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"
|
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 Homeland 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."
Standoff
[Skipping his doctor title in disrespect.] "Mr. Hasegawa, don't you think your demand of dropping all charges is highly exaggerated?"
Hasegawa: "No. Not at all. It seems you want to sweep everything under the table. The CDC is a capable institution. No results mean something hold them off. I'm burning to know what's the reason for this and of course what killed Jamie. I'm sure others want to know it too. She was eaten alive by the infection. It's unlikely the CDC found no traces. If we really want to do that farce, no problem. The eco activists will be happy to place it into the right light for you."
"... Is this some kind of blackmailing?"
"How that? I thought you are in the right. It's not me blackmailing you. It's the other way 'round. The WP sectors should be free to access but by cloaking them with the Wilderness Preserve Act you cut a common right and turn it into a juristic weapon against oppositionists and any independent scientist who wants to take the probes with his own hands. You don't even allow fly-overs of these areas... You are the ones that are blackmailing us. Actually I don't care which way you want to go. However, it would serve both parties to not waste time on this farce."
One of the men bent over to whisper the other into the ear.
After a moment of thinking, he replied aloud. "Right now the courts are overloaded. It might be indeed possible to shorten this issue. We will call you next Monday about the details. Until then we insist that you don't leave the town."
A pact with the devil
Hasegawa was on his way heading home, a home that missed a certain someone. How would the kids live with this? How would he?
Kerr: "James!"
Jamie's brother stood in front of Hasegawa. He met Hasegawa to hear of his latest meeting and to give solace.
Hasegawa: "It's final now. As expected. I'm leaving university."
Kerr: "Unbelievable that they are doing this to you. Is there nothing we can do?"
Hasegawa: "It's okay, I can work elsewhere. I believe everybody will miss Jamie more than me. She was such a happy nature. I got a lot messages from my older students that shared courses with her. Hell, even from Yamato."
Kerr: "The guy you had an argument with for using uncertified equipment?"
Hasegawa: "Oh yeah, that was a really stupid story. I wanted him to tell me where he got it from. I ended up following him to a Syndicate location. The day ended with me buying stuff from them too. You could smell that metallic D-sprays aroma in the air, and with all their paranoia I figured it would be better to not just ask a ton of questions and leaving them without some credits."
Kerr: "What did they sell you?"
Hasegawa: "A pistol. I did so to de-escalate the situation."
Kerr: "You mean it was that pistol. That Jamie ..."
Hasegawa: "I did it to prevent worse. I should have got rid of it. Who could have thought that it would end that way..."
Kerr: "I know you couldn't stop the infection. Nobody could. But did you really had to shoot her in the head?"
Hasegawa grabbed Kerr at the jacket: "She was screaming in pain, the face was all distorted. Crying, bleeding, dying. She was literally dissolving before my eyes. Skin and organs melting away. I had to do something, Kerr! Something!" He slammed the other man against the wall.
Kerr broke free. "Don't throw me around, I'm not your enemy. - I'm just as mad as you are!"
Hasegawa made a step backwards. "So? Are you? This doesn't look like to me..."
Kerr: "That's bullshit! Don't mistake my inner anger for having none. It also hurts me! You ass!"
Hasegawa realized he did wrong. "Shit. This is all wrong." He turned to a trash container and started kicking it.
"How could the shit happen! -- Shit! Shit! Shit! -- It was a mere fucking plant! A PLANT!"
Hasegawa lifted the half-filled plastic container over his head and threw it to the other side of the allay.
He rushed after it continuing kicking. "This is all SHIT!"
"JAMES", Kerr yelled.
"WHAT?!"
"Let's find the true cause that killed her. Let's find a cure. Let's kill what killed her!"
Hasegawa stood perplexed yet ready to punch or kick someone in the face. "Huh... Yeah! Killing sounds great! I'm really in the mood for it."
A bypassing granny jumped a little when she heard that sentence ripped out of context.
Hasegawa: "Uh, I mean..."
Kerr had followed Hasegawa's eyes and noticed her reaction. His dark expression was possibly meant for his friend but by having turned around the old lady stood to him face to face. She looked like she would freaking out any moment. She pulled at the leash of her Hachiko.
Kerr: "We maybe should discuss the details at another location."
Hasegawa glanced after the old lady as she was all concerned to gain distance with little hasty steps, still pulling at the dog leash.
Hasegawa: "Where?"
Kerr: "I need some sake now. Let's get to Cocoro at the 50th."
The two entered the main street.
After some minutes Hasegawa started mumbling. "It affected her whole body. Every system..."
Kerr: "Apropos system. I can't believe the WCG didn't use more resources to find the cause. I followed the CDC report, there are no conclusive results. Either, for some reason, they don't care, or, they are just incompetent."
Hasegawa: "Too bad there is no cure for THAT."
Kerr: "It must be something new."
Hasegawa: "If the system cannot detect the threat and heal itself, it must evolve so it can."
Kerr: "What about your artificial, re-programmable immune cells?"
Hasegawa: "I never finished that research. The university had kept me quite busy."
Kerr: "It definitively has potential. We just need to find a way for the re-programming to happen on the fly."
Hasegawa: "Detection and computation might be problem."
Kerr: "Your phone has more processing power than Apollo's board computer and ground control combined."
