Langdom Bioweapon

The **Langdom Bioweapon**, officially **RDVA-2017** *(Rabies Derived Viral Agent-2017)*, is a genetically engineered weapon of mass destruction derived from common rabies that induces extreme aggression in humans, transforming them into creatures referred to as Turned. It is colloquially known as **dollar rabies** or **cotton plague**, the disease it causes. In July 2017, the virus was released on the town of Langdom, Missouri as part of a contained experiment, but eventually spread outside of the containment zone and into the rest of the country, carried on both dollar bills - hence its nickname - and in domestic pets. Following its spread from Langdom it spread all across the world, resulting in a worldwide pandemic that threatens to bring humanity to extinction.

By the 2040s, the bioweapon is best known as the **biophage**.

## Overview

RDVA-2017, better known as the Langdom Bioweapon, is a genetically mutated weapon of mass destruction designed as a biological weapon to use against America's enemies. It is derived from common rabies, the same strain that infects domestic pets, mixed with other pathogens, which make it a devastating biological weapon. The strain that was released on Langdom and subsequently spread across the world was designated **RDVA-2017-B.4.7.2**.

## Biology

### Genetics

Dollar rabies is a biological weapon in a viral form that is derived from *Rabies lyssavirus*, the rabies virus, which is a part of the *Rhabdoviridae* family of negative-strand RNA viruses. According to Bill Denver's brief analysis of the virus, dollar rabies has been extensively modified to serve as an incredibly effective bioweapon. For example, unlike regular rabies, dollar rabies induces extensive tumour growth, first in the brain and then in the skin; how the virus accomplishes this is not yet known. The original rabies virus has been spliced with numerous other pathogens, effectively making it a viral superweapon. These extra genomic sequences make the virus highly susceptible to both genetic and environmental mutation.

### Transmission

Ordinary rabies can only be spread through direct contact with an infected specimen's saliva or nervous tissue and kills them by causing extensive brain inflammation that induces aggression, agitation, muscle spasms, delirium, hallucinations, seizures and paralysis. These end with the infected lapsing into a coma, with death following soon afterwards.

The dollar rabies differs in several ways to ordinary rabies; firstly, it has been modified to spread through most bodily fluids, including saliva and blood; the virus does cause brain inflammation, inducing extreme animal-like aggression, but to a much greater extent than ordinary rabies; how the infected subject remains alive is not yet known. As the inflammation increases, common symptoms of rabies begin, including fever, hallucinations, convulsions and partial paralysis. When the virus reaches critical mass in the brain, it induces the growth of brain tumours which further replicate the virus; at this point, the infected lose all higher brain functions and are reduced to an animal-like state. At this point, extensive tumour growth continues over the body; inside these tumours, the replicated virus is wrapped in droplet "sacs" that carry the virus into the air when burst under significant or repeated force - such as scratching - and travel over very short distances, typically within two metres. The virus can also be carried in respiratory droplets that can travel for over twice that distance but do not pose much of a threat in well-ventilated areas.

The time between infection and becoming a "Turned" varies from person to person; in some, the process happens within a few seconds, with the shortest being around fifteen seconds, while in others it takes several hours, even up to 12 hours. It may largely depend on the strength of a person's immune system. Age also appears to be a deciding factor; the elderly Dorothy Wright turned within a few seconds, while the younger Sara Levitt succumbed around 12 hours after being bitten. The virus also appears to work in those who have had the rabies vaccine, but slower compared to those without the vaccine.

However, the virus appears to lose its potency with time; in *Season 2*, Cassie writes in her notebook that people who are bitten or infected by some of the older Turned - those who turned within the few weeks of the outbreak - take longer than average to succumb to the virus than those in the early days.

### Symptoms

Dollar rabies induces many symptoms in common with rabies, but in the long-term, it also causes unique symptoms.

In the short term before "Turning", the infection causes:

* Fever
* Delirium
* Hallucinations
* Muscle spasms
* Seizures
* Memory loss
* Frothing at mouth
* Extreme agitation

In the long term, the virus additionally causes more serious symptoms, usually shown in those that have already Turned. However, these symptoms have also appeared in those few who reach the late stage of infection while still "human"; the only people shown to have reached these stages while still human before finally turning are Sara Levitt and Jack Lee, although as the virus loses potency over time it is likely that more humans have reached these symptoms after being infected by late-stage Turned.

* Tumour growth on skin and joints
* Extreme difficulty in moving joints
* Reduced heart rate
* Extreme breathing difficulties
* Reduced pain response
* Mottling of the skin
* Blurred vision
* Animal-like aggression
* Intense muscle spasms

Additionally, it is well noted that the virus does not render the Turned infertile until a few weeks into infection, with Runners able to procreate and give birth to offspring known as Botched. Botched queens are themselves able to give birth to creatures known as "demons".

### Mutations

Due to the vast number of pathogenic genomic DNA spliced into the bioweapon, the virus is extremely susceptible to both genetic and environmental mutation. This has resulted in a few unique subtypes of Turned with different physical appearances or behaviours. For example, Pales are Biters that have shed their tumours due to environmental mutation, exposing the white skin common in the Turned; as a result, Pales behave more like Runners as the lack of tumours removes the hinderance to the movement of their joints, which normally causes Biters to be slow and unstable.

