The Inferno

Chapter 7

"The Man who lies asleep will never awaken fame."

"We're concerned about your surgery." Riza said hoping to avoid having Ed divulge the information about the upcoming peace talks. He was grinning and relaxed now, happy that he was able to help in the matter. She didn't need him getting overzealous and ruining the mood just yet.

Ed st down on the ottoman. He was worried that something did happen to Mustang in that hospital and his own experience had shown him that anything was possible. Especially with alchemy. "Look, if your memory was wiped than it's possible your brain is just trying to fill in the blanks. Maybe you do remember some things and instead of going mad trying to find out what those lost memories are your brain is making things up."

Roy shivered, a feeling of cold and vulnerability suddenly shooting through his body. It felt like deja vu. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself, assuming it was just a draft. "This is a great campfire story, but really not much more than that. If I was filling in the blanks with anything than it was probably your horrible drawings that were haunting me."

Ed saw a small grin as Mustang said it however it didn't help him shake off the ominous feeling. "Something happened in there."

"Yes." Roy raised his hands. "They worked on my hands for hours."

"Why keep you awake then?" Ed asked. "What purpose did that serve? You couldn't move, could you? So if they were testing their work and asking you to flex your hands or something you couldn't do it. I know what it's like not having your nerves connected to your arm, having it physically there but unresponsive. Why have you awake for that at all?"

Roy tried hard to remember why that was the route the surgeon took. "It was a regional anesthesia to block the nerves in the hands. Less risky than a general anesthesia. I was given something else as general relaxant to make sure I didn't move the rest of my body while they were working."

"If you weren't in pain and didn't have any horrible experiences during the procedure, why give you that drug to wipe your memories at all?" Ed asked.

"Alchemists can be rather peculiar with their secrets." Roy said and both boys accepted that as an answer. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to believe there was a alchemist that might not help someone for fear of their alchemy becoming known. "It was a procedure I wasn't even aware of and the alchemist doing the work was someone I have never met. To eliminate the possibility of the secrets getting out it's probably best that even I can't answer anything. I don't know who was in that room with me and apparently that is one of the conditions that had to be met to have this procedure done. Considering I have watched you absorb knowledge like a sponge and mimic attacks of other alchemists, I would consider that option if you were my patient as well. Precautions, protocol and paranoia, also known as standard operating procedure if you would care to read any military manuals while you are in the service."

Ed knew why he would accept those conditions, there was a promise to restore his body and of course he took it. Ed couldn't say he would have scrutinized any of it either, not when the glimmer of hope was shining in his eyes and blinding him to anything else. Still, as an alchemist, he would need to know and would pick apart at everything later to discover exactly what had been done. Until truth was found, he would never stop unless someone made sure the secrets would always be out of reach. "There is a connection here. That woman and Envy were in a lab, a government lab, and Barry and the Slicer bothers were created there too. If this man is so secret with his research, he has to be doing it somewhere. He has to be doing it on someone."

Riza swallowed hard. None of this was making her feel better. What if someone that wasn't authorized was in that room with him when he was immobilized and helpless and completely out of reach? She almost spilled hot water for the tea on her hand as panic gripped her. He was so vulnerable then and she wasn't there with him. He could have been at the mercy of some lunatic like Shou Tucker who used alchemy to create abominations. She looked at him and saw he still wasn't buying any of this and they needed to completely shock him out of his complacency. Withholding information about the upcoming peace talks was in no way protecting him. He needed to find his own way out of the darkness and if that was caused by a lack of information than he needed to know everything. He was an alchemist, he thrived on information and the absence of that was probably at the heart of his issues. She quietly added, "It's too coincidental that you want to read an Aerugian book that happens to have the seven deadly sins featured. I agree with Ed."

"What does the book being Aerugian have to do with anything?" Roy asked and looked to Riza, he could feel the tension from the Elrics as they both shuffled uncomfortably, but she was the only one he was asking. He saw it in her face, the admission of guilt. She wasn't just scared enough to ask for help, she was keeping information from him. If that wasn't enough to cause alarm, nothing would be.

"Prince Claudio of Aerugo is coming to Central in three weeks for peace talks." Riza said and saw a flash of the Roy Mustang she knew and loved come back into those eyes of his. Immediately they darted back to the book, then his hands and back to the curious Elrics who were waiting for an explosion of verbal or physical nature. He sat up straighter and cleared his throat.

"When did this happen?" Roy asked and looked at the three individuals hovering around him on the couch.

"The team got word the day you went into the hospital and assumed you had been briefed before you left for surgery." Riza answered.

"What are the details on this Prince Claudio visit?" Roy asked. "Why is he coming here now? Does this have to do with the train hijacking?"

