Metallic Hearts -FullMetal Alchemist- Episode Twenty-Two: Created Human

Hughes: "What do you want so late at night?"

Roy: "Well, something has been bothering me."

Hughes: "We haven't caught Scar yet. Or are you worried about Dr. Marco, who is in the Fuhrer's care?"

Roy: "That, too ... But I haven't appeared in this story lately." Hughes hung up the phone.

Hughes: "That idiot. He doesn't even know what we are going through."

Ross: "Maybe you should let Colonel Mustang in on this, too?"

Armstrong: "About those kids."

Hughes: "I don't have to... yet. We have men on standby who are supposed to go guard the library tomorrow. They should be more reliable than me." He lifted up his hand and pretended to pull the trigger of a gun.

Ross: "Then..."

Hughes: "Yes... I'll permit investigation of the Fifth Laboratory. But you better be ready to receive any punishments you may get." They all saluted with a 'Sir!'

Break

Scar was slammed into the concrete wall, Gluttony rushing towards him. He pushed the Homunculus back and he crashed with a loud smack, dust hovering in the air. Scar looked to his left and Gluttony rushed from the dust, bringing his hand down to slash the scared man. When Scar dodged that blow, Gluttony head butted him, sending Scar crashing into the ground. Not getting anytime to recover, Gluttony slammed him into the wall, breaking it. Scar landed near a crater, his body weight was off balance and he fell into the hole. Gluttony gasped when he looked into the hole.

Gluttony: "I hate that place..."

Break

Lust: "It's been a long time, boy. But the first time I saw you was about four years ago."

Al: "What?"

Lust: "It was a night filled with beautiful fireworks."

Al: "Who are you...? He said, 'Homunculus.' But that can't be true."

Lust: "Oh? Why is that?"

Al: "A Homunculus is an artificially created human. A human that's not human. And no one has ever created one before. It's not possible."

Lust: "It's possible. Because infront of me, is a boy who only has his soul." She extended her fingernails to pin Al against the wall.

Al: "You're not... human." Al felt something on his side and he looked down. Gluttony has his hand on Al's armored side.

Gluttony: "Can I eat him?" Gluttony bit down on the armor and steam came from the hole the eating machine had made.

Created Human

Ed was kneeling infront of a pile of scattered research notes.

Ed: "I think I'm starting to understand what they were researching here. It's basically a large scale operation to find military applications for Alchemy ... The were focusing on Organic Transmutation... by using the incomplete Philosopher's Stone."

Tucker: "Yes, if you did it, you could make the complete Philosopher's Stone. You're almost as smart as Ms. Lita."

Ed: "You know how to make this?"

Tucker: "No, when I was brought here... a large part of it was already made an abandoned. It's most likely something the previous person in charge of this place, Dr. Marco, left here."

Ed: "These are...!"

Tucker: "Does it really matter what they are made of? Even if these were made from humans, are you able to return them to normal? Creating a Philosopher's Stone has much more meaning than this."

Older Slicer: "I agree." Ed looked over at the forgotten armor head.

Ed: "You..."

Older Slicer: "They're lives have no meaning in this state."

Ed: "But..." Ed looked at his reflection in the red water and he saw Al and Lita when they were younger. No armor, no ears. 'No value?' Ed crawled onto the glass and look up at the ceiling. "Lita... your life has value. It means everything to me." Ed clapped and touched the ceiling, a white array appeared there.

Break

Hughes, Ross, Bloch, Armstrong and a few other soldiers ran down the hall. The Fuhrer walked out in his pajamas.

Fuhrer: "Working over time this late?"

Hughes: "Fuhrer! We're sorry for the noise."

Fuhrer: "You seem to have doubts about the fifth laboratory. There have been rumors of it before, but I closed my eyes to it since Brigadier General Gran was doing it for the military. But if the lives of two young Alchemists are on the line, I cannot let that go. I will let the Major command a battalion. I will also personally go. I cannot allow you men to go alone."

Break

Lust: "Where is the scarred man?"

Gluttony: "I dropped him into the yucky place."

Lust: "I see... Oh, well. Greed might interrupt us. We have to get the Full Metal boy to hurry up." Lust sat on top of a broken Al, the other half of him laid in Gluttony's stomach.

Break

Ed and Tucker walked up a pair of stairs and down a hallway, stopping infront of a door.

Ed: "Is this the place right above where the Transmutation Circle is?"

Tucker: "This place acts like a storage tank to supply the bottom room with the Philosopher's Stone." Ed opened the door and look inside, a box like structure surrounded in Red Water laid inside.

Ed: "Okay, I can use this." Ed shut the door, unlucky for him, he didn't check the whole room, Basque Gran stood beside the door, smirking. He pressed a button and one of the box sides opened, revealing a pack of prisoners.

Gran: "Humans don't change, even after a few hundred years." He turned around and the side shut again.

Prisoner: "Who was that guy?"

Prisoner 2: "Is he really a soldier?"

Kimbley: "Do you still think that's Sir Basque Gran? He is not that much of a big shot."

