section7mfu | All's Well... For the Great Episode Challenge

I chose Prompt 1, although I concentrated on the part highlighted in blue.

Prompt 1: Napoleon and Illya discover Thrush have a man in UNCLE (again), a “bona-fide, first-class, grade-A mess” which paralyzes the organization. The double-agent turns out to be Carla Drosten of Security and Personnel, recruited into UNCLE right out of high school. So the questions arise…When and why did Carla join Thrush? What is the fallout of her treachery within the agency? What happens to the trainees and agents that she cleared for duty?

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The buzz around Headquarters seemed to fill the air like a pungent fragrance intent on masking something odious. Wanda, always in the know and the acknowledged Town Crier, a dubious title within a network of covert messengers, was not as willing to speak of the recent atrocity.

Suzanne Weitz, a new member of the support staff, was confused and intimidated by the current mood. She had met with Carla Drosten during her training, so although surprised by the news of her betrayal, she was also mired within the terror it seemed to have caused. There was suspicion in the air, and she was too recent to be fully trusted.

The new people who had hired in under Carla Drosten's watch were now on a list of 8 names, each of them waiting for additional vetting and interviews under the supervision of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin.

How was anyone to know whether or not Carla had placed THRUSH agents within the Command? More than one seasoned employee winced in unspoken sympathy at the prospect of having Kuryakin's laser sharp blue eyes staring you down as you defended yourself against the tiniest suggestion of potentially treasonous activity.

On this morning, it was George Dennell, the head of Section IV. It was because of his placement in the department that oversaw Intelligence and Communications that George was brought into the affair with Carla Drosten. As suspicions grew around her activities, it was discovered that George Dennell had romantic feelings towards the woman who would prove to be UNCLE's most dangerous traitor. She used his emotional vulnerability to draw him into a plan that included his defection; all of it part of the tactic that would eventually bring down her duplicitous double agent career.

Now, as George reviewed the entire episode, he did so with a heavy heart. He had possessed a very real affection for Carla, something that had perhaps blinded him to her duplicity in its early stages. Once the gambit began however, his actions were instrumental in bringing her down and exposing the entire history of her actions on behalf of THRUSH. It was heartbreaking, but it had also created in the mild mannered man with the black rimmed glasses that, like Clark Kent, he was capable of becoming an instrument of justice when the situation required it. All in all, the outcome had heightened his sense of purpose within the Command.

As the interviews came to an end, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin gather all eight of the newly hired individuals for a final word on the subject. Three women and five men, the latter newly graduated from Survival School and assigned to Section III, sat in silence as they waited for the CEA to address them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, members of UNCLE…' Solo broke out a megawatt smile as he said that, a sigh of relief coming from every one of the eight who had endured the second round of interviews.

"You have come in as we dealt with a serious threat to the security of this organization. Traitors do exist, and when they are exposed it requires us to re-examine everything that passed through their hands. In this case, it was the hiring process of all of you." Napoleon paused, looking to his partner to continue. Illya spoke, his voice low and authoritative. The women shifted from the immediate infatuation with the handsome American to a new sensation; the resonant sexuality of Kuryakin's odd accent, and his brilliant blue eyes. Napoleon almost rolled his as he caught the shift in their attention. The men simply wondered how each of the two top agents managed to be so hypnotic to women, and pledged to themselves to study every move.

"You are now fully vetted to serve here in this Headquarters, and wherever you may eventually be sent within the Command's many locations. Our duty is to the mission, the enforcement of law against tyranny and injustice, here and abroad. You have entered a new life, a new commitment, and we are here to help you to fulfill this as we all stand together in a common goal for our world."

Illya looked at Napoleon, yielding the floor to his partner.

"We are pleased to commend you to full service here in this Headquarters. You have the welfare of our planet in your hands, collectively and at times individually. The work can be daunting, but always it will be rewarding as you help hold in check the advancement of evils that you do not yet comprehend.' Once again Solo smiled, relieving the tension of his statements.

"Welcome to the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement."

Everyone stood at that, exchanging handshakes and smiles. Napoleon and Illya circulated so that each person was greeted and sent to their respective assignments with encouragement and a sense of truly belonging. As the room emptied, George Dennell joined the two agents with whom he had completed the mission to expose Carla as a traitor.

"It looks as though everything is back on track. I hope we can stay that way… no more traitors." George smiled in spite of the slight pang of bitterness he now felt towards the woman he had fancied as a possible romantic interest. He pushed past it though, his natural optimism forcing out any sign of what was now in the past.

Napoleon caught the slightest bit of remorse, understanding the disappointment when a romance failed. But George was a good man, a resilient man whose work would continue to serve the Command and protect the agents whose lives were daily on the line.

"How about we find ourselves a good meal and bottle of red. Illya?" Napoleon's unspoken nudge at his partner prompted him to second the invitation to George.

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. George, what do you fancy?" George had to smile, being included in a night out with these two held the promise of friendship and camaraderie that he needed now more than a romance.

"Absolutely, we'll be like the Three Muskateers… all for one and one for all!"

It was very George to think in those terms. It was also very UNCLE.