Packmind Tactics part 2 - RPLOG
From Flexible Survival
Participants
Date
6/6/2013
Log
Creed, a human RSX agent, is reviewing the notes of one of the lab assistants--a mall rat wearing a name badge reading "Hailey." Nodding to her, he looks up to the door and sees that the agents have started to arrive. Buzzing you in, the door unlocks and opens with a comfortable sigh. "Good evening. I hope you've all been well? I see some new faces--that's good. We've made a bit of progress on the research, but it would be helpful to get a new set of eyes on the problem. We are researching the packmind nanite strain, to identify why it is so viralent and how we might develop resistances to it for our agents. You have been invited here to assist in that research--and we thank you for your efforts. For those I have not met, my name is Creed and I will be the director of this investigation. Please, do introduce yourselves and have a seat," gesturing towards a round table inside the large lab room. Computers are actively blipping their lights, clearly busy processing data on the latest tests.
A coyote enters the room ahead of the others, taking his place at the table. As he sits, he looks back at his tail, smiling and chuckling out quietly, "Been a while since I could sit comfortably." Looking back to the table, and those who are arriving, he shifts back a bit, resting both of his arms in his lap, his smile fading, identifying those he recognizes. He gives a simple nod to each one, and, when he has greeted them all as such, he finally introduces himself. "I'm Rorne, medical expert, computer technician when necessary, as well as researcher. I was here last time, as some of you may know, but I was called back to aid in whatever way I can."
Having been called up to RSX again, and once more for a non-combat oriented task, though the mention of the Packmind Situation was enough to get her attention to get up here on the next helo-ride from Fairhaven. Yeah she had her combat gear with her, but she had it in hand as opposed to being worn. She'd given some looks to the guards who were interested in snagging her gear, which is why she had it with her when she reached the floor this meeting was taking place. Stepping through the door, she noticed that once more, she'd have to stand do to her size. Nodding to those present already, she picked one of the unoccupied chairs, and simply used it as storage for her gear. "Glein Herrick, combat operations contractor and experienced in combat with the subject of this discussion." She said, resting her arms on the chair back.
A tiny husky shuffles into the room and climbs into a chair, standing in it, once again, to keep her head above the edge of the table. "Edel! Still an arms producer! I was here, as well. I had nothing else to do, so I decided to come see if I could help out, again!"
Finally, the last of the newcomers arrives. His gaze scanning the room, a raccoon steps forward, offering a nod to the one that had called for their gathering. "Maxwell.", he introduces in a word, his strides carrying on toward one of the chairs that still remained, all on its lonesome. "I'm not quite sure why I was called in particular, but apparantly someone wanted me, so I'll do what I can." It was certainly... Odd, being back in this building after such long years, back in a proper workroom. A part of him felt familiarity, comfort in the setting that RSX had provided... The rest recoiled in response, for reasons he couldn't recall. His eyes focused on the man that would be leading and guiding them today, as if trying to bring a memory to light... Before he seems to shelve it. The past could come later, surely. "For those of us who weren't present as this research began... Would you mind giving us a refresher on what has occured?"
Creed nods, "Some of you have been called for your scientific knowledge. The problems we're dealing with may have answers in medicine and nanoscience. That is, of course, the hope.. But in particular, we are working toward a possible immunization to protect agents from packmind infection. At present, avoidance of Oregon is the only clear way to protect oneself. Should the packmind spread to Washington, well.. we would like to have contengencies prepared." He paces a bit, arms crossed behind his back, thinking, "In particular, we are not after a weapon. That is for other research departments to concern themselves with. We are after a preventative measure." Nodding, he clicks on a large monitor, displaying a 3D-image of a humanoid brain. "An uninfected brain, typically, will begin to manifest symptoms upon infection within minutes. This is based largely upon field reports." as he speaks, a red coloration begins to spread across the brain in the image. "As the infection progresses, the host begins to exhibit deviations from his or her normal personality. In the case of the wolfmind infection, this begins to manifest in physical transformation towards the feral wolf form that is the norm for the species." The brain rotates on the screen slowly. "Once infection has completely spread, the host mind becomes fully integrated into the packmind in question. At this stage, no known treatment can break the bond."
