ROY
Roy!
Roy jolted out of his sleep with a gasp and looked around him frantically. He was alone in his private train compartment, sitting on one of the cushioned benches and leaning by the window. Riza. He could have sworn he had just heard her voice.
Roy took a large gulp of water from a bottle before settling back down. He wiped the thin layer of sweat off of his forehead on the sleeve of his dress shirt and closed his eyes once more. He listened to the constant rattling of the train, that had now become the background noise, but couldn't hear her voice anymore. He sighed heavily. Wait for me Hawkeye. I'm coming.
Roy couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, but he had lost all of his appetite since he had seen the video. The more time passed, the more he felt his stomach twist into knots. His head felt heavy, but he couldn't sleep because of the dreams, the ones where he always arrived too late.
He stared blankly out the window, at the green fields gradually turning into yellow brown sand. For the past 12 hours, they had been on this train making their long journey to Ishbal, only stopping once to restock on coal. Roy looked at his pocket watch. 4:30, we should be getting there soon.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. He saw the wild, desperate look in her eyes. It was the same look she had given him during the Promised day when they had been trying to force him to perform human transmutation. 'Don't come', is that what you were trying to tell me? However, Roy couldn't ignore what he had seen.
Each time he thought about it, his whole body burned with rage. He had seen the state she was in, the way her eyes darted around in confusion when they had removed the bag. She was so skinny, bloody and beat up that it had taken him a few seconds to process what he had been seeing. Her skin had looked so pale that the contrast with the blood had made it so much more sickening to watch.
He had seen the fire in her eyes and the strength behind them when she had told him not to come. Even when she was knocked down by that backhand swing, she had refused to cry out. Riza was always very strong. She was the type of person who would rather endure the hardship and suffering in silence instead of letting it out. However, when she had cried out in anguish, he felt like someone had stabbed his heart with a knife. Even now, all he remembered was that scream, the one he had heard only once and swore to prevent it from ever happening again. I failed her. I couldn't protect her. If only I had listened to my instincts earlier, then none of this would have happened.
22 hours ago
Roy had left the office early. After the new clues they had discovered, he had been too shaken to continue working. Even if he had stayed, he would've been to distracted to focus on anything other than Hawkeye. He drove himself home, for once, and quickly packed a travelling bag with his essentials and extra uniforms. When he was done, he sat on his bed debating on what he should do next. However, being too anxious and impatient, he got back up and paced his room. I knew something was wrong! I knew it!
There were only a few trains going to Ishbal these days, since the rails weren't completed yet. Most of them transported construction materials, workers and some citizens who were making their way back to the revived city. The trains stopped right outside of the city and you would have to take a car or a bus to get to Ishbal itself. From Central, there were only two trains per day that left for Ishbal, one at six in the morning and the other one at four in the afternoon. The trip itself took sixteen hours, including multiple stops at different cities, restocking on coal and picking up materials and supplies for the city.
Unable to stay calm, he went downstairs and into the kitchen. When he opened his fridge, he was greeted by its emptiness. Damn, stupid new fridge. He had recently moved into his newly built house and, unlike his predecessors, he refused to have maids and butlers to do the housework. His house was nowhere near the size of a mansion, but it wasn't small either. He like to live in a modest sized house suitable for one person. If ever he decided to get married and have children, it would still have enough space to house five people. One thing he did have was the enormous land and a big gate and fence all around it. Despite his need for privacy in his own home, the military had insisted in stationing some soldiers at his gate and around the fence.
Roy sighed and looked at his pocket watch. 6:30. He was getting hungry, but there was no food at home. Grabbing his coat and keys, he made his way to his garage and started his car. His personal car was nothing like the black military one's, nor was it anything fancy. Roy loved driving his own car, mostly because it was so ordinary that no one ever noticed him in it. When he drove up to the gate, the soldiers immediately opened it for him and scrambled to attention.
