TRIGGER WARNING:
AFTERMATH OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
Ed could hear Riza's screams well before she was thrown roughly back into their cell, her frantic sobs making his heart race. He had no idea what had transpired between the four of them, but he did know it was something horrible enough to completely shake Riza to her very core. The team made their way over to her, Maes draping his shirt over her bare shoulders and placing her head under his chin in an attempt to soothe her. Footsteps sounded in the doorway, causing Ed to spin around so quickly he became dizzy. As his eyesight cleared, he saw who was standing in their cell, and it caused his blood to boil.
"Get the hell out of here Rickert!" He yelled, white hot anger radiating from every pore. "Obviously you have done enough!" He felt his hand curl into a fist, the urge to punch the bastard almost too strong to ignore.
"My, what bad manners you have." He sarcastically said, mock offense on his face. "And to think I am just here to return the ladies property to her as we have no more use for it." He tossed something into the cell towards Riza, a soft tink sounding as it hit the stone floor. Riza, without looking up from the ground, slowly picked up the ring, holding it in a tight fist. Rickert laughed, staring down at the woman sitting between her men.
"Boy, I'm glad I'm not Mustang right now." He taunted, locking eyes with her. Ed narrowed his eyes, staring at the general in disgust. "He's going to have a very bad day I think. What do you think...Riza?" Ed saw a spark light then, a spark in the young lieutenants eye that had not been present since their arrest.
"Go to hell you bastard!" She yelled, her voice full of hate.
"Yeah, you have done plenty! Leave the poor woman alone!" Kain said, glaring dagers at the man. He laughed harder.
"Had you just told the truth this wouldn't be happening in the first place, but no you chose to lie, so now he pays the price for your insolence. It really is hilarious. I wonder if you will hear his screams all the way in here." Ed felt his anger boiling hot underneath his skin, his vision beginning to blur in rage.
"You know damn well whatever is happening to him right now would have happened regardless, stop trying to claim otherwise." Ed shouted, sharply inhaling through his nose in an attempt to keep some form of composure. Rickert approached him, the smug smile on his face growing wider as he towered over him.
"You are right, fullmetal. It would have, and I wouldn't be surprised if the worm enjoyed every second of it. He was quick to agree, after all." Ed felt a sharp pain in his head as Rickert's massive fist smashed into his jaw, knocking his weakened frame to the ground. He turned towards the door, only stopping to add a few parting words that filled Ed's entire being with dread.
"Weather you survive past the trial or not is now obsolete. In Mustang's case, he's already dead as of today." His laugh echoed through the room as he closed the door, finally leaving them in peace. They all sat silently for what seemed like minutes, trying to regain their composure. Ed looked around the cell at, desperately wanting to say something but not having the words to do so. He locked eyes with Jean for a brief moment, his dead stare showing every bit of exhaustion the man felt in his entire body. He nodded at Ed, almost as if he knew what he was thinking. He finally had the words, and all it took was a little encouragement.
"So...what's going on? There are alot of unanswered questions here."
"Roy..." Riza said quietly, a tear sliding down her cheek. "They threatened to harm me in front of him if I didn't tell them who my ring was from, so he confessed and said it was from him." She looked down, the shame on her face squeezing Ed's heart.
"And I'm going to go out on a limb and say he spoke true?" Jean said gently, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "I knew it would happen eventually."
"So what happened after that?" Heymans asked. Riza shook her head, another tear escaping from her eyes.
"He made a deal with Kimblee..." She paused, her body shaking.
"Riza...what kind of deal? What is happening to Roy?" Maes said quietly. Ed crossed over to the other side of the room, taking the blanket off his cot and wrapping it around her.
"He took my place. He..." She stopped, her haunted eyes reaching every single one of them, portraying the vile words without saying them out loud.
"Damnit!" Maes punched the stone floor, squeezing his eye shut in pain. "He went back on his own oath..."
"Does it surprise you though?" Ed finally added shaking his head and looking at the ground. "I can't say I wouldn't do the same for Winry, in fact, I know I would." The room fell silent, the group of battered prisoners becoming completely lost in thought. After what felt like an eternity, Riza finally spoke up once again.
"I don't know exactly what Kimblee is doing to him," She started, inhaling through her nose to steady her voice. "But I do know the Roy Mustang we know, the Roy we all love...he's gone. He will never be the same."
