Endzone: Simulated Apocalypse

{November 27th, 2069. 10:34 PM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Dear President,

This is Doctor Finch. Yesterday, you told me that for security and privacy purposes, we will use these anonymous, untraceable email accounts to discuss Project: Antidote. However... what exactly is it? You did not provide me with any details.

Sincerely,

Doctor Finch

*****

{November 27th, 2069. 10:45 PM.}

{From: xxxx1@???.com}

{To: xxxx2@????.com}

Hello, Doctor Finch.

Please understand, the information I am about to give you here is very sensitive. The reason I chose to use private, anonymous email accounts to connect with one another regarding this issue is precisely because I do not want anyone finding out about Project: Antidote, which I am about to explain.

Just yesterday, I received a call from an untraceable phone number. They were using a voice changer, but they called me by my true name, which no one knows except for one person—my brother, the founder of Acaelus, as you know. They are planning something downright hideous, Finch. Something that, if not resolved, could not only destroy Aterra, but the entire world.

My brother threatened me that they already have a deadly virus developed. In one month, they will release said virus to public in the name of Aterra. We can attempt to refute, but the reality is, they have a larger customer base than we do. We can debate this matter and fight back, but the defendant is always at the disadvantage in situations like this.

The only way to fully clear our name is to create an antidote to this virus, then distribute it accordingly. You are my top researcher, Finch. I trust you. Gather a handful of reliable, loyal, and talented individuals from the company, and solve this dilemma.

In the meantime, I will attempt to work things out with my brother. However... the odds of that succeeding, as you should know, are incredibly low.

This is the final fight, Finch. If we succeed with the antidote, we can prove that Acaelus are falsely accusing us, and bring down their company. The twenty-year long feud between my brother and I... will finally be settled.

Come to my office tonight. It will be left unlocked. The virus sample can be found in the bottom-right drawer of the table, where all the financial documents of the company are. To avoid any complications, we cannot discuss this matter in-person. Use this private email only, and act normal on the surface.

Do not let any other employees find out about this. If important information regarding the development of the antidote is leaked, a spy may relay the info to Acaelus. As such, you may only work on this at night in your private lab, after most employees have already left.

Remember to send me daily updates regarding your experiments, and to use your private lab instead of the main one. I won't respond to most, but I will be reading all of them.

We only have one month. The fate of this company—and possibly of the world—rests on your shoulders, Doctor.

Ah, but of course, no pressure or anything.

That is all.

Sincerely,

President Terron

P.S. The virus is in gas form, so be careful.

*****

{November 27th, 2069. 11:04 PM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Understood. The time to repay you for accepting me when everyone else saw me as a failure has come. I will not let you down, President.

Sincerely,

Doctor Finch

*****

{November 28th, 2069. 12:03 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Dear President,

This virus... it is far more complex than anything I have encountered in the past. Just like you instructed, I picked out four highly talented individuals that I would trust with my life, one of which being my own son, and worked together to solve this problem. We spent the whole night in my private lab attempting to analyze and recreate the virus, but to no luck.

I will try again tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Doctor Finch

*****

{November 29th, 2069. 1:23 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Cell-by-cell replication was successful today with 100% accuracy. However, the true nature of the virus remains unknown. We will begin experimentation tomorrow on the copies.

*****

{November 30th, 2069. 12:56 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Primary-stage experimentation yielded no results. Will perform more advanced tests tomorrow.

*****

{December 1st, 2069. 12:04 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Interesting find: the virus appears to have an endothermic chemical reaction with skin cells. Will test this out on an animal tomorrow.

*****

{December 2nd, 2069. 12:14 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

This... I am unsure of what to make of this. The virus... it is incredible. It transformed the white rabbit we used as a test subject into a highly-aggressive killing machine, turning all biological parts of it into machinery. The best description of this virus would be a 'cyborgification' process.

See attached pictures below. More tests will be conducted tomorrow. (See paragraph comments!)

*****

{December 3rd, 2069. 12:32 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

The virus works extraordinarily fast. We filled a sealed chamber with it, and placed different kinds of animals inside. It would appear that the bigger the animal is, the longer it takes for the virus to act.

I feel we are on the verge of a breakthrough. When we make one, I will prepare another report. For the following few days, I may go silent.

*****

{December 17th, 2069. 12:04 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

I am terribly sorry for the delay, President. I got caught up with the experiments, and did not realize 2 weeks had already passed.

My team and I managed to discover another interesting factor about the virus. It does not appear to be contagious. We first infected a rabbit, cleaned the room of the virus, then put another rabbit into the room. The infected rabbit immediately attacked the new one without any hesitation, with incredible speed and power. The new rabbit was killed and torn apart within seconds, but nothing else occurred. We are keeping an eye on the corpse in the meantime.

We are nearing the true nature of the virus, President. After we discover its full capabilities, we can identify the chemicals at work inside it and create an antidote.

I have faith.

*****

{December 18th, 2069. 12:04 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Update: The virus seems to have a strange effect on corpses. After placing the dead rabbit's corpse from yesterday into a chamber filled with the virus, it began transforming into a zombified cyborg rabbit and rising from the dead.

More tests will need to be ran to investigate this incredible ability.

*****

{December 20th, 2069. 12:04 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Update: This seems to be the limit of the virus's capabilities.

Summary:

- The virus turns any living being that comes into contact with it into hostile cyborg versions of themselves, gaining greatly increased power, agility, and the lust to kill/consume flesh and blood. However, when no prey is in direct sight, they lumber incredibly slowly and aimlessly. Their intelligence appear to have dwindled as a result of the change.

- Any corpses that come into contact with the virus will reanimate themselves, turning into the same cyborgs as a living being would upon contact. They gain the exact same effects as their living counterparts, receiving no particular benefit or loss.

- The gas we used to cleanse the test chamber of the virus was chlorine with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide. It appeared to be effective.

Next steps:

- We have a little less than a week left. That should be more than enough to create an antidote, given the theories and conclusions we have currently reached.

Things are looking good, President. We can do this.

*****

{December 24th, 2069. 12:04 AM.}

{From: xxxx2@???.com}

{To: xxxx1@????.com}

Dear President,

I am proud to declare that the antidote is, at last, complete. Because chlorine and hydrogen peroxide are both somewhat harmful substances to the living body if consumed, it took a while to get the balance right and adding certain other substances to it.

All the theories are complete. The antidote is flawless, perfected over the course of the past few days. There is zero chance of it failing. It has been tested on the rabbits and other animals, and they have all been successfully turned back to their original forms. Living beings returned to living beings with no long-term lasting effects, and corpses returned to corpses.

Tomorrow, we will run the final tests, just for procedural reasons.

I have not failed you, President. Acaelus, at long last, will fall. And we, Aterra, shall rise to become the final, just victors.

*****

(P.S. Little side note from the author here.... to see the 'attachment' picture for the rabbit as described in one of the emails, just click on the paragraph comment beside it. Art credit goes to my friend @Luxe!)