The Libido Virus: Frost

Bright lights flickered on in the hallway as Oliver staggered down to the mess hall. The day cycle was partially effective. Oliver still struggled to sleep, but isolation from the normal rhythm of the sun ranked near the bottom of the reasons. He and his research team arrived at the facility two months earlier, ferreted away to the Arctic as part of the military's contingency plan. Dr. Oliver Clay had the esteemed honor of being isolated in the middle of a white desert on top of the world as it fell into ruin. He knew he should be grateful. Before extraction, he had been in Chattanooga and before that DC. More than once, he'd seen best laid plans fall to complete shit all around him and barely escaped each time.

He made coffee. Empty food containers glared at him from the shelves in the mess hall. The previous occupants of the research base had the sense or misfortune to flee south once the virus started to spread. All but one, who chose to walk off into the tundra rather than live alone any longer. Oliver had listened to the man's logs. The hope drained away slowly at first, but once it was clear the world wouldn't recover, the lone scientist took his fate into his own hands. Oliver didn't have much hope either, but at least the military knew where they were. The virus had difficulty spreading north. The infected were almost impervious to harm due to an abnormally high metabolic rate and cellular regeneration. Frostbite destroys tissue much more insidiously than a bullet. Since the infected abhorred clothing, they had little defense against the elements. Perhaps they just preferred warmer climates. Either way, humans migrated into the cold. High mountain regions, Siberia, anywhere within the Arctic circle seemed safe, at least.. Most of those running didn't prepare for the thing meant to save them. Some made it all the way up from the southern coast without so much as a jacket.

Of Oliver's original ten man team, only he and three others remained. Markus was the first to join him in the mess hall. The two nodded to each other as Markus set about preparing some of the premade meals for everyone. They'd worked out shifts for various duties once they'd arrived. All of them had been on remote research teams before, though nothing as severe or sudden as their current predicament. Markus was particularly diligent about maintaining the duty roster. He had some military in his background, though it was unclear exactly how extensive his training was. Oliver was grateful for the other man's sense of duty and knew it would be helpful in the long months ahead.

The next to appear was Shelby, a younger woman more of a student than a scientist. She'd been working with one of the team's other members before a group of infected trapped them in a barracks in Charleston. She escaped, her mentor did not. Latent contamination still concerned Oliver. He observed multiple men and women have sudden and dramatic shifts in personality after close exposure to the infected, but Shelby had survived several months without incident. Nor did her blood samples show any of the signs of infection. Oliver had other, more human oriented concerns about her as well. She was young, pretty, and the only woman for a thousand miles while they were all tasked with studying a sex virus. Shelby took a seat at the small table after saying good morning. Oliver handed her a cup of coffee with a polite nod.

"Think you'll get the culture analysis done today?" Oliver asked.

"In a few hours," Shelby replied. "I'm sure it's not going to produce anything new. Without fresh tissue to test we're retreading the same path over and over again."

Markus dropped two plates of unappealing food in front of them. "We've put in requests. If they want us to actually get any work done here, they'll deliver."

"The serum is looking promising though," Oliver said, attempting to be encouraging. They repeated the same conversation over and over again. Each of them knew they were treading water. "I'll come down to the lab and take a look at your progress. Markus, how's the delivery system coming."

Markus shrugged, "I actually think I've made some progress on that front." He grabbed his plate and brought it to the table. "The Toronto guys were working on a dart. The principle being injection and dispersion through the circulatory system, obviously. Kept not working though because it couldn't disperse fast enough. The infected's tissue would be replaced faster than the drug could work. They couldn't figure it out in testing because they were overlooking the damage of the sample tissue. So, by my guess, if you can damage the tissue as much as possible, the creature's body can't respond and isolate the drug quickly enough. Explosive bullet casing containing the serum might have good results."

All three looked to the door as they heard footsteps running down the hall. The crew's fourth member appeared in the doorway looking haggard and dazed. Eli, the team's chemist, had been assigned to radio duty overnight which normally meant sleeping in a different room, but the middle aged man had clearly been up all night. "They're coming."

Oliver answered first, "Who's coming?"

