Slit returned from her jog ready for the luxury of a long hot shower. She carried a newspaper that had taken her eye on the stand out the front, had she been able to read the ‘funny’ print she knew it would have explained about the two men found dead in a Phuket hotel room and how two American tourists were missing. Slit was keen to show Bang he had made the front page, and even though the images and names of the two missing American tourists looked like no one they had seen or heard of the two men looked dead so some of the article rang true.
 
Eventually, Bang crawled out of bed and dusted off his face while making comments about a variety of illnesses he was sure would impact on him for the rest of his life. Both Slit and Bang dressed in joggers, jeans and tee shirt to blend in as backpacking tourists, although Slit insisted Bang change tee shirts twice, firstly so he wasn’t displaying the message ‘To many arseholes not enough bullets’ on his front, then to remove the graphic image vividly illustrating why he doesn’t wear shorts under the caption “Why I don’t wear shorts”, she figured Thailand wasn’t ready for them yet. He begrudgingly settled on his best ‘Hog Heaven’ shirt, even though Bang reserved it only for eveningwear or funerals.
 
Together they went down stairs to some toast and a coffee and entertained themselves watched the tourists search for their ‘normal’ breakfast. Slit couldn’t resist pointing out the ones she thought looked like Dianne substitutes for Bang.
 
With breakfast out of the way they found and inspected the van and it’s contents before setting off to the markets where Bang purchased two garden rakes with a screw-off handle. Bang commenting how they would be absolutely useless in a garden but were just what he wanted. He also purchased several smallish nylon back-packs, a number of cardboard items, gift boxes, postage cylinders and some flat sheets plus another few things; scissors, tape, gift paper, aluminium foil, cotton wool, etc, two radio controlled cars and five cell phones. Back in the room Bang went to work cutting, sticking and gluing, making two rather large cardboard ‘flowerpots’ save that they both had a narrower cylindrical column protruding from the top.
 
Meanwhile Slit went back to the markets and hired a couple of motor scooters, the ones with the carry rack on the back and seemed to be used by everyone in the Thai traffic. After riding each scooter back to the hotel she placed them in the van and returned to the room helping Bang work on his creations. As each task was completed Slit took the object down the stairs and placing it in the van, while Bang turned his creative flare to something else. The clock was now nudging eleven thirty and with everything seemingly finished they both packed and checked-out of the hotel exchanging smiles as they were invited back and wished a pleasant flight.
 
They drove to the other side of the airfield where it was rather remote just a lot of market gardens and a few people busy working in the fields. Bang again went to work, measuring, dividing and loading some explosives into each of his ‘flowerpot’ creations, followed by cotton wool, aluminium foil and cardboard boxes which by now also contained a small quantity of explosives, more cotton wool and another smaller box stuffed full with thousands in US currency all one dollar bills. Bang then started to carefully place phone components and pieces of the toy car mechanisms in the ‘flowerpots’ which he tested using the radio control unit for the cars before skilfully positioning a number the detonators, sealing the containers with tape and also taped the completed containers into position on the rack of each scooter.
 
With both ‘flowerpots’ finished Bang turned his attention to packing two boxes with explosives, more car and phone pieces, and again detonators. Each box he placed into a backpack and placed them in the van, saying with his less serious but normal face returning, “Blue for boys and pink for girls.” Knowing full well Slit wouldn’t dare punch him anywhere near this cargo.
 
Slit started to climb into the front of the van and simply replied, “I’ll save my response to that for later. Guess we had better get going while the roads still work.”
 
Bang shut the back door, piled into the front using John Wayne gestures to identify when, where and how they should go. Slit had always marvelled how Bang could look so professionally focused, even completely in love when working on his explosives and return so completely to his normal role as a village idiot as soon as he finished.
 
Setting-off down the road they found their way back into the traffic at the large roundabout outside the impressive Wat Phrasimahathat temple structure. They followed Yotthin road turning right into Ngan Wongwan road went past Kasetsart University turned right into Frontage Road where they drive into the Orchard Flower apartment building basement and unloaded their personal bags and both scooters leaving one parked. Before Bang drive off in the van with Slit following on one scooter, out the exit on the opposite side of the building, around the block back onto Ngan Wongwan Road past the Frontage Road intersection under the Don Muang Tollway where Bang parked outside the prison complex with the van some thirty five meters past the joining wall separating the two prisons while Slit continuing a further sixty meters to the other end of the main exercise yard before carefully parking the scooter exactly as Bang had explained.
 
