Part 15 of 18
Skirts, kilts… whatever!
Richard helps Angus and Johnny into their purloined uniforms then gives a folded hanky to the two bound and gagged band members before sneaking into the castle himself.
The Polite Man (under wraps)
The captive musicians wave their hankies in the air at each other and are as excited as staid Scotsmen can be when it doesn't involve Laphroaig Quarter Cask. When they are found later by worried brother band members, they both insist on selfies being taken before their bonds are removed. Neither of them ever has to pay for a drink for the rest of their lives.
Word of the Polite Man (or Men) and his cohort (or brothers) never makes it out into the Sassenach world, not in thought, word, or deed but, at the pub just a few miles away on the loch's shores, two snowy squares of linen are proudly framed and acknowledged with many a quaff. The incidents of pub 'fichts' takes a welcome dip for the local polis.
The sale of white handkerchiefs doubles then triples as tokens are given by young swains to the apple of their eye. Many a young maid carries this white flag proudly. Domestic violence cases also take a dip. The phrase 'Why can't ye be more like HIM?' is heard quite often.
The Polite Man (now known as Swet Maun) quietly joins the Gaelic cèilidh of legends.
There is no word from the existing legends about what they think of all this.
Inside the castle
Angus manages to get Johnny back on his feet despite the heavy weight of the suit of armour.
"Where's my disguise?" Johnny grumps as he tries to remove the suit. The clasp won't release! Angus shoves Johnny's bundle of kilted disguise back inside a wooden chest and tries to help with the can of oil he has found there.
After a few wasted moments, Johnny throws up his hands and scoffs, "Bloody typical, isn't it? Whatever happened to good old fashioned British dependability? Well, there's nothing for it. I'll just have to carry on in this get up and hope like hell I don't end up back in the loch." He casts a knowing eye to Angus, "Not that falling into the loch again would be a problem. We have some very powerful allies, my boy."
Angus gulps and just nods. He'd seen something out on the water with the raft and he doesn't want to talk about it… or think about it. "I'm sure, sir," he mutters.
"Right! I'll go after Volta and foil whatever nefarious plans he thinks he's going to spring on us. You find Richard and make sure Volta doesn't leave the castle."
"Yes, sir," Angus says and dashes away.
However, the plan goes agley when alarms begin to sound and black-shirted goons with plastic guns lock down the Summit. Angus has just found Richard in a back stairway when a metallic clatter rattles louder and louder and both men leap for their lives as a suit of armour zooms beneath them, down the stone stairs, careens off a wall at a turn, and roars out of sight.
With wide-eyed disbelief, they dash after it, jumping over piles of wreckage and downed antiquities as they follow the noise all the way to the bottom, out a smashed door, and into a small verdant courtyard. They manage to pull Johnny to his feet and he tells them the situation up in the Summit room. Things look grim. They hear the approaching click-clack of heels. Angus and Richard dive out of sight as Bulletova appears.
When she is gone, Johnny indicates they are to retrace their steps as he strides down towards the loch, wagging a cell phone at them, "I'm calling Pegasus for back-up. You two try to release the hostages, all right?"
The two men look at each other and gulp before nodding and charging back inside.
END – part 15