...But they would have had to come against the homunculi army...
Al froze and Edward's words echoed through his head. Now they were about to face a homunculi army for real.
"The Amestris military had been harvesting souls for years to create enough Philosopher's Stones to fuel them," Lin went on. "I think that's what Drachma is doing."
All three fell silent absorbing this shocking and all too real possibility. Then Al broke out in a run followed closely by Lin and Havoc. He didn't know how far they had to travel but they didn't have time to waste. He couldn't leave Elysia and Richard in the hands of men who would create such an atrocity much longer. But there was the reality of what to do about the army… One thing at a time, he told himself.
He came to the river, clapped and dropped his hands to the ground, creating a land bridge that stretched across and ran across before it was even complete. Once the other two men were over he contemplated removing the bridge but thought of the troops following. Part of him wanted the back up the soldiers would provide if they were coming across a dangerous, mindless, immortal army but another part didn't want them to follow to face such a fate. He was even tempted to have Havoc radio them to say not to follow but he held his tongue and kept the bridge in place.
They reached the forest that bridged the gap between the mountain ridges and halfway through it began evening set in. Fortunately it was a clear night and there was still enough light for them to continue at a steady pace though as time passed it became harder to pick through the forest without branches and twigs tripping and scratching them.
"How far do you think they are going?" Al asked looking over his shoulder at Havoc. He felt fatigue coming upon him but he didn't want to stop and rest at the cost of losing Russell and Kimbley's trail.
"If they want to avoid attracting attention from their own government yet want to stay close to attack Amestris without us noticing until it was too late... I'd say a hundred miles from the border."
"That could take us nearly two days to walk depending on the terrain!" Al exclaimed, starting the feel the beginnings of panic set in.
"We need to find some kind of transport if we want to keep up," Havoc said. "I'm thinking once we're through this pass and in Drachma we might scout around a bit. There should be some mines along the ridge..."
"You mean to steal…?"
"Of course," Havoc said as if Al were crazy, "how else will we get there in time? Lin even said they're moving faster."
"But that would be risky to steal something. It could give us away," Al said not liking the idea.
"It's that or you make a car or truck..."
"I wish," Al sighed, seeing Havoc's point but still not liking the idea. "We don't have the materials and I'm not that familiar with the exact details of an internal combustion engine."
"I'm going to scout ahead," Lin interrupted. "Those mines you talked about could be something else. Or the area could be patrolled by the Drachman military."
"True," Havoc agreed. "Technically the valley is a neutral zone and that tunnel was supposed to be blocked. But if Russell has been planning this with Grumman they may have set up some guards on the Drachman side to see to their easy passage through this area by foot if it was ever needed."
"Could things get any worse?" Al groaned.
"A little more than you bargained for?" Havoc asked with a smirk.
"I'm starting to feel my inexperience."
"You'll be fine, you're an Elric," Lin reassured with a smile but it didn't help Al's confidence much. "You two stay on this path and continue due north. I'll be back when I find something."
"Be careful," Al called out as Lin disappeared in the darkness.
Al and Havoc continued in the dark, their pace slowed by the rough ground and the limited moon light that filtered through the dense trees of the forest, as well as from fatigue. They had been going non-stop since leaving Briggs to follow after Edward. Adrenaline faded long ago, leaving them drained.
The trees began to thin out and they slowed even more as they went forward cautiously. Lin hadn't returned yet and they weren't sure what was ahead of them. But they kept going until they saw a dirt road ahead. Both men steadily approached, trying to be as quiet as they could. At the edge of the road Havoc took a step out and looked both ways. Nothing. It was eerily quiet and dark, Al was afraid to even breathe fearing it would break the silence. Looking around, there were no signs of habitation visible within their line of sight.
"Al, Jean."
They turned to their right and saw Lin appear out of the thin foliage on the other side of the road. Leaves and twigs could be seen clinging to his clothes as he stepped out into the moonlit road.
"I figured you'd arrive soon so I decided to wait," Lin explained as they came to meet him.
"What did you find?" Havoc asked getting down to business.
"Down the road, two miles west," Lin pointed to his left. "There's a camp with six men. They're armed and they have two trucks. I think they're Drachman soldiers but they're in plain clothes and they're working for Russell and Grumman."
"How do you know?" Al asked.
"They were complaining about taking orders from Amestrians. But they in turn were ordered to by their commanding officer. Al," Lin said looking at him seriously. "I could have easily taken them out but I didn't. This isn't normally your area of expertise and I didn't want to shock you. I also think you have a say in the matter."
Al looked back and forth between the two men nervously. "I don't want to kill anyone. They're only following orders…"
"But they could radio ahead that we're coming," Havoc pointed out.
"We'll disable their communications equipment and the other truck we don't take…"
"And the men?" Lin pressed. "If we knock them out they'll awaken," he added as if he read Al's thoughts, "and if they stay we'll run into them again and who knows how long it'll take us to come back through this way. They could still go for help, bring back more soldiers and wait for us..."
