<strong>0600 Hours.  Current Location: Somewhere on the Mississippi River, Earth.  Fifth Contestant's name: Ryu Hayabusa, The Dragon Ninja and Leader of the Hayabusa Clan.</strong><br/><br/>Ryu sat alongside the river, waiting for a single nibble.  It was bitterly cold as the steam from his breath would tell, but his body showed no signs of discomfort.  His mind wandered to another point in time during his training.<br/><br/>"He who masters patience, masters all Ryu," the voice of his father rang in his memories.  His first time fishing replayed in his head, almost bringing out a complete smile.  His father, Joe, handed him a cane pole, a couple sandwiches, and some bait.  "You are to sit at this small pond until you catch a fish.  Once you have caught one, no matter how small, bring him to me."  Ryu sat for a long time.  When his bait ran out, he used his sandwiches as bait as well.  At the end of ten days, Ryu was crestfallen.  He was hungry, and he had not yet caught a fish.  His father informed him years later that there weren't any fish in the pond to start with, and that it was all for the sake of an exercise.<br/><br/>A tug on the line brought him back to the present.  His cane pole suddenly bent clear in half, but hadn't broken yet by some miracle.<em>Finally,</em>he thought,<em>A worthy foe.</em>Ryu struggled hard, his confidence quickly changing to confusion.<em>Surely there aren't sharks this far up the river...</em>He didn't have time to ponder on that thought.  He watched his cane begin to splinter with an expecting expression, knowing that the old cane had already done much more than should be expected of it.  With that the cane snapped, but Ryu wasn't done yet.  In a mind numbingly swift motion he had reached out and caught the line, looping it around his hand for extra stability.  The gloves protected from the line cutting the skin, but didn't protect from the direct pressure of the line.<br/><br/>Realizing that he had to work fast, he braced himself by positioning himself behind a tree, using it as a lever.  He pulled hard once in position, and dragged ashore not a normal fish, but a behemoth.  It was quickly making back for the water so a judgment call was made in Ryu's favor.  Usually the his sword was only used for felling enemies, but in a moment he had justified this as a danger to the ecosystem.  He began, a sharp exhalation as all his muscles tensed and sent him careening through space.  For less time than the eye could see, he was standing on the water, sword raised high.  In a flash of crimson, the beast....  Lost his head.<br/><br/>"How's that for patience?" he chuckled, wondering what his father would say about his rather crude method of fishing.  He sank down to his ankles in water and sludge like sand.  He rolled the monster fish up the side of the river and then set to identifying this strange find.<em>Around five hundred pounds I'd say, </em>he began,<em>and... A Mekong Catfish?</em>His mind went numb with the stupidity of people.  How could someone let such a potentially large ecological risk into the local ecosystem?  What's done is done however.  He began to pack up, and started dragging his catch back toward camp.<br/><br/><strong>0700.  Current Local: Camp on Mississippi River.  Ryu Hayabusa</strong><br/><br/>Ryu arrived his one man camp, dragging the monster fish in tow.  He dropped it by the fire where he would deal with it in a moment.  He went to collect various tools from his tent for the job.  As he entered his tent he saw the letter sitting on his bed roll.  How did DOATEC figure out where he was?  He flipped the letter open, reading the contents, then folded it up neatly, placing it in one of his many pockets.  He started packing everything he would need for the trip.  Shuriken, Staff, Flail, Falcons Claws...  and of course the Dragon Sword which had felled many demons and now to Ryu's great shame, a cat fish.  He pulled out a cell phone, dialing a number briskly.<br/><br/>"Sonia?  I need your help."<br/><br/><strong>Current Local: JFK Air Port.  Ryu Hayabusa</strong><br/><br/>He continued on foot, landing several miles away from the actual airport.  He wasn't certain how he was going to deal with the situation yet.  It didn't seem smart to just take part in the tournament, knowing that he could take lives needlessly, but at the same time it may be the most efficient way to get to the core of the problem.  Sonia's warning kept echoing in his thoughts.<br/><br/>"CIA has been getting strange readings from the area.  Intel suggests that it may have something to do with DOATEC's newest contestants, but the details were vague, and we haven't heard from our informants since."<br/><br/>Ryu kept to the shadows, and avoided the video cameras, taking advantage of his ninja arts when needed to get by undetected.  He busted into an air duct, and quietly crept along until he arrived near the meeting place.  Up until now Ryu tried to stay hidden.  He knew that at this point, he wouldn't be able to get any farther without detection, and that the best strategy for now was to go with the flow.  He climbed down from the grating in the ladies room, not even as much as uttering an apology to the horrified shrieks.<br/><br/>He arrived at the gate that announced, "DEAD OR ALIVE," on the banner.  His green eyes cooly scanned it over.  He knew that every camera and eye available was on him at the moment, so there was no point in turning back.  He walked into the waiting room in full battle gear, face covered, and cold emotionless eyes evaluating this years combatants.<br/><br/>(( EDIT NOTE:  Just changing the contestant number. :/   EDIT 2: Fixing our little air port fubar. :) ))