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Fallout Lore: F.E.V Part One

  • Mr.
    Member
    May 6, 2016

    Origins of the F.E.V

    References: Fallout gameplay/events; Fallout 3 gameplay; Disaster relief outpost terminal entries; Fallout dialogue; FEV research holodisk; FEV experiment holodisk.

    Credits: juhoham, on deviantART.

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     In the beginning, the Forced Evolutionary Virus was called the Pan-Immunity Virion, developed by West Tek, the single largest private contractor for the United States, and researched at the West Tek Research Facility, in Southern California.

     The virus was a direct response to the New Plague, a socially transmitted plague, thus popularly known as a “social disease”,  that devastated the United States during the middle of the 21st century, posing a great threat to the American society between, at the very least, 2055 to 2071, though it is possible it was already present before 2055 and in some regions it is known to have persisted until after the Great War, with a clear example being the Swampfolk encountered in Point Lookout, likely a result of an evolved form of New Plague alongside radiation, FEV and years of inbreeding.

     Originally developed independently by West Tek, the virus intended to kill the New Plague started as a biological research in the company’s Southern California facilities in 2055. West Tek’s  biomedical-scientific branch stood alone in the fight against the New Plague until the government officially endorsed the research in 2071, alongside the creation of the T-51b power armor, to be made by the advanced weapons’ branch of the company, with the West-Tek Research Facility being put under the United States’ military command.

     It wasn’t until September 15, 2073 that the research to combat the New Plague suffered a great turn, when the United States government, concerned with China’s increasingly aggressive use of biological weapons, founded the Pan-Immunity Virion Project (PVP) with the intention of developing immunity boosting drugs. The work on a cure for the New Plague continued, with many  discoveries and data extracted from West-Tek’s  initial research being carried over to the P.V.P.

     In 2075, the scientists overseeing the Pan-Immunity Virion Project decided that the best way to counter possible biological weapons and the New Plague was to alter uninfected DNA so it would become immune to standard viral infection. The team reported successful tests on single-celled organisms.

     Between March 2075 and 2076, the P.V.P was already experimenting on living animals, and unforeseen side effects began surfacing due to the scientists’ DNA tinkering. The subjects began showing an abnormal growth rate accompanied by increased brain activity. The U.S Government, taking notice of these discoveries, moved a team on-site in the name of national security to oversee the project and to be put under the command of Major Barnett, the military overseer at West Tek, already present in the facility.

     These events influenced yet another shift in the research that was being conducted in West Tek Research Facility, and finally, the Pan-Immunity Virion Project was renamed: It was now dubbed the Forced Evolutionary Virus Project - F.E.V was born.

                                                                                          

                                                                                    The virus develops

     

     

     With the unpredicted achievements made by the Pan-Immunity Virion Project, now known as the Forced Evolutionary Virus Project, it was clear that the Project’s goals would once more evolve into something completely new, it was a legitimate scientific revolution.

     Finally, science was once more able to play God in a way never before even conceived. It was able to influence in the growing up process of an animal. It was able to contest natural evolution as it was known itself. Men were now capable of enforcing it.                                                                                                      

     In the period between March 2075 and January 2077, the scientists at West Tek Research Facility had infected flatworms (Platyhelminthes) with the F.E.V, and in a matter of hours the “worms” had increased in size by 28% and resisted 39 separate viral contagions. The samples were allowed to continue for several generations, although only asexual reproduction was noticed. Experiments with insects were less successful.

          

     

                                                                 A flatworm     

     They had also successfully infected several lab strains of white mice and just as the experiment with the flatworms, the rats showed an increase in size within hours, and after 9 days the subjects had stabilized at being 31% larger than the control group, which was uninfected. Dissection revealed an increase in striated muscle tissue and internal organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys. The infected rats were also able to run mazes in less than half of the time it took for the control group to run through the same maze.

     Further infection was made on rats implanted with electrodes to monitor EEG (Electroencephalography, method to record brain’s electrical activity) before and after the infection. Following 3.2 seconds on average of the injection, an increased electrical activity in the brain was noticed. The rats’ size increased as it had previously, however this time, especially on the male population, an increased aggression and posturing was noted.

              A Floater, the result of experimentations made on flatworms.

     Sacrifice and profusion yielded brain tissues that showed increased dendritic (dendritic act in the reception and propagation of electrochemical stimulation) connection especially in the limbic system and frontal cortex.

     Dogs were also subject to infection, and all of them experienced almost immediate growth and the larger ones increased aggressiveness, while no significant intelligence increase was noted.

     Finally, chimpanzees were also infected, and their growth and immunity levels were astounding. The scientists tried to induce cancers in the subjects through both radiological and chemical agents, but failed completely. The chimpanzees also showed an increase in aggressiveness and some suffered violent and fatal epileptic seizures.

     All subjects were terminated. With these experiments, it is possible to logically conclude that the bigger the subject, the bigger the growth, however that couldn't be applied to the intelligence gain the smaller subjects had demonstrated, with the entire relation being inversely proportional. Later on, West Tek scientists were able to remedy that with more research and DNA tinkering.

    Two

  • Member
    May 7, 2016

    Very interesting stuff, well written and... well... interesting again. Enough with the polite stuff, this is too damn sexy for that I mean, look at that Floater! How can I not love that?

    So, what was the New Plague and why was it so bad? I have not played Point Lookout so I have no frame of reference. You could tell me to go and play it, or you could give me the quick gist. Or I could look it up myself. The middle option is more fun, no?

    The rats’ size increased as it had previously, however this time, especially on the male population, an increased aggression and posturing was noted.

    Wonderful!  Posturing rats.

    The scientists tried to induce cancers in the subjects through both radiological and chemical agents, but failed completely.

    The writers of this stuff are total misanthropes. No faith in the human race whatsoever. More of this and I could learn to love the wastes. Thank you Mr Edd, very good.

  • Mr.
    Member
    May 7, 2016

    The New Plague and YOU
    Copyright and Distributed by Presidential Fitness Program 2059

    Know the Signs!
    Safeguard yourself and your community by knowing how to identify a person suffering from the New Plague. Common symptoms include:

    • Profuse Sweating
    • Unexplained Contusions/Swelling
    • Massive External Hemorrhaging
    • New Ideals, such as socialism

     Protect Yourself!
    The New Plague is what’s commonly known as a “social disease”. This means that the New Plauge is especially contagious and can be commonly caught in the course of social interactions such as:

    • Ice Cream Socials
    • Cruising Main Street
    • Promiscuous Activity/Sodomy
    • Attending Fairs or Festivals

     The New Plague was a disease that inflicted the U.S population in a scale never seen before. According to the Fallout Bible, it killed tens of thousands in the first year it was detected, the government closed the borders and declared the first ever National Quarantine thanks to the Plague, so you get an idea of how bad it was.

     Also according to the bible, the plague, coupled with an increasing fear of the result of the war being waged between Europe and the Middle-East, was one of the reasons the government put "Project Safehouse" in motion: the Vaults, to be used in the event of nuclear war or a deadly plague.

     We can only speculate about the origins of the plague, but before the war, it was a well spread rumour that the U.S had engineered the plague to further their own goals. That has not been proved, and it also might have been a succesfull biological attack or a simple, resistant viral pandemic, much like the Spanish Flu.

  • November 21, 2017

    I love this, man. Great job.