Future alchemy

Ok, I don't remember if I ever posted this here before, my memory is'nt what it used to be, but anyways this is a story I've been working on for awhile, it's based in the future, and alchemy is real.
So without further ado.




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I was about to give up my search when I heard the transmutatIon.
It sounded like a-thousand metallic creatures screeching.
I looked into the dilapidated alley way and went white, nearly passing out. An Alchemist stood in front of the wall staring at a fresh blood-shadow.
The Alchemist turned and looked at me and with a sick smile on his face and fled.
I walked into the alley feeling faint as I looked at what Alchemaic powers wrought in the wrong hands.
The stain of blood on the wall, the blood-shadow was all that was left of the now former Ms. Zabi.
I turned and ran through the darkened ruins of the ancient city, once known as San Francisco.
As I ran the memories of the previous day, and my life began to flash by in my mind.
Dr. Zeril and I had been studying the old MagLev statIon that had been in use for a few yeas after the great Pacific upheaval.
As the memories began to fade back into my mind, the image of the blood-shadow shown bright in my mind-sight.
When I reached the old hotel that served as our base camp, I went straight to suit A5, my temporary room while we were in the city, and locked the door. As I stood there shaking, being witness to one of the most gruesome things that one would ever see, I walked over to the bed and picked up the Jet-injector full of the sleeping medicine, and used it.
I fell asleep within 5 minutes.
I found myself walking through a densely populated city, I looked around, the noise confusing me, than I realized that I was having a REM memory. As I watched the people hurrying about on their way to where ever they were going, the ground began to shake. People stopped and looked around seeming dazed at first, than horrified! The grand skyscrapers swayed in a near hypnotic rhythm. The ground began to crack and break, than there was nothing but screaming, as the buildings began to collapse!
I woke up sweating. I quickly grabbed the audio-visual memory recorder I kept next to my bed and pressed its cold uncaring shape against my temple. A few seconds later it beeped, stating that it had finished its preprogrammed duty.
I set it into its base to charge and download its new data into the memory matrix.
I looked at the optical dome clock and swore, it was only 04:00.
I decided to get up and do something cosnstructive.
I went into the bathroom and showered. As I was getting dressed the memory of the blood-shadow from the previous night flooded into my head. I grimaced and tried to put it out of my mind.
I finished getting dressed and went down to the dining hall of the old building that now served as our mess hall.
Dr. Zabil was sitting alone at a table eating an apple from the expeditIons hydroponics module while he read the data-pad in his hand.
"Dr.," I said.
"Hmm? what? oh Rodai, your up early."
"Yes," I replied." Dr., there's something I have to talk to you about."
As I sat down, I try’d to think of the best way to tell Zabil. that I had seen his closest colleague die the night before.
"Dr., while I was out last night I saw an Alchemist run into an alley." This in itself surprised Zabil, since 90% of Alchemists worked for the government , and we would have been informed that a state Alchemist was arriving.
"Dr.," I continued." I followed him into the alley and saw him…"
"What did you see Rodai?"
"I saw him transmute Dr. Habi into a blood-shadow."
Zabil went white as a ghost and was paralyzed from shock for a few moments.
"You…your sure it was her?" Zabil asked too shocked to show emotIon.
"Yes," I replied." He ran when he saw me."
"Oh my, Rodai. Where was this? " Zabil asked.
"Between the old Chinese theatre and Department store in sector-C sectIon-22."
Zabil got up to walk out." Dr.," I said. "Are you going to be alright?"
"Yes, I’m going to take a walk and let it set in. Rodai, thank you for telling me now instead of later." Zabil walked out of the room. I could see the pain in his face even though he tried to hide it.
After I finished my breakfast I went up to my corders to do some data logging I had been neglecting.
When I finished I looked up at the rotating holographic clock numerals, it was 18:00.
I went to the window and looked outside, the dull brown-grey dead cityscape had an eerie crimson glow cast upon it by the setting sun.
After I gazed out of the window for a few minutes I decided to go through the history archives, I was determined to get through the entire history simulatIon, the past few times I had tried, I couldnt, it was just to horrible.
I went to the other side of the room where there was an old wooden cabinet, one of the few things in the hotel that hadnt been destroyed or damaged to badly, I opened it and took out the silver memory cube and neural adaptors.
