A crescent moon hanging in the sky is seen. We see Central Library, dark and quiet... Well, quiet except for the sound of someone messily eating something. Inside, Lust surveys the shelves, carrying a three pronged candle with her. She realizes how hard it'll be to find the book there. She starts to walk down past the shelves when Scar peeks out from an aisle she has passed, watching her. Scar wonders if she really is her, and flashes back to a memory of his brother and a woman with him, who looks a lot like Lust. He makes a sound, and Lust turns, hearing it. She sees Scar and smiles. Scar looks at her and comments on how she looks so much like her, but she isn't her. Just then, we hear Gluttony talking about smelling the blood-soaked Ishbalian (Scar). We see him appear from the shadows, face covered in blood and laughing insanely. Lust asks Scar if he's after Ed, and then tells him she can't let him do that, he's trying to make the Philosopher's Stone. Gluttony then charges Scar, wanting to eat him, too. Cut to the Opening. Ed celebrates their finally arriving in Central. Ed wants to get going right away, and Al follows, but Armstrong tells them that the Library won't be going anywhere. As they leave the station, they are met by two more soldiers, one a man with blonde hair in a way that looks a lot like Ed's, and the other a woman with short black hair and a mole under her left eye. They are Sgt. Danny Bloch and Lt. Maria Ross. They are to continue guarding Ed because Armstrong has to return to HQ. Like many others, they address Al as the Fullmetal Alchemist, not Ed. When they learn of who Ed really is, Bloch is surprised, and when Ed confronts him, he begins to babble that he thought Ed would be more full and more metal, heh. Ed sighs, hoping they won't be a nuisance, and heads off, with Bloch running after him telling him they have a car waiting. Al apologizes to Ross about his brother's behavior. They head off for the Library. However... There was a fire last night, and most of the First Branch is now destroyed. Ed and Al stare in disbelief at the wreckage. Ross tells them that, according to eyewitnesses, the main suspect of it is Scar. Ed tries to pick up the remnants of a book, but it falls to ash in his hands. At Central HQ, Hughes squeals (well, sorta) and continues to praise Elysia. Of course, he's annoying Mustang, who contemplates whether it is possible to send fire over the phone line to scorch the other person's ear. Hughes laughs at that, and then becomes serious, telling him about the Library. They know Scar was involved. However, it's unlikely that he did it all by himself. There is evidence of a fight. The fight, it seemed, extended to the waterways, where they found his jacket, soaked in blood.It's unknown if he's alive. There also seems to be a rumor saying that, in the wake of Gran's death, one Colonel Mustang may be transfered back to Central. Though, some also say Mustang's behind all this. Mustang thinks that's idiotic, but likes the idea of returning. Hughes warns him that he has a lot of enemies in the higher-ups. He needs to get as many allies as he can. He also... Needs to hurry up and find a wife. With an angered shout, Mustang slams the phone down. Back at Central Library (remember, only the First Branch was destroyed. The Library is quite big), Ed, Al, Ross, Bloch, and the two employees of the First Branch look at the only remaining books, none of which are what they want. One of the employees says that they didn't find any sign of a book by Tim Marcoh. If it was moved to another branch, it would be in the records. It's possible that someone borrowed it, though. However, the records of those were destroyed. Ed thinks that knowing if it even was there would be useful, and asks if there was anyone else who worked at the First Branch. They say there wasn't. But Ed recalls a mousty girl with glasses who wsa there the last time he visited (way back in episode 7). The woman smiles, knowing of her. That was Scieszka, who was fired. She was strange, a real bookworm. So, they decide to visit her house. They knock at the door, but no one answers. The lights are on inside, though, so Ed bursts in. There are books EVERYWHERE. They then hear someone calling out for help from inside the pile. They quickly set to work to dig her out, which results in Bloch, Ed, and Al being covered in more books. Eventually, they get her free. Scieszka (may be called Bookworm-lady from here on out, dunno if I can spell her name correctly forever) sighs and says that she was always told that she would die with her head in a book, but she didn't think it would be literal. Ed asks if she really did work at the First Branch, which she did. But, she was fired because she read all the time. She needs the money for her sick mother, but she doesn't have a job, and only reads books all the time. Ed asks her if she read a book by Tim Marcoh, and she thinks about it. Yup, she did. She remembers reading it. So, the book was there, and is now ash. Scieszka feels what Ed feels, though for the wrong reasons (she knows what it's like to not be able to read a book you want to, and goes on to talk abou how she held "expeditions" for books in the library). Ed has a backup plan, though. He is going to attempt to transmute ALL the burnt books back to normal, but before he can, a strong breeze blows all the ash away. However, Scieszka comes forward and tells Ed that she can make a copy of the book. Once she reads a book, she