Regarding Harry - Episode Challenge

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Challenge: The Great Episode Challenge

Episode title: The Summit Five Affair

Question Choice:Why did Harry Beldon betray UNCLE?

Your Title: Regarding Harry

Author: Glennagirl

Rating:Gen

Word Count:639

:~~~~~:~~~~~:~~~~~:

Everything inside this office was filled with the personality of its Station Chief, the irrepressible Harry Beldon.  The man was larger than life, louder than was appropriate for men in his position, and entirely too outlandish to be a proper spy.

At least that’s what Illya Kuryakin thought of him, and considering he had to deal with Beldon on a daily basis, his thoughts were pertinent.

Ah, pertinent but not important, at least not to Harry Beldon.  The London offices of the U.N.C.L.E. were the portal for every important activity on the European continent.  Nothing got by Beldon, not any of the petty criminals or the emerging menace of THRUSH.  That organization was of particular interest to Beldon, their operation and goals surprisingly enticing to a man whose predeliction for luxury and self-aggrandisement was well known throughout the Command.

To Kuryakin’s keen eye, the man was obtuse and offensive in the manner in which he conducted business.  Everything about him defied the image of a spy master, and yet Beldon was successful.  At times, when Illya allowed himself to think outside of the proverbial box, he thought that perhaps Beldon was too successful; that his arrow hit the mark too often with a little too much precision.

It was not Illya Kuryakin’s job to outwit his Chief, however, and he submitted to the workload, accepted the responsibilities of his position and the overbearing presence of Harry Beldon.  It was with great relief that the Russian accepted the posting to New York; he was glad to be rid of his suspicions and the continual grandiose posturing of the man who would soon be stationed in Berlin.  The mystery would grow ever deeper, but Illya would not be forced to accompany it.

Harry Beldon, Section Chief of the London offices of UNCLE, reviewed his image in the ornate mirror that lined his dressing room.  Clad in riding breeches, knee high boots and an oversized cable knit sweater, the man reflected was both confident and capable of the role he would now assume.

Great men rose from obscurity, he reasoned.  It was easier to camouflage the intent, but it lacked the drama to which Beldon had become so familiar.  Who better to bring down the Command than the one expected to be flamboyant, a showman?  He could accomplish so much by simply being himself, his affiliation with THRUSH an open secret.

Harry Beldon would both challenge and embrace the Hierarchy, goading them into a relationship that would ultimately gain him the power he sought.  Was it in his blood to lust for power?  The son of a Welshman who married the daughter of a wealthy German industrialist, Beldon sought the spotlight as only a neglected child might; full of anger and mistrust for his negligent parents, the child emerged from the upper echelons of German society a refugee from war, and from that a shameless pursuer of the life he had been denied.

Beldon let Kuryakin go, confident that the young Soviet would someday come back when the incongruities of life in America made him yearn for someone like himself.  Illya was like Harry, he conjectured, disillusioned and searching for a replacement for the family and country he no longer possessed.

He would be wrong of course, and although the shock of Beldon’s betrayal would take its toll on Kuryakin, the Russian was not lost nor was he disillusioned by life.  He did not seek more than what he could hold onto in the present.

Harry Beldon would live long enough to regret having misjudged Illya Kuryakin.

Comments

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Enjoyable and thoughtful sidelight. Thank you.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

It's fun to make up history :D Thanks.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Ewwwww that was good. Glad you went with this prompt.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Harry is an intriguing fellow. Thanks for enjoying :D

[alynwa.livejournal.com]

Ah, it sounds like Harry was a power hungry THRUSH all along! I like how you wrote Illya's perceptions about Beldon and how Beldon thought the Russian would one day become an ally after his exposure to American life.

Great interpretation. Thank you so much for participating in the first Great Episode challenge.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I think Harry knew what he wanted, and it doesn't seem likely that he 'suddenly' became
THRUSH, so… yes, all long.
Thanks, you have a terrific challenge going.

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

Excellent. I think you perfectly summed up Beldon's psyche.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm glad it struck a sense of reality.

[pactnmmt.livejournal.com]

Beldon obviously didn't know his agent very well! And a good thing, too, because if Illya hadn't found Beldon so distasteful he may have never transferred to New York!

Very interesting look into the workings of Beldon's psyche!

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, imagine Illya working alongside Beldon instead of Waverly and Napoleon. That is just not right ;)