When the teens arrived at the school Tuesday morning, they noticed that a large crowd was gathering at the main doors. When they got closer they saw that a few kids had already begun undressing, but groups of kids immediately surrounded them in human screens, blocking any view of them. Then the groups began escorting the naked students to the doors. They were trying to count the participating students but weren’t able to see them clearly to tell exactly who was naked. Suddenly Mr Davis and Mr Cirota appeared at the doors.
Cirota called, “Students, what are you doing? You can’t shield the Program students that way—they have to be seen!”
Cirota was completely ignored and the groups pushed past him and into the school, where the Program kids were escorted to their home rooms.
During the home room period, the announcements came on.
“Your attention, please, this is Mr Davis. This morning when the Program students disrobed, a number of students blocked them from being seen. This is not acceptable and if it continues, those doing it will be punished. The Program students must be available for viewing at all times and to allow Reasonable Requests. That is all.”
During the next class change, the siblings saw how the human shield idea had evolved into a working technique. There were enough kids participating in the human screens so that those blocking the participants could stay in position, walking with the group for a few score feet and as they walked, others would join the group and replace them. Those kids would then peel off and join another group nearby, if one were there. Davis and Cirota were in the hall trying to grab kids out of the many who were just shuttling around between the shield groups. Kids being grabbed just shook off being held and moved away while the mass of moving, ever-changing groups just moved inexorably along to their destinations while Davis and Cirota just looked on in frustration, unable to break up the phalanxes of students surrounding the Program kids.
Of course, everyone was having a great time with the choreography of this great dance and the racket in the halls was enormous, completely drowning out Cirota’s attempts at shouting for attention. The announcement system again came to life at the bell beginning the net class.
“Students, what I saw in the halls is completely unacceptable,” Davis announced. “I will not tolerate this attempt to make light of the responsibilities of the Program students to show their bodies and to allow them to be examined by other students. This will stop immediately, or we will force everyone involved to be drafted into the Program immediately, and for an entire month. That is all.”
When the announcement ended, there was a murmuring and sounds of muted laughter in the classroom and the teacher called for order. He looked around the room and then at a sheet of paper.
“We have two Program students this week, Roger and Cynthia Denison. You both missed class yesterday and you’re supposed to be in the Program. Why are you wearing clothes?”
“Sir, we didn’t get a chance to give you our passes from yesterday, and no, we’re not in the Program,” Roger responded as he handed their excuse slips to the teacher.
“You’re on the list here,” he said, waving the paper.
“The list is wrong since we updated it with our declining to participate, sir,” Cynthia said.
“You can’t just remove yourselves, you know.”
“Without being impertinent about the matter, sir, our non-participation has effectively removed us, wouldn’t you say?” she went on.
“Regardless, this is an anatomy class and I need the two of you naked as demonstration models.”
Meanwhile the heads in the classroom were moving back and forth as the verbal exchange continued.
“Not possible, sir; we respectfully decline,” Roger said. “You can use any of the demonstration materials you used the last time you taught this class; if they weren’t adequate for instruction, I’m sure you wouldn’t have used them.”
Chuckles from the class.
“We need to tape this for the school website...”
“Excuse me, sir?” Roger interrupted. “Exactly how does that contribute to the instruction in this class? If you need to post something, post the instructional materials that you show us.”
The class erupted in hooting and laughter.
“Now, sir, can we please just proceed with the class? Just forget we’re here, okay? Thanks.” Roger said as he seated himself.
“Well, then, I suppose there’s nothing I can do to convince you...?”
Both Roger and Cynthia shook their heads. After shuffling some papers around, the teacher looked up and asked the class to open their texts to the first chapter, on the human skeletal system.
“I was going to start on the reproductive system today, but instead let’s begin with the body’s support framework...”
Then a messenger appeared with a note and handed it to the teacher. He read it and looked up.
“Cynthia and Roger Denison. Mr Davis wants to speak to you.”
The two exchanged glances, nodded, and went to the door.
Cynthia asked, “You think this is the enforcers?”
“Maybe not. This might be over the resistance movement.”
It turned out that Roger was correct. As soon as they entered Mr Davis’ office, without even greeting them, he began questioning them.
