The team was led through central jail quickly, the officers working to draw as little attention to them as possible as they were fingerprinted and checked into the system. Another doctor came and assessed their many injuries, none of which were, thankfully, too serious. Roy kept his encounter with Kimblee a secret, the last thing he needed or wanted was some random doctor prodding in areas he didn't need to be, nor did he want to be examined in that way in front of his team. He knew they knew, but no one said anything about it to him and he preferred to keep it that way. It was bad enough they were all once again being herded around naked like cattle, their filthy, bruised and marred bodies on display for anyone who wished to take a peek.
They were lead into a large room with shower heads coming out of the walls and the doors closed loudly behind them. Lukewarm water began pouring out of the spouts and with a silent agreement, the team began washing months of grime and old blood off their pale flesh. Roy could feel the dirt and blood leaving his scalp and running down his back, a feeling that both delighted and disgusted him. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he had felt so filthy, physically and emotionally, and he just wanted to stand under the water until he completely washed away. He looked to Ed on his right, who returned the look with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"At least we are finally getting clean." He shrugged, running his hands through his wet hair. "It's the small things...right?" Roy smiled, checking his own scalp for any clingers.
"It's the small things for sure." He walked over to the far left wall and attempted to grab a towel to dry off with, his hands failing to grip causing the towel to fall to the ground. He sharply exhaled, annoyed at his uselessness. Maes walked up next to him, grabbing his own towel and handing Roy's back to him.
"Thanks Maes." Roy said quietly, ashamed. Maes just shrugged, quickly drying off.
"You will get use of your hands back when this is all over. They have therapy for stuff like that now."
"Yeah, if we even make it out." Jean snorted, wrapping his towel around his waist.
"Come on now, don't be so negative." Riza shook her head, wringing her hair out onto the floor.
"Well he does have a point." Ed said quietly behind them. "We need to start thinking of the 'what ifs' here. What if we get proven guilty?"
"What if our evidence isn't enough?" Kain added, looking down.
"What if..." Roy started, looking at the emaciated faces of his team. He opened his mouth to finish his thought when the door opened, and the two officers entered the shower once again with those sad, gray prison clothes he'd never dreamed he would be the one wearing. Each person was handed a pair that they quickly slipped into, the guards turning their heads to give them some privacy.
"Are you about done? Its about time for lunch and while I know the food is terrible, i'm sure its much better than what you were getting, and you won't want to miss it." Roy forced a smile on his face, thankful that the officers were on their side.
"We have no reason to complain now." He said flatly. "Nothing could compare to what Chinui Island is." The younger of the two worked to shackle them, shaking his head.
"Well, if you ask me I think something fishy is going on." The older guard nudged his shoulder, ushering the team to follow them.
"You can't talk like that out loud. Don't you young kids know anything? Getting busted in this day and age is a one way ticket to prison."
"What do you mean a one way ticket to prison?" Ed growled. "So Hakuro put a lid on free speech?" The two officers exchanged glances, turning towards the group of prisoners behind them. The younger officer chewed his cheek, looking for the right words to say.
"Well, they are starting to assume if you support you also helped. The mass amount of arrests being made in connection to Bradley's death are astounding." The other officer nodded.
"They even extradited a pair from Xing a little over a week ago. They must be pretty confident in a guilty verdict." Roy felt the blood stop in his veins, the doors to the cafeteria opening and the sounds of hundreds of inmates stopping as all eyes fell on them.
Extradited a pair from Xing...
A pair from Xing...
Extradited...
"Edward! Roy!" A voice broke him from his thoughts. The team looked in the direction of the voice, Roy's stomach dropping as none other than Ling and Lan Fan quickly approached them.
"So the bastards locked you up too?" Ed angrily said. "This is completely nuts." They each took a tray and sat at a table with Ling.
"Yeah. We didn't even know anything was going on until Al wrote to us and explained everything. Unfortunately my father had no choice but to turn us over once they showed up. We did kill the fuhrer after all." Roy looked down into his lap, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.
"We had a damn good reason to I'd say." He said quietly, looking at his mangled hands.
"They don't seem to think so." Lan Fan said quietly, taking a bite of her sandwich. "They are looking for Mei too, but she disappeared shortly before they came to arrest us."
"But she's just a kid." Riza sadly exhaled. "They are really going to take a child to the gallows?"
"This is not the Amestris we promised to protect." Maes rubbed his eye, lightly scratching under his patch. "I can't believe this is happening."
"I can't believe what they were allowed to do to you." Ling shook his head. "Missing an eye, ruined hands, you don't even look the same." Ed bitterly laughed.
"Not that we would know. Haven't looked in a mirror in half a year."
"Honestly...i don't even think I want to see what we look like now." Jean sighed, scooping some cold beans into his mouth. The group fell silent as they ate, no one having the stomach to speak.
