Michael, Madrick and Tung watched the Council meeting on the big split screen.
"Oh my God, they know who I am already," said Michael when he heard them mention him by name.
"They know who you were," Madrick corrected.
"You're right but it makes the whole 'they're after me' thing seem so much more real and personal. I knew they'd identify me eventually but I didn't think they'd be so quick. These people are not to be underestimated."
The three of them listened to Buckingham describe the chase so far. High-fives all round greeted his mention of the search leading to France.
"Hopefully, the majority of the search will be diverted to follow a continental wild goose chase... oie sauvage chase. They've already followed the shoal of the red herrings we left in my flat," said Michael.
"Red herrings sent them on a wild goose chase," said Tung.
"Precisely, they think we're in Dover and heading for France. Or, even better, they think we're in France already. I am a smart boy. Hopefully they'll soon pick up some more of the bogus credit card purchases I planted. Keep your fingers crossed, we may just have fooled these people."
Michael had laid the false trail with his real Phillip's credit cards. He'd supplemented that evidence with a few cleverly constructed electronic paths left on his 'dummy' computer back at the flat. All the cards had now been destroyed along with all the rest of his old identification. Nothing could link the old Michael Phillips with the new Michael Baker.
They listened intently to the rest of the meeting. Michael was disappointed they'd plugged the IIBE system but was delighted to hear they'd no further leads on him and his friends. He was also overwhelmed to hear he'd extracted over three hundred billion pounds from their coffers.
The Council was just about to start describing the next phase of the hunt when Michael's screen went blank.
"Damn it." he said. "What the hell has happened?"
He checked all his connections and ran a few software routines.
"Damn it. It looks like they've found my spy software. That's the end of us knowing what they're doing. At least we know we haven't left any loose ends or made any silly mistakes. So let's not get too worried. They know a lot about us but they haven't a clue what to do with all the information they've gathered. It's like knowing that a tomato is a fruit but not understanding that it doesn't go in your fruit salad. Too much information can just blur the objective."
Madrick and Tung looked puzzled as yet another strange expression passed straight over their heads. Michael saw the puzzled looks and realised what he'd said didn't make much sense to him either. It was easier to just leave it and move on.
For the next couple of hours he explained how to keep a low profile and stay well below the radar.
"We'll avoid high surveillance areas such as seaports and airports. And I'm creating modern day identities for you two."
"Can I have a new name?" asked Tung.
"I think we can manage that. Tung sort of sticks out."
"Ha ha."
Michael thought hard about what had led up to this point. He couldn't see how their trail could be followed. As far as he could work out, they were home free. By way of celebration, he ordered a Chinese carry-out feast to be delivered and the three of them settled down to enjoy the banquet when it arrived.
"We need to be extra careful how we go on from here. We all want to have fun and enjoy our lives but these are powerful people and they won't stop looking for us. I mean, they've been looking for you guys for a thousand years."
The statement struck home. These people would never stop. They were like ancient Terminators, thought Michael but he'd no intention of trying to explain that particular thought to the others.
"It's all quiet now. We seem to have shaken them off and it's clear they don't have a clue where we are or what they should do next. Let's make the most of this space."
"Maybe it's just the calm before the storm in a teacup," said Tung.
Michael tried to analyse what Tung had just said but gave up quickly. It would be great if all they faced was a 'storm in a teacup' but he suspected they had a lot more than that to worry about.
Madrick didn't want to spoil the meal with serious conversations, so he steered the talk away from heavy subjects.
"There are lots of things I've accepted about the twenty-first century... electricity, cars, planes, television but there are so many other things I just don't understand."
Michael was happy to go down this road and move on to something more trivial. They all needed a break from the stressful situation they'd been dealing with over the last few days. He expected to spend the next while trying to explain complex issues like the Internet, nuclear power and maybe even space travel. He was surprised by the list Madrick sprung on him.
"What's the deal with gymnasiums, drugs, charity shops, dentists, parliament, poodles, opera, social workers and lipstick? I've got plenty more questions but that'll do for starters," he said as he popped a spring roll in his mouth.
"Mmm, starters," said Tung as he downed a spring roll too.
Michael thought about Madrick's list. It was as if he'd been compiling it for an occasion just like this and, in a way, that's exactly what he had done. He'd come across references to these modern phenomena but hadn't had a chance to find out about them, until now.
"Yeah," piped in Tung. "And what about broccoli, chewing gum, cricket and pantomimes? Oh yes, and zebras?"
"Hold on, guys, hold on, one thing at a time. Which one do you want to start with? Not broccoli or pantomime though, because I don't get them either."
Madrick picked gymnasiums as the first topic and Michael spent the rest of the meal trying to explain the purpose of tiring yourself out on pointless machines. He found it hard to satisfy Madrick's constant queries.
"Why have machines to run on when you can just run outside? I don't get it, what's the point? Actually, why would you want to run anywhere if you don't need to be there in a hurry?"
Laughter filled the room as they discussed the anomalies of modern life.
When they finished the meal the conversation drifted back to what they should do in the short-term. They made some plans but Michael was agitated. Something was missing and he knew exactly what it was; he knew exactly what was upsetting him. He had an overwhelming need to talk to Faith. Of course, the bad guys would know about his relationship with her. Of course, he'd need to be extremely careful. There would be risk but sometimes needs must. How could he talk to her without compromising either his secret identity or his location? There had to be a way and he had to find it before it was too late for their relationship.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Faith face to face," Michael tried to say. It came out more like 'Faith faith to faith'.
He tried again but it came out exactly the same way.
"I haven't seen Faith in person for ages," he said, giving up on the tongue twister. "I really want to call her and make sure she's okay."
Madrick and Tung choked in unison, little bits of rice flying out of their mouths like a mini-snowstorm.
"You need to think inside the box about this," said Tung.
"What? What are you talking about? Think inside the box?"
"You told us we had to 'think outside the box' when the answer wasn't obvious."
"So what's your point?" asked Michael, although he knew fine well what the point was.
"The answer here is so obvious. Remember you told us that zebra thinking was ignoring the obvious answer? Making things too complicated. You said 'when you hear hooves coming up behind you, you should think horse, not zebra.' Remember that?"
"Yes, I remember."
"Well, this requires 'horse inside the box' thinking. The answer is blindingly obvious. The answer is 'don't be an idiot, don't contact her'," concluded Tung, folding his arms across his chest for emphasis.
Michael knew he was right. It would be stupid to contact Faith. It was such an idiotic idea even Tung thought it was mad. So, he needed to find a way to make it seem sensible. He would find a way to make it seem sensible.