Flood Super Cell
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The LF.Xx.3273 Flood Super Cell, often referred to using the acronym FSC, is an undifferentiated cell type that serves as the basis of all Flood biomass. FSC can be loosely described as to "thinking muscle",[1] boasting neuron-like structures that be shifted into any form necessary to support the spread of the parasite.[2] FSC can be crafted onto living organisms,[3] used to create pseudo-organs,[2] or in later stages of a given outbreak even used to create entire creatures of pure Flood biomass.[3]
Biology[edit]
The Flood Super Cell is often described as "thinking muscle", and closely resembles both neurons and glial cells in terms of its physical structure. The Flood have demonstrated on numerous occasions that they have the ability to arrange these cells to mimic any organ that may be needed.[1] In addition to this ability, the Flood Super Cell has a wide repertoire of additional abilities, which culminates in the creation of a Gravemind and a fully-developed Flood hive. In these latter stages of an outbreak, the Flood is able to spontaneously generate the FSC in its effort to alter the environment into a more suitable one for its growth.[5]
An important capability essential to the Flood's survival is its ability to convert other life forms into more Flood cells, which can be used in a wide variety of ways. The Flood Super Cells capture and interface with the host's cells, which are quickly metabolized, broken down, analyzed, and reassembled into more Flood Cells that mirror the function of the target's cells.[6] This process is rapid and continuous, with the end result being that the host's biomass is largely overtaken by the newly-generated Flood biomass.[7]
Flood cells are most typically encountered inside "spores", which may be created and emitted into the environment from other Flood forms or directly injected into a victim by an infection form.[8]
Trivia[edit]
- The Flood Super Cell shows remarkable similarities to the alien life form in the 1982 film The Thing. The cells of this alien being interface with and analyze the cells of its victim, and simultaneously consume them, shaping the resulting biomass to be a perfect replica of the victim. Similar to the Flood, the alien can reconstruct the matter of the victim in any way it chooses, and is not something that can be cured, like a disease.
- The Flood Super Cell's ability to consume and facilitate the use of an organism as an environment for its own prosperity closely parallels the abilities of real world microorganisms, specifically those of the Agrobacterium genus. This genus of bacteria utilizes horizontal gene transfer, to insert harmful DNA into target plants, generating tumors that create an environment in which the bacteria can thrive.
List of appearances[edit]
- Iris (First appearance)
- Halo 3
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo Wars 2 (Mentioned only)
- Halo Infinite
- Season 05: Reckoning (Mentioned only)
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b Halo 3, Bestiarum: "Flood biomass is composed of an undifferentiated cell type that has been labeled [marker[?]]>LF.Xx.3273_Flood_Super_Cell. The Flood Super Cell (FSC) can be loosely described as [thinking muscle[?]], and it closely resembles neurons or glial cells in structure. It has been verified on multiple occasions that the Flood have the ability to arrange these FSCs to mimic any organ they might need."
- ^ a b Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: The Flood
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 401
- ^ Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Terminal #3
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Flood (Retrieved on Oct 26, 2021) [local archive] [external archive]
- ^ The Art of Halo 3, page 26: "Because the Flood uses its victims for foot soldiers, the trick was to keep them recognizable enough while changing their silhouette enough. The Pure Forms removed that limitation—the only fictional constraint that we had to keep in mind was that the Flood alters the DNA of its victims in the same manner that we alter the DNA of cows or bean sprouts. By digesting them."
- ^ The Art of Halo, page 48: "The Infection Form, which swarms over a victim and consumes its host, replacing the host's biomass with the Flood's super-cell biomass. The host is rapidly transformed into a Combat Form. The host's brain is chemically blocked from all but autonomic systems—keeping the body alive as it is devoured/converted."
- ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Library: "You can see how the body has been transformed by the genetic restructuring of the Flood infection. The small creatures carry spores that cause a host to mutate. The mutated host then produces spores that can pass the Flood to others. It is insidious and elegant. As long as any hosts remain, the Flood is…virulent." - 343 Guilty Spark
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