General Idea –
A white blood cell travels through a body in search of a common cold cell that got away, fighting against other diseases, viruses, and infections along the way.
Game Type –
This game will be made in a 3D third-person style, as well as a 2D side-scroller.
Brief Story –
Rookie white blood cell Luke has been given an opportunity to work alone in the Nose, as the first line of defense against disease. During his first week a criminal known as the Common Cold gets past Luke and starts wreaking havoc. Luke begins to track the Common Cold through different areas of the body in hopes of removing him for good. It isn’t going to be as easy as he thinks.
Locations –
– Nose
– Ears
– Eyes
– Brain
– Kidneys
– Stomach
– Mouth
– Heart
– Lungs
– Throat
PC and Non-PC
– Luke, a White Blood Cell (player character)
– Bacteria
– Virus
– Mucus
– Swine Flu
– Chicken Pox
– Allergens
– Parasites
The Flu
Character Cast
Story Summary
Rookie white blood cell Luke has been given an opportunity to work alone in the Nose, as the first line of defense against disease. During his first week a criminal known as the Common Cold gets past Luke and starts wreaking havoc. Luke begins to track the Common Cold through different areas of the body in hopes of removing him for good. It isn’t going to be as easy as he thinks.
Game Story
It was a big day for Luke. He had finally reached graduation from the Academy. He had worked hard for what seemed like years to join the Internal Body Health and Safety Department, or IBHSD. He believed he was at the top of his class. At least he hoped he was at the top of his class because there was a huge honor that came with being at the top. Before he could get through his thoughts the Chief of the department stepped up to the podium and began his speech.
“As head of the IBHSD it is…” The Chief was saying as Luke trailed off again back to his own thoughts. The Chief was a public speaker that was happiest in front of a large audience whose focus was on him. The honor that Luke was waiting for was to be assigned his own beat, an area away from everyone and everything else. But this honor was only offered to one individual that was the head of the graduating class. Each of the past graduates had turned it down. It was known that this was just a kindly offer that was not to be accepted, and they all passed it off as that they would rather start out working with a partner. But not me, thought Luke. I am ready to get out there and show the inhabitants of this body what I am able to achieve. I’m ready to make a name for myself, to rise above the crowd, to become the hero this bo–
“And now,” his thoughts were interrupted as he heard the Chief say, “it is with great pleasure that I present to you the head of the graduating class…” There was a pause. The Chief loved moments like these.
“Luke Phagein.”
There was applause as the crowd looked around to find out where Luke was sitting. He was in a daze. He knew there was a chance that it was going to be him, but nevertheless he was shocked. After what seemed like a few moments he stood up and made his way to the stage, all the while the crowd continued to clap. But either he was taking too long or the crowd was getting restless because before he made it to the stage the applause had subsided and those who were standing were now back in their seats. On his way to the stage he passed his training officer who whispered to him as he passed.
“Decline it politely. Tell him that the head of the department knows best.”
The officer was referring to the offer of Luke having his own beat. Luke didn’t say anything in response. He just shook his head acknowledging that he had heard what was said and moved on. He continued to make his way down the line of officers and high officials that had come to see how the newest members of the force stacked up. He climbed the steps to the stage where the Chief was waiting for him, and then finally he reached his mark next to the microphone.
“Congratulations,” the Chief said. “It is an accomplishment to pass training, but an even bigger honor to complete it at the top of one’s class.”
“Thank you, Sir,” said Luke while shaking hands with the Chief. “There were many great –” he was cut off.
The Chief began, “So as head of the class I now give you the opportunity to choose where you would like to be stationed. Anywhere in this great body of ours and all you have to do is name it.”
This was his chance, the opportunity he was waiting for and had worked toward for so long. “I…I…” he stammered, and then he took a big breath, “I would like to thank you for the offer and would like to request…the Nose.”
There was a gasp in the crowd. Never having let go of his hand, the Chief pulled Luke closer and whispered in a way that most parents would talk to a child that was misbehaving. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Luke was calm and firm in his response, “Asking for what was offered to me.”
