Chapter Text
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Light was beginning to shine down. Its warm rays reached over to a young sleeping calico cat curled inside an old box slightly hidden in a pile among some trash.
Her eyes slowly opened as she felt the warmth on her whiskers. She yawned and stretched her legs as she stepped out of her box. After briefly grooming herself, she set off to begin her day.
She soon found a leaky drain that dripped some water into a small puddle on the ground. She didn't often come across a chance to drink, so she quickly padded toward it and began to lap at it. Despite the dirt around it, the water was cool against the growing morning heat as the sun began to rise higher.
Inside her body, newly matured blood cells were leaving the bone marrow to begin their jobs. Among them was a rookie red blood cell, Fe9625.
"Okay!" she exclaimed, psyching herself up, "No more practicing! This is the real deal now! Make this delivery count!"
She took a deep breath. And with her focus forward and tail erect, she made her way to the lungs with a determined stride.
Fortunately for her, it was straightforward enough of a route to the lungs from where she was. And it wasn't long before she reached it. But that was the easy part.
"Now what?"
A couple of other red blood cells noticed her just standing around looking confused.
"Think we should go see if she needs any help?" one of them asked the other.
"Yeah," she said to her, "She looks new. So she might not even know where to go."
The two of them then walked over to her.
"Hey, are you lost?"
Fe9625 flinched.
"Oh. Ye—yeah," she uttered with her ears slightly lowered, "I… I think so. It's my first day."
"Obviously," one commented, adjusting her glasses.
"Have you found where the task list is at least?" the other asked.
Her eyes widened.
"'Task… List?'"
The two others exchanged looks with one another.
"This way."
"Thank you!" she exclaimed as she followed them.
The three of them walked to the other end of the lung. There, rows of screens glowed with assignment listings. It was quite a marvel to Fe9625.
"Whoa… There's so many!" she said, scanning the screens randomly, "How do I know which one's mine?"
"They're organized by squad, then your number," one explained.
She pointed to the badge on Fe9625's cap.
"See? You'd be in the 'Fe' squad."
She searched for its screen.
"Here! Now we find your number…"
Fe9625 skimmed through them.
"9622… 9623… 9624… Ah! Here! 9625!"
"Great! What do you have?"
"Oxygen…" she read, "To the trachea, it seems."
"Ah, easy job! That's not too far from here!"
"Really? That's great!"
"Yeah," the other agreed.
The two of them checked their own tasks.
"We'd help you out to make sure you get there alright… But it seems that we have lower body deliveries with some nutrients next."
"Oh, that's okay," Fe9625 said, giving a casual wave of her hand, "I'm sure I can get there just fine!"
"If you say so. We'll be around."
"Okay. Thanks!"
The two parted on their way to the small intestine to pick up their nutrient cargo, leaving Fe9625 behind on her own.
"Right! So I need to get oxygen over from the alveoli."
She looked around and noticed a sign that pointed the way towards where she needed to go. A grin formed on her face.
"This way! I guess I can do this after all!"
She gave a small cheerful chuckle as she headed off in search of an alveolus.
She kept to the signs fairly vigilantly and soon found the alveoli. Before she reached the entrance to them, she crossed the large room with giant glass panes. Outside was a cluster of alveoli in a fully lit display. The glow from them filled the room. It was even more exciting to see than the multiple rows of screens beforehand.
"Wow!" she thought to herself, "This is so amazing!"
She was so distracted that she wasn't watching where she was going. And she accidentally bumped into another cell.
"Oh, I—I'm sorry!" she stammered.
She looked at who she had collided with and grew quite breathless.
He was a neutrophil. White fur lined his plush tail and ear tufts. His blue eyes had a stark glow against the dim ambient light as their gazes locked, and for several seconds neither said anything. On his cap, his number badge read 0222.
"No, it's… It's okay…" he said in a light tone, "I should've paid better attention on my patrol."
Fe9625 wanted to correct him. But she didn't. She was too busy finding the words to her explanation.
"I—I was just trying to find my way to the alveoli."
"Oh… Um… It's over that way."
He pointed to the end of the giant room.
"Do… You need any help getting there?" he offered after a brief pause.
Heat immediately rose in her cheeks. Fortunately, the dimness of the area was enough to hide her flustered face. Her ears folded slightly to the side as she coyly glanced away.
"N—no, thanks… I… I got it."
She almost reprimanded herself for declining his assistance. She blamed her timidness for it. And he spoke before she could change her mind.
"Um… Okay," he uttered, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice by tipping the brim of his cap, "Well, if you need anything, I'm on patrol around here."
"Thank you, White Blood Cell," she said with a nervous choke, causing her to blush even heavier.
And before she could embarrass herself any further, she briskly walked off, her tail hanging rather low.
0222 actually found her quite charming. But all he could do was watch her leave until she was no longer in his sight. He took in a deep breath before resuming to his duties.
Once in the pulmonary sac area of the lungs, Fe9625 looked for a capillary door to an available alveolus. She soon found one and walked inside. The machine inside looked intimidating at first glance with its enormous size and multiple buttons.
