Note: These were included in Rifter #25, and, as such, are no longer available on this site. Below is a brief excerpt of the original material.
Phage World
Note: These were originally intended to completely replace the Undead Vampire south of the border with something a bit more agreeable to my tastes. I always felt that the vampires down there were kind of hokey, to tell the truth, and I kept picturing psi-stalkers as the true vampires of Rifts Earth. I expanded on the idea, slowly changing them from suave bloodsuckers to a more subtle kind of villain. One who would really scare the Coalition, because they can't find them, can't identify them, and can't tell if some of their most loyal and valuable troops are loyal or pawns of the enemy.
The rumors had spread through the ranks of the ISS with frightening speed. Some of the 'Stalkers in C Squad were infected. Just the thought of it made Lt. Parker's blood run cold. He'd known a 'Stalker that wound up infected... she wasn't that stable to begin with, none of them damn mutants were, but the disease had pushed her over. She'd taken down four troopers in full armor before anyone could get a clear shot, then she shrugged off everything but the plasma grenade, and he wasn't sure if that's because she had taken so much punishment before, or because it was plasma. He hoped they were just rumors. He didn't want to go through that, not again.

Amongst psi-stalkers, there is now a dark rumor of something that will make them more than they are, something that will take them into a kind of power and ability they'd never dream of. Longer life. Greater strength. Speed, agility, rapid healing, and further development of psionics... everything needed to become the perfect hunter, to continue the hunt for decades, even centuries. Passed from 'Stalker to 'Stalker, it's rumored to be an arcane secret, something dormant in all 'Stalkers, just waiting for the right key to open it up.

The "secret" is actually a virus, specific to the Psi-Stalker sub-species. Where this virus came from is a mystery, but it is assumed to be a mutant microbe from Atlantis's bio-wizardry labs. The virus is communicable, passed through blood and other bodily fluids and into the psi-stalker's body. Many 'Stalkers have been infected when they shared a kill with another 'Stalker... many more when they shared a bed or blood on a battlefield. The virus infiltrates the mind of a psi-stalker, latching onto key portions of the brain and stimulating certain innate abilities that are never fully realized in the average psi-stalker. The psi-stalker enhances his already impressive physical abilities with a subconscious use of telekinesis and other psionic powers.
Comments?