"What the hell was that?" I rubbed the surface of the counter, its split still smoking and emitting heat.

Thrax hadn't looked at me; he itched his head more out of habit and then glanced at me. Still not saying anything he went to his coat and pulled a fold of papers loose from an inner pocket. Silent he handed them to me. I stared at the first page; not comprehending then the words began to sink in.

"The Ehrlichia-" I paused. "What RNA?"

He shrugged. "We don't know. There's some code speak about fever, that's it."

I got to the police report on the Helixes and stopped reading. "What is she?"

He watched me for a long moment before answering. "She's Frank's first half-cell, half-microbe."

I was speechless. No being had ever been half. Scientifically it wasn't possible, it is possible and she's living proof.

"How long have you known? And why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. "I pieced everything together on Tuesday. Nothing added up. The Helixes didn't use her as a guinea pig; they loved her like any parent would. The RNA was used to save Lindi because she was beginning to mummify inside Marium."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I repeated my question.

"I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight. Ironically enough I was going to tell you today."

I looked down again at the papers before folding them robotically. "Does she know?"

He shook his head.

I bit my bottom lip. "What are we going to do?"

He stared at me for a moment and then said the one thing I had hoped he wouldn't.

"I don't know."

…..

Eight floors up

Esoph-Landing Apts

The cop Shaine was saddled with was decent enough. Some how he wasn't surprised that his girlfriend was the mayor's aid, the same woman who had helped him out with not documenting the school fight.

They didn't hang on him, which he appreciated. The woman showed him a spare room that would be his. For once he was glad he kept all his books with him otherwise he would have been screwed. He could have asked Dillon to bring anything he was missing to him but once Nerves noticed his extended absence the shit was going to hit the fan. He just hoped his disappearance wouldn't get Dillon in trouble.

And Dillon here will suffer the consequences of your actions. Essentially, whether he lives or dies is now in control by you. You get me?

He'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Dillon and it was because of him. He needed a walk.

He let himself out of the apartment quietly while the she-cell-Leah took a shower and the cop was taking a nap. He hadn't realized how big the building was. As he rounded yet another corner he saw a cell sitting in the corner, their hood covering the face. He paused in a moment of panic, wondering if he was about to walk into a trap laid by Nerves. Then the figure moved.

"Lindi?" He felt relief.

She didn't answer as he came and slid down to sit next to her. Then she took a breath.

"I almost set the apartment downstairs on fire."

"Someone piss you off?" He meant it as joking but she didn't smile.

"I thought you were arrested again."

"So did I…at first anyway."

"I lost my temper." She ducked her head, her hood hiding her face again. "They don't know I left. I can't face them after that."

"It was an accident. You didn't go in there planning to doing what ever you did."

"Doesn't matter. The point is I split the counter almost in two."

He was quiet for a moment. "Probably looks better that way."

She finally looked at him fully. "Are you really going to sit here and crack jokes?"

He couldn't keep a straight face. "Probably."

She studied him before looking at her hands and surprised him when she lit up her right hand with ease. It glowed like an ember between them. "I do exactly what Thrax could do."

"Could?" Shaine echoed. "I was under the impression he still can."

"He can…it just takes longer. His hand was crushed a long time ago."

"That sucks."She nodded mutely and made a fist, her hand returning to its normal red blood cell membrane.

"You know it's not an option to not return home right?"

Her response was soft, a confirmation that he was right.

"Want me to walk you down?" He earned a halfhearted shrug. She was back to hiding her face with her hood. He stood and put his hand out. "C'mon."

….

Thrax didn't quite know what to think when he answered the quiet knock on the door. Grace's expression almost made him laugh.

"If its those damn lobbyists again for Stoma I'm going to shoot them."

"With what?" Thrax didn't hide his amusement. "I don't carry a weapon."

She dried her hands agitated. "I'll tell them to wait a moment and go ask Ozzy for his."

