"The Oubliette part 4"~ for the PicFic Tuesday Challenge 3/11

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Once in the corridor and out of earshot of his partner, Napoleon pulled his communicator.

"Open Channel D- Waverly."

"Yes Mr. Solo. I understand Mr. Kuryakin is awake," the CCO answered.

Napoleon shook his head for a second, amazed the Old Man already knew about Illya. "Yes sir, he seems to be his normal self, impatient to get out of Medical."

"Hmm, yes quite. And how did he take the news about the Sanitarium?"

"Surprisingly well. Sir I have a request. I have some time off coming to me and would like to schedule it while Mr. Kuryakin is recovering upstate."

"Mr. Solo, please. He does not need a mother hen coddling him in his recovery. Mr. Kuryakin is a grown man, quite capable of…"

"Excuse me sir, it's not my attention to mother him but rather to watch out for him. Mephisto-Labé is still out there and no doubt he's become aware Mr. Kuryakin and myself escaped the oubliette. My instincts are telling me he's going to make another attempt on Mr. Kuryakin's life, and no doubt mine as well. This time, however, I plan to be ready."

"No need to use your vacation time young man, consider this an assignment. If you had let me finish before you rudely interrupted my, I would have informed you I was putting you on protection duty, as it were for, Mr. Kuryakin. That being said, you also need some protection as Mr. Mephisto-Labé will be coming after you as well. I am assigning Slate and Dancer as your protection detail."

"Yes sir, and my apolgies for the interruption." He knew better than to challenge Waverly, and backup in fact be would most welcome.

"Very well. I will inform them of the assignment and have you rendezvous with you for the trip from Washington to upstate New York. Waverly out."

Napoleon tucked away his communicator, heading off to that bed for some well-earned sleep. In the morning he'd consult with Dr. Westerman as to the approximate time frame within which Illya would be ready for travel.

.

Later that evening, Solo returned to his partner's bedside. He was drowsy, most likely due to sedatives he'd been given. Still lllya seemed more tranquil, proving that he'd taken the medication instead of refusing it as he usually did.

"So tovarisch, haven't palmed your pills huh?" Napoleon sat down in the chair beside the bed that seemed to be waiting there for him, and him alone.

"Palmed," Illya slurred, "No chance to do that as they….they are injecting medication into my IV. I think New York must have clued them innnn."

"Or maybe chum your reputation just precedes you. Dr. Westerman told me you're going to be moved to the Sanitorium at the end of the week. It's been arranged with Waverly that I'll be going with you as will April and Mark."

That pair of blue eyes, slightly glazed over, widened. "Why?"

"Come on pal, you're at risk in your condition. There's no way Ghairovald Mephisto-Labé won't take advantage of the situation and try to finish you off. You've excaped death twice at his hands may I remind you, and you know what they say about three."

"Yes I know three is charm, and may I remind you as well that you too escaped death twice...first in car explosion, and in oubliette."

"And that's why Mr. Waverly insisted on Mark and April backing me up."

What could Illya say? There was no refuting the situation or the need for protection. He was in no condition to defend himself should Labé make another attempt on his life. He would be safer in headquarters, though they weren't equipped to handle an agent who needed long term care. No, the Sanitarium was the next best place….with a somewhat defendable position, to say the least.

There was internal security, and the property was fenced in like a military base, but still anyone with skills could get inside if they wanted to badly enough…

Illya realized he would be a prisoner again, in a much kinder oubliette, but still a place that had but one way in for the moment, until he was deemed fit to return to duty.

The Russian remembered a brief poem he'd read somewhere….

"The threshold of my Rubicon, a thousand times been crossed! For though I've lost I've also won at such a dire cost. Locked inside my oubliette, covered in frost, I cannot feel. I pace and fret, and shan't forget- I am but a cog in a greater wheel…" **

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** Rubicons and Oubliettes by Just that Archaic Poet

Comments

[svetlanacat4.livejournal.com]

"but still anyone with skills could get inside if they wanted to badly enough…" and we know that someone want to...
Waiting for next part...

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Yes the evil villain is already known.... I guess the next part will be from next weeks Picfic, seeing as how it started as a picfic story. So part 5 and or 6 (depending on the length) next Tuesday.

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!