I went over to my bed and turned on the memory cube and connected the neural adaptors, I laid down and told the memory cubes L.I. to start the sequence.
Suddenly I wasnt in the bed in my room anymore, I was standing in pre-upheavel Los Angeles, I looked at the I-sat, that hovered around my head, in reality it wasnt actually there, this was actually all in my head, a kind of waking dream, and saw the record date, it was July 21st, 2019.
I looked up at the huge monolithic building behind me, one of the old, well new for the time period, I-tech buildings. I-tech had been at the time a new company that had almost sprang up over night, in only two years it had become one of the worlds largest and richest companies.
I told the memory cube to turn on N.I mode, one of the capabilities of memory cubes was to be able to place you in a program and let you interact, but for what I was doing, I needed to be a ghost.
I went inside the building, I was in a hurry so I adjusted the program so that I was in the presidents office, I stood in a corner and watched the scene that was about to happen.
The company founder and president, Ion OrIon was sitting at his desk going over something on a laptop.
After a few minutes there was a knock at the door, Ion stood up and said come in.
Two gentleman in suits who looked to be in there early to mid thirties came in accomping an Air Force general, who looked to be in his fifties.
Ion motIoned for them to sit down after they greeted eachother, and they began talking.
"So how may I help you gentleman today?" Ion said.
"As you know Mr. OrIon the United States Air Force has been working looking for new companies to produce are new generatIon of weapons."
"Yes its been on all the news channels, you want my company to make one of them than?
Yes we do, we want your company to help produce one of the weapons that will make up a new class of natural force weapons. A seismic activity producer.
An earthquake machine?!?"
"In lamans terms yes"
I fast forwarded the program and I was in a large desert enviroment.
There was a large booming sound and the ground began to quake.
A few minutes latere the sound and shaking quit, a group of people came out of a grey building behind me, the group consisted of the Air force general I had seen before, Ion OrIon and some other people in military dress.
They walked over to a large metallic cylinder protuding out of the ground
I walked over to listen to what was being said.
"Well gentleman, what did you think of our first test?" said Ion,
There was a mumble of content among the group.
Ion started speaking again,
"So, if you will all please turn your attentIon to the test area to your left"
The group looked over where Ion had motIoned as he manipulated the computer control panel on the side of the cylinder.
All the sudden the ground began to shake and huge rock and dirt mounds started to appear all over the previously smooth snadstone desert floor.
I fast forwarded through the program to the first public showing of the technology in 2021.
I now stood on a crowded pier at twilight, I set the program to interactive mode, and started walking around, I was about to go stand on the side of the pier when a diamond covered hand seized my arm.
"Nathan!" said a blond woman in a flowing white dress.
It took me a moment to realise who the woman was, Brittney Spears.
"Oh, hello Mrs. Spears, how are you this fine night?" I said.
She looked at me in an amused way "Oh come now Nathan, you dont have to be so formal, just call me Brittney"
"Oh ok", I said a little out of focus, the computer had'nt informed me who it had made me, I had however realised that I was supposed to be Nathan Hannigan, a very famous young actor of the time.
"So Nathan, what do you think this new technology is?"
I considered having a little fun by changing the outcome, but thought better of it, this was a time for work not play.
"Your guess is as good as mine at this point Brittney"
"Hmm, well I hope it's as impressive as they've made it out to be on all the publicitie adds" Brittney said.
All the sudden a voice came on over the speakers. I recognised it to be Ion Orion's.
"If you will all please come to the observatIon area, we're about to start the demonstratIon."
Brittney wrapped her arm around mine and led the way in the general directIon as everyone else.
"Oh, I cant wait, this is so exciting" Brittney said.
I glanced over at her, she was alot different than she had been a little over two decades previous.
In 2008 she gave up her singing career, to raise a family, and do what she said was her dream, to learn about, and hopefully help develop new technologies.
Later on in 2009, she started a technology company called Techon Industries.
I had been lost in thought, when I realised we were almost at our seats.
Two minutes later we were sitting in the front row in the Empire box, a group of 20 seats that was reserved for the most powerful and influential people.
