The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 88 Leaving

Spencer took Samuel's advice and in addition to employing Eliška as his secretary, he summoned a whole team of experts to come in and help to assess the losses incurred by Sir Gilbert's sabotage of the reservoir wall. Samuel had gathered the extensive list of demands from Samuel and Matron on his Dudat and Eliška collated them, grouped them added the projected costs for everything together into an overall forecast so that Spencer could make a full claim against Sir Gilbert.

Sir Larceny Niggard, of Niggard, Pinchfist and Beagle, Sir Percy's accountants, arrived at the hotel by helicopter. He was accompanied by Mr Albert Pinchet of Pinchet, Grubb and Scapegrace, Sir Percy's solicitors, and Arthur Sketcher, the Regional Director of the Zeli Corporation's architects department, to resurvey the site and make any alterations needed as a consequence of the floods and the missing reservoir. Sketcher had brought a team of experienced surveyors with him. The team set up camp in the hotel, which by now was bursting at the seams.

Sir Percy had complained that the tree felling and blasting was giving him a headache, but then there was little blasting going on any more, and it was probably more accurate to say, that any of the banging in his head was due to a resounding hangover. He had started drinking the moment that he had left the infirmary.

The memories of that enormous flying metal fish still troubled Sir Percy Being in the same hotel where the incident had happened wasn't his recovery. So Sir Percy left Spencer in charge of liaison and he took the bodyguards, the other staff and the Sikorsky back to Bern so that he could be admitted to a private clinic.

Malik was consigned to stay in Sir Percy's large expensive side ward in the clinic and so he had unprecedented access to him while he was in a cheerful mood. When he heard that Spencer was going to marry he didn't waste the opportunity.

"In recognition of all Spencer Butler's achievements in smoothing over all chaos and restarting building project sir." Malik said. "May I suggest sir that Zeli Corporation sends honour guard of four smartly dressed security guards headed by me Honza Malik to fly company flag! It is way of strengthening brand loyalty in area and securing safety of Zeli Corporation's most vital asset in Kopce Milosti Towers of Grace project, Spencer Butler."

"That sounds like a good idea flying the company flag!" Sir Percy said enthusiastically. "Strengthening the brand write that down on your Dudat!"

"And perhaps sir Zeli Corporation would be seen in good light if you provide the wedding feast!" Malik ventured.

"Just as long as everything is clearly marked Compliments of the Zeli Corporation!" Sir Percy ordered, "in fact take a Marquee with it clearly marked in whatever the local language is! Fisssh!"

"It's Slavik Sir!" Malik ventured.

"Take the Sikorsky..." Sir Percy commanded, "That way you can be back all the sooner if I need you!"

Sir Percy signed the Dudat to make it official. "Fisssh!"

There was a knock on the door and Malik opened it to see Griselda standing there dressed in a very skimpy PVC nurses uniform she smiled in a perfunctorial manner. She was astute enough to know that she needed to take advantage of Sir Percy's current generosity, while it lasted and she was determined that she would make the best of the opportunity.

"Ah Grizzle!" Sir Percy said with genuine enthusiasm, "Malik you can leave now it's time for my all over wash! Fisssh!"

"Have you been naughty?" Griselda asked poignantly.

"Fisssh!"

Malik shuddered inwardly at the thought of what Griselda would probably get up to and what she would make him agree to while he was vulnerable. She was a nice looking girl, but there was something malicious about her, and he was aware that she seemed to wind him around her sharp fingernails.

Malik stood in the corridor and noted the fact, that he had been ordered to leave the room on his Dudat, just in case things got out of hand Griselda's little games. He wondered how the hell Spencer put up with it all, and still appeared to be cool calm and collected. Still that was Spencer's funeral and Malik had a wedding and perhaps the renewed acquaintance of a certain willing and lonely barmaid in Kopce Milosti to look forward to and he would get paid and stay in an excellent hotel for it, because officially he would be guarding Spencer Butler.

Malik reflected that he had to thank Spencer for a lot of things.