Bang immediately set off on foot the three hundred meters back under the tollway to collect the other scooter while Slit walked into the Prison Administration complex introducing herself as Katherine Rumble using her passport as identification while asking to see to see James Scotch. It was a rather quick visit, giving Mullet just enough time to contact the wench and Megumi over the fence before making their way to the allocated place in the corner of the exercise yards. The yard being somewhat quiet with all the other prisoners seeming to prefer the other end to sit around in the sun.
 
With the time twenty minutes from two o’clock Slit exited the prison stopping just long enough to check that Bang was hot-to-trot before turning around and again entering the prison this time asking to see Brett Savage.
 
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At five minutes to the hour a strange quietness engulfed the area as for some strange reason traffic seemed to stop flowing on the busy road. Then it happened a wall of slow moving motor scooters blocking the whole road could be seem approaching Bang’s possie from both direction. Bang chuckled a little recalling how when Digit first explained he was going to introduce Thai students to their first Blog site. Bang had said, “What a load of crap who is going to go out and make a traffic jam just to be able to tell their kids they were the first Bloggers in Thailand.” Bang got out of the van and observed how the guards in the tower were all sharing a joke distracted by the approaching scooters.
 
He quickly assembled his rakes and used them to prop the two backpacks against the wall in the correct locations at the appropriate height without attracting any attention.
 
Stepping back onto the now vacant road, he watched the approaching chaos reach his markers then yelled at the top of his voice, “Hey! Hey General!” Bang noted the guards in the tower turn towards him one raising his rifle to check Bang out more clearly through the telescopic sight. Having their full attention Bang Saluted at them and continued at a full yell, “Hey General! Remember the Alamo! Remember! I was there too!”
 
The guards shook their heads and exchanged a chuckle before turning away towards the approaching traffic jam. Bang started counting to himself and hoped like heck Megumi, Mullet and the wench were doing the same. When he reacted ten he pressed the forward leaver on the car remote control he was holding behind his back. Immediately he was greeted with a muffled explosion some distance away on either side of him resulting in two objects launching into the air. “One, two, three,” he counted before hearing the two flying objects explode, releasing aluminium foil and the money which spread before starting to flicker towards the ground, causing absolute mayhem both inside and outside the prison, first it was panic then greed as people scrambled to catch there share of the free offering from above. “Can always rely on Students and Prisoners to do anything for a dollar,” Bang thought as he quickly checked that the guards were suitably alarmed and fully occupied by the goings on inside and outside the prison. Bang also gave a quick look to the right and noted how four scooters had not stopped to join in the money hunt but were still continuing towards him.
 
“Four, five, ” Bang continued counting he placed a thick packing bag over his head and leaning forward to counter the shock wave. He counted, “Six,” before pressing the reverse leaver on his control unit. The blast was deafening, intense beyond belief but Bang had heard it all before, he dropped the radio control unit and removed the bag from his head. Quickly looking up he observed the tower was lost in smoke and no sooner had he moved towards the first of his ‘beauty spots’ then out came Mullet, with the wench and Megumi appearing from the other hole. They all sprinted forward to the road and jumped on the back of one of the four scooters now waiting for them on the road and were hurried off in the direction from which Bang and Slit had come. Bang mounted the forth scooter as it too made off following the others. Passing the band of money grabbers they had to mount the opposite sidewalk as scooters laying everywhere some with their owners laying on the road expecting another blast but most just grabbing skyward thinking only of their empty pockets.
 
Under the Tollway where they could no longer be seen from the towers, left into Frontage Road, into the basement car park. Where Bang, Megumi, Mullet and the wench all jumped off to be replaced by four locals, suitably dressed in prison looking outfits. The scooters charges off out the exit to continue the afternoon outing for as long as they dare or the thousand-dollar payment should take them. Meanwhile Bang, Megumi, Mullet and the wench walked to the elevator to be greeted by Ferrets wench who took them to the apartment she had rented the evening before, after her flight from the states. She immediately sent Mullet and the wench to the master bedroom to the prepared and waiting spar to wash the prison smell out of their skin, while Megumi was sent to the other bathroom to a waiting hot shower to do the same. Ferrets wench handed Bang a six pack and told him to go sit quietly on the balcony while she set up to do some refinement work to remove the prison appearance from the first of her three subjects to emerge, wearing a bathrobe.
 