“That is the front line of defense; only the most experienced officers get those positions. Not some noob fresh out of the Academy who doesn’t even know what it means to be in combat.” The Chief was now squeezing Luke’s hand, trying everything to force him to change his mind. “If you think that I am just going to give you a position in an area that –”
Luke cut him off, “I don’t see how you have a choice. Sir.”
“Fine,” the Chief said through clenched teeth. “It’s your funeral, but if you so much as allow this body to sneeze I will have you shipped to the colon colonies where you will spend your days patrolling the chocolate highway. I promise you this: once I send you down there, there’s no coming back. You deal with the crap or you wait for a stray back blast to send you out the back door, if you catch my drift. I don’t care that you were the top of your class; there are thousands just waiting for the chance to work on the force. Now, I will honor my word and give you what you want, but only for a week. Once the week is over you are working with a partner at an entry level position, and maybe if you catch me on a good day I might even let you be promoted once or twice. Is that something you want to risk?”
There was a pause from Luke. “Yes,” he said quietly.
“Fine. After this one week is over I’ll make each day after progressively worse than the day before. You’ll be so miserable you’ll wish you would have said no to me on this day. Do you have a preference of which nostril, or should I just assign you one?”
“The left,” was all Luke was able to muster.
The Chief turned to the crowd and with a smile and cheery voice announced, “For the next week this outstanding young man will be protecting the left nostril of our fair body.” There was a moment of hesitation then a slow clap started somewhere in the back. Before long everyone was applauding him. Luke was taking it all in and enjoying his moment in the lime light, completely ignoring everyone behind him on the stage shooting daggers at him. He just stood there in the middle of it all waving with a huge smile plastered on his face. I’m on my way, he thought to himself. Once I prove myself there is no way I will have to start at the bottom and work my way up. I’ll start at the top and stay here. The rest of the day was a blur and before he knew it he was back in his house preparing for tomorrow, his first official day as an officer.
The next day he arrived at the headquarters, which were located in the Brain, and received his armor, weapon, and assignment. Before he left for the Nose to begin his day, the Chief called him into his office.
“Remember our deal, not a sneeze,” the Chief threatened
“Right, Chief,” Luke said as he hurried out the door. The less time he spent there over the next week the better he believed his chances were to stay on the Nose beat. Pretty soon he arrived at the Nose and headed down to the left nostril. He figured the best place to start patrolling would be the opening to the outside world. After all, he figured the best way to be the front line of defense was to not let anything by in the first place. So, he spent the first day wandering around the opening, daydreaming about how awesome he was and how he will surely be rewarded for his excellent service to this body. As his shift was ending and he was making his way back up the nose something caught his eye. It appeared as though something was darting around the shadows. He turned to look then went over to investigate, but ultimately found nothing. Luke headed back to the station and then home for the evening.
The next five days went the same: little action to worry about which allowed him to spend all of his time down by the opening and daydreaming about his future. Each night as he was heading back to the station he would see the same type of things darting around in the shadows and always from the corners of his eyes. By the sixth day of seeing these things, but not finding anything, he figured that it was a common occurrence and just ignored them and went on his way. Looking forward to the final day of his first week and feeling proud that he was able to prevent anything from happening to the body, he made his way home.
The next day he arrived early and took his post down by the opening where he had been for the last week, keeping an ever vigilant wandering eye on stuff when he wasn’t daydreaming. At one point while out of it, he was rudely snapped back to reality by a greenish drip that shot past his right shoulder. No, he thought to himself as he turned around slowly, it can’t be. I refuse to believe it! His gaze shifted up the nostril and what he saw almost made him fall backwards out of the Nose. That might have been a better end to his day than what was going to be waiting for him back at headquarters because what he saw was a small army of Mucus heading toward him, and at the very back of the Nose, just barely out of sight, he could see the cause of it all… the Common Cold. At that moment it all clicked. The things in the shadows, it was the Common Cold. He was waiting until he had a large enough group to make a move, and this was the beginning of it. This was Luke’s moment. He needed to stop the perpetrator and he needed to do it before anyone found out. His career was depending on it. With a deep breath to calm his nerves he charged up his weapons and prepared himself to fight his way up the Nose.
