Item name: Windchimes
Threat level: Orange
Containment Rating: II
Research Potential: 3
Cause:
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A044 is a highly infectious exogenic retrovirus of the lentivirus classification, causing the disease A044-A.
With a size of 80-100 nanometers it's one of the bigger, yet not remarkably sized viruses. But for being a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus (ss(+)RNA), it's genetic sequence is remarkably complex. Additionally to the common gene sequence of pol, gag and env, A#044 also possesses the accesory genes rev, vif, vpu as well as the newly discovered ███, ███, ███ and███.
The lipid bilayered virus can, like other lentivirus, regulate the transcription of it's own genes into the host cell's DNA. It is currently hypothesized to possibly be one of the fastest evolving genomes, even inside it's subgroup. So far, researchers were able to ascertain ten (10) different mRNA-subtypes through alternate splicing.
While the first known strand of A044 already was an obligate human pathogen, it's strands
A044-09 and A044-10 were recently proven to also affect primates to varying degrees. While A044-09 will only cause the resulting sickness to progress to it's second state before total remission, A044-10 is lethal to even lower primates in 70% of cases. This makes an original animal host, which had initally been hypothesized, very unlikely.
Contrasting other viruses specialized on human hosts, A044 so far has a recorded lethality rate of 100% after infection. This points towards A044's remarkable life- and reproduction cycle, which outstandingly profits from the host's death. In ideal circumstances, a temporary catalysation of it's reproductory cycle through excess ██████████████████ could even be achieved.
Infection and A#044-A:
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A044-A has an extraordinarily long disease progression that can be divided into five (5) discernible stages.
After an incubation period of five (5) to fifteen (15) days, in 4% of cases a significantly longer sixteen (16) to twenty four (24) days, first symptoms will begin to set in.
These are characterized by lethargy, fatigue, loss of appetite and slight vertigo, which sometimes is followed by nausea. Sufferers of A044-A and doctors not accociated with GEAR/ARC usually interpret these symptoms as psychosomatic reactions towards negative stress, or the onset of a common and benign illness. As a remission of symptoms usually follows shortly, and lasts for seventy-two (72) to ninety-six (96) hours, very few first stage cases are successfully reported.
After the remission period, second stage symptoms will begin to set in. In addition to a significant
increase of lethargy compared to the beginning stage, patients will also begin to complain of muscle
cramps, dizziness, severe pruritus, general dryness of skin, and periods of hypoventilation.
Furthermore, by this point A044 has transferred it's genetic code into a significant number of host cells,
to the point of a visible outside effect on the patient. Even a slight scratch will be enough to break affected skin, which is often observable in the numerous wounds of second stage patients. Instead of the typical wound exudate, the infected body will produce a liquid modified by the anomalous ███ enzyme which acts as a sealant and hardening agent. It is currently hypothesized that the same enzyme reaction is also the cause of the rapid degradation of tissue around the wound, eventually forming a tunnel reaching up towards the bone.
Most patients become contagious at the end of the second or beginning of the third stage.
The characteristic formation of outwardly visible holes has, however, aslo been recorded in two late phase one patients.
As soon as a hole reaches a depth of approximately one cubic centimetre (1cm³), the infected cells
will start a reaction with ███ and O2, producing small, varying concentrations of a gas containing A044. This gas appears to be A044's sole vector of movement; in addition, it is able to rapidly reproduce in the presence of the product of said reaction.
Infection, therefore, is airborne. Concentration of A044 is at this stage, however,
negligible even in the presence of multiple stage two infected, as long as standard issue paper breath masks or similar basic protection is worn.
At the third stage, patients will begin to experience stiffness and aching joints, muscle
cramps, severe hypoventilation, lethargy and vertigo. This stage is also set apart by the formation of unusually massive edemas at various places, often
growing between limbs and severely restricting movement. Tests have shown these edemas to be filled with the same liquid that now replaces the victim's wound exudate, causing a proportional
acceleration of the previously described hardening properties. The outer skin of these edema
is therefore extremely resilient, which makes removal, even with methods such as surgery, nearly impossible without severely damaging the surrounding tissue.