can remember it, word for word. Three days, and tons of paper, later, she has fully rewritten Tim Marcoh's book, "Today's Menu, 1000 Dishes." (Title may be slightly different in the Dub) They can't believe it, it seems that it's the wrong book. Looking through the book, Ross confirms that they are recipes. Bloch asks if she copied the wrong book, but Scieszka is sure she didn't. Ed thanks her, though, and writes down a number on a piece of paper, and hands it, and his watch, to Ross. If they present that to the State Alchemist Organization, they'll give him the amount he's written down. He and Al leave with the papers, and Ross follows, giving Bloch the stuff. Bloch and Scieszka look at it and are astounded by the amount written (it's part of his research funds). Ross catches up with Ed and Al, and asks where they are going. They're heading to the Library, because they'll need to look up a lot of things. Ross doesn't want them to go, because they need more guards. But Ed continues past her, and Al apologizes, as this is the first real clue they've had for a long time. In the library, Ed looks over the notes. He reveals that, though this looks like it's all recipies, it's really written in code. Marcoh did his in th e guise of cooking food, as Alchemy is said to have been created in the kitchen (though it's not said in the Anime, in the manga, it's revealed that Ed does his Alchemic notes in the form of Travelogues, and Mustang in the names of women). It should be easy to decode it. Many hours later, though, Ed and Al still haven't broken it. Just then, Hughes comes to pay them a visit. They begin to chat, and Bloch notices how casual they are with each other, which is strange, for the military. Ross marches in and addresses Hughes, telling him that she wants Ed and Al moved to a place with better security. Hughes admits that she's right, but they should ask Armstrong, but neither wants to. Ed pleads with Hughes to let them stay, and then says that, due to the fire, most of their records were destroyed. Ed hears this and has an idea. He takes him to see Sciezska, who read all of them. He reveals to Hughes that she can rewrite the records verbatim (hope I'm using that word right), and Hughes is happy to hear it. He hires Sciezska on the spot, and then sees Ed smiling smugly at him. With a laugh, he tells Ed that he'll allocate more guards to them. As Hughes leaves, Ross tries to stop him, but Hughes tells her that they can only protect the boys, and it's something she'll understand when she has children. We see a flashback to Scar's brother and the woman next to him. The woman turns to face us, and chagnes to Lust, who smiles evily. We see Gluttony charge at Scar, surprisingly fast for a large person. Scar lunges at him and his hand lands on Gluttony's head. With a flash of light, a large gyser of blood shouts out the back of his head (note, this was cut in the dub airing on AS, but will be on the DVD). Gluttony, blood still spurting (this wasn't cut), smiles and grabs Scar's waist. Scar cringes and spits some blood. He touches his hand to Gluttony's arm (his left arm) and with another flash of light, he cuts clear through it, sending Gluttony back, screaming. Scar hits the shevles behind him, but jumps away as Lust cuts through it. She smiles, tosses the candles aside, and charges at Scar. She misses, but cuts through the walkway, and Scar jumps back, Lust and Gluttony following. Scar lands, and narrowly dodges another swipe by Lust's claws. Gluttony lands on top of her. Scar faces the two of them, blood trickling down his face. The candles on the floor above catch several fallen books on fire. Scar looks at Lust adn Gluttony and calls them Homunculi (plural form of Homunculus, Latin for Little Man). Lust is surprised that there are still people alive who know of that term. Gluttony charges Scar once more, but Scar destroys the floor of the library, as well as the wall behind him, vanishing. His escape also destroys much of the First Branch. What's left is all aflame. On top of the building now, Lust and Gluttony watch the fire below. Gluttony is sad he couldn't eat Scar. Lust wishes she could've read Marcoh's report, but it's ok, it's gone now. Scar wakes up in a bed. A young kid pulls open the flap to the tent and sees he's awake. He asks if Scar's an Ishbalian, and then tells him that he's an Ishbalian as well, this is a refugee camp. Scar, heavily bandaged, is taken to see the (apparently) village elder, who tells him that there are many camps like this one. Scar is surprised that so many of his people are alive, and is glad about it. He also knows that Scar is wanted by the State, but they don't betray their own kind there. Scar looks at his tattooed arm, and the kid sees it. Back at the library, Bloch and Ross still wait outside the room with Ed and Al. Bloch stretches and yawns. Ross sighs and tells Bloch that it's their duty to protect them until they find what they're looking for. But just then, they hear Ed shout out in anger. Ed is leaning over the papers, eyes angry, realizing why it's called the Devil's Research, and why Marcoh stopped his research. Ross opens the door a little and looks in, hearing what Ed says next. The Philosopher's Stone uses Living People as a component. Back at the refugee camp, the kid asks if Scar is about to leave, which he is. He thanks for the hospitatlity. The kid comments on how cool Scar's arm looks. Scar tells him it's something a family member gave him.