Oni2:Caged Birds

The year is 2030. A totalitarian world government rose to power while the world sunk into an ecological crisis. Only few refused to continue with status quo. At the brink of human extinction a new mysterious power appears. The Daodan-Chrysalis. It will transform humans into something else. Let's hope into something better.

Intro

Flashbacks of TV news, images of blogs are shown.

"World Coalition Government finally installed"

"Global markets stabilize after political earthquake"

"Growing world population exceeds ecological 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"

Click on [Show] at the right to read the full article GRAD STUDENT DIES - MURDER OR MERCY ? NEO TOKYO – A horrible scene unfolded yesterday at the Fuji Region Wilderness Preserve. Jamie Kerr Hasegawa, environment activist, top grad student, mother of two was found dead. Her grief-stricken husband, Prof. Hasegawa, is being held suspect for murder or homicide. Officials from the Center for Disease Control, however, attest that Hasegawa shot his wife to give her a merciful death. Mrs. Hasegawa had apparently contracted a new fatal viral infection that caused complete cellular breakdown. Investigators fail to identify the DNA trace of the virus which has the CDC in a panic. The Hasegawas had embarked on an unauthorized investigation to uncover the truth behind the WPS territories and the government’s supposed land reclamation project. According to Mr. Hasegawa they had gone into the Fuji Region Wilderness where his wife brushed her leg against a little thorned twig of a flowering shrub. They went on with no concern. Within minutes of taking the diminutive injury the little scratch became a swelling wound then changing into a large ulcer. The intense pain overwhelmed Mrs. Hasegawa, the wound infections spread away from the scratch and lanced slowly the ulcers. Mr. Hasegawa applied antibiotic hypos but in less than an hour and wailful waiting the whole leg tissue was wracked wildly by deep chaps. By now it was clear that the virus would cause a total breakdown of the nervous system because of its all-devouring raging. The internal tissue was going to liquefy and bleed out. Mr. Hasegawa stated that it was an unbearable scene.

BioCrisis

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 - it was the same wireless technique to power smartphones.

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 disinfection means. A soft-and-yet-strong blazing rain of particle beams was fired from all directions. The cold plasma shined bluish and killed every possible pathogen on the suit's surface.

They were four, 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 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.

Jefferson: "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."

Curtis: "Whatever it is there's a high public interest in getting this cased solved. Walker stands under high pressure to hand over our results to some high-ranked WCG member. Of course Homland Security is involved as well."

Hanna: "No time to lose then. 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. Sprays of liquids splashed over the crew's suits. An alarm went off. Hanna dropped backwards.

---

Jefferson and Curtis stood in front of 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."

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

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

Jefferson: "Yea, I checked the suit again. The air pressure test was negative. The MEMBRANE system is intact. Short, 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 her left hand. A beam of blue light flowed over the other hand. It looked all red and dry, interrupted by yellow patches. The pen moved back and fort but her glassy eyes couldn't find a sign of recovery or at least a subtle change and so she continued.

---

Curtis' avatar stood in front of Jamie again. He looked a last 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. Jefferson and I will finish the preliminary report this Friday. - You can close the back now."

Jefferson took a water hose and sprayed on Jamie's opened backbone. With the other hand he applied liquid nitrogen to freeze the liquid protecting the remnants from further decomposing.

---

Martinez was entering Hanna's room without a safety suit. "Your analysis has finished. It's MRSA."

"Worse enough if you asked me", replied Hanna. "The itching makes me crazy. Please tell me your got something."

Martinez: "Yes. You should get into the lab's CP chamber."

Hanna: "Right now?"

Martinez was determined: "Sure, why not, there are no more activities. The case is closed."

Hanna: "That was fast. And I thought I was the motivated one..."

Martinez made a sign to leave the room. "Walker wants to see you after the treatment, he will give your the details."

Hanna nodded. "Okay."

Martinez: "So here's the plan: leave your clothes near the entrance. Go to the mark at the center. The robot will sterilize your upper skin layer with cold plasma."

Hanna: "I see, full body disinfection."

