The Lost and Found Affair"
A seaman stumbled along the deck of the aging merchant ship called the Hakudu Maru, so named after a celestial being in Japanese myth who came to earth and taught humans to build ships.
The man was was dressed lightly in a dirty white t-shirt, dungarees and work boots, enabling him to function as best he could in the warm temperatures of the Pacific. He hated the heat, always finding it too uncomfortable and never seemed to grow accustomed to it, but no matter now.
It was starting to rain and that was having a cooling effect on the hot deck and him as well. He found it difficult to move as the ship violently rocked from the beginnings of the storm, churning the ocean into huge swells that made the ship rise and plunge without warning.
He fell forward, leaning against the bulkhead, steadying himself and fighting back the dizziness and nausea from his sea sickness. He tried not looking out at the water as the ship continued to rock up and down, up and down, up and down. Then the ship suddenly heaved violently, and so did he, as he grabbed the railing, letting himself surrender to his motion sickness.
He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket wiping his mouth, then tried to convince himself that vomiting made him feel better, but in reality it did not. He then sighed, realizing that he was going to have to take something to help him with it before he became completely incapacitated by being ill; he had a job to do. He avoided drugs altogether as they made him drowsy and he needed to remain alert. He had searched for a more 'natural' route to help with his problem and found ground ginger root to be quite helpful. He had made his own, pounding the root into a fine powder, and placing it into gel-capsules before he'd boarded the ship. A warm bottle of cola would help ease the nausea as well...he just had to make it down to the ship's galley to get them.
The man had signed aboard as ship's cook; the Maru's original one having had an unfortunate and sudden "accident" that landed him in the hospital. Allowing him to show up conveniently looking for work. When the the first officer asked his experience, he told them in broken English that he was cook and could "feed many men good food as he was cook in Russian navy."
He was hired on the spot and so Illya Kuryakin assumed the ignominious title of 'Cookie,'just as his predecessor had been called.
The storm had come out of no where and until now Illya had managed, dealing with only mild stomach upset, which he tolerated. He cursed himself for his infirmity now, mumbling in Russian as he made his way down below while fighting off the next round of dizziness and nausea and hoping he would not be sick again in front of the other crew members or on them for that matter.
This was a distraction that Illya Kuryakin could not afford. His mission and his life depended on it. He signed on board the Maru in the Philippines after an arms and explosives shipment he had been tracking for over a month from Australia and through Malaysia had finally reached it's destination in the Port of Iloilo on the southern part of Panay Island and he needed to stick with it to find its ultimate destination.
Once the cargo was loaded on board the Hakudu Maru; the ship would be piloted out along the straight. Sailing through the Visayan Sea, navigating around several of the smaller islands, then up past the northern tip of Samar Island; it would be out into the Philippine Sea and the Pacific ocean, this was all he knew...after that he had no clue where it was specifically heading. The logical choice would be Hawaii, but he had no proof and the other crew members were just as much in the dark as he. Illya did some careful investigating; searching the Captain's cabin, checking his logs, navigational charts, but found nothing to indicate their destination.
There seemed to be only two men on board the Maru that knew where they were going, one was the Captain, Takara Yoshida who was a retired naval officer with the Japanese Imperial Navy. The other was Aldous Baader, a member of the Stasi...the East German secret police, but he had more recent ties with THRUSH.
Baader had now begun to double-deal on the side, selling arms to the highest bidder; presumably to build up a little nest egg for himself, allowing him to retire from the world of espionage.
Illya had picked the lock on Baader's cabin door one evening at the beginning of the trip hoping to find some clues, quickly searching through the man's possessions and desk, when he heard footsteps and a key being put into the lock! He turned his head about in a panic, looking for cover, the only place being beneath the large desk and he ducked there just as the cabin door opened.
Kuryakin held his breath as the man walked around the room. He heard Baader speak; there was no one with him so he must have had some sort of communications device.
"No te preocupes mi querido General_ do not worry, my dear General" Baader spoke in Spanish. No one knows where we are headed but myself and Captain Yoshida. You and I will be very rich men soon...the millions your supporters are paying me for supplying them with the armaments and you General after staging your successful coup, will have your own country."Baader then laughed" I will contact you and your dealer as we near port. Baader out."
Illya heard him walk dangerously close to the desk. He could smell the stench of a strong Cuban cigar as the man lit up but the footsteps walked away and the bathroom door opened and closed. Illya let go his breath, crawled out from under the desk and quickly exited the cabin, not making a sound.
This tidbit of information put the mission into a different light as killing the arms dealer might be inadvisable until he was able to discover the identity of the one Baader called the 'General.' He held off contacting headquarters, still being under radio silence; he would not break that until he knew where the ship was headed.
Each day the ship's pilot was given his coordinates and would direct the ship as ordered; changing course sometime multiple times in a single day. Illya had planted a bug in the pilot house, but none of the course changes made any sense as he checked them against a navigational chart that he had secreted away in a book he was reading...a Russian book printed in Cyrillic, so no one would have any interest in it, even the other Russian members of the crew, who were apparently illiterate.
