Making It Up As I Go Along #374

Bravery
Our bravery is often tested. People will often speak flippantly about bravery. Bold predictions they really know nothing about.

“If I was on a hijacked plane, I’d charge the hijackers!”

“If I saw a mugging taking place, I’d come to the victim’s aid!”

“If my manager tells me to wash his car, I’ll tell him to go to hell!”

Confrontation and danger are things that many of us don’t naturally draw to. Plenty a bold predictor is left cowering in the corner, pretending not to notice the mugging, or nodding a “yes sir” to the boss.

This week, at work, an odd moment occurs. At 3:00 AM, when all is quiet, Phil and I hear a banging from the basement.

Phil was actually gone to the kitchen when the noise began and I assumed it must have been him trying to fix a loose molding or something of the like. I thought, if he kept it up, he’d break the thing off entirely and we’d have to deal with the consequences next time at work.

Then a surprise for me. Phil comes back asking me “do you hear that?”

From the lobby we can feel the noise. From the basement below us, a shockwave of bangs echoes up through our feet.

I picture heist movies. Those movies where villains or robbers tunnel through the basement of high security buildings... bypassing laser defense and disabling surveillance cameras along the way. I picture Phil and I as the poor saps in such movies. Those guys who are found in the end credits as “panicky guard #2" or “man in the office”. We’re the guys who walk towards the bang, or into the blackened room and live long enough to say “hey, you’re not supposed to be here... uggghhh!” as the bullet strikes our chests.

With those thoughts in my head, I decide to play the roll and venture down over the stairs to the basement and the source of the clangs and bangs. I don’t do it oblivious. I pause at the door, at the bottom of the stairwell. I run through the game plan in my head. Any sound of scuffling when I open the door... run back up the stairs. Any bullets whizzing by my ear... pee my pants... and run back up the stairs. No “hey you!” No “You’re not supposed to be here!” Just running and peeing.

I enter the basement with my life and bladder remaining as should be. And the banging continues. It seems to be moving about. Sometimes from within the elevator shaft. Other times from the recycling room adjacent to the elevators. Could it be a trapped security guard panicking in the elevators? Could it be criminals who tunneled their way into the recycling section?

I don’t push my luck and return up the stairs to Phil.

A phone call to security brings light to the situation. Pipe work being done in the headquarters building which causes the connecting pipes to reverberate through to our building. I suppose the criminals could have been at headquarters, killed the security over there and gave us this explanation in order to keep things under wraps. If so, the plan worked. We returned to work and noticed that the banging soon ends.

But I have proven my bravery. I ventured forth into the unknown in the wee hours of the morning. And I lived to tell the tale.


MONDAY...
— Not a super day. Work gets busy and somewhat hectic and ball gets rained out tonight. Oh well, nothing horrible happens to me but it’s just annoying.

TUESDAY...
— Work is less busy but still busy. Also have a long tour of another building at work. Get the new Wilco CD and some groceries in the evening.

WEDNESDAY...
— Canada Day and I’m working alone tonight. Melissa is around, in her section, until close to midnight... and we take a peak at the downtown fireworks from the fourth floor windows. Looked pretty good.

THURSDAY...
— Typical work day night. Some loud banging downstairs in the basement at 3:00 is a bit freaky. Almost sounded like people busting through a wall down there... but it seems like they were doing some work on pipes in the HQ building and the two buildings are connected somehow.

FRIDAY...
— Quiet house day. Some movies as it rains outside.

SATURDAY...
— More quiet. Got some extra HD channels for the TV. The all nature one is pretty amazing.

SUNDAY...
— Ball goes ahead. We lose 1-0. Probably my best game of fastpitch though... catching, sac bunt, bloop single and, in the seventh, missed a tying home run by an inch on the bat. Just got under it a bit and it was caught out at the warning track.