Resembool! This is Resembool!
What were the colonel's orders? Tell me already, Major.
I haven't heard all the details myself.
He just told me to bring you and rendezvous in Resembool.
Rendezvous? With who?
Hi there, Major Armstrong.
Yo, chief.
Lieutenant Breda?
My brother should be at Resembool by now,
but he hasn't called.
And for starters, I'm here to do repairs, anyhow.
After the incident with Lieutenant Ross, I don't know anything that's going on.
That's why I'm here to explain it.
- When did you get here? - For that matter, how did you get in?
Through the window.
I mean, I am supposedly a criminal.
"ILLEGAL ALIEN" AS WELL AS "LOCKUP ESCAPEE"
You don't have to worry about Ed.
By now, he's probably...
It's so hot...
The colonel never said anything about leaving the country,
the bastard.
Mr. Han, is our destination much farther?
We're already here. You see? The ruins of Xerxes.
PHEW
I NEARLY GOT BURNED BY MY OWN AUTOMAIL
- Why is the kid with you? - That's kind of a long story.
Xerxes, huh? I read about it in The Tale of the Eastern Sage.
The Eastern Sage?
Yeah. It's a fairy tale about the one who brought alchemy to our land.
The legend goes that a survivor of the Kingdom of Xerxes,
which perished overnight,
wandered into Amestris not long after it was founded
and spread alchemy around.
In my land, we have a legend of a drifter from the West.
The art that he shared was mixed with the art of Xing,
and it apparently became the alkahestry we have today.
You mean, the practice that was developed for the medical field?
We hold him in reverence and refer to him as...
"The Western Sage."
Are you saying that this is where the sage came from?
So it is said.
I wanted to see the ruins of Xerxes.
I see. So that's why.
But if the art they had was so great, how is it that they perished overnight?
Perhaps it is just a legend.
What are you doing? This way!
- We're going quite a ways in, huh? - Edward!
Back east, where I was. That's a nice place.
There's no big-city hustle and bustle,
and best of all, there are lots of beautiful women.
Damn that colonel!
Lieutenant Ross!
Come on! Give us a reunion hug!
That's okay!
It seemed risky to keep a person who's supposed to be dead in the country,
so he sent her out of the country.
Then, the colonel knows that Lieutenant Ross is innocent?
You think these actions might be too harsh?
- You think so, too? - Yeah.
Walking her out like a criminal in front of all those people
and playing up the killing of a fellow officer in the papers,
something that brings disgrace upon the military...
It's me.
There's a call for you on a public line from Warrant Officer Falman.
Put him through.
Colonel, about General Hughes' murder--
Hey, Falman, let me have the phone for a sec.
Barry?
Yo, Mr. Mustang, seen the papers? There's an interesting story in there.
Hey, Bunny! I'm not supposed to take personal calls!
I'll call you back from outside! Wait just a minute!
What? Is this for real?
Yeah. The bullet the lieutenant fired was the one she shot me with.
I still have the hole in my right hand from when I was shot.
Maybe we should go on the offensive.
Barry, it's been so long. How would you like to cut loose again?
Roger. I won't kill nobody.
Roadway number two into the warehouse district, right?
Breda, get this together for me. Pork bone and meat, carbon, ammonia.
What is this?
I'm going to whip up a burned corpse.
Human transmutation?
Don't be ridiculous. At best, it's just a burned body.
But once the coroner sees it,
I'll make it so charred, they won't be able to identify it.
What if they check dental records?
I'm way ahead of you.
Can you pull it off?
I'm no expert, but I do have my share of knowledge.
Making burned corpses is my specialty.
Hurry.
Maria Ross, right?
It's a dummy.
You're going to die here tonight.
Don't just stand there!
Yo, Fullmetal.
What's going on here, Colonel?
Huh? Chief Fullmetal?
We didn't plan on this.
Edward.
Now, now, the colonel will come up with something.
- Let's go. - Right.
When Madam Ross was broken out, the Young Lord and Barry struck a deal.
The orders I have from the Young Lord are to take this woman east.
So we promised to rendezvous here and allow Lieutenant Ross to escape.
- I see. - I don't like it.
That bastard colonel put one over on us, right?
Rather than telling you, he thought you'd be more readily convinced
if you actually saw Lieutenant Ross.
All right, all right. The colonel was right this time.
Speaking of the colonel...
He also said having a hot-tempered kid hanging around
would interfere with the operation.
Damn that colonel!
Operation? Is there more to it than just rescuing Lieutenant Ross?
Yes. He's thinking of reeling in the mastermind
that's been haunting the military.
Next time I see him...
Reeling in?
Barry, who holds the secret to the Fifth Laboratory,
went on quite a bold rampage.
I'm sure they'll take steps to make sure he keeps his mouth shut.
So that's what happened?
By any chance, was Ed taken away just to get him out of his hair?
That's right.
So, I helped out, and in exchange, Barry was gonna tell me the secret of his body.
But then...
The researchers who gave me this body are all dead now,
so I can't tell you.
That's not fair!
I know. That Alphonse guy has a body similar to mine.
Why don't you ask him?
