A sense of relief washed over the trio as the Rockbell residence came into view. After a long day of travel, the idea that they would finally be able to sit down and relax was welcoming.
Well… That and the notion that Riza might be able to get some time to herself.
Because after her pathetic attempt at trying to find light in the situation, she discovered that her bid had fallen short with Roy. After an awkward and stammered out "yeah," Roy had grown quiet, remaining so for the remainder of the trip.
Maybe it was because he understood something that she didn't? But he would tell her that… wouldn't he?
The longer she thought about it, the more she second-guessed herself; and the more her thoughts and feelings became distorted, the worse the "fog" that had settled in her mind became...
And that, she soon realized, had become dangerous.
Silence on his end soon led to silence on hers, which allowed her time to think about other things... Things she didn't want to think about.
She knew that there were times when he wanted to talk to her; she could feel his eyes on her at times during the train ride. The instances in which his eyes would fall on her began to become increasingly common the longer the trip was, correlating with her restlessness. Before the incident, she had no problem sitting idly with a good book on rides to and from Resembool; but now she found the task next to impossible.
Being stuck on that train made her feel helpless and confined. Caged.
So it was a major relief when they finally reached the small country town. She felt like she could finally breathe...
"Hey! We're home!"
Riza's head snapped up. She hadn't even realized that they had already arrived at the house, let alone realize that they were standing in the foyer.
The sound of footsteps approaching announced Winry's presence. A moment later, she rounded the corner, a dish towel and glass in her two hands. Smiling at them, she said, "Glad you guys made it back safely. I was just about to start dinner."
"Great! I'm starving," Edward exclaimed as he set his suitcase down and made his way over to his wife. After drawing her into a quick embrace, he released her and placed a hand in her swollen stomach. "How's my little man," he asked playfully.
Winry rolled her eyes and chuckled softly, "You mean 'little girl,' right?"
"Well, we'll find out who's right in a few months," Edward decided to, wisely, respond with.
Riza had almost forgotten how perfectly the pair went together. Every time she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel happy. They both had certainly gotten the lives they deserved.
"Why don't I show you guys to your rooms? Once everyone washes up and takes some time to relax, we can head back down for dinner," Edward suggested, jolting Riza from her thoughts once again.
"Is there anything you would like us to do to help," Riza offered, not wanted the young woman to go above and beyond for their sake...
"Oh, it's no problem; really! I was just going to thaw some lasagna I made a few days ago." Flashing a small smile toward the older blonde woman, Winry added, "Just take a while to rest."
And that's what confirmed it for her. Immediately after Winry spoke, Riza noticed that her heart rate had jumped, the pupils in her blue eyes dilating ever so slightly.
Edward had told her.
Well, of course he did. She had expected it. But actually seeing Winry's subtle and unconscious reaction suddenly made her feel self-conscious. Becoming aware of the top of her head, Riza silently noted that her hat was still in place, slightly alleviating the sudden awkwardness.
"Yeah, no big deal," Edward added with a shrug. "C'mon," he motioned for the pair to follow, "I'll show you your rooms."
Roy sidestepped and motioned for Riza to go first. Nodding toward him in silent thanks, she followed after Edward with Roy in tow.
After they ascended the stairs, Edward motioned to the first room on his right, "Is this one alright, Hawkeye?"
Without looking at it, Riza nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Edward."
"No problem," he replied with a slight smile. Turning slightly toward Roy, Edward started to address him, though the Colonel- no, General's eyes were on her.
Before Roy followed the young man and they went their separate ways, they relayed a silent message only the other would understand: Meeting. Soon.
It only took Riza a couple of minutes to get ready; the rest of the time she spent pacing anxiously back and forth. She didn't know if this was the appropriate time to be having this type of conversation, but she needed to be sure where they stood.
Her stomach was in knots, her nerves started to get the better or her. She wondered if he felt like this before he had asked something similar of her so many years ago...
She jumped when she heard a knock on her door. Drawing in a deep, shaking breath, she slowly walked over to it and opened it.
She hoped he would understand...
