I have returned with the tenth chapter! Thank you to everyone for such positive responses to this story! It has been such a joy writing it thus far! I hope you all find the next chapter to be a thrilling, entertaining read.
I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Roy flinched when Falman opened the hatch and sunlight poured into the dark tunnel. He followed the Warrant Officer up the ladder with Havoc trailing right behind them.
"How'd you find this?" the Colonel couldn't help but ask.
It was incredibly dark in the tunnels. Unless Havoc and Hawkeye were looking for it, it would have been difficult to find the hatch, even with the lantern.
The Second Lieutenant chuckled.
"Would you believe me if I said I tripped over the ladder?"
Roy couldn't help but grin. Within seconds, Falman was out of the hatch and above ground.
"Colonel!"
Roy looked up to see Breda extending a hand down to him. Gratefully, he took it. He blinked a few times, his eyes having to adjust to the bright sunlight after spending so long in the tunnels.
"General Grumman is going to want to see you," Breda said as he guided his commanding officer along.
As soon as he could see properly, he noticed the trees surrounding the four military officers. Recalling the map he had studied of the area around the Sanct, he assumed they were in the forest just west of the compound. They had only been walking a for a few minutes before he saw the new base at the edge of the tree line.
"We didn't even realize that hatch was out here," Falman explained. "Fuery walked out this way to take a break from listening to…." He paused when he saw Roy and Jean tense. He didn't blame them. He didn't like to think about what he had overheard. "Anyway, he heard Havoc and Hawkeye trying to get out, but the hatch was locked. He got Breda and I, and we broke the lock. Fuery said he wouldn't have seen it if that patch of ground hadn't been moving from them trying to open it. Whoever made it camouflaged it very well."
Roy now understood why Jonathan was panicking. The military was so close to discovering their tunnels.
Breda and Falman led him through the base to General Grumman.
The First Lieutenant was there with him. From the looks of it, she was drawing a map of the Sanct.
"Colonel Mustang," the General greeted as they approached. "Good to see you're all right."
The man looked slightly relieved. Roy had to stop the corners of his lips from quirking into a frown. Grumman knew that he was fine. All of them were, except for Ed. How could he be in any way relieved yet?
Although, the more he thought about it, he realized that he and the two military officers had only made very brief contact with their outside forces. It probably took actually seeing them to truly ease any worries he had. Even though his team was trying to hide it, he could see that same relief in their eyes, especially Fuery.
He mentally cringed at the thought of how they were going to react when they see the true extent of Ed's injuries.
He forced those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think about that now when he had to get Ed and an entire congregation to safety.
He didn't know when Jonathan and Absalom were going to try to create the Red Stone or attempt the transmutation.
"You already have a plan, don't you?" Grumman asked, a slight smirk forming on his face.
The Colonel's face soon mirrored his commanding officer's. The General seemed to know him a bit too well. He walked over to the map Hawkeye drew and extracted the pencil from her. He noticed she started to draw the tunnel that he went through, so he connected it near where she had drawn Ed's cell.
"Before Havoc and Falman found me, I overheard some disturbing information from Jonathan Sutton and Absalom," he began. "They've been using members of the congregation for their human transmutation experiments. Jonathan suspects that we're on to them, so he wants to use a few of their followers to create a Red Stone. From what I could hear, it can heal anything, but it requires the sacrifice of human souls. He thinks that giving us the Red Stone will get us to leave so they can continue their research.
"There isn't a way for us to arrest the Absalom and Jonathan without risking the lives of the rest of the congregation, so we have to get them out of the Sanct. One of the entrances to the tunnels is right by Fullmetal's cell. However, I heard Jonathan say he had to come in through the east tunnels because of our base. I think our best bet is for Hawkeye, Havoc, and I to find them and evacuate the congregation out east. Since the Disciples of the Moon are anti-military, I don't want to risk them seeing us or our base and running back into the Sanct. Aside from that, the brothers and the guards frequently come by Ed's cell. We risk them seeing us if we use the west tunnels."
