![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
section7mfuTitle: The Deadly Admirer Affair, Act VIII: Difficult Decisions
Rating: PG13
Word count: ~2100
Author: Rose of Pollux
If you prefer reading there, cross-posted to ff.net and AO3.
Illya awoke some time later upon hearing hushed voices; he opened his eyes to see Napoleon talking with Mark, April, Mandy, George, who had apparently arrived not too long ago. Baba Yaga was still by Illya’s side, alert in case anyone was approaching from outside the ward.
“Did you manage to find an antidote for the poison?” Napoleon was asking. He was just barely refraining from pleading.
“…Well,” George sighed. “The biochemical toxins in Illya’s bloodstream are some sort of cocktail. Any sort of antidote might interfere with Illya’s recovery; it’s far too risky to chance. His best bet is sweating it all out of his system. I’m sorry, Napoleon; I wish I could have done more.”
“You did the best you could,” Napoleon said, sounding disappointed. “It’s partly thanks to you that we figured out what was going on. It’s up to Illya to keep fighting now.” He paused as Illya now reached for Napoleon’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze, as though reassuring him that he would continue to keep on fighting. “…Illya!”
“How are you feeling?” Mark asked.
Illya managed a weak nod, and Napoleon managed a wan smile, this time, understanding what Illya was trying to say.
“Well, it’s good that he’s conscious again,” George said. “That he lasted the night was the first big step—and this is the second one. I think he’ll be able to make a full recovery from this.”
“Of course he will,” Mark said. “He’d never go down without a fight.”
“…But it also means that the greatest danger to him now is this inside threat,” April realized.
“And what steps have Security taken to deal with this?” Napoleon asked. “I asked them to seal off the main exit.”
“They’ve done that,” April said. “But no one attempted to leave the building—even after the alarm went off.”
“And Mr. Waverly has been secured in his office suite, which has been sealed off to protect him,” Mark said. “Aside from his private line, he’s more or less unreachable—which makes you the acting leader of U.N.C.L.E. New York, Napoleon. The main exit will remain sealed until you give the order to reopen it. Mr. Waverly’s office will remain sealed until the traitor is caught.”
Napoleon exhaled.
“I don’t know if I’m the right one for this,” he muttered. “I’ve been off base about everything since I got back to New York; I should never have left Illya alone, and I did three times—and each time, something nearly happened.”
“But you had no reason to suspect that someone within U.N.C.L.E. would do this to him,” Mandy pointed out.
“Mark has seniority over me; why doesn’t he take over for now?” Napoleon said, still shaking his head.
“I would if I could, Chum, but the fact of the matter is that Mr. Waverly promoted you, not me. And he had a good reason for it. In a time of crisis like this, he wanted you in charge of everything.”
Napoleon looked at their friends surrounding them, and then looked back to his partner and their cat. Illya managed another weak nod, but this one was directed at Napoleon as a vote of confidence.
“Okay,” he said, and he turned to the others. “This is my show now, and I’m going to run it, and I’m going to see to it that we find the one responsible for this.”
The others murmured in agreement.
“Has anyone attempted to leave since the exit was sealed, or inquired about leaving?” Napoleon queried.
“No one has attempted to come in or out,” April said. “And as for suspects, we’re still compiling that list. I can say, however, that the messenger has an alibi and, therefore, can be removed from it.”
“What is it?”
“He’s been in the microfiche department all day and hasn’t left; he’s been busy screaming abuses at everyone for not getting the microfiches ready for delivery—including during the time when Illya’s attacker was in here,” she said, a noticeable trace of disgust creeping into her voice. “The messenger may be an insensitive, unlikeable creep, but that’s his only crime.”
“Once we’ve caught Illya’s poisoner, I’ll see to finding out just how much job security the messenger has,” Napoleon promised. “I would like to get the exit unsealed as soon as possible, though; it’s clear that the poisoner won’t be drawing any attention to themselves and will probably be leaving with the crowd…”
“…Unless they’re going to try again,” George said, quietly. “I mean… they’ve already tried three days in a row.”
“…You’re right,” Napoleon conceded. “Mark, is there any way to seal off Medical—at least this Intensive Care ward?”
Mark shook his head.
“Though I understand your reasoning for it, it just isn’t feasible,” he said. “Medical staff are on rotation, and they need access to this ward to send people to check in on Illya, as well as bringing in any other emergency cases, should they turn up.”