The fourth stage is signified by a rapid cessation of all painful sensations patients used to
endure beforehand, within a span of around thirty (30) to forty-five (45) minutes. Although this is often interpreted as a final recession of symptoms, in actuality, the effect of A044's ingenious properties will have reached a point at which tactile sensation as well as pain reception should have become overall impossible. This miscalculation might be what drives a majority of patients to explicitly search out family
members or other close personal relations at this point. Repeated tests strongly suggest that by now the majority of internal organs will also be infected; the effects of A044 differing from those on cells
of the epidermis in multiple regards. Simple liquids such as blood or stomach acid appear unaffected,
however more complex substances like fat, muscular tissue and flesh begin to undergo a
liquification process. Most organs and the skeletal structure undergo a simultaneous mineralization and dessification, causing them to become extremely brittle as they petrify. The epidermis alone seems subject to the intense transfiguration progress that could be colloquially described as a "petrification of the skin". Over time, the epidermis will take on properties similar to a mixture of jade, marble and chitin. This material also becomes visible through greenish discolorations around the oldest hole-clusters. Due to these effects, movement will be extremely restricted and strenuous for the
patient, however, past outbreaks have shown late stage patients to conciously avoid closed rooms, preferring places out in the air.
The cause of this behavior is unclear so far.
The fifth phase marks the finalization of the patient's transfiguration into an applicable host structure. By this point, most patients will have reached an outdoors location, often close to other infected. It is currently unknown whether A#044 has some property by which it is able to successfully recognize other infected humans through application of it's host or if this behavior is simply a byproduct of patients often infecting their relatives and aquaintances in earlier
stages.
Once a suitable enough location is found, the patients will cease all movements, followed shortly by cessation of all higher brain functions.
At this point, A044's behavior truly becomes even more extraordinary, as edema and tumorous growths begin to rapidly form in just the span of a few minutes, frantically trying to optimize the host's mass, fighting against it's own accelerated "petrification" process. During finalization of the skin's transfiguration into the anomalous material A044-M, all liquified and previously liquid bodily components not encapsulated in an organ get discharged through the around 2 holes per ten cubic centimetres (10cm³). Since the remaining liquid's containers have now reached a high fragility, they inevitably collapse under their own weight.
This causes a chain-reaction which ends in the inevitable collapse of all internal organs unto themselves.
As the stomach acid et al. should seep out through hole-clusters on the bottom side, a slight wind passing through should be enough to blow away what is left of skeleton and inner organs in a characteristic ashen mist, effectively hollowing the body out.
Even though the patient is dead at this stage, there is still life in the form of active cell reactions and A044 activity inside the host body. The anomalous material A044-M uses the newly formed "resonance space" of the hollowed out host to boost the production of it's associated gaseous infectant to up to 1500% higher concentrations than recorded in second stage patients. In these concentrations the gas is clearly observable as a blueish mist that produces a serene sounds reminiscent of a glockenspiel or windchimes while blowing through the host's various hole-clusters.
When in presence of stage five patients, use of army-issue gas masks is pertinent to avoid infection.
Containment protocol:
A044 is to be kept in seven (7) petri-dishes in the the specialized antarctic biochemical research
facility 17 in room ██'s refrigeration unit. It is imperative that the temperature does not
exceed (-80°C) to ensure possible future testing. Two (2) of the petri-dishes contain A044's
original strain, while the remaining five (5) contain the mutated genomes of A044-03, -04, -06, -09 and -10 respectively.
Department ██ of facility ██ houses the patient decontamination and observation rooms. Both of these can be hermetically sealed off and use their own ventilation system, which can be used to increase or decrease air supply in both chambers.
If the number of dead host bodies in the facility exceeds ten (10) at any point, destruction
of further subjects for specialized experimentation on A#044-M and reduction of upkeep cost has been authorized on ██.██.1980.
It shall be noted that A044-M is comparable to a common jade carving regarding stability.
Applicable tools shall be used accordingly.
History and Aquisition:
The first recorded documents pertaining to A044 have been found in Japan's ████-region,
pertaining to an epidemic in 1458.
Since it is known that retroviridae belong to the oldest
living organisms, partially dating back millions of years, it can safely be assumed that while
the first recorded incidents, these certainly weren't the first infections.
Textual and illustratory references to A044 and it's victims can be found in various Japanese and some Korean texts up until today. While texts up to 1940 are often of cultural relevance, modern representations seem to appear moreso in relation to these old texts and practices than actual experiences with A044. Multiple of the older texts pertain to cultural practices in various villages around the ████ and ████ prefectures wherein victims were described to gather at specialized shrines.
According to some of these recordings, victims were shattered by the pertaining shrinemaiden or monk, though others stay more ambiguous on the matter.
A044 first came to GEAR/ARC's attention during an outbreak in 1971. █████████████, a lobbyist
and art collector, aquired six (6) "extraordinarily unique sculptural instruments" from ███████ shrine in █████ to place in his zen garden.
The resulting epidemic took more than than ██ lives, █ of these being ARC employees, before full, proper containment could be achieved at the start of 1972.
After initial contact, proper crisis protocols have been amended to quickly deal with any further possible outbreak.