EAST CITY

Word circulated about East Area Headquarters about something bizarre now occurring in the heart of the city. "There's the likelihood that this points to the work of Shou Tucker," Riza Hawkeye pointed out. She mulled over the information received from a fellow officer that some large fierce-looking animal was trudging through & terrorizing the central marketplace.

Colonel Roy Mustang, with his usual demeanor underneath his unkempt fringe, muttered, "We're heading to the market square immediately. Hawkeye, round up the rest. And I especially need Armstrong's help."

"I'll go get him," said Hughes, "Wherever he is. Probably strutting his stuff in front of them again." True, Major Armstrong was a valuable, helpful assistant, but at the end of the day he seemed to care for no other than himself.

"& I want the Elric brothers down here, pronto," Mustang added. The group dispersed in directions of all sorts, some rushing to grab whatever gear they needed to keep this 'animal' in check.

In another part of town...

"What do you think it is?" a woman asked her husband. "I don't know, but I'm ready to give it a bash if it comes any nearer," the man beside her brandished his slim but beautifully sharpened axe.

The distant but audible screaming coming from up the walkway was grabbing the attention of many by now. Then came a chilling snarl coming from something on four legs.

"Somebody, DO SOMETHING!" barked a man vehemently.

It approached him with an icy expression before switching the direction of its gaze. This strange beast was the lookalike of a big cat but with violet-coloured fur. When it bared its teeth, ivory fangs protruded out of its jaws. Snarling, it continued down the street as if looking for an object of interest. What possibly led it to search in a crowded place like this? Another girl screamed in fright, then withdrew to a tight corner nearby.

Soon one of the men hanging around stepped in the way of the creature, most boldly obstructing it. But he was up against an opponent towering at seven feet - that wielded claws sharp & thin at the tip. The animal was no doubt growling though you couldn't really hear it. It made more sense to say you felt the deep vibrations from its throat…

"Leave this place, you monster," the sturdy man warned, not giving a care whether his words were fathomed or not. It was not long before the cat-like beast darted & sprang. Passers-by began to run without turning back as they heard punching & pounding. The animal had thrown the guy off his feet; now it was looking him in the eye, almost like an attempt to stare him down to death. The man's shirt had torn at one shoulder, stained a little by blood.

"Okay. We got him cornered."

Mustang flicked a hand as his squad got into formation, certainly inclined to hope the team was complete with the presence of Edward & Alphonse Elric. A ring of officers & State Alchemists stretched all around the creature. Hawkeye began, "Listen, guys, this could be another one of those Chimeras created by Tucker - only it could lash out & rip you apart in a split-second." She recalled the insanity that Tucker masked so well under those glasses…Upon discovering how he experimented using his own daughter & dog to make a pain stricken hybrid she was haunted by the field of alchemy itself.

"Spread out around him! Armstrong will try subdue him with a preemptive strike. Next, we bind him with these," Mustang urged. "Keep your grip the tightest you can. Move out!" He motioned to his loyal fellow Major with an unbelievable muscle mass. Alex Armstrong charged headlong with a long chain around his waist to start out the fight, ramming against the creature. This was the opening for the man to escape; he ran clumsily out of the ring of officers to safety.

"Hold still, big guy…," Armstrong thundered as he locked arms around his victim's neck. He was to keep at this till his opponent tired out. He would then flip the big cat over & secure the chain around it. His confidence failed him however, for he didn't anticipate the wholly unexpected. "YOWWWW!" he felt a violent rush of heat under his fleshy fingertips. A powerful wave of light blinded him the following moment. When he had tumbled to the floor, he was facing what was a huge figure covered in an inferno! Lilac was the deadly colour of the flames protecting the beast's body.

