"T'was the UNCLE Round Robin" Chapter 10 (part 1)

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

A/N: Apologies, as my chapter is too long so it's being posted in two parts.

Napoleon made his way along the secret tunnel, but his instincts told him something was off. Ecks was being too helpful. If he was supposedly here to dismantle THRUSH’s plans...who the heck was he working for?

Solo just wasn't comfortable not knowing who paid them to do this. They were guns for hire and he wondered if offered the right price, would they switch sides, as was often the case with mercenary types.

There was no real intelligence on an organization for which he and Wye could be working. In the past Waverly had referred to them as merely ‘far-righters’...but Napoleon just had a bad feeling when it came to Ecks and his buddy Wye.”


It was then Solo noticed the tunnel was lit by old fashioned torches. Why would they be here if it had been an impromptu rescue by Ecks, and no one else knew of the tunnel but him? Did he really believe the two of them would eliminate the guards while he took care of the missile?


“No,” Solo whispered.”This reeked of being a setup, but the questions that begged answering...why? And why not just leave he and Illya in the hands of that mad woman Lady Olivia? They couldn’t really want his help. This just felt wrong.


He heard light footsteps and silently cursed to himself as he raised his handgun, though first he checked the magazine. It had only one bullet in it, with nothing in the chamber. For a split second the seed that Ecks had planted about their being ghosts flashed through his head, but Napoleon shook his head.

“Oh yeah, setup all right.”

A lone figure came into view beneath the light of one of the torches, it was a... boy and he was dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt. This was becoming stranger by the minute. First Ecks, and Wye showing up and now a kid who didn’t exactly look like a Thrushie.


“Stop right there,” Napoleon’s voice was cold and threatening and it forced the lad to freeze in his tracks.

“Och, don’t shoot please? I’m here ta help you and your friend. I have nae but a pair o’ blankets with me and I’m nae armed.” The boy dropped the blankets to the floor, raising his hands.

“And who exactly are you?”


“The name’s Robbie...umm, Rob Stewart. Lady Olivia is my mother.”


“Oh really? And why would ‘her Majesty’s’ son want to help us? Napoleon’s voice was filled with sarcasm.

“She does nae know. I’m doing this because my mother is quite mad you see. Earlier I confronted her about how she still treats me as a child and I asked to be included in whatever it was she was planning. When she told me of you and your friend...where is he by the way? Och, he is nae dead is he?

“No he’s alive.”

My mother ordered me ta kill the two of you. It was then she would consider me a man and a true Stewart, and worthy ta bear the royal name. She also told me of her plan and method ta kill the royal family and take Elizabeth’s place as Queen. Aye, my mother is quite mad as loon...that’s when I decided ta help you. I know you were here ta stop her. I want ta help you do it!”

Something in Napoleon’s gut said to trust the boy; it was the complete polar opposite of the feeling he had with Ecks.

“Well Robbie...Rob, you see I think we have a problem if you mean what you say. At the exit of this tunnel is most likely waiting your mother’s men who are probably planning to kill me. This courtesy of a man fellow named Ecks.”

“Oh that wee numpty? I’ve met him and his friend Wye and would nae trust them as far as I could toss them like a caber.”

Solo smiled; he was beginning to like this kid.

“Rob, I’m going to go out on a limb and trust you. Follow me as my friend is farther back in the tunnel...he’s not in good shape.”


“Aye, I can do that.” Robbie picked up the blankets and grabbed one of the torches to help light the way.

They found Illya laying lifeless on the cold flagstone floor, he was still unconscious but his body was shivering.

Robbie stood with his mouth hanging open when he saw what had been done to the Russian’s body. He’d never seen such violence in what had been his obviously sheltered life.

Illya’s back was covered in wounds from a vicious lashing, his blond hair was plastered down by dried blood, and his shoulders were swollen and bruised.

Napoleon said nothing, and pulled one of the blankets from the boy’s hands. He slowly lifted his partner, wrapping him in it. It was apparent now that Illya was in deep shock and that could kill him.


“Rob, let me have the other blanket. Illya needs to be kept warm, he’s in shock.”

“But the blanket’s for you. T’is very cold outside and looks like snow is on the way."

“The hell with me,” Napoleon took the second blanket, covering Illya with it as well. “The best thing to do is to go back to where we came from, your mother’s quarters.”


'T'isn't safe. There’s another tunnel. I’ve been exploring the place for a while and there’s lots of them, though a fair few have collapsed. This place was the ancestral home of clan Campbell and the tunnels were important to their safety. The family has ties to the Stewarts as far back to the time of Cailean Mór, who was a famous warrior knighted in 1280 and established the clan here at Loch Awe. T’is probably in a twisted way why my mother chose Kilchurn castle for her evil plans, since we’re blood relations to the Campbells.”

“Robbie?”

“Sir Duncan Campbell, 1st Lord Campbell and his wife, my descendant, Lady Marjorie Stewart were descendants of both Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland and Robert II Stewart, King of Scotland. Lady Marjorie was the daughter of King Robert II’s son, Robert Stewart...my name’s sake by the way, who was the 1st Duke of Albany. So all descendants of Sir Duncan Campbell and Lady Marjorie Stewart, are descendants of Robert the Bruce and most of the early Kings of Scotland. I reckon that’s why my mother thinks she should be Queen of all…"

“Rob! Though your family history is quite fascinating, now is not the time nor the place.”

“Och, sorry. T’is what we Scots do...keep track of family history.”

“Well change topic and find us one of those other tunnels to get out of here?”

“Aye.”