The Glitched

The Glitched are a group of individuals that have been infected with the Blacklight pathogen but, unlike others, have not become Faded. The circumstances by which one can become Glitched are somewhat mysterious, though it is believed that one must be exposed to an extremely concentrated dose of Blacklight and then rendered clinically dead almost immediately after.

There are currently eight Glitched that are named, all of whom were present on Flight 2647. That other passengers on the flight could also be Glitched is a possibility, though no evidence has been found of other survivors. They became Glitched when a concentrate dose of Blacklight was released, infecting them that an extremely high level of the pathogen, immediately prior to the 2nd Icecrown Incursion. Although they were killed by the crash, the Blacklight pathogen's rate of transmission was so swift that it had already fused their conscious minds to the Aether, allowing the Black Flu to develop whilst they were clinically dead but still alive within the Aether, thereby surpassing becoming a 'Fade' and moving onto the (possibly) final stage of infection - becoming Glitched.

The Glitched are in an extremely fragile state. They are essentially broken, shattered bodies and destroyed minds that are barely held together by a paper thin and purely accidental backdoor connection to the Aether, one which could snap at any moment - in which case they could either drop dead or have their minds sucked into the Aether for eternity.

Following their 'rebirth', Naomi Masher began study of their condition using data she'd already gathered from the Soulcreek project.

Physiology and Origins
The Glitched are humans that, by rare circumstance, have progress to possibly the final form of the Black Flu - the possession of an unnatural Aperture. Each of the Glitched possess a mental 'backdoor' into the Aether, a subconscious link that, although they have no control of, is capable of keeping them alive via the psychic energy of the Aether that sustains them. Physically, the Glitched are completely dead - their bodies are broken, barely held together by the fragile energy the Aether provides them. Their organs are on the verge of failing, their shattered bones barely held together and their minds totally destroyed by their exposure to the Aether. Without the psychic energy that the Aether is steadily providing them, they are essentially walking corpses barely held together with fragile energy. Their connection to the Aether is extremely fragile, and could snap at any moment or with any small amount of metaphysical force, rendering them dead. Their minds are precariously balanced between our world and the Aether; where falling into the former would mean death, and the latter an eternity of torture.

There were two unique circumstances that lead to the creation of the Glitched that were, if anything, down to luck; the crash itself, and the position the survivors were seated in the plane.

Firstly, following Flight 2647 crashing into Icecrown City and releasing the Blacklight pathogen, the horrific nature of the crash meant that the vast majority of passengers onboard had been brutally mutilated. Most were not recognisable. The front portion of the plane, where the Glitched were gathered at the time, was spared the majority of the damage. And so, by chance, they were as physically intact as the Blacklight pathogen needed to be - although they were still clinically dead by the time the plane hit the ground. Secondly, the transmission of the virus itself. Not only where the Glitched standing in the correct place to avoid mutilation in the crash, by they were right beneath the canister that contained the virus itself. When it ruptured during the crash, the group were exposed to it in its most concentrated form, far more than any others during the outbreak were.

Capabilities
Outwardly, the Glitched appear and feel to be entirely human. Their connection to the Aether, no matter how fragile, still keeps their minds and bodies intact. This energy psychic energy may, in theory, manifest itself in other ways. They are, after all, the only stable metaphysical gateway to the Aether that has ever existed. However, attempting to do do so even on a tiny level would likely sever their connection to the Aether and kill them.

During the 2nd Icecrown Incursion, and the outbreak in Icecrown City, Naomi presented the group with the option of becoming part of the Soulcreek project, which would combine the use of an advanced, experimental AI with a selection of prototypes intended to operate with their nervous systems and their Aperture. The project was an initial success, with Sam Jenkins testing the AI's capabilities out first. Naomi continued to develop the hardware and software to allow the Glitched to access the Aether safely, though primarily because the group were consistently in danger and required some 'big guns', what with the increasing intelligence demonstrated by the Faded and the constant threatening presence of the Sheep stalking them.

Roster

 * Caroline Tracy
 * Butch Kutler
 * Masako Namura
 * Devin Phillips
 * Paxon Bell
 * Juliet Gribble
 * Leo Thrace
 * Sam Jenkins
 * Meredith Oswald