"Sir! We didn't know you were heading out. We will be getting ready immediately." Before some of them could get into their issued cars, Roy stopped them.
"That won't be necessary. I'll be going alone." The soldiers stood tense and uncomfortable.
"Sir, we were told to never let you go somewhere without some security."
"I know, but I'm just going to get something to eat and visit someone. No one will know about this if you keep it a secret. If not, just tell whoever is in charge of this that the Fuhrer made it an order."
He nodded at the saluting soldiers before he drove off. He was feeling so restless and irritated that all he wanted to do was to eat something, have a drink and wait until they could board the train. By the time he got to his destination, the sun had already set and it was seven o'clock. He drove into an alley and parked his car. Before getting out, he searched in his glove compartment and found his old hat. He brushed off some dust and did his best to remove some creases before he adjusted it on his head, putting low so it would hide his eyes. He checked his rearview mirror and got out when it was clear. Roy casually walked in from the side door.
"Hey! You can't come in by-" Roy removed his hat and smirked.
"Good evening Madame Christmas. Long time no see."
"Roy-boy! What a pleasant surprise! You finally decided to give us a visit?" She walked over to him and gave him a ferocious hug. Like Roy had promised, he had rebuilt her old bar and made it even better.
"I'm sorry for not coming sooner. I've been really busy lately and things are just very hectic right now."
"Uh huh, I'm sure that's true Roy-boy. You can't expect anything less from being the Fuhrer you know? Come over here. Sit down." She settled him into a chair by the wall with a little table in front of him before sitting across from him. "So, what brings the almighty Fuhrer here tonight? You usually just give me a call."
They were sitting in a corner of the back room, out of view from the other customers since he couldn't really be seen in such a place. She looked at him expectantly, eyes boring holes through his skull. Finally, he looked away and joked, "I'm so hungry! I just moved into my new house and there's no food anywhere. Please feed me!"
Madame Christmas laughed out loud. "Still the bum aren't you? Dragging yourself in here when you want to be fed. As if you don't make enough money nowadays. Fine! I'll make you your favorite special club sandwich."
Roy's face lit up and he grinned at her. "Thanks!"
"But don't think you're getting out of this one, Roy-boy. I know you're hiding something. You wouldn't have risked coming here just for a meal. We'll talk about it after you eat." She gave him a reproachful look before she entered the kitchen, leaving him with his nervous chuckle.
Damn her and her intuition! His step-mother always knew when something was bothering him. However, it was also his fault for having the habit of stumbling in here whenever he was in a bad situation or was stuck with something. Sometimes, a few good advices was just what he needed to boost up his morale and put him back in the right track.
After a few minutes, with step-mother came back with hot club sandwich completed with a drink. "Thanks, you're the best."
"Oh I know." She chuckled. "The girls have been waiting for you to come visit. Do you want me to tell them you're here?"
Roy chewed his food and pondered. He felt bad for not being able to come here like he used to in the past, but it was so much harder now to do anything normal. He had an image to protect and he couldn't risk being seen in this type of bar, with girls everywhere. He had already given up his player image a while ago and was determined to rid himself of that reputation.
"No, maybe next time," he finally said. Madame Christmas nodded in understanding. Roy continued eating his supper, while Madame Christmas smoked her cigarette and made small talk with him, catching up with all the things they had missed.
"So," she said when he had finished his plate. "What's the thing you came here to talk about? You're gonna confess to miss Elizabeth?" Roy's eyes went wide and he choked on his drink, sputtering and coughing when he tried to speak.
"No, no," he said, embarrassed.
"Ok, relax Roy. I was just teasing you." Madame Christmas smiled wickedly and chuckled, making Roy pout angrily.
"Well, it is about her." His face took a serious look. "She's been missing for over a month now and we've just found out today that she'd been kidnapped."
"What? How could you only find this out now after all this time?" she exclaimed.
"I know, I know, but that's not the whole story. It's more complicated than that." Madame Christmas listened attentively while he explained the whole story, interrupting him at certain parts for more details.