"Well all I know is most people are on our side, including the officers here. That's a good thing...right?" Ling said quietly, staring down at his empty tray.
"It won't matter unless the council is." Heymans sighed, shaking his head. "The council is all that matters now."
"Isn't that the truth." Vato ran his hand down his face.
"Time's up, back to your cells!" An officer yelled over the chatter of the cafeteria. He approached the table where the team sat, a sympathetic smile on his lips.
"You have a meeting with your defense team, if you would follow me please." The group bid farewell to their friends before being shackled and herded into a meeting room. They sat at a large table, waiting for the others to arrive, no one speaking as the seconds ticked away. The door opened, Olivier entering followed by Al, Winry, Gracia, Izumi, Russel and Natalia. Without skipping a beat, Al quickly made his way over to Ed, gently throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a strong embrace. Roy could see the way Ed squeezed him, and it broke his heart. After their short reunion they took their seats and the general placed a thick stack of folders on the table in front of them, clearing her throat to begin.
"This, is all the evidence we have that you are innocent, aside from the interrogation recordings we were able to salvage." She frowned, looking at the folders.
"What..." Roy started, clearing his throat and wiping a hand across his mouth. "Is the probability of my men getting out of here?" She shook her head, looking to her defense team.
"Well, it really is a toss up at this point." She said, exhaling.
"It would have been solid had Rickert not caught me." Natalia grumbled, letting a few drachman curses flow past her lips. Ed shifted in his chair, maneuvering his cuffed wrists into a more comfortable position.
"Did you guys know Ling and Lan Fan were here?" He asked quietly.
"Yes. They arrested them in an attempt to keep Ling from testifying." Al said angrily. "They are looking for Mei too."
"Yeah, that's what Ling was saying." Roy said. The general took one of the folders, opening it and handing it to Roy, who promptly dropped it from between his fingers. He looked into the eyes of his friends on the other side, feeling his cheeks go hot in embarrassment. Riza picked them up, offering him a small smile.
"It's okay." She said softly, placing the papers on the table in front of him. "We all understand."
"Couldn't that specifically be used against them?" Izumi asked, looking between Roy and the general. Olivier took a sip of water, her eyes trailing down to Roy's hands.
"That's part of the plan." She affirmed. "Would you be willing to demonstrate your alchemy in court Mustang?" Ed slammed his fist on the table, his anger spreading through the entire room.
"You know he couldn't do that! They messed him up. How could he snap when he can't even pick up a stack of papers?" He yelled, seeing red. Winry placed her hand softly over his, instantly soothing the beast.
"That's the point, Edward." Izumi scolded. Ed quieted down, staring them in the eyes. "If we ask and he physically can not perform..."
"Then it proves the damage to his hands are intentional." Gracia finished, stroking the palm of Maes's hand with her thumb.
"Exactly." General Armstrong continued. "The judge has also ruled against Rickert and Hakuro in forbidding Ling to testify, so he will be there to share his story, as well as Private Tringham here, who was witness to the last month or so of your imprisonment, is that correct?" The young blonde nodded his head.
"I heard and saw almost everything, and I've already begun writing a statement." Roy smiled at both teams, his heart feeling full.
"But even so, this still might not be enough." Jean folded his hands, resting his forehead on his fists. "Parliament could easily chalk it up to 'we got what we deserved' and label us traitors anyway."
"Yes, this is a strong possibility, I'm not going to deny that." General Armstrong agreed, looking to each of the team.
"But the fact remains," Natalia said, "There are multiple people that can confirm your story, but multiple that were witness to whats happened since."
"So, now we just work on preparing mentally for court." Roy sighed, exhausted. Everyone fell silent for a moment, looking at different papers and catching up on all the evidence they had acquired. It was only when Ed spoke did the room look up once more.
"If..." He started, his voice shaking. He looked into everyones eyes, the fear in his gut wrenching. "If that verdict comes back guilty...Every single one of you needs to leave. Immediately." All eyes fell on him, the tension so thick it could be sliced with a knife.
"We wouldn't just abandon you Ed." Al said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, even in a swift execution trial the accused get two days for a chance reprieve." Winry said, tears in her eyes. Ed shook his head, his own tears spilling down his cheeks.
"You don't understand. They are going to come for you next. You already know this Win...we talked about it during your visit."
"They won't be able to do anything like that Ed." a small, sad smile spread across Al's face as he spoke to his brother. Ed opened his mouth to respond when the door opened, two officers stepping into the room.
"Time's up for today, so say your goodbyes okay?" The young woman said, a smile on her face. They embraced each other for a brief moment, much too short, and were ushered out of the room and into their cells until dinner, Roy's unfinished thought from earlier floating around in his head, taunting him.
What if...we really are to die?