Chapter 8

In the morning, the alarm clock drove them from the bed. Seeing Jean pull on a robe, Megan went to her room and returned wearing her own robe. After each had a chance to use the facilities, they met in the kitchen.

"How did you sleep, Kitten?" asked Jean.

"I'm used to sleeping alone, Mom," Megan answered. "Whenever I turned over, I ran into someone. I woke up, but then I went back to sleep. It was *so* comforting to be next to you both. I love you very much."

"We love you too, Sweetheart," said Mike. "We're so glad you're home."

Jean giggled. "Did you wake, husband, to find your hands full of inappropriate body parts? I know you get familiar with me while you sleep." Megan laughed, too.

"I did find -- or was rather guided to -- a very nice breast before I fell asleep," allowed Mike with a grin.

"I think I found its mate, now that I think about it," laughed Jean. She turned to Megan. "You are even more beautiful than I knew, Daughter." Megan blushed.

They set about serving themselves a weekday breakfast. Megan chose cereal and her parents went for their usual toast. While they ate, Jean suggested that Megan take the day to settle in and visit a few friends. Megan liked that idea. Jean told Megan that the evacuation plan was 'fair game' for discussion with anyone in town, but with no one outside. Megan agreed, and mentioned that she might drop in at the school later.

Soon, Jean and Mike were gone, and Megan was alone in the house she had grown up in. It seemed very, very empty.

"OK, people," Jean said, "we have a long day in front of us today. Let's see if we can become sufficiently organized that we fool the students into thinking we know what we're doing." That got the laugh she wanted. "Grab some more coffee and a pastry. Get yourselves seated and we'll get started." Jean poured herself another cup, stirred in cream and sugar, and found a place to address the group.

Jean spoke to the group, "Everybody knows by now that the program is divided into two hour sessions that alternate between academics and physical training. Let's do the academics first so you four can be excused to get your classrooms ready.

"Toni, Susan, Carol, Janice, you have to split up and teach math and sciences. I imagine you will pair off right now in terms of who works together, flip a coin or something to decide which of you does math and which does science, and the loser gets to choose the classroom. If you want to organize yourselves another way, or change your minds later, OK. All of you are seasoned teachers, but I don't think any of you have taught multiple grades the same subject at the same time. I want to make room for maximum innovation and leadership from you, and from the students. I envision you more as facilitators than lecturers. I do want you to keep the pressure on for an achingly fast pace and for excellence."

Carol said, "Jean, we four have been putting our heads together, and we think we have a handle on it -- at least to start with. Can we have all the big, portable chalk boards and/or whiteboards, please?"

"You may," answered Jean. "I'll have them brought down to you right away. Do you think you need anything else?"

"Not just yet," said Susan.

"Then you may be excused, or you may stay and kibitz with the gym rats," smiled Jean.

"I think we'll try to get a head start," said Janice. "We'll see you at lunch." The four teachers stood and made their way out.

"Junko, I'm surprised but pleased to see you," said Jean.

"I am happy to see you, too," Junko answered.

Matt grinned and said, "Junko volunteered to spend the day here today. I think the students will get a good start on the pugil sticks with Junko instructing today. Junko brought quite a few cans of whuppin' with her. I hope Patti has some ice packs handy. There'll be more than a few bruises. Junko will not be able to instruct very often. Our children are quite a handful."

"Dave," said Jean, "I see that all of the equipment arrived. The cabinet you made to hold the mouth guards looks very good. I'll have portable coat racks sent in so the boxing gloves, helmets, and life vests can be neatly put away."

Dave said, "Matt and Junko can handle the judo and the pugil sticks. I have gym classes to teach. I can get one or two of you leaders started on boxing. Who wants to volunteer?"

"I hate to do this to you," said Bob, "but it is very important that the female students especially get off on the right foot with boxing. Katie and Kevin, would you volunteer?"

Katie spoke first. "You're right, of course. We'll be glad to do that. I hope we can start everyone off slowly, so no one gets injured."

"Or worse," added Kevin, "having some girl so put off boxing that she won't put her heart in it."

"I'm sure you won't want to do boxing all day," said Bob. "I for one will trade off with you. Maybe I can persuade Heather to do so as well."

"Liz and Jeff," said Dave, "you are the only ones that can do what you'll be teaching."

"So far," added Bob.

"That leaves the running track, the balance beam and the jump rope station outdoors," said Dave, "and the swimming pool. It looks like we're one person short, Jean. Can we draft Amy for today?"

"Yes," answered Jean, "and I'll get either the art teacher or the piano teacher into this program full time beginning tomorrow."

