Zaldimar virus

''About a decade ago the first memetic zombies started showing up. Turned out their release was a pure accident - they had been reprogrammed in a black-ops lab that ceased to exist when the country it was housed in was bombed out of existence. ''

The Zaldimar virus is a cybernetic affliction responsible for the existence of Zaldimar cultists. It causes the infected to commit brutal acts of violence and group together with other infectees. Anyone with cybernetic brain components (such as the hardware required to operate a rig or consume adrenomax) is vulnerable to the virus.

In the sequel to BLOCKOUT, Jack surmises that he has been infected with the Zaldimar virus after blacking out and murdering four New American Republic smugglers.