OK, so, no Patrick Goodman, but Kevin Czarnecki spoke up about this, which might or might not have been modified by me. Or not. It's me after all, who knows?
And, imagine, I have yet to write as Slamm-0! or Kane somehow, go figure!
"So, I'll answer as I see it come. 🙂
Critias is elves. CrimsonDude is corps. I was Red but that seems to be gone (Now it's AVampireCalledRed if it ever actually works, and Infected are mine. 🙂 )
HMHVV's history reaches back to at the least the 4th World. It's definitely not modern engineered, as it has been mentioned since Earthdawn, though never fully explored there. And it's appeared in the 5th world, sporadically. It HAS been tweaked by corps and the Ordo Maximus, among other groups, but none have managed to fully explore it's potential. There was the Terminus Experiment, which was successful, but all research was destroyed, as well as the one workable subject. Yakashima did manage to make an HMHVV-derived genetic "sleeves" to make geneware possible after nanites were no longer viable.
It cannot exist outside a biological form, if you mean can it be in a robot or nanite or something. It needs a soul to bond to. There are theories by deVries that the infected soul can be separated from the infected body, possibly to help with a treatment, but that's unproven (I like the idea, just haven't had a reason to explore it as of yet).
I try to keep its origin mysterious, but it's not impossible that it's engineered. Maybe it was a Horror. Maybe it was made to contain a Horror. Maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with Horrors whatsoever because I like messing with people. 😉 I will say, the few people who COULD have known are very, very long gone, and what few creatures might be able to piece together that puzzle never actually put in the effort, nor have any real desire to.
HMHVV didn't have ONE patient zero, it had a BUNCH. Some vampires and other infected maintained their nature through the 5th World. But for most, the virus was, effectively, sleeping in their systems until the manasphere could awaken it. There wouldn't be any sleepers anymore, given current events, but once upon a time, it might have been rabies, porphyria, who knows? But they popped up all over the world, not just in one spot. (Ray: HIV and AIDS are other possibilities.).
Patrick Goodman was/is my mentor before he left Catalyst. Now Infected are my speciality.
ED DID mention vampires exactly once.
Patrick asked I take this. He says he's crazy out of the loop. 😉
Man did I put a LOT into Dark Terrors. In addition to the whole Asamando chapter, I supervised the artifacts and scraps chapter where LILITU happens. It's setting up something bigger coming over the horizon. 🙂"
So, there you go. Freelancers talking. Woo.
All I know is that my crew of RPGers and Playtesters had a choice between Ghoul Cab and Dragon Taxi, and went with Ghoul Cab. Easier to dispose of bodies and pay cab fare that way.