Chapter 46-2: Under Pressure

**FenixArc** · May 28th, 2014, 11:40 AM

With a few people mentioning spores/fungus it got me thinking about how Cordyceps works, in real life but more importantly in The Last of Us. In real life, at least one strain of it infects ants and mind controls them for the purpose of infecting even more ants. Interestingly this ties in nicely with theories from earlier in the series that the zombies behave like an ant colony. In the game, people are infected by spores or bites from other infected. After the fungus runs its course, the infected body dies and releases more spores to continue the cycle, perhaps not unlike what is happening in Tanya's morgue.

One of the key elements we are still missing here is how the outbreak started, and in multiple places. If there were already lots of bodies rotting under ground zero, how did they get there, how were they already infected, and how did it happen on other continents?

**Hoff4D** · May 28th, 2014, 12:23 PM

Yet again, I'm a few episodes behind with regards to the forum and HI AGAIN EVERYBODY!, but I had abandoned/admitted defeat on my theory when we confirmed Datu 'felt compelled' by these symbols. My thoery being that there was some archaic language being used, and that Ink knew something was up long before the outbreak, which is WHY he tattooed himself and was not attacked when found in that van in the video tape we seen (being tattooed with "stop" or "protect". After this week, I'm jumping back on board that train! Now, to look through my post history and try to find when I first made this kooky claim!

And I'm going to try and get back up to speed with the posts asap!

**Vlarken** · May 28th, 2014, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by Gooer

Would of said Scratch was more a Cersei....... Asha isn't much of a antagonist/evil girl.....

I was thinking Asha because, while Scratch is a villain, she's also a fighter and pretty fearless. Cersei is just a conniving, pathetic, petty character who, outside of plotting, has no real intelligence. Scratch, as much as I hate to say it, is more than that.

**Gooer** · May 28th, 2014, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Vlarken

I was thinking Asha because, while Scratch is a villain, she's also a fighter and pretty fearless. Cersei is just a conniving, pathetic, petty character who, outside of plotting, has no real intelligence. Scratch, as much as I hate to say it, is more than that.

Fair enough. You get some brownie points for that.

**Grognaurd** · May 28th, 2014, 01:10 PM

Thanks for the info RB, did not realize that you could use wood gas to make methanol. But, I agree with Riley. Biodiesel is a job for Tardust, not Burt.

**YetAnotherBloodyCheek** · May 29th, 2014, 04:05 AM

Hi, though I spent some time about it recently, I think I spent not enough time about finding a solution to the "gas anomaly." I mean, let's suppose that the Ground Zero gas contains a toxic component, the effects of it - as I recall it - seem pretty binary. When being exposed to it, people instantly start coughing and switching their main priority to better get out of here right now. On the other side, we witnessed a lot of zombie corpses lying around when there were not indications whatsoever of them fumigating anything. Moreover, I doubt that there can be a biological component to the gas agent besides the chemical one - just because people did not show signs of an infection after they left or were removed from the emission side.

Besides, as the gas fumigates out of dead bodies, why does it precipitate just at such an occasion and not constantly while the zombie still lived? If it reacted with something inside the zombies body would it not mean the gas is reactive at least? So, if we are dealing with an reactive gas, would it therefor not be likely to be acid or alkaline? Moreover, it is required to have some escharotic quality as well. Surely, I am taking a bold step forward - but damn, why did Tanya not find any traces of this while conducting her blood sample tests? Using reagent paper is no rocket science!

I do not get it.

**YetAnotherBloodyCheek** · May 29th, 2014, 04:13 AM

Originally Posted by Hoff4D

Yet again, I'm a few episodes behind with regards to the forum and HI AGAIN EVERYBODY!, but I had abandoned/admitted defeat on my theory when we confirmed Datu 'felt compelled' by these symbols. My thoery being that there was some archaic language being used, and that Ink knew something was up long before the outbreak, which is WHY he tattooed himself and was not attacked when found in that van in the video tape we seen (being tattooed with "stop" or "protect". After this week, I'm jumping back on board that train! Now, to look through my post history and try to find when I first made this kooky claim!

And I'm going to try and get back up to speed with the posts asap!

I would like to add one thing here. The episode "Blood, sweat and fears" depicted zombies whose sensory impressions were completely controlled by pheromones after Michael and the others threw some sweat bottles against a wall which the zombies subsequently started to attack. I wonder - if Michael's team captured some regular zombies and would succeed in drenching Ink with human sweat - would the zombies attack Ink or be still repelled by his symbols?

**LiamKerrington** · May 29th, 2014, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by YetAnotherBloodyCheek

Hi, though I spent some time about it recently, I think I spent not enough time about finding a solution to the "gas anomaly." I mean, let's suppose that the Ground Zero gas contains a toxic component, the effects of it - as I recall it - seem pretty binary. When being exposed to it, people instantly start coughing and switching their main priority to better get out of here right now. On the other side, we witnessed a lot of zombie corpses lying around when there were not indications whatsoever of them fumigating anything. Moreover, I doubt that there can be a biological component to the gas agent besides the chemical one - just because people did not show signs of an infection after they left or were removed from the emission side.

Besides, as the gas fumigates out of dead bodies, why does it precipitate just at such an occasion and not constantly while the zombie still lived? If it reacted with something inside the zombies body would it not mean the gas is reactive at least? So, if we are dealing with an reactive gas, would it therefor not be likely to be acid or alkaline? Moreover, it is required to have some escharotic quality as well. Surely, I am taking a bold step forward - but damn, why did Tanya not find any traces of this while conducting her blood sample tests? Using reagent paper is no rocket science!

I do not get it.

Damn fine thoughts.

Something to chew on:

What if each zombie releases these gases, but the dosage is so small that you actually do not recognize it. Compare it with "sweating" in a broader sense: you release water from your body 24/7 through your skin; but only when you do sports or are exposed to great heat or use some more recognizable "valves" of your body you actually "see" or "feel" the water flowing. If it is possible to compare this picture with the gases and if the gases are the result of some bio-chemical process within zombie-bodies, then the concentrated appearance of the gases might be the gase, because the gas could gather for some time in a certain spot and then get released - at Ground Zero for example think of the gases gathering and concentrating under the surface, until the pressure opens more gaps or cracks in the ground allowing the gases to get released. Once at the surface the gases spreads so quickly, that the conentration per cubic-foot or cubic-meter decreases, which btw would explain why survivors recognized these gases only in certain areas and not all over LA. In favor of this idea speaks the "obvious": at places where the gas is highly concentrated, there is this haze recognizable; but the farther you are away from it the less likely you "see" the haze or gases, but you may only start reacting to it. Another very good example suporting this is what has been described in #46-2: Pegs reacts to the gas as soon as Tanya opens the door to the Mortuary; but neither Pegs nor Tanya see anything; Tanya gets into the mortuary, still does not see anything, until she opens the tray with the dead body; and here she recognizes the yellow gas or haze like what she saw when she took samples at Ground Zero ...
All a matter of dosage or concentration. And that actually leaves the question open, whether zombies transpire these gases round the clock.

Best wishes!
Liam

**LiamKerrington** · May 29th, 2014, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by YetAnotherBloodyCheek

I would like to add one thing here. The episode "Blood, sweat and fears" depicted zombies whose sensory impressions were completely controlled by pheromones after Michael and the others threw some sweat bottles against a wall which the zombies subsequently started to attack. I wonder - if Michael's team captured some regular zombies and would succeed in drenching Ink with human sweat - would the zombies attack Ink or be still repelled by his symbols?

Brilliant idea.