Not only did UNCLE want Baader out of business; but THRUSH did as well. Waverly had said the talk on the THRUSH lines of communication indicated they were not happy with Baader. He was upsetting the apple cart for them in their quest of ultimate world domination. It would have come as no surprise to Kuryakin if there was a THRUSH agent on board the Hakudo Maru as well. Like THRUSH, UNCLE wanted Baader, and the shipment, but unlike them, the Command wanted the identity of the buyer for the shipload of military might the Maru now carried. Kuryakin was given a special order to terminate Baader, but now because of the communication with the General and his coup had come to light; that complicated things quite a bit. Illya now planned to return to Baader's room and plant a bug there as well.
The order to terminate did not phase Illya in the least when Waverly issued it to him. All UNCLE agents were prepared to kill when necessary, but the use of tranquilizer rounds in their arsenal was the more preferred method of dispatching an adversary, rather than killing outright. UNCLE, after all, were the good guys and assassination was something UNCLE just did not do, or so that's what most members of the agency were lead to believe. But sometimes assassination was a necessary evil, so Section I therefore formed a special group of elite agents whose identities were kept secret, even from each other. The knowledge of it's existence was held by only a privileged few within the upper ranks of UNCLE.
These agents were dubbed 'Archangels' and Illya Kuryakin was one of only seven agents who were potentially given such drastic orders; he, carrying them out under the codename known only as 'Gabriel' and Gabriel had been give such an order only once before.
Being an Archangel required the talents of an agent who was capable of a performing a cold blooded act such as assassination without reservation. Kuryakin, though a passionate man, was also very private and he kept his feelings under lock and key along with his past, keeping everything well compartmentalized and guarded from others, even from his partner and closest friend Napoleon Solo; yet he was very much a man capable of carrying out such an extreme order.
Illya also knew that there would come the day that he might refuse to carry out such on some moral ground, as he was not an amoral man. And that was, he guessed, why Alexander Waverly had chosen him for the position. Illya was not merely a heartless killer and that's not what UNCLE wanted him to be. It might bother him in some way killing a target in that manner; but if it did, he kept that to himself and fulfilled his duty none the less. To everyone but his partner, Kuryakin outwardly deserved the nickname the "Ice Prince."
While on board the Hakudu Maru, Illya was able to only maintain very limited contact with UNCLE headquarters in Manila as they were under strict "communications" silence and not to respond to his transmissions. He would simply open his communicator allowing it to be "pinged" for headquarters to get a signal, allowing them home-in and pinpoint his location. UNCLE knew where the ship was in the middle of the Pacific ocean, unlike Illya, who had no idea just exactly where it was at any given moment.
Every time he sensed a change in course, he would send out the signal for them to get a fix on the position. The beauty of this plan was that every time he had his communicator pen out, he would pretend to be writing in a small notebook that he carried with him... recipes written surreptitiously into the book in his extremely neat handwriting; he would tell the crew it was his idea book for preparing their meals and keeping track of the menu. And if someone looked in the book, they would see exactly what he said there would be...recipes and nothing more...no hidden codes or notes...just plain ordinary everyday recipes and menu plans.
The crew was a mix of mostly Japanese, Filipino, Spanish and even a pair of Russians...a smorgasbord of languages, and luckily Illya understood and spoke every one of them fluently. He used only Russian and broken English as part of his cover, allowing him to eavesdrop on the other members of the crew with ease. Sometimes information could be gotten more easily from simply listening in on the day to day conversations of underlings than from all the covert expeditions into private files, papers and documents. He would pass the time when not snooping around the ship or working in the galley, playing chess with the two Russian crewmen, drinking vodka and smoking Turkish cigarettes. The men though not very likable, helped him maintain his cover. Members of the crew tended to stick with their own, and a least some poorly played games of chess, and being able to speak his native language helped pass the time as the ship travelled slowly and erratically toward its ultimate destination.
Finally Illya's patience paid off, when he overheard a conversation between Goro Shimizu and one of the other Japanese seamen as they stood near an open hatchway, leading out to the deck. Apparently the first mate, Goro, was the Captain's confidant. Illya had to be careful of Shimizu though, as he was suspicious of the Russian and always seemed to be keeping an eye on him.
"Saigo ni watashi-tachi wa Honoruru de ikutsu ka no honmono no sushi e ero koto ga dekiru koto..."said Goro in Japanese "then we won't have to eat that slop the Russian gives us...have you noticed how he is always skulking around the ship with that note pad of his...I think he might be some sort of spy or something..."
"No Goro," said the seaman" I have seen the book, it is nothing but his silly recipes...and besides, why would a spy be on board the Maru? We're just a cargo ship."
"Ah...but the cargo is no ordinary one and is strictly off limits...under lock and key. It is something of great value..."said Goro "that man Baader and the Captain, they talk a lot. I think they have some big deal going on and I think I am going to be given a share of the profits for my loyal service. He was now bragging based on pure supposition.
"And how do you know this Goro?"
