Chapter 22: Consciousness

Neurosecretory didn't even have a chance to shield his eyes before the entire Cerebellum was enveloped into a blinding flash of light. His instincts told him to get away, to seek cover, but his very being refused to move even for a step. He could hear a number of his fellow neurons screaming from terror, but most were like him, all frozen in their place, staring at the ceiling with awe and confusion.

The stormy clouds up above rumbled and rolled. Figures and images started to appear each time thunder cracked.

Neurosecretary watched at the flashing scenes, trying to discern their meaning. At first, it appeared these images were random, but then he realized a theme was starting to form.

"Memories?" he muttered, surprised. "The Consciousness is reliving the world's memories?"

Then he perked up. He glanced behind his shoulder and noticed the terminal endings of his Axon of a ponytail flickering with tiny electrical sparks.

He blinked a couple of times before swerving his attention toward his fellow neurons. They, too, had their Axon terminal endings flaring with electric impulses.

Some neurons even glowed every time a particular memory was projected in the cloud. Neurosecretory noted this strange phenomenon as those neurons having their synapses associated with the current memory being shown. After a couple of seconds, another batch of neurons started glowing as another memory would begin to stir.

Neurosecretory finally understood what was happening.

It was a known fact by all inhabitants of this world that as neurons, they were the only beings that had a direct connection with the Consciousness. However, it was a mistake to presume that they possessed any otherworldly powers.

A neuron by itself was nothing more than an electrically charged cell that had lived since when the world still resided within the mother world. No single neuron possessed any shard of the Consciousness in on themselves. If one were to pry the nucleus of a neuron, the same chromosomes could be seen in each and every cell of the world that contained a nucleus.

And yet, when billions of these ancient cells converge into one interlinking connection, the entity known as the Consciousness starts to emerge. Why would such an emergence happen? It was a complete mystery to everyone.

As for Neurosecretory, it didn't matter. What mattered was his colleagues were now all focused on the ceiling as visions began to coalesce around the thunderclouds.

The vision was with the world interacting with other worlds.

Their world seemed to be in a hot and humid setting, far from their world's sphere of influence.

Neurosecretory recognized the setting of the vision. It was when their world went on a trip overseas not long ago, to a hot place their world had trouble acclimatizing its temperature.

He then remembered that time when he met the delegates of the immune system, and one of his colleagues went on a hysterical rant. The mad neuron started to make a scene, chastising the other council members why it was dangerous for the world to go on a trip overseas.

The vision changed to the world, interacting with a lesser and more primitive world, completely covered with thick black hair.

Neurosecretary recognized the identity of the primitive world as being a 'primate'. It was said the species of their world descended from these 'primates' millions of years ago.

The primitive world seemed fascinated by the presence of their world as it started touching their world's arms and legs. Other worlds also joined in observing this playful, primitive world.

Neurosecretory could hear the voice of their world, laughing and speaking with other worlds who had a different complexion compared to their world.

Then the primitive world attempted to bite at one of their world's legs, but their world managed to apprehend the primitive world before its teeth could puncture a deep wound on their world's protective skin.

Neurosecretory heard more chuckling at the vision. He then saw the primitive world scamper away as their world started talking with other worlds.

That was it… He pondered. That was how the virus got inside.

More visions played after that, but the clouds already began shifting again, and a couple more seconds later, the visions vanished.

A heavy silence fell upon the amphitheater as billions of neurons remained mesmerized at what the Consciousness was dreaming of.

Then, the Speaker banged his gavel once, which put a stop at everybody's stupor.

"Order... " the Speaker spoke, this time his voice was leveled and measured. "Everyone, let's get back to business."

"Mr. Speaker, if I may," the neuron from the left hemisphere wearing a deep crimson robe raised his hand.

