"Get up, its time to go." Rickerts gruff voice rang through the stone cell. The group aroused, slowly pulling themselves from the floor, tired smiles playing at the corners of their mouths. The previous month had been long and painful, both physically and mentally, and more than anything they just wanted to be back on mainland soil. Two guards, as well as the private who found the tape, more so for supervision over anything else, entered the room. He silently approached Roy, shackling his wrists into stocks, his healed but mangled hands popping in protest. He winced in pain, causing the young man to flinch away.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly, his voice shaking. Roy looked down at his hands, exhaling slowly.
"Don't apologize...you did what you could, and we are grateful." He was pulled from the ground and helped to stand of shaking legs before a different set of hands wrapped themselves around his restraints, roughly jerking forward to bring him nose to nose with an angry looking Kimblee.
"You may have survived this part," He started, his breath ghosting over Roy's lips. "But we get the satisfaction of knowing that even if you do survive past trial, you will only be husks of your former selves." A sick smile smile spread across his face, causing Roy's stomach to instantly knot. Refusing to show defeat, he straightened himself, bringing himself level and his face away from Kimblee's.
"Think what you want, Kimblee." He rasped as strongly as he could as the private began to lead him over to the rest. "You will never break us." Kimblee laughed, taking up the rear of the group as they left their stone hell for the final time. Silence fell over the group as they made their way outside, the sunlight assaulting their eyes painfully. Roy winced, his head exploding in white hot pain as his eyes tried to adjust to light he had not seen in half a year.
"Odd place to have a cherry tree." Riza's quiet, flat voice sounded next to him. He squinted in her direction, his soul calming when he saw her squinting back.
"Yeah, my bet would have been on hemlock." Ed chimed in ahead of them.
"Or stinkweeds." Jean snorted. Roy quietly laughed to himself, eyes finally adjusting enough to open them. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun feeling soft and warm on his vitamin D skin. Riza was correct in saying that the cherry trees were in bloom, the blossoms falling like snow around them. Roy lost himself in the beauty for a moment, forgetting about all the pain, the suffering, the never ending screams of his comrades and friends, Kimblee...he forgot all of it for just one moment, allowing himself to be soothed by the smells and feelings around him.
"Earth to Mustang." Rickert barked, knocking on his head twice and snapping him back into his hellish reality. "Time to get on the boat. Don't you want to see all your friends and family? Or better, have them see you? Become a cautionary tale to all Amestrian youth?" He roughly shoved Roy forward onto the ramp into the ship, the sudden motion almost causing him to lose his footing.
They were led through the familiar hallways of the ship, down each level descending into the maximum security cell in the brig. Their only comfort came in the fact that the prisoners aboard the ship were too stunned by their appearance to taunt them as they did on the way to the island, this time being replaced by whispers about "what happened" and "how is this legal" and even "I stand with Team Mustang." Making Roy wonder just how terrible they actually looked to the outside.
The group was shoved into the dank room, their wrists kept shackled but this time not attached to the wall.
"Luckily for you," Kimblee sneered, "you're injuries are not quite healed enough for it to be safe to tie your arms above your head."
"Not that you would be strong enough to do anything anyway." Rickert added. Entering the room and tossing none other than Dr. Mena into the cell along with them.
"Sorry, sweetheart, nothing personal." He shrugged, turning to leave the cell, Kimblee at his side. "We just know you are not trustworthy, therefore belong here."He paused, thinking for a moment. "In fact, I think we should bring Private Cole as well, since he was working behind our backs." The two men cackled as the door slammed, leaving the group once again in darkness.
000000
"I should have never convinced you to give me back the tape." Dr. Mena started, guilt washing over her face as she looked at the young man sitting in their cell with them. "I damned you with the rest of us...and you are just a boy." The private shook his head, frowning at the doctor.
"Hardly a boy." He light heatedly huffed. "I'm twenty years old." Roy looked at the young man in horror.
Twenty years old...he's twenty...and you signed his death certificate.
"Not much older than me." Ed's quiet voice sliced through the silence like a taught piano wire, cutting Roy in half.
Oh God...Ed. I've killed you too. I'm so sorry...
"I guess even at twenty you can struggle with knowing what's right and what's wrong." The private looked at Roy, the beginnings of a black eye just starting to form. "I literally stood outside the door while unspeakable things were done to all of you...I didn't even try to stop it, I just kept telling myself I was following orders...what kind of sick person does that?" Without so much as a thought, Roy blurted out.
"I don't know private, what kind of sick person almost completely torches an entire innocent country because they were 'just following orders?'" The silence was deafening as Roy could feel every eye traveling to him, the tension so thick you would taste it. He kept intense eye contact, his onyx fixed on the mans blues. "What is your name Private?" the private swallowed, some of the tension visibly dissolving.
"It's Cole sir. Petar Cole." Roy smiled, lifting his shackled hand to his forehead in an attempt at a salute.
"Thank you." Riza joined Roy in salute, and soon the entire team was maneuvering their binds in order to salute the now sheepish looking private.
"But...I don't understand." He said, shaking his head.
"You didn't keep the recording." Kain said weakly, smiling.