After his conversation with Riza, Roy found that he was unable to eat or sleep, the thoughts in his head turbulent and restless. So when it was around two in the morning, Roy could no longer stand lying in bed. Silently slipping out of his room, he elected to wander to the part of the Rockbell house that lacked bedrooms. He needed a new place to sit and think.
Before he made his way toward his destination, however, he paused when he saw a soft glow from beneath one of the doors in the opposing hallway. If he recalled correctly, behind that door was an office.
Walking over to it, he grasped the doorknob and turned it, pushing against the door. As it swung open, he saw a flash of blond and red scramble across the floor. Blinking a few times, he recognized the "flash" as Edward.
Staring hardly at the older man, Edward grumbled, "You mind knocking next time?"
Ignoring the young man's question, Roy slowly stepped into the room, taking in everything he could in the dimly-lit room. Drawn on the floor in chalk was an intricate transmutation circle, identical to the one they had discovered at the warehouse days before. On top of it and strewn about were various papers and opened books, their text difficult to distinguish in the soft glow of a lantern that was seated next to Edward, whom had positioned himself in the middle of the array. "What is all this," he breathed. Before he could take another step forward, Edward raised his hand, stopping him in his tracks.
"Hold on." Scooting forward again, Edward smudged out another part of the transmutation circle's border. Looking up at Roy, he said, "The very last thing I need is for you to activate it. Knowing my luck, I'd be stuck with your ugly mug."
Roy ignored the offhanded comment. "You didn't answer my question from before. What is all of this," he asked again as he gestured to the articles that were scattered around.
"Research," Edward mumbled with a shrug as he looked back down at the book in his lap. "I almost have this text translated…"
"And you're doing all of this at," Roy looked down at his pocket watch to confirm, "Two-thirty in the morning?"
"Yeah," Edward replied without looking up from the book, turning the page as he added, "Not really a big deal. I do it all the time."
"Yes… Except you barely got any sleep last night. Shouldn't you be in bed with your wife getting, you know, some decent sleep for once?"
Focusing his full attention on Roy once again, Edward scoffed, "What are you, my dad?"
Roy rolled his eyes, remembering having this conversation with the young man many a time when he had been a teenager. "No, but what can you accomplish at two-thirty-"
"I think I have it," Edward said bluntly, cutting the older man off.
Thrown off by the young man's response, Roy blinked and asked, "You…what?"
"I think… I think I figured something out," Edward replied slowly. "It's the thing I mentioned before that I wanted to run by Al. But seeing that he still hasn't arrived in Nippon and contacted Ling, I guess you're the next best thing."
Disregarding Edward's slight change in tone, Roy sat cross-legged on the floor and began asking questions, hoping not to sound too optimistic. After all, he needed to remember that Edward had mentioned it was a longshot.
"Well…," Edward began, as if unsure where to start. "You see this symbol here," he asked as he pointed to a rounded emblem on his right. "It represents blood. And these," he lightly traced one of the lines that ran into it, "Represent binding. So, 'bound by blood.'
"Hawkeye said that the 'doctor' slit her throat. And he waited until the two blood supplies connected and mixed, right? So I guess that the most basic assumption would be that the key to this transmutation is blood. But," furrowing his brow, Edward lowered his voice slightly, "The issue with the transmutation is also blood." He looked Roy straight in the eye to see if the he was following.
Roy had been, up until that point. He understood that blood was important, but he didn't understand its role.
Seemingly noticing Roy's confusion, Edward continued, "It's not something I like to talk about often, but when Al and I attempted to bring our mother back we used our blood as 'Soul Data.' Since it had half of her genetic makeup, we figured it would be enough to be a template for her genetic particles.* Looking back, I realize that it was not enough. That and a few other factors, like not realizing that Al and I also inherited half of our genetic particles from our lame-ass father.
"So," Edward advanced excitedly, his eyes lighting up as he spoke, "The key is pure blood. Using the correct transmutation circle, we could use Hawkeye's own blood to 'reprogram' the cells in her body. The transmutation would force the new genetic particles out, replacing them with the old particles in order to allow them to proliferate, and restore her body to what it was before."
