section7mfu | Starting Early on Writer's Choice... (Reply)

I've been thinking it's Friday for two days, so I might as well post something intended for Saturday.
This is one of my personal favorites, if we're allowed to have one from among our own stories. I enjoyed writing it, was pleased with it as a step forward in my development as a writer of this genre of fiction. It spent its first year as a part of the Kuryakin Files, so it's been around.
You can find it on ff.net, I haven't gotten around to posting it on AO3 for some reason.
The Boxing Affair

Sneak Peak...

"What are you reading today, Illya? Perhaps a new scientific journal or something a little less interesting than day old bread".

Napoleon Solo loved to kid his partner, hoping each time to propel the solemn blond from his boring books and journals and into something more amenable to his own gregarious pursuits. He was not someone who lacked the intellectual capacity to appreciate the erudite subject matter his friend favored, only the desire to consume it.

Illya Kuryakin looked up from the magazine in front of him, removed his dark lensed glasses and raised one eyebrow; it was an obvious sign of disapproval and condescension.

"As it happens, I am reading an article on the upcoming Pan American Games, to be held in Sao Paolo, Brazil. It appears that we, you and I, will be going there".

That sounded better. It was nice and warm down in Brazil, instead of cold and drizzly as it was in New York at present.

"Well, that is wonderful, isn't Illya. And, pray tell, what are the details, my Russian friend?"

Illya shook his head, trying to remember why it was he actually liked this irritating American. Oh, best friend and partner…saved my life a few times…

"I do not, as yet, know the details. I only know that it is on our agenda for April. We seem to be getting this news well in advance of actually going there, and for that I have no explanation".

The American CEA of UNCLE Northwest was not unhappy to find out his future included a trip to Brazil. It was a matter of some curiosity, however, that they were being informed of it now, three months in advance. That bit of information led him to believe there was some type of preparation involved.

There was a whoosh of air as the pneumatic doors parted and the chief of UNCLE Northwest, number 1 of Section 1, strode purposefully through them, allowing only the briefest glance at his two top agents. Alexander Waverly had more responsibility than a man should need to endure, and yet his demeanor never changed, nor did his affect ever betray whatever stress or anxiety might be hiding behind it. It was a stone wall that greeted his people on a daily basis, and the strength of that wall gave them confidence in the jobs they performed.

These two were no exceptions to that. If a young Russian had not seen the determination and focus in the face of his new employer, he might never have been able to grasp the true meaning of his role within the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. The resoluteness of the UNCLE chief held him together when the early days threatened to cast him on the rocks of suspicion and, sometimes, open hostility. It was to the young man's credit that he had overcome those obstacles and become, not a recluse or Ice Prince, as some liked to still remark, but a respected and well liked member of the New York office.

Napoleon Solo didn't need someone to bolster his confidence or his ego. Here was a man fully invested in his own self worth. It wasn't something that sprang up out of a self-centered personality; he was just a natural optimist and, because of that, he rightly assumed his place as a leader of men. His quick ascension through the ranks of the command had engendered admiration instead of envy, friends instead of enemies.

Enjoy the story!
The Boxing Affair