MIND CONTROL
Chapter 3
Lose consciousness
Ed was slowly starting to lose his mind. He got to sleep about four hours per one night and two half an hour lunch breaks during what he could eat and walk around a little. Rest of the time he was tied in the table or if it was a special test he'd be somewhere else. Once they put him to run for five hours straight. He hadn't really been willing, but every time he stopped a tall guy stuck a few needles in him. He hated needles. He was absolutely frightened when it came to them. And the liquids the needles gave him were annoying too. Adrenaline ran through his veins, forcing him to run again. After that test he had been lying gracefully on the table, every inch of his body aching more than ever before.
His thoughts weren't running as freely and smoothly as before. For most of the time his mind was completely blank. Before this place he hadn't even thought it was possible. He had tried it for fun a few times and failed miserably. But now it was nothing unusual.
He also found it hard remember anything. It had started to be hard to remember what kind of test they had run a day before. It was hard to remember where he came from. What his name was. What his brother's name was. It was all just… slowly fading away. It almost frightened him, but he was frightened enough already so he didn't waste his energy in it.
Every time he fainted, purposefully or not, it took his energy away. It made him dizzy, tired and shaky. He had even thrown up several times. Or had it been several times in a day? He couldn't remember.
As the woman with the gentle voice came to take him to the day's tests, he felt himself drifting off.
How long had he been here anyway?
"Colonel", Al said as he opened the door, making an annoyed Roy to look up angrily.
"What? Are you the only one who has the guts to enter my office anymore? What do you want? Beat me to death?" Roy shot back at him angrily. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was paler than usual. Al got worried even though he didn't really want to worry about the man.
"Colonel, have you been sleeping?" he asked worriedly as he walked closer hesitantly. Roy nodded.
"I've slept just fine, thank you", Roy muttered the answer and signed a paper without reading it. "Just tell me why you're here so you can get out like you want to."
"…They don't let me visit brother", Al said sadly. "They don't tell me anything. Not what experiments they're doing. Not how his doing. Not if he misses me. They don't tell me anything."
Roy sighed. "It's a military lab, Alphonse. They don't let outsiders in, no matter if you're family or not."
"I'm worried about my brother, Colonel! I'm really worried about him!" Al yelled. "If I can't go there, can you send someone else to go and see how he's doing?! Please! You took my brother away from me, I want to know how he's doing. Please!"
"You ask me to send someone else? You don't ask me to visit him? Why?" Roy asked angrily. Al took a few steps back.
"I didn't think you'd want to and you seem to be busy with your work anyway. I'm sorry, do you want to go and see him?" Al asked. Roy snorted.
"You think of me as a heartless bastard too, don't you? You just say that, you don't even want me to visit your brother."
"I do, Colonel. I'm just not sure how he'd react to it", Al said quietly. "He really trusted you. Even though he always said bad things about you and seemed to hate coming to meet you, I think in a way he liked it. There was an adult who was interested in what we had been doing. There was a place to return to after every trip. By throwing him in that lab… I think you just ruined it all."
Roy sighed. "I'm sorry Alphonse. I'm sorry for all that I've done for you and your brother. I have a free day tomorrow. I'll go and see how he's doing and if he wants to I'll start organizing his releasing."
"Y-you'd do that?" Al asked excitedly. "You'd get him out of there?"
"I can't keep him there forever. And I think I do miss the atmosphere in here. It was a lot more… lively when your brother was here."
"Thank you, Colonel. Thank you", Al said as he saluted. "Thank you."
"Now you can go and tell that to the others too. Maybe they'd start entering my office again", Roy growled as Al started to head back to the door.
"I will, Colonel. You'll call me and tell how he's doing when you get back?" he asked. Roy nodded.
"I'll call you then and tell everything", Roy confirmed. "Take care."
Next day Roy entered lab one, Dr. Moore guiding him.