Dave continued, "Bob and Heather, you and Amy please split that up as you like. The goal of the run is 5 K in 30 minutes or less. Maybe I'll set the goal at 25 minutes, I don't know.

"Bob, you'll have to teach Heather and Amy about the balance beam. Heather, I bet Bob has never done Double Dutch jump rope. Please show him at least the basics. The goal is to have each member of the entire team in for 30 seconds, with that member out and the next member in, without stopping. As for the pool, the two tasks are a free style relay, which the team must finish in ten minutes, and each team member must swim the length of the pool under water.

"I suggest that you all go around to all of the stations and familiarize yourselves a little bit. The kids will be heading out for work by about 8:20 to 8:30 today. After today, they'll be out there at 8:00 sharp. Please chase them into the lockers at 10 minutes before 10:00 and 12:00 and before 2:30 and 4:30. Also, the kids will be required to visit each station today. After today, that won't be the case -- there aren't enough hours in the day to do justice to all of the stations. Please make sure they spend some time at your station and then shoo them to another station."

"Find your lockers and put away your stuff," called Coach Franklin. "Keep your CAP cards with you. Black and White team lockers are in the boys' locker room. Gray and Brown team lockers are in the girls' locker room. Put away your stuff and then come back here."

Dave had stationed Liz and Jeff in the two locker rooms to roust the students and make sure there was no trouble. The kids did remarkably well, considering the relative disorganization.

Kevin and Katie were standing behind a table set up between the girls' and boys' locker room doors. The table was covered with colored strips. Kevin and Katie were each carrying clear plastic covers, open on one end with a grommet across the opening. As the students emerged from the locker rooms, Katie and Kevin rounded them up, obtained their CAP card, placed it in a plastic cover, and gave it back. The eighth graders who were still younger than 14 were issued their substitute ID cards. The students were directed to pick up one of the colored strip necklaces, in the color of their team. The CAP cards were strung on the necklaces and the students were sent to join their teammates in the bleachers.

Amazingly enough, on a Monday morning, sharply at the ungodly hour of 8:00, there remained no unclaimed necklaces. One hundred forty four shining faces looked down from the bleachers. The teams were obviously all in order and in position, as their new bi-color necklaces were in plain view.

"Good morning, boys and girls!" cried Jean. The entire room erupted in boos and cat calls. "That isn't right, is it? Please, let me correct myself: good morning, young men and women!"

The cheers were far louder than the boos had been, and lasted a good length of time. "Dang, that sounds good, doesn't it?" More cheers. "And you are men and women. But now is the beginning of the test of your sense of honor, your determination, and your endurance. I know you will not fail yourselves. I know you will make us, and yourselves, proud.

"This morning, the first period will begin a bit late. The Black are in math and the Gray are in science. At 12:30, switch: Black in science and Gray in math. At 10:00, White is in math and Brown is in science. At 2:30, switch: White in science and Brown in math. The math and science classrooms are in what were the 11th and 12th grade classrooms. You will be largely on your own to organize yourselves and get your entire teams educated.

"The physical workouts are, first, outdoors for the 5 K run, the balance beam and team jump rope; second, judo and pugil stick training in the former 10th grade classroom; third, boxing in the 9th grade classroom; fourth, gymnastics in the former 8th grade classroom; fifth, sewing and knitting in the Home Ec room, and sixth, swimming somewhere, I forget." The sought-after chuckles arrived. "You choose your attire -- except, of course, in the pool, where attire is prohibited. Protective gear is available in the areas it might be required. There are more workstations than can be properly utilized in two two-hour sessions per day. It is incumbent upon you to manage your own time. We require that you sample every station today. Matt King's wife, Junko will be giving a demonstration of the pugil sticks, today only. In addition, she and Matt will be giving a judo demonstration in the same room. You will not want to miss that. Matt promises that Junko will hand you your ass if you wish. Head for the showers promptly at ten minutes before the end of the period. Your instructors will pounce on you if you are late to the next class.

"Finally, we have decided that you will all spend the thirty minutes beginning at 4:30 back here in this room for a debriefing. We're pretty sure we don't have every detail properly handled. We want your feedback, your complaints, and your suggestions.

"Black and Gray teams, in a moment go to your classrooms. White and Brown go to your lockers, dress for your chosen destination, and get to work. Dismissed."

Katie and Kevin patrolled the locker rooms. There was no trouble at all, in spite of the partial nudity. Not surprisingly, none of the teams elected to begin their first day in the pool. The teams suited up and scattered.

