Disclaimer: The Abyss Inside My Heart is mine. Unfortunately all the characters belong to Arakawa as they are part of Fullmetal Alchemist, and I do not own them.
Author's Note: The Abyss Inside My Heart podcast is coming up! Look forward to Chapter 6 being artistically read by the author and some very talented actors and actresses! As a reader, do you think that's a good idea? I'd love to hear your thoughts about that in the reviews, or you can e-mail me!
Roy looked intently at the tear-stained face of his most faithful lieutenant. After Hughes had died, it had been so hard, almost impossible to move on. But she had stayed like a beacon of light guiding him home from the horrors of his own mind. Hughes had protected him from his own innate desire of self-destruction. He was more than a friend; he was a conscience, a hero, and a savior. Hawkeye had saved him from the bullets of enemies many times, but he would never forget the time that she had rescued him from the mouth of his own gun. She had talked him down from the ultimate surrender. And yet here she was, vulnerable, bleeding, and begging for death. It was beyond distorted. All he wanted to do was hold her, yet she looked too fragile for even the slightest physical reassurance. His beautiful, tall, graceful, and commanding 2nd in command was reduced to shreds in his very arms.
Her head lay on his lap, between his hands, yet he could not even bring himself to caress her hair. He did not know what reaction to expect, and he was hesitant to provoke her unnecessarily. A loud sound filled the room. Roy had no idea what this meant until he saw a large of section of black wall slide to the side, almost like a glass door might. Roy's instinct was to grab Riza and run as fast as he possibly could through the door. He knew she was obviously too hurt to be moved in such a manner and that there was an obvious explanation to this opening, and sure enough Envy and Lust moved through the doorway, followed by a visibly sated Gluttony. He felt Riza's body tense and sensed the innate warning in that motion. Gluttony threw the door closed behind them with a slam. "So you've come to agree to our terms?" Lust inquired. Envy ran at them in a burst of speed and hooked his arms over her shoulders and under her armpits. He dragged her off the bed and across the dark stone floor in approximately three seconds. She had little time to react to the blunt trauma, and her leg looked deeply impacted. The horror on her face sent a shiver of emotion down Roy's spine. Envy held Riza steady and Lust gave her body an appraising look. Lust stroked Riza's collarbone delicately and pulled her hand away for a millisecond. She unsheathed one finger and rested its delicate blade next to Riza's neck. To her credit, Riza did not flinch. She seemed almost uncannily adjusted to this manhandling and the constant threats. "We do not negotiate, Mustang. You will agree to our terms and deliver or she will have to be…" Lust winced disgustedly at Riza's open body, "…disposed of. Envy, you know our orders. Did you have to enjoy her so thoroughly? She's a hostage, not an informant or a spy." Envy tilted his head to one side in amusement, "I found something endearing about her. Maybe it was the inner strength or the resistance. Or maybe…" his voice lowered an octave and his eyes met with Roy's urgently, "…it was the look of pain in her glassy eyes as I rode her to satisfaction or the screams of agony as I forced her body open to my intrusions. All I can say Lust is that Dante's incentives never quite speak to my twisted sense of pleasure as much as she does."
Roy met both their expectant gazes with as much assurance as he dared project. "Tell me what I need to do and I'll do it." Lust's questioning expression turned into a smirk, and she withdrew her claw from Hawkeye's already bruised and swollen neck. A tiny cut was left on Riza's neck, yielding a small drop of blood. Mustang watched Envy's eyes expectantly follow the miniscule drop down Riza's abused neck, down her chest, along her side…Roy averted his eyes and tried to retain focus on Lust. "A simple mission for an alchemist like you. Child's play in fact." Roy sighed a little; it obviously should not be difficult to achieve.
"I want you to bring me the head of Alphonse Elric."
Roy froze, more deer in the headlights than confident colonel. Even Riza had trouble digesting that information. "Why?" Roy sputtered out, "Why must it be me?" "Don't play coy with me, Mustang. Our informants told us all about your assistance to the Elrics. But if you insist on playing dumb, I will tell you. The Elrics, human and together at last in Amestris, developed a blueprint of a machine that could destroy a homunculus, given the right ammunition and circumstances." Both Roy and Riza gasped at the revelation. "I knew what they were inventing was important, I just didn't…" Lust cut him off. "They knew the significance of the plans and the value of the knowledge they possessed. They knew we would be after them as soon as we realized the implications of their plans, so they decided to reveal them on their own terms. The Elrics published the plans in an alchemy professional publication. The catch was that the plans were published in code. They knew scientific curiosity would drive the most brilliant alchemists to break the code and free humanity from the plague of homunculi. Alphonse Elric is the only living, breathing person on this earth that knows the key to the code. He coded them himself and never told Edward what it was. The Elrics knew that we, as homunculi, depend on the curiosity of alchemists to create more philosopher stones. They knew we could not kill every alchemist with the potential to break the code. We could only kill them. Their plan was for Alphonse to submit the code for publication the day he went into hiding." Mustang could feel the frustration in Lust's voice and sharp hand movements. "Who did they trust with hiding them? Who had enough connections to protect them for the rest of their lives? Who else but Edward's commanding officer? But when Ed went missing, you hid Al quickly, too quick for any of us to intercept. So quick that he did not have time to submit the codes. The only one on earth who knows the location of Alphonse is you. The only one on earth who knows the code is Alphonse. You have 7 days to bring us the head of Alphonse Elric. Should you fail, Miss Hawkeye will undoubtedly pay the price." Envy smiled and inclined his head to Mustang. "You must bring the head of Alphonse Elric to the basement of military headquarters by the stroke of midnight on Saturday. Happy hunting." Roy gathered his thoughts and nodded at Envy. Lust tilted her head in questioning, and Roy quickly stated, "I'll do it. Just let me say goodbye to her." Lust nodded and Roy straightened himself out and strode over to where Envy was clutching Riza. He leaned lower (which discomfited Envy) until he was level with Riza's ear. "I won't fail you," he said, with much more conviction than he actually felt. He turned to face her, and out of spontaneity laid a simple, yet passionate kiss on her mouth. She felt the promise of hope that rested within it and reciprocated trust. They broke away and stared into each other's eyes looking for strength. They would both need it in the days to come.
A/N: I know it's been forever but please tolerate my busy schedule! Over the next few days I am going to edit my other chapters, so look for a new, revamped, improved diction-ed piece. Also, Mark of Ruin with finally gain a Chapter 2. Stay tuned!