Sally's immune system

As mentioned in a previous post and reiterated in the first Intermezzo in Rome's Evolution, Sally and Rei came to a parting of the ways when he decided he wanted to join the Ark program and she did not.

Sally had a degree in Botany and after college, she went down to the rain forest of Brazil to help with the reconstruction efforts. It was there that she contracted a mutated strain of what was later called the Lupine Flu. In reality, that virus was actually artificial and code-named Strain 3 by the Darwin Project. This was documented in The Ark Lords. She went to the hospital and was placed in a ward along with the other victims of this vicious man-made disease and expected to die. In fact, she did die, several times, but they were able to resuscitate her each time. It was during the last attempt that something miraculous happened. Instead of succumbing, her immune system started making universal and general purpose antibodies that could not only fight off Strain 3, but any virus in the world.

Sally recovered fully and as far as the doctors in Brazil could tell, Sally could no longer be made ill by any virus. One of the doctors there was named Raul and he spent so much time with Sally, he fell in love with her. The feeling was mutual and when Sally decided to return to the US, Raul came back with her and married her.

We find out later (from the Overmind of Earth) that Sally's universal immunity included Virus Strain 4, the virus responsible for The Great Dying. More than nine billion people died. Sally did not. The members of the Darwin Project had inoculated themselves and tried to hide out underground until the destruction passed but their technology failed them and they all died. However, Sally not only survived but thrived and was one of the progenitors of the new human race that eventually became the Vuduri. While they were 70 generations removed, she was Rome's great, great, great grandmother.