Collateral Damage

Virus

Error was sat on the counter, close enough to here the details, but far enough from the crowd. More importantly close enough to help himself to Dream's chocolate treats. There were so many.

He could get the minor details from Ink if his superior senses failed to suffice.

"Are we all present?" Ink took charge without incentive. Dream just didn't look up to it.

All the Sanses in the room raised their hands.

Blue quickly did a count of all of the raised hands. And Error of course.

"We have one extra."

That didn't make sense, "Who-"

"Me! It's me, I'm the- uhm extra."

Ink was surprised to find that the skeleton talking was Sci, very obviously pregnant.

"Sci? I thought you were- on leave."

"Well ah- yes, but I thought I'd give you all my research to start with. Save some time."

The younger skeleton looked noticeably uncomfortable. Guilty even. Understandable with a clear view of Classic staring him down like he was a cockroach.

"You have research on Varis R9?"

Sci nodded his head, "Incidentally. Yes."

He handed his papers to Blue.

"Elaborate." Blue stated rather coldly.

"Well, I was previously doing research on a code variant that had spiked not too long ago. It was my biggest project yet, before- y'know."

Ink nodded needing no further details, "Go on."

Science adjusted his classes, "well I soon discovered that the code variant had link to DT, more importantly DT in young children. Those who are born naturally from it."

"What does this have to do with Varis R9?" Dream asked.

"Recently I found that data from the spike matches the data from the Varis virus perfectly."

Ink took a look at some of the paper Blue was looking at, "so you're say that there's a link between this variant and Varis R9?"

"No." Science hesitated looking like he was...scared, "I'm saying this variant is Varis R9."

"How can that be? I've seen Varis myself. It's no glitch, it's an illness." Dream seemed more troubled with the new information than the rest.

He too looked quite frightened.

"It's a virus. Not only physically but through the code." Classic suggested, more calm than Ink last had seen him.

"Tell us how the virus work, Sci." Ink took a good thorough look at the data, only to find that it matched exactly only with a disagreeing spike at the end.

"Well it attacks all aspects of the present DT, wherever it is. It breaks down the physical structure and warps the DT until- well usually until the victim dies."

"But Goth doesn't have DT." Reaper reminded almost desperately.

Science shook his head firmly, "That's not necessarily true-"

"He'd have to," Classic stated inarguably, "to live, and breath and function? He'd have to have a small amount of DT. No child of Geno's could survive without it."

Reaper looked confused but mostly agitated, "how is that so?"

"It's called Adaptational Gestation Development. It occurs in the gestational period. Theoretically speaking Geno shouldn't be able to have any children at all due to the toll it would take on his body, his magic wouldn't accept a fetus. But because of Geno's DT his body has created an alternative process to handle that strain." Sci explained.