Break

Tucker: "You're going to Transmute both rooms at once?"

Ed: "Yeah. The amount of incomplete Philosopher's Stone in this room isn't enough. And in Marco's research, the usage of two Transmutation Circles is suggested. I will make the Philosopher's Stone above and the Philosopher's Stone here collide by using two Transmutation Circles, and then compacting them. I need explosive power to create that. I will change these Transmutation Circles, as well." He clapped an instead of a Pentagon the circles edges turned into that of a Hexagon.

Tucker: "A Transmutation Circle with seven sides... I've never seen anything like it."

Ed: "Lita drew it once before, a doodle."

Tucker: "Of course."

Ed: "If the real Philosopher's Stone is created, I will get our bodies back and then disappear. Then you guys can do whatever."

Tucker: "That's nice to hear." Ed pushed the containers onto the edges of the Hexagon.

Break Break

The prisoners inside the red water box began yelling for help.

Kimbley: "Shut up, already."

Prisoner: "Stop pretending like you're calm. Even you, who killed his own allies and was called the Crimson Alchemist... can't do anything in this situation." Kimbley stood up.

Kimbley: "Do you know why I was called an ally killer?"

Prisoner: "You blew up your allies with bombs."

Kimbley: "Bombs? I don't need such things." He lifted up his hands to reveal two Transmutation Circles. "The human body is made up of mostly water, but it also contains small metal particles located in the blood. If you use it's properties and some organic matter... you can easily Transmute and explosive. And if we're surrounded by this much red water. My power will be..." As soon as the prisoners back touched the wall that was covered in red water, there was a large explosion. The room Scar had fallen into shook, waking him up. The prisoners had fallen through the ceiling, into the room Ed and Tucker were in. Ed coughed and looked up.

Ed: "What are these people doing in here? There were other researchers here other than you?"

Tucker: "I didn't know researchers wore prison uniforms."

Ed: "Why are they here...? If I had performed the Transmutation without knowing. Hey, you people? Who brought you here?"

Gran: "I did, FullMetal Alchemist. I transferred these prisoners from the second prison here under my orders. And whose permission did you get to be here?" Ed jumped up and punched Gran, he glew white and Envy stood infront of him.

Envy: "That was close."

Ed: "The Brigadier General died. I had a front row seat. Who are you?"

Envy: "Nice to meet you, Full Metal Shorty. You're quite a guy to come here. But then again, what man sends his girlfriend out on her own?"

Ed: "Lita? What did you do to her!" Ed went to punch him but Envy stepped back.

Envy: "Oh, my. This shorty wants to fight. I don't really enjoy fighting."

Ed: "Stop saying shorty. You're the one who started this fight!" Ed went to punch him again but his auto-mail arm dropped to his side. Ed gasped and Envy roundhouse kicked him.

Envy: "You need to know your role. Do you know who you're picking a fight with, huh?" He kicked Ed again. "You're only alive because he told us not too. I will never forgive you... I will never forgive you. Since you carry that bastards blood." He was about to kick him again when Lust walked in.

Lust: "Envy. It's your fault for not giving the ingredients a thorough check."

Ed: "You're..." Lust picked up the Older Slicer.

Lust: "You don't want to get hurt anymore, right? If so, please continue the Transmutation. There was an accident, but we still have the ingredients."

Ed: "Create the Philosopher's Stone using these prisoners? Were you planning to make me do that from the beginning?" Gluttony walked in, dragging you by the hair.

Lust: "You can't say no." Envy walked over and grabbed onto you.

Envy: "Your pride and joy, huh, FullMetal?"

Ed: "Lita!" You were unconsious and Envy grabbed his you, putting his arm around your throat, he shape shifted his arm into Ed's blade. "No, don't kill her!"

Envy: "Oh, she's too pretty to waste. But with just one slash, I can make it so she can never talk again. She had an unfortunate accident with Basque Gran a while ago, am I correct?"

Al: "Ed, these people, are Homunculus!" Gluttony had left and brought Al back.

Ed: "What?"

Tucker: "Correct. These people are Homunculus. Perfect artificial humans. I was promised the secret of it." Envy's clutch strengthened when you began to stir. "If I know the secret, my Nina will come back to life."

Ed: "What is the point of reviving her form alone? Nina's soul won't be there!"

Tucker: "I do have Nina's soul." He pointed to his head. "In here. I have memories of her inside. I will implant all of them into the Homunculus. Then, a Nina perfect to my liking will be born."

Al: "Implant memories...?"

Ed: "It won't be the real Nina!" Envy kicked Ed again.

Envy: "The chitchat stops here. Now, Full Metal Shorty, do the Transmutation. Fix the ceiling, first."

Lust: "This is troublesome. We can not use Alchemy on our own, so we have to ask someone."

Ed: "Can't use Alchemy? Then why do you seek the Philosopher's Stone? The same reason as Cornello, huh? A freak who thinks he is superior, and obsessed with the idea of wanting to change the world, eh?"

