Let's Pretend: If It's Not a Virus, What Else Could It Be?

[Eviebae]

Let's get creative...

What if Radon Labs (or someone nearby) was in possession of an alien (duh duh duuuuuuh!). They were running tests on the tissue and someone in the lab was contaminated. The alien blood/tissue could have acted like a virus. A pretty nifty defense--if you bite me, I colonize you.

[itsallgoodie]

Nanobots!!!

[Eviebae]

Nanobots!!!

Yes! Who, what, why, how?:D

[jamman39]

Its not that crazy of an idea, We're Alive has been anything but predictable so far and there have been a couple of things that have made me think 'not virus' along the way. Like for instance, behemoths, that's not something a virus could do. At least not any virus I've ever heard of

[itsallgoodie]

Yes! Who, what, why, how?:D

who: government
what: Nanobots!
why: attempt at a new weapon gone terribly wrong
how: no idea...gets put in bottled water ment for shipment to troops in the middle east???

[Eviebae]

Its not that crazy of an idea, We're Alive has been anything but predictable so far and there have been a couple of things that have made me think 'not virus' along the way. Like for instance, behemoths, that's not something a virus could do. At least not any virus I've ever heard of

I have to agree I've never caught a cold that turned me into a rampaging zombie. :P

What made you think 'not virus' and what else could do what is being done?

I think it would be fun to just spew some alternatives

[wooly]

Like for instance, behemoths, that's not something a virus could do. At least not any virus I've ever heard of
/\
this

Zombies we all understand, but the behemoths have me puzzled as well. It's a nice twist.

Viruses don't turn a man-sized creature into a hulking giant wall-smashing carnivore.
I like the nanobot idea. Rebuilding the tissue on a cellular level to turn you into something else. Very creative.

[Eviebae]

/\
this


? Was ist los?
I don't recognize.

[wooly]

that's what happens when you think you are replying to the post above you but three other posts jump in before you stop typing :) Edited.

[rolsskk]

I think the Aliens or Captured Aliens line of thought should be avoided at all costs, as it's been done to death before, and really doesn't work all that well. That being said, I could go for an alien microbe - ie Andromeda Strain, or some mutagenic plague/bacterium.

[Eviebae]

who: government
what: Nanobots!
why: attempt at a new weapon gone terribly wrong
how: no idea...gets put in bottled water meant for shipment to troops in the middle east???

Nanobots--I just realized that just about everything they call nanotechnology these days is just 'make it smaller' technology. Make chemicals smaller so that they can be absorbed better etc. That would fit with the absorbing into cuts.

Wikipedia, I love you!

Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with structures sized between 1 to 100 nanometre in at least one dimension, and involves developing materials or devices possessing at least one dimension within that size. Quantum mechanical effects are very important at this scale, which is in the quantum realm.

Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

[timberwoof]

Just the way its transmitted doesn't give me the impression of Nanotech. I honestly think its a bio-engineered "super soldier" type virus constructed by the government but the transportation truck got struck in an accident and one of the test subjects got loose. My idea.

[Eviebae]

Could all be happening in a virtual reality....

purgatory...

[jamman39]

Honestly part of me hopes we don't find out, id be ok with it being an infection but if its a 'supersoldier gone wrong!' I'm pretty sure no amount of great writing could make that not suck. The Aliens theory actually could be interesting, I mean what if its just some symbiotic microorganism and a side effect of it is a release of HGH in the host's system? I don't know if this story would go that far into left field but if it does I know ill still be listening. What do you guys think?

[timberwoof]

Could all be happening in a virtual reality....

purgatory...

Not with the Lost Theory..... *shakes head* hehe

[cycogod]

I just think it's some type of accelerator that enhances..? a behemoth is a big person maybe on steriods.(a bodybuilder)
whatever is in your body or mind at the time of death is the main trait that is re-animated. the ink zombie was insane so in death he's unique.don't they say that 99.9 % of people think the same. jumpers were more athlethic before death.etc
still don't know what causes the return from death? What about the hive mind ?

