03: The Virus's

(All Information taken from Wikipedia, since I gave the book back to a friend. LOL)

The T-Virus
The T-virus or Tyrant virus is Umbrella’s main biological weapon, responsible for the creation of most of their BOWs. Research for it began in 1978 at the Arklay Labs. The Ebola virus had been recently discovered in Africa and was immediately spotted as a weapon with limitless potential due to its 90% death rate. Umbrella circumvented the Biological Weapons Prohibition Pact by pretending to be researching the virus for a cure. Research was halted due to the virus’s weaknesses. Ebola could only survive outside a human host for a few days, as it was extremely vulnerable to ultra-violet radiation. It killed its host too quickly limiting the chances of infecting others. Furthermore the virus could only be passed on by direct contact so again chances of infection were limited. But what if a heavily infected host could still move around? What if the host could actively infect people? The concept of the T-virus was born.

This time the Progenitor virus was used as a base. On December 4th 1978 Dr James Marcus, Captain Albert Wesker and Dr. William Birkin succeeded in creating a new virus by mixing the Progenitor virus with leech DNA.

The life cycle of a normal virus can be described through the T-bacteriophage, a virus that preys upon bacteria. The virus itself is a protein crystal with a DNA core. Once the crystal touches a bacteria's cell membrane, it dissolves and allows the viral nucleic acid to enter the cell. The cell immediately absorbs the viral genome into its own DNA. The new genes take over the cell's functions and the cell manufactures dozens of new viral crystals and DNA strings. These crystal shells combine with the new DNA copies to form new viruses; the viruses dissolve the host cell, infect neighbouring cells and begin the cycle all over again. All cell energy in the human body is created by mitochondria. The T-virus actively kills any living mitochondria and replaces the dead ones. The T-virus then combines with cells to produce energy; this energy is enough to power the motor neurones and basic lower brain functions. This bypasses the entire circulatory system and makes organs such as the heart and lungs redundant. Unfortunately the T-virus must consume the cell in order to produce this energy and to divide mitotically and spread round the body. The slow breakdown of cells leads to the necrotising effects seen on most BOWs. The virus also incorporates itself into the host’s RNA substantially altering it. It is in this way that creatures lower down the evolutionary ladder, such as insects, birds and reptiles only increase in size and have only minor mutations due to the relative simplicity of their genome structure.

All infected hosts suffer from increased aggressiveness. Should the host be alive at the time of infection, higher brain functions will be destroyed as the virus dissolves the frontal lobes, leaving the animalistic cerebrum to govern behaviour. The virus damages the hypothalamus and the resulting flood of neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones such as norepinephrine and dopamine, combined with the painful symptoms of the infection, induces an almost psychotic rage and hunger in the victims of the T-virus. If the host is dead at the time of infection then there will only be enough energy produced to power the lower brain, which is responsible for basic instincts such as eating and walking. The virus can also travel through the bloodstream if needs be, affecting oxygen-rich tissues, such as the brain and musculature of vertebrates. Most viruses are host-specific; they can only infect a specific kind of cell, such as bacterial cells, human brain cells, or sheep liver cells. There is no known virus capable of infecting all cells; such a virus would theoretically over propagate and infect the whole ecosystem if released in an airborne form. Umbrella appears to have created such a virus.


The T-Veronica
This virus was created by Alexia Ashford when she combined the T-virus with ant DNA. Direct injection causes rapid cellular mutations like the Progenitor virus. Like the Progenitor virus it can be controlled if absorbed over a long period of time. It also allows control over the hive mind of the creatures the virus was extracted from, in this case, ants. The Host in this case Alexia Ashford has tentacle like muscles wrapped around her body and can spit blood that turns into flame from 10 feet away.


Progenitor Virus
Also known as the Founder virus and the Mother virus, the Progenitor virus was the very first mutagenic virus ever discovered, and would serve as a base for most of Umbrella’s later viruses. It was discovered by Dr James Marcus, Dr Edward Ashford and Lord Oswell E. Spencer on December 4th 1967. Further research on it was carried out by Dr. Marcus, William Birkin and Albert Wesker. Infection causes violent uncontrolled cellular changes through the mutation of the subject’s genes. Like the T-virus this will cause most animals low down the evolutionary ladder to simply increase in size and aggressiveness, but the mutations were not coordinated enough to produce effective BOWs. In order to enhance its mutagenic properties a variant of it was created by combining it with the Ebola virus. Unfortunately the new virus had inherited Ebola’s photosensitive properties. When it was combined with leech DNA to form the T-virus this property mutated into pyrosensitivity, which can be seen to affect every single BOW ever created.

