Outbreak (Book 2): The Mutation (18 page)

Everyone’s attention was fixed on Walt.

“Not only that,
”
continued Walt, “I think I may know how to slow down, and possibly stop, the infected.”

8

Lago Vista Clubhouse

Lago Vista, Texas

“Know what I really miss?
”
asked Mears to no one in particular. “Coffee. Real fucking coffee.”

Mears set his coffee cup down.

“We’re all here with you two because we trust you, and quite frankly, we feel safer with you both,
”
said Cain as he nodded toward Butsko and Wilder. “But I think it is time you tell us what we’re doing out here.”

The group was huddled together in the clubhouse’s VIP room. This room was in the back, and was designated for the club’s exclusive members. Everything in the room was expensive leather and Brazilian mahogany. Wilder liked the room because there were no windows, and the room itself was sound proof. Wilder imagined many older rich people in this very room playing poker, smoking cigars, and drinking expensive brandy.

Wilder looked around at his fellow soldiers and the civilians who had volunteered.

“Firstly,
”
Butsko started, “Wilder and I want to thank you all for trusting and believing in us. What we’re doing out here will hopefully turn the tide in our favor.”

“Please keep in mind,
”
Wilder interjected, “that Butsko and myself aren’t proposing a way to win this war against the infected, but there is a chance we could gain the upper hand.”

“Enough foreplay, Sir,
”
Vasquez said to Wilder as she smiled.

“EMP,
”
was all Butsko said.

“EMP, Sir?
”
asked Mane.

“One night, Wilder and myself were brainstorming,
”
Butsko explained. “We wanted to know our enemy better and what made them tick.”

The silence of the group was broken only by the occasional sips of coffee.

“Yes,
”
Butsko continued. “The infected are human beings, but they are also something more. They’ve been infected with a bio-nanotechnology that essentially kills the humanity of the host and takes over.”

Melvin hung on Butsko’s every word.

“So at the end of the day, the infected are basically being run by really small machines,
”
Butsko continued. “These nanorobots have fused with the various organic systems of their hosts, but like all robots, they require a power source.”

Everyone looked at Melvin as he breathed in deeply. They could practically see the light bulb go off over Melvin’s head.

“Unfortunately,
”
continued Butsko, “most of the research has either been lost or was destroyed during the outbreak, so we’re not one-hundred percent sure exactly how the nanites function.”

“May I add something?
”
Melvin said, jumping up from his seat.

“Please do,
”
said Butsko.

“I think you’re on the right path,
”
Melvin agreed, “especially in that the nanites fuse with their host’s body. If it weren’t for the fact the infected were trying to kill us, it is pretty amazing what the nanites have done to the body.”

“How do you figure that?
”
asked Wilder.

“The nanites, it seems,
”
continued Melvin, “are unable to take over the host’s body without killing it. So the first thing it does is attack the central nervous system and shut down the host’s brain. Without brain function, there’s no breathing, no heartbeat, or any other vital organic processes.”

Melvin paused to let the others digest what he said.

“While the host is dead,
”
continued Melvin after a few seconds, “the nanites are able to tap into the central nervous system and control the host. I believe, if they wanted to, the nanites could re-start the heart and lungs, but those aren’t necessary for the control of the host.”

“They’re being efficient, right?
”
asked Megan.

“Exactly,
”
Melvin almost shouted as he turned to Megan. “The nanites are conserving their energy, which is really the host’s energy.”

Megan started to ask another question, but Melvin put his palm up and stopped her.

Everyone knew Melvin was on a roll, and it was impossible to stop him.

“The human body naturally produces and emits a certain amount of energy,
”
said Melvin, the others uncertain whether he was talking to them or himself. “I’ve guessed that these nanites have managed to tap into the body’s energy source and that’s what they’re using.”

Melvin looked up to see the other’s as they stared at him.

“That’s exactly what Wilder and I came up with, Melvin,
”
said Butsko.

“It was mostly Butsko,
”
Wilder said to the others as he nodded toward Butsko.

“What does all this have to do with EMPs?
”
asked Jones.

“We’re almost there, Jones,
”
replied Butsko. As he turned back to Melvin, Butsko asked, “So do you think the nanites are completely powered by the energy from humans, or do you think they are somehow manipulating energy created from a moving body to keep themselves charged?
”
Melvin opened his mouth to respond, but was silent.

“I don’t know,
”
Melvin finally responded after a few seconds. “That’s a great question.”

“This is the question Wilder and I came to as well,
”
Butsko said.

“I know this all seemed confusing,
”
Wilder said to everyone, “but knowing one’s enemy is a basic strategy of war.”

“We realize that much of what we’ve just talked about is based on speculation,
”
Butsko said, “but we do know some hard facts. The nanites kill human hosts, and after the body is reanimated, the nanites have complete control.”