Napoleon sighed, glancing at Illya, who was looking expectantly up at him.
“He’s not safe here,” Napoleon realized aloud.
“We know,” Mark said, sympathetically. “We can have a 24-hour guard posted here—however many people you want…”
“That isn’t foolproof,” Napoleon replied, shaking his head. “I’ve got to get Illya out of here.”
“Out of Intensive Care?” Mandy asked. “Napoleon, you can’t! Look at him! What if something happens to him, and his condition worsens to the point that he needs emergency care? That’s the entire reason why he’s here! I know Illya means everything to you, but you’re not medically qualified to help him if that were to happen!”
“No…” April said, quietly. “Mandy, he’s right.”
“He is?”
“The attacker has already proven they can get into Medical—twice,” Mark agreed. “And we know they can probably access any of our devices and weapons—tranquilizers, sleeping gas, guns… Even though we’ve restricted access to the armory and to the equipment lab, they’ve probably had a small arsenal accessible to them for a while—including the gun they used on the first night.”
“All they’d need to do is throw a canister of sleeping gas in here, and we’d all be knocked out and unable to help Illya,” George added.
Mandy silently nodded, conceding.
“I know I’m taking a risk with Illya,” Napoleon admitted. “Just like he knew he was taking a risk with me during our last mission. It’s what we do—what all field agents do: making the tough decisions to ensure our partner’s survival. It’s an unspoken agreement you have with your partner—that you’ll do what you have to in order to keep them alive… give them the best chance they can get.”
He glanced at Illya again, who responded with another feeble nod. He was more than willing to trust Napoleon, just as Napoleon had been willing to trust him. Neither of them would have made it this far without that trust.
Emboldened a bit and regaining some of his lost confidence, Napoleon slipped back into his mantle as leader.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re going to do this right. And we’re going to need everyone in on this—not a word of this gets out to anyone else. Mr. Waverly’s private line might be tapped, and you four are the only ones I can trust right now with something this important. But what I’m planning does have its risks—even if I’m in charge, I can’t force any of you into doing this.”
“Napoleon, if we had wanted to bail out, we’d have done it once we’d realized there was an inside threat. This isn’t just about stopping a rogue agent; this is about helping Illya,” April insisted, and the others agreed.
“Okay,” Napoleon said, nodding. “The attacker is smart enough not to make a move as long as the exit is sealed. As soon as I get Illya out of here, I want Mark and April to tell everyone that I gave the order to unseal the exit.”
“Do you want us to actually have the exit unsealed?” April asked.
“…Yeah,” Napoleon said, after a moment to think it over. “The attacker might test and make sure that it really is unsealed. We can’t trap them if they suspect the trap.” He looked to George. “And you, George… You need to play me.”
“…What?” George asked.
“We need decoys for both Illya and myself in this room. You could pass as me from the back.”
“Oh, gotcha. …Who’s going to be Illya?”
Napoleon glanced silently at Mark’s sandy-colored hair.
“…He’ll need a wig, but he’ll do.”
Mark shrugged, but nodded, and the faintest traces of a smile made their way onto Illya’s face at the mental image of Mark in a blond mop-top wig.
“April, you’re going to be on guard duty outside Intensive Care; if we don’t have someone out here, it’ll look too easy,” Napoleon said. “Don’t let anyone in that ward; if one of the Medical staff claims to need to check on Illya, tell them to come later.”
“Right,” she said.
“And what about me?” Mandy asked.
“You need to be our eyes and ears—walk around the building and check for any signs of suspicious activity,” Napoleon said. “Come back here and give frequent reports to April about what’s going on, but try not to use Channel D or any other communications. And Mandy? I want you and George armed with some sort of protective devices—sleeping gas cartridges and smokescreen pellets would be best. And wave that fake gun of yours around if you have to, but don’t try to pick a fight with them.”
Mandy nodded.
Baba Yaga now meowed at Napoleon, gently bumping his arm with her forehead. Napoleon smiled at her and gently gave her a few more scritches.
“Of course I’ll look after Illya, my dear,” he said. “But I need you to stay here. We need to make it seem as though Illya is here—and you’re a part of that illusion. We’ll see you again very soon.”
Baba Yaga meowed, sounded rather vexed, but seemed to realize that protests weren’t going to work this time. Napoleon gave her a few more scritches to placate her and then turned back to the others.
