Take It All Away
Chapter 22: Red Moon Rising
Bradley swept into his office without so much as turning on the lights. So enwrapped in his thoughts was he, that he failed to notice that he had a visitor until he reached his desk. The sight of the man sitting in his chair, grinning like the fool he was, was enough to cause Bradley to consider turning around and walking back out of his office, if only to avoid the Second Lieutenant. Sadly, the man spoke before he could act on this thought.
"G'morning, Boss man! How're things on the home front?"
Bradley scowled at the blonde, obviously not finding the man's antics amusing in the least. "What do you want, Havoc?" He demanded shortly, not in any mood to deal with the Second Lieutenant. As an afterthought, he added, "And how did you get here so fast?"
Havoc grinned and leaned back in the chair, propping his feat on Bradley's desk. He ignored the glare that he received from the Fuhrer. "I have my ways." Havoc assured, his grin never faltering. "Everything went without a hitch. Envy, disguised as me, should have arrived in Drachma by now, and Lust and Gluttony are disposing of the investigators as we speak."
"And the others?"
"Greed is dead, as you well know. As for Sloth and Wrath...it appears the two are happily playing mother and son in God only knows where. To sum it up, they basically want nothing to do with any of this; the homunculi, the State, the stone...nothing."
"Fools." Bradley cursed softly. "It doesn't change anything; we can pull this off without their help. So long as I know where your loyalties lie..."
The Second Lieutenant's grin faltered for the first time, but it was quickly recovered. "What do you mean, Boss man?" He chuckled nervously.
Bradley's eyebrow twitched at the title once again. "Do you think I am unaware," He growled, slamming his hands down on the desk in a rare display of anger. "That you tipped off the Sergeant on the location of the stone?"
Havoc's grin remained firmly in place. "Of course I know that you know. But what you don't know, is why I did it. Am I right?"
"Do not mock me, Lieutenant."
"'Course not, Boss man." Havoc winked. "I only tipped off Fuery because I knew he would tell the General."
"And in doing so-"
Havoc shrugged. "I just thought it would make things more interesting." He lit a cigarette casually, once again ignoring the glare that was directed at him. "Things were getting a bit dull."
Bradley's hands fisted at his sides. It was useless trying to figure out the man before him. His logic was twisted in every sense, and he it was near impossible to discern his true intentions. Jean Havoc gave the term 'slippery as an eel' knew meaning. He remained a mystery, even to Bradley. A knock on the door reminded Bradley why he entered the office in the first place. He reached across the desk and yanked a folder from beneath the Second Lieutenant's feet, fixing a the blonde with a scathing look. "You shouldn't have to worry about being bored for too much longer."
Havoc arched an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And why is that?"
"Because your precious General has been found guilty of treason." Bradley allowed a smirk of his own to cross his features. "Sentencing will be decided shortly." He then turned and left the office, nodding his head in acknowledgement to the soldier that had been sent to retrieve him. He didn't see the lit cigarette fall from the First Lieutenant's suddenly limp lips.
R-2-F
The sun had just risen over the hilltops when Edward and Alphonse began their journey through Lior. At a glance, the city looked as if nothing was amiss. The buildings were as they had been the last time the Elrics had seen them. The streets were crowded with food or craft stands, which Ed guessed to be the result of a festival of some sort being held in the town. The church still lay mostly in ruins, thought it was obvious that some efforts to clear the rubble had been made. However, upon closer examination, Ed began to realize that there was something very wrong about all of this.
The buildings appeared as if they hadn't been tended to in months. The food in the carts was rotten. The tools used to clear the rubble of the church lay scattered, as if suddenly abandoned or forgotten. Large rats roamed the streets freely. But amidst all of this, one thing stood out the most to the Elric brothers; There were no people to be found.
"Brother?" Alphonse squeaked, his eyes roaming their surroundings fearfully. "What happened? Where is everybody?"
Ed shook his head, his eyes scanning the empty streets around them. "I don't know, Al." He whispered.
They continued walking through the streets, but not a soul was to be found. "It's just like they said." Ed breathed, carefully pushing the front door of a house open.
"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed. "We can't just barge in-"
"Do you see anyone here to let us in, Al?"
Alphonse fell silent by way of an answer. He quietly followed his brother as they entered the house.
The house looked just like the rest of the city. It appeared as if it had been abandoned quickly, if the now rotting food on the stove was any indication. The kitchen table was set in preparation for an impending meal. Judging by the looks of things, the family had never been able to enjoy a final dinner together.
"What could have done this, Brother?"
Ed ran a hand absentmindedly over a family portrait that hung above the fireplace. His fingers were coated with a thick layer of dust as a result, but the blonde appeared oblivious of the fact. He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to hear his brother's question. "It's like time just stopped." He whispered, his voice strangely reverent.