He rolled his eyes and opened the door to see Shaine with Lindi. What the-How did she leave? He quickly thought back to if he had gone to the bathroom or done anything to allow him to miss her exit. There was nothing, he had been in either the living room or kitchen the whole time since she had gone to her room.

His stiffening had drawn Grace's attention.

Lindi was first to break the silence. "Thanks." She shot Shaine a half hooded look before ducking under Thrax's arm and disappearing.

Silence.

"I'll go check on her." Grace followed in Lindi's wake, leaving Shaine with Thrax.

Damn.

He waited, not looking forward to when the virus finally looked away from the she-cell's back and focused on him. He wasn't disappointed when the golden eyes landed on him.

"She was upstairs…" He explained awkwardly.

The virus considered him, almost in a calculating manner. Like a predator with its prey…"How did she get up there?" He finally asked.

Shaine didn't quite understand the question. "I don't know…used your front door and then either the stairs or elevator?"

Something passed in the virus's face; something Shaine couldn't read which unsettled him. "She didn't use the front door."

It hit Shaine that the scene between them looked like he was insulting the virus's intelligence.

"Sorry…" He felt his membrane heat up. "I-don't know how she got upstairs." He felt like he was being raked over by an x-ray machine. Here goes freakin' nothing…. "I know why you don't like me and if I was you, I don't know if I would like me." Thrax didn't have any sort of response, which Shaine took as a good sign. "But I like Lindi whether you like it or not."

"Whether I like it or not, huh?" Thrax repeated. He glanced back into the apartment before shutting the door behind him.

Shit. What is he doing? Is he going to kill me right here?

"The elevator is around the corner." The virus passed him; rather than look like a moron standing in front of a closed door, Shaine had no choice but to follow.

…..

"I'm not going to stand here and lie to you. And I'm going to tell you the same thing I told your friend. If it comes down to a little kid or a unremorseful criminal, it's going to be the criminal every time." Thrax hit the ninth floor button.

"I know." Shaine kept his eyes on the invisible circle he was tracing with his foot. "My dad was a scumbag anyway. –Used to use me in heists as a kid." He looked up. "I don't miss him."

Thrax watched him from across the elevator, his arms crossed.

"He helped you?" The teen finally mustered the courage to hold the virus's gaze. "Before? With taking down Frank."

"Define help." Thrax muttered. "He was someone I recruited, yeah."

"And you really did try to kill him?"

Thrax had been staring at a poster of some new movie. "Attempted to tie up loose ends." His eyes slid back to Shaine. "Failed obviously."

The elevator dinged as it reached Jones's floor and opened to a couple that did double takes at seeing the two microbes. The he-cell relaxed upon recognizing Thrax. Thrax didn't think there was any cell in Frank's entire body that didn't know him after the Vinícius incident. The woman was slightly more apprehensive, especially when the two passed her. Thrax heard the he-cell tell her to chill and say the virus was with Immunity now.

Thrax had barely taken his hand away from Jones's door after knocking when it swung open. Jones appeared, stopping his phone in mid-ring.

"I was just calling you." He took a breath and let it out. "I thought-I don't know what I thought…"

Leah appeared. "I told you there was nothing to worry about." She pushed Jones's hand away from the doorframe and gestured to Shaine to come inside.

Thrax watched the two go, his attention more on the teen's retreating back.

"Everything good?" Jones asked.

"Yeah. He showed up with Lindi."

Jones watched him with a strange air. "So apparently we both have to tighten our security seeing as we have two sixteen year olds waltzing out of our apartments without our knowledge."

"Thanks for putting it into perspective Jones, I didn't have that already figured out."

The white blood cell shrugged. "Just saying." He took a step back. "Want to come in?"

Thrax hesitated giving his partner enough time to guess his trepidation.

"He's not gonna bite Thrax, for god sakes…. one Armpit. The shit is gross so I need a buddy to help me through the experience."

"How about don't drink one." Thrax stepped in and allowed the white blood cell to close the door behind him. Jones gave him a look.

"What's the fun in that?"

