Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Legend of Korra

Ayana

The next morning, they boarded the train with Winry to head back to Central. They saw the Xingese crew on the platform before they boarded but didn't see them again after that. She was sure they had boarded the train, though, but she was glad they had decided not to sit with their group.

It had been an early departure, so everyone was still sleepy from waking up early. Winry didn't waste any time in going back to sleep as she leaned on the window in her seat next to Al.

As soon as they were sure Winry was dead to the world, they discussed the events from yesterday. The brothers filled Ayana in on what had happened when they found Ling and gave him food, and the big fight with his servants afterwards.

"So, he wants to figure out how to achieve immortality in order to gain his clan favor with the emperor?" She asked incredulously, and Ed and Al nodded. "That sounds stupid to me. But then, I've never understood politics like that."

Ed shrugged as he leaned back. "They sure seemed to like you, though. I think you made the right choice, not telling them anything about your bending."

"Do you think their god of elements is the Avatar?" Al asked softly as he glanced around to make sure none of Xingese were nearby.

She didn't hesitate as she responded. "Definitely. If they could give me an approximate date in time that this legend occurred, I could get the story straight from the Avatar who did it. But there are hundreds of Avatars, and without a rough idea of when it happened there's no way I can ask them all to find the right one. But, at least there's some good news that came out of the story."

The boys looked at her expectantly.

"I'm confident a portal exists now. And while 'west of Xing' really isn't that helpful, it's a start."

After finally arriving in Central, the party decided to split up. Fu and Lan Fan left to find Ling, who had apparently disappeared. Winry left to go straight to the Hughes' house, and Ayana went with the brothers to head to Central Command to report in.

They ran into Hawkeye and Mustang in the hallway.

"Ah, Fullmetal, Avatar, Al, good to see you."

"Colonel? What are you doing here?" Ed was annoyed to see his superior; his eye was twitching as he talked.

"I was transferred to Central last month. Didn't you hear?" He laughed good-naturedly. "What are you all doing here? I see Ayana's still with you. No luck on finding a way home?"

She glared at him as she tried to read his expression. He returned her look with a blank one of his own. She pointed out, "I never told you my title, nor my ambitions to return home. How did you find out?"

Ed and Al jumped, obviously just now realizing the implications behind what Mustang had said. Mustang smirked at her and replied smugly. "I have my ways."

Has he been spying on us? Maybe Major Armstrong had overheard some of their conversations when he was playing guard duty. She'd confront him about that later. She crossed her arms and looked away from Mustang. This man was clever. She admired the trait, but right now it was pissing her off.

The Colonel asked again. "What brings you all to Central?"

"We're just here doing some information gathering." Ed replied. He was still looking at Mustang with an annoyed look. "We were hoping to find Hughes and talk to him about some stuff. Where is he, anyway?"

Hawkeye and Mustang both stiffened. Mustang answered solemnly. "He retired. He took his wife and daughter and moved out to the country. He's not here. Sorry." His voice was full of sadness.

"Oh, okay." Ed replied. Mustang stiffly turned and walked away, calling after Hawkeye to follow. "That was kind of weird. I guess we need to go find Winry then, she went straight for the Hughes' house."

"Yeah. Let's go." Al agreed, and they all turned around and walked back the way they'd come.

They ran into Lieutenant Ross on the way out. She greeted them warmly and inquired what brought them to Central. When Ed replied they had originally come to see Hughes, her face fell in sorrow. "Yeah, it's sad, isn't it? You'll be happy to know, the military gave him a proper sendoff. And they even promoted him. Two whole ranks."

"What?" Al replied incredulously. "He moved to the country, and they promoted him two ranks?"

They all looked at each other in confusion before the truth came crashing on them all at the same time. Ross had a look of horror on her face, her hands covering her mouth. Al was frozen in shock and Ed was shaking his head, his voice cracking as he asked, "No! Why him?"

Ayana's heart had stopped. She hadn't known Hughes all that well herself, but she knew what he'd meant to the Elrics. And she knew he'd been helping them with some leads on Lab Five and the Philosopher's Stone.

And now he was dead.

Edward ran down the hall, which startled her and Al. Without saying anything to Ross, they took off after him.

They followed him out the building and down a few streets before he finally stopped in an alley. He was leaning against the wall, panting. They slowed their pace as they approached him, and he looked up with a pained expression on his face.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't have gotten him involved, if I hadn't told him anything about Lab Five, he'd still be here. It's all my fault." His voice broke and he sank down to the ground with his back against the wall, head in his hands, his body shaking with grief.

