2Okay, after a certain comment from an author I particularly love, I am adding a chapter about this subspecies of water Coleman and I have come up with. In fun and games, laced generously with sarcasm, I have created a pretty interesting subject of scrutiny.
So, with that said, I give you the subspecies of water I have aptly dubbed 'Arid Hybridus.'
This unknown species, a cousin of water, is deadly to all living things. If ingested it will kill slowly and painfully, for it is very much alive. Arid Hybridus is found in the caverns of mutated, stagnant ponds composed of what once was water. In some areas, generally close to the equator, the water seeped into the ground and collected minerals and rare metals (or so we presume) along the way. The water which collected these and settled into caverns close to the earth's core mutated because of the intense heat. With the combination of the bacteria within the water and the harsh particles that were carried there by the water, the first droplets of Arid Hybridus were formed.
After millions of years of this same slow process occurring, stagnant ponds of this new breed of water gathered. The ponds can be reached by only the most technologically advanced subterranean vehicles capable of withstanding the intense heat. Unusually, though, Arid Hybridus does not boil in the intense heat. Scientists can only hypothesize that the combination of the different minerals and such caused this seemingly genetic mutation, as well as the mutation that caused their DNA to form in the first place. Scientists specializing in the studies of Arid Hybridus are still swamped with the mysteries surrounding its evolution from a nonliving substance to an advanced killing machine.
Now, on to the more interesting subject matter concerning our fair friend. When consumed, Arid Hybridus enters the digestive system very innocently, passively one might say. Within minutes, though, the victim will begin feeling intense abdominal pain, specifically beneath the rib cage. The belly of the victim will bloat up, discoloring as blood leaks out. This will last about fifteen minutes before all cramping stops. It seems as though the reaction is over. An hours after ingestion, when the Arid Hybridus has fully entered the intestines, it strangely reacts with the chemicals secreted, especially with the proteins. Pockets of acidic puss will develop on the skin, becoming red and inflamed before bursting at the slightest touch or shift or stretch of the skin. Usually the victim goes into anaphylactic shock after this, dying later of massive internal bleeding. Some victims have suffocated on their own blood if lying on their backs during the severe reaction to ingestion of Arid Hybridus, as the creature digests the body of the victim from the inside out.
Nothing scientists have developed can hold Arid Hybridus, with the exception of containers that can be kept at extreme temperatures and maintained at that temperature while the Arid Hybridus is within the container. Eventually it will seep back into the ground, devouring everything in its path until the intense heat of the earth's core calms its aggressive nature. Unfortunately, this species looks exactly like water. It does not move on its own until ingested (as far as scientists can tell), and only the chemicals within the human body seem to incite it to "feed," and I use that term loosely, for scientists are really not that sure all of what it is capable of.
So, until the mysteries of the Arid Hybridus are solved, we will continue to be baffled by its dangerous, and odd, nature, evolution, and history.