Authors Note: This story is part of a new series on the MFU Fanfiction home called UNCLE Origins. I have touched on Waverly and Del Floria's early days as UNCLE agents in other stories. This series will be specifically their stories starting with the formation of UNCLE as an independent branch of Britian's famed MI5 (hence the title!). More stories of UNCLE's first Dream Team will follow as we find that the agents of today are not that much different from the agents of yesteryear.
"Out of the Frying-pan."
London, England
November 1, 1930
British Military Intelligence division five, MI5 as it is more commonly known, was started around 1914 during rumors of impending war with Germany. The special selective branch was set up as a counter-espionage unit to seek out and confirm secret enemy activities. Special Agents highly train in combat, intelligence, diplomacy and other skills went out every day, laying their lives on the line if they could find out that one vital piece of information that would keep their county safe and secure.
Many of the young brave men were enlisted thru their exceptional talents in uniform, others by their pure academic achievements. Some had connections, others by sheer luck. But, they all had one common goal in their hearts and minds, to protect and serve their beloved England.
It was getting late. Cold, hinting at rain. A soft misty fog hung in the air giving the dimly lit street an ambiance of both romance and intrigue. There was very little traffic this time of the evening. Save the one rickety bus that was slowly lumbering along the cobblestone pavement. The wheels squealed loudly as it came to a halt.
Two young men wearing heavy woolen Army uniforms stepped down from the bus, dropping their duffle-bags with a thud to the pavement. The taller of the two leaned back and gave a beautiful young woman a soft and sultry kiss. He felt her fingers gently brush against his cheek and the kiss intensified.
"I do love a bloke in uniform," she cooed, as her fingers moved to the collar of his jacket, "And out." She added in a whisper, giving his ear a nip.
He smiled. She looked into his steel grey eyes; her hand brushing his cheek then one finger gently brushed across his mustache.
They were both nearly thrown onto the stairs as the bus started to pull away. He jumped back onto the pavement and they watched one another as the vehicle disappeared around the corner.
His friend stood patiently, watching the scene play out. He picked up his own bag and slung it over his shoulder as the taller walked back to retrieve his own.
"I'm surprised you didn't give her the name of the hotel," the shorter said with a coy smile.
His friend shook his head and slung his bag over his shoulder. He pulled a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiped his mouth to remove the traces of her lipstick
"Her!...Oh no…You have a lot to learn my friend.." he nodded towards the rapidly disappearing bus, "Professional…Don't deal with professionals…Too much of a health risk," the older man said giving his friend a quirky grin.
They were quite an odd pair these two. The older man was tall, slender in build with a slight clef in his chin. He had recently grown a mustache that he kept neatly trimmed and it gave him a very dashing gentlemanly look. He had an air of sophistication about him especially in the dark brown service uniform. He was the adoration of nearly every woman he met.
His best friend was a head shorter, almost two years younger and slightly on the stocky side. But it was all muscle. He looked as if he couldn't run an entire block without getting winded, but in truth he was much more agile than but just as powerful as his buddy. At the age of only twenty-eight he had started to lose his hair, while his friend's still remained thick, full and dark chocolate brown.
"We better find the hotel and check in," Willie said as they made their way up the sidewalk.
"Buck up Willie," Alex said giving him a gentle push to the shoulder, "Maybe someday some dainty dally will fall for you."
"Not as long as you're around," his friend said smiling.
It was nearly four blocks to the hotel, and they made it just as it started to rain. Standing across the road they made a few minor observations of the building. Old, but nor derelict, It had a slightly musty smell even from the outside. The few lighted windows were dim and tinted a yellowish brown. Despite the cold and the rain that was beginning to fall, the front door stood open and the same yellow-brown light came forth as a welcome to the weary travelers.
Alex took a long deep breath. The smell of well seasoned wood permeated his senses. He glanced towards the roof of the four storied building and saw smoke coming from the chimney, confirming his guess of a fire.
The two men grabbed their bags, their hands tightening the collars of their coats and made a dash across the street. Up the small stone steps and in the doorway they went, side by side, finding themselves wedged in the door frame together. Neither was willing to back down so they both pushed in until they managed at last to pop thru the frame.
Both shook the little bit of water from their uniforms and removed their berets, tucking them in their belts.
