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\\:: Alert, contagious anti-citizen reported in this community. Standby for cremator deployment. :://
Subjects Name: [UNKNOWN]
Subjects epithet: Patient Zero
Current Status: ANTI-CITIZEN
Previous Occupation: Combine Planetary Research Division
Previous Status: Collaboration Level Five
Verdict: Immediate Incineration
"They are covering their tracks."
Subjects Name: [UNKNOWN]
Subjects epithet: Patient Zero
Current Status: ANTI-CITIZEN
Previous Occupation: Combine Planetary Research Division
Previous Status: Collaboration Level Five
Verdict: Immediate Incineration
"They are covering their tracks."
Chapter One - The Incident
I still remember my rather youthful days with the combine, they treated me rather fairly; granted this was right after the war. The first few years were just primarily trying to get used to the whole new expansive technology. Our worlds were flipped upside-down, holographic displays that acted as physical barriers to persons without specific tools, an A.I. designed for humanity to help control the population with civil protection; and let's not forget the transhuman arms. That project was rather icky at best, I don't know much as it was above my paygrade but I heard rumours of the henious experiments they were performing, lobotomies, body transplants and worse. One person claimed to have seen a giant floating alien assisting the division with the transhumanization experiments. Frankly, I believe them, I've been hearing a lot of stories of giant floating aliens and considering that we have creatures such as the headcrabs it wouldn't surprise me. As you may imagine my department dealt with contagious diseases, new unknown viruses and bacteria granted to us by those bastards. I would have never guessed that they were using the diseases to commit mass genocide right under the standard persons noses, anti-xenian viveral was a whole specticle by itself. I'm ashamed to admit that the department I worked for made it, or made the first variants that humans could use. Of course the combine had their own anti-xenian viveral that they refused to share; because they don't care about us. The incident, as I call it, occurred somewhat recently this year, we had a rather inconspicuous request from the Chief of Research. It was an unusual occurance but we did occasionally get such requests, the combine provided us with a mutagenic virus - a sort of sentient anomaly if you can believe it. We were instructed with duplicating it and training it, teaching it every humanly-known disease, and obviously; with my existence, we were successful. The whole ordeal of this virus was to produce it en masse and distribute it to the transhuman arms, they wouldn't be affected by the disease as their whole bodies are essentially cryogenic in nature but the virus could pester and live on for weeks at a time in them; the idea was if they died in battle their contagious bodies would finish off the rebels who attempted to loot their victory. We got a prisoner from Nova Prospekt to test this anomaly on, since I was rather unpopular I was instructed to administer the virus into the poor person. With my reluctance in mind I stepped in cautiously, my hazmat suit on and primed. I remember his face, the struggle, the fear, he thrashed around in that chair; bound by the ties and nearby transhuman arms who mocked him. Taking the viral I pocked the needle in and plunged the syringe. I remember that distinct wave of D-N-A strand in that syringe, it thrashed around itself; wanting freedom. The adrenaline kicked in as I approached him, we created something absolutely horrific and I really didn't want to see the result of it. Nonetheless I bent forward to administer the syringe, though to my surprise I was met with a fist to the face. The man was filled with so much fear and adrenaline he had managed to rip his own skin off his hands and slip through the binds. Obviously I dropped the needle in response which caused the syringe to shatter. He jumped on top of me and began clawing away at my hazmat maniacally, it wasn't even five seconds before he was gunned down. With a stroke of bad luck the transhumans managed to shoot me in the arm and stomach as well from the point blank range they fired from. I tossed the corpse of the man aside and stood up clutching my stomach, the transhumans obviously didn't care. The wide range of gasps I heard behind the safety of the glass doors was impeccable, my injuries were guaranteed to kill me if I didn't receive medical aid. They did exactly what you think they did, 'We can't let you out, there is a probability you're infected!'. Well, regardless the transhumans shot me multiple times in my back, I remember blacking out.
Chapter Two - Walking Death
By some miracle I had survived the shots, or well, it wasn't really a miracle. It turned out the virus wanted freedom and it didn't want me to die. It brought me back to life. I woke up completely naked on a pile of bodies marked for incineration. I was in the middle of the outlands. Lifting up my weak arms I saw the disease, a red weird looking mutagenic rash that moved around my body. Checking my injuries I confirmed that the rash also took over the parts I was missing; the shots I previously received were now magically healed by the virus' own intergration into my body. To say I wasn't in major pain is a faultless lie, it felt like it was leeching the life out of me. In less than a minute my whole world was destroyed, they got rid of me, they replaced me. I worked my damned hardest to impress everyone, to impress all of those fucking scumbags that leech off of the pride and satisfaction from seeing another one tortured. Crawling my way out of the pile of unknown faces I decided to loot at many as I could. Some torn up suit, a trench-coat jacket and a pair of scuffed army boots made-do for covering my illness. From afar I could hear the gliding sound of an aircraft, scrambling onto my feet I somehow managed to run past the craters of corpses and into the opposite direction. I never looked back, I don't regret it. Perhaps there was a person there that was barely alive but what was I meant to do if the combine was making their way to the pile? I reached a cave filled with luminescent symbols, a vortigaunt cave. There, I was met by the elder, its face of hatred met mine, of fear and cowarice, we stood in front of each other locked in a gaze for what seemed like an eternity. A young vortigaunt, new to the tribe I'm assuming, spoke up in a more happier and friendly tone. "Howww may we assist this one?" it asked, the distinct higher pitched voice echoed in my ears. The elder gave it a bitter look of disgust before turning back to me. "Weee know of your kinds experimentss, many of our kin losst for your satisfaction." Throughout all the years of my life, I never actually spoke to a vortigaunt, yet here I was; my life in their hands. I couldn't do anything but fall to my knees, I cried and bellowed for them to kill me. Instead of striking me there, I felt its palm touch my forehead. An excruciating heat of pain followed through my whole body, the virus shrieked itself. After the wave I looked up at it in dismay. "Youuu have betrayed your own kin and in return theyyy betrayed you. Perhappss with your curse, youuuu may too find wisdom." Its giant eye squinted at me. At that moment I heard the sounds of militaristic footsteps, I flinched my head to see what it was, praying that it wasn't the combine. Instead a heavily geared rebel approached the vortigaunt tribe. The elder took its eye off me and displayed a rather menacing smile, "Ahh, this one assumes you bring good news?" The man responded, muffled by his gas-mask slightly, "Half of city twenty four has fallen. We have won against the combine." Right as he finishes his statement his eyes glare down to me, "Who's this shmuck?" They conversed about me for at least an hour, the vortigaunt knew every despicable and deplorable thing I have done. Though throughout everything he was adamant that I learnt my lesson, in a way I agree. If it wasn't for the whole incident I would still be torturing other poor souls on absolutely despicable experiments. The man grabbed me by the arm and I winced, tugging my arm away. I finally told him about the virus and what I did. He cautiously stepped back and began aiming his weapon at me in fear. The elder did nothing but smile back at me, as if I was his little experiment on the human condition. I begged him to spare my life, I told him I could be useful against the combine. He told me I could be a bomber.
