Nightmare Virus

Created by Peekajinx

Transmission & Vectors

Software virus on the LiFE network.

Causes

The LiFE device implanted in the majority of Earth's population is permanently uplinked to the network. Once the virus has accessed a person's device and it has implemented its purpose, the resulting condition is irreversible.

Symptoms

After contracting the virus, victims suffer a permanent neurological condition known as saccadic dysfunction. This is when the neural activity pattern delivered to the ocular motoneurons is abnormal. Essentially, the eye moves faster or slower, depending on the neurological impulses it receives from the brain. This can ultimately disrupt a person's saccade movements, or in some cases, a person is unable to initiate saccades at all. For more information on saccade eye movement, please reference the perception and sensory capabilities section of the Human article.

Treatment

There is no treatment, and as a result of the permanent nature of the LiFE device, it is unavoidable if a device has already been implanted. Further, do not attempt to remove LiFE device if infected. Doing so will result in brain damage and, most likely, death.

Prognosis

Permanant saccadic dysfunction resulting in the ability to see Species X-10.

Affected Groups

All persons with a LiFE device.

History

Dubbed the Nightmare Virus by the general public for the nightmare it reveals, this condition has become the most widely spread epidemic in world history. It's origin has been traced back to trials run by the United States government on it's soldiers during World War III. In an attempt to provide better visual tracking to their military forces, a program was designed for soldier's LiFE devices.
Unfortunately, the program resulted in unforeseen side effects that resulted in permanent saccadic dysfunction. As a result of this abnormal eye movement, reports of soldiers seeing horrifying creatures around them began to surface. Some of the soldiers were going mad and shooting randomly at seemingly unseen targets. Scientists were unsure if the madness was a result of the saccadic dysfunction or the program itself until it was too late.
Shortly after the first test subjects were inoculated with the software and reports of these creatures came in, a member of the Anonymous organization that had infiltrated the software research team stole the program. With the help of the organization, the program was reworked into a virus attached to a simple artificial intelligence program that could sneak it past internal firewalls and virus detectors. The virus was then leaked onto the LiFE network in 2034 at the close of World War III via an automatic mandatory device update where it began to spread ruthlessly throughout the world.

Type

Neurological

Origin

Engineered

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Affected Species

• Human

Why No Treatment?

Even if the device manufacturers were to create a patch to rid the devices of the virus, it would not help as the virus causes a physiological response that is incurable.

It should also be noted that once the mass hysteria starts to wane and action is taken to combat this new awareness of a nightmarish predator, the government institutes a mandatory need for every living human to have a device implanted and inoculated with the virus. This is for the protection of the population so that the human race can see what is stalking them.