[Pteranodon]

It hasn't yet been established that they ARE zombies. They behave like 'zombies' from certain movies, but bullets seem to stop them. Are they rotting? Are they just rabid humans? Do chest wounds injure them? Are their hearts beating, do they digest food or starve to death? We don't know, NONE of this has been answered yet. We can't know what caused it without first knowing what the 'zombies' ARE.

Who/what are the 'usual suspects'?

It could be a virus, a fungus, an infectious Prion (Look up 'Prions' if you wanna read something REALLY scary; they're infectious proteins that spread exponentially and can't be stopped and they kill you fast), mass-mutations, or nanobots- and that's only things from KNOWN science. What if this plague comes from some totally undiscovered branch of science? That'd be like the Black Death back in the day- people were baffled about what was causing it. We know what it was now (Bubonic plague) because we have microscopes etc. What if the modern world doesn't have the tools yet to even DETECT whatever's causing the 'Zombie Plague'?

My crazy theory; What if some weird radiation pattern from a Black Hole (or a Gamma Ray burst) caused instantaneous mutations in billions of humans? Something like a Gamma Ray burst would hit the entire planet all at once, even the side facing away from it; maybe only certain sets of genes (or proteins) are affected, found ONLY in humans and maybe chimps, so MOST humans are mutated in a matter of hours and the rest only get the 'plague' via a bite. Other animals and plants wouldn't be affected cause they don't share the target chromosome (or protein)

Can it be cured? No. But once the Zombies are all wiped out the survivors can repopulate the world.

[Pteranodon]

Besides, nanotech gone awry becomes "Gray Goo", not Zombies.... (Gray Goo would destroy the entire World, not just the humans, and NOTHING could stop it)

[Pikepaw]

I think maybe it is a blood-borne parasite. Government engineered parasites that implant in a host and grow in and on them. Sort of explains the leather skin and the different dimensions of the jumpers and behemoths. I admit the theory has its holes, but I like it. Some microscopic parasite that mutates its host, there are some that exist that can manipulate your brain in scary ways.

Also, the evidence the show gives us says that the zombies are alive. Even in the very first episode, Angel is sarcastic about, "the dead returning to life" and Saul repeats, "Who says they're dead?"
Burt shoots a jumper through the chest with a shotgun and it goes down. There are other times when they shoot zombies through the heart and seem confident they are dead (even when they are still dangerous). Also, when on the back of the firetruck and blasting the zombies with the SAW, you cannot honestly tell me that Burt (awesome though he is) shot each and every Zed through the head with a machine gun. Still, the zombies do have a higher endurance, can withstand more hits than a human

[Private Parts]

Let's get creative...

What if Radon Labs (or someone nearby) was in possession of an alien (duh duh duuuuuuh!). They were running tests on the tissue and someone in the lab was contaminated. The alien blood/tissue could have acted like a virus. A pretty nifty defense--if you bite me, I colonize you.

sounds a bit like were the Day by day seires is goin

[yarri]

My 2 cents... *puts on my tinfoil hat*
Stem cell research. Someone at the "labs" was using stem cells to cure a host of mental and physical diseases and it when horribly wrong....


*takes off the tinfoil hat* Ok seriously, my theory is it was something used to stimulate the portion of the brain that deals with aggression. Someone at the lab was trying to change the brain chemistry in a person with high levels of aggression and calm them down and it didn't work like they had hoped for.

[Rock Daddy]

Really good ideas. I was wondering myself because it must be something crazy. Wouldn't a virus be too cliche? But what puzzles me is... it happened simultaneously in all major cities. (at least that's what the news report on the tivo said before it cut out...) So... it wasn't an accident???

[cycogod]

sounds a bit like were the Day by day seires is goin


yep- the crazy wave

[mem]

scientists working on the fountain of youth and keeping tissue alive beyond death....no wait that is resident evil crap !!

not that RE is crap but Crap ! as in that isnt an original idea

[Eviebae]

What if this plague comes from some totally undiscovered branch of science? That'd be like the Black Death back in the day- people were baffled about what was causing it. We know what it was now (Bubonic plague) because we have microscopes etc. What if the modern world doesn't have the tools yet to even DETECT whatever's causing the 'Zombie Plague'?