Hasegawa: "Haha, yeah, but that's not a good comparison. Computer tech was at its infancy at that time."
Kerr: "My point is they got to the fricking moon with that little. And today we are wearing supercomputers all around that can connect with all kind of gizmos and even greater supercomputers."
Hasegawa: "Actually, it's a shame. We are able to fly to the moon but can't regrow a kidney."
Kerr: "That's not quite right. Today you can, at least in the lab."
Hasegawa: "Hm?"
Kerr: "No, really, last year I was to the annual NextGen science congress. Bertram Navarre showed some throughout tested prototypes for transdifferentiation of any cell type."
Hasegawa: "And? Why didn't I heard of it?"
Kerr: "Soon after the congress Bertram disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to him."
Hasegawa: "I thought they are only after rough elements. I have a very bad feeling about the WCG's moral compass. - We will not make our project rely on silicon transistors. The final product must be independent. Something that cannot be taken away so easily. It must be 100% biological."
Kerr: "For development we will definitely need a lab."
They had reached Cocoro's.
Hasegawa: "Looks like we cannot ask the private sector for one. Nobody sane will grant us the means if they cannot make money with it due to some crazy TCTF science act. - Well then, screw this, we are going to the Syndicate."
Kerr: "Don't you think that is a bit too dangerous?"
Hasegawa: "We are not like Wernher von Braun. This won't be a weapon program."
Kerr: "Von Braun wanted to build space rockets. You know how that turned out."
Hasegawa: "We will be extra-cautious."
Kerr: "I hope so. Because there are still Muro and Mai that need you. I would a very bad uncle if I had to tell them that their dad died too because I supported him in doing something stupid."
[...]
Mention or describe what happens to Muro and Mai while Hasegawa and Kerr are working at a later time.
[...]
Hasegawa went to the old Syndicate location. A rotting block of concrete, shattered windows and car wracks.
Nobody was there except for some strange kids playing soccer.
"Hey, yo, where are all the guys that do business here?"
"What business. There's no ... busi-i-ness. This is our yard, go away, old gramps!"
"Don't fool me, brats. It's this place. - I was here some months ago. Just tell me where I can find them."
The leader of the pack directed him to gate at the opposite side of the yard.
"There. Go there."
Hasegawa hesitated. The entrance was dark. No light shined at the end. He turning his phone light on and went in.
While stepping further and further he noticed that all side doors in the passage were blocked by planks.
For a moment there was an electric noise. Only to be followed by nothing and darkness.
"Shit, they fooled me." He stood in front of a bricked wall. This was a dead end. Hasegawa turned around to leave again.
In the distance he saw a figure. It did not move, it was like he or she was waiting.
Hasegawa's face was turning pale. Was this a trap? He moved cautiously forward, caring that he would not fall over some scrap in the dark. The phone holding over the head, with the other hand he was holding the bag tight.
Five meters to go. The figure had turned clearly visible. The other man made sign to stop. "That's far enough James Hasegawa."
Hasegawa: "What? From where do you know my name?"
Thug: "We do remember our customers."
Hasegawa's mind was racing for explanations. They must have installed some cameras and scanners in the passage.
"Well, that's good, I guess. Then you know we can make business together again. I'm trustworthy and I've money."
Thug: "Possibly. - Say, what happened to the gun we sold you?"
Hasegawa: "I don't have it anymore."
Thug: "Aha. So you want new one?" He smirked.
Hasegawa: "No, I want to sell you something."
Thug: "You want to sell it back to us. - No, you are not even wearing it right now. Is it hot?"
The thug checked his datapad. He frowned. "You killed your own wife with it? You had recently contact with the cops? Do you want to pull some crazy shit here?" He draw his own gun.
Hasegawa: "No, wait, hear me out!"
- Make a cliffhanger here and continue with Kerr?
Science prison
Because of shortage in manpower Hanna can't do the the research she intended to do herself. Instead she is instructed to monitor and evaluate the work of "sci" inmates.
During Hanna's first medical checkup one of Navarre's sympathizer injects some tiny neural links that attaches to the cranial nerves. The recorded patterns of inner monologues and actual talk are used to first map her voice and then filter out overfluent signals such as those of breathing. The sci listen to her inner monologue to find out more about her motivations and more importantly whether she can be trusted. They later reveal to her that by means of the neural links they can not only hear but also talk with each other silently.
The general director states that they allow the sci relatively great freedom within the research complex to foster results. That is to use their full potential and to not lose the arms race against the Syndicate. On the other hand outgoing communication and traffic at the gates happens under "extreme" standards. Transports can take days to pass the customs.
Green Village has a military defense ring, followed by a ring of customs, and situates everything else in its center. The complex was under construction for three decades and still isn't finished. During the last decade construction workers has been replaced by robots and SLDs.
By the physical dimensions Green Village looks more like a city, though its population counts only 5000. This number includes the 2000 sci, 500 workers and technicians, 500 overseers and certified WCG sci, and 2000 in military service.
When Hanna thinks of the inner security as too weak and therefore reasoning the director as being naive she can hear a laughing but can't recognize its origin.
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.
64 equals 20
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. (The 64 codons can code only for 20 amino acids.)
Also known as "plan 6420".