The Pink Triangle

Chapter 3 -- Who Are They?

Driving through the torrential rain in Frankfurt, Alphonse and Roy sat in silence. It had been an interesting week, with more than fifty meetings and rallies and arrests of Jews, gypsies, and other a-socials. Of course, Roy had to wear a wig to disguise his identity when he knew that Robert was going to be around, and the eye patch never came off unless the two were going to sleep. Al didn’t want Roy to have to feel ashamed of himself, and he wanted to see Roy’s face, but he also understood Roy’s feelings of shame over the wound. But as they drove through the streets, Roy saw something that made him just plain angry.

“Who is that?!” Roy yelled, pointing at a man with slick black hair and an eyeglass over one eye. He was on the verge of jumping out of the car when Al grabbed his arm. “Why is a homunculus here?!”

“That’s not Pride, Roy,” Al said. “That man is just this world’s version of the man that Bradley was supposed to replace. He’s harmless as a newborn baby. Not as innocent, I‘m afraid, but just as harmless.”

“But how?”

“Brother and I asked the same question of ourselves when we saw Scar and Lust shortly after we came back to this world,” Al said. He remembered it like it was yesterday. “Noah had been walking along the side of the road, trying to wave down a ride to the next town. We were down the hill from the road, walking with her, when she called down to us and told her that someone had stopped and was willing to help us. As soon as we walked up the hill, we saw them sitting in the front seats, and both of us cringed. Were these the same people who were responsible for all that pain in Amestris?”

“Who did they say they were?” Roy asked.

“They were just Gypsies, just like Noah was,” Al said. “Their names were Gerard and Lisle Saucier, and they’d been married for just under a year. Lisle was expecting a baby, but if reports are correct, neither she nor the child made it because only a few weeks after we left them, they were arrested and taken to the Jew Camp in Auschwitz. Gerard is still alive, but her death and life at the camps have made him nearly crazy.”

“I hope for all our sakes that Ed and Hughes are not part of the casualties,” he said. Looking around to make sure that no one was watching, he placed his hand on Al’s leg and gave him an assuring pat. Al looked over at him with a smiling, wishing like hell that he could kiss Roy right there, or that he would reach down a little further and touch the testament to the need that the tall blonde had for the older man.

“They’ll be all right,” Al said. “I’ll get them out of that horrible life, or die trying.”
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Unbeknownst to him, Maes was on his way to where Ed was. After the men had forced him into the truck, and a guard had gotten in, he had finally gotten a chance to talk to his captors without the higher-ups being able to listen in.

“There are windows in here, so I have to act like I’m angry at you, Commander,” said the young guard. “Please understand.”

“Of course, Corporal,” Maes said, keeping his head between his knees as to avoid suspicion. “Hit me if you have to, and I’ll understand.”

“I’m sure you’re surprised to see someone who is still faithful to you, Sir,” he said. “But as someone who is a man-lover himself, I am unwilling to do nothing to help you find the man you love.”

“You?” he cried, receiving a quick yet soft blow to the face.

“Keep your head down, Verrater!” the guard said. “Yes, I’m am one of you. Faithful as ever to the Nazis, but forced to hide among people who hate what we are. My name is Stephen.”

“Pleased to meet you, Stephen,” he said. “I would shake your hand, but they might get suspicious.”

“Ja,” Stephen said with a nod. “We are heading for Auschwitz, which is where most of the man-lovers end up. I hope to God that you are able to be with your lover again. I believe that’s where most of the people who were arrested last night were sent, including a woman who I was told was your sister.”

“Lisa!?” he cried. “Why did you take her?! She has a small baby, and she has done nothing!”

“Guilty by association, I guess,” Stephen said.

“Little Edward will never make it in those horrible conditions,” Maes whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. His mind went to Ed Elric, and what his possible reaction to “Little Edward” would’ve been, and he had to smile through his tears. Ed had always talked about the other side of the gate, and had often recounted with spite the fact that people always made fun of his height.

“The babies are actually taken care of quite well,” the young man said. “He may never see his mother again, but the Fuehrer says that given the right training as they grow, little ones will be perfect Hitler Youth. So, if one day the occupation ends, which I sadly doubt, your sister may one day see her son again. The children are given good food, a warm place to sleep, are taught books and politics, and…”

“Brainwashed against their own people,” Maes finished the sentence, and Stephen nodded. “Perhaps that will be good for him. I still hold true to the ideals of Nazism, as his mother always has.”

“When we arrive, I will do my best to see that she is well taken care of,” Stephen said. “Perhaps I can get her assigned to the task of caring for the children.”

“You are truly sent from God, my friend,” Maes said.

END CHAPTER 3