Chapter 15: James Willows

Sunday came and went without anymisshaps. Alex had managed to finish off Peach's equations file, and handed his answers for Charlie to check. There were few minor mistakes, but between the two, the decided to leave them there. Don once again joined them for dinner, and a game of chess.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday saw the plan they had hatched last night, over the rather competitive chess game with Don and Alex vs. Charlie, into action. Alex had his phone, ID card and body spray in his pocket. He was wearing his shoes, watch and hearing aid. Finally, to top it all off, Alex was carrying his laptop in his usual manner.

Alex and Charlie headed into Charlie's office and stayed there for half an hour, discussing whatever came to mind, taking care not to mention the case. It was Charlie Day after all. When Alex, then excused himself, looking for a bathroom, which co-incidentally led him pass Peach's office with equations file page three in his hand. Further, co-incidentally, Peach and Munchie were getting ready for a lecture on the other side of the building.

So Alex entered the co-incidentally empty office, and purposefully closed the door firm behind himself. Alex stalked up to the bookcase and pulled the third book of the fourth row on the right from the slight crack in the middle, titled Body Elements, towards himself. The bookcase slid open to both sides smoothly, as if they agreed with Alex's purpose. Alex punched in the code and once again, entered the cleverly concealed lab.

Only to see Peach and Munchie in the main foyer, as the wall slid back into place silently, behind him. Alex froze for a millisecond, but a millisecond too much. It had to be then that Munchie looked up, straight into his serious brown eyes, with her piercing brown glare.

That defrosted his limbs, and Alex took the opportunity when Munchie turned back to the experiment, to dive into the left corridor a few meters in. While retrieving a small hand-held mirror from his pocket, and looked around the corner with it; there was a camera hidden behind the mirror connected to Don's laptop. Just as Munchie tapped Peach's shoulder, and pointed to where Alex was standing just moments before.

"I just saw your perfect student standing over there," Munchie said.

"What? You mean Alex, Jane?" Peach replied. "You're too suspicious of him."

"And you're not suspicious enough," Munchie shot back, walking towards the door, and Alex.

"Jane, you're probably seeing things. Com back," Peach ordered.

"I'm going to check it out Peter," Munchie turned, ignoring Peach, and continued to walk towards Alex.

Alex frantically looked around for a hiding spot. Munchie was getting closer and closer.

"Come back Jane," Peach tried again. "Let's go for an experiment before setting up for the lecture."

Could he have gotten it wrong? The lecture hadn't been set up yet.

"We're running late already," Munchie said, pausing just two steps before Alex's corridor.

Alex spied a cupboard further back, and slipped into it as quickly and as quietly as he could.

"Don't worry Jane," Peach said. "Bring the subject."

"If you say so Peter," Munchie muttered and entered Alex's corridor. Alex opened the cupboard door a crack and looked out as Munchie's footsteps faded into the distance. Almost immediately, she returned, pulling a slightly obese boy with short spiky brown hair, by the ropes that bound the boy's wrists together.

Alex heard the clan of metal, followed by the jangle of chains as they had surely clasped James Willows' wrists and ankles in the cuffs of the reclining torture chair, and wrapped the chains around him, just to make sure. Alex felt sorry for the half-drugged, beraggled boy. What was going to happen to him was definitely not going to be good.

Alex snuck out of the cupboard and used his hand-held mirror to peer around the corner and watch the proceedings of the experiment.

James Willows was wide awake by then, with a tremendous amount of fear apparent in his eyes. Alex watched, frozen to the spot for the second time that day, powerless to help, as Munchie forced open the struggling boy's mouth and Peach poured a vile looking vial down his throat.

Immediately James gagged, then a minute later, holes started to appear in James' body randomly, without a particular pattern. Alex watched in horror as James began to shrivel, as the holes became larger and larger, and quicker and quicker. Until all that was left of James was a pile of dirt. Alex couldn't believe that peach and her sidekick could be so cold-hearted. James had died a horrible death, but both of them had just stood there watching, not even trying to help ease James' pain as he was eaten alive, there was no other explanation.

How cold hearted could one get?

"That went well," Peach said after a moment, checking over the pile of dirt, the result of her experiment. "It proves that the decomposing bacteria prefers a damp, slightly acidic and warm environment to working in. There is no difference between the well-being of the subject, with respect to the efficiency of this decomposition."

It was enough to bring Alex back to his senses. Not only did they expect that result, they were pleased with it! Alex snuck back to the cupboard and activated his watch, holding down the adjustment knob for five seconds.

"Don, Peach just experimented on James Willows. His whole body just disintegrated, as you saw," Alex reported as calmly as he could. It was an image that he could not get out of his head, the agony of James' pain.

"We can come in and arrest her now," Don's voice came over the hearing aid, slightly shaking.

"They're going to set up for the lecture, it doesn't take them long, but I don't know what Munchie does after that. I assume she'll come down here to look after the prisoners."

"You're saying that by the time we get there Munchie would have disappeared."

"Precisely."

"So, what would you like us to do?"

"Wait. I'll see what else I can snoop out."

"Careful kiddo."

CRASH!

Alex had fidgeted, and the equipment in his cupboard had come crashing down.

"What happened, Alex?" Don asked, concerned.

"Just knocked something over," Alex replied, peering out of the crack between the cupboard doors. "Oh Darn! Munchie's coming, and I don't have enough time to run!"

"You're going to be caught," Don said, rather unhelpfully.

"Hell yeah," Alex replied.

"I can't get in there now and arrest them, and I'm too far away to pull you out, even though we have all the evidence we need," Don said.

"I'll escape, or at least attempt to," Alex whispered.

"It's wrong to leave you in there," Don replied.

"MI6 have done that so many times already. You at least have a conscience," Alex whispered, pulling the body spray from his pocket and gave the nozzle, one long squeeze.

He had heard footsteps getting closer and closer to his hiding place. Munchie wrenched open the cupboard doors, just as smoke began to billow from the area that Alex had sprayed his body spray. But that wasn't enough to completely hide him from view. Munchie had caught a glimpse of him, as the smoke continued to fill the room.

"Peter! Your perfect little student is in this lab," Munchie yelled.

"Impossible!" Peach exclaimed, walking over to the now deserted cupboard, Alex had slipped pass Munchie's outstretched fingers. Peach luckily knew the layout of the secret lab so well, that she didn't need to see to know where she was going.

By then, Alex had managed to avoid every obstacle and arrived at the exit of the lab. But just as he was about to leave, the smoke cleared…