Saul cursed to himself as he walked away from the microphone. "(Annoying pests. Why does Luka insist on giving the media more freedom? Were Cain still in control, the general public would not even hear rumors of the Gold Virus.)" A light chuckle escaped his lips. "('She' must be laughing right about now...)"

By John Trokaw on Sunday, April 07, 2002 - 05:13 am:

Good evening. Several weeks ago doctors released statements saying that birth rates had plummetted. No one could figure out the cause, but recent studies show that birth rates... are only the beginning.

*cue shot of the convention center with a transparent golden overlay with bold text reading "Only the Beginning?"*

It's no secret that things have been amiss across Etrenank for the past few weeks. As many try to go about their normal daily business, the lingering fear of what is causing the conception phenomena troubles them. A report released just hours ago may give some clues to the causes of this phenomena... as well as raise new fears about what could happen next.

[scene change: Doctor's office in the Western hospital]

We were able to meet again with Doctor Ken for his comments.

"What we've found is that everyone experiencing difficulty with conception contains a peculiarity in their blood. We're not sure what to classify it as, but there is a previously nonexistant organism present. This organism has only shown reactions to the reproductive organs in the human body. We believe this is the cause, and for simplicity's sake are referring to it as the 'Gold Virus'.

"However, this is not the only problem. We have been studying this new organism for several weeks and have found that even in this short period of time, it has changed. A majority of the first people reported ill have shown dramatically weaker immune systems and have the inability to fight off the common cold, or even chicken pox. We are working frantically to find an antidote for this."

We were also able to meet with Doctor Saul on behalf of the Laboratory Administration.

"Rumors have spread that this may be connected to the recent sudden illnesses of laboratory personnel. We have found nothing to reinforce this statement -- the two are completely unrelated. We have found the cause for the laboratory incident and countermeasures have been taken, the issue is no longer relevant.

"We have not found where this 'Gold Virus' has originated, but in cooperation with the Ethos we have discovered that contamination has spread down to the surface. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of cases have been reported across Aquavy, Dazil, and Bledavik. According to the Ethos, few if any outbreaks have occured in Nisan, Lahan, or Nortune."

We asked for his commentary about the general situation.

"I am personally supervising study of this Virus. We predict an antidote should be ready within ten to fifteen days. Once the antidote is prepared and tested, confirming it's effectiveness on those ill, we will go door-to-door to immunize citizens across Etrenank. Though we don't have the resources to do a cleansweep of that manner on the surface, the Ethos has assured us that they will do their best to stamp out this disease. Citizens should not be worried; if you or someone you know falls ill, there is no need to be afraid. Those diagnozed with the 'Gold Virus' should be put on sick pay from their jobs and stay home to rest."