"Because, the Captain tells me things...after all, my father served with him during the war" he bragged, trying to make himself seem special to the other seaman. "It was he who told me we are heading to Honolulu... all this time our next port of call has been kept a big secret to you all had it not...but not me!'
The seaman, being none too bright, was impressed at Goro's apparent position of importance with the Captain
"If you utter one word of this" Goro threatened shoving the man back. "I will throw you overboard and they will think that it was "Futsushi, the god of sea and storms who took you!"
"I swear Goro!" wimpered the now frightened man" I will say nothing! You have my word!" He bowed several times to Goro as he spoke."Watashi no sosen no meiyo nikakete_ upon the honor of my ancestors!"
Illya had heard all he needed. Goro spoke about "finally eating good sushi in Honolulu"... and now Kuryakin had his suspicions about Hawaii were confirmed. He would have to risk breaking the communications blackout calling overseas relay to let Waverly know their final port of call and the intel about the General and the impending coup.
It would be Waverly who would make the arrangements for Illya's backup team from the Honolulu office of UNCLE. Once the shipment was followed to the buyer's location; Illya would fulfill his assignment by capturing the buyer instead of killing him as well as taking Baader and the Captain into custody and seizing the cargo. Then he and the agents of the Honolulu office would go about the business of interrogating the prisoners, something Illya was very good at. He would find out who this "General" was...
But as Illya listened in on Goro and the seaman, the ship suddenly surged again and he was thrown out of his hiding place in the corridor, stumbling right out in front of Shimizu and the other seaman.
Goro instantly stopped the conversation when he saw Cookie and demanded to know why he was eavesdropping on them? At first he spoke in Japanese looking for any reaction from the Russian at his words...but when he saw none; he switched to English
"What you doing...listening in on us?"
"Nyet!" Illya said, taking on a very submissive posture." I no listen...no speak your language...was coming up deck for air...not feel so good from storm da?" In part, Illya was being truthful.
Goro, satisfied for the moment, waved the Russian past with a look of disdain then pushed Illya with a laugh, forcing him out through the door onto the deck in the pouring rain. He walked out of sight, immediately heading down to another hatchway located towards the aft of the vessel, grabbing onto what ever he could to save himself from being washed overboard as the waves began to crash onto the deck. The storm was increasing in it's intensity.
Illya returned below, soaked to the skin and decided that it was time that he got a better look at the cargo in the secure hold. He knew what it was; he just did not know how much of it was there, so after changing his clothes he headed to the aft cargo hold. The rest of the crew was preoccupied with dealing with the storm as it was difficult to work with the unpredictable movement of the ship and now quite a few of them were suffering from seasickness as well, but unlike the Russian, they had reported to the ship's infirmary and had been given tablets that virtually "knocked" them out.
Illya was able to pick the padlock on the chain that secured the hatch to the cargo bay and once inside he found himself somewhat surprised. There was enough weapons, and explosives to start a small war...or a revolution! He pulled out his communicator to call New York.
"Open channel D, overseas relay, Waverly"
"Mr. Kuryakin...I thought you were to maintain radio silence on this mission?" said Wavery.
"Yes sir...but I have just confirmed our destination...it's Honolulu. There is also another complication that has arisen...I overheard Baader speaking to a man he addressed as General, and there was discussion of these arms being purchased to support a coup. Can you please have a backup team assembled and ready in Honolulu? I think capturing the buyer would be more to our advantage at this time. I will begin to ping more frequently."
"Consider it done. I'll expect to hear from you the moment you approach Honolulu." Waverly out.
Suddenly the ship was knocked violently sending the crates and Illya careening across the hold, the lights went out and he was there struggling to right himself in total darkness, his communicator lost somewhere in the darkness. He realized as he tried to stand that it felt as though the ship was on it's side!
Emergency lights popped on seconds later, bathing Illya and the mess in the cargo hold in an eerie red glow, confirming to him that the Maru was listing dangerously to one side!
A few moments later a klaxon alarm broke the silence and the Captain began making an announcement. The ship had been hit by a "rogue" wave and now was listing in the water to her port side and was taking on water. The ship was sinking and fast. All hands were to report to the lifeboats and abandon ship!
"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in here?"demanded a heavily accented German voice behind Kuryakin. He recognized it instantly as that of Aldous Baader.
Illya turned slowly to face him, dropping the pretense of his cover, as he knew the shipment was not going to be delivered now. I am from UNCLE and I was sent here to stop you." he said coldly.
Baader suddenly pulled a handgun getting a shot off at Illya, but the Russian dove behind a crate for cover and narrowly missed being hit.
"Baader, the ship is sinking. Why bother?" Illya called out.
He was answered by another shot that ricocheted off the crate that gave Illya his cover. In an instant Kuryakin reached up over it, took aim and hit Baader; the man collapsed to the floor, and Illya assumed he was dead. as he rarely missed when intending to kill.
Kuryakin had to make a decision, the ship was sinking along with a very dangerous and valuable cargo that would become the prime target of those who hunted for salvage. It would be worth millions on the open market, and Illya was sure the "buyer" would still want his goods. There was nothing to do however, but blow the shipment up to prevent its recovery.