Breathe in.

Breathe out.

In through the nose.

And out in the same way.

Open your eyes.

And then, Normal Cell, for that is what he is going to be called, wakes up.

"You took a bit longer to wake up than most."

A voice.

Pleasant to listen to.

Low pitched, soft.

A small laugh.

"I know you're awake, NC-1998! There's no need to be shy."

NC-1998 scowled, but otherwise acquiesced to the request of this unknown cell. He was lying in bed, NC noticed when he first opened his eyes. As he straightens and sits up, he noticed that his side of the room is mirrored on the other side.

Ah, NC-1998 thought to himself, the joys of cell division.

For a moment, the brand new normal cell set his feet against the cool hardwood flooring of the apartment, his body still adjusting to the new sensation of being alive and awake. As he does so, his creator studied him, a faint look of pride on his face that instantly becomes slightly confused.

"Huh," his creator murmured, "I think I made a mistake."

NC-1998 froze, the cytoplasm in his body pounding heavily in his ears. There's a memory, an instinct perhaps, that tells him to run.

To seek cover.

Overwhelmed with the need to live, to preserve himself, the newborn normal cell shot up from the bed and backed away from his creator. Warily, he assessed all threats, exits, and any potential weapons.

This had happened before, NC can't help but think.

The normal cell that had performed the cell division looked upon him with an indecipherable look. However, in a second, the creator schooled his features back into a calmer disposition. Slowly, he approached the younger cell, concern and a little bit of mischief glimmering in his brown eyes.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." The Normal Cell tried to soothe.

Reaching out with one steady hand, Normal Cell tried to assure the other cell that he meant no harm. Despite his best efforts, NC continued to huddle against the wall, almost as if…

"Was it something I said?"

NC, much to his growing embarrassment and irritation, found himself nodding shyly—shyly!—at the question.

Something in NC's nucleus told him that he shouldn't be this scared or shy of this unknown cell! It made him vulnerable.

And if there was one thing NC realized that he didn't like ever since he had awoken, it was that he didn't like not being in control. There were too many variables, unknowns. NC didn't like any of it.

Normal Cell crouched down so that he was at eye level with NC. He rocked back and forth with his heels in a childlike manner that seemed to lay to rest the newer normal cell's fears.

"Ah, don't worry about it, 1998! When I said mistake, that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you!" The original normal cell tried to ruffle NC's hair, but finds himself rebuffed when NC slaps the offending hand away.

"Look," Normal Cell says, "I'm not going to turn you in or have an immune cell take you out."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I messed up a little with your eyes, but it's only a benign mutation."

NC looked back at his creator, his twin, in surprise.

That was new. Weren't mutations supposed to be considered enemies of the body? Wasn't there supposed to be a battalion of white blood cells ready to end his life without any regard that he was nothing more than a newborn at best? Confused, NC struggled to keep his breathing under control as he processed the information.

"W-what do you mean?" It took everything in him not to grimace at his stutter. It killed NC to show vulnerability in front of a cell that he had never seen before. "You said it yourself! I'm a mista—"

A slender finger, much like his own, silenced his lips with a gentle brush.

"Are you also having problems with your hearing?" Despite his words, Normal Cell's voice was light and jovial. They were sure signs of comic humor, but NC didn't want to acknowledge it. "I just said that I made a mistake, not that you are one. Besides, to be honest, this mistake makes you look unique."

NC bristled at what he perceives to be condescension dripping from every word, but he chose to say nothing. Instead, Normal Cell sensed that his twin didn't want to speak, so he opted for an action that would send all of NC's fears to rest.

Quickly and without much thought to the consequences, Normal Cell crossed the room onto the other side of his apartment. From there, Normal Cell rummaged around in his desk to find a handheld mirror. It's an old thing, a bit tarnished, but still fit enough to do its job. Once he is satisfied with the state of his mirror, Normal Cell bounded back to NC and held it up to his twin's face.

Lime green eyes.

NC-1998, with all the aplomb of a cell on the verge of what he thought constituted a mental breakdown, said, "It's me."

It came to him in flashes.

Although he spent most of his cycles learning more about the body and the duties of what a healthy normal cell should do, NC can't help but feel like there was something more that he should strive for. However, when he questioned his creator, all he got was a condescending pat on the head or a fond smile before NC was forced to read and memorize the manuals for cell division under regulation.

If all went well, NC would be permitted to get his own apartment and start the replication process all over again. Normal Cell surmised that with how bright and clever NC was, it would only take a few more cycles before he was fully licensed.

However, while that job seemed noble in the grand scheme of things—replication actively helped the body grow and replenish from attacks—NC knew that there is something more to him than this.

His lime green eyes.

He knows—he can feel it—that his unique eyes were a sign of something more.

It's a calling. An epiphany.

NC was his name.

It was something else.

NC learned too quickly not to bring up his sentiments to what he can only assume is his mentor. Normal Cell (he has the customary initials and an appended number, but NC doesn't bother to remember) is simply just that: normal. If it were up to him, NC knew that he wouldn't waste his days idling, waiting for the next time to create a replica of himself. If he were permitted (because everything has to be done procedurally or else you'll be considered to be a rogue cell and that was another problem NC doesn't want to think about), NC made sure to create…

Create what?

