"Inquisitio Veritatis- to seek the truth. Chapter 6

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

The usual formalities performed by the stewardesses having been completed; a smooth takeoff took place.

The liquor trolleys wouldn’t be rolled out until the plane leveled off.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot made his announcement regarding the flying altitude and speed of the plane.  His estimation was that they’d arrive in Baltimore ahead of schedule due to a tailwind.

Finally the stewardess came down the aisle with the trolley. Knowing they didn’t refrigerate the vodka, Illya ordered his on the rocks...actually he asked for two airplane bottles. It wasn’t Stolichnaya, but it would do.

“I think I can do that Mister Mister Van de Meer,” the stewardess had that same toothy smile as the TWA woman at the check in counter; she gladly obliged and gave him an extra glass with ice.

She didn’t make any conversation with him, but her eyes revealed she was definitely flirting with the handsome blond passenger.

Delphine ordered a glass of red wine, though after tasting it she complained that it definitely wasn’t the same quality as a good French vintage.

“You would really expect that on a domestic American flight, maybe i first class but not here,” Illya snickered under his breath. “It is different here than it is in Europe.”

“Oui, c'est certainement,” she agreed, whispering back to him.

They couldn’t discuss their individual missions, or anything UNCLE related for that matter but as the flight progressed they made pleasant idle chatter, not revealing too much to each other.

He found her not to be the air head that he’d first assumed she was. She was not only attractive but intelligent and witty. Speaking with her brought back memories of his time at the Sorbonne, though there were plenty of bad memories as well.

His handler, back there in Paris, when he was a bit green and naive, became his lover, but for some reason she eventually set him up. The incident involved the East German Ambassador’s residence. Then again had it not happened, Illya guessed that he might not have been given to UNCLE. Instead he would have been sent to the blast furnaces in to be burned alive as his punishment for his stupidity.*

Illya remembered watching a training film for those being inducted into the life of Soviet intelligence. It was grainy, and had no sound. There was a man lashed to a stretcher, and he was very much alive as he was pushed into the furnace to be burned alive. He remembered the man staining against the bonds that held him in place as the stretcher was pushed along the rails. The man pulled back his feet from the flames, but it was a useless attempt as the heavy doors were closed, sealing his doom.

Whether the film was real or not, it was an image that would forever stay

with him. Illya supposed the film had done exactly as his superiors had

wanted it to do and that was to instill fear in their agents.

Kuryakin knew of a number of trainees who disappeared, presumably to their deaths in the furnaces, but there was no proof.  One of them had been a friend and it was after assuming he died that horrible death Illya vowed to no longer make friends, they were a liability, and perhaps he’d be a liability to others as well.

The GRU had one simple rule ‘in-one ruble, exit-two rubles’, meaning that to join the organization was easy, but to come out was much more difficult to near impossible, and often deadly.

Illya had paid his two rubles and lived, thanks to Alexander Waverly.

The idle conversation continued until the stewardess returned with the trolley, this time for the in-flight snacks.

They were each given small platters of cubed cheese, crackers and grapes. Delphine disapproved of the cheese and gladly gave hers to Kuryakin, though she said she was watching her figure as the excuse.

Illya offered her his grapes in exchange but she declined.

As the flight came to its end, the passengers gathered their belongings and slowly shuffled their way down the aisle to exit the plane.

Neither Illya or Delphine had any luggage to collect, but were forced to wait until it was their turn to deplane.

The stewardess who had flirted with Illya earlier shoved something into his hand when he passed by and as he exited the plane to the tarmac, he quickly glanced at it.

It was her telephone number. That made him smile, but it suddenly reminded him of his unconscious partner who was usually the one to have pretty stewardesses practically throw themselves at him.

He bid a friendly au revoir to Delphine as he headed in a different direction once they reached the terminal. 

Illya smiled again, that crooked little half smile of his, reminding himself to look her up next time he was in Paris as he thought he was getting a flirtatious vibe from her.

He spotted her again nearby as they were both waiting for taxis, but neither acknowledged the other.

Illya’s destination was the headquarters of the Xaverian Brothers. They had not been alerted to his visit, Waverly thought it best to catch them off guard if in the event something nefarious was afoot. There was the possibility that THRUSH had already insinuated themselves into the Brothers there.

As Illya slipped into the back seat of the taxi he felt a sharp pain in his side.  He knew what had happened; he’d been stabbed.

“Drive!” He shouted as he slammed the door closed. His attacker was nowhere to be seen, and was gone like a willow-the-wisp.

He reached back, with his hand coming away covered in blood. He was bleeding badly. “Get me to hospital!”

The driver was startled when he saw Illya’s bloodied hand, taking his eyes away for a second. The cab plowed into another car.

The hood crumpled, steam shot up from the engine.

Illya opened the door, falling to the ground as he tried to escape.

“Here!” A taxi pulled up beside him and the door opened. It was Delphine calling to him. Ici! Avec moi!”

He crawled into the backseat of her cab and immediately ordered the driver to get him to a hospital as he’d been stabbed. Illya pulled his gold UNCLE identification card.

“UNCLE? I heard 'bout that. I’ll get you to the hospital right away, don’t you worry none!”

The cab with its two passengers sped off, this time there were no accidents.  The driver made it to St. Agnes Hospital in record time, and pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance.

“Hey you can’t park that here!” A security guard shouted.

“I has a wounded man in my cab sir!” The driver, named Leon, shouted back.

A gurney arrived and Illya was brought in, examined and immediately taken into surgery. He’d lost a lot of blood and they were afraid he wouldn’t make it. His blood type was rare and they had no match for it.

Delphine was left in the waiting room, her pink dress covered in blood. Leon the taxi driver stayed with her as long as he could, but knew he had to get back to work.

“Monsieur, let me pay you please. I owe you for the ride; you helped save my friend’s life.”

She handed him a hundred dollar bill, and his eyes went wide with surprise.

“Miss, I don’t have enough money to make change for this.”

“No Monsieur, keep it. You earned every penny of it. My UNCLE would agree with me.”

“Thank you. I hope your friend will be all right.”

“Moi aussi… me too,” she translated.

“I understood that talk, “he smile.” My grandmere was Creole, from New Orleans. I remember some of the French she taught us.”

“Trés bien et merci, Monsieur,” she smiled at him.

Once Leon left she needed to find an out of the way place to contact headquarters and give her report… the boss wasn’t going to be happy. She was still shaken up, more than she wanted to admit, and that upset delayed her contacting Mister Waverly. What could she really tell him other than Monsieur Kuryakin had been attacked...

* ref “First Kill”

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes I know, but this is truly a WIP and one that I didn't anticipate happening. I'm writing it as quickly as I can but there's a lot of I's to dot and T's to cross to keep my facts straight, as well as getting in some research. Since I didn't plan this story out, I'm developing it as I go along. So far so good but I have to make sure it all makes sense.

I'll be posting the next chapter on Tuesday, I promise.