The Seattle Storm just stared at the dilapidated building in front of them, then turned the skeptical look upon their coach. Lin Dunn spread her hands out as if to tell them that she was helpless.

"Let's see if I get this before we get on you. We got evicted from KeyArena, so we can't play there. The colleges all closed their gyms for the summer break. And this is supposed to be our new home court." Michelle Marciniak crossed her arms and tensed up. "This is bullshit."

"You said it," Semeka Randall agreed strongly.

"Gals, I did all I could do, and it wasn't near 'nough, okay? This was all the team could 'ford. Now, y'all wanna play basketball or y'all wanna stand here like a pack of fools?" Coach Dunn waved them imperiously towards the door, but they stood firm.

"Our college court was bigger than this," Semeka said.

"Mine too," Sue Bird added.

Simone Edwards looked at Semeka and Sue and said to them, "Tennessee. Connecticut. We're not talking your average college gyms here. And you're too young to understand-"

"Don't even try to pull the age difference," Michelle groaned. "I'm the same age as you are, and I still think this place is a piece of junk."

"I've been around a good while," Adia Barnes said. All eyes turned to the mercenary guard. "I've played for five different teams in this league, I've been overseas, and I've played in places most of you wouldn't even come up with in your worst nightmares. And this is definitely the worst piece of junk gym I've ever seen."

"Would y'all please come on already?" Coach Dunn demanded at the edges of her patience. "Ain't goin' to be no basketball 'less y'all come 'long now." The Storm players felt they had no other choice but to follow where she led.

As they went into the dank, smelly building, Felicia Ragland asked Adia, "What kind of nightmares?"

Adia looked her straight in the eye. "Playing a game with no rest except timeouts, in Arizona, on a hot May afternoon, in an arena where the air conditioning doesn't work. That's my idea of a nightmare." Felicia shuddered. That was when a bloodcurdling scream split the air, immediately echoed by several of the Storm players.

"Bloody ceiling's only seven feet high!" Lauren Jackson protested volubly. "I'm calling my attorney and getting out of here as fast as I can. I've had enough of this!" She turned and left. Sue ran after her yelling, "Lauren, you can't do this to our team!"

Coach Dunn just put her head in her hands and groaned.