November 4th, 1958
Winry hoped the boys were having a productive morning. She, Riza, and Elicia had gone out on their own for a little shopping and had spent the entire morning trying on Drachman fashions, as well as hitting a few more unusual and unique places where women were apparently not frequently seen here; like the gun shop Riza had wandered into and Winry had to get to a tool store!
They were laden with packages as they walked back towards the embassy house. Today had been surprisingly balmy – for Drachman weather – and it wasn't really a long trip. So since they knew the way there, the girls had decided to walk so they could experience the city without driving past it all.
"I'm getting hungry," Elicia admitted as they walked back. "Thank goodness it's almost time for lunch."
"Nothing like a good brisk walk," Winry chuckled, grateful for their warm winter coats! "Though I suspect the boys will be just as hungry after sitting in chairs all morning trying to get their points across." Winry knew that Ed was a little frustrated with the situation, and Al and Roy were too, at least as far as convincing the conservative part of Drachma's military that this program was even a good idea.
"We'll find out soon enough," Riza commented as they cut down one of the smaller, rambling streets; this one being the most direct way back.
::That's what you think,:: a strange voice came out of the shadows that blocked the doorway of one of the buildings. Winry barely understood him, and was almost startled that she had at all, though her grasp of Drachman was already much improved from their few days here.
::Who's there?:: Riza asked sharply in Drachman. ::Show yourself.::
::Fearless; that should make this fun.:: The man stepped out of the doorway. He was tall, and seemed to be muscular under his thick coat. He also held a gun. ::Come along quietly, ladies.::
::And what if we don't?:: Riza replied flatly.
Winry's heart leapt, but she did her best not to show fear. Riza's strong front helped.
::Then you'll be coming along anyway,:: the man smirked. As he spoke, five more men seemed to materialize around corners and out of doorways. Two more had guns, the rest knives. ::We get good money for the pretty ones.::
::Flattery is pointless,:: Riza snorted as she set down her bags. ::We're not going.::
"Riza," Elicia whispered from behind them. She sounded terrified. "Wouldn't it be wiser to go quietly and wait for rescue?"
"Do you want to trust that they'll keep us alive either way?" Riza answered just as quietly. Apparently their adversaries didn't speak Amestrian, or at least not well. They were still smiling. "If this is political, they need us alive anyway."
::Come now,:: the man advanced, gun pointed at Riza, whom he seemed to take as the de facto leader. His smile was gone. ::You're trying my patience.::
::You're trying mine,:: Riza responded.
Winry waited for demands of some kind; otherwise why else would they want the three of them specifically? They hadn't asked for money and clearly wanted the women.
Her answer came when a bullet ricocheted off the ground at Riza's feet from one of the other men. Riza stepped back and another man rushed in with the knife and a length of rope.
Rope. Definitely kidnapping. As if that was going to happen! Winry reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the only weapon she had available – her wrench she always kept on her for when Ed did something stupid to his auto-mail – and smacked the man rushing Riza.
Another gunshot rang out, Elicia screeched, though it seemed to be with fear and not pain, and as Winry brought her hand back to hit again, she saw Riza pull her own gun and shoot at their assailants. With the fast pull the shot missed, but suddenly the men looked nervous as their apparent boss dove away.
::Take them!:: he bellowed and chaos ensued as they attempt to get a hold of them. What the hell was this about?!
They obviously hadn't counted on the fact that Riza never went anywhere unarmed, even now; perhaps especially not now in a strange city.
The scene quickly devolved into a nasty brawl as Winry pulled away from grasping hands and dodged the knives, laying into anyone who pawed at her with her wrench! This was bad. Riza shot out several more times until Winry knew she was out of ammunition; though not in vain. Two men went down screaming, injured; one lay dead.
But they had backup.
More men joined them and Winry found herself overwhelmed even as she knocked one of them in the forehead. Something slammed into her temple and she reeled as pain exploded on the side of her head and she felt herself momentarily slip towards unconsciousness.
"Winry!" she heard Elicia shout, but then heard her cut off with a yelp as Winry fell to the ground, which slammed up hard against her.
