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The Hunter senses it lurking in the swirling shadows. Sensing, defines it.
Definition: Enemy.This is a world much like the Earth we live on, but a world constantly at war, a world invariably under threat of annihilation by the myriad aliens that seek to mine its rich resources for themselves.
Doubtless it sounds clichéd. Nevertheless it is true. In this world, not too far away, ordinary citizens are at constant risk from the foes that walk among them. Their best and only hope of survival was to develop the elite task force known as Hunters.
Hunters are not born, but made by surviving a training regimen that kills most of the candidates. Only a meager handful ever successfully graduate to become Hunters, and these too are prepared to destroy self in the battle against the aliens, if ordered by Central Intelligence.
There may be cruelty in this system, but it is the brutality of a world desperate to survive. The Hunters must also be protectors, constantly vigilant. Their own survival is of secondary importance. Relentless in pursuit, equipped to execute and blind to all but their duty, the Hunter code is simple.
Seek. Define.
Defining -
Destroy.
Query: Identification?
The Hunter receives no answer.
Query-resend: Identification?
There is still no reply.
Running multiple chemical analyses: Query-resend verify.
Verifying: Alien
Subclassification #1: Shape-shifter
Subclassification #1.1: Mind-bleeder
Subclassification #1.2: Citizen rogue
Query status: Kill on sight.
The Hunter readies its arsenal. Definitely enemy.
Definition is important. Many aliens are past masters at the art of mimicry; shadow villains disguised as ordinary citizens going about legitimate business, lulling their environs into a false sense of security.
Hunters must be quick and intelligent, able to recognize the small betrayals of an enemy presence; signs so subtle that non-Hunters easily overlook them. But the enemies, too, are fighting for their survival. As a result, they grow stronger and wiser, with each killing weeding out the unfit, leaving the best and craftiest to outwit the Hunters. There are adversaries out there so strong and deceitful, that their presence is marked only by the trail of devastation left behind them. Central Intelligence has found no way for the Hunters to defeat them as yet.
p>But they're working on it. Constantly.Subclassification #1: Shape-shifter.
Status: Kill on sight
Pretend to be legitimate citizens, mingle peacefully with the multitudes until the day comes when they can no longer hide their true nature. The destructive impact takes out thousands of civilians, as well as Hunters. There are no survivors.
Subclassification #1.1: Mind-bleeder.
Status: Kill on sight
Take control of the ones the Hunters are designed to protect, using these borrowed shapes to successfully evade all traps until it is too late for the survivors to do more than damage control, and try to rebuild what has been destroyed.
Whether true alien, or a mind-altered citizen, the Hunter code is firm. If the definition is accurate, they must destroy.
Even rogue Hunters get no mercy.
It is doubtful whether Hunters feel compassion for their foes. They are not given to philosophy, or considerations of mortality, despite their strict adherence to what humans could consider an austere, ill-rewarded life. While they are paid, in a certain sense - board, food, and lodging - they are not rich. In fact, they rarely evince any needs or desires, perhaps bled dry by the ruthless training that kills more than 80% of their fellows.
They fight till they die, and that is all they need.
They fight for survival. And then, they die.
A short, sharp blast, and the alien is wounded. The chemicals released by the Hunter's first attack summon his colleagues, other Hunters, to the scene. A concerted attack, and within seconds, the enemy is no more.
This time, the Hunter is lucky. This time he will survive.
The Hunters do not linger together in victory celebration, nor do they stop to congratulate their colleague before returning to their own patrols. There are always other threats to be reckoned with and many more such creatures to eliminate. Our Hunter remains alone at the scene of destruction, cleaning the area of any lingering alien traces that might infect a susceptible civilian.
There is no pleasure at the completion of his task or satisfaction in a job well done. Then again, who knows? He might, after all, respond to the thrill of the hunt as various chemicals flood his system each time he trails another foe.
Certainly, the Hunter is unable to answer any of these questions. After all, he is just another blood cell, a simple lymphocyte doing its job.
Akshita Nanda is from India, studying in Singapore for the last few years.
Cary Barnhard grew up in New Jersey, where his senior class voted him "most unique." He maintains that honor is a polite way of being voted "most likely to need therapy." After a few misadventures in the music industry, he started pretending to be a graphic artist. Eventually it became the truth.
Lymphocyte Traffic and Homing - an overview of lymphocyte migration, with many electron microscopy images.
Immunology Link - a collection of online resources covering associations, databases, journals, and more.
Biology of Infection and Immunity - includes detailed course notes and online quizzes. From the University of Western Ontario.
Current Opinion in Immunology and Trends in Immunology - cover the latest in immunology research. Full text available from BioMedNet.
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