She knelt next to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She didn't know what to say, but she hoped the touch brought him at least a little consolation.

After a few minutes, Ed got his emotions under control and stood. "We need to tell Mrs. Hughes. She deserves to know."

And so they made their way to the Hughes' residence. Upon arrival, they found that Winry had already arrived. They sat in the living room, and Ed painfully told Mrs. Hughes how her husband had been helping them, and that's why he was targeted and killed. Ayana sat next to him on the couch and had her arm wrapped around his shoulders, trying to give him some comfort.

"Don't tell me you're going to stop trying." Mrs. Hughes replied after Ed had finished. She had tears swimming in her eyes as she gazed at him. "If you stop, he will have died in vain." Ed nodded silently.

They departed the Hughes' and walked to the hotel in silence.

The next morning, they heard that Lieutenant Ross had been arrested as a suspect in Hughes' murder, and the shock they felt was palpable.

Mustang

Second Lieutenant Breda walked into the office, holding a newspaper. Everyone else was gone for the day, so Roy had been sitting alone, lost in his thoughts. He looked up as Breda approached him and tossed the paper onto the desk.

"Something's not right, sir. This is all too showy. First, they arrest Ross so publicly, and now they convict her without a proper trial. Something's off."

Roy examined the newspaper, where the headline announced Ross's guilt. He was intent on finding his best friend's killer; he had sworn to himself to avenge Hugh's death. But these pieces were falling into place too easily. Breda was right, something seemed off.

The phone on his desk rang shrilly and, putting down the paper, he grabbed the receiver. "Colonel Mustang speaking."

"Sir, I have a Warrant Officer Falman on the line for you." The operator said.

"Put him through."

A few clicking noises indicated the operator did just that. Why was Falman calling him here? He was supposed to be guarding Barry, the escaped convict from Lab Five. Had Barry escaped?

Falman's voice came through. "Colonel, I need to talk to you about Hughes' case." In the background, Roy could hear Barry's voice demanding to be given the phone. Before he could say anything, Barry's voice came through, "Yo, Mustang, have you seen the paper? There's an interesting article about…"

Roy cut him off, "Hey, buddy! You know better than to call me at work! Let me call you right back." He hung up the phone before Barry could respond. You never know who might be tapping the phone lines in the military buildings, listening in. It was safer to have this conversation using an outside line.

He stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. Walking towards the door, he said to Breda, "Let's go."

They exited Central Command and found a nearby phone booth. Roy inserted the coins and dialed the number. Breda stood outside the booth nearby. Barry picked up almost immediately. "Mustang? Did you see the article?"

"Yes, Barry, what do you want to tell me?"

"I can corroborate her story, about her bullet not being used to murder that fellow. She shot me, at the Fifth Laboratory. I still have the hole in my hand to prove it!"

Roy pondered this. The evidence pointed to Ross being innocent. This begged the question, who's framing her? The answer to that wasn't rocket science, it must be the people who murdered Hughes. They're trying to cover their tracks. He smiled to himself as an idea came to his mind. This might be the perfect opportunity to flush them out. But he couldn't let an innocent officer be executed…

Quickly formulating his plan, he said into the phone, "Barry, I have a proposition for you. I'm sure you'll be interested. Ross is innocent, and she needs to be rescued. How would you like to spring her out for me?"

Barry was more than happy to help. After hashing out the details, Roy hung up and exited the booth. He wrote a list for Breda and ordered him to gather the supplies quickly and meet him down in the warehouse district when he was done, and to bring Havoc with him. Breda saluted and left for his errand.

Later that evening, after several phone calls and other preparations, Roy milled around at the rendezvous point, waiting for Breda. When he finally showed up, Roy piled the ingredients into the middle of a transmutation circle he'd drawn earlier. He transmuted the pile into a dummy, biologically identical to a human. The plan was to burn it beyond recognition and convince the military it was Ross's body, effectively faking her death. He'd already made arrangements for her escape; they couldn't very well keep her here in Amestris, after all. They'd send her out east.

He chalked a transmutation circle onto the alley wall and created a hole in it, then did the same thing to a nearby dumpster. Havoc and Breda helped him roll it in front of the wall, concealing the hole. It was as good an escape route as any.

"Havoc, wait for Ross on the other side of that wall. You know where to go after that." Havoc saluted and left. "Breda, you're dismissed. Stay far away from here, we don't need to draw any suspicions." Breda also saluted and walked away, disappearing down the street.

And Roy waited. He heard the radio call go out about Ross's escape, and the order to kill her if she resisted. He smiled to himself. Good. That order would make it easy for him to explain 'killing' her.