"These people are good. They've really thought this through," she said at the end. "So now, you're waiting to hop on the first train in the morning?"
"Yeah. We're stopping at a town called Hillion Valley, right outside of Ishbal. Then, we'll work our way from there. We don't have any other clues apart from that van that they left there."
"I have some contacts over there. I'll ask them if they know anything about it." Roy looked at her questioningly.
"Just how many contacts do you have?"
"My network goes far and wide Roy-boy. It existed before you were even born." She smirked at him.
"Alright, thanks a lot Madame Christmas. It means a lot to me. " She means a lot for me.
"You're welcome. You should head on home and get some sleep. I doubt you'll be having much of it in the next few days."
"You're right, but I'm just going to have another drink before I go."
"Aren't you driving? You know it's bad to drink and drive. You of all people should know about the laws of this country."
"This much alcohol barely has any effect on me. It's just two small glasses." She gave him a displeased look and shook her head.
Before he had the chance to argue back, the side door from which he had entered earlier swung open. Roy cursed inwardly and quickly reached for his hat, hoping to be fast enough to hide his face. Madame Christmas bolted up, clearly angry about this sudden interruption. However, the panic drained away when he heard the person's voice.
"Chief! We've been looking all over for you!" Havoc said with relief.
"What's the meaning of this, boy? Don't you have any manners? You can't just bolt in from our back door." Madame Christmas scolded Havoc.
"I'm really, really sorry about this Madame Christmas. It's just that there's something very urgent for the Fuhrer at the moment and it can't wait." Havoc looked determined to stay strong in front of her, but the sweat on his forehead was giving him away.
"What is it Havoc?" Roy was already up and ready to go. None of his subordinates ever came to look for him after work hours. He knew exactly how much all of them hated working overtime, not to mention the fact that they had looked for him here of all places. No one other than his direct team knew of this place. It was a secret hideout used only in extreme circumstances. Because of that, Roy knew that whatever kind of news they had for him was of extreme importance.
"We have to get back to HQ. Fuery says there's a video for you." Havoc said, knowing that Roy must've already shared most of the story with his step-mother. Roy nodded at him and looked back to Madame Christmas.
"Don't let me keep them waiting Roy. Go!" She gave him a gentle pat on the back and smiled.
"Thank you for the meal, Madame Christmas. I'll come back as soon as I can."
"And I'll give you a call if anything comes up."
Roy jumped into the driver's seat and Havoc sat on the passenger's side. "Where are the others?" Roy asked once the doors were closed.
"Already heading to HQ. This was the last place we looked for you, so we were sure you'd be here."
"What exactly is going on? What's this video we're talking about?" Roy was driving a little faster then permitted, but he didn't really care at the moment. HQ wasn't that far away and he was having an extremely bad feeling about all of this.
"I'm not exactly sure myself. All I know is that Fuery was looking for you, but you had already left the office. He went to your house but you weren't there, so he called all of us to help look for you. I haven't met up with him yet, but he seemed really agitated on the phone. He said there was a video cassette sent for you... about Hawkeye." Roy twitched slightly at the mention of her name and his grip tightened on the wheel. I have a bad feeling.
By the time they drove up to HQ, it was around eight thirty. Everyone had already left for the day except for the guards at the front, but no one got in their way when they had seen who was in the car. Roy and Havoc were walking briskly down the deserted halls toward their offices when they spotted Falman waiting for them in front of the doors.
"Sir!" he saluted absentmindedly. "We're all waiting in a room downstairs. Fuery is preparing the video in a player right now and told me to bring you there when you arrived."
"Lead us there." They wasted no time going into the same room Fuery had seen the video the first time. When they entered, Breda and Fuery looked up and told Havoc to close the door behind him. Everyone, except for Fuery, seemed to be having the same dreadful feelings, creating a very tense atmosphere in the room. To make it worse, Fuery was sweating and much too pale to be normal. What made him so disturbed?