General Grumman nodded in agreement.
"What about Ed?" Fuery couldn't help but ask. "How is he? Are we going to evacuate him out east too?"
The Colonel's mouth set into a grim line. Havoc and Hawkeye's expressions darkened considerably. They didn't even know how much worse Absalom had tortured Ed since they last saw him.
He opened his mouth, but a was interrupted by a very unexpected voice.
"I can help."
A soldier approached Mustang's team, escorting a kid with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"I found him climbing out of the hatch," the young officer said.
"Zayne?" Jean questioned, eyebrows raising.
Roy would have been lying if he said he wasn't shocked to see the kid. No one had seen him since Havoc followed him into the garden.
"I went to sneak Ed some food when I saw Wren leaving Ed's cell and disappearing into the next room," Zayne explained. "I checked on Ed, but he was unconscious, so I tried to follow Wren, but I got lost in the tunnels until I saw the open hatch." He paused, looking like he was trying to fight back tears. "I know what happened to my father. I can't lose my brother too."
The Colonel shot a quick glare at Jean.
You actually told him?
The Second Lieutenant recoiled at the cold expression. No one in the congregation was supposed to know what happened to all of the victims. He knew Roy would reprimand him later for that.
Zayne continued.
"Concerning Ed, I wouldn't let anyone in the congregation see him. They still believe what the brothers say about him, that he's part of the Darkness. The second someone lays eyes on him, you lose your chance to evacuate the Sanct. They'll think you're trying to deceive them."
"There's also the fact that he's not in any condition to be moved," Roy chimed in. "His ankle's broken and Absalom shattered his knee. We shouldn't move him without medical personnel, but we don't have a lot of options. There's no way to get him up that ladder and through the hatch without worsening his injuries. It's going to take a few of us to carry Fullmetal out, and we can't risk getting attacked while we move him. We have to take care of the guards, then we can get him out through the main entrance of the Sanct."
"What should we do about the guards?" Breda asked.
"We need to incapacitate them in whatever way we can and force them out," Jean said. "They don't realize what's actually going on in the Sanct. From what I've seen, the Jones brothers have convinced them that guarding the Sanct is a sign of their faithfulness to the Moon, so they won't willingly leave like the others."
Roy nodded.
"Don't use deadly force unless absolutely necessary. They don't understand what they're doing."
Those words formed a pit in his stomach. In reality, he despised every single person in the Disciples of the Moon for just standing by as the Jones brothers brutally tortured his subordinate, some even going as far as to encourage it. A dark part of him didn't care if everyone made it out before the military raided the Sanct.
Then there was the understanding at the back of his mind that these people saw something in the Jones brothers. He didn't know how, but the brothers had given them a false sense of security and hope. They didn't even request to see the "Scriptures" or anything the brothers claimed to have found. That's how desperate they were to find some sort of purpose for their lives or find a place they felt like they belonged after feeling rejected by society.
And Absalom preyed on them for his and Jonathan's personal experiments.
It was just sick.
"Once you guys find the tunnels, I could help get the kids out," Zayne volunteered.
General Grumman looked apprehensive, as did the rest of Mustang's team. That was understandable. A kid shouldn't be helping them in a situation this dangerous. Havoc smiled reassuringly.
"He actually could," the Second Lieutenant explained. "All of the kids in the congregation really look up to Zayne and his brother. They'll follow him anywhere."
"Zachary's been spending most of the day with Jeremiah," the young boy added before turning to Riza. "I could also go with you to speak to his wife before gathering the children. We could say Jeremiah ordered us to leave for the sacrifice and we can't walk on the holy ground of the Sanct. That's the only thing I can think of to get everyone else to leave."
Everyone glanced to the General. The man sighed and nodded, looking out west. Everyone followed his gaze. The sun was slowly starting to set. It may not have been the best of plans, but they were running out of time.
He turned to the soldiers by the radios.
"Have any of the brothers come to visit Major Elric?" he asked.
One of them took off his headphones and shook his head.
