Bold is when Nina/Alexander is speaking

Chapter Ten – An Alchemist's Suffering Part II

The sky was dark with storm clouds and the two brothers could hear thunder as they waited outside Tucker's house.

"It's gonna rain for sure today," Gilbert noted, looking at the darkening sky.

"Hallo …?" Ludwig asked as the brothers entered the dark house. "Mr. Tucker? It's us again."

The house was empty as the brothers walked through, looking for the father and daughter.

"Maybe they're not home," Gilbert said.

"Mr. Tucker?"

"Mr. Tucker?"

"Nina?"

As they passed the alchemist's laboratory, Gilbert noticed the open door and saw Tucker kneeling on the ground in front of something.

"Hey, there you are," Gilbert said, coming towards the open door.

"Oh, it's you guys," Tucker said, not turning from whatever he was looking at. "Look, it's my newest creation," he added as he stood up. The brothers opened the door and stood in shock.

"It's a Chimera that talks like a human," he proudly said.

The Chimera was dog shaped with dog ears and a dog like body. It also had long almost hair like fur falling down the back, onto the Chimera's sides and some was falling into its face. The body was mostly a light sandy color but the hair-like-fur was a light brown.

"Watch this," Tucker said, kneeling again. "This person is Gilbert," he pointed at the albino. "Understand?"

The Chimera flicked it tail as it tilted its head.

"Gil … bert?" It asked like it was a child just learning how to speak. Tucker patted it on the head, smiling.

"That's right. Very good."

"Veh … ree … good?"

"I can't believe it. It really talks," Gilbert said, still in a degree of shock.

"Uh-huh," Tucker said, sighing in relief. "I'm glad I made it in time for the assessment. This just saved my neck. And when the grant money kicks in, I won't have to worry about research costs for a while …!"

Gilbert was not listening to the other State Alchemist as he knelt down to look at the Chimera that was speaking.

"Gilbert. Gilbert," it said over and over again. "Gil … bert. Gilbert," suddenly it started to say something else. "Big … bruh … ther …"

Gilbert froze when he heard that. Quickly his mind came up with a possibility as to why both Nina and Alexander were missing. After all, Nina clearly loved her father and would want to be there to see the Chimera.

"Mr. Tucker?" Gilbert asked in a small voice. Tucker turned to Gilbert. "When was it that you got your license? By making the first Chimera that spoke human words?"

"Uh …" Tucker thought for a moment. "That was about two years ago."

"And when did your wife leave?"

"… That was also two years ago too," Tucker added.

"Can I ask you one more question?" Gilbert asked. His face was turned away from Tucker who nodded.

"What happened to Nina and Alexander?" Gilbert turned to face Tucker, standing up. His brother had just realized what Gilbert had meant and Tucker looked somewhat upset.

"I hate perceptive brats like you …" Tucker said sadly, and was cut off by Gilbert grabbing the front of his shirt and pinning the elder man to the wall.

"Bruder!"

"So that's what happened!" Gilbert yelled. "YOU SCUM … HOW COULD YOU! TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS YOUR WIFE! THIS TIME YOU MAKE A CHIMERA OUT OF YOUR OWN DAUGHTER AND A DOG!"

Ludwig glanced towards where Nina/Alexander was sitting, quiet.

"Isn't that right? Because there's only so much you can do by experimenting on animals. Human are so much better. Am I right?" Gilbert asked.

"Why are you so mad?" Tucker asked. "The progress of medicine … the progress of human knowledge … is the result of experimenting on humans. Someone has to do it. As a scientist … you should be the first to …"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Gilbert's temper was getting the better of him. He was not one to make friends easily and he had actually somewhat liked Nina and felt anger at the fact that she had been turned into a Chimera by her own father. A man who was supposed to love her and care for her. Not that he had much experience with fathers, but still. "Do you think you're going to get away with this? Playing around with people's lives?"

"People's lives?" Tucker asked, laughing. "Ha, ha! Yes, people's lives! You're the Fullmetal Alchemist! You mean like you're brother's life … and your arm? That's also the result of 'playing around with people's lives,' yes?" Tucker added and Gilbert's short temper exploded as he punched Tucker in the face as the mad man laughed. "You and I are the same!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Gilbert yelled.

"You're not different than I am! You thought you could do it, so you did!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

"You couldn't help but try it even if it was forbidden! In fact, because it was forbidden!" Tucker groaned as Gilbert's metal arm hit him again.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" The teenager punched the insane alchemist every few words. "WE ALCHEMISTS …" Punch, "WOULD NEVER DO THAT …" Punch, "WE'D NEVER …" Another punch. "I'D NEVER …!" He moved his metal arm back to hit Tucker again when it was grabbed in an iron hold.

