Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 7 : Hidden Truths

   

 Arriving in Central City with Major Armstrong, Ed and Al are horrified to discover that the first branch of the National Central Library - where the notes of Dr. Marcoha - was completely burnt. Meanwhile, back in East City, Lust explains to Gluttony that she burned down the facility in the capital after discovering that Fullmetal learned the whereabouts of Marco's notes, but her hungry companion is preoccupied with something else - the unmistakable scent of a masked Ishvalan. in the blood. Down in the sewer tunnels, Scar is suddenly attacked by Gluttony and Lust, and their battle causes an explosion.

In his office, Colonel Mustang hears a report from Lt. Hawkeye and 2nd Lt. Havoc that Scar's sightings have completely dropped since his attack on the Elric brothers. However, Roy hopes that the Scarred Man is still in the eastern city, as solving a problem that even the top brass in the capital can't handle would surely earn him points with Central Command and further facilitate his secret pursuit of the Führer's headquarters. and supreme military authority. As Hawkeye advises him to be more discreet with such ambitious statements, the three receive word of a sewer explosion and head out to investigate. Riza identifies Scar's bloody jacket floating in the river, and while Havoc claims no bodies have been found, Roy tasks him and his team with clearing the area and searching for Scar. Meanwhile, hiding among the gathering crowd, Gluttony bemoans his inability to kill and eat the Ishvalan assassin, but Lust assures him that Scar will remain inactive for a while with the injuries he has sustained, and states that she is returning to Central to report to "Father . ."

At Central, Ed is introduced to the soldiers who will take over the Elric security detail from Major Armstrong - 2nd Lt. Maria Ross and Sergeant Denny Brosh. Ross and Brosh escorted the boys to meet someone who could help them, a woman named Sheska, who was well versed in the materials cataloged in the first branch of the library. When they arrive at her house, they find that Sheska was fired for reading texts in the library instead of doing her work, and that she clearly remembers that Tim Marcoh's work was stored in the first branch. Ed and Al, disappointed by this confirmation of their target's destruction, thank Sheska and prepare to leave, but she informs them that with her photographic memory, she could perfectly reproduce the text for them if they wanted. Five days later, the transcript is complete, and although everything Sheska wrote appears to be no more than a standard cookbook, Edward thanks her and takes the transcripts back to the main library branch to study. Once there, explains Sgt. Brosh that many alchemists encode their alchemical documents at a high level to prevent their information from falling into the wrong hands; if Sheska's copy is perfect and accurate, Elric may be able to crack the code and decipher Marco's secret notes. Even after several hours of hard work, however, the Elrics had made very little progress in understanding what Dr. Marcoh was working. They are visited by Lt. Col. Hughes, who complains about the loss of important court-martial records that were stored in the first branch of the library, and when he tells him that Sheska (who has read the records) is able to reproduce them. all from memory he is happy to offer her a new job in his office. The boys continue their research, but are furious when, after ten days, they finally crack the code and discover the secret Marcoh has been trying to hide - that the main component of the Philosopher's Stone is a living human being. Ross and Brosh are horrified, but Edward asks them not to reveal this information to anyone else.

That evening, Major Armstrong comes to visit the boys at their hotel, but Maria Ross tells him that the Elrics are too tired to receive visitors. Unfortunately, when she and Denny start whispering about Ed and Al's melancholy, Armstrong becomes suspicious. Upstairs in the room, as the boys lament their rotten luck and wonder if their original forms have been lost forever, Edward mentions to Alphonse that there's something important he's always wanted to talk to his little brother about, but was too afraid to come. However, Edward is interrupted when Major Armstrong bursts into the room, prompting Brosh and Ross to tell him why the boys were so sullen. As Armstrong weeps over the boys' misfortune and laments how cruel the truth can be, Edward is suddenly reminded of Dr. Marcoh's mysterious final message—that there is "truth" behind the truth. Edward takes this to mean there's more to discover, so with the help of the others, he continues his investigation. Looking at a map of the city that marks all four alchemy labs currently operating in Central City, Edward notices a supposedly abandoned fifth lab within the city limits and suggests that this location is most likely the facility where the stones were made of the Sages - cites its proximity to the central prison as the key, as inmates on death row could be used as necessary "living ingredients" of the Stone without attracting attention. Fearing the political fallout if the central government is involved in such an enterprise, Armstrong prepares to quietly investigate the matter himself, advises Brosh and Ross not to talk about it with anyone, and demands that the Elric brothers stay in their hotel and stay away . from lab 5 until further notice.

However, under the cover of night, the boys sneak out to investigate the facility - curious to find that a soldier has been stationed outside as a guard, despite the building being said to be "abandoned". Realizing that the only secret way into the lab was through a narrow ventilation system, Edward decided to head inside while Alphonse stayed outside. Deep in the alcoves of the empty lab, they sense an intruder and two dark, armored figures calling themselves 48 and 66 stir; 66 plans to go after Al while 48 prepares to take Edward on. Ed notices that the lighted corridors are still receiving electricity and confirms that the lab is still operational. Meanwhile, Alphonse is suddenly attacked by 66.