Eli moistened his lips excitedly, "The military. They've captured one. And they're bringing it here. Tomorrow."

"My god," Shelby whispered.

Oliver and Markus exchanged a knowing look before the latter spoke. "I can set up Lab C as a containment room. They're strong, but, assuming it's a female, I don't think it's strong enough to tear through titanium. Worst case, we can simply seal off the habitat."

Oliver nodded, "Good. We'll get started moving equipment to the lab. Shelby, we'll need to harvest as much tissue as we can for testing while it is contained inside whatever apparatus they're using to transport it. Eli, check on our supply of sedatives. Not sure how much it will take to knock the thing out, but I would rather err on the side of caution than risk it getting loose."

Their breakfast was forgotten as they all rushed to get to work. A delivery would mean more food anyway. Contact from the outside world gave more nourishment than any microwavable breakfast.

***

They all spent the night waiting anxiously by the radio. Their instruments for monitoring the weather had been of little good since the satellite's signal went out. Instead, they had to wait for word from the military radio about whether or not the supply run would go through. When they finally heard from the dispatcher, she made it clear the troops were more than ready to be rid of the "cargo." Oliver bundled up in his gear and headed out to greet the plane.

The facility divided into a central habitat and three research labs. The A lab had been compromised by a loss of power some time before Oliver's team arrived. His team set up in Lab B for the past two months. Markus had spent every moment since the first radio message prepping Lab C for their newest project. The three labs connected to the habitat by long hallways with airlocks on either end. The facility's multiple safeguards included the ability to quarantine any one of the four buildings with power and, more importantly, heating. Even if the connecting hallways broke apart in wind shear, the air seals on either end would protect the inhabitants. On the other hand, if someone became trapped outside of the facility, they would survive at most two hours during the limited daylight. At night, a human would freeze to death in minutes.

Another, smaller air lock connected the main habitat to a hanger and short runway where planes could land in good weather. As the roof doors opened directly, the hanger only offered nominal heat and shelter from the wind. Oliver emerged from the warmth of the airlock into a blast of freezing air and cursed loudly, though it could barely be heard over the roar of wind. Ahead of him, on the poorly maintained runway, a small cargo plane rolled to a stop. The loading bay dropped and a team of soldiers trooped out carrying crates. Oliver could see nothing of their faces behind their masks and goggles, but could identify their ranks. At their head, a captain strode over to Oliver, "You in charge here?" The man had to shout, even inside the small hanger.

Oliver nodded. "Tell them to put the supplies inside the airlock!" The captain nodded and signaled his men. Oliver looked around for a moment. "Where is the specimen!" The captain held up his finger. The soldiers worked quickly. Oliver could only guess as to what was in the sealed crates, but he hoped that they contained all the items the team had requested over the past weeks. Finally, the soldiers wheeled a container down the airplane's ramp. From the shape of it, the container had an eerie resemblance to a coffin. A tarp had been strapped across the top of it, but the soldiers still seemed hesitant to look at it. Behind them walked a second group of soldiers, all of whom had their rifles trained on the container. Oliver felt a sudden panic of fear. He wanted to stop them from bringing that box inside his home, but it wheeled by uneventfully. The soldiers pushed it into in the open air lock alongside all the other supplies and made a quick retreat to their plane.

The captain offered his hand, and Oliver shook it. "Good luck. And God help you!"

Oliver stayed only a moment to watch the captain head back towards the plane, wondering when he would see a new face again. The cold seeped through his coat and clothes as he made his way back to the air lock and sealed the outer door. He started to undress as the air pressure shifted and warmed rapidly. He eyed the capsule nervously. The second the interior door opened, the other three scientists entered the room. Oliver didn't want them to get distracted. "Eli, start inventorying the supplies. You two come with me." Eli looked at them with disappointment as Oliver guided the cart down the hall. They passed through the habitat quickly, each of them surreptitiously stealing glances at the covered container. The trip to Lab C took fifteen minutes, including the brief time in the airlocks. When they finally arrived, they moved the container to the center of the lab, and Markus started giving instructions. "This center room can be quarantined by that button outside. They used to keep animals up here for experiments and would use this room for surgeries and such. Whenever the specimen is exposed, at least one person needs to be out there. If that goes to shit, the main panel in the habitat can seal off the whole Lab. From that point, kill the heat and anything in here will be frozen in a few hours. Good?"

