Forced Evolutionary Virus

FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) is a virus created by West Tek's NBC Division. FEV exists in various forms across all of the Fallout games, serving the goals of the various groups such as the Master, the Enclave, Vault-Tec, and the Institute.

Background
To counteract biological weapons, the United States government began the Pan-Immunity Virion Project in 2073. The project aimed to alter uninfected DNA so that it was no longer susceptible to standard viral infection.

In March 2075, the panimmunity virion was renamed FEV and Major Barnett ordered experiments focused on the quad-helix structure of the virus, which resulted in the subjects' immunity to infection and radiation exceeding expectations. Chloroplasts were not affected by the virus and Barnett canceled all future experiments concerning plant cells.

Throughout the rest of 2075 and 2076, the team experimented on flatworms, insects, mice, rabbits, raccoons, dogs, and chimpanzees. Side effects of abnormal growth rate and increased brain activity were noted in all subjects. The tests on dogs resulted in increased aggression without intelligence increase. The chimpanzee subjects were subjected to radiological and chemical agents in an attempt to create cancers, but these tests were unsuccessful.

In 2077, the military built a large facility in central California, the Mariposa military installation, to continue research on volunteer human subjects from the military. When the project was transferred in January 2077, the scientists who conducted the animal trials noted their disapproval regarding utilization of human subjects.

Characteristics
The virus is not airborne and only transferable via injection or direct physical contact with FEV samples. It copies DNA patterns, attempting to correct the DNA of the individual. If the individual's DNA is damaged by radiation, it will cause organ failure and death. If the subject does not have pre-existing radiation damage, the virus causes an increase in muscle and brain mass, but also causes loss of memory.

The virus causes a painful transformation, but who are infected with the virus also experience side effects such as immunity to disease and radiation. Cell death is offset by augmented growth, extending lifespans indefinitely.

The FEV cannot be removed once infection has occurred, but the Institute scientist Dr. Brian Virgil created a serum to reverse the mutation, called a retrovirus. Virgil stated that this serum would only work for one strain of FEV, and that generalizing the formula could take decades.

The Master
Richard Grey's audio diary is found in the Mariposa Military Base, which describes a first hand account of mutation after he was knocked into vats of FEV by a crane. He describes the green slime that he was immersed in and that it is the source of all the mutations his group traced to here. He wrote that at first, his skin peeled and festered, and the experience was painful. He recounted how he regained his ability walk and felt stronger, and described the experience of a tendril growing from his stomach which he used to consume other creatures.

Grey commented that he had previously thought his mind was slipping into hallucinations, but now was improving. In an attempt to see if animals would also gain awareness from the virus, Grey dipped a rat and a dog into the vats, and they became fused together. At this point, Grey stated he was "much more than a human now" and began commenting on his plans to "bring others into the glory that is the Unity."

Once Grey developed a neurolink into the military base's computer, he learned that the virus was called FEV and began to intentionally modify himself by way of injecting the virus into his body. He dipped humans that he caught into the vats, but described them as disappointments, the virus mutating them into "big and dumb mutants." When Grey caught and mutated a human that had less radiation damage, he noted that the conversion was more successful. He then sought to expand to a new "unification center" in order to continue his vision.

Grey subsequently began calling himself the Master and sought out radiation-free humans to transform into super mutants using what he referred to as FEV-2. One of the Master's direct reports, the Lieutenant, explained that the virus itself was mutated by radiation after the war, and that humans living in the wasteland that have been exposed to this mutant FEV, inoculating them from the full effects. Individuals such as those living in vaults have limited exploded to this mutated virus and are still susceptible to its effects.

Enclave
The Enclave Chemical Corps under Charles Curling isolated the most toxic elements of the virus found at Mariposa. The scientists turned it into an even more fatal substance known as FEV Curling-13 that only impacted humans. Inhabitants of Arroyo and Vault 13 were kidnapped and subjected to tests, of which the vault-descendant subjects of the village were all killed using .0001% aerosol solution. Those from Vault 13 suffered subdural hemorrhaging and convulsions within one hour of exposure, and death within 14.5 hours.

Virus production goals were 250,000 gallons within six weeks, allowing for the murder of all non-Enclave residents in the area and around the globe, carried by the jetstream. An inoculation was developed that protected against the virus, tested on those taken from Vault 13. This immunity would be rendered to members of the Enclave staff via the air system and was also available via injection.

