They hung there. Motionless, without warmth, without life. Had they been respected, had they been given value, they'd not be damned to the fate written for them today.

They might be just some petty Collective uniforms to some, but to Director Navarro, the outfits meant so much. A decade spent with the United States military during its darkest days of the Vietnam War taught him discipline and loyalty, and those same values were grained into the decade invested in the Chula Vista Collective. So much had happened, and even though it'd been some forty years since he fought alongside his comrades, the same war was being waged now - that for order.

It was the early morning, and Eduardo was slouched over in his tall leather throne, his writing hand frantically bounding across documents permitting and recording today's planned event. It was mostly memos to faculty members explaining the necessary procedure, but the facts were set, and all left to do was execute the plan.

It had been two weeks since the burning protesting of the Fremont uniforms, and since then several other students had been identified without their uniforms. Some out of fashion choice, others out of dislike for their comfort, and the rest for flat out rebellion. The Director had always anticipated such behavior from the Collective student body at some point, and it seemed the departure of the old school administrations had brought the intent forward. Now he intended to make an example of five dissenters to remind the others just who was in charge of the school.

During a reluctant pause from his efforts, the Director glanced over to the five uniforms that hung limply in those five coat hangars, and though he felt satisfied to see them shine brightly in the light, knowing what those students would have to endure in them made him cringe. His face was grim, and with a sigh, he confessed his pain.

"Even for the collective good, that sliver is evil is still too much to bear at times."

But all it took was a deep exhale of breath to blow those cursed thoughts away.

*****

It was nearing eleven o' clock, and the plans were already set in motion. The heads of each school had been quietly filled in on the situation and the Director's orders not to interfere with what he considered a matter of his own consideration. Security teams were dispatched to secure the main courtyard of the Collective that united each school, and a handful of faculty members were already beginning to set up the "arena."

Now it was just a matter of preparing the students.

His frail hand pressing down on the power control of the Public Announcement System console stationed in his office, the range set to maximum capacity, Director Navarro brought the microphone to his lips and spoke the words of damnation. He spoke with weight, his tone calm, but his message sharp and clear:

"Members of the Collective, this is the Director. I am here to announce a special assembly being held by the School Board to bring forward the due attention that is necessary to the problem of school uniforms concerning many of you here at the Chula Vista Collective. As many of you well know, there are have been a handful of delinquents in your ranks who have chosen to ignore the codes of this school, and have replaced them with their own preferences. It is the intention of this collective administration, of the School Board, and of this assembly to clarify and eliminate these misled errors in judgment.

This is a mandatory assembly. All students of the Collective are required to file out of whatever classroom they may be attending at the time to find a seat in the main courtyard area. Faculty will attend as well to help organize the student body. Any attempts to avoid or hassle the assembly will be met with due reprimand that is easily comparable to what will happen today. For you will remember why we wear those uniforms after this afternoon.

Have a good hour, and we shall see you at noon.