Winry tried to get up but through blurry eyes she could see Elicia also grabbed and being tied, and Riza fighting but losing the struggle. There were too many… too quickly. Winry tried to call out that she was alright; to reassure Elicia, to fight back… but blackness claimed her first.
"Perhaps we should reconvene later this afternoon," General Elkhov suggested a little after one o'clock. "A meal and a little rest might help us bring…fresh perspective to the discussion."
"That would be a good idea," Edward agreed, taking a deep breath and keeping his temper under control. This morning had been trying. Once they had finally laid out a reasonable option, old Obukhov had finally started in with the very long list of reasons it was a bad idea and simply wouldn't work and the public would never accept it. Ed had done his best not to get into an all out argument with the man, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it in. Even Roy looked irritable. Al simply looked resigned to having to deal with the disagreements and had taken the lead for a while on countering Obukhov politely.
Coming back this afternoon meant shifting plans around, but he figured the girls would forgive them for being late for lunch and having to move things around some.
"Let's do that," Roy nodded, standing up and stretching. "I hate thinking on an empty stomach."
"Don't we all," Elkhov smirked.
There was a sharp knocking at the door of the room.
"Enter," Elkhov paused, a crease in his brow.
The door opened and one of the administrative aides entered looking very agitated. "Excuse me, Generals," he bowed deeply and spoke in thick Amestrian. "I am sorry to interrupt."
"It better be important," Obukhov muttered.
The aide blanched. "I… that is… we have a situation, Sirs." His eyes darted to Ed, Al, and Roy, then back to Elkhov. It made Ed nervous. "It seems that… the ladies are missing."
"What do you mean missing?" Ed blurted immediately, fighting past the instinctive mental freeze-up that threatened. His throat clenched. Winry!
His exclamation was nearly run over by Alphonse and Roy's equally upset responses and a shocked gasp from Tore.
The aide looked like he wanted to die. "They… they were late returning to the embassy. Ambassador Groves found shopping bags and signs of struggle in a side street. Blood, drag marks, a dead body in the alley; the snow was all scuffed up with tire marks and footprints and there was….a coat on the ground with Mrs. Elric's…" his eyes flickered between Ed and Al as if trying to identify the right General and wife. "Umm… Mrs. Winry Elric's name on it."
"What is this?" Roy rounded angrily on Elkhov. "Kidnapping on the streets in the middle of the afternoon? What kind of operation do you run in this city!"
Winry… Ed felt rage snap. "When the hell did this happen?" he roared. Someone was going to hurt, and badly, when he was through with them!
"Calm down!" Elkhov replied to them both with a short, sharp response. "Please, I'm sure the police are getting to the bottom of this."
"Like they have the other missing people?" Ed rounded on the three Drachman generals. "If anything happens to any of those women, Elkhov, you're going to have a lot more on your hands than a few missing persons."
"Are you accusing our security forces of laxness?" Ubokhov growled.
"Would you like to prove differently?" Alphonse startled Ed with the ferocity in his voice. Then he turned back to the aide. "When did this happen?"
"Not more than an hour ago," the aide stammered. "It was reported as soon as the Ambassador could reach a phone. The scene is already being investigated."
That fact only made Ed angrier. "Then why the hell weren't we notified earlier?" Winry was someone's captive – he refused to consider she might be dead; political hostage was such a likely motive – and the trail was getting cold! He shoved past the man toward the door. "Let's get going," he shouted back to Al and Roy. "We'll show them just what State Alchemists are for."
He was brought up abruptly by General Rost stepping in front of him. "Edward," he looked down at him with a surprisingly hard expression. "You don't know what you're getting into."
"I never do," Ed shrugged. "It's never stopped me before. Get out of the way, Rost."
"That's not what I mean," Rost shook his head, and sighed. "The kidnappings… you're right, these aren't the first."
"Rost, shut up!" Obukhov barked, clearly displeased.
"No, go on," Ed looked suspiciously between the two men. This was something he definitely wanted to hear. "What about these kidnappings. This isn't politically motivated?"
"Doubtful," Rost admitted. "There have been plenty lately and, while there's no real evidence, the investigations imply that the people are being sold."
"Sold!" Al exclaimed. "As what, prostitutes?" He spoke the word with disgust and horror.