“Our attacker is likely to try again if we can successfully maintain this illusion,” he said. “And whoever they are, we have to assume that they won’t care about any collateral damage. Be careful—all of you. I want them alive and tranquilized, if you can, but if you need to kill them to protect yourselves, then do it.”
The four of them nodded.
“There’s just one flaw in this plan,” George realized, going over it. “You don’t want the exit unsealed until after you and Illya are out?”
“Right. The attacker needs to think that Illya is still here.”
“…Okay, but… How are you going to get him out?”
“Through the window,” Napoleon said. “That’s why I only had the exit sealed. I can’t take my car; it’d be noticed. But I need you, Mandy, to go through that window and to the nearest pay phone.”
Mandy blinked as Napoleon handed her a folded piece of paper.
“You’ll call that number and deliver that message to a Miss Janet Jerrod. With any luck, she’ll be able to get a cab here so that Illya and I can leave unnoticed.” He paused, and looked from Illya to the others. “Look… There’s no way I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for all this--”
“Napoleon, you don’t have to,” April said, giving them both a smile. “I don’t think you’ve realized how much you’ve done for all of the field agents as the head of Section II—you and Illya.”
“She’s right,” Mandy said. “And it’s not just Section II, either—it’s all of us. Whenever there’s trouble here in the building, you and Illya are always the first ones to stick your necks out for us.”
“And neither of you ask for anything in return, either,” George said. “No matter what you go through.”
“In other words, this is long overdue,” Mark finished.
Napoleon stared at them for a moment, a lump growing in his throat as Illya now gave his hand a faint squeeze again.
“Thank you,” he said, quietly. “And even if, with all of our efforts, this doesn’t work, I just want you to know that I’ll—we’ll still be grateful.”
There was a moment of somber silence, but all of them nodded. Napoleon then turned back to his partner.
“Ready?” he asked, softly.
Illya gave a firm nod, and Napoleon returned it.
“Let’s move.”
They began to put the plan into motion at once; April helped Mandy go out the window to make the phone call as Napoleon and George helped transfer the EKG electrodes from Illya to Mark.
“Just hang in there, Tovarisch,” Napoleon said, as Illya silently watched them all work. “We’ll save you yet.”
Rating: PG13
Word count: ~2100
Author: Rose of Pollux
If you prefer reading there, cross-posted to ff.net and AO3.
Illya awoke some time later upon hearing hushed voices; he opened his eyes to see Napoleon talking with Mark, April, Mandy, George, who had apparently arrived not too long ago. Baba Yaga was still by Illya’s side, alert in case anyone was approaching from outside the ward.
“Did you manage to find an antidote for the poison?” Napoleon was asking. He was just barely refraining from pleading.
“…Well,” George sighed. “The biochemical toxins in Illya’s bloodstream are some sort of cocktail. Any sort of antidote might interfere with Illya’s recovery; it’s far too risky to chance. His best bet is sweating it all out of his system. I’m sorry, Napoleon; I wish I could have done more.”
“You did the best you could,” Napoleon said, sounding disappointed. “It’s partly thanks to you that we figured out what was going on. It’s up to Illya to keep fighting now.” He paused as Illya now reached for Napoleon’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze, as though reassuring him that he would continue to keep on fighting. “…Illya!”
“How are you feeling?” Mark asked.
Illya managed a weak nod, and Napoleon managed a wan smile, this time, understanding what Illya was trying to say.
“Well, it’s good that he’s conscious again,” George said. “That he lasted the night was the first big step—and this is the second one. I think he’ll be able to make a full recovery from this.”
“Of course he will,” Mark said. “He’d never go down without a fight.”
“…But it also means that the greatest danger to him now is this inside threat,” April realized.
“And what steps have Security taken to deal with this?” Napoleon asked. “I asked them to seal off the main exit.”
“They’ve done that,” April said. “But no one attempted to leave the building—even after the alarm went off.”
“And Mr. Waverly has been secured in his office suite, which has been sealed off to protect him,” Mark said. “Aside from his private line, he’s more or less unreachable—which makes you the acting leader of U.N.C.L.E. New York, Napoleon. The main exit will remain sealed until you give the order to reopen it. Mr. Waverly’s office will remain sealed until the traitor is caught.”
Napoleon exhaled.
“I don’t know if I’m the right one for this,” he muttered. “I’ve been off base about everything since I got back to New York; I should never have left Illya alone, and I did three times—and each time, something nearly happened.”