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Slit had just entered the visitor gallery and was waiting for Brett Savage to appear when the explosions started. The first two got little more than a, “What was that.” The second, louder explosions coming from above sent the place into a buzz but before anyone actually did anything the third explosions went right through the prison. The noise was deafening with the whole place shaking and rattled for ages, interspersed with many loud contact sounds as pieces of concrete flew into the building walls. Somehow many pieces managed to land on the roof bringing down small pieces of ceiling into the room.  The complex filled with dust, it became impossible to see the walls in the visitor gallery. Sirens sounding as the place went into a lock-down. Somewhere in the dust people could be heard screaming which was interspersed by various expletives from others, there was even laughter most of which seemed to be coming from the prisoners side.
 
Eventually the prison guard’s started to organise themselves and come through the visitor gallery searching for any injuries which took ages as everyone needed to know what had happened and why, anything the guards could offer was just speculation. Many people were insisting they be let out and it took time explaining they couldn’t leave, being told they were safer inside didn’t go over to well. Everyone suspected terrorists had staged an attack on the prison. Slit was able to help the guards calm the disturbed visitors to the extent they felt comfortable with her efforts and returning to more important work offering her their appreciation and praise.
 
After several hours order was restored and the visitors were counted and cross-referenced in the office tally before being allowed to leave. Slit was able to establish from her newfound friendly guards the explosions appeared to have been an elaborate terrorist attack focused at a group of students on some outing but had missed the target. It was thought several prisoners and a crazy person outside the prison may have been killed, it appeared they were innocent victims who were unlucky enough to be right at the point of the main blast, which was so strong it blew holes in the prison wall. Luckily no one else was hurt other then a scratch here and there.
 
It was almost five o’clock with the sun starting to set as Slit walked the road taking her to the apartment. Slit checked her phone for messages and sure enough she had a waiting text message, “First package arrived in good order; all’s cool.” The message lifted Slit and an obvious spring entered her stride.
 
At the apartment Slit was greeted at the door by a cheery eyed Bang who could find great amusement out of her being covered in dust; giving her some Al Jolson hand movements and an open chuckle he asking, “Where were you when the shit hit the fan?”
 
Slit replied, “I would have thought that was rather obvious.  I was standing right under the bloody thing.” Slit allowed her eyes to travel around the room before continuing, “We did some good work there today; the current thinking is that you guys all got yourselves killed in the explosion.” “Jesus you are all starting to look like happy travellers. So how is the view on this side of the fence?”
 
Megumi, Mullet and the wench didn’t need to reply they already had. A sparkle had entered their eyes with stress-freed faces covered by newly found future dreams and plans.
 
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Being so close to the prison complex and not wishing to risk newfound freedom by chancing upon an off duty guard who recognised them, it was decided to eat in. Slit, now freshened by a cycle through the shower, took Bang for a walk to get take-away while Ferrets wench finished applying, shaping and painting false nails, the girls own nails being way beyond feminine resurrections. Bang made a number of ‘intellectual’ comments about not being able to find take-away in Asia. Eventually they found some presentable offerings near the University, which were being eaten at the market so they ordered up big with spring roles and such, things easily transported. They hopped it back to the apartment trying to keep everything hot, no one complained all agreed it was better than prison food and was good training for the airline food later tonight.
 
