Oni2:Caged Birds

Intro

Traditionally the credits would go here mixed with "boring" events of the past that explain to the situation. Alright, here we go.

Flashbacks of TV news, images of blogs are shown.

"World Coaliation Government finally installed"

"Global markets stabilize after political earthquake"

"Growing world population exceeds global footprint two times"

"Pesticides contaminate more and more farmland"

"Class 3 and 4 toxins on the rise"

"Air soon unbreathable in major metropolises"

"Secret decon fails, whole nature at risk"

"World sinks into BioCrisis"

"State program for Atmospheric Conversion Centers"

"Independent scientists criticize ACC effectiveness, just a public sedative"

"Organized high-tech crimes reaches all-times high"

"WCG establishes a new police force"

"TCTF begins work against cyber criminals"

"Boarder skirmishes in the Middle East to be soon settled"

"Horrible bio attack in Suez, Egypt"

"Science prisons meant to ensure global peace"

"Journalist warn against political coordination"

"Activists call for March of Nature"

"Grad student dies - murder or mercy"

1

Name: Jamie Hasegawa.

Age: 23.

Death cause: unknown.

Her corpse was examined in one of CDC's own labs. Biosafety level 5 was written in big, fat letters at the corridors. It was in a dark red, blood-like color.

This was the first time they had to use the lab for a real case.

The white suits were running with just electricity which the boots received via inductive coupling from the ground - just like one used to load their smartphone.

Tubes were not needed anymore as the CO2 was filtered internally. The carbon was captured and the O2 brought back.

At the gates there were disinfecting under a soft-and-yet-strong blazing rain of particle beams. The cold plasma shined bluish and killed ever possible pathogen on the suit's surface.

They were five in total, all clustered around the long, metallic table.

When they unzipped the body bag, they stood in a moment of shock and horror.

Nobody has seen such a scene before. The corpse named Jamie had demineralized, porous looking bones, liquefied organs and melted skin.

Her eyes were missing and the mouth was wide open.

It was as if she screamed silently.

"From now on we will triple-check our suits before we enter this room", murmured Curtis.

He pointed to Hanna. "When we know how to deal with it send a sample to BSL-4 in Marburg."

"We also have two dead rangers. How did the husband survive?", she asked.

Jeff: "Maybe only direct contact with blood is contagious. He said he had his gloves on when he applied the hypos. After the head shot he has kept distance. - The ranger rummaged the backpack. It was stained with blood. Probably it happened when she looked for dressing material."

Hanna: "Okay okay, let's continue. Laser, TH and CT scans were all done in our absence by the automatic. Time to look what's really inside. I going to open her with a T cut."

Curtis noticed a deformation under the skin. He shouted, but it was too late. "No. Wait!"

The decomposing body had built up some gas which broke free now. Sprays of liquids splashed over the crew's suits. An alarm went off. Hanna dropped backwards.

---

Jeff and Curtis stood in front some big lockers.

Curtis explained their further actions. "This time we will use the exosuits. Every movement will be transferred to our robot avatars inside the lab. Are you familiar with the procedure."

Jeff nodded. "Yes." -- "But say how is Hanna doing?"

Curtis entered the exosuit and pulled down the visor. Metal fixations snapped. "Still in quarantine. She was brought her stuff. Martinez is monitoring her. There seems to be really an infection but don't ask me how."

Jeff: "Yea, I checked the suit again, with an air pressure test, etc. The interior showed no sign of damage."

---

Hanna's quarantine room was in a white gray. It almost looked like one of TCTF's maximum security prison cells. She sat in the corner on her bed, the back leaning against the wall and the legs drawn to the chest. Hanna hold a pen-shaped device in left hand. A beam of blue light flowed of the other hand. It looked all red and dry, interrupted by yellow patches. The pen move back and fort but her glassy eyes couldn't find a sign of recovery or at least a subtle change.

---

Curtis' avatar stood in front of Jamie again. He looked a final time at his suit's head-up display ensuring himself he didn't forgot something.

"It's the fourth day, 8 pm, I'm hereby finishing the physical examination. Jeff and me will finish the preliminary analysis this Friday. - You can close the back now."

Jeff did as he was told.