Free Riposte (The Redivivus Trilogy Book 2) by Kirk Withrow Page A

move tirelessly for seemingly indefinite periods of time without the need for rest? Lin postulated that infection with LNV might lead to a dramatic alteration in the host’s basal metabolic rate. By shutting down parts of the human body deemed non-essential or even deleterious to the virus’ purpose, particularly those with high energy consumption like the cerebral cortex, the overall energy requirements could be dramatically reduced. While not seen in humans, such occurrences were not unique in the animal world. Dormancy is seen in various forms including hibernation, a primarily mammalian phenomenon. The metabolic depression that occurs during this state is often associated with a significant reduction in body temperature as well as a reduction in respiratory and heart rate, the latter to as low as 5% of its normal value. Like Lazarus… When a bear hibernates, its basal metabolic rate drops to less than 75% of normal, while other animals exhibit an even greater decrease. By what mechanism this could occur, Lin was not sure. Perhaps the increased activity in the hypothalamus reported by Dr. Johnson was responsible. She knew that compounds such as dynorphin A and enkephalin are found in high concentrations in that area of the brain, and are thought to be potential triggers for hibernation in some mammals. That would explain why the infected often appear completely inactive in the absence of stimuli. Could such a phenomenon be switched on and off just by specific sensory input?
    What senses allow the infected to locate the uninfected? How can they tell when someone is uninfected? Lin believed the infected retained at least some degree of sight, though she hardly imagined it was anything close to the acuity of normal human vision. Perhaps they could merely detect alterations in light, which could be interpreted as movement. The fact that they seemed to have difficulty seeing anything far away or moving very slowly supported that assumption.
    Having watched as countless people were attacked after screaming or making some other noise, she felt certain that hearing was preserved, and perhaps even heightened. It seemed clear that hearing played an integral role in their ability to track as well. Although she could not conceive of a way that hearing sensitivity could be enhanced at the cellular level, it seemed quite plausible that the infected could become more adept at processing auditory information—in much the same way that a blind person becomes more reliant on other senses in the absence of vision. Were that the case, she imagined that the younger a person was at the time of infection, the more keen its hearing would be, and the more dangerous it would be. Lin made a mental note to look for any evidence to support that theory.
    Smell, being one of the oldest and most evolutionarily preserved senses, was almost certainly a significant factor in the ability of the infected to hone in on uninfected humans. While humans relied on smell much less than most animals, due to evolutionary improvements in other senses like vision, the hardware and wiring were all still in place. Further, when Lin thought about smelling food in the absence of any emotional context or intellectual concerns about whether it was a healthy choice or if it would make her fat, olfaction seemed more like a reflex. Smell food—eat food.
    Regardless of the sense in question, it seemed probable that without the background noise generated by the higher functions of the big human brain, more focus could be placed on a specific sensory input, leading to a relatively stronger, cleaner signal. All of these suppositions were just that—untested assumptions—and Lin was certain she would be given ample opportunity to validate them if she survived.
    Perhaps the most perplexing question of all was how did the virus described in Dr. Johnson’s journal entries transform into the demon currently destroying humanity? According to the documents on the USB drive, the