Summary:
Ed, Roy, and the others squirm and stare in shock at the large hole that appears to have been very cleanly carved out of the side of the safe house, as well as the accompanying trench showing the path the destruction took across the land. They stare in horror and confusion at the formerly docile Homunculus of Gluttony crouching on all fours at the mouth of the moat, his bonds mysteriously broken and several writhing teeth protruding from his torso.At the Executive Mansion, Führer Bradley is suddenly approached from the shadows by an invisible Pride, who mentions that he heard about Scar’s escape from captivity. But when Wrath replies that Gluttony has been captured, a shocked Pride comments from his hideout that people have been making fools of them lately. Wrath calmly replies that he finds it very amusing that the supposedly cunning Homunculi, who have held the entire nation in their vice for centuries, are suddenly controlled by the actions of a few. Bradley praises the long overdue chance at a real challenge and sighs with satisfaction that the rise of the Juveniles may be on the way, to which Pride replies that Wrath has been around humans too long. He promises not to report Wrath’s seemingly rebellious words to his father, but asks what should be done about Gluttony’s predicament, and Wrath replies that he knows Gluttony’s approximate location, as well as the identities of his captors – Hawkeye and Mustang. Down in the Homunculi lair sits Dr. Tim Marcoh in a small cell guarded by a pair of handcuffed chimeras when Envy enters to bring him some food. Noting that Marcoh still hasn’t touched his previous meal, Envy reminds the Doctor that he is a prime candidate for Human Sacrifice and needs to keep his strength up. Marcoh refuses food again and demands to know what the Homunculi are planning to do with him, but when Envy refuses to talk, the Doctor reveals that he has already figured out a lot on his own. He claims that the Homunculi’s plan is to use Amestris to create a giant Philosopher’s Stone out of all its inhabitants by creating a giant transmutation circle that stretches across the nation. He adds that due to the shape of their circle and the places that serve as its apexes, the next place you will see bloodshed at their command will be the Northern Region. Envy gleefully notes that Marco’s guesses are very close to the truth, but just a little off – though he was right about their next target being the North Region. As Envy mocks Marcoh’s human frailty and inability to save millions of lives at the cost of a few hundred, Wrath enters the cell and—amidst Marcoh’s shock at seeing the Führer here—informs Envy that he is to bring the captured Gluttony, where the Mustang crew is from. holding him. Envy relents and prepares to leave, expressing hope that Gluttony hasn’t gone on a rampage.Back at the safe house, Lt. Hawkeye marvels at the sudden flash of destruction from outside and tries to get a closer look, but is hit by a sudden salvo from an unknown force that eats the barrel of her rifle and carves a new trench into her. earth He turns to the source of the eruption to see the menacing figure of Gluttony standing right inside the house, his mouth now a gaping maw that stretches all the way down his torso, lined with curved, rib-like teeth and a hood that seems large in its dark recesses eye to the side. Riza quickly draws her gun and takes aim, but Roy emerges from a nearby pile of rubble with Ed, Alphonse, and Dr. Knox, ordering her not to provoke it, as it looks like it’s only after him. In confirmation of that Gluttony—seeing Roy emerge unharmed, fires a fresh salvo in his direction—the homunculus’s rib-like teeth extend with explosive force, devouring anything in its path in an instant. As Roy and the others desperately dodge Gluttony’s attacks, Ling rushes in to help get Lan Fan to safety, explaining that there was more to the Homunculus than they suspected. Outside, as Edward marvels that alchemy can create such a monster, Roy decides that their only option now is to kill Gluttony. Donning the Flame Alchemy gloves against the Elrics’ protests, Mustang declares that their own survival is the highest priority as they cannot afford to let the Homuncul escape this place knowing the names and faces of his captors. But when he releases a stream of flames at the Homunculo, the inferno is drawn harmlessly into Gluttony’s mouth and swallowed by a large eye in the middle of a dark abyss, proving that this Homunculo won’t be as easy to defeat as the last one. Terrified, Roy flees with the Elric brothers to a nearby tree line, while Gluttony gives chase. They split up in the woods to confuse their inhuman pursuer, but Gluttony immediately targets Mustang. Fortunately, Hawkeye also appears on the scene and deflects Gluttony’s target with several headshots from her sidearms, allowing the Colonel to escape ingestion. Roy continues to run but is overcome by the pain of his recent injuries and collapses to the ground lamenting his condition. Back at the house, Knox and Ling help Lan Fan into Roy’s car and prepare to flee the area once the others return. While Gluttony is busy with the Roy dummy transformed by Edward, the Elrics and Colonel Mustang (with Riza’s help) return to the car. Roy gets to Hawkeye and the Elrics demand they leave. Roy is reluctant, but Edward reminds him that there are new facts about King Bradley’s identity that the Colonel must confirm and act on now. Despite Knox and Hawkeye’s protests, Ed, Al, and Ling decided to stay on the battlefield and try to get the most out of the Gluttony. They thank the adults for their help, but note that capturing the Homunculus was their plan and that they need to see it through. Hearing this, Lt. Hawkeye loads the gun and hands it to Ed to use as protection, and though he remembers the incident with Winry and Scar in the alley, Edward takes the gun seriously.As Knox, Hawkeye, Mustang, and Lan Fan race towards the city, Roy fills Riza in on what Ling said about Führer Bradley, noting that it could be problematic if there are other Homunculi posing as humans. Meanwhile, the black horse races in the opposite direction, towards the forest where Gluttony has gone mad. The boys cower in the forest despite their earlier bravery, listening in fear as Gluttony screams at the death of Lust’s killer. But as they flee from another attack in their direction, the boys stop at the behest of Ling and Xiao-Mei, who notice a black horse that has just appeared on the scene. The horse verbally commands Gluttony to stop his rampage, then turns to the shocked trio of boys. Apparently, upon recognizing Ling, the horse quickly transformed into Envy and gave a “fullmetal pipsqueak” greeting.