SUMMARY:

I. PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES, ABILITIES

A. PHYSIOLOGY

Subject: Cade is functionally immortal. That is to say, his cells do not undergo regular cell death, or even aging or degradation, as long as the subject has a regular supply of fresh blood. Cell repairs are nearly perfect—any cells destroyed by an outside force (see Appendix: Subject's Resistance to Knife and Bullet Wounds) are replaced with indistinguishable copies. Subject can heal from any wound short of massive bodily trauma in a matter of minutes, although his rate of recovery will vary depending on the amount of fresh blood in his system.

Part of this high resistance to damage is due to the altered physiology observed in subject's full-body MRI and X rays (see Appendix: Medical Imaging). Subject's muscle density is roughly the same as aramid fibers (Kevlar = 1.50 g/ml), or nearly 50 percent higher than standard human muscle (1.06 g/ml). His bones have a tensile strength more than twice that of an average human (300 MPa vs. 150 MPa).

Subject's body does not produce fatigue poisons, and processes blood with a far higher efficiency than human digestion. Virtually all of the metabolic energy in the subject's blood meals is available for immediate use, or can be stored without conversion or loss of energy in the deep capillary beds in the subject's chest and abdomen. Subject will only grow "tired" after several days of consistent effort, and can be rejuvenated simply by feeding.

As a result, at night, when fully nourished, subject has the strength of 20 men (bench press = 4,000 lbs.); can run at speeds up to 75 mph, and leap from a standing position roughly 24 feet into the air. Subject does not need to breathe, as long as he has fed recently. He can store oxygen in the blood he consumes for later use. In one test, subject stayed submerged underwater for over an hour.

The subject's blood itself is filled with previously unidentified hormones, enzymes and antibodies. These compounds, which we continue to study, may explain the subject's immunity to our test-panel of diseases. Attempts to inoculate the subject with everything from the common cold (Rhinovirus) to AIDS (HIV) failed completely. Within an hour, no trace of any viral or bacterial contaminants could be found in the subject's blood. Similar efforts with bioweapons (powdered anthrax), nerve agents and gases were also unsuccessful.

While many of the subject's organs have shrunk from lack of use—most notably the stomach and intestines—other organs have shifted, enlarged,and re-purposed. His lungs have filled with dense "stacks" of blood vessels that draw liquid blood directly from the esophagus upon feeding. These stacks have also expanded to fill the empty abdominal space left by the shriveled digestive organs. They store the subject's liquid meals, and release the blood when it is required by other organs or muscle. Kidneys and liver have enlarged as well, and appear to filter the subject's blood for foreign particles down to 15 microns.

B. INTELLIGENCE

In addition to his greatly amplified motor neuron transmission, subject's IQ, particularly in strategic and problem-solving functions, ranges from exceptionally gifted to genius level (161 to 174, Stanford-Binet scale). MRI and CAT scans suggest his neural function has become more efficient over time—with greater and greater communication throughout his cortex enabled by increased folds and wrinkles through the brain matter, causing more connectivity between neurons. It has been theorized that this enables the subject to "parallel-process," which is to say, work several angles of a problem at once, greatly reducing the time required for a solution.

His time and experience as a special operative of the President have also taught Cade to use his abilities in creative ways – in some respects, making up for his lack of "mature" vampiric abilities.

For example:

Cade can assume another man's face – by literally ripping it off, and then tearing off his own flesh, and replacing it with the skin of the dead man. His vampire healing ability will then grow nerves and blood vessels into the dead flesh, making it a perfect disguise.

II. WEAKNESSES, DISABILITIES

A. DAYLIGHT/UV EXPOSURE

The belief that sunlight will cause a vampire to immediately disintegrate, or burst into flames, appears to have originated with the film Nosferatu (1922). It should be noted that this idea does not appear in the folklore of vampires until after the film. Rather, vampires in folklore were vastly weakened during the day—and a full day of exposure to direct sunlight was often considered the way to kill a vampire. Our own investigations bear out that hypothesis. Direct sunlight debilitates the subject, causing him great pain and increasing weakness. (Simulated UV lights will weaken, but not completely incapacitate him.) The proteins in the subject's cells that ordinarily repair damage appear to switch off, and prolonged exposure would most likely result in subject's blood and tissues desiccating and breaking down completely, causing coma, total bodily shutdown and irretrievable death. However, even out of direct sunlight, subject's abilities are reduced during the day. His strength wanes to that of five men (bench press = 1,000 lbs.), and his reflexes are only twice as fast as an average human's. In addition, if he does not rest in a coma-like state in complete darkness for at least 12 hours roughly every seven days, he will grow steadily weaker.

