- This article contains significant spoilers from the main campaigns.
The Atrox strain is a biological weapon of mass destruction (WMD) that is transmitted via mosquitoes.
Background[]
Symbol used to identify personnel and vehicles holding the Atrox strain.
This unique super-strain of the malaria disease was artificially engineered by CSAT scientists and is designed to target certain human genotypes.[1][2]
It is "harmless" to non-targeted genotypes, and afflicted hosts can be quickly treated by conventional anti-malaria medication. For those that fall within the strain's scope of targets however, only specific vaccines - created by CSAT scientists, are able to cure the disease.[1][2][3]
The prime use of the strain is fabricating crises that favour CSAT intervention. Where others have failed to treat the infected, CSAT doctors, acting under the pretence of providing humanitarian aid, appear as the only "saviours" who are able to cure the super-strain with their special vaccines.[1][4][5]
Capabilities[]
Skin ulcerations are hallmark signs of an Atrox victim.
Atrox functions in the same way as regular malaria strains. Once a human is bitten by an infected mosquito (and they fall within the targeted genotype), the infection will exhibit the same symptoms of malaria and slowly eat away at their vitals.[6]
However, one notable symptom that differentiates victims of Atrox apart from normal strains of malaria is their skin. Within hours of infection, the person's skin will begin to ulcerate as if the body were reacting to an allergy.[7][6]
| « | I shit you not, I left him for like a couple of minutes, came back with an RDT and... Boom, he's burning up. I had about enough time to call the CMO before he, y'know... And his skin - I mean, hell, it was practically peeling off. Does that sound anything like malaria to you? | » |
The disease is completely resistant to anti-malaria treatments in humans possessing the target genotype. It cannot be cured without the vaccines created by CSAT. Affected humans that are not treated by these special vaccines within days of transmission, will wither away in constant agony and eventually succumb to its effects.[6]
It should also be noted that for humans who do not possess the targeted genotype, they may still exhibit some of the common symptoms but will never perish to Atrox.
A prime example of this being the case would be non-Tanoan aid workers whom, even after being bitten by mosquitoes, suffered none of the lasting consequences of the disease in contrast to their patients.[8] A priest, Father Georgiopoulis, was also able to personally administer rites to those on their deathbed. Observers thought he had "divine protection" but in reality, his Altian heritage meant that his safety from Atrox was guaranteed.[9]
Uses[]
| « | A truck drove off in the night, carrying boxes marked with the same suspicious symbol we spoke about... It arrived at Luganville and, hours later, people started getting sick. | » |
CSAT tested the strain's capabilities by utilising it against the people of the Horizon Islands. This specific strain was modified to target ethnic Tanoans[1], and shipments of mosquitoes carrying the strain were smuggled into the country via "construction materials".[10][8]
The infected mosquitoes were then released into the wild. Within a matter of days, hundreds of locals were exposed to the disease. This led to the immediate quarantine of numerous settlements, from small villages[11] to larger towns and even cities throughout the Tanoa Province. For provincial locals, its lethality earned it the name of "Jungle Fever"[12][13]; a seemingly uncurable disease that spread rapidly and killed its victims within hours of infection.[8]
Countermeasures[]
Vaccine for Atrox.
Commercially available anti-malaria medication, such as MEDEX's Primaquine drugs, can alleviate some of the symptoms temporarily.[14]
Depending on the dosage, this can last for only an hour or several days, though it does nothing to treat the diseases' side effects. The only known cure are CSAT's aforementioned special vaccines that contain the Atrox counteragent.[14] Upon receiving a dosage, the patient will cease to suffer from its external and internal effects, though it is not fully clear if internal damage can be reversed.
However, one concerning aspect of the counteragent is that in spite of its ability to cure Atrox, it has been demonstrated to be unreliable at best and may often induce worse side effects to the victim.
The remains of victims that reacted negatively to the counteragent.
Several patients treated at the CSAT clinic at Ouméré for instance, reacted negatively to the counteragent and suffered horrific consequences as a result; often ending with the patient coughing blood and choking to death from these violent fits. The counteragent may fail to work completely and even appear to accelerate its effects.[15][16]
Trivia[]
- Atrox is likely another facet of CSAT's so-called "Apex Protocol" strategy, and is possibly the coalition's most nefarious and yet, also their most effective method of subversion.
- While Eastwind is also capable of fabricating natural disasters in potential hotspots, Atrox generates a crisis that only CSAT is capable of "solving" through their own specific vaccine.
- Because of the WMD's discriminate nature (only targeted genotypes can be affected), it bears no risk of collateral damage to property like Eastwind. It also does not require a device to be physically on-site, since infected mosquitoes can simply be smuggled in and released into the region at will.
- Atrox bears many similarities to and is possibly inspired by the "FOXDIE" virus from Konami's "Metal Gear" series.
- Unlike Atrox however, "FOXDIE" is a retrovirus that is designed to target specific human(s) with a unique set of genes, rather than anyone possessing it like Atrox does.
- It may also be inspired by the "Syphon Filter" virus, the titular biological agent of the "Syphon Filter" series. As with Atrox, it too is a genotype-targeting virus that can potentially wipe out entire ethnic groups depending on the strain but is transmitted via direct contact with contaminated fluids rather than mosquito bites.
Gallery[]
References[]
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