"Gilbert," Ludwig said. "Any more and you'll kill him," Gilbert panted looking up at his younger brother and let go of Tucker's shirt allowing the bloodied man to fall to the ground. The suit of armor let go of his brother's arm and turned around.

"Ha, ha …" he laughed. "Pretty words don't get anything done …"

Ludwig turned back to the State Alchemist.

"Mr. Tucker. If you say one more word, this time I'll be the one to snap."

Ludwig said it in such a tone that Tucker had no doubt that the younger would complete his threat and stayed silent.

After that, the suit of armor knelt down next to Nina/Alexander.

"Nina … I'm sorry that this had to happen to you and I'm sorry that we can't change you back to normal."

"Wanna … play," the Chimera chanted. "Wanna play. Wanna play."

XXX

"If there were truly was 'the Work of the Devil,' then this was it," Alfred said as he exited Tucker's house with Alice following him. It was raining and the brothers were sitting on the stairs, silent. "'The Devil …?' To put it bluntly all State Alchemists – even the hero – are nothing but the military's human weapons. We do what they want, we obey orders (even crazy ass stupid ones) and we don't complain (out-loud, anyway) if our hands get dirty in the process. My point being that when it comes to messing with human lives, Tucker's actions aren't so different from our own."

"That is the logic of an adult," Alice said. "Even though Gilbert clearly acts as though he is older than he is, he is still a child."

"Yes, but the path that he's chosen will no doubt lead to hardships greater than he faced today," Alfred sighed. "He has to move forward … even if it means forcing himself to understand. The Hero, which I am of course, knows that much. Isn't that right, Fullmetal?" He stood a few steps away from Gilbert who ignored him. "How long do you plan on staying depressed?"

"Be quiet," Gilbert snapped.

"Even though people call you a 'Dog of the Military' and a 'Devil,' it was you who chose to keep studying alchemy. You chose to join the military, when you could have lived the rest of your life with the body you have. Can you afford to be held back by something so small?"

"'Something so small …?' Gilbert asked, his fists, clenching. "You're right (for once bastard). People may call us Dogs or Devils, but West and I will get our original bodies back. But we're not Devils or Gods. We're human," Gilbert stood up, angered. "We can't even save one little girl. We're just pathetic human beings …!"

"Go home and rest," Alfred said at the bottom of the stairs with Alice behind him. "You'll catch a cold."

XXX

Two military men stood guard in front of Tucker's house. Foot steps were heard as one turned to see a man walking towards them.

"Oh … you're here to see Mr. Tucker?" One asked. "Unauthorized individuals aren't allowed past this point."

"If you have some business …"

The man held up a hand and started to make a fist.

"I'm going through."

Meanwhile in a large room Tucker sat at a chair, looking at the creature that he had made out of his daughter and dog.

"Why doesn't anymore understand?" Tucker asked. "Why, Nina?" The alchemist could hear thunder outside from the storm. Suddenly he looked up to see a man at the door to the room. All he could see of him was a yellow jacket, a white shirt and black pants.

"Are you Shou Tucker?" The man asked.

"Why are you?" Tucker asked. The man stepped forward. "What do you want with me? You're … you're not with the army. How did you get in! There were guards outside …" The alchemist almost sounded like he was panicking.

The man stepped in front of Tucker, so the madman could see his face. It was of a dark skin color with white hair. He wore tinted glasses and had an X-shaped scar on his face.

"Alchemists who have strayed from the path of God … Must die!"

Before Tucker knew what had happened the man had grabbed his face and did something that made blood come out of places on his body and fell to the ground. Shou Tucker, the Sewing-Life Alchemist, was dead.

Nina/Alexander stepped forward and sniffed the hand of her late father which was being surrounded by a pool of blood.

"Da-da," she said. "Daddy, daddy, daddy."

"… How awful," the man said, looking at the Human/Animal Chimera. "Now that he's done this to you, there's no way to change you back to normal," he placed his hand on the Chimera's head. "At the very least, Go in Peace."

A few minutes later, he stepped back out into the rain.

"My Lord. Lord God, who created everything in this world … two souls have now returned to your side. Please take pity on them … and grant them forgiveness and peace in your loving embrace," it seemed weird that the murderer would pray to God after killing two people.

The man reached for his glasses and took them off to reveal red eyes.

In a house in the same city, sitting alone in his room, Gilbert sat up in bed, listening to the storm, dark thoughts clouding his mind.

To Be Continued …

Wow … writing that scene with Gilbert and Tucker was so … so … I can't really explain it other than that I could actually feel like I was there, watching it and the fact that once I started writing it, I couldn't stop. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next is almost done being written.

Now, Scar is an interesting character. He's also badass which is a reason why I kept him the same character. Also was the fact that I could find no one that could fit his character.

In the next chapter, we are introduced to some new characters, one which I am gonna have so much fun writing.

Until then, please read and review!