1 He Learned the Truth

I followed my brother into the room of Shou Tucker's laboratory. The walls of the room...they were covered from head to foot with transmutation circles...all kinds of them! It was amazing...but why did Edward want to come here? What did he want to see...prove wrong?

"Come on in, boys." said Tucker, when he realized that we were staring through the door.

We walked in. And when we did, my brother looked around the room. Was he looking for something? Trying to get a better look at what it seemed Tucker was hiding behind his back?

"I told you I'd let you see." said Tucker, and he moved aside to show a Chimera.

Could it be? Could he have made the human-speaking Chimera? Amazing!

"It's a perfect version." He said. "A Chimera that knows the human tongue."

He kneeled down next to the Chimera, and said, "This is your friend Edward."

The Chimera looked blank for a second, but then it spoke. "Edward...friend."

"Yes, that's very good." said Tucker, smiling."

"That's...very...good..." repeated the Chimera.

"Unbelievable!" I exclaimed, excited at this Alchemical discovery. "It really can talk!"

Tucker smiled. "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."

What's he mean by that...? I though, somewhat confused.

My brother then bent down, and faced the Chimera. The Chimera then grabbed Ed's State Alchemist's watch, and dropped it down.

"Edward..." it said. "..My...friend."

"Yeah." said my older brother. "That's right."

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

"Brother?" I said.

"So, Tucker." said Edward.

"Something wrong?" asked Tucker.

What it Edward doing?

"When was the first time you made one of these...human-speaking Chimeras?"

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

"And when..." asked Ed. "...When exactly did your wife leave you?"

"Two years ago, why?" answered Tucker.

"And those letters...that Nina wrote...did any of them ever reach her?" my brother was getting angrier...I don't get it...what's he saying?

"What are you getting at?" asked Tucker.

"Tell me this: Where have Alexander and Nina gone to?"

No...is this what Edward was getting at? Has Tucker...combined his daughter and dog...Nina and Alexander...into a Chimera? But that's...that's...

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

Edward snapped, grabbing Tucker and slamming him against the nearby wall.

"Brother!" I exclaimed.

"This guy used his own wife, Al!"

So...he did after all. "And...and this time?"

"His daughter!" said Ed, "And his dog...he transmuted them into that...thing!"

I gasped. This was impossible. Tucker...he loved his daughter, and he was so nice to us.

"An easy process when you use people, RIGHT?" Edward was yelling into Tucker's face.

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

"Shut up!" yelled Ed. "I'm not gonna let you rationalize this, you monster! You've been toying with people's lives!"

That's right...why? Why did he do such a thing?

"Toying with lives? Ha! Like your arm and leg there?" He laughed again. "Or your brother's body, or trying to bring your mother back? That's toying, isn't it? You don't really think you're any different from me, do you Ed?

My brother punched him...and he laughed. Laughed and smiled. It was my turn to step in.

I grabbed my bothers arm, stopping any more physical violence for now.

"Why, Mister Tucker?" I 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." said he. "I didn't have a reason."

My brother gasped. I couldn't take it anymore...I blocked it out, blocked It all out...I was semi-conscious.

"Big brother?" I asked Edward, peaking past a book. We were nine and eight at the time, and mother had just past away.

"What is it, Alphonse?" he asked, taking his eyes off of the Alchemy book he was reading.

"What would happen if a human being was used in a transmutation for a Chimera? What would happen then?"

Edward looked at the ceiling. The high ceiling. It seemed high then, at least.

"I don't know." he finally said. "But maybe...thoughts like that are better not tread upon.

I realized the situation when that flashback ended. I then realized that my brother was furiously punching Tucker. I should've paid more attention, and stopped it earlier.

"Brother, you'll kill him!" I yelled, trying to get him to stop. But then...the Nina-Chimera bit his coat.

"No, big brother..." said the Nina-Chimera.

Edward smiled down upon here, and kneeled down so he could face her. "Nina, I want you to bear with me, okay? This may hurt."

He started to move his hands together, and I realized what he wanted to do.

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

Tucker then laughed, and smiled. "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."

Edward stopped in shock, but let his arms fall to his side. I don't think that he wanted to separate them anymore...Tucker's words had gotten to him.

The Nina-Chimera walked over to me then, and said, "You promised you'd come play with me..."

"I know," I said, patting her head sadly.

We heard footsteps, and then Brigadier General Basq Grand came im, leading four armed men.

"Assaulting military personal..." he said, "...What the hell is going on here?"

"Spare me sir." said my brother. "He used his own daughter."

Basq Grand made an ugly face, and ordered the Tuckers to be taken away. While that was going on, my brother and I were lost in thought. I know not what my brother was thinking of, but I was wondering...

Was there any way we could have prevented Tucker from doing this? Any way we could have stopped him from doing...doing what he did to Nina?

No, there was no way.

Nina...

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Author's Note: And there goes part two. I'm now halfway done, so I'm thinking of going to bed now, and letting you all R&R.

So please, enjoy this sad scene, and...

Please Read & Review!

-Salazare