Welcome to Amestris, Agents

by TheFullmetalBitch

This is the next story in my 'Agents, meet Alchemists' series. I would recommend reading the first two before you read this one and my Voltron/FMA fic first, if you don't want spoilers. This story is beta'd by PhoenixQueen and we would love to hear what you have to say about it!

10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Lieutenant General Olivier Armstrong was watching them closely as they entered the room, the doctor closing the door behind Ross as soon as she had crossed over the threshold. The general's frosty blue eyes stood out strikingly against the white walls, bed linens, and the white bandage wrapped carefully around her head wound. Her wrist was in a plain white cast and Ed's keen eyes were able to pick up the slight bulge of the bandages under her hospital-issued shirt, stabilising her broken and bruised ribs. Despite her obvious injuries, she was sitting up in bed, alert as always, and Ed was positive that she could still single-handedly kick all three of their asses without breaking a sweat.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant General Armstrong," Ed said, offering a perfect military salute without any prompting, even as Lieutenant Ross did the same. Rossi seemed a little shocked at that, based on what Ed could see from the corner of his eye, since most of his attention was focused on the general. After all, Grumman was the only person any of the members of the BAU had ever seen him salute. Armstrong dismissed his salute after making him hold it for a moment. "You might already know First Lieutenant Maria Ross, since she's under Major Armstrong's command, but this is David Rossi. He's part of a group of consultants who are assisting Brigadier General Mustang's lawyer with this investigation. Their specialty is getting into the minds of serial killers, mass murderers, kidnappers, and other criminals and helping local police departments narrow their suspect pool by giving them a psychological profile to work with," Ed explained, keeping his voice as respectful as he possibly could.

Armstrong scrutinised Rossi for a moment. "He's not Amestrian. Where did you find these consultants?" she asked brusquely.

"How much has Major Armstrong told you about when General Mustang and I disappeared for about a week around three months after the Promised Day, or the classified mission the Führer sent us on a few months after that?" Edward asked, avoiding the question for a moment. The look the general gave him in response told him that he would be answering the question shortly.

"He didn't tell me anything more than I heard from Führer Grumman. My brother may be a soft-hearted fool, but he is loyal, I'll give him that. Your missions were classified, so he didn't say anything to anyone, including me," she replied, her voice a little miffed.

"Okay, well, this is kind of complicated to explain, but three months after the Promised Day, Mustang and I were kidnapped by Truth." Ed didn't bother reminding her who Truth was since she knew what he and Al had done. "Part of my deal to get Alphonse back was that I owed Truth a favour, and it collected. A State Alchemist named Thomas Harding, the Boiling Alchemist, went rogue and disappeared. Mustang was tasked to find him when Truth took us."

"Why?" Armstrong asked brusquely.

"Harding had somehow obtained access to three Philosopher's Stones, and he used them to bypass Truth's Gate and cross over into another dimension – an alternate world, if you prefer. Truth called in the favour I owed it and wanted me to find Harding and bring him back to Amestris. Since General Andrews had ordered Mustang to find Harding, Mustang agreed to go with me to find Harding and bring him back. Truth sent us through the Gate to the same dimension Harding had travelled to with the Stones. While we were there, we met Rossi and the rest of his team and they helped us take Harding out since he was killing people who were their dimension's reflections of State Alchemists here in Amestris. We couldn't bring Harding back because the Stone he was using rebounded on him and the only way to stop him after that happened was to eliminate him." Ed kept his feelings about Harding's death suppressed with an effort. He wasn't going to appear weak in front of General Armstrong.

"I see," Armstrong replied after a moment's consideration. "But what does that have to do with the classified mission from Grumman?"

"Three months after we got back, Harding's adopted brother Moore managed to lure me into a trap that sent me back to the same dimension. Mustang fell for the same trap a few hours later and he and Moore ended up there as well. Mustang and I joined up with Rossi and his team again, along with another team to find Moore and bring him back here."

Ed paused for breath, watching Armstrong closely to try to judge her reaction to his story before he continued. "The morning after you were attacked, Truth kidnapped Rossi and his team and sent them here to 'right a wrong', which we assume means helping to prove that Mustang is innocent of the crimes he's been accused of. Truth said that it would cost him less energy to send them here than it would to correct the course of events if they continued to play out the way they seemed to be heading," he finished the shortest retelling he'd ever given of those two trips. Of course, he still hadn't mentioned his third dimensional hop, but since that had nothing to do with Rossi or the rest of the BAU, he didn't feel inclined to include an explanation of that this time. It was too complicated to get into at the moment.

---

Rossi watched as General Armstrong considered Edward for a moment before turning her full attention towards him for the first time since they'd entered the room. "I've already given my statement to Brookes. I haven't recalled anything else, useful or not, so what is the point of your visit?" She seemed a little annoyed at the fact that her memory wasn't working with her. In all honestly, he was more surprised by the fact that she seemed to believe Edward so easily.

"General Armstrong, there is a technique that my team has used on multiple witnesses that has helped them recall tiny details that the brain dismissed as unimportant during the moment of the crime or the attack," Rossi replied. "It's a technique called a cognitive interview. What I would like to do, with your permission of course, is walk you through this technique to see if you're able to remember anything further."

"What would this entail on my part?" Armstrong asked with a touch of curiosity in her voice.

"The way it works is that I would have you close your eyes and walk me through every single moment of your attack. I'll be asking you questions at certain points to see if the questions jolt something loose, so to speak. We wouldn't be focusing solely on the physical attack, but also on what you heard, smelled, and felt. Any of these details could help us find the person who attacked you and murdered the other five victims."

"And if what I recall points to Mustang?" Armstrong asked. Edward shifted his weight where he stood, but Rossi didn't hesitate with his answer.

"Then it will be handed over to Lieutenant Colonel Brookes and Mustang's defense lawyer. My team's job is to find out who is behind these attacks, even if those facts point to someone whom we consider to be a friend," Rossi told her, honesty all over his face. Armstrong held his gaze for a few moments before nodding her head once.

"Very well. I'll be expecting a report about every detail of your interdimensional travels at a later date, Elric." She stabbed a finger at Ed who paled slightly like she was aiming a gun at him.

"Yes, General Armstrong," the blond nodded immediately.

"Good. As for you," she looked back at Rossi, "let's get started. We don't have all day and my family will be here in an hour. I'd like some time to prepare myself for that visit so I don't kill them." Rossi nodded at her.

"Of course," he replied before gesturing to the seat next to her bed. "Would it be alright if I sit here?" he asked and Armstrong gave a consenting tilt of her head. He took the seat immediately, not wanting to waste any time as he pulled his notepad and pen out of the inner breast pocket of his jacket. "Thank you. Now, the first thing I need you to do is to close your eyes and think back to the night when you were attacked." Armstrong glared a warning at the three of them before doing as he had requested of her. After giving her a moment to get into the right mindset, he continued. "Now, General Armstrong, I would like you to think back to the moment you left the restaurant you were dining at with your family. What were you thinking as you exited the restaurant?"

"I was irritated with my family," she replied. "I can't handle being subjected to them for a long period of time, and the dinner had grated on my nerves more than it should have. My brother was intent on discussing Mustang's connections to the cases and the suspicion it was causing amid the soldiers here in Central. My parents spent the evening trying to convince me to give up my position as commander of Briggs so I could be stationed close to Central. We spent the evening arguing and I was on my last nerve when I realised I needed to leave if I was going to be on time for the meeting that Führer Grumman had requested that morning."

"You chose to walk to Central Command, correct? Why didn't you requisition a car and driver to take you there to make sure you would arrive on time?" Rossi asked.

"I wanted to walk off my irritation with my family so that I could focus on whatever it was that the Führer wanted to discuss with me. We weren't dining very far from Central Command – less than a quarter of a mile, so it wouldn't have taken me very long to get there," Armstrong replied, some of the remembered irritation coming through in her tone of voice.

"General I would like you to stop and look around as you exit the restaurant," Rossi said. "What do you see? Are the streets crowded, or almost deserted? Does anything stand out as unusual for Central at that time of night? Don't force any memories, just let them come and describe what you're seeing for me."

Her brow furrowed for a moment before she replied. "There are some cars passing on the street ahead of me and some civilians walking on both sides of the street. I can see Central Command in the distance to my left. It's just a normal street on a normal night."

"Is there anyone in particular who catches your attention? Maybe someone who looks relieved or excited to see you walking on the sidewalk? Anyone who seems to be paying too much attention to you?"

