The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 68 Remonstration

Sir Percy viewed the whole catastrophe befalling his latest project, unfolding from his vantage point in the hotel courtesy of the Vdrones that Honza Malik had sent up.  He drank the last of the brandy from the flask and rather irritably signalled that it should be refilled forthwith. With Malik's help he watched the video stream of the rising waters transmitted by the drones.

Sir Percy was still visibly shaken, despite the self administered "calming down juice", that he had discovered in a ceramic jar in the helicopter. He was partly recovering from the shock of their close shave, and partly from the exertion of running for his life after several hip flasks full of brandy and some of Auntie's cider.

Normally Sir Percy didn't ever really do walking, let alone running. He had suffered the indignity of being scooped up by two of the burlier guards and raced to the Sikorsky faster than he felt that his leg were capable of. He had to admit it though, once again Spencer had come up trumps and saved his life and this time he had even managed to do it remotely.

The Hotel Bílé Pírko was comfortable middle sized hotel was a leftover from an era when the area had been a tourist attraction. People had water skied on the reservoir and rock climbed the steeper slopes and inevitable trekked down the mine to witness the strange beauty of the underground chapel.

The hotel had been forced to take on extra staff for their stay. Normally they only had a sprinkling of guests, most of whom were travelling salesmen, making their painfully sluggish way to the big city along the treacherous roads in contrast today the hotel was fully booked out.

"There is only one person who could possibly have had the audacity to perpetrate such a perfectly perfidious plot, such a sneaky and scurrilous scheme," Sir Percy said, and even Spencer would have been impressed by his remarkable use of vocabulary, "That miserable specimen is Sir Gilbert Scrivener. If I find out that Gilly is behind this," He said angrily, "Woe betide him. I will skin him alive and tan his fat behind for him!" 

In fact Sir Percy had already made his mind up that Sir Gilbert was responsible and therefore the sooner he started making him pay the better as far as he was concerned.

"Get that fat fool Gilbert Scrivener on the Dudat. I wish to speak to him NOW!" And then he realised that Spencer wasn't next to him and was so angry and impatient that he grabbed the Dudat himself.

"Anyone know how these things work?" He asked irritably. Malik rushed to his aid and within a few seconds the rather chubby, prematurely greying face of his would be nemesis appeared.

"Oh hello Perseus !" Sir Gilbert said in an innocent tone masking a guilty conscience, "Not used to seeing you quite so soon after one of our little tête a têtes!" he was trying to suppress the urge to confess all and beg forgiveness.

"Gilly! Gilly! Gilly!" Sir Percy said slowly bitterly. "You have really crossed the bounds of decency and fair play this time haven't you?"

"I don't understand you Perseus." Sir Gilbert flusterd dismissively. "You must be drunk or something! Contact me when you are sober you old reprobate."

"Gilly I am as sssober asss a proverbial judge." Sir Percy said, though the brandy and Sacha's cider that he had been pouring down his neck, at more and more frequent intervals, had introduced a distinct slur into his voice that called him a liar.

"Well if you say so I will have to believe you." Sir Gilbert said dubiously.

"Gilly answer me honestly." Sir Percy asked, "Did you explode something on my hillside?"

"Ah oh that!" Sir Gilbert said uncomfortably, "well technically no! It wasn't on your hillside, but it could have been a teensie weensy bit close to your property... I suppose... if you really want to be picky, so possibly yes."