"Brother..?"
Ed turned to Alphonse, his expression severe. "There's only one thing that could have caused this, Al." He whispered, as if afraid the very walls that surrounded them might hear. "Someone's made a Philosopher's Stone." Alphonse's eyes widened.
"Then the villagers-"
"Yeah." Ed nodded, folding his arms in front of him and turning his gaze back to the picture before him. "They're gone."
R-2-F
The room was pitch black. That was the first thought that crossed Roy's mind when he came to hours later. The dull throbbing in his ribs reminded him of what had occurred over the past several hours. He figured he was probably in one of the cells on the bottom floor of headquarters, if the lack of light and windows was any indication. With a deep groan, Roy managed to push himself from the floor, only to realize that his hands and feet were shackled. His heartfelt sigh echoed throughout the dark chamber.
Before Roy's eyes could fully adjust to the darkness that surrounded him, light flooded the chamber as a door to the left of his holding cell was opened. Roy instinctively brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the harsh light, squinting as his eyes were forced to adjust once again. He could make out the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway, but it was impossible to tell the man's identity from that alone. Roy watched warily as the man started towards the door of Roy's cell, twirling a set of keys around his index finger and whistling a nameless tune. Something about the man struck Roy as familiar, but in his current state he was unable to put a finger on what exactly it was.
Roy lowered his hands slowly, his dark eyes straining to see who his visitor was. He needn't have bothered, though, for only a moment later the man spoke.
"You've got yourself in quite a fix this time, haven't ya Roy-boy?"
Roy's eyes narrowed as he instantly recognized the voice. "Jean. What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed, staring hard at the man on the other side of the bars.
"Working." Havoc replied easily, leaning his back against the bars and continuing to twirl the keys around his finger. He heard the shackles around Roy's feet and wrists clank together as the man inside the cell struggled to find a more comfortable position.
"You mean working for Bradley." Roy clarified, leaning his back against the bars separating him and his long time friend. Had it not been for the bars separating the two men, and had Roy been standing, they would now be standing back to back.
A low chuckle emitted from the blonde. "So you knew?"
"Of course." Roy replied, his voice having taken on a professional tone of indifference. "I make a point of knowing what my subordinates are up to, and you've always done a shitty job of covering your tracks."
Havoc seemed to ignore the last remark. "You knew, and yet you did nothing?"
Instead of answering, Roy gave the Second Lieutenant a noncommittal grunt. He leaned his head back against the bars, staring at the ceiling above him. Seeing that the General wasn't going to say anything further, Havoc pushed away from the bars and ceased spinning the key ring for the first time since he'd entered the room. With a flick of his wrist he inserted one of the keys into the lock of Roy's holding cell before unlocking and slowly opening the cell door.
"In any case, the Fuhrer wishes to see you."
R-2-F
Night had fallen by the time Ed and Al arrived in Resembool. After the brothers had finished exploring the ghost town of Lior, they had decided to make a detour to Resembool. Edward flat out refused to return to Central, and the only other place the Elrics could consider home was none other than their hometown, Resembool. So after a quick call to Winry, the brothers had boarded a train and were on their way.
Now, as Ed stepped onto the train platform, rubbing his eyes wearily, he found he couldn't suppress a smile upon seeing his childhood friend awaiting their arrival. He was about to call to her, but his younger brother beat him to it.
"Winry!" Alphonse called, waving a heavy iron arm as he closed the distance between himself and the blonde girl in a few long strides.
"Alphonse!" Winry exclaimed, jumping and throwing her arms around the suit of armor's neck. "I can't believe you guys actually came!" The pair's laughter reached Ed, causing his smile to widen. The two really were too cute together.
It was at that moment that Winry spotted him and released his brother and bounded through the crowd, nearly tackling the blonde teen in her excitement. "Edward!"
Ed laughed and returned the embrace easily."It's been a while." He greeted, pulling away and giving his friend a once over. He couldn't help but noticed how much she'd grown, even though it had only been a few months or so since he'd seen her last; it felt like years. "You look all grown up." He commented, grinning.
"I'm not the only one." Winry countered, latching onto Alphonse's arm when he joined them. "You actually look your age!" She raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Did Roy make a man out of you, Edward?"
Alphonse sputtered, his helmet turning dark crimson. "Winry..." He whined, his eyes closing tightly as he tried to ward off the oncoming mental images the blonde girl had unknowingly given him.
