"An uneventful assignment" for the Short Affair. originally due March 13th

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

A little late... but better late than never. Have been under the weather, and dealing with our weather. Not exactly conducive to creative writing or the mood to read.

Challenge: The Short Affair

-Prompt Word #1 - Hour

-Prompt Colour – Silver

Author: mrua7

Title: ‘An uneventful assignment’

Word Count: Approx. 1000

Time passed slowly as Napoleon hunkered down in an UNCLE safe house somewhere in Northern New Jersey.

He’d been wounded while trying to escape when he and Kuryakin were on a courier run. Though it was a through and through in his left bicep, he’d bled quite a bit before Illya was finally able staunched the bleeding.

The run shouldn’t have gone bad as the information they’d picked up was not of any strategic significance. Napoleon guessed it was possibly an attempted hit, maybe the local mob as he and Illya had crossed paths with them before. It was obvious Solo and Kuryakin were known to them.

They never saw who was after them, and decided it best not to even try to let them get that close.

Finally convinced they’d eluded their pursuers; the agents headed to a nearby safehouse reserved for such emergencies.

Napoleon’s arm had been wrapped in a white towel when they’d arrived at the house.Illya had taken the silver Cadillac convertible in search of medical supplies and food as a serious snow storm was barreling down on them.

He kept looking out the window, after looking at his wristwatch, repeating his actions several times. The snow was coming down, and visibility was low.

“Why was Illya taking so long?” It had been over an hour but the thought suddenly occurred to Napoleon that his partner could have been in an accident. Pulling his communicator and after struggling a bit to assemble it; he hissed at the pain caused by moving his wounded arm a bit too much.

“Channel D-Kuryakin.”  Nothing, just static.” Illya, come in Illya.”

He heard a car engine, and saw headlights as it pulled into the driveway. Finally his partner was back.

Something was wrong though. Napoleon suddenly felt a chill, not from the weather but the superstitious kind, as if someone had stepped on his grave.  He immediately drew his gun and at that exact moment the front door was kicked in.

In burst three men, Chinese and one of them had Illya in a headlock and was holding a gun to his head.

“Put down your gun now gweilo!” One of them ordered,

“Gweilo?” Napoleon said.” How can I be a foreign devil in my own country?”Besides that derogatory term, gweilo literally meant ‘ghost man.’

“Solo, so at last we have caught up to you and now you will pay.”

“Pay for what...and will you please let my friend go; that looks like a rather uncomfortable position in which you’re holding him.”

Illya was released with a shove, sending him down to his knees while gasping for air.

“They got the jump on me as I was loading the supplies into the car.”

“No talking! You prepare to die Solo!” The apparent leader shouted as he pointed his gun at Napoleon.

“Wait! Don’t I at least get to know why you’re doing this?”

“You dishonored my sister, Zi Zhi!”

“Who are you and who’s your sister?” Napoleon was at a loss.

“I am Zi Zhou, and my sister is Zi Zhi and you will pay for deflowering her.”

‘I don’t know your sister and I haven’t been near Chinatown in at least a year! I’m sorry, have me mistaken for someone else.”

“Napoleon,” Illya was finally able to speak.”I have been trying to tell them they are mistaken.  You probably do not know her name but Zi Zhi works at Changs.”

“At Lee Changs? Who exactly is she?”

“One of the young ladies who answers the phone for take out orders.”

“I don’t know any of them...out of respect for Lee I’ve made a point of keeping away from the ladies he employs. I don’t even flirt with them...or anything else for that matter.”

“You like Solo!  Zi Zhi told me herself you took her against her will and now she carries your child!”

Napoleon was taken aback by that. “I have never in my life forced myself upon a woman. I would never do that.”

“I will attest to that,” Illya said.”

Zi Zhou cocked the trigger on his pistol, ignoring the agents.

Just as he was ready to fire, Kuryakin swept out his leg knocking Zi off balance; Napoleon dove forward tackling and disarming him.

Illya took down Zi’s companion.

Once the fracas was over, Zi and his friend were tied up back to back with an electrical cord and were sitting on the livingroom floor.

Illya went outside, retrieving the box of food and medical supplies.

He immediately saw to Napoleon’s arm after which he warmed up a large pot of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup on the stove.

“What do you wish to do with our friends?” He asked. “Would you like me to take them out into the storm and leave them somewhere?”

“Tovarisch, no pun intended but that’s really cold. Obviously there’s been a mistake and they were just trying to defend the girl’s honor.”

“Oh by killing us?”

“They didn’t though, did they?”

“No, but…”

“We’ll sort this out once the storm is over and we get back to New York. Now do you want to feed them or should I...never mind that. I’ll do it as you’d probably try to kill them just on principle.”

“Napoleon, I can be trusted. Though I do not think they deserve to eat much less live.”

The night was wild with the wind howling, blowing the the snow in every direction. It was a complete white out.

In the morning after digging out they made it back to the city; heading straight to Chang’s Chinese restaurant with their attackers in tow.

Zi Zhi was there and confessed to her lie. She was indeed pregnant but by her waiter boyfriend Zou Zhou.

Lee Chang was ready to fire the both of them on the spot, but Napoleon insisted as not since there was no harm no foul. Zi Zhi was merely a frightened young girl, and Zou Zhou was scared too.

Once that matter had been resolved, the agents headed to headquarters, reporting directly  to Mr. Waverly.

“Welcome back gentlemen, quite a little adventure you had with the snow storm.”

“Just a little down time, and no adventure at all sir,” Napoleon shrugged while casting a glance to his partner.