Roy was sure his expression was showing his horror. He knew that it wasn't a lie, but it shouldn't really matter. They could make it out of here on their own. But it was hard to hear... It was hard to hear that no one would even be looking. He knew his team would search for them but it was different when you were looking for a body and not a living person.
He glanced at Ed from across their cell and saw his own horror mirrored in his subordinate's face. He must have realised what it meant for them as well.
Jace looked pretty pleased with himself. He grinned, watching the two of them deflate slightly. His smile fell a moment later, though. He was looking at Roy's hands. "Colonel?" Jace began, taking a few steps towards him. His feet made gentle thuds on the floor that chilled and twisted Roy's gut. "What are you trying to hide from me?"
"I'm not trying to hide anything!" Roy snapped, showing off his wrists. "I'm bleeding, and I'm holding onto the damn wound."
"I'm an alchemist as well, Colonel. I know what you were trying," he said calmly, stopping half a metre from Roy.
"I wasn't trying anything!!!" Roy hissed, hopping the man would drop it. He knew it was very unlikely, though.
"Please, Colonel. I know you are stupid. You would need to be to think I would fall for that, but I also know that you are at least smart enough to think of using your blood as drawing material." His face was cold and showed no amusement.
Roy cursed under his breath when he saw Jace's foot pull back in preparation for a kick. It came at Roy's head, only blocked by the quick movement of his arms. He was definitely going to have some nasty bruises on his arms.
Jace started making his way towards the entrance to their cell. "I'll be back in a moment." His hand touched the handle, but he paused before leaving. It wasn't a hesitation, though. It was a power move. It was slow and deliberate to show them that this didn't even matter, but something told Roy they would care. "And just so you know, this room was designed to hold alchemists. You won't be able to transmute your way out."
Roy's blood turned to ice. The door opened with a loud creak and shut the same way. "I'm sorry, Fullmetal," he muttered.
"He's lying," Fullmetal simply said.
"About what?" Roy asked.
"Both things. Al won't give up. I know it. And your team will search for us even if they think we're dead. Especially if they think we're dead. There would be nothing keeping our killers around if we were dead. So they're coming for us." It wasn't much in the way of encouragement, but it was enough in that moment of hopelessness. "And he's also lying about us not being able to transmute our way out of here. He transmuted while in here. He transmuted the ropes, remember?" That gave them both another spark of hope.
Roy's eyes widened. "That bastard." He wiped his hands on his shirt, wetting his fingertips with blood, then quickly drew a transmutation circle on the floor. They both froze when Roy pressed his hand to the circle and nothing happened. His eyes were wide in shock because that couldn't be right. It was impossible.
They waited for a reaction, but still nothing happened. Roy lifted his hand and pressed it down again. The result was still the same. Nothing. Nothing at all. "What's going on? Why the hell isn't it working?!"
"That can't be right! He transmuted in here, and we both saw it! You saw it! It happened!" Edward shouted in frustration. He sounded... Almost... Desperate?
The cell door opened again with its alarm creak. "I've already told you it was designed to hold alchemists. You can't use your alchemy in here."
"But how did you-" Fullmetal was interrupted by Jace.
"Please, Puppy, you don't really think I would tell you that, do you?"
Fullmetal growled at that. Of course he wouldn't tell them. "You must have done something to us."
Jace chuckled. "I guess you'll never know."
Jace came all the way into the room after that and Edward noticed something in his hand for the first time. It looked suspiciously like a wound up hose.
"But that aside, I'm here to give my puppy some water." Jace was smiling wickedly. He obviously found this far too amusing to be considered anything near sane. that piece of information wasn't anything new, though. He was very clearly insane. Even from the very beginning.
Ed watched Jace make his way across the room with the hose. He connected one end of the long, rubber hose to a spout in the wall, leaving a trail behind him as he approached them again.
"Which of my doggies wants to be first? Puppy, do you want to be first? It's all for you after all" Jace dropped the hose and went back to the wall, turning the valve so that the water spilled from the hose onto the floor.
The hose was closest to Ed and Jace seemed to be taking his time coming over to grab the hose, so the water was slowly finding its way over to him. He gasped as the icy water came in contact with his warm flesh.
