A/n: One of my favorite things to do in a GURPS campaign is to take my DMs simple ideas and complicate them to the point where their existence seems viable. I have done this with dragons, demons, magic (mana as a particle of probability) and many other things, much to the narrators dismay. Doctor Patience Woods and her studies are the fruit of that unholy labor. Doctor Woods started at the Rushmore Facility, a kind of Area 51 we made up for the first campaign, in the late 1880's and took off from there in her own world of inter dimensional incursions. I got to thinking on this series and wanted to write out a report from her. What follows is the result.
Confidential personal logs of Doctor Patience Woods of the Us Rushmore Facility.
Ours is an age of iron. It started in the mines, the gold rush and the grab for resources pushing us ever farther downward to plumb the depths of the earth. This inevitably lead to confrontation, between cultures and governments and upset local populations amidst massive land grabs. With these struggles came the inevitability of war, ever the engine of progress, that propelled us into technological advance like no other. With the advent of this new world we stood upon the horizon and learned that we were not alone, by every meaning of this concept. My experience with the Rushmore Facility in the past has left me unusually prepared for such incursions upon the norm, in ways that I must obviously refrain from detailing, the emergence of any new form of viral or parasitic infection is always a matter of interest for me.
The locals call them kabane, no doubt some denomination derivative of local superstitious nonsense, as such underdeveloped populations are want to do. They caught my attention over telegraph from Deadwood, my experience in the mines and those creatures and unusual rock samples therein made me a match for a quick excursion to visit with the natives at the nearest check point. Normally such lengths of land are beyond my jurisdiction, however the magnitude of the situation let alone its infectious nature merited the discomfiture. Imaginably, it was no small feat to traverse the distance, let alone the language barrier but the trouble was more than worth it in the end.
The specimen in question, set upon my examination table here in Germany, is in very poor condition. It had to be Germany of course, rudimentary quarantining was barely successful in containing the outbreak in Japan, Chinas more barbaric approaches were more effective if draconian in nature, much of the coasts are in lockdown and travel up to this point is as far as regional law is willing to allow me to penetrate their barriers. Where the subject was initially infected is a matter of much debate, it was found by Chinese officials along the banks of the great redacted river, so named for obvious reasons, along the southeastern coast. This unfortunate creature, judging by nationality and the condition of the corpse, did not originate within China herself but most likely was one of the many refugees fleeing to uninfected shores only to crash against stone fortresses. The body itself shows great amounts of decay that I am informed is abnormal for its presumed freshness, this can be confirmed in those samples and specimens observed along photographed timelines. I assume that the advanced decomposition of the specimen may be related to its exposure to the ocean and its many corrosive proclivities. This hypothesis may also go some ways to explain how the infection remains so isolated despite the disadvantaged populations, though a solid answer remains elusive. Further external examination finds the skin to be a dark blue-gray that may denote extreme oxygen deficiency. The visible effects of the virus are striking, I am impatient to begin the autopsy.
The specimen is a young adult male, terminated by decapitation. Putrefaction brought on by exposure has rendered many abdominal organs unidentifiable and the extremities are in tatters but the vascular structure is mostly robust, skinning of the corpse makes this especially apparent. Truly, the character of the intact venous system and surrounding contaminants is extraordinary, especially near the heart, which is a subject worth the studies of a lifetime; I am hard pressed by fascination to explore no further aspects of the disease. It is obvious that the root of this organism or virus is very much in the blood of the host, nesting in the heart. This is demonstrable in the structure as well as in the blood itself, even burst from its vessels the blood still clings to the hosts musculoskeletal tissues. Another point of note is the blue exudate that seems to be produced by the infected blood. The substance is quite brittle in the cold of the laboratory, it comprises a vast network of unknown material surrounding both muscle and bone, it flakes and oxidizes into near macroscopic pieces; a blue exterior with a rusty red almost metal-like core. I recognize these elements as the oxidized forms of iron and copper and chemical testing may yet bear this through. The question here is how these broken byproducts exist in a vital system, let alone comprise one so purportedly violent and dangerous. I have no doubt that mana must play some role here, the flesh is far too degraded to function under any other circumstances. My work on the subject of mana as a previously unidentified particle, a force of physics much like matter and energy, is still in its infancy, but studies bear this through. Mana, like any other particle, aggregates according to its nature and produces local phenomena particular to that nature. I have no doubt that testing will show a considerable accumulation. Positive mana produces growth and negative creates decay, fire affiliation enflames to produce heat and water affiliation cools and condenses; etcetera and so forth, each have their tendencies. Mana in high concentrations manipulates reality by bending probability aggregates to a given probability set. It is my life's work to tame this fundamental vital force and seeing it at work so dramatically in the weave of the world as we know it never ceases to excite me.
