Chapter 4, Part 1
Chapter 4, Part 1—Adaptation: To Be a Virus
"It's difficult to ever go back to the same places or people. You turn away, even for a moment, and when you turn back around, everything's changed."—Gabrielle Zevin, Elsewhere
Drix stopped dead in his tracks. The red virus had spoken with his partner's voice.
"Osmosis?" He gasped, hardly daring to believe it was true. "How did..." For once Drix floundered for words, immediately recognizing his partner. "Osmosis... What happened to you?"
The virus's yellow-green eyes widened. Whether it was from fear or relief, Drix couldn't tell. "Thrax's stupid chain, that's what!" He exclaimed, waving his hands in air. He continued behaving exactly like his partner would. "One minute I was fine and the next minute—BAM! I took that chain from the ugly-lookin' viral mother and wound up lookin' like this!"
Drix suddenly remembered Osmosis's strange behavior back at Cerebellum Hall. "But Deputy O'Cyte and I—we saw you earlier. Why didn't you say anything?"
Osmosis—and there was no doubt in the cold pill's mind now that this really was his partner—looked down at the ground, his expression torn between one of guilt and regret. "I wanted to tell you, but...I just couldn't. I was scared of how you were gonna react."
"I would have tried to help you!" Drix exclaimed.
"Yeah, you an' nobody else." Osmosis said, looking up. His green eyes glinted with the hint of challenge. "You know what happens to infected cells in Frank?"
"No." Drix said. He hesitated. Having grown up in an Ivy League pill bottle, he'd never had to think about that question before. "What does happen to them?"
He might not have known, but judging by Osmosis's expression, it wasn't anything good.
"They lyse 'em, Drix, they lyse 'em." The virus sighed, shaking his head. "And it don't matter what for." Osmosis hesitated, his tone suddenly turned softer, more vulnerable. "Remember when I told you 'bout my dad being on the force?"
Drix nodded uncertainly. "Yes. The badge the Chief gave you... He said it belonged to your father."
Osmosis visibly deflated, looking uneasily down at his claws. "Yeah...Chief and my dad worked together thirteen, fourteen years ago. Sometimes I think the only reason Chief kept me around 'til you showed up and we saved Frank was 'cause of my dad. They weren't exactly friends, but they knew each other. After he was gone the Chief was always showin' up, makin' sure my mom and I were okay."
"I... I never knew that." Drix frowned, trying to equate the stern, yelling Chief they knew to one to a kind, compassionate one, always checking up on the Jones family to make sure they were okay. A thought occurred to him. "How old were you?"
"I was eight years old, Drix, and my dad was my hero. When I grew up, I thought I was gonna be just like him." He chuckled bitterly, flexing his claws. The fire in his eyes died. "He was the best booty-shakin' officer Frank has ever seen, and we were so proud when he got that promotion. Bein' an officer in Frank's Finest was even harder back then than it is now, and we were low on carbs. It was right before Frank's wife died, right when everything started goin' downhill."
"You mean... there was a time where Frank was worse off than when I got here?"
"Yeah, the big guy was taking everything real bad, with his wife dying and the hospital bills. He stopped caring about himself and lost his job. That was 'bout the time Mayor Phlemming got elected. He said a fat Frank is a happy Frank, he said, and everyone believed him. And it sort of worked, if you count bein' happy as eating away your troubles an' washing your face every night in fried chicken." Osmosis scoffed.
The bitterness and regret was clear, even with his viral features. And now that the shock had worn off a little, Drix found himself curious and trying to learn more about the kind of virus Osmosis had become.
Although he was the same height and build as before, his face was sharper and more angular, closely resembling Thrax's. The general shape of it was still the same, but his jawline was harder and more defined, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply to the sides. However, they were smaller and less pointed-looking than Thrax's were, and he still bore his familiar goatee as well, although now it was a deep shade of purple. Unlike Thrax, his eyes were more green than gold, and his dreads were shorter as well. They crested from the top of his head, longer and thicker but still faintly reminiscent of his old hairstyle.
