Chapter 2 – Raft-Building
"So," Jim said slowly, "what activity do we have first?"
Once the last name had been called out they were ordered to go into their groups. Scotty had waved his hand sadly at Keenser, the tiny boy obviously not wanting to go and sit with Khan and the others. It had taken every ounce of Keenser's courage to leave Scotty's side.
Scotty stared at Pike nervously, wondering what their first activity was. "Wha' is it?" he asked anxiously.
Pike laughed. "We're doing raft-building with Group 2."
"What?" Jim shouted. Bones shushed him and Nyota glared.
"Jim, listen. We're doing a whole group-versus-group thing and the winning group gets a prize at the end of Camp. We'll be competing against Group 2. For this activity we're going to see which team can make the most sea-worthy raft in the time given."
"Do ve hawe to test it?" Pavel squeaked.
"Yes. You decide if it's one-person or two-person. You'll get given materials to use too."
"What are we waiting for?" Jim cried. "Let's go!"
"Wait!" Pike raised his hand. "You should get changed into your older clothes. It'll get muddy."
"Okay!" they cried in unison. The rushed to their cabins, Scotty being left behind by the athletic Jim and Bones. Once at his cabin he closed the door and windows, stripping off completely and pulling on swimmers, board shorts and an old t-shirt. He had a pair of wet-shoes that he slipped on. Then he waited for Jim and Bones to join him, wearing similar attire. They rushed from the cabin, picking up a similarly-dressed Spock, Pavel and Hikaru on the way. Nyota waited for them at the beginning of the path that led to the lakeside.
Hikaru jumped with excitement. "I volunteer to test the raft!"
They arrived at the lakeside and stared at the pile of materials in front of them: three empty plastic drums, several lengths of rope, two sheets of plywood and three large plastic containers. Scotty's mind began to work hard, using his skill at maths and manufacturing to figure out the best way to assemble everything they had into a workable raft. Immediately Jim rushed to start planning and Nyota was quick to disprove his ideas.
Group 2 was already beginning to make their raft, Khan and Nero taking charge. Scotty frowned. Keenser was a crafting genius and they weren't doing themselves justice by not using his skills. He turned back to his own team and listened to Jim and Nyota argue about the best course of action. The others stood back to watch and Scotty hit Bones' shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"We gotta stop 'em," Scotty snapped. "We'll lose a' this rate."
"Fine," Bones sighed, stepping forward and grabbing Jim's hair. "Good God man! Get your head together! Arguing ain't gonna help us. You're not the most qualified of the group to make the design; Scotty is. I'll bet he's already got a design planned."
"I do too!"
"We need to play on our strengths," Bones told him. "Let everyone else make a contribution."
Jim glared. "Fine, who has ideas?"
As Bones let go, Spock stepped forward. "I have an idea," he said quietly. "We can put the three drums right next to each other and wind rope around them diagonally to tie them together firmly."
"I like tha way yer mind works," Scotty said approvingly. "I was thinking tha', an' put tha plywood on tha top an' wind rope around it an' tha gaps between tha drums."
Scotty, Bones and Jim dragged the drums together, leaving just enough space between them for rope. Little Pavel held rope in his tiny hands and threaded it through the gaps, holding it out for Hikaru to pull through. They wound the rope around the three drums, pulling it around the last one and starting the system again. By that time the rope was muddy from being dragged along the ground, and it coated Hikaru's hands.
As those two continued, Scotty beckoned Spock and Nyota. Jim watched him sourly, obviously not liking being sidelined. "Okay, lad, lass, I need ye ta help me move this wood. We need tha biggest piece an' some rope tha' can go around it."
Spock selecting the largest piece and Nyota unwound a length of rope, looking at Scotty for approval. He nodded and they took them over to the drums.
"We're done," Bones told him. "I've knotted it off at the end."
Pavel and Hikaru stood there with mud stains on their knees and hands, looking pleased with their work. The drums were brought tightly together with barely any wiggle room and the end had been neatly knotted. Scotty nodded his approval and enlisted Bones' and Jim's help to roll it over onto the flattest part. Once it squelched into the mud Spock placed the wood on top, holding it in place as Pavel and Nyota wound muddy rope around the wood and the gaps between the drums to secure it. The raft began to slide in the mud and Jim and Bones quickly stood between it and the water, bracing themselves against it. Hikaru stood on the other side, knees bent and grasping the rope.
Finally it was finished and Scotty whooped. They had beaten Group 2, as Khan and Nero were still arguing. Keenser was quietly working with Ayel to get a basic design completed while the other boys were immersed in their fight.
"Okay," Scotty said, "le' go an' le' it slide in tha water."
They let go and watched it slowly slide through the mud and into the water. Pike strolled up with a lifejacket and a paddle, a broad smile on his face.
"Nice job," he complimented, "and I'm glad to see you figured out how to work as a team. Sulu, here's a jacket and paddle for you." He looked at the mud-streaked boy and handed over the items. "Let's see just how seaworthy it is."
Hikaru zipped up the jacket and walked to the water's edge, his shoes sinking into the mud. Bones and Scotty followed, holding out their hands for him to step on so he could get a boost. Hikaru was flung into the air and landed solidly on the raft as it entered the water, shifting into a better position. He lay on his stomach, facing the back of the raft, and began to push his paddle like a dolphin's tail, propelling the raft forward. It shook briefly before settling into a smooth rhythm.