Creed continues, as the brain returns to a 90% state of infection. "However, at a point before total infection, a new packmind infection may be introduced. To be an effective treatment, this requires proximity to the new packmind. The new infection begins to overtake the prexisting one. So long as the new packmind has superior numbers in the local vicinity, the agent's prexisting infection can be erradicated by the new infection." A new, blue coloration spreads over the brain, starting to overtake the red infection. "The end result, however, is the same. The agent's mind will be overtaken by the new infection--causing, ultimately, a permanent link to the second packmind. There is not yet a way to prevent either infection from taking over, baring removal of the agent from packmind territory. Should they return to the packmind territory in oregon, the dormant infection will reactivate and begin its spread again." The monitor dims as Creed addresses the group, "The infection is able to overtake the brain because of its constantly evolving state. It recieves instructions from the packmind itself, while keeping its own cel structure varied. Thus, the coding it delivers is independent from its structure. Cels, nanites, attempting to fight off the strain are simply unable to keep up with the changing form. What we need, at this point, is a mechanism by which the agent's own brain can act in a similar manner--a nanite strain that continually redesigns the agent's cels, to prevent packmind cels from effectively attacking them. Are there questions, at this stage?"
Rorne looks to Creed, nodding as he makes his explanation. When he asks for questions, he rests his muzzle on the back of the fingers on his right hand, humming a moment in thought. His gaze snaps back to Creed as he remembers, stating directly, "In the previous meeting, a lion by the name of Dio stated something about 'divine' assistance on those who had dedicated themselves to some entity or deity." He stops speaking, looking around the room, explaining, "One example of a deity would be Coyote from Native American legends and myths." He looks back to Creed, continuing, "Even though I don't put a whole lot of stock into such beliefs, I was wondering if you have any idea on these statements and their validity, as well as possible explanation behind the supposed assistance."
Glein shrugs. "It sounds an aweful lot like you basically have to build a blank packmind that doesn't work quite like the ones we know about do, but enough like them to prevent potential infection." she says, shrugging at any glances thrown her way. "I can learn sciencey words and sentance stylings too." She states. "Still, a preventative measure is good, it doesn't doesn't help us in teh field, since if you encounter too many of them, I'm sure they'll be able to overwhelm even your preventative simply by sheer bulk infection."
Edel rubs her chin. "I think Glein has the right thought process, yes. I'm not sure how you'd make something that constantly changes the structure of a person and does so safely. We don't want to end up making something even worse by mistake."
But while the others held questions and thoughts, for now Maxwell remained mostly silent. Having taken his seat, the raccoon had immediately begun his work, pouring through data and information at an alarming pace... His ears perked to the briefing and the conversation that followed, however silent he might have been. Catching himself up to speed. A small 'hmm' leaves him, barely heard as his keystrokes slow... Catching on something of apparant interest.
Creed nods, "I'll try to go over each point. Rorne, we have not looked into the supernatural nature of the one agent's miraculous healing. It simply is not something I feel we can explain with science.. We could attempt to, but if it is truly supernatural then a scientific explaination may not do it justice. It also would be beyond your ability to replicate. To Glein, I don't believe it is impossible. With an agent primed against infection, an effective preventative measure could stop the packmind infection from *beginning* the process of attacking the agent's cels. Thus preventing it from snowballing out of control. Of course, it does not stop the packmind-infected from *killing* an immunized agent." nodding to Edel, "Part of the challenge we have is to ensure that the immunized agent is not, of course, harmed by the procedure. We would not wish to employ a lethal cure, by any means. We would, today, like to take a look at an existing nanite strain we are investigating. The strain does not have the packmind's ability to network multiple agents. It does, however, have a more muted evolutionary affect. We would like to consider improving that effect."