The man looking back at him was his own virus; not Thrax, but Ozzie the Red Death.
Drix felt reassured at still being able to recognize his partner. Even if he looked a bit like Thrax, his old personality still remained; it was clear to Drix that Osmosis still cared about him and keeping Frank safe.
However, Osmosis didn't notice as Drix's expression shifted to one of temporary relief. He was too caught up in the memories. "...But my dad never gave up, no siree." He said, pain and nostalgia tinging his voice. "No one on Immunity did. We mighta been poor and had no money for no fancy schooling, but we kept on going. I stayed up every night waitin' for him to return. He was determined to save Frank, even if that meant fightin' a new bad guy every week. Frank never washed his hands, even at the hospital. We picked up some big germs there, some Al Roker germs. One of them was Dengue Fever."
Drix looked thoughtful. "Dengue Fever, like the one we saw today?"
It was Osmosis's turn to stare at him in surprise. "Whoa, hold on. That guy was Dengue Fever? Big and ugly, helping those Yellow Fever viruses steal that chain? Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I didn't think it was that important," Drix protested. "I only thought it was strange afterwards when Chief pulled us off the case—"
"What the—why'd Chief take us off the case?" Osmosis exclaimed. Without meaning to, he felt his killer claw light up.
Drix noticed as it well. "Y-your claw!" He shouted.
Osmosis flinched, looking shame-faced, as he tucked the claw behind his back. "Sorry Drix, I don' know how to control it. All I know how to do is wait for it to go away."
The burning sensation laced through his claw same as before. Osmosis felt his breathing grown unsteady as he felt himself fighting against sensations he couldn't ignore; the itching, burning feeling, the heat. He longed drag his blistering claw down something, anything, and watch as it burst into flames, and bask in the fever-warmth as it pooled at his feet.
Drix propelled himself a step closer. "Does it hurt?" He asked.
Osmosis just wished he'd step away. "Nah, it don't hurt." He said through gritted teeth. Burn baby, burn. In fact, his problem was the opposite. "Just feels really weird," he lied, "that's all."
Drix stared at him with an open expression caught at between scientific desire and revulsion. "Can I see it?"
Reluctantly, Osmosis held out his claw. Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out...
Heat rolled off the glowing orange claw in waves.
Like takin' a hot metal pan outta the oven, Osmosis thought bitterly, only this would do a lot more than burn you. However, Drix was no longer afraid of the glowing claw. He admired it the way he'd admired Osmosis's shapeshifting abilities outside The Zit; his expression was only intrigued.
"It activated without you wanting it to-what an ingenious mechanism for self-defense!"
Osmosis huffed, glaring defensively at his claw. "Ingenious? I don't care how ingenious it is! How do I turn this stupid glow stick off!" He really wished his claw hadn't chosen to ignite right now, or that it even ignited at all. The ravenous virus instincts were making it hard to think. Osmosis took an unsteady breath, forcing himself to focus. He looked back up at Drix. "So you were sayin'?"
"Oh! Um, right." Drix said, looking sheepish, and Osmosis realized he was distracted by the killer claw as well. "Chief took us off the case and put Officer Hodgkins and her new partner in charge. He said that Bonecrusher was a dangerous virus and gave us express orders not to go anywhere near him."
"Bonecrusher, huh?" Osmosis mused. He sighed in relief as he felt his killer claw deactivate, taking away the burning, insatiable heat. I wonder if he's the one from all those years ago. One hand strayed to his pocket, where the precious hypothalamus beads were kept. "We gotta get out of here. I got a feelin' he's after more than that chain."
The Inner Ear, 6:15 PM
They drove until they reached small dive located deep in Frank's inner ear. It was one of the closest germ zones to the brain, and a bustling one at that. Mayor Colonic had promised to speak through Frank's subconscious to try and start using Q tips to clean inside the ear, but until that happened, the coast may as well have been all clear. So many germs were coming and going that even a red virus with a striking resemblance to Frank's would-be killer fit right in.
As if to prove the point, the club's bouncer let Osmosis in with hardly a passing glance, but paused and gave Drix a suspicious glare.
