Thoughts of the Submind

This, apparently, is what they call themselves. "Submind," for short.

"They" being:

1. A sentient virus
   
2. billions of years old
   
3. with a 'non-interference' policy
   
4. who created a perfect host 'species' for themselves
   
5. which turned out to be too perfect.
   

Doc says they don't even become truly sentient until the virus population reaches a certain critical mass. The host spores, being designed to breed by dividing in two, never get big enough for the inhabiting virus to 'wake up' unless the host is also supporting a much larger life form. (That must be where the 'too perfect' comes in.)

They need us. They need humans, cats, and chimpanzees (and mice and rats and bugs I suppose) to become more than floating spores. I'm still not sure how I feel about giant ice-vines and mice infested cat trees, so I'll have to let you know about the virus thing later.