CFD: A History.
DISCLAIMER: This thread is a place for the FACTS of CFD. If you've got something to add that you think I missed, please feel free, but facts ONLY. Conspiricy theories, or speculation are fine, and I encourage you to share them... Just not in this thread.
Ok, so here is my long, comprehensive post.
WARNING: MAJOR spoilers for the current SR storyline follow. If you're in a campaign playing lockdown, or just want to avoid spoilers do not read.
The Original Strain:
The History: The precise orgins of CFD are (currently) unknown.It was a joint effort between EVO, NeoNET, and to a lesser degree Aztechnology. While it is known that at least some of this research was conducted by EVO on Mars, neither Aztech nor NeoNet have Martian facilities. The first known major outbreak of this strain of CFD (Henceforth known as 'The Original Strain') was in Albuquerque, when a Runner team hit a NeoNET lab. This particular strain is incredibly subtle, and thus difficult to trace. We do know however that it has managed to infiltrate a disturbing amount of SR society, including some of the upper echelons. Some major known infectees include the legendary Fastjack, Plan9, Riser, Miles Lanier, and Katrina Thyssen (The CEO of Zeta-ImpChem.)
The Effects: CFD is a neurological infection, which overwrites the personality of the host with the personalities of various electronic entities (AIs, E-Ghosts, etc.) This is different from things like P-Fix chips because the nanites literally, and physically rewire portions of the brain. The human brain is tremendously resilient, so the process is very slow. The infection can take weeks or months, with strong willed individuals being able to hold out far long. Unfortunately, the process is also inevitable as there is no known cure (But see The Cure section below.) The precise vector of infection is somewhat unclear, but appears to be contact with the fluids of an infected person. However, such contact is no guarantee of infection. What IS known is that extensive amounts of prexisting augmentations, especially nano ware and gene modifications make the infection process easier.
And to explain the mechanics, I've called in a special guest speaker, Namikaze, who layed out a very good explaination and some background on what is so important about these nanites.
The Mechanics: The nanites that infect a person's body must be transferred via some sort of bodily fluid such as blood or saliva. Once the nanites are in the body, it takes a long time for the nanites to reproduce enough to start to form the gestalt consciousness that will later express itself as a new personality. This is represented in the rules as the Nanite Volume. Once the Nanite Volume reaches a certain point (it varies due to the tests required) the personality or personalities will express themselves.
Each nanite has the potential to carry a fragment of a personality. As the nanites reproduce, these fragments become larger and larger. Let's say that you have two nanites in your blood. Only the two. One of them is carrying a portion of personality A and the other is carrying the portion of personality B. The two nanites begin to reproduce, and the A nanites reproduce a bit faster than the B nanites. Eventually the total number of nanites will reach a critical mass and the two personalities will express themselves. SInce they're still rather in their infancy, the personalities are fragmented and unlikely to be strong enough to take over a person completely. However, as the nanites continue to reproduce, the personalities become stronger and more connected. This is not unlike cellular reproduction, but that's where the similarities end. Once the A nanites reach the point where the A personality is fully formed, it will start to take over the host periodically. Once the B nanites reach the same point, the B personality will take over periodically as well. The two personalities might fight one another as they could have wildly different goals and programming. If this happens, the host is in for a bumpy ride as the nanites begin to try to overwrite each other while still reproducing at an exponentially faster rate.
That hopefully gives a clearer "fluffy" explanation of what the rules in Stolen Souls cover.
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As to why nanites only transmit via blood and saliva, that is explained in the fluff of Stolen Souls. Basically, the nanites require power to operate, and they are designed to power themselves from the electricity in the human body. Once they leave the body, they quickly lose power and die. They do not necessarily need a human host to survive though. They can infect objects as well, drawing power from their power supplies in a similar fashion. However, as they are attempting to build a personality in something that has no capacity for neural activity, things tend to go badly for the nanites.
The nanites that are used for carrying CFD are extremely advanced. They can carry a portion of an AI or e-ghost, which would be an astronomical amount of data. The data can then fill in the gaps of the personality as the nanites reproduce. The nanites are the only way that an AI or e-ghost can overwrite a person because the nanites are already designed to operate on a biological level in this way. One can use PAB to overwrite parts of a person's personality, but it's not a permanent process and it can't overwrite the whole personality in the same way as CFD can. PAB only allows the tweaking of things, removal and formation of memories, etc. CFD actually completely erases the personality forever. To do that on a biological level requires tremendous amounts of resources, power, and time. PAB simply does not have that capacity.
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While an AI is code and can be transmitted via the Matrix from one device to another, it lacks the ability to reproduce (thankfully) and lacks the capacity to overwrite biological functions. It cannot be implanted onto a biological device either (such as a technomancer's Living PAN). Thus, the nanites are necessary to make these sorts of changes. Mechanically the nanites alter the person's chemistry and such, and begins to take over the portions of the person's brain that control decision making and such. Then the AI or e-ghost that is in control of the nanites gets to ride around in the person's head until the nanites have managed to erase all of the old person and all that is left is the AI or e-ghost.
The Boston Strain:
Author's Note: I'm given to understand there may be more information in the BLD video game. I haven't played it, so any information exclusive to that will be missing from this description.