"Nice and cold, right, Puppy? Just right. It's bound to quench your thirst." He pointed the hose at Ed and put his thumb over the nozzle to give the water more pressure.
Edward flinched away from the spray curling in on himself as much as he could to make the target smaller and to conserve some of his much needed warmth.
"What a good little puppy I have." Jace laughed like he had long since lost his mind, which he clearly had, and Edward would keep thinking it again and again because it was true.
"I'm not little, you bast-" Edward was cut off by the spray of water being directed at his face. He gasped, sucking in water by mistake. His lungs immediately reacted, attempting to expel the water through coughs that made him try to breathe in. It only made it worse for himself. He gasped and coughed until the spray was moved.
"Tell me when you would like some more. I'm sure you're really thirsty."
Roy gulped in as much air as possible while Jace turned to Edward with the hose again. He felt drops of icy water slip down his cheeks.
Jace had held the spray directly in their faces and told them to drink. He taunted them and held the hose there for just long enough so that he could enjoy the way they choked and coughed on the icy water. But now the water wasn't even that bad. He had grown accustomed to the icy water making its way into his lungs.
Roy frowned and coughed weakly. They just needed to be patient. Soon they would be left alone. They had to wait until the man's sick glee was satisfied. That could be a while, though. They couldn't know for sure when such a psychotic man would finally feel satisfied.
The water treatment went on for quite some time before it began to grow dull for that bastard.
"Now," Jace started, drawing it out to make it more dramatic. "It's time to punish you, Colonel. You tried to escape and you also didn't believe me. It hurts my feelings."
"Damn you," Roy coughed, undoubtedly digging a deeper hole for himself.
Jace just smirked. "I'm glad you're giving me the chance to try this out. While in Drachma I saw this method being used on alchemists that had been captured. It was quite brilliant I have to say."
There was something very unsettling about waiting for information about how he was going to be tortured.
"They used railroad spikes. They would put them through the alchemist's hands so that the man wouldn't be able to move without hurting himself. It taught them not to try anything. Instinct told him to keep still. And it's good for dogs to instinctively follow their master's orders."
Roy flinched. His instincts were telling him that he had to do anything he could to get Fullmetal and himself out of this living hell.
"You can't escape, so don't try." Jace seemed to read his mind there, and it made everything a great deal more uncomfortable.
Jace deliberately walked slowly and casually towards the table, making Roy's skin crawl. "I allowed for you to exercise some freedom, but if the dog is going to disobey, it won't be long before it thinks it's in change. Then you might get a nasty biting problem." Jace lifted a box from the wide selection of tools and weapons on the table, bringing it over.
Roy could clearly see that it was heavy by the way Jace was slightly hunched over, and a bit of strain showed on his face. The box was dropped next to Roy's shoulder. The contents clanked about.
"I hope you're ready." Roy's skin crawled, and even though instincts screamed at him to do anything just to get away from what was about to happen, logic told him not to move, or it was going to get a lot worse for him.
Jace knelt beside him and opened the box. Inside was a large collection of nails. Most were quite large. And on top of all of the nails was a sledgehammer.
"Put your hands on top of each other so that they are both facing palm up." Jace selected a nail from the box and lifted the sledgehammer.
Roy followed the order, knowing it would be better to listen to Jace over his instincts even if it sounded absolutely crazy. His wrists were caked in blood by the time he finally managed to get both hands facing palm up, though. He instinctively pulled his hands away when the sharp tip of the nail touched the centre of his palm.
"If you pull away again, I will put this nail through my puppy's hip instead. Don't think I won't." Roy didn't doubt that he would do it. He froze, laying his hands out again, because he was definitely not about to let his subordinate take this in his place. It was hard, though. He knew the nail was going to be driven into his hands at any moment, and the thought was sickening.
