Episode 22: Created Human (2003 series)

"Created human" redirects here. For the concept of a created human being, see Homunculus.

Synopsis

Hughes tasks Armstrong, Brosh, and Ross to investigate what's going on inside the 5th laboratory. Meanwhile, with Alphonse held hostage by Lust, Ed is forced to attempt the unthinkable.

Full Synopsis

Lieutenant Colonel Hughes communicates with Colonel Mustang over the phone about the Scar and Dr. Marcoh situation without mentioning what the Elric brothers are presently doing, believing it to be the better choice for now. Hughes then issues the orders to Major Armstrong, Sergeant Brosh, and Lieutenant Ross to investigate with the team that he arranged as security for the library to what's going on inside the fifth laboratory.

Meanwhile, Scar and Alphonse continue their fight with Lust and Gluttony. Despite his best efforts, Scar is injured by Gluttony, who knocks him through a wall and causing him to collapse and fall into the hole made by the explosion earlier. Gluttony backs off when he recognizes the bottom as the chamber Greed was sealed in. After Lust reveals she first saw the Elrics four years ago during the Majhal incident, Al asks about Lust's creation since a homunculus is an artificial person with no record of one being successfully created. Lust proves how real she is by immobilizing Al with her "Ultimate Spear" ability, while Gluttony eats a part of Al's armor, causing it to dissolve.

At the room with the red water, Edward can now see that the facility was related to a huge military alchemy experiment with the stone, namely human transmutation. Tucker reveals that Dr. Marcoh was the one who set up this room before he was brought there. Additionally, even if Ed transmutes humans as Philosopher's Stone ingredients, he couldn't transmute them back like what happened with Nina and the younger Slicer brother. Regardless, their sacrifices could still be useful in making a complete stone, which the older Slicer brother agrees with. Thinking of his brother, Ed transmutes the ceiling and finds another giant transmutation circle.

Meanwhile, as Hughes and his group are leaving Central Command, they encounter Führer Bradley who agrees to accompany them with an additional unit due to the suspicions of the fifth laboratory.

Arriving to check the room above the transmutation circle, Ed confirms the transmutation will work before leaving, unaware that Envy—-disguised as Brigadier General Grand—-is hiding with the convicts from Central Prison. However, Solf J. Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist, is the only one of the convicts to have common sense, knowing it isn't the real Grand due to a difference in this Grand's behavior. Ed conveys to Tucker that he will transmute the incomplete stones in the rooms from both floors using both transmutation circles to complete the stone. Ed transforms the lower circle into a seven-point circle to better condense the stones. While the prisoners upstairs are demanding to be let out, another prisoner mocks Kimblee that he used simple bombs during the Ishval Civil War. Kimblee mentions his atomic and molecular composition manipulation that he uses for his explosive alchemy. Demonstrating his ability on that prisoner, using the red water in the tank as an amplifier, Kimblee creates a large explosion that knocks the other prisoners down to the floor where Ed is.

Horrified by the prisoners there and realizing that he could have transmuted them without even knowing it, Ed demands to know who brought them there. The fake Grand confronts and demands Ed who ordered him to go into the lab. Ed attacks him, forcing Envy to revert due to Ed having been present when Scar killed the real Grand. Envy irritates Ed about his short stature and proceeds to beat him with a few kicks to his face, chest and stomach after Ed's automail arm completely breaks down. Before hurting Ed even more due to the boy’s relation to his father, Envy is stopped by Lust, who chides him for not getting the process done in time. She then demands Ed that he transmute the prisoners as Gluttony brings in the captive Al where the arms and legs on his armor had been melted away. Al reveals them as homunculi, which Tucker confirms due to his promise with them in exchange for their help in bringing Nina back to life with his memories. Ed condemns Tucker for still being too obsessed with creating a body for Nina, yet cannot even bring back her soul, knowing it will never be the same Nina. However, Envy kicks Ed yet again and demands that he continue the process by first repairing the ceiling.

Embarrassed, Lust admits to Ed that since homunculi can't use alchemy, they have to use someone else. When Ed asks why they need the stone for, Lust answers that she wants to be human. Ed starts to make assumptions about the homunculi that an alchemist likely created them. Disgusted, Envy kicks Ed once more, telling him that homunculi were not created, but were born. Lust confirms that over the years, they had dropped hints of the Philosopher's Stone for someone to eventually complete it. Ed realizes that other than informing Marcoh and Tucker, the homunculi were also behind Mugear and Cornello's actions—-as well as his own, so he flatly refuses. This makes Lust threatens Al's life by first destroying the older Slicer brother's blood rune to prove her point before aiming her sharp finger at Al's seal. Ed begs Lust not to kill his brother, but Al protests since he still feels that he is an imitation. Ed refuses to lose his brother at Lust's hands and repairs the damage in the ceiling with alchemy. Gluttony holds the prisoners back while Ed begins setting up the transmutation. Scar arrives in the vent above the room and peeks to see what is happening.

Al refuses to return to his original human body if it turns out like this, but Lust and Envy explain for that to happen, a person's life would still need to be sacrificed. Accepting this as the truth, Ed prepares the transmutation as Al and Scar both watch, but backs out at the last second. That is when Scar intervenes, causing the red water tanks to break apart and encouraging Ed to take his younger brother and flee. However before he can do so, Ed accidentally comes into contact with the red water, which causes his alchemy abilities to quickly grow enhanced and out of control. Lust realizes that it is due to the large amount of red water, forcing the homunculi to retreat.

Outside, Bradley gives the orders to move in and a group of soldiers encounter Kimblee, who escaped earlier. That is also where Greed and the human chimeras are, as they take down the soldiers and Kimblee is impressed with them.

Armstrong, Ross, and Brosh arrive where Ed is and Armstrong quickly realizes that Ed's enhanced alchemy is going to hit into a rebound. Ross embraces Ed, which cancels out the rebound effect but leaves him unconscious. Back outside, Lust, Gluttony and Envy, disguised as military officers, escape the building safely and the Fuhrer's secretary, Juliet Douglas, secretly congratulates them on a job well done as they are leaving. Armstrong exits the building, carrying the Elric brothers in his arms, while the soldiers clap in gratitude.

Episode Notes

• This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 13: Fullmetal Body.
• According to screenwriter Sho Aikawa, the most critical moment of this episode was Ed's thought process on the morality of situation. As in his words, "If I hadn't portrayed these feelings properly, Ed would seem just like a passive child who doesn't see the reality of things."
• Aikawa stated that Ross's embrace was a sign Ed had made the right decision, and was a display of his character growth thus far.

See Also

• Episode 8: The Fifth Laboratory (2009 series)

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