Slit started to explain the detail of tonight’s trip and gave out the new passports. Mullet was to be Jason Standing and the wench would be Dianne Lacy, they would be returning together as they had come several days earlier. This was a source of great amusement to Bang who started warning Mullet about the dangers of getting mixed up with people from Kansas who longed to iron overalls for a tractor foreman from Nebraska. Mullet didn’t show much interest in the joke he would willingly sit on the wing if it got them back to the USA safely. Slit gave Mrs Mullet a pep talk insisted she sit in the window seat explaining it was a power thing. Megumi would be travelling on the same plane, seated beside them as Hana Keiko. She would be travelling only as far as Japan, her home. Ferrets wench gave Megumi a special hug telling her in Japanese to look after her name for the trip, which set Megumi off. She had noticed Hana’s appearance was obviously Japanese but assumed she had been raised in the USA and didn’t speak Japanese at all, as she fitted into her American role so well. The first question Megumi asked was, “What is a Ferrets wench” adding that she thought it must have been her real name. Mrs Ferret laughed for some time before being able to explain how four years ago she took a one week holiday from her office job in Tokyo, going to the USA for the Sturgis Rally and fell head over heels for a bikie called Ferret who was able to show her the true value of space and freedom, and what it meant to be a real bikie. She explained how she had stayed in the USA and married the Gypsy Wanderer gang, becoming a wench; the gang then allocated her to Ferret, hence she became Ferrets wench. It was the same for Joanne, Mullets wench we are sisters. Megumi turned to Slit asking who’s wench she was; but Bang answered first explaining with his usual bravado how no one was prepared to take Slit on, she was destine to be a sad old pool wench living off scraps and hand-me-downs. Everyone got so worried about her that the rules were changed stating simply, ‘bikies have balls and wench’s don’t.’ Slit produced her balls and that was that she’s a bikie. Her full name is Ball Bearing Slit, everyone shortens it to Slit, she keeps her balls in jars above the bar at the stockade, they keep growing she has six sets now. We have been waiting ages to see what Slits wench is going to look like, but as I said no one will take her on.
 
Slit spoke up with a slight grin saying, “Stop all the gassing Ball Bearing Bang, these guys need to put some cloths on; they can hardly travel in a bath robe. It’s getting close to time to push off for the airport.  Mrs Ferret, I’m guessing you have something suitable for them to wear.” Ferrets wench replied their cloths were all laid out in the bedrooms ready for them as she ushered Mullet, the wench, and Megumi off to the correct locations.
 
It was nine-thirty as all six of them headed to the car park and piled into the waiting people mover before setting off towards the airport. They did go out of their way to drive past the prison for old times sake, and to see how the investigation and the repair work was proceeding. All looked fine so it was a fair bet there would be no welcome committee waiting for them at the airport.
 
Just to be on the safe they entered the terminal in groups, Bang went first and cued at the United Desk to check-in, as Jason Standing using the original passport and ticket he used to travel from the USA a few days before. Ferrets wench and Megumi entered together and sat having a coffee while they took in the goings on. Slit and Mullets wench also found a spot to sip coffee and watch for a while and Mullet headed straight for McDonalds to take his first burger in two years, while he too watched the flow of security people. When Bang had completed his airline check-in he walked over and joined Mullet, they both moved to the tavern lounge and involved themselves in testing an ale or two.
 
Megumi went next, with Ferrets wench in tow; she checked-in without raising any attention so Mullets wench with Slit tagging along as the ‘seeing-off’ friend they did the same, it was still quite early so the queues were yet to really form. They too checked in with out even raising a head.
 
With the coast obviously being completely clear and their still being several hours until the flight was due to take-off. The girls won the vote and decided to spend some time in the markets buying up on clothes and gifts, anything to keep Mullet from getting drunk before the flight. They all filed out of the terminal and set off across the walkway to the domestic terminal and then across to the shopping markets where things were starting to come alive with people, as was the Thai custom even though the clock had just ticked past ten in the evening. The girls all had a ball and needed to be reminded several times they were down to hand luggage only, this was solved to some extent by buying everyone including Mullet larger hand luggage. Mullet did stock up on a few tee shirts, for formal wear back home. Slit refused to allow him to buy several fancy Bongs that took his eye, trying to explain how it might get him back in jail. But the only thing to really work was the wench telling him there was no more room in his bag for them. With the time slipping away they all filed back towards the terminal and split up allowing Megumi, Mullet and the wench to individually make their way through customs to the boarding lounge and eventually taking their seats for the flight of their dreams.
 
Bang, Slit and Ferrets wench waited until they had watched the United Airlines 747-400 make it’s dash down the runway towards Japan before they turned to go, all were satisfied they had achieved something and made a difference today. As they drove back to the apartment Slit pulled out her phone and sent a pre-written text message; it read, “Second packages on the way, will arrive tomorrow; all’s cool.”
 
