PROJECT ESCHATON - FINAL PHASE
TESTING
DOCTOR MANDOR SAVIC
Colonel Kratek has ordered that every effort be applied to maximizing the virulence of the Eschaton pathogen.
The modified virus is already highly infectious, but we have to accelerate still further the reproduction from host to host, to compensate for the very rapid onset of symptoms followed by death. We also have to develop the hardiness of the virus so that it can survive in the atmosphere outside a living host, offering other means of transmission.
To this end, subjects have been exposed to variants of the pathogen via different modes of transmission. The following initial responses have been noted:
- Airborne exposure produces muscle spasms and bleeding from eyes, nose and throat
- Infection through blood, saliva and other secretions presents with vomiting of blood and gastrointestinal bleeding
- Ingestion via contaminated food, water or surfaces prompts vomiting and diarrhea
In all cases, the pathogen causes death through cellular lysis and disintegration of the internal organs. However, the speed with which this occurs ranges from minutes to hours depending upon the mode of infection. Naturally, any slight reduction in the immediate lethality of the pathogen is balanced by the increased chance of transmission from host to host.
I have expressed to Colonel Kratek my concern that the pathogen could no longer be used as a targeted deterrent weapon. It is now so virulent that any exposure, accidental or otherwise, would lead to an uncontrollable outbreak with the potential to decimate a global population.
However, the Colonel made it clear that his priority is the development of a deployable bioweapon with maximal, albeit universal, toxicity.
— Facility X01, August 2359