Brigitta Wald

Brigitta Wald was an American virologist and the mother of polymath Kyle Wald. Known for her contributions to genetic editing and synthesis, Brigitta Wald made important contributions to her husband Arthur Wald's work for Seaboard that was later used for the Jinanvirus. Her life was marked by strife and conflict, as much of her research was used for unwilling reasons, and often as a means to an end as she felt her and her family were kept in a threatened position when working for Michael Sisk. Wald authorized the use of her cloned, fertilized embryos, which were, unknown to her, used for the Sentinel program.

After the death of her husband, Wald dedicated her life to raising and giving the best life possible to her only remaining son, Kyle. She carried this out while gaining a new boyfriend in the late 2010s, Justin Harlem. However, the introduction of the Jinanvirus and the Great Collapse that followed shattered her hopes for the future of her family. In February 2018, Wald was killed by Ethan Delansky and his gang after she and Harlem were taken hostage. She was survived by her boyfriend, son, and sister.

## Early Life

Brigitta Wald, born to German-American immigrant parents, grew up in the a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the elder sister of Sabine Wald. Her father, prominent in the field of social research, and her mother Heike Wald in medicine, instilled in her a passion for knowledge and exploration. Displaying exceptional intelligence from a young age, Wald's path led her to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at just 18 years old, where she aspired to study biology with a keen interest in virology.

During her time at MIT, Wald met Arthur, a distinguished assistant professor, during a course on molecular biology. Their connection was immediate, driven by their shared passion for scientific inquiry. Despite their age difference, Wald's remarkable insights into the subject matter drew Arthur's admiration. In 1989, their relationship evolved beyond academia, and the two began a rather unorthodox relationship. After finishing the molecular biology class in 1990, Wald moved in with Arthur at his rented rural home outside Boston.

## Introduction to Seaboard Technologies

At the end of 1990, Wald's boyfriend, Arthur, lost direction after his mentor and laboratory leader, Guy Palmer, retired following his failure to attain a Nobel Prize. This left the two financially unstable, burdened with university loans, especially in the case of Arthur. Wald's wealthy parents, who had met and taken a liking to Arthur, proposed that they would cover their expenses until they could get on their feet, as long as they married. The two saw no problem with it, and unexpectedly, Arthur took his girlfriend's last name, having a disdain for his own family and having a great respect for his girlfriend's.

In 1991, Arthur Wald was unexpectedly sought out by Michael Sisk, a prominent executive of Seaboard Technologies, which his father, Clifford Sisk, owned. Unknown to Brigitta, Arthur accepted an offer to carry out his legally, and morally ambiguous research, being funded and supplied by Seaboard Technologies. She was not aware that his research was secretive, and Arthur only gave her a fabricated image of his studies that seemed rather mundane and legal. Despite this, Brigitta Wald quickly became suspicious, especially as Arthur enlisted her help in very specific areas of cell research that she was more knowledgeable than him on. She refused to seriously question his efforts for a time. At the same time, Brigitta found out she was pregnant, choosing to withdraw from MIT to care for the child.

## Commitment and Departure from Seaboard

Following the birth of her son Alex, Brigitta's suspicions deepened, and after doing an in-depth analysis of documents her husband hid, she began to discover the truth of his involvement. Instead of confronting her husband and being met with evasive explanations, she sought out Michael Sisk directly. Sisk was rather open, acting surprised that Arthur didn't tell her more. In truth, he understood she had just as much to lose by breaking confidentiality as he did. Brigitta was deeply conflicted with the discovery, but had no choice but to move forward and continue supporting her family. They relocated to Ocean City, Maryland, where a new laboratory was being formed, headed by Arthur Wald. This was against Brigitta's wishes as she hated Maryland and Ocean City.

In 1996, Michael Sisk confronted Brigitta alone, knowing she wanted out of the business, bringing forth an unnerving proposition. Sisk wished to have a fertilized embryo between her and Arthur genetically modified, combining the best genetics between the two of them. Sisk promised that if she complied, he would let them leave their position and separate from Seaboard Technologies. She begrudgingly agreed with the difficult decision, and Arthur was completely oblivious, drowned out in his own work. Against what Brigitta Wald was originally told, not only was her own embryo modified, but it was cloned and the genetic material was kept by Seaboard Technologies for purposes she didn't know.

Her second son, Kyle, was born in 1997. Despite fulfilling her side of the agreement, Sisk dragged on with his promises. Brigitta continued to raise Alex and Kyle, both being remarkably advanced at their respective ages. Finally, in 2003, Arthur exhausted his researched and was deemed of no significant use to Seaboard Technologies' secret operations anymore. The Wald family left and took up residence near Middleburg, Pennsylvania, in a two-story countryside manor. Arthur Wald took a job at BioEclipse Agriculture, often being aided in his very humble research on the side by Brigitta when it pertained to genetic issues. Michael Sisk reached out again to Arthur and Brigitta, and they swiftly declined any further participation.

## Life After Seaboard

In 2007, for reasons unknown to the family, men under orders from Michael Sisk attempted to kidnap either Alex, Kyle, or both of them while the family was in town. Arthur and Brigitta were not in the immediate vicinity. In the confrontation, Alex retrieved a firearm from their car, retaliating. In a shootout, Alex was fatally wounded, and Arthur was able to chase the men off. Brigitta Wald was devastated with the loss, and Arthur was enraged. Knowing his past actions would always come back to haunt him, Arthur chose to seek vengeance and tear apart Seabaord Technologies and everything he contributed. He left the family, and Brigitta never saw him again. She assumed his efforts failed, and his death was chalked up to being lost at sea, a rather unusual excuse, but one the law did not question.

Michael Sisk and a few men later confronted Brigitta Wald, who was terrified. He claimed he did not order the attack, and would take action to deal with anyone responsible in his ranks. Brigitta did not believe him. Despite this, Sisk valued her and her son, feeling guilty for the results of the attack. He began sending her a monthly pension, which she rejected at first. After some time, Michael Sisk asked her if she wanted proof that those responsible for her son and husband's death were dealt with. She declined, knowing it made no difference. Eventually, she began taking the pension, using it to raise her son.

In the late 2010s, Brigitta met Justin Harlem, and the two became partners in the early days of the Jinanvirus. As the virus became more apparent, her worries grew. Being an expert in virology, she recognized behaviors in the virus that she helped pioneer two decades before. Faced with realities, and with her son back home from an internship in Florida, she went on a camping trip with Harlem, hoping to clear her mind. When she returned, her house had been shot up, and her son was missing. The very gang that wounded her son captured her and Harlem. Her confusion grew when she saw her son was part of the gang, and didn't recognize her. She came to the accurate conclusion that it wasn't really her son, though wrongly assumed the gang to be affiliated with Seaboard. The clone, SP-S011, fled and was wounded in a fury of conflict.

Brigitta Wald and Justin Harlem were kept as captives to be used as leverage in their attack on the Krauss Ranch. At gunpoint by Ethan Delansky, the gang leader accidentally shot her and executed her. SP-S011 promptly retaliated and helped kill the entire gang without mercy. Brigitta Wald was buried on the property, taking her long list of secrets to the grave with her.