Roy arched his brows in surprise. The idea was… extremely well-thought out. But-
"But the issue, like I said, is blood," Edward continued, answering Roy's next question. "We would need a lot of it. And we can't use the blood she has now; it would be pointless. We need blood from before the transmutation…" He trailed off, once again looking to Roy.
Roy felt his hopeful face falter slightly. She had donated blood in the past, especially after the Promised Day. But recently, he knew that she hadn't because of all the work and late nights.
Seeing the General's reaction, Edward tried another approach. "Is there something, anything out there with her blood on it? I think it could work even if it's dried."
Roy thought long and hard. He didn't just keep something lying around with Riza's blood on it. What would be the point? There wasn't-
Wait…
His eyes widened in realization. "I'll be right back," he tossed over his shoulder, already halfway to the door. Eyes unadjusted to the lack of light, Roy stumbled through the darkness and to his room. Throwing the light switch on, he strode over to his jacket and dug his hand into the pocket. When he found them, he wrapped his fingers around them gingerly and produced them from his jacket. Without a second thought, he made his way back to the office and sat down on the floor at the edge of the transmutation circle.
When Edward eyed him curiously, Roy extended his arm and opened his hand, revealing a familiar set of silver earrings that rested on his palm.
Edward's eyes widened in anticipation and recognition as he leapt to his feet and grabbed a small Petri dish from the desk. Making his way back over to Roy, he held it out, inviting him to drop them in. When he had, Edward leaned over the glass dish and held it close to his face, examining them.
After a minute or so, he looked up at Roy, the spark in his eyes glowing brighter. "This could work," he breathed. "This could really work…"
Not trying to sound too hopeful, Roy objected to one observation he made. "You said that we'd need a lot of it though…"
Looking back down at the earrings, Edward nodded in agreement. "Actually, we have even less than you think." Pointing to the studded part of one of the pieces of jewelry, he said, "I doubt this blood is viable because it's on the outer edges and most likely stained with the tainted blood. But this," he motioned toward the earring's stalk, "Is most likely blood from her ears when they were torn out at the beginning of the transmutation." His eyes on Roy again, he could tell that the young man sensed his disbelief.
"The thing about alchemy is that you can take one thing and make something new with it, as long as the fundamental elements are the same. Since we know the makeup of genetic particles and blood, we could make more of it using this as a template.
"From what I gather, it's rigorous and tedious... But it's possible..."
Roy let Edward's words slowly sink in. It was possible…
Seeing Edward's beaming smile confirmed that the young man was confident in what he was saying. It was really possible…
They could altogether avoid Truth...
Edward's voice broke through Roy's concentration, bringing him back to their conversation. "We could go tomorrow morning and get some supplies. If we first try it and make a small amount from maybe a mouse or something, we could inject a minuscule portion of it into its vein to see if it reacts to itself. If it doesn't, then the blood was pure… And we could use the same technique to make viable blood for the reversal."
Roy watched the animated young man for a few moments, marveling at his determination and genius. He never truly ceased to amaze…
"Alright," he said as he stood, trying to hide his overwhelming excitement. "Tomorrow we'll go and get supplies, but only if you actually sleep tonight."
Edward rolled his eyes at the man's overprotective gesture, though he was smiling. "Yeah, yeah…" Grabbing the lantern next to him, he carefully maneuvered his way through the circle, taking care to not smudging anything else. When he got to the edge, he carefully stepped out of it to stand next to Roy. Casting one last glance over his shoulder, Edward followed after the older man and closed the door firmly behind him.
Riza slowly made her way down the stairs and toward the rich aroma that was emanating from the kitchen. Judging by the medley of smells that ranged from raw beef and gravy to carrots and onions, someone was in the early process of making beef stew. Frowning to herself, she realized that that meant it was nearing lunchtime already.
She had overslept. Something she had not done since she was a child.
Stepping lightly into the kitchen, she found Winry struggling to place a large pot of water on top of the stove.
Rushing over, Riza grabbed the body of the pot and helped her heave it onto the oven top. Once that had been done, she eyed the young blonde harshly. "Winry," she gently scolded, "You shouldn't be lifting this much weight in your state."
Winry blushed sheepishly and cast Riza a sideways glance. "I know, but I didn't want to wake you."