"It's been silent since the Colonel left him."
General Grumman now turned to Jean.
"Second Lieutenant Havoc, you're in charge of gathering any medical supplies we have and taking care of Major Elric's injuries. I'm not sure how long it will take us to evacuate the Sanct, so we need to prevent him from getting an infection, or keep it from getting worse if he already has one. It might be a while before we can get him to the hospital in Freyvale."
Jean saluted and left to follow the General's orders.
"Colonel Mustang, I assume you'll notify us the second you're ready for us?"
Roy grinned and nodded. Fuery fetched him a pair of his ignition gloves.
He unconsciously put them on, his fingers already itching to snap and burn the bastards that tortured his young subordinate.
*break*
Jean rushed through the tunnels until he reached the staircase Roy had described. His commanding officer, the First Lieutenant, and a few sergeants were raiding the library of all the notes and books they could use as evidence. None of them would put it past Jonathan and Absalom to try to destroy their work the second they realized the military had invaded the Sanct.
Making sure he didn't hear anything, he entered the room and poked his head out into the hallway. It was empty. He snuck into Ed's cell and nearly dropped everything in his arms at the sight before him.
He remembered flinching when the Colonel mentioned Absalom shattering Ed's knee, but it was still a shock to see it. Then there was all of the blood flowing down Ed's stomach from the belt around his waist. The only thing that gave him any sort of comfort was the fact that Ed was still unconscious.
The Second Lieutenant sincerely hoped he remained that way.
He jumped when the door to the cell opened.
"We found everything we needed," Riza said as she walked in. "The Colonel left to search the barracks. He ordered us to meet him there after I help you…."
She trailed off and put a hand over her mouth when she saw Ed.
Without saying a word, Jean set the supplies down. He laid Ed on his side so he could remove the barbed wire binding his wrists behind him. Riza got some bandages and wrapped his flesh wrist.
"Can you lift him up?" she asked. "I'll get that belt off."
Jean put his hands under Ed's arms and lifted him up so his entire upper body was off the ground.
"Wha…what's…happening?" Ed slurred as his eyes fluttered open.
The Second Lieutenant winced. The young alchemist had the worst timing possible to wake up.
"I'm sorry, Ed, but we need to get this off you," the First Lieutenant apologized as she carefully took the belt off, nearly vomiting at the sight of the bloody nails as they were pulled out from the kid's flesh.
Ed's mouth opened in a noiseless cry of agony. Riza tossed the belt aside and wrapped bandages around his waist. She looked to her comrade as the beaten teen collapsed back against him.
"Do we have anything to brace his leg?"
Havoc shook his head.
"What's happening?" Ed managed to ask again once his breathing was back to normal.
"Absalom is working with the mayor of Freyvale on the human transmutation experiments," Jean explained. "Zayne's helping us get everyone out before our forces come in and arrest them." He took note of the relieved look on Ed's face and smiled. "It's almost over, Chief."
"We need to redress the wounds on his back before meeting up with the Colonel," Riza commented solemnly.
She hated that Ed had been alone since the Jones brothers had him taken away from them. She hated not being able to do anything to help him until they figured out the murders.
Even though he would be taken to safety hopefully soon, she couldn't stand the idea of him being alone again.
"I can take care of his back, so go ahead," Havoc said, not taking his eyes off the kid in his arms. "Tell the Colonel that I'm sorry, but I can't leave him."
Normally, the First Lieutenant would never approve going against one of Mustang's orders, but she couldn't help but be a bit relieved. She had a hunch the Colonel would understand.
Knowing Havoc was already armed, she gave him some extra bullets, just to be safe.
"Ed, do you think you can transmute a barricade for the door?" she asked.
Ed blinked a few times before nodding. She reached out to stroke some of the hair that had fallen in front of his face behind his ear.
"Block the door if you can. Don't you dare take it down until the Colonel or myself come back to get you out. Do I make myself clear?"
Ed nodded again. Hesitantly, Riza left to find their commanding officer.