"The visit was apparently in the works prior to that." She answered and knew what he was really asking: Was the train incident because of the Prince's plans or the cause of his desire to talk peace?

"And my team is saddled with the responsibility of keeping him alive? After one of his citizens tried to kill us on that train they hijacked? After some mercenary from Aerugo tried to kill you I have to act like I care about his well being?" Roy felt the rusty gears of his mind begin to turn again and it felt good. "So not only am I physical proof that the enemy can't take down one of Amestris's human weapons, but I've also got a reason to not devote myself to saving his life. In addition I am at a disadvantage because of this surgery, both physically and mentally unable to prepare for this event. You're right, this is a much more sinister story than the one I am reading."

Ed raised his eyebrows. "You think someone's setting you up?"

"I don't see what Amestris has to gain from a peace treaty with them. Aerugo supplied Ishval with weapons, constantly engages in border wars and they turn a blind eye to their trained soldiers turned mercenaries who come onto our soil. It is however a great opportunity to get the Prince into Central and take him out. If we are charged with keeping him safe, the fault lies on me if he's assassinated. They also tried to kill our best sniper, something I'm not going to forget so easily either." Roy leaned back into the couch and mulled it over.

"That would start a war." Al said and Mustang nodded.

"Best thing for the economy and the Fuhrer's hold on power. Nothing makes a country support it's leader like a war, especially when foreigners come onto our soil to start it. He would be defending our way of life and security, while also boosting the economy." Roy shook his head and looked at his hands.

"And you're..injured." Al said. "Even in a month you won't be back to full strength."

Ed put his tea cup down. "So with you recovering and heavily medicated you can't look into the security and prepare for his visit. With your hands injured you won't be able to full use your alchemy to avert an attack. If the Prince is killed...you get blamed."

"I get blamed." Roy smiled. "My choices are to go to war to salvage my honor or join Kimblee in prison. My ambitions will go up in flames."

Ed rubbed his knee. "That means this goes all the way to the top."

Roy nodded and then softly said, "It's what got Hughes killed."

Ed's eyes darted up to meet Mustang's at the mention of the man's name. It was a somber statement, but definitive. Suddenly the memories of showing Hughes his drawings in the hospital came flooding back along with the Fuhrer's surprise visit. "Bradley visited me in the hospital when I was showing Hughes my sketches. He saw Envy with his own eye and told me to leave it along. So these homunculus have ties to the military."

"Which is why they were guarding a military lab." Roy said. "I know that alchemy of this level, creating artificial humans, would have to have support from the government. There is no way that some independent alchemist could possibly get the research, funding or equipment to even begin to start working on this theory."

"You can buy all the materials for a human at your local apothecary." Ed said.

"Any kid can do that." Al added and the room fell silent as they thought about the implications of all this. Then Ed cleared his throat and they looked to him.

"Government sponsored research, just like we were talking about earlier with your surgeon. There is a lot that is goes on in these labs." Ed said angrily and got up to walk around again. He needed to shake off the mental images of Hughes and Nina, people they already lost by being oblivious to the way the government really worked. He turned around and looked at Mustang and Hawkeye, two more people they almost lost.

Roy huffed and looked at his hands. How the hell did they get to talking about government conspiracies from a mere intervention about his post-surgical obsession? He flexed his fingers and considered the extent of alchemy where even his hands were concerned. It was a routine procedure for that doctor, not some cutting edge technology they were dabbling with. That man, who he never heard of, was an alchemist who was capable of mending shattered bones and mutilated tissue. "We have no evidence except for your drawings and some speculation."

"The evidence is you." Riza said and brought Ed his tea to try and calm him down a little. "You haven't been the same since you came out of that room. You can be focused on your research but not like this, when have you ever read something and accepted it without questioning it?"

"I do it all the time when I sign shit in the office." He said with a smirk. He saw her worry, it was written all over her face, and he so desperately wanted to fix that. Her face didn't change, she wasn't going to be lured into his jokes.

"I read them in your stead." She watched Ed step around Roy's legs to take a seat on the couch.

Ed was glad Mustang was returning to his old self. The Colonel was always vibrant and sharp minded, even when he was daydreaming it was hard to sneak up on him. This man who he visited earlier was sluggish and caught up in the mire of his own thoughts. "You were drugged and it's very possible that seeds of thought were planted in your head while your brain was under the influence of that drug. Perhaps you were looking to fill in the gap made by that lost memory with something or maybe someone wanted you to forget something you already found out. You said yourself that the State Alchemists are human weapons, weapons the Fuhrer is proud to have in his arsenal. It's why they had to fix you, you are the only one remaining that has proven himself in battle. Scar has eliminated the others. They had to fix you, you are a prized weapon and if you were broken it would weaken Amestris. It would prove that our most powerful weapons are vulnerable. Removing knowledge of something like these homunculus and the military's involvement would be preferable to losing your power. It keep you safe from the truth and also keeps you for whatever these people might be planning."

