Cells at Work: Ebola

Chapter 2: The Ancient Ones

NK gulped. The impulsive side of her wanted to make a snide remark at the newcomers, and see the glorious commotion it would create, but she quickly suppressed such a stupid impulse.

It would be funny, she admitted, but it would undoubtedly be the quickest way to get herself flushed into the urinary tract system.

Now was definitely not the time to make some offhanded joke about the oldest cells in the world.

Once the cloaked cells sat down on their high chairs, they immediately brushed off the hoods covering up their faces.

NK suddenly felt a sharp pain throbbing inside her head.

Urk... The hell is this?!

She had to muster all her strength just to keep herself from dropping down to her knees to vomit.

She wanted to say that these ancient cells were so ugly and worn out that it was making her head hurt, but obviously, it was something else.

The neuron cells in front of her had intricate wires and synapses attached to their heads, and almost all wore some sort of mask that either had some type of breathing apparatus or optical implants or both.

NK felt sick, but she also realized the other members of her group also felt the same malady in their heads.

As if sensing the unease she and her group were enduring, the cell in a business suit muttered something to the seated neurons who then wore back their hoods.

Almost immediately, NK felt the crushing pain in her head disappear as if she didn't just experience hot needles being jammed into her skull.

"Apologies that you have to endure such inconvenience," the cell wearing a business suit apologized. "You must understand, my colleagues here normally do not leave their sanctums in the brain's great lobes and thus forget to realize that other cells could not handle the electrical pulses they emit."

Like the seated neuron cells, the cell wearing a business suit also sported wires attached to his head which he had woven into a long ponytail.

"In any case, welcome, welcome, dear lymphocytes and phagocytes, to the Hypothalamus," he raised his arms forward in greeting. "I'm Neurosecretory cell, director of the Hypothalamus, and these colleagues behind me are representatives from the Council of Neurons."

Despite the pain they endured from the electrical pulses emitted by the ancient ones, they still showed their respect to them as they all bowed in reverence.

In this world populated by trillions of cells, the neurons in the brain were always considered the most important, the most prioritized, and the most ancient of cells. It was said that they've existed since the beginning of time and that their existences were far more valuable and important than all the cells in the world combined.

Aloof and distant, they always kept their business with themselves, meditating inside the great lobes of the brain so as to conjure and maintain a mysterious phenomenon that controls the world called the Consciousness.

Neurosecretory bowed his head in response, but the seated neurons remained unmoving.

"Please, let's skip with the individual introductions and immediately discuss the matter at hand namely, a report about a world-ending threat correct?"

"Yes sir," Helper T concurred. NK turned to look at her commander who took a step forward to differentiate him from the rest of the immune cells. "I was the one who called for this meeting and, actually, we also have a request."