– Scene after Nose
When the fight was over Luke stood over the Common Cold.
“It is over,” Luke said firmly while trying to mask the fatigue and nerves that were bubbling up just under the surface.
“It’s funny you think that,” said the Common Cold with a slight chuckle, “because I am just getting started.” With that the Common Cold pressed a button on a remote control and as soon as he did the walls around started to shake.
“What have you done?” asked a panicked Luke.
There was no immediate response from the Common Cold, just a look of complete satisfaction as the wall continued to shake more and more rapidly. Soon the body began to inhale quite furiously and Luke found it very difficult to remain upright.
In a deep monotone voice the Common Cold said, “I would hold on to something,” throwing a glance toward Luke. In a fit of panic Luke dashed for the first hair he saw and held on as tight as he could. Once he was secure he returned his attention back to where the Common Cold was, but he was no longer there. Scouring the area he saw the Common Cold in a doorway laughing and right before stepping out of sight, he pushed a second button.
The force was like nothing Luke had ever felt before, and it felt like it lasted forever. Mucus and particles were flying past him so quickly that he barely had time to figure out what they were. I just need to hold on a little while longer, he thought to himself. It will be over soon. Just as he was about to give up all hope of surviving this, the winds stopped and he was grateful that he was still in one piece. Before he had time to make sure that he truly was complete and in one piece, the wind came back only this time it was in the opposite direction. Although it wasn’t as strong as the last time he still had a hard time keeping his balance. Realizing that nothing good could come from what was about to happen, he hurried to the door he saw the Common Cold leaving through. Luke knew he needed to get out of the Nose and away from harm as quickly as possible, and there is a slim chance that he could catch up with the Common Cold. Once he made it to the door he found it locked. Just then, the light from the bottom of the nostril began to disappear; darkness raced through the Nose toward him. In a fit of pure panic and survival instinct he shot a hole in the door, reached through to unlock it, and ran inside. Just as he closed the door the light went out completely and the wind came back stronger than the first time, purging the Nose of anything that happened to remain inside. Once the noise and wind were gone and he was calm again, Luke stood up, regained his composure, and just as he was about to pursue the Common Cold, a voice startled him.
“LUKE!” Luke jumped; “GET YOUR ARROGANT, IMBECILIC, EGO-DRIVEN…” the Chief went on before someone cut him off.
“You need to get here now!” the voice on the other side said.
“I’m on my way,” said Luke as he hung his head and made his way back to Headquarters. The trip back felt like it took no time at all, which wasn’t a good thing. He stood outside the doors and took several deep breaths before opening the door. Upon opening the door, he found that everything was in chaos. Officers were running toward the door, bullets were flying in the opposite direction, and paper, desks, and furniture were being pushed to the side. Luke just stood there not knowing what to make of the situation. Just then he saw a giant parasite emanate from the floor and attack an office. Before Luke could move the parasite exploded and he could see the Chief through the falling blood and guts.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING THERE? GET YOUR REAR IN GEAR! THERE IS A HOLE OVER HERE THAT THEY ARE COMING IN FROM. I DON’T KNOW HOW IT ALL TIES TOGETHER, BUT I AM SURE THAT THIS IS YOUR MESS. GET DOWN THAT HOLE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM. YOU EITHER FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP THIS INVASION OR YOU DIE TRYING!” The Chief was yelling over the chaos, and before he could say any more Luke jumped down the hole into the darkness wondering how everything could have gotten so out of hand.
– After the Brain Level
“Chief, are you there?” Luke said into the walkie-talkie hoping that there was someone around to hear him.
“You’re not dead,” he heard from the walkie-talkie. “Good. That means that I still get to make your life miserable. Did you figure out what was causing the infestation?” The Chief inquired.
“Yeah, it was Brain Eating Parasites.” Luke said.
“No kidding. Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious. WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?” The Chief used a tone Luke was getting quite use to by this point.