When Fuery had finally gotten everything ready, he turned to Roy and said in a quiet voice, "it's a message to you from the people who took Hawkeye." Fuery looked at him with a helpless look and swallowed his saliva.
"Play it Fuery."
Roy couldn't remember a time in his life where he had been more shocked than he was the moment where the man had unveiled Hawkeye. He knew she had been kidnapped, but seeing her in that state made reality crash down on him all in one shot. How could he have been so naive, thinking that she would not be harmed and tortured? Just knowing the fact that Hawkeye had been missing this whole time was shocking enough to put him in a semi-conscious state of denial. It was something so unfathomable that he refused to believe it. Now, he was staring at the image of the strong woman he once knew, the strong woman that was still in his head, the woman who was untouchable.
It was surreal. Under the mess, he saw her bones, her open wounds and the sickeningly bright red that contrasted with her pale skin. Her hair, once a golden yellow and always perfectly kept, was almost a dirty brown, with dried blood and tangles everywhere. Watching this image, he was studying her in a trance, barely hearing what the other man was saying. His heart leaped and he clashed back with reality when her eyes found his. Those eyes that were always looking at him.
Roy clenched his fists and and jaw, restraining himself from making an outburst. They all watched in dead silence as the man walked over to Riza and asked her to say something. Roy stared at her eyes, knowing what she wanted him to do. He felt himself wince when she did and confirmed what he had read through her eyes when she told him not to come. He jumped when the man suddenly hit her, making her fall to the floor. Bastard! Shit! He felt helpless, standing there watching her getting hurt, knowing he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was glare dangerously at the man.
He frowned when he saw the man position himself on top of her and take out a knife. No! Don't! Roy was sweating and his muscles were so tense they were trembling. He watched without blinking as he saw him grab her arm and right before he was about to twist it, he saw the look of fear in her eyes, an almost pleading look that went unanswered. The scream permeated the room.
"You have five days to find us and to come get her, alone. If you don't come alone, then she will die on the spot. You better come fast, because I can't guarantee that all her joints will be intact. Good luck." He heard the last message loud and clear.
The screen went black and only the sound of the rolling tape was heard. No one dared to move, too stunned by what they had just witnessed. Roy let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and walked head down to the back of the room. This can't be happening.
"Sir?" Fuery asked cautiously with a worried look. The other men looked at their leader in the same way. They were all angry and greatly affected by this, but they knew how much harder it must've been for Roy.
Roy stood still with his back to them. How could this happen? Riza had looked like a corpse that could barely keep her head straight. The situation had suddenly just spiralled into a living hell for him. His fists were clenched so tight that his nails were digging into his palms. He slammed a fist to the wall beside him and let out an anguished roar.
Breathing heavily, he quieted down and cursed silently.
"Shit! How could this happen?" he asked himself.
"Chief," Havoc called out to him.
Roy turned back to the other men. They must've seen the look on his face because none of them dared to speak. They knew all too well how dangerous he could become in that state, not that he would ever do anything to harm them. He was like a ticking time bomb, waiting for the time to explode. They knew that none of them could stop him from doing what he wanted. Once he was determined to this extent to do something, very few people could convince him otherwise.
He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "Fuery,"
"Yes sir!" he said with a shaky and alert voice.
"When did we receive this video?"
Fuery's mood suddenly dropped some more degrees down. "Four days ago, sir" he said despairingly.
Roy could hear the men rustling with anxiety. They all knew what that meant. One day left, huh? He opened his eyes and showed them his strong will. If he wanted to have a chance in saving her, he definitely couldn't start by showing the others hopelessness.
"That leaves us with one day. We don't know the time limit, so the sooner the better. Our train leaves at 06:00. By the time we board it, I want us to narrow down the location as best as possible. It must be in the vicinity of Hillion Valley and Ishbal." He looked at the men and was pleased with their new found determination. "Her life rests in our hands. We're going to save her and bring her back home." Finally he added with malice, "And we'll teach them who they're messing with."
