It was dark and the road was rough, full of pot holes that caused Al to drive slower than he would have liked. He held tight to the steering wheel, the skin stretched taunt over his knuckles. Most of his attention was reserved for driving but it didn't keep him from thinking about the day's events. There were quite a few realizations for him to accept. He took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at Lin and Havoc without turning his head. Both men sat silent and still, though Lin more so than Havoc.
He thought of what these two men had just done and what they had done over the past twenty years for their country. He suddenly felt ashamed for trying to talk Edward out of leaving to fight the Drachmans all those years ago. He felt he never should have tried to get his brother to resign after being shot five years ago. At the time he used Elysia as an excuse but it was his deep seated prejudice against the military and he had blamed the institution for the way Edward had changed. He loved his brother more than anything and didn't want anything bad to happen to Edward but for the first time he realized if Edward, Havoc and Lin hadn't sacrificed their chance for a quiet, peaceful life and fought instead to preserve it for others - like himself - then who would have? He remembered begging Edward to stay saying there were plenty loyal to Mustang who could help. But it wasn't so. He knew Edward had contributed much to the war effort. He didn't fight alone but he did enough that it possibly helped prevent the four year war from continuing any longer. If everyone had been as selfish as Al was feeling he'd been and just rolled over - or assume someone else would do it - letting the Drachmans invade and take over there would have been no peace at all for anyone.
He was never more determined to do this for Edward than he was now. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Lin, arms stretched before him, gripping the dashboard and Havoc looking over at the Xing Emperor with a worried frown.
"Lin?" Havoc questioned, his voice tinged with fear as he put his hand on Lin's arm.
Al shook himself back into reality and took another quick peek at the Emperor sitting next to him. Lin was pale and shaking with a sheen of sweat covering his skin.
"What's wrong?" Al asked scared. "Is it your arm?"
"No, it's not that," Lin said through tight lips. "Just stop, I think I'm going to be sick..."
Al slammed his foot on the break, pitching everyone forward with the sudden stop. Havoc opened his door and jumped out, Lin already pushing his way through. Al got out as well and ran around the truck to find Lin on his hands and knees vomiting.
When he sat up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Havoc hurried to the back of the truck then returned with a canteen of water, offering it to Lin who took it and drank.
"Let me see your arm," Al said kneeling next to him.
Lin shook his head. "I told you, it's not that."
"Then what, motion sickness?" Havoc interrupted, incredulous.
Lin just shook his head again and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. Once some of his color returned he looked up.
"It feels just like it did in Central, underground. It's been so long since I've felt anything so," he closed his eyes tight and grabbed the sides of his head and took a few more deep breaths then opened his eyes again. He tried to smile but it was weak. "I'm an idiot for not preparing myself for this when we already suspected what was happening."
"So that confirms it then," Havoc said looking quite shaken and pale himself now. "What do we do then? Do we keep going when we know we'll be outnumbered?"
"We have to," Al said with a determined edge to his voice. "We can't leave Elysia and Richard there to be used as sacrifices if that's their intent."
"What if they have been, Al?" Lin asked quietly. It was the question Al didn't want to consider.
"If they had I think Russell or Kimbley would have taunted Ed..."
"But we don't know what they said to him before we got there," Havoc pointed out.
"But Ed was also of the opinion they were still alive," Al countered. "When we left he was still bent on going to get Elysia and Richard."
"But what if we're too late?" Havoc asked. It was another question Al didn't want to consider either and the way Havoc said it - as if it were true – was something he would not accept. But he knew he should be prepared for it unfortunately.
"There's still a homunculi army that needs to be destroyed," Al said.
"So how do we go about this?" Havoc asked deep in thought as he began to pace back and forth.
"We should try to be as discreet as possible then," Lin added. "We'll have to scout the place first."
"Then I'll surrender myself as Ed," Al cut in. "You two will try to sneak in and find Elysia and Richard and it'll have to be done so it won't give the Drachmans a reason to hurt them, though." He wasn't ready to give up on his sister-in-law and nephew yet. "I have a feeling arriving as Ed will create enough distraction that you'll be able to move easily. Once you're all out I'll destroy the homunculi army..."