The lobby was sparsely decorated but still cozy. Small, intimate just as the older liked. The tinny sound of a Victrola playing came from the far corner, the music box hidden behind a few large, slightly wilted, potted palms. The dark wood paneling in the room kept the heat and light locked in. A well worn Persian rug on the floor had seen better days, but the beautiful reds, yellows and blues still shone in places, paying homage to the artisan who created it. Prints of the Royal family adorned the walls.
The smells of dinner cooking wafted across the lobby. Sweetbreads, steak, bangers and mash, smoked salmon. They could hear several of the dinner guest already in the small dining area located somewhere down the hall behind the front desk. A rather stout man in his mid-sixties walked out of the office to the desk. He smiled and saluted the two uniformed men. They returned the salute.
"May I help you gentlemen?"
"Yes..You should have a reservation for us," Willie said, "Either under the name William Del Floria or Alexander Waverly."
The counter clerk looked at his ledger. He gave a nod.
"Two adjoining…Rooms 301 and 303…" he pointed towards the stairs, "Up, right, back corner…the WC is at the left end of the hall. Quite a queue first thing in the mornings 'round eight…No-smoking in the rooms' gentlemen…only down here."
The two men signed the ledger and picked up their bags. They were turning to leave when a young girl about seventeen came out of the back room and approached the man behind the desk. Alex felt his upper lip twitch as he watched her.
"Will our guest be eating in their rooms or in the dining area?" she asked her voice still very innocent.
"I'll be in my room," Alex said smiling, "If it's not too much trouble."
The girl tried to hide her blush.
"No trouble at all, sir," she said, "What's your fancy?"
Willie bit down on his lip. He thought to himself, if Alex says Bangers I'm going to lose it.
"I'll leave that to you," Alex said smiling, "Will, what about you?"
"I'm going to skip tonight," Willie said, "I'm zonked..How's bout a knock up at six-thirty am."
Alexander fought to hold back his smile.
"Very good," the man at the counter said, "And you sir."
"Not for me," Alex gave his chest a firm pat with the palm of his hand, "Built in alarm."
The two men took their bags and went to their rooms. They were standing in the hallway.
"You better hope it goes off on time..."
Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend. The corner of his lip curled in a crooked grin.
"Your built in alarm….You knew what I meant…Look Alex, this is a great opportunity for us, don't throw a spanner in the works."
Alex laughed and shook his head. He reached over the small space between them and gave his buddy a friendly pat on the cheek.
"You can drop the British colloquialism my friend," he said smiling, "You Americans…You always think speaking English is so easy..."
Both men laughed, said their respective good nights and then went into their rooms.
Squeak, squeak, squeak. Bill's eyes fluttered open and he made a heavy yawn. Rolling over to get comfortable he heard the sound again, several squeaks in rapid succession. He sat up, resting on his elbow and rubbed his hand over his head.
It was still dark outside. He reached over and started to click on the light-switch when he saw a faint glow coming from the base of the adjoining door. The young man turned his head and listened quietly. A blush crossed his face as he heard the various sounds emanating from the other room. Then the light went out.
For a few moments it was deathly quiet, then he heard a girl giggle, whispers, the main hallway door open and close again and the sounds of tiny feet rushing down the hallway. A few more moments passed and the sounds of light contented snoring could be heard in the other room. He fell back in his own bed and covered his head with the pillow.
Bill dragged himself out of bed and down to the lavatory to clean up. A hot bath, shave and into his uniform. He was surprised to see Alex already waiting for him at the stair landing. The older looked at his watch, and then gave it a tap. He smiled at his friend.
"Oh shut up," Bill said, huffing past him, throwing his night clothes into the room.
They went down for breakfast. The young hotel girl walked over and took their order. She smiled and blushed as she tried desperately to avoid eye-contact with either of them, especially Alexander. She nodded and went to the kitchen.
"So…..The one from the bus after all…or the one from the desk?" Willie asked.
The girl returned with their plates. William looked at his breakfast and took a deep breath. It all smelled wonderful. Then he glanced over at his friend's plate. Stacked with what amounted to almost three times the normal portion, Bill rested his elbow on the table edge, leaning his head against his hand and poked at his plate.
Alex smiled and lowered his eyes to his plate. He tried desperately to hide his laughter. Having a mouthful of food was his excuse not to answer and he chewed slowly and deliberately. Waverly took a sip of his coffee.
