Entropy - W/C 637

In the underground laboratory, a small group gathered. With the majority of workers released from duty, this skeleton crew remained to keep the shelter above safe and secure.

George got the job of assigning jobs. He defaulted to his best: Jamie on comms, Rachel on defense, Barry on offense, Roger on tone and harmony.

When first approached about the job, George didn’t understand about the tone and harmony aspect. He understood it to mean music. Some kind of music playing as they worked. But Commander Nelson quickly set him straight.

Tone meant keeping the chatter in the work area to a minimum. There was to be nothing said that could be picked up by internet spying or drones or any other devices yet to be named.

Harmony meant the team needed to work together for an unknown amount of time underground. They were to think of themselves as being on the International Space Station. Indefinitely. No one would be coming to save them. But then again, perhaps someone would be there in a few days or a few hours.

So Roger was dealt the task of tone and harmony. Quiet and peace. “Achieve Nirvana.” George told him.

All went well. For a week. Then as entropy will do, chaos set in. The definition of entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system. When you have five people underground in a closed system working on a secret project for an unknown amount of time, with no hope of success and no hope of rescue, there will be trouble. It will and did happen.

Jamie was first to raise an alarm. “I have an issue with the comms, people. I have a message to George from Commander Nelson. But I’m not at a security level to download it,” he whined.

“Just send it to me,” George said, unsure what the problem was.

Others in the room turned to watch the interaction. There had been no conflict til now.

“See, that’s just the problem, George. Your attitude. ‘Just send it to me.’ Like it’s that easy. Well, let me tell you, there are so many layers of security I have to sift through. I don’t know if I can even make it to that message. Why doesn’t he just send it directly to you?”

Roger stepped between the two. “I sense some discord here. Can we just take a breather? Take a few deep breaths. Think of our happy place. Breathe in for a count of 4. Hold it for 4. Breathe out for 6. Let’s try that, shall we?” He smiled and waited for the two men to try the relaxation technique.

“Step aside, Roger. This needs more than a breathing lesson. Jamie and I have to iron this out. Mano y mano.” George stomped over to Jamie’s desk.

Rachel and Barry huddled in a corner, unsure of their role in all the drama.

Soon George and Jamie were on the floor, exchanging blows.
Roger screamed at them to relax. Rachel covered her ears, rocked back and forth as she faced the wall. Barry grabbed the panic phone and dialed Commander Nelson.

“Drat…” Barry mumbled. The connection didn’t go through.
He kept dialing, over and over.

Soon George and Jamie laid on the floor, bloodied and bruised. Roger stood over them, somehow he’d found a fire extinguisher and started to spray them with its foam. Rachel curled up into a tight ball in the corner, pulling a chair over herself. Barry slammed the phone against the wall, again and again.

Commander Nelson entered the underground laboratory. He’d been notified of trouble perhaps brewing, something about a phone trying to connect.

He took one look, then turned, shut the main door and locked it from the outside. The sign went up immediately.

“Condemned - No Entry”



W/C 637