She twitched and started to open her eyes, but Rossi hastened to stop her. "Keep your eyes closed, General. Stay with the memory, but don't force it. If you can't remember or didn't notice anything, that's fine. Our minds are very adept at noticing small details, but not everything we see ends up in our long-term memory. What are you seeing on the faces of the people walking past you?"

"Wariness and caution. I believe my irritation must have been very visible as most of the people I passed gave me a wide berth, so I schooled my expression and started walking down the street towards Central Command."

Edward was impressed with the way Rossi was handling this interview with Armstrong, and was taking mental notes about this interview technique. They'd only barely started and he was already seeing the value in it. When General Armstrong mentioned the other pedestrians on the streets giving her a wide berth – well, Ed didn't blame those citizens for giving her room.

"Did you have the sense at any time during your walk that you were deliberately being followed?" Rossi continued.

"No. There was nothing like that," Armstrong replied. If Rossi was disappointed, he didn't voice it or show it.

"You're approaching the alley now, correct?" Armstrong nodded, her lips twisting into a faint scowl. "What is happening around you?"

"The streets are mostly empty. The other pedestrians that I saw turned off before we reached the alley, and there aren't any cars on the street," Armstrong replied. "I got a few meters from the mouth of the alley when I heard a shuffling sound, like someone had gone into the alley. I stopped for a moment to listen."

"So you were aware that someone was in the alley before you entered it?" Rossi asked.

Armstrong nodded. "I thought that it might be someone looking for an unsuspecting victim to mug. I hoped momentarily that it was someone who wanted to try and mug me, since I wanted to vent my frustrations over the dinner on someone and a mugger seemed like a good person to teach a lesson to."

"Did you see or hear anything else before you approached any closer?" Rossi pressed gently.

"There were some noises coming from the store I was walking past. Considering the time, I presume they were closing up for the day and preparing for the next morning," Armstrong divulged.

"Okay, so what happened next?" Rossi continued, his pen scratching gently against the paper of his notepad. Ed and Maria hadn't moved a muscle, not wanting to say or do anything that might break Armstrong's concentration.

"I continued walking, intending to go past the alley rather than enter it. If whoever was in there intended to attack me, I was going to surprise them by being ready for it, but I wasn't going to initiate the confrontation. I made it a couple of steps in front of the alley's mouth when I heard something else. I stopped and listened again, straining my hearing to try to make it out. It was very faint, but it was someone asking for help. I'll admit that I hesitated to go in, since I had already considered the possibility that it could be a trap, and I didn't want to be late for my meeting with the Führer."

"What changed your mind and made you decide to enter the alley?" Rossi asked gently. Armstrong shrugged, seemingly unaffected by her broken rib.

"I decided not to take the risk that someone could have been attacked and was lying there, hurt and unable to move, especially considering what Alex had told me about the recent string of attacks. I thought it was possible that the suspect had heard me coming and the shuffling sound I heard before was the suspect fleeing the scene. I didn't need the inconvenience of guilt on my conscious if I later discovered that a civilian was killed because I didn't make sure."

Her tone almost dared Rossi to comment on her morals, but he didn't say anything in response to this, just continued making notes in his pad. "And after you decided to check on the voice?"

"I entered the alleyway, making sure that I was moving quietly so that if it was a trap I wouldn't give away my presence," Armstrong replied.

"What did the alley smell like?" Rossi interjected suddenly, and Armstrong frowned in confusion. Ed was confused too, and a quick glance at Ross showed she was feeling the same. How would knowing what the general had smelled help them prove Mustang's innocence?

"It smelled disgusting; like rotting food and rubbish, stale beer, cigarettes, urine, and old vomit. I think I smelled a cheap perfume or cologne as well, but the stench was almost overpowering."

"Could you smell blood?" Rossi asked and Armstrong froze for a moment.

"No," she said slowly. "No, I couldn't." Rossi wrote her answer down before she continued. "There were two old dumpsters along the wall to my right. As I passed the first one, I could hear the voice more clearly, but I noticed something odd about it and it made me pause next to the second one. The voice was repeating the same two phrases over and over again, but there weren't any differences in the tone, breathing, or spaces between the phrases. That's when I realised that it was a recording and refocused my attention on my surroundings."

"You said in your statement to Lieutenant Colonel Brookes that the voice was either a woman's or a child's. Can you remember any more clearly which it was?" Rossi inquired and Armstrong's brow furrowed again.

"It was a woman – high pitched, but not painfully so," she replied slowly after a moment. "The voice was repeating the same two phrases, 'Help me' and 'Please, someone, help me' over and over again. There wasn't any indication of pain or fear in the tone of the voice, and no hitching in the breathing as if the person was sobbing."

"Did you hear anything else that made you aware that someone else was there?"

"I heard a gasp, a surprised one," she said after a moment. "Like someone had been lying in wait for me but hadn't expected me to stop where I did." She paused again, before her expression cleared somewhat. "I think I heard light, quick footsteps coming from behind me and to my right. I remember feeling annoyed at myself for falling for the trap even though I was aware it could've been one." Armstrong still sounded annoyed her herself.

"You mentioned two dumpsters to your right," Rossi said. "Can you remember how wide the alleyway was? Were the dumpsters right next to each other?"

"The alley was narrow because of the dumpsters – they took up a lot of space," the general said with confidence. "There was a low protruding wall between the two dumpsters that kept them from actually touching, and if necessary you could move one dumpster around the other with just barely enough space for someone to walk in between them. Why?" Her tone was slightly demanding.

"You said you heard light, quick footsteps. If someone moved past you that quietly and quickly, I would imagine that they've either had stealth training – which I feel is unlikely since you stated that the person gasped when you stopped, General, or they're a lightly built person," Rossi explained. "The statement you gave says that you dodged the first attack. How did you know that the person had moved to attack and wasn't just coming up because they'd heard the recording as well?"

"I could feel them behind me. I've spent years defending Fort Briggs from the forces of Drachma and fighting against my own rivals and enemies. I know when someone with malicious intent is behind me," she said defensively. "I heard my attacker swing the metal rod at me and I could feel the air movement, so I ducked to miss the blow. I then, unfortunately, went to draw my sword as I turned around. I had forgotten in the heat of the moment that I had agreed to my mother's request to leave my weapon at the family manor while we dined. That mistake undoubtedly cost me the fight."

Armstrong's lips twisted into an angry snarl. "After I tried for my sword and realised I didn't have it, I threw a punch, but my attacker had already moved. He swung again and managed to hit me in the temple, which caused my vision to become blurry. I went down."

"Did you get any sort of look at your attacker in the moments before the weapon connected with your head and your vision became unreliable?" Rossi asked.

"A glimpse of a military uniform," Armstrong said with absolute certainty. "My attacker was wearing the pants, rather than a skirt, so I wasn't able to tell definitively if my attacker was male or female. It was dark in the alley, and I couldn't make out any details of their face, or even the rank insignia on the shoulders of the jacket."

"Now, when you swung for your attacker – with your training – I imagine you would have taken that brief glimpse of your attacker and aimed for the head or face, correct?" The general nodded, her eyes still closed. "Did you aim for someone taller, shorter, or around your height?"

Edward was impressed. He wouldn't have thought about that sort of thing, and judging from the minute changes in Armstrong's expression, she hadn't either. She was quiet for a moment as she replayed the events in her mind before she responded, somewhat tentatively. "I believe I aimed for someone roughly the same height as myself, maybe slightly shorter."

Ed swore softly, but it was enough to gain Rossi's attention. "Do you want to share something, Edward?"

"Lieutenant General Armstrong and Mustang are roughly the same height," Ed said. "I don't think there's more than an inch or so difference between them, if that much."

Rossi nodded at the information and then turned back to General Armstrong. "General, when you fell to the ground, what did you feel beneath you when your body hit the ground? Did you land on the pavement, or was there anything beneath you?"

"I felt the pavers of the alley floor," she replied. "They were rough, cold, and filthy. I could feel the dirt and grit dig into my hands when I tried to get up again. I think there was something like newspaper or cardboard under my feet because it slid when I tried to get up just before I was knocked down again by a blow to my ribs. I'm not sure if he hit me with the pipe again or with a kick, but that's when I sustained my broken rib." She winced almost imperceptibly as her rib seemed to choose that moment to flare in pain. "When I looked up again, I could see his feet just in front of me."