NE-T Virus
The NE-T virus has very similar properties to the T-virus, but it was designed specifically in relation to the Tyrant Project. In response to reports of the T-002’s failure, a new project was started. Its original goal was to ensure the destruction of all anti-umbrella elements, specifically STARS members. It was given the grandiose title of ‘Goddess of Vengeance’. The research team though nicknamed the project Nemesis, as they held the surviving STARS members directly responsible for the T-001 and T-002’s failure and took a certain satisfaction in working on a project designed specifically to eliminate them, and the name stuck.

Research pertaining to a similar project had been started a few years ago when Umbrella researchers were looking to improve the general intelligence of BOWs. So far all T-virus created BOWs had had extremely low intelligence ratings. Umbrella needed a BOW that could understand and carry out orders. The American team led by Dr. Birkin was working on ways to increase the BOWs’ strength, whilst the European team was working on ways to increase the BOWs’ intelligence. Countless theories and ideas were traded and they first started experiments that involved directly operating on the subject’s brain. Birkin’s team succeeded in creating the T-002, which unlike the highly unstable T-001 could follow the simplest of orders such as ‘restraint’ and ‘attack’. But its intelligence was still insufficient for the BOW to operate in the field.

Then a breakthrough by the European team came in the form of the NE-Alpha, an independent organism created from the NE-T virus that could affect the host’s brain. Further experiments were made, including inserting the NE-Alpha into a Hunter. It was this experiment that provided crucial data that led to the creation of the T-103.


Weskers Virus
(note: In our story, Wesker is a T-Tyrant)
Very little is known about this virus. It was created by Dr. William Birkin for the use of Captain Albert Wesker when he faked his death in 1998. This virus increases the metabolism of a person, giving them incredible strength, speed and regenerative abilities, which is why it is believed to be a mild version of the T-virus. The test subject does not suffer from the cascade mutation effect though, meaning Birkin found a way of perfecting the replication of cells even when the body is under extreme duress. The virus also limits itself to muscle tissue and the lower organs, leaving the brain completely intact. This breakthrough means that the subject’s mind is retained and no ill effects have been noted. Unfortunately the only test-subject has violated the law with six counts of 1st degree murder, multiple counts of 2nd degree murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, approximately 150,000 counts of corporate manslaughter, violation of international law under the Biological Weapons Prohibition Pact, conspiracy to commit genocide, bribery, blackmail and various firearms offences. It is unknown if the virus is responsible for subject’s psychotic behaviour or if the subject was naturally unstable.

The virus has been exquisitely designed in the way it affects ocular tissue. The only visible effect of the virus is the way in which it affects the subject’s eyes. The only way a person could move accurately with the extreme speeds generated by the virus is by viewing the world in hundreds of frames per second, most likely in the same range as birds. In order to interact with the world with the ‘normal’ speed of a human, means viewing the world in the tens of frames per second. This means the subject can alter his vision at will, suggesting maybe even some similar properties to the T-Veronica virus.


The G-Virus
The G-virus short for "Gene-Virus" was developed by Umbrella Corporation scientist William Birkin, who had also done pioneering work on the T-Virus. The virus was discovered in the mutated body of Lisa Trevor, on whom the Umbrella Corporation had been conducting unethical genetic and viral experiments for two decades. When she displayed unexpected immune resistance to the experimental NE-α parasite, Birkin and other researchers looked for a cause and found what would later become the G-virus. Beyond these qualities, the mutations induced by the virus tend to be extremely volatile. The only known successful host was William Birkin, who injected himself with the virus after being mortally wounded by the Umbrella Special Forces Unit attempting to recover the G-Virus from his labs. Unlike T-Virus hosts, G-Virus hosts can continue to mutate, either over an undetermined amount of time or even for as long as the host "lives", even without external stimuli, thus causing transformations akin to a sort of artificial evolution or the like.

