Prologue
"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." -Helen Keller
He was running—to where, from who, none of it mattered. Osmosis threw back his head and laughed. Frank, he had never felt so alive! Voices clamored behind him, angry voices, demanding that he stop what he was doing, right now—but he ignored them, and kept right on running. The world caught fire behind him. Warm, raging, hungry flames lapping away at the City of Frank. He didn't mind. He didn't fear the fire. After all, he was the fire!
Osmosis turned tight around a corner, then hurled himself with all his might behind a dumpster in the narrow alleyway. He waited for his ragged breaths and pounding heart to slow down. The voices came closer. He hunkered lower and held his breath til it hurt. His entire body tensed. Would they find him?
The footsteps of his pursuers came to a stop. "Which way'd he go?"
"Beats me."
"Look—what's that ahead?"
"I dunno, looks fishy to me. Let's go check it out. Might be our virus. Come on, boys!"
Their voices drifted out of earshot. As soon as they were gone. Osmosis stopped holding his breath. He was looking for something, but he couldn't remember what, just that it was very important. Huh. Weird. If it was so important, then how had he forgotten it in the first place?
Uneasy, but growing impatient. Osmosis emerged from his hiding place. Something about the situation felt wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Was it because he was standing in the middle of a dark and dingy alley? He thought about that for a moment. Okay, yeah, that was definitely weird—not something he normally would have done—but it wasn't weird weird. It wasn't what had him so unsettled.
Suddenly, the answer hit him like a thunderclap. He was running from Immunity. But he was Immunity. It didn't make any sense. Why would he be running from his own people?
A reddish shape caught in the corner of his eye. Thrax! His mind screamed in alarm. Osmosis whirled around to face the intruder, hand reaching for his holster, ready to fight, but there was no enemy but his own reflection on the side of the dumpster. He yelped, and his gun clattered to the ground at what he saw. Osmosis Jones was no more. Instead, a red-skinned virus had taken his place, staring helplessly back at him with poison yellow eyes wide and mouth agape. Osmosis recognized it as himself—the same clothes, the same face shape; the same dark goatee and squared chin. But it wasn't him. It couldn't be him—
"No…" He said, swallowing heavily.
"…Osmosis?"
The reflection didn't go away. He backed up, shaking his head in denial. "No. Oh no no no no no—"
"Osmosis!"
Osmosis Jones awoke with a start.
"Gotta get up, babe," Leah was saying. "You're gonna be late for work."
Osmosis looked about wildly for a moment before recognizing the inside of their apartment. Like much of the City of Frank, ravaged by the burning fever Thrax brought about two weeks ago, the complex had needed to undergo heavy repair and renovation. As such, the room still had somewhat of unfamiliar, touch-me-not feel to it, even though he and Leah had lived together in it now for nearly a week. So naturally, it took a moment before he remembered the small, lonesome looking desk in the corner or the light purple walls, somehow managing to look pleasant yet entirely without character at the same time.
The one redeeming factor of the room was the big window, overlooking the bustling streets of the Downtown Neck area of Frank. Leah had already drawn the curtains back, so he could see everyone down below, going about their busy lives. Cells going to work, cells walking their pets, cells going to school. Nobody was on fire.
Osmosis let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Leah was already out of bed, pulling her dress over her head when she heard it. Adjusting it around the waist, she paused and gave him a concerned look. "Was it another one of those dreams?" She asked.
Osmosis rolled out of bed, digging around in the jumbled pile of clothes on the floor for his shirt. "Yeah," he sighed. "Same as last time."
"You've been having these dreams ever since you fought Thrax, and it just seems like they're getting worse." Leah studied him with a frown, arms crossed over her chest. "This is the second night in a row I've had to wake you up. You didn't hear the alarm."
"Alarm? I don't need no alarm." Osmosis flashed her a cheeky grin. "I've got you."
"Stop! I'm being serious!" Leah protested, trying to sound sharp but softening as Osmosis lunged forward, teasingly pulling her into his embrace and peppering kisses down the side of her neck. Forget the view, this was the best part of living in the apartment. Waking up every morning and being with Leah. His lips wandered upwards until they found hers, and he kissed her firmly. Leah leaned into it for a moment, then roughly pushed him away. "Jones! This is serious. You're gonna make us both late for work."
"Aw, Leah Girl, you don't play fair! You really think that the Chief and the Mayor will care if—"
"Mayor Colonic might not care if I'm late to work, but I definitely think the Chief will have your membrane if you're late again. Besides, traffic's always bad this close to the jugular and you've got to pick up Drix."
"Alright, I'm goin'." Osmosis threw his hands up in the air in mock defeat. "But are sure you're not just jonesin' for a little more Osmosis?"
"You're not going to let me forget that line in a million years, are you?"
"Nope," said Osmosis, cheerfully popping the 'p.' He scooped his jacket off the back of his chair and put it on, then adjusted his holster for good measure. Grinning like a happy shark, he added, "and you're the one who said it, not me."
Leah sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just go to work, Jones." The effect was dampened by the small grin she gave in return. "I'll see you tonight."
He paused at the door and gave an affirming nod. "See ya tonight."