"Yeah, it takes guts to join the military," Jean smirked, sitting next to Petar and awkwardly punching his arm. "But it takes a real set of balls to defy that same military when you know they are doing wrong." Petar snorted quietly, but his facial expression was nothing but gratitude.
"So, you really mean to tell me that Bradley was some sort of literal monster?" He asked. Ed cleared his throat, crossing his legs under him.
"Maybe we should start from the very beginning." He looked at Roy, the blankness behind his usually vibrant golden eyes knotting his stomach.
"You mean...?"
"Yeah...all the way back to Xerses."
00000
"So, your father created this entire thing?" Petar asked, a look of total disbelief on his face. "And you were blind? None of this makes sense, but at the same time it makes perfect sense. It sounds like a fairytale..."
"Yes, it does." Ed cut in. "But do you understand why we had to get rid of him now? If we hadn't..."
"The entire county would be dead." He finished for him. The entire room nodded in unison, falling silent. They stayed to themselves for a long while, a few dozing off and snoring quietly.
"I want to testify about what I saw on the island." Petar's voice broke the silence, startling everyone. Maes yawned, rubbing his eye awake.
"You do know that would make you an automatic target for arrest during the next wave, right?" He asked. Petar shook his head.
"Natalia is fighting for you when she isn't even part of the military." He said, smiling at the young doctor. "Besides, I didn't give the recording up remember? I pretty already made myself a target. May as well do everything we can now, even more so if what Kimblee said to Ed about Hakuro was true." The boat jerked, a sign that they had docked. Their stomachs dropped, it was time to face the public. A public they had no idea how to feel about. Would people be angry with them? Or would people be angry with Amestris?
"Alright traitors, it's showtime." Kimblee burst through the door, grabbing Dr. Mena and Private Cole and pulling them away from the group ahead of them. Roy was positioned in the front of the line, Riza close behind. They were directed by two majors and an unwilling Private Cole back through the dank ship, this final time through full of nothing but well wishes for the group. They were stopped at the door leading to the outside, Kimblee walking back in, a smug smile on his face.
"There are a ton of people out there." He snickered, looking up and down the prisoners. "Right up front are quite a few familiar faces too. Should be a real treat!" He whistled, Rickert motioning with his hand for them to proceed walking. Roy could feel his heart beating in his throat as he took his first step outside the ship. The crowd went completely silent as soon as he was fully exposed, the blood rushing in his ears making his head feel foggy. He looked over the crowd, there had to be hundreds of people, all gathered to watch them walk to a vehicle. At first he felt so overwhelmed that he couldn't make out any faces, but then a shrill, unmistakable cry thrust him back into his body.
"Mommy what did they do to daddy? Where is his eye!?" The young voice of none other than Elicia Hughes rang out over the crowd. He spotted her and Gracia, fat tears rolling down Elicias cheeks and Gracia looking more exhausted than he had ever wanted to see her.
"It's okay baby!" He heard Maes painfully call out from behind him as the distance grew between the small family. "Daddy's okay and he will see you soon! I love you both..." A Jab to the head from the butt of one of the majors guns stopped him mid sentence. They continued to walk, the vehicles in sight.
"Brother!" Ed whipped his head around so quick he almost blacked out. Alphonse was standing with Winry and Izumi, the trio red eyed and pale.
"They won't get away with this! We have a pretty solid case!" Izumi called. Ed called back, ducking to avoid the same gun that bashed Maes.
"Our first legal visits begin later this afternoon, however many in the team may come." He paused, locking eyes with Al, not even trying to suppress the tears that began to fall from his own eyes. Before they were too far away to be heard, he yelled "Please, come!" The pleading undertone in his voice made Roy sick. No teenager should be going through this...none. Roy continued to scan the crowd. He spotted Denny Brosch and Maria Ross, both sick and repulsed. Alex Armstrong was beside them, sobbing at the sight of his friends.
"This is an outrage!" He bellowed. "These men were obviously tortured horrifically! My dear sister will see to it that you are all acquitted!"
"You're god damn right I will." General Armstrong shoved her way past her brother to the group. "Hey there, I'll be riding along with you because we obviously can't trust these idiots with the simple task of taking care of prisoners."
"Its appreciated." He said, stopping outside one of the black cars meant to transport them to the central prison. The guards on duty began loading them up when yet another outcry stopped them in their tracks.
"They crippled his hands Ma! HIS HANDS!" The voice, which Roy recognized as Vanessa, frantically cried. "If that's not a personal attack I don't know what it is." He looked to his sister and aunt, Vanessa looking a mess and Chris furiously smoking.
"Don't we know it baby." She said, adjusting her volume to address Roy as he was being led into the car. "Don't you lay down for them my boy! You fight until they know you are innocent!" He only had time to nod in acknowledgement before being roughly shoved into the Vehicle alongside Riza, Ed and Maes, General Armstrong taking up the front. The door slammed in his face, the muffled outcries of the public beginning to fade as the car pulled out of the lot and began their trek towards their new temporary home, where they will wait with their very lives in the balance, put there by the very people they were trying to protect.