While we waited for everyone else to get situated and the demonstratIon to begin, I looked around, trying to recognised the people around me, the first person I recognised was the President of the United States Jeb Bush, next to him was the secretary of defense and the secretary of the Air Force, I did'nt recognise anyone else.
I looked forward at the water of the San Francisco harbor, a harbor I had been to many times before, the exceptIon being that the one I was use to, was a flooded ruin.
This one however, was a beautiful well maintained high-class harbor.
I heard the click of the loud speakers going on, than Ion came on. I saw him standing on a stage set up on the edge of the docking in front of the stands.
"Ladies and gentleman, first may I say thank you for taking the time to be here tonight. Now, if you'll all turn your attentIon to the middle of the harbor."
Everyone looked up and into the harbor.
I looked down at Ion, he was pressing keys on the computer that was integrated into the podium.
All the sudden there was a louud rumbling sound and the ground began to tremor.
"Everyone, please dont be alarmed, this is part of the show." said Ion.
Than in the midle of the harbor, a dark brownish protusIon broke the surface of the serene still harbor waters.
Suddenly the huge search lights on the shores came on and lit up the object, people gasped as they realised what the object was, it was a newly formed island.
I heard a beeping sound, and with a jerk, was back in my room.
I looked around and saw Dr. Garrison.
"Sorry to interupt you Rodai, but a state alchemist has just arrived, and he needs to ask you some questions about last night."
I sat for a few seconds getting my barings, than got up.
"Ok Dr. Garrison, could you tell him I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Of course Rodai, just dont take to much time" said Garrison, than he left.
I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, and straightened out my clothes.
"Well, I hope this is'nt to bad" I said to myself, and went downstairs.
I entered the main dining hall, which was where all geusts wait, and saw a man sitting at a table in the corner, I recognised that he was a state alchemist from his uniform.
He looked normal, a little dark, like he had seen more than anyone should.
It was strange, I had expected a brainy looking person, a stereotype from the stories I had been told as a child, of the first generations of alchemists, alchemy was'nt as simple as clapping and putting your hands on something and having it poof into what you want for complex things, it was however relatively easy for simple objects, say a broom, all an alchemist would need is enough of each material, and they could transmute it into it, however for more complex things, like electronics, it was near impossible, only four alchemists of the time could actually transmute electronics, the most complex things that three of them could make was a simple radio, the one time that something more complex was ever made, was by the famed alchemist and computer scientist Akira Shimatoko, she was able to transmute a small computer. At the time, it was called one of the most significant events in alchemaic history.
In modern days though, transmuting a computer was simple for alchemists, in fact now, next to anything could be made using alchemy, the huge leap was brought about from the perfection and production of neural chips, a small super computer connected to the brain at the brain stem, it had wireless communication and downloading capabilities, when an alchemist is going to transmute a complex object, the computer takes partial control of the mind, and acts as a part of the brain, the information on how to make it is downloaded, so the alchemist can than make the object.
I walked over to the table he was sitting at and greeted him.
"Hi," I said.
"Oh hello, you would be Rodai than?" said the stranger
Something about him had intrigued me, and I relaised I had'nt answered and had been staring at him.
"Oh uh yeah I'm Rodai, nice to meet you." I said, trying to hide the blush that had broke over my face.
He smiled and stood up.
"Its nice to meet you to, my name is Hiro Telton." he said, and stuck his hand out in front of him.
I looked and realised, he was waiting for me to shake his hand, I reached out and grasped it and shook his hand.
"Well, I need to ask you some questions, in regards to what you were witness to last night."
"Of course, I'll try to tell you as much as I can." I said as we sat down.
"Thank you for being cooperative. " he said as he pulled out a notebook and writing utencil out of the bag next to his seat.
"Now, will you please describe to me, the best you can what the offender looked like."
I sat for a mintue thinking than said, "Well, I did'nt see alot, his face was shadowed partially by the hood of his cape, but from what I did see, he had pale white skin, I saw some strands of hair escaping his hood, that was black, so I geuss black hair, I'd geuss shoulder length, he was about six feet tall, thin build, thats all I really saw of him"
"And what was he wearing exactly?" Hiro asked.
