Happenings in the Hatch

Hatch Olympics- Event 1

"So I've been dying to ask," Kelvin began as he watched Desmond pace the distance from the station's door to the computer, "how in the world you got so fast." Without raising his eyes from the floor, Desmond shushed his partner. "I'm counting, brother!" He hissed. Kelvin backed away, hands in the air in surrender. "It's just that I don't stand a chance against you in this event," Kelvin complained as he rinsed off the dishes in the kitchen sink. "I've seen how fast you are." Desmond continued silently pacing across the station, eventually reaching the computer room.

{beep...beep...beep}

Perfect timing, Desmond thought to himself as he typed in the numbers and pressed Execute. Padding back into the kitchen, he informed Kelvin that the distance to the computer from the door was about 50 meters. "Okay," said Kelvin, "next time we hear the beeps, the race is on!" "Aye," Desmond agreed. With that, the two men went about their day, anxiously awaiting the first event of the inaugural Swan Station Olympics. Kelvin finished rinsing the last of the dishes as his Scottish opponent scampered off to the bathroom. The American man located a foam roller in the corner of the living room and began to roll out his quads, followed by the hamstrings and calves. Kelvin hadn't run a race since high school track, so he was ready to test his speed again. Ever since he and Desmond came up with the idea for the Swan Station Olympics, Kelvin had been secretly training out in the jungle. He knew he needed all the preparation he could get, as the agile Desmond would likely be a formidable opponent in this first event. Meanwhile, Desmond himself could feel the nerves getting to him. Still foam rolling, Kelvin laughed as he caught sight of Desmond scurrying to the bathroom for the seventh time in 10 minutes. Why am I so damn nervous? Desmond thought to himself as he emptied the tank into the toilet for what felt like the millionth time that day. Flushing, Desmond assured himself that he could easily dust his older American opponent, and that he's done it before. But still, as the Scotsman stepped back out into the living room to see Kelvin doing pre-race sprinter drills, he began to doubt himself.

{beep...beep...beep}

"Wait!" Desmond called from the bathroom as he finished his last pre-race pee and bolted towards the station door. Kelvin confidently strode over to the start line that Desmond had marked on the floor with penne pasta. "How much coffee did you drink this morning, Des?" The American teased his opponent as the two men got into position on the line. Desmond remained silent, refusing to let Kelvin get under his skin. But Desmond was really quite intimidated. The older man had had quite some time to train since the day the Swan Station Olympics was born, and that made Desmond a wee bit nervous. Kelvin also had many psychological tactics at his disposal to intimidate Desmond. However, the Scottish man ignored the countless insults hurled at him by the American man and waited for the "gun."

{beep, beep, beep}

Kelvin shot off the line as the beeps quickened, signaling the start of the race. Desmond, however, immediately tripped over a penne noodle and face-planted onto the floor. "Damn it!" The Scotsman exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet while the American turned his head back and laughed. Kelvin's lead would not last, however, as Desmond ran like the Devil was chasing him, somehow reaching the computer ahead of Kelvin. Against all odds, Desmond managed to type in 4 8 15 16 23 42 - Execute before his partner, securing his victory in the first event of the Swan Station Olympics!

As the alarm stopped blaring and the clock reset to 108 minutes, Kelvin stood hunched over in the computer room, panting and dripping in sweat. Meanwhile, Desmond was unfazed as he strolled over to the living room, whistling the tune to "Make Your Own Kind of Music." "It was the stadium stairs," Desmond said as he pulled a book off of the bookshelf and sat down on the couch. Puzzled, Kelvin gingerly followed his partner to the living room and asked what in the hell Desmond was talking about. "You asked how I got so fast," the Scottish man reminded him. "You ever done a tour de stade?" Kelvin sighed. Training facilities were not exactly abundant on the Island, but Kelvin was sure he could take Desmond down in the next challenge.