section7mfu | Good As Gold part 2

This is the conclusion of the story that began HERE
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Good As Gold - conclusion

Alarms were blaring and klaxons sounding off in response to the explosion down in the labs. Illya Kuryakin didn’t hear them, however, because he was knocked out cold on the floor of his laboratory where he had been exploring the gold he and Napoleon captured from the hands of the self-proclaimed Doctor Doom.

Napoleon was on his way to check on his missing partner when the smell of acrid smoke reached his nostrils. Hurrying now towards the lab doors, he could see it spilling out behind white-coated technicians. Not among them was the sometimes Doctor Kuryakin. With a twinge of fear that was quickly overcome by a combination of morbid curiosity and genuine concern, Solo made his way through the double doors and into the smoke filled entry, behind which were the actual lab areas. Another technician came out, teary eyed and slightly dazed. Napoleon recognized her as the new girl from Ireland; a Cambridge graduate like Illya, the two had hit it off immediately, giving rise to speculation about something more being cooked up with their brand of chemistry.

Looking at her now, there was no thought of what else was going on except the big question: where was Illya?

"Sinéad, is Illya in there?” Napoleon was feeling slightly desperate now; there had been no sign of the Russian as the lab techs emptied out into the corridor."

“Napoleon! I thought he was in the room where the explosion happened, but ...” Solo caught the look of bewilderment in the girl’s eyes. He didn’t wait for any more details but instead dove through the smoke and into his friend’s mysterious second office in the New York Headquarters.

“Illya! Illya, are you in here?” It was difficult to breathe inside the lab, and Napoleon grabbed a white coat and held it over his mouth as he searched for his partner. Perhaps Illya wasn’t in the lab after all.

“Napoleon... in ... here...” It was low pitched and shallow sounding, followed by a fit of coughing. Napoleon headed for the sound of his partner’s voice and found the man leaning against a cabinet, his hair slightly singed it appeared, in addition to some dark spots on his forehead.

“Hey tovarisch, what are you trying to do, blow the place to smithereens?” Illya managed to roll his eyes in defiance of the absurd question. It hurt to do that and he made a mental note to not try it again.

“Just get me up, will you? I seem to be stuck...” He was stuck, sort of. His lab coat was adhered to a puddle of gold that had begun to harden. As Napoleon inspected and then helped to remove Illya’s labcoat, he whistled at what he saw.

“What the heck, Kuryakin. This gold melted. What were you trying to do, anyway?” Illya took a deep breath, his experiment had been a failure. There was no such thing as alchemy, at least not the kind that could produce precious minerals out of nothing.

“I was attempting to recreate the experiment described to me by Doctor Doom. I cannot deny that I was intrigued by the possibility, but now realize that it was merely his fantasy. Scientists like that are parasites on the scientific community, and I was naive enough to fall for it.” All this was said as Napoleon helped his addled partner through the lessening haze of smoke and back into the clear air in the corridor.

“I think you ought to be checked out in Medical. Looks like you took a pretty bad bump on your head, plus your eyes look sort of bloodshot.’ Solo held up two fingers for the Russian.

“Can you see these?” Illya nodded.

“I see four fingers... no, three... oh. Two. Only two.” Oh geez, this was going to take a while. Illya was not only probably concussed, he would be brooding about this humiliating experience for days.

“Okay Illya. You’re going to Medical and I’m going to organize the clean up crew to take care of this mess. And again I ask you. Why?” The blond looked at his friend with a puzzled, innocent expression on his face. When he wanted to the man appeared to be guileless.

“I am a scientist, and the possibility of what Doctor Doom suggested was ... compelling. How could I not try it?” He probably had a point, but not being a scientist Napoleon had to simply rely on his partner’s estimation of things.

“Okay, fine. Just... just don’t do it again, okay.” Again, Illya nodded. That motion hurt his head and he thought the walls might possibly have begun to spin... just a little.

“Napoleon...” And then he was down and out. Napoleon instructed someone standing nearby to call for a gurney. Even Illya’s hard head wasn’t immune to the effects of an explosion at close range. When the gurney arrived it was the job of three people to get him loaded onto it as he thrashed and mumbled in Russian.

“Yep, that’s my partner.” Napoleon couldn’t help but grin at the man he called friend and partner. Of course, some days he called him other things, like stubborn or brilliant.

“Napoleon, was that Mr. Kuryakin?” It was Sinéad; she had come back to check on her laboratory co-worker. She would admit to a few that she did have rather a soft spot for the Russian agent, especially when he let her instruct him in her Irish language.

“Yes, and he should be fine; just a concussion probably, and maybe a bruise or two.” She smiled at that and seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

“I’m relieved to hear it. Perhaps I’ll call on him and see if he needs anything.” That struck Napoleon as slightly more than was necessary.

“Yes, you do that Sinéad, and I’ll make sure the lab doesn’t have anything else smoldering on a bunsen burner.” He winked at her, causing a slight blush on her already rosy cheeks. She turned and left then, hoping that her affections for Illya hadn’t been too evident.

“Oh Illya. Searching for treasure in all the wrong places.” Napoleon wondered if his friend would ever finish experimenting with inanimate objects and test his heart instead.

“Ummm, Mr. Solo?” A Section III agent was standing nearby, an object in his hand.

“What do you have there Mr. Taylor?” Napoleon took it from the young man, turning it over as he examined it and then marveled at what he saw.

“Where did you find this?”

“In the lab, sir. Near where the explosion took place.” Both men were perplexed, but Napoleon did recognize the possibilities of this strange piece that was half metal and half gold.

“Well, I’ll be damned. You really are one smart Russian, my friend. You turned this metal into gold.”

In his dreams Illya realized he could also fly.