"Answered that question…" Bill said shoving a handful of bacon in his mouth.
Alexander began to choke on his food. The young girl suddenly appeared from the kitchen and quickly grabbed him. She gave Alex several hard hits between the shoulder blades and he began to breath normally again. She picked up his plate.
"Let me get you a new plate," she sighed.
Alex took her hand and gave it a soft kiss on the top.
"That won't be necessary, thank you," he said.
Alex saw his partner stand quickly and at ridged attention. He turned to see the Colonel Dickering standing in the doorway of the dining area. He made it to his feet, at attention and both men flashed a salute as the higher ranking officer came closer.
The Colonel returned their salute.
"Lieutenant Waverly, Ensign Del Floria, pleasure to met you both. If you've finished your breakfast…"
"Yes sir," Alex said, "We have."
All three men turned and walked out of the room. Thru the lobby and out the front door to a waiting car they went with great speed trying not to draw attention to themselves. The car pulled out as the three sat quietly in the back.
Alexander watched as the car zigzagged its way thru the London streets. He knew the city almost as well as a cab driver but he had to admit to himself that he as lost. The drive to headquarters had always been fairly straightforward and short. Where-ever they were going the driver was going around their elbows to get to their thumbs.
He looked over at Colonel Dickering. The man's expression told him something must have happened to cause this new route to headquarters.
Finally after nearly forty-five minutes and a drive that had nearly made them both nauseous, Alexander and William found themselves stopped outside of rather unassuming looking building. A few moments passed and the car moved into an alleyway between the building and the one next to it.
A light scrapping sound drew the two younger men's attention. They turned and looked back out the car window. A large stone wall had suddenly slid into place across the alley. They looked at one another and then at the man in the car with them.
"That's new," Alexander said low.
The statement only acknowledged with a nod from the Colonel.
The driver opened the door and all three men stepped out. Up the four granite steps, they walked through a large wood and iron door into the marble hallway. They both felt a surge of energy shoot thru them.
Dickering looked at Del Floria's expressions. He couldn't help but crack a slight smile. Alexander saw his friend's expression as well. He gave Bill a slap on the shoulder.
"Welcome to MI5, William," Alexander said.
Immediately they were surrounded, searched and once cleared led down to an area they could change their clothes.
Alexander walked over to the tall wooden cupboard and opened the door with his name on it. His suite hung neatly on the peg, pressed and ready. He quickly changed from the uniform to his regular clothes.
The suit supplied for Bill was not exactly the right fit but for the moment it would do. Anything was better than the army uniforms they had been wearing. They were wool, they itched and they were excessively hot. But the uniforms were just for deception.
Alexander took a deep breath, as though he were trying to breath in his surroundings. Bill soaked in every detail as they were led down another long marbled hallway to the main conference room. Several other agents passed them, giving them only light nods of acknowledgement but no-one said anything.
Bill saw his friend puff up a bit, then noticed two young women sitting behind a window at the switchboards in the radio room watching them. He shook his head and cleared his throat; bringing Alex back to the real world.
"This way gentlemen," Dickering said, motioning them into a room.
They walked in and found themselves with about twenty other young men all around the same age. They each took a place at the long tables. In front of each man was a stack of folders and several writing implements.
Dickering walked to the front of the room, facing them. Alexander Waverly took the seat next to him at the side. Bill Del Floria took the chair next to his friend.
"Be seated gentlemen."
They all quickly took their seats.
"Gentlemen…You have been selected from your various locations and "occupations"," here he made a slight smile. "To become part of an organization dedicated to the preservation of world peace. When MI5 was founded, shortly before the Great War, we had no idea how important a task we had been handed. In the years since, it has become obvious that our primary objective is no longer contained to the European community."
Dickering opened a small wall panel with a large map of the world laid out. Several areas were marked with red circles, some blue, some black depending on the level of threat they presented. Every hemisphere had some marking or another in it. Areas marked all the way from Iceland to Australia and from London to New York to Hong Kong.
"What started out to be a minor division of British Military Intelligence has now grown to a worldwide espionage combatant. This new section will be that global organization
"You gentlemen have been hand-picked because of your own unique talents. Many of you for your skills in Diplomacy, Intelligence, Science, Communications, Physical Arts and some for your leadership abilities and training in Psychology. A few of you are already aware of the new branch and have proven yourselves up to task of helping to get it going."
