He hated that the boy looked like him. But no matter the resemblance it was still her son.
He was never able to forget her. He was sure he would have had a chance if it wasn't for him. After being transferred to Central he hoped with the desk job he'd have access to records in order to look her up. But paperwork was lost, shuffled around and records for volunteers were not always kept. He didn't even know she had left the front not long after he did; that she had been in Central through the rest of the war. He never would have known except for a stray sheet of paper with no home with a recommendation that she be given a grant to continue her nursing education as a thank you for her volunteer work. There were no records stating a grant was ever accepted or given though.
It wasn't until years later, when every village, town, city, of Amestris was required to submit a census list. He would sneak in late at night where the lists were received and scan through the names. He found her; found where she lived but that bastard returned from Xing and was promoted Brigadier General and he resigned. Now that he was free he thought he'd have the opportunity to seek her out. But he was wrong.
Grumman had him running back and forth between Amestris, Drachma, and Xing, always researching and experimenting. He hardly had any time for himself. While everyone was living their lives he was stuck with the old man's demands and frustrations over failed experiments. Then, after all his hard work over the years he finally had the opportunity to look Erika up.
He hoped as the years passed she would be available. He told himself not to get his hopes up and of course he was disappointed to find her married and worse was finding that she had his son.
Just take him for your own. The girl too. It's what you want.
'No, I don't want the girl.' Russell thought, irritated that his thoughts were no longer his own. 'She'll always be thinking of him and I've never met her before. She doesn't mean anything to me. She's not Erika.'
Erika, shmerika. She's an old hag now. Take the young one.
'No!'
Greed sighed. I don't see what use the boy will be anyways. He's too old.
'But if he hates Ed in the end, that's all that matters.'
You're wasting your time with them. You need to get Envy to talk.
'How?'
Just give him what he wants.
'But you said...'
I know what I said but we can handle him after he's told us. Use the boy or the girl.
'No, we can use them.'
Then the old man.
'We need him to keep the Drachmans in check.'
Use those two thugs.
'They're still useful too so that just leaves...'
"What the hell are you doing?!" Grumman yelled.
His glasses were knocked askew, arms stretched out in front of him as he caught himself before he took a good bite out of the dashboard. He was glaring at Russell who barely caught himself too from crashing through the windshield after stepping on the brakes.
Grumman sat fuming, waiting for Russell to answer. That familiar, sinister laugh echoed through his head as he sat, breathing hard, gripping the steering wheel tight.
Do it! Do it now before you lose your nerve!
Russell looked at Grumman but instead of answering him he reached for a jar that held a small, pathetic looking creature. He opened the door of the truck and jumped out, Grumman's protest ringing in his ears. Rushing around the back he unlocked it and swung the doors open. Inside, two large men blinked at their boss. They looked cross after being thrown across the truck from the sudden stop.
"Hey, boss, what's the deal?" One of them questioned.
"Shut up and get out," Russell ordered.
They weren't moving fast enough for him. He jumped in and shoved them out, shutting the doors behind them.
"I'll give you a body," Russell said looking at the creature through the glass. "But you swear to tell me how to control the army."
"I swear," Envy chuckled.
Russell nodded. He started to move boxes around until he got to the false wall where his prisoners were being kept behind.
"Wait a minute," Envy said. "I don't want any of them as a body."
"Then who?!" Russell said, frustrated. "One of those idiots outside."
"No. The body I want is in the Gate."
"Gate?" Russell asked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Have you ever wondered how the Fullmetal Alchemist gained the ability to transmute without a circle?"
"Yeah."
"I can tell you."
"How?"
"It can only be done by getting me the body I want."
Just do it, Greed said. After he's told us what we want we can still kill him. The body will be weak unless he's replenished with a stone and we'll just keep that from happening.
'But what about you? You'll need the stone too. Besides, he's the only one who can tell us how to make one; he might get someone else to do it.'
We'll worry about that later. I just want the army. With the army, we can create as many stones as we want.
Russell silently agreed with Greed and then out loud, "Alright, show me."
Fletcher had come to again and Elysia was in the middle changing his bandage when the truck stopped suddenly, sending all three of them sliding into the sides of the truck hard. Fletcher cried out, hitting his head against the side. Elysia picked herself up and checked on him. Despite hitting his head again he was alright. They all were but for some bumps and bruises they'd be nursing later.
Then it was quiet. Too quiet. The truck didn't start back up immediately and but for some muffled sounds coming from the other side of the wall nothing happened. They sat, frozen in nervous silence bracing themselves for... what? They had no idea but they all seemed to feel that something wasn't right.
Several minutes later the wall in front of them began to glow bright blue and the whole thing melted away, absorbed into the sides of the truck. They blinked at the bright overhead lights that had been installed and lit the side of the truck they had been kept from. Boxes had been pushed aside and were scattered around leaving a clearing in the middle of the truck. In the middle stood Russell.
He looked at the three of them. There was a wild, crazed look in his eye. But there was a sense of hesitation about him, like he wasn't sure what he was going to do next... or if he wanted to. There was some internal battle he was fighting and it didn't take long for him to finish. He steeled himself, setting his mouth into a firm smirk and walked over to where Elysia and Fletcher were.