Ed didn't much care for that option either, but Rost's response was negative. "No. To… to alchemists outside the city."
"Alchemists?" Roy snorted. "What would alchemists want with…?"
"Human Transmutation?!"
All four of the alchemists shouted at once, and Ed felt horror on top of the fear and fury mounting. "Shit!" He shoved at Rost again. "Let me through!" They didn't have time to waste. If alchemists were using humans for experimentation that only meant bad news, and likely alchemy long-ago illegalized in Amestris.
"Wait, Ed!" He felt Al's hand close on his shoulder. "We need a plan and more information."
"How can you be so calm about this?" Ed rounded on his brother.
"I'm not," Al replied flatly. "But I'm right."
"We don't know where the alchemists are located," Elkhov provided the information reluctantly. "But we've had issues with them for some time. The government has left them alone for the most part up till now to avoid all out confrontation in the hopes of some sort of truce."
"Or a way to control them?" Ed snorted as he got the gist of what Elkhov was saying. "So much for philanthropic patronage and teamwork, General. They're not taking starving homeless anymore."
"You'd better hope that the ladies aren't harmed," Roy agreed with a threatening rumble. "It would have taken a lot of effort to take Riza out, or Winry for that matter. I'm still not convinced there isn't some political motivation here. It sounds like they'd have every reason to want to interrupt your discussions with Amestrian alchemists."
That seemed to be all the information Al wanted, because he nodded. "Let's go."
Ed turned and headed out the door like a shot, picking his pace up to a run and not caring if Roy, Al, or Tore kept up, or who saw them doing it. He had to find Winry!
Alphonse was panting by the time they reached Edward's destination of choice, which turned out to be the police station. Ed was apparently just after the location of the crime scene, but they were brought up short when the officer on duty told them they had two injured men in custody out of which they had pulled Amestrian bullets.
"Riza's work," Roy confirmed with a nod.
::Your wife goes shopping armed?:: the officer looked at him oddly.
::She used to be a sniper,:: Roy replied with a casual shrug. ::She never goes anywhere unarmed.::
"Not anywhere?" Ed smirked as they were lead back to talk to the men.
"Except there," Roy replied smugly. "And then it's on the dresser or under the pillow."
"You didn't worry about assassination attempts much did you?"
"Nope."
The two men were in a cell, conscious and bandaged, but clearly unhappy. Well, Al was fine with that. He was doing his best to fight the irrational panic that had flooded him the moment he heard Elicia and the others were taken. Riza and Winry were tough, they knew how to defend themselves, but Elicia really didn't. Even in Investigations in the military she had never been trained in much combat or any real self-defense. She wasn't a coward, but how would she stand up to assailants who had been able to overwhelm the two strongest women Al knew?
::Where are the women?:: Roy asked, heading up the questioning since he had the best grasp of the language.
Both men sat silently until Roy pulled out a glove and slipped it on his hand. They watched him dispassionately until he snapped his fingers and one's hair lit on fire!
::Ahhh, aaaaahhh!:: The man hoped up and down until he felt over and the flame extinguished against the wall. ::We don't know!::
::Where is the alchemists lab?:: Roy asked another question, keeping his fingers held up where the two men could see them.
::We don't know that either,:: the other man babbled, more cooperative. ::But we…we know where they usually get picked up,:: he continued hastily when Roy's fingers closed a little. His eyes were wide.
Al wasn't usually a fan of scare tactics; but right now he was all for it. He was aware of every second wasted.
::Well?:: Was all Roy asked.
The two men quickly told them that it was a rather seedy pub outside of town at the edge of the Western road. That was where they always met their contacts who would pay for the men or women they brought in and take them away in a truck. That was all they knew; neither of them had been on the pick-up runs very often. They were just hired muscle.
By the time the three alchemists left the police station, Alphonse was trying very hard not to lose it as bad as Roy and Ed already seemed to have. They were all furious, but Roy and Ed seemed ready for a little destruction if it came to it. Normally Roy wasn't that quick to pull out the fire for something as small as questioning already captured men.
They ran back to the embassy and borrowed the car to drive out to the edge of town; it was faster than going on foot and they were already getting winded from running around town. The worst part was that it started snowing again; thick wet snow that had them half-frozen before they hit the embassy, and wet and sodden even as they climbed into the car after a short argument with Tore, who they insisted stay there.
