The Uroboros virus (alternate spelling: Ouroboros virus) was a virus derived from the Progenitor virus, developed by Tricell and central to the "Uroboros Project" advanced by Albert Wesker. It was a "perfect virus" which eliminated the weaknesses of other engineered RNA viruses. It was designed to recognize a host's DNA and "select" them based on whether they possessed superior genes. Hosts who were chosen would gain superhuman abilities and become controlled. If not, the virus would go out of control and transform the host into an organism with black tentacles.
Development
After his encounter with Oswell E. Spencer in 2006, Albert Wesker returned to his alliance with Tricell and used their corporate strength in order to enact a different version of Spencer's plot to use the Progenitor virus in order to create an evolved human race through artificial selection. By manipulating Excella Gionne and enabling her to become the CEO of Tricell Africa, he managed to recover the Progenitor virus, necessary for the development of the Uroboros virus, from the Africa Laboratory formerly owned by the Umbrella Corporation.
To Tricell researchers, the purpose of the Uroboros virus was to create a virus surpassing the G-virus and t-Veronica virus. The goal was to resolve typical issues caused by these viruses such as excessive mutation, mental pollution and instability. However, they were allowed to ignore its adaptation and rejection rate, as the natural adaptation properties of the Progenitor virus were crucial. The true nature of the virus was kept secret from its researchers. Gionne used Ricardo Irving as a pawn to sell B.O.W.s (Bio Organic Weapons) developed by Tricell on the black market, thereby contributing to Wesker's research funds.
Test Subject (2006-2008)
In the middle of the project, the first form of the virus could not be used in its natural state due to its poisonous nature. Due to this characteristic, research progress was more difficult than expected, but a major breakthrough was made when a change was seen in "subject number 1" in 2006. The subject was Jill Valentine, who Wesker had captured and desired to use as the first test subject for the Uroboros Project. Her body contained a mutant form of the t-virus. The vaccine she received in Raccoon City in 1998 was supposed to have eradicated all traces of the virus in her body, but instead it caused the virus to go into a dormant state. Her extended period in cryogenic sleep somehow reactivated the virus, but shortly after it completely disappeared from her body and left something else in its place.
Wesker discovered that her body now contained powerful antibodies to the virus, produced as a result of its long presence in her body. Wesker theorized that using her antibodies could make the virus less poisonous, and kept her alive solely to produce antibodies for his research. After much research and experimentation, the Uroboros virus was perfected. Valentine's participation in its development meant she was no longer a suitable test subject, as her body contained antibodies with high resistance to the virus. She was instead assigned as a test subject to the "P30" project.
Final Steps (2009)
With the virus complete, Wesker began finalizing the next steps in the Uroboros Project. During a test-loading of the virus onto missiles, a biohazard occured. The virus infected local insects, producing a B.O.W. which was named "Reaper". Eventually, the project was finalized. The plan was to spread the virus around the world by loading missiles loaded with the virus onto a bomber plane and releasing the virus into the westerly trade winds when the missile reaches the troposphere. All of humanity would be judged by the Uroboros virus, and only the chosen ones would survive. Worthless beings with inferior DNA would simply wage violence in search of new hosts for the Uroboros virus.
In March 2009, Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar successfully stopped the bomber plane from launching the missiles into the atmosphere and killed Albert Wesker. The stockpile of the virus on the plane was dissolved in a volcano. It is unknown what happened to the remainder of the virus in the Tricell facility.
Characteristics
After administration, the virus recognises the subject's DNA and can give superhuman strength by controlling the subject if he or she is a suitable match. But if not, the virus runs rampant and turns the organism into a creature with black tentacles. When the virus runs rampant, it grows by enveloping nearby organisms one after the other. Living things that have been given the virus are included in these organisms. The body self-reproduces through continual destruction and regrowth, and indiscriminately attacks any living things around it.
The purpose of the collection of tentacles from the rampant virus is to create gill-like black viral cysts from substances within the body for excretion from the body. These viral cysts have primitive intelligence capable of detecting nearby organisms, as well as capturing, hunting or breeding. Single viral cysts are not particularly long-lived and are easily destroyed, but a collection of cysts will aggressively surround any active living organisms.
Due to these characteristics, it was decided to handle live human test subjects with extreme caution, and dosages were strictly controlled according to the subject's body weight - 1 vial for body masses over 60kg, 2/3 vials for body weights between 40 and 60kg, and so on. Even the slightest miscalculation of dosage would significantly increase the chances of the subject's death. Since symptoms such as sweating, breathing difficulty or confusion would occur. Even with the correct dosage, subjects were thought to be under significant physical burden.
Because gunshots were not capable of delivering sufficient damage to fend off an attack, incineration at high temperatures was considered to be the most efficient method of repulsion. However, this was only true if the cyst mass was of sufficiently small size to be able to burn the entire mass - it became too difficult to incinerate organisms that had grown to extremely large masses. Thus, the Uroboros Project prepared a high-powered laser attack system called "Shango" in preparation for a worst-case scenario. Shango was an extremely high advanced firing system capable of hitting a target within a few tens of centimetres of accuracy, which worked by receiving target location information using a rocket launcher location measuring and transmission device called "L.T.D." Because a certain amount of time was required to recharge between firings, the target had to be continually followed with the target scope.