"He had an allergic reaction to a medication we used with him this morning and it has made him extremely dizzy and worn out. But there's nothing to worry about. He should be just fine in a few days, we're letting him rest as long as he needs to before we'll continue the experiments. He's a human and needs to be treated as a human", Dr. Moor told him, making Roy look at him suspiciously. Something in the man's tone and words wasn't clicking. He was definitely a liar. Roy got worried as he entered the room where Ed was sleeping. He kneeled down next to the boy's bed, watching as he slept, his golden hair covering his face.
"Wake up, Ful… Edward. Wake up, Ed", he ordered nicely as he moved the hair away from the ash-coloured face. The circles under Ed's eyes were a lot worse than his. "Edward, it's Roy."
Ed's eyes littered open as he looked at the man before him without recognizing him. He sat up.
"Is it already six o'clock…?" he asked dizzily and Roy shook his head.
"It's 2 p.m. Ed. You recognize me?" Roy asked worriedly. Ed shook his head.
"Sorry, I can't recognize you people. Only Dr. Moore and that woman with the nice voice. She reminds me a little of my Mum", Ed said, making Roy alerted. Ed never talked or acted like this and Ed certainly recognized him if he was sane. Roy felt fury rising in his chest. What had the people here done to the boy!? He took Ed's hand and motioned him to lie down again which he did gracefully.
"Can I sleep today?" Ed asked. "I'm so sleepy… Is today's test sleeping?"
"No, Ed, today you don't have to do any tests. You don't have to do any tests anymore. These tests seem to have gone too far. I'm taking you home", Roy stated. "Let's just talk for a while, alright?"
"Hmm", Ed answered as he closed his eyes and smiled. "No one really wants to talk with me in here. I like you. What was your name again?"
"I'm Roy, and I'm not from here. I'm your commanding officer in the military. You really don't recognize me?" Roy asked as he stroke the boy's hair. Alphonse was going to kill him. And he was going to court martial the staff of this laboratory.
"…Roy", Ed examined the name with his mouth. "…Roy…"
He quickly yanked up furiously. "…Bastard!" he screamed. Roy's eyes widened.
"Yes. That's me. I'm a bastard, I know. I'm sorry Ed, I'm getting you out of here", Roy pleaded for Ed's forgiveness but the boy had sat down again with a dreamy look on his face.
"Roy, are you going to stay with me during today's experiments?" he asked. "They said I need to pass out and try to wake up as fast as I can to pass out again. It's really tiring. I get really tired when I faint. And when I do it as many times as they want me to in row I get nauseous. Are you staying with me?"
Roy nodded and forced himself to smile. "Of course I'm staying with you. Of course."
"Do you live in this lab like the others?" Ed asked as he lied down again and Roy put the blanket over him.
"No, I don't live in this lab."
"Wouldn't it be fun if I'd get a free day and come to see where you live?" Ed asked. "Though that won't probably happen. But it's always fun to think about it."
"What do you say if we'd go right now?" Roy asked. Ed looked at him amazedly.
"Can we?!" he asked. Roy nodded and helped Ed to stand up.
"Yes, we can. And then you don't have to come back here anymore. How does that sound?"
"…I don't have to come back again? Never again?" Ed asked with an excited smile. "But Dr. Moore won't probably like it…"
Roy started guiding Ed to the room's door. "I am one of the people whose orders Dr. Moore has to follow so I can take you away anytime I want to and he has absolutely nothing to say to it."
Ed smiled. "I really like you."
Roy didn't smile. "I'm not sure if you should", he said as he opened the door, Dr. Moore watching him angrily.
"What are you doing, Colonel Mustang?" he asked angrily. Roy punched him so he fell on the floor.
"Taking Edward away from this place. You'll be hearing about this, trust me", he said as Moore whined on the floor holding his nose as Roy guided Ed out of the apartment.
"And now we can go to see my home", he said as Ed leaned to him like a little kid.
Ed was sleeping on the couch as Roy opened the door for Al.
