Inside the human body, 32.7 trillion cells work hard to keep you happy and healthy. Every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, no matter what, from the biggest macrophage to the smallest platelet, they are there for you. This is a story of the human body.
In one of the many blood vessels throughout the brain, Red Blood Cell AE-3803 stood at the front of the line and waited for her turn. She carried a basket of nutrients in her arms.
"Next!" shouted an endothelial cell seated behind one of the desks.
She approached the endothelial cell. He was dressed in a pale blue button-down shirt, a black tie, and a dark blue peaked cap. The badge on the front of his cap, above the brim, was shaped like a silver shield emblazoned with a large red X. Above the X, at the top of the shield, the letters "BBB" stood in black. The badge pinned to the front of his shirt was the same. The cell that AE approached wore glasses and had a stern expression. She had to look up at him, since the desk he was sitting at was on a raised platform.
The Blood-Brain Barrier
The brain is protected by a special barrier that tightly regulates all movement between the circulatory system and the brain, due to the brain's importance. The endothelial cells of the blood vessels in the brain are tightly squeezed together to prevent any unregulated movement of materials.
"Anything to declare?" the endothelial cell asked.
"Oh, um, just a basket of nutrients being sent to the brain!" AE said nervously.
"Have you confirmed that this delivery is free of any pathogens and toxic material?"
"Yes! I checked… I'm pretty sure, anyway. Wait, let me check again!" AE began rifling through the basket just to make absolutely sure that it was free of any and all banned substances. She squeaked as she accidentally dropped the entire basket. Fortunately, the contents all remained inside.
The endothelial cell looked down at her, frowning. "What are you doing?" he snapped.
"Eek! I'm sorry! I'm just making absolutely, one-hundred-percent sure that-"
"Just… gimme the basket." The endothelial cell held out his hand.
AE promptly picked up the basket and handed it over. "Yessir."
The endothelial cell took the basket and looked through it himself. He even waved a detector wand over it just to make sure nothing was missed. He placed the nutrient basket on a tray beside him and looked back at the nervous, redheaded erythrocyte.
"Your delivery is all clear and will be delivered promptly to the brain. Thank you for your hard work and have a nice day," the endothelial cell deadpanned.
"You're welcome! You too!" AE-3803 turned around and walked away from the desk as quickly as she could. Her chest felt tight, like her insides were constricting. Something about the BBB endothelial cells intimidated her. They had a way of making her second guess her actions, as if she was intentionally trying to smuggle in toxins to damage the brain.
"Next!" called out the endothelial cell as soon as she walked away.
Behind the endothelial cell, the nutrients that AE delivered were placed on a cart and taken by an astrocyte to the brain.
Astrocytes
Cells known as "astrocytes" play a role in bringing needed materials, such as oxygen and nutrients, to pass through the Blood-Brain Barrier.
The name for astrocytes refers to their resemblance to stars (astro = star, cyte = cell).
The astrocyte entered the area where the magic happened. Crowded in a large hall, almost like mission control, neurons sat hard at work on their computers. Thick wires cluttered the floor, zooming back and forth between computers and phones on the neuron's desks. While some neurons only had one or two connections to somewhere else, the majority of the neurons had several connections to other neurons, who in turn had several more connections, and so on creating a vast, beautiful web that maintained consciousness and controlled the processes of the body.
The astrocyte stepped carefully over the various wires and approached the neuron the basket was addressed to. He was a lanky cell, dressed simply, in an off-white button down shirt and brown slacks. He paid strict attention to his computer monitor, and was talking with other neurons over his headset.
"Yeah, it looks like that's what it is. I'm forwarding the images to you now- hold on just a sec."
The neuron looked up at the astrocyte and moved his headset microphone away from his mouth. The astrocyte gave him the basket of nutrients, and the neuron grinned.
"Thanks a ton. I'm starving."
The astrocyte tapped the badge pinned to the front of her dark purple blouse. It was a golden five-pointed star enclosed in a silver pentagon; the badge of the astrocytes.
"It's my job!" the astrocyte said cheerfully. The neuron turned back to his computer and took a bite from the sandwich in the basket, while the astrocyte walked away to her next task. If the neuron had been looking, he might have wondered how she could walk so gracefully among the clutter of wires in a pencil skirt and heels. He wasn't looking, though, because he was in the Vision Division. His job was to work with his teammates to help put together images of the outside world using the stream of data sent from the eyes. He didn't have time to look at other cells, when he had to make sure that the body could see!