"Well" I said as I tryed to remember exactly what the alchemist had been wearing. "He had an ankle length cape on, it was dark colored, possibly black or dark blue, I only saw the front of him for a few seconds, but from what I saw he was wearing a uniform alot like yours, but it was a darker grey color, His shoes wer.."
"Wait, say that again" he said as I was describing the shoe color.
"Umm, which part?" I said, a little confused.
"The part about his unifrom, tell me exactly what it looked like." he said in a sudden flush of energy.
"Oh, well, he had a uniform on that was almost identical to yours, except it was a darker grey, I guess charcoal might be the closest shade of grey, and there were bottons down the front, that had some sort of really intriqit design on them, he left before I could really see what the designs were." I said, a little confused.
"Damit, how did he get all the way here...Rodai, I need to know exactly what he looked like, a picture if you will, to do that, I would need to do a neural memory transfer, and scan the memory of what he looked like from your mind, and create a holo-image." I stared at him blankly for a second realising what he wanted, it would be similiar to my audio-visual memory recorder, but more intense.
I thought about it for a minute. "Ok, I'm willing to do it." I said, a little nervous thinking about it.
"Good, thank you, it would have been very difficult otherwise, to get a positive description I mean."
At first I saw the surface image of relief, but than I saw deeper, even though he was relieved I was helping, and making things easier and more efficient for him, something was bothering him immensly.
"I'm guessing, from the way you reacted when I mentioned him that you know of him." I said, only hakf meaning to.
He looked at me for a few seconds, as if debating with himself to say something or not.
"You're right, I do know who he is. His name is..well was James Wellington, now though, he goes by Corbeaux Noir."
I thought about the name for a second, the name sounded vaguely familiar. I accessed all information I could find from our teams local network. A split second later a result popped into my virtual view. I knew I'd heard the words before, an old club that had existed before the great upheavels "La maison du Corbeau Noir" The house of the black Raven, there was'nt very much relevant information about it, apart from it had been a night club that had an exclusive batch of clientel, and had been shut down in 2020 after a group of extreme catholic fundamentalists lodged complaints about it, it had been a long and drawn out case, the eventual closing, was because the owner suddenly agred to close his doors. There was a historical footnote in the record, aparently the woner and the people who frequented it, who had come to testify in court, had become increasingly scared of something.
I decided to do more research into it later on, when I had the time and would'nt be interrupted or distracted.
"Black Raven, thats a strange name." I said after a moment.
He looked a little shocked, which was not surprising, the name was French, a language that had been dead for nearly a century.
"I'm impressed, most people would'nt have realised what language it's in, let alone what it means."
"My grandmother spoke it, it was something of a tradition passed down since early post upheavel times, I've never been to great at it, but I can speak a little." I said, with more energy than I had intended.
"That reminds me, I read your personel record, and saw that your adoptive families last name was 'Voyon', and I was wondering, if there is any connection to Jean Pierre Voyon?"
I was surprised by the question, I realised it had been nearly ten seconds since he had asked, and hurredly started to answer. "Yes, my adoptive family is directly descended from him. I'm surprised you've even heard of him."
He grinned a little than said "Heard of him? I've not only heard of him, he's one of my favorite historical poets."
"Really? I did'nt expect to ever meet anyone who appreciated his poetry. If I may, what's your favorite poem of his?"
"My favorite? I'd have to say 'Raven'."
"Really? That's quite a coincidence, that's my favorite poem as well"
"Hm, most people that I've run into that have heard of the poem find it to be a bit...morbid. It's nice to meet someone who does'nt." He said.
I glanced at my watch, and saw the translucsent blue numerals that showed the time, and realised it had been nearly six minutes since Hiro had asked me to do a neural memory transfer.
"Umm.. Mr. Telton, it's nice talking about my ancestor and all, but its been awhile since I agreed to go thorugh the neural memory transfer." I said, feeling a bit awkward and as if I was being rude.
He looked at me with a bemused grin" Your quite right, and as I'm suppose to send all relevant information to S.A.H.Q, I suppose we should get this over with. Oh, and please, call me Hiro, makes me feel old when I'm called Mr."

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I'm working on writing more chapters to this story.
I'd like everyones opinions, good and bad on it, thanks.

[edit on 1/20/2006 by iori_komei]

[edit on 1/20/2006 by iori_komei]