Alchemy is a science where one understands the structure of matter, breaks it down, then rebuilds it.
However, it is not an all-powerful technique, as one cannot create something out of nothing.
If one wishes to gain something, one must present something of equal value.
This is the concept of equivalent exchange, the fundamental basis of alchemy.
However, there is a taboo in alchemy. Human transmutation.
One must not commit this act.
The First Branch of the National Central Library, where Marcoh's research data was kept, was burned down.
Ed and Al obtain the research data with the help of Sheska, a former librarian. However...
The ingredients of philosopher's stones...
...are live humans.
Seeking more of the truth, Ed and Al sneak into the abandoned Research Laboratory 5.
You're pretty fast for a guy so big.
Else it wouldn't be fun for me!
Who are you?!
I'm Number 66.
That's just my work name, though.
I'll dismantle you neatly,
so go ahead and wail!
What the heck is this?
Could it be what's used to transmute philosopher's stones?
Precisely.
I don't know who you are, but I'm amazed you figured that out by just looking at the transmutation circle, boy.
Who are you, old man?
My duty is to guard this area.
I suppose I'll introduce myself as Number 48.
And I'm not an old man, either.
I've been instructed to eliminate any outsiders who have infiltrated the building.
Don't think badly of me, boy.
Same goes for you...
Don't take it too badly when you get beaten by a boy.
An alchemist, huh?
Let's see how good you are.
Looks like that arm saved your life!
But my beloved sword even slices through steel!
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Do you not have a body in there?
I'm amazed you noticed.
I spar with someone like you all the time.
Ah, so there's someone in this state in the outside world, too, eh?
I don't like this at all.
That there's some idiot other than me who'd come up with the idea of affixing a soul to a suit of armor.
Let me introduce myself again.
48 was my death row number.
When I still had my body, I was called Slicer the Homicide.
Death row. Just as I thought.
Hey, this place makes philosopher's stones out of criminals on death row, right?
That I cannot answer.
I was simply hired for my skills, given this body, and stationed here as a watchdog.
Which means there's a seal somewhere that mediates the soul and the armor.
Precisely.
This seal of blood...
If you destroy it, you win.
You're awfully kind to let me in on your weakness.
I'm the type that seeks thrills in fighting.
Since you're so kind, want to let me off the hook?
Was that worth a try?
Do you really think a murderer is just going to let his prey get away?
Here I come!
Like~I~said~
Elicia's having her third birthday!
Lt. Colonel Hughes, I'm working right now.
East City Eastern Headquarters
What a coincidence! So am I.
But seriously, she's so cute.
I get it! Quit calling me about your daughter all the time.
And with an army line, too!
Not just my daughter.
I'm proud of my wife, too!
All right, all right, I'll listen to your story, too.
About your cute and charming "Scar" you're so proud of.
We've found several unidentified bodies.
They're pretty decomposed, so it's difficult to determine if he's in there.
There haven't been any sightings of him in the East, so as of now, most people believe he's dead.
If that's the case, we can probably set the Elric brothers free of their escorts soon.
Is Major Armstrong still in charge of that?
Nah, apparently the Major's subordinates have taken over.
They got us!
I knew they were being too quiet...
Major Armstrong's going to kill us for dereliction of duty!
Those brats! They should put themselves in their escorts' shoes every once in a while!
Let's go!
Huh? Where?
Where do you think?
The former Research Laboratory 5!
Huh? Something doesn't feel right in my shoulder...
...this time so it would be more resistant to rust, but that makes it less durable, so don't overuse...
If I don't settle this quick...
...I'm in trouble!
You're almost like a monkey.
What'd you say?!
I haven't had worthy prey like you in a while. I'm delighted.
But with your wounds and fatigue, the outcome is clear.
My companion should have disposed of your companion by now.
Is your companion strong?
He is. Weaker than me, though.
No worries there, then.
I've been in a lot of fights with him since we were little, and I've never won.
Dammit, stay still and let me cut you, hippo!
That body...
I've got a few circumstances of my own.
Actually, let me tell you a story.
You've heard of him, too, haven't you?
A middle-aged man by the name of Barry.
A long, long time ago, there was a middle-aged man here in Central named Barry who loved to cook.
Barry loved to cut up meat.
But one day, it got to the point he couldn't satisfy himself with just beef and pork,
so he started to go out into the city during nighttime to cut up humans.
Barry was eventually caught, but the number of people who fell victim to him was twenty-three.
After terrorizing the hell out of the residents of Central, he was sentenced to death by hanging.
And everyone lived happily ever after...
...is the story given to the public.
But there's actually a sequel to the story.
Barry isn't actually dead.
He's alive and has been assigned to watch over a certain somewhere.
Though he's had his body taken away.
That's right! The man standing in front of you right now is the infamous serial killer, Barry the Chopper!
Sorry, I've never heard of you.
I was born in the countryside in the East, so...
Yeah, but even if you've never heard the story, shouldn't you give some kind of reaction?!
Something like...
"AHHHH!", or "What's with that body?!"
AHHHH! W-W-W-What's with that body?!
That hurt, you know.
Oh, so you were sentenced to death, too.
Scaring me like that...
I'm not a criminal!
Huh? Then why?
Well... I've had a few circumstances of my own.
My older brother affixed my soul when I lost my body.
Brother?
I see. Your brother, eh?
What's so funny?
Are you guys really brothers?
I mean, our personalities are different, but...
Oh. No, no, no, that's not what I meant.
What I meant to say was, maybe you're an armor doll your "brother" created?
Huh?
Does your real human self really exist?
Of course it does!
I'm Alphonse Elric, a human! No doubt about it!
How can you be so sure?
Because I have memories from when I was born!
