[ WP ] Every 50 years all the different coalitions of planets come together to pit their toughest predator against each other in a duel tournament . This year the Terran coalition is out to win for the first time in 54 tournaments since their entry to the intergalactic stage .

Mohammed Peterson eased himself into a chair in the corner of a conference room. He liked coming early, since he was still new at the Centers for Disease Control. Being early demonstrated he was diligent and organized, two important qualities in a lab researcher. He also liked sitting in the corner, since it meant he could quietly mumble the names of those entering to himself. It was an exercise he learned in graduate school. He was bad with names, but that just meant he had to do more to remember them. 
 
 Other researchers filed in, along with a few Senators, Congressmen, and military men. Sen. Mary Bunch of Utah and House Speaker Tatiana Zaitsev were the last to enter. They were the reason this team was assembled, and it took them seven years to finally make it to a team meeting. It had a name that seemed both august and bureaucratic - typical of the sensibilities of the Terran Coalition: The Intergalactic Tournament Molecular Biology Working Group. 
 
 As Mary and Tatiana sat down Gen. Allen Carter of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed the group. He was always eager to get down to business. 
 
 `` I know all of you are still busy even though we're switching gears on this project - development to refinement. However you may have noticed we have two special guests with us today. Senator Mary Bunch and Speaker Tatiana Zaitsev are here to learn some of the technical details of the organism the BWG has created. Dr. Kelley, can you bring us up to speed in a few minutes?'' 
 
 Dr. Thomas Kelley, an industrious Scot with little hair left after a career in government medicine, led the Biology Working Group, shortened to BWG. He nodded slightly and addressed Tatiana and Mary directly. 
 
 `` Our team, armed with the generous support you've convinced Congress to grant us, has been able to do more than achieve our goal - we've done it under budget and ahead of schedule.'' 
 
 Mohammed suppressed a snort. Thomas was an expert in playing the intricate game that is managing a government-funded project. He fought hard for more time and money than he knew the BWG needed so he could say what he said. Past success means future grant funding is easier to get, after all. 
 
 Kelly continued, `` The BWG was tasked with creating an organism that could infect and debilitate organisms originating from any of the 13 other planets that participate in the Galactic Tournament, but not those from Earth. We were able to exploit the bias of Earth-life toward the use of DNA and RNA to create a fast-growing virus that can reproduce at a tremendous pace - quickly enough to act within the seven-day tournament period. The mechanism of action is the a rapid depletion of body iron, which triggers a voracious appetite for metal-rich foods. The iron is secreted away in multiple areas of the body until approximately 72 hours after initial infection. At that time, the organism begins accreting iron around itself and moves to areas of heat. Body heat is generated in all of the 701 predators that have been submitted to the tournament since it began, and it's always found in two biological areas - the pump that circulates nutrients and the organ responsible for cognition. In humans, these are the heart and the brain. Our clinical trials have demonstrated this virus is 99.9 % lethal after five days. One rare animal lingers through day eight, but after day five even that animal - the Tabithan Balrog, was practically a vegetable. Under the rules, it would have been disqualified by the Tournament.'' 
 
 Mary's eyes betrayed a smile but her mouth remained neutral. `` What is the route of infection?'' she asked. 
 
 Mohammed was surprised, and delighted, to hear this question asked. He noticed Kelley did n't mention the route of infection. Mohammed knew it was because the BWG was hoping the Terran delegation to the Intergalactic Tournament would have worked that out, since the BWG was unable to identify a plausible route that would reliably infect the other 13 tournament organisms within 48 hours. 
 
 Kelley smiled ingratiatingly, `` An excellent question Senator! I'm afraid due to the nature of the organism - it is already iron-rich and therefore rather dense - it ca n't...'' 
 
 Mary interjected, `` Dr. Kelley I did not ask you to tell me what it ca n't do, I'm asked you the *route of infection*.'' Her voice grew icy. 
 
 Kelley's mask of confidence dropped. `` We've only identified one method to infect the other organisms, but I'm afraid that it's not workable.'' 
 
 Mary was growing impatient. `` Why is that?'' 
 
 `` The only way to get the organism both on the tournament planet and into the bodies of the other competitors is a... human carrier.'' 
 
 