The instructors were already at their stations. Bob and Heather were outdoors to cover the three activities, running, jump rope and the balance beam. Three teams came out, one after the other. Bob induced the yellow/white team to run at least one kilometer, if not more. The green/brown and red/brown teams were less interested in running so early in the morning. Bob took the green/brown team over to the balance beam and Heather dragged the red/brown team to the jump rope station.

Bob's kids thought the balance beam was fun. They paired off and started trying to perfect their technique. The girls were pleasantly surprised that the boys' size and strength were no advantage. They changed partners frequently, learning from each other as they went along.

The boys on the red/brown team with Heather were derisive of jumping rope. Heather intentionally started them out Double Dutch to show them what they were up against. The girls were old hands at that, and quietly let the boys brag themselves into a bind. None of the three boys could initially get more than a few jumps in before a miss. With Heather and an experienced girl swinging the two ropes, one team girl quietly gave a demonstration. She refrained from some of the cooler trick moves that might have incensed the boys. She smoothly jumped out. The other girl jumped in, stayed for a bit, and then jumped out.

Next, a boy was recruited to one end of the ropes, with Heather on the other end. After a bit of practice getting the two ropes swinging at the right height and speed, one girl jumped in. After a moment, a second girl also jumped in. The two girls jumped together for a bit, the first girl jumped out, and the third girl jumped in. These two jumped for a bit, then one jumped out, followed by the other. The first girl jumped in again. One of the boys was taunted into jumping in to join the girl. The boy successfully jumped in, but then immediately missed.

Bob learned a lot more about Double Dutch jump rope by watching the kids than he had gained from Heather's explanation. He realized that there was quite a bit of skill to it.

At Heather's suggestion, team red/brown reverted to a single rope, so the boys could build skill and confidence. Soon it was evident that the boys felt better about the task, and had a greater appreciation of the skill required.

By this time, the yellow/white team had finished running. They came over to watch the activity on the balance beam. Bob came back and told the spectators that they weren't making good use of their time. Suitably chastened, the team went back indoors.

Three different teams tried to crowd into the tenth grade room, lured by the promised judo and pugil stick demonstrations. The third team gave up and went elsewhere. Matt captured the attention of one team, inviting them to find and don uniform tops and belts. He then proceeded to give a brief lecture and demonstration with Junko. It proved very interesting. Soon the demonstration was finished and Junko returned to the pugil stick station. The kids began working on the drills Matt had shown them. They would be learning how to fall safely for weeks.

Junko was attired in a full judo uniform. On top of that she wore boxing gloves and football helmet plus a neoprene life vest. She had brought all of this equipment with her so there would be enough on hand for the team. With her help, the team members donned gloves, helmets and mouth protectors; the girls also put on life vests. One of the girls groused about the vests. Junko used graphic language to explain the body parts being protected.

Once fitted with the protective gear, Junko instructed the team members on their objectives in learning to fight with the pugil sticks. At her direction the students, one at a time, began to spar with her. Most of the team members followed her instructions and made slow, deliberate moves, which she countered. One of the boys simply could not resist. After a few slow moves, he made two quick thrusts. Junko countered these and then proceeded with lightening speed to pummel the boy to the ground. While the young man collected himself, Junko warned the team that they could easily hurt one another. The success -- but especially the health -- of the entire team was their primary goal. Under her instruction, the team paired off and began practicing with slow, deliberate moves.

The team that had been late entering the judo room had moved next door. There they found Katie and Keith at the boxing station. Katie wore a full set of protective gear. Keith first issued a mouth protector to each of the team members and instructed them how to fit it. The mouth guard cases were marked with each team member's name. Keith pointed out the case intended to hold all of the mouth protectors, color-coded for each team. He then helped the team members don their gear.

Once they were ready, the team members were paired off. Keith, with no protective gear at all, worked with Katie to demonstrate the basics of boxing. His slow, exaggerated swings at Katie were countered. She showed them to always keep their hands up. Keith pointed out that after enough punches landed on the opponent's upper arms, he wouldn't have strength to keep the arms in position. Likewise, repeated blows to the abdomen would sap the opponent's strength.

As with the pugil stick demonstration, one kid couldn't resist throwing a couple of solid punches. With surprising speed, Katie stepped in and delivered a series of strong punches, several of which landed on the boy's jaw. Although he hadn't heard it, Keith made the same warning to the team about hurting one another. The team took the warning to heart. Soon the sparring was smoothly under way. Team members switched up their pairings frequently.

Initially, none of the teams came into the gymnastics room. Jeff and Liz decided to go search for victims. Out in the hall, Jeff did a handstand and began walking. Liz kept pace, doing back flips all the way. The first team they encountered in the hallway was corralled and herded into their domain.

