A/N: I'm so proud of you all! I asked for your support last chapter and I received an overwhelming positive response! XD The number of people reading has also zoomed back up to the amount it was before. I'm so glad to know you're all still interested in this! It was beginning to look like there was no point in updating back there. :/ But anyway, thank you!
I also apologize for the slightly late update. My computer died, and yes, it did have all my Night Eyes chapters on it. And me being the silly person that I am, I forgot to put them on a USB, and I lost all of them. My bad, guys! I've been working on re-writing this chapter for the past three nights straight- I have school and other commitments and stuff. I have to say, this chapter is pretty boring, since nothing really happened in it... but I needed to write something to get me back off the ground. I promise next chapter will be more interesting. :)
Chapter 18-
Ed scaled the walls of the military HQ building with unnatural ease, moving too fast for the human eye to see. After all, there were scores of military personnel in the building, all intent on doing their jobs (or, in some cases, avoiding the paperwork). Usually he only came at night when no-one was around, but he wanted to know what had happened to that meddlesome group of humans after the explosion. Not that he cared or anything, but Edward thought he should know if any of them were injured, in case they needed to make a quick escape or something. That was all.
He paused outside the familiar window which belonged to the Colonel's office, hearing voices come from inside.
"Do we absolutely have to, Major? Isn't there some way to postpone it?" an unfamiliar female voice spoke, sounding distressed.
"I'm afraid we must, second Lieutenant Ross. Colonel Mustang and his team will be declared Missing In Action. Something must have happened to them- no-one can simply vanish off the face of the Earth like they did. Of course, disappearing stealthily without a trace is an art which has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" another unfamiliar voice boomed, this time a male.
"This is terrible," said the first human worriedly. "They just vanished from the hospital room without a trace… no signs of a fight or anything…"
The voices faded as the pair walked away from Ed, but that was all he'd needed to hear. He already knew exactly where the group would be, and shot off in the direction of the entrance to the Clan.
Mustang leant heavily against the smooth surface of the wall. After travelling for another seemingly endless time under the guidance of Heath and Ricky, the group of nine had decided to stop to let the humans eat. The two vampires had completely forgotten that humans need to eat regularly, and once they remembered Heath sent Ricky off to find something for them. By this time, Mustang thought that Heath and Ricky were not a trap but were indeed their allies. Judging by the amount of traps they'd passed, if Mustang and his team had gone through alone they undoubtedly would have perished. Mustang glanced across to the older vampire opposite him as the others talked amongst themselves.
"Exactly how long is this trap tunnel? Are we ever going to reach an exit?" the young colonel inquired wearily. After all this time, surely there had to be an exit around somewhere! In fact, it was probably day time by now. So much time had been wasted.
Heath returned his glance steadily. "There are exits placed periodically along the walls. We are just meters away from one such exit- the first one we will have passed since we joined you."
Mustang blinked and looked around, but the uninteresting, dim, white hallway was exactly the same as before- nothing had changed. If Heath and Ricky weren't there, Mustang suspected he and his team would never have found it.
Ricky returned soon afterward with some food, water, and a bulky bag, which Hawkeye immediately inquired about.
"Actually, I found these in one of our equipment rooms. They're yours, right?" Ricky grinned mischievously, setting the bag down and pulling it open. The bag held several guns and a pair of white gloves.
Havoc smiled as the officers all dove for their respective weapons. "Thanks, Ricky."
Al didn't need a weapon- as long as he had his piece of chalk he was fine. Winry, however, had never held a gun until that moment. Hawkeye held out the formidable metal killing machine to her with a serious, meaningful look in her eyes. Winry regarded it fearfully for a moment, before accepting the spare gun with trembling hands.
Soon the group was well rested and well fed, and were ready to move on with a new sense of energy and clarity. Mustang slowly stood, using the wall as a support. His head no longer burst with pain at the slightest indication of movement, and he could stand and even walk without suffering from more than an intense migraine.
"All right," Heath declared, leading the odd group to a specific part of the smooth wall. To Havoc's eyes, it looked exactly like every other wall he'd seen in this place. He'd kill to see a proper colour again!
"Ricky and I will escort you all into the presence of the Elders. However, as we are not Seniors, we will have to cease our guidance at the entrance. Mere guards are not allowed in the vicinity of the Elders without a summons," Heath gazed intensely into the eyes of Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Al and Winry. "It is probable that we will never see you again afterward."
