When Plans Don't Go To Plan - Part Five

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llya's carefully made plans don't quite go right!

Link to Part Four: http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/214387.html

Part Five Below The Cut.

Chapter 5: Darts Anyone?
Once the aircraft was re-fueled, Illya and Rebecca walked
around it, running through the ground checks and when all was completed, settled into the cockpit.

It was late afternoon as he raised the control tower and asked for clearance, while Becca once again took the controls ready for taxing to the runway for take-off under his instruction.

With permission obtained, they made their way to the end of the runway and she executed a perfect take-off. She glanced to her blue eyed Russian and he squeezed her hand and smiled.

“See, I knew you could do it.”

“So, where are we going to now. Do I finally get to know?”

“You will find out soon enough zavetnyy. We need to come round to 105° and follow that course for about an
hour.”

Rebecca gently banked the aircraft to the right a few degrees
from the course they were on.

“Good, that is perfect. I am proud of you, you will be a very
good pilot.”

“I think I know where we’re going now, is it Belgium by any
chance, more specifically Bruges?”

She glanced over and could see his lopsided smile and the glint in his eyes confirming that she was right.

“I knew it would not be long before you would work it out.”

After about twenty minutes in the air she felt something was not quite right. She looked over and sensed Illya was a bit distant and not completely with it. He looked back at her strangely with a puzzled look on his face and slumped forward.

With his full body weight suddenly pushing on the control
column, the jet went into a dive and the controls were wrenched from Rebecca’s hands.

Without a second thought she grabbed the column and pulled back on it until the jet was flying level again. It was a struggle to keep it that way as she was having to fight with Illya’s deadweight slumped against the panel; only then did she start to worry about him.

She heard a commotion in the cabin behind her when Mark came forward, he was about to ask what had happened when he saw Illya.

"Help me. Move Illya, he’s pushing against the control column and I’m struggling to fly the plane, please hurry.”

“What happened to him? Napoleon is out cold too.”

Mark squeezed in the space behind Illya and unclipped his
harness and, with difficulty, maneuvered him out of his seat. He pulled the unconscious agent into the cabin and with Penny and Aprils help managed to get him strapped into a chair.

Lizzie was feeling for Napoleons pulse and checking him over.

“Look here, there’s a small red mark on his neck.” She pointed out to April.

“It looks like a puncture wound, is there one on Illya?”

Mark and Penny checked him over and found one as well.

“I wonder what has caused them and why,“ Mark said.

As Lizzie worked in UNCLE Medical, she checked both agents vitals as best as she could. Their pulses were stable, breathing seemed to be fine and pupil responses looked to be normal.

For all intents and purposes, they appeared to simply be asleep; they all hoped this was the case.

"I think as long as their vitals don't change, they should be okay until we can get them checked over. I'll keep an eye on them for the time being."

"Thanks Lizzie, that's reassuring; but what I'd like to know is why it only happened to them and not us," Mark commented.

"Maybe it was when we were in the shop, but then you were with them Mark, so why didn't it happen to you?"

"Not a clue April, though I was in here most of the time; maybe that's why?"

Thinking about what had happened, April suddenly realised what had been averted.

“If Illya hadn’t been teaching Rebecca to fly this jet, we’d all
be…..”

“I know, there would have been no way we could have stopped the jet from crashing… none of us could have flown it. Apart from Rebecca...” Mark interjected as he glanced at Illya and Napoleon. “ They were the only other ones on board capable of flying this plane.”

“Did anyone know Illya was going to teach Becca to fly this thing? ” Penny asked.

“No, I don’t think so; but more worrisome is how did the details of our flight get out?” April asked.

“You think there was a leak and whoever did this fully expected everyone on this aircraft to die.” Lizzie shivered.

April heard Rebecca calling from the cockpit, she went forward and sat beside her.

“How’s Illya?”

“Lizzie's checked him over; she says his vitals appear to be okay and it looks like he's sleeping. How are you coping?”

“I’m alright, Mark said Napoleons out too. What do you think
happened?”

“We're not sure, but it’s a good job Illya was teaching you to fly this thing, else we’d all be…”

“Oh my God, who would want to do that?”

They looked at each other and both came to the conclusion at the same time. “THRUSH.”

“I was going to ask if we should continue to Bruges or turn back; but if THRUSH is behind this, we need to go back and get some answers, and them some medical help.”

“Good idea, how far are we away from Shannon?”

“About 35 minutes away.”

“I’ll go tell the others.”

April went back and told the others the plan. They all felt the aircraft banking round onto a new heading that would take them to Shannon.

“I think we need to inform Mr. Waverly about what’s happened.”

She activated her communicator and spoke with the New York Chief, explaining what had occured and finishing with, “Yes, sir, we’ll keep you informed.”

Mark returned to the cockpit, telling the others, “I’ll sit with Rebecca and help where I can; hopefully, if they are only asleep, just until Illya wakes up.”

Mark sat next to Rebecca and listened to her talking to air traffic control, informing them of the problem they were encountering. She received permission to return to Shannon and the offer of the airport emergency services, which she refused except for medical help.

“You seem to be handling things well,” Mark said with
some admiration.

Rebecca smiled, “I’ve had a good teacher.”

“Yes, Illya will be proud of you, I don’t think we could be in
better hands."

The short return flight was uneventful and they made a near perfect landing, and taxied back to the UNCLE hangar.