The team was of course aghast at the suggestion each of them learn to walk on their hands. The girls especially were certain of failure. Jeff and Liz would have none of it. However, they began the team learning the 'easier' standing back flip. And the way to learn the back flip was to first learn to flip forward.

The team members were lined up in front of a small trampoline, its legs about one foot long. The plan was to get the team warmed up and used to jumping onto and off the trampoline, landing on a spot about two feet in front of the trampoline. Liz and Jeff ran the team through this several times. Jeff went on to demonstrate the way they would learn. First he jumped onto and flipped himself forward off the trampoline, landing on his feet. Next, he did the same thing using a step stool of about the same size as the trampoline. He jumped up onto the stool, then immediately jumped off, flipping himself forward. Finally, he did the same thing a bit further along the line, where there was no gaining height at all. He again jumped onto the imaginary spot where the stool might have been, then jumped again, flipping himself forward.

Next, as Jeff told the kids what to watch for, Liz jumped onto the trampoline, but she flipped herself forward and landed on her feet in just the right spot. Jeff did the same so they could have another look. After explaining what they were going to do next, Liz and Jeff stood next to the trampoline. As each team member jumped, they put their hands front and back on the jumper and forced the jumper to flip. The jumpers were a little shaky for the first few times, but they steadily improved. No longer frightened, the team members were suddenly having fun.

"If we had asked you at the beginning if you would do a flip today, what would you have said?" asked Liz. Every member of the team said 'no'. "I won't fib to you," she continued. "In a very short time, you'll be doing the front flip without our help. Then, we'll teach you to do it backward. Then, we'll teach you to do it without the trampoline. You can do this. Do you believe me?" The whole team smiled and agreed.

"I won't fib to you either," said Jeff. "You will be able to do handstands within a month." The students were clearly skeptical. "I want you to work with me for a while, and then you should give another team a chance in here."

First, he and Liz helped each team member in turn to do a headstand against a wall, the hands positioned for three-points. Liz and Jeff held the student upright -- upside down -- by holding the legs. "Enough of this for now," he told them. "I hope to see you here again tomorrow."

Dave came up behind the blue/white team ambling along in the hallway, chattering merrily. "Strip!" he commanded. "The longer it takes, the more sit-ups you do. Start with ten. Move it!" Four team members were so startled they couldn't move. The other two began tearing off clothes. "Fifteen sit-ups. Move it!" Finally, the entire team sprang into action. "Twenty sit-ups! Faster!" Now nude, the team went to the floor and began their sit-ups. "I sense a certain lack of dedication on the part of the blue/white team. Your jaw muscles are quite strong enough. You need to toughen your minds and bodies. Don't let me see you slacking again. Nobody is in the pool right now. Since you're nude anyway, you might want to head that way right now." They did.

Their clothes were jammed into their lockers. After a quick shower -- their first together -- they made their way to the pool. There they found Amy Rogers and no one else. "The objective for your team, and every team, is to complete a free style relay in ten minutes. You have to touch your teammate before you can begin. You can practice that any way you wish. The other objective is that each of you must swim the length of the pool underwater, on a single breath."

Blake Daniels, a junior, and the eldest boy on blue/white team, gave Amy an appraising look. "Ah, Miss, um, Amy, there's something wrong with this picture. Why is it that our team is standing here in all our naked glory, and you're wearing that pretty dress?"

"Blake," Amy answered, "you are the trainees, and we are the instructors. I don't think you get to make the rules."

Tanya Pruitt, the senior, said "I saw you down here on Friday. You were OK with being nude then, you should be OK with it now. Respect and trust run both ways. We aren't too happy being nude. We'll feel a lot better if we know you're in the same boat."

Amy had no answer for that. With a shrug, she started undressing. The boys started to hoot, but the girls slugged their arms and shut them up. Tanya started the whole team trying to swim underwater the width of the pool. Amy was thankful that Tanya had drawn the team away. It was one thing to be nude in public, and another to undress in public under the watchful eyes of a half-dozen teenagers.

When Amy was finished undressing, she neatly stacked her clothes against the wall. She dove in and headed for the opposite end, free style, as fast as she could. When she reached the end, she made a graceful racing turn, pushed off, and swam at a more leisurely pace back to the other end.

Amy finished her lap in the midst of the blue/white team members, who were standing in the shallow end. Well, the boys were standing -- the girls were shoulder deep in the water. Amy summoned the courage to stand up, exposing her breasts. She admitted to herself that she was proud of her breasts. That made it somewhat easier for her. Seeing Amy standing proudly, the three girls also stood up.