"My turn," Mustang's voice rang with rare excitement. His specialty turned out to match that of the big cat. Waving both hands in a semicircle he made an fireball out of thin air as his foe watched with snapping, raging olive eyes. The problem with Roy was probably his quickness; the animal was way faster & slashed wildly at him. He had to inch back to prevent getting a long scar across his torso. The anxiety of the onlookers was grew heavier with the suspense, until two sets of footsteps signaled the arrival of two prodigious alchemists.

Mustang looked to the right & exclaimed, "Finally, Ed! We need you to bring this beast down. He just attempted to fry us so get going!" This was the time to retreat to a distance & let the Fullmetal Alchemist tackle the situation.

Al laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Brother, I have a plan. Major & I can first help you haul him upward, & you could work your magic to trap him in a metal cell."

"Got it," Ed winked.

Armstrong nodded & got into position on the left of Al, & they were off. They grabbed hold of the beast at the shoulders, & just as it threatened to chomp at them, Al started, "Three…" Alex carried on, "Two…one…" Like a loser-to-be in a wrestling match, the cat was flipped onto its back. As it writhed with the impact, there was intensified tension in the murmurs of watchers.

"Go for it, Ed."

"Yes, sir," the Fullmetal Alchemist readied himself. A clap of his hands & he put his palms to the earth. Blue alchemic sparks flashed before everyone's eyes before several metal poles rose from the ground beneath the beast. Al & Alex let go of their opponent in good timing.

No one would quite empathized with the emotions of a tortured animal like Ed now did. His little friend Nina, the abused daughter of Tucker, was gone. She had been misused & was just murdered the day before.

"Now we have some questions to answer. Take it back to HQ & secure it in the basement," instructed Mustang. This wasn't over, though.

All the people drew back suddenly, for the beast let out a great roar & lit up in bright purple fire. The officers marveled at its astounding colour, now unable to lift the huge metal cage because the creature cleverly overheated it. To their horror, the bars of the cell started to melt. Soon, even Major Hughes who stood in the back had shouted to the people to clear the area.

Ed was on the alert, "Listen up, you monster. I don't intend to hurt you but I'll certainly play rough if that's what it takes to control your temper." He was careful not to raise his voice, thinking about this animal being in the same shoes as poor Nina. But persuasive as his tone was, the big cat lost control. Bursting through melted steel it snapped at him, body still engulfed in flames.

Is this really a Chimera? thought Ed. He thought of any possible move to make - he chose to jump onto the beast's back! "Whoa! Alright, we'll see if you can throw me overboard…before I…"

"Brother! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" cried Al.

"I'll take it from here," Armstrong decided to interject. He then put his alchemic abilities to use. The Major pounded the ground, sending rocks flying up, & gathering the strength needed to hurl them at the creature. He was left panting heavily as he successfully stoned his opponent. Although, perhaps he had overdone it.

The animal hit its head against a block of hard stone before stumbling. It speared Ed with an expression that was haunting.

"Edward…"

Its green eyes appeared to gleam.

Who said that? Ed asked himself. The sound of that voice…

The beast remained strong, though it now had a limp in one of its front paws. It was struggling to pull itself up from under the heavy rubble, only it was with a fruitless hope. It wasn't long before it fell limp to the ground, shut both eyes & finally passed out.

"Alex Louis Armstrong is about to show you who's boss," the Major raised a fist to jab into the creature's chest. A deep cut on its head was bleeding, & fast.

"NO! Major, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Ed's automail arm halted Armstrong's own. The two stared at each other awkwardly, Armstrong tempted to shove the puny boy aside. "He's right, Major. The beast is weak enough," Mustang concluded. "Box him up. We're shutting him away till we drill some sense into him."

Ed experienced the emotional heavyweight of the terrible memories. Finding Nina's remains in the alleyway. Tucker's revelation of his immoral motives. Finding out how that speaking Chimera was created. This boiled down to the level of pain of a mistreated soul.

Abruptly, he overheard the animal managing to breathe deeply, even with hot blood gushing out its skull.

"Edward, I have to tell you. Come after me. Please…"