Modified FEV Curling-13
A modified strain of the Forced Evolutionary Virus developed by John Henry Eden, based on the earlier FEV Curling-13 strain used by the Enclave in 2241, only now it was designed to be placed into the Project Purity water purification system. According to President Eden it will eradicate super mutants, ghouls, and all other "unclean" citizens, namely anyone who had been born in the Wastelands and exposed to radiation or other mutational effects from birth. The only people who would survive the infection are dangerous radiation level free humans and humans who were born in the Vaults.

In the add-on Broken Steel, if the Lone Wanderer had chosen to contaminate the purifier with the modified FEV, what President Eden claimed is confirmed to be accurate and the FEV diffused in water completely lethal. The medical facility of every city in the Capital Wasteland (except Tenpenny Tower and Paradise Falls) is filled with new patients dying from FEV infection. These new patients hold their stomachs and repeat dialogue along the lines of, "it burns on the inside." According to both Doctor Preston and Doctor Barrows, the FEV specifically targets the immune system of infected individuals, which in turn makes them vulnerable to other diseases. This occurs in both humans and ghouls, despite the latter's immunity to most diseases. Along with affecting the immune system, the FEV severely weakens individuals both physically and mentally until it simply kills them. The modified FEV is also completely undetectable by any kind of test meaning there is no possible way to screen water that has been infected as it only comes back as clean, purified water.

The FEV is contained to only those that have ingested infected water as the transmission of FEV is impossible from physical contact or bodily fluids. In Rivet City, Dr. Preston comments that they are burning the corpses just to be safe. The spread of FEV is contained to only bottles of Aqua Pura and the Tidal Basin for now. However, eventually, the spread of the FEV infected water will spread from the Tidal Basin and affect all water in the Capital Wasteland.

Intelligent deathclaws
In 2235, the Enclave began experiments on captive deathclaws to create expendable shock troops for their use, continuing the pre-War project. The recovery of FEV from Mariposa allowed them to create a tailored mutagen that increased the intelligence of deathclaws after localized injections, making them capable of understanding and following complex commands, as well as communication. The resulting modification overshot the project goals, giving them human-level intelligence, erudition, and most importantly, morality. Realizing that they would be exterminated if that was discovered, Gruthar instructed his pack to play dumb until they were deployed to Vault 13. Although the Enclave intended to use them as deterrence, the deathclaws formed a commune instead, deserting their mission. Not all deathclaws were equally blessed with intelligence and some experienced further changes, including a gray skin and a bobtail.

Fire ants
FEV was synthesized and used by Weston Lesko in the Capital Wasteland around 2277, in an attempt to return giant ants to their normal size through genetic manipulation. His ambition was to reduce their size exponentially over the course of several generations. An error in the synthesis process created a virus that left the ants' size unaltered but altered their venom sacks to produce a flammable liquid that they can aerosolize, project, and ignite with a spark generated by clicking mandibles. The resulting pyrosis, as he calls it, turns them effectively into walking flamethrowers.

Gatorclaw
The gatorclaws, which inhabit the Safari Adventure portion of the raider stronghold of Nuka-World in 2287, are genetically engineered hybrids of Jackson Chameleon and Alligator which were created with the aid of the Institute strain of FEV by the ghoul scientist Dr. Darren McDermot. After narrowly surviving the Great War, McDermot became determined to create a creature that could protect the Nuka-Gen animal replication facility hidden under the Safari Adventure Welcome Center and began splicing together the genetic codes of some of the more aggressive specimens in cold storage. After many years and some initial failures, the doctor finally succeeded in creating a viable creature by infusing it with a DNA sample dubbed Q334 which he had taken from a dead super mutant which he found while looking for supplies. The resulting creatures proved too aggressive to control and they mortally wounded the doctor, who barely managed to record a holotape before his death in which he begged someone to find the lab and deactivate the out of control cloning machine.

History of the FEV
The Forced Evolution Virus originated from the Pan-Immunity Virion Project, a project originally dedicated to discovering a cure for the New Plague, established in September 2073 in response to aggressive use of biochemical weapons by China. In order to combat the newest biological weapons, the decision was made to create a viral defense that would alter uninfected DNA to render it immune to standard viral infection. The last attempt to continue the PVP line of experimentation was the Greenhouse Initiative in August 2075 at the newly established Appalachian branch, which attempted to use mutations to create edible plants and vegetation that could greatly increase food production and combat the shortages that led to the food riots rocking the country. The town of Huntersville was selected as the test site, resulting in an economic boom. Although the company would purchase test rights from local farmers as late as December 2075, the project was at an end.

