Chapter Five: Interrogation

Roy woke up the following morning, and slowly the events of the previous day started crawling back into his mind. His dream had been so wonderful. He was able to relive his first date with Ed, and it had wound up tricking him into believing everything was alright. He could almost taste the combination of coffee, scotch, and Edward in his mouth, and his lips tingled as if they had just lost contact with something they loved and craved. The colonel sat up, and glanced out the window. The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping. Tears stung his eyes with bitterness.

Today was the day they would interrogate Frank Archer.

***

Roy dressed in new clothes that had been delivered to his door, and after a short breakfast that he ate in his room rather than in the company of his team, he made his way for the room they were keeping Archer in.

Archer was been held in a room all by himself at the end of a hall. Standing directly in front of the door was Lin who held a key in his hand, and standing with their backs to the wall and their faces stoic stood his companions. Riza was the first to speak.

She saluted as he approached, as did his men. "Good morning Sir. We've been waiting for you."

Roy didn't reply. He simply nodded, and stopped in front of Lin.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lin asked Roy. "I don't want you killing the man in my palace. It would be rather...messy to clean up."

"Just let me in," Roy growled, causing Al and the others to shiver. The tone Roy had used definitely had bloodlust in it. Or at least on that was lusting for revenge.

Lin sighed and began unlocking the door. "Fine. Fine. Just keep blood to a minimum, or at least contained."

The emperor pushed open the door, revealing the room that they had been keeping Archer in. In Roy's opinion, it was too classy for a traitor. It was a room about as big as the bedroom that Roy had slept in, with a standard hospital bed backed up against the wall. White tiles stretched across the room's floor, medical carts were present, but unlike any hospital that Roy had ever been to, there were no windows in the room, only fluorescent lights stretching across the ceiling. Archer was stilling up on his bed his eyes gazing outward while his mind was submerged into his own personal oblivion. Or so Roy hoped.

As each of them filed into the room, they noted the lack of response that came from Archer. His eyes were glazed over and distant, and his body was still and slumped forward with his hands in his lap. Al was the last one that entered the room, and once he did, Lin walked back out the door and closed in behind him.

Chairs had been lined against the wall for the reason of this interrogation, and everyone took a seat in one with the exception of Roy. The youngest Elric sat in between Hughes and Havoc, and was glancing around the room nervously. Everyone had grim expressions on, and mixed in to their once stoic faces was now a hint of nervousness pain as if they were predicting the torture to come. Al had never witnessed an interrogation first hand, and didn't bode well with the though of consciously inflicting pain on another person- no matter what they did. But they need answers. They need to save his brother. So for that reason, Al remained silent.

Roy brought an additional chair out, and sat it before his men. Al at first thought that this was where Roy was going to sit, but instead, and to Al's surprise, Armstrong got up and walked over to Archer's bed. Archer didn't respond to this movement.

"Mr. Archer," Armstrong said, his voice strong but formal as always, "please stand."

When Archer didn't comply, Armstrong lifted him from the bed, walked him over, and sat him down into the chair. Roy, who was frowning deeply, circled the chair. Archer was now gazing at the faces around him, almost as if wondering when they entered the room.

"Mustang..." he rasped.

Roy gave him and icy glare. "You must know why I'm here, Archer," Roy stated. His tone was just as icy as his glare.

Archer looked down at the floor. "I'm not telling you shit, Mustang," he growled.

The Flame Alchemist nearly lost his cool. He grabbed Archer by the collar of his battered military uniform and lifted him off his seat. Al never knew that his brother's lover could be so strong or so absolutely terrifying.

"You'd had better tell me what I want to know," Roy growled fiercely. "Or else it's going to get real ugly, real fast."

Archer grimaced, but reluctantly asked, "What exactly do you want to know?"

Al's heart fluttered. Maybe it would be possible to get answers without violence.

Roy released Archer back into the chair with a heavy thud. "What was your motive to approach Erik and the others? How did you come into contact with them? And why did they decide to help you?"

Archer snorted as if Roy had asked a simple question. "Their motivation is-was, money of course. Why else would they work for me? I doubt they would work for free, Mustang."

"Then why did they double cross you?"

"How should I know?!" Archer yelled angrily. "I didn't expect them to fucking shoot me! I thought that they were gonna take the goods, then I ordered them to-" Archer cut himself off.

Roy narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "What did you order them to do next, Archer?"

Archer remained silent. It was as if he knew telling Mustang would bring unwanted results. Roy noticed this too.

"Tell me!" he yelled.

Archer replied in a low voice, hoping Roy wouldn't hear him. "Their orders were to take the money and the signed document, then shoot the hostage."

Out of pure rage, Roy punched Archer, sending him tipping back and hitting the floor. "YOU WANTED TO KILL ED?!"

Archer spat some blood out of his mouth. "Needless to say, things didn't go as planned."

Roy lifted Archer up by the collar, righted the chair, and sat him in it. "We know that they're working for Edo now," Roy stated. "We want to know why."

"You think that I'd know?" Archer snapped. "I wish I knew myself! Mustang, I have no idea why they take orders from him. As far as I know, he didn't bring much money with him to Xing."