“There was a Queen that had burrowed deep into the grey matter where no one would have found her. She was there on her own laying eggs and eating; something must have triggered her to have made her lash out like she did. That’s all I know about the situation. The Queen won’t be a problem anymore; however, there were a few stray Naegleria crawling around the headquarters.” Luke finished and waited for a reply, hoping for a “good job” or “well done,” but he knew that was a stretch.
“Get to the Eye. Our surveillance is down and I need someone to go and see what the problem is,” the Chief demanded.
At least he didn’t yell, I guess we are heading the right direction, Luke thought to himself. The Eye was a short distance from where he was and wouldn’t take him long to get there. He told himself that over and over to try and make it stick in an effort to make himself believe that the Chief wanted him to go there because he was an important part of the team and really great at his job, not because he was at this moment expendable. When he arrived at the Eye, electrical impulses where firing all over the place, and the Eye was pink and irritated. He needed to get to the main control panel which was located in the center of the Eye. He also needed to be careful because Viruses and Bacteria were heading his way.
– After the Eye level
After the fight Luke was fatigued and ready to throw in the towel, but he was responsible for at least part of this mess so he forced himself to continue. He made his way to the control panel and just stared at it for a moment before reaching for his walkie-talkie. He really, really truly wished there was another way to figure things out without having to talk to anyone on the other end; however, without knowing what to do, he figured the best course of action was to ask for help. “Is anyone there?” he asked half hoping no one would respond.
“Still not dead I hear. Good.” The Chief responded from the other end. Great, thought Luke, it just happened to be my best friend in the whole body that happened to pick up.
“No, Sir. I am still here and I am looking at the control panel and I have no idea what to do. Can you help?” Luke asked.
“No, I have no idea either,” the Chief responded quickly. Then there was a pause; quite a long pause. Was he going to talk again to offer a suggestion as to what to do? What should I do?! Panic set in and Luke became afraid that he was going to need to figure out what to do alone and that if anything went wrong it would fall onto his shoulders. And that was not something he needed right now.
“Hello,” a soft voice said from the walkie-talkie. “Are you there?”
“Yes…yes, I am here,” Luke said, genuinely surprised that there was someone there with a kind sounding voice. “Can you help me? I have no idea what I am looking at nor do I know where to begin.”
“It’s okay, I am here to help. What you need to do is perform a full system reset. Now, before you start asking a bunch of questions, I’m going to walk you through this. Are you ready?” the voice said.
“Yes,” was the only word Luke was able to get out before the voice started talking again.
“Okay, I first want you to locate the power cord coming out of the back of the console. Do you see it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now follow it to the outlet; once you get to the outlet I want you to pull it out. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Okay, once it is out count to thirty slowly and then plug it back in.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep that’s it. Power down, power up.”
“I feel as though I’ve heard that before,” Luke said to the voice on the other end, but there was no response. Figuring that he had all the information he needed he unplugged the cord and waited. Once he reached thirty he plugged it back in as instructed. Nothing happened immediately and panic struck. They were simple instructions; how could he have screwed them up? He went through them again in his mind: unplug, count to thirty, plug back in. That was it. There was nothing more but what should he do now that nothing is happening? He got up from where he was sitting and paced around the console. He was on his third lap when he noticed a small blinking light. Upon closer examination it was labeled PUSH TO TURN ON, so he did. Lights, fans, monitors, and all sorts of other controlled chaos filled the room. As the monitors came on he saw the Common Cold in the Stomach. Without hesitation he dashed out of the room. He was going to the Stomach to put a stop to the Common Cold.
“Good job, Luke,” the Chief said through the walkie-talkie. “Now come back to headquarters.”
“I can’t Chief. I found the Common Cold in the Stomach and that’s where I’m going.” Luke said.
“The Stomach?” the Chief said with a hint of dread, or at least that’s how it came across to Luke. “You can’t go alone. If he’s made it to the Stomach that means he is going to be much stronger than he was when he called the Nose his home. Your orders are to come back here now. We’ll get a team together and only after that will we pursue him.”