He looked over at Waverly. The younger man stood up, picked up his file and stepped to the head of the table. Dickering looked at him, then back at the others.
"This is Alexander Waverly," Dickering said, "One of our top field operatives. Three years with MI5 over one-hundred missions under his belt….."
Bill Del Floria felt as if his jaw had dropped open. So that was why Alex disappeared for awhile. Why his letters were always sparsely worded. He looked at his friend and Waverly kept his usual stone face behind which was a smile ready to explode.
"…..He has been selected to do the briefing having been one of the main forces behind the development of the new division. He will brief you all on the new division, and then explain the training procedure."
"Thank you Sir," Alex said, saluting.
Dickering returned the salute, turned and walked out of the room. Alex raised his fist to his mouth as one might to suppress a cough. Instead he clipped his thumb beneath his chin and his eyes on Bill, gave his chin a slight push upward. Del Floria closed his slightly opened mouth and smiled.
For a moment there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief when Dickering left. The men at the table turned towards Waverly. And the feeling quickly dissipated.
"Gentlemen, you have on the table before you, the preliminary rules, regulations and guidelines for this new branch. Study them, learn them by heart. There will be no deviation from these rules. Especially in the area of the innocent lives we will encounter in our new profession."
For nearly five hours, Alexander talked, listened, answered questions and laid out the initial concepts of the new branch. He explained that many of the men who had never had training in this field were in for a four month program that would make Army Service feel like a day in Kinder-care. That would be followed by additional training in their areas of expertise.
They would be subjected to every form of interrogation tactic known to man, and a few that were not common except amongst the enemy. He told them to look at the person next to them, the person who would be their right arm or the knife in their back. At the end of the training session of the twenty in the room less than half would become full field operatives or in the case of the new division the term Agent would be used.
Dickering watched through a two way mirror as the young man spoke clearly and forcefully to the new recruits. Alexander had impressed him from the start as a man of goals. Ambitious but not so much so that he lost sight of the importance the men under him represented. He would be a great leader, trainer and mentor to the men chosen. He was a presence that expected respect and earned it easily. A force of nature unlike anything Dickering had ever seen before.
Alexander Waverly was a force to be reckoned with.
"Now I see on the list we have representatives from Britain, France, Austria, Italy, Egypt, Brazil, America, Canada, Scotland, Japan, Sweden, Germany and India," he said reading his list, "Good for a start."
As each nation was mentioned the agent or agents from that country raised their hands in acknowledgement. Waverly nodded.
"And you all are multi-lingual?"
They all acknowledged with a yes.
"Very well gentlemen. For the next two days you will be sequestered here at headquarters, and then we will go to the training area to begin…"
A hand came up. Waverly acknowledged.
"Excuse me… But will the training be here in London?"
"Training will be in a secured location. At 0530 you will each be loaded into a truck and transported to the training area. That is all the information you will have. There will be taught courses and finally field training. Once training begins there will be limited communication except partner to partner."
There was a momentary silence as the men took the information in.
"Anyone who feels they are not capable of completing the training or will be unable to cope with the high level of secrecy involved, you may leave now."
There was a faint stirring but no-one budged. They looked at the man at the head of the table.
"Very well..Colonel Dickering and I will be speaking to each of you individually throughout the rest of today. A guard is waiting outside the door to escort you to your quarters…Dismissed."
The others stood up taking their folders and files with them. They moved to the door.
Bill Del Floria grabbed his folders as well and looked at Alex. His friend was busily closing his folder, notebook and other things he had used in the briefing.
"So you've had over one-hundred missions?"
Alexander smiled.
"One-hundred and twenty-six to be exact."
Bill let out a low impressed whisper.
"But tell me….How many of those were actually successful?" Bill said grinning.
Alex laughed.
Dickering walked back into the room. Both of the younger men snapped to attention.
"All one-hundred and twenty-six, Mr. Del Floria," the Colonel said fighting his smile, "Alexander, we may as well start with your friend here."
Bill's face temporarily flushed. He swallowed the knot that suddenly formed in his throat and tried to look as calm as possible.