The others nodded. They'd been over the protocols a dozen times since the previous day. "Markus why don't you wait outside while she takes samples," Oliver said. Markus didn't look convinced of the idea, but obeyed. Once they were alone in the small room, Oliver started to remove the tarp. As he revealed their prize, Oliver wondered if the containment box had been specially made for capturing a live infected. The lower half bore a large biohazard stamp with various other warnings and instructions. The top half had a frosted over display panel and a small porthole window. Oliver peered into the window as Shelby worked to get the panel operational.

"I wonder if that tarp was their effort at insulation," she said, derisively. "It should have been put in a crate with some kind of climate control on it. Here we go." Lights inside of the casket flickered on as the panel came to life. Oliver found himself looking at the sleeping face of a gorgeous woman. "Wow, she looks almost serene," Shelby added. "Says here they have her sedated, and we have heart rate readings and some other vitals. Not sure how they managed to get all that hooked up."

"Contrary to the growing belief, they're still mortal," Oliver answered. "Get enough of something into their systems, and it'll knock them out. For how long is the question."

"Ok, I'm disengaging the locks." The case started a whirring noise followed by a loud click and the slight hiss of air. Oliver half expected the case to burst open and the she-monster inside to leap out and pin him to the wall. Nothing happened, and the lid remained shut. Shelby grabbed her tools and moved over to the same side as Oliver. "Ready when you are," she said. They both glanced at Markus who watched them with folded arms. He gave a nod, and Oliver opened the case. None of them had ever seen a woman look so beautiful. The creature evoked a fairy tale scene of Snow White sleeping in the meadow. Oliver thought of himself bending to her lips and kissing her to save her from slumber. He shook his head. The cold metal room was nothing like a meadow, and this was not a fairy tale. Given the chance, the abomination would convert all four of them and find a way to reach others of her kind. Shelby used a small cutting tool to carve off and remove several portions of the creature's flesh. The body regenerated almost instantly as Shelby secured the samples.

As Shelby finished, the creature's eyes fluttered open. Her head did not move and she did not speak, but she looked directly at Oliver as he quickly shut the case. The electronic locks realigned and sealed, but Oliver could still feel her looking at him through the small window. "Got everything you need?" he asked. Shelby nodded. "Good. Let's go help Eli. Then we can discuss what we do next." They sealed the operating room behind them, but none of them felt comfortable until they were halfway down the hallway to the habitat.

***

"It works," Eli said. "It needs to be tested on Lilith."

Two weeks had passed since the creature's arrival. Eli had taken to calling the thing Lilith, and the other's had reluctantly picked up the habit. Oliver thought it unwise to become to comfortable with the idea of it being human, but having only three other humans to share time with made that difficult. The acquisition of Lilith meant many barriers to their research had been overcome. Their morale doubled by their sudden successes in suppressing the virus. Markus developed a working prototype for in-combat dispersal which he relayed to the military for further development. The only thing left to conquer was a working antiviral serum. "Shelby has done good work. The serum can take over and convert the tissue samples, but then they're human. Humans can die." Eli showed Oliver the spoiled samples.

"What if it kills her?"

Eli shrugged. "Then we've got a bullet that can kill them. Either way, we start taking back the planet."

Preparations for the test took a few hours, but finally Eli and Oliver stood inside of the operating room of Lab C while Markus and Shelby watched from the viewing area. Oliver set about opening the case. The creature had not moved for two weeks. Shelby was particularly fascinated by the creature's dormant existence. While the case was sealed, Lilith's bodily functions dropped to almost zero. But the moment the case opened, everything spiked, and her gleaming green eyes would follow whoever came closest. This time was no different. As Oliver pulled open the casket, Lilith's eyes flickered open and focused intently on him. Oliver looked to the others one last time, then brought the injection device up and plunged it into the creature's shoulder. Shock registered on Lilith's face. She began to convulse.