Batch 10-011 and the beginning of FEV
The history of the FEV starts with Pan-Immunity Virion batch 10-011, renamed as the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) and used in further research. The key difference was that instead of Pan-Immunity Virion's quad-helix DNA structure, the batch became a shifting-absorptive virus. This was a deliberate choice by Major Barnett, who considered the unwanted side effects of the quad-helix structure to outweigh the benefits of replicative stability afforded by the design.

The first experiments took place in March 21, 2075 on single-celled organisms. While their base metabolism appeared unchanged, their immunity to infection and radiation exceeded all earlier expectations. Research on FEV effects on plants proved unsuccessful. The next stage included flatworms. Infected on May 9, 2075, they exhibited a 28% increase in size and resistance to 9 separate viral contagions within hours. The new DNA structure was successfully passed to progeny, though only asexual reproduction was possible.

June 30, 2075, saw the next stage of experimentation: several lab strains of white mice have been infected successfully with FEV. Within hours they exhibited increased growth, stabilizing at a 31% size increase after nine days. The most increase in size occurred in striated muscle tissue and certain internal organs, including the liver, heart, and kidneys. An increase in intelligence was also noted, allowing mice to run mazes in less than half the time required by normal mice.

The final experimentation with FEV batch 10-011 occurred with rabbits. On November 9, 2075, 218 rabbits were infected, half of which were implanted with electrodes to monitor changes in EEG activity. Increased electrical activity was noted 3.2 seconds after infection, accompanied by the typical increase in size. A new effect was noted, namely an increase in aggression and posturing, particularly among males. Dissection of the brains showed an increased dendritic connection, particularly in the limbic system and frontal cortex (areas responsible for behavior, senses and higher mental functions).

Batch 11-011 and nationalization
On January 6, 2076, West Tek was effectively nationalized after military units deployed to corporate facilities across the United States in the interest of national security. Experiments continued with Batch 11-011. The new virus batch featured improved mitotic cycle efficiency by a factor of 43%. As part of the test, 53 raccoons were infected with the new strain on January 26, 2076. Along with the expected size increase, behavioral tests confirmed an increase in intelligence and manual dexterity by 19 points on the Schuler-Kapp index. Unfortunately, subjects escaped confinement and had to be hunted down. Two pairs were unaccounted for.

In February, the West Tek facility in Appalachia joined the FEV research effort, ordered to begin human experimentation in order to push FEV to its practical limits, in what was dubbed the Super Mutant program. Due to the virulent nature of the virus and its unpredictability, the facility's objective was to identify and isolate viable FEV strains through a variety of methods. The most important of these was the introduction of one of the FEV strains to the water supply of Huntersville, to observe the effects of long-term low-level exposure. The experiment began in February 2076, providing valuable research data for the project.

Further development occurred after several new gene sequences, supplied by Major Barnett's advisory team, were spliced into FEV batch 11-011. Designated batch 11-101a, this batch was used to infect 23 dogs of pure and mixed breed on May 13, 2076. The results included nearly immediate growth, accompanied by increased aggression and no notable increase in intelligence. All subjects were terminated after 14 weeks of study. 92 allele pairs were chosen for splicing with batch 11-011.

Batch 11-111 and further human research
The new hybrid batch was designated 11-111. On October 4, 2076, it was used to infect 15 chimpanzees. Growth and immunity levels were unprecedented: attempts to induce cancers through radiological and chemical agents were not successful. Increased aggression led to isolating the subjects by the science team, while violent epileptic seizures caused two subjects to expire. The rest was terminated after all data was mined successfully. Despite protests from the science team, on January 7, 2077, FEV research in California was transferred to the Mariposa Military Base to continue under the lead of Leon Von Felden and Robert Anderson. Batch 11-111 has been chosen as the basis for further development through human experimentation. The batch offered a near 100% success rate on lab animals, granting an approximately 60% increase in size and potential 200% intelligence increase. It was the perfect basis for mass-producing super soldiers.