"Were they standard military boots, more like Edward's, or something else entirely?" Rossi queried.

"They were the standard military boots issued to every soldier," the general replied firmly. "Even though my vision was blurry, I've been in the military for long enough that I can recognise military-issued boots when I see them."

"Okay. What happened after the blow to your ribs?"

"I managed to raise my head enough to see white gloves, and then I heard a strange scratching sound. I thought it was a rat in the alley but it stopped after a few moments," Armstrong said before frowning in thought. Her expression made Rossi sit up a little straighter.

"Whatever it is that you're trying to remember, don't chase it. Let it come to you," he advised. The thoughtful frown on Armstrong's face faded as she heeded his advice. "What happened after you heard the scratching?"

"I tried to regain my feet once more. I managed to get to my knees because," she paused for a moment, her expression pinched, before her face relaxed, "because my attacker moved a couple of steps backwards. My second attempt to get to my feet startled him and he stumbled back, like a weak-stomached coward," she added with a sneer. "I started to get up but he struck me across the back and I went down again. This time I managed to catch myself on my hands before I fell completely, but he kicked my wrists out from underneath me and I hit the ground again. My chin clipped the pavers and I remember tasting blood, so I'm certain I bit my tongue or cheek at that moment."

"What could you smell?" Rossi asked. "What could you hear?"

"I could smell the dirt and the muck of the alley. I could smell the blood from my wounds, and I could smell that same perfume or cologne again," she replied instantly. "I could hear my own heartbeat. I could feel the vibrations from a car driving past the alley and I could hear the distant sound of someone moving in the building next to us. I could also hear the sound of heavy breathing from my attacker. It sounded…muffled, somehow, like something was obstructing his mouth or he was trying to control his breathing by keeping his mouth shut. I heard the scratching noise again," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"Do you remember what direction the scratching noise was coming from?" Rossi asked and Armstrong paused before she answered, thinking about the question and trying to remember.

"From my attacker. Or near where he was standing at the time, anyway," she replied after a moment's thought.

"Okay, so what happened next?" Rossi pressed gently.

"I heard the scratching and I tried to look my attacker in the face. I was determined to survive and be able to identify him. Unfortunately, my head wound was bleeding so much that the blood was obscuring my vision even more, and we were far enough down the alley that the light from the street wasn't enough to make my attacker's face visible. I heard the scratching noise a third time and I saw sparks coming from the white gloves, but then a door inside the building next to us slammed shut. That spooked my attacker enough that he stopped whatever he was attempting to do and sparks and the noise ceased as well. Another door opened up closer to us and my attacker fled, the lily-livered bastard. A few moments later, the outer door behind me opened and I was found, I presume by one of the workers," Armstrong concluded.

"Please keep your eyes closed for the moment, General Armstrong," Rossi requested quickly when it looked like she was about to open them. "I need you to stay with the memories, because I have a few more questions." Armstrong let out an annoyed sigh, but did as she was asked. "I want you to think back to every time you heard the scratching noise. What else happened when you heard it?"

"I saw sparks coming from the gloves of my attacker."

"Nothing else? Just the sparks whenever you heard the scratching?" Armstrong nodded in confirmation to the question. "In your statement you said your attack was wearing white gloves, correct?"

"Correct," Armstrong said, although she paused for a moment and Rossi looked at her alertly.

"What is it, General?"

"It's odd that my attacker was wearing gloves on such a warm night. Most officers forego wearing the gloves unless they are taking part in a formal ceremony or the weather requires it," she said slowly. "There are only a few officers I can think of who wear gloves regardless of the weather – Lieutenant Colonel Elric, Mustang, myself, and a few of my officers at Briggs. In the case of my officers and me, the weather is unpredictable enough up north that it is foolish to not wear them or at least carry a pair with you wherever you are, but here in Central they aren't as necessary."

"She's not wrong," Edward commented softly. "I wear them because of my automail, and Mustang wears his gloves in order to use his alchemy, but his have his transmutation array stitched in red on the backs of them. He wears plain gloves too, and people are so used to seeing him with them on that I don't think anyone would think twice about the fact that he wears them almost constantly."

"Did you see the red stitching on the back of the gloves?" Rossi asked Armstrong. She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head.

"I can't be sure. My vision was so blurry and with the blood running into my eyes I don't know if I would have noticed red stitching or not," she admitted.

"That's fine, General," Rossi assured her as he flipped back through his notes. "Now, when you were talking about your second attempt to regain your feet there was something that sparked a thought that you were trying to grab, but I told you to let it go. Did you manage to think of it?"

"Yes, I think so," Armstrong huffed. "I remember seeing the sparks for the first time and the white gloves and assuming that it was Mustang attacking me, but when my attacker stumbled back the second time I tried to regain my feet, the action made me rethink my attacker's identity. I may not like Mustang in the slightest, but even I know that he would never kick someone when they were down, nor would he be surprised enough to stumble back just because I tried to regain my feet."

"Alright," Rossi made a note before flipping a couple of pages back. "Now, when you said you saw the uniform your attacker was wearing, can you remember seeing anything on it that would identify who it belonged to? Medals, maybe? Or maybe the uniform wasn't complete or the dress shirt was the wrong colour?"

"No, the uniform looked complete. My attacker was wearing the standard white dress shirt. No medals that I saw." She hesitated for a moment and the slightest of furrows appeared between her brows as she tried to chase the thought. "But now that I think of it, I think there may have been a button missing on the jacket. I remember the jacket was open slightly more than it should have been by military protocol."

Rossi made a final note before scanning back through his notepad quickly, looking for anything else that he might have overlooked. After a moment he nodded. "Thank you, General Armstrong. I believe that we have finished with the cognitive interview." The moment he finished saying 'thank you', Armstrong opened her eyes and fixed her icy gaze on Rossi.

"What did you learn from what I said?" Armstrong asked, shifting slightly so she was more comfortable on the bed. Ed could feel the pang of the sympathy aches for her from personal experience with those beds.

"Your attacker may be smaller than we had initially thought, given the locations of the previous victims' wounds and the size and strength of the victims themselves," Rossi said thoughtfully. "Based on your description, he may be either the same height or slightly shorter than you are, and likely is either not physically fit or hasn't been maintaining his skills in hand-to-hand combat for some time, since he was winded so easily and had difficulty in calming his breathing after he knocked you down. It's possible that he was wearing some sort of scent, like cologne, but it wasn't strong enough to be more predominant amongst the other smells in the alley. That tells me that the unsub – the attacker – either forgot that he was wearing it, or he hadn't intended for you to survive the attack. Because you heard a scratching noise whenever he tried to ignite the flame, but he made no effort to use an accelerant on you, which is our current theory, either there was no accelerant used on the other victims, or your resistance threw him off enough that he forgot to use it."

"This might sound crazy," Ed ventured after a moment, causing Rossi and Armstrong to look over at him, "but what if this killer wasn't trying to kill General Armstrong?"

"How so?" Rossi asked, curiously. General Armstrong's eyes narrowed at Edward, clearly reminding him that she was sitting in a hospital bed at that moment. Edward swallowed, but continued his thought.

"Well, you said that the killer was possibly wearing cologne and either forgot that it was on or didn't intend for General Armstrong to survive, but then he forgets to use an accelerant, which would be the easiest way to ensure that the General's body burned, right?" Rossi nodded in agreement. "I find it hard to believe that he would forget something so critical just because she fought back. General Armstrong said that he was wearing a military uniform – everyone assigned to Central Command has to know that not only is Mustang a suspect, but that his team and I would do everything in our power to prove he's innocent. Not only that but it's not exactly a secret that Mustang and General Armstrong don't like each other and at best could be considered reluctant allies. What if the killer deliberately left the General alive, relying on her dislike for Mustang and her assumption the attacker was using flame alchemy, so that she could be an eyewitness who would identify Mustang as the one who attacked her to sort of eliminate any doubt that he was the one behind it?"

"It's an interesting theory, and one we should definitely explore," Rossi agreed. "Most serial killers don't want to leave a witness behind, but if Morgan is right and this is a revenge scenario, this killer wouldn't be your typical serial killer. He would be aiming to create chaos in Mustang's life and leaving a living witness behind who could point a finger at Mustang would only further his plan."

"Did you learn anything else?" General Armstrong asked.

