N-14

== N-14 ==
The Nova-14 Virus, also known simply as N-14, is a bio-chemical disease in the Zombies Timeline.
The N-14 is a highly virulent and contagious disease that sends its hosts into a state of extreme, uncontrollable rage and drives them into infecting or devouring uninfected individuals.
== History ==
=== Origin ===
Two scientists Henry Weaver III and Christopher Walton were hired by the US Office of Science to try and isolate the specific neurochemicals that cause the deadliest diseases in mankind to develop a vaccine.
The project is called Project Nova and according to Weaver, the project is top secret. Despite their failures and the losses of their patients, they managed to succeed, achieving a major scientific breakthrough and calling it the Nova 14 serum because of the date of its success and enhancements of the human DNA that killed all bad cells. However, General Bender saw the success and wanted the science team to create a biochemical agent that enhanced the human body and mind, creating super soldiers, which Walton was against since the team only wanted medicinal creation, not bioweapons, but Weaver agreed.
After two months, the serum worked, and even though it enhanced the human body, it enhanced intelligence and aggression, as shown by a mentally unstable veteran actively enjoying shooting targets. It also increased the metabolic rate, giving them a limited healing factor, and unfortunately for the host, it caused severe hunger and thirst. A notable example for Henry is when a patient runs out of food and a scientist goes to feed her, she attacks him and bites into the jugular, showing that the host is driven to cannibalism out of desperation, which shocked Henry.
=== Release ===
When Henry drank an unknown variant of the N-14 serum out of desperation and pride just to cure himself of type 2 diabetes, his body mutates to a point where he reanimated upon dying from a seizure and he infected a vat of his successful N-14 vaccine with his blood, creating the outbreak in the United States and causing the nation to shut off all air and water ports.
== Infection ==
A human (either a child, adult, or elder) that is exposed to the N-14 virus through bodily fluid contact, whether it's from a scratch, a bite, ingestion of infected flesh, a direct injection, or infected bodily fluids getting in their eyes, mouth, or simply open wounds of the skin - will become infected in between 2 minutes or an hour, depending on what method of infection and the physiology of the infected individual. It's revealed by Walton that a bite or scratch needs to be deep enough to allow the virus to enter the bloodstream.
The methods of infection play a huge role in how an individual can become infected. Direct injection or ingestion could turn someone in a slow, but painful way in between a few hours or a few days (notably 48 hours), in contrast to a simple bite or scratch, which could rapidly turn someone in between 30 seconds or a full minute.
== Characteristics ==
The N-14 virus causes the infected to experience a severe case of symptoms similar to Influenza and Rabies. Their notable symptoms are: from minor symptoms, such as a fever, a cough with bloody phlegm, and flushing to major symptoms, such as profuse sweating, muscle aches, headaches, constant salivation, high sensitivity to light/noise, and short-fused aggression.
The physical signs of an infected individual are easily characterized by their pale skin, constricted and dilated pupils, bloodshot eyes, and wounds (whether they're bitten, scratched, or not) while the heavies and super-infected individuals are easily characterized by their sickly pale skin with purple/bluish veins, a burly muscular physique, and monstrous traits, such as cat-like pupils and sharp claws/teeth since they are mutating.
The Infected regularly, if not constantly, bleed from their bodily orifices (such as their eyes, nose, and mouth), and vomited copious amounts of infectious blood as the virus slowly kills the body due to internal hemorrhaging of the capillaries. However, it's later revealed that the virus targeted the adrenal glands, giving them enhanced senses while keeping their bodies and organs intact as the body is slowly dying. 
Despite dying and becoming rage-filled cannibals, they appear to retain all of their humanity and intelligence while still retaining an animalistic mindset to kill and infect non-infected survivors, making them dangerous since they are capable of using weaponry, tactics, and outsmarting survivors.
There are notable symptoms of Infected individuals afflicted with the N-14 virus:
* A rash in the shape of a butterfly (implied to be a malar rash) appears on an infected individual's face, burning itself all the way down to the skull.
* Intense internal burning feeling, possibly a fever.
* Complete loss of empathy and morality, potential loss of overall sanity. (not the case of Rational Infected, who retained their sanity and humanity)
* Extreme levels of sadomasochism.
* Intense desire to harm others physically, sexually, psychologically, and emotionally.
* Self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
* Change in speech patterns.
* Complete loss of fear and self-preservation.
* Unrelenting persistence to achieving goals in harming others.
* Heightened abilities to track down the uninfected.
* Rarely, an infected individual will retain their intelligence and be able to plan instead of merely acting in the moment.
* Extreme varying amounts of time for someone to turn into one of The Infected. Some take mere seconds while others take hours or an entire day or longer.
== Immunity ==
As shown with a few people, people who took the N-14 vaccine and got infected would have a natural immunity to the symptoms of the N-14 virus; they are carriers of the disease but will remain immune to its effects.
However, some Immune might become Hybrids if their DNA mutated with pure concentrated N-14 and are granted superhuman strength, speed, agility, intelligence, durability, endurance, and healing, making them powerful. Though they lack the deadly symptoms, they still have the same hunger for human flesh and would fight the influence for control. Jay Roberts is a notable example since he became a Hybrid and the only way to cure the Hybrids' hunger for flesh is to give them the vaccine mixed with the DNA of Patient Zero.
== Trivia ==
* The N-14 virus is revealed by Christopher Walton to be genetically bio-engineered to create super-soldiers by enhancing the average human's physiology with super-human abilities, such as speed, agility, strength, durability, endurance, aggression, and problem-solving intelligence. They also gained longevity and an accelerated healing factor caused by an unusually high metabolism, making them near-immortal. However, it became a major issue because the virus mutated due to Henry's desperation and drinking an unknown strain of the serum, which had H151 and Rabies from the DNA of infected human hosts, and mixed with the vaccine, changing his DNA and becoming Patient Zero.