G-carriers evolve even faster when wounded, due to the incredible regenerative capabilities of infected cells. William Birkin undergoes five distinct stages of transformations, and it is most likely other G-carriers would also undergo similar stages, although the unpredictable nature of G-Virus mutations means that the details would differ. Because only humans with the perfect cellular and DNA makeup can accept the virus fully, William seeks Sherry Birkin in order to reproduce. The rejected G found below the station has not been successfully fused with the virus. This caused the virus to force itself to replicate throughout the host's body and severely distorted the host's appearance. Similar to Birkin, the rejected form can release G-embryos from its mouth.

Infection by the G-Virus is caused by injection or ingestion of the virus, but unlike creatures infected with the T-Virus, G-mutants cannot pass infection on to other creatures through physical contact or injury. Instead, they create offspring by orally implanting small, parasitic organisms into a live host through the palm of the hand. A DNA match can only be achieved by a blood relative of a G-mutant becoming impregnated. The embryo begins to pupate and assimilate the host body, turning them into what can only be assumed to be a mutant of immense strength.

In unfortunate consequences, a host who is of no compatible DNA match will reject the parasite in a matter of minutes. The embryo rapidly grows inside its host before bursting from their chest. Upon exiting the host body, the embryo quickly mutates into its adult form and goes in search of another host. Following the rejection of the embryo from a genetically dissimilar host, was a large, slow creature devoid of flesh that possessed with an elongated neck and seemingly stood hunched over; this was due to the fact that the right side of its body was vastly disproportionate in comparison to its left region as a result of unequal bilateral symmetry. The creature also periodically vomited G-Embryos which would cling to the opponent in an attempt to disorient him whilst the G-Adult Body attacked.

Also, whereas its counterpart, the T-Virus, is highly communicable, the G-Virus requires embryolic transmission making it problematic in terms of weaponizing it for the intention of mass epidemic. The G-Virus can be destroyed with an experimental anti-G-Virus vaccine, codenamed DEVIL. The G-Virus is quite different to the T-Virus in terms of action and transmission. While both viruses have the characteristic of inciting mutation in infected organisms, the similarities end there. The G-Virus has none of the necrotic properties of the T-Virus, and as such, host organisms do not decompose (the characteristic rotting of the zombies).

The G-Virus is also far less virulent than the T-Virus, for while the T-Virus can be transmitted by body fluids, direct attack from an infected organism, or even water, the G-Virus can only be transmitted by direct injection or active impregnation of a parasite into the prospective host by a G-mutant, and G-mutants (as evident by Birkin and his spawn) instinctively attempt to reproduce as any other animal species. In this manner, G-Virus hosts act much more like living creatures than those infected with the T-Virus; while T-Virus infection can be considered accidental (as the host does not actually mean to infect its victim), G-mutants actively attempt to perpetuate their species. This has the frightening implication that, while the T-Virus is infinitely more contagious, a G-Virus epidemic would be uncontrollable and actively hostile to humanity, as G-mutants would seek to reproduce over any other instinct.

The G-Virus also acts exponentially faster than the T-Virus, with William Birkin manifesting considerable physical mutation mere seconds after infection. Apparently, direct injection of the virus is incurable, as it acts too quickly for a vaccine to be effective. Infection by parasitic impregnation, however, can be controlled much like the T-Virus, with a vaccine being effective if administered during the initial stages of infection, before the embryo can gestate. While the T-Virus' effects on long term, controlled exposure are well documented (Tyrant, the Hunters and the Lickers for instance), the effects of such exposure to the G-Virus are unknown, as there was no testing in this field done before the Raccoon City incident. However, if the effect of said exposure was similar to the T-Virus and T-Veronica virus, such organisms would theoretically be the absolute deadliest creatures ever made by Umbrella. Birkin himself, an uncontrolled G-mutant, was possibly more powerful and deadly than any creature created with the T-Virus on purpose. The effects of the G-Virus on non-human hosts is unknown, but they are probably just as radically powerful and unstable as their human counterparts in comparison to the T-Virus.

G-T Virus
The G-T Virus is basically just the T-virus mixed with the G-virus. It's fast, makes you switch genders apparently and gives you electrical powers. (Ok, sorry this last one was lame, I couldn't find anything on it. Laaammmee. It's late and I'm to tired to talk about a virus I don't really care about. D: )