“I can’t do that. You’re the one who’s been sending me off to die and if he’s stronger, then it won’t matter. I’ll fix my mistake or I will die trying. Either way you get what you want. I’ll let you know when I’ve captured him, but you’ll know I’m dead if I don’t.” With that Luke turned off his walkie-talkie and hurried on his way. He wanted to be far enough from his current position in case the Chief sent officers after him to bring him back to headquarters. As he was moving Luke tried to calculate the quickest way to the Stomach. He decided he could go outside the body and slide down the face, go into the Mouth, and then down the esophagus to the stomach. It was risky because too much time outside of the body means death, but he didn’t see any other way to get to the Stomach quickly enough without running into other officers that might be looking for him. Climbing to the edge of the bottom eyelid he looked out at the vast distance he would be scaling down and decided that he would take his chances avoiding the officers. After all, there was proof that they were coming for him. Just as he was turning around to go back inside the Eye, the body blinked and Luke was thrown off balance. He started to fall backwards but grabbed onto one of the eyelashes and held on as tight as he could. However, being fatigued, he was quickly losing his grip and after a moment he was unable to hold on and began to fall.
(Insert Face Falling Level here: to be created later)
Once safely inside the Mouth, Luke decided it was much safer inside the body and would never attempt something like that again. He made an attempt to survey the inside of the Mouth, but figured it was too massive to do so and continued on his way to the Stomach. On his way he came across some officers that were looking for him.
“He’s over here!” one of them said. “You need to come with us, NOW!”
“I’m sorry, I just can’t. I need to fix this mess myself,” said Luke sadly.
“We work as a team to keep this body healthy. It’s not up to just one of us to do so. So let us help you fix this. We can be partners, what do you say?” the Officer said.
“Again, I am sorry, but I need to do this myself. Please let me go,” Luke said pleading with the Officer.
“I can’t do that. You’re going to need to come with us,” the Officer said. You could cut the annoyance in his tone with a knife.
“I’ve already stated that I can’t and won’t. You can either let me go or I’ll go through you,” Luke said firmly and confidently.
“I’d like to see you try,” the Officer said with a smirk. It was as if he were daring Luke to make a move.
“So be it,” Luke said as he made his way forward.
“Take him down, but don’t take him out. Feel free to rough him up a little though,” the Officer said almost laughing as he said it.
(Insert Mouth Level here: to be created later)
Luke felt bad about what he did to the other officers, but he was determined to fix or finish this on his own. He made it to the back of the Mouth and went to the elevator there to get down to the Stomach, but it had been locked in an effort to keep him from going alone. What’s the Chief’s deal anyway? Ever since the graduation ceremony he’s made it pretty public how much he loathes me. Why is he now all of a sudden concerned for me? As he pondered this question another came to mind: How was he going to get down to the Stomach? Just then the body took a bite of some food and was just about to swallow it. Luke figured why not and decided to hop a ride with the food on its way to the Stomach.
(Insert Throat Level here: to be created later)
“I see you’re not dead yet,” a voice echoed. Luke assumed it was the Common Cold.
“Why does everyone expect me to die? I’m getting quite annoyed at the notion and assumptions that I am so easily vanquished. Why don’t you come over here and give yourself up, Common Cold. Make this easy on everyone involved!” Luke yelled back into the fog.
“Don’t you just wish it were that easy? I’ve become much stronger than I was the last time we met. How about you give up and join me on this side? We could have so much fun tearing this body apart from the inside out.” Common Cold said.
“And what happens when the body dies?” Luke replied.
“We all die with it,” Common Cold said as he laughed hysterically afterwards. Luke knew that he must stop the Common Cold. Now it had become a matter of life and death, not just for him or the inhabitants of this body, but for the body as well. With that Luke progressed into the fog of the Stomach.
– After the Stomach level
“I have you now!” Luke said hovering over the defeated Common Cold. “There is nowhere else for you go except to headquarters with me.”
“How long have you been practicing that line? Does it feel good to finally be able to say it?” Common Cold asked.
“Yes, yes it does,” Luke responded. “How was it? Did I rush it? It felt a little rushed.”
“No, no. You did fine. It came across very well. I got shivers and it made me feel like my only way out was with you. But you want to know something?” The sarcasm dripped from his voice.