Sensory Neurons
Sensory Neurons are neurons that bring information from the sensory receptors to the brain. Examples of sensory information include sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing, pain, temperature and "proprioception," or the ability to know where the various parts of one's body are in relation to each other.
The image on his computer monitor showed some bottles of beer on a table. The bottles had green labels, and the words "Qingdao Beer" could be read on them. It was dark, wherever the body was, and the table was surrounded by other people. Glasses were set up in front of them all.
The neuron positioned his headset microphone near his mouth once again. "Alright, that seems good. Let's send this one and get working on the next one."
"Roger that," a voice said in his headset. The Vision Division began working on the next image.
All across the brain, messages and memos were being sent from neuron to neuron. The Decision Division was conflicted. The chat log on their computers, as well as messages being sent over their headsets, telephones, and even passing notes revealed that they did not know which course of action to take. From all of the information that had been received from the eyes, ears, and nose over the course of the afternoon, it was clear that the body was currently in a bar. And it was currently being offered a bottle of beer. The neurons were debating which they should do: accept and drink the beer, or decline?
It would be nice to unwind with friends, the pro-accept side argued. Work had been stressful lately, and a drink with friends would be an excellent way to relax.
The anti-accept side rebutted that the experience of a hangover would not be pleasant. Even if the next day was a Saturday, and the body was off work, it would be quite problematic to suffer the effects of a hangover.
The pro-accept side responded that there would be no problem at all with some self-control. Besides, the friends were offering, and it would be rude to turn down an offer from friends during a social meeting.
This convinced a number of anti-accept neurons, and the Decision Division moved to accept the drink. Despite the majority being for accepting, a number of dissenters voiced their doubts that this would end well. Their concerns were pushed aside, and the order was given to the motor neurons to accept the drink.
And so, the night began, as the motor neurons coordinated orders to the muscles to reach out, grasp the bottle, hold it up, cheer with the friends, bring the bottle to the lips, tip the contents of the bottle into the mouth, and swallow.
0-0-0
On her way to the intestines to pick up more nutrients, AE-3803 ran into her kouhai, NT-4201, at a glucose vending machine. AE ecstatically greeted the younger erythrocyte and went walking with her.
"How's your glucose, Kouhai-chan?" asked AE-3803 excitedly.
NT-4201 sighed internally. For AE to call her "Kouhai-chan" really wasn't correct. It should just be "Kouhai."
Although, as kouhai, she wasn't in a position to correct her senpai, even if her senpai often needed correcting.
"It tastes just fine, Senpai."
"Great! Sometimes, I like to order two different flavors, and mix them together. Have you ever tried that? Sometimes, it's not very good, but the chocolate and strawberry flavors go really well together!"
NT nodded and licked her glucose. She went with her favorite, the lemon flavor. A bit of sour coming through the sweetness, but still delicious. AE continued talking about the various flavor combinations while she licked her strawberry glucose.
Red Blood Cells often think they are lucky to lack mitochondria. This way, they get to enjoy glucose all the time. Each erythrocyte had a sweet tooth, without exception.
The pair made their way to the intestines in order to pick up the nutrients for delivery. NT nodded as AE chattered on and on… and on… and on…
NT respected her senpai. At least, she tried to. Sure, AE was airheaded, and clumsy, and hopeless with directions, but as kouhai, NT knew it was not her place to take the lead. AE was the teacher, and NT was the apprentice. That was the nature of the senpai-kouhai relationship.
Everything came to a head when the body started hemorrhaging on NT's first day, and hypovolemic shock followed soon after. It was then that AE truly went above and beyond the call of duty. NT's klutzy, easily distracted, scatterbrained senpai was gone. In her place was a cell filled to bursting with passion for her job. Someone who was willing to do her duty to the last, for the sake of the body. Even as they were dying of cold in a blizzard, AE refused to give up until she physically could not go any further. NT had given up all hope, but AE never surrendered to despair. She continued to deliver oxygen, because that's what red blood cells do.
That day changed NT's perspective entirely. She developed a deep admiration for her senpai, who embodied the spirit of what it meant to be a red blood cell in that darkest hour. NT could not help but respect her from that point on.
