"Inquisitio Veritatis- to seek the truth" chapter 11 - part two

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

“What is your name?” Illya asked.

“Helen Adams.”

“Who is your employer?”

“The Central Intelligence Agency.”

“What is your position with them,” Napoleon asked.

“Analyst.”

Solo and Kuryakin looked each other in the eye, mildly surprised at her response.

“Do you know where Delphine Le Claire is?”Illya changed the line of questioning.

“Yes.”

“Where is she?”

“Dead, in a ditch outside of Baltimore.”

“Did you kill her?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Illya forced his voice to remain calm even though he was angry.

Solo could see it though, Illya’s nostrils flared when he was holding back his outrage. Though he knew nothing of this Delphine Le Claire, it was obvious Illya did and apparently he liked her. He had to guess that she was an innocent in this messy affair as he actually hadn’t been briefed on everything. He’d find out later.”

“I repeat, why did you kill the girl?”

“Because she interfered with my mission and may have seen my face.”

“And what was your mission?” Napoleon asked.

“Assassinate the team of Solo and Kuryakin to start…”

“To start what?”

“ Other successful teams were to be eliminated one by one, once enough background information had been gathered in order to set them up for assassination.”

“What is the ultimate goal of these assassinations?”

“To weaken and eventually eliminate the U.N.C.L.E. organization.”

“Who wants to eliminate the U.N.C.L.E.” Illya asked.

She shook her head, pursing her lips as she suppressed the answer.

“Why was Sean Kelly killed?” Napoleon changed things up again.

“He could identify...identify, “ she was beginning to fight the serum.

“Did you kill Brother Sean Kelly?” Napoleon then asked.

“No.”

“Who killed him?”

She seemed to struggle more, fighting against the effects of the truth serum.

“No.”

“No what?” Illya asked.

“I can’t say who killed him.” She was becoming highly agitated and struggled against the handcuffs, though she shouldn’t have been that self aware.

“I need to go.” She kept repeating.

Doctor Green checked her pulse. “It’s rapid. She must have had other preconditioning to prevent her from answering. Try rephrasing your question.”

“Where do you meet the person from whom you get your orders?”Napoleon asked.

“The Chrysler building on Lexington Avenue. Thirteenth floor.”

“There is no thirteenth floor,” Illya said. 

“Yes there is.”

“How do we...you get there to the thirteenth floor?” Napoleon asked.

“Press the elevator button for the twelfth floor three times in rapid succession, followed by quickly pressing the fourteenth floor button two times, also in rapid succession.”

“Let’s go tovarisch,” Napoleon grabbed the wheels of his chair, trying to turn it around.

“I think not Mister Solo,”Waverly’s voice came over the intercom set in the wall near the door. “Neither you or Mister Kuryakin are in any condition to lead an operation. I will send Dancer and Slate along with a backup team.”

“But sir...” Illya said.

“No buts from either of you and that is final.”

Doctor Greene ordered Illya and Napoleon up to the Medical Suite while he remained to monitor the woman until she came to her senses.

Of course neither agent planned on listening to him or their boss. The two used their silent hand signals, a sign language they’d developed to communicate between each other when they couldn't speak. They both agreed upon leaving headquarters and heading for the Chrysler building.

“Gentleman,” Waverly spoke again.” If you are thinking of leaving the building that’s simply not going to happen. Security is waiting outside the interrogation room to escort you both up to Medical, so I suggest you do as the good doctor ordered, or suffer the consequense.”

That was enough to put the two of them in place and they begrudgingly did as they were told. They both knew better than to push the Old Man.

A short while later Doctor Greene arrived in their room and after an examination he was glad he’d ordered them to Medical. Pushing themselves had caused some minor bleeding, with a few sutures needing replacement.

“You two will be the death of me yet,” he swore as he finished restitching and bandaging them up. Both men had refused local anesthesia.

“No Doctor, most likely death will come to us before you,” Illya said.

“Always the fatalist tovarisch,” Solo mumbled.

“Perhaps more of a realist," Kuryakin nodded.

“Maybe both,” Greene said. “Now you two are confined to your beds until I release you. No arguments, no bargaining, no deals, my word is final. Understood?” His tone of voice could be likened to a growl.

Both Napoleon and Illya were mildly amused by Doctor Greene’s out of character attitude as he was more the easy going, country physician type when it came to his bedside manner. He wasn't very successful at acting the tough guy.

“Yes sir,” both men saluted him at the same time.

That of course made Greene laugh. “I’m not joking you two.”

“Neither are we,” Napoleon said, “Scout’s honor.”

“I’ve heard that before. Now stay!”

“Beg pardon Doctor but there is no reason to order us about as if we are dogs,” Illya quipped.

Doctor Green pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked out the door, shaking his head.

Illya immediately got out of bed and tiptoed over to the door to peek outside their room and ensure the coast was reasonably clear. Their clothing was still here, and they merely had to dress and make good their escape, in spite of Mister Waverly’s orders.

Napoleon would somehow charm their way out having had disobeyed the Old Man...


Tomorrow: The Conclusion.

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I just posted the conclusion today. Hope you like it?