Lust: "I want to become human. Nothing more."

Ed: "If you really are Homunculus. Then there is an Alchemist out there who created you. Can't that guy make it for you?" Envy kicked him.

Envy: "We weren't created by anyone. We were born!"

Lust: "The only thing we can do... were giving hints leading to the Philosopher's Stone and guide the person who sought the stone ... to the Stone's completion." You finally picked up your head.

You: "Then you things. You told Mugear what to do with the red water. And you were the ones who lead Marco to this lab. And Tucker about this place. And you must have been behind Cornello and his fake stone."

Envy: "Smart and cute."

You: "Get your hands off me." He pressed the blade into your neck and Ed noticed blood slide down your chest.

Lust: "Then you found us?"

Ed: "Are you saying we were destined to come here? No! We came here for our own reasons. We journeyed a long time, and we finally reached this place."

Lust: "It's because we desired it."

Ed: "We aren't controlled by anyone!"

Lust: "It's Equivalent Exchange. I will tell you how to create the Philosopher's Stone. You will use the Stone to turn us all into humans."

Ed: "I can't trust you people..."

Lust: "But you miss understand me Full Metal. I'm not asking, we're telling. Envy..." Ed's shot towards you and Envy returned his and to normal. Being shorter than him, he lifted you clear off the ground by your throat. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you gasped for breath. Envy used his other forearm to slam into the slam of your back. There was a crack that made Ed turn away. It was obvious Envy had just broken one of your ribs. But you didn't scream, you didn't even let out a squeak. Envy let you back down just before you passed out. Lust picked up the Older Slicer and opened the mouth, revealing the blood seal. "When you do this to an affixed soul, it can be easily...: She set one of her finger nails on the edge of the seal and began to scratch at it.

Ed: "Stop! You can't do that, he's still a human being!"

Older Slicer: "Edward Elric... I..." The armor fell to pieces onto the floor and Lust stood up. She walked over to Al and took off his head.

Lust: "Who's first?"

Envy: "I don't mind." He wrapped his arm around the top of your head, ready to break your neck.

Ed: "Stop! Don't do anything to her! She's everything to me, please don't take her away from me."

You: "Ed... It's okay."

Ed: "Don't you dare say that." He clapped and all of the boulders on the floor, disappeared, reappearing in order on the ceiling.

Al: "Ed, stop! Are you serious?"

You: "Let go of me right now."

Envy: "I would be barking orders." He squeezed at your throat and you felt extreme pain. "Try saying anything now." You tried to say something, but nothing came out. Scar walked down a hall and looked out a window, he saw Ed putting the red water jars back in place.

Scar: "Fool... I should have sent him to the Kingdom of God."

Lust: "You can do it, boy. I am sure."

Al: "Brother, stop!" Ed walked up to the prisoners and they coward away. "Brother, stop! They're human!"

Envy: "Yeah, they are. So?"

Al: "I don't want to get back to my normal body through the sacrifice of other humans."

Envy: "I thought you three would have learned after your pathetic attempt to bring back mommy. To perform Human Transmutation, only the lives of other humans can be used. To live, you take another's life whether it is obvious or not."

Lust: "Sacrifices are needed to accomplish something. All adults know this."

Al: "But we..!"

Lust: "You don't care if you're called a dog of the military. When you made that decision, you entered the society of adults. Please don't act like a child when it best suits you."

Ed: "This is the genuine truth behind all truths, eh?" Ed clapped and kneeled down. "Lita... If we give up here, we..." Ed reached out and went to set his hand down. It was like timed stopped as everyone watched Ed. He sighed and withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry. But I just can't do it." Envy growled, throwing you to the ground, advancing towards Ed. There was a loud explosion, the glass broke and the red water crashed to the ground.

Scar: "Full Metal Alchemist. Get out of here."

Ed: "Don't kid me!"

Scar: "Right now, she needs you." Ed ran towards you and Lust shot up.

Lust: "We can't end things right now." Ed stepped into the red water and he began to glow blue.

Ed's auto-mail turned into a spear and stretched out, putting a crack into the glass which held more red water.

Lust: "Bad mistake. If there's this much incomplete Philosopher's Stone, the Alchemist's power with increase." Spikes came up from the ground and shot everywhere.

Soldier: "Back gate, ready to enter. We have blockaded the surrounding area as well."

Fuhrer: "I repeat! We are to protect the two young males and the cat female. Capture anyone believed to be military personnel."

Armstrong: "And the rest?"

Fuhrer: "Trample them! Charge in!"

Soldier: "Go to the right! Move in! Is he... the Crimson Alchemist?" Bloch, Armstrong, and Ross all ran into the room the three of you were in.

Ross: "FullMetal, sir!"

Armstrong: "His transmutation reaction is cascading infinitely." They looked over to see you push yourself up weakly. You held onto your stomach, each step hurt like hell. You side stepped all of the red water and wrapped you arms around Ed.

Ed: "Mom?" He wrapped his arms around you and you both fell to the ground, unconscious.