"The uniform worn by your attacker was standard military issue, but possibly missing a button. You never got close enough to your attacker to land a blow, so the button could have been ripped off during one of the earlier attacks. We'll have to keep an eye out for it when we go to visit the crime scenes again. You also saw no medals on the uniform which could mean that either your attacker hasn't earned any, or he was smart enough to take them off so you couldn't identify him by the medals. Considering what else we know – the lack of training or physical fitness, the possible cologne, and Edward's theory that he left you alive deliberately, I have a feeling that this killer hasn't been awarded any recognition or medals at all."

Edward was impressed with the amount of information and deductions that Rossi had managed to gather just by asking a few probing questions. It was definitely a trick that he would have to keep in mind for future missions. If the opportunity presented itself before the BAU team went back home, he would ask Rossi to explain how he knew what sorts of questions to ask.

"Then I guess this wasn't a complete waste of everyone's time," Armstrong said, sounding indifferent, but Ed knew that she had to have seen the same benefits to this kind of questioning, especially given what she had told him back at Briggs about how no knowledge or information was ever wasted.

"Well, I am glad for your assistance, General. I do have some other questions for you, if you would be willing to answer them?" Rossi asked.

"I may as well. It will waste the time I have to wait for my family to arrive and it will give me something else to think about," she said dismissively.

"Thank you," Rossi nodded at her. "You mentioned that you didn't like Mustang, and when we spoke to him yesterday he admitted that there is a history of dislike between the two of you. May I ask what the reason for that dislike is?"

Armstrong's eyes flicked to Ed and the icy glare told him exactly what he could expect from her if he repeated what she was about to say to anyone else. She must have seen his silent oath to never breathe a word, because her gaze flicked back to Rossi. "The first time Mustang and I were introduced, he immediately began to flirt with me, attempting to charm me into thinking of him as a friend and an ally. When he learned who I was, his flirting became his standard way of greeting me whenever we had the misfortune to be in the same room together, because he realised how much it irritated me. I already had a low opinion of him due to his status as an alchemist, and he has yet to change his behaviour in any way that would cause me to revise my opinion of him."

"I take it from what you've said that you aren't fond of alchemists, and especially State Alchemists?" Rossi asked carefully.

"I've always had a low opinion of them as a rule. Their philosophy of equivalent exchange is a flawed one as far as I'm concerned. Such a view of the world can lead to easy handouts and unnecessary compromise as well as being evidence that alchemists are weak-willed and soft-hearted. In a nation like Amestris, and especially within the military, those traits will get you killed."

Ed could feel the look Lieutenant Ross was giving him, but he didn't say anything or react in any way to the general's almost-insult. Instead he kept his eyes locked on Armstrong as her eyes left Rossi and moved back to study him. "Of course, my views on alchemists began to change a few months before the Promised Day when I learned what real equivalent exchange looks like," she continued nonchalantly, although her gaze bored into his own, as if daring him to make a sarcastic or snide remark. Ed was shocked by her words, but he was quick to wipe the expression off his face, not wanting to give her any ammunition to use against him in the future.

"As far as Mustang himself is concerned, I don't believe that he is entitled to the rank he currently holds, despite his service record in Ishval and on the Promised Day. He hasn't earned his promotions in the honorable way, by rising through the ranks the way non-alchemists must. Instead he completed his academy training and applied to become a State Alchemist and was immediately jumped up to the rank of major," Armstrong finished.

"The two of you fought as allies on the Promised Day, correct?" Rossi asked. When she nodded wordlessly, he pressed gently. "Now that you've served in combat beside General Mustang, has your opinion on him changed at all?"

"I still think he's a soft-hearted, flirtatious, egotistical womanizer," Armstrong said flatly. Ed struggled to keep a straight face, even though he was gleefully taking mental notes to use against Mustang the next time his commanding officer irritated him. "However, his efforts at preparing the resistance effort and then in leading the attack on the Promised Day did show me that he is somewhat respectable. He made a concentrated effort to avoid civilian causalities whenever he could; but he was soft-hearted enough to extend that same effort to the soldiers who were fighting alongside the forces of the corrupt high command and the homunculi. Such a weakness could have cost him his entire team, had the corrupt generals been more organised and the Central forces better trained. His ideas for the military and the future of Amestris aren't the worst plans I've ever heard and they could potentially benefit us in the long run, if he could find and keep the right allies. I still don't like him as a person, but I do respect him as a soldier, at least somewhat."

"What is your opinion on Mustang being the only suspect in these murders and your own attack?" Rossi asked.

"I think that, if he is behind the attacks, he's completely lost his mind," Armstrong said frankly. "If he is being framed, then someone is doing a very good job of it. I almost wish that I could've had the opportunity to meet that person before he turned into a murderer. I believe he would've made a good Fort Briggs soldier. We prefer that kind of ruthlessness out there," she added with a sharp grin. Personally, Ed was very glad that she wouldn't get that opportunity since he and the team would be the first ones to get their hands on the person behind the frame job.

"Okay," Rossi said with a nod before he closed his notepad and tucked it back into the inner pocket of his jacket. "Thank you for your time Lieutenant General Armstrong. I appreciate your willingness to answer my questions." He held out his hand for her to shake, making sure she wouldn't have to use her injured one to do so.

"As I said, despite what little respect I have for Mustang as a soldier, I don't like him, but that doesn't mean I wish to see him jailed for someone else's crimes, especially when the crimes in question are these murders and my own attack. Amestrian justice is both swift and complete, so it is good to hear that Führer Grumman is allowing a more intensive investigation than Mustang would have received under Bradley's rule. I wish to see justice served for myself and the other victims, but I would not want to see an innocent man facing a firing squad for crimes he didn't commit," Armstrong stated firmly.

"We still appreciate your willingness to help us make sure the right person is apprehended and punished for these crimes, not just the most convenient or the one that those in power seek to overthrow," Rossi said before he moved to join Edward and Ross near the door.

"Lieutenant Colonel Elric," Armstrong's tone had Ed freezing in place, despite the fact that he knew he hadn't done anything to warrant her wrath. "I'm aware that Doctor Evans has put you on a time limit for today and that time limit has very nearly expired." Ed glanced at the wall clock and saw that Doctor Evans would be coming by any minute to kick them out of Armstrong's room. "However, this does not mean you are off the hook for telling me everything about your travels. I expect a full report the moment you've solved this case. Am I understood?" she barked the last question, her blue eyes promising all sorts of punishments should he fail to keep his word.

"I will, I promise," Ed swore, his voice a little shaky with how quickly he said it. Armstrong nodded at him to show she'd heard and expected him to keep his promise. "Thank you very much Lieutenant General Armstrong. I hope your recovery goes well," Ed added as he saluted her. She was quicker to let him out of this one than she had been with the first one at the beginning of their visit. Ross offered her own salute as well and was waved out of it before Ed all but shoved the other two out of the room without making it look like they were fleeing from the general's presence. He didn't even want to imagine what she would do to him the next time they met if she took their rapid departure as an insult.

Doctor Evans had been approaching the room to remove the three of them when they exited out into the hallway, causing him to stop abruptly before they ran into him. "At least the three of you can keep to a deadline," he remarked flatly.

"Thanks for letting us see her, Doctor Evans. Have a good afternoon," Ed said, offering the man a cocky, friendly grin.

"You as well, Lieutenant Colonel Elric. I would like to say how refreshing it is to see you in this hospital without any injuries of your own," the doctor added. "Have a good afternoon Lieutenant Ross, Mr. Rossi." With that, Evans turned around and headed back to his next task. Ed let out a massive sigh of relief as soon as the doctor was out of earshot.

"Thank Truth that General Armstrong was in a good mood today," Ed muttered as they headed towards the main entrance. "I don't even want to imagine what that interview would have been like if she'd already been visited by her family today." Even Ross couldn't suppress her shudder at that thought, considering that she worked directly under Major Armstrong and knew exactly what her commander was like.

"Is she truly that scary?" Rossi asked and Ed gave him a bewildered look.

"You saw Major Armstrong this – oh, wait, no you didn't. You were with Hotch and Prentiss when he stopped by the office earlier. Consider yourself lucky," Ed replied. "Major Armstrong is her younger brother and a State Alchemist and he has a disturbing habit of taking off his shirt to show off his muscles any time he gets the least bit emotional." Ross was nodding in fervent agreement with Ed's description of her commanding officer. "As far as General Armstrong is concerned, you've never seen her up against an enemy or confronted by someone she doesn't respect at least a little. I mentioned that there's a reason that people call her the Ice Queen, right?" Rossi nodded in remembrance. "It's not just because Fort Briggs is in the far north, after all. If you end up on her bad side, you'll be lucky if she doesn't kill you outright. Remind me to tell you later about her fights with the homunculous named Sloth."

