Neptune (ネプチューン,nepuchūn?) (development code: "FI-03") was a great-white sharkB.O.W. developed by the Umbrella Corporation as bio-weaponry.[2] They were named after the Roman God of the Sea, referencing the reputation of the Great White SharkWP as the "King of the Seas".[3]
The Neptune Project began early on in the Arklay Laboratory's research into animal bioweapons. As their test subjects, they transported several adult great white sharks and infected them with the α strain. The research team was disappointed with the results, with little significant change. Much of the research team moved on to other projects and most of the subjects were disposed of. A female was left for continued research when it was discovered she was pregnant. The staff monitored her carry twelve pups, but ten died soon after hatching. The remaining two survived and were subject to further study into the possibility of creating self-fertilizing B.O.W.s as an alternative to cloning,[4][excerpt 1] but chose against cloning them.[excerpt 2]
Mansion Incident and Raccoon City[]
During the viral outbreak in the Arklay Laboratory, the mother Neptune and her spawn were inadvertently released from their water tanks by a scientist, who had suddenly "gone mad" and destroyed the tanks, badly flooding the entire Aqua Ring.[5] These sharks were later killed when the entire aquatic lab was drained, exposing them to the air. With only minimal enhancements to their bodies, they lacked any mutation sufficient for them to survive.[6]
Legacy[]
Umbrella was disappointed with the creation of Neptune. The primitive t-Virus strain used did not significantly improve the already impressive strength of ordinary great whites, and they were still helpless out of the water.[2] Despite these setbacks, however, Umbrella began producing its earlier models on a large scale at its Caucasus Laboratory regardless of quality, and had at least three in captivity at the time it fell to an outbreak in 2003.[7]