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY HAS-"
"Alex! I need you to leave as soon as possible. Please!" Roy cut him off quickly again. A conversation with Armstrong was always long and he didn't really have the time for idle chit chats. Roy knew about his drawing skills and knew he would be the best one to send.
"I'll hop on the next train. We Armstrongs are pretty fast when we put our mind to it! Don't worry Fuhrer Mustang, I'll draw the finest portraits you will ever see and we will catch these scums who dared to hurt our lovely Lieutenant Colonel!" Armstrong declared through the phone.
"Thank you so much Alex. I'm counting on you."
Armstrong had lived up to his expectations and had drawn out extremely detailed portraits of the two other men, with a full body drawing on another page for each of them. Those drawings were copied and sent out everywhere around Amestris. It's only a matter of time before we catch them. You can't hide forever, not when the whole nation knows your face.
The next day, Roy immediately went to the Investigations Department the moment he heard the man had been brought in.
"What do we know about him?" Roy asked.
"His name is Jack Windle, 41 years old, lived in Ishbal with his wife. They were merchants. His wife passed away during the war when he was away. After that, there has been no records on him until now." Dorse answered him. They were both looking at Goldsby questioning Jack through a one way window.
"I'd like to speak with him in private." Roy said in a low voice. Dorse nodded nervously and went to call Goldsby out of the room. Roy waited for the two men to leave the viewing room before he opened the door leading to the questioning room.
Jack Windle was handcuffed to his chair and sat there silently. He didn't turn around to see who had come in and Roy had to stop himself from snapping at him. He walked over slowly and sat in the chair in front of him on the other side of the small table.
Jack's eyes widened when he saw who his next visitor was, but slowly started smirking after he had gotten over the initial surprise. He had some bruises on his face and his skin had a pale sickly colour. Havoc and the others must've done that while catching him.
"What an honour it is to have the mighty Fuhrer visit me," Jack praised mockingly. Roy narrowed his eyes, but ignored him.
"You guys did pretty well, hiding for a month and a half. Now, tell me what happened to Riza Hawkeye. Where is she?" Roy asked in a cold voice, getting strait to the subject.
"Ah, her," he paused and stared at Roy, looking uninterested. "She's probably dead. We threw her off a cliff into a river not too far from Keller on the same day you were supposed to show up."
Roy lunged at him from across the table and grabbed the front of his shirt tightly, seething with rage. "I got there on time! I was there and I went alone. Why did you guys leave? Why did you take her away!"
"Our purpose was to kill her from the beginning! You were never supposed to make it in time." Jack was glaring back at him.
"WHY?" Roy was already blind with fury. Depending on the next answer he would get, he didn't know whether or not he could stop himself from killing this man.
"Because we wanted to make you suffer! You did the same to us! You took my wife away from me! You killed her and all of our friends ruthlessly! You deserve the same, if not worse, so we took her from you!" Roy gritted his teeth hard. Revenge? Roy knew all too well about revenge and he understood the endless hate that came from it. He growled under his breath and released him harshly. He sat back down onto his chair.
"So you didn't kill her directly. She could've survived the fall."
"True, but I highly doubt that," Jack answered with a condescending sneer.
"Where's Marcus?"
"I don't know. We separated after we left Keller. He could be out of the country for all I know," Jack said with nonchalance.
"That doesn't make any sense. You do all that to get to me and now what? I don't believe that there's nothing planned after this. Are you going to try to kill me next?" Roy asked with irritation.
"Maybe, but we're not aware of it. Marcus didn't say anything when we split." Roy glared at him. This guy's not helping at all.
"It's only a matter of time before we catch your friend. We'll question him about Marcus."
"Rob? Yeah, he's too stupid to get away and you won't get anything out of him. He doesn't know any more than me."
Roy stood up without another word and stalked to the door.
"Good luck catching Marcus," Jack added with a playful tone. Roy had had enough of it. He turned around and marched up to Jack and gave him a strait jab to the face.
When Roy went out to the hallway, Goldsby and Dorse were waiting for him, including some other soldiers.
"Question him, drill him, get everything you can out of him," Roy ordered.
Once he was back in his office, he immediately called Eastern HQ.
"Military Eastern Headquarters," a female voice greeted.
"This is the Fuhrer. Connect me to Fuery in the Communications Department." Roy knew the others would be out in the field looking for Rob, while Fuery stayed at HQ in charge of communications between the search teams.
"Fuery," Roy said the moment he heard the line connect.
"Yes sir!"
"How's the search going?"
"We've cornered him, but he's armed. We're approaching with caution. The civilians have been evacuated from the site and he has no hostages."
"Good. If it's possible, catch him alive, but don't get hurt in the process. Shoot him down if he's too dangerous."
"Yes sir, I'll relay the message."
"I need you guys to do something else. I talked to the first guy captured and they said Hawkeye was thrown off a cliff by a river close to Keller. I'm guessing it's the one running along the old trade route. I'm going to contact all the military bases around that area and tell them to deploy their soldiers to search for her. We'll search all along the river and the towns in the vicinity. When you guys finish catching this guy, head to Hillion Valley and join them."
"Yes sir! Do you think she's still alive?" Fuery asked hopefully. Roy gripped the receiver hard.
"I hope so Fuery. Hawkeye's tough. We have to believe in her."
Roy knew he should believe in his own words, but deep down in his heart he felt the fear and he knew the chances of survival were incredibly slim. He proceeded to call all the military bases around the area and gave them the order to search for Hawkeye. When he was done, he sat down in his chair heavily and sighed. He held his hands together in front of him on top of his desk and leaned his forehead against it. Please be alive Hawkeye. Please. Roy prayed for the first time.
A.N.: SORRYYYYY for the wait! This last semester was too busy for me, but now it's over. I can start updating the story again. I had a lot of time to think about the outcome of the story and the ending. There's just so many possibilities that I don't know which one to pick... maybe it'll take me some time to decide how the story will unfold lol. Can't decide. Thank you so much for waiting and for all the nice reviews! I love reading them all :) I hope you will continue to read this story and to review! See you next time!
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