Riza shook her head. "That doesn't mean that you shouldn't," she pointed out. "This is about you and your baby. Not about me and my sleeping habits. Besides," she looked around the room for a clock, "I have a feeling I overslept."
Winry shrugged and sent her a small smile. "If you did, it wasn't by long. It's only 8:30," she pointed out, gesturing toward the clock behind Riza.
Turning to confirm that it was indeed 8:30, Riza frowned slightly. Sure it was early, but she was always promptly up by 5am sharp, regardless of whether or not she had an alarm set. Still, she chastised herself internally for not being up sooner to help the young blonde.
Rotating back to Winry, she grasped the onions that were laid out on the counter. "Here, let me help you with these."
Seemingly relieved, Winry graciously accepted her offer and thanked her.
With a small nod, Riza grabbed the kitchen knife that was next to the onions, moved them over to the cutting board and slowly began peeling them.
It only took her a few moments to realize her mistake. The more layers she peeled back, the more her eyes and nose stung. The odor was extremely harsh to her heightened senses, almost to the point of being unbearable. Still, she had offered and felt that it was disrespectful handing the job over to the pregnant young woman. So she decided to trudge onward, knowing full well that she'd only be smelling onions for the rest of the day.
She was so absorbed in trying to focus on not smelling the foul food that Riza almost didn't realize Winry was watching her. Turning her head slightly, she shot a small smile toward the young woman. "Is something the matter, Winry?"
Her face turning a shade redder, Winry quickly shook her head. "No, no, no. I just, well-"
Riza felt her small smile slowly fade. She suddenly began to feel increasingly self-conscious of the hat that rested on her head.
"I- I was just going to say that you can remove your hat. It's okay."
Riza was taken aback. She hadn't expected that. In fact, she had almost expected the young woman to draw attention to it by asking a flurry of questions. Feeling her smile return, she said, "I appreciate it, Winry, but if it's alright with you I'd prefer to keep it on. It's surprisingly comfortable."
That was a lie. In reality, she was convinced that the small and humid microenvironment the hat was creating beneath it was beginning to give her an ear infection. But for some reason she was extremely uncomfortable without it on in the presence of anyone other than Roy or Edward. So she had resigned herself to suffering through it for a few more days until she, hopefully, grew more comfortable.
Winry seemed reluctant, but eventually nodded in slight agreement, turning back to the carrots she was cutting.
The two remained silent until Riza cleared her throat, breaking it. "So, where have the men gone at this hour?"
A smile in her voice, Winry said, "They left about a half hour ago to pick up a few things from the market in town. They should be back in about two hours or so."
Riza couldn't help but smile at the thought of the two men, who would normally bicker about anything they could find, attempting to agree on whatever they'd bring back with them. And at the same time, it brought up a sense of longing in her. For whatever reason, the notion had a homely feel to it, something she didn't even realize she craved.
She was about to respond when a muted creak filled her ears. Stopping what she was doing, she strained to listen.
Another creak. This time she was not mistaken.
Forgetting that she had the knife in her hand and was still in mid-conversation with Winry, Riza cautiously and silently advanced, listening for the sound once more. As she reached the corner that separated the kitchen, she guardedly edged herself around the corner, only to find herself face-to-face with Roy… and an unknown assailant.
Before she could do anything to respond, a massive weight slammed into her side, forcing her to the ground. Before her arms were pinned, she slashed at her aggressor with the knife, slicing into his left cheek.
The assaulter howled in surprise and clawed feverishly at his face, giving her the opportunity to scramble out from beneath him.
As she stumbled to her feet, her eyes still on the massive and muscled aggressor, the scream of something slicing through the air rang in her ears. She instinctively ducked, just barely missing the enormous arm that swung over her head. Combat skills long forgotten were returning to her.
In one swift movement, she rotated the knife in her hand and thrust it behind her, feeling it bury into a tough piece of flesh.
The second aggressor cried out in pain as it lashed out again, this time missing her by mere centimeters. Using the heel of her foot, she pushed herself off and away from him. While trying to catch her footing, Riza heard a third assailant behind her. Turning swiftly with her knife raised, she froze.