"They didn't mention these things being so big back in the bone marrow," she said to herself, "But let's see…"
She selected the oxygen order and hesitantly pressed the confirmation button. It then made a sudden burst of loud noises. Her tail puffed up as she flinched away from it.
"Did I do something wrong?!" she asked herself as she watched the gears and levers move inside the mechanism.
For a few seconds, it hissed and chugged as it filled several small iron tanks of oxygen. Once it finished, it dispensed them in front of her and dinged to signal its completion.
Fe9625 didn't immediately approach it. Her eyes were locked on it—just in case it decided to move again. She cautiously stepped towards it and quickly snatched the crate of tanks. When she realized that she successfully obtained them, she let out an exhale.
"I did it!"
She then placed them into an empty box and began to carry it off.
"Next stop… The trachea!"
And with that, she left the alveolus and started on her way out of the lungs.
…At least she thought she was.
She soon found herself circling the same section of the bronchi. And she was starting to worry.
"I can't be lost on my first day…" she muttered nervously to herself.
She tried to look all around for an exit. But all the signs around her just confused her more. Nothing seemed to make any sense. One sign pointed one way, while another pointed in the opposite direction. She stopped to think.
However, she wasn't alone.
Footsteps approached from behind her.
She jumped and yelped when she felt a touch on her shoulder, dropping her box on the floor. When she turned, she immediately eased.
It was 0222.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to scare you like that."
"N—no, it's… It's alright," she said, her voice still a little shaky and her cheeks a little pink, "I'm just…"
Fe9625 quietly trailed off on her words, too embarrassed to admit anything.
"Lost?" he guessed.
Her blush grew slightly deeper in shade.
"How did you know?"
"I've noticed you coming through here twice already," he explained, "That doesn't seem usual for any red blood cell."
"O—oh…" she uttered, her ears and gaze dropping.
He noticed and thought he must've said something the wrong way to her. He tipped his cap down. But before he could say anything to her, she spoke as she picked up the box again.
"Um… If it's no trouble, White Blood Cell… If you happen to know where I can get to the trachea… I, um… I hope that offer still stands on helping me. If you want to, that is!"
He paused for a brief moment before softening his expression at her.
"It does, Red Blood Cell."
She gave a bright smile as she gasped.
"Thank you so much! You're amazing! Yay!"
She then realized her overexcitement and immediately calmed down.
"I mean… Thanks, White Blood Cell."
0222 merely chuckled fondly.
"Come on," he said as he led the way, "If we go back to the heart, we can take the aorta. That will lead you just about anywhere you need to go in the body."
Fe9625 let out a sheepish giggle as she followed him.
"I really should've known that…"
The two of them began walking down through the pulmonary vein back to the heart. And there, they took the route through the aorta.
Once they reached the aorta, Fe9625 finally asked something that had been on her mind.
"How long do you think it takes to get to the trachea?" she asked, "Not that I mind getting there with you! I mean…"
0222 just chuckled.
"It shouldn't take long at all to get there, Red Blood Cell. It's just above the lungs and just before the throat."
"Oh! That's not so bad!"
She then thought of something.
"Hey, um… If it's right above the lungs, why can't we just go there from where we were?"
"I know it seems inconvenient. But you can't."
"Huh?"
"All routes from the lungs lead into the heart," he explained, "Only from there can you travel elsewhere in the body."
"Oh," she uttered before a chuckle, "I guess I forgot about that."
0222 grew curious.
"How fresh are you from the bone marrow?"
"Believe it or not, this is actually my first assignment."
He smiled.
"Then I'm honored to be helping you with it," he said softly.
"I'm glad too, White Blood Cell."
Fe9625's cheeks grew warm from his words. Her eyes shyly glanced down before peeking up to see him looking at her with a gentle gaze.
They were so focused on each other at that small moment that they didn't even realize that they missed the upward turn. And they continued on their way into the lower body.
After several minutes of walking, she was beginning to feel a bit uneasy.
"Um… White Blood Cell?" she asked, looking up at him, "Do you think we should've been there by now?"
His jaw tightened as his ears folded slightly back, feeling a bit unsure himself. He didn't know what to tell her.
"Um… I—I'm sure we're getting close."
His tone proved otherwise.
Fe9625 let out a soft whine.
"Okay," she uttered with slight anxiety, "I trust you."
0222 just made a soft sound. His tail lowered.
"You do?" he finally asked.
"Yeah!" she immediately exclaimed, "Why wouldn't I?"
He paused for a moment, debating on whether he should tell her. He then opened his mouth to answer her. But before he had the chance to say anything, his ears suddenly shot up and twitched back.
A sound. It was faint, muted to untrained ears.
She noticed his abrupt behavior.
"What's—?"
"Shh!"
She immediately became quiet as his ears twitched again.
At first, it seemed silent. Then…
PING!
His receptor shot up from behind his cap and chimed loudly to alert a nearby pathogen.
0222 quickly turned, unsheathing and swinging his blade behind him.
