(Author's Note: Some facts about viral mutations might be incorrect, but I tried my best to get across my point. This is, pretty much, just the set up for the story. It should also be noted that this site does not like the little arrow that comes along with Equius' typing quirk! XD So I apologize for that. I should be getting more written material out soon~)
Ambassador
~
cG: OKAY, THIS IS WEEK FIVE SINCE THE FIRST OUTBREAK OF THE ZX VIRUS. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW WELL THIS IS GOING TO WORK, BUT IF ANYONE ELSE FROM AROUND THE WORLD CAN SEE THIS, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU. THINGS ARE GOING DOWN THE SHITTER HERE, AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON.
Karkat sighed heavily as he sat back in the computer chair. It was out for the world to see now, but he wondered what else of the world was left to see it. At week two, the news stations stopped airing. At week three, the radio signals grew fuzzy. By week four, nearly no one was on the streets; no one alive, at least.
This was the wrath of the ZX virus.
Karkat stayed back and still for only a short time before launching himself back onto the computer.
cG: HEY, FEFERI, ARE YOU GETTING ANYWHERE WITH THAT VACCINE? ANY CLOSER THAN YESTERDAY? ANY CONTACTS YOU MADE? ANYTHING AT ALL?
There was a long pause before her answer, and he knew that would be so. It was to his suspicion that she was having difficulties, but she insisted that she was making very evident progress.
cC: )(i Karkat. No, t)(ere aren't any c)(anges, at least, not for t)(e better.
cC: T)(e code of t)(e virus is really topsy turvy, almost like it defies t)(e laws of nature.
cC: -Even -Equius is at a loss…
cC: O)( gos)(! I gotta go, update you later!
cG: WAIT, FEFERI.
cG: GOD DAMMIT.
With an indignant groan, Karkat got to his feet and took a brief stride around his abode. All of the friends he used to have disappeared in mere moments since the first week. It's like all of the Hollywood zombie movies, except a lot less of the living dead and more of the angst and unknowing feeling added along with actual fright and tears.
The only people he was able to speak to again were Terezi, Feferi, and Equius, each one spread out and thin throughout the country. It was a near miracle that they still had contact, but that was put on Terezi for her quick gathering at a power plant.
Speaking of Terezi…
A loud buzz made the young man turn in his place and stalk back to his desk, picking up the walkie talkie just beside the monitor. "Terezi, what's going on? Numbers, I need numbers," Karkat sounded loudly into the walkie, his face etched with concentration that seemed to never end, almost tattooed on his countenance.
"Eht- psfft- therftt-" The horrible fuzziness behind the phone made it difficult for Karkat to hear her words. He navigated closer to a boarded up window and asked for repetition. "There's more ill- thirty six since- the day before yesterday-" Terezi repeated. "Fifty dead since then- current live population still- unconfirmed- unknown- nearing few thousand losses-"
Karkat cursed under his breath at the luck they were having.
"Any- news with you-?" Terezi buzzed from the walkie talkie
Karkat sighed and answered back, "No, nothing. Feferi's beyond busy, and Equius hasn't responded to me yet. I posted a calling though- maybe someone will contact back, it's the only sparse chance we have…"
When there was a long pause, the male knew what was coming. "Don't get- hopes up-" Terezi murmured back in a muffle. She had been losing her ambition for a while now, and it was aching to Karkat to know that she truly believed in the worst.
"Yeah- I know…"
~
eB: hi cg! looks like you're on the west coast, i'm from the east. things are looking a bit better here though compared to where you are, at least, from what i hear. we've still got hospitals running and a rather put together government. the borders are closed and only certain flights are allowed into the country. what is your country's state?
Wow, Karkat had almost lost hope. It had been three days since he posted that damn update- thank god someone responded. He hoped beyond all of his being that, whoever this person was, he or she would be able to respond.
cG: FINALLY SOMEONE RESPONDED.
cG: LIKE I SAID, WE'RE GOING DOWN THE PROVERBIAL SHIT HOLE, AND ALMOST NOTHING CAN BE DONE TO SAVE US.
cG: THERE ARE QUARANTINES, MARTIAL LAW, AND MAD AS FUCK RIOTS.
cG: I'M IN ISOLATION RIGHT NOW AND COMMUNICATING, OR AT LEAST TRYING TO, WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO FIND VACCINES AND CURES.
cG: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOUR AIRLINES?
cG: ALSO, THE NAME IS KARKAT.