The Appalachian branch continued its experimentation by pushing FEV to its practical limits and experimenting with recombinant strains. The experimental strains resulted in the creation of many unsustainable forms: FEVS-005938 tested on January 13, 2077, rendered the subject unable to breathe, FEVS-006186 from April 30 converted the subject into a mass of retinal tissue, FEVS-006309 from July 12 produced canines that pierced the brain stem through unrestrained growth, and FEVS-006378 from July 12 was biologically stable, but the hyperactive nervous system subjected it to constant traumatic pain and led to self-termination. The team had more luck with strains FEVS-006443 (October 14) and FEVS-006458 (October 23) that created stable mutations that would become the snallygaster and the Grafton Monster respectively after their escape into the wild.

Another research effort was set up by the Vault-Tec Corporation in Washington, D.C. Vault 87 was established as an independent research center for Dr. Wayne Merrick, cooperating with the team at Mariposa. Despite his efforts, he was unable to improve batch 11-111 enough to reach satisfactory effects. Humans subject to his strains produced in the Vault 87 labs exhibited superior physical developments, such as increased size, strength, and endurance to environmental factors, but were also characterized by significant mental retardation and extreme aggression to non-mutants.

Compared to Merrick's efforts and Appalachian experiments, the science team at Mariposa reached a full success. They succeeded in creating the FEV-II strain, able to create powerful super-soldiers, exhibiting superior physical prowess, resistance to combat damage, aging, and disease, as well as a negligible loss of intelligence. In certain cases, intelligence could even be increased by the virus. However, before the testing could begin in full, soldiers under the command of Roger Maxson rebelled and executed the science staff. With the Great War destroying the United States, Mariposa and research within was sealed by the soldiers and abandoned.

Edgar Blackburn
In 2104, Dr. Edgar Blackburn, a former employee of West Tek, hoped to undo West Tek's creation of the super mutants and reinvent humanity using FEV, no matter the cost. His motive was to use FEV to benefit humanity to help humanity thrive in the wasteland against threats such as creatures and the radiation. Blackburn began working with Jain, Farha and Nellie Wright to see if they could improve the FEV virus as a means to help humanity thrive in the wasteland. In doing so, they conducted harsh experiments in Vault 96 on non-consenting abducted people such as Cassie Halloway. In order to acquire human test subjects, Blackburn contracted with a group of mercenaries called the Hellcat Company who did not question the ethics of his work.

The Master
The vats were rediscovered in 2102 by an expedition led by Harold, a major Hub merchant. Accompanied by Richard Grey, a brilliant exile from Vault City, he managed to crack the Mariposa base security and infiltrate the lower levels. However, within the vats, the automated crane crashed into the two, knocking Harold out and flinging Grey into the vat with FEV. Harold woke up in the wastes outside the base, mutating due to exposure to FEV fumes, but becoming a special type of a ghoul-like mutant, rather than a super mutant. Grey, on the other hand, underwent extreme mutation due to prolonged exposure to the virus in the vat. His intellect grew exponentially, allowing him to comprehend even the most complex issues easily (or so he thought). Grey methodically researched FEV, experimenting with animals and eventually, captured scavengers that strayed into the facility. It was not until a few failed mutations that he discovered radiation count to be a deciding factor in the success of the change, leading him to pick subjects more carefully. When his Lieutenant was created, he suggested a secondary reason for possible incompatibility. Reviewing available evidence, he concluded that failed mutations in relatively non-radiated humans are caused by the inoculating effect mutated FEV had on humans with which it came into contact. Such exposure was not enough to cause phenotypical changes, but enough to cause conflicts when the pure FEV in Mariposa attempted to change the DNA, resulting in the death of the subject.

By carefully selecting his test subjects, he managed to create the first real super mutants in January 2103. Through a combination of willing converts and abductions, the Master slowly built up the foundations for his army between 2103 and 2130. The impact of the Great Winter of 2130 resulted in him stepping up his operations and spreading them out into the wasteland, attacking caravans to gather human stock for transformations. The string of attacks between 2131 and 2135 boosted the size of his army. The attacks were blamed on desert monsters in the Hub. Due to reliance on wastelanders, only 20% of the dipped population survived the dipping and of that number, only half seemed to last and become a part of the Unity. Regardless, it continued to grow.

