Natural Authoritarianism

You have successfully shrunk yourself and entered your wife's body.

Your wife's body - like everyone else's - is like a giant office building. You can see those cells - like your wife's miniature clones - sitting on neatly arranged workstations, operating those dashboards in front of them.

Where you are now, your wife's blood vessels, are like the winding passages in this building. Countless red cells walk past you, all look exactly like your wife, but without a head - after all, they are only responsible for transportation work without need of thinking.

So far, everything has been novel and SAFE, your mini tour has not encountered any obstacles yet. However, as your wife's heartbeat pushes you further down the bloodstream, a checkpoint like building blocks your way. That's a lymph node - barrack of immune cells.

"Halt!" When you try to sneak through this lymph node in red blood cells, a neutrophil stops you. She looks the same as your wife, but wearing a white military uniform, with the words "WBC" written on her helmet and a submachinegun with protease bullets in her hand, "Hands up, don't speak, routine virus test now!"

You obediently follow suit and let this zealot soldier search your body. Soon, she finds the problem.

"Who are you... what are you?! Show me your MHC, now!" The ice-cold muzzle presses against the back of your head. Fortunately, you are prepared for this situation and pull out a fake protein ID card from your pocket, handing it to the neutrophil.

"Identity: visitor cell. Right of way: All, including blood-brain barrier... What the fuck?" This vigilant immune cell is not intimidated by your false identity, "Maintain your posture, I'll call my superior to do your antigen test... Captain! Captain!"

A memory B cell quickly arrives, she looks like your wife too, wearing a military officer's uniform. "What's wrong, Private 36200711?"

"A strange cell here, captain. I suspect it's some kind of disguised bacteria!" Neutrophils saluted the officer.

"This one?" The B cell approaches you, takes your MHC protein, then opens the "antigen encyclopedia" in her hand. After a few extremely bureaucratic "tsks", she suddenly closes the manual, returns the protein card to you. "My apology, citizen, this is our routine inspection and you can now pass. "

"But captain..." the neutrophil rubs his eyes incredulously, "this THING doesn't look like any kind of cell!"

"His MHC is official, and I haven't found any pathogen similar to him in the antigen encyclopedia. He must have come from a remote organ, appendix - for example." The officer sternly dismisses the suspicion of the neutrophil. "In addition, his MHC also states that he needs at least one supporting cell to fulfill his duties - he should have a cell accompanying him. Everyone here is busy - Private 36200711, I now appoint you as the support cell for this citizen! "

"Wha..." Private 36200711 looks totally pissed-off. But she cannot disobey the instructions of her superior, comes to you dejected and hangs the gun behind her back, "Aye, captain. Now, Mr. Visitor Cell, how may I support you?"