A/N: I'm back. Happy 2018! Ran into a severe case of writer's block, so I had to post this now to break out of it. This interlude is still an important part of the plot though. Unbetaed. Please enjoy.

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FIRST INTERLUDE: Ross

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"All conversations will be recorded."

"Sir." Maria Ross tamped down on her urge to salute; she as a prisoner was banned of that right. She looked up from the floor to survey the room, empty of furniture save for the metal table and the three metal chairs surrounding it. She made her way to her seat, expecting Major Armstrong or Second Lieutenant Breda or any other soldier for this visit. When the door opened a second time and she found herself staring into the warm eyes of her mother, she exhaled and almost collapsed with relief.

"Mom." Her breath hitched at the back of her throat as it took all of her willpower to remain in her place, with her body yearning for a tight embrace from the person across the frozen metallic sea. But Maria knew that even a few seconds of contact, just a short moment, that would allow her to feel safe and protected would be prohibited. "They finally let you in! Where's Dad?"

The sides of her mother's tired-looking eyes crinkled with mirth. In the past few days since Maria had last seen her, her gray hairs seemed to have multiplied in number. Her posture was also a bit more hunched than before, as if the weight of the world pressed down on her shoulders.

"Yes, finally," her mother said. "Your father is meeting with the lawyer, Maria dear. The guards here have been treating you well?"

Maria appreciated the way her mother's gaze roved accusingly to the faces of the few soldiers surrounding them. "As well as they could to a soldier turned criminal."

"You are not a criminal," her mother snapped sharply as she pinned Maria with a piercing stare. "I know my daughter. I know her like the back of my hand. Every mole, every birthmark, every scar accounted for. I raised her by feeding her nothing but love for her family, her friends, and her country. Maria dear, I know you were not the one who killed that Hughes fellow."

Despite knowing that not a single drop of the late brigadier general's blood had landed on her palm, uncertainty had crept into Maria during the small amount of time she was in prison. She had been racking her brains, trying to remember if she'd been to any phone booth before visiting her parents, questioning herself if there was any chance she had inhaled a substance that altered her perception of reality. Her gun had fired two shots after all. Where did the other bullet go?

But at that moment, her mother's conviction granted her courage, not unlike the way adrenaline would boost one's body to do an impossible task. If her mother said she was not a criminal, then Maria was most definitely not a criminal.

"Thanks, Mom," Maria said, willing away the prickliness behind her eyes. "You have no idea how much I needed it."

Her mother's stern expression softened as they chatted for a bit, mostly questions of what was happening outside, before hardening again at the soldier who had stepped closer behind Maria. "Yes, yes, my visiting time is almost over, officer. Just a moment." She stood, her chair screeching as it slid back. "Maria, I want you to hold onto something for me."

"What is—?" Maria trailed off as her mother removed the gold band adorning her ring finger, placed it securely in the center of a cupped hand, and presented it to her daughter.

"You will return it to me," her mother instructed when Maria made no move to receive it. "Once you are proven to be not guilty. Understood?"

Speechless, Maria reached for the ring with numb fingers as someone moved to escort her mother out. The piece of gold on her palm felt warm and comforting, like the sensation of sweet hot chocolate pouring down her throat.

She cradled the ring as her gratitude traveled down her cheeks, down her lips, almost like a plea for help.

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The cold air outside stung her eyes, but less so than the prison air ever did. Her breath came out in huffs and puffs, but she kept her focus on Barry the Chopper as they weaved in and out of alleys.

Suddenly, her armor companion stopped before he was about to turn left, backtracked, then steadied Maria's shoulder as he turned to face her when she had caught up to him.

"This alley's guarded!" he informed her. "Alright, missy, run straight that way then turn right 'til you see a tiny brat who looks fun to mince into even tinier pieces! Go! I've got soldiers to dice—distract!" Then he shoved her in the direction he wanted her to take before he took off his head and threw it to the guarded path.

Maria heard several muted shouts of alarm as she stumbled into another alley. The last she saw of Barry was of him taunting the soldiers as he recollected his helmet and continued sprinting past the former route. She ran in silence and darkness for a while, only the sound of her heartbeat keeping her company as she scrambled to locate the 'tiny brat' Barry mentioned.

The moment she turned right as per Barry's instructions and saw a pacing figure, she finally understood whom the armor was talking about.

Edward Elric's worried face melted into relief as she approached him. "Second Lieutenant Ross!"

"Edward!" she gasped, thankful to see a very familiar face. "You're a part of this?"

"I saw the newspaper," he said, frowning. "Then Second Lieutenant Breda called me to be part of their plan to bust you out." He folded his arms, eyes boring into hers, and Maria couldn't help but notice how drained they look. "Hughes…he…you couldn't have done it, right?"

"No," she replied the same way she had multiple times. "Never."

Edward nodded. "Of course, you didn't." He held out a gloved hand, the left one, and tightly grasped Maria's when she reached for it. "Let's go, Second Lieutenant."

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She couldn't move, she couldn't think.

Edward was shouting something at the beast, her predator, defending her even if the chase was long over. Her mouth moved, an instinctual response of deny deny deny.

The first snap was a whip.

The second was death.

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The paper bag of grocery crinkled merrily in her arms as she hurried to her parents' house. The gray ceiling high above loomed over the city, motivating Maria to pick up speed before rain fell. Only the sound of her footsteps echoed across the vacant streets. In fact, most shops and stalls were closed. People were inside their homes today, especially since the military had placed Central under high alert when a few soldiers spotted an infamous pair of serial killers in the city.

She slowed down as she turned the corner, having arrived at the house of her childhood. The pink geranium flowers waved in welcome from their small pots on the windowsill as she climbed the stairs.

She adjusted her grip on the bag and had rapped her knuckles on the door thrice when a muffled gasp sounded from somewhere behind her.

Maria spun, gun drawn from her hip holster, only to aim it at empty air. She thumbed the safety off when the clanking of a can sounded from the dark and narrow alley on the other side of the street, only for her to see an orange cat emerge instead.

"Who's there?" she called.

The door creaked open, making her flinch and face her mother who smiled in greeting before she noticed the unconcealed firearm. "What's the matter, dear?"

The beginnings of rain had begun to drop from the heavens. Maria swallowed, looking back once more before handing the grocery bag to her mother. "It's nothing. Let's get to the kitchen, mom. I bought your favorite pastry."

As Maria was about to close the door, she glanced around one last time to make sure of their safety. Already, the rain sheeted down, limiting the visibility of her neighborhood's surroundings. But from behind the watery curtains, she was able to glimpse nothing more than a harmless-looking woman, soaked to the bone, dashing towards the other end of the road.

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I don't have an outro, sorry.