It was just… NT couldn't stand her everyday personality.
AE was so bubbly and cheerful. Many of NT's erythrocyte colleagues thought AE was cute, in an airheaded sort of way. NT, on the other hand, found it grating in large doses. How could someone be so damn happy all the time?
And that was nothing compared to AE's friends. NT could hardly believe it, but AE was friends with a number of neutrophils! In fact, AE had been dating a neutrophil for quite some time now! After an incident with a parasite that attacked red blood cells, AE and her neutrophil apparently realized their feelings for each other. Somehow, they found each other in the eye, confessed their feelings, and kissed. From that point forward, they were officially a couple.
NT was hazy on the details surrounding these events. Ironically, it was one of the few things AE didn't babble constantly about. Even after all this time, if anyone mentioned how she and her neutrophil boyfriend confessed to each other, AE's face would flush redder than her hair, and she'd only share a few details. She was happy to gush about him almost any other time, just not in the context of the beginning of their relationship. NT pieced together the story from the various rumors that had come down the grapevine. The general picture was well-known enough; it was strange to see an erythrocyte and a neutrophil in such a close relationship, so it was natural that gossip passed around even before they started dating.
NT just couldn't understand it. How could her senpai possibly find a neutrophil attractive? They were creepy, with their pale, colorless skin, and the knives strapped to their belts, and the dark red cytoplasm that stained their uniforms after a battle. The way they yelled and screamed for death, the crazed gleam in their eyes as they attacked, the way they seemed to appear and disappear without warning… NT got the chills whenever she thought about them. Sure, she was happy to be protected from germs, but couldn't they do their protecting… elsewhere? Out of sight of the other cells? It was just morbid to kill the germs in public areas, even if they were enemies. It was downright sickening whenever a neutrophil started to eat the gore in plain sight of erythrocytes, normal cells, and even platelets!
NT shivered. She wished she could be as dedicated to her job as AE, but she could not comprehend how her senpai was attracted to those monsters.
"Are you okay, Kouhai-chan? You shivered. Is your glucose too cold?"
NT shook her head. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Senpai."
0-0-0
When they entered the blood vessels of the small intestine, the two erythrocytes ran into a familiar face.
"Senpai!" AE cried out with joy as she waved her own senpai, AA-5100, over to them. NT looked up to AA as well, and not because she was NT's senpai's senpai. No, AA-5100 was the epitome of patience. No matter how many times AE got lost, no matter how much she talked, no matter how much she got distracted, AA was always there, ready to listen, to guide, to help her kouhai out. The only times she got mad was when AE endangered herself, and she only got mad because she cared. She didn't seem to get annoyed like NT; she would have full conversations with AE, while NT only ever gave short replies. AA seemed to actually care for AE as a friend, and the two got along well. NT hoped that one day, she too would have that kind of patience, as opposed to simply bottling up her thoughts and suppressing them deep within her hemoglobin while trying to maintain the thin veneer of professionalism on the surface.
AA-5100 ran over to AE and gave her a big hug. "It's so good to see you!"
When AA let go, she immediately squished AE's face. "Aww, your face is so soft!"
"Shenpai, pleashe don't pinch…" AE struggled to say as she winced. It was difficult to speak when someone was squishing your face.
"But you're so adorable, I enjoy doing it. Plus, it's fun," AA said as she began to pinch AE's cheeks. She grinned mischievously as she felt AE's membrane. "Wow, so soft."
"Shenpaiii…"
NT cringed. AA had a strange habit of pinching the cheeks of other erythrocytes as a sign of affection. If there was one thing NT was glad about, it was that AE hadn't picked up her mentor's habits. Maybe this was because she knew how unpleasant it could feel.
The three began walking down the large, high-ceilinged corridor towards the nutrient processing center, where intestinal epithelial cells were putting together the nutrient baskets.
Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Cells lining the intestinal walls responsible for absorbing nutrients from the food into the body, and for keeping foreign invaders and toxic materials out.
They entered the center, which looked a lot like a large food processing factory. Lines of epithelial cells, dressed in aprons, face masks, gloves, goggles, and special hoods that covered their hair stood in lines assembling the nutrient baskets. They would put one ingredient into the basket, then pass it along to the next in a cellular assembly line. At the end, the completed baskets were arranged for pickup.