“I see that both of you are still failing to participate in the Program and learned this morning that yesterday you disobeyed a direct request from your psychology teacher, Miss Mason, about classroom participation. The school will need to make an example of you so that other students will understand that not participating will not be accepted. Do you have anything to say?”
“No, sir, other than repeating what we said yesterday,” Cynthia said. “We have been forbidden to participate.”
“You also threatened yesterday to disrupt the operation of the Program. Is what I observed this morning outside and in the halls something you arranged?”
“We didn’t arrange what you saw, but it was based on some ideas we had and shared with others. What you saw was the reaction of other students to the Program. I think that virtually everyone opposes it. This has obviously turned into some kind of civil disobedience,” Roger commented.
“I think that you did orchestrate this, and I’m ordering you to stop it right now. I want the two of you to go on the PA system and ask the students to stop.”
“Sir, we will neither make an announcement nor ask anyone to stop doing what they are voluntarily doing,” Cynthia said mildly.
“If you don’t, I will suspend you indefinitely.”
“That’s a powerful threat. Would the school board support you in the lawsuit that we would file over your improper use of authority? Is there any evidence of our breaking a rule established by the school district?” Cynthia asked, speaking more forcefully. “May we return to classes now? We answered your questions, sir.”
“You can go for now, but I’m going to look into how you’re involved in this interference with the Program. If I learn that you’re leading this interference movement, I will suspend you, understand?”
He waved them out of his office and they returned to class. The rest of the class passed without any further difficulties and the class change afterwards was just as tumultuous as the previous one had been; Davis, Cirota, and a number of teachers were in the hall trying to corral kids from the passing phalanxes who simply twisted aside and melted away as soon as someone tried to grab them. A few were caught and they indignantly claimed that they were only passing through the mobs of kids and, without any evidence to the contrary, had to be let go.
The twins and Ayame parted; she going to her civics class and they to Economics. After second period ended, since it was Tuesday, they had a study period instead of gym.
“Say, Cyn, maybe I should go see Coach Jerter and calm him down from my missing practice yesterday. I’ll be back before the end of the period,” Roger said, getting a hall pass from the study hall proctor.
Roger came back after a half hour. “He wasn’t too angry; he had heard about what we did to the two coaches Monday morning and thought it served them right. I guess there must be some bad blood among the coaching staff. But I have practice tomorrow through Friday from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and that scrimmage meet on Friday at 7:30 p.m.”
Then one of the other students in the study hall class came over and whispered, “Hey Denisons, you guys need to hear this one. I was in first period gym today and we did the locker room switch drill. Wow, did that freak out the teachers! They tried to get us to switch back to the way they wanted, but us Marine kids refused and all the others just went along. They made lots of threats but what could they do against an entire class of kids? Fail everyone? They got hoarse screaming but everyone just ignored them and kept on dressing. I heard that almost the same thing happened in the boys’ lockers with all the girls being in there. But it was the men teachers and they didn’t know where to look—or not to look. My girlfriend said that they were yelling but looking in the opposite direction. Too funny!
“Anyway, some guys noticed some cameras hidden in the lighting in the girls’ locker room, both pointing into the shower area. Before classes began, they turned off the lights so they wouldn’t be recorded, cut the wires, and broke the camera lenses. We’ll need to watch out to see if they get fixed. I wonder how Davis is gonna deal with the locker room business. Oh, and rest rooms. Everyone uses the opposite sex’s. There’ll be someone at each door to remind you.”
“Hey, thanks for the info,” Roger said. “Say, I haven’t seen much of the Program kids in the halls; did you notice how their protection from Requests is working?”
“Okay, I think, although I heard about one nasty incident. A couple of those gang types—you know, tattooed?—got close to one soph girl in the hall and one mauled her tits. A few guys pulled him away and kicked his ass, but he threatened them that he and his friends were gonna pay them back and they had the right to get some action from any naked chick in the school.”
Cynthia scowled, “Someone report what he said? That’s a pretty serious threat; those jerks are bad news.”
“I don’t know any more about that, but yeah, I hope that those threats were mentioned to a teacher or something,” he said as he went away.
About ten minutes into their American History class, a messenger arrived with a note for the siblings to report to the main office.
“This is probably it,” Roger whispered to Ayame before they left the room. “Just keep close to a Marine kid if we’re late getting back.”
