"Yeah."

And she heads off at a jog, to call Akira - say she needs to come back, it's an emergency - Akira calls her back from a payphone outside, Bellona explains, Akira says not to try painkillers, it's too risky and there's things dogs are allergic to that humans aren't and vice versa - they need to find and collate as many of Tucker's notes as they can, try to keep his other chimeras alive and comfortable, too, so she can study those without risk to September -

Even if she just vanished from the military, Akira says it would take her two days to get back. It might be closer to four.

Akira also thinks they should loop Hughes and Mustang in. If there's a trial - the girls can probably get away with killing Tucker, but it'll look better if they didn't appear to try to cover it up. And, if they can avoid a trial, those two will be helpful there, too.

Bellona thanks her and returns to relay this to El.

Okay. Does Bellona want to get Hughes or stay here with September?

"...I don't know."

"I don't think I'll be good at - relaying this carefully."

"Okay. I'll go. You stay here."

"Okay."

"Stay safe."

"You too."

And off to find Hughes.

He meets her at his door. "El! Come in! Something wrong? Where's Bellona?"

"There's- can we talk privately?"

"Yeah. This way."

He tells Gracia they need to talk privately, and leads El to an upstairs office and shuts the door.

"So-"

"You know how September didn't come with us earlier. And that Tucker is studying chimeras."

"...Yes."

"When we got back. We found, in his lab."

"He had used the dog. And September."

"Are you girls okay - where is he now?"

He super does not sound happy.

"-He's dead."

"And you girls need help. Is September alive?"

"Yes, but - in pain."

"Do you know anything we can do for her?"

"Not right now. We called Professor Curtis and she's coming back but it'll be a few days."

"I'll see what I can do to get leave requests expedited. Or smoothed over. I have favors to call in, in a lot of offices."

"Thanks."

"You're not going to be able to hide this from the military, not effectively."

"No." Hence her being here. "But we want to help September, not get her taken away."

"With Shou Tucker involved so centrally - this is going to be entirely the military. Her fate will be decided within it, and they'll decide whatever spin to have the press put out later, if anything. So any trial or investigation for Tucker's death depends on who's on the military tribunal, there, and that's ultimately the Fuhrer's call... Your mother should be able to win medical custody of September rather easily - we don't actually presently have anyone else working on chimeras or biological alchemy, so her area of expertise is closest, there."

"Who do you think would be on the tribunal?"

"Mustang can probably swing a seat. Basque Grand. At least one other, but it's harder to say who - depends on how important Command decides this is... Two thirds is enough for a decision in any direction. Mustang would vote in your favor... Grand once killed a superior officer for sending soldiers on a suicide mission. It didn't get out, but he'd be sympathetic in this case, I think, even if he doesn't have children. Very good chance the third has children, officers usually do, and very good case whoever has a strict disapproval of Tucker's actions - but there's a lot of people who'd think an extrajudicial death was over the line."