“What?” Luke asked. His eyes narrowed as he waiting for the Common Cold to respond.
“It’s not and I won’t!” Common Cold announced and with that he pushed a button. Luke had come to expect that when Common Cold pushes a button bad things happen. Just as he finished the thought, the Stomach acid started to bubble and the walls started convulsing. Luke knew what was coming and he knew that he needed to make it to safety. He made a mad dash toward a nearby noodle. He’d hoped it would be a safe enough place that he could take shelter until the Stomach settled again. After taking cover in what little shelter the noodle provided, he glanced around trying to figure out what his nemesis was doing. Luke was surprised to see that the Common Cold was preparing to ride a chunk of food out of the Stomach. Well, thought Luke, if he can then I can, and with that Luke quickly spotted a mint that he knew he would be able to reach. All he would have to do is jump from food particle to food particle without letting the acid touch him or getting knocked off; nothing he hadn’t already done before.
(Insert Stomach level 2: to be created later)
By the time he had made it to the mint the Stomach acid and walls were going so crazy that he knew it wouldn’t be long until… There was a deafening sound and then everything around him started to rise rapidly toward the opening at the top, from where he had entered not too long ago. Quickly rising up out of the Stomach and entering the mouth he saw a light that he knew he shouldn’t be going toward. Luke needed a plan and quick. How was he going to avoid riding this regurgitated river to its final destination? A tooth… That’s where he needed to get to and so he began jumping rushing food piece to food piece. He needed to move faster than the regurgitation if he was to have any kind of a chance to survive.
(Insert Rushing River level: to be created later)
After making it to a tooth and once he was sure that the sickness had passed, Luke jumped down and began heading to the back of the Mouth. Not sure where to go next he hesitantly turned on the walkie-talkie. He figured if anyone knew where he should go it would be someone at headquarters.
“Hello?” he said into the walkie-talkie hoping that the kind voice would greet him on the other side.
“Where have you been?” It was the kind voice, and Luke let out a sigh of relief. “Do you have any idea what’s been going on?”
“Yes, I do,” Luke replied, “and I will take responsibility for it once this whole thing is over. But first I need to know where the Common Cold is.”
“Why?”
“Because I chased him to the Stomach where I’d him caught, but he used the sickness to get away. I need to finish this once and for all, but I have no idea where he went. Will you please help me?”
“Hold on, let me check into it.” There was a pause and Luke feared that the kind voice had gone to the Chief and that wouldn’t be good at all. “I saw something that looked like him in the Lungs” the voice said.
With yet another sigh Luke said, “Thanks. What’s the quickest way to get down there from the Mouth?”
“Head toward the elevator in the back and go around behind it. There you’ll find a door to the Trachea. From there it’s a straight shot to the Lungs. There’s no guarantee which lung you’ll land in, but he’s in the left one right now. That’s all I can tell you. Good luck and you didn’t hear any of this from me.”
“Thanks,” said Luke and with that he was off again. After making it to the back of the Mouth and around behind the elevator, he found the door the kind voice had mentioned. He opened the door and was blown back by a strong gust of air. How am I going to get by if there’s a constant blow back? Just then the air stopped. Well, never mind, he thought as he stood up, moving back toward the door. As he stood in the doorway and looked down, the body inhaled and Luke was sucked out of the doorway and down into the Lungs, with the door slamming behind him. It took him a few minutes to regain all of his senses but once he did he found himself surrounded by Bacteria, Viruses, and a whole mess of other entities that were harmful to this body. Without thinking he picked himself up, prepared for the biggest fight of his life, and yelled as loud as he could, “I’M COMING FOR YOU, COMMON COLD!” Luke charged headfirst into the on-coming wave of enemies.
– After Lungs level
The fight was over and Luke had won. He was tired but the rush from taking down the Common Cold again for the third time gave him the boost he needed to keep going. Luke made his was over to his fallen foe and stood over him watching as he tried to get up. “Got too big for your britches?” Luke said with a well-deserved laugh as he placed the Common Cold in handcuffs.