He wasn't kept waiting for long. Barry had worked quickly and planned his escape route efficiently, because it didn't take long for Lieutenant Ross to come running down the alley towards him, exactly as they'd planned. She stopped dead when she saw him blocking her way.

"Lieutenant Ross." She continued to stare in fear and confusion. He opened the dumpster, where he'd stashed the dummy, and threw it on the ground between them. "From this moment on, you're dead." He snapped his fingers.

The fire raged hot and made quick work of burning the body to a crisp. He grabbed Ross's arm and cut the prisoner tags off her wrist, then pointed her to the dumpster. "There's a hole in the back of it. Go!" He shoved her towards it none-to-gently, and she wordlessly climbed in and out of sight. After she was gone, he took her tags and placed them near the wrist of the dummy, snapping again to burn the metal.

"What happened here, Colonel?!" An enraged voice sounded behind him. Roy sighed. Great, an unexpected surprise.

He turned slowly to face his subordinate and noted his Avatar friend was with him.

"Hey there, Fullmetal." He drawled.

Edward's face showed nothing but rage. Ayana stood behind him, but she wasn't looking at him. She was staring at the wall that Ross had escaped through with a puzzled look on her face.

Somehow the girl knew. How, he had no idea, but why else would she be looking at the wall like that?

"Why was Hughes murdered? And why would Second Lieutenant Ross…" Ed trailed off, then rushed him and grabbed his coat angrily. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

Roy had to keep it convincing. He couldn't risk messing this up, not after all this effort. Besides, Edward grabbing him like that was inappropriate. So, he punched Fullmetal in the face and sent him flying backwards.

"You threaten a superior officer? You forget yourself, Elric!" He scolded heatedly.

Fullmetal looked up at him, and Roy watched the rage that twisted his face turn into hatred. He stood up quickly and tried to rush him again, but Ayana grabbed his wrists from behind and restrained him. Al came running down the alley and stopped behind them.

"Let me go! I'm going to tear you apart!" Fullmetal yelled as he struggled against the girl's hold. Roy tore his gaze from Ed's enraged one to meet hers and saw confusion staring back at him. Another unexpected surprise to deal with. Somehow, he'd have to make sure she didn't blow the whole operation.

"How could you kill Ross, Colonel?" Al cried after noticing the charred body on the ground.

Roy turned his back to them and said over his shoulder, "The orders were to shoot to kill. So that's what I did. I apologize for hiding Hughes death. But you do not argue against orders. You just follow them. That's what it means to be a soldier!"

The MP's started arriving then, and he gave his statement on what had 'happened'. Ed glared at him the entire time, his eyes brimming with animosity. Al sat quietly next to his brother, as did the girl.

He needed to tie up that loose end somehow. As soon as they were alone, she was going to blab to the Elrics, and he couldn't have that.

"Ayana. If you would be so kind, I'd like a word." He said it as gently as he could while also conveying authority in his voice. She stood up immediately, but Fullmetal growled at her.

"What are you doing?"

"You heard him earlier. You don't argue against orders." She replied simply.

"You're not even military, that doesn't apply to you!"

She ignored him and approached Roy, and he led her away from the Elrics and out of earshot of any MP's. Then he turned to look at her. "You really are a unique girl, aren't you?"

She didn't even bother pretending she didn't know what he was talking about. "I can sense people's chi. Their life force. It's as unique to each individual as their fingerprint is." She looked at him, gazing into his eyes. "Ross isn't dead. What's the plan here? Why are you doing this?"

He kept his composure. "I can't have you blowing the operation. I need you to keep your mouth shut, don't tell the Elrics anything. They need to be kept in the dark for this to work. Understand?"

Her hazel eyes flashed. "I'm not a fan of lying, sir. You of all people should know that."

He did know that. Her honesty when he'd first met her had staggered him. If the roles were reversed, he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been as open about his true nature as she had. It was that honesty that gave him confidence that she was trustworthy.

"Please. This is bigger than you realize. You need to keep silent." He responded firmly.

She didn't look happy about it, but finally nodded in agreement. "Fine. But if I'm going to be in, I'm in. No secrets, no lies. You've got something bigger planned, and I want to help."

He smirked at her. She had ambition; he'd give her that. Besides, with her abilities, she would be a valuable asset to have. He wondered if she would tell the Elrics about Ross if he refused her. He couldn't chance that.

