Viral Evolution (Book 1): Retrovirus Read online

  VIRAL EVOLUTION

  RETROVIRUS

  By

  LEIGH WINTERS

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Text Copyright Ⓒ 2017 Leigh Winters

  Based On the Registered Feature Film Script,

  Viral Evolution - Retrovirus, NZWG 2016.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Cover Design, Under License, Edited by Leigh Winters.

  IBSN-13: 978-1546490449

  IBSN-10: 1546490442

  VIRAL EVOLUTION

  RETROVIRUS

  ~

  Introduction

  Late afternoon in the lecture room at the School of Biological Sciences, the Professor a new age style of man in his mid forties with a PHD in Biology who appears to question everything continues speaking to the students as they listen seated behind tables with books and pen in hand.

  "Testing them ultimately has it’s associated risks, and when a released organism finds a specific natural host which is immune or reacts biologically, then another modification can occur as well."

  The Professor in a questioning tone continues while in thought.

  "So does this mean G.M.O’s, are simply part of the evolution process here on earth? Hm, gives you something to think about?!"

  The Professor pauses briefly before he moves on as students continue to listen.

  "As species have evolved, and like us we cannot be specific on what has caused the major changes occurring at significant points in our history let alone those of others on this planet. Some theories suggest viruses play a vital role in our own evolution, modifying the structure of DNA, and not all of them are bad I might add." as he looks around the room making eye contact with a few who listen intently before continuing on to say.

  "The more archaeological finds dating back millions of years in some cases, the more questions are being raised, and whatever the causes maybe for species to evolve many factors must come under some form of consideration. Extinction level events, tectonic separation or global catastrophes can also bring about the nature of inbreeding."

  Upon hearing the later, a few of the group of students talk among themselves with the Professor looking out among them before voicing the first a little louder to get their full attention again.

  "Generally on a larger scale of course, but all species will do what they need to, to survive and if genetic code stays within a select group then these changes will eventually appear through the majority over time. We see it in many species today, as we see the differences between races with us."

  "Regardless of the situation at any point in time, for those who are able to adapt quickly to their new surroundings will find a new beginning and for the ones who cannot it’s a time of extinction."

  CHAPTER 1

  A Fresh Encounter

  Early morning on the African continent in the recently abandoned mountainous village on a narrow dirt road appearing eerie and a little too quiet as the platoon moves forward.

  Frankie a mid thirty year old confident male who appears has seen a fairly tough military life, although is very skilled and physically fit on point with Jim his superior close by.

  Jim in his early forties of slightly taller stature over others stands well with a confident approach to life and his work moves forward close behind Frankie.

  Frankie moves ahead toward an alleyway, comes along side with his back to the wall of a small dwelling and peering around the corner seeing what appears might be a school then soon notices fresh remains of a dog.

  He looks back for a second giving a nod to his superior, then motions out up the alley toward a closed door with Jim who follows close on his tail who soon sees the remains himself, as flies buzz on and around it with the smell lingering in the air.

  The rest of their team move on up while also checking back and above as they motion forward. Frankie listens for any movement or sounds from behind the door then looks at Jim who now opposite him takes a breath then begins to listen himself.

  Frankie raises his eyebrows at Jim who returns with a subtle nod of the head before Frankie places his hand on the door knob to open. Slowly turning the knob, then pushes the door open before ducking back behind the wall as the rest of the men remain crouched up against the walls of the adjacent buildings on either side of the alleyway.

  Jim quickly peeks into and around the room through the open doorway seeing basic medical supplies with a blackboard on the wall before moving back behind then gives the signal to Frankie.

  Frankie moves in first, as Jim immediately follows, with both men moving to either side of the messy room looking around quickly on a couple of tables with paper work which is also on the floor amongst other items.

  Half of the team members also come into the room with John amongst the group as the rest also move up outside toward the open doorway.

  With the men ready to move onward sweeping the rest of the building, Frankie moves up to the next door and treats the approach as he had done on the first with Jim doing the same before they move into the next room which opens to a stairway with a long hallway to the right.

  Half the men move staying nearer to the stairwell holding their positions with the remainder coming in from outside to close the door behind them.

  The majority of the platoon quickly check the ground level floor and adjoining rooms before moving back to ascend up the stairway.

  Jim signals to the men to move on, with Frankie moving up to turn in looking up the stairwell as he scans toward the top of the stairs and second level while doing so.