“Look who the funny man is now,” the Common Cold sneered. “Well you haven’t seen the last of me.” The Common Cold reached for yet another remote control, but with as large as he had become his movements were slow and Luke was prepared for something like this. Luke removed the remote control from the Common Cold’s grasp before any more damage could be done which would allow the Common Cold to get away. “Now what are you going to do?”
Just then the entire squad, led by the Chief, barged into the Lungs with weapons drawn and pointed at the Common Cold. “Nice work,” said the Chief, “although it would have been much easier on you if you had worked with a partner and headquarters from the beginning.”
“I know, but I…” Luke was cut off.
“So what are we going to do with him? He’s become a huge thorn in the side of this body. I’m sure that everyone inside and out would be more than happy to be rid of this problem.”
“Of course, Chief. Take me back to headquarters and lock me away where I can’t do any more harm.” The Common Cold said in a mocking manner. “Lock me up and throw away the key,” he continued, but no one was listening.
“Chief, can I talk to you a minute?” Luke asked.
“Sure, what do you want?” the Chief responded.
“You know as well as I do that we would be responsible for him if we took him into custody. What if there was another way to solve this problem for good?” Luke inquired.
“What are you getting at Luke?” the Chief asked quizzically.
“Well, I took this from the Common Cold and assuming it does what the others have done it should start a coughing fit in the body. He would’ve used it to get rid of any followers and to make a getaway. But what if he was to be caught up in it?” said Luke.
“Say no more,” the Chief said. “MEN, MOVE OUT!” the Chief commanded. With that, all of the other officers including the Chief left the Lungs.
“Where is everyone going?” inquired the Common Cold.
“What do you mean? There was never anyone here. It’s always been just you… and me,” Luke said.
“Wha– I don’t understand? Why aren’t you taking me to the station? I have rights you know! I demand a trial!” The Common Cold was panicked by now trying to figure out what Luke was up to. Luke however wasn’t paying much attention to him and was going about his business.
“You have given me a very hard time,” Luke began. “You just about ruined my career before it even got started. You had me chase you all over this great body of ours, and nearly got me kill on more than one occasion.” He was now checking to make sure that the Common Cold was secure in his restraints and couldn’t get free. “As I see it, there is no way this body will be safe with you in it, even if you’re locked away deep inside, away from everything. You’ll be there festering away plotting escape, revenge, and who knows what else. Just think of it this way: this course of action will work out better for everyone involved. Well, except for you, of course.”
“Just what are you planning?” the Common Cold asked.
“You see, I have your remote and I’m guessing that when this button is pushed, it will start a coughing fit and everything that isn’t tied down will be launched from the body. Do you see what I’m getting at here?” Luke asked.
“You’re going to kill me?”
“No, no, no. I’m not going to kill you. I am going to evict you and then what ever happens out there,” Luke said as he pointed toward the doorway out of the lungs,”is in no way my responsibility.”
“Bending the law already? My, how far you have fallen in such a short time. But answer me this: how are you going to make sure that I am here when the coughing starts?” the Common Cold asked not noticing that Luke had anchored himself to the floor during their conversation.
“Oh, I’ll be right here next to you personally making sure this works,” Luke said as he pushed the button on the remote and tossed it as far away as he could.
“You fool!” hollered Common Cold. “Now we are both done for!”
“Not we; just you,” Luke said as the Lungs started to cough lightly. At any moment they would increase in intensity and soon after the Common Cold would be ejected from the body. As the coughing increased Luke felt himself rise off of the ground higher and higher into the air, and each time he would give a tug on his life line to make sure that it was still secure. What he didn’t notice was the Common Cold inching closer to him each time they rose off of the ground. Before he could react, the Common Cold grabbed Luke around the neck.
“You didn’t think I was just going to let you throw me out of this body, MY BODY?” the Common Cold was now yelling at Luke. “You have a choice to make now: we both stay or we both go. What’s it going to be?”