So that's why I decided to ask you. I was promised, so if you'd be so kind.
I don't have anything to do with that promise.
I really didn't have anything to do with it, huh?
How did I get caught up in Philosopher's Stones,
Homunculi, and such?
We now have quite a bit of intelligence gathered together.
If we can figure out the story behind the general's murder,
the situation will change, too.
We are going to clear you of this false accusation!
Col-- General Hughes...
...really is dead, huh?
What are you going to do now?
Keep moving forward in some way that you can accept.
There are those who worked with me, even when I committed the taboo.
Those who get angry at me and support me.
There's my brother, who I promised to return back to his body.
And I can't turn back.
So I guess all I can do is move forward.
In a way I won't lose anyone.
If it looks like someone might become a victim, I'll protect them!
Sure, it may be difficult.
That's what I need to do to take care of them.
Maybe it's arrogant to think I can protect others.
But I can't think of anything else right now.
So, I'm going to move forward.
Lieutenant Ross, what are you going to do?
Sir, I'm thinking of going to the land of Xing.
Shall I tell your parents?
No. If, by any chance, my parents let it slip that I'm still alive,
it could do irreparable harm.
- I see. - Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Breda.
Please tell Colonel Mustang that I am grateful to him for saving me,
and, if there's ever an emergency, to please call me back.
When he does, I will put my life on the line to go work for him.
Take care, Edward.
I never got to get you back for slapping me.
Maybe next time.
Yeah, maybe next time.
You've got some good friends there.
Mr. Fu, what kind of country is Xing?
It's a fine country, tolerant of others,
with an abundance of people and food.
You can rest at ease.
So, I can hope that once we cross the desert, we will find paradise?
However, the desert is quite oppressive. Watch yourself.
From here on, don't go wasting your fluids.
I'll come by your shop sometime tomorrow.
What would you like as a present, Elizabeth?
Oh, I'm sorry, Roy. Kate, we have a customer.
Would you call Jacqueline for me?
Jacqueline, we have a customer.
Copy.
- Hold on! - Barry?
Take it easy, Falman. Don't kill this one.
That smell of tobacco-- Lieutenant Havoc?
Look, you, why do you think I'm wearing a mask?
This is why I can't stand guys who aren't used to field work!
Sorry about that!
It just means that you've been dragged into this.
Don't do anything.
You never know where those military folks may be watching us from.
You're...
- We're going outside! - Yeah.
- But the enemy may be outside! - Outside is all right!
Aw, crap!
Lieutenant!
Don't worry. We've got the hawk's eye on our side.
- I heard a loud noise. What happened? - It's all right.
One of the customers was getting naughty with Jacqueline,
so I just smacked him a little bit.
My, my...
You're pretty harsh, Elizabeth.
All right, don't move.
There's a few things I want to ask you.
Hey, does this guy even know what I'm saying?
Hey, you're kidding me! This guy is...
It's my body!
What? What do you mean?
Those guys dumped the soul of a lab rat or something into my body.
My body is here to get back its soul.
This takes me back!
It's the first time I've seen him since my soul got yanked out of him!
A transmutation circle?
It's a lot like the one that was in the Fifth Laboratory, but...
A two-headed dragon...
The sun...
Ah, damn it! I can't tell. The top portion is missing!
You want something? I'll tell you right now, I've got no--
An Ishvalan?
Young man, would you mind being our hostage
so we can take back our holy land from the State Military?
There's no way the military will take action over a single kid like me.
It was the death of a single child that triggered the Civil War.
You never know what will be the catalyst that changes history.
Stop it. This is a disgrace.
Madame Shan!
You fool. Are you trying to bring shame to the name of Ishvala?
Let him go. He won't attack you again.
Why did you come to my aid?
I thought you guys hated Amestrisians. Don't you?
I know that not all Amestrisians are bad.
Madame Shan and I were saved by Amestrisian doctors
when we were severely injured during the Civil War.
To be honest, I do hate you,
but it's thanks to that couple that I'm still alive today.
Couple? They wouldn't happen to have been named Rockbell, would they?
- You're a friend of Dr. Rockbell? - Yeah.
The doctor saved the lives of many Ishvalans.
No kidding...
Aunt and Uncle Rockbell...
When the fighting became severe, they stayed with us.
How did they meet their end?
The two of them were killed
by an Ishvalan patient they had helped.
Oh, no...
I'm sorry.
We were unable to stop it.
Who was it that did it?
I don't know his face,
but he was an Ishvalan monk who had a tattoo on his right arm.
If you get the chance,
would you deliver something to the grave of the Rockbell couple?
Our gratitude and our apologies.
This is fantastic!
You hardly ever get the chance to carve up your own body.
You just told me not to kill him, didn't you?
To hell with the operation now!
My soul is all abuzz! I want to slice...
No! And don't you want to go back into your original body?
That body ain't gonna hold out much longer.
Oh, it's rotting, huh?
Ah, I can't take it anymore! I'm cutting it.
Whatever I do with my own body is up to me!
I told you, no!
- What's the matter? - Some kind of argument?
Sounds like one of the customers is making trouble.
Uh-oh. I'll have to call you back. I've got a customer of my own.