section7mfu | "One of those days" ~ for The Short Affair Challenge (Reply)

Challenge: The Short Affair

-Prompt Word #1 - Obstacle

-Prompt Colour – Red

Author: mrua7

Title: One of those days

Word Count: Approximately 850

The sky was filled with the bright red glow from the flames of the burning THRUSH satrapy. It was their mission to destroy it and that they did.

Not met with any obstacle; Solo and his partner the Russian, Kuryakin had gotten inside the building, set their charges and got out scot free without so much as a scratch or a tear in Napoleon’s clothing. That was a pleasant rarity in and of itself.

All in all they counted this as a good day. It wasn’t often they completed an assignment with their hides intact. The agents were filled with a feeling of satisfaction that only success could bring, that was until they heard the sound of weapons being cocked from behind them.

“All right you two, stand up real slow like and put your hands on your heads.” Another man relieved them of their guns.

The UNCLE agents complied, but were confused, as the one who’d spoken was dressed in a khaki uniform, wide brim hat, sunglasses and he was wearing a badge. He was the local sheriff.

“What’s going on here? I find you two armed and hiding outside a burning building; mighty suspicious to me, wouldn’t you say fellas? Did you do this?” He pointed to the still burning building.

“Well you see sheriff, “Napoleon began.” We’re with the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement and we were given intelligence this place was being used by an evil organization called T.H.R.U.S.H. It was our assignment to destroy this place.”

“What? You expect me to believe you had to blow up a birder’s building? Now don’t that beat all.”

“T.H.R.U.S.H. stands for Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity and it will achieve its goal by any means necessary, and therefore must be stopped,” Illya chimed in.

“You sound like something out of a cheap spy novel. You must take me for a stupid red neck? Cuff ‘em boys. Gentlemen you’re being arrested for the destruction of private property, arson and possibly illegal of explosives and possession of firearms. This here building that you have admitted to destroying has been used by the local bird watcher’s society, of which I’m a member and have been, for the past twenty years.”

“Wait a minute Sheriff, if you just look at my ID in my wallet you’ll see we are who we say we are. My name is Napoleon Solo and I’m the Chief Enforcement Agent for U.N.C.L.E. based out of New York City and this is my partner Mr. Illya Kuryakin. We were given information that this building was being used T.H.R.U.S.H. satrap.”

“Satrapy...what the hell is that? This here was nothing but a building used for birder meetings...though the Scouts came in for meetings too. And what the hell kind of names are those? Napoleon?” The Sheriff laughed.” Kury-ay-kin...that sounds like a Russkie name. You a Commie boy?”

Napoleon cast a warning glance to his partner not to say anything.

“We are telling the truth sir,” Illya calmly spoke.

“Well you boys were told wrong, if you’re telling the truth, which I doubt you are. Now you better hope to God there was no one inside, otherwise you’ll both be charged with murder.”

The agents looked each other in the eye, not saying another word, but both were wondering what had gone wrong. Waverly wasn’t going to be happy.

“Excuse me Sheriff, but just exactly how did you know to come here? This place is located pretty far outside of town,” Solo asked.

“We got a telephone tip.”

“A tip you say?” Illya repeated. He whispered to Napoleon as they were shoved in the back of a squad car.”I think we were set up.”

“No kidding,’ Solo answered.

Twenty four hours later, after Mr. Waverly and the state governor were brought into the situation, Solo and Kuryakin were released, with no charges filed. The agents wanted to stick around to see if they could find out who did this, but Waverly ordered them back to New York for debrief and another assignment.

Just as they were stepping out the street to their freedom, Napoleon heard a ripping sound as he felt a pull on his jacket...he’d caught his pocket on a nail that was protruding from the door frame.

“Oh for Pete’s sake!” He refrained from cursing. “Bad enough the Old Man is mad at us for blowing up the wrong building, now I need to put in a chit for this?”

“Solo luck seems to have abandoned you for once,” Illya quipped.

“Thanks for reminding me.” They were going to be reamed out for using bad intel, but to have to be lectured yet again for another damaged suit?

Napoleon dreaded that more than dealing with T.H.R.U.S.H.