…

"You 'ure yor not drunk?"

"Positive." Thrax set his bottle down and watched the cell amused. On the other side of the counter Leah paused in wiping it clean and rolled her eyes.

"Now what's going to happen when you get a call tonight and you show up hung over?"

Jones stared at her, slightly cross-eyed. "I think Veins will probably kill me."

Her eyes twitched. "Mmm."

"I got it." The cell said suddenly. He gestured at Thrax. "HE will drive 'f we get called'n."

Leah exchanged glances with the virus.

"Well." Thrax stood. "This is where I exit."

"Thanks." Leah reached for his empty bottle.

He shot her a grin. "Your welcome." He looked at Jones who was swaying on his seat. "Sleep it off." He thumped the cell on the back making him almost tumble off his stool.

Leah didn't quite manage to stifle her laugh as Thrax let the front door shut behind him.

…..

Grace had fallen asleep on the couch; carefully Thrax shut the door. Despite him attempting to be quiet she stirred.

"You out-drank Ozzy…" Her tone though low from sleepiness, was teasing. In the dark she had to have seen guilt on his face because she laughed. "Leah just texted me. Sent me a picture of Jones…" She reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled her phone out. Thrax found himself looking at a picture of the blood cell slouched over and sleeping with his head balanced on his hand, his mouth open.

"And his girlfriend is like the second most important person in this body-" Thrax paused. "How did he ever manage to score with her?"

Grace snorted and hid her face in her arm as she laughed, her body shaking. After a moment she stood, managing to contain herself a little. "Thanks a lot I have to pee." She disappeared into the bathroom.

He started for the bedroom but paused next to Lindi's room. Taking a breath he opened the door. He had expected to see a lump under the covers but instead saw Lindi sitting up, facing the wide window. He looked at the time hoping it wasn't as late as he thought it was. He inwardly groaned.

I really hope Veins doesn't call me in… I'll shut my phone off.

He went in, cracking the door before going to her and sitting next to her.

"You aren't in trouble Lindi."

She didn't move or act like she heard him.

"You can't help what's going on. The proteins going through your nucleus are going to be haywire while your body adjusts."

"So you should expect more split furniture? Maybe I'll go buy a few extinguishers-"

He flexed his hand, feeling a stiffness coming on. "Sarcasm isn't going to make me go away."

"Where do I belong if not with the red blood cells or the microbes?" Her question was quiet though he easily heard it. What he hadn't heard was Grace enter the room.

"With us." She answered as she sat across from Lindi; she then leaned to turn on the desk light. "You know now you aren't mine biologically but that doesn't matter. I raised you-we raised you. As far as we're both concerned you're ours, microbe or not, cell or not."

"Yeah." Lindi agreed absently. "And what's going to happen when Immunity finds out, which they will."

Thrax hadn't expected her to know the looming possibility of Immunity finding out. She's a lot smarter than I'm giving her credit for…She's like me. Any microbe would think the same exact thing. It wasn't that the cells were stupid, microbes-most microbes were exceptionally smart. Smarter. They had to be to be one step ahead of Immunity. If you weren't you either wound up in lockup or dead.

Lindi hadn't been looking at him she was focused on Grace. "Come on Grace." She used the cell's name for the first time. "It's a civic duty you swore to uphold. I just set fire to your kitchen. By Immunity law, you have to turn me in."

"No I don't." Grace's answer was short. "Frank wasn't affected…do you want me to turn you in?"

Lindi didn't answer giving Grace enough time to really study her. Her membrane wasn't as transparent. But she still has an outer membrane unlike Thrax… that is good. And her eyes were darker, the green getting a burnt yellowish hue to them. And her body-The teenager's body was molding into a tighter, more skeletal look. Like Thrax is built. What the hell kind of RNA was used?

"I don't want to be angry." Lindi finally spoke. "But I can't get rid of the anger."

Grace forced herself not to react when she watched the kid she raised light up her right hand, the red and orange rippling unlike Thrax's hand where it was one solid color.