The Qube, as the bar was called, had a vibrant, edgy feel similar to The Zit, but was too toned-down to be anything but a bar. There were no neon lights, but a small checkered floor in the middle of the room for dancing. The majority of germs and the occasional cell were gathered at the dimly lit bar. Osmosis went over to grab himself a drink. In a miserable fog, he wasn't quite sure what he ordered. And quite frankly, he didn't care.
The bartender set to work, blending his own sweat and pus with the sticky-sweet contents of a jar, whipping it into a froth and serving it over a glass of something steaming hot. He sat it down in front of Osmosis with a dull clink, the red virus looking up with a start.
"Here ya go, kid, this one's on the house. Don't worry 'bout payin' me back; looks like ya really need it."
Osmosis muttered his thanks and made his way over to where he and Drix were seated.
"So you honest to glutinous don't know how to change back?" Drix asked as soon as he sat down and defeated, Osmosis shook his head. He pulled the hypothalamus chain out of his pocket and sat it out on the table.
"No, I stole the chain, hopin' it would help, but it didn't." He suddenly grew defensive. "Hey! Whatchu lookin' at me like that for? I wasn't gonna keep it or anything!" He uncrossed his arms, slumping down with a sigh. "You know what? You should probably have it instead of me. Here, take it."
"Osmosis! Listen to me." Drix made no move to pick up the chain up off the table. "You're being too hard on yourself. You need to stop with this harmful way of thinking. Weren't you the one who told me you once knew a sugar pill who cured cancer?"
Osmosis laughed dryly. "If you haven't noticed Drix, I ain't no sugar pill." He sniffed the drink experimentally. "Extra disgusting," he said, and found it to be true. The creamy pus-laced beverage was sweeter than maltose but burned just as nicely going down. He drained the rest of the glass, wiping his mouth on his back of his sleeve as he set it down. "Just the way I like it."
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on either of them.
The red virus glanced down, spinning his long claw tips in circles around the empty glass. "I think the only guy who'd know how change me back is Thrax."
"But Thrax is dead." Drix said.
Osmosis squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "About that, Drix..." He looked up at the cold pill with a nervous grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "...I maybe sorta lied?"
Cerebellum Hall, 6:45 PM
Leah Estrogen stood in front of the Mayor's office, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. "They're ready for you, Mister Mayor."
A heartbeat later, she heard Mayor Colonic's mellow voice come from the other side. "Very good, Leah. Send them in."
The purple blood cell ushered the two Immunity officers inside. The first was a tall blonde she-cell with Amazonian proportions while the second was a scowling T-Cell who looked dark and lean in a black leather jacket and jeans. Mayor Colonic neatly stacked and folded the papers setting on his desk and looked up at them with a look of pleasant surprise.
"Ah. Officer Hodgkins, Agent Krebs. Chief told me to expect a couple officers over to fill us in on the break in." He said. "You can stay, Leah," he added as Leah turned to leave.
Wordlessly, Leah nodded and stood with her arms folded, back towards the door. She was flattered that the Mayor had trusted her enough to let her to stay in his office, but it did nothing to stop the feeling of unease from welling up in her throat. Almost a whole day had passed, and several hours since Drix went looking for Osmosis. Why hadn't she heard from either of them since?
You knew what you were getting into with Jones, the small, logical voice in the back of her mind said. It's all part of the job. And right now all you can do is focus on yours.
Right, Leah thought to herself. Frank and the Mayor needed help, and it didn't matter if Jones was missing. Worrying about it wasn't going to add another minute to her life. Besides, Jones was like a cat scratch fever with nine lives. Any minute now he and Drix were going to come bursting through the door, bragging about their brand-new adventure.
Everything else was gonna turn out just fine.
"...the viruses that broke in to the archives were identified successfully as two Yellow Fever and a Dengue virus," Officer Krebs was saying. He sounded stiff and formal as Drix but not half as friendly. She'd never met a Cytotoxic T-cell before but there was something about the flatness of his eyes she'd saw when they came in that made Leah want to shiver. "But according to a civilian report, they no longer have the chain."