By 2152, the Unity's influence had spread through the wastes and the Master recruited a group of doomsday cultists under Morpheus to act as spies, rather than stock for transformation. Four years later, the cultists would form the Children of the Cathedral to act as a front for the Unity, proselytizing, recruiting, and preparing munition dumps for the coming super mutant offensive. Between 2155 and 2156, the Master made another important discovery: His forces intercepted a caravan of vault dwellers, leading him to discover Vault-Tec's demonstration Vault. He moved his command center to the Vault, using the cultists to set up the Cathedral, and launched a campaign to discover Vaults to gain prime subjects for his super mutant army. At least one installation, Vault 17, was discovered and its inhabitants transformed into super mutants. The success rate was far higher than when using regular wastelanders. Even the elderly Lily Bowen was successfully transformed into a super mutant at the age of 75 - and a nightkin no less!

The Master and his staff also experimented with FEV by injecting it into the brains of the subjects (usually the pineal gland, but also the amygdala or medulla), triggering changes in brain chemistry. These experiments had limited success: four extremely powerful psykers were created, capable of theoretically wiping out the human race.

FEV in Texas
FEV was being researched and experimented on living test subjects in Los, Texas. Vault-Tec had its own Secret Vault which focused on curing fertility from radiation. In the last quarter of the 22nd century, the ethics of the research sparked a local civil war in the vault after a security officer, Blake, found the methods of the scientists to be "evil" and unethical. By 2208, a super mutant named Attis hoped to use the research and FEV samples remaining to cure his own sterility and allow super mutants to breed and become the new dominant species on the planet, following in his Master's footsteps. Attis was defeated and Los was destroyed, presumably destroying all FEV research and samples in the city.

The Institute
Commonwealth super mutants are the result of the Institute's research into FEV, which has continued since the early 2220s in a dedicated facility. The original goal was the creation of a successor to second generation synths by creating a new breed of super mutant that would serve the Institute as laborer and soldier. Due to a lack of success with mutants, efforts were refocused with the goal of creating third-generation synths. The organic synth project was spun off from the FEV research initiative around 2227 (the acquisition of Shaun), while the FEV research effort continued for several more decades. Both women and men were abducted from the Commonwealth and submerged in the Institute's modified FEV, their mutations carefully tracked. Successful mutations would be monitored to ensured survivability, then tagged and discarded. In layman's terms, the Institute was simply releasing super mutants into the wild, creating a scourge on the Commonwealth that lasted for years. When Brian Virgil succeeded Dr. Syverson as head of the project in April 2286, it became evident that FEV experimentation ran its course and served no useful purpose, not with the availability of third generation synths. Eventually, as Virgil's conscience took its toll, the scientist lodged a formal complaint with the Directorate. When no reaction came, Virgil rebelled and escaped the Institute after transforming himself into a super mutant, destroying as much of the project as he could.

The Enclave
Seeking the means to achieve their plans of global genocide, the Enclave excavated Mariposa, in search of surviving samples of FEV-II. Using slaves captured in towns across California, they managed to uncover the vats and secure the necessary scientific material. However, slaves exposed to the raw virus in the ruins of the base mutated, creating the second generation super mutants. The uneven nature of exposure, coupled with a significant radiation count meant that those that survived the change suffered from significant mental damage. Retreating from the base, the Enclave blasted the only remaining entrance, trapping the mutants inside.

Enclave's Chemical Corps proceeded to work on the acquired samples of the virus, creating a staggeringly effective killer, tailored to provide maximum lethality with minimal required exposure. However, two weeks before the virus' deployment, the Enclave, and the virus stockpiles were destroyed. However, copies of research were transmitted to Raven Rock, providing Raven Rock's ZAX John Henry Eden with an opportunity to achieve plans of genocide. After modifying the FEV Curling-13 to only target the heavily mutated and heavily irradiated, the ZAX unit decided a localized infection of the water supply would be more effective at culling the undesirables while also improving the quality of life for the unmutated and unirradiated.

FEV in the Capital Wasteland
Despite Vault 87 being the main research facility, Dr. Weston Lesko found another source which he used to try to de-mutate the giant ants of the Capital Wasteland. As of 2277 his efforts culminated in the creation of fire ants. Also as of 2277, the levels of the said toxin were low in the vault, so the super mutants were actively searching for it in the surrounding areas.

Appearances
The Forced Evolutionary Virus or products of it appear in some form in all Fallout games to date.

Behind the scenes
The Forced Evolutionary Virus is mentioned in the Fallout Bible.