---

They entered the main lobby of the hospital and Edward stopped in his tracks as he headed for the phone bank to call for a military car when a familiar face caught his notice. "Captain Hawkeye?"

Hawkeye turned to face them when she heard her name and made a beeline straight for them. "Lieutenant Colonel Elric, sir," she said, snapping a salute that Ed waved her out of quickly. It was just wrong to see the captain saluting him, even if she was just trying to maintain an air of professionalism. "Agent Hotchner has come up with a plan for most of his team and yours for the remainder of the day. Alphonse is waiting outside if you wish to accompany me to the car so that you can hear the plan?" she said politely, subtly letting Edward know that she hadn't left the office without a teammate.

"Okay," Ed said simply as they followed the captain outside towards the street. Sure enough, Alphonse was leaning against one of the two military cars, talking quietly with Sergeant Browning while they waited for Hawkeye to return. The second car was driverless, and Ed assumed that Hawkeye had driven it herself. 'So, what's up?" Ed asked as they joined Alphonse, Ed reaching out to ruffle his brother's hair and earning himself a glare and a light punch to his left arm.

"Agent Hotchner believes that the best course of action would be for me to bring Agent Rossi and Lieutenant Ross to the base of operations for General Mustang's information network to interview them. At the same time, he would like for you and Alphonse to meet up with him, Agent Morgan, Agent Reid, and Lieutenant Colonel Brookes at the scene of General Armstrong's attack to see what they can find out from the scenes now that you've interviewed her further. I believe their plan is to also visit the scenes where Major General Andrews and Brigadier General Henley were killed as well, provided there's enough daylight left to do so." Hawkeye's tone was soft, and her brown eyes softened when Ed winced almost imperceptibly at the mention of General Andrews.

"Did you say that Lieutenant Colonel Brookes would be joining them?" Ross asked and Hawkeye nodded.

"Yes. Agent Jareau pointed out that he has been to all six scenes and might be able to point out anything he'd noticed that hadn't seemed significant enough to include in his reports. I contacted the lieutenant colonel's office and he told me he would be more than willing to join the group at the crime scenes."

"Miss Maria, remember that Brookes is on our side in this – he doesn't want to have to bring Mustang to trial," Ed pointed out quietly when Ross looked a little worried about Brookes joining them.

"Of course," Ross nodded.

"When are they meeting us there?" Ed asked, turning back to Hawkeye.

"Lieutenant Colonel Brookes said he could meet them at any time, so he offered to drive the agents over to the scene of General Armstrong's attack and Alphonse and I came to pick you up and explain the plan."

"Sounds good," Ed replied. "What are we waiting for? Have fun guys," he added with a wave as Hawkeye, Ross, and Rossi all headed for the empty car.

"You too, sir. Stay safe," Hawkeye said with a knowing look in her eyes that caused Edward to roll his own in response.

"We will, Captain," Al called and Ed was slightly hurt that she seemed more relaxed by Al's assurance that any that Ed had offered her in the past.

They watched as the other three loaded themselves into the car before Hawkeye pulled away from the curb and down the street. Once the car was out of sight, Edward and Al climbed into the back of the second car after checking that the Sergeant knew where they were actually going.

"How was your interview with Lieutenant General Armstrong, Brother?" Al asked, and Ed straightened up a little in reflex at the general's name.

"Actually, it was really enlightening. Rossi managed to get a bit more information about the attacker using that cognitive interview thing the agents mentioned. We need to tell the others that we have to keep an eye out for a button off of a standard military-issued jacket."

Al nodded in agreement. "How is the general?"

Ed gave him a Look. "She's still proving why she earned the Ice Queen nickname, but her injuries are healing up nicely and she's decided she needs to know everything about how I first met Rossi and the others, as well as my second mission with them."

Al snickered, but the look he gave Ed was pure sympathy. 'Right now, I am no longer upset that I didn't get to go with you," he said dryly, his eyes glinting with mirth. Ed rolled his eyes before lightly kicking Al on the shin with his left foot and earning a yelp in response. Sergeant Browning didn't comment on their behaviour, deciding it was simply better to keep his eyes on the road and leave the brothers alone to their mini-quarrel.

---

Hawkeye was a very proficient driver, capable of getting Rossi and Lieutenant Ross up to speed on everything that had happened in the hour that they had been interviewing General Armstrong, even while deftly dodging the mid-afternoon traffic with the same kind of agility Morgan could show in one of their standard SUVs. Despite the fact that Central's roads were far less crowded than any city of comparable size in America, Rossi was still impressed since these cars clearly didn't have power-steering or any of the advancements the SUVs did. The fact that Hawkeye could maneuver this car as easily as she did was credit to her skills.

Rossi had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure why Hotch wanted to go back over the three most recent scenes with Brookes, Morgan, Reid, and the Elrics, since without the technological advantages that their dimension had to offer, they wouldn't be likely to pick up any new evidence like DNA. The reports that Rossi had looked at so far indicated that Brookes' team had done a thorough sweep of the scene, carefully photographing everything that they had collected and documenting everything they'd found and done. "Captain, did Hotch give a reason why he wanted that specific group to go back over the crime scenes?"

"Agent Hotchner believes that there might still be evidence they could uncover, thanks to their immense experience in the field. Lieutenant Colonel Brookes is accompanying them because he is one of only a few select people who were at every crime scene and is the only person out of those few whom we would trust completely to tell us if something clicked for him by revisiting the scenes. He can also point out exactly where specific pieces of evidence were found to help the rest of your team visualize how the attack might have occurred. Edward and Alphonse are going as it will give them a chance to look for any signs of alchemy having been used at or near the crime scenes rather than rely solely on the photographs taken by Lieutenant Colonel Brookes' team. I didn't split the two of them up for two reasons, the first one being that the two of them work extremely well together. They'll be able to bounce ideas and theories off of each other much more quickly than if they work alone."

"And the second reason?" Rossi asked.

"The establishment we're going to is not one that I wish for either of them to be in, considering their ages," Hawkeye said dryly.

"If you don't mind me asking, Captain, but where are we heading?" Ross asked.

Hawkeye didn't respond for a moment as she squeezed their car into a gap left between two others. "We're heading to the bar where General Mustang's information network is based, as I said before," she finally replied as she turned down a side street and parked a few doors down from their apparent destination – a three story, narrow building with a sign out front that read "Madame Christmas' Bar" in an elegant, scrolling text.

They got out of the car and Hawkeye secured the vehicle quickly and led them towards the building. "This is where General Mustang grew up before he became my father's apprentice. It's also where he first met my grandfather, Führer Grumman. Chris Mustang – or Madame Christmas, as she's better known – runs this establishment. She's General Mustang's aunt on his father's side. After his parents died, Madame Christmas raised him. The ladies who work for her, as you might undoubtedly guess, are the general's information network."

"It doesn't look open," Rossi remarked.

"Technically you're correct. Madame Christmas doesn't open for business for another couple of hours; however she and some of her ladies live here in the rooms on the second and third floors. I called ahead and they're aware that we're coming over." Hawkeye replied before rapping her knuckles smartly on the door. They didn't have to wait very long before a woman in her early twenties opened the door and ushered them inside.

"Hello, Riza. Who're your friends?" the woman asked, giving Rossi and Lieutenant Ross an assessing look with her hazel eyes.

"Hello, Roxy. This is Lieutenant Ross and Mr. Rossi, a specially trained consultant hired by Brigadier General Mustang's lawyer who is helping us to investigate with Führer Grumman's permission. He's here to ask Madame Christmas and any of her ladies who are willing to participate in the interview some questions regarding Brigadier General Mustang," Hawkeye told her with a voice that was both even and warm.

Roxy was pretty, with full lips, rosy cheeks, and long blonde curls a few shades darker than Hawkeye's spilling artfully over her shoulders and down her back. She was dressed in a way that was both provocative and tasteful at the same time. Her short black dress, which fell to just above her knees, hugged her in all the right places and revealed just the slightest amount of cleavage. She had on a small amount of make-up; just enough to accentuate her features rather than cover them. She wore a pair of comfortable flats, but Rossi had a feeling those would be exchanged for a pair of heels once the bar opened for the night.