“But you had no reason to suspect that someone within U.N.C.L.E. would do this to him,” Mandy pointed out.
“Mark has seniority over me; why doesn’t he take over for now?” Napoleon said, still shaking his head.
“I would if I could, Chum, but the fact of the matter is that Mr. Waverly promoted you, not me. And he had a good reason for it. In a time of crisis like this, he wanted you in charge of everything.”
Napoleon looked at their friends surrounding them, and then looked back to his partner and their cat. Illya managed another weak nod, but this one was directed at Napoleon as a vote of confidence.
“Okay,” he said, and he turned to the others. “This is my show now, and I’m going to run it, and I’m going to see to it that we find the one responsible for this.”
The others murmured in agreement.
“Has anyone attempted to leave since the exit was sealed, or inquired about leaving?” Napoleon queried.
“No one has attempted to come in or out,” April said. “And as for suspects, we’re still compiling that list. I can say, however, that the messenger has an alibi and, therefore, can be removed from it.”
“What is it?”
“He’s been in the microfiche department all day and hasn’t left; he’s been busy screaming abuses at everyone for not getting the microfiches ready for delivery—including during the time when Illya’s attacker was in here,” she said, a noticeable trace of disgust creeping into her voice. “The messenger may be an insensitive, unlikeable creep, but that’s his only crime.”
“Once we’ve caught Illya’s poisoner, I’ll see to finding out just how much job security the messenger has,” Napoleon promised. “I would like to get the exit unsealed as soon as possible, though; it’s clear that the poisoner won’t be drawing any attention to themselves and will probably be leaving with the crowd…”
“…Unless they’re going to try again,” George said, quietly. “I mean… they’ve already tried three days in a row.”
“…You’re right,” Napoleon conceded. “Mark, is there any way to seal off Medical—at least this Intensive Care ward?”
Mark shook his head.
“Though I understand your reasoning for it, it just isn’t feasible,” he said. “Medical staff are on rotation, and they need access to this ward to send people to check in on Illya, as well as bringing in any other emergency cases, should they turn up.”
Napoleon sighed, glancing at Illya, who was looking expectantly up at him.
“He’s not safe here,” Napoleon realized aloud.
“We know,” Mark said, sympathetically. “We can have a 24-hour guard posted here—however many people you want…”
“That isn’t foolproof,” Napoleon replied, shaking his head. “I’ve got to get Illya out of here.”
“Out of Intensive Care?” Mandy asked. “Napoleon, you can’t! Look at him! What if something happens to him, and his condition worsens to the point that he needs emergency care? That’s the entire reason why he’s here! I know Illya means everything to you, but you’re not medically qualified to help him if that were to happen!”
“No…” April said, quietly. “Mandy, he’s right.”
“He is?”
“The attacker has already proven they can get into Medical—twice,” Mark agreed. “And we know they can probably access any of our devices and weapons—tranquilizers, sleeping gas, guns… Even though we’ve restricted access to the armory and to the equipment lab, they’ve probably had a small arsenal accessible to them for a while—including the gun they used on the first night.”
“All they’d need to do is throw a canister of sleeping gas in here, and we’d all be knocked out and unable to help Illya,” George added.
Mandy silently nodded, conceding.
“I know I’m taking a risk with Illya,” Napoleon admitted. “Just like he knew he was taking a risk with me during our last mission. It’s what we do—what all field agents do: making the tough decisions to ensure our partner’s survival. It’s an unspoken agreement you have with your partner—that you’ll do what you have to in order to keep them alive… give them the best chance they can get.”
He glanced at Illya again, who responded with another feeble nod. He was more than willing to trust Napoleon, just as Napoleon had been willing to trust him. Neither of them would have made it this far without that trust.
Emboldened a bit and regaining some of his lost confidence, Napoleon slipped back into his mantle as leader.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re going to do this right. And we’re going to need everyone in on this—not a word of this gets out to anyone else. Mr. Waverly’s private line might be tapped, and you four are the only ones I can trust right now with something this important. But what I’m planning does have its risks—even if I’m in charge, I can’t force any of you into doing this.”
“Napoleon, if we had wanted to bail out, we’d have done it once we’d realized there was an inside threat. This isn’t just about stopping a rogue agent; this is about helping Illya,” April insisted, and the others agreed.