"The Council recognized the delegate from the left," The Speaker nodded at the neuron. "You may begin, sir, provided you mind the time allotted."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker," the neuron in deep crimson nodded in turn, before moving his attention toward his gathered colleagues in the amphitheater. "Fellow ancients, it seems the Consciousness has shown us a vital memory that we might have missed. It would appear the virus originated in that primitive world called a 'primate' which our world was engaging."

"Point of inquiry, Mr. Speaker?" the delegate from the right asked in his heavily modulated voice.

The Speaker nodded and gave the floor to the right's representative.

"To the honorable neuron of the left, if I may ask, how could the virus get inside when in the Consciousness' memory it was seen the primitive world failed to a wound with its bite?"

"That might be the case," the neuron in deep crimson suggested. "But not getting bitten does not necessarily equate no breach has happened. Saliva could as well be enough for the virus to jump worlds into ours."

Murmurs and grunts of agreement rumbled all across the amphitheater.

Neurosecretory had to blink twice to confirm the sudden change of decorum from his billions of colleagues. From a disordered group of feuding senile cells to one more befitting of their dignified station.

The memories shown by the Consciousness had stirred all gathered neurons in the Cerebellum, uniting everyone to focus on the dire problem at hand.

"I told you!" screamed a neuron seated at the topmost seat of the amphitheater. "I told you fools not to go overseas! I told you it was dangerous!"

Neurosecretory turned his gaze at the screaming neuron and immediately recognized him as the one neuron who created a scene during the meeting with the delegates of the immune system.

"Your words are duly noted, honorable councilor from the right," responded the Speaker. "However, now is not the ti-"

"No, Mr. Speaker! I must say my piece, or I will be damned in silence!"

Neurosecretory anticipated this outburst would once again drag the whole council back to useless bickering, but everyone remained silent and even eager to hear the frantic neuron speak.

The Speaker made a glance at the two delegates of the two hemispheres and saw no objection at letting the councilor from the right speak his due.

"Very well honorable councilor, the floor is yours."

"This infection is Ebola!" the councilor blurted out without hesitation. "Have you not seen Kurzgesagt?! Have you not seen the symptoms and the attack? They are all similar to Ebola!"

"We've all seen the video, councilor," the Speaker replied. "But we also know that Ebola is only found far from where we went overseas. We didn't go to Africa."

"It could be a new strain that no one has found out yet!" the councilor from the right retorted. "I've warned you all about the dangers outside this country, but you cast me aside like I was nothing!"

"Enough," the neuron in deep crimson barked. "It was mandated by the Consciousness that we must go overseas. It was not something we can stop. It was fated."

Neurosecretary raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word fate. He couldn't help but wonder at how much the world had been influenced by the Consciousness' beliefs. Like everyone else in the Cerebellum, he too fully subscribed to such tenets. However, there were indeed times when he asked questions if the Consciousness had correctly interpreted the world's fate or not.

"And furthermore," the left delegate added. "There's no longer any point sulking at what has already happened. What we need to focus now is on what we need to do to counter the Archtraitor."

"What is there to counter?" the delegate of the right interjected. "We already know the mandates of the Consciousness regarding checking into hospitals and seeking medi-"

"And I suppose it is our fate that we all perish in the hands of this 'Ebola' virus?" Neurosecretory interrupted, his fingers air-quoting the word 'Ebola'. "That whatever twisted fate the Archtraitor thinks is hers is the correct fate for all of us?"

That immediately got the attention of everyone. None were pleasant, and most were borderline murderous.

"There you go again, Neurosecretory," the right delegate sighed and, surprisingly, seemed genuinely disappointed with him. "Are you telling us all to disobey the mandate of the Consciousness? Do you wish us to defy like what the Archtraitor has done to this world?"

"That would be a far better course of action than dying, don't you think?" Neurosecretory countered.

Once again, the whole amphitheater buzzed with the grumbles and murmurs of a billion neurons. Neurosecretory could hear grunts of approval at his point, but the majority seemed unfazed.