I walked with my hands on my head like a prisoner, precisely the same way my prisoners walked, I was taken to district eight. I was given an explosive vest and a set target. Everyone was cautious of me, I couldn't retaliate. Stepping out into the sunlight I saw the districts citizens, normal everyday people trying to survive. There was an event on-going, they were celebrating their new administration, or rather their survival from the antlions. Many of their faces were uncertain. My radio went off at that time, I was told to run into them and detonate the vest, I couldn't do it. I took it off and ran to a different underground entrance. Civil Protection obviously spotted me, an obvious slummer in a loyalist area, and attempted to pursue me. We got to the underground train-line where I was met face to face with the rebels that expected me to die, they almost immediately began to fire at me; I barely got into cover. The units began to fire right back at them, their focus was off me. Using this opportunity I ran into the sewers and never stopped, I ended up in district eleven. Barely alive, starving and looking like an obvious contagious threat; I hid myself into a small wall opening. My body began to produce a toxic gas which covered the small area I resided in. Within mere days I was back to normal, still weak and hopeless; the disease wouldn't let me die. I was a walking cancer cell, hunger wasn't an escape. I lived my life in secrecy there, eating whatever scrap I could find, anything to quench the hunger and thirst. Maggots began to sprawl onto my body, I was the physical manifestation of an empty husk. Fortunately I was found by multiple people, they looked at me with panic, I told them to stay away, I told them I was contagious. They simply put on some hazmat gear and tended to my wounds, I was given food and water; medical supplies and more. After I recovered I encountered a man called Don Lorenzo. He was interested in my condition so I explained everything to him. That as long as my body is covered I am not contagious. Without a second thought he handed me a working hazmat, granted it has seen better days but it would allow me to live in the underground. I put it on and thanked him, I promised to return and join his group but I fled to the metro instead.
In the metro I met the underground division, a group of rebels within specific departments reliant on black market supplies, their own research and more. I told them about my previous occupation in the C-P-R-D, I also told them that I retaliated against the combine; not that they gave up on me. This allowed me to build up the lie that I was infected as a punishment and thrown into the underground as an attempt to infect and kill everyone; but with me managing to stop and not do that. They all believed me regardless, an ex-member of the C-P-R-D is worth alive more to them than dead. Despite my condition they found a way to make me work as a Doctor and researcher. I was moved to the industrial 24 underground sector where I assisted local black market dealers in their trade, in addition to making my presence known and growing my relations.
Chapter Three - Plague Doctor
View attachment 28462
This brings me now to recent days, I have grown my trust with them and in response they catered to my infectious nature. It no longer hurts to live with this curse, I have learnt to live alongside it. My duties as part of the underground grew, they tasked me with some of the management of industrial 24 resistance forces; a form of representative. I speak with the representatives of each gang, group, clan or tribe. Enquiring about themselves, how the underground can help them and so forth. My goal now is now to bring industrial 24 down. It is only fair I repay the debt the combine gave me.
I've recently found out that the C-L-C and City Thirteen imposed debts up to hundreds of thousands of credits to city twenty four, a perfect opportunity for the resistance to strike. From what I heard the central zone is incredibly unstable because of the resistance there, I already have plans to meet up with the representatives there; though unannounced. I'm hoping they accept my offer of assistance in return for some jobs to do. Regardless of what they choose I will be residing nearby the central zone as it is an easy hub to navigate to the other zones.
I've doned an outfit that is specifically catered to covering every aspect of my body, while I wait for the confirmation to enter the central zone I will be remaining in zone three and four to assist the local population there to retaliate against their opposers.
In addition to all of the above, my research in the underground is nearly complete. Despite less than optimal conditions in the underground I have been able to replicate diseases and chemicals deadly to the human body. While I do not wish to utilize these on the population, I will if I need to. I just hope the medical and research union can stop the spread before everyone dies as that would be rather unfortunate.
- Zeŕo
Acquaintances
Don Lorenzo
"I heard that you were caught and killed, though unfortunate, you did wish to capitalize off of my disease."
"I really need to go meet people."
"I heard that you were caught and killed, though unfortunate, you did wish to capitalize off of my disease."
"I really need to go meet people."
