Uroboros Virus

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It's possible to see the Infected's Face; if you look closely.

“	Uroboros is on the eve of its appearance. Six billion cries of agony will birth a new balance.	”
–Wesker, Resident Evil 5

Uroboros was a virus based upon the Progenitor Virus created by Albert Wesker. It served as the main biological weapon in Resident Evil 5.

History

The Uroboros Virus was created by Albert Wesker with assistance from Excella Gionne and the TriCell Pharmaceutical Company. Although it is likely that elements of other viral agents were used in the creation of the Uroboros Virus, two factors were of particular import to the advancement of this new pathogen: the plant known as the Progenitor flower, native to the African region of Kijuju, and Jill Valentine, who was presumed dead on November 23, 2006 after an encounter with Albert Wesker at the home of Ozwell E. Spencer, and according to Excella, possibly the Las Plagas parasite.

The Progenitor flower, known as "The Stairway to the Sun" (or "Sonnentreppe") in local legend, played an important role in ceremonies conducted by the native aborigine tribe of Kijuju, the Ndipaya. Since ancient times, the monarch of the Ndipaya was chosen not by birthright, but through selection by the demonstration of abilities and qualities of chosen tribesmen during a special ceremony. The Progenitor flower was an extremely poisonous plant, but the Ndipaya believed that one who survived consuming the plant was worthy of becoming their king. Individuals who could survive the poisoning were extremely rare. It is said by the Ndipaya people that one such man reigned as king for centuries, though the validity of this account remains unconfirmed.

The Progenitor flower was discovered in the 1800s by Henry Travis, an explorer who traveled throughout much of Africa and a scion of the Travis family, the future founding family of Tricell. Henry compiled all of his discoveries in the 72-volume encyclopedia set of the African continent, Survey of Natural History. These books contained detailed records from animals, plants, insects, minerals, and topography to the native inhabitants and their cultures, folklore, histories and traditions. Ozwell E. Spencer, who read the “Survey of Natural History” extensively, was particularly interested in the Ndipaya rituals and their use of the Progenitor flower. Convinced of the significance of the Progenitor flower, Spencer resolved to find the plant and use it to somehow accelerate the evolution of humankind.

In the 1960s, Umbrella Chemical, Inc., under the direction of Spencer, occupied the ancient ruined city of the Ndipaya to find the Progenitor flower, despite the fierce initial resistance of the Ndipaya descendants who now lived in the nearby wetlands. As a sidenote, many young Ndipaya warriors consumed the Progenitor flower in an attempt to help fight off Umbrella, suggesting that perhaps the flower already had at least a sort of physical enhancement property. After Umbrella forced the Ndipaya to cede the area where the ruins are located to their control, Umbrella then set up a secret research facility within the ruins and began experimentation on the Progenitor flower. Eventually, the Progenitor virus was derived from the flower on December 4, 1967.

Spencer had fully intended to protect the secret research on the Progenitor flower so that he could always begin anew if Umbrella were to be dissolved. Knowledge of the existence of the African facility was restricted and very few employees at this facility were transferred to work elsewhere. Those who were transferred were carefully monitored and Umbrella maintained a strict company policy in controlling the flow of information. The facility was officially closed during the 1980s with its research and equipment intact. In this way, the Umbrella African facility remained unknown to the world at large with its research preserved from those who would destroy it.

Wesker likely learned of the existence of the African facility during his discussion with Spencer or through reading Spencer's personal records. Surviving his encounter with Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, Wesker sought to bring the Umbrella African facility back into operation with help from Tricell, which was also interested in claiming Umbrella's viral legacy.

Wesker began to pour all his collective resources, viral or otherwise, into the goal of creating a new pathogen (which would later be dubbed as the Uroboros Virus) that would start the next step of human evolution and scour weakness from the world, based on Umbrella's previous research into the Progenitor flower. Although badly wounded and unconscious, Jill was saved by Wesker. After giving her the medical treatment she required, he placed her in a cryogenic sleep. Wesker intended to use Jill as the first test subject for the completed Uroboros Virus - an act of vengeance against his hated enemy, Chris Redfield.