Winry blinked, taking a moment to realize what was wrong with Alphonse. "Sorry, Al." She laughed, rubbing the boy's iron arm sympathetically. Ed's answering blush was all the answer the blonde girl needed. However, when that blush transformed into a scowl, she decided she'd better drop the subject. "Anyways, Grandma's got a feast prepared for you guys! C'mon, we've got to get back before it gets cold." She tugged on Alphonse's arm and began leading them to her parked car.
Winry filled the brothers in on the occurrences of the town during the drive to the house she still shared with Pinako. Upon their arrival Pinako greeted them both in her usual manner, thoroughly checking them both over before disappearing into the kitchen, grumbling about the military's soldiers and malnutrition. Ed and Al had both grown used to her way of worrying over them, and took it in stride. Edward made a point of eating second helpings to put the elderly woman at ease, while Alphonse assured her that they were both in perfect health.
After dinner the four of them spent several hours in the living room, catching up on lost times. After only an hour or so Pinako excused herself, allowing the youths a bit of privacy. Shortly after Ed excused himself, leaving only Winry and Al. As soon as she was sure the blonde teenager was out of earshot, Winry turned serious eyes to Alphonse.
"Al, what happened between Ed and Roy?" She demanded softly, her eyes belying her worry.
Alphonse shifted uncomfortably on the couch next to her. "I'm not exactly sure, Winry. They had a fight..." He explained, shrugging helplessly.
"And Ed won't tell you anything." Winry finished, knowing her blonde friend all too well. The oldest Elric would rather suffer through his problems alone than let someone else carry half of his burden. With a sigh, Winry curled up against Alphonse's side, seemingly oblivious to the discomfort the boy's iron build caused her. "I'm sorry, Al."
Alphonse gave a small smile, carefully putting an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. Al wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but Winry's soft snoring told him it was long enough for the blonde mechanic to fall asleep. With a small smile he used his free hand to pull a blanket over her sleeping form, careful not to jostle her. Once this was done he sighed softly and relaxed into the couch and waited for morning to come.
R-2-F
Roy fell to the ground, struggling to catch his breath. With almost herculean effort he managed to force himself to his knees, wiping the blood off of his lip with the back of his hand.
"Where is the boy?" Bradley demanded, fisting a hand in Roy's hair and using it to haul the General to his feet. He brought his own face within inches of Mustang's, his visible eye boring into onyx. "This is the last time I'll ask you."
Roy mustered up the strength to give his superior one of his trademark grins. "Then this is the last time I'll have to say this; I don't know."
With an angry growl Bradley threw Roy into the nearest wall. The General fell into a heap, all of his strength gone. He groaned softly and struggled to push himself off of the floor, but his arms gave way and he fell back with a heavy thud. In the corner of the room stood Havoc, though the man remained quiet throughout the 'interrogation'. Other than the Second Lieutenant, the only men in the room were Roy and Bradley. Roy was unsure of where the room was located, he had his guesses, but he wasn't given the time to ponder his whereabouts for too long. Bradley's shoe connected solidly with Roy's still sore ribs, eliciting a strangled cry from the proud General.
Bradley seemed delighted that he'd found a weakness in the alchemist and dug his foot into Roy's ribs. "If you tell us where Elric is, it is within my power to...overlook...your digressions." He frowned as he was answered with a dry laugh. "What the hell is so funny?" He snapped, scowling at the man that was every bit at his mercy.
Roy shook his head, ignoring the pain that was coursing through his body. "I might as well make a deal with the devil himself." He chuckled before his laughter turned into a fit of coughing. He doubled over once again, his mouth only inches above the grime covered floor. Blood trailed down his chin as his body was racked with coughs, and he vainly struggled to catch his breath.
Bradley watched on emotionlessly, his nose scrunched slightly in disgust as the General began to cough blood up onto the floor. He nodded to Havoc, who understood the silent message. Bradley watched carefully as the Second Lieutenant crossed the room and knelt beside his superior and former friend, before putting the General's arm around his shoulders and hauling him to his feet. Havoc then proceeded to lead Roy to the bed in the corner of the room. The bed was missing a mattress and only had a box spring, but it was better than the filth coated floor. He deposited Roy on the bed before moving to secure the straps at Roy's arms and feet so that the General was laying spread eagled on the bed. The shackles on Roy's wrists and feet had been removed prior to entering the room for this reason.
Bradley moved to the edge of the bed, nodding to the Second Lieutenant once again. Havoc obediently returned to his vacated corner and continued to watch the proceedings indifferently. Carefully Bradley uncorked a vial of liquid that he'd retrieved from his jacket only moments ago. He held it up so that Roy could see it more clearly. "Do you have any idea what is in this vial, General?"
Roy's eyes narrowed as he struggled to identify the liquid. His eyes darkened as he recognized the near-clear liquid. "Acid." He answered, his voice carefully kept level.