Luke was struggling, he was trying to release the Common Cold from around his neck but he wasn’t strong enough and was beginning to black out. This is just what I needed on top of all this, he thought. He had to figure out what to do and quickly. The coughs that would push this misery out of his life were quickly approaching. The two had been rising and falling with each spasm, and each time they hit the ground he could feel himself that much closer to blacking out. Just then the Lungs filled with air, expanding the walls further than they had been before. Suddenly, for a few moments there was a calmness about everything. During this time Luke reached for the keys to the handcuffs, fighting to stay conscious. He found the keys and began stumbling about the Common Cold’s wrists in a last ditch effort to free himself from his grasp.
*SHINCK* A small sound brushed his ear and he knew that the key had found the keyhole. Now all he needed to do was to turn it and he would be free of the Common Cold. The Lungs collapsed, sending everything upward at a furious speed. He needed to turn the key before they reached the end of his rope. He found the key again and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t move. He was beginning to see spots and most of his vision was going dark. It’s now or I am done for, he thought to himself. He gripped the key and turned it as hard as he could but still nothing happened. Just then, in the last few seconds, it occurred to him that he had been turning the key the wrong way. With the last ounce of energy he had left, Luke managed to turn the key the other way. *CLICK* Without much effort the key turned in the keyhole, unlocking the cuffs. *SNAP* Luke was jerked awake by his body being stopped abruptly by the end of his rope, but the weight of the Common Cold was gone. It took a moment for him to come back to reality. Luke looked around to see if he could tell where the Common Cold had gone. He found him hanging onto a small branch on the Lung wall.
“YOU ARE MORE CLEVER THAN I GAVE YOU CREDIT FOR, BOY!” the Common Cold shouted against the raging wind. “KNOW THIS: YOU MAY HAVE DEFEATED ME TODAY, BUT YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE. I WILL BE BACK AND STRONGER THAN EVER. IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS A CHALLENGE THIS TIME,” his grip on the branch failed and he floated away but not before finishing his threat, “JUST WAIT.” These were his last words to Luke before vanishing into the abyss that was outside the body. Feeling confident that the ordeal was over Luke allowed himself to drift away, where ever that might be.
He woke up in the hospital a few days later. He was alone in a room far too large for just one patient. No one was waiting for him or sitting by his side worried that he wouldn’t wake up. So this is how it was for him… His drive to be at the top left him without anyone. A nurse walked in and upon seeing him awake, immediately left the room. A few minutes later the Chief walked in.
“Wasn’t sure if you were going to make it,” he said.
“Well, I’m stubborn like that,” Luke responded.
“There are a lot of us who owe you a lot for taking care of one of the biggest problems we have ever had to face. You did it alone, succeeded, and survived. That is all pretty amazing in my book. Over the course of all of this I saw a lot of myself when I was younger in you. I tried different tactics with you from yelling and demanding, reverse psychology, and in the end just letting you go on your own. I saw the determination in your eyes and even though I don’t condone it, I knew I couldn’t stop you. Honestly though, I would rather have a rogue officer that I could deal with on my own than have a citizen become a vigilante. You put me in a tough position. If you had died then I would’ve been free to take care of the problem by the book, but I would’ve lost a strong officer; on the other hand, by succeeding, I now have to deal with you and your insubordination. I don’t like being disobeyed and I don’t like officers who go out on their own. I was trying to convey that to you with my quips about you still being alive. In this line of work you either work together or not at all. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir,” Luke said.
“Good. Now when you get better you will still have a job on the force; however, it will be with a partner and it will be as a rookie. You’ll have plenty of time to earn promotions and work your way up, but you’re going to have to do it by the book. Can you live with this?”
“Yes sir,” Luke said again.
“Then I will see you at headquarters once you are feeling better. You’ll start behind a desk and once you’re fully recovered we’ll find you a partner and then get you back out into the field.” The Chief paused before his next comment. “Good work out there, kid,” he said as he headed toward the door.
“Thanks, Chief,” Luke said. The Chief nodded and left the room. Luke swelled with pride and was happy that he still had a job once he got better. It would be a difficult road ahead for him following rules and making friends, but he was never one to back down from a challenge, and with that on his mind he fell back asleep.
-END-
The Flu
Trailer for The Flu