Physical Assessment 6 –

NB/ Test subject not due his monthly exam until a further three weeks. However, Walter has pinpointed some irregular neurological problems in the boy. As experimental animal infections can reproduce highly pathogenic AIV infection symptoms, it may be conceivable that the test subject has contracted the pathogenic entity H5N1. Walter estimates a rare strand of bird flu, but similar to the Highly Pathogenic Influenza A (Hepia).

Test subject exhibits severe respiratory distress, high fever and acute viral pneumonia, certainly symptoms of avian influenza.

*May explain Peter's shortage of breath in the tank experiment (see 269.3) resulting in respiratory failure when his lung collapsed.

Test subject also has unexplainable bruising covering his entire body.

**William likened the bruising to one of the symptoms of Hepatitis C, a viral infection of the liver when patient bruises easily. Although this was ruled out when he and Walter took a swab from the nose and throat and took a blood specimen – used molecular test and grew the virus.

***William was able to confirm that disease was contracted through association with the animal carcasses boy was continuously exposed to. This lab.

Attached, personal lab report –

I am concerned about the professional ramifications of the H5N1 diagnosis because Walter has taken the hit personally. And, quite frankly, rightly so. There isn't an iota of doubt in my mind that had we not been experimenting and exploiting the child so continuously, so readily then he wouldn't have fallen ill.

Walter's temperament has always been close to volatile even though William is arguably more dogmatic, so his episode in the lab today should almost be expected. When William's analysis of the viral condition confirmed Walter's suspicions that the child has indeed caught bird flu in what we believed was a controlled environment, he flew off the handle. He terminated my exam of the child, quickly redressed him, struck him when he was non-responsive to being summoned and dragged him out of the laboratory entirely. Just as the scientist in him is, as a father, his greatest vice; the paternal side to him is, as a man of science, a vice just as deadly.

If I am allowed to examine the boy again (i.e. if Walter calms down and confronts this disease methodically and logically instead of trying to deny that there is anything wrong with his otherwise perfect little, brilliant little, special little hybrid), I wouldn't be surprised if there is dark bruising to his wrists and forearms after Walter caught him abruptly and demanded that they were leaving. It would support William's theory that this progressed form of influenza is exacting symptoms close to Hep C and that the bruises haven't appeared completely from nowhere.

Although there is no sign of multi-organ failure besides the breathing difficulties in the tank (suggesting lung problems), the bruising tells that the influenza has entered the stage by which the body is beginning to shut down. If light pressure applied to the skin results in fast-forming bruises then he is certainly more tender than what is natural.

This is a particularly distressing thing to note because it means that he has already bypassed stage one and therefore the expiration period for potential treatments (two days after contracting the disease) has come and gone. We probably could have administered a combined anti-viral medication of Oseltamivir and Zanamavir but it's more than likely that his body will merely reject the vaccine.

Before, he was nothing. An 'It.' A 'He.' A 'test subject.' Or Boy. But he is none of these things. He is Peter. Peter T. Bishop. And we have done this to him. He isn't readings or lab notes or explorations. He is a whole person with two arms and two legs and a sweet little face and it's too hard to ignore that now. He was never just a brain. I don't even think he cares himself that he is exceptionally brighter than most people and especially children of his surrounding age. I don't even think he has much awareness of anything really.

We knew that his health had been deteriorating since we paired him with the lab animals, but, at the time, Peter's well-being didn't entirely fit into the greater perspective of things. William was more hard-line, I remember that much. Peter was the only predisposed child that we had access to and Walter's concern (although a mild concern considering his supposed relationship to the subject) beyond test results was hindering explorations. Couldn't do this, shouldn't do that.

But despite fighting with William, Walter, too, was guilty for confusing the child with any number of animals we kept in the cages. He may as well have had his own cage right here in our lab with a stable diet of concentrated water and dried bread.

I'm not it's mother, I never pretended to be. But the memory of him holding my hand still haunts me to this day. When the birth mother realises the extent of Peter's illness and has him admitted to hospital, it's clear to the three of us that that in itself will be his ironic death sentence. They will seclude him in a quarantined area (not unlike his existence at the lab) and make like they can treat him, but he will only be given local and general anaesthetics to ease the pain and the parents will be told to 'prepare themselves for the worst.'

Again, no difference to the depression of consciousness here and where Walter is reminded before every exploration more or less to prepare himself for the worst. The worst not necessarily relating to his only son's welfare, of course, but to experiments going slightly awry.

His blood will be on our hands when he dies – because he will die. He wasn't expendable to us but apparently forces above anyone's control thought otherwise. Perhaps this is the age-old lesson when man tries to play God. We knew what we were doing. We knew our work often defied the laws of physics and nature but William and Walter are ambassadors of science, not eco-critics. And William is preparing for something much greater still. It's just a shame that the first civilian caught in the crossfire of this war should happen to be a child.