"There are a couple problems we'd want to address when it comes to an inoculation of any type, really," Rorne states plainly. "First, yes, we wouldn't want to injure the agent. Seeing how pervasive the Packmind infection is, the injuries could easily be just as pervasive when it comes to possible immunizations. Second would be actual immunity: An inoculation and immunization would be pointless if it doesn't work. Then the third point, which I think is most important," he pauses and shakes his head, "we don't want any attempt to immunize or inoculate an agent to /backfire,/ either basically making them join a Packmind, or making them more susceptible." He looks to Glein, thus adding, "As for a 'blank Packmind' idea, how would it work in practice without causing a Packmind-like infection in the individual?"
Glein shrugs. "It was just me throwing out sciencey sounding ideas. I don't know how you'd get it to work, I'm not even sure it's possible. It's not like I could line up for one of these shots anyways." She responds, waving a head towards the center of the conference table. "I mean, just from what I've heard so far, really, only way to stop a packmind seems to be with a packmind of a different type, IF you catch it in time. As for how effective that really is? Well, our engagment against the two packminds showed that the 90% point seems to be very loose line." She states, walking as close to the projection as she could. "We were seeing packmind alligence shifts literally over the space of seconds, and if what you folks have found out is true, then it shouldn't be that fast an infection. Which makes me think there must be something else involved. But then, I'm just a grunt, ya'll are teh scientists." She says, before admiting her own ignorance on the more complex or delicate matters the others in the room were here for.
Edel tilts her head. "You said you had a nanite strain you wanted to look at? Which strain is it? I'm sorry if you've already mentioned it. If you have, I probably missed it. But I'm curious as to what you have in mind that could compete with the packmind."
Maxwell's silence carried on, allowing the others to discuss and argue about the proposed idea of 'an infection that could compete'. While he had his own reservations, he would mention them later, assuming they weren't brought up in the meantime, and jotting down what he could in a text file, he continued to trawl through the provided cases and data. His mind wasn't even focusing on the idea presented... But rather to exactly how the mind itself functioned. Searching for anything that pointed to centralization, to a single form that dictated the others as the 'signals' implied. Attacking it all from a different angle.
Creed nods, "The notion of the infection being packmind-like, I would wish to address. The only aspect that should be packmind-like is the evolutionary quality of the nanite strain. We do not want just another packmind. So what are the components of a packmind strain? First, the evolutionary development of cels to guard against rival infections. Second, the networked communication developed among packmind-infected agents. Third, the specific physical form that manfiests as a result of infection. We believe that the last of these is a symptom of the first--that is, the packmind infection evolves towards an ideal state continuously rather than halting upon completion of a program. A recursive algorithm with no halt condition. That is the important part of the infection, for us. A nanite strain that works with a recursive formula towards an ideal. What ideal? That is what we need to define--and safely, so that it does not damage or kill the agent. We would like this strain to *only* affect the mind of the agent--shielding it. We don't wish to transform agents' appearances with this nanite strain. Finally, we want to avoid the sort of networked communication that packmind nanites possess. So, while the evolutionary nature of the strain is similar to the packmind nanite, it is not exactly accurate to say that this would be a clone of a packmind nanite. There are many features of the packmind which we do not believe are necessary or even desireable for what we are after." Looking to the group, "Thus far, progress has been promising. We have a base strain that we are seeking to modify. This is, I would point out, not a packmind strain. Rather it is something that appears to have evolved on its own in an agent we encountered. This agent's mind appears to have not been so rapidly affected by the packmind nanites they were infected with in the field. With their permission, we are investigating how to enhance these nanites to fight off the dormant packmind strain they possess." Working at a console, Creed loads an image of one of the microscoping nanites.
Rorne nods as Creed explains. "Just wanted to make sure that possible negative outcomes were looked at already and appropriately addressed." He then stands, taking a look at the nanite strain, while also looking through what information he has available to him. Looking back at Creed, he then says, "From the looks of this, the nanites will be taken from the host and reappropriated." He then shakes his head, continuing somewhat darkly, "These nanites aren't going to be very effective. They will take information from the brain subconsciously, and have no real way to be 'turned on' if they are deactivated. Because of this, there could easily be no way to recreate them if they were annihilated, so a brute force infection against the host would be fruitful if all of the 'antibody' nanites were destroyed. In order to make it effective, they would need to be allowed to replicate and sustain through an assault by the Packmind." He looks to Creed, as well as the people present, requesting, "In order for this to work, we'd need a way for it to remain active and continue to replicate in the host, or at least reactivate if deactivated. Otherwise it would be a wasted effort. Any ideas on how to do this?"
Glein hmmms, rubbing her 'chin' a moment. "I'm just a gunhand. I'm barely able to keep up with half of this discussion. Still, since I was only peripherally infected with the fox strain, I'm guessing your subject was the gentleman, Angus I believe I recall his name being, whom was infected with the wolf strain?" Glein asked, looking at teh man in charge. "And I'm sure it was thanks to the sample from my blood that you managed to learn about this whole infection-counter infection deal." She states, walking back to her chair, and once more leaning on it. "And no, I am not valid as a test subject for testing purposes. I'm already, technically, condeemed to the Fox mind."
The tiny husky reaches up and pulls down her goggles to study the image. "Hmm..." Edel doesn't offer any comment at this time, seeming to be more content to observe. Her ears do perk towards Rorne at their statement, prompting a slight tilt of her head.
As Maxwell continues to examine things, he manages to finally speak up, seemingly having something to say. "But whereas these nanites draw their commands from within the body itself, the incoming infection has to take signals from extenal means..." The raccoon's gaze rises from the screen, glancing to the others before his gaze settles on Creed. "You mentioned that its these 'signals' that the infection receives that allows it to have such rapid adaptations, even before its entrenched, right? Well... If we could isolate what that signal is, there's another possibility in there."
Creed says to Glein, "We are not prepare to release any personal information about the subject, at this time--only to say that they are an agent who was infected in the field, has not fully succumbed to infection, and has volunteered to be a part of this research study." Looking to Rorne, "Yes, with the packmind infection, the packmind bubble is what allows the strain to continue its aggressive push to infect the agent. For this defensive mechanism to work, there needs to be a signal to drive the nanites to continue their efforts at all times. Do you have a recommendation for how to accomplish this? What we do not want is another packmind infection--a different approach is needed to ensure that the agent's nanites continue to act on the brain in a proactive manner. And this would have to remain in place even as other, new infections are recieved..." looking to Maxwell, "Hmm, we do know that the signal being recieved by the host's unique strain of nanites, we will call this the delta strain, comes from the host's brain waves. We know that the packmind nanites recieve a similar type of signal from the packmind bubble, when in proximity. That is the one advantage the delta strain has--proximity is never really an issue. But are you considering something else?"
Rorne nods and begins pacing, thinking to himself, although out loud. "The Packmind Nanites receive the signal constantly from within the bubble, whereas these receive it from the brain. The difference is that the Packmind nanites receive it uniformly, so the inoculation nanites would need to as well... no, it would need to be all nanites in the host body." He stops, facing the wall, continuing his thinking, "If we assume that every nanite in the host is working appropriately, a subset would need to work on the brain, and newly introduced nanites would need to be converted to fit the inoculation nanites... but how?" He closes his eyes, pressing his temples with his hands, trying to think about a solution to the problem.
Edel taps her chin and pushes her goggles up. "Wait a minute. I just got to thinking... Instead of just coming up with nanites to combat it, is it possible to... Intercept, or otherwise interrupt the signal that the packmind nanites are sending? They might not be able to spread if something is jamming their signal, which would render them inert, wouldn't it? I'll be honest; I don't study nanites specifically, so I'm not sure how viable this is."
"Exactly.", Maxwell responds with a nod. "Its certainly an idea, and..." The raccoon's gaze lowers to the screen at his position once again, falling silent for a small period. "Mr... Creed, was it?", comes his voice again, maybe a half minute later. "I've been searching through the data you've provided, and... I'm having trouble finding something. Is there any data available on the traffic that passes about in a packmind bubble, or during an infection attempt, or... Anything of such kind? In particular, I mean the communication signals that the nanites in the area receive... It would we useful, vital perhaps, in trying to isolate this external signal."
Creed nods, trying to answer both Edel and Maxwell, "At the moment, we cannot guarantee for certain that the signal is uniform. It may vary depending upon the packmind--and a new packmind strain could have a new signal entirely. We don't even know that the signal remains uniform within a particular strain... There is a great deal that still needs documentation in that regard, in the field. A dangerous place to be gathering data, but nonetheless... At this moment, we cannot assume we will be able to predict the signal and intercept it. Another mission into the field could be used to aquire some data, in that regard." looking to Rorne, "Yes, the question is, how do new nanites gain the signal? When a nanite strain infects a host, the agent's existing nanites are typically converted to run the program specified by the new strain. They execute a particular program, converting the agent's biomass into the new type as specified by the strain."
"Perhaps," Rorne begins, whirling around to look straight at Creed. "When an agent is infected, the nanites change the purpose of the current nanites, which causes the alterations in form. If the programming within the nanites were possibly transferred from the current nanites to the new nanites, like a sort of virus going from one subject to another, then new nanites would receive the signal from the brain subset. This could be achieved by having the nanites in the host act similarly to Packmind nanites, where they alter opposing nanites to fit a specific goal in mind, which would be the reception of the signals from the brain. This would be a sort of defense mechanism, inserting the appropriate code upon interaction, or perhaps even earlier, of the infecting nanites to the nanites originally within the body of the agent." He looks to the screen, then asking, "How does that sound for a possible solution, or at least a launching point for one?"
Edel sinks into her seat, tapping her dull claws on the table as she thinks. "I'm not really sure how to... Figure out what kind of signal they're using... I will have to think on it! I have a few ideas, but they need to be refined first, certainly."
"Indeed.", chimes in Maxwell, the raccoon giving another nod. "And while Rorne's ideas would focus on defending from an infection, the angle I would like to pursue would look into preventing the more adverse effects. The strain would still be a strain, I'm afraid, potentially infecting and spreading, but the thing that makes it dangerous, the networked, controlling mind it enforces, this 'unbreakable' bond would hopefully be negated. It would bring such strains down to the level of the strains we are already familiar with, rather than empowering the other nanites into a form that may overwhelm us or produce unknown consequences in the future. Of course, I cannot deny that any proposed solution bears that risk... And while we can research and develop the idea of boosting or propagating this subset system, I would require more data before I can work on anything to do with dampening or monitoring these signals."
Creed says, "So as opposed to a slow trickle of delta-strain nanites, you would have them to reactively convert new infections into delta-strain members. Any new infection would start recieving instructions from the agent's brain. If this were to be compared to a packmind nanite, the packmind bubble would be the agent's own mind. And rather than reaching out to spread itself, as packmind nanites do, the delta strain would simply convert nanites upon entry into the agent's system. That would, theoretically, also convert a packmind nanite to recieve instructions from the agent's brain instead of the packmind bubble--just as one packmind nanite breaks the connection of another packmind nanite. That could have potential to work... we would have to adjust the existing nanites to have this defense mechanism. We would also have to ensure that the nanites only keep the signal while inside the host agent." nodding, "This could be promising. We have additional experiments to run, at least. But if this is successful, it should begin conversion of all nanites inside the host automatically. We also need to make certain that the signal is strong enough to fend off at least an initial infection--to prevent it from snowballing." nodding to the group, "Thank you for your input on these matters. You are helping us make much more rapid progress. I believe, if we can secure enough energy for the project, we could complete the work within a week. It depends largely upon funding, at this stage. You may do well to build support for the project, in that regard." looking back to the monitor, "In the meantime, we will continue work and hopefully have a working prototype soon. If we have new questions, I will certainly contact you for assistance. You have all done some exceptional work. We'll just have to let the lab take it from here..."
