Chapter 25

The long-range weather forecasts proved to be accurate and the UK experienced another year of record rainfall through June and into July 2012. There was even the almost unique experience of snowfall in July.

Farmers the length and breadth of the country wrung their hands and talked about a virtual wash-out for many crops. With substantial losses a certainty, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) was already calling for a substantial government subsidy. Given the remaining public sector deficit, that was unlikely, however.

News reports made it clear that it wasn't just the UK that was suffering from climatic impact on agriculture. Shortages were being felt world-wide with either floods or droughts affecting many of the food producing nations. Food exports were diminishing rapidly as yields fell and countries were also less willing to sell food when their own populations were going short. One talking-head expert gave an analogy on a news station:

... it's like that. You know, whenever there's even a suspicion that there might be a shortage of something – fuel, bread, flour whatever – everyone rushes to buy some and they hoard it. So, what might have been a short-lived scarcity is made worse because more and more of that commodity is hidden away in cupboards rather than being in use as it normally would be. Countries are now doing the same thing. They are hoarding their grain and other goods because they are worried about running out. That means that the shortages are being made worse for all of us...

In other news, the British National Party embarked on a thinly veiled campaign of racial hatred – sponsoring marches in many towns and cities in the north of England. Of most concern was the number of people that were attracted to these protests. It seemed that the series of planned terror attacks, followed by the petrol bombing of the London march, had been a huge recruitment boost for the BNP. Many 'normal' British citizens found themselves just sick and tired of the perceived threat to their way of life.

Despite the poor weather, turnouts for the BNP protests were high. The police were hard pressed to keep order when angry Muslim communities tried to disrupt what they saw as an open challenge to them. With police budgets having been severely cut, commanders were short of manpower and that in turn meant that shortcuts had to be taken. The result was that, in a number of cities, the BNP supporters and the Muslim communities ended up coming together in what was in effect a pitched battle.

The UK Government's response was to call in troops to restore order in those areas where the police had lost control. Donnie and his father watched the news reports showing troops on the streets of Leeds, Preston, Bradford and Manchester.

"How can anyone back that party?" Douglas asked, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Donnie shook his head in dismay at what he was seeing and hearing.

"As far as I can see, the BNP are still spouting the same fascist, racist hatred that the Nazi's spouted," he said. "How can people forget the sacrifices this country made to beat Hitler and his henchmen – the BNP are no better than they were, yet for some reason normally decent people are backing them!"

"Is it just the anger?" Douglas asked.

"What? You mean that the anger people are feeling about higher taxes, high unemployment, food inflation, high fuel costs, pay cuts..." Donnie catalogued.

"Yes," Douglas finished for his son. "And shortages and power outages, not to mention the perception that all Muslims are somehow terrorists because of the high profile nature of what the radical fundamentalists have tried to do or succeeded in doing. The anger perhaps needs to be expressed somehow?"

"But backing the BNP? I can understand that people are angry, but how does that equate to backing the BNP?" Donnie asked. "It's a national disgrace, an embarrassment. What do our friends and allies think when they see Britain supporting fascism?"

"At least things haven't got that bad in Scotland yet," said Douglas.

"The briefing the First Minister received this week suggests that more and more Muslims are trying to escape the violence by moving north into Scotland," Donnie informed his father.

"I guess there are some attractive reasons to come here," Douglas nodded. "Somehow our government can still afford to fund free personal care for the elderly, free prescriptions and no fees for students. There's even the benefit of your idea to reduce the costs of meat for consumers through the farmers' markets."

"Yes," agreed Donnie. "But remember, for every pound the Scottish Government spends on those things that they don't have in England, it means we've got to spend less on other areas. Health service budgets are really under pressure and you've seen the state of our infrastructure – the main highways are in an awful state because we aren't paying to maintain them."

Douglas thumbed the remote control to switch the station away from the news. He found a live football game – a pre-season friendly tournament taking place in London – and left it on as background noise.

"How are the plans coming along for the wedding and the 'gathering'?" he asked, trying to find a cheerier subject.

