Chapter Six: The Twelfth Night
Anna finally succeeded in cornering Katya one evening after classes. After calling up Robert, they all met up in Anna's dorm room.
"All right," Anna whispered. "The human-lover is in the next res-hall over and far enough away from the main buildings that we can take care of her before the authorities show up."
"You mean to say, you can take care of her," Katya corrected.
"Yeah, yeah, me," Anna replied, tersely. "Anyway, I still need you two to back me up and make sure no else gets in the way."
Silence. Robert and Katya looked at each other, at Anna, back at each other and then off to random corners of the room. For such an unruly girl, Anna was surprisingly tidy in her habits.
"I been watching this Aja girl for a week now and I have her schedule down," Anna spoke at length. "Hey! Are you two paying attention?"
Robert and Katya snapped out of their reverie and looked at Anna.
Anna eyed the other two harshly. "You can't back out of this now, got me?"
"Aye, I do," Robert said. "What do you need us t'do?"
"I need you to keep a lookout and warn me if a teacher or the Security Enforcement Committee shows up," Anna said. "Start some minor ruckus if you have to, I just need time to beat feet before the heat shows up."
"And if we are caught covering for you?" Katya asked, preparations for the defense of Moscow formulating in her head. "I am not gaining demerits on your behalf just so you may engage in fisticuffs."
"Just don't do anything ridiculously dumb, like set something on fire," Anna replied. "Make up a story about a fight somewhere else, or something. Anything to get them off the scent."
"Sounds like the Battle of El Alamein," Robert spoke up. "A bit of a diversionary feint to cover the main thrust."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Anna sighed. "Just don't get caught and don't let me get caught."
Katya and Robert shared a glance unnoticed by Anna.
"When does this begin?" Robert asked finally.
"Tomorrow night," Anna replied gleefully. "She gets done cleaning the admin halls around ten pm and is past the quad by 10.15pm. She passes through the side gates toward the dorms two minutes later and is out of sight of both the main campus and the dorms by 10.20. She arrives at her dorm by 10.25 and lights out by midnight. We need to ambush her at 10.20 when she is under cover of the trees and too far from help. I figure it should take no more than three minutes to jump her, kick her ass and be gone into the night before help can even be called, let alone arrive in time to do anything."
"You seem to have everything worked out, comrade General," Katya spoke at length, again barely concealing her sarcasm.
"Daddy was a Marine, taught me everything I know," Anna spoke with pride. "Oorah."
A/N: I know, I know. Some Lit major is going to call me on the title. I read the play, but I thought the title appropriate for the chapter. Sue me.