It was strange that the intestinal epithelial cells covered themselves so thoroughly. After all, even though individual bacteria were small, they were still visible. It wasn't like there were bacteria that were microscopic even from their point of view, so there was really no need to take such precautions. However, the intestinal epithelial cells were responsible for absorbing nutrients and keeping antigens out, so they spared no precaution in their line of work.
The three erythrocytes made their way down to the end of the assembly line, and all three picked up nutrient baskets.
"Alright. This one says it's going to the liver," said AA, looking at the address in the basket.
"Ooh! Mine too!" said AE-3803.
NT checked her basket. "Me three."
"Yay! We can all walk together!" AE cheered.
NT inhaled sharply, but kept silent. Together, they began their journey to the liver.
They barely had gone ten micrometers before the sprinklers in the ceiling suddenly doused everyone below with a strange, sticky brown liquid.
"Ah!" cried NT. "What the hell is this?"
AA wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, it smells awful!"
"Aahh! I got some in my mouth!" AE shouted as she tried to spit out the substance.
It certainly smelled extremely bitter to NT. She had never encountered this substance before.
"Great, now my clothes are all wet!"
NT stamped her foot and huffed. This was not her day. As if trying to remain professional around her senpai wasn't bad enough, now she was doused in this weird liquid, and…
… and…
She suddenly felt strange. Like there was a buzzing in her hemoglobin. She felt a bit warmer, and everything seemed a bit more… vibrant. Colors were brighter. Sounds were louder. Smells were stronger. It was…
… weird.
I hate this, thought NT. She felt very uncomfortable with all these unfamiliar sensations. She liked knowing what was going on, and having control over her actions. Surprises were unpleasant by default, and unpleasant surprises were almost intolerable.
"Hahaha! Wow, I feel so weird!" giggled AE. "I wonder what's going on?"
Alcohol's Effects on the Body
When drinking, one may feel a sensation known as a "buzz." This is the alcohol entering the body. Alcohol consumption can cause less control over movement, slower response time, decrease in judgement and reasoning abilities, and drowsiness, among other side effects.
No sooner had AE asked the question that the sprinklers suddenly turned on again, dousing everybody a second time. Whatever this liquid was, it seemed like the body took another sip of it.
NT shivered, both because of the cold temperature of the liquid, and also because of her growing anger. The buzzing felt more intense, and she could feel her mind clouding up a bit.
"Rrr! Come on, let's just frickin' go," NT grumbled as she stormed ahead.
She really, really hated this.
0-0-0
It had been a rather pleasant day for U-1146. He hadn't encountered anything more threatening than a few platelets while he was out on patrol.
Now, he and his three best neutrophil friends had some free time and decided to take a walk down to the intestines to see what was going on.
They kept to the side of the blood vessels, out of the way of hurrying erythrocytes. U-4989 and U-2626 were playfully roughhousing with each other, while U-2048 affectionately insulted the both of them.
"Settle down, you idiots."
U-2626 looked back at 2048. "Make us."
U-1146 smiled. An outsider might think they were being rude to each other, but they were actually all close enough to do such things without offending each other. Trading comebacks was just another way to show that they care. U-1146 was happy to be part of such a close group, which was often nicknamed "The Squad." They weren't officially a squad, but they had been friends since they were only myelocytes, and often spent time together as adult neutrophils.
The small intestine was a major entry point for germs, so 1146 expected to encounter some kind of bacteria, or a virus, or maybe even a parasite.
He did not expect to find three familiar erythrocytes who were completely lost. Although, considering the frequency he ran into a certain redheaded one, he was hardly surprised either.
"Hakkekkyū-san! Haiiiiiii!" smiled AE-3803 as she cheerfully waved at him. U-1146 was very well-acquainted with her cheerful, enthusiastic demeanor. He thought it was one of the best things about her. But something seemed off, and he didn't know what.
"What's that smell?" asked U-4989.
U-1146 sniffed the air. He noticed there was a bitter scent, now that it was pointed out.
"Oh yayy, the neutrophil squad… they can help usss… m'this'll be… funnnn!"
The four neutrophils looked in surprise at AA-5100. She never talked like that. What was going on?