An opposing mutation could cause the tumour growth to become excessive, beyond that even seen in Stage 3 Turned ("Shamblers"); such an example would be Lurkers, which are infected that have been rendered unable to move or even stand due to the tumour growth making it impossible to move their limbs. As they can barely move, Lurkers prefer to ambush prey in dark corners or doorways by imitating dead Turned, fooling unaware survivors into coming within the limited range that Lurkers possess.

The virus has also shown the ability to act as genetic material, as shown in the case of the Botched: creatures born from those infected with the bioweapon. The Botched are considered a seperate species from humans. The virus has further evolved to create creatures known as "demons", which are born from Botched queens.

Fifteen years after the pandemic first began, the virus has appeared to mutate further, introducing a new first stage of the infection, termed "angries", that possess limited fine motor skills that allow them to use weapons and fight adequately.

### Immunity

There is no vaccine for dollar rabies, and it is likely that one cannot be developed due to the extremely complex nature of the virus and its ability to rapidly evolve. It is likely that the scientists who created it made it impervious to all known forms of treatment to make it a highly devastating weapon of mass destruction. Like the influenza virus, one of the many viral agents that make up the bioweapon's genome, dollar rabies is able to quickly mutate, making vaccine development difficult and potentially impossible. Not even Robert Schrader, the lead scientist of Project Babylon that created the bioweapon, believes it is possible to create a cure, let alone mass-manufacture and distribute it despite the CRM's wide spread across the country.

Only one human has demonstrated a natural immunity to the virus: Cassie Levitt, who was bitten at the same time as her older sister Sara Levitt and has not shown any symptoms, unlike her sister who eventually Turned. When she was looked over by Bill Denver, he deduced that, although Cassie is technically "infected", the virus has proven unable to bind to the receptors in her brain and induce symptoms, therefore making her immune. Besides being bitten, she is also immune to the respiratory droplets and "spores" released from the Turned, able to breathe them in and still show no signs of infection. In addition, since she was bitten Cassie has been usually ignored by Turned, who on one occasion only attacked her until they were at a close distance and no other potential prey was in sight; this indicates that the Turned are able to tell the difference between an infected person and a healthy person and only attack other infected as a last resort. All this means that Cassie could potentially be used to develop a vaccine against the bioweapon, therefore making her humanity's only hope.

## History

> *Main Article: Dollar Pandemic*
>
>

The virus has an artificial origin, having been made by the scientists of Project Babylon under coersion by the U.S government, who - according to head scientist Robert Schrader - led the scientists to believe they were sequencing the genome of an enemy state bioweapon. The virus was created under the provisional name "Rabies Derived Viral Agent (RDVA)-2017". Through a series of complex gene splices, an original highly-infectious rabies virus was modified with genomic DNA from a number of other respiratory and nervous viruses, including influenza (flu) virus, animal coronaviruses and HIV, among others, resulting in a highly-infectious viral superweapon. The scientists noted that its flu mutations made it easy for the virus to travel in cotton, including the cotton fibres in US banknotes (which consist of 75% cotton).

While the virus was tested on animal subjects, the government secretly infected human test subjects with the virus without the knowledge of the scientists. Once the virus reached a significant potential for human-to-human infection, the Lineage B.4.7.2 strain of the virus was taken by the government and unleashed on the town of Langdom, Missouri. To make sure the virus did not escape the town, a containment zone was formed around its perimeter, consisting of a metal wall and a series of vents and fans that kept the virus within the town's limits. In less than 24 hours, the virus killed all but six of the town's residents, all of whom eventually escaped or simply left the containment zone. Following this, the infected residents of Langdom were killed by the military, who began removing any evidence that the town had existed at all. Among the evidence that was recovered was around $2 million in banknotes; according to Schrader, the military were not aware that the virus could be carried on cotton and therefore on banknotes.

Either through direct action or completely by accident, these notes entered general circulation, allowing the virus to quickly travel across the world thanks to the widespread use of US currency. This led to a global economic crash far worse than the Great Depression as Turned started appearing all across the globe. The WHO declared the virus a pandemic less than two weeks after the first case appeared in the general population; due to its transmission vector, it became known colloquially as the dollar pandemic, with the virus itself being referred to as "dollar rabies". The primary hotspots for the virus were the whole of the United States; London, United Kingdom; Seoul, South Korea; Berlin, Germany; and Australia. Economic collapse precipitated complete governmental and societal collapse, with civilization becoming a thing of the past as the survivors were forced to fend for themselves by any means necessary.

A total communication blackout occurred around three months into the pandemic, leaving the fate of the world outside of the United States largely unknown, although it can be safely assumed that the situation is as bad, if not worse, as it is the US. By the winter of 2019, it was estimated by the FRF that 40% of the human population had succumbed to the virus, with that number increasing every day.

## Trivia

* A list of organisms known to be vulnerable to the virus include humans, domesticated pets, bears and bats, all of which share the symptoms of intense aggression and tumour growth. However, non-human Turned have yet to appear in any instalment of the *Langdomverse*.
* Although the bioweapon is referred to as "rabies", it is in fact not rabies and is only derived from rabies, and is only referred to as such because of its similar symptoms. It is a unique microorganism genetically designed with genomes from a variety of pathogens.