"If you're serious about that, then tomorrow morning, there's a church with a tall steeple a few blocks west of Central Command. The building immediately south of it is abandoned. Meet me there at 7am sharp. Got it?" She nodded, and he saw a bit of mischief gleam in her eyes. "If you change your mind, then just don't show up. Either way, don't tell the Elrics anything, understand?" She nodded again.

He gestured that she was free to go, then turned to approach the paramedics, who had loaded the dummy body in the ambulance. One last end to tie up; he had to make sure they took the body to Dr. Knox for identification.

Ayana

The rest of the night was a disaster. It was everything she could do to avoid the Elric's questions about what Mustang had wanted to talk to her about. She hated lying to them, but she'd promised the Colonel, and there was something bigger going on here. She'd make it up to them. Somehow.

Coming up with a believable excuse on why she was leaving so early in the morning was another matter. She decided not to mention anything about it before going to bed, and that she'd just leave a note in the morning. No matter what she did, it was going to look suspicious.

As the morning finally came, she crawled out of bed and dressed as quietly as she could. She succeeded in not waking Winry, who shared her hotel room. At least she wouldn't have to try to sneak past Al. That would have been difficult, seeing as he never sleeps. She found a scrap of paper and scribbled a note that said, "went to library, don't wait up" and placed it on her pillow. It was admittedly weak but was the best she could come up with. She grabbed her staff and slipped from the room.

The sun hadn't risen yet, so it was simple for her to fly over to Central Command without drawing unwanted eyes. She easily found the church Mustang had mentioned, and she could see a light on in an open fourth story window of the building south of it. It was definitely abandoned. Frankly, it looked unstable, and she wondered how wise Mustang's choice was in choosing this place. But he hadn't asked her opinion.

Gliding down, she pulled up at the last moment and balanced herself on the windowsill. Folding the glider, she slipped into the room and glanced around to see several officers staring back at her. Most looked surprised at her entrance. The only ones she recognized were Hawkeye and Mustang.

The Colonel waved her over, "Avatar, glad you could make it." He looked at her curiously as she walked over to join the group. "It is okay that I call you that, right? I was led to understand it's your official title, and I assume it's respectful to name you as such."

She smiled at him, appreciating the gesture. "Yes, sir, you're correct on both accounts. Thank you, it actually feels nice to hear it. It's been a while. Reminds me of home." He returned her look with kind eyes, but they hardened when he broke eye contact to address the room at large.

"I was finally able to gather information on how much damage Barry did last night during the jailbreak, and he made a massive mess. They're bound to send someone to reel him in now, and we've got to be ready when they do. Fuery, set up your station near the warehouse Barry and Falman are in. Hawkeye, get to a good vantage point. Havoc, find a good hiding spot and wait for the signal. Breda, we need to get the hot-headed Elric out of the city. He'll just endanger the operation. You're to take the next available train to Resembool. Wait for Major Armstrong and Fullmetal to join you, and then you'll journey to the border to meet my Xingese contact. Here's the address he'll meet you at." He handed Breda a slip of paper. They all saluted as they were assigned their roles. "There's one last thing. Due to circumstances beyond my control, Ayana has become aware of this operation. She said she wanted in. And so, here she is." They all turned to look at her. "I hope you were paying attention, Avatar, I don't want to do introductions if I don't have to."

She nodded. "Yes sir. What do you want me to do?"

"First off, most of my team has not met you before, nor have I told them much about you. Please give a brief rundown of your assets to the team so that they know what your strengths and weaknesses are. It's best for everyone to know what you're capable of."

She laughed. "Do you want a verbal rundown, or would a demonstration suffice?"

He smirked. "I find your demonstrations to be most effective."

At that, she waved her arms and bent the air to create a small tornado. As it danced around the group, she threw a few flames and chunks of rubble into it. She held it for a few seconds before letting go of the elements, extinguishing the flames and letting the swirling air dissipate. The stones fell to the floor with a small clatter.

Havoc let out a low whistle. "Where'd you find this one, Boss?"

Mustang didn't bother answering. "Fuery, give her a headset." Fuery did as instructed. "Ayana's codename will be 'Renee'. Hawkeye will give you a rundown of all the other codes on the way to the warehouse." She nodded. "Your role is to be backup only, alright? I don't want you in the thick of things. Hawkeye will find a vantage, and you'll find a separate one, and just keep watch. If anything crazy happens, or things look like they're getting out of control, then help however you can. Sound good?"

"Yes, sir, I can do that." She replied. It was nice to be doing something for a change. Not that traveling around with the boys was boring, but back home she was used to being involved in these sorts of things. She almost felt like she was home.