Chapter Fourteen
Twisted Retribution

Water dripped quietly from the domed ceiling, collecting in puddles on the stone floor. The only light came from a few sputtering candles, and the thick air smelled of mold. Edward tugged against the handcuffs that kept him tethered to the wall and kicked against his shackles. Their quiet, rusty jangling echoed throughout the halls of the old gang hideout.

"This sucks."

"Shut up, Eddy." Raegan's voice was half-perturbed, half-resigned, and it got Edward's hackles to raise.

"You don't get to call me that anymore, Raegan." Ed's voice was grim, and the sounds of its echoes overlapped the dull thud of Trinity's footsteps.

"Aw, are the lovebirds fightin'?" Trinity smiled at the viscous look Edward gave him, twisting the scar that ran across his face from ear to ear into a twisted second smile. He drew slowly closer to the pair and slid his pocket knife into his hand. He flicked the curved knife out and Edward's eyes widened. Trinity's evil grin intensified.

"Don't it just bring back the memories, 'Eddy'?"

Edward's lips curled back into a snarl. "If he isn't allowed to use that name then you sure as hell don't have the right."

The knife flicked up to press beneath the blonde's left eye and Edward's snarl disappeared.

"I wouldn't talk to me like that if I was you, blondie." Trinity trailed the knife down to his neck. "So many soft places for me to slice…" Edward but his lip as Trinity circled his stomach with the wicked blade.

The chains jangled loudly as Raegan suddenly jerked forward, his wrists and ankles fighting to be free from their restraints. "You leave him alone, you sick bastard!"

Trinity's blade flashed out and Raegan gave a sharp cry of pain. Edward's eyes widened in horror when he saw that the new deep cut would leave Raegan with yet another scar. The new one crossed over the old one across his cheek, making and upside-down cross.

Trinity tsked slowly as blood ran down and stained Raegan's crisp white shirt with ruby droplets. "Now look what you made me do…I was hopin' to cut blondie first." He shrugged and walked back over to Edward. "I guess I'll just have to make up for that, won't I?"

The shining blade pressed into the center of Edward's chest below his collarbone and Ed swallowed nervously.

Trinity gave a sickening double-grin and pressed harder, easily cutting through fabric and skin, drawing the knife down to Edward's abdomen. Edward grit his teeth, biting back the scream he knew was just behind his teeth.

"Stop it! Stop it you fucking ugly—!" In an instant, Trinity's blade was pressed against Raegan's already blood-smeared neck. He was shaking with restrained fury.

"If you value your life, you won't speak again." Trinity's voice was dark and cold, like an arctic cave.

"What's the matter, scar-face?" Raegan gave a shaky grin. "Upset that I keep breaking your concentration?" Trinity grit his teeth and shoved away from the biggest thorn in his side.

"Jimmy!"

A short but lanky boy all but fell over himself to get through the door and in front of Trinity as fast as possible. "Yes bossman!"

"Get 'im out of my sight." Dismissing them both, Trinity turned back to Ed.

"Yes bossman!" Jimmy crouched down in front of Raegan and unlocked his shackles. Raegan stood docile as the dirty boy unlocked his handcuffs and started to tug him away from the wall. But once they were next to the door, Raegan's elbow suddenly shot out, cracking Jimmy in the temple and knocking him out instantly.

He was off and running before Trinity had time to take a step forward, and he didn't look back.

Trinity scowled, but didn't do anything other than to raise an eyebrow at the slack and bleeding boy shackled to the wall. "He just escaped without you. You really havin' a lovers spat?"

"We aren't…lovers." Edward said weakly, smiling on the inside. Raegan had escaped. That meant that he was going to get help. All he had to do now was survive and keep Trinity distracted and talking until they got here.

We have Edward. If you ever want to see the blondie again you won't call the cops.

Roy read the note again, sure he had read it wrong.

And again, sure that he had missed something.

And once more, hoping there was some mistake.

The final time he read it, a deep feeling of resignation hit him.

Edward had been kidnapped.

And there was nothing he could do.

The doorbell rang suddenly and Roy was off like a shot, over the back of the couch and at the door in seconds. He whipped the door open, ready to snag any dirty scoundrel that might have been there, but he was disappointed.

Standing on his doorstep in a bright-red jacket that tugged on the strings of Roy's memory, was a small blonde boy. He looked up at Roy and his eyes were liquid gold, a contained fire. His voice was soft when he spoke.

"Roy Mustang, right? My…my name is Alphonse Elric. I'm looking for my brother, Edward."