  Jim follows with John close by as the men make their way up and into the second level to stop at the top with hallways appearing to lead off in both directions from left to right.

  Jim creeps up with his back against the wall to peer around with Frankie opposite him.

  Jim looks quickly out to the left, then to the right noticing a body on the floor face down with it’s head to the side before turning back to signal to Frankie.

  Frankie comes over next to Jim as they move on out into the hall together heading toward the body with the men holding position before following with a few remaining back at the top of the stairway.

  John moves on up behind Jim who is now almost at the body.

  Frankie while moving forward looks down, screwing up his face on seeing it’s appearance then steps over it continuing to move on to check further up the hallway.

  Jim while looking ahead toward the body notices the drying pool of blood across the floor board then stops upon reaching.

  Looking down over it, noticing a bullet entry wound through the neck, then sees the coloration of the corpse being somewhat different from that of any other human.

  John gets his pocket torch, shines it down to get a clearer look and upon doing so looks back up toward Frankie then back to Jim.

  Sergeant stops directly behind John, then proceeds to look over the body himself while John continues to hover his torch over the neck toward the entry wound noticing the veins firstly.

  The Sergeant, a mid forty year old male who looks a little worn for his age although well built and in good shape speaking with a deepish husky tone of voice moves in slightly covering his nose briefly with his forearm from the smell of the corpse.

  "Aw that was one sick puppy, his face, and get a load of those veins."

  John a fairly handsome male in his
late thirties appearing younger for his age with a good athletically toned figure and stature turns his attention to the Sergeant briefly.

  "The coloration of his blood too."

  Jim appears to almost cut in as he looks over the corpse with the two men. "We may have found it then."

  John looks to Jim then back to the corpse on the later before Jim moves on forward with Frankie. "Appears we have, if it is we could do with a fresher sample."

  The Sergeant moves on after John who takes one more look before he goes on ahead, moving toward Jim as they wait further ahead behind closed double entry doors at the end of the hallway.

  Frankie with Jim wait until all men are closer by and in position after checks for themselves through open doors.

  Jim goes to check the door which he finds is locked from the inside, with both men then appearing to hear movement coming from within the room with what appeared as the shuffling of feet.

  Jim signals to the men upon hearing the sounds then all preparing themselves for whatever might be behind considering what they had just stepped over.

  The men wait listening, with Jim then making the call to Frankie to force open the doors for entry into the room and soon does so by kicking it in.

  On doing do, he retreats back behind the wall however got a glimpse of the figures within and looks to Jim with wide eyes while quickly nodding his head.

  Immediately upon the doors swinging open, John can see clearly into the large room from his crouched position back further down the hall and sees multiple shadows of different sizing coming toward the open door from inside the large darkened room.

  With grunts, snarls and some snorts coming from inside, as the figures move closer the sounds become louder.

  The Sergeant also sees the figures coming toward them as do others, while holding his gun closer to focus for a lethal shot and shouts "We’ve got company!"

  Frankie and Jim who are already moving back from the increased movement and quickening pace of the footsteps from within the room move further back away from the door themselves.

  Backing up toward the rest of the men as the shadows come in to light, becoming clear with faces revealing themselves in between shadows and among them are those of children which John sees voicing to himself. "Kids."

  Jim continues to pace backward also seeing clearly the look of these people who no longer have the complexion of a normal human being.

  The darkened black red veins protruding above muscle toned figures with warm pigmentation of the skin and bloodshot eyes over enlarged pupils looking onto the men snarling and snorting on approach making eye contact with Jim and Frankie who are now crouched further back in the hallway almost in front of John and Sergeant.

  Frankie while looking ahead voices "What the fu.." - before Jim interrupts shouting "Fire at will!"

  The team clearly hear the command while seeing all too well what is approaching before opening fire on the subjects, although John who hesitates momentarily upon watching the children amongst the figures coming toward them begins to fire on the adults instead until all are terminated as a few reach and eventually falling down in the hallway.

  John looks down slightly shaking his head then gets to his feet in the same notion. "That’s enough."

  The Sergeant hears John while saying in some form of response as Jim notices John shaking his head. "And you can’t get any fresher than that!"

  Frankie follows on from hearing the Sergeant. "Hm yeah, so anyone will do then?"

  "We’ll take samples from both sexes, adult and child." as Jim then looks on to John before asking. "You alright John?