The three men had a seat at the table. Waverly shuffled thru the folders and pulled Bill's file out, handing it to the Colonel. Alexander sat stone-faced across from him. Bill hated it when he did that.
"Now this is not part of the training. It is merely to assure that the information we have on you and the information you give us are the same. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir, Colonel Dickering," Bill said sharp and clear.
"William Lawrence Del Floria is your full name correct?"
"Yes sir."
"Born in Albany New York, Father's name Lawrence Henry Del Floria, deceased."
"Yes Sir."
"Tell me…How did a New York born young man become friends with someone born and raised here in the United Kingdom?"
"Our fathers were both pilots in the Great War. They flew with the Lafayette Escadrille. When they discovered they both had sons around the same age, they had us write to one another. Before my father left Europe at the end of the war, he had me flown over so we could meet."
Waverly remembered the day they met. He was seventeen, Bill was fifteen. But both boys hit it off splendidly. They found they much more in common then they had ever discussed in their writing and things developed from there.
When Alexander joined the National Service the following year, he continued to keep his friend posted and once Bill reached the age for military service, he volunteered for a test program in England. They ended up in the same outfit and had remained fast and faithful friends since. Watching out for one another no matter how bad things became.
Dickering talked and questioned him for almost two hours. He cross referenced many of his questions and was extremely pleased that the young man held his thoughts together and answered each question quickly, accurately and without breaking a sweat. The Colonel smiled.
"You and Waverly will be assigned as permanent partners. Of course he has the senior position. Is that a problem?"
Bill smiled.
"No sir…He's been bossing me around for years now...I'm use to it."
Dickering laughed and reached out his hand, giving Bill's a firm shake.
"Welcome aboard young man," Dickering said.
"Thank you sir."
"The guard will escort you down to the changing room so you may get into your uniform. Then someone will drive you back to the hotel."
Bill saluted. Both the other men returned the salute. He turned and walked towards the door.
"Save me a place at dinner," Waverly said causally smiling.
Bill gave him the thumbs up and walked out the door.
"Amiable chap, isn't he?" Dickering said.
"Yes sir, Colonel Dickering…And one of the few men I would trust with my life."
Dickering raised an eyebrow and looked at his young Agent. He could see the sincerity in Alexander's face. These two were great friends and that would make them an even better team.
The interviews went on throughout the day. Waverly could tell who would make it and who wouldn't just by listening to the answers and how steady the interviewee held his voice. Some were confident, some overly confident. Those would be the problem. There was no room for arrogance in this business.
They made it through the first half of recruits when Dickering looked at his watch.
"We may as well call it a day," he said, "Any thoughts so far, Agent Waverly?"
Alexander had sorted the folders into two piles and one folder was alone. He picked it up and handed it to the Colonel. Dickering looked at it and nodded.
"Sharp instincts, Alexander," he said, "I'm a bit worried about this one myself. He has all the training to excel in this field, but his ego is almost as big as he is."
"Yes sir, my thoughts exactly," Waverly said, "His credentials are great…But if he can't control his obsession with wanting to be first AND last, he'll die on his first assignment, as well as his partner."
"I agree…We will let him begin training, but if anything seems to be going amiss, he'll be pulled immediately."
"Yes sir."
Colonel Dickering dropped the folder on the maybe pile. He looked down once more at the name.
Hario Gustavo Beldon.
Waverly stood up and saluted his superior. He turned and headed towards the door.
"Oh yes and one more thing Alexander…"
The young man stopped as the Colonel walked up next to him.
"I am aware of the fact that four months in training is a long time. And I have no doubts in your abilities to lead and train these new men..But I do have concerns for your "personal well-being".."
The two men stood looking in the large mirror. Dickering reached over and pushed Alex's shirt collar down a bit, revealing two large bites on the side of his neck just below his collar, obviously made by human teeth.
"Have the Infirmary look at your...ah hum…"Battle wound" before you leave. And I suggest no more field maneuvers until training is over…Am I making myself clear?"
"Quite clear, Colonel….It won't happen again…"
The Colonel smiled, gave him a pat on the shoulder, then a gentle push to the door.
He remembered being young once himself.
But Alexander Garrett Waverly had to stay focused on his task at hand.
In two days they would be leaving for parts unknown to begin training.
Training for the greatest peace keeping organization the world would ever know.