Roxy looked slightly saddened when Hawkeye mentioned Mustang's name, but quickly covered it with a friendly smile that had a hint of flirtatiousness in it, but Rossi wasn't sure she'd meant to add that hint of flirting. He had a feeling that it had slipped through out of habit as a side effect of her job. "Madame Christmas did mention that you would be coming by, Riza. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to her." Hawkeye didn't hesitate nor did Rossi and Lieutenant Ross as they followed Roxy towards a door next to the bar counter.

Beyond the door was a hallway that led towards the back of the building, with other doors branching off that no doubt led to private lounge rooms where Madame Christmas' ladies could entertain their dates for the night. Roxy opened the first door to the right once they were in the hallway and led them in. Rossi looked around as he entered and saw that it was sparsely, though tastefully, decorated in a way that reminded him of pictures from Earth in the early 1900's. There were four other women in the room; three sitting on a love seat while the fourth – the oldest of the four – sat in a single chair with an almost regal air about her. Rossi assumed this woman was Madame Christmas and was proven correct a few moments later.

"Madame Christmas, thank you for agreeing to talk with us this afternoon," Riza said, bowing a little. "This is First Lieutenant Ross and Mr. David Rossi. Mr. Rossi would like to ask you some questions about Brigadier General Mustang, as he and his team are taking the lead in this investigation."

Madame Christmas looked at Rossi with a calculating gaze. "Why are they in charge of this investigation? It would make more sense for Amestrians to be in charge of clearing my nephew's name." Her tone was a little haughty, and her distrust was written all over her face and Rossi knew she wasn't even bothering to try to hide it.

Rossi allowed Hawkeye to take the lead in the conversation as he studied the four women in front of him, beginning with Madame Christmas herself. She was a large woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a semi-clingy purple dress with a long, black, fur-trimmed coat. Around her neck she wore two necklaces – a string of pearls and a large, chunky gold necklace that was almost in the style of a choker. Her nails were painted to match her dress and she wore small gold studs in her ears. Her lips had been painted a deep, vibrant red, and held a lit cigarette between them. Something about her stern face and eyes reminded Rossi of Mustang in a way, which made sense if this woman had been the one who had raised him. He would no doubt have learned many of his mannerisms from her.

The other three women on the loveseat had been joined by Roxy, who had perched herself on one of the armrests. One of the women had dark brown hair cut in a severe line to rest just above her shoulders, and bangs that were cut in an equally severe line just above her eyes. She wore red, a colour that suited her darker skin tone nicely, the cut of the dress longer than Roxy's, but not by much. The second woman had pale skin that stood out starkly against the dark brown fabric of the loveseat. Her hair was a light red, a little darker than strawberry blonde. Rossi thought the mint green colour of her dress suited her wonderfully, allowing her hair and eyes to be her most prominent features, rather than her outfit. The third woman was also blonde like Roxy, but her hair was a darker shade that was closer to that of Edward and Alphonse without actually having the pure golden tint that theirs did. She was, surprisingly enough, not dressed like the other three women, her clothing being far more conservative and casual and Rossi wondered if her job tonight was as a waitress rather than a potential date.

"So," Madame Christmas said, drawing Rossi's attention back towards her. "You and your team are somehow going to find the true murderer in less than a week when the military couldn't do so in the month and a half they've known there was a serial killer loose in the city?" Her voice was harsh, but Rossi suspected that was more from the fact that she was a smoker than it was because she had any sort of animosity directed towards him.

"My team and I work for a department of our government where our sole duty is to investigate cases like this one and uncover the identity of the criminal," Rossi explained. "Despite the excellent work and long hours that Lieutenant Colonel Brookes and his team have put into this case, they don't have the same training that my team and I have. They are, unfortunately, also inhibited by their commanding officers and the other members of the military high command. As we're a separate group with no ties of loyalty to the Amestrian military and answering only to Führer Grumman and under the lead of Lieutenant Colonel Elric and Lieutenant Colonel Brookes, we aren't inhibited the way the investigators initially were. That fact mixed in with our training gives us a better chance at finding out who is truly to blame for the deaths in Central."

Madame Christmas' assessing look reminded him of Hotch's whenever he was staring down a serial killer or Garcia's when you were hiding something. "So you'll be using your training to uncover the true culprit and clear Roy's name?" she asked, her gaze intently focused on Rossi's face.

"We'll be using our training to uncover the true culprit, yes," Rossi told her and he saw it in her eyes when she realised what he didn't say about clearing Mustang's name. To his mild surprise, she looked the slightest bit approving of his answer.

"What exactly are you planning on interrogating us about, and who do you require to stay here?" Christmas asked, waving a hand at the only other single chair in the room. Rossi sat, only after checking that neither Captain Hawkeye nor Lieutenant Ross wished to use it.

"Well, this isn't an interrogation in the sense that you may be thinking of," Rossi explained. "I understand from Führer Grumman and Captain Hawkeye that your employees double as Mustang's information network by passing along information they find out from their clients, overhear from patrons of your establishment, or rumours that they might hear on the streets. Is this correct?" Madame Christmas gave him a sharp nod. "I'd like to find out more about how that network operates and any rumours regarding the case that you or your ladies may have heard about. I'd also like to know your honest opinions on Mustang's character. As for who I'd like to speak with, well, I'd like to speak to yourself Madame, and any of your ladies –" he smiled at the other four women – "who personally know Mustang and wish to stay for the duration of our conversation."

"You'd allow any of the girls to leave if they wished to without any repercussions?" she asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

Rossi frowned in confusion. "Yes, of course. They aren't under arrest – even if I had the jurisdiction to arrest someone – and they aren't suspects. I merely want to ask questions to uncover any potential information that may help with my team's investigation. You, Madame, are Mustang's only remaining blood family, from what I understand, and your ladies could be considered co-workers at the very least, or close friends and family by choice at the most. You could all be brought in as character witnesses if General Mustang is court-martialed at the end of the week. Since my team and I are technically working for Mr. Lanco, part of the reason I'm here is to ascertain whether you could or should be called as character witnesses for the defense. The other part is so that my team has as much information about Mustang's character from those who know him personally so we can use it to prove whether or not he is the sort of person likely to commit these sorts of crimes."

Madame Christmas considered his words for a moment before turning to the four women. "Lacey." The unknown blonde met her gaze obediently. "Go start prepping the bar for tonight's opening." Lacey didn't look like she wanted to miss out on the conversation, but she nodded and left immediately. "Miranda," the red head shifted slightly, "Annie," the brunette looked over as well," Roxy, you may all stay if you wish. If not, go and help Lacey," she ordered. The three women all exchanged glances, but the only movement was made by Roxy, who shifted off the armrest and claimed the spot previously filled by Lacey. Madame Christmas' hard expression didn't shift, but Rossi thought he saw a slight glimmer of pride in her onyx eyes when none of the women left.

"For my notes, I need to ascertain your relationships with General Mustang. Madame, you're Mustang's aunt, correct?" Rossi asked as he removed his notepad and pen from his jacket pocket again and flipped to a blank page.

"Yes. Roy's father was my brother. When he and his wife died, I took Roy in and raised him until he decided he wanted to become an alchemist and was accepted by Berthold Hawkeye as a student."

"Ladies?" Rossi asked, looking at the other three women expectantly.

"We're part of Roy's information network, but I guess you could also call us his sisters, in a way," Miranda answered after a moment. The other two nodded in agreement.

"How so?" Rossi asked, mainly out of curiosity, but also taking notes as he had during the interview with General Armstrong.

"Most of us didn't come into Madame Christmas' employ because we came from happy, healthy homes," Annie said seriously. "I was fifteen when my mother kicked me out and I've worked here for almost five years. Madame found me on the streets the day after my mother threw me out and offered me a job as a barmaid. She offered me a room above the bar in exchange for her withholding a small percentage of my wages to cover food and board." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I met Roy a few months after I started working here and I was surprised to see that he treated all the ladies here with respect and open friendliness, considering that he was in full uniform at the time and I hadn't witnessed any of the other military men who frequented the bar acting in that way. There was friendly banter and laughter between him and the ladies who were working. It wasn't until after he'd left that I found out about his relation to Madame. Kathy, a lady who worked here until about two years ago, took me aside and explained everything that she thought I needed to know. When Roy returned to Central for a visit and dropped by a few months later, he introduced himself to me and told me to let Madame Christmas know if anyone gave me any problems so he could sort them out. After I moved from being a barmaid to a companion, he pulled me aside and explained his agreements with the other ladies before offering me the same bargain."