"Open the case," Oliver said. Eli looked warily to the others outside of the room. "Open the case!" Eli grabbed the other latch and prised it open, opening the lower half of the casket. Both of the men gasped as they saw Lilith's body for the first time. She looked absolutely perfect with huge breasts and a prominent, bald pussy. Various monitors attached to her skin. Metal cuffs bound her hands and legs. Oliver realized it had been months since he'd seen a naked woman, let alone one of the infected's hyper sexualized bodies. His cock stirred in his pants, and he did not doubt that the other men felt the sudden wave of lust either. He pressed through the distraction, "The next dose, now!"

Eli raised a second injection device and plunged it into Lilith's thigh. The seizures stopped. Eli stepped away from the still body, but Oliver leaned closer. The green luminescence in Lilith's eyes vanished, and her breasts started to shrink back to normal proportions. Astonished at the changes, Oliver almost died of fright when Lilith spoke, "Water..." she asked in a raspy voice. Neither man responded until she asked again. "Water, please." Scrambling, Eli retrieved a bottle of water and held it to the creature's lips. Lilith managed to swallow several times, but each came with a wince of pain. "Where am I?" she asked.

Oliver didn't know what they had expected, but a complete reversion was not one of the options. "You're in a research facility," he explained. "You were very sick."

The woman struggled to focus on Oliver. "I...can't remember. The voice, where did the voice go?"

"What voice?" Oliver asked while scanning the monitors. Lilith's heart rate was spiking well beyond safe levels, and her temperature should boil her brain.

Lilith looked around and saw the others watching her. "Wait, I do remember. Oh god, I can still see them. All those writhing bodies. They're still in my head, all those things that I did. I can still remember the taste of cum on my lips, the feeling of a thick cock sliding inside of me..."

Oliver started preparing a sedative, "Don't think about that right now. You're still very ill. We need to get you stabilized, and then we can talk about everything that's happened."

"Why would you change me back? I can't live without it. You don't understand what it makes you. You don't understand what it feels like. Pure pleasure for your every moment. This is pain by comparison. My whole body aches to be what it wassss...."

"She's seizing again," Eli yelled. "It's wearing off. We have to dose her again." Eli turned for another vial and in his one moment of distraction, Lilith's hand wrenched free of her restraint and grabbed his arm.

"Shit." Oliver scrambled backwards as Eli looked at him with pleading eyes. Lilith broke her other restraints with ease as her eyes started to burn green. Oliver heard shouting from outside and ran for the door. Lilith held Eli in a her powerful grip but looked over at Oliver with malice. Her body shimmered as it returned to its voluptuous glory. She pulled Eli down and gave him a kiss. The operating room door opened and Oliver ran out, stumbling to his knees in a panic. "Seal it, seal it now!" Shelby hit the crash button and locks whirred into place. "Fuck!"

Markus helped Oliver to his feet and walked to the viewing area where Shelby was looking into the contained room, her hand over her mouth in shock. Lilith had wasted no time. She knelt in front of Eli, his cock shoved in her mouth. Eli's head reclined back as he moaned with pleasure. Oliver's cock throbbed as he watched. He worried he'd been dosed with pheromones before he got out. Lilith continued to undress her prey as she bobbed back and forth along Eli's length. Oliver pushed down the intercom, "Eli, the serum. Dose yourself. That may stop the virus or it....it might at least save you."

The other man turned his head towards the three spectators. An eerie, deranged grin split across his face. "We were wrong. Trying to stop it is pointless. You poor naive bastards don't know how this feels. You can't hear it. Don't worry. We're going to help you." His face contorted, and his hand grabbed the back of Lilith's head as his cock spurted into her hungry mouth. He withdrew from her lips, still fully erect and lifted her up with a new strength. He carried her to a nearby exam table and put her up on all fours, climbing up behind her with superhuman ease. Lilith leered at the spectators as her massive breasts swung beneath her, wobbling with each push and shove from her new mate. With a satisfied grunt, Eli sheathed himself inside her, relishing the feeling of her hot pussy clamping down on him. He growled as he roughly slammed into her from behind, his hands kneading the ample buttocks in front of him.