A breakthrough. Today during galvanization testing of the integrity of the remains of the host nervous system the heat generated by the electrical current caused the organism to temporarily reanimate to a small degree. Looking at how the muscle tissue twitches and the elasticity of the viral byproducts having returned only after specific temperatures were reached in-situ, it can therefore be proposed that the conditions for "reanimation " by the organism require extraordinarily high temperatures. Muscle tone becomes reestablished only in musculoskeletal and cardiac tissues, particularly those with a present means for obtaining viral particle contact or those simply exposed to host blood via vasculature or even by that blood which was lost via hemorrhage. It can be postulated that whatever organism is present in the blood is extremely capable. Given further examination of the host muscle tissue it is apparent that, while certain faculties decline irreparably, muscle tissue required for the spread of the virus, like those grasping elements of the forearms and muscles for biting, remain robust. From the emaciated smooth muscle tissue, the degradation of the peripheral nervous system, and the condition of the host remaining bowel, it seems the organism is utilitarian by nature; preserving only what it needs to spread and using positive mana elements to remain mobile. It is of further note that both bone and muscle are covered in that same blue exudate which must no doubt carry the electric mana charge. With the right amount of heat and energy, the once brittle material becomes hard as steel yet flexible as a membrane. I've collected samples for further examination and testing. The host rib cage, while the calciferous elements are crumbling, is extremely difficult to shear off. I will require better equipment to breach it.
With proper application of electrical current and heat even the heart begins to beat again, I believe it is insufficient vascular lode and blood borne virions that renders the reaction unsustainable. The heart and vasculature are quite the sight to behold, enshrouded by flesh as they are, I will save the remainder until the end of this autopsy report, I do not have the time today nor the equipment to delve further into it yet. Damnable diplomatic meetings.
As certain parties remain adamant that a delegation of foreign personnel be present during the dissection of the heart, superstitious eastern twaddle for all I care, todays examination will focus on the subjects remaining cranial elements and nervous system. It is important when dealing with any uneducated populace that precautions be taken to protect oneself from violence. It has come to my attention that the "delegates" and those they represent are not happy at all with current arrangements, they think the specimen cursed and call us "untouchable", several threats have already been made. Do all the worlds minds come undone beyond the borders of European civilization? German authorities continue to work alongside us despite their obvious discomfort. Cowards, all of them.
The soft tissues of the specimens head have suffered greatly from the ravages of seawater and scavengers, the eyes are gone and much of the skull is exposed, little remains of the mans hair. Again as I reflect and debride the dead matter it is observed that the surviving tissues of the host are those of most use to the organism. The muscles of the jaws are engorged and the gums have receded around teeth that have become pointed and jagged, perhaps due to stimulations by the virus coupled with some presentation of bruxism. The teeth have fused with the jaw, they are no longer held via gomphosis joint. Much like the skeletal structure of the torso, what remains of the bones, while obviously lacking healthy calcium, are still extremely shatter resistant. Blunt force and edged implements are ineffective, as yet only a bone saw and great persistence have proven effective, outside of extraordinary circumstances of course. The bones are suffused with similar blue mineral deposits, weaving their way through the ossicles, spongey bone, and the sinuses to replace dead marrow almost in its entirety. A living organism with a skeleton requires there be a certain elasticity to the structure, the ribs must flex as we breathe and our bodies must move to maintain a healthy respiratory tract and circulation . I believe that flexibility is gone from this system. This begs further testing of the blue substance, I've had several samples set to be shipped to my lab. My overseers worry about contamination, they can talk to me about parasitic infiltration and contamination only after THEY have dealt with a full scale CIG multidimensional incursion over half a damn continent.