Leaning back against Havoc for support, Ed clapped and placed his hands on the ground. Blue light flashed and the stone around the door merged, forming a solid wall. Sweat poured down his face and his breathing was ragged. That transmutation had taken everything out of him.
The Second Lieutenant gently adjusted him so he was laying on his side again. He made quick work of disinfecting and bandaging the kid's back. He let out a sigh. He had at least taken care of Ed's injuries as best he could for the time being.
He frowned when he noticed Ed starting to shiver. Although, he shouldn't be too surprised. It was freezing in the cell, and being covered in sweat and blood was doing nothing to help the kid. He unbuttoned his shirt and draped it over the shivering alchemist. It was a thin shirt, but it was the only thing he had.
Ed slightly jumped at the unexpected gesture.
"Thank you," he whispered.
With Havoc's help, he was able to sit up and slip his arms through the sleeves. He leaned against the Second Lieutenant, who was trying to share as much body heat as he could.
They sat there in silence, anxiously awaiting the Colonel or Lieutenant Hawkeye to return.
*break*
"Is that everyone?" Roy asked as his First Lieutenant joined him down in the east tunnels.
Riza nodded.
"I made one final sweep of the Sanct. I had to avoid the guards, but everyone else is gone."
The Colonel finished the transmutation circle he was drawing with the chalk he found in Jonathan and Absalom's library. Activating it, he successfully sealed the east tunnels to prevent anyone else from coming back into the Sanct.
The two military officers had been lucky. They had searched all around the barracks on the east side of the stone complex and found no sign of the tunnels. It wasn't until they continued further into the Sanct, beyond where the brothers had imprisoned Ed, that they found the entrance. It couldn't have taken them more than an hour to find.
The Colonel and First Lieutenant sprinted through the tunnels until they came across a hatch, similar to the one in the west tunnels. Roy blew the hatch open to ensure Zayne could lead the congregation back above ground.
The kid had been right. It hadn't been any trouble to sneak the children out of the Sanct. Most of the parents followed without any questions, especially when Jeremiah's wife said her husband and Zachary had determined that the Moon's desire be that they leave the holy ground for the duration of the sacrifice. Zayne had helped sneak everyone out in small groups so they wouldn't attract the attention of the guards.
Honestly, they probably couldn't have evacuated the Sanct if it hadn't been for Zayne.
Roy reached into his pocket and pulled the microphone out.
"Move in, now!" he ordered. "I'll meet you all in the sanctuary."
He and Riza raced through the halls. They arrived at the sanctuary just as their forces started filing in from the hidden door.
He addressed the group of soldiers at the very front.
"Take care of the guards at the entrance."
They saluted and ran off to do as they were ordered. The rest of the forces entered the sanctuary and surrounded the Colonel. He turned to the men to his right.
"Split up to search the west and east corridors." He turned his team and some other soldiers that were stationed right in front of him. "You all are coming with me to search the north corridors." He then addressed the remaining soldiers. "Guard the sanctuary and the west tunnels. Don't let anyone into that library or out of the Sanct."
With that, his group followed him to sweep the halls on the north side of the compound. They were fortunate in the fact that they had only run into three guards. They had taken them by surprise, so the guards didn't even get to fire off a shot before they were apprehended and being forced out of the Sanct.
The Colonel started to feel relieved as they were getting closer and closer to Ed's prison; however, there was one thought that kept nagging at him.
He hadn't seen Jonathan or any of the brothers...but perhaps he spoke too soon.
When he and his group rounded the next corner, he saw Corinthian stumbling down the hall.
"W-What—" he slurred almost drunkenly before he screamed in pure agony.
Roy's fingers were poised to snap again as he watched the man try to put out the flames that were quickly spreading across his body. It was rash, but he certainly didn't regret it. Corinthian helped torture his subordinate. He deserved so much worse than that, but that would have to wait.
"Get him out," he growled. "We still need to interrogate him and Jeremiah."
A few soldiers rushed forward to put out the flames and drag Corinthian out of the Sanct.