What if those were created, too?
But Winry and Granny...
They're probably in on it, too.
Yeah, that's how it is.
You didn't exist to begin with.
T-Then... what about you?
It's simple.
Don't move! This place is restric-
See?
I love hacking live humans!
I love to kill, and I can't get enough of it!
I exist to kill.
That's the only proof I need to know that I am who I am!
So your little brother is that strong, eh?
Then I had better defeat you quickly.
Al, now!
What?!
How foul!
Like there are rules in a fight!
What's wrong? My blood seal isn't broken yet.
Just hurry up and dest-
There's something I want to ask you.
About the philosopher's stone?
Spill everything you know.
No can do.
Hey now, the loser shouldn't be putting on a brave front.
I... haven't lost yet.
Impossible!
I forgot to mention it. Slicer the Homicide...
...Was actually a duo of brothers.
The head and body are two different people?!
That's cheating.
And who's the one who said there aren't any rules in a fight?
Let's go for Round 2, runt.
Don't call me a runt!
Whoa, I'm not going to give you time for a transmutation!
Shit, I lost too much blood.
I'm starting to feel dizzy...
This is bad...
Bad...
I'm...
I'm going to die!
This is it for you!
Ouch...
Making me remember that jerk.
I just did the same thing he did.
You've gone and done it now, brat!
Man, that's disgusting!
Brother!
It's shameful, but we lost.
You're not going to say something like, "Hey, we're actually a trio", are ya?
We won't, we won't.
Just destroy us already, boy.
Spare me from having to murder someone.
You consider us human?
If I didn't accept you two as human, it would mean I'm doing the same to my brother, too.
Hey now, what's wrong, armor doll?!
I'm not an armor doll!
That's what you think.
Did you really exist to begin with?
Are you sure about that?
There's a way to prove you're not an armor doll.
You've got a blood seal, too, don't you?
Erase it yourself.
If you die, you were human!
If you're still movin', then you're an armor doll!
I-I can't do something like that!
Then I'll do it for you!
My little brother is human.
So are you two.
That's why I don't want to kill you.
Brother?
Us two have been stealing, destroying, and murdering ever since we came of age.
And we're being treated as humans for the first time, after being turned into this?
Interesting.
I'll tell you everything as a parting gift, boy.
The one who created the philosopher's stone and told us to guard this place is...
That was close.
You can't be talking about things like that, 48.
Huh? What's the Fullmetal runt doing here?
What a troublesome child.
How did you find out about this place?
Brother! Brother?!
BROTHER!!!
You're so annoying, dumbass!
You guys were about to kill a precious sacrifice!
Don't you understand?!
What were you gonna do if you screwed up the plan?!
Huh?!
Who the hell are you two?!
What plan?!
What do you mean by sacrifice?!
Oh? This runt is ready to go.
Quit calling me a runt!
A runt's a runt, don't you agree?
I don't like fighting.
It hurts if you get injured.
You're the one that started it!
I'll beat you to a...
Looks like it's broken.
WHAT?!
Lucky me!
Good thing your arm broke.
You didn't have to suffer any other injuries.
Listen, boy.
Don't forget you're being kept alive.
It'll be troublesome if a boy like this happens to find this place again.
Let's burn it down.
Hey... there's something I've always wanted to ask you...
...but I've been too scared to.
What was Brother trying to say?
"Something he was too scared to say?"
Something he was too scared to...
...maybe you're an armor doll your "brother" created?
Does your real human self really exist?
What's wrong, armor dollie?
Shut up!! I'm...
Just accept it. It'll make you feel better.
You're full of openings, hippo!
Huh?!
Don't move!
Just surrender.
This isn't good...
Sergeant... evacuate!
What are you doing?!
Hurry and get out of here!
But Brother's still inside!
What did you say?!
Well, this leaves me no choice.
I guess I'll just get out of here!
Hey!
You guys better run, too!
Wait!
Brother! Brother!
Get out of here!
You'll get caught in it, too!
But!
Howdy.
A package for you.
Brother?!
He isn't in danger or anything, but he lost a lot of blood, so get him to a hospital quick, okay?
Oh yeah, and make sure you guys keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything too reckless.
He's an important guy, after all.
And who are you?
Second Lt. Ross, hurry!
Sergeant, lend me a hand!
He's covered in blood!
We'll talk later! You'd better get out of here, too-
Huh? He's gone.
Let us out!
You plannin' on lettin' us die?!
Shut up! Pipe down!
What a nice sound.
This is the sound of a building crumbling due to explosives.
Judging from the proximity... it's probably Research Laboratory 5 next door.
Ah, what a nice sound...
It shakes me to my bones.
Shut your trap, Kimbley!
Ah, I apologize.
It reminded me of the Ishbal Extermination, and it just made me so happy...
...maybe you're an armor doll your "brother" created?
And so, about Central...
The bigwigs who oversee State Alchemists are going through a labor shortage thanks to Scar.
Oh?
Rumor is it won't be long before Colonel Mustang is invited to Central.
Central, huh?
Not bad.
You'd better watch out.
If you manage to get to the top at that age, you'll gain a lot of enemies.
I'm prepared for it.
Words of wisdom from your senior in Central.
Have a lot of people who understand and are willing to support you.
So...
Hurry up and get married.
None of your business!
Why'd he hang up on me like that?
Lt. Colonel Hughes, please keep personal calls to a minimum!
Oh, sorry.
Edward Elric hesitates to speak his words...
...and Alphonse Elric becomes perplexed by Barry's words.
The one certainty is that a girl's memories hold the truth.
Next time, Fullmetal Alchemist:
Episode 9, Artificial Feelings.
Their hearts waver because they put their trust in each other.