"Ask mom and Katie about the wedding," Donnie replied. "I've been kept pretty much in the dark. Katie's told me that I just need to make sure I turn up!"

Douglas laughed at his son's obvious discomfort.

"You'd best get used to it son," he said. "Experience shows that the women-folk are always in control, even when they let us think that we are."

Donnie shook his head.

"I'm pleased at the way things are shaping up for the gathering," he said. "Eric looks to have been damned accurate with his prediction on how many people are going to turn up."

"How many?" Douglas asked.

"So far we have two hundred and ninety odd confirmed and another three hundred 'possibles'. Eric reckons we won't be far off five hundred."

"That's still an incredible turnout at such short notice," Douglas noted.

"It is," Donnie agreed. "I think we've put together a good programme for them over the three days. I'm hoping we can recruit quite a few to stay on."

"You won't have much time for a honey-moon before the campaigning begins for the referendum," Douglas observed.

Donnie's eyes lit up with excitement. The Scottish National Party, encouraged by their results in the last election, had decided to go ahead and hold a referendum on independence. This was the holy-grail for all SNP supporters, but they had never had the necessary votes in the Scottish Parliament to get a bill on a referendum through.

Seeing their popularity plummet to an all-time low because of their role in the UK coalition, the Lib Dems had decided to back the referendum bill as a way of trying to improve their ratings in Scotland. That U-turn established a slight majority in the parliament and the SNP rushed emergency legislation through to set the stage for a referendum on independence.

A date had been set in early September for the Scottish public to have their say at the ballot box and Donnie would be following the First Minister round the country, as he tried to convince the electorate that now was the time for Scotland to stand on her own two feet again.

"I'm convinced we can persuade the voters this time," Donnie enthused. "There are just too many issues where Scotland is at odds with Westminster now and the public can see it. We've had more than ten years of the Scottish Parliament and people are getting more confident about our ability to manage things on our own. Let's face it; we can't do much worse than the last UK Government in terms of managing the economy!"

"Don't be so sure," Douglas cautioned. "The Scottish banks were affected worst remember. Would Scotland have been able to raise the money to bail them out?"

"I agree, dad. But the point is, would we have allowed the banks to get themselves into that much trouble in the first place? The Scottish model of banking has traditionally been much more conservative and with tighter regulation, who is to say that we wouldn't have avoided the worst? Look at systems like they have in Canada – banks are only allowed to have a certain percentage of their business in risky sectors like investment banking.

"This whole world-wide slump has been caused by a lack of regulation – banks lending 125 percent mortgages, unsecured loans, property prices being pushed up to unsustainable levels. I would argue that, as a nation, we Scots are more naturally prudent when it comes to money."

Douglas nodded to show that he agreed with much of his son's argument.

"Anyway, things are going well here at Ardbrecknish," Douglas changed the subject again. "The last building work should be completed before the winter. The changes I've made have dealt with the heating issues and I'm even thinking I might be able to produce three crops a year for you."

"Three?" asked a surprised Donnie. "How can you manage that?"

"Heather's new fertiliser will help, but mainly I think you forgot to factor in the control that we have over the conditions. We can simply have 'longer days' with every one a 'sunny day' and that means the cycle from planting to harvest can be shorter," Douglas explained.

"Maybe we should be thinking about the crops we are growing," Donnie mused. "The news is suggesting that we're going to face shortages of quite a few different things. What do you think? Should we try and diversify so we have a broader range of produce?"

Douglas smiled. He had been thinking of suggesting that very approach to his son.

"I've been thinking the same," he laughed. "Why go short on something when we can simply grow it for ourselves. I'd go even further though. Those news reports also suggest that the price of things is going to keep going up and there will be problems caused by other things – look at the increase in attacks on food facilities."

"What are you suggesting?" Donnie asked.

"Well ... milk production for one," Douglas replied. "You might also want to think about milling some grain to produce our own flour. Canning, bottling, freeze-drying and other preserving capacity might also be a good idea. You also need to speak to Archie about security. If things continue on the way they are going, Ardbrecknish might become a target for some folk!"

Donnie could see that his father had been thinking hard about things.

