Chapter 9
The group walked over to the small, steepled church that was clustered in the back corner of the town. The place was completely ancient. The paint was peeling off the sides of the building, and the wind whistled through the flimsy stained-glass windows. But it was still a vessel for celebration every Sunday, the walls exploding with praise and music. On that day, the place seemed to awaken alive.
As they broke past the heavy oak doors and descended down the aisle, the preacher was sitting near the altar, drinking a Scotch.
"Hello, Father Walker!" cried Winry.
Walker threw the drink down on the floor, and stood up quickly.
"Well, well, the Elric family. I remember when you came to this chapel three years ago and got married right her on this altar. Lordy."
His eyes expanded when he saw Hawkeye Jane and Bill the Blade, the legends in the flesh.
"Hawkeye and Bill! Right here in front of my eyes! Praise God! We'll be free soon!"
Ed jammed his hands in his pockets casually, rubbing his nose.
"We just wan' to show them around. You know. The tour."
"I see," he said, nodding.
He walked over to the podium and reached inside. There was a complex system of levers carefully hidden. He pulled one down, and a section of the back wall rumbled open, like something out of a haunted house. The preacher nodded and extended his hand out.
"Want to see?"
They descended down a steep series of stairs, with Walker ahead holding a lantern. The steps were wet and slippery, since the tunnel was dripping with water.
"This place was hewn into the mesa side and descends about 500 feet. Took a long time to create."
"I'm sure it was," said Maes. "You must have something very important down here."
"Yes."
Walker arrived in front of a heavy iron door, which he gave three good kicks. An eyeslit viewer slid back, revealing a set of eyes staring back. It then quickly closed, and the door moaned open. Inside, a private army was scouring about inside a great, cavernous room filled with various weapons. Guns and cannons were lined up on the left side wall, with men cleaning and filling them with ammunition. There were maps spread around, probably with the location of the mines. One guy pointed at the company, and everyone looked over. They rushed over to the agents in wild applause, shaking their hands and patting them on the back.
"WHAT ARE YOU BASTARDS DOING? GET BACK TO WORK!"
The people returned to their menial tasks sadly, some kicking dirt like depressed little kids. Not fair, they all thought. That angry voice belonged to a woman, resting her back on the wall, arms crossed and face locked in an equally angry tone. Her cleavage was showing.
"Why, it's the Teacher!" said Al.
She walked over to them in this casual manner that wasn't suitable for her demeanor.
"Well, if it isn't the two agents I've been hearing about. Now the real fun can begin."
"Oh yeah!" said Maes. He engaged in a stupid dance, and started to strut around like one of those Russians.
"Its party time!"
Riza slapped him upside the head, then turned her attention to the Teacher.
"So, how long have you been handling this base of operations?"
"About three years now. We have a good force of about 500."
Her frown quickly returned.
"We'd have more if those damned military dogs did something. They always seem to stroll around in their big uniforms with their big guns and cannons saying 'Look at me! Look at me! I'm in the military! Aren't I special?'"
She was prancing around on her tiptoes, with a stupid look on her face, like some sort of diseased ballerina. But she continued.
"They're fuckin' special ed if you ask me! They always want to steal shit from the Indian, always taking and taking and taking and taking but never giving back! Are you saying that THEY'RE SO FUCKING BIG TO TAKE LAND, BUT NOT FUCKING BIG ENOUGH TO COME DOWN HERE AND HELP US THE FUCK OUT?"
Curtis was now drooling on herself, pulling out strands of her dark hair, one eye larger than the other. People had backed soundly away.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU STARING AT? GET BACK TO WORK?"
The process began quickly again, now faster and more mechanically.
Maes loved that! He freaking loved that! He loved it when people just cut loose and went all wild and insane! It made life more interesting. However, he spotted something quite unusual on one of the breasts of the Teacher. Of course he'd notice since those things were so…exposed (What? I'm just saying. He's a man, ma' babies!).
"Say, what's that? Some sort of tattoo?"
The Teacher's callous demeanor suddenly melted into sadness instantly. The cavern sort of sank into silence and grief. She placed her hand on top of that mark, that mark that resembled a cross, interwoven with a sort of spiral pattern, not to cover it up out of shame, but to remember the misery that emanated from it.
"O-OH, that? Its just Bradley's way of identifying us, in his sick sort of humor."
"We all have it," spoke Ed. He revealed his mark, as did Al, Winry, Walker, and everyone else in the cavern, burned right in the flesh with a hot-red cattle rod.
"Even the children."
Riza recalled this horrible fact while in the Elric household. The seven kids had that same mark seared in their left thighs. How can someone be so cruel as to do this to defenseless kids? She asked herself. A tear almost wetted her eye. But she had to display strength and resolve.
