Posted by Lieutenant Alexis Bonner (Scientist, Medical Researcher) in The Line Between Who is Good and Who is Evil
With the completion of Eden’s Apple, Alexis had projects she to which she had to return. At the moment there was no work from science, medical, or R&D. What Alexis was working on now had been sent to her by Intel and it was tricky, delicate, and horrifying. It was a dual biological attack consisting of a Neurotoxin and a Mutagen. Alexis sat at her work station, that nifty little iso chip plugged into the computer access panel underneath, the visual and audio screens activated and pulled up the files. She had no samples, they were too dangerous to transport. Once she was ready to test against the actual thing she’d be sent out to the location where the samples were held and those affected were being cared for.

Neurotoxin:

The toxin is derived from the venom of the Elnachie, a vicious predator from the Tallma homeworld. It works by breaking down the victims nerves ending at a subatomic level. One at a time. This creates a constant and unimaginable pain as each nerve ending is burnt away. It is silicone based making it hard for most detoxins to work as they are usually not geared to treat silicon based materials. It has also been modified with a form of nano robots that attack any form of treatment. A fail safe put in to make sure those infected die horribly painful deaths.

The stronger a victim is the longer and more painful there eventually death is. The venom itself is dark green, almost black and is used to coat Tallma weapons. Anyone ever nicked with a weapon is subjected to the venom. Most die from the shock or their heart gives out from the pain.

Mutagen:

The Mutagen was created by Lortan Greevma on Acheron. It is the ultimate biological weapon. Those exposed are transformed at a psychological and physical level. Becoming faster, stronger and more durable. they also become completely loyal to their masters as each Victim has a master imprinted on them during their transformation. But they retain all their memories and abilities.

The process takes around six days however unconfirmed reports have stated that by the end of the battle it was only three days (They did shorten it to three days. 24 hours for each stage instead of 48).

Once the victim had been injected an anesthetic rendered them unconscious making it easier for them to be moved to a secure location. In the first 48 hours the body’s chemistry was altered and engrams placed into the subject’s brain. By the end of the 48 hours the subject was a willing servant. Then over the next 48hours the body’s physical changes began to manifest, the victim grew tail, horns, teeth and the eyes changed.

The last 48 hours, where the final stages as the changes became permanent and how the interior changes of the subject took effect, this stage also included the period where the subjects strength, stamina, resilience and endurance were increased. By the end of the process the victim became a fully formed Knighuant and the transformation was inevitable. the physical changes could be addressed but the mental changes were almost impossible.

The mutagen was going to be difficult. Alexis would need records, scans, and medical tests results before and after infection for every person, alive or dead, before she could begin to postulate ideas.

The neurotoxin however, now that she could attack. They had sent her the chemical composition and she pulled it up and the small ear buds, that she always wore in the lab, picked up the horrified gasp that quietly escaped. Then there were the nano-robots. Well they were susceptible to omicron radiation, and while that type of treatment was painful, it wasn’t deadly if damage was treated quickly, there was the possibility of programming another set of nanites to seek and destroy the ones attached to the toxin, a wolf in sheeps’ clothing, and then of course they had metal in them, and several metals could be collected through the correct form of magnatism. Transporters, that would be a quick answer. Seek out the foreign bodies, program the bio-filters, and then let the system do it’s work. Programming was not her area, though she was competent enough at it. She would have to see if Intel had access to someone as smart as her, but with computers.

And of course there was the silicone component. Mineral Spirits, Isopropyl Alcohol, and white vinegar all weakened or destroyed silicone. Alexis was already modifying an old fashioned dialysis machine to clean the blood that way. The damage done by the neuro toxin was a totally different matter. That could not be reversed if the toxin couldn’t be cleaned from the system.

Lt Bonner, medical research
(Idea and permission for Neurotixin and Mutagen by Nathan Derricutt)

The next afternoon Alexis was working chemistry equations, hundreds of them. If she was using old fashioned chalk and chalkboard she would have several labs filled with them by now. Her console beeped and she glanced at the screen and sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the isochip, ducked under her work station and plugged it in. =/\=GALEN initiate audio and visual security Omicron Protocol.=/\=

There was a pause as the visual and audio force fields shimmered to life around her work station. =/\=Omicron Protocol Initiated, Dr. Bonner.=/\=

=/\=Thank you GALEN=/\= Sometimes Alexis felt more comfortable with GALEN and the EMH and other holographic crew than she did with the other lab techs in R&D. She turned back to the screen and entered her security code. The connection was made and the image of a Romulan man appeared. He looked at her, huffed and leaned back in his chair. “You’re a child. And a human one at that.”

Alexis didn’t nod, blink, or respond in any way that the Romulan man was expecting, “And you’re an old man, and a Romulan at that. But I’ve been assured you are the foremost expert in nanotechnology.”

The man didn’t quite smirk, “Now what does a human…you don’t look old enough to be the foremost medical researcher…doctor need me for? I don’t work on bodies.”

“If you are only going to play games to appease your ego we are done here. You know what I need you for, and if you don’t, then you aren’t nearly smart enough to work on this project. I’ll find someone who is.”

To the Romulan’s shock, he totally believed Alexis and he also believed she wasn’t playing a game with him. He’d seen that look before, on himself in the mirror, many times. “No Dr Bonner, I will help you. I am Dr. Pindhak, and I apologize. I have heard your name. Your work on creating an antiviral for Terothka virus has made a huge difference for my people. I never knew a human could be so intensely driven. Tell me where you are Dr Bonner and what it is you hope I might be able to do.”

Alexis recognized the man was giving her a compliment, but she was unaffected by it. “I have been observing the neurotoxin and it appears to be a very straightforward thing to counteract, except for one thing. The toxin is paired with nanoprobes that are programmed to seek out and destroy anything that might be a cure. I am not a computer scientist nor an expert in nanotechnology. That means that the first thing we must do is neutralize the nanites. I am hypothesizing that we can use our own nanites to hack the ones for the toxin, like a Trojan horse. Then use our nanites to deliver an anti-toxin. But first we must get past the nanites.

Dr. Pindhak stared at her long and hard, “In theory it seems simple enough. Why has this not already been tried.” Alexis shrugged, “Battlefield medicine is not equipped to deal with such.” Pindhak tapped two fingers, alternating, against the top of his desk. “I have been sent samples and data. I will need time to review and see if your idea will work or come up with a different approach.” Alexis nodded, she understood, he would need to be thorough and need time to test it. “Thank you Dr Pindhak. I have several ideas for how to deal with the toxin itself but until the nanites are neutralized I can not move forward. I am,” Alexis wanted to be sincere because she was, but picking the correct term was tricky, “eager to prevent others from being murdered by this.” Pindhak nodded; he had lost a close friend to this neurotoxin. “I will contact you in a week.”

Bonner, Med Research