Like how dust motes drifting in the sunlight look like their movement is random until you factor in heat. That's very Lovecraftian--he was big on the concept of "unknowable."

Something we classify as a disease could be actually be a creature from an upper dimension moving through ours. When you read how we would look to a Flatlander (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland), it's interesting to try and imagine what something that exists in, say, 9 dimensions would look to us...

Or it's caused by the impact of a spectrum (like color or sound) that we can't perceive. The more abstract it gets, the more I likes it.;)

[Eviebae]

Here's some more ideas, well, most of them we've talked about: http://www.cracked.com/article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen.html

By David (John Dies At The End) Wong

[HardKor]

how: no idea...gets put in bottled water ment for shipment to troops in the middle east???

It was Pete! He spiked his competitors water so he could corner the market after the outbreak. It's all coming together!

[cPT.cAPSLOCK]

Bacteria or parasite, probably in the brain. But medically speaking (as far as that goes), highly unlikely.
A parasite is possible though:
For example, one of the hosts in a flatworm's (a type of parasites) cycle is an ant. Flatworms find a cosy spot in the ant-brain, and literally take control of the ant's body.

[Eviebae]

Bacteria or parasite, probably in the brain. But medically speaking (as far as that goes), highly unlikely.
A parasite is possible though:

How about saying it's been around a really long time, but has either been rediscovered or weaponized. You could say it's what was used to create the Norse Berserkers.

From Wikipedia:

His (Odin's) men rushed forwards without armour, were as mad as dogs or wolves, bit their shields, and were strong as bears or wild oxen, and killed people at a blow, but neither fire nor iron told upon them. This was called Berserkergang.[5]

[Beaumont]

/\
this

Zombies we all understand, but the behemoths have me puzzled as well. It's a nice twist.

Viruses don't turn a man-sized creature into a hulking giant wall-smashing carnivore.
I like the nanobot idea. Rebuilding the tissue on a cellular level to turn you into something else. Very creative.

Yeah that's a cool idea but if it is a virus maybe it could depend on the biological interaction with each individual rather than just a blanket effect on all infected.

[LoadingGodmode]

Even if the infection came from an alien, it would still be a virus. That seems like the only logical thing it could be... Maybe I'm just not creative. :P

[Eviebae]

Yeah that's a cool idea but if it is a virus maybe it could depend on the biological interaction with each individual rather than just a blanket effect on all infected.

Yeah, I'm thinking the runners and jumpers were thin and athletic to begin with.

[StickUpKid]

What if its a bacteria? Say all zombies have come into contact with something. Maybe the strangely colored one is say the living manifest of the bacteria/infection/ whatever. Since it seemed like the arena nest kinda depened on him maybe he is the source.

[Luna Guardian]

A massive, worldwide April Fool's joke taken a step too far?

[Teethingbiscuit]

living radiation. transmits by bodily fluids feeds on brain and other organics to multiply.
That almost sounds like life,depending on how we would try and define life, that is.
Teethingpains

[bequita]

A massive, worldwide April Fool's joke taken a step too far?

Lol. The ultimate rick roll. "never gonna give you up, signed Ink."

[StickUpKid]

My guess is military experiment but that just a guess. Only saying so because of the tatoo prisoner guy he may have been in that institute and they infected like he could be the center. Oh and how could these "things" be zombies zombies are walking corpses therefore they would just fall apart and rot. these dont.

[Pteranodon]

It could be some latent 'junk' DNA being triggered by something (yes I got the idea from a Dr Who episode)...

Are these infected people or magical walking corpses? 'Zombies' used to be people who'd been drugged, buried, and used for cheap labor in a sugar mill; nowadays they're rotting corpses that somehow walk and eat. Even "Dr Despicable" can't wrap his head around it (from Dr Despicable's Chamber Of Cinema podcast)

Have the "We're Alive" zombies survived fatal injuries? Do their severed heads still bite? The tower people NEED to study one up close! Especially now that they have a Doctor on board.... I don't think they're walking corpses OR voodoo zombies; they seem like mutants of some kind, people who have changed but not died; their higher minds are gone, they're savage and instinctual.