The team worked non stop all through the night. Calls were being made to all the military posts in every village, town and city around Ishbal. Under the Fuhrer's direct orders, people were being woken up and were vigorously investigating this case. Roy stayed in the same room, rewatching the video over and over again.
"Don't come, it's a trap!" he paused it. Don't tell me to do something impossible Hawkeye. You should know better than anyone that I'll definitely come for you. I'm coming. Roy studied the video, trying to find some clues to her location. Unfortunately, there wasn't much details in the background that could help him.
"Sir," Roy turned around to see Falman standing by the open door. "The orders have been issued. We're tracing everything linked to anybody with the name of Marcus, but it's going to be difficult because there are so many of them. Luckily we have narrowed it down to a specific region in Amestris."
"The question is: is it his real name or just an alias? This is going to take too long. We don't have that much time. Come here Falman. Watch this with me." Falman came to stand beside him while Roy rewinded the tape before playing it again. He paused it in the middle of the introduction.
"At first, it's hard to notice anything particular about the room, but the more you look at it, the more you realize that the place is peculiar. Unlike most houses and buildings in Ishbal or in surrounding towns, this room seems to be made completely out of cement."
"You're right!" Falman said with amazement. "The buildings over there are usually made out of wood, dirt mixtures, rocks and other things, but rarely completely out of cement. You can see how the walls and floor are bare, with no paint, posters or anything. It looks very old too, if you take in all the cracks. It must've been a very secured building with a solid foundation."
"Yes, that's right. What do you suppose this building is, Falman?"
"Well, there could be a few possibilities, but I think it also has to be a big place since I doubt someone would've built such a place in the size of a house. In that case, it could be a school, a hospital, a prison, or anything in the same range. But I doubt-"
"A prison." Falman looked at Roy with surprise. He had blurted out those words but kept an intense gaze on the screen. "It's a prison."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Look," he went closer to the screen and pointed to the small window in the door. "It's blurry, but you can see some bars behind the door." Falman squinted his eyes to get a better look.
"It's true, but it's really blurry. We can't be too sure about this. What if it's something else that looks like prison cell bars?" Falman questioned with hesitation and doubt.
It's true. It could be something else, but...
"I just have a hunch that it's a prison. I just know it. I don't think I'd be a hospital, no matter how old the building is. It's just too plain. On the other hand, a school might be a possibility. It'd be in a poor part of the city though, considering the amount of effort they put into making it... hospitable for children." He turned to Falman and said, "Have everyone look for nearby prisons and schools, abandoned or not. I want a background search of each possible location up until today. Deploy as many people as you can to verify each place without getting seen. We need to have a place confirmed by tomorrow."
"Yes sir!" Falman quickly left the room to inform the others of their new orders.
Roy continued watching the video till the end. His arms were crossed and his hands clenched tightly on his arms. He etched Marcus's face in his mind, making sure to memorize every feature of his face. You'll regret what you've done. I'll make sure of it.
Roy walked back to their office through the dark empty hallways. Every step seemed to fall heavily, leaving a light echo resonating in the silence. I have all of this, but I couldn't even protect her. He had finally achieved his dreams. He was the Fuhrer of this nation, the most powerful figure in the country, but by becoming this person, he lost sight of the people in his surroundings. He could barely recount the times when he had spoken to her in private after he had ascended. Roy scowled at that thought. This is not the time to rue.
"Sir! We have another lead!" Havoc cried out hopefully the moment he entered their office. The men were all talking on different phone lines, communicating and getting updates from the officers in the towns and cities around Ishbal. "A man saw the people from the white van switch cars and drive east."