"I bet by Friday it'll be easier to stand buck naked in public," said Amy.

"Yeah, if I could stop having a hard-on," answered Blake, "it'd be easier for me, too. At least girls don't have a sexual excitement meter sticking out at everyone." They all laughed.

"I guess you were just lucky to be put on a team with such sexy girls," Amy teased.

"Amy," Blake shot back, "We do have cute girls on our team. But you know teenage boys. If your grandmother walked in here naked, we'd all three get boners." They laughed again.

Tanya said, "Hey, we got busted for chattering in the hallway. We got stripped and sent here. We can't get any more naked, but we really should get some work done and go do another task. Amy, do you have any ideas about how we can be efficient about training for the relay?"

"I'm glad to hear you turn the team's attention back to the objectives," said Amy. "I'm not sure what is the best way to practice. I do think you should organize your work without having many team members waiting. Maybe do this: three in the water, maybe ten feet away, and three on the deck. The three swim to the edge and touch the teammate, who dives in and swims away. Repeat over and over. Change partners so everyone gets used to tagging everyone else."

That sounded as good as any. The team got to work.

Once the fate of the blue/white team raced through the grapevine, no team wanted to be caught slacking. The purple/white team found itself second in line for each of the workout stations. Rather than risk the fate of the blue/whites, they marched dismally into the Home Ec room.

There they found all the facilities necessary for making clothes. There were layout tables, sewing machines, ironing boards, and more. At the front of the room, there was a cardboard box full of envelopes. The girls instantly recognized those as patterns. An entire rack held bolts of cloth.

This wasn't just a sewing room. There was an extensive kitchen with two stoves, two sets of dish sinks and plenty of counter space. But plainly the objective for the team was some kind of sewing.

"Welcome," said Karen. "I see you are brimming with enthusiasm. In this arena, it is not the task itself that is of the greatest importance. Sewing clothes requires skill and practice. Sorry, guys, we don't want to hurt your feelings. It is almost certain that you have little experience with a sewing machine. We do not expect you to become expert seamstresses in the next few months. We do expect you to learn and strengthen your attention to detail, and your patience.

"Stacy, I'm glad to see you again. You three young ladies have an altogether different task before you. I know you can almost do this work blindfolded. This will be your greatest opportunity to demonstrate leadership. First, you will have to teach the men while you resist the urge to simply do the work for them. Secondly, this station is not going to be the guys' favorite. They'd rather be boxing. Your task, girls, is to see that your team spends sufficient time here to complete this objective.

"Guys, this is your opportunity to demonstrate dedication, perseverance and a willingness to follow instruction. This station was intentionally added to the program because guys won't like it. It isn't awful, it just isn't something you'll ever like.

"Your team will fail if you guys can't stay on task. Your team will fail if you girls can't be leaders.

"Here is a box of patterns. We hope you will decide to make tee shirts with your team colors. However, you are welcome to choose any pattern in the box. We recommend that you work here at least three days a week. We recommend that, except for today, you devote an hour per visit. Spending much less than an hour per episode will be very inefficient. More than an hour spent here, we think, will cut into other elements of the physical training. Have at it. Gabby Edwards and I will guide you if you ask."

Stacy found herself the leader of her team. The guys seemed willing to give it a go. She found the pattern. She got the team to agree that pairing off, one girl and one boy, was a good way to begin. She cautioned the girls not to do the boys' work for them.

She had them all sit down. She found herself delivering something of a lecture on how they were going to go about making the shirts. She explained the steps broadly: laying out the fabric; getting pattern pieces laid out -- with emphasis on the fact that multiple size markings were on each pattern piece -- and pinned down; cutting out fabric pieces; and stitching it all together.

She had her partner, and the guys on the other two pairs in her team, begin using the sewing machines. Scraps of waste fabric were abundant. She and the girls told the guys how to go about using the sewing machine. They kept to the basics at first. Soon the guys were somewhat proficient. They could thread the machine, change a bobbin, and sew several different kinds of stitches. The whole team felt good about their achievements so far.

The math class started out chaotically. Toni and Carol had teamed up for math, while Susan and Janice took the science class. Toni started out with an introductory talk. "There are thirty-six of you in this section, fairly evenly divided between age levels. Carol and I aren't planning on giving lectures. We are most willing to be of aid to you. You should put your heads together to figure out how you will learn some, and teach some, in the next few months.