Suddenly, an explosion resounded through the halls, shaking the ground and nearly causing Mustang and his team to crash to the ground.
"What the hell?" the Colonel muttered.
That had come from the direction of Ed's cell. He didn't even wait for his team or any of the other soldiers. He raced through the halls, snapping at another few guards he ran into along the way. Those men would be taken care of and escorted out.
He had to find Ed and Jean.
He froze in his tracks when he was just down the hall from Ed's prison. Rubble was scattered throughout the hallway. Breda nearly bowled him over when the rest of the team finally caught up. Cautiously, they made their way down the hall.
There was a gaping hole where the door to Ed's cell used to be. Chunks of stone littered the room. Roy's eyes widened when he saw his Second Lieutenant on his side against the far wall, unmoving.
The force of the explosion must have sent him crashing into the wall.
"Havoc!"
He knelt by his subordinate's side. Breda joined him just a second later.
"Hey, Havoc, you need to wake up!" Breda said as he gently slapped Jean's face, trying to wake him.
It seemed to work as Havoc's eyes fluttered open followed by a groan of pain. Before anyone could ask him anything, his eyes shot wide open.
"Ed…Absalom..."
He couldn't form a complete sentence, but the Colonel instantly understood.
"Breda, stay with him. The rest of you, follow me!"
He dashed back toward the sanctuary. He had to get to that transmutation circle. That was the only place he could think of that Absalom would take Ed.
He just hoped he wasn't too late.
*break*
"The array is finished," Jonathan announced when Absalom carried Ed down the staircase. "We have to hurry."
With the military guarding the sanctuary and the tunnels, the mayor had to force his way in to get to his work. Taking out the soldiers in the sanctuary had been easy enough. He simply sealed the door to the staircase and the west tunnels so no one could bother them as they worked. Unfortunately, he found that someone had already been in the library and scoured through their research and taken it, but no matter.
Once the military saw how much progress they were making in the field of human transmutation, they would gladly return their notes.
"I think the kid's finally coming around," Absalom commented with a smirk.
He dropped the kid carelessly in the middle of the transmutation circle, eliciting a pained groan from the young alchemist.
It took Ed a few tries to open his eyes. When he did, he didn't recognize his surroundings in the slightest. After a few seconds, he remembered everything.
"Havoc…."
He remembered the Second Lieutenant tensing up when they heard footsteps coming down the hallway. They had suddenly stopped. Just seconds later, he found himself propelled through the air until he hit the far wall in his cell.
After that, everything went black.
He tried to get up, but that proved to be an impossible feat. When he plopped back down on the ground, he noticed the horrifyingly familiar markings. He was lying on a human transmutation circle. Suddenly, he felt a kick to his side. His assailant didn't relent until he was turned over on his back.
"I'm sure your friend is fine, but I wouldn't worry about him," he heard Absalom say. Soon enough, the man was looming over him and waving a knife in front of his face. "You brought this upon yourself, Fullmetal Alchemist. All you had to do was answer a few of my questions, but you refused."
Ed let out a gasp of pain as Absalom plunged the knife into his stomach.
"I offered you a painless death, but you insisted on being so difficult."
He yanked the knife out and stabbed him again, and again. To Ed, it seemed like an eternity passed before he stopped. When he did, he dropped the bloody knife, admiring the seven stab wounds he created in the young alchemist's stomach.
"Where's Zachary?" Jonathan asked.
Absalom looked to his mentor, shame clouding in his eyes.
"I…I couldn't find him or Corinthian after they drank the tea," he hesitantly responded.
"How could you be so careless?"
"I couldn't take them with me to retrieve our sacrifice!" Absalom defended. "Besides, we still have time. The kid has a while before he bleeds out, so we can't even use him yet."
"I don't think you understand how serious this is! The military has invaded the Sanct! They've probably apprehended your brother already. They probably have more soldiers on their way in. We have to do the transmutation now!"
"You know we can't do that!"
"Absalom?" a voice asked.
