30 Noah's Hypothesis

Light acted as though he hadn't felt the change in air as he continued speaking, "We have no interest in getting on that helicopter, and only want to learn more about the virus. What are your thoughts?"

Taking a sip of her tea, Noah asked in a relaxed tone, "How did you know about the helicopter?" This was information guarded very closely by their team as only select people would be able to get on the helicopter.

"Unfortunately we can't reveal our sources, but just know that the information has not spread," replied Light who intended to make their group more mysterious.

"How can we believe that you won't at the last minute try to fight for a spot on the helicopter?"

"You don't but...." Light purposely dragged his words as he responded, "If we had the intention of hijacking the helicopter, it would be far more beneficial for us to just ambush you all at the last minute."

This was true as well. The tense atmosphere remained. There were two choices that Randy and Noah could make. One was to get rid of the group before them to ensure the information does not get out. The other was to trust the group and collaborate with them as suggested.

Since Light showed his fighting abilities, taking the group down with their currently limited resources was not entirely guaranteed. Additionally, the fact that there were no groups of people coming to them demanding a spot on the helicopter was proof that Light's group had not leaked the information. Weighing these factors, Noah took a moment before responding, "I am willing to make this deal on the condition that you make sure we can get everyone we want on the helicopter."

Reaching his hand out, Light said, "Deal."

With that, the Science faction and Aida's group had entered an agreement. Noah then led them to the room full of infected.

Aida trailed behind as she observed Noah quietly from behind. She looked vaguely familiar but Aida couldn't quite put a hand on where she had seen her from before the apocalypse.

Noah began speaking, "We've isolated the infected into this room, but have since discovered that the disease is only transmittable through saliva or open wounds. As long as you are not injured and don't try to kiss any of the infected, you should be fine."

All the infected in the room were still sedated and sleeping. Most of the infected had already passed the fever and rash phase, so they were just lying there quietly. Occasionally, a scientist would come in a draw blood from one of the infected.

Most of the infected were lying there, looking very normal. However, there were also a few infected who looked...odd. There was one man who was wearing his shoes on his hands, another that was holding banana peels, and a third that was not wearing a top and had children's art drawn onto his chest with a sharpie.

"They're all Enraged! Why do you keep them here? Isn't it dangerous?" asked Ace curiously.

"Enraged?"

"Yeah, that's what we call the infected who are conscious and destructive."

"It's a risk we have to take for science. Without sacrifices and live samples, our research would never make any progress. My team has been investigating the changes in the blood of the infected to better understand what is occurring. It appears each infected has had a fundamental change in cell structure that gives them greater vitality. The fever and rashes are signs of the body rejecting the change, but the foreign virus is clearly much stronger and forces the body to adapt."

"Just like a teenager's body when it's going through growing pains, the body will begin sending out hormones like crazy, often causing a hormonal imbalance. This is why most people tend to have mood swings and are more rebellious during their teenage years. In the case of this virus, the body also requires time to get used to the changes and thus triggers an unprecedented spike in two hormones: adrenaline and cortisol," Noah explained.

"As you know adrenaline is related to a person's fight or flight response. Cortisol is the hormone that controls stress levels. Due to this unprecedented spike in cortisol, the hormone serotonin in the body drops to zero. Serotonin is the hormone in the body that makes you happy. Once serotonin disappears, the body will naturally signal to the brain anger and pain which is what causes people to end up in the 'Enraged' state you mentioned."

"Through our research, we were able to discover that each person reacts slightly differently to the virus. We believe that after the 'Enraged' state is just another intermediary step that lasts just while the body adjusts to the changes. Afterwards, the infected will begin to demonstrate other abilities and that they will vary depending on the person."

"You mean like super powers?" asked Ace curiously.

"Yes!" Noah responded enthusiastically for the first time since they met her. She snapped her fingers and pointed at him, "That is exactly what I mean!"

"Can you imagine? A world where there will be living superhumans all around the world!" Noah's eyes glimmered with excitement and wistfulness as she mentioned her hypothesis.

Randy interrupted with a cough, saying, "I think you're getting off topic here Noah."

"Yes... It's really too bad we have to leave such perfect specimens here to die..."

"..."

"How long will it take for the infected to adjust to the changes in their body if hypothetically they would develop superpowers?" Light asked.

Noah thought for a moment, then responded, "It would depend on the person. We believe that the younger the infected, the more adaptable the body is to this change. This means the younger generations will likely come out of the 'Enraged' state faster. This may be as early as in a few days or as long as a decade depending on the person."

At this point, Randy chimed in. "This is the big breakthrough we intend to bring back to the government. We will also provide them with vials of the infected blood so they can further study the virus itself."

They all nodded, and departed the infected room.