"But I can help!" Tore argued angrily. "Why do I have to stay here?"
"Because that's an order," Ed stopped the argument cold. "You do what I say or there won't be another alchemy lesson until we get home."
Tore had glowered angrily, but relented.
The snow made driving difficult and while they had gotten directions, Al was sure they got lost at least twice on the way to the edge of town. Al wasn't sure how happy he was that Ed was driving, but he closed his eyes and simply tried to stay calm.
Hang on, Elicia. I'm coming! Please just be all right.
By the time they got to the pub in question, it was already five in the evening and dark. The heavy low clouds tinged pink by city lights and swirling snow did not brighten the scene. There were very few vehicles parked out front; none large enough to handle bodies. Roy did not find this even remotely comforting. "All right," he nodded sharply as they got out of the car. "Let's get what we need and get out of here."
"Nervous?" Ed asked him with a smirk despite the anger smoldering in his eyes that had nothing to do with Roy.
"Hardly," Roy chuckled, feeling no amusement. "I just find mingling with the riff-raff distasteful." The irony dripping from his words was almost tangible. Roy had certainly started out life no better; but anyone who delayed him in any way in locating and rescuing Riza was going to discover that the Flame did not just refer to his alchemy, but his temper as well.
"Then by all means," Ed agreed, "Let's finish this."
Roy's cautiousness as they strode into the bar much more confidently than he actually felt was not due to fear of the occupants but his lack of preparation for the mission. They were running into this blind, in an unfamiliar city, in a culture where he didn't know the subtleties of the differences in how things worked at this particular level. He was woefully out of practice at dealing with scum.
The scum in question stared at them with veiled suspicion, though at least in their coats Roy, Ed, and Al did not look distinctly foreign. Too bad that fact wouldn't help them long. The place was heated, dark, and smelled of alcohol and tobacco smoke.
Roy decided to make this short, sweet, and simple. He didn't really care about stealth at the moment. The men had to know who they had captured by now if they hadn't from the start and time was of the essence. Let them know he was coming; Roy could handle them. ::I need information,:: he said to the barkeep as he sauntered up to the bar.
::And I need money,:: the man – large, bald, and probably intimidating to most people – smirked. ::You going to pay?::
::I have a better idea,:: Roy held up his hand, making sure the alchemical symbol was clearly visible, but only to the barkeep. He leaned in just a little. From the look on the man's face he at least recognized an alchemical symbol when he saw one. As Roy had hoped, the cultural fear was as strong as he'd heard. He hated to make use of it now, but it would work to their advantage. ::You'll tell me what I need to know and I won't torch your entire establishment and leave you penniless. This is an investigation and if you don't want Elkhov himself down here you'd better cooperate.::
The man looked at Roy as if waiting for a bluff to fail… which of course never happened. ::What do you want to know?:: He finally replied.
::Three women went missing today in Petrayevka,:: Roy explained. ::Three Amestrian women; looking like they're in their late forties or fifties; all blondes. Likely in the company of several men. We were informed that your establishment has been used as a place of business in human trafficking. Tell me where they went and I won't turn you in.::
Roy spoke softly. While they were being watched, the lack of violence bored the people quickly. Conversation buzzed mutedly around them and Roy wondered what Al and Ed were doing behind him that kept them from staring openly. He didn't glance behind him to look though. In a reflection in the glass behind the bar he saw them playing guards and glowering silently. Well, that worked.
::They went West,:: the man replied softly. ::Didn't see the women, but I heard them talking about the deal. I don't know where they take them, just that it's more than a day West of here down the road and not in Mishta; next town over.::
It was a place to start at least. West, into the mountains. Fantastic. ::That all you can tell me?:: Roy asked, hoping for anything more useful than a direction down a road that surely had forks and other roads off it. The trail was already getting too old for his liking.
::All I've got,:: the bald man replied with a steady expression. ::But you'd better hope you're as important as you claim to be tossing Elkhov's name around in a place like this. You'll be lucky to make it to the door otherwise.::
::Do you pay attention to the news?:: Roy smirked.