It was then that both of them noticed a rogue bacterium that had tried to sneak behind them.
Fe9625 shrieked, her tail fully straight and in a bottle brush.
"White Blood Cell! What is that?!"
"Salmonella enterica!" he exclaimed.
Unlike her, he showed no fear towards the pathogen. She froze and watched in full terror as he instinctively swung his clawed knife at it again.
But the germ managed to dodge the attack.
He made a low growl as he attempted again. However, before it could land, one of its flagella smacked his weapon out of his grip. The blade swung far, clanging onto the floor on the other end of the corridor.
There was no opportunity to get it back and protect Fe9625 at the same time.
Instead, he leapt at the bacterium and bit hard on the back of its head. His claws scratched and dug through its membrane.
For a moment, it worked. The pathogen roared in pain. But it quickly reached for him, constricting its flagella around him. It then tried to pull him off of itself. But his bite remained tightly clenched. It pulled harder, ripping off a piece of its membrane.
The bacterium glared at him and tightened its grip, causing him to yell.
Fe9625 screamed.
It then took notice of her and tossed 0222 across the blood vessel. He landed hard onto the floor close to his thrown knife. He weakly got his head up and realized the danger that she was now in.
With the rest of his strength, he forced himself up and took the blade back into his hand. He rushed over as fast as he could. And while it was distracted with trying to get Fe9625, he lunged and stabbed it from behind.
It wailed as its blood sprayed. He refused to let go until it finally fell to its death. Only when he was sure the bacterium was dead did he pull out his blade from it.
He stared down at it for a moment as he took in a deep breath before breathing easily once again. He then turned towards Fe9625. She was still trembling with her ears folded back.
"Are you alright, Red Blood Cell? You're not injured, right?"
She didn't respond right away. Even after hearing his now calm voice, she was still shaken up from what she just witnessed.
"…I… I think so…" she finally stammered.
She looked over at him as she realized something rather off about him.
"I… I thought white blood cells knew how to fight."
She then immediately rethought her words, believing what she had just said might've given the wrong impression.
"I mean…" she corrected, "You did kill it and I'm so glad you did. But… You looked like you had a bit of trouble with it."
His breath hitched. He turned his face away, tipping his cap again as his ears folded and his tail slightly tucked.
"It's that obvious?" he asked in a low tone.
"Wh—what is?"
His jaw tightened for a second before he finally admitted.
"You're not the only one having a first day…"
Her eyes widened.
"You mean—?"
"That was the first time I fought a real bacterium."
She made a quiet sound as she glanced away. Her ears folded slightly.
0222 subtly looked over and noticed the disappointment in her eyes.
He sighed.
"I… I understand if you'd want a more experienced immune cell to look out for you," he uttered dejectedly, "I can escort you to someone who can if you want."
Fe9625 immediately looked back at him.
"What?! No!" she exclaimed, "I want you to be with me!"
She then realized her wording. Her cheeks instantly grew red.
"I mean…" she said in a more controlled voice, slightly quieter, "Just… Stay with me, White Blood Cell."
She then made a soft whine as she held her eyes downward. That wording didn't help either.
He kept his eyes on her for a few seconds before softening them towards her. A faint smile curled up.
"Only if you want me to, Red Blood Cell," he said in a tender voice.
She glanced back at him.
"I do! Just… Please don't hide things from me like that anymore."
He lightened more.
"I won't, Red Blood Cell," he promised.
She gave him a gentle smile before looking at their surroundings.
"By the way," she began to ask, "Do you know where we are?"
He looked around for anything that would give them a specific hint.
"It looks like we're in the abdominal cavity," he said, "And since I just fought off a salmonella bacterium, we're likely close to the gastrointestinal tract."
"Sounds far."
He paused for a brief moment.
"…It is. Sorry that I led you the wrong way."
Fe9625 looked at him sympathetically.
"It's okay, White Blood Cell," she reassured him, trying to be optimistic, "All we have to do is just find a way there. Right?"
0222 glanced at her. His eyes gently softened, admiring her outlook. He raised his tail as he smiled back at her.
"Right."
She adjusted the box in her arms.
And the two of them began heading back.
However, it wasn't more than just a few steps when he sensed a new scent in the air. It wasn't a normal part of the body.
His ears rotated to check if he could pick up any sounds.
Nothing.
His eyes scanned their entire surroundings.
Nothing.
His receptor remained silent in place.
Strange… What was he picking up? Or was it just a rookie mistake?
His tail flicked as he tried to figure it out.
She soon noticed the subtle out-of-place motions he was doing.
"Is everything okay?"
Her words pulled him away from his internal analysis.
"Hmm? Oh… Ye—yeah. I think so. Don't worry, Red Blood Cell."
There was no confirmation of his suspicions to warrant in saying anything. He didn't want her to needlessly worry over the possibility of nothing.
And it probably was.
He soon dismissed it as the two of them continued back up the blood vessel they had come from.
Once they were far enough from the location, something big rushed through the structures high above, unnoticed.
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