[ WP ] Diseases ca n't be cured , only passed on to someone else . It 's common for those about to die from old age to act as recipients , allowing the young to live lives free from illness .

Dr. Newton was the residing Chief of Disease, so it came as no surprise when he was called in to identify an illness. He looked at his report while he waited for the elevator to reach the 31st floor. It seemed there was some disease that kept being passed back and forth for no discerning reason and nobody could figure out why. Recipients were typically so willing to hold these diseases, believing it would immortalize them as heroes. 
 
 The loud “ ding! ” from the elevator broke his chain of thought. He frowned and headed towards Storeroom 10-X. 
 
 Four elderly patients, all willing recipients of some disease, were panicking. The short woman frantically licked her finger and stuck it in the tall man ’ s ear, as is the standard process of passing along a disease. She calmed down soon after, but that was shortly followed by that man freaking out and doing the same. The cycle kept repeating until the short woman got back on her toes to reach up to the man ’ s ear. It was a bizarre scene of primal rage followed by complete calmness. 
 
 “ Glad you could make it, doctor, ” said second-year resident Dr. Wilde. Her hair was frazzled, her glasses were crooked, and it looked like she hadn ’ t showered in days. “ We just can ’ t figure it out. ” 
 “ What ’ s so bad about this disease that none of them want to have it? ” 
 
 “ That ’ s what we ’ re hoping you can figure out. Patients show no symptoms, no decrease in brain activity, or any physical debilitations. Yet they just keep passing it on and they always seem to forget why they were so eager to get rid of it in the first place! ” 
 
 Dr. Newton stroked his short beard. He thought he had seen it all, but there was no basis for this kind of behavior. Recipients typically never passed on their inherited diseases, especially one that seemed so harmless. 
 
 Dr. Thyme burst through the door, out of breath. “ Doctor Newton! We…we figured it out. ” She leaned along the railing to catch her breath. 
 
 “ Tracy, relax, we have literally all day. ” 
 
 She nodded and took a few deep breaths. “ I made a few calls and reached out to a ward in Paris. They ’ ve seen this disease and diagnosed it. ” 
 
 “ Well, that ’ s fantastic. So, does it have a name? ” 
 
 She sighed. “ They call it the ‘ Hot Potato ’ virus. ”
