Bioweapons and Prime Base

[Slar]

Reading a lot of old threads here, as I am new. One discusses the bioweapon that took out Prime Base, and discusses smallpox, hemorrhagic fever, and possible diseases based on those that normally only affect animals.

But the Project has Universal Antibody, which should work on all of these. So why didn't it?

In my Project, Krell has knowledge and access to Project assets. One of these is Universal Antibody. Universal Antibody, if not properly tuned to the individual, is lethal in most cases (80%). And that's purely by accident.

What if the "bioweapon" used by Krell isn't a bioweapon at all? Universal antibody, specifically tuned to a host, should treat any other host as a hostile organism, to be wiped out. The Project team exposed to the bioweapon inadvertently brought a modified Universal Antibody in to Prime Base, a weapon that could not be resisted, and could not be cured, unless one knew to look for it. Worse yet, it was capable of reprogramming any Universal Antibody it came into contact with. So, the treatment becomes the disease, and the standard Project response to an unknown pathogen just speeds the patient's demise.

Why does Krell not use this weapon against anyone else?

Accidents happen. The lab guys who designed the thing fell victim to it, and the lab they used is now contaminated. His samples of the modified UA are gone.

Why did they nuke Prime, when capturing it was the goal?

Because someone realized what they had released, and that the EMP of the nuke was the only way to shut it down.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

In your last sentence you state that the EMP from a nuclear weapon "was the only way to shut it down".
I'm assuming you mean that the EMP disrupts/kills the modified UA bioweapon and I mention that because it leads to some interesting speculation about a response to the modified UA.

It raises questions such as: -
1. is the electrical charge the cause of damage to the modified UA?
2. if so, can some level of electrical charge be applied to a victim of the mod. UA to cure them?
3. if that's true, what sort of devices would be created to deliver electrical charges to a victim as a cure?
4. would Tasers be sufficient for this particular application or would they need something more powerful?
5. is it the magnetic field that disrupts the mod. UA?
6. how strong does the magnetic field have to be to cause this?
7. can the magnetic field of a typical military manpack radio cause a sufficient field to disrupt the mod. UA?
8. if not, would medical devices like MRI scanners generate a field powerful enough to cure people infected with the mod.UA?

I'm assuming that either the electrical charge or the magnetic field screws up the mod. UA at a cellular level but I'm no biologist. Apparently viruses can be neutralised by screwing up their pH level and electricity and magnetic fields can have some affect on this.
According to the report released in 2000 by Michigan State University, extremely low frequency electro-magnetic fields (ELF-EMF) can cause changes to cells (to be clear though, the study did not suggest that ELF-EMF would cause health problems, only that it could promote potential cellular problems that could go on to cause health problems)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/10/001016073704.htm

So I'm basing my assumptions on that information, it is a role-playing game so I can probably get away with some imaginative interpretation!

[Slar]

I was thinking MRI and/or Defibrillator.

I'd say the Taser charge is to low power on a standard shot, although if you could hand-place the electrodes properly, it would still have a chance.

For the Defibrillator, just a standard shock wouldn't work. Again, place the electrodes so that you hit pretty much the entire body at once.

The MRI? Just slide the victim in and turn it on.

I'd let someone get away with using other EMF, if they had more than one source, and could surround the body with a strong field. Better hope they have no pins, plates, or fillings...

[StainlessSteelCynic]

And I think this offers a wonderful opportunity to place another variant of snake-oil seller in the game world. I reckon if news of some mystery disease striking down people without any cure starts making the rounds, many snake-oil cures will start being created but what if someone finds out that electricity or EMF might be effective?

I can well imagine travelling salesmen/woman wandering from town to town claiming their "bio-electrical magnetic body recharger" can cure all your ills and protect you from the mystery disease. And what if one of them happens to have access to some radio sets - place all the radios in a circle and get the patient to sit in the middle, soaking up all those "helpful" radio waves.
All for a "reasonable" fee of course!

Who knows, maybe one of these snake-oil sellers might accidentally cure a patient...

[mmartin798]

Why did they nuke Prime, when capturing it was the goal?

Because someone realized what they had released, and that the EMP of the nuke was the only way to shut it down.

I would be inclined to think this was a hail mary to try and shut them down. UA is nanotech. If they are individual nanomachines once programmed, they would be very small and even the EMP from a nuke would not generate much voltage. I have read it would be on the scale of 0.1V. Now whether or not this would allow for enough power to be generated to pop the UA is far from a decided matter. The voltages needed to operate nanoscale logic gates are about 5 times that amount in current devices. But then again, how much power can a nanomachine handle where it is not expected? This could make UA immune to EMP. Directly applied current from a defibrillator would likely fry them.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Ah ha, I had thought the UA was biological in nature...

As I understand it, the smaller the circuitry in a chip the easier they are to overload so in the case of nanotech the immediate thought would be that they should be really easy to fry. However, as you alluded, is there even enough circuitry there to affect?

Maybe a taser would be enough to short-circuit nanotech? Maybe MRI would be enough because it's in such close proximity?
Maybe someone sticking battery clamps from a car battery to your nipples might not actually be torturing you but "cleansing your body from the evil machines"!

I think this is one of those areas where a GM will have to make a decision for their game world and run with it.

[Slar]

I would be inclined to think this was a hail mary to try and shut them down. UA is nanotech. If they are individual nanomachines once programmed, they would be very small and even the EMP from a nuke would not generate much voltage. I have read it would be on the scale of 0.1V. Now whether or not this would allow for enough power to be generated to pop the UA is far from a decided matter. The voltages needed to operate nanoscale logic gates are about 5 times that amount in current devices. But then again, how much power can a nanomachine handle where it is not expected? This could make UA immune to EMP. Directly applied current from a defibrillator would likely fry them.

Were talking about Krell's band of assholes, none of whom probably really understood what they were dealing with. The EMP would not likely affect the UA, especially shielded as they are by a bunch of water bags (cells). But do Krell's guys know that, or do they panic?

I'm voting panic.