Looking up at the midnight sky [Hearing/Touch]
The blackness soon gave way to noise. He hears his footsteps, one heavier than the other, echo across some underground place. There is another set of steps behind him, metallic and heavy. He guesses whoever was following him is rather large. Inside him, curiosity burns. Whatever he's looking for, it was missing for a bit.
He hears his voice break the silence. "Hey, there you are."
An older man's voice replies, "Oh, it's you guys." He can hear the heavy breathing of another animal. Around him, various noises of creations create a soft murmur. "Look, it's my newest creation." He hears the man stand up. "It's a chimera that talks like a human."
He's amazed. Impressed. Emotions run rampant. He's excited to be near this sort of thing... this chimera. It's beyond words that this man could make such a creature. The man continues. "Watch this." He finds he says nothing, but guesses he's watching the man. "This person is [blank], understand?" Where a name should be, there's simply silence as if it had been removed. He doesn't understand that, but soon the memory is moving on.
He hears the animal pant out something, but can't make it out. "That's right, very good." The man says.
The chimera speaks, "Veh... ree good?" It's almost breathless, as if the creature is both used and unused to speech. He enters the room, coming nearer.
"I can't believe it. It really talks." His amazement is beyond words. Such an accomplishment... he's impressed by this man's talent.
The man sighs. "Uh-huh. I'm glad that I made it in time for the assessment." While the man speaks, he hears his metal leg move and he's kneeling. "This just saved me neck! And when the grant money kicks in, I won't have to worry about research costs for a while...!" He's relieved, Alchemy can hear it in his words.
The chimera begins panting out that inaudible word again, slowly. A few times it comes out, then, another word, "Big... bruh... ther." A realization dawns on him. The man who made the chimera had never taught this thing those words. The chimera knew him. It knew who he was without the man's prompting. His mind rushes to the only conclusion possible, but what it is, he can't tell yet.
"Mr. Tucker," he hears himself ask. "When was it that you got your license? By making the first chimera that spoke human words?" He hasn't moved, but distaste grows inside his mouth, bile slowly building up inside it.
Tucker thinks about it, "Uh... That would be about two years ago."
His mind keeps processing this information, adding to it his suspicions. "And when did your wife leave?" He can see where this is going. A missing wife, a license... grant money...
"... That was two years ago too."
"Can I ask you one more question?" He finds himself furious. All the pieces are adding up. Everything. The hatred boils inside him. Outrage, fury, until the question bursts forth. "What happened to Nina and Alexander?" His heart is racing as he waits for the answer. Part of him wants to hear the man tell him it's nothing to be worried about, that this Nina and this Alexander were safely tucked in bed, but he knows better. He knows better than to believe that lie.
"I hate perceptive brats like you." Tucker says. Fury overwhelms him and he hears himself rushing across the underground room. He hears his metal arm work as he grabs Tucker and slams him up against a wall.
For the first time, he hears Fullmetal's voice say two words: "Big brother!"
He's too angry to care. His attention is completely focused on this man, this demon in front of him. "So that's what happened!" He yells. "You scum... How could you?! Two years ago, it was your wife!" He pulls the man back and slams him against the wall again. "This time you made a chimera out of your own daughter and a dog!" He can hear the man's breathing, he's so close to the man's face. The bile which had begun to build inside his mouth drained out in pure horror of the man's actions. "Isn't that right? Because there's only so much you can do by experimenting on animals." He's even closer now, pure fury grasping at every sense. Even in the blackness which lacked sight, he saw red overwhelm himself. "Humans are so much better! Am I right?"
Tucker lets out a chuckle. "Why are you so mad?" He asks, it's a simple question to the man, said in a way meant to chide a child for misunderstanding logic. "The progress of medicine... the progress of human knowledge is the result of experimenting on humans. As a scientist, you should be the first to-"
He can't stand it. "Shut up! Just shut up!" His breath comes in furious waves. "Do you think you're going to get away with this? Playing around with people's lives?!" He feels more fury building in his heart.
