Everyone looked at Goxlin as though he was crazy.

"What's a frectil?" Mark wondered aloud.

"Not what, who." Annie corrected. "Frectil is what Dixie named the bat Gox was working with. Obviously if you're going to try and understand echolocation the best place to start is with one of the earth's few creatures that can do it. He treated that thing like a pet puppy; it was so cute to watch."

"Whoa wait, wait, wait, and wait!" Ed just now realized. "Are you saying that brown spot on his arm is all that's left of that bat?"

"It's possible." Ren agreed. "But I thought Frec was in his cage when It happened."

"No." Gox said quietly, holding his arm closer to his chest. "I was carrying him around on my sleeve."

"Kun." Dixie sniffed.

"That's right Dixie," Clen patted her shoulder. "You liked it when Frectil climbed over you didn't you?"

"Kun." She agreed.

"What can everybody remember about that night It happened?" Al asked. "Colonel Mustang might want you to tell him but would you mind telling us first?"

"Yeah that's fine." Ren answered. "I'm sure most of us can agree that all that can be remembered is working on whatever, minding our own then a bright violet light flooded the lab. I personally woke up on the floor and everything was dark."

"That's about the same story for me too." Clen said. "Except I freaked a bit when I came to and couldn't move."

"That's because Lame had fallen on top of you and hit his head on mine." Annie said as though he was supposed to know.

"Goxlin." Chanticleer said firmly. "What do you remember?"

For the longest time he got no answer.

"Kun." Dixie encouraged.

"I – I." He took a few deep breaths before continuing. "I was taking a bit of a lazy break and let Frectil stretch his legs a little without flying around and bothering everyone. Just walking around I came to the Manistle…"

"The WHAT!" Lucus had more than his share of weird words.

"Manistle." Clen repeated. "It's a machine we created that takes apart the matter of an object to each individual piece of whatever is put into it can be studied on an easier scale."

"I put an apple in there once and that was interesting. There were the seeds, the skin that pulp whatever makes up the inside of an apple and dried sugar was everywhere. Oh boy and apple sounds reeeeealy yummy."

"Lame will you get your mind off of food and let Gox finish?" Annie scolded. "I haven't even heard this."

"Kun, Kun!" Dixie said like, 'what she said now shut up!'

Everyone turned to Goxlin waiting for the rest of his story.

"Something was under the glass dome that I know wasn't there before so I undid the latches and was going to take it out. Frec was hanging by my sleeve and tried to crawl off onto the control panel. I didn't even realize what he was doing I was so occupied with getting the object from the Manistle. Apparently he pushed a button, turned it on and that's what caused It to happen. I, being the closest got the full blast of the light and that's what destroyed my eyes…I suppose it would be best for me to apologize to everyone because it seems this mess had a big fraction of it with my name on it."

"Kun." Dixie hugged him as her way of saying 'I forgive you.'

"It's not your fault." Al said. "Frectil didn't know not to touch it and you didn't know he would."

"What did that object look like?" Brody asked.

Gox thought for a minute.

"Um, it was a small oblique cylinder. What it was made of I have no idea."

"I have a theory." Ed stated.

Everyone now looked at him.

"What d'ya think?" asked Lame.

"You said the Manistle was used to take things apart right?"

"Uh huh."

"What if that object somehow reversed what the Manistle was originally used for? I'd bet my other arm that object put things together instead of taking apart that's why you guys were fused with your animals."

"That makes sense, that's a good theory, I like that theory." Clen hastily agreed.

"Now there's a new question." Ren said. "How did that thing get in there? I sure as heck know I didn't put anything like that in there. I barely used the thing so I'm the odd man out. It's a little difficult to get that glass dome off so Dixie obviously didn't do it by mistake. Gox didn't do it otherwise he wouldn't be surprised when he found it."

"No need to point fingers you guys." Mark said coolly.

"We know but we still want to know how it got there." Annie said to him.

"Anyone see what time it is?" Luke brought to everyone's attention.

"Yeah," Lucus agreed. "Our State Alchemist buddies might need to be shipped out across the country tomorrow so lets show you guys to yer rooms and say our good-nights to the three stooges."

"Oh that's rich coming from TweedleDee and TweedleDumb." Chanticleer retorted.

"Kun." Dixie yawned and waved good-bye to Al and the Dawn.

"Come on, Dixie." Ren said as he picked her up, she immediately snuggled her head into his shoulder. "Let's get you to bed."

"Up here." Brody motioned for Ren to follow him. "There's a room with a bed and cushioned couch for you two to share."

The twins stood up and saluted to Ed, Al and Chanticleer.

"We bid good-night to the goofball trio." They said in unison.

The three friends just shook their heads and shed a few sweat drops over how stupid the twins could be.

Chibi me – I feel sorry for Ren and his friends being stuck with the twins being idiots for who knows when.

Me - You feel sorry for them? What about me? I'm stuck with you! If irritating had a physical form you'd be it.

Chibi me - Must we resort to name-calling? (sniffle) I have very tender feelings.

Me – And my endurance level is getting very tender.

Kurama - mind if I come in and do the preview, as it is you seem a little steamed.

Me – yeah go ahead. I'm going to get a triple locked birdcage, I'm sure you can figure out what it's for.

Kurama – Now that Mustang knows the possible whereabouts of Caradon will the gang leader find a way to get and Ren and the others thinking they ratted him out? What is that bizarre object Goxlin mentioned that could very well been the cause of the group becoming chimeras? Just as important as to know what it is-is to figure out how it got there.