The Price of Life [Fullmetal Alchemist]

Chapter Twenty Six

Convict

you can set yourself on fire

but you're never gonna burn, burn, burn

-p! at the disco

•••

"Sonia! Sonia wait!" Alphonse called from the hallway to her, his metal feet clanking under him as he chased after her. But she was already long gone; she sprinted into the streets of Central, her impulse driving her all the way to the command center, where she was sure to find Roy. He had just been there; he could tell her everything.

'Or could he?' Her feet slowed to a stop at the thought.

'All this time... He didn't even tell me that Maes...'

Biting her lip, she willed herself to stop shaking. She just wanted to collapse. This was all too much. All this loss, all of this pain; was it bound to get even worse?

'You know what?

'Fuck this.'

She curled her fists together and headed towards the command center.

"Someone is going to answer me," she muttered, "even if I have to pry the words from their throat."

•••

The First Lieutenant didn't think her morning would start off so abruptly, yet here she was, stepping into the Colonel's office to see an enraged Sonia leaning over Kain Fuery's work desk.

"Where is he?" Sonia growled at the Sargent, her hands spread over his desk with a menacing glare. "The bastard, tell me where he is!"

"Hey what's up? Are you looking for Mustang, Sonia?" Second Lieutenant Havoc asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She immediately turned and removed his hand from her at the contact.

"Who else?!" She burst out. "Tell me, now!"

"He's out," Hawkeye answered curtly. "He's looking for Maria Ross. She escaped from prison after proof of murdering Brigadier General Maes Hughes."

Her words sent the alchemist's blood boiling underneath her skin.

"I want to apologize on behalf of the Colonel," she continued, her usual stoic demeanor washed away and replaced with sincerity and regret. "But while it was wrong of him to lie about something so tragic, he had his reasons to do so, and this is one of them."

"Are you trying to justify him lying to me about Maes' death?!"

"Of course not. But he knew you would become irrational and overreact."

"Overreact?!" she burst.

"You are simply proving my point, Sonia. Calm down."

"This isn't fair, Lieutenant!"

"Sonia!" Ed and Al came through the office doors in front of the scene. Edward pulled at her elbow and made her look at him.

"You have got to stop running away like that!"

She said nothing, just gave a glare and jerked her arm away. The short alchemist scowled but pulled his attention away from her to the Lieutenant.

"Is it true, Lieutenant? Was it really Maria Ross who..."

"All the evidence is towards her. She's a convict now."

Edward put his hand over his face. He just couldn't believe it. He didn't know what action to take.

An appearance at the door turned their focus. The military man saluted quickly, stating his name, then quickly started reporting.

"We have intel that the convict of Brigadier General Hughes' murder Second Lieutenant Maria Ross has escaped from prison. She has a foreigner and violent accomplice in tow. If she is caught and resists, the order is shoot to kill."