"Because you're busy...?" Winry queried uncertainly.
"No. Because after you finish your penance task, the Clan will not let you live." Heath's quiet but frank words echoed chillingly off the barren walls. Without another word, he turned and ran his hand over the wall until, to Al's surprise, it began to glow. Heath pressed his hand down, activating a trigger of some sort, which pulled the wall apart into two distinct doors. The entrance grated as it moved outward to allow them access.
Mustang heard Winry gasp, but didn't turn to check because he was positively stunned. There were hundreds of vampires in what appeared to be only one long room! The ceiling soared high above their heads, with several more levels above the one they were currently on. Below them, more levels stretched as far as the human eye could see. Several wrecked buildings were scattered across the vast space, most of them falling into ruins. After a moment, Mustang figured that it was like one main corridor, with millions of other corridors branching off the main one. He could remember Ricky saying that there were seven main corridors under Central alone.
Seven? Seven of these monstrous caverns utterly filled with vamps? Mustang gulped, and started when he realized he'd already pulled his gloves on unconsciously. He raised his right hand, poised in a pre-snap position, and stepped into the corridor. He could feel his team follow him, and smirked slightly. He knew it didn't matter where he led them- they would always follow him, faithfully, even into the utmost danger. In return, he would never allow any serious harm to come to any of them. Except... for one team member. Mustang knew he'd never forgive himself for what happened to Breda.
As the group of nine passed into the main hallway everything fell chillingly silent, and every head turned in their direction. Hundreds of crimson-red eyes blazed with fury and indignation that their food would dare to trespass on their territory. One man nearest to the group growled and attacked. Mustang acted purely on reflex- the vamp was far too fast for any coherent thought to form. He snapped as the guy was just centimeters away from his face, and left the charred remains to fall to the floor. He heard to gunshots as this occurred- another crazed vampire fell from Hawkeye's gun, but Havoc wasn't as good a shot as Hawkeye, and his bullet didn't kill the woman attacking him. She crashed into him, using her momentum to get close to his neck, and very nearly impaled the officer until another gunshot sounded, and the vampire went completely limp.
"Thanks, Hawkeye," Havoc coughed, covering his bleeding neck with his left hand, keeping his gun in his right. The woman had managed to scratch two long trails into the right side of his neck.
Mustang helped him up, but couldn't keep a smirk off his face. "I see you finally found a woman who chased you," he commented teasingly, and Havoc glared.
"Shut up, you womanizer!" he scowled, and Mustang chuckled under his breath, taking the words as a joke. If he took them seriously, he'd have to court marshal his subordinate.
The vampires had stopped attacking, partly because Heath and Ricky were now visibly guarding them, and partly because of the shock the crowd was feeling. Prey never even defended properly, let alone went on offense, and the revelation stunned the vicious creatures into immobility. The group began to move, heading across the room and halfway up the stairs, the vamps backing away as they did so. Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Al felt a claw slice down his back, and he gasped in pain as the vampire attacked from above. Hawkeye shot him quite efficiently, and Mustang incinerated another two. Again silence overcame the cavern as the vampires retreated to the shadows, watching and waiting for a single moment of weakness or vulnerability in which to attack.
Three levels and countless attacks later, they reached a deserted level which led into the top floor of one of the ruins, however this one seemed to be in better repair. Heath and Ricky both stopped here and bowed, using the hand-to-heart-and-forehead movement they'd used earlier to greet Hawkeye. When they turned to face the humans, each wore a serious and even slightly sad expression- as if they were somehow sending them to their deaths.
"The Elders live in here," Ricky said in a hushed tone, sounding awed.
"And so, we can go no further," Heath also used a low voice. "I hope with all my heart that somehow fate lets you all survive this encounter, so that we may meet again. Farewell."
"Goodbye," Ricky waved unhappily.
"But-" Fuery tried, but the two had already vanished like smoke.
There was a slight pause before Mustang spoke. "Let's go." He headed past them all, taking the lead again, with Hawkeye and Havoc to either side and Fuery, Falman, Winry and Al in the middle. The ruined, cracked doors swung open silently as they approached, and the weary group suddenly found themselves under the intense gazes of the Elders.