"I'm sorry, Alphonse. I didn't know how they were treating him. We dropped by at the hospital and they said his mind is trying to push dealing with his feelings away by acting like a little kid and making his mind to block some memories. It's like someone passing out when they get too frightened. But he should be alright when he just deals with it or gets enough things to trigger his memory and force him to remember and deal with it", Roy explained the worried boy who kneeled down next to his brother.
"H-h-h-he's so p-pale…" Al said. "I'm scared, Colonel."
"I'm sorry, Al", Roy said. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"He'll be alright. He's strong. Thanks for letting him stay here", Al said. "And thanks for getting him out of there. I can never thank you enough."
Roy shook his head. "There's nothing to thank me about, Al. I was the one who got him in that place."
"Well, as you said, you didn't know how they treated him", Al said strongly. "You couldn't have known. You're a victim too."
"Alphonse, don't always forgive people so easily. Don't try to push them away from dealing with the things their actions have accused", Roy said as he sat down and buried his head in his hands. "I can't believe what I've done to him. All because I got sick of how disrespectful he was."
"Al looked at him and hanged his head down. "Please don't cry", he pleaded quietly. Roy looked up.
"I don't deserve to cry", Roy said strongly. Al shook his head.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just… I don't want to see you cry", Al said with a trembling voice. "Please don't cry!"
Roy glanced at him worriedly. "Alphonse, are you alright?"
"I'm… I'm sorry", Al said. "I…It's just so much", he whined. Roy got up and walked to him.
"Are you crying, Al?" he asked. Al looked at him.
"I… I can't cry, you know that…" Al said as Roy hugged him.
"Crying isn't only tears, Alphonse", Roy said. "It's more."
"…I feel stupid", Al laughed forcedly and turned to see his brother again. Roy patted his shoulder.
"He'll be alright. When he sees you, he'll be alright. And then he'll beat the shit out of me", Roy laughed. "Pay me a visit in the hospital."
Al laughed. "I will."
A MONTH LATER
Ed kicked the door open again and threw papers on Roy's desk.
"There! You happy now?! I made your fucking paperwork, just give me the damn money!" Ed yelled as he crashed to the chair again. Roy smiled.
"You just want to get rid of me", he said smirking. Ed blushed furiously.
"Of course I do. I'm sick of waking up and seeing you drinking coffee next to me! It's damn frightening!" Ed complained loudly. Roy leaned forward to fluff his hair.
"I just want to know that you're alright and sleeping well", he said. Ed rolled his eyes.
"For once the bastard's feeling guilty. I think I prefer the side of you that didn't. But now, let me try to affect your guilty side. You made my life a living hell for a whole week. I think I deserve a big pile of money in return", Ed said, offering his hand. Roy sighed and took out his wallet.
"Don't waste it…" he muttered as he handed them to Ed who took them with a smirk.
"Finally."
"Don't even start it", Roy warned. Ed got up and walked to the door.
"Wait, Ed", Roy said stopping him. Ed looked as he got up and walked next to him before kneeling down and hugging him tightly.
"I'm glad you're alright, Ed. You scared the hell out of me that day", he said. Ed froze.
"I… I'm sorry… I'm sorry I always let you down. I did it again", Ed said, looking down. "I really don't mean to."
Roy smiled and moved some of the boy's bangs behind his ears. "You don't let me down, really", he said, making Ed look at him amazedly. "You just make me damn angry."
Ed laughed. "Well, I guess that's my job as no one else here does that."
Roy got up. "Yes. That's your job and you're good at it. But I need to get working again", he said and Ed opened the door. When Ed was closing it Roy hawked, making Ed look back again.
"Don't break it. Close it nicely", he ordered. Ed smirked and slammed it shut, making Roy's ears ring. Roy sighed.
"I guess he just never learns…" he muttered.
There. The parental-ness was hidden in the story and got out in the end. It's kind of funny how those two/three always try to hide it...