"Russell," Fletcher said weakly, looking at his brother with fear in his eyes.
"Hey, Fletch, you're up," Russell said with more friendliness in his voice than could be believed.
"Why are you doing this?"
Russell bent down and shook his head like he was disappointed with his brother. "If you had just gone along without going against me I wouldn't have had to hurt you like I did."
"You have to let them go," Fletcher croaked. "Do what you want with me but let them go."
"Sorry," Russell said sounding like it but not looking it. "No can do." He stood up and looked down at the three of them, his eyes finally resting on Richard and approached him.
He kneeled before Richard with a smile of false reassurance. "Do you know how your father became a State Alchemist when he was only twelve?" Russell asked.
Richard shook his head.
"No," Russell said disappointed. "Well, how about you Mrs. Elric," he said the name with contempt, looking over his shoulder at Elysia. "You know don't you?"
Elysia didn't say anything. She gripped the sleeve of Fletcher's shirt in a tight fist. An evil smile spread across Russell's face and he turned back to Richard. "Then I guess I'll show you."
He got back up and went back to Fletcher, grabbing him by the leg. Russell started to drag his brother away from Elysia but she grabbed hold of Fletcher under his arms and pulled back. Russell pulled a little harder taking Elysia with him but Richard scurried over to help. Together they held onto Fletcher who winced from being pulled two different ways.
"What are you going to do with him?" Elysia asked, frightened. She had a vague idea but she was no alchemist and she didn't know what Russell was trying to achieve.
"Watch and you'll find out," Russell said dropping Fletcher's leg. He grabbed hold of Richard, shaking him loose then pushed him against the back of the truck, knocking the wind out of him.
Russell reached into his pocket, took out a piece of chalk and quickly drew a transmutation circle. Placing his hand over it he activated it. Within the blue light a metal cuff sprouted out of the wall connected to a piece of chain. Another one grew out a second later. Taking Richard's arm, Russell locked his wrist in the hand cuff. He turned and eyed Elysia.
She knew she could make a run for it. She had a chance. There was nothing blocking her from the door, no one would blame her for making the attempt. If she got away she could send help for Richard and Fletcher but she couldn't move; she couldn't leave them alone with Russell. But she had a feeling she never would have made it because Russell was next to her in a flash and dragging her over to where Richard was struggling with the cuff and chain.
Russell locked the metal around her wrist and went back to his brother. Grabbing him by the leg again he dragged him further towards the middle of the truck where there were markings drawn on the floor. Once in the middle of those markings, Russell dropped his brother's leg.
"Russell," Fletcher gasped. "What are you doing?"
"You said you wanted to help me and I found a way for you to."
Stepping away from Fletcher, Russell stepped outside the boundary of the marking and kneeled placing his hands along the edge. He activated the transmutation circle.
The glow started out the same. Blue light that brightened until it blinded from the power of the array. Then the light shifted and began to whip around, turning yellow then red, bathing them all in the fiery glow.
"No!" Elysia shouted pulling on the chain, trying to slip her hand through. But it was tight against her wrist, cutting into her. "Don't do it!" She sobbed, still struggling.
"What's he doing?" Richard asked her worriedly, starting to shake. Instinctively he drew closer to Elysia.
"Please, Russell," Fletcher cried out over the noise of the transmutation as it grew in force. "I'll do whatever you want, please don't do this to me!"
"Too late," Russell said without feeling, his face twisted and evil as the red light played against his features, casting dark shadows that moved and shifted, making him unrecognizable.
Fletcher managed to roll over and tried to drag himself out of the array. As his fingers reached the edge Elysia and Richard watched, shocked as his fingertips never touched the line around the circle.
It was as if he was slowly being torn away, bits at a time that began with his fingertips, then his fingers... his hand... his arm, like dirt blown away in the wind. His entire body was eaten away, the bits of particle that was Fletcher swirling and dancing within a tornado confined within the border of the circle. A blood curdling scream of panic and fear erupted. Elysia and Richard flinched and cowered closer together unable to close their eyes to the horror before them.
Momentarily, Russell was hidden by the storm of light and the whipping of elements. Then slowly, the wind began to die down. The light faded back to yellow and the pieces that were spun around in a wild funnel storm began to settle and drift to the floor forming into something.
Russell was no longer obscured and Elysia and Richard could see he looked exhausted. He was on all fours, his head hung low and he was panting until he collapsed. In front of him, lying sprawled out the form of a man took definite shape as he was surrounded by blue light that then dissipated, leaving them back in the glow of the overhead lights.
Elysia and Richard held their breath, hardly able to work air through their lungs, staring at the scene before them. Where Fletcher was once lying a man with long, dark hair and completely nude was in his place, lying on his clothes. Richard's legs gave out and he sat down hard, his arm still held up by the chain. Elysia felt every bone in her body locked in place.
As the man stirred and began to sit up, Russell too picked himself up watching the man carefully.
"Where the hell am I?" The long haired man asked his voice dry and cracked, like he hadn't used it in years.
"Within the borders of Drachma," Russell answered circling around slowly to come face to face with the man sitting within the circle.
"And who are you?"
"Your new best friend," Russell said with a smile. "I'd like to be the first to welcome you back," he added holding out his hand, "Crimson Alchemist."