"Very good." Bradley agreed, tipping the bottle over just enough so that a drop could fall on the box spring beside Roy's hand. The fabric hissed softly as the acid ate at it slowly. "Now, let me try this one last time." The Fuhrer began, poising his hand above Roy's left eye. "Tell me where you sent Edward Elric."
R-2-F
Ed bolted upright the next morning, the covers falling to pool around his waist. His chest heaved erratically as he desperately fought to regain his breath. After a few moments his breathing slowly evened out and Ed fell back against his pillows. He ran a shaky hand over his face as he slowly began to regain his bearings. "Oh God..." He breathed, his voice a hoarse whisper.
He couldn't remember exactly what it was that he had dreamt, but he did remember that it had something to do with Roy. Damn that bastard, Edward cursed inwardly. He can't even leave me alone in my dreams!
A scowl marred the blonde's features as he struggled to recall what it was that had shaken him so, but his efforts were to no avail. Whatever he had dreamt was beyond his reach now. With a heavy sigh Ed swung his legs from beneath the covers, hesitantly shifting his weight from the bed to his feet.
With a small grunt he rose from the bed, scratching his head sleepily as he made his way into the adjourning bathroom. Ed put a hand on either side of the sink as he leaned his forehead against the bathroom mirror. He grimaced when he saw his reflection.
Dark circles were clearly present under his eyes and his skin shown an unnatural almost translucent pallor. His hair stuck in every which direction, a tell-tale sign of his restless sleep. Ed scowled at his reflection as he untangled the rubber band from his hair.
Memories of waking up next to Roy, the General's fingers lazily running through Ed's hair as they lay in bed assaulted Ed. Tears began to form in Ed's eyes at the memory, but the blonde stubbornly blinked them back. He refused to waste his time thinking of what was and what could have been. Roy had chosen to end things, and Ed would be damned if he'd let the General get to him.
With an angry growl Ed clapped his hands together, transforming his arm into a blade. He fisted his hair in his hand and brought the blade to the base of his neck. He took a deep breath before lifting his arm, the blade cutting through the blonde locks in one fluid motion. Ed watched in the mirror as the strands fell to the ground, transfixed.
"Edward!" Alphonse called, startling the blonde alchemist from his morbid memories. Ed stepped out of the bathroom only to run into the steel chest of his younger brother. He scowled as he rubbed his forehead. "What is it, Al?" He grumbled, glaring at the suit of armor.
"There's a phone call for you." Alphonse explained quickly, ushering his older brother into the kitchen where the phone awaited. "It's Sergeant Fuery."
"What the hell does he want? Doesn't he know I'm not one of the military's dogs anymore?" Ed demanded, his anger flaring.
"Just listen to him!" Alphonse snapped, shoving the phone at the teen.
"Alright, alright!" Ed seethed, grudgingly taking the phone. "What the hell do you want, Sergeant?"
"Fullmetal! Thank God I've finally found you! I've got urgent-"
"Hold it!" Ed interrupted. "I'm not 'Fullmetal' anymore, or didn't you get the memo? Tell the teme-sama to get someone else to do his dirty work, he did fire me, and all." Before the blonde could continue ranting, the usually meek man spoke up.
"Would you shut up and listen to me?" Ed was stunned into silence. "Thank you!" Fuery huffed, his tone remaining deadly serious. "Now, when does the next train leave Resembool?"
Ed glanced at the clock, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Twenty minutes or so. Why?"
"Alright. Get on that train and return to Central as soon as possible. There's no time to waste."
"Wait a minute, what the hell are you yappin' about, Sergeant?"
"I don't have the time to explain everything in full detail, Fullmetal, but I can tell you this; General Mustang has been found guilty of treason."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ed demanded, his face paling. If the Sergeant's words had shocked him, nothing could have prepared Edward for Fuery's next words.
"Roy's guilty of treason, Edward." Fuery repeated, his voice uncharacteristically calm. "He's to be executed tomorrow morning."
R-2-F
Author's Note: Wow, this chapter took so much out of me. I stopped and started it half a dozen times, and I'm still not sure if I'm happy about certain aspects of it. I'm sorry that updates are coming out so slow right now. Finals and what not were last week, and on top of that the first part of my chapter literally ran off. I'd typed up the first two sections on my sister's laptop last weekend and had forgotten to send the chapter to my other computer. Lame excuse, I know, but true.
As always, a huge thanks to all of my readers!
On a side note, I'd like to mention that I was completely at a loss as to how to have Winry address Pinako. My Beta was no help, so I decided to use the generic term "grandma" instead of trying to make up anything.
Until next time!
R2F