"Good." Roy walked over to a desk that had a maps on top. He looked at a few and picked a map of a close-up of Eastern Amestris. There were four towns in the close proximity of Ishbal. Two North, one West and one East huh? Hillion Valley was North of Ishbal. If they switched cars there, then they must've gone to the other town close by. Chilton was another town on the northern outskirts of Ishbal. It was a large town with a bustling market that had developed in the past year. It's too crowded. He couldn't omit the other towns, nor Ishbal either. However, it would've been really difficult for them to bring a kidnapped person to a large town where the chances of being seen was much higher. Their best chance to hide would be to go to a more secluded area or a quieter town.
Roy breathed loudly through is nostrils in frustration. Something's amiss. He searched through the pile of maps again and came up on an older map, dating before the Ishbal war. His eyebrows quirked in surprise when he discovered some smaller towns that were not on the other map. Keller, Varjos and Cerney. Those three smaller towns seemed to be aligned at a similar distance from a river.
"Falman," Roy called out. Falman was immediately at his side. "What can you tell me about these three towns?" He pointed them out to him and waited as Falman ruminated.
"From what I remember, these three towns, including Chilton, formed a popular trade route for merchants coming from the East, especially from Ishbal. They would stop at each of these towns to sell and buy, then they would continue on their way into the other parts of Amestris. However, they got caught up in the Ishbal war and ended up getting completely destroyed, leaving them deserted until this day." Indeed, the towns were aligned in a strategic route favouring and attracting businesses. The river running along the same axis promoted fishing businesses and recreational activities. Roy made a mental note to look into the revival of these towns.
"Send some people to each of these cities immediately. They're all close to Hillion Valley, not to mention deserted. Make sure they look for all the buildings made of cement. Once again, make sure they send some professionals. We don't want Marcus to know I've sent some people to snoop around." Hawkeye's life is on the line. He didn't need to say it out loud. They all knew the consequences of negligence and their inability to stay under cover in this mission. No one dared to take chances or to be reckless.
Roy looked at the clock on the wall. 2 AM. We don't have much time left. Roy hated being stuck in Central when he should've been in the East personally looking for her. They wanted him to come alone, but the problem was getting there on time.
Frustrated with his uselessness in this dire situation, he stalked to his office, looked through a little booklet and dialed a number.
"Central train station, how may I help you?" a man answered lazily after the third ring.
"This is Fuhrer Roy Mustang," Roy heard a gasp and frantic rustling on the other side. When he knew he had the man's attention, he continued, "I need an express train to Ishbal as soon as possible."
"B-But Fuhrer sir. Nobody is here right now. The train won't be ready until 5:30 for boarding. And what about the other passengers?" the man asked nervously.
"I'm not asking you to do it. I'm telling you to get it ready in two hours. It's an order. Call the workers in now and get them to ready the train. I'll take care of their over-time pay and the reimbursement of all the passengers' tickets. Tell them it was an emergency that could not wait. Is that clear?" Roy asked aggressively, leaving the man no choice but to accept.
"We'll be leaving at 04:00 sharp," he added.
"Yes sir!"
Roy went back out to join the others.
"Sir, they've sent some people out to each town and they're searching as fast as they can," Breda informed him.
"Good. The train's going to leave at 4, so wrap things up here and go get ready to leave. Tell them we'll be communicating with them from the train."
"I thought the train departed at 6?" Havoc asked.
"The Fuhrer ordered a four o'clock train and he got it. I'll be leaving first." The others just watched him leave with disbelief. Roy always found opportunities to exert, or almost abuse, his powers, which they all knew he enjoyed greatly.
"Sir, we'll be arriving at Hillion Valley in 15 minutes. There are already people at the station ready to escort you to the military base." Roy nodded at Havoc and thanked him. I probably look just as bad as them. None of them had gotten much sleep. Although they had assured Roy that they were taking care of the search mission so he could get a bit of rest, he found it impossible to sleep. There was a steady flow of adrenaline constantly pumping through him whenever he thought about Riza.
A few hours ago, they had gotten a call saying that the search teams had found traces of human activities in Keller and Varjos. They couldn't confirm any human presence, but they didn't want to pry any deeper in case they were found out. Two choices. Which one is it? The rest of the details were going to be given to them when they arrived at the base.
