24It's certainly about time I got one of these up. Just like I promised I would in Fading Existence (side glances at shameless advertising...go read if you haven't! XD ) I've started the process of uploading the first chapter of each of my main stories that have been sitting on the sorta-back burner. Please read them and give them a chance. They have been beta'd and revised but neither I nor my beta are claiming perfection so if you do by chance see any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them. Hopefully there aren't any, or at least very minor ones that won't leave you confused. I've run into that before while reading other stories. I remember tilting my head and wondering what the word had once been before it had been beaten, mangled, tortured, chewed, swallowed, spit back out, and beaten again before we readers view it. (sweat-drop) So...yeah.
Oh! And within the next week or so I'll be putting a poll up in my profile asking all of you which of my main stories I should continue. These have been sitting around for a LONG time. Strange how I was more busy during the summer but when school starts again I've got more free time. Well, not for long as I'll hopefully be getting my first (FIRST! O.o) job soon. But I'll still be updating frequently. I will be trying to get back into the swing of things, actually writing new stuff instead of going over old works. Yes! That means I'll be getting back to working on Dark Side of the Moon with my co-author DemonAlchemist5. So expect the next chapter soon. I apologize for the profusely for the long wait.
Without further rambling, here's the first chapter (more like a prologue) of Dual Sympathy!
Dual Sympathy Ch. 1
Roy Mustang sighed, propping his elbow atop the desk, his head resting on his palm as he read the missing persons report on his desk for what felt like the billionth time. It had been nearly a month since the Elric brothers had gone missing. There had been reports of sightings of their being taken away into the night from their hotel room, both knocked out cold and slung over the stranger's shoulders.
The colonel was miffed none of the few witnesses they had were able to get a good look at the kidnapper's face. Nor had anyone a clue as to the motive. Perhaps on the mission they had seen something they weren't supposed to or met someone connected to what they were supposed to have been investigating...?
"Sir?" The door opened and Riza Hawkeye walked in, papers tucked beneath one arm as the other shut the door behind her. "Is everything alright?"
Roy closed his eyes, pushing the paper to the side before folding his hands and resting his chin on his knuckles. Exhausted midnight-blue orbs watched the first lieutenant with an air of weary irritation.
They had searched and searched and...found nothing. No trace of either brother. It was disheartening, for those in the office were like an extended family of sorts: dysfunctional—oh, very much so—but close nonetheless. It was difficult for them to accept that the boys may never be found.
Mustang was determined to be the last to lose hope if that were to ever happen. They were precious to him in a way he couldn't quite explain, even if Edward could be quite the annoying little pipsqueak. Both Fullmetal and Alphonse held a quality about them that made even the selfish and proud hold respect for them.
Through thick and thin they had stuck together, were strong and worked like a well-oiled machine. So it seemed almost right that if one went missing, so did the other. That didn't make it any more acceptable, however.
"You're still thinking about them, aren't you, sir." It was less of a question than a statement. She knew him too well to know what was on his mind even if he tried hard not to show it.
Without a word, it was understood that he was, and wished to be left alone to his thoughts. Quietly Hawkeye placed the stack of paperwork that required the alchemist's signature over the report. She met his eyes with a knowing smile then briskly left the room.
"Another day of paperwork, another day of 'what-if's." And with a deeper sigh than the first, Roy pulled out the pen from the small base attached to his desk's top and signed his name with flourish and a flick.
FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA
In a hidden lab unknown by the general population, and even missed by everyday hikers, was a room mostly devoid of light. The only light came from each of the cylindrical tanks mounted against the far wall, opposite the only door to the room. Each gave off a soft glow, creating grotesque shadows that left their true forms to one's imagination. Condensed water vapor clung desperately to the glass casings, some collecting to form water droplets, growing in size and speed as they fell to the metal base designed to collect the runaways.
Jutting out slightly from the side of the large container of more than eight feet in height and three feet in diameter were the controls and settings to operate the machinery to keep its contents stable. In the upper right hand corner of the screen above the keypad was the current temperature. Readings on a pulse resided on the left half of the screen, above the respiration status.
To the right of the screen itself were three small colored circles, the top one currently lit up green. Below it was an orange circle, and below that a red. Only one of the containers was activated, holding something precious but obscured by the warmer air's condensation.
Standing before the large device was a figure clad in a white lab coat over a black shirt and slacks. Scrutinizing blue orbs behind thick, rounded glasses observed the screen, the light scritching of a pencil to paper breaking the steady beeps from the monitored heart rate.
"Soon you will be ready for the transference." The man smirked darkly, sticking his writing utensil into its plastic holder on the clipboard. With a firm but delicate swipe of the hand over the glass just above eye-level, the small cleared section revealed a yellow-tinted liquid substance inside.
Connected to wires and tubes attached to a cup over the mouth and nose was a human, suspended in the thick creation of different components to keep the body alive and healthy. Through one of the tubes fitted through the cup came ground up and liquefied food and water, fed directly into the person's stomach. The other tube went straight into the lungs, driven by the machine to imitate breathing. In. Out. In. Out.
Perfection. A term they had been striving for for years, and here it was, soon to be. If his experiment went according to plan, he would have discovered not only a new way to transfer souls to another body, but also a way to create a new body from pieces of other live ones and fit a suitable soul into it.
The equivalence had already been accounted for. Souls of the starting creatures in exchange for the soul to be implanted. Then there was the discovery of the connection between the mind and the soul. It was simply amazing.
Body, the physical means of existence.
Mind, the intelligence level and creation, storage, and restoration of memories and experience.
And Soul, the essence of one's being, giving to the body life and purpose for movement, and to the mind the power and opportunity to learn and grow.
Trial and error was a process in which they had discovered a link between the soul and mind, even while the former had been moved from the body into another. Memories, though vague and sometimes in bits and pieces, still somehow became ingrained in the new body. But how those two forms of life could still affiliate with one another even after being separated still had yet to be solved. And what good scientist left a question such as that to be unanswered?
The scientist inserted his still damp hand into his pocket, taking one last look at his future. If this soul took to the soon-to-be-readied body, and perhaps even kept the mind and soul bridged, he could possibly have stumbled upon the newest discovery of furthering the lives of all living creatures and the creation of a new weapon against the military.
"Fools for not believing this was possible," he hissed, pulling his hand out of his pocket and pushing the glasses up to sit more comfortably on the bridge of his nose with his middle finger.
Turning on his sneakered heels, he walked confidently to the door. With a hiss, silver doors lined with yellow and black striped tape slid open, then shut behind the man as he walked away.
Please be kind and review to let me know what you think of this so far. Thanks! (smiles)