Back at the apartment Slit and Mrs Ferret selected a bedroom each and allocated the lounge room floor and a six-pack to Bang before turning in.
 
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The six hour fifteen minute flight to Japan didn’t seem so long; Mullet and the wench were able to catch-up on some well-earned sleep with heads resting on each others shoulder, their hands entangled in a mutually satisfying hold; a picture of confident comfort.
 
Megumi was not so content; sleep was out of the question her heart couldn’t slow down, she tried reading but the print wouldn’t penetrate her psychic. Her head spun with thoughts of family, and the freedom to wonder her hometown without restriction. Somewhere along the route she calculated she had left Tokyo for Thailand exactly one thousand nights earlier. She had spent every one of those nights longing, dreaming, wanting to go home. Only to wake to the reality of her lot, an entire future consumed on a mat pressed against the concrete floor of a crowded Thai prison cell. She had often visualised her lifeless body packed in a coffin, laying in the cargo hold of a plane as it returned to Japan and her long waiting, crying, suffering family. Megumi kept touching her arms to check if tonight was real and couldn’t take her mind off the navigation display on the screen showing a small plane on a map of Asia with a thousand and twenty kilometres per hour printed beside it, next to a clock counting down the remaining flight time to a small dot marked Tokyo.
 
It was four thirty in the morning when the aircraft landed in Tokyo and parked at the terminal. A bubbling Megumi exchanged her best wishes with Joanne and Mullet who were ushered with usual Japanese efficiency to the transit lounge while Megumi skipped her way to baggage collection, found her small suitcase and headed towards the customs hall. As she entered the hall, Megumi was taken in hand by a waiting customs officer and personally escorted to the VIP line where only airline staff and visiting celebrities go. Her passport, in the name Hana Keiko was stamped into Japan without question where upon Megumi was further escorted to her waiting family who engulfed her with tears of affection, particularly from her mother who was still dressed in an airport cleaners uniform but had been allowed the rest of the her shift off to enjoy some quality moments with her returning daughter. All were humbled by the presence of the Yakuza, Kumicho himself who had troubled to personally provide the vehicles for the trip to collect Megumi to honour a loyal family in their time of great joy.
 
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Mullet and the wench continued the journey, across the international date line allowing them the luxury of landing in Los Angeles three hours before leaving Thailand. Both were rather relaxed.  Even though they had been travelling for twenty-one hours, sleeping on the aircraft was found to be quite comfortable, when compared to the prison floor. Neither had any trouble passing through customs, it was when they tried to leave the airport they experienced some bother. Boss had put on a full colours parade to collect them. The sight of many bikies ascending on mass to Los Angeles airport at seven in the morning, and in particular leaving eighty seven Harley’s illegally parked an the airport no parking zone outside the arrivals exit had caused some concern resulting in a full riot, tactical response from the authorities.
 
Mullet also found himself in the long line of leg spread guys, holding the wall back, for nothing more than advising a few cops to get out of his way and stop causing a public nuisance. He also explained his theory about mother descriptions suitable for guys who wanted to become cops. The wench was escorted off and seated on the sidewalk some distance away, in a hastily created wench pit where she was able to catch up, renewing old acquaintances and making some new ones as well as join in the joy of making some vulgar verbal observations about the cops selected to keep them apart, and together.
 
After fifty minutes the authorities gave up trying to establish what was going down. With an obvious threat of yet more traffic chaos spreading still further through Los Angeles it was decided to give the bikies the benefit of the doubt and believe they might well have just came out to collect some people off a plane. Just to be sure, the cops insisted on providing a heavy escort to see the gang out of the airport complex and all the way across town to the Stockade. They stopped the traffic and turned all the lights in their favour so Mullet and the wench received a speedy and uninterrupted homecoming trip. Two of the single guys doubled up so Mullet and the wench could take their place at the head of parade, immediately behind the police escort. The motor-cade was much larger then the president could ever hope to receive. In places the streets were lined with onlookers, especially small boys who were drawn to the sidewalk by the approaching sound of an eighty-seven Harley Davidson quire on song.
 
The celebration back at the stockade continued for longer then the flight home. Eventually everyone crashed where they had been standing. Before he too was overtaken by the nights celebrations, Boss took the trouble to pull out his phone and send a text message saying, “Packages all arrived in good order, well done; all’s cool.”