"The youngest of you are at the disadvantage that you are about to be exposed to math work that your elder teammates have already done, and then at a more leisurely pace than you will be able to enjoy. The older of you are going to have the burden of teaching your younger teammates while simultaneously trying to learn the more advanced math yourselves.

"You may organize yourselves in any way you choose. Remember that it is not the pure learning that will aid your CAP score. The Confederacy doesn't rely on high school algebra and geometry. Leadership in teaching others, determination in advancing through the work, and the like will produce the results you want.

"Here is what we recommend. Start with algebra. Go through as quickly as you can. Soon enough, some will lag and start to struggle. Designate a teacher from among you to help those strugglers. The rest keep going. As you advance to the next level, there will be more strugglers. Peel off another teacher for them. The rest keep going. Keep that up and see where you are in a few days. If that doesn't seem to be working for you, perhaps a more suitable approach will reveal itself."

Not surprisingly, most of the older kids raced through the early part of algebra. Not all of them did, however. Those whose grasp of the subject matter hadn't been all that strong in the first place were having a bit of trouble with the fast-paced refresher work. The former eighth graders, who had never been exposed to algebra, were the first to fall away. A senior stepped up and volunteered to teach the subject matter. Those students with a weak grasp of algebra were segregated into another group led by yet another senior. By the end of the first two-hour session, the class had divided itself into three groups. The most advanced group would surely see more subdivision. In all, though, it looked like a good start.

The science room had the same chaotic beginning. Janice settled them down and began to speak. "When you get to your math section, you will be informed that you are basically on your own. Toni and Carol will help you help yourselves, but they won't be doing the teaching.

"Susan and I will be handling the science section differently, at least in the beginning. Susan will be conducting a class in physics, with lectures and lab. I will be teaching you some things about space, orbital mechanics and astrogation, which is planning a route through space and navigation of spacecraft. It involves both mathematics and physics.

"We aren't exactly sure how it will go with us teaching two different classes in the same room. Susan and I both enjoy teaching, and we don't want to alternate. The plan is for each of us to teach half of you for an hour, and then we'll switch. You guys will get one hour a day of Susan and one hour of me. We'll try it for a few days. If it seems not to be working very well, then we'll try something else. You should just pretend that we know what we're doing." The students laughed.

"So, with that, I want you to divide yourselves in two. There are six teams in the room now. Will three teams go to the back of the room, facing the other way, and pay rapt attention to Susan. The rest of you, get cozy here in the front of the room and I'll entertain you. At the top of the hour, we'll take a five minute break and then reconvene, with me in the back of the room and Susan up here."

The first two-hour session on the first day was nearly over. The whites and browns crowded into the locker rooms, intent on a quick shower and street clothes. Katie and Kevin patrolled the locker rooms again. They gave additional leeway in the showers, where many of the girls were getting close to hard cocks for the first time ever. A few of the boys put on shows for the tittering girls, shooting their spunk high into the air. A couple of girls decided to give a boy what may have been the girls' first hand job, laughing and squealing.

The showers emptied and the locker areas were crowded. The whites and browns hurried to dress for their academic session. The blacks and grays were changing into their gym clothes.

Bob had had a cup of coffee and done an errand during the break between sessions. The first team out the door for the second session made a beeline for the balance frame. Apparently, the buzz was that it was fun. The next team out was the blue/gray. They headed for the football field for their run. Suddenly, his daughter Sandy was beside him.

"Come run with us, Dad," she said.

"I can't run that far, Sweetheart," he answered.

"You can run twice around the football field, I know it. I'll stay with you. Please?" she pleaded. With a shrug, he fell in with her, headed for the field.

The football field was 100 yards between goal lines, and 53.33 yards wide. Twice around the football field, minus once along the width of the field, was just a bit more than half a kilometer. When the two ten-yard end zones were added, three circuits around the field was almost precisely a kilometer. Sandy had the half-kilometer route in mind for today.

The rest of her team ran ahead, but Sandy stayed with her poor old dad. He started off on a pace that he thought he could maintain for the entire trip. On his way down the sidelines for the first time, he wondered whether Coach Franklin would object to the teams running across his end zone. He doubted it. The entire school would be picked up long before the next football season began. The field would never again be used for its intended purpose.

Sandy and Bob ran in amiable silence. Bob was somehow proud that his daughter wanted him to run with her. His 'little girl' he had almost said to himself. She wasn't a little girl any more. She had just been elevated to full adulthood by the community. Her fourteenth birthday was just weeks in the future. He wondered how she would fare on her CAP test. Her outlook was not bright. Neither of her parents had scored well, and the test was widely known to discriminate against girls.