"Will you be able to? Is it even possible?" Havoc asked.
"I'll break down their bodies to their basic elements. I think I know a little something about trying to create a human," he smirked. "That's all a homunculus is really... a created human."
"But what about Russell and Kimbley, are they not..." Havoc said looking confused. All those years with Edward and he still found alchemy confusing as hell. He was never interested enough to understand.
"It's still the same concept," Al explained. "Whatever it is that took over their body is a part of a created human, the nucleus of what would drive the container..."
"Okay, sure, I think that's enough for me," Havoc said waving away the explanation.
Al smiled and blushed. He had gone into teacher mode; talking about things as if he had a class before him that had some understanding of the subject - and marginal interest. "Well, we have a plan. It's something to go on. Are you ready to go Lin or do you need a few more minutes?"
"I'll be alright. We shouldn't waste anymore time. The faster we get there means the less time they have to sacrifice any more people."
"Does that mean they are currently in the process?" Al asked.
"That's how it feels. While we've been still the intensity has grown slightly. It's like more voices have been added… they're all in pain…" he shook his head and tried to tune it out.
"Are you going to be able to handle it?"
"I'll have time to block it out along the way. I should be in control by the time we get there."
Lin then stood up and wobbled a bit but remained standing. He refused help from Al and walked to the truck and climbed in with Al and Havoc following.
They drove on along the lonely dirt road through Drachma. It was still too dark to see but as they continued the road began to veer north. They rode along for another hour when Lin told Al to stop.
"We're close," he said, concentrating hard. "Yes, we're very close. Pull over and hide the truck. We go on foot from here."
Al got out and with a little alchemy he cleared out the brush on the side of the road. Havoc then pulled the truck into the clearing and got out. Then all three proceeded to camouflage the truck from being seen by anyone passing by on the road with the branches. Then Lin led the way.
It was slow going through the heavy brush as they tried to walk through quietly and blindly through the dark. It was another three hours of fighting with the sharp branches of wiry bushes and walking uphill when Lin held up a hand to stop Al and Havoc. He went on alone, as quiet as a ghost, slipping easily through the tall tangle of brush. He was gone for over an hour before he reappeared.
"There's a small garrison over this hill. It looks like it holds about two hundred soldiers," Lin said, getting to business. "There's a bunker that sticks out at the bottom of a rocky cliff, opposite this hill. I think that's where the homunculi army would be and possibly Elysia and Richard. None of the aboveground buildings appeared to be cell blocks. I'll lead the two of you through this brush for another mile to the spot where the bunker will be in front of you Al. Jean and I will circle around along the edge of the brush, me to your right and Jean to the left. We have till dawn to get into a good position. Once it's light enough Al, you'll step out and announce yourself. Make sure you add a bit of panache when you do so, you are supposed to be Ed," he added with a wry smile.
"Right," Al sighed with an eye roll.
"Then as you said before there should be enough chaos for me and Jean to move easily into the bunker if they open the doors."
"If?" Al said with concern.
"They were locked up pretty tight. I waited to see if they would open but no such luck and I didn't want to waste too much time waiting. It's easier for us to move into position while it's still dark."
"Then how do you know that's the place..."
"It is," Lin assured Al. "It's like a beating heart of lost souls behind those thick doors," he added with a shudder.
"All right then," Al said steadying himself. "Let's go."
They moved out carefully, making their way through the dense brush. After climbing the crest of the hill Al could hear movement and quiet voices of men switching for guard duty. There was the twinkling of lights like a beacon warning of trouble ahead. The brush was too tall to see over when they were at the top of the hill but soon enough as he felt the ground began to level he could see enough of the scene just as Lin described it. The Emperor and Jean then moved off soundlessly and he was left alone in the fading darkness. Slowly, cautiously he went on ignoring his wildly beating heart and the nervous rush of adrenaline. He steeled himself and held his head high remembering Lin's words. He was an Elric. Anything Edward could do he could do as well. Two brothers trying to outdo the other to impress their mother popped into his head and he smiled. Edward had outdone him when they were learning the basics of alchemy but that was long ago. He wouldn't be outdone this time he promised.