Chapter 22
Ayanna left school. Mike was following her.
"I want to see if I can get a job at your farm," Mike said.
"They don't need anybody else."
"Sure they do."
"Sure they don't. You can't follow me."
"We're just talking."
"No we're not." Ayanna stopped. "You can't follow me anymore. Go home, Mike."
"Fine. I'm one of your best friends, you know."
"Okay. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
When Ayanna got to the Farm, she noticed something. . . someone was missing. The prop farmer was not outside faux farming. Hmm. . .Wonder where he went?
Ayanna went inside and found Elijah with the new guy.
"Where's the farmer?" Ayanna asked, almost making a game out of it.
"There's no farmer out there," Elijah said. Then he said, "Pat, this is Ayanna. She is an associate of mine. Ayanna, Pat is here to join our team. He says he is very good at chess. Please play him."
"Why do you want me to beat a girl in chess?" Patrick said.
"Oh, I don't. I want you to lose."
"What!? Why is that?"
"Because you are too arrogant. Not only is your arrogance a threat to your own safety, its rather distasteful."
Pat sat down in a huff. They started to play. Ayanna was content to trade pieces. They kept swapping casualties until neither one had very many left. Finally, Patrick put a checkmate on Ayanna with his two rooks. "I told you I would win."
Elijah said, "Yes you won, but look how many of your pieces you gave up."
Patrick said, "She is pretty good, for a girl."
Now let's go for some physical training. They went out to the shed. An old beat up United Nations straight truck was stashed out there, but there was still plenty of room for training.
Elijah squared off with Patrick in a casual stance. "Hit me, Pat."
"I can't hit you, Elijah. I'll kill you."
"Put me out of my misery. . .Patty."
"Oh no no. I hate that name. But you are just doing that."
"Come on, Patty cake, knock me on my ass if it is so easy."
"I don't want to."
"Do I have to make you want to hit me? Come on, Patty, this is just training."
"Okay then. You asked for it."
Patrick took a swing which Elijah easily deflected with a hard block.
"Ow! My arm!"
Then Pat tried to hit him with his other arm and it was blocked in the same manner. In frustration, Pat threw a few more easily to read roundhouse punches that were blocked without using very much effort or creativity.
Elijah said. "Pat, you might be the best chess player here, but you are the worst fighter, for sure."
"What?! Are you saying I can't beat Ayanna? What did I ever do to you?!"
"Be my guest," Elijah said. "Full contact, Patty versus Ayanna, Go!"
"Fine!" Pat said.
He walked up to Ayanna with his arms forward as if to grab her. She used Elijah's hard block tactic on both arms at the same time then gave him a full-on punch in the gut.
"Ooof!" A rush of air came out of Patrick. He backed up to get his breath. In frustration, he attempted to kick her.
She pulled her elbow in to protect her side, then used the coiled arm to unleash a vicious punch to Patrick's wide open crotch. Patrick doubled down in reaction to the punch. Then Ayanna was poised to throw an uppercut to Patrick's vulnerable face with the other hand.
"Stop!" Elijah said. "Getting kind of personal there, Ayanna."
"I intend to win any fight, Elijah."
"Son of a . . ." Patrick could not get his breath. He was walking off the pain. "I'm starting to think you guys don't like me."
Elijah said, "We don't really know you that well, Pat. But I told you we are friends. Just be glad we are on the same team."
Patrick continued to walk off the ache. Doubling over occasionally. "She is good."
"You will be too," Elijah said. "We'll work on it every day. I expect you to be better than either one of us."
Phil saw Sophia outside dumping some water. "Sophia."
"Hi Phil. I hear you are not at the Academy anymore."
"Yea, that's right, I was asked to leave by Major Anderson."
"What? That's terrible! I never did like the creepy little man much."
Phil said, "We worked together to build that Academy, but he didn't see fit to have me help run it."
Sophia shook her head in disgust.
Phil said, "They are going to get a new Commandant, so you can still continue to send the boys over there. If it doesn't work out, I'll keep my promise to you, and train them on whatever they need."
"Oh thank you so much, Phil. I can always count on you."
Every day Ayanna got home she was limping or showed signs of pain from bruises she got from fighting. Amy was getting upset that the Farm was working her so hard.
They were eating some soybean pancakes when Amy said, "Ayanna, what are you doing over there that they are killing you?"
"I'm working, Amy. Farm work is hard."
"Well you are working too hard. I'm going to go over there and find out what is going on."
"I'll take care of it," Phil said. No one is going to exploit any daughter of mine.
Ayanna snuck a quick glance at Phil as he overacted. She knew in spite of such big talk, he would do no such thing. It was nice that he called her "daughter" though.