Martinez: "And that's not all. Your strain is quite persistent. In the following the robot will spray you with a mixture of specialized phages and CRISPR-CAS inhibitors."

The two reached the lock. Hanna: "Where did you get the substances from so fast?"

Martinez blinked. "Those were made in advance." He closed the lock behind a Hanna hungering for answers.

---

Hanna was entering Walkers office. "Hello Arron."

"Hey Hanna, how are you doing, all good I hope."

Hanna took a seat. "Yes, thanks to the extra treatment, I guess."

"Good."

"Martinez said the inhibitors and the phages were made in advance. What's the meaning of this?"

Walked: "We had to cook up a story. Due to the WCG's Secure Technology Act machines such as the molecular printer aren't allowed for medical use, just research."

"Uh... That's ... unorthodox of you. I understand that you were under pressure. But why was my treatment also affected by this situation?"

"Well see, I'm not a friend of their propaganda, actually I just want to stay neutral. So, they got keen on getting replacement for me. For their taste we were too slow and didn't deliver. They now have their pretextual argument. It's only a question of time until they kick me out."

"But we did what was possible in that short time, right?"

"Yeah... Anyway, it wasn't what they wanted. They had their very own opinion what the Wilderness death case should have been. I quite pushed you to do the initial tests, that was a mistake. After your accident, slash, illness, I ordered the rest of the team to strictly follow protocol."

"Well, accept for my own recovery."

"They are withdrawing us from the case. -- I'm so tired of that political bullshit. But my hands are tied. I want you to make a difference."

"You are getting replaced and our team likely rearranged. What can I do if I'm losing my position too? Do you have a last ace in the hole?"

"Officially your MRSA never happened, you will transfer to Green Village and eventually continue to work on the case."

"But I like Atlanta."

"The WCG had acted strangely for some time. They are holding back on the research in live sciences. By now we effectively run out of drugs of last resort. I need you in Green Village to get us new weapons against superbugs."

Hanna was openly amused. "You want me to do espionage on antibiotics?"

Walker: "I just want you to make sure that we have the means to cure people from raging infections. Plain and simple."

Hanna: "How's the wilderness case connected to this?"

Walker: "Whatever killed her, it's very dangerous and an unknown threat. It will be a good test against new counter-measures that you need to find. Green Village is the ideal place for it, a far better choice than any CDC facility."

Hanna: "Green Village, above all other ... the world leading bio research center. How can I enter a GV lab - or any other lab - now that I have a persisting MRSA in the deeper skin layers?"

Walker: "I will let the team work out a solution. We will find a way."

---

While Hanna was flying to Russia she received a call from Curtis.

"You wanted me to call you when we know the source of your MRSA strain. I must warn you, it could be an emotional burden if I tell you."

"Hey I'm no sissy like you."

"Charming as always. Well then, here it is. The strain was from your dying mother in the hospital. There wasn't much left of her immune system, easy game for germs. You were there during her last moments. You hold her hand? Right? Maybe the day before you cut your finger somewhere."

"I peeled potatoes."

He laughed. "That's the world we are living in now, watch out for the killer potatoes. ... Ah... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Curtis. I asked for it. -- Thank you for telling me the truth."

A pact with the devil

Hasegawa leaves university and signs a contract with the Syndicate.

Science prison

For now Hanna isn't allowed to do research. Her job is to supervise the "sci" inmates. She meets Navarre who continuously looking for someone to pass on his research.

Self-directed evolution

Hasegawa and Kerr ask for more and more resources. Eventually, after a demonstration of their abilities and some early Daodan building blocks, Mukade provides them the necessary resources. First he steels a sample of Jamie's remnants and then he makes contact with Pensatore and forces him to join the Daodan project. Pensatore realizes flaws within the Daodan concept and proposes an alternative for humans' self-directed evolution. Avatara, an AI Pensatore helped creating, gets suspicious about his master's behavior and traces his whereabouts after a longer phase of absence.

"Freedom" in four letters

Hanna and the inmates work on ideas to provide the CDC with new life-saving technologies. They plan to smuggle the information through Hanna's cells, encoded in DNA.