[Eviebae]

I don't think they're walking corpses OR voodoo zombies; they seem like mutants of some kind, people who have changed but not died; their higher minds are gone, they're savage and instinctual.

Zomboids, I'm just sayin'.

The cool thing (and scary thing) about these zombies is they do have some cognitive ability combined with instinct and savagery. They are like Borg zombies in that they seem such perfect predators you can't imagine how you'd actually defeat them.

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

It could be some latent 'junk' DNA being triggered by something (yes I got the idea from a Dr Who episode)...

Are these infected people or magical walking corpses? 'Zombies' used to be people who'd been drugged, buried, and used for cheap labor in a sugar mill; nowadays they're rotting corpses that somehow walk and eat. Even "Dr Despicable" can't wrap his head around it (from Dr Despicable's Chamber Of Cinema podcast)

Have the "We're Alive" zombies survived fatal injuries? Do their severed heads still bite? The tower people NEED to study one up close! Especially now that they have a Doctor on board.... I don't think they're walking corpses OR voodoo zombies; they seem like mutants of some kind, people who have changed but not died; their higher minds are gone, they're savage and instinctual.

The infected on the show breath, They can be knocked out, some hunger for anything to eat, Their heads do not continue to function if severed because they aren't the undead. They're creatures or infected beings. Massive trauma kills them too.
Some know and show fear (ink and the one that hid from Mike after Lizzie was introduced, others can reason and some can feel a certain level of pain.

[Eviebae]

The infected on the show breath,

I spent far too long looking for a show "Breath" :o and then realized you meant that the people on the show breathe etc.;)

[Pteranodon]

"If it bleeds, we can kill it"- Ahnold from Predator.....

So the 'zombie' plague could be stopped if you killed them all...somewhere there's a dude with a samurai sword trying to purge his whole city....

[thomas]

supper stock owners or supper shodgers

[rottenash]

I like the cellular genetic altering theory, perhaps as a new bred of humans for war gone terribly wrong. Aliens would be hard for me to chew, but possible. The virus theory really doesn't hold because of the behemoths..no human virus could create such a beast imo...but alien virus?... I guess anything alien..really is alien to us...oh the possibilities.

[Eviebae]

Aliens would be hard for me to chew, but possible. The virus theory really doesn't hold because of the behemoths..no human virus could create such a beast imo...but alien virus?... I guess anything alien..really is alien to us...oh the possibilities.

I was watching Dr. Who and I suddenly realized we are all from outer
space! So far, there's no other space/universe to be from, just different neighborhoods.

[Eviebae]

supper stock owners or supper shodgers

Ah, wise words, supper shodgers indeed.

[rottenash]

Ah, wise words, supper shodgers indeed.

i'm lost..

[nikvoodoo]

i'm lost..

Don't worry about it. The person who started the silliness isn't here right now, but if you leave a message, they will get back to you in approximately 6 days.

[Osiris]

I think it's code. Been working on cracking it all day, but the key escapes me. I've tried Dr. Seuss, but I'm coming up empty.http://smiliesftw.com/x/e5cdunno.gif

Back on track though, I was considering the idea that it was perhaps a meteorite, which could be explained away with the explosion in the beginning of the first episode... but no... the timeline wouldn't match up between Mike hearing the explosion and seeing the news report of the first attacks. Nevermind, it doesn't make sense.

[rottenash]

gotcha Nikvoodoo..figured as much untill there was a reply.

What ever happened, did happen fast leading me to believe that these things were perhaps intitally released on the public..or escaped.
I think with the next two weeks WA free.. I may do another listen through of the whole story so far.

[nikvoodoo]

I think it's code. Been working on cracking it all day, but the key escapes me. I've tried Dr. Seuss, but I'm coming up empty.http://smiliesftw.com/x/e5cdunno.gif

Back on track though, I was considering the idea that it was perhaps a meteorite, which could be explained away with the explosion in the beginning of the first episode... but no... the timeline wouldn't match up between Mike hearing the explosion and seeing the news report of the first attacks. Nevermind, it doesn't make sense.