He shut his eyes and waited. The tip of the nail was placed against his palm again. A ringing clang filled the air and Roy felt the nail travel part of the way through his hands. At first it didn't hurt. It was just the initial shock and a horrible squelching sound. Another clang and the nail went all the way through. At that time, he had had enough time for his brain to process the agony that was attacking his body. He was certain that he must have screamed, but he hadn't heard it past the pounding of his heart as it climbed into his throat, threatening to break free. His first reaction -past screaming- was to pull his hands to the safety of his chest, but that was a mistake, because the wounds burned like a wild firestorm when the snagged on the nail. He groaned and whimpered like an abused dog. It certainly fit.
"Don't ever try to escape again. It would be stupid for you, and I have more nails. I might need to find a use for them, do you understand?"
Roy hissed in pain and grit his teeth. He wasn't about to let someone put nails into his subordinate, so he nodded, unable to even attempt anything else.
"Very good."
Maes stood up and sighed. "Well, Al, I should get going soon. I have to get a hotel room before eight."
"Oh, sorry for keeping you..."
"No, don't apologise." Maes sighed again. His gut was twisting and knotting itself. He had already decided to himself that he couldn't let Alphonse take part in the investigation. The boy wouldn't be able to stand it. Maes didn't think it would be healthy for the kid. He hoped that Riza would agree with him on the matter.
"Umm, sir, you could technically stay here tonight if you wanted. We have an open bed. You won't have to find a place that way." Al stiffened. "My bed! I mean my bed! I haven't used it."
"Al, have you not been sleeping?" Maes was honestly worried. If Al was being harmful to himself during his grieving process, then be shouldn't be left alone. The kid's answer was either going to break his heart, or it was going to make his chest feel less tight.
"I- no, it's not what you think! You've got it wrong!" Al was far too worried in the way he answered that. "Mr. Hughes, what it is- What happened was that I... I wanted to sleep on Brother's bed. It makes me... I- I feel better."
Maes didn't know if this was good or bad. Was Al just saying that? Or was it really the truth?
"Do I need to stay? Do I need to make sure you are taking care of yourself?" Maes asked through a tired sigh.
"No, sir, I'm fine."
Maes wasn't so sure. He didn't feel like putting off searching for Ed and Roy, but he also didn't feel like leaving a kid alone in a dorm he used to share with his brother so that he could make himself sick. "Alphonse, please just go to sleep."
"I haven't been avoiding sleep." It was fairly tricky answering Hughes without lying. He didn't feel like putting any effort into lying to his friends.
"Al..." Hughes looked like he wanted to say more but didn't quite know what he should say.
"If you don't want to stay here, then you should go find a hotel room because you must be exhausted after your trip." Again Hughes looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"All right. Is it okay if I come by tomorrow with some lunch? I want you to eat." Hughes was being so kind, but it was probably going to make it much worse.
Alphonse had to think of what he should say to that. "But I-"
"And prove it to me."
Al nodded. He didn't know what else to do. He sighed as Hughes made his way towards the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Al." Al needed to make sure that didn't happen.
"Bye, Mister Hughes."
Maes frowned bitterly. They had probably each gone over everything ten times. He had known from the moment he picked the files up that they wouldn't give much insight, but even as he copied everything out word for word, he still had hope that something would surface. He took photographs of every crime scene photo, but still nothing.
The only good news they had was that the receptionist had vaguely recognised the murderer. That could mean that it was anyone who had ever crossed paths with the woman. Though, Hawkeye had pointed out that it was much more likely that the woman had seen the man on several different occasions as she recognised him in a way, and that didn't regularly happen with someone you only meet once, which narrowed it down, but not by much. And there was always the off chance that the man resembled someone she knew, but that wouldn't explain why the man had confidently walked through a Military command centre. It could be that he was trying to fool those around him by appearing to be in place, but that could have been over thinking it. And the man probably was someone she had seen at headquarters before, unconsciously linking his appearances to the building.
"This is useless," Havoc muttered. "We aren't finding anything."
Damn this. Havoc was right. Even knowing that the man had probably been at headquarters at some point didn't help them.
"We just need to keep looking for now," Maes said through a sigh. He hoped they would find something. They had to. Because Al needed it.
He needed It.
They all did.
I actually sort of forgot that I'd written this chapter, because I rewrote it at least ten times. I was just not pleased with the outcomes.So really... I just want to say sorry...I hope you liked it. And please review! It gives me a lot of motivation to write.