Just as Havoc had said, Roy was greeted by a full escort when he got off the train. A soldier walked up to him and saluted sharply.
"Fuhrer Mustang sir! I am Major Brad Langly, commander of Hillion Valley's military branch. It is an honour to welcome you sir."
"Thank you for escorting us to the base Major Langly. I'm very grateful and impressed for what your team has done in such short notice. I'm sorry it was so sudden."
"Not at all sir. The soldiers were very motivated to help and complete this mission. It is a direct threat to the military, so it concerned all of us too. Without further ado, we should get to the base to discuss about the possible locations of Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye."
The military base was a relatively small one and newly built. Roy was brought into Major Langly's office the moment they arrived. On his desk were old maps of the two town. Each map had a building circled in red.
"In Keller, the building that matched the descriptions the most was this abandoned prison. It was built twenty years before the Ishbal war and it used to be a big prison for dangerous and high-profiled criminals." Langly switched maps and pointed to another building. "In Varjos, we found this building. It used to be an primary school. It's over fifty years old and smaller than the prison in Keller, but it was still entirely built with cement. These are our two best guesses."
"What about Cerney and Chilton? Nothing there?" Roy asked to make sure.
"Chilton has been going through a lot of renovations and is changing every day. Most of the old building have already been brought down to build newer ones. None of their buildings resemble the description. Cerney, on the other hand, was completely destroyed. All of the big buildings, including the ones in cement, were all destroyed," Langly explained.
Prison or school? Roy thought. He was debating all the possibilities and reasons why it would be either one of them. In the end, he decided to stick to his instincts and chose to prison.
"How far away is Keller?" he asked.
"If we drive fast, we can get there in 35 to 40 minutes," Langly answered.
"And what about Varjos from Keller?"
"20 minutes."
"I'm going to Keller first. If it's not there then I'll head strait to Varjos."
"Sir! Are you sure it's Keller?" Fuery exclaimed, fatigue and anxiety showing clearly on his face.
"No, but it's a risk I'm taking. We have a 50/50 chance of getting it right, but I have a feeling it's Keller." He turned to Langly and said, "Prepare a car. I'll be heading out immediately."
"Sir, I'll send some troops with you as support. This is obviously a trap. You can't go in there alone," Langly argued.
"If they so much as see another person with me, they'll kill her. I'm going there alone."
"But-"
"I'm going there alone." This time, Langly didn't dare to retort after having witnessed the Fuhrer's anger.
"Sir, I still think we should have some troops on standby at the outskirts of the town. We won't be seen by them, but we'd be able to respond fast enough if it's necessary," Breda said.
"I made this for you." Fuery gave him a small rectangular device. "It's like a radio transmitter. I already set it to the same wavelength as ours, so if ever you need us to come, just press that button and talk in it. We'll be waiting."
Roy couldn't help but smirk at his team. No matter what the situation was, they always understood him the best and acted in accordance. He was extremely proud to have them on his side.
"Thank you everyone, for your hard work. Now, let's go get Hawkeye back."
Roy drove at full speed, desperate to get there as fast as possible. I'm coming Hawkeye. He was followed by four other cars, making a total of eighteen soldier who were going to stay on standby outside the town. After twenty minutes of driving, he saw them slow down and stop in the distance behind him. Good. This is far enough from Keller. They didn't know whether the enemy had binoculars or not, but they weren't going to take a risk.
This is it. Roy drove for another ten minutes and arrived at the abandoned town. He followed the map to the location and drove as deep into the town as he could. He had to stop when the road was blocked by crumbled buildings and walked the rest of the way there. He saw the prison from a block away. It was big and still standing.
Roy pulled on his gloves, making sure they were tightly fitted and walked in the shadows of the buildings around until he was close enough to the prison. He listened for any noise and looked around for any sign of life, but there was nothing. It's too quiet. Still, he stayed cautious and approached an entrance slowly. He infiltrated the place stealthily like he had been taught a long time ago in his military training. He walked through the long corridors, all aligned with empty and rusted prison cells.