Still not to say it wasn't a meteorite. After all, most objects that enter the Earth's atmosphere don't reach the ground. If this meteorite entered and broke up in the upper atmosphere but was containing some alien...uh...something....it could have been dispersed via the jet stream around the world.

My legs hurt from all the stretching I'm doing right now...:p

[Osiris]

Still not to say it wasn't a meteorite. After all, most objects that enter the Earth's atmosphere don't reach the ground. If this meteorite entered and broke up in the upper atmosphere but was containing some alien...uh...something....it could have been dispersed via the jet stream around the world.

My legs hurt from all the stretching I'm doing right now...:p

True, but as complex as the story has been so far I couldn't see the 'answer' being something as mundane. However, I don't want to see it as trite as an 'Umbrella Corporation' solution either. Perhaps a case of spontaneous genetic mutation? A random evolutionary misstep?

[nikvoodoo]

True, but as complex as the story has been so far I couldn't see the 'answer' being something as mundane. However, I don't want to see it as trite as an 'Umbrella Corporation' solution either. Perhaps a case of spontaneous genetic mutation? A random evolutionary misstep?

I've been throwing in for genetic mutations for a hot minute, though I believe it's genetic mutations caused by contracting a virus....so....it's a theory that doesn't really belong in this thread. Genetic mutation could account for the existence of the Behemoths and Little Ones.

[silent E]

definitely going to have to go with the whole human enhancement drugs and/or experiments. it would explain the behemoths, jumpers, etc.
I am a fan of government experiments gone bad. This could be one of them.
Pikepaw, your theory with the parasites is interesting.

[Osiris]

I've been throwing in for genetic mutations for a hot minute, though I believe it's genetic mutations caused by contracting a virus....so....it's a theory that doesn't really belong in this thread. Genetic mutation could account for the existence of the Behemoths and Little Ones.

I'm having a hard time figuring out the Little Ones. After Planet Terror I could see something like the Behemoths happening, but the Little Ones... I'm unsure how I might explain those away. Aberrations aside, there's only one logical reasoning would be... well... a creature from another dimension. Which really opens up a whole can of worms.

[Tandem25]

A REALLY bad case of food poisoning at Radon Labs' commissary.
It spread to the brain and caused people to crave live human flesh and defy death. It causes the afforementioned cravings and mutations due to exposure to other bacterias at the lab. The ones with the long fingers are the lunch ladies. Ink was the first person to order the tainted chili dogs. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

[Eviebae]

supper stock owners or supper shodgers

See, I is not the crazy!

Actually, I was thinking about meteors today as a possible vector. They have found possible trace evidence of life (it's controversial) in space rocks. Plus there's the existence of extremophiles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile) that make it possible that life could survive deep space. But, I say it again, it seems way too quick and focused to be chance.

So, if you say it's 50/50 whether it's a created plague of some sort or an accident--what's the next fork in the logical road?

Accidental or accidental introduction:

Aliens bringing infection with them
Lab accident--biomedical engineering, or an examination of aliens (or other vector).
Meteor, satellite, or space shuttle bringing something back
(any others?)


Engineered Plague:

Bioengineering/super soldier
Crazy scientist or scientists (doomsday makers)
Aliens cleaning up the planet so they can take over or for whatever alien reason.
Accidental mutation in vaccinations or other routine medical treatment
(any others?)

[Daftguitarman]

i think it would be just somthing as simple as a virus that has mutated into this "zombie virus" but hell...im more interested in how i would kill em!

[Eviebae]

i think it would be just somthing as simple as a virus that has mutated into this "zombie virus" but hell...im more interested in how i would kill em!

Dead Zombie Viruses would have to come from some other planet cuz that's way sophisticated for a one step random mutation.

I've always thought that zombie Apocalypses always underestimate the blood thirstiness of the average American :) and I include myself.

[Robalypse]

Not that I actually believe this theory, but just to throw it out there...how about a demonic invasion/infestation. What's the name of the leader of our main group of warriors? Michael. Yeah, be shocked by that revelation. Maybe an invasion by extradimensional forces would work better. Perhaps Bill Roberts wasn't really schizophrenic, but was into some really weird stuff? What if all the tatoos weren't just for show but held some purpose? Could the main location of the gate in L.A. be the arena and that's why they drag humans to the middle of the rink?