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Roy was on the ground, his eyes blankly staring ahead. His entire body was throbbing, more so in his lower quadrants, and he felt as if the life had been sucked away from him. His mind was blank, he couldn't think about anything except the pain he was feeling, and the humiliation at what had just transpired between himself and Kimblee. He could hear the sound of Kimblee's belt being fastened around his waist, and it made him want to vomit. He knew what he did was for Riza, and he would never take it back, but he still felt dirty. He wanted to shower in scalding water until his skin peeled away. He could hear Kimblee approaching him, but his body didn't want to move, it refused to respond.
"Now that was quite a time, wasn't it, Roy?" He mocked, lifting his head from the bloody floor to look at him. He laughed, "Just look at you now. Once upon a time you were on track to becoming Fuhrer of Amestris. You were one of the most powerful alchemists in the military, and you fried an entire nation by your own hand." He let Roy's head fall back to the floor. "But not now. We have taken everything from you. Your title, your respect, your will. You are nothing but another mans plaything now." He paused, pacing back and fourth across the interrogation room. Roy slowly and painfully pushed himself into a sitting position, pulling his pants up to hide his shame.
"Now, my question is, was it worth it?" He locked eyes with Roy, his face missing any form of emotion much to his surprise. Roy studied him a moment, wondering what he was getting at.
"Was what worth it?" He quietly said, his voice flat. Kimblee laughed, approaching Roy and slowly brushing his hand down the side of his cheek. Roy involuntarily flinched away, much to his shame.
"Why, being the hero of Amestris of course." He knelt down, dropping to his knee in front of him. "You could have followed the rest of us you know. You had the potential, the drive for power...and yet you chose to save the country that has now turned its back on you. You went through literal hell, putting your life on the line and losing your eyesight for it. The painful recovery, the suffocating fear of being blind. You went through all of that..." He paused, a sickening smile sliding across his face. "And yet here you are. You and your subordinates have been starved, beaten, mutilated, and degraded. Your closest friend lost an eyeball. And you, you were just sodomized by your old war buddy. You have lost everything, your dignity, respect, sanity...your will. Well, Mustang, was it really worth it?"
Those words ignited a struggle inside Roy's head that was so intense he almost couldn't breathe. Was it worth it? They destroyed Father and prevented Amestris from being swallowed, but for what? Bradley's successor was his right hand man. No changes happened, aside from delaying the death of the entire country. Their pain and anguish were all for nothing. He couldn't wrap his mind around it, his head feeling as if it would explode. A low laugh rumbled through his chest, uncontrollable and unsettling.
"That's where you are wrong, Kimblee." He looked up into his eyes, a sudden flame sparking to life inside him. "My will has not been destroyed. In fact, my will to see another day past our trial is stronger than ever. I will never regret participating in the fight to save Amestris, and I will never regret standing up for the good of the people, weather they find me a traitor or not." He paused, soaking in the anger spreading across Kimblee's features. He leaned in until their noses were almost touching, and said sternly,
"I'd rather be hung a traitor knowing Amestris would live to see another day, than live a coward, kissing the feet of a wannabe god." Kimblee narrowed his eyes, pulling Roy's head back by his hair.
"I see, so let it be." He simply said, standing up and exiting the room, sending the guards in to collect Roy and bring him back to their cell. He was handcuffed and pulled to his feet. Every step he took was excruciating, but he refused to show any weakness on his face. They silently made their way down the corridor, none of them daring to make a sound. As they approached the doors, one of the guards told the other to grab Dr. Mena. He removed the handcuffs and harshly shoved Roy into the cell, slamming the door without making a single word. The room was silent, Roy looking at his team and his team looking at Roy.
"Roy..." Riza said quietly, her voice cracking. "I..."
"Don't apologize Riza." He said, sitting on his cot. "You would have done the same for me." He looked around at each prisoner, their eyes so full of despair that it made his stomach sick.
"Roy..." Maes started, but stopped. Not a single one of them knew who to proceed with any form of conversation, so they sat in silence for a while, each staring off into their own little world.
The sound of keys jangling in the lock on their cell door snapped everyone back to consciousness, fear rising in their hearts. The tension dissipated almost instantly, however, when the familiar Drachman doctor stepped into the room, her anger radiating off her like the rays of the sun.
"I can't believe that bol'naya pizda what on earth was he thinking?" She snapped furiously, walking over to Roy and looking him over. "Are you injured too bad?" Roy slightly reeled back, the anger of the woman feeling strong against him. She instantly softened her demeanor when she noticed Roy's reaction. "Please excuse me. The guard told me what had happened and I let my temper get the best of me." Roy quietly laughed, looking at the ground.
