Chylomicron

The line was short tonight. Lots of guys succumbed in the last week or two. The chances were good I could get this injection and be out of there early. One little shot once a week and you were a god. Not so bad, all things considered. Unless you considered the chylomicrons. You had about fifteen years with them, give or take, then they took you. It usually wasn't painful because of the overwhelming build-up. Most times you were gone semi-instantly. Your heart just seized and you had a two count to consider you were going down. No one had ever been revived.

The drug had been developed as a combat drug. It made you invincible. You were ten times stronger. You got five times faster. The healing came quicker than even a chain gun could inflict trauma. It was the answer to modern warfare. It created chylomicrons though; there was that. The drug eventually gave you a heart attack. So the defense against the drug was simply to spray those using it with a chemical which speeded up the production of LDL cholesterol; they had instant heart attacks. The drug was no longer good for war. The development company just about became bankrupt. Then someone figured out that it was great entertainment to watch gods fight.

Everyone loved watching Olympus Battles. The whole world was unified in at least that. Ironically, the drug did conquer the world in a way. If the defensive chemical was not applied a subject could live for about fifteen years. Teens who had little hope for bright futures volunteered at around fifteen and became warriors. They got fifteen years of being a god. You were rich, loved, and untouchable. Both the chemical and the antigen were tightly controlled. The penalty for private ownership of either was to participate in Olympus Battles unaltered. No one was looking for that.

I got in line behind Sid, who was about twelve years in. I wasn't judging because I was somewhere in my fourteenth year.

"Hey, Sid."

"Marty, 'sup?"

"Nice fight the other night."

"You too."

"I really wish you hadn't torn my arm off at the socket though. I had a date with twins that night and only one arm till the next day. It kinda cramped my style."

"What are you talking about? I was short a foot. You know what a pain it is to hop for twenty-four hours?"

"Actually, I do. You remember what Kochinski did to me?"

"Ha, yeah, that was great!"

"This is the life; isn't it?"

"I don't know, man. I kinda wish I hadn't done it; you know? It was great when I knew I had a decade of fabulous wealth and adoration coming. Now kinda wish I was going to see forty."

"Too late for that now, my man. Way too late."

"Ain't that the truth."

"Hey, you're up, man."

The robotic arm swung down and jabbed his arm. The exotic purple suspension was in him well under a second. He looked more alive instantaneously. He moved away and the robot did it again. Both of us started walking down the out corridor.

"You want to get some Moroccan food, man?"

"I guess. You don't have anything going on tonight?"

"Nah."

He slumped down like a bag of stones. He got bluish really quick. He put his hand to his chest. That was all he had time to do. There was no revival. It was no use. There was absolutely no coming back. His heart had exploded. It wasn't a case of re-starting it. It was literally torn to shreds by the trauma. I went to the intercom and called the clean-up team.

I got outside and Sven was there with a couple of groupies. He nodded and I went over. The girls both smiled brighter because now two gods were paying them notice instead of one.

"Sven."

"Marty."

"What's going on?"

"About to try the new Moroccan place. You game?"

"Still a little touchy about having to spend last week without a spleen."

"Shut up, baby. Come eat with me and the girls."

"Yeah, OK."

THE END

Bio: Ed Sullivan is an enthusiastic newcomer to getting published. He has been writing fiction for twenty five years. He has taken the leap just recently and begun submitting. He raises his daughter, works, writes, and spends time in his own strange thoughts most days.

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.