1 He Saw The Truth

I was hoping that I was wrong in my theory. Even if it meant the end of my carrier as a State Alchemist, I just hoped that my thoughts about Tucker were wrong.

Al and I opened the door, and we saw a room decorated with transmutation circles of all kinds. We saw Tucker there, bending over something. It looked like I wouldn't be wrong anytime soon.

"Come on in, boys." said Tucker. He didn't even turn around.

We walked in, and tried to look behind him. But we couldn't see anything.

"I told you I'd let you see." said the Sewing-Life Alchemist.

He turned aside to allow us to see it. It was a Chimera. And, like I thought, it had the form of a dog. With long brown hair on it's back.

"It's a perfect version. A Chimera that knows the human tongue." he kneeled down. "Listen dear, this is your friend Edward."

The Chimera must have found it hard to speak at first. But it was successful. "Edward...friend..."

"Yes!" said Tucker, happily. "That's very good!"

"Very...good..." repeated the Chimera.

"Unbelievable!" said Al. "It really can talk!"

Tucker seemed like he didn't hear Al. "I'll have no problem getting the funding now. I can't believe I didn't see it before, the other one was to old to adapt."

I kneeled down to the Chimera, who had walked over to me. The Chimera gently grabbed my silver watch in it's mouth, and dropped it. Like a Alexander had done a few days before.

"Edward..." said the Chimera. "...My friend."

"Yeah." I said. "That's right." I must be wrong.

"Edward...why does it...hurt here?"

"Brother?" asked Al.

"So, Tucker." I said. I don't want to be right.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"When was the first time you made one of these...human-speaking Chimeras?" Please let me be wrong.

"I thought I told you." said he. "It's been two years now."

"And..." I asked. "When exactly did your wife leave you?" I...he couldn't have...

"Two years ago, why?"

"And any of those letters that Nina wrote...did any of them ever reach her?" It...it must be...

"What are you getting at?" was his response.

"Tell me this. Where have Alexander and Nina gone to?" I hate it when I'm right.

Al gasped, surprised at the point of my theory.

"I hate prodigies like you, Ed." said Tucker. "Too damn perceptive."

I snapped then. I grabbed him and help him against the wall.

"Brother!" exclaimed Al.

"This guy used his own wife, Al!"

"And...and this time?" asked my brother.

"His daughter! And his dog...he transmuted them into that...thing!" I said, angry- no, beyond angry- at Shou Tucker.

"An easy process when you use people, RIGHT?" I yelled at that...that...bastard.

"Why are you getting so upset, Edward?" he asked quickly. "It's the nature of scientific process. Animal testing, experimentation, trial and error! All advancements have...a price."

I couldn't believe the way that he was easily saying all of this! He just basically ended the lives of his own family!

"Shut up!" I yelled. "I'm not gonna let you rationalize this, you monster! That was your own family, damn it! You've been toying with people's lives!

Tucker started laughing, and then stopped while he spoke. But a smile played on his lips while he did so. "Toying with lives? What? Like you arm and leg there? Or your brother's body, or trying to bring your mother back? That's toying, isn't it? You don't really think your any different from me, do you Ed?"

Why wouldn't he shut up? He was pushing me to my limits of mentality. I punched him, hoping he would shut up...but he just laughed. He laughed the laugh of a manic.

I moved to punch him again, but Alphonse grabbed my arm.

"Why, Mr. Tucker?" he asked. "The whole point was to pass the assessment and continue your way of life. But now your family's gone. What life is left?"

"That's the funny thing, I didn't have a reason." said Tucker, making me gasp. "I fully understood that no matter what I did my life would be ruined. So I chose science to see if I could."

"What kind of man..." I started, but I was interrupted by Tucker.

"When you have the power to do something, it's hard not to try. Isn't that what we agreed on, Edward? Aren't we so much alike?"

I gasped again. Could it be true? ...No, I'm not like him.

"No!" I shouted.

"Sure, part of me did it for respect and this house, just like you party did it for your mother. But there's more. You're desperate to put your mind to use, Ed. To see what you're capable of, to put the world under your fingers. That's the essence of Alchemy. You did it for knowledge. Control. And above all, you did it just to prove you can."

I couldn't stand it. I punched him again, even harder this time.

"You're wrong!" I shouted. "Alchemy isn't meant to be...I'm not like...you!"

"I'm not!" Another punch.

"I'm not!" I just couldn't stop with these punches, so I punched him again.

"I'm not!" I punched him another four times or so, I've lost track. But I know that he deserved ever last one of them.

"Brother, you'll kill him!" Al cried.

Quiet, Alphonse. I thought. He deserves every last one of those hits.

I was about to hit him again, but I stopped when the Chimera...Nina...grabbed my coat with her teeth.

"No, big brother." she said, a mournful look in her eyes.

I let go of Tucker and turned around to her. Then I kneeled down, and smiled. "Nina, I want you to bear with me, okay? This may hurt."

I stood up, and prepared to clap my hands together.

"What are you doing?" cried Al, "You're not planning to split them up, are you? You don't know how!"

Tucker started laughing, blood on his face from my earlier punches. "The chimera is a perfect transmutation, fused to the core. There's no way to separate them now. Careful. You'll Just do to them what you did to your mother."

I couldn't move after that, and I put my hands to my sides. Damn it...he's right...why...am I so weak?

The Nina-chimera walked over to Al, and looked up at him.

"You promised you'd come play with me." she said.

Al bent down and pet her head. "I know..."

Basq Grand then came in, and he had four soldiers following him.

"Assaulting army personal, what the hell's going on here?" he asked.

"Spare me sir." I said. "He used his own daughter."

Nina... I though sadly, I'm sorry...

And I let the tears inside of my heart flow.

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Author's Note: Now THAT was a very sad episode. And I'm going to do this one from four POVs, this one starting it. I would of updated sooner, except the power was out in my house for 2-3 days. Sorry.

Well, I hope you liked the longest one yet, and please R & R!

-Salazare