Day 1 2:00 pm
Patter led the six other captains into the back of the locker room and into the showers where they could hopefully get some privacy from the rest of the team. Javier had come representing the B team, Shin was a senior and captain of the C team, Hops represented the JV, Grace was captain of the 9 woman girls team, or G team for short, and finally, Mark and John who would co-captain the A team when Patter wasn’t available.
Patter was unsure of what to do next so he hoped that by talking to the captains of the team he could figure out what their next step was. At the same time, this wasn’t a conversation he could have in front of the team it was the equivalent of them he clueless.
“So these are the boy’s showers, they’re so dirty.” Grace who had never been in the back of the locker rooms for fairly obvious reasons looked around the open shower room with disgust. Patter had to agree with her that the room wasn’t in the best shape.
“Are the girl’s locker rooms any different?” Mark asked with a flat doubtful tone.
“No... but hey, at least we have curtains.” Grace replied defensively. As they obviously couldn’t share a locker room with the boys the girls would use the girls’ basketball locker rooms a little bit down the hall closer to the cafeteria.
“I didn’t call you back to talk about how bad the showers are, everyone knows they’re terrible.” Patter couldn’t let this conversation get off track they were trapped inside of Altim without even a single adult and had no way out. They needed a plan that would keep them safe. “I need your help, we’re stuck in here and I have no idea what to do.”
The six captains realized the point of the conversation and settled down as they started to think about their predicament. Patter had been thinking about the problem since he first awakened two hours ago but he still didn’t know what to do long term and seeing that monstrous wall had only made the problem worse. Hopefully, one of his fellow captains would be able to come up with something.
John spoke first with a surprisingly serious tone. “I think making a wall is a good idea. It will be easier to claim space while everyone is still confused about what’s happening. There’s 109 kids on the team, I don’t know if we have enough room. If we want, could probably take over this entire wing of the school.”
“No, even if everyone is still in shock if we take too much people will get mad. The only reason we’re getting away with what we already have is because no one else uses the rooms.” Mark spoke in his normal voice, but he was clearly trying to stop his brother’s expansionist policy.
“So, who cares they’re outside the wall and we’re inside.” Patter wasn’t surprised to hear him say that. Just like Patter, John placed far more value on those close to him than on others. However, unlike Patter, John was much happier telling others to fuck off for his loved ones’ benefit.
“No Marks right we should try not to make them angry at us.” Grace chimed as the voice of reason which Patter was glad for because John usually listened to her more than others.
“They’re already going to be mad at us, there are only 4 showers in this whole school, 5 if you want to count the ones in the football locker room but they’re probably going to do the same thing we’re doing and stop everyone else from using them. Going to have a lot easier time doing it too, the only way into their locker room is from the outside. People are going to want to take a shower meaning they’re going to come to us.” Theron was right and everyone here knew it.
Everyone was going to want a shower at least every few days and assuming the football team copied their idea the 1000 male students were going to have to share the one small shower in the adjacent locker room. A locker room they were now blocking the main entrance to, fortunately, there was another way in around back next to the book room. Patters doubted anyone would choose to go in that way in that way instead of taking the normal path but at least they would still be able to shower.
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“You’re saying we should just let the entire school come through whenever they want?” Shin asked the question suspiciously while making it he didn’t like the idea.
“No, just that the entire school is going to hate us for doing this.” Theron answered unfazed.
“Let’s vote, we have to have control of this locker room and the wrestling, can everyone agree on that?” Patter raised his hand once he finished speaking. Everyone except for Hop raised their hand in agreement.
“What if we just guard them separately, that way no one gets mad at us for blocking the entrance to the other locker room and we can take over all the offices behind us” Hop stated his solution as if it was the most obvious thing in the world which it of course was but somehow the other six hadn’t thought of it.
“Okay, then we’ll go with Hop’s idea.” Patter looked around the group and saw that they all were in approval of the idea. “What’s next.”
“What about food?” Theron raised a really good point, it had been 2 and half-ish hours since they had woken up.
“I can take a group down to the replicators and see how they work.” John offered before anyone else, something about them had him excited.
“Can we even trust the food?” Shin asked clearly doubtful of the administration’s trustworthiness. He was right to do so after all they were the Aliens who had abducted them but at the same time, they had no choice and were going to have to eat sooner or later.
“We’re gonna have to. John when were done here take B, C, and G teams down to the cafeteria. Use a buddy system and make sure no one gets lost. Once you get the food come back here to eat it.” How someone would get lost when the Cafeteria was literally only 500 feet down the hall Patter didn’t know but he also had no doubt in his mind that it could happen. “Everyone else will stay here and guard the room. When you get back I’ll take everyone else down to get food. Anything else?”
Everyone seemed happy with the meeting except for Mark who spoke up. “We’re not going to be able to keep the team together in one place for very long. If we don’t let kids go out on their own the whole thing will fall apart. When we do, I don’t want any of the girls walking around without a male escort.”
The group held its breath as it waited for Grace to realize what Mark was talking about and for her to go ballistic. It took 5 seconds.
“What the hell, you think I’m still a child, that I can’t take care of myself.” Grace exploded into Mark’s face and started yelling.
“I didn’t say that,” Mark replied to the yelling in a calm tone that carried his words clearly.
“Yes, you did, what are you so afraid of? Do you think I’m just going to be walking along then someone’s gonna jump out of the bush and rape me.” Grace only got more aggressive in her criticisms of her brother.
“Yes, I’m sorry that I care about you.” Mark raised his voice slightly to be heard over the verbal onslaught but kept his calm tone.
“I’m 17, I’m not a child. I don’t need your help to defend myself.” Grace was still clearly upset but found her rebukes falter before the logic and good intentions of Mark’s argument.
“You shouldn’t have to.” Mark kept the same plane tone he had throughout the debate.
“I…ureh.., I’m going to go get something to eat.” Grace chose to storm out of the room leaving Patter and the other captains behind.
“Well, I think we’re done here. Theron, Shin go find your teams and I guess I’ll find the Gs. Meet up in the lunchroom.” John the 2 other captains turn and followed Grace out of the room leaving Patter alone with Hop and Mark.
“Do you think I’m wrong?” Mark took on a softer tone that as he turned to look at the two of them.
Patters sighed, he really didn’t know. He wanted to give the girls the freedom they deserved but at the same time wanted to ensure their safety. “I hope so. If something happens then we’ll talk about it again.”
“I would rather figure it out beforehand and make sure that nothing can happen.” Mark was again right it would be so much better to be proactive instead of reactive, but they couldn’t do much to defend the girls if they didn’t want it.
“I would too but I’m afraid the more and more we try to force help they don’t want on them then the harder and harder they will make.” Patters knew that the other girls on the team weren’t nearly as free spirited as Grace who had stormed out at the very mention of it but they still probably wouldn’t enjoy constantly having a bodyguard. It would be much easier to protect them while they were with the group instead of off on their own.
“Do you really think that something will happen to them?” Hop asked hopeful but something in his voice told Patter he already knew the answer.
“I hope not, I really hope nothing happens.” It was all he could say, he hoped.