On those touched by the virus

Hi all, just wanted to take a quick minute to clarify one or two things, and I think this is the best spot for it.

First, I know I throw around a lot of terms over the course of this story. In an effort to make sure we're all on the same page, here's the rundown:

Infected: A general term for anyone that's been touched by the virus. Infected can take any form, have any level of intelligence, and have experienced any level of changes and transformations. However, they have very little self control unless being commanded and will typically engage in as much sex as possible, though exceptions do exist. They are the most common and make up the majority of those infected by the virus. When writing, please note that this is capitalized when referring to the hordes and should be treated as a proper noun, i.e. 'The Infected were advancing.' Please do capitalize it. Pet peeve, but it's my story, I make the rules.

Alpha: A member of the horde that has risen above the base need to fuck uncontrollably (usually). They have the ability to control Infected to varying degrees, can typically control their body and its appearance to a degree, and may possess seemingly magical abilities, especially telepathy to communicate and control the masses. Alphas can be created from any normal Infected.

Divines: The most powerful of those infected with the virus. Currently, this is a rank only possessed by Aires and Aphrodite, through more may follow. They stand at the top of the viral chain, able to manipulate themselves, other Infected, and even uninfected people. They possess a mental connection to every being carrying the virus and can control them from incredible distances. They can also manipulate the virus, forcing certain changes upon individuals or groups of people. Additionally, they gain powers that appear to be magic (but have a suitable scientific explanation if you have the creativity to make it up. Let's all just say it's magic) and can use them for almost anything. This is a rank mainly gained by experience and cultivating their strain of the virus within themselves.

Strains: Thanks to its malleability, the core virus strain changes the instant it infects someone to suit them, becoming a new strain, and the individual infected usually becomes an Alpha for that strain. Most Alphas will be subservient to any other Alpha or Divine with the same strain, though with enough of a change, they can break out on their own. Depending on the circumstances, a Divine or potentially an Alpha may control more than one strain, though they would need to be able to assimilate an untainted sample, typically from the original Alpha. A strain typically has a defining characteristic, such as a specific body type or attribute, but random mutations can and do occur to change that or to provide variation on the theme.

Vestigials: Thanks to the virus' innumerable variations and equally diverse methods of spreading, sometimes substances that do not directly transmit the virus are created, such as spores, pheromones, and liquids to name a few possibilities. These substances usually confer some measure of the virus on those affected by them, but may not fully infect them. Basically it's a middle point between uninfected and infected and are officially called Vestigials. This can be more suitable for longer transformations, slow burns, or really any situation where someone doesn't instantly become a sex maniac. Vestigials may react to the virus in a number of ways, ranging from a slight increase in arousal, lower inhibitions, a gradual urge to join the Infected, all the way to eventually becoming fully Infected all on their own without any further help needed. It all varies by person, vector of spread, and what the author needs and no strict rules exist.

There's also a whole lot of wishy-washy-ness in all of this, so grain of salt and all that. I'm just looking to set up some general guidelines. These rules and classifications are far from strict (I encourage the opposite, in fact) and will likely change.

The Opposition:

Olympus: A secret organization that had something to do with the virus' creation, though what exactly is unknown. They are trying to contain or cure it and possess a massive amount of assets for that purpose. They have recruited a rogue Alpha to help them with that endeavor.

Hermes: An exploratory military faction under Olympus that was mostly decimated by Aires.

The Traitor/Traitoress: An unknown woman who is an Alpha and working with Olympus to destroy the virus. Her motivations are unknown.