Radio Silence

It starts early this morning.

A new threat has arisen in the wake of the Interim Apocalypse. A looming sense of dread descends on campus. Fear grips the hearts of Trinity freshmen. Few dare speak of it, but there are always whispers, hushed voices giving a name to the nameless terror.

Registration.

At exactly 11:30 PM, my squad and I rendezvous at our base of operations deep in the cellars of South Hall. We set up our computers, disable WiFi on our mobile devices, terminate all non-essential computer processes, rig up some Ethernet cables, run optimization software to clear temporary files, and log onto the registration servers.

The countdown begins. 30 minutes.

We wait. And wait. We refresh the page over and over, willing time to move faster.

20 minutes.

Preliminary reports from social media show that enemy forces are suffering the same psychological effects we were. It's too late to turn back .We're plugged in. Aborting the mission this late in the game will result in complete scholastic breakdown. There's no other sounds in the room aside from the whirring of hard drives. Communications are down. Complete radio silence.

10 minutes.

Heart rates slow. Time stands still. The world comes to a slow halt. One last click.

3.

2.

1.

Green light. Mission is a go.

Exactly two minutes later, the objective is complete. All five classes are registered and processed. The squad cheers, trading high fives and fist bumps as we let out a collective sigh of relief. We've succeeded.

Registration is over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynHk4NRloMI I apologize for the language in this song, but it's a fantastic pump-up song for intense registration. It's called Terrify! from Red Vs. Blue Season 10.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.