"It is true, the Consciousness does not trust modern medicine," he continued. "But this does not also mean we must adhere to it to the letter."

"It is fate, no one can change that." The delegate from the right declared with finality.

"Not quite so," Neurosecretory adjusted his glasses. "The Consciousness is not infallible, as many of you know."

"Careful now," the neuron in deep crimson warned in a low growl. "You are bordering on heresy, director of the Hypothalamus."

"No, I'm not." Neurosecretory narrowed his eyes, unswayed by the threat posed by the delegate from the left. "I'm speaking the truth. You know it. Everyone here knows it."

He raised a hand to signal everyone to stay silent. They already wasted enough time bickering and debating for a course of action. REM sleep would end any time now, and still, they haven't made any decision.

"My fellow colleagues," he started, addressing all neurons instead of the two hemisphere delegates. "We are all bound to our fates. From the least of the platelets to us, the highest-ranking cells of this world."

He paused, steadying his grip on the Speaker's vox-amplifier.

"Searching for our individual fates and forging ourselves to be worthy of such is what we all need to do." He looked up to the neurons on the left and the right to emphasize the gravity of his words. "But we must also be wary in pursuing paths that may stir us away from our true fates."

Neurosecretory saw multiple colleagues nodding in agreement. Some were even discussing his points with their neighbors. Still, some crossed their arms, sitting in silence, as if in defiance to his message.

"Fate affects us all. The Consciousness is driven in search of the true fate of this world. However!"

He slapped his hands on the Speaker's podium. "Just like how the Archtraitor has twisted her senses into accepting a dastardly interpretation of her fate, so too has the Consciousness has made the same error when it comes to seeking medical attention. We see it all! You know it all!"

Finally, he stretched out his arms up wide, as if inviting the skeptical gazes of a billion of his colleagues. "Now, I ask you all… Are you fated to not accept the fallibility of the Consciousness? Or are you fated to live beyond for countless more Circadian cycles after this infection?"

Silence. The Cerebellum had descended into a soundless chamber where no neuron dared to speak. The clouds up above the ceiling no longer rumbled, and the visions had ceased to coalesce.

"If your fate does not bar you from the two circumstances," Neurosecretory lowered his hands, his shoulders sagged as if accepting that he had already done everything to save the world. "Then you must all join me in hinting to the Consciousness to seek for medical help and call for an ambulance. Immediately."


A/N:

There might be a big plot hole in this chapter which is Neurosecretary saying all neurons must join in 'hinting' to the Consciousness to seek medical help. But what is 'hinting' then when in the early paragraphs it was clearly mentioned neurons don't contain any shard of the Consciousness? How do the neurons 'hint' anyway? I actually left this deliberately vague and open for interpretation since I too am not an expert with regards to what Consciousness really is.

You can say when the neurons do 'hinting', they're just channeling ideas to the 'Subconscious' which in turn influences the Consciousness.

Also, as I have said before, the Consciousness I'm portraying here is an entity that 'emerges' into being when neurons gather together to form connections. Only when neurons are combined do Consciousness appears. But what really is Consciousness? If you slice a neuron, you can't find any tiny logic gates such as those in Processing Chips which holds the Zeroes and Ones of a Bit. Consciousness seems to be irreducible to individual neurons.

This is why the Neurons in my story speak of the Consciousness as a separate entity that they don't have direct contact with. You can think of the neurons as priests and they are channeling a mysterious entity called the 'Consciousness' to control their world. Whether the Consciousness is indeed an otherworldly entity or just a completely emergent product of neurons is for everyone to guess.

By the way, just to be clear, when I say Consciousness, I'm talking about you, the self-aware entity reading this chapter. ^^

Anyways, next chapter we'll once again visit U1146, AE3803, Kouhai-chan, and Platelet-chan. I'm already dying to know what happens next. XD

Again, stay safe from any flu everyone!

And Happy Valentines day!


Revision History:

- Originally published on Feb. 14, 2020