With the top of the cranium removed the brain tissue beneath becomes apparent. The matter is gray with death, venous structures are all but in tatters at the surface and it reeks of salt and sea. It is noticeable that structures remain robust in three areas: the optic nerves, the back-most lower elements of the brain, and its core structures like the brain stem and spinal cord. These structures must be of great importance to the virus, they give us our sight, our ability to maneuver, and without the brain stem we loose all organ function and mobility. Looking at the spinal cord reveals ropes of tough fibrous neuronal tissue that extend far beyond the norm and permeate both brain and flesh, all but erupting from the spinous processes. They glow faintly in the heat of the overhead lamps. Again this virus preserves only what it needs, the masses of host blood coagulation still retains some ferrofluid properties, I'll lay bets that this thing came from iron and seeks it out to further supplement its function. Perhaps the inflammation of these host structures and their collective dysfunction can explain the reported aggression of infected individuals even before infection is apparent. All else of the brain is rotted beyond recognition, whether or not this is due to the specimens exposure to the elements or due to the virus itself is indistinguishable at this point, any life would be a short one. More samples are being taken, it is imperative that the mode of transmission be identified, the engorged salivary glands seem promising. I have no doubt though that the blood itself is a vector as well.
Finally, after much ceremony, I am given access to perhaps the most interesting anatomical feature of this specimen. With the aid of more specialized equipment made for the task I was able to remove the upper most half of the subjects sternum and resect much of the obscuring tissues. Organs and muscle here are exceptionally well preserved, the lungs are large and the heart is huge! Surrounding the heart is what can only be described as a metal cage, a nest of blue exudates that worm their way through bone and muscle and vasculature to meet and fuse together at the heart. The material is even stronger than that of the bones and does not weaken in the cold. It suffuses the cardiac viscous, inert and inflexible in its current condition. Now so begins the defining moment of my explorations here.
I was correct in my assumptions concerning the blue substance. Testing revealed large amounts of blood, copper, iron, and unknown carboniferous matter and silicates of unknown types. Holding a magnet to the coagulated samples reveals a great deal of magnetic potential, tendrils of otherwise inert blackened blood are pulled to the magnet. Having released the magnetic hold the blood moves on its own, the organism must suffuse the corpse with some kind of magnetic field of its own, perhaps a manifestation of a new form of metal capable of reproduction not unlike that of a prion.
Using a battery and clamps I was able to direct a galvanic current, not through the muscle tissue this time but directly into the metallic blue network of the contaminants themselves, straight to the core of it. The material is not a byproduct of the organism as originally postulated, it is the organism itself. The structure supersedes the dilapidated host nervous system almost entirely and functions only at high temperatures. It feeds off of oxygen and the electricity generated by whatever reaction sustains this creature, turning molten as though on fire, so hot that what heat is not used to proliferate the virus rolls from host musculature like steam! Temperatures this great cook off neuronal tissues and most proteins, it should be impossible for an organic infrastructure to function in this kind of heat, the substance even takes fuel from the air itself. It is highly exothermic in nature, host tissues test at around 130 Fahrenheit in the extremities alone, rising higher the closer one gets to the core. The cardiac tissue and contaminants blaze brilliantly, looking directly at them I may as well be staring straight into a furnace. The metal-like substance that is the organism itself must impart some form of resistance to this heat as very little critical structural tissue is denatured by the high temperatures. It also has become apparent that, when hot enough, the organism can pull the strings of its host completely independent of a functioning central nervous system. The corpse judders to life even now, grasping and groping for a target. I believe that the shape of the host is borrowed by the organism, at first for the purposes of cohabitation, and then it replaces the burnt and starved out remnants with its own. The virus or parasite very nearly manages to survive independently of the host, we become but the foundation for the latticework of a living alien nervous system. We have become the mortar of a most unusual building. Tomorrow I will shift my attention to the substance itself, for now, the corpse must be properly subdued for further dissection.
