Veteran interviews.

Interview 1. Caitlyn

Caitlyn Chambers is currently in heated discussions with a patient. From what i hear, the patient requires pain medication for himself and his wife. I notice the gold card in his palm. A card of no limits, given to the War Heroes. Their conversation ends with Caitlyn opening the door and hurriedly ushering the patient out. The patient wheels himself out, giving me a somber look. I am invited in.

The government lost control of the strain the day they signed the rights to the vaccines over to the Department of Public Health and Safety. They gave us the right to administer the vaccine to the general public, not just exclusive industries. This meant the strain could be spread in a matter of weeks, then, after 50% of all the residents in the most populated areas were "infected", we would release the activator. This meant they had no control when everything went to crap, because they had signed everything over to the DoPH&S; meaning they could not take blame or fix anything the DoPH&S had done, as it was legally out of their hands. But even if they had somehow kept control, no good would have come of it. 

When did you start on the cure?

The main DoPH&S laboratory in Old World, at about 3 am and on Christmas day. That was when i did an Alexander Flemming and discovered some old green shit on a dish. What i found was infected blood in a glass jar that had started to separate into two things; E-1 and blood. I was fascinated. I didn't sleep until i had figured out what made them separate. And since you asked so nicely, i will tell you what made them separate. It was a chemical i named after myself, because i discovered and engineered it to perfection. CaitE-3. It was a mix of the activator agents, oil, some chemicals i can't name for legal reasons and MSA - the separating agent. I also added Emetine and laxatives, to make the infected fluid leave the body as quickly as possible. i was proud of the first batch. I didn't care if it wasn't successful, i was just happy i has done something. 

How successful were the first trials?

Honey, the first trials were 3 days later, how successful do you thing they were? 

What was the name of the first test subject?

Anna, her name was. She had been infected for 6 hours. She was showing signs of turning, but they were so confident that it would work they didn't even consider the time aspect of things. But, after Thalia's  approval, i put her friend into a chamber and i went in, jabbed her with the serum and quickly got out. I had timers, body monitors and all the fancy shit i could find hooked up to her, to see it it would tell me anything  that would help me develop better vaccines. Anyway, Anna died withing 30 minuets of administering the first batch. 

You knew it was going to fail?

(Caitlyn pauses, refusing to meet my eyes)

Yes.....

How?

Next question, if you please?

When did you create the cure?

8 years later. In a Launsdown lab, i created the vaccine. Not the cure, because you cant cure death, but i created something that would prevent people from getting infected from infected individuals and materials. It was created with Thalia's M&M riddled tissues and the original batch of vaccine tested on Anna. This was batch 37.5. When i found out it was successful, i knew i had to get out of Launsdown, because a vaccine would threaten the very livelihood of the base. If people were immune to the strain, they would spread out, filling the whole island and going off the grid. That was not good for the Military, for their control would be diminished within hours. So, i left the lab that night, and went to Thalia, for we had gotten.....

 (Caitlyn pauses, seeming uncomfortable. I don't press her further, just ask she tell me what happened when she told Thalia)

....Yes, Thalia's reaction. When i told her, she didn't believe me. Her boys did, James and Tom. They were ready to gather anything i needed to create something for everyone. Yet, i didn't need their support, i only needed Thalia to believe me. She did, eventually. After making me inject James with it, and having him be bitten by the only zombie they kept in the lab. It was only after he survived the bite, and she had a syringe of M&M; her first in 5 years mind you, that she let herself think of hope, the hope that she could live a normal life. Anyway, the vaccine to the vaccine, as us vets call it, was distributed to the general public in secret, just before the infected wall broke. None of the soldiers got it. Thalia wouldn't let us give it to them.

Was it due to her abuse at the hands of the Military?

Like i know, she never told any of us why, just that the public needed it more. Now, ask me things i can tell you about!

What can you tell me about Patient Zero?

Patient Zero was the name given to the first "turned" individual. This information is highly incorrect. Everyone who received the needle was considered "Patient Zero". I've fought for that definition to be written in to the history books and i will not fight with you on it. 

Understood. Do you think an outbreak like this could happen again?

Of course this could happen again! Are you daft? The strain still lives in the Veterans, and their children, in damaged DNA and a recessive gene. It will always be there, and mate, until they clear out the messy sections of the Old World, like the mountain and the Docks, this thing could happen again tomorrow. But don't ask Thalia that, if you see her, she killed the last one who asked her that.