"We did it!" Hikaru shouted.
Jim moved to stand next to Scotty. "Okay, I'm sorry. Your design is better than mine."
Scotty faced him, shaking his mud-coated hands. "It takes a big man ta apologise." He crouched at the water's edge and wiped his hands clean. Raft-building had been a good challenge, but he wasn't sure that Jim would tolerate being shoved aside. Jim liked to be in charge.
Hikaru began to paddle back and jumped off when he was in shallow water, beginning to drag the raft out of the water. Scotty, Bones and Jim joined him, heaving it as hard as they could. Pavel, Spock and Nyota reluctantly joined in the muddy tug-of-war, sheer brute strength of seven children winning against the suction of the mud.
Finally, it was over, and their clothes were covered in mud and grime. Nyota ran her fingers through her muddy hair, only succeeding in making it muddier. She grumbled and Jim fought a snicker, stopping when Bones elbowed him in the ribs.
Khan and Nero sauntered over, their faces thunderous. Evidently they'd decided to work together on something. "Well," Nero sneered, "you fell not far from the tree, didn't ya?"
Scotty snorted. "Strange words for ye ta say, given tha' we just kicked ye arse!" Keenser jumped up and down behind them, panic on his face. Beside him, Ayel's face was pale and he looked like he was having an asthma attack. Even as Scotty watched he saw Ayel take an inhaler from his pocket and suck on it briefly, his colour returning to normal. He began to worry that Khan and Nero might be threatening physical violence, but they couldn't. Not with teachers around.
Khan looked down on the seven muddy children and curled his lip in distaste. "You might not want to beat us again," he said in a dangerously low voice, "or we'll make you pay."
Jim stepped forward, glaring. "Get away. We won, that's all there is to it. You should work as a team next time."
"Teamwork's for cowards," Khan spat.
"Well you're working together right now," Jim pointed out.
Pike and George Kirk came over, arms out to separate them. "That's enough," Pike ordered. "You've had your spat. Act your age."
"We're eleven," Jim sighed. "We are acting our age."
"Don't give lip to me," George said sharply. Jim flinched and the children shrunk away from the adults. Scotty touched Jim's shoulder and they turned to their raft, dismembering it quietly. Their group turned to help them and Khan and Nero backed off. The adults stepped back to allow the children to work.
"I need a shower," Nyota sighed, shaking her body like a puppy. Gaila sent her a sad look and Nyota shrugged, staring at her filthy skin.
"I can help you with that," Jim said jokingly, waggling his eyebrows. Nyota stepped back and glared, earning a shicker from him.
"Lasses, tha's enough," Scotty said warningly.
They finished untying everything and piled the rope, drums and plywood together with the rest of materials. Pike gave them the go-ahead for a quick shower before lunch and they ran to their cabins as fast as they could.
Scotty sat cross-legged outside his cabin, waiting for Jim, Bones and Keenser to have their turns in the shower. He felt good about helping them win but he wasn't sure that they worked well together. Jim and Nyota especially, they seemed like a bomb about to go off. Spock, Hikaru and Pavel were nice enough, but very quiet and afraid to voice their opinions. They all had unique skills, he noted. Bones and Jim were athletic and headstrong, Pavel and small and fast, Hikaru was light on his feet, Spock was intelligent, he was creative and Nyota was authoritative. If they harnessed their skills together they could achieve anything, he thought.
At the very least, they stood a better chance of working as a team than Khan and Nero. Those two only worked together when it came to beating someone up. Usually that someone was one of Scotty's friends.
Jim stuck his wet head out the door, "Oy Scotty, the showers free."
Scotty took off his shoes and carried them under his arm, padding across the wooden floor and grabbing a towel on his way. He showered fully-clothed, getting the mud off him and his clothes, washing his shoes clean. When he got out Jim, Bones and Keenser were sitting next to a heater, drying their bodies. He sat with them and held his shoes out in front of him, waiting impatiently to dry so he could go to lunch.
They dried at different times and Scotty was the last to leave. He pulled his wet-shoes on and ruffled his damp hair, rushing to the dining hall. Everyone was already seated and eating their salad sandwiches. He skidded when he saw the food and eagerly piled everything onto the bread. Sandwiches were the food of the Gods. Keenser had saved him a seat and he joined his friends, earing heartily.
"So wha' do we have next?" he asked in between bites.
"We've got canoeing," Jim sighed, gulping juice. "I really wanted to get wet today. I totally did."
"It should be fun," Bones said darkly.
"Oh, it won't be tha' bad." Scotty took a huge bite of his sandwich, cheeks bulging, and gave a muffled sound of delight. The sandwich was absolutely delicious! Keenser only had one slice of bread topped with cheese on his plate and he didn't look like he would eat that. Scotty felt a pang of worry for his friend. Keenser didn't really eat much. He had like, a bean and he was done.
Lunch passed with Jim and Bones complaining about canoeing, which served to foul Scotty's mood. He was sick of Bones complaining and now it had been transferred to Jim. He was almost glad when the time for sandwiches finished and they made their way down to the lakeside with Group 2.