Bob watched his daughter as she smoothly trotted alongside of him. He couldn't help noticing that her boobs bounced as she ran. He had expected her to benefit from her mother's genes in that department, but he wasn't really prepared for the fact that she was already well developed. Not as big as her mother, yet. But she was still young.

Yes, he admitted, his daughter was becoming a beautiful young woman. She had shapely legs, and a nice butt. To his horror, in his mind's eye his vision of her morphed and she became pregnant, still an early teen. Then he imagined she had a child at her breast and was already big pregnant with a second baby. That wasn't what he had planned for his first child. But it was either that or...

Bob hoped that Sandy wouldn't comment on the tears, blown back toward his ears by the wind. But of course she did. She gave him a quizzical look as they ran but, at first, said nothing. Bob recovered himself and the tears stopped.

"Do you miss your little girl, Daddy?" she asked while looking ahead.

"Something like that," he allowed.

"Thanks for running with me, Dad," she said. "What are you going to do when you have to supervise the swimming pool?"

"Ooh, I hadn't really thought about that," he admitted. "Were you wondering how I would react, or how you would react?"

"Well, both, really," she said. "Your bedroom is next to mine. Someone has been pouring gasoline on the home fires lately. Not that I mind the noise. I guess I'm really an adult now, if I can talk to my dad about what I think about while I masturbate."

"Does that fall under the category 'too much information'? Or are you soliciting a comment on the sudden increase in passion?"

"Not really, Dad. Unlike some, I don't yodel when I reach orgasm. Maybe all dads think their little girls are virgins on their wedding day." They ran for a bit while Bob tried to re-engage his brain. "Yes, Dad, I am still a virgin. Don't worry about that -- yet. I suppose a year from now I could have a baby. But I don't want to think about that now, and I know you don't want to cry about that anymore."

"Your mom is vocal when she reaches her peak," he allowed. "She has been insatiable lately."

"Do you think it's because she's gonna miss you?" she asked.

"My God, Sandy, when did you become so astute?" he wondered.

"I don't know, Dad. I think both of my folks are pretty smart. I'm afraid I just tricked you into admitting that you don't have the CAP score to volunteer. I know all the mothers will be picked up. Travis and Becky need her. You know, don't you, that she'll be pregnant when we get picked up?"

"I sort of figured that. Do you suppose she'll tell me what she plans? Will she tell me when she knows she's pregnant?" he asked her.

"She might wait until the very end to tell you she's pregnant. If I were her I wouldn't tell you that I planned on getting pregnant by you. But I'm not her. I'm going to break my heart to improve my CAP score enough to volunteer. If I do, I'm gonna pick Mom, and I'm gonna pick you." They ran in silence for a while. "If I don't get to volunteer, I'm gonna get picked up with your baby in my belly."

"I guess you just gave me an enormous incentive to get my CAP score into the volunteer range," he said.

"Why, don't you think I'll look good wearing a bowling ball on my tummy?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you will look radiant when you're pregnant, Sweetheart," he answered, "just not yet."

He picked up the pace of their running.

When the second session ended, Bob and Heather headed to the cafeteria for lunch. They collected a meal and, finding Amy sitting alone, moved over to her table.

"May we join you?" he asked Amy.

"Oh, please do," she answered brightly. "I think I could use some company in my own age group."

"Tough morning, eh?" asked Heather.

"You might say that," said Amy. "Actually, it wasn't too bad. I spent the morning in the pool area. I was able to get in quite a few laps, and I think I helped the kids get a good start on their assignment."

Bob said, "You ought to swap with Heather for the afternoon, and get some fresh air. You can jog a couple of klicks and teach kids how to jump Double Dutch."

Amy turned to Heather. "Would you like to do that?" she asked.

"Sure," said Heather. "What do the kids have to accomplish in the pool?"

Amy explained, "The kids must eventually finish a free style relay in ten minutes. In the real race, there will be three kids on each end of the pool. One kid will start. When he or she reaches the other end, they have to touch hands before the second kid can start. I didn't want to promote a lot of kids standing around, waiting for their turn to swim. So I had them doing drills to practice the touching handoff. I had three in the pool, about ten yards out, and three standing at the edge of the pool. Those in the pool would swim to the edge, touching their teammate, and the kid on the deck dives in and swims out the ten yards. I have the kids on the deck rotate every time, so they get to practice with everybody."

"Great plan, Amy," said Bob. That sounds like the minimum time the kids are idle."

"Thanks, Bob," said Amy brightly. "Oh, Heather, the other challenge is that every kid has to swim the entire length of the pool, underwater, on one breath. I have had them practicing by first trying to do one width of the pool."