"It was pretty much the same story for me," Roxy told him, flashing a flirty smile. "Roy came up to me a couple of weeks after I moved from being a barmaid to being a companion and offered me the same deal to become part of his information network. He told me that he wanted to make changes to the military and to the government from the inside, but he needed help. He needed information on other officers in the military – not for blackmail, or anything illegal," she added hastily, "but so he could judge which way the politics were moving, help to find allies who would support him as he moved up the ranks, and do favours for other people that he could call in later if he needed them."

"It was the same for me as well," Miranda said with an elegant shrug. "All of the ladies here start out as barmaids for a few months or a year so that we can get to know the clients without being under any obligation to do anything more than we're willing to do. If we decide we want to move on to becoming companions, then we do, but if we want to stay behind the bar and serve drinks, that's also acceptable. Roy met me about a month after I started moved out from behind the bar, since he'd been assigned to East City at the time and hadn't had the opportunity to visit Central when I'd been a barmaid – and gave me the rundown. I accepted his offer." She looked thoughtful. "Honestly, I don't think there have been any of the ladies who've worked here who've refused his offer. We're loyal citizens of Amestris, but we know there's corruption in the government and the military, and if Roy is trying to change that, then we want to do our part to help him."

"How does the information network work? How do you pass along the information? What sorts of information do you pass on? What do you receive in exchange for doing so?" Rossi asked, a little rapidly, but none of them seemed perturbed by that.

"Right now, everyone working here has been made the same offer, including Lacey," Roxy said. "The offer was for us to remember any information that we heard that might interest Roy. It could be anything from spats or personality conflicts among the higher-ups, any rumours or information about himself or his team, or any interesting tidbits that he might be able to use to further his goals or engender favours among other members of the military."

"While Roy was stationed in East City, passing information along was a little tedious. We would tell Madame, who would then pass the information along to Führer Grumman, or sometimes more openly in her correspondence with Roy, by passing it off as gossip from Central," Annie said as Hawkeye nodded to confirm what she was saying. "Whenever Roy came to visit, which was usually three or four times a year unless he was sent here on assignment for some reason, he would take one of us out for lunch or dinner. We could enjoy a night out without the expectations that most of our usual clients had and we could pass along anything we had overheard. Now that Roy is permanently stationed in Central, he takes one or two of us out every week, whether we have information or not." Her smile was a little fond at the thought.

"Right. As Annie said, we got a nice evening out without the usual expectations, but Roy also offered us money or gifts for any specific jobs that he had us do or information to listen for or try to get from our clients," Miranda said and expanded on her answer when Rossi gave her a questioning look. "There were times when he wanted us to listen for information on a specific person or watch to see if a specific person appears in the bar. The last time he asked us to do that was a few months ago when he and one of his subordinates were investigating Brigadier General Aleyce Henley. He wanted to know everything we could find out about her."

Rossi's interest was piqued by that information. "What did you find out?"

"Well, I found out some names of people for Roy to talk to or look into, but Annie found out the juiciest piece of information," Miranda replied before nudging Annie slightly.

"I found out that General Henley was sleeping with her superior, General Raven," Annie leaned forward in her eagerness to tell him. "As far as I was able to figure out, they'd been lovers for at least a year, and maybe longer. Raven was married at the time, and I don't remember hearing that he or his wife had any children, but it still would have been a huge scandal if it got out that two of the higher-ups within the military were sharing a bed. According to the fellow that I found this out from, Henley was very upset when General Armstrong told Führer Bradley that she killed Raven."

"I think there was something in the reports I read about the months before the Promised Day, but I don't remember specifics as to what her reasoning was," Rossi said, looking between the women and Hawkeye.

"According to what I heard, since I had been reassigned as Bradley's personal assistant at the time, Lieutenant-General Armstrong claimed that Raven had foolishly revealed a great deal of information about the homunculi's plans and about the Promised Day to her without any prompting. As she claimed to be a loyal citizen of Amestris, as well as interested in climbing up the military command, Lieutenant-General Armstrong killed him so she could take his spot in Bradley's inner group."

"Everyone thought that Henley was upset over her boss' death and the fact that she wasn't promoted to take over his place, but she had apparently divulged their relationship to her sister during a drunken ramble that was overheard by my source. He claimed that Henley told her sister that she had been made certain promises by Bradley should something unfortunate happen to Raven, but then Bradley didn't keep his word." Annie disclosed a little gleefully.

"So once you had that information from your source, you passed it on to Mustang?" Rossi asked.

"I passed it on to Madame, and as far as I know, she passed it on to Roy." She glanced over at Madame Christmas, who nodded in response. "All I know is that my source was promoted a couple of weeks later and offered a transfer to South City, where he could be closer to his ailing mother. Roy was the driving force behind his transfer, claiming that the man had shown excellent promise as an officer and would be a good fit under Colonel Dunn's command," Annie said, leaning back into the couch once more now that she had passed along her information.

Rossi made some notes before looking up at them. "The next thing I wanted to ask is if any of you heard any rumours from your clients or people outside the military regarding these crimes? More specifically, have you heard any rumours that claim Mustang wasn't the one behind them?"

The three women frowned a little in thought. Madame Christmas remained impassive though Rossi could see a hint of hope, and maybe a little worry in her dark onyx eyes.

"I haven't heard anything other than the usual rumours about how it had only been a matter of time before Roy snapped, considering what he went through in Ishval and on the Promised Day," Miranda finally said, a scowl marring her pretty features.

"Same here. I think there were a couple of drunks a few weeks back who claimed it was a conspiracy to rid our military of a powerful member, but they believed the people behind the frame job to be Drachmans who wanted to infiltrate the military and take over Roy's job." Annie rolled her eyes daintily.

"I haven't heard anything either. A lot of people had speculated whether Roy was truly innocent or if the military had simply decided to arrest the first suspect they got when the news broke, but in the last few days the newspapers have gotten quotes from someone within the military who claimed they'd done a thorough investigation and that Roy was completely guilty." Roxy's expression matched Miranda's. "While they didn't say it outright, the newspapers implied that there was solid evidence against Roy. Some even made it sound like he'd given a confession!" she added angrily.

Rossi made a note to have JJ look into the media articles, if she wasn't already. "So, how would you describe Roy Mustang, as a person?"

"Like we said, Roy is practically our big brother. He's protective of all of us but only when we can't handle the problem ourselves or if Madame can't handle it," Miranda told him.

"He's a loyal person. He'd never risk his team being punished for something like this, even if he was capable of killing those people!" Annie insisted.

"But is he mentally or psychologically capable? I've heard about Ishval from the Führer and some other members of his team, and he is the Flame Alchemist. His alchemy clearly makes him able to take people out in such a manner, but do you think he would?" Rossi asked and saw the flashes of anger on their faces.

"Just because he has the power to do it, it doesn't mean he did! He had to do what he did in Ishval. He hated himself for it. I've lost count of the number of times he's come by and gotten drunk because he can't sleep due to the nightmares he's had about the battles he fought there! He's admitted to me that he still wishes that Führer Grumman had never given him that pardon, even if part of him is grateful for it because it makes it easier for him to perhaps become Führer one day," Annie told him sadly.

Rossi noticed Hawkeye's face fall slightly as well, and for a moment he thought he saw a haunted look in her brown eyes.

"My Roy-boy wouldn't have dealt with nuisances like that weasel, Bryce, like that," Christmas said firmly. Rossi almost commented on the nickname but elected to just bring it up with Mustang later. "He had far more legal avenues he would have taken before resorting to doing something like this. Not to mention that he was about to lay charges against Henley. He only needed a few more days to get the last few pieces in place before he could go to Führer Grumman for an arrest warrant. He and that Elric boy who works under him had put so much effort into gathering all that information together. Roy-boy would never have killed her if he was about to arrest her – it would have been a waste of all that effort. And then there was Andrews' death."

"What about Andrews?" Rossi asked. He was fairly certain he knew what the Madame was referring to but it would be good to hear it from another source.

"Roy and the Elric boy were friendly with Andrews. I remember Roy coming in here after the first time Andrews and his subordinate met and telling me how nice of a change it was that they had got along so well. Even if I bought Roy murdering the first four because of such ridiculous reasons, I know he would never have killed Andrews, not for the chance to take over his command or really for any reason. Andrews would likely have retired in a few years and Roy would have known that. Roy knows when patience works better than action," Christmas informed him as she lit a new cigarette.