"Yeahhh, you're right, Sennn-paiii! This'll be… sooo much funn!" AE chimed in. Now, 1146 was extremely lost. Why were they slurring their words and pausing so weirdly?
He looked closer at the erythrocytes. Their eyelids were drooping, like they were fighting to stay awake. Not only was their speech weird, they were also swaying side to side, as if they had trouble balancing. Even NT-4201, who was always so professional, was swaying weirdly. She hadn't said anything yet, so 1146 decided it might be a good idea to ask her what's going on.
"NT-san, what is happening? What happened to you all?"
"Shut yer DAMN mouth, ya pale, stabby BASTARD!"
AE looked at her kouhai with shock. "Kouhai-chan, don't be so mean! Hakkekkyū-san is sooooo nice! He's m'boyfriend, heehee!"
"Don't… don't call me Kouhai-chan, you moron, ya don't p-put… chan after kouhai!"
U-1146 was taken aback. NT-4201 was always put together, calm, and level-headed. For her to have an outburst like this, then insult her senpai, was beyond what he considered possible for her.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one shocked. Immediately, AE started sobbing uncontrollably. AA, who was standing right next to the bawling erythrocyte, wrapped her in a gentle hug.
"ShhhhhhhHHHhhhh… It's allllll okeeee… you're such a cute li'l kouhai… you're sooo good at… at… at red blood cell-ing… whatever red, uh, red blood cells… do…"
AE continued to cry at her kouhai's harsh words while AA hugged her.
"What the hell is wrong with everyone?" asked an incredulous 2626.
"I knew AE was the emotional type, but I didn't know she was so delicate…" 4989 observed.
U-1146 tugged at the bill of his cap as he tried to figure out what was behind all this. While thinking, he looked towards the floor of the blood vessel, where he noticed a brown liquid in puddles at his feet.
Coming to a sudden realization, he looked up at the erythrocytes again. They were all soaked.
Brown liquid, wet blood cells, bitter smell, intestines… U-1146 quickly put the pieces of information together and looked up.
"Do you think… it might be alcohol?"
His three friends looked at him. One after the other, they all realized what he was saying.
"Oh yeah, that makes sense," said U-2048.
"What should we do?" asked 4989, nervously wringing his hands. He had recently become quite good friends with AE, and he cared about her well-being. She once touched him to tears simply by caring so deeply about U-1146's mental state, and that had actually inspired 4989 to try to calm the fears of the general erythrocyte population regarding the immune cells. As far as U-1146 knew, 4989 had already made one erythrocyte friend other than AE, an auburn-haired cell named AC-4293 that he had saved from a parasite once.
"It's obvious, you dummy, we help take them to the liver for detox!" U-2626 said as he lightly slapped the back of 4989's head.
When she heard the word "liver," AE-3803 immediately stopped crying. "You guys'll… take us to… to the liver?"
Her eyes were still sparkling with tears, but also with apparent hope.
U-2048 grinned. "Of course! After all, we are gentlemen, aren't we?" He bowed slightly.
AE's smile widened. "Yayyyy! Oh, thank you sooo much! You're all -hic- sooooo sweet!"
AA-5100 was looking at the neutrophils in a strange way. "Yeah, you're all ve-ry nice!" she said, emphasizing the first syllable of "very."
NT crossed her arms and grumbled.
"Shall we get going, then?" asked 2048.
U-1146 walked over to AE-3803 and took her by the arm. She looked like she was going to tip over any second. She grabbed his arm and leaned on him.
AA-5100 grabbed U-2626 and U-2048's arms. "Lead the way, boys."
U-2626 grinned. "Gladly."
"How can you lead the way with all that hair in your eyes?"
"Shut up, 2048."
U-4989 looked over to NT. "Do you need any hel-"
"DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU FREAK."
NT stormed off ahead of 4989, though still quite unsteady on her feet. U-4989 walked behind the group, making sure no one was about to fall.
It was going to be a long walk to the liver.
Author's Note
AC-4293 is Mira Avis' OC character, first seen in her story Realisations, and a major protagonist of the sequel, Hearts and Minds. I highly recommend reading them, they are both extremely good!
Realisations centers around AE-3803 and U-1146 as they realize their feelings for each other, which was so good I basically want to treat it as canon. Mira is a great writer and a great friend, you should really check her work out!