They left the room and went to the office. As they were about to go into the main office, they saw a large figure turning the corner and striding down the hall toward them. He was wearing Marine fatigues with an armband reading “MP.” He shot them a glance and made a shooing motion for them to go into the office. They entered and were ushered into the principal’s office where three men were waiting with Davis and Cirota.
“Roger and Cynthia Denison,” Cirota intoned, “these officials are from the district Program office and are here to require you to disrobe now and begin the first week of your month-long Program punishment requirement.”
“No, sir.” Roger said. “We already have told you several times that we will not participate.”
“Then we have the legal authority to compel you to,” one of the men said.
“My sister and I do not recognize any authority that the government thinks it has over our personal privacy, despite how I understand that the Supreme Court has ruled as far as minors’ privacy rights. We will not be compelled.”
“We have the authority to forcibly undress you.”
Davis cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, please. Not in my office. There are too many breakable things in here and these two are world champion judo fighters. Yesterday they overmatched five adults, all with significant experience in dealing with out-of-control students.”
“Well, Mr Davis, with your permission then we’ll place them under our custody and remove them to the district Program office. We’ll work with them there to remove any issues of false modesty and when we return with them, they’ll be more compliant.”
Roger looked at Cynthia and raised his eyebrows and she shrugged in response.
She asked, “You mean you’re arresting us? Without our committing a criminal act?”
“The law empowers us to take into custody any minor who refuses to comply with Program rules.”
“And no due process is needed? We have the right to contact our parents—otherwise this is simply kidnaping, since there’s no crime and we wouldn’t be going under our free will. But we will leave this office with you—but as for leaving the school grounds, we’ll see about that,” Roger said.
One of the men opened the door and motioned Roger and Cynthia to follow; the remaining two men took up the rear. Cynthia noticed the MP standing unobtrusively in a far corner of the outer office. They went out into the corridor and started for the main doors. Just as they reached the doors, a voice from behind them called, “Hold! Don’t move!”
The three men whirled around; the MP had quietly come up behind them.
“Okay, explain. It appears you are escorting two students out of the building. Students, are you going willingly?” the MP demanded.
“No, sir,” they chorused. Cynthia continued, “They’re forcing us to go with them.”
“What’s your authority for detaining these students and are you men sworn peace officers?”
“Our authority is federal law. They violated the Program law. We’re members of the enforcement branch of a federal agency,” one of the Program enforcers said.
“I’m not familiar with any law code that allows the involuntary detaining of a person who is not a suspect of a crime, and detaining anyone can only be done by sworn law enforcement personnel.”
“This is a civil detainment, not criminal, officer.”
“Civil, yes, that’s what I was given to understand by my headquarters. Our state law does not recognize civil detainments. In this state, detainments require either probable cause that a crime has been committed or a duly signed warrant, and in either case detainments must be performed by a sworn law enforcement official. You have no authority here, gentlemen. I will require that you leave, alone.”
Just then the doors opened and four MPs came in.
“Under control, sergeant?” one of the newcomers asked.
“Almost, Peary. Okay, then, gentlemen, before you leave, let me tell you how it will be. If our patrols find you back here at this school or community or near the base at any time in the future, we will arrest you on suspicion of attempted kidnaping. You don’t want to spend an extended time in a Marine brig while we investigate, because we’ll be very thorough and your federal status won’t mean very much to us Marines. Is that quite clear? We’ll be watching this school very closely. I strongly suggest that you forget that it even exists, and let those in your office know, too. Now leave us, please.”
They left.
The sergeant took the twins aside. “We don’t really know how much authority they actually have but the boss thinks it’s just civil. They seem to throw it around a lot and as sworn peace officers, we don’t like that at all. The town cops feel the same way. So I was told to scare them off and we Marines like to do that with a show of force. But please watch your step now. I don’t think anyone will try to come for you again, but don’t take any chances, okay?”
“Thanks, sergeant, you were awesome,” Cynthia said.
“Thanks, Miss Denison, but I’m sorry I missed seeing you in action. I heard the scuttlebutt about your show on Monday, you know,” he said with a grin and a wave as he walked out with his team.
Copyright © 2015 Seems Ndenyal. All Rights Reserved.