B. OPEN FLAME

Sustained exposure to high-temperature flame (propane blowtorch, approx. 600˚F) causes the same damage as would be expected on normal human tissue. It's theorized that high heat may cause the same protein "shut-off" as UV exposure, though we have not yet verified this. Aside from sunlight and fire, subject has virtually no other vulnerabilities.

C. CROSS (CRUCIFIX), OTHER PARAPHERNALIA

There is no known physiological reason for the pain Cade experiences when exposed to the sight or touch of a cross, or other religious paraphernalia. While there are no lasting effects, a cross can be enough to keep a vampire at bay.

It appears that prolonged and repeated exposure can build a resistance, or at least, an accommodation with this pain. Unlike other vampires, our subject wears a cross around his neck. (He claims the pain helps him focus on beating his thirst for human blood.) Some in the research group have suggested that the pain is psychosomatic, an abreaction to the vampire's disgust and self-loathing at his or her transformation. However, this does not explain why religious symbols affect all vampires more or less equally, without regard for the individual's religious background.

D. OTHER SUBSTANCES

Tests of garlic, silver and other materials mentioned in folklore had no discernable effect.

E. DESTRUCTION OF SUBJECT

In order to kill the subject, it would be necessary to completely destroy his cardiac function—through massive damage to the heart—or sever his head completely from his body. This is, perhaps, why earlier cultures decapitated corpses and staked them through the heart, in an effort to prevent vampiric outbreaks.

Though Cade's body has been altered by the vampiric conversion, his heart is still the primary organ which delivers the recycled blood he consumes through his tissues. Destroying the heart will cause all other bodily functions to cease. (Wood is recommended because the high carbon content immediately causes the vampire's blood to lose its clotting and oxygenating qualities. However, a close-range shotgun blast to the chest will work just as well.) It is vital to destroy the heart's ability to function. Vampires have been known to recover from staking when the stake strikes a glancing blow or misses completely. For this reason, vampires were often staked out in daylight, so that the sun would finish what the stake had started.

Decapitation will, of course, cause instant death. In the spirit of "better safe than sorry," however, it is recommended that the body and head be cremated.

NOTE: It is important to remember that despite his appearance and personality, Cade is not human. As such, he has no rights as a citizen, and is, in fact, legally dead. (See Confidential OLC Memorandum dated 10.31.2001, J. Yoo, Re: "Human" Rights and the Sixth Amendment.) Therefore, we should feel no hesitation about destroying him if it ever appears he has slipped free of our control. This is not murder: rather, it's much like dismantling a nuclear weapon so that it doesn't fall into enemy hands.

III. MISCELLANEOUS FINDINGS

A. "MESMERISM"

The commonly held belief that vampires are capable of mesmerizing their prey does not appear to be true, at least with Cade. But there is a very real—if not easily measured—psychological and biological response triggered in humans by Cade. Researchers meeting him for the first time reported extreme anxiety, verging on panic attacks. (The fear response is probably heightened by the person's encounter with a species long assumed to be mythical.) This can cause a person to "freeze," much like a mouse will stop all movement when stalked by a snake. However, like the mouse, this is not because the person is hypnotized. It seems to be a result of an ingrained human reaction to a predatory species, rather than any inherent ability on Cade's part. The response grows weaker upon repeated encounters with Cade, settling down eventually to a generalized unease in his presence.

B. OTHER ABILITIES (SHAPE-SHIFTING, ETC.)

Likewise, some vampiric abilities we can regard as mere myth. Cade has not proven capable of changing into a bat, or fog, or a wolf. These stories no doubt rose from accounts of vampires' actual speed and strength, which are impressive enough. But we can safely say that for all the power Cade has displayed, vampires cannot fly, or change shape.

C. HUMAN BLOOD INTAKE

Research (See: File: Vampire King) indicates most vampires of Cade's age would be much stronger, and faster, with a range of abilities Cade does not possess. But unlike other vampires, this subject sustains himself with animal blood. He refuses to drink the blood of a human, even though human blood is what his vampiric body is designed mainly to consume and metabolize. (He refuses to drink even transfused human blood, viewing it much the same way an alcoholic views liquor.) If there were some way to overcome the subject's squeamishness in this regard, there is no telling how effective an agent he might become.

©2009 Christopher Farnsworth, All Rights Reserved.