Really I tend to lean towards some kind of sinister, Umbrella Corporation style, genetic experimentation, gone wrong type of thing with We're Alive.

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

A massive, worldwide April Fool's joke taken a step too far?

Let me add to this theory.. Anarchist hacking security databases in random labs. That's where Pippen could come in, since the Anarchist movement is so big there.

[Rock Daddy]

Not that I actually believe this theory, but just to throw it out there...how about a demonic invasion/infestation. What's the name of the leader of our main group of warriors? Michael. Yeah, be shocked by that revelation. Maybe an invasion by extradimensional forces would work better. Perhaps Bill Roberts wasn't really schizophrenic, but was into some really weird stuff? What if all the tatoos weren't just for show but held some purpose? Could the main location of the gate in L.A. be the arena and that's why they drag humans to the middle of the rink?

Really I tend to lean towards some kind of sinister, Umbrella Corporation style, genetic experimentation, gone wrong type of thing with We're Alive.

This is not a bad idea, if you consider that many of the characters have biblical or heavenly names. Maybe the arena IS a gate where the colored one sacrifices humans. The way of the 21st century zombie has seemed to lean on the virus explanation. the original zombie flicks never determined a source. It'd be nice to see a supernatural explanation again.

[Eviebae]

Not that I actually believe this theory, but just to throw it out there...how about a demonic invasion/infestation. What's the name of the leader of our main group of warriors? Michael. Yeah, be shocked by that revelation. Maybe an invasion by extradimensional forces would work better. Perhaps Bill Roberts wasn't really schizophrenic, but was into some really weird stuff? What if all the tatoos weren't just for show but held some purpose? Could the main location of the gate in L.A. be the arena and that's why they drag humans to the middle of the rink?

Really I tend to lean towards some kind of sinister, Umbrella Corporation style, genetic experimentation, gone wrong type of thing with We're Alive.

So, Lovecraft type demons that are really just creatures we don't understand?

[Robalypse]

This is not a bad idea, if you consider that many of the characters have biblical or heavenly names. Maybe the arena IS a gate where the colored one sacrifices humans. The way of the 21st century zombie has seemed to lean on the virus explanation. the original zombie flicks never determined a source. It'd be nice to see a supernatural explanation again.

Right, Saul, Angel...Kalani, which a Google search shows means, "heavens." You're right, most of the 21st century zombie mythos does tend to center around scientific rather than supernatural causes, with a few exceptions of course.


So, Lovecraft type demons that are really just creatures we don't understand?

Yeah, there you go. I was actually thinking in part of the Lovecraft story, "From Beyond," when I referenced the possibility of a dimensional rift, wherein a man goes to visit his scientest buddy who has created a device that seems to makes these odd creatures in another dimension visible in theirs, and as they realize, makes them visible to the creatures too. There are of course lots of other fictional works to draw on that deal with the subject, but that one has always stuck in my mind.

[rottenash]

I just can't figure out these mega sized behemoths, these theorys could explain all the others but not the "big" ones. Many theorys are getting squashed by these massive beasts. What caused these things? They definatly aren't leaders..to dumb. They are like demo tanks really one purpose to them at all. where? why? how? grrrr behemoths why can't i figure you out.

[Eviebae]

I was actually thinking in part of the Lovecraft story, "From Beyond," when I referenced the possibility of a dimensional rift, wherein a man goes to visit his scientest buddy who has created a device that seems to makes these odd creatures in another dimension visible in theirs, and as they realize, makes them visible to the creatures too. There are of course lots of other fictional works to draw on that deal with the subject, but that one has always stuck in my mind.

I love Lovecraft. You should try the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast (http://hppodcraft.com/2011/03/24/from-beyond-and-the-picture-in-the-house-in-3-d/)!


I just can't figure out these mega sized behemoths, these theorys could explain all the others but not the "big" ones.

My theory is that they've eaten other zombies and gotten a greater viral load or whatever it is. They have changed the most because they've been exposed to the most.