The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 48 Showers

"Come on you two." Samuel announced to Pawel and Michal. "We need to get you out of those old Zeli Corporation uniforms and into naval uniforms before the Zeli Corporation arrive! We're going to play soldiers. Don't forget that Kapitán Kratka out-ranks all three of you."

Katka liked the sound of that. She felt that she was going to enjoy this game.

"And why should Zeli Corporation arrive at all Lord Admiral sir?" Pawel asked, who quite liked the idea of marching around in a smart uniform but was worried that he and his brother might be recognised.

"They will come to apologise for something that they haven't done yet!" Samuel said but paused and smiled tolerantly. "and unless I am mistaken then it will be the result of something foolhardy that you are about to do."

"What what?"Michal asked.

"So that will be your fault." Samuel replied enigmatically. Then turning to Basil. "I'm sure that you need clean clothes. Basil you are still very wet."

"I'm dry in places!" Basil said, he was embarrassed at the thought of having to take his clothes off, possibly in front of others.

"It is an order!" Katka interjected, she didn't understand what his objection was, but she was aware that he was objecting.

"Basil is embarrassed about having to undress in front of others!" Samuel thought to Katka.

"Takhle!" Katka said, wondering what was wrong with the lad.

"You don't have any choice Basil!" Samuel laughed, "unless you want to face Kapitán Katka's wrath."

Basil looked apprehensively at Katka, who was small but feisty, and he decided that he'd go along with the game for now but he was determined to find somewhere private to undress.

Samuel and Katka took the two brothers and Basil back into the mine to get fresh clothes from Camp David. After this Katka showed them where she had taken her shower so that they could have both clean bodies and clean clothes, even if she could do nothing about their minds. Samuel tried to say that he would shower later because he had urgent matters to attend to, with Adolphus but Katka, who had hugged him earlier, insisted that he needed one as soon as possible, as tactfully as she could, and so she took him to where the showers were and he also took one.

"I'll even wash your back for you!" Katka offered, but to her disappointment Samuel declined saying, "Thank you I can manage."

"And shave that beard off!" Katka said. "No on second thoughts I'll help you with your beard and your hair I found a nice sharp pair of scissors.

"Yes Ma'am!" Samuel said. "Hang on I outrank you!"

"I am only trying to get you in character for when Zeli Corporation arrive Lord Admiral sir!" Katka defended saluting.

Basil, Pawel and Marek looked at each other significantly and then the brothers burst out laughing, Basil started laughing too, though he had no clue what he was supposed to be laughing at.

"You can scrub my back any day you like!" Pawel said provocatively. "and any other part of my body that you see fit to wash, I am very bad washer. I need help!"

"You need help mainly in head Strumpet!" Michal commented.

"Pawel you can scrub your own back until devil eats your soap." Katka replied. "And I don't want to see any part of four of you until you are all clean, shaved and dressed!" She added.

"Ano madam!" The two brothers said meaning 'Yes Ma'am!' and stood to attention because it had suddenly dawned on them that Katka outranked them in this game, Basil attempted to follow suite. At the moment they were just playing soldiers. Michal wondered if it would get more serious later.

"Delej!" Katka ordered.

Basil was confused because it sounded like 'delay'.

"Delay what?" Basil asked.

"She means. So get to it!" Samuel explained. "You are required to wear navy uniform and play soldiers too!"

"Oh right!" Basil said.g

Samuel undressed carefully so as not to crumple his new uniform and was first to shower and first out again followed quickly by Basil who barely seemed to get wet at all.

"You've missed bit Basil go back and get clean!" Katka commanded pointing first on her own body to where it wasn't clean and then indicated dramatically back towards the showers.

The brothers found that the showers had remarkably warm water and there were fresh bars of hard soap and outside there were fresh towels. It wasn't long before the two boys started the first towel fight wearing only underpants and they were only wearing those because Katka was present.

Katka thought that it was time for her to leave them to it before she lost patience with them but then she looked around and realised that the towels that he had used to dry herself with had been replaced by fresh ones

"It's funny!" Katka remarked aloud, "It looks as though someone has cleaned up after I took my shower."

"Yes I did Kapitán Kratka Ma'am !" A robotic voice remarked. "Thank you for not leaving mess."

"How do you know who I am?" Katka asked.

"Oh Camp David told me Ma'am!" The robot replied, "We're all connected to the hub Ma'am. Sleeping Army keeps us informed! By the way you can call me Soapy Joe!"

"And you called me Ma'am." Katka said. "Not sir!"

"Our software has been updated because calling a female 'sir' was throwing an unhandled exception Ma'am!" Soapy Joe replied.

"So Sleeping Army is no longer sleeping?" Katka asked.

"No Sleeping Army never really sleeps." Soapy Joe explained.

"What does it do then?" Katka asked.

"It waits, and it senses, and it watches, and it listens, and it connects us to the hub." Soapy Joe explained. "It only intervenes when absolutely necessary!"

Katka reflected that Soapy Joe was talking in riddles like Samuel did and that there was probably more to the Sleeping Army that Soapy Joe's experience of it.