Bob asked, "How much time have the teams been devoting to the pool work? There are a lot of stations for them to visit, and they must all be visited today."

"I hadn't actually noticed," answered Amy. "It seems like maybe 45 minutes would be a good average."

"How many teams have you had at one time?" asked Heather.

"For a few minutes," said Amy, "there were three teams in the pool at once. Then one team left to do something else."

Bob asked, "Did you do your own laps between sessions, or can you swim while there are kids there working?"

"I used the break between sessions to go to the ladies room," blushed Amy, "and to get a drink of water. The kids were pretty motivated to work by themselves. Once I explained what I thought was the most efficient way to practice, they got right down to it. I watched them work for part of the time, and swam laps part of the time."

"That doesn't sound too bad," said Heather. "I'm pretty tired of jump rope. I'll be glad to trade with you."

"Why, thank you, Heather," said Amy. "I've been in the pool long enough today myself."

Bob chuckled. "Amy, I think you may have left out a minor detail about the duty in the pool."

"Oh," blushed Amy. "I guess I did. Heather, I hate to spring this on you right after you volunteered."

"What's that?" asked Heather.

Amy looked at Bob, hoping he would break the bad news. After she had hemmed and hawed briefly, Bob delivered the punch line. "I guess Jean neglected to mention to you that all of the swimming is done nude." He smiled wickedly.

"What?!?" squeaked Heather. She blushed crimson. Bob and Amy watched Heather intently, in obvious glee.

"That's right," said Amy with a smile. "It doesn't matter much, really, since the lockers and showers are co-ed anyway. You should locker near me, in the boys' locker in the lockers without double color stripes. Take any empty one. Take a quick shower before you go down to the pool."

Bob added, "I bet it would be wise to follow a team back into the locker room, about five minutes behind them. Please make sure they see you. If they think they're alone, they'll be trading genes before you know it."

Heather looked like she wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.

"Settle down, please," Jean shouted. "Congratulations. You survived your first day of the Program. We think you have done very well. You should be proud of yourselves. Do any of you have comments or complaints you would like to share in public? You can come see me or any of the other proctors in private if you prefer."

"What does sewing have to do with fighting the Dickheads?" came out of the crowd in a young man's voice.

"You disappoint me," said Jean, shaking her head. She strolled between the opposite facing bleachers filled with students. "We chose the physical and academic aspects of the Program with much thought and great care. Do you think we're training you to be professional boxers? Are you working with Jeff and Liz so you can become circus clowns and acrobats? Do we think one of you will be an Olympic swimmer? Can you kill Dickheads with a jump rope? Do you think we expect you to wear the scarves you will knit?" She let her questions hang in the air.

"In 1962, while the Soviet Union was the only nation in space, President John F. Kennedy made a speech. I will quote to you one passage from that speech." In a clear voice, obviously recited from memory, she said, "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

Again she was silent. She slowly paced between the bleachers.

"We are teaching you what we think you need to have in order to enhance your CAP scores. We hope our effort, and your effort, will help to save some of us who are otherwise absolutely doomed. We are teaching you to box so you will learn to be aggressive but not reckless, and to learn courage in the face of great suffering. We are teaching you gymnastics so that you can better control your body, and so that you become willing to accept that you can achieve impossible goals. We are teaching you to sew so that you will learn to pay close attention to details. We are teaching you to swim a relay so that you come to depend upon your teammates. Later in the Program, we will have you in deadly serious paintball exercises, over and over and over. It will teach you the importance of concealment, you will learn tactics and how to work together in a team and you will rotate leaders like in ranger school so you'll all get a chance to learn how to give and take orders."

Again she was silent, pacing.

"Some of you will fall into despair that your goals are beyond your reach, that you will break your hearts and your bodies and will still fall short. Some of you will conclude that the goal is not worth the effort, that the very lives of your friends and neighbors are not your burden. Some of you will choose to accept your lot as it is, whatever it is. When you finally make that decision, you will decide to drop out of the Program. The teams we established with great care and effort will suddenly have holes in them. If you do decide to drop out, have the courage and grace to look us, both the staff and your teammates, in the eyes and say so. We will pick up the pieces and carry on without you. And you may go on about your life, doing anything you care to do. But we will rescind your citizenship, if you will. The town will again regard you a child."

After answering more questions, she said, "Beginning tomorrow morning, you will report here at 7:55, already checked in with your CAP card, prepared and dressed for your first session of the day, even if your first destination is the pool. You will be dismissed from here in time for you to be at your first station at 8:00 sharp. Enjoy your night. You are dismissed."