More mutations?

Even if he were to get arrested or punished for making new cells without regulation, NC would think that his endeavors would be considered genius. At the very least, he wouldn't be bored by the droll conditions that came with the territory of being a normal cell.

Why would anyone want to create the same thing over and over again?

It was stagnation at its finest.

So boring.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

NC looked up from the manual that was assigned to all normal cells. It was such a dry read that after skimming the pages about technical jargon and rules, NC began to stare into space while idly flipping through the pages.

Whenever NC would do that—which was often—Normal Cell would tease him for daydreaming.

That was another question that he didn't want to ask Normal Cell. What was the point of resting? Of sleeping? Unlike the body, as was mentioned before by some passing cells, cells on their own can't dream.

Only rest.

Replicate.

And die.

The whole thing was stupid, NC confided once. Why were normal cells relegated to only one task? A task that was under strict surveillance by members higher up on the organizational ladder? What if he was better as a red blood cell? What if he had the talent to be an immune cell?

Why was everything so structured? Why couldn't any of the cells become something more than their designation?

"You know, it's considered rude to ignore someone who has been housing you ever since you were born."

"Not born," NC can't help but seethe. "Made only for the strict use of the body."

That's another thing that he doesn't like about this situation—this stupid excuse for an existence. Why did everyone work so hard for this so-called body? Why did everyone devote all of their time doing their jobs so perfectly, so strictly under the guidance of the higher ups?

It drove NC mad the more he thought about the bleak monotony of this stupid existence.

Normal Cell, always calm and too damn lazy didn't pay much attention that something was HORRIBLY WRONG BECAUSE WHY IS EVERYTHING SO BORING AND USELESS AND WHY CAN'T I SHAKE THE FEELING THAT—

"—outside for a bit."

Normal Cell met NC's eyes with a look of mischief, almost as if he knew that NC wasn't paying attention.

For once, NC took the bait as he threw his manual onto his desk so that he wouldn't have to look at such a thing anymore.

"Can you repeat yourself?" NC burrowed himself deep into his nest of blankets so that his supposed mentor wouldn't see the deep blush of red color his cell membrane. "I'm busy having an existential crisis."

Normal Cell looks positively delighted that NC had finally deigned to speak with him.

"I've been keeping you cooped up in here too long! It's time for you to explore the body when you have the chance!"

Right away, Normal Cell started bombarding NC with a barrage of brochures and maps of the most scenic places that could be found in the body. From the growing mountain of a pile, NC could make out diagrams of the stomach, the nostrils, the big toe on the left foot, etc. At first, he tried telling his mentor that he couldn't possibly visit all of these places, but Normal Cell elected to ignore him. Soon, much to his disappointment and irritation, NC found that his desk was basically a shrine for tourism.

Out of polite courtesy, NC chose a brochure at random and began scanning the information. Much to his surprise, there were highlighted phrases here and there with handwritten notes in the margins. Judging how the glossy papers were somewhat crinkled and worn, it seemed that his creator had a habit of traveling and taking notes.

"Since when do you have the time to visit all of these places? I thought you stayed inside all day and replicated."

Normal Cell almost sounded affronted, but he was still quick to answer his twin's query.

"Again, replications are timed. Replication is under strict regulation, which means that we can't go under or over in producing new normal cells. If we do, that means that either the equipment is faulty or perhaps the mentality of the normal cell is called into question. We don't want any harmful mutations occurring."

NC took all of this in, his lime green eyes darkening ever so slightly. Carefully, he straightened the pile of brochures at his desk before approaching his bed. After situating himself so that he was comfortable on the bed, he looked Normal Cell in the eye.

"Isn't there a term for that?"

Normal Cell stilled, his face turning grim and serious for once.

"Yeah… cancer."

And it all came rushing back.

It's a flash.

A snippet.

A faucet that has a leaky pipe, drops of water falling in an intermittent melody.

NC sees and hears things about a past that he shouldn't want to remember, but he does anyway. He sees pain, regret, and death.

So much death.

There's another cancer cell, just like him (or was him? he's not too sure anymore if he's cancer or normal anymore) who cries and screams.

There's a white blood cell, one of the neutrophil variety, who looks so sad… Why does he look like that?

A ruthless NK cell.

A boisterous Killer T cell.

And then—

And then—

Red.

Red.

RED.

Red—red as the red blood cells.

Red—red as the color of her unnatural hair.

Red—his Little Miss Red with the ideals of a newborn cell, who had managed to stay alive despite all that he had thrown at her.

Red.

Red.

RED.

And then—

Lime green eyes opened wide with malicious intent and suddenly—

He's found it.

His new purpose in life.

"Yeah," NC-1998 agrees with his normal twin cell. "I'd actually like to go outside. Maybe I'll meet some of those lovely red blood cells who give us nutrients and oxygen!"

In the privacy of his own head, after NC convinced his creator that he can handle going about the body by himself, NC thought that Normal Cell did only one thing right in creating him.

NC is actually a nice name without that stupid number.

He's definitely NOT Cancer.

But he's definitely not just a normal cell, either.

He's NC.

Unique, one of a kind, and an amalgamation of who he was and what he doesn't want to be.