"Don't worry everybody. We'll get you out of this. We have a plan."
The cavern sparked up with murmurs. Curtis looked at her with reluctance.
"A plan? Well, let's here it."
Riza walked over to one of the surveyance maps and pointed to a location.
"Right here, Maes and I have some friends. Three full combat regiments from the Army, numbering some 1500 infrantry soldiers."
"That's not far from here," said Teacher.
"Yeah, here's how it goes. Meas and I will sneak out early tomorrow morning in order to meet up with the regiments. You all keep your same routine as always, so as to not alert any suspicion. We'll bring them at Hide's Pass at 7:30 P.M., where your group will meet us. It's only a half-mile from the mines. Then, we'll travel there, surround the place, and wage war inside. Destroy everything."
The troops went into pandemonium when they heard this. Finally, their revenge would be realized tomorrow night! Ed and Winry held each other and danced around in jubilation. One troop jumped off a table so the crowd would catch him, but they moved out the way and he cracked on the floor. Would you pick up a 400-pound man? The preacher did a little dance reminiscent of the Hustle.
"Praise God! Tomorrow, our jubilee is here!"
"Don't praise God!" said Maes. "Praise me!"
He jumped into a wooden chair as the troops raised him up and began to kneel and bow to him in mock praise. Even the preacher did it. Ho, Jesus would strike him down! Hughes, meanwhile, revealed his daughter's photograph and held it out.
"Praise the Hughes now, bitches!"
Riza chucked a rock at him, which struck him square in the face.
Winry was tucking her children to sleep in their one good bed. The adults usually slept on the floor, but it was more cramped thanks to the two celebrities. But that was okay. Hawkeye would stand watch for the first six hours, followed by Meas.
"Are we gonna be free tomorrow?" asked one child.
"Yes, yes we are. Then we'll leave this terrible place and go far away, and we'll eat lots of ice cream together."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart."
Then she tinkled them, kissed them all, and closed the door.
"They're so beautiful."
Winry turned around to see Riza standing there.
"Yes, yes they are. I'd do anything for my angels, but there are some things I just can't give them."
She pointed to a pile of books that were surprisingly looked past. Even more surprising was that the books were on the subject of mechanical engineering.
"My books. I was always good at fixing mechanical things. But I just can't fix this. What kind of a mother I am if I can't even protect my own children?"
"Don't worry. You're a great mother. You're children can be proud."
"Thank you."
Ed wasn't having a good night at all. He was tossing and turning, sweat rivering down his face. His hands were reaching out to some unknown desire, anguish cutting him. All he said was Al, Al.
He was in a room, kneeling next to his brother. Ed was excited about something, something that he felt could help them. Some sort of person to return. Al was pleading to him about something. His lips were moving rapidly, but no words came out. Ed didn't want him to go, he needed him. That was what he said. Reluctantly, the younger brother placed his hands on the symbol, the great symbol smeared on the floor, with the body inside.
Then it happened. The room was bathed in this blue aura, electricity spewing out of a spiral that seemed to eat the floor. Sparks were buzzing everywhere, there was so much light. Just light. Then Ed heard his brother scream. He was being pulled into this galaxy like quicksand, his legs now enveloped.
"Brother, help me."
Ed reached out to grab his brother, but the suction was just too strong. Too strong. Dark, skinny arms reached out of the galaxy and wrapped around Al. The demons of Hell were upon him. He wasn't strong enough, said Ed. Just wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry. Then they took him.
"BROTHER!"
Ed could feel the grips of the demons now, black and dripping with blood. They wanted him now, wanted to make him pay for his defiance. They snaked around his right arm, black matter consuming it. They ripped it clean right off, snapped it like a twig. Edward screamed in merciless pain, feeling as the blood and entrails spicketed out and was sucked into that galaxy.
Suddenly, the agony stopped, and Ed was in a white field. Nothing but white.
Purgatory. He was standing in front of a stark gate, could here the voices of a thousand lives, a thousand worlds rush into his face. Was this heaven? Death? It creaked open, spewing out a great light that stung his eyes.
Come into the light, said a voice.
He heard it right in his mind
Come into the light, and see your destiny.
Ed walked towards it, and reached out. He saw it. He screamed in torment. It was worse than death.
He woke up in a rush, asphyxiating in short gasps. He was back in the room, with the moonlight swimming inwards, painting his face with its ghostly glow. He had this dream before, many times, starting in childhood, but it was never like this. Was he going insane, or was it him at a different time, different place eons from here? His right arm still hurt.
In the shadows, grandma was watching. Her eyes were sharp with revelation of a great truth. The truth behind truths. She knew it was happening.
"It seems that he is seeing now. It will come to pass soon."
She melted back into the shadows, to speak with the cosmic energy.