Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: This is a short chapter, and I know that the prank they pull could never work in real life, but this is fan fiction, people, so bear with me here. ; )

Chapter 7: Operation Retaliation

"Ouch! Jim! That was my foot!" Pam hissed.

"Sorry, Beesly!" he whispered back. "I can't find my flashlight – oh wait! Got it!"

The light flickered on, illuminating Pam's face. "What time is it?"

He aimed the light at his watch. "4:00 am. We should get the signal soon."

"You're sure they're going to follow through?"

"Oh yeah. Toby, Phyllis, and Kevin are complete supporters of Operation Retaliation. I double checked last night before we went back to the cabins."

They were quiet for a minute or two while they pulled on sweatshirts and sneakers. Pam pocketed her own flashlight and tied her hair out of her face. Finally, she spoke again.

"Why didn't you name any of our other plans, Jim?"

"Because this one is the sneakiest."

"And why did you name the plan 'Operation Retaliation?'"

"Because it rhymes," he said matter-of-factly.

"Jim, you do know that's a really stupid name for a plan, right?"

"Yup."

"And you do know that this is a fairly ridiculous? And I probably should never have suggested it?"

"Oh yeah, I'm well aware."

He flashed his light back on her face just in time to catch her grin. "This is going to be so awesome!"

"You sound like Kelly."

There was a sudden crash outside the cabin. Somebody swore loudly as twigs snapped and leaves rustled. Dwight stirred on his small air mattress and muttered something about bobble head dolls. Angela snuggled closer to her pillow. Jim and Pam held their breath, praying that they wouldn't wake up, but both continued to snore.

Pam exhaled quietly. "That was a close one!" she said.

There was a knock on the door. Jim tip toed over and stuck his lips right next to the door frame. "Who is it?" he hissed.

"That's what she said," was the reply.

"It's them!" Pam whispered excitedly. "That's the signal!"

Jim opened the door slowly so as to avoid making any noise. Phyllis, Kevin, and Toby huddled together on the stoop of the cabin, each brandishing a flashlight.

"Sorry we're late," said Toby softly. "Kevin tripped."

"We heard," Jim remarked with a slight smile.

"It's hard to see tree roots at night time!" Kevin defended himself. "I wasn't too loud, was I?"

"Not at all," Pam reassured him, joining them on the steps. "Both Dwight and Angela are fast asleep."

"You're sure they won't wake up?" said Phyllis.

Jim shined the flashlight onto Dwight and Angela. Angela was curled into the fetal position, and Dwight snored on his back. Both slept with ear plugs and sleeping masks. "I'm sure," Jim told Phyllis. "They fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows, and they only stirred when Kevin tripped."

Kevin smiled apologetically.

Phyllis, looking reassured, dug in her pocket and produced her map once more. She held it out so everyone could see, and traced a short path with her pinky finger. "See this trail here? I scouted it out, and it's wide enough to fit us all. Plus, it's wicked short. It leads to a pond, and I found out from Michael that he plans on conducting our morning bonding session on the beach."

"Phyllis," Jim said with a broad smile, "you are my hero."

Phyllis beamed proudly.

"Okay!" Jim said. "Let's get this party started!"

Phyllis propped open the door and held a flashlight while the others each stood at a corner of Dwight's air mattress. They squatted down and grabbed a corner each.

"On the count of three…" Pam whispered. "One…two…three!"

They all hefted the mattress, and, huffing a bit, lifted Dwight and his bed into the air. They paused for a moment to make sure Dwight wouldn't wake up before moving towards the door. As quietly as possible, so as to not wake up Angela, they maneuvered the air mattress down the steps. Phyllis shut the door carefully behind them. Quickly, she scurried over to all of the other cabins, double checking that the other employees and the camera crew were still asleep. Satisfied, she returned and used he flashlight to light the way to the trail at the back of the camp.

After a short walk through the woods, the group ended up on a long strip of sand. Phyllis shined her flashlight so that the Jim, Pam, Kevin, and Toby could see the water's edge. Silently, they lowered Dwight and his mattress to the ground, the side of the mattress closest to Dwight's feet just barely in contact with the water.

"He needs to lose weight," Kevin huffed. "That was some heavy lifting."

They quickly stripped off their socks and shoe and rolled up their pants. Slowly and quietly, they pushed the mattress until it was floating away from the beach in knee deep water. Phyllis came to join them at the edge of the pond. Together they watched Dwight's mattress meander towards the middle of the tiny pond in triumphant silence. Kevin grinned toothlessly at each of his cohorts.

"Okay, I need a high five right now!" he exclaimed. Laughing softly, the group slapped hands with Kevin. Toby did a little victory dance. Jim slung his arm around Pam's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

Jim addressed his coworkers. "Thanks for helping out, you guys! Pam suggested we try this on Thursday, but we weren't sure if we would be able to pull it off. It takes a lot of effort to heave a grown man and his bed through the woods."

"Don't mention it," Toby said as they pulled on their shoes and headed back to the clearing.

"Dwight is such a pain," Phyllis said. "And it's fun to tease him."

"How'd you think of this, anyways?" Kevin wondered.

"Remember when we were playing Desert Island last year, after the fire?" Kevin, Phyllis, and Toby nodded. "Well, I never got to say what my favorite movie was, but it's…well…" she trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"Her favorite movie is The Parent Trap, the one with Lindsay Lohan?"

Kevin giggled. "Good thing you didn't have a chance to say that one during the fire, Pam, 'cause people totally would have made fun of you!"

"Thanks, Kevin."

"Anyways," Jim continued, "Pam made me watch it, and towards the end, the twins are camping and they set their possible-future-step-mother afloat on her air mattress, just like this."

"I can't wait for him to wake up!" Pam said as they entered the camp ground.

Jim checked his watch. "It's 4:30 am, so Michael will probably wake us up soon to go to the beach, and we can see if he freaks out."

"He'd better freak out," Kevin said. "It's so much fun when he goes ballistic."

"See you in a couple of hours!" Phyllis said as she, Toby, and Kevin entered their cabin. Pam and Jim waved and went to their own cabin, where Angela snored peacefully.

"What are we going to tell Angela when she wakes up and finds that Dwight is gone?" Pam wondered as she got back into her sleeping bag.

"That the thirteen marshmallows Dwight ate last night disagreed with him?"

"Sounds plausible."