"You think I should have a say but whatever I do say will just be argued against." Al said angrily.
"I want you to understand that we may have to do something that goes against your ideals."
Al looked pleadingly at Havoc but it was obvious he was of the same opinion as Lin. Both men had seen and done more than this. This was nothing more than what Havoc had been ordered to do or what Lin had ordered his own men to do in the past. But those were war time situations. This wasn't… or was it? Al lowered his head slightly, staring at the ground. Then finally he nodded his consent.
"Okay, follow me," Lin said.
They quietly crept down the road, hugging the tree line, going as fast as they could. At the pace they kept it didn't take them long to cover the two miles. To Al his steps felt clumsy and loud compared to the practiced ease of Havoc and Lin. He knew he wasn't that loud but every little sound seemed amplified to the point of shouting out their presence. As they got close enough Al could see light from a camp fire and the voices of men.
"You should stay here, Al," Havoc said.
Al swallowed nervously. "Alright." He knew what they were doing; trying to protect the baby brother as much as they could for Edward, the main goal of his life since returning Al to his body. He wondered if he would always be stuck with the label even though he was thirty five; Edward's innocent little brother. But he didn't mind at the moment. He didn't want to see first hand what Havoc and Lin were about to do.
Both men crept off quietly, leaving Al behind. He watched as Lin pointed Havoc to go one way and they slowly circled around the camp. Al closed his eyes but he couldn't close his ears to the sounds of men who were caught by surprise and tried to fight back uselessly. Gun shots rang through the air and a bullet hit the tree he was standing next to, sending splinters down on him as he ducked. A couple minutes later it was over and nerve rackingly quiet.
Al kneeled, his breathing unsteady, heart beating rapidly from the close shot. When he didn't hear anything right away he almost feared the worst until he heard Havoc call out to him.
"It's clear, Al."
He stood and stepped away from the tree feeling a little wobbly. He entered the small clearing the plain clothes Drachman soldiers had been using and found it strewn with their bodies. There were six men altogether. All were dead. Al didn't stop to inspect how they got that way. He tore his eyes away to focus on Havoc and Lin.
They were breathing hard and Al noticed Lin was wrapping a bandage around his arm. The Emperor looked up and gave him a reassuring smile, "Just a scratch. I guess I'm not as fast as I used to be."
"I can stop the bleeding for you," Al said coming towards him.
"Don't worry about it," Lin said waving him off as he tucked the end of the bandage securely. "It's not that bad. We'll hide the bodies and you see to disabling their communications equipment and the other truck. But don't do anything drastic with the truck. We may need it."
"Where is the communications…?"
"Over by that tent I assume," Lin said pointing behind Al. "That soldier was running to it so I think he was going to call for help. I didn't give him a chance."
Al turned around and saw the man Lin was talking about lying on the ground with a knife in his back. He wandered over to the tent, circling around the body, trying not to look at the man's face. He lifted the flap of the tent and just as he stepped in he was grabbed by the arm and thrown to the ground. He was winded but had no time to worry about that when he felt strong hands wrap around his neck.
Old instinct and training set in. He didn't panic or try to pry the man's hands off his neck. Instead he aimed a good punch to the side of his attacker's head. The man roared and let go as he fell sideways. Al rolled away and got back on his feet then kicked the Drachman hard in the gut. The soldier crumpled to the ground moaning and gasping for air when Havoc and Lin appeared out of breath at the tent entrance.
Without a word Havoc grabbed the Drachman by the ankle and dragged him out of the tent. Then a shot echoed loudly and Al flinched.
"You okay?" Lin asked looking at Al with concern. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know there were any others…"
"Its fine," Al said turning away, his voice harsh and scratchy. He resisted the urge to rub his sore neck. Clapping his hands he placed them on the communications console and it began to glow bright blue then began to smoke and spark. Turning away he strode out of the tent with Lin close behind him. To his left he could see out of the corner of his eye Havoc dragging the Drachman into the woods. Staying his course he went to the other truck. Searching along the edge of the hood he found the latch and lifted it. Lin held it up for him as he clapped his hands and blew a hole in the radiator that would be easy enough for him to fix but impossible for anyone else to.
Leaving, Al went to the other truck, threw his pack into the back and got in to drive seeing keys in the ignition. Apparently security around the camp was lax. They weren't expecting anyone crazy enough to jump out of the woods to take on seven armed men. Lin got in through the passenger side and slid over. Havoc appeared at the door and looked in. "I can drive, Al."
"No, I will," he said shortly not leaving any room for argument. "Which way, Lin?"
"West."
Al turned the keys and the truck roared to life as Havoc climbed in and slammed the door shut. Turning the headlights on and shifting to first gear, Al slowly steered the truck out of the camp and out onto the dirt road, staring blankly ahead.