“There is one more thing we know for a fact,
”
added Melvin. “We also know that the nanites have to be powered by something.”

“Exactly,
”
Butsko said. “From this info we came up with two possible courses of action.”

“We could plan recon missions to those military bases known to have experimented with the nanites,
”
Wilder said. “Once there, we could look for the research and try to better understand the nanites and possibly find a cure.”

“The logistics and risks for something like that would be crazy,
”
said Mears. “We already know that most of the military bases have fallen to those bastards. Even our own base fell.”

The room grew silent and somber as everyone reflected on the friends and family they’d lost.

“That’s exactly what Wilder and I thought,
”
said Butsko after a few seconds. “Attempting to raid various military bases would be suicide. Besides, we don’t have the fuel, the manpower, or the firepower to even try to execute missions like that.”

“So what’s our second option?
”
asked Steele. “Do we even want to know?”

“This brings us back to EMPs,
”
Butsko responded.

9

Will to Heal Center

Spicewood, Texas

The mood in the cellar was electric after Walt’s claim that he might be able to slow down and possibly stop the infected.

“Are you serious, Walt?
”
asked Jonas. “How does Darren’s information about these bastards being controlled by nanotechnology help us?”

“
Bio
-nanotechnology,
”
Walt said as he corrected Jonas. Jonas was about to ask something else, but was cut off by Walt.

“Let me explain,
”
said Walt. “I’ve had theories about what might be going on for a while now, but never shared them because I had nothing to base my theories on. Now that Darren has given us this very important information, my theories are starting to make more sense.”

Walt paused for a second and realized Darren was now the one at a disadvantage. Walt knew the others were aware of his research into the connections between the neurotransmitter dopamine and addictive behavior.

“Darren,
”
Walt said as he turned to the soldier. “Do you know anything about addiction?”

“I know it ruins people’s lives,
”
said Darren, stoically. “My brother was a junkie, and the only thing my family and I could do was watch him slowly kill himself.”

“I’m sorry,
”
Walt said. “I didn’t know.”

“The brother I grew up with and knew basically ceased to exist,
”
Darren continued. “By the end, I didn’t even recognize him. By the end it seemed as though the addiction had completely taken over his life.
”
Darren looked up at Walt. “Are you suggesting that the infected are somehow addicted to killing?”

The others stared at Walt and waited for his answer.

“Yes,
”
Walt said. “I mean, no
…
kind of. My theories came together after I saw Hector up there. He had that look in his eyes that most of us have experienced at one time or another. ‘Hector
’
was gone. What I saw as Hector tried to infect me was pure impulsive behavior, marked with increased agility and motor activity and a compulsion to bite me.”

“All characteristics of having elevated levels of dopamine,
”
Jonas said.

“Exactly!
”
Walt said, almost shouting.

“Wait, wait,
”
Darren said, holding up his hands. “What’s ‘dopamine?’”

“Sorry,
”
Walt said. “Dopamine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. In the brain, it’s a chemical that’s released by nerve cells that sends signals to other nerve cells. Dopamine is one of the ways the various cells communicate with each other.”

“Research has shown that dopamine plays a large role in both motor control and motivational or reward-based behavior,
”
Jonas added.

“This is what led researchers to start connecting dopamine and addictive behavior,
”
continued Walt. “Basically, dopamine levels in the brain increase with most types of rewards.”

“So dopamine increases when someone takes drugs?
”
Darren asked.

“Yes, but that’s not all,
”
Walt answered. “Simple things like eating one’s favorite foods, skydiving, or even driving really fast in your new sports car can trigger elevated levels of dopamine in the brain.”

“Think of it as your brain giving you a reward for doing some type of activity it likes,
”
Jonas explained.

“Increased dopamine levels have also shown to be the cause of impulsive behaviors,
”
continued Walt. “It’s called the ‘Response Selection.
’
If you're in a situation where there’s several possible courses of action, dopamine can influence which action you take.”

Joe, familiar with Walt’s research, spoke up. “Darren,
”
Joe said. “Let’s say you're in a situation where there’s a zombie coming straight at you. You could take a few different courses of action. You could curl up into a ball and cry, you could run away, or you could stand your ground and fight.”

“I’m with ya,
”
Darren said.

“When something like this happens,
”
Joe continued, “increased levels of dopamine can actually influence which of those three actions you’ll choose. Tell me, Darren: what usually stops people from trying new things, like taking up dancing?”

“They might be afraid of looking dumb?
”
responded Darren after a few seconds.

“Exactly,
”
said Joe. “People’s inhibitions can prevent them from trying new things. But increased levels of dopamine releases an action from inhibition.”

“Okay,
”
said Darren, hesitantly.

“Let’s go back to that attacking zombie,
”
continued Joe. “Let’s say you weren’t a soldier trained in various combat methods. If that was the case, you might be hesitant to face the zombie and fight it hand-to-hand.”