“Okay,” Napoleon said, nodding. “The attacker is smart enough not to make a move as long as the exit is sealed. As soon as I get Illya out of here, I want Mark and April to tell everyone that I gave the order to unseal the exit.”
“Do you want us to actually have the exit unsealed?” April asked.
“…Yeah,” Napoleon said, after a moment to think it over. “The attacker might test and make sure that it really is unsealed. We can’t trap them if they suspect the trap.” He looked to George. “And you, George… You need to play me.”
“…What?” George asked.
“We need decoys for both Illya and myself in this room. You could pass as me from the back.”
“Oh, gotcha. …Who’s going to be Illya?”
Napoleon glanced silently at Mark’s sandy-colored hair.
“…He’ll need a wig, but he’ll do.”
Mark shrugged, but nodded, and the faintest traces of a smile made their way onto Illya’s face at the mental image of Mark in a blond mop-top wig.
“April, you’re going to be on guard duty outside Intensive Care; if we don’t have someone out here, it’ll look too easy,” Napoleon said. “Don’t let anyone in that ward; if one of the Medical staff claims to need to check on Illya, tell them to come later.”
“Right,” she said.
“And what about me?” Mandy asked.
“You need to be our eyes and ears—walk around the building and check for any signs of suspicious activity,” Napoleon said. “Come back here and give frequent reports to April about what’s going on, but try not to use Channel D or any other communications. And Mandy? I want you and George armed with some sort of protective devices—sleeping gas cartridges and smokescreen pellets would be best. And wave that fake gun of yours around if you have to, but don’t try to pick a fight with them.”
Mandy nodded.
Baba Yaga now meowed at Napoleon, gently bumping his arm with her forehead. Napoleon smiled at her and gently gave her a few more scritches.
“Of course I’ll look after Illya, my dear,” he said. “But I need you to stay here. We need to make it seem as though Illya is here—and you’re a part of that illusion. We’ll see you again very soon.”
Baba Yaga meowed, sounded rather vexed, but seemed to realize that protests weren’t going to work this time. Napoleon gave her a few more scritches to placate her and then turned back to the others.
“Our attacker is likely to try again if we can successfully maintain this illusion,” he said. “And whoever they are, we have to assume that they won’t care about any collateral damage. Be careful—all of you. I want them alive and tranquilized, if you can, but if you need to kill them to protect yourselves, then do it.”
The four of them nodded.
“There’s just one flaw in this plan,” George realized, going over it. “You don’t want the exit unsealed until after you and Illya are out?”
“Right. The attacker needs to think that Illya is still here.”
“…Okay, but… How are you going to get him out?”
“Through the window,” Napoleon said. “That’s why I only had the exit sealed. I can’t take my car; it’d be noticed. But I need you, Mandy, to go through that window and to the nearest pay phone.”
Mandy blinked as Napoleon handed her a folded piece of paper.
“You’ll call that number and deliver that message to a Miss Janet Jerrod. With any luck, she’ll be able to get a cab here so that Illya and I can leave unnoticed.” He paused, and looked from Illya to the others. “Look… There’s no way I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for all this--”
“Napoleon, you don’t have to,” April said, giving them both a smile. “I don’t think you’ve realized how much you’ve done for all of the field agents as the head of Section II—you and Illya.”
“She’s right,” Mandy said. “And it’s not just Section II, either—it’s all of us. Whenever there’s trouble here in the building, you and Illya are always the first ones to stick your necks out for us.”
“And neither of you ask for anything in return, either,” George said. “No matter what you go through.”
“In other words, this is long overdue,” Mark finished.
Napoleon stared at them for a moment, a lump growing in his throat as Illya now gave his hand a faint squeeze again.
“Thank you,” he said, quietly. “And even if, with all of our efforts, this doesn’t work, I just want you to know that I’ll—we’ll still be grateful.”
There was a moment of somber silence, but all of them nodded. Napoleon then turned back to his partner.
“Ready?” he asked, softly.
Illya gave a firm nod, and Napoleon returned it.
“Let’s move.”
They began to put the plan into motion at once; April helped Mandy go out the window to make the phone call as Napoleon and George helped transfer the EKG electrodes from Illya to Mark.
“Just hang in there, Tovarisch,” Napoleon said, as Illya silently watched them all work. “We’ll save you yet.”
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2017-03-16 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-03-18 07:51 pm (UTC)