::Sometimes,:: Baldy replied. ::When it matters.::
::Well check it in the morning and see how much it matters,:: Roy replied before standing up, putting his hand down, and turning. "Come on, let's go," he said shortly to Ed and Al. They all turned and headed for the exit.
Roy didn't breathe again until they stepped out into the falling snow and icy wind.
"Nice work," Ed commented as they climbed back into the car. "I caught most of that. We go West right? Let's get going!"
"We can't," Alphonse commented miserably.
"Why not?" Roy glanced sharply over at Al, surprised by the man's sudden reticence. "We're already hours behind them damn it!"
"Look outside," Al snorted, gesturing at the windows.
Roy turned to look forward and Ed did at the same time. Together, they groaned.
The car was already covered in half an inch of snow. The front and back windows were blanketed. They had been so distracted getting in they had paid no attention to how much was mounding up.
"Even after we clean that off, there's no way we can make any progress in this storm," Al finished making his point. "We don't have provisions for a several day trip either."
"Damned common sense," Ed growled then sighed heavily. "You're right, Al. Damn it!"
"Shit." Roy smacked his hand into the seat and resisted the urge to torch something. Though that gave him an idea. "Let's go back to the embassy," he finally said softly. "We can't do this without supplies. We don't have any way to help the girls if they're injured or to keep us alive if we get stuck in this damned storm."
"First we have to clear the car off," Ed pointed out with a grumpy nod of acceptance.
Roy held up his hand as he opened the door again. "Leave that to me."
It was one of the longest nights of Edward's life and that was saying something. It took them over an hour to make it back to the embassy and then there was a flurry of activity as arrangements were made to borrow a more appropriate vehicle for heading off into the Drachman winter – a military truck by the time Groves was off the phone – and two Drachman military officers along with it to make it legal and official to make for less trouble.
Ed doubted that would really help much but would take anything they could get. Food provisions were also in the works as well as medical supplies that Ed could only hope would not be needed in any large amount. He was having trouble concentrating on anything other than the driving need to find Winry and the fact that they would be delayed until sunrise at least.
No one had much of an appetite despite the very nice dinner the two house-ladies had prepared for them all. It was rare for Ed to lose his appetite, but worrying about Winry was one of the things that did it every time. It reminded him too much of the time when she had left him, and he had to resist the urge not to raid the quality selection of liquors in the pantry.
Roy apparently had no such compulsion. He didn't eat much, but he did retreat to the sitting room with a glass of whiskey.
"Do you know what Riza will say when she finds out?" Ed commented flatly, almost hoping to stir up a good fight. He could use one to clear his frustrations.
"I hope you get the chance to rat me out," Roy replied, glowering out of his eye as he walked past the table and headed out of the room.
"Do you have to be antagonistic, Ed?" Al grimaced as he took a bite out of his stroganoff. He was the only one eating, but Ed took that as a sign of how much stress they were all under as anything else. His brother was worried about Elicia.
"Better than numb," Ed countered, referring to no one in particular. "Or drunk."
"I heard that," Roy growled from the other room.
"Good." Ed stood up, suddenly itching to be moving. He really was going to provoke a fight if he stayed downstairs. "I'm going to bed."
"At nine o'clock?" Al looked startled.
"Figured I'd get a head start on the insomnia," Ed retorted, heading upstairs and leaving his plate mostly untouched. He went up to the room, shut the door, kicked off his shoes and dropped onto the bed. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling in nothing but lamplight. Outside the window, snow swirled thick and white.
Never before had Edward hated snow so much; not even at Briggs. It had always seemed gentle in Central; melancholy perhaps, but peaceful. Here it was harsh and unfriendly, and it was keeping him from Winry.
Hell, he was going to tear whoever had taken the girls apart when he found them! Ed crammed his eyes closed, refusing to cry. Winry's alive. She's fine. He just had to keep telling himself that. They weren't going to use Winry in alchemical experiments. They'd figure out who they had kidnapped and ransom them. There was no price that Amestris – and Drachma, damn them if they didn't help out – could not afford he was sure, and Ed would pay out of his own pocket every cent he had to get Winry back.
