The Founding of Project NOAH

The Passage (Justin Cronin Edition)

This thread traces how a scientific search for extraordinary longevity becomes a military project aimed at weaponizing the virus.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Bolivian Expedition The Bolivian Expedition from "The Passage". The Bolivian Expedition A medical anomaly A group of terminally ill travelers recover after exposure to something in the Bolivian jungle.

The Bolivian Expedition from "The Passage". The Bolivian Expedition A medical anomaly A group of terminally ill travelers recover after exposure to something in the Bolivian jungle.

The Bolivian Expedition A medical anomaly A group of terminally ill travelers recover after exposure to something in the Bolivian jungle. Their restored health suggests an extraordinary biological effect, but their short survival warns that the discovery is dangerous. A research trail Jonas Abbott Lear connects the recovery to his research on a virus that might restore the thymus. The mystery attracts military funding and turns a scientific question into a national-security project.

The Expedition Becomes Military

The Expedition Becomes Military A civilian mission changes Mark Cole arrives with Special Forces and announces that the researchers now answer to the president. The expedition’s scientific purpose remains, but military priorities reshape its authority and risks. Warning signs Jonas Lear recognizes that the troops are not there simply to protect scientists. The bats’ attacks and the destruction of the team make clear that the project has entered a more dangerous phase.

The First Test Subjects The First Test Subjects from "The Passage". The First Test Subjects Death-row recruitment Bradford Joseph Wolgast is assigned to recruit men sentenced to die.

The First Test Subjects from "The Passage". The First Test Subjects Death-row recruitment Bradford Joseph Wolgast is assigned to recruit men sentenced to die.

The First Test Subjects Death-row recruitment Bradford Joseph Wolgast is assigned to recruit men sentenced to die. The offer of commutation conceals the fact that each man will become an experimental subject whose life is surrendered to Project NOAH. Carter’s bargain Anthony Lloyd Carter accepts because he wants time to understand the death of Rachel Wood. His humane hope for time contrasts with the project’s willingness to treat a person as expendable material.

The Weaponization Plan The Weaponization Plan from "The Passage". The Weaponization Plan A new military rationale Richards sees that the infected subjects can be used as weapons.

The Weaponization Plan from "The Passage". The Weaponization Plan A new military rationale Richards sees that the infected subjects can be used as weapons.

The Weaponization Plan A new military rationale Richards sees that the infected subjects can be used as weapons. The program’s researchers sought longevity and healing, but military planners now imagine releasing the creatures against enemies. The project’s moral collapse Operation Jumpstart moves the work toward deployment. The subjects’ transformation is no longer treated as a medical failure alone; it is becoming a strategic asset with consequences no one can control.

The Colony’s Inherited Arsenal

The Colony’s Inherited Arsenal A hidden reserve Demetrius Jaxon and Willem secretly bring weapons from the military bunker to the Power Station. Their cache represents a future their community has stopped believing it can claim. A choice passed forward Theo keeps the weapons secret, while Peter later discovers their significance. The arsenal links the old world’s military ambition to a new generation’s decision to leave the safety of the Wall.

About ten years before the outbreak

During the Bolivian field expedition

Years after the Bolivian expedition

After the first subjects begin transforming

In the years before Amy reaches the Colony