Roy paced in front of Archer, his gloved hand rubbing his chin. "Do they have anything in common?" he asked. "Is there some link between them?"

Archer didn't reply. To Al, who was watching the situation intently, it seemed as though Archer had some idea, but wasn't saying it for whatever reason.

"Do you know something, Archer?" Al asked. His friends from Central looked surprised at this sudden question from Al.

Archer averted his eyes. He had no idea that the younger Elric was there as well. And he was out of the protective armor. The ex-colonel felt strange knowing that he had caused so much pain to the young boy; he didn't give a rat's ass if he hurt Mustang's feelings, but to do the same to a young kid? That was a tad much. But there was no stopping it now.

"Well Archer?" Mustang growled. "What is it that you have to say?"

"There is a connection between them," Archer admitted. "But there's no way in Hell I'm going to tell you what it is."

Instead of resorting to violence again, Roy simply smiled. This worried everyone, including Archer. That smile was scary.

"No way in Hell you say?"

Roy flexed his right hand and his fingers, and it was then Hughes knew what Roy was up to.

"Well, you know what that old curse is. Go burn in Hell. Well, we don't have Hell fire for you, but I do have my own."

Roy snapped his fingers, sending out a single wave of fire that connected with the bottom of Archer's pant leg. The military uniform wasn't made of fire proof material, so soon a small fire began to creep up Archer's leg. The wounded man moved to try and put out the fire, but Roy held his arms tight.

"Armstrong! Come hold him up!" he commanded.

The Strong Arm Alchemist jumped from his seat, and went to Archer, whom he held up in the air by his wrists. He held him at a safe distance so if he struggled, Armstrong could not be hurt.

Roy addressed Archer again. "So, how does it feel? Knowing that in only minutes you will be fully engulfed in flames?"

"Mustang you bastard!" Archer yelled as he lashed out with his feet. "I hope you get what you deserve! You are a cold hearted bastard!"

Roy's eyes fell to the floor and he balled up his fists. He had been told that millions of times. Over and over again by that one special blonde. He called him that even when the two were dating. Edward used it both as a curse for Roy, and also as a pet name.

"So I have been told," Roy growled. "Now, tell me! What is their connection?!"

Archer spat at the colonel's feet. In response, Armstrong gripped his wrists tighter.

"You'd better tell me soon," Roy taunted. "The flames are already moving past your knees."

Archer didn't need to be told. He could feel it. He could feel the intense heat eat up the fabric of his pants, and burn through to scorch his skin. He was using most of his strength just not to scream. That would give Roy too much pleasure. But enough was enough he decided.

"They are all failed alchemists!" Archer cried out, just as the flames began burning at his thighs. All of his pent up pain came out in his confessions, making them more of frantic screams than anything else. "They each lost someone special and failed to bring them back!"

"What do you mean failed?" Roy snapped. "Tell me or I'll let your whole body burn!"

"Each had a loved one that died, and when they tried to bring them back using alchemy, they failed!" Archer screamed, losing all his pride. "Make it stop Mustang! Put out the fucking fire!"

"Are you lying to me? You had better not be lying to me!" Roy yelled.

"I'm not!"

Satisfied that Archer wasn't lying, he had Armstrong place him down, and motioned Havoc and Breda to put out the flames using a bucket of water that was sat nearby. Lin must have predicted what Roy's method would come to. After being dowsed with water, Archer threw his head back against the chair, groaning from the pain of the burns.

"Fuery, go get Lin for some medical attention," Roy commanded, causing the man to jump into action. "Havoc, Breda, Armstrong, stop him from screaming and put him back into his bed. We're done here."

Roy began to walk towards the door, a worried look in his eyes. Hawkeye stayed behind to help with Archer, and Al continued sitting in the chair with a look of pondering on his face. The colonel closed the door behind him and began walking down the hallway before he heard the door open again.

Roy frowned, his past flying back into his face. He had set fire to so many people during the Ishbal Massacre; he couldn't look at flames without seeing their faces. He had set fire to Archer without a second thought. It worried him. "Please, tell me I did the right thing," he asked of his friend.

Hughes, who had followed Roy out of worry, placed a comforting hand on Roy's shoulder. "I would have done the same thing Roy. He was being uncooperative, and you warned him ahead of time, didn't you? I say that's fair."

"What should I do now?" Roy asked. "I have a link, but how do I-"

"I think first off we need to head back to Central. We can't stay in Xing forever, and we should all see our families. It might do us some good."

Roy made a sour face. "But Edward isn't going to be there."

"You still have the kids Mustang," Hughes growled. "You can't be forgetting about them."

Roy nodded. He hadn't been paying attention to them at all since Ed was kidnapped. In fact, he had hardly seen them at all. He usually had Al or Scieszka taking care of them. "You're right Hughes."

"Aren't I always?" he asked with a smile.

"What should I do about Archer?" Roy asked. Really, he just wanted to kill him. But realistically, it would be better to have him taken to court and have him tell the rest of the military all about his plan. He would hopefully then be charged with treason, along with several other charges.

"Send him back to Central," Hughes stated. "We need him to be put before a judge."

"It's decided then. We'll catch the next train to Central."