"You're right," he said, recognising his father's wisdom. "If we want to be really self-sufficient, we need to build the capacity you've described. We'll also need more people and I take your point about security. I'll speak to Archie about it."

Incredibly the forecast for the three day clan gathering was for brilliant July sunshine, a marked contrast to what the UK had experienced over the summer so far.

Donnie stood on the large, front balcony of the house that had been purpose-built for him and his future family. The view was across Loch Awe towards Ben Cruachan and he soaked it up as he sipped a coffee. Rory was sitting by his right leg and the Collie looked for all the world as if he was enjoying the view too. Donnie bent to scratch behind Rory's ears.

"Only two more days of freedom, my friend," Donnie mused.

Rory responded with a single 'woof', as if he knew that Donnie's comment was in jest.

"I think you're looking forward to this," Donnie laughed.

Straightening, Donnie walked through the huge lounge to the rear balcony and looked out across what was now a mass of gleaming domes. Rory trotted along beside him and sat down again when Donnie stopped.

"We have built something quite unique here, Rory," said Donnie. "I think our visitors are going to be impressed with it all."

Rory didn't comment.

In the nearest of the domes Donnie could make out the tropical forest that he had had shipped to Ardbrecknish. It would be a number of years before it matured fully, but it was still impressive. Donnie couldn't help but feel a certain pride at his achievements. Shaking himself, he decided it was time to get on with the day.

"Come on, boy. Let's go see Eric and check that everything is on track," he said.

Donnie found the 'geek' where he always found him, ensconced in his techno room surrounded by his kit.

"How are we looking?" Donnie asked.

"Looking good," Eric answered. "That girl of yours is a force of nature when she gets the bit between her teeth! Your mother is no slouch either!"

"Awww, have they been working you hard?" Donnie chuckled.

"No, not at all," Eric countered. "I like people who have well-ordered minds. Your mom and Katie are like a slick machine together. Cleaners, caterers, transport, flowers, arrangements for the programme – you name it, those women have thought of everything. All I've had to do is a little bit of on-line ordering."

"What's the final figure?" Donnie asked.

"If they all show up, we'll have just short of the five hundred I predicted," Eric answered. "There are a few we will need to keep an eye on though."

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked.

"Well, my snooping on MI5's systems has confirmed that Malloy knows about this gig and he's ordered some of his people to apply to come," Eric explained. "There have been over twenty applications from people that weren't included in my mailshot. Some of them might be genuine, but I'm betting some of them are his stooges."

"Make sure everybody on security and those close to me have a list of those names," Donnie ordered.

"Will do," Eric agreed. "I made sure that none of them were included in the first batch that will have accommodation here at Ardbrecknish. Only the first two hundred applicants got that, the rest have had to book hotels for themselves. I just played safe and made sure the twenty didn't get on-site accommodation."

"Good, no point in making things easy for Malloy," Donnie laughed.

Lizzie landed at the airport and collected her bags. There was a uniformed man holding up a sign at baggage reclaim which read:

She guessed that he had something to do with the gathering, as her joining instructions had intimated that she would be collected at the airport.

"Hi," she said. "Are you collecting people for the clan gathering?"

"Yes, Miss. If you just wait over there, I'll help you with your luggage once I've collected the others. Can I have your name so that I can cross you off of my list?" he asked.

"Lizzie Grieg," she told him.

It took half an hour to gather people who had arrived on different flights and then the uniformed man led them out to a coach. Luggage was stowed in a compartment under the bed of the coach and then Lizzie joined around twenty others in boarding the coach for the journey to Ardbrecknish. She heard a variety of accents and assumed that the timing of their arrival meant that they had caught connections from London after flying in from further afield.

A woman in uniform at the front of the coach began to give a commentary on the countryside they were passing through and filled them in on what to expect when they arrived at Ardbrecknish.

"This is all put together very professionally," Lizzie thought.

Within minutes of leaving Glasgow Airport they were driving along the shores of Loch Lomond, heading northwards, and the guide pointed out Ben Lomond in the distance. Lizzie's sense of anticipation grew the closer they got to Ardbrecknish.

