Hello! I hope I got your attention! Anyway, I want to say this right here because I want it to be clear that you DO NOT HAVE to read the prologue! You can skip right ahead to chapter two, if you so choose. However, the prologue does give a bit of information that might not instatnly be understood in chapter two. Anyway, happy reading! Also, THIS STORY IS JOHNLOCK! :D

T.W. for this chapter mentions of suicide and abusing of drugs (sorta)

Disclaimer: THIS IS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE STORY! :D


Anger, sadness, grief, confusion, and fear…wouldn't it be easier if no one had to live with any of these emotions? Wouldn't life be so much better if no one could feel anything at all? Even joy eventually turns to sadness. Why would anyone voluntarily submit themselves to unnecessary heartache and pain? These simple questions and statements started it all. Soon, millions of people began to question the need for emotions.

In 1895, Dr. Sweeny, after years of asking the same question and conducting thousands of tests, produced a machine that could successfully extract emotions. It was a primitive device, though. This machine was designed to safely extract all emotions after one use. It caused many people to die after the extraction took place. After much deliberation from concerned members of the community, this device was named unsafe and inhumane.

In 1935, W. L. Hopper rethought the original idea and created a safer device that focused on one particular emotion at a time to efficiently extract the feeling. Instead of throwing away all of the discarded and unwanted emotions, people with mental illness demanded access to the positive feelings. In 1939, Pathogens Incorporated bought out the production of the bottled emotions and by 1945, injectable and artificial emotions were finally approved by the government and could be purchased by the general public. The people, who willingly gave away their emotions, quickly demanded payment for their service, and for a while, this was a wonderful system. Suicide rates plummeted for those with defective, mental illnesses, the economy was enriched with this new business, the monetary value of money rose dramatically, and those who did not want their emotions would not feel anything after each extraction. Bottling emotions were a great success.

This success, did not last.

Several of the people who sold their emotions could no longer take the emptiness they felt without them and stopped selling their feelings, and over ¾ of the donating population stopped providing the rest of the community with their usual dosage of emotions. Despite propaganda encouraging people to sell their emotions, people began questioning whether or not giving away their feelings was actually a good idea. Soon, the rumors began. It began as quiet whispers and hushed tones but this quickly escalated to panic when the dreaded word ' shortage' was spoken.

However, in 1991, Dr. Goode received unofficial funding by means of anonymous donations to begin working on a new device that would help with this problem. Dr. Goode released the Pathos Eradicator on November 28th, 1994, which came at a seemingly opportune time. The demand for artificial emotions became so high that supply could not keep up with it. When word of the Pathos Eradicator was released, company officials played off the machine as a gift from the gods. This machine would solve the emotion shortage for the people who needed them, donators would be servicing the needs of mankind, and Dr. Goode promised that there would be no lasting side effects. It seemed to be a win-win for everyone involved.

Millions of people lined up to participate in the machine's debut. Initially, the campaign stated that every emotion would be extracted individually, sorted, and then bottled for the donor and consumer's convenience. When the Donors finished the extraction process, they would be given a little black, unmarked pill, which would then restore the missing emotions over the span of one week. The process was executed flawlessly. Little black pills were administered, bottled emotions could be purchased, the economy was once again booming, and Pathogens Incorporated was reaping in the benefits. Everyone, except the temporarily emotionless individuals, seemed to be, overall, happier.

Two weeks passed and none of the emotions had yet to return to the donors. Riots broke out outside of the sleek company's headquarters during the third week, and by the end of the month, Pathogens Incorporated requested time to solve the issue and patience from the general public. On January 1st, 1995, Pathogens Inc. released a statement to the general public that stated:

Dear Loyal Customers, Donors, and Consumers,

Over 28 million people donated their emotions by participating in Dr. Goode's Pathos Eradicator, emotional extraction process. Despite Dr. Goode's assurance that there would be no repercussions in this experiment, we at Pathogens Incorporated regret to inform you that the emotions, that were only supposed to be temporarily unavailable, are now lost. The black pill capsules, otherwise known of lanthoszine, that were given to participating donors were supposed to reverse the abstraction process, regrettably, had the opposite effect. With the emotional and donor shortage, supplies are limited. To preserve what little resources we have, sacrifices must be made. For your convenience, designated rooms will be provided for people who wish to terminate their lives. We are willing and able to provide a calming and beautiful atmosphere for your last few moments on Earth. While this little incident was extremely unfortunate, here at Pathogens Inc. we are always striving to improve your emotional and physical wellbeing.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding,

Morbius Snide

Chairman, President, and CEO


What was the point anymore? Why continue to fight when there truly was no point now. The emptiness was all consuming. What does it matter?

The Spring of '95 consisted of a staggering, all-time high for suicide and crime rates. Underground harvesting rings manifested, seemingly, overnight. Children, adults, and the elderly were used for emotion harvesting to create a pseudo artificial emotion that would produce a higher profit rate. These lethal, pseudo emotions were being sold on the streets and overdosing was considered a humane way to go. Protesters redoubled their efforts against Pathogens Incorporated.

In July of that same year, the leader of the activists achieved over 100,000 signatures on their petition to remove and destroy every model and prototype of the Pathos Eradicator, begrudgingly, the company agreed with their demands and the Pathos Eradicator was destroyed. However, in retaliation, violence erupted when members of the Pathogens staff lashed out against one of the campaigners. This resulted in a drastic change. The carnage was devastating. Millions of people were murdered and many more perished when an explosion was detonated inside of Pathogens. Years of research destroyed. Thousands of lives lost. Nevertheless, the machines were finally gone.

One hundred years' worth of devastation; a century of violence and pain should be enough proof that emotions are needed for functioning members of society. Right? If the last one hundred years is anything to go off of, living without emotions is an extremely destructive way to live. What sick, twisted human being would ever want to operate without feeling anything at all?

However, just below the surface of all the activist groups trying to shut down Pathogen Inc., there began a whisper. Just the barest hint of a sound. Suddenly, there was a spike in Artificial Emotion usage, but how could this be? The machines were destroyed. Schematics burned in the fires. Police officers are completely baffled. An Underground Ring seemed to spring up overnight, but no one could get to the leader. This vast web of individualized networks seemed to spread across the globe in a matter of hours. Who was this mysterious person? What was their end game? Most importantly, what could be done to stop them?


Notes:

Hello! If you read the Prologue, I congradulate you! Bravo!

Anyway, onto the special thanks portion of these notes.

Special thanks to:
QueenLadyAnne
Hateya W.
ccwritessometimes
Pinterest for the writing prompt that lead to this story ("In a world where emotions are considered drugs, your family has sat you down to talk about your addiction to joy," and "You live in a wrold in which you can buy bottled emotions.") I took this prompt in a very odd place.
Kayleigh B.
Emma F.
Victoria (Mia) Grayson (she was the brilliant individual that helped me come up with the story title! It was so clever that I freaked out when she said it)
and last but not least,
Bailey N.

Each of these lovely individuals listened to me rant, rave, and talk about this story for DAYS on end. They each have read, reread, and read some more just because I asked and for that, I am so thankful. So, THANK YOU SO MUCH! This story has been in the making for a long time, and without these people, it would not have been possible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. :)

Also...There are certain things in this story that were determined from the very beginning. Certian things I wanted from the start. Without giving too much away, I want to say the words, Betrayal, Love, and Joy. These words and these chapters assosiated with these words have elements in them that were planned from the start.