Against my wishes, the subject was destroyed; they burned it. This irks me greatly, though it does prove the hypothesis that fire and heat are a byproduct of foreign metabolic processes rather than the process itself. I can only assume that the fires destroyed too much of the host blood and structure and starved the core of oxygen, or whatever else it uses to fuel itself. Of note is that the samples in my custody were rendered permanently inert after the destruction of the original host. Wether or not this means that the heart-core of the original host sustains its venturing siblings is unknown, though given the nature of the organism, I believe it may have the capacity for forming unique communal hive-like colonies. I also believe that the afore mentioned magnetic field exuded by the infected blood and the organism itself exerts some kind of sustaining effects upon the organisms, allowing them to survive and network as they do inside their host.
In conclusion, the blue metal-like material is a form of hyper-conductive organism that survives via an extremely exothermic metabolism of poorly understood nature. It's intelligence is unknown though due to its nature I predict a hive mind emergence in sufficient populations. The organism is spread via infected saliva and blood, it furthers this goal by causing inflammation of the brain to stimulate extreme aggression and hunger response from the host. Termination of an infected individual has thus far only been achieved by unrecoverable destruction of the host body's ability to serve as a motile superstructure. Termination of the organism itself follows similar lines, the core must be either destroyed or starved of whatever it is that this metal creature feeds on. Examination of the blue exudate that remains, having turned grey and cold with death, reveals the organism responsible. I have but one such intact corpse of the creature. It is small, only barely just larger than a platelet, it is barbed and many legged, much like a seagoing tardigrade. Analysis reveals an appallingly simple metal body composed of iron, copper, and several previously unidentified silicon based elements that seem more or less native to our plane of existence. Most of note is that the creature lacks any evidence of DNA or RNA, it can therefore be assumed that the organism reproduces by using its magnetic field to warp local iron and mana concentrations into a copy of itself, much like how a prion induces miss-folding in nearby proteins. It has only a few internal organelles that wrap around one another like some kind of electric dynamo, not unlike that which the layout of the Rushmore Facility uses for the very same purpose; reinforcing and degrading local probability elements as needed. It has a flagellate structure at the end and I can see the beginnings of a metallic wire-like formation, like a spider weaving its web about its burrow. It is but a crude snapshot in time, though it suites my purposes for the time being. I leave for the US soon and must halt my research for the time being.
In the end, lacking the necessary samples and equipment, further study of host anatomy and the physical changes imposed by the creatures is impossible. Rendering further information on just how the organism lives and thrives is also impossible without a set of live specimens to draw from. I can only hope that those who read my reports and pass on the knowledge therein do so free of the shackles of superstition. This is not a curse, it is a viral organism of a parasitic nature replicating itself into colonies using or own organic and mineral resources. I suggest that their destruction be handled by shock troop teams equipped with full body armor and specialized gas weapons designed to outcompete or subsume local oxygen supplies to levels uninhabitable by the organism. Therefore I also recommend the use of modified compressed cold CO2 fire suppressants to be weaponized and used against all pre established and currently forming colonies. All further mining expeditions must be similarly equipped to prevent re-emergence of the organism. Should these methods fail, it is a simple enough matter to let the sea have them, the water will drown it and the salt will ruin the neural firing.
Of a further note concerning those persons infected, I believe it is entirely possible that if blood flow and oxygen and iron levels are properly restricted and regulated an individual may survive the initial process of infection and growth of the organism may be stunted without a high enough concentration of the organisms to produce their magnetic field. Whether or not they will remain independently functional depends solely on the host brains ability to survive on limited oxygen levels and how well they can avoid heavily infected populations and the unusual magnetic field they carry with them in great quantities.
Thus ends my report.
Doctor Patience Woods