Thrax saw through Grace's 'calm façade.' He knew some of the anger Lindi was talking about would dissipate if he told her the truth about her parents. On a dime he made the decision to do so before another blowup happened.

"Lindi your parents didn't splice anything." He noted her frozen state, though he could tell she was listening. "And they didn't use you to avoid suspicion." Her eyes twitched. "-Your mother became really sick during the Ehrlichia outbreak two and a half years ago; she was pregnant with you. Your father tried everything but you began to mummify inside her. Desperation can lead people to doing not-so-smart things." He took a breath. "Val met someone through the black market to get an RNA strain that he was told would save both of you…he took the deal and the strain worked. Marium had you and for a while everything looked good until the person who sold them the strain sent someone to your doorstep, claiming your parents owed more money. When your father tried to object, the person killed them. It wasn't about getting the money; money or no money, they would have been killed anyway."

"Who was it?" Her words came out hissing.

He opened his mouth to tell her it wasn't important but she seemed to know he was about to blow her off.

"Don't tell me it doesn't matter."

Grace was watching him. She breathed out. 'Tell her.' She mouthed.

Lindi was staring at him, her face blank something that had him slightly concerned. Despite the weakness in his left hand he was almost positive he could take her and win. His eyes drifted to her hand that had stopped glowing like a campfire. And I'm fireproof. Not like she can hurt me there. But her rage-Grace could get hurt. Then he paused. Here I go again, planning out my counter plan if she tries to attack me. I shouldn't have to do this. He thought back to Vein's comment in the office when he had been confronting him and Jones about Lindi.

If Lindi has something going on like this and it gets out that she's got any sort of virus RNA in her, she's going to be quarantined and it's not going to be a pretty scene. I'm disobeying direct orders and ignoring the code I vowed to uphold by not turning her and you in.

"Shaine's father."

She didn't show any reaction.

"That's why I was so oppose to you spending any sort of time with him."

"Does he know?" Her question was quick. She stopped in her next words as the picture became clear to her. That's why he skipped school for the week and a half…he was told then and couldn't face me because of it.

Thrax didn't respond, knowing she had pieced together the answer to her question.

"What are the odds of that?" She said finally. "Me winding up with someone whose dad offed my parents."

"Don't be mad at him." Grace murmured. "It has nothing to do with Shaine. He didn't do anything to you."

"I know that." Her tone suggested she had been insulted by being told the obvious. She visibly relaxed. "Sorry." She was quiet for a moment. "I'll pay to fix the counter. Mrs. Krac paid me under the table from the library."

Grace suppressed a smile; outwardly relieved the danger was gone. "You don't have to. It's an easy fix."

Lindi was only half listening. Thrax's explanation of what really happened the night her parents died was bringing back memories she didn't know she had.

-appearing behind the germ and grabbing his chin in a vice grip. "No. You won't see." He met eyes with Lindi. 'Close your eyes.' He mouthed. She did and felt a warm mist spray her before the pressure on her legs was gone. A low thud to her left and she felt hands, hot to the touch pick her up. She opened her eyes to see golden yellow orbs staring back at her…

She glanced at him, sitting next to her. He killed Shaine's father. Am I relieved or angry? Maybe I should have died with them. Why didn't I? Because he saved me.

"You should get some sleep." Grace stood. "If you want to continue the conversation, we can tomorrow."

Lindi gave a jerked nod. The bed moved slightly as Thrax stood too. A heavy fatigue came over her as she watched them leave. Not bothering to change she pulled her boots off and then laid down, drifting off almost immediately.

…

"Can't you just arrest him?"

The hangover Leah had warned him about was making it hard to deal with a teenager who was 'bright-eyed and bushy-tailed' as the humans say.

"Look kid. I can't just go arrest someone for nothing. I need proof that he's doing something illegal."

"He usually hangs out downtown, near the market. Isn't that considered loitering? You can get him for that." Shaine was undeterred. "You might even catch him swipe some food off some vendor's cart. That's theft."