Surprisingly enough, it only took about an hour to get another response, and being stuck inside with a computer to be the only source of entertainment, Karkat was able to see it instantly.
eB: nice to know your name, karkat, mine's john.
eB: the airlines are only allowing in two flights a week, usually with only about a hundred people. we're kind of like a safe haven for a lot of families. they give a lot of test screenings for the black sludge, so we've almost wiped out the virus here.
eB: we don't really have anyone working on a cure though. we're more trying to work on helping the people who are sick feel better. we don't have a research center.
cG: DAMN MAN, IT SEEMS LIKE BOTH OF OUR SITUATIONS ARE AS BAD AS A BUCKET OF FESTERING BLACK SLUDGE DISCHARGE.
cG: AT LEAST YOU ARE RATHER SAFE THERE THOUGH, RIGHT? WE'VE GOT SICK PEOPLE NEARLY STALKING THE STREET, IT'S RIDICULOUS
eB: yeah, we're rather safe. at least, we don't have more infected coming into the country than what we've already got. how far are you from getting a cure?
cG: MAN, I DON'T EVEN KNOW. THE GENOME OF THE SLUDGE CHANGES ERRATICALLY, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND WE CAN NEVER PREDICT WHAT IT'S GONNA DO.
cG: PLUS, FROM MY LAST UPDATE, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IT'S ADAPTING TO THE DRUGS WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP.
cG: AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THE VACCINE IS STILL AT POINT ZERO BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THE VIRUS ACTUALLY EFFECTS YET.
cG: PRETTY MUCH, WE'RE RUNNING IN CIRCLES WITH OUR TAILS TUCKED BETWEEN OUR STUBBY, UNDEVELOPED, AND POOR EXCUSES OF LEGS.
eB: that's not very good…
cG: REALLY? I DIDN'T NOTICE!
cG: EITHER WAY, WE HAVE TO KEEP WORKING AT IT. EVEN IF IT MEANS DYING FOR A CURE
cG: WHICH REMINDS ME.
cG: DO YOU THINK YOU AND I COULD KEEP IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER FOR INFORMATION. I CAN KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THE VACCINES AND SUCH WHILE YOU KEEP ME UPDATED ON POPULATIONS AND FLIGHTS.
cG: ALSO.
cG: IF YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH ANYONE ELSE FROM AROUND THIS GOD FOR SAKEN EARTH, YOU SHOULD LET ME KNOW.
eB: yeah, definitely, i can do that.
cG: OKAY, COOL. I GOTTA GO NOW AND SEE IF I CAN GET SOMETHING DONE. BYE JOHN.
eB: yup, bye.
Finally, something was looking up!
~
cT: D - Karkat
cT: D - I do believe I have made an e%ponential breakthrough in the genome
cG: GREAT, LET ME HEAR IT.
cT: D - It seems that the Z%919 virus mutates in a particular pattern
cT: D - And very rapidly at that due to its RNA nature
cT: D - Every third mutation, it develops a greater resistance to white b100d cells
cT: D - And every fifth mutation, its resistance to the outside world, e%treme temperatures, and cleansing rituals becomes greater as well
cG: OKAY, YOU'RE HALFWAY LOSING ME.
cG: CAN YOU GIVE ME THE SHORT AND MORE UNDERSTANDABLE VERSION OF WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED?
cT: D - Well
cT: D - From the first version of the virus we've seen in humans, the Z%919 genome has evolved at least si%teen times
cT: D - And, in that time, it had developed 5 levels of resistance to our own immune systems, and 3 levels of resistance to the outside world
cT: D - Although, that isn't counting what possible mutations it might have taken into account whilst developing in other species aside from homo sapiens
cG: SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT WE'RE SCREWED?
cT: D - Essentially
cG: THAT'S GREAT!
cT: D - You don't seem to understand
cT: D - This is still a delightful breakthrough
cG: REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT EXPLAINING YOURSELF?
cG: WHY DON'T YOU TRY THAT AGAIN AND MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR ME?
cT: D - There's no need to act so disgruntled
cTL D - Besides, it is very disrespectful to produce yourself like that to a person like me with such e%quisite education, unlike yourself
cG: AND HERE WE BOTH ARE
cG: A DOCTORATE AND A HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUT
cG: BOTH IN THE THRALLS OF THE MOST DEADLY VIRUS KNOWN TO MAN
cG: DISEASE DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE
cG: NOW TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON
cT: D - Fine
cT: D - There are two types of viruses to be concerned about currently: RNA and DNA
cT: D - We are dealing with an RNA virus
cT: D - RNA viruses are unstable and mutate faster than DNA viruses, usually single-stranded and a genome segment number of twelve
cT: D - It is most closely related to the ebolavirus
cT: D - The Z%919 virus is built up with proteins, and one change in the protein may cause e%ceptional changes
cT: D - To put it in one sentence, once we find which protein changes in a mutation, we can figure out how to develop a drug to counteract the protein and, thus, be able to go against the rest of the proteins
cT: D - We are only two steps away from finding a cure, Vantas
cG: OH MY GOD
cG: YOU'RE NOT KIDDING?
cT: D - I don't kid
cG: YOU NEED TO TELL FEFERI THIS
cG: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT
cG: WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT