The Pathogen´s origin

“What am I going to do?!” Kensu yelled, his whole body shaking. “I’m going to die in four hours!? Can’t I use the inhaler to extend the time again?”

“No. The anti-biotics confuse the Pathogen, but unfortunately, they are quick to adapt, Doctor. The Pathogen simply will not forget to kill you once it’s "back to its senses" so to speak, unlike what might happen to other humans.”

“What even is this Pathogen?! Does it have a cure?” Kensu angrily asked his computer, grabbing the monitor as if it could feel it. Both AIs answered at the same time.

“No, there is no cure. That’s what the Doctor was researching.”

“Yes, there might be a cure. That’s what the Professor was researching.”

“Explain, both of you.”

“I think It’s best if I let the professor explain. I will continue to play the videos… at an accelerated speed since we don’t have the luxury of time anymore.”

---

“…I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. There were no predators, no diseases either. Animals adapted to their environment in real-time. That planet defies belief! You should have seen it!”

“I have seen it, Dr Hiroto. You’ve sent me enough pictures to fill my hard drive.”

Doctor Hiroto was sitting in a sumptuous office on the last floor of a towering skyscraper. A lanky businessman sat across a polished desk, his eyes distant and his expression bored. A black-haired woman was next to the Doctor, her gentle hand resting on the man’s shaking knee.

“Well then, you understand why this is such a big discovery,” Aida said.

“No, I do not. I’m not in the business of Space Tourism.”

“It’s not the planet that’s important, but the mechanism its animals use to adapt. Here!” The Doctor pulled out a small flask containing a drop of a viscous red liquid. “This is a concentrated sample of the marvelous little virus that bonded with the DNA equivalent of every creature on the planet. I call it the LX-12 Symbiotic Pathogen!”

The businessman grabbed the flask, a single eyebrow raised at the doctor. “The what now?”

“My partner here might be good at many things, but naming is not one of them," Aida interceded "This is a sample of a virus-like Pathogen that is in the cells of every animal on LX-12. This little fella adapts their host’s body to the needs of their environment practically instantaneously, with no need to wait for evolution to do its trick.”

“A cold front is coming? The creatures instantly grow a thick layer of fur. Is vegetation too high up in the trees? Overnight, the grazers grow giraffe-like necks. I’ve seen a fish develop wings and fly away in the middle of a storm. You know what we could do if we adapted the Pathogen to work with the human body and learn to control it?”

The businessman straightened his posture, a glint glowing in his eyes.

“We could cure the last degenerative diseases, re-grow limbs. Hell, maybe even finally find a way to beat cancer.”

“You are thinking too small, my friend.”

“Curing cancer is thinking too small now?”

“Yes! If we can adapt the Pathogen, if we tame it, then the human body will be like a piece of clay for us to sculpt however we please.”

“And the best part is that change need not be permanent,” Aida said with a smile. “We can change back as many times as we need. For example, someone born on an asteroid with weak muscles and thin bones could be made strong enough to visit Earth and then go back to his lither body when he returns from the trip. They would no longer need months of arduous exercise and preparations.”

“Y-yes and that’s just the application on the solar system! Think how many worlds we can colonize if we can just adapt the body to the alien environment in just a snap of the fingers.” To make his point, the professor snapped his own.

The businessman stood up, inspecting the little red vial up and down. “And I don’t suppose you came here to brag. Let me guess, New Dawn Enterprises doesn’t have the funds to exploit this Holy Grail of genetic engineering.”

“Yes, precisely. We heard good things about you, Mr Randle. How have you are even been considered for a seat in the upcoming Security Council? We could think of no better man who could help us change the future of species for the better. We would be honored if you could join our partnership.”

“Hah. The honor is all mine. Well then, it’s a deal!” The two men shook hands, sealing their partnership.

---

“…Why not?! You told me it was ready already!”

“It’s not that ready! It can only follow simple instructions-“

“Yes, like eradicating the Jovian flu that’s spreading across the planet! You used it on yourself, on your wife, so why not the general public?”

Doctor Hiroto and Randle were having a heated discussion in the middle of their now jointly owned lab. It was late at night, and there was no one else around them.

“Because we still don’t know if it’s truly safe! We have to run more tests! We only used it on ourselves out of desperation, not-“

Randle pointed out the window. “And you don’t think there are desperate people out there dying on the streets? I’ve poured billions into this research for years, and now that finally have tangible results, you rather sit your ass over the dragon’s hoard and keep it away from everyone else?! What happened to all that greater good crap?”

“I… I’m not saying no, just … not yet. Give me a week, Randle. Let me make sure it is truly safe.”

“Fine, you have your week. Just remember that all the people that die before the next Monday are on your shoulders, Doctor.”

---

“The bad news is that, as we feared, the Pathogen has adapted and is now spreading.”

Randle, Aida, and Hiroto were sitting in a conference room. The doctor’s beard was turning white, and Aida had a few wrinkles at the sides of her blue eyes. Randle ran his fingers across his oily hair, taking a deep breath before making eye contact with the Doctor again.

“Spreading how?”

Aida cleared her throat. “The virus mutated and now spreads by air. It’s very virulent as well, so we calculate that there is a not insignificant chance that the whole of the planet might be infected by the end of the year if we don’t take… drastic measures.”

“Good thing you are now in a position to enact these measures, eh Councilor? Even if we have to come clean about the Pathogen’s existence.”

Randle got up and walked to the window. He stared at the gleaming city below for a full minute before turning back to the table, “And… what symptoms do these infected people have?”

“Err, they don’t show any symptoms. Besides spreading, the Pathogen doesn’t seem to do anything but hitch a ride in our bodies.”

“So, it’s dormant, then?”

“...yes, it could be considered dormant.”

“Then we do nothing. No need to start a panic over something ultimately harmless.”

“But what if people find out-"

“They won’t. The Council will make sure of it. We were already planning to outlaw unregulated human genetic research precisely to avoid this kind of... pandemic.”

“B-b-but you can’t close that avenue of research!” Aida protested.

“Relax, you, of course, will still have permission to investigate.”

“No, but what about all the other diseases out there that are yet to be treated?”

“Don’t we have the Pathogen for them? Can’t we send more signals to order it to cure any problematic disease that crops up? I believe that was your original pitch, wasn’t it?”

Aida and Hiroto stared at each other. With a dejected sigh, Aida began to reply. “About that… we still can’t find a way to remotely signal the dormant Pathogen inside a body to do anything but cure the flu."

"But… we have found a more direct way to do so. We made these...pods, I guess you can call them, that allow for a more direct application of the Pathogen to modify a body or even alter its DNA."

“Of course, that’s only a temporary measure. We hope to crack the code pretty soon. Hopefully, we should be able to will the Pathogen into doing whatever we want.”

"Wouldn't that be something? I can’t wait to see that in action."