"Yes, in the times I've worked with him before, I've witnessed that part of him, and I've seen him trying to keep Edward in check," Rossi agreed. "So you take the information from your ladies?"

She nodded. "They come to me with the information they've gathered. On the nights when Roy comes to take one of them out, I organise the dinners between him and whichever girl has the most important or interesting information. If they've found out information that Roy needs to know before we can arrange a date, I would use my connections with Grumman to funnel the information through to him," she explained leaning back regally in her chair, puffing on her cigarette.

"May I ask why you're so willing to help him? Is it simply an extension of your maternal feelings for him, since you helped to raise him?" Rossi asked. He wasn't overly surprised to see Miranda, Annie, and Roxy's lips curl up slightly in silent snarls or to shift like they'd been prepared to launch themselves at him. He was a little more surprised to see Hawkeye lose control of her mask for a moment and allow some confusion and anger to slip through before she caught herself.

"Despite the fact that I am his aunt and have raised him since he was a small child, if I didn't believe that his ideas for the military and the country were good ones, I wouldn't help him," Christmas said firmly. "There is plenty that I wouldn't help that boy with, but if there is something that I can help him with, I will offer what support and information I can, whether that means helping him rid the military of those like Bradley's inner group and supporters or to move this country into a better future. Heaven knows that the military's dirty laundry needed to be aired."

"Why do you let your girls help him? Surely they're putting themselves and your business in danger if word somehow got out that they were spying on the military for your nephew?" This time, the three ladies looked offended at the question rather than merely outraged.

"They help because they want to. All of them had the opportunity to turn down Roy's offer without it affecting their standing here or their job. They all know that anytime they feel unsafe or like something might happen that they can tell me or Roy and we'll investigate. They can stop gathering information whenever they want and it would never affect their jobs." All three of the ladies nodded in agreement.

"Like I said before, I was fifteen when my mother kicked me out, and I met Roy a few months after I started as a barmaid here." Rossi nodded to let Annie know he remembered. "Nearly three months after I met him, he came back to Central for a visit. It just so happened that I was working that night and there was one particular customer who had had a few too many whiskeys and was harassing us girls. When he groped me to try to get me to go to bed with him, Roy stepped in. He put himself in between me and the customer and told him to leave before he had him arrested for sexual assault. The man slurred some insults about how all the women who worked here deserved it and wanted it and Roy knocked him down with one punch before nodding to a couple of bystanders who had been coming to my rescue to take the man outside so he could sober up. After that, Madame banned him from ever coming back." Rossi felt the familiar disgust that always crawled up his throat whenever he heard about someone being treated in such a manner as he listened. "I'm not telling you this to get sympathy or whatever, but to make you understand why the ladies of this bar will continue to help Roy as best we can. My story isn't unique here and it's something we've come to accept as part of our jobs. But the danger that being discovered would bring is balanced out by the knowledge that Roy will defend us to the best of his capabilities." Miranda and Roxy had the same conviction on their faces that Annie had in her voice as they regarded Rossi almost defiantly.

Rossi spent a few minutes writing down a few notes on what he had just been told. "Alright. I think I've asked everything I came here to ask," he said as he flicked back through his notes to double-check. "Thank you very much, Madame Christmas, and you as well ladies," he added as he stood, unperturbed that none of the women stood when he did. "If you hear anything of interest regarding this case, please contact Captain Hawkeye as soon as you can."

"We're grateful that someone is looking out for Roy for a change rather than letting the military get away with framing him. If you need to ask any more questions, come by for a drink," Madame Christmas winked at him while the other three women gave him suggestive smiles. "Riza, dear, if you happen to get to visit Roy, let him know that we're all behind him and we'll help in any way we can."

Rossi allowed a smirk of his own – the one that had usually gotten him in trouble with his ex-wives – to form on his own face. "I may just take you up on that offer," he told her and she gave him a small, sharp smile of her own.

"Miranda, would you be kind enough to escort our guests back outside?" she asked and the red-head rose gracefully to her feet.

"Of course, Madame," she said before moving towards Rossi.

"Thank you for your time, Madame Christmas," Hawkeye said, bowing slightly. "I'll convey your well-wishes to General Mustang when I see him again."

"You're welcome dear. If you need somewhere to relax for a little bit, come by. Your drinks will be on the house," the larger woman told her, a soft look taking over her onyx eyes as Hawkeye nodded.

"Thank you, Madame. That's very kind of you," Hawkeye said, allowing a small smile to show.

Miranda looked at them expectantly and Hawkeye was quick to step aside to let the red head through so she could lead them out of the bar. The three of them followed without any complaints as Miranda moved through the establishment with a graceful ease and opened the same door they'd entered through. "Thank you for helping Roy. We'll call your office, Riza, if we hear anything."

"Thank you, Miranda. You ladies stay safe. I'm sure we'll have General Mustang out of trouble soon," Hawkeye reassured her softly.

Miranda winked at Rossi. "You bring yourself back anytime, handsome, and bring your friends with you. It's not often we get visitors from a foreign country, and we'll want to celebrate Roy's freedom." She closed the door firmly. They could hear the sound of her heels on the wooden floor for a few seconds before the thick wood and the distance muffled them before the three of them headed back towards the car.

"Captain, I have a question for you," Rossi said as they reached the car and Hawkeye unlocked the doors.

"Yes, Agent Rossi?" Hawkeye looked a little perplexed and curious about what he might want to ask her after that interview.

"When I mentioned the events in Ishval, Annie rose to his defense, saying that General Mustang wished, in part at least, that Führer Grumman had never arranged for the pardons, even if he was grateful for them. I noticed that your expression turned a little sad. Why is that?"

Hawkeye sighed a little, her brown eyes again taking on a haunted, sorrowful look. "Brigadier General Mustang has always felt guilty for the amount of death and destruction he caused in Ishval. It's the main reason why he's so protective of the secrets of flame alchemy. In the wrong hands, it would be devastating," she said, ignoring Lieutenant Ross' curious expression. "Once the war ended and he realised how senseless all of the slaughter had been, that we never even attempted a truce or a peace treaty with the Ishvalans, the general conceived of a plan for once he'd managed to become the Führer. He wanted to put the military back on the right path and work cohesively not only with the surviving Ishvalans, but also with our other neighbours. His ultimate goal was to restore power to our parliament and to have everyone who was involved in the Ishvalan Civil War who was still alive by that time tried for war crimes – including himself and me."

"He had planned?" Rossi asked, curious about the past tense.

"I don't believe that is his plan any longer," Hawkeye admitted. "I suspect that part of the reason that Führer Grumman went to the trouble of obtaining pardons for everyone with the approval of the Ishvalans was because he had an idea that was what General Mustang had planned to do. My grandfather is an extremely shrewd man and very experienced with how things work in the military, and if he truly believes – as I do – that General Mustang would make a worthy Führer someday, he would have wanted to help keep him from performing such a suicidal, foolish act." Hawkeye shrugged slightly. "I don't think General Mustang ever envisioned a future where the Ishvalans would forgive him – forgive us – for what happened during the war, especially when they had been given the chance to get revenge by having him charged with war crimes and known that if they demanded it, Führer Grumman would have followed through."

The three of them got into the car and Hawkeye had the vehicle turned around and back on the main street towards Central Command before anyone else spoke.

"So what now?" Lieutenant Ross asked.

"Now we head back to the office and wait for Edward and his group to catch up with us," Hawkeye said as she maneuvered through the traffic towards Central Command. "I'm just glad Madame Christmas seemed to like you," she added honestly after a moment.

"How could you tell?" Rossi asked.

"She wouldn't have told you anything if she didn't," was the simple reply.

Rossi figured that was something he wouldn't have been surprised over. He watched out of the window as the buildings flashed by as Hawkeye drove back to the office and he let his mind wander from the interview he'd just conducted to how Edward and his group were going with their search of the crime scenes.

A/N - here's chapter 10 for all of you! I'm sorry this one is a little late but I'm currently dying from a cold which has affected my sleep routine - or lack thereof - and I woke up really late today. As always, many, many thanks to my awesome beta, PhoenixQueen, for her seriously amazing work on this chapter and just as many thanks to all of you who have left reviews on the chapters so far! Getting an email telling me someone had left a review on this story just made my day so much better so pretty please keep it up. I really do love getting comments and critiques from everyone. Until next week!