Forced Evolutionary Virus (Psyker Canon)

The **Forced Evolutionary Virus**, or **FEV**, is an artificial virus originally created by West Tek's NBC Division. Its ability to force changes in both the genotype and phenotype made it one of the most important mutagens in the wasteland, harnessed by different organizations and individuals for their own purposes both before and after the Great War.

Unknown to the rest of the world, multiple laboratories managed to acquire samples of FEV and modified it for their own research and testing. One strain, considered the ultimate success by the Institute, is the 'Izanami' strain of the FEV.

## Early History

During the peak of scientific development prior to the Great War, many nations, if not all, tried to make better weapons along with scientific and technological advancement. Among them being in bioscience, which ultimately led to the research of the Forced Evolutionary Virus, which multiple countries attempted to weaponise and improve.

Despite the genotoxic nature of the substance, the nations that were aware of its existence continued their research on the FEV, with the Japanese working with a strain dubbed as *Izanami*, named after the Japanese goddess of the underworld due to its highly toxic and mutagenic nature. *Izanami* was known to be of low virulence and required direct transfusion of blood to infect new hosts, but it was known to kill rather than mutate those it was used on.

Because of the toxic nature of the *Izanami* strain, it was only injected into hospital patients used as guinea pigs without the knowledge, including cancer patients, causing mutation among those who carried defective DNA rather than healthy cells. The surviving subjects became the first 'Psykers' with weak abilities, their cancer cells reverting to relatively healthier cells and replacing most of their dying body cells.

This breakthrough made the scientists aware of the project continue into further research on it, widening their search until patients who kept their fertility or had it restored post *Izanami* infection were found. These subjects were able to pass on their genetic mutations and their children exhibited both stronger abilities and better health. *Izanami* FEV was later used on said children and the survivors again chosen to see if even stronger psykers were able to be made.

After a few generations of refinement, the first 'perfect Psykers' were born with no health issues and strong abilities, among these being an individual named Kyouya Kasuga, who was considered the crowning glory of the entire project. Kyouya was involved in clandestine missions after he grew to adulthood, and it was known he went to the United States for further studies before the bombs fell.

## Findings of the Institute

When the Institute recovered the son of Kyouya Kasuga, Shaun, from Vault 111 after recovering records of the underground facility, they found that *Izanami* FEV was bound in the infant's DNA within the then unknown *Izanagi* Regions. The *Izanagi* region was a mutant human region within the chromosomes that allowed proper insertion of *Izanami* and subsequent genetic rewriting. It served as a template for self replication
and insertion of the *Izanagi* region and *Izanami* FEV insert into homologous chromosomes. Thus the origins of Psyker powers was determined.

It was later realized by the Institute after further studies that the *Izanami* FEV was not actually a potent mutagen and toxin. Rather, *Izanami* FEV forcefully purified a human being into a higher life form, explaining the deaths of normal, healthy people exposed to the strain since some damaged genes had a higher homology to the *Izanagi* regions. This allowed *Izanami* FEV's proper insertion and rewriting of the genome. Hence the paradox that people with genetic errors and cancers managed to survive *Izanami* while the healthy could not was finally solved. Most of their cells were destroyed, but their cancer could be directed by *Izanami* to repair the body, and so forth, allowing them to survive.

The Institute, having studied FEV but not aware of the *Izanagi* regions when they first obtained Shaun, purified the FEV from Shaun's cell extracts and studied it, but never used it. They ended up cloning the *Izanagi* Regions into their Gen 3 Synths when they tried to fill the gaps of their Synth research with Shaun's DNA by writing in similar codes using their own version of FEV to modify already existing DNA templates created via synthetic methods or taken from their own scientists. Shaun's DNA served as a healthy control and was used to fill in gaps.

Eventually, when Synths escaped through various reasons and methods (e.g. the Railroad,) some came into contact with FEV (such as those from the Commonwealth's Super Mutants) causing the reactivation of their *Izanagi* Regions, which caused genomic rewriting and power awakening. This transformation also allowed their bodies to break down and absorb their Synth components, freeing them from their servitude and granting them a human like body that was capable of reproduction, growth and true independent thought.

## Trivia

* *Izanami* FEV causes production of uncharacterized proteins and RNA species, which allow a Psyker to extend a "psychic" field from themselves; This field can directly transform reality to their effect.
* Synths which have transformed into psykers are visually indistinguishable for normal humans. They are able to grow and reproduce, unlike normal synths.
* Using Shaun's DNA as a template and correcting it using FEV to various sequences was considered unrealistic as this was essentially filling a healthy genome with possibly mutated or unhealthy sequences.
* Hence, the explanation was reversed to use Shaun's sequences as replacement for known defective sequences instead. The human genome project was assumed to have been completed.