"Then who does?" Mayor Colonic asked.
"A Red Death." Agent Krebs answered grimly, and Leah felt a chill go down her spine for real that time.
"It's only a rumor," Officer Hodgkins broke in quickly, her tone earnest, and Leah was suddenly glad that they couldn't see her expression standing by the door. "We've still got to verify what's on the report and so far, our only lead is an eyewitness account from a lone gray brain cell. But if it's true, then that means-"
Mayor Colonic rose from his chair, hands still resting on the sides of his desk. "Then Frank is in even more danger than we thought." He focused his even gaze on the two officers intently. "Let the Chief know that at the first sign of virus activity, we'll take all the proper precautions; vitamin C, bedrest, extra fluids. Leah, make a note of that and be ready to send it out to the rest of the office."
"Yes, Mr. Mayor." Leah agreed, making a note to write it down. A thought occurred to her. "But if these viruses are bent on takin' down Frank," she wondered, "Then why'd they go through all the trouble of taking Thrax's chain instead of just goin' for the bead in Frank's hypothalamus?"
Mayor Colonic looked up at her thoughtfully. "That's a good question," he said, "And quite Frankly, I don't know the answer."
Agent Krebs regarding them all blankly for a moment.
"I know a way to find out."
The Inner Ear, 6:47 PM
"YOU WHAT!?"
"Drix, wait!" Osmosis cried as Drix stormed out of the bar. "I actually don't know what happened to him! After jumping off the false eyelash I just turned around and he was gone! I dunno what happened!"
Drix whirled around as soon as they were in the cool night air, away from the germs and cells that were casting them curious, reproachful looks. "And you didn't think to TELL anyone around it? Oh, I cannot believe you right now!"
Osmosis narrowed his eyes, his clawed hands curling into fists. For the first time that night, he actually resembled Thrax. "I liked bein' the hero, alright!?" He snapped in response, throwing his hands out to the sides. "What'd you expect me to do?" He made an angry gesture in the air. "For the first time in my life people were actually thinkin' I'd done something right!"
"So you lied to everyone," Drix said, watching as Osmosis's expression turned guilty. He shook his head at Osmosis's crestfallen look. "I can't believe it. Part of me still can't believe it. I am so—so cross with you right now!"
"Drix, wait!" Osmosis reached out with his non-lethal hand as Drix started to leave. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me. I know I wasn't straight with you. But please, you gotta gimme another chance. I'm gonna make things right-"
"How in FRANK are you going to make thinks right?" Drix demanded. "You're a VIRUS!" Immediately, Osmosis stopped as if slapped, and Drix realized his mistake too late. "Wait—no," he faltered, "Ozzie, I didn't mean—"
Osmosis's shocked expression gradually hardened. "'It's whatever, Drips, I know exactly what you meant." He shoved his hands in his pockets, shouldering past Drix. "Guess I'll be seein' you around."
"Osmosis! Wait!" Drix called weakly, but Osmosis didn't turn around.
The sky was gray overhead. Thunder rumbled, and then it started to rain.
Author's Note: Hey guys, this week it's a LONG chapter! Never heard back from anyone on the Thrax and Ozzy kidfic, so we're going to go and plow ahead with Paradigm Shift. Boy, did I have a fun time writing this chapter. Lots of plot, lots of interpersonal drama, and you guys finally get to find out a little more of Osmosis's backstory and what exactly IS going down in Frank. Hopefully some of the stuff from previous chapters is all starting to make sense, though I'm sure you all now have more questions than answers. :)
Describing the way I imagined Ozzy's virus appearance turned out to be way harder than I thought. For me, the trickiest part was deciding on the hair for virus!Ozzy and deciding whether or not he should keep the goatee. In the end, I decided to opt for some differently-styled hair while keeping the iconic goatee'd look. If anyone is curious, looking up Kimonger from Black Panther should give you a better idea of how Osmosis's dreads should look.
Until next time,
-Chasing Snarks