Jeremiah staggered his way in from the library with a hand on his head.
"You won't believe this. I had the most amazing vision from the Moon!"
Jonathan looked to Jeremiah. Absalom's eyes widened when the mayor picked up the previously discarded knife and walked toward Ed.
"You can't!" Absalom insisted. "He refused to cooperate and help us in our research. He needs to suffer for trying to prevent us from making progress!"
"Fine!" Jonathan yelled.
He stalked over to Jeremiah and snapped his neck. Absalom couldn't move.
"B-Brother?"
He couldn't do anything but stare as his mentor dragged his brother's dead body to the circle.
"Move," Jonathan ordered as he shoved Absalom out of the way.
Ed gazed at the two with horrified eyes.
"No!" Absalom screeched as Jonathan knelt down to activate the circle.
He tackled the mayor, his hand grappling for the knife that had clattered to the ground.
"Absalom, what the hell are you doing? You know this transmutation will work! We'll bring your brother back!"
The two instantly stopped fighting when chunks of stone came flying down the staircase, instantly followed by a wave of intense heat. The bright light of the flames temporarily blinded them. Once they could see again, they were greeted with the sight of a very pissed off Roy.
"Wren?" Absalom questioned, his eyebrows raising.
Without saying a word, the Colonel raised a single gloved hand and snapped. The two suddenly found themselves consumed in flames. Jonathan panicked, staggering toward the library as he tried to put them out. Absalom crashed to his knees, a tortured scream ripping itself from his throat.
Just as quickly as they appeared, the flames were gone. Absalom collapsed on his side, almost every inch of his skin charred black. His pain-filled eyes met Roy's obsidian ones.
"F-Flame…." he croaked in agony.
Absalom realized he was looking into the cold gaze of none other than the Flame Alchemist. That was the last thing he saw before he gave into his body's desire to fall unconscious.
Roy turned to Falman, one of the two of his remaining men. The others, including Fuery, were tending to the men that had been injured in the sanctuary and getting them out of the Sanct.
Much like Ed's cell, the sanctuary had been completely destroyed. He would be genuinely surprised if there weren't a few casualties.
"Get him out of here," Roy ordered.
Falman didn't need to be told twice.
Riza skidded to her knees beside Ed the second the Colonel took care of Jonathan and Absalom. Her blood ran cold at the sight of the stab wounds in Ed's stomach. She immediately ripped off the shirt Havoc had given him, ignoring the stench of burning flesh as she bunched it up and pressed it against the wounds.
It did nothing to staunch the blood flow.
"Colonel!" she called out, trying not to panic.
Roy was at her side in an instant.
"Havoc, we need to get you out of here!"
"No…no I have to know that he's okay…."
Jean came stumbling down the stairs, Breda right on his heels. They both froze when they saw Ed. Riza swallowed.
"He's losing too much blood."
Despite suffering from a concussion, Havoc snapped into focus. He noticed Ed's eyes fluttering shut.
"No, Chief! You have to stay with us!" he demanded as he joined Roy and Riza. "Colonel, give me your shirt."
Roy did so without hesitation. Jean pressed it against the kid's stomach, joining Riza in trying to stop Ed from losing any more blood.
They were miserably failing.
"The wounds are too deep," Havoc commented, his voice slightly cracking at the end.
He met his commanding officer's gaze.
"Sir, you…you have to cauterize the wound."
Well, there's chapter ten! I hope you guys enjoyed the suspense, the parental, and the brotherly moments! If Absalom and Jonathan's actions seemed a bit weird and careless, or the two overall just came across as insane, they were supposed to. The reasoning will be explained in the next couple of chapters.
Also, Jeremiah's dead, so that's cool.
I would apologize for leaving this chapter on a cliffhanger, but I'm not sorry in the slightest. Considering my spring break is coming up, you guys shouldn't have to wait on the next chapter for too long…as long as I survive the assignments and exams that precede this much needed break! And, I promise, there will be fluff next chapter to make up for it!
Anyways, until next time!