Episode 21: The Red Glow (2003 series)

With Alphonse doubting himself, he is no longer able to dodge the attacks of Barry the Chopper who continues to taunt him about his soul being artificially created. Just as Al questions about Barry having his memories when he was alive, the two quickly notice someone jumping off the gate into the field. Barry responds that all he cares about with is carving up people and states he is who he is as he charges at the newcomer overconfidently ready to carve this person up. However, Barry is unaware that this person is actually Scar, who grabs his hand to avoid being carved up, and states that Barry doesn't need to prove his existence. Mistaking Scar as Al's friend, Barry's right arm is destroyed by Scar who quickly recognizes him as a hallow like Al and is quickly ready to finish Barry off stating he'll find peace with God. Seeing Scar's tattoo, Barry pretends to know what it is to distract Scar long enough to set off a hidden bomb. In doing so, it completely releases the seal on the Homunculus Greed who was stored below Laboratory 5, and he quickly awakens happily removing the remaining bonds from his body. The destruction Greed causes also releases the electronic locks in another part of the underground facility as Greed offers for anyone to come with him as the Human Chimeras imprisoned there see him.

Scar wakes up discovering that Al protected him from the rubble, and watches as Barry escapes, taunting him to come in to learn the secret of his tattoo. Scar quickly heads inside with Al following closely behind. Questioning the explosion, Edward learns the explosives are for destroying evidence, and the older Slicer Brother mentions while he doesn't know everything he can guide Ed where he needs to go. Worried about the younger Slicer brother, the two admit there is no point in living with their hallow body in bad shape and even if they became human again they would be executed again due to them being criminals. Despite his efforts, Ed can only watch hopelessly as the younger Slicer brother destroys his Blood Rune ending his life. After the older brother responds to what happened, Ed, determined not to let Al go through this takes the helmets and heads out.

Next door at the Central Prison, the guards outside see the smoke from the lab, while the ones inside question the tremors as they mention their orders to let out several prisoners for a military experiment. The former Crimson Alchemist, Solf J. Kimblee, who has a life sentence mentions the tremor was likely a bomb inside his cell. Kimblee is excited, having been reminded of the explosions he created from the war crimes he committed on friend and foe alike in the Ishval Civil War as he is removed from his cell. Envy under the guise of Basque Grand is in charge of escorting the prisoners, which Lust is happy with being able to complete their mission, only to learn from Gluttony that Greed is loose signaling that they need to hurry before further interruptions can occur. While traveling with the older Slicer brother, Ed learns there are no more traps due to no one getting past them before, and just as he asks who bonded his soul to the helmet, a group of Chimeras attack which Ed has difficulty fighting off.

The Chimera's are called off by a whistle by Shou Tucker now fused with a chimera body, despite having been officially executed three years ago. Still bitter for what he did to his daughter Nina, Ed finds that Tucker understands his bitterness. While walking through the hallway, and talking with Scar on his need to kill Ed, Al learns that Scar considers his tattooed arm as a sign to kill State Alchemists, and tells Scar all Ed wants with the Philosopher's Stone is to get his body back. While disputing the danger of the Stone, Al mentions Ishval having been destroyed for getting too close to the stone, which Scar angrily remembers the day he confronted his brother for breaking the taboo of using alchemy for Human Transmutation. Scar then recalls the day during the war, that his brother came out of his house naked with his body marked with Transmutation symbols insanely questioning why Ishvala forbade alchemy and believes that Ishval was destined to be destroyed as Scar watched him walk off in horror. As Al comforts Scar that he and Ed came to Lab 5 to confirm that the Stone uses a Human Sacrifice, Lust and Gluttony arrive. After Lust denies anything about Scar's brother having succeeded, Scar identifies them as Homunculus to Al much to Al's horror.

Questioning Tucker about his death being faked and the unconventional alchemy skills he's learned since then, Ed demands that Tucker tell him who is in charge of Lab 5, only to learn to his horror that Tucker's goal is to create a new Chimera body for Nina which is why he wound up in his current form for trying to bring her back to life with still being one step away to completing his research. Tucker then shows Ed a room which has a large amount of the refined Red Water from Tim Marcoh's research. Tucker points out these uncompleted red stones are powerful similar to the power that Cornello and Mugear previously used against Ed, and will be complete once it receives even greater power. As Al faces Gluttony and Scar faces Lust, once Tucker reveals that no ordinary Alchemist can create the stone, Ed realizes that he is capable of being able to complete it.