Broken↩️🪭 ✔

Chapter 4

A weeks days after Roy had visited Beje Copplestone again, he was still trying to decrypt the code on the sheet of paper that Edward had left them. They had gotten everything except for the first thing and the last thing. He had a small suspicion about them but he wasn't really sure.

"Sir?" Roy looked up as Riza looked at him. "Sir, we have some news."

"News? About Edward?"

"Yes. I know you didn't ask for me to do it but... after I thought I saw Edward, I had someone go in the same direction and ask around. After some hunting, they were able to get me some evidence. They um... they even have a picture but I warn you sir, it's not pretty."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes."

"Then it's worth everything."

Riza sighed and handed the envelope to him. There was a report but that's not what Roy was looking at with such intensity. It was the photo attached to it by paper clip. It was Edward but it was true what Beje had said about him being a child. He looked four or five and looked like he had been through hell and back. Even when Roy saw him after he had transmuted his mother and was sitting almost lifeless in that wheelchair in Resembool, he had looked livelier than this. In the picture he was bending down to get something, it looked like, and his little arm was just as skinny as could be.

"Sir, I regret to inform you that it's raining."

Roy looked up and then looked outside, seeing a sunny day. He turned back when he realized she was talking about him. He felt the tears falling down his face and he wiped them away as quickly as possible.

"I'm sorry."

"You haven't slept in two days, sir." She said.

He nodded and decided to move on to the next picture and saw a couple of other sad sights when he came across on that was odd.

"What's this picture of numbers here?"

"He said it was kind of odd and he thought it might help find Edward."

Roy stared at the picture for a second looking at the numbers.

15-57-53-34

2-3-15

88-8-39

"There is another picture as well that he said seemed like maybe a clue? He wasn't really sure."

Roy went to the next picture and saw what looked like a dot and an odd rectangular shape. Roy made a face at it and turned it around some. It was definitely a clue but with his clouded mind and judgment, he couldn't figure out what it was for the life of him.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Hughes told me that you... Well, what you did, and I was going to say that you're more than welcome to stay at my house to get some sleep. You need it, Colonel. I know this is as important to you as anything but if you don't get sleep you could put yourself in the hospital."

Roy nodded and put the information back into the envelope.

"I'll take you up on that offer, Hawkeye."

"You sure?"

"The last time I went to sleep, I figured out the watch."

"Well, here's my keys. Just, if you could, walk Black Hayate for me."

"Sure."

He left with the envelope and headed to her apartment.

Riza came home and found Roy sleeping awkwardly on her couch, Black Hayate curled up next to it. Seeing it was Riza, Black Hayate got up and padded over to her, sitting and waiting for her to pet him. She did so and went to her room to take off her uniform. She slipped into something comfortable and went back to the living room. She shook Roy's shoulder to wake him up.