Yes or No Please
Mrs. Emma Peel stood in her apartment facing the front door and holding a compact open with mirror out. She quickly whirled in a 180 and flung a dart across the room, where it landed in a target cutout of Joseph Stalin where his would have been if he had one.
"Nice to see I could do it again if I had to" Emma said with a smirk as she studied her accuracy up close. Behind her there was a single knock on her door. She turned around in time to see a card slide into the room from beneath the door. She crossed the room and picked up the card. It read "Mrs. Peel, we're needed!" in fancy script. She smiled and opened the door. "Steed, I..."
There was no one there, or even down the hallway for that matter. Closing the door, she looked at the card again and turned it over. There was an address given and a time slightly over one hour from the time on her clock. "So that's the way we play it today, is it?" She immediately began to get ready to leave.
Fifty minutes later, she pulled up alongside the curb across the street and a few doors down from the address on the card. From her convertible she looked around at the surrounding buildings, most of which were several stories tall. The ground level contained a mix of small shops and large stores. As her gaze swept around she saw John Steed sitting on a bench not 15 feet from her parking spot. She got out and joined him.
"Ah, Mrs. Peel" Steed said as he stood. "Thank you for inviting me out on this lovely day, although i have to admit I'm curious just why I'm needed."
"Me?" Emma responded. "I didn't invite you; I got this at home." She produced her card and showed it to Steed. He in turn reached into a pocket and produced its mate, except his name replaced 'Mrs. Peel' in script.
"It seems as though we're needed" decided Steed. "Perhaps that gentleman is needed too." A well-dressed man in a suit who was walking along the pavement stopped in front of the door marked with the address on the card. He turned the knob and entered.
"Or he is the one that needs us" suggested Emma. "Shall we find out?"
"Let's."
They both waited for a few cars to pass and crossed the street before walking up to the door. As Steed reached for the door he heard a faint buzzing sound and a faint click. He turned the knob and opened the door, which swung out. "After you" he said as he gestured inside with a sweep of his hand.
"Thank you sir" Emma said with exaggerated approval as she stepped inside. Steed surveyed the windows across the street and thought he saw a figure duck behind a curtain. He stepped through as well and closed the door behind him to a loud 'click'.
As he stepped inside Emma immediately held him back from going any further. The room was painted all in white, although most of the floor was missing except for the portion on which they stood that created a strip three feet wide from the left side of the room to the right. On either side of the room was a long shelf that extended over the chasm to the far wall. On the left, four black bowler hats were set at regular intervals. On the right four matching black purses were set at similar intervals. On the far wall was a closed door with a shelf beside it that held a box. On their section of floor was a small table with another box with a lid that read 'Steed and Peel'.
There was no sign of the man that had entered before them.
Emma nodded at the box and Steel used his umbrella to lift off the top. He looked inside and found a note which he removed and read out loud:
Mr. Steed and Mrs Peel, you are needed!
Prove you are up to the challenge by solving a mystery. Ask questions that can be answered 'yes' or 'no' and your item will reveal the answer. If the question isn't important or can't be answered with those two choices then you must ask another question. Please note you have a limited number of chances to solve the problem. Fail and you will be allowed to leave without finding out who summoned you. The mystery is this: a man ran down a hallway and disappeared through a doorway into a room. A second man chasing him entered the room when the first man didn't exit and found him gone. What happened?
Emma tried the door and found it locked. "It would seem we are about to play a game."
"Indeed" Steed agreed. "Shall I take the purses?"
Emma gave him a mocking look and walked over to the first purse while Steed walked over to the first hat. "Is this the room in the mystery?" She opened the purse and pulled out a card that read "No".
Steed addressed the hat. "Did the first man actually enter the room or did it just appear that he did?" He lifted the hat to reveal a card that said "Ask again".
"Your question had two parts Steed; simplify it" Emma suggested.
Steed replaced the bowler and cleared his throat. "Did the first man actually enter the room?" He lifted the hat again and a different card lay underneath with "Yes" written on it. Immediately the next section of floor slid out from the side allowing them to access the next pair of items. Steed put the first hat down and lifted it again; there was nothing underneath. "That's our limit of chances; one valid question per item" he said.
They both moved on to the next section of floor. "Are there any other exits to the room where the man disappeared?" Emma asked. Her card told her no.
"Did the second man lose sight of the doorway at any time?" His card said no as well. The next section of floor emerged and they moved to it.
"Was the first man's appearance changed in any way after he entered the room?" Steed asked. The answer was no.
"Why did you ask that Steed?" Emma inquired.
"I wanted to discount him being shrunk, incinerated or turned invisible" Steed said. He shrugged his shoulders. "It's happened before."
"Did the second man enter the same room as the first man?" Emma asked. Her card told her yes. The next section slid out, lengthening the room once again. They moved on to the next pair.
Steed stepped up to the hat and lifted it. Underneath the card read "Follow the rules, ask a question first". He quickly put the hat down.
"Cheeky accessory" he said before continuing. After thinking a moment, he remembered another adventure Mrs. Peel had been involved in before. "Did the room move while the first man was in it?" Steed lifted the hat again and the card now read yes.
Emma smiled. She asked her purse "Were there any buttons on the wall just outside of the room?" The purse's card answered yes. The final floor segment appeared like the others and they were now able to walk to the door on the far wall with the shelf and box beside it. There were no buttons on the wall, but a place to insert a key. The box's lid said "The answer is..."
Steed looked at Emma for approval and she nodded. He addressed the box this time. "Did the first man disappear into an elevator and go to another floor?" He lifted the lid and inside was a key which he removed.
"I always knew you had something useful under those hats of yours" Emma said with a wry smile.
"And you, Mrs. Peel, find more than just a gun inside your purse occasionally it would seem" retorted Steed. He inserted the key in the keyhole beside the door and it slid away to reveal an elevator. Inside stood a man in a lab coat, glasses and a stopwatch.
"Excellent work Mr. Steed and Mrs. Peel. I'm impressed with your teamwork and you certainly live up to your reputation" the man said.
"Unless I miss my guess Mrs. Peel, this is Professor Jeffrey Clyde-Hopper. He's one of our fellow assets from British Intelligence although we've never actually met" Steed deduced.
"Quite" said the Professor as he extended his hand. "I could have summoned you in the normal manner but I wanted to wanted to try some of our new technology. If you'll join me on a trip to my lab below?" He gestured at the inside wall of the elevator that had only one button. "It may not be as quick as walking where the floor isn't, but it does make for a bit more comfortable landing."
"Steed, do you ever get a sinking feeling before a mission?" Emma asked.
"No, but I always felt that if i was going to go down" Steed answered "I'd prefer to do it with you." They both entered the elevator and the door closed.
The End
A/N: I always enjoyed watching The Avengers for as long as I can remember, although I've only watched the Diana Rigg years. I caught a minute or two of an Honor Blackman episode once and the look was entirely different with the early video vs. film format. But the main thing I remember most about the shows I did watch was the innuendo and wordplay between the two in a show occasionally referred to as "spy-fi". It seemed to me the pair should be able to handle a Story with a Hole fairly well so I gave them one.