He needed her… a deep painful ache filled him from his head to the depths of his belly. I should have been there damn it! They had been running late, the girls were on their own. If he'd only been there to protect Winry. That's what he was supposed to do. Now she was missing, possibly hurt, who knew where and here he was lying in bed doing absolutely nothing! He lay there, berating himself until he lost track of time.
There was a quiet knock at the door.
"What is it?" Ed snapped without budging. He wasn't feeling hospitable and he didn't care to try.
The door opened and Tore poked his head in. "Hey, Fullmetal…sir I… can I come in?"
He sounded surprisingly hesitant. Ed glanced over at him and realized Tore looked at least as upset as everyone else. He felt guilty. He hadn't given the kid much thought since he had first heard about the kidnapping. "Sure, kid," he replied. "What's on your mind?"
Tore closed the door and stood there, fidgeting. "I… I'm worried about Mrs. Elric, and Miss Elicia," he admitted softly. "And Mrs. Mustang of course," he added hastily. "I couldn't read and I couldn't sleep."
Ed sat up. "I can't sleep either," he admitted, touched by Tore's concern. Of course, Winry was hard for any kid not to like, and Tore was clearly fond of Elicia too. "We'll find her," he replied, hoping to reassure himself as much as the boy.
"I know," Tore replied as he moved forward into the room. "I want to come with you."
Ed opened his mouth to object but shut it again when he saw the determined – and familiar – light in Tore's eyes. Izumi had always groaned about young boys having that face. "It's likely to come down to a fight," he pointed out. "With alchemy given what we're heading into. And I can't promise to protect you."
"I'll protect myself," Tore responded immediately. "You've been training me for almost two years. I think I can handle it."
Ed couldn't help but crack a smile. "You probably can. Fine, if you want to come, come, but you do as I tell you while we're out there if you don't want to get yourself killed." The last thing he wanted to do was lose the kid trying to save Winry.
"I will," Tore nodded seriously though he looked as if a burden of some kind had been lifted. "I just can't sit here and do nothing for days."
"I know the feeling," Ed sighed. "So what's everyone else doing?"
"True Soul went to bed a little while ago, but I don't know if he's asleep," Tore shrugged. "He looked too upset to sleep. Mustang is still in the sitting room I think."
Ed snorted. "Great." He hoped the idiot was sober enough to handle the mission tomorrow. He probably would be, but Ed didn't relish dealing with a grouchy, hung-over Roy Mustang. Not, he admitted only to himself, when he didn't dare allow himself to join him. Not tonight.
"This is freaky," Tore sighed, dropping down on the bed and sitting next to Ed. "I've never seen everyone so upset before, and I never figured on something like this happening. I mean…"
"Things like this don't happen to people like us?" Ed finished the thought, and he felt sorry for the kid. "I hate to burst your bubble, Tore, but the world's equally fair and unfair to everyone. Things happen, and when you're high profile sometimes that makes you a target. Or, in my case, I make myself a target," he smirked, though it faded quickly. "Sometimes being important or well known isn't always good. Everything has its pros and cons, its balances."
"It's equivalency?" Tore looked at him questioningly.
"That's the size of it," Ed nodded in agreement, "Though it's never as simple as we'd like it to be."
"Yeah, I noticed," Tore sighed. "I just want them to be okay. It… I don't want any more women to disappear."
Ed put an arm around Tore's shoulder, testing, and knew the kid was really upset about the whole mess when he didn't pull away from the gesture that was meant to be comforting. He didn't lean into Ed the way his own kids had, but he seemed to appreciate it. "Neither do I. That's why we're going to get them back." He said it with as much conviction as he could muster. Ed could use a good convincing himself.
"Right," Tore nodded, renewed determination clear on his face. "I guess I should try and sleep again," he said after a moment.
"That's a good idea," Ed nodded, encouraging the kid onto his feet. "You'll need to be alert. We all will."
"That might be interesting," Tore smirked as he headed for the door. "Good night, Teacher."
"Good night, Tore." Ed watched the boy go; glad he could help calm his fears. When he was gone, Ed lay back down on the bed and tried to still his own thoughts. Unfortunately, Winry filled his mind and worry refused to let him find peace. Sleep was a very long time in coming.