Roy was beginning to dread the outcome and willed himself to go faster despite the possible danger he was facing. After many twists and turns, looking into many different rooms, he came upon a door similar to the one he saw in the video. This is it! He crouched against the wall and listened carefully for a few seconds. When he heard nothing, he opened the door and burst in quickly with his fingers poised to snap.
Empty. There was not a soul in sight, but this was definitely the right room. The chair was under the hanging light bulb. The ropes laid in a heap on the ground around the chair. However, the thing that ultimately confirmed the place was the dried blood on the ground and the chair. Shit! Where is she! His heart was beating fast and he frantically looked around the room for something, but it was bare except for a piece of paper on top of an old wooden desk. He was there in two big strides and picked it up quickly.
'Too late Roy Mustang'
Roy's hand shook in disbelief. How could this be! It's only 5:30. The day hasn't ended yet! He held the paper in a tight grip as he whirled around, searching for someone, hoping he had missed something. He kneeled beside the chair and dropped his head.
"Hawkeye," he whispered with a choked voice. His hands closed into fists, crumpling the paper in the process. Suddenly, he stood up, seething with anger.
"MARCUS!" he yelled as loud as he could. He stalked out to the hallway and said loudly, "Where is she? I came just like you asked me to. I came alone! Where are you? Where is Riza Hawkeye?" When he received no answers, he roared and said in a louder voice, "Come out Marcus! Where are you?" I'm going to kill you!
Roy was blinded with rage. There was no one in sight. They had already left, taking Riza with them. He didn't even know if she was still alive. Marcus had said that they would kill her if he didn't arrive on time. She might already be dead by now. How can they do this? They didn't even give a time limit! It's still early! Roy was now practically running around the place, calling out Riza's name. Please, please let me find her.
Roy was breathing hard by the time he arrived at the last hallway. Unlike the other places in this prison, this sector was filled with solid metal doors. They were high security cells, used for solitary confinement.
"Hawkeye!" he called out desperately, his voice hoarse from all the screaming. He walked down the hall, checking left and right at each empty cell. He would push open every door that was closed with a hint of hope, but he was always greeted by a dark, empty cell. Finally, he reached the end of the hallway and also the last cell.
Roy bit the inside of his lower lip apprehensively. Please be in here. It was the last place to check and his last ray of hope. Slowly, he pushed the door back. It was empty. The floor had dark stains. There was an old, ripped blanked in a corner and a toilet in another. He noticed some paper cups and some plates thrown in another corner of the room. Soiled bandages and an empty plastic bottle of antiseptic littered the floor. She was here.
Roy fell to the ground in despair and stared at the floor. I'm too late.
He didn't know for how long he had been sitting there, at the entrance of that last cell, but his mind didn't seem to work anymore. The place was dead silent and starting to get cold. He could tell the sun had already set because it was very dark inside the building. However, he couldn't summon any energy to move or to think about the next course of action. It was already too late. He had lost. They've killed her. I was too late.
A static noise and a voice broke the silence. "Sir! Are you alright? Did you find Hawkeye? It's been three hours! Where are you?"
At first he didn't move to answer.
"Sir!"
His hand moved ever so slowly toward his belt. Lifelessly, he lifted the transmitter close to his mouth and said, "I was too late." His voice was hollow and the will to fight was lost from his eyes as he was engulfed by the darkness of the night.
A.N.: Sorry for the late update. I hope this chapter came out ok. Sorry if there are some errors here and there. Didn't really reread it yet... some other time. Actually, I would say the first part of the story is done, then comes the other part. What happened to Riza? What's gonna happen to Roy? All that will be answered in later chapters. Unfortunately, I will be very busy this semester, so I can't promise fast updates, but I'll try my best. Please keep following this story :) and drop a review if you have any comments! ;)
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