"Yes!" Al said. "You have a memory gap, your mind is trying to find a way to fill in that void with something. Anything. Truth or not. It's horrible not remembering things, I know. It's so much easier to accept some concocted story, to fill in the blanks with something you do understand."

"Unfortunately the drug only removes recent memories not months of investigations." Roy said and Ed poured nearly half a cup of sugar into his tea and stirred it loudly. No wonder the kid was so hyper.

"Anything is possible." Al said. "Altering a drug doesn't take alchemy, any chemist could do that."

"It would explain why you went into the operating room knowing about Greed and Envy, then came out with a redirected obsession on the sins." Ed reached out and picked up the book and tasted his tea flavored sugar water. Perfect. "You've substituted something harmless for something that could make you dangerous. I don't think they want to take you out of play, even if the Fuhrer wants to keep you as a weapon, I think these other people need you for a human sacrifice. I think they need alchemists."

"So I do end up in Hell with you no matter what I do." Roy mumbled and Ed turned and stuck out his tongue at him.

"Maybe we can find this doctor?" Al asked. "Do you remember his name?"

"I don't. He had weird eyes, a gold tooth." Roy shivered again as the memory of the man's faced flashed in his head. "He used medical alchemy. Worked in one of the government labs and was hand picked by the Fuhrer himself. Dr. Dresden was in charge of my pre-op and post-op care but wasn't a surgeon."

"So the gold tooth guy, he's the one who fixed your hands?" Al asked.

"Yes." Roy said and flexed his hand. "No doubt about it. Alchemy is the only way I'd have movement so quickly, or ever."

"We don't need his name then." Ed said with a grin. "We know someone who was in those labs who could tell us about this guy from just a description. Someone familiar with the operating staff and the research alchemists."

"Barry!" Al exclaimed.

Roy nodded. There was a good possibility Barry would have come across this man and if he hadn't they could rule out the doctor as part of this scheme. It would do no good asking about the man at the hospital, it would only raise suspicions. They had to keep things as quiet as they could. "So find Barry, see what he knows."

"Yes, sir." Al said and felt better about the Colonel now. Much better.

Roy watched Ed get up and pet Hayate as he prepared to leave on his mission. "Be careful. We know we're on to something and clearly they will go to great lengths to ensure we stay in the dark."

Riza watched Ed wave off his concern and the boys made their way to the door to leave. She gave them both affectionate squeezes on the arm to show how much she appreciated their help. Ed gave her a sheepish smile and Al glowed even though he couldn't feel her touch. They opened the door and stepped out ready to start a new mission. "If Falman is still in the office you can ask him to show you to the safe house where we were holding Barry. He may still be using it as a place to stay."

After the boys left Roy looked up at her as she smiled down at him. "I'm well enough to..."

"You need to get well. You need to take the time to recover and also do your therapy so your hands heal properly. You can not rush this. " Riza said. She was happy he was actively engaging in discussion again but she knew where this was going. They needed evidence and answers and he wasn't going to get those sitting around his apartment. "I...just need you to leave this Hell behind and come back to Purgatory with us."

He cocked his head and said, "Oh book club is going to be so much fun."

"This book is draining you and lulling you into complacency." She looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry, but in all our years together I have never seen this side of you. It's not you. It's some kind of coping mechanism for something you can't make sense of and in order to see past it you have to come back to us. "

"I'm sorry I scared you." Roy said and picked up the book Ed had left sitting on the couch to give her a place to sit down. He and opened it up to one of the pages he wrote notes on. He searched until he found teh one he was looking for then he read aloud, " The man who lies asleep will never waken fame, and his desire and all his life drift past him like a dream, and the traces of his memory fade from time like smoke in air, or ripples on a stream."

"I still want to take that book and burn it, but that does have a lot of truth to it." Riza said and settled down into the couch beside him. "Are you back among the active sinners now?"

"Yes." Roy shut the book and set it down. "Mainly because I don't want to end up in Hell with Ed so I have to make sure I commit treason to get down to a different level."

Riza leaned over and brushed some hair from in front of his ear. He leaned into her touch and she whispered, "Don't forget my father was an alchemist too."

Roy leaned away from her as she smiled at him and playfully bit her lip. "God, if anything will make sure I do continue on my goals to take down Bradley it's going to be that."