This time she saw him more clearly. It was Roy; his face covered in cuts and bruises… and his arms were bound behind him, his mouth duct taped shut. His widened, panicked eyes screamed for her to run.
She couldn't run. Not without-
Another weight smashed into her from behind, slamming her to the floor once more. She watched helplessly as the knife skidded away from her and out of her reach. A massive hand grabbed both of her arms and held them behind her. A second one slammed into her face, pressing her cheek against the living room's hardwood floor.
Through the fringe that obscured most of her vision, Riza could make out two figures coming toward her. One was clad in a white jacket and the other…
Her eyes widened in recognition.
The doctor smiled playfully at her as he pushed his hostage forward. Raising and pressing his signature blood-stained hunting knife to Winry's throat, he purred, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Riza narrowed her eyes in response. "What do you want," she growled.
"Why… I want you my dear," he remarked lightly.
"Well, you have me," she retorted, "So let them go."
"Ah, ah, ah," Dr. Beller shook his head. "My orders were perfectly clear. I am to kill every. Last. One of them. And," he pressed the knife even more firmly against Winry's throat, "I think I'll start with this one."
Riza's eyes widened with horror as a small trickle of blood ran down Winry's neck.
"I wonder," the doctor pondered absently. "I wonder how long it would take for her to bleed out? Or," he grinned madly, "I wonder how long before the infant inside of her dies?"
She heard a strangled cry to her right, confirming her suspicion that they had captured Edward as well.
"Please," Riza begged, "Let them go."
"Oh, but my orders-"
"Damn your orders," Riza yelled. "Let them go. Just please… let them go."
"You are in no position to be making demands, my dear. But please, humor me."
Oh, she'd humor him alright. "If you don't, I will continue to fight until my dying breath. From what it sounds like, you need me alive; but I can guarantee you I can finish the job before you take me to whomever gave you those orders."
To her left she heard a muffled scream, no doubt belonging to Roy. She didn't need to look at him to know that he was fighting with all of his might to struggle away from his assailant's firm grip.
Still, she kept her eyes locked on the doctor, anxiously awaiting his reply.
The crazed man in the white coat considered it, glancing up at the ceiling in deep thought. Finally, he looked down his nose at her. "So… You won't fight?"
She did her best to shake her head yes. She wouldn't fight… for now.
"And all I need to do is let them live?"
Again she nodded eagerly in response. "My life for theirs… Equivalent exchange, right," she added with a tinge of acidity in her voice.
"Hmm… Very well then..." The doctor aggressively pushed Winry to the ground, eliciting a cry of pain from her. Turning his back to them and walking away, the doctor calmly ordered over his shoulder, "Tie them all up. Be sure to bind them tightly."
Out of the corner of her eye, Riza saw Roy's pained expression, his sorrowful eyes watching her. She shot him a disheartened look that said "I had to do it…"
However, his pained expression gave way to one of alarm, then hysteria.
Before she could even begin to wonder what he was trying to convey, a blunt force slammed into her skull from behind, knocking her out instantly.
"Sir, I-I got her, just like you asked."
"Good. Now do what you can… and break her."
Riza groaned softly as she slowly came to, trying to figure out what had caused the immeasurable pain in the back of her head. She felt her ears slightly twitch in response to a constant drip that she gradually was able to make out as her senses returned. Accompanying the sound of leaking water was the thick scent of mildew and decay that hung in the musty air.
Shifting uncomfortably, she realized that her hands were bound behind her back. Testing her binding's strength, she deduced that it wasn't something she could easily slip out of. Frowning at the predicament, she moved again, causing a sharp pain to radiate through her skull.
Before she could whimper in protest to the pain, a sudden force jerked her upright and into a sitting position. Eyes jolted open in shock; she found that her glassy gaze was met by a set of cold, hardened eyes.
The doctor grinned wickedly. "Welcome to hell, my dear."
A/N: Quick note: Genetic particles* = DNA. I remember learning about DNA being called an 'inheritable genetic particle' when learning Mendelian genetics.
Anyways, I purposely left Riza and Roy's conversation out because it will come up again in a few chapters. It'll all make sense...