The Claus Affair - Christmas Round Robin

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I want to thank all of the writers who have signed up thus far. You can still sign on for this Affair.
Here is the list as of today:
ssclassof56
alynwa
leethet

selyndaep
glennagirl
   sidhe_uaine42

Alexander Waverly was a man whose connections to the world's most powerful and influential people seemed unlimited to those who answered to his bidding.  The agents of the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement marveled at the Old Man's (an endearment among his most faithful stewards), ability to work long hours and know everything and everyone.

Among his most dedicated were the team of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin.

Yin and Yang.

The suave American seemed to go through life with a never ending supply of good luck and adoring women.  His ability to slip through the enemy's hands and succeed at nearly every mission without so much as a paper cut made his career in the Command a singular tour de force without equal.

Well, that is until the Russian showed up.  Illya Kuryakin equaled or broke nearly all of Solo's marks at Survival School, the training ground for UNCLE agents entering service in Section II, the enforcement arm of Waverly's ivory tower; his nod to the nobility of Arthur's legendary Round Table.  The acquisition of Kuryakin, the only Soviet agent within the Command, had been a stroke of genius on the part of the foxy head of the Northwest and beyond.  Known for an astute mind and amazing physical feats, the blond seemed to be able to transform himself into any character, a chameleon of sorts. Sometimes he seemed to possess a magical quality, if one believed in such things.

As for the man in charge, no one considered that there was anyone other than Waverly who could lead the international armada of peace keepers and law enforcers.  But on this day in December of 1965, the hoary head of Alexander was filled with images of dismay and chaos. One of his dearest and oldest friends, a fellow seeker of peace and goodwill, was in mortal danger. THRUSH, the nemesis of all good in the world, had managed, in spite of the efforts of his own able network of agents, to kidnap Claus.

Santa Claus.

This Claus was not the image of retail, the usurpers of the role of gift giver.  As with all endeavors to do good in the world, there had been those who saw within the altruistic efforts an opportunity to make millions beneath a guise of false generosity.  The more one bought, the better the gift giver could feel about himself. Fortunes were made in December, and the excitement of the season was fueled by ad men and store windows.

And so it had gone, for decades the true Claus had been misconstrued, misrepresented and, to the man's ire, miscast as a rotund, aging fellow whose incipient laughter made him a cartoon character instead of the real, mystical being he truly was.

Is. Alexander had to believe that Claus was still alive, still able to withstand whatever THRUSH might inflict on him. Their friendship had lasted over time and troubles that only a few beings had endured with a solid grasp of the need to never give in to the greed and larceny of fallen mankind. Good was there, sometimes carefully mined by those who cared to look for it, but intact nonetheless.  Claus and Waverly were two whose idealism had never faded, and their longevity was the result of that delicate balance of believing in the good and seeking those who needed redemption.

Alexander sighed a deeply resonant inhalation of all things hopeful. He would send his best men to rescue his best friend.  Secrets were meant to be kept and protected; Solo and Kuryakin could accomplish both, but first they would need to believe.

"Miss Rogers, please send them in."


** I've adopted this image of Santa Claus (Kurt Russell), because ... well, because he looks great and that's the guy who inspired this story idea.**

Comments

[selyndaep.livejournal.com]

This was a very intriguing intro—the reason I couldn’t resist taking part in spite of (or because of) my RL difficulties with my husband who was in the hospital for over two weeks... He’s home now, and in the mend, so it looks like 2019 could be a good year! At least now he’s accepting that he needs to alter his lifestyle (me too—sigh), so 2019 should also be a much healthier one.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I’m glad you have good news to usher in the new year. We’re still in the story so stay tuned; Santa May call on you again 😉❄️