  John looks at his friend somewhat blankly, then looks down with a sigh. He gets his kit with sample tubes from his side pouch then crouches to one of the children.

  Looking over the child with the appearance that of the adults, he then looks up momentarily looking around to the others before taking a blood sample then reminding himself.

  "The kids."

  CHAPTER 2

  C.J

  Three years later on a late afternoon in the VIROTEL CORPORATION laboratory, William a male Scientist in his later twenties of somewhat smaller build draws fresh blood from the test subject as he watches carefully while the needle fills drawing into the syringe with him moments later taking the sample over to the bench.

  William turns to John, then both men looking down at the monkey laying on it’s back, strapped down to the table and heavily sedated.

  John loads a fresh syringe with the agent for injection, looks at the healthy monkey, takes a breath, then proceeds to inject the trial into the subject while voicing softly, "This time."

  John looks to William before checking the time on his watch at 16:27, with William asking. "Do you think?"

  John looks back toward William to answer the question.

  "If so, it’ll be the positive result they’ve been asking so they can get more funding."

  As John stands there this while holding up the empty syringe, with William who begins unstrapping the monkey before sliding her back in the cage then closing and locking the thick perspex door while voicing.

  "Do they understand we’re working with a monster, and an antidote is essential." John turns his attention to William, then briefly toward the monkey.

  "I ask myself that everyday, it appears something that they fail to understand and no amount of money offered to us is worth it in the end without one. I feel we have learned all we need to up to this point, and we’ve moved far beyond the original plan."

  William nods his head with raised eyebrows agreeing with John. "We have, although the money is good!"

  William looks at John who looks back smirking on his colleagues comment.

  "For us it is, but some could do with more."

  John then turns to write the time down for the chart of records for the test subject, then turns back to William with a smirk.

  "You called her C.J?"

  William turns to John with a smile. "Yeah, why not?"

  John laughs a little looking back at William while flicking his hands over while shrugging a shoulder slightly. "Okay then."

  John turns back while smiling to jot down a few notes as William soon continues the previous conversation.

  "I understand though John, with what you were saying, you have a good heart and look out for others." as John looks back up over toward William to reply.

  "That’s the only reason I’m here really, to protect, and we must not forget chain reaction, or what can travel from specie to specie. In my book if I have to modify a monster, I’d rather it be in some form of natural balance. You know, if that makes any sense?"

  William frounds somewhat on these later words coming from John.

  "Natural, would nature create what we have here? I don’t think so."

  "Well the original strain, as far as I know is natures doing?!"

  John pauses momentarily, almost asking himself with the slightest shrug of the shoulder. "Although, the experiments?!"

  William and John look at each other on his last words, before John turns his attention to C.J as does William, with John then looking toward the tray.

  With John thinking, while looking down at the blood sample now in the tray before turning toward William who looks back toward him.

  "Let's just hope all goes well for CJ, we’ll know by tomorrow if we can begin work on your antidote and if we can then we’ve done what was asked of us"

  "I’d like to continue work on one in the process.""I know, me too, but they won’t listen. My biggest question though, is what were the conditions for the original to develop in the first place? We may have helped in the short term by removing it from location, but I guess now too there is an opening for something else to come in. The original strain could still be out there for all we know, waiting to meet the right host as it done three years ago."

  William while looking through the door at C.J who begins to come to looks to John sligh
tly although more or less says to himself.

  "Waiting for the right environment."

  With John looking back toward William upon hearing him, who’s looking back in through the perspex door as C.J begins to wake lifting her head and to look back toward William.

  C.J looks deep into William, then suddenly, lunging up toward taking William off guard with her speed and sending him flinching stepping backward as C.J hits the perspex door between them before moving pacing backwards to the back corner as he lets out a frightful "Jeez!"

  John gets startled from witnessing, before asking with a serious look on the question.

  "Lucky the door was closed! What dosage did you give her?"

  William appearing somewhat shaken, however relieved C.J is firmly in the cage responds by telling John.

  "I went off the chart!"

  "She came to far too quick. We’ll have to up the dose before we get the results tomorrow." "Too right!"

  William looks back toward C.J, who again looks to lunge toward him from within the cage."

  CHAPTER 3

  Mike

  With the alarm clock radio blaring, the fairly good looking male in his early thirties of strong slightly toned athletic build who always tries his best although things do not always go his way, Mike moments later slams his hand down on the alarm at 16:37.