Jones looked at Leah for help who had stayed silent on the issue. Her eyes had been cast downward through most of the discussion; as if she felt the blood cell's gaze she looked up.

"Why do you want him arrested Shaine?" She asked when Jones continued to plead silently.

"It's already been 23hrs. I've only ever been out of Nerve's sight for about 26hrs. Once he sees I'm not around he's going to go straight for Dillon."

"Maybe he went into hiding already." Jones hoped Leah would continue the talking, maybe the kid would listen to her.

A scornful look was shot his way. "Where? He's homeless like me. He has nowhere but the safe house to live in. And he spends as much time as he can away from there. Only shows up when he has to."

"And you think he's going to retaliate against Rods?"

"I don't think. I know. He said so. The next screw up I made Dillon was going to pay for it. Me being here is a screw up."

Suddenly Jones wished he had stayed in bed.

…

Downtown

Market and Tongue St.

10:45am

"Dillon Rods."

He looked up to see the white blood cell from Immunity walking towards him. "What the hell-" He backed away and then turned to run only to see the virus standing fairly close directly behind him. How the hell did I not hear him…I must be getting old or something.

"I wouldn't run if I were you." The virus advised. "Everyone who has regretted it."

Annoyed at himself for being so lackadaisical and not watching for the police Dillon pulled his satchel off and let it drop, putting his hands up in surrender. The woman cop appeared on his left, she slowly came forward and picked up his dropped bag.

"Dillon Rods, you're under arrest for vagrancy and loitering-"

"You've got to be kidding me…" the germ interrupted.

Jones tried his best to ignore the germ's muttering of every curse he knew.

…

FPD: Precinct 13

11:10am

Rods had fallen silent by the time he was escorted into the precinct. Murphy was at the front desk.

"Ah. Finally got that weasel on something, eh?"

"Get a life grandpa."

"Excuse me?" The older cell sat straight up; even Thrax was impressed. He had often wondered if the cell knew how to sit up straight. "Why don't you come closer and say that to my face, you punk."

"Murph!" Jones snapped. "Just log him, will you?"

"No good microbe. Probably has ten wee more at what ever shithole he's climbed out off…all gonna be just as ill-mannered and crime-ridden-" The cell continued to mutter under his breath. Jones tried in vain to keep a smile off his face while they waited. Murphy looked up. "Whatcha waitin' for? He's booked, getting him outta my sight before I strangle him with my baton."

Jones pulled the microbe away from the desk and steered him towards the back hallway. Rods became apprehensive almost immediately.

"Where are we going?"

Jones purposely didn't answer as they walked amongst their colleagues. All the Immunity cells finally recognized Thrax as one of their own. Jones didn't know how some of them would take it if they knew another microbe was about to be granted immunity.

"Hey! Are you deaf?"

Thrax saved him from having to tell the germ to shut up. He wasn't expecting to be knocked off balance though and losing his grip on Rods. Thrax's hand was wrapped around Rod's neck and holding him easily against the hallway wall.

"Listen you little ingrate. You're lucky we found you before Nerves did. He's got hits out all over this city, looking for you. You're here on the begging of that Flavum kid to keep you from winding up in a plaque drum and sent down the post-nasal drip Frank has at the moment."

The microbe scoffed. "Shaine needs to stop worrying. I can take care of my-"

"Really."

Rods felt something hot on his wrists and looked down to see the cuffs melt off his wrists. He automatically jumped back, thinking he was about to be burned.

"What. Thrax! That was like my eighth pair. Charlie's gonna kill me. He told me not to let you do that agai-"

Thrax ignored Jones and gripped Rods again by the throat. "So you are going to cooperate and or I'll make you cooperate."

The stubbornness returned. Thrax could see it in the germ's eyes.

"I'm not snitching if that's what you mean."

"Then you're going to have a rough couple of hours and possibly days ahead of you."

Neon purple eyes shifted to Jones before sliding, grudgingly, back to Thrax. "Fine."