The History: The Boston Strain was developed by Celedyr/NeoNET (With the help of Aztech and EVO) with the intent to restore Eliohann/Cerberus to his body(Or at least a body.) Eliohann, for those who don't know, was a dragon who possessed a datajack. When the second matrix crash occurred, he became an E-Ghost. In order to go about restoring Eliohann, Celedyr made the CFD virus more fast acting. On top of that, they performed a huge magical ritual(Utilizing the dragon lines running through Boston) to empower the nanites, allowing them to affect a dragon. Unfortunately, things didn't go smooth. Deus apparently got wind of what Celedyr was planning, and attempted to hijack the nanites; presumably with the intent to get himself written into a dragon body. At least from what I read in the BLD book, it's unclear who actually wound up in control. Either way the newly awakened Dragon escaped the MIT&T lab and attacked the NeoNET towers in Boston, before escaping. In the process it rained the nanites used to convert it down on the city of Boston.
The Effects: Like traditional CFD, The Boston Strain rewrites the mind. Unlike the Original Strain, it doesn't do it slowly. Most people exposed in quantities large enough to be effected will be rewritten in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, this rapid rewritting means the personality copied into the person is imperfect, driving them into a homicidal rage. Stacked on top of that, the only two personalities the Boston Strain carries are Eliohann and Deus (Or various fragmented and intermingled parts of both.) Most (meta)human minds couldn't handle one of those minds, let alone both. The transmission of this virus is much more nebulous than the Original Strain. Certain infected victims are capable of intentionally spreading it, and the initial 'crop-dusting' by the dragon spread it far and wide. That said, it's also much more feasible to fight off. The nanites have an intentional cut off period of 72 hours. If you can survive their attacks for 48+ hours, the nanites will rapidly die off, and leave you unaffected.
The Cure:
There are, at the time of this posting, only 4 known 'cures' to CFD.
HMHVV: HMHVV and CFD are incompatible. Those who are already infected with HMHVV are immune to the effects of CFD, and it can be used to interrupt an ongoing conversion. The method is not 100% however, and can result in death rather than being cured. Given the side effects however, few people will be eager to try this method.
Hunter-Killer Nanites: Specialized HK Nanites known as "Overwriters" and developed by NetNET are capable of destroying the invading nanites. Unfortunately, these are only effective in the early stages of CFD. Given the Subtlety of CFD, they may prove difficult to employ.
System Restore: The nanites basic purpose is to write a personality into a brain. Therefore one 'cure' is to basically assign the nanites to write the original personality back into the brain, thus effectively nullifying the infection (Psychotherapy not included.) Unfortunately few people are in possession of the knowledge to effect such a change. At present the only confirmed party is the Headcases currently located on Mars. There are other problems with this method, specifically in the case of the Original Strain and certain substrains of the Boston Strain (Haters, Manipulators, and Hiddens.) Should these types suceed in fully overwritting the victim, that person is gone. There's nothing to write back into the brain, so this method won't work.
Iron Will: Arguably more of a rumor than a cure, this one is still probably the most badass way to fight off CFD.Supposedly some indivduals have managed to fight off the effects of CFD through sheer willpower. So basically, you just dig in your little Neuronal heels and tell the nanites to frag off. Simple, right?
The Aftermath:
Someone is (probably) going to have some hell to pay for the CFD outbreak, and the events in Boston. At the moment a number of entities are on the chopping block:
NeoNET: Without a doubt. As the lead member in the various project to make CFD, they're holding a live grenade. Add to that the clusterfrag of the BQZ in their backyard, and that thing is almost undoubtedly going to go off in their face. It remains to be seen whether NeoNET will actually go down for this, but it's looking pretty likely. Either way they're going to take a pounding for this.
Celedyr: Yes, he gets his own entry. Celedyr is the head of NeoNET, and if this goes public, he'll catch as much flak as the rest of the company. However, if certain people (*cough* Lofwyr *cough*) get their hands on the evidence, they may choose to just take NeoNET down, and leave Celedyr relatively unscathed. Either way, it's entirely possible Celedyr may lose the title of Loremaster for this embarrassment.
EVO: The second major party responsible for CFD. They're likely to take a pounding in all of this as well. While it's possible they could recover the data and manage to spin it all on NeoNET, it doesn't seem likely. I don't think this will be enough to bring them down, but it will leave one hell of a mark.
Aztech: The third party involved, but to a much lesser degree. They're not nearly as exposed as NeoNET or EVO. While they might take some hits for this, their light involvement combined with their mastery of the public spin means they'll be able to avoid most of the damage.
The Monad: While the precise cause of CFD is still unclear, at least one group is claiming credit. That is the Monad, led by an entity identifying itself as Aether. They're the former members of Gagarin base on Mars, and have been taken over by CFD. According to messages sent to Earth, they desire to establish a society for their own kind on Mars. To that end, they have supposedly pushed cybernetic, biological, and genetic modification decades ahead of the most advanced tech on Earth, and have made a formal request that the Monads on Earth be allowed to leave for Mars if they so choose. However, the veracity of many of these claims are very much in doubt. Only time will tell what the true nature of the Monads is.