"Don't worry about it doctor, and no, I'm not hurt too bad. About as bad as you would expect, but no worse than that." He intentionally kept himself vague, trying to hide his shame. The doctor clicked her tongue in disgust, cleaning out a particularly deep gash to his side.
"There is no way they can get away with this." Ed said, punching the ground. Roy's mind snapped, Kimblee's words floating back into his head.
Was it worth it?
You chose to be the hero.
You chose to save Amestris.
"They won't!" He almost yelled, startling the entire room. All eyes fell to Roy as a dark look fell over his eyes. "Kimblee confessed. He said it all." A collective gasp sounded through the cell, reverberating off the stone walls.
"Was the device in the room?" Vato asked, his jaw dropping. Dr. Mena nodded her head, a triumphant smile beaming on her face.
"Yes, I made sure of it right before they were taken back."
"That means he confessed on tape!" Riza almost laughed, filling Roy's heart with warmth. The cell felt lighthearted for once, and Roy couldn't be more grateful for it.
"Now all we need to do is show it to the council and there's no way they can convict us. We won't even go to trial." Jean leaned his arm on his knee, a sparkle in his tired eyes. Dr. Mena stood, gathering her supplies.
"You all get some rest, I am going to get that recording before anyone finds it. A few more weeks are you will be free. Hang tight okay?" She smiled at the group before quickly exiting.
"You heard the doctor, let's try to get some rest. It's been...a long day." Roy said, laying down and turning towards the wall, not wanting to speak to anyone at the moment. He waited for what seemed like hours until every single one of them was snoring, and only then did he finally let the sobs take over his body, his hand squeezing over his mouth to avoid making any noise. He didn't want to wake anyone, he didn't want anyone to worry for him, but they couldn't be contained any longer, the pain of the days events finally becoming too much to bear. His entire body shook, tears rolling down his cheeks soaking the fabric under his head. He let the pain out when he knew he was alone, unaware that a certain blonde alchemist was still awake, hearing every heartbreaking sob, and thinking painfully to himself,
"We got a confession out of Kimblee...but at what cost?"
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Dr. Mena walked quickly to the interrogation room, a spring in her step. They finally got the recording of the confession they had been waiting for, and her heart couldn't be happier. She approached the door to the room, slipping in quickly and walking over to her hiding spot. She pulled the fake stone away from the wall, but to her dismay, the machine was nowhere to be found. She felt her heart drop, the recording device was placed right before the interrogation.
"Looking for this, Doctor?" She spun quickly, her heart leaping into her chest. She locked eyes with one of the young privates stationed as a guard, and she calmed slightly.
"Look, this tape has evidence on it that proves those men are innocent." She started, walking towards him. The young man drew his gun, his hands shaking.
"Step back or I'll shoot." He stammered, his voice shaking. Dr. Mena froze in place, raising her hands in front of her to show she was unarmed.
"Would you really let innocent people be executed? Have you heard the story of why they are here? What happened?" She gently crooned, her voice soothing the young man.
"Well, I'm here on orders from Fuhrer Hakuro, so I have no choice but to report this." She shook her head slowly, placing her hand out, palm up for him to hand her the tape.
"No, your duty is to do what is right, and this is not right." The private began walking forward, extending the tape out to her.
"If you get caught with this, don't tell them I gave it back to you."
"She won't have to. We just saw the entire thing." Rickert's voice boomed in the doorway, his large frame walking swiftly to Dr. Mena, gripping her wrist as hard as he could, causing her to yell out in pain. "I'll be taking that." He placed the tape in his pocket, pulling the doctor off the ground by her wrist.
"You are a monster General. I refuse to stand by while you torture innocent people." He laughed, throwing her to the ground roughly.
"Well, this was your only weapon, and now it's gone." He turned to walk out of the room, turning and sneering at the drachman. "You can continue to care for the cretins until we return to the mainland. However, once we are there, consider yourself a fugitive, another traitor to the state of Amestris."
His cackle echoed through the room even after the door had closed, taunting the doctor as she sat in the spot she had been thrown in, fear gripping her. They had be so close, and in the blink of an eye it was all ripped out from under them. She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and she could no longer contain herself. With tears staining her cheeks, she threw her head back and devastatingly yelled,
"PROKLYAT'YE!"