The development of Uroboros encountered problems early on. In most cases, the Uroboros Virus developed from the Progenitor flower proved to be too poisonous to humans for Wesker's purpose. Instead of accelerating human evolution, Uroboros only brought a swift death. During this time, the apparatus monitoring Jill's vital signs detected some abnormalities. Further investigation showed that a mutated form of the T-Virus was still inside her body - a remnant from her infection by the Nemesis in Raccoon City. The cure she was given was supposed to have eradicated all traces of the virus in her body, but it instead caused the virus to go into a dormant state. Her extended period in a cryogenic sleep somehow reactivated the virus. Shortly after being reactivated, the T-virus completely disappeared from her body, but it left something else in its place. Wesker found that Jill’s body now contained powerful antibodies to the virus. He then theorized that using Jill’s antibodies could make Uroboros less poisonous, thus allowing potential carriers to live long enough as usable bio-weapons. He kept Jill alive solely to produce antibodies for his research. For someone such as Jill who dedicated her life to the elimination of bio-weapons, it was ironic that she would be used in the development of one of the deadliest bio-weapons yet.

After much research and experimentation, Wesker finally perfected the Uroboros Virus. Jill’s participation in its development meant she was no longer suitable as a test subject. Pure and unadulterated antibodies with high resistance to Uroboros permeated her body. However, Wesker would find an alternative purpose for her (see the Jill Valentine entry)

Unfortunately for Wesker, Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar soon discovered his plans. After defeating numerous mutations made by the Uroboros and rescuing Jill from Wesker's control, they killed Wesker, eliminating the threat of an Uroboros outbreak on the world.

Effects

Uroboros introduced a new form of viral agent never seen before. The virus itself is so utterly venomous that it kills its victim at the same time of the injection, and only through Jill's special antibodies could its toxic nature be toned down enough for it to be viable for experimentation. Once injected, it blends with the victim's DNA and tries to merge with it, adaptating itself to the host's genetic sequence, potentially giving to its host tremendous capabilities, to the point of artificially forcing its evolution. However such instances are rare in the extreme, and hosts which would reject the virus will become its fodder, quite literally: as a parasitic organism, Uroboros will start devouring any organic matter in its surroundings so as to preserve its existence, eating away at the host body completely and turning its own cellular matter into countless blackish, leech-like pustules. Occasionally, the host can be seen while it is disturbingly being devoured inside the mass. The pustules are relatively harmless, doing only minor damage when in direct contact with the skin of a human, and incapable of survival alone, but they become ferocious and resilient as a whole, writhing mass. Such swarms blend together thanks to huge yellowish sacs. These sacs are their only vital and vulnerable spots and are extremely weak against incineration.

Usually a host of Uroboros is completely torn away and turned into food for the worms that consume its body, and it is currently unknown what someone would be capable of if he or she could successfully blend with the virus. Albert Wesker was capable of absorbing and controlling the Uroboros as some sort of a symbiote, though it is unknown if this was the wanted result or merely an incomplete merging. It should also be noted that Wesker also has a primitive form of the T-Virus within him, which might have affected Uroboros.

Trivia

• The Uroboros virus is named after Ouroboros, an ancient symbol of a snake or lizard devouring its own tail. The Ouroboros represents the cyclical nature of many things in the universe, and of things beginning anew, likely used in this case to refer to Wesker's plan to destroy the existing world and start over with his own world of genetic supermen.
• Although never referred to as such in dialogue, two of the three Uroboros creatures fought in-game have specific names: The one created in the laboratory was called Uroboros Mkono, and the one "birthed" from Excella Gionne was called Uroboros Aheri.
• In a trailer for the rejected 'Fog' version of Resident Evil 4, Leon is seen fighting a black tentacle mass which bears a similarity to Uroboros. [1]
• The pustules that form the uroboros are similar to the snake-like creatures that covered the demon gods in Princess Mononoke. Notably they consume the "infected" and are always lethal. They also erupt from the skin, much like the Uroboros virus does.