But Tucker laughs again. Alchemy finds himself surprised at the reaction. "People's lives?" Another laugh. "Yes, people's lives!" The man seems to find this whole situation amusing. "You're the [blank] Alchemist! You mean like your brother's life and your arm?" Horror seeps back into him. "That's also the result of "playing around with people's lives," yes?" He can't stand the man any longer. He can hear himself throw a punch.
The man's face cracks against the wall. Glasses crunch as he takes his metal arm to the man. Tucker just laughs, "You and I are just the same!"
"That's not true." He can practically hear his teeth grind together as he clenches his jaw.
"You're no different than I am! You thought you could do it, so you did!" Tucker finds the comparison vastly amusing.
"That's not true!" Alchemy insists.
Tucker continues on his nearly insane logic. "You couldn't help but try it even if it was forbidden! In fact, because it's forbidden!" He's punching the man even as he continues.
"We alchemists..." Punch. "Would never do that..." Slam. "We'd never..." Crack. "I'd never...!" Something holds him back from another blow. He feels his muscles try to fight the resistance.
He hears Fullmetal's voice. "[blank], any more and you'll kill him." Alchemy hears himself let go and the man slump to the ground. He feels the pressure holding back his metal arm seep away. He begins to walk away when he hears Tucker speak up again.
There's a laugh. "Pretty words don't get anything done."
Alchemy does his best to ignore the man. His heart still pounds. He finds he wouldn't care, in his fury, if he had beat the man to death. So instead of replying, he stays silent.
This time, it is Fullmetal who speaks. "Mr. Tucker... if you say one more word, this time, I'll be the one to snap." He can hear the metallic footsteps behind him as he exits the room. Softly, though, he hears Fullmetal kneel and whisper to the chimera. "Nina... I'm sorry. We don't have the skill right now to turn you back to normal. I'm sorry."
Alchemy can hear his heart shatter into a thousand different pieces as the chimera pants out her words. "Wanna play... wanna play... wanna play..." The words reverberate inside him, tearing at his heart even as the memory fades.
He hears his voice break the silence. "Hey, there you are."
An older man's voice replies, "Oh, it's you guys." He can hear the heavy breathing of another animal. Around him, various noises of creations create a soft murmur. "Look, it's my newest creation." He hears the man stand up. "It's a chimera that talks like a human."
He's amazed. Impressed. Emotions run rampant. He's excited to be near this sort of thing... this chimera. It's beyond words that this man could make such a creature. The man continues. "Watch this." He finds he says nothing, but guesses he's watching the man. "This person is [blank], understand?" Where a name should be, there's simply silence as if it had been removed. He doesn't understand that, but soon the memory is moving on.
He hears the animal pant out something, but can't make it out. "That's right, very good." The man says.
The chimera speaks, "Veh... ree good?" It's almost breathless, as if the creature is both used and unused to speech. He enters the room, coming nearer.
"I can't believe it. It really talks." His amazement is beyond words. Such an accomplishment... he's impressed by this man's talent.
The man sighs. "Uh-huh. I'm glad that I made it in time for the assessment." While the man speaks, he hears his metal leg move and he's kneeling. "This just saved me neck! And when the grant money kicks in, I won't have to worry about research costs for a while...!" He's relieved, Alchemy can hear it in his words.
The chimera begins panting out that inaudible word again, slowly. A few times it comes out, then, another word, "Big... bruh... ther." A realization dawns on him. The man who made the chimera had never taught this thing those words. The chimera knew him. It knew who he was without the man's prompting. His mind rushes to the only conclusion possible, but what it is, he can't tell yet.
"Mr. Tucker," he hears himself ask. "When was it that you got your license? By making the first chimera that spoke human words?" He hasn't moved, but distaste grows inside his mouth, bile slowly building up inside it.
Tucker thinks about it, "Uh... That would be about two years ago."
