The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 14 The Chinese Feast continues

It was well past five o'clock in the morning. The two former classmates were still in the Chinese restaurant discussing Sir Percy's latest project, the Aquarium apartment.

"I've never heard of anything so asinine and reckless in my life!" Sir Gilbert continued, wiping his mouth with yet another delicate flower shaped napkin that had taken skill and some time to construct. "What is the point of it Perseus? From a distance it will look like someone has spat out a lozenge at a cobweb."

Sir Gilbert revelled in the fact that he knew Sir Percy's full given name, and even better, he knew that his old school chum hated being addressed by it. Pissy Perseus, as he had been known then, had consistently wet the bed for weeks after being separated from his mother, who he adored; and his father who he didn't. His parents had banished him to the dormitory of that prestigious boarding school, just like his father and his father before him had been shunned, but that was probably all that they had had in common apart from the occasional chromosomes.

"Why does that man keep on smiling at us in that annoying way?" Sir Gilbert remarked, indicating Bung Chow who was nervously trying to ascertain whether things were bad enough to try to think of an escape plan. "He looks as though he knows something that I don't!"

"That wouldn't be difficult Gilly. You never did know very much." Sir Percy laughed revelling his rival's discomfort. "We used to call you Silly, Billy, Gilly do you remember."

"Very well Pissy Perseus since you stoop to such depths, bringing up the names that we used to call each other, "Sir Gilbert snapped, "two can play that game. Is your mattress dry at night yet?"

It was an old jibe but something rankled inside Sir Percy. "You know very well that Atkins minor kept on puncturing my hot water bottle." He protested hollowly, because both of them new that this was not the case.

"Well that is all water under the bridge now," Sir Gilbert said acidly, "Or should it be wet under the blankets?"

Spencer decided that he ought to steer the conversation back away from Sir Percy's bedding arrangements.

"If you'll pardon me sirs!" He interjected," I think that the gentleman is nervous about certain inadequacies in tonight's festivities and is anxious to please his guests!"

"And he'd better be!" Sir Gilbert threatened.

"Yes have a word with the manager Butler now this minute." Sir Percy commanded, "Take Honza Malik with you!"

"Indeed sir!" Spencer said and moved off to speak to Bung Chow as he sent a message to inform the local police that Bung Chow was a suspect in the murder of his uncle and gave a description of him. Honza Malik and two of the other guards followed him.

Seeing Spencer and the three guards approaching, Bung Chow sensed danger, threw protocol to the wind and left his post to run to the staff toilet. He had judiciously decided that things had reached a point where a swift exit was necessary. Once in the toilet cubical, he locked the door, stood on the toilet seat to retrieve the small parachute from its hiding place above a ceiling tile and put it on. He smashed the window with his shoe and climbed up onto the cistern so that he could squeeze through the jagged aperture. Once outside he jumped, pulled the ripcord immediately and floated down majestically to land safely on the ground nearby.

Outside the cubical Honza Malik heard the breaking glass and started to kick the cubical door but it was reinforced for just such an occasion.

"Don't waste you effort!" Spencer told him. "Our bird has flown!" As Honza tried to barge the door with a flying leap.

"But we're hundreds of metres in the air!" Honza Malik protested breathing heavily.

"Don't worry the police will pick him up!" Spencer assured him. Whatever shape he is in!"

Down below, having been maliciously maligned as a potential murderer, as soon as his feet touched the ground, Bung Chow punched the release on the harness and bolted away as fast as his legs would carry him down the centre of the wide road. The screeching of police car tyres told him that he was still not out of danger and they quickly caught up with him and tasered him. He had been too easy to spot in his bright red suit, for even bleary eyed officers at the end of their night shift to miss.