The coach left the A82 and began travelling along the A85. The guide now started waxing lyrical about landmarks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now coming into the heart of McGregor country! Now on your left is the River Orchy and Glen Orchy, traditional stronghold of the Clan before it was taken from them by the Campbells.

"To the front now you can see the head of Loch Awe. The river running into the Loch is the River Strae, which itself runs through Glen Strae, another famous location in the history of the children of the mist."

The coach turned onto the A819 and ran along the shores of Loch Awe.

"And now we are close to our final destination, Ardbrecknish, home of the tanist Donnie McGregor and venue for the clan gathering over the next three days. You have all had your accommodation allocation and there will be guides when you leave the coach to help ensure you find your way without any delay. Ladies and gentlemen, can I bid you welcome to the gathering and wish you a very pleasant stay."

Just as the guide finished her welcome, the coach swept round a bend in the road and the Ardbrecknish site came into view. Many on the coach gasped at the futuristic design of the domes glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

Lizzie's head was swimming as she tried to take it all in. She would have one night to get settled before the three day programme began and as yet she had no plan for what she intended to do. Getting off the coach, she waited to retrieve her luggage and then looked around for the guides that had been promised.

"I knew it!" shrieked a voice to her left and she turned to see what was going on.

Vivien ran up to Lizzie and threw herself forward. Lizzie found her arms full of the young girl and she dropped her luggage to try and steady herself.

"I just knew that you would be one of the ones to come!" squealed Vivien, her excitement bubbling over.

"Are you real?" Lizzie stammered, shocked at recognising the girl from her steamy dream.

"Of course I'm real!" Vivien laughed. "You and I have plans that we need to hatch. Where's your accommodation?"

Lizzie was relieved that Vivien actually loosened her hug and that allowed her to fish out the document that indicated where she was supposed to be staying.

"I'm in block 2," Lizzie said. "I'm sharing with two other women."

"Yes, we wanted to give as many people as possible accommodation on site, that's why you're sharing," Vivien explained. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."

Lizzie followed the little bundle of energy, still trying to come to terms with meeting someone that she had thought of as part of a fantasy.

Vivien kept up a running commentary of everything they saw on their way to accommodation block 2.

"That silo has a huge grove of citrus trees on the surface, growing under the dome, underground is all wheat I think. That silo is where Professor White is building his super new recycling plant."

"STOP!" shrieked Lizzie. "Can you just tell me what the hell is going on? How can you be here? How do you know me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Vivien apologised. "I thought you must have shared the same dream as me."

Lizzie saw that Vivien looked genuinely confused and upset. She heard herself trying to reassure the girl.

"I think I did share the dream. That's what is freaking me out," she said. "How is that possible?"

"You don't serve one of the goddesses, do you?" Vivien asked rhetorically.

"Goddesses?" asked Lizzie in disbelief.

"Look, let's drop your luggage off at your accommodation and then we'll find somewhere to talk. I promise that I'll explain everything."

Lizzie was impressed by the high specification of the apartment she had been allocated to, but she was more interested in hearing Vivien's explanation so decided to leave any exploration until later.

They found a quiet spot down by the loch-side and made themselves comfortable.

"Okay, let's start with the basics," Vivien suggested. "My name is Vivien. I first met Donnie when my goddess sent me to help some people who had been injured in a plane crash."

Lizzie introduced herself, but then remained quiet and let the younger girl weave a story that defied belief. She heard about Sironaidh and Beira. Vivien told her about Donnie's 'gifts' and the plans for the site they were on.

"Anyway, Sironaidh told me that my gift of healing would grow stronger and that I would marry Donnie and Katie," Vivien continued. "She said that I would be the first of three that would join, so when we shared our dream, I assumed that you were one of the others."

Lizzie tried to take it all in.

"Are you saying that Donnie was sent to save me by a goddess?" she asked. "That's just unbelievable!"

"Lizzie, I've heard the others talking," said Vivien. "On the afternoon that Donnie saved you, he was in a meeting with Scotland's First Minister in Edinburgh."

"That's impossible!" Katie replied.

"It's true," maintained Vivien. "How else can you explain our dream?"