The Ripley
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The Ripley (also known in the novel as byrus) are a fictional complex parasitoid alien macro virus that appear in the Stephen King novel Dreamcatcher (as well as the film based on the novel).
The adult aliens are snake-like beings with legs, while the younger aliens (nicknamed shit-weasels because they can be created in a host organism's stomach and escape by eating their host's body between the stomach and anus) are legless, smaller versions of the adult alien. Both the adult and young aliens have a mouth that consists of a slit on the underside of the head that goes down the length of the worm. The mouth lips separate to reveal hundreds of teeth that can bite through steel.
Their name is a reference to Ellen Ripley, the fictional main character in the Aliens series of films, because in all stages the parasites are extremely difficult to destroy, and as said by General Kurtz; "This disease is one tough mother to beat, just like that alien chick (Ripley)."
Both the adult and medium-sized aliens (shit-weasels) are capable of immediate asexual reproduction using eggs. The eggs hatch into even smaller versions of the shit-weasels that already have the carnivorous instinct of the older aliens.
The adult Ripley aliens are capable of not only telepathy, but the ability to give those around them telepathic abilities, and to manipulate the minds of those around them. They use this power to appear as Grey Boys. Grey Boys look nearly identical to the stereotypical alien look (it is mentioned in the story that the Ripley have been plaguing Earth since 1947), but with pus like 'skin'. Grey Boys' may spontaneously explode if near death, or to spread the infection. In the story, an adult Ripley appears behind the character Jonesy as a Grey Boy and promptly explodes to infect him. However, because of his special telepathic powers, Jonesy is instead taken over by the Ripley (Nicknamed Mr. Grey) so it can escape in his body and infect the rest of the world.
The virus itself is able to rapidly manifest itself and infects any living host on contact. Half of the infected people are able to recover, while the other half usually die from the parasites that grow inside them.
[edit] Weaknesses and Strengths
The shit weasels are slightly stronger than humans, both in the ability to withstand pain and in actual strength. As such, they die from almost anything that would kill a human. They are especially frail in the cold (the viral-fungus more-so), as such it can be assumed that they originate from a warmer planet.
The aliens are covered with a mucous like substance to withstand their hosts stomach conditions. The muscous quickly becomes viral on surfaces.