His mind keeps processing this information, adding to it his suspicions. "And when did your wife leave?" He can see where this is going. A missing wife, a license... grant money...
"... That was two years ago too."
"Can I ask you one more question?" He finds himself furious. All the pieces are adding up. Everything. The hatred boils inside him. Outrage, fury, until the question bursts forth. "What happened to Nina and Alexander?" His heart is racing as he waits for the answer. Part of him wants to hear the man tell him it's nothing to be worried about, that this Nina and this Alexander were safely tucked in bed, but he knows better. He knows better than to believe that lie.
"I hate perceptive brats like you." Tucker says. Fury overwhelms him and he hears himself rushing across the underground room. He hears his metal arm work as he grabs Tucker and slams him up against a wall.
For the first time, he hears Fullmetal's voice say two words: "Big brother!"
He's too angry to care. His attention is completely focused on this man, this demon in front of him. "So that's what happened!" He yells. "You scum... How could you?! Two years ago, it was your wife!" He pulls the man back and slams him against the wall again. "This time you made a chimera out of your own daughter and a dog!" He can hear the man's breathing, he's so close to the man's face. The bile which had begun to build inside his mouth drained out in pure horror of the man's actions. "Isn't that right? Because there's only so much you can do by experimenting on animals." He's even closer now, pure fury grasping at every sense. Even in the blackness which lacked sight, he saw red overwhelm himself. "Humans are so much better! Am I right?"
Tucker lets out a chuckle. "Why are you so mad?" He asks, it's a simple question to the man, said in a way meant to chide a child for misunderstanding logic. "The progress of medicine... the progress of human knowledge is the result of experimenting on humans. As a scientist, you should be the first to-"
He can't stand it. "Shut up! Just shut up!" His breath comes in furious waves. "Do you think you're going to get away with this? Playing around with people's lives?!" He feels more fury building in his heart.
But Tucker laughs again. Alchemy finds himself surprised at the reaction. "People's lives?" Another laugh. "Yes, people's lives!" The man seems to find this whole situation amusing. "You're the [blank] Alchemist! You mean like your brother's life and your arm?" Horror seeps back into him. "That's also the result of "playing around with people's lives," yes?" He can't stand the man any longer. He can hear himself throw a punch.
The man's face cracks against the wall. Glasses crunch as he takes his metal arm to the man. Tucker just laughs, "You and I are just the same!"
"That's not true." He can practically hear his teeth grind together as he clenches his jaw.
"You're no different than I am! You thought you could do it, so you did!" Tucker finds the comparison vastly amusing.
"That's not true!" Alchemy insists.
Tucker continues on his nearly insane logic. "You couldn't help but try it even if it was forbidden! In fact, because it's forbidden!" He's punching the man even as he continues.
"We alchemists..." Punch. "Would never do that..." Slam. "We'd never..." Crack. "I'd never...!" Something holds him back from another blow. He feels his muscles try to fight the resistance.
He hears Fullmetal's voice. "[blank], any more and you'll kill him." Alchemy hears himself let go and the man slump to the ground. He feels the pressure holding back his metal arm seep away. He begins to walk away when he hears Tucker speak up again.
There's a laugh. "Pretty words don't get anything done."
Alchemy does his best to ignore the man. His heart still pounds. He finds he wouldn't care, in his fury, if he had beat the man to death. So instead of replying, he stays silent.
This time, it is Fullmetal who speaks. "Mr. Tucker... if you say one more word, this time, I'll be the one to snap." He can hear the metallic footsteps behind him as he exits the room. Softly, though, he hears Fullmetal kneel and whisper to the chimera. "Nina... I'm sorry. We don't have the skill right now to turn you back to normal. I'm sorry."
Alchemy can hear his heart shatter into a thousand different pieces as the chimera pants out her words. "Wanna play... wanna play... wanna play..." The words reverberate inside him, tearing at his heart even as the memory fades.