Mr. Waverly sat quietly sucking on his unlit pipe as he listened to Miss Rogers' proposal. He had called his CEA into this meeting as what Miss Rogers was suggesting impacted Section II and he wanted to hear his thoughts about it.
"So you see, Sir and Napo…Mister Solo, I think training a few highly motivated support staff to conduct surveillance in suspected THRUSH or other alleged criminal hangouts could and would prove beneficial to UNCLE North America." She sat down and took a sip of water from her glass to calm her nerves. She was proud that her hand held the glass without shaking; she was surprised how nervous she had been to broach the subject with the man she worked closely with on a daily basis. In many ways, she was the closest person to the Old Man and many considered her to be his "Work Wife."
He placed his pipe in his ashtray before looking to Napoleon, who for once, was sitting to his immediate right. "What is your opinion, Mr. Solo? You saw support staff doing what Miss Rogers is suggesting during 'The King of Knaves Affair.'"
Napoleon cleared his throat and sat forward. "Ah, yes, I did. Venetia has brought useful information back to the Rome office and Gemma was quite competent in the role of Illya's wife. They both have proven useful in the field; however, Rome is a fairly small office. It's a good thing for them to have staff that is versatile. But UNCLE Europe's main office and HQ here, I think we have enough II's and III's to do what needs to be done in terms of fieldwork."
"I tend to agree, Mr. Solo. Miss Rogers, I don't wish to dismiss your suggestion out of hand, but I believe Mr. Solo is correct. We do not need support staff to go out in the field." He watched at Miss Rogers' shoulders slumped in defeat. "What I will say is: If you wish, I will poll the North American field offices to see if any of the Directors would like their support staff trained for some level of field work." In response to the smile on her face he said, "I never said it was a bad idea, Miss Rogers. I simply said it was not appropriate for the New York office."
"Thank you, Sir!" she gushed as she stood to leave. "I promise you that any training I schedule will not interfere with my duties I perform for you."
"I have no doubt." He picked up his pipe and pulled a book of matches from his jacket pocket, knowing that his assistant and CEA would leave before the tobacco was lit and released its fumes into the air.
When Lisa and Napoleon stepped back into her office and the door to the Old Man's office had slid shut, Napoleon opined, "It's a good idea, Lisa and you're the perfect person to do it. After all, you graduated from Survival School and trained the support staff in weapons use.* I look forward to your success. I'll see you later."
He walked into his office to find his partner, as usual, with his nose in a physics magazine. The blond looked up, glasses balanced on the tip of his nose, and asked, "How did your meeting go with Lisa and Mr. Waverly?"
"Pretty good, pretty good. Lisa wants to train some of the secretaries to do surveillance work like they do in the Rome office. Waverly okayed it for the field offices, but not here."
"I see. So, if a secretary here wants to do it, she will have to switch places with a secretary in a field office who does not wish to do it. "
"I hadn't thought about it that far, but yeah, I guess so." Napoleon looked at his reflection is the small mirror and adjusted his tie. "That could mean a lot of new faces around here. I hope the idea catches on, that would be a very nice thing to have happen."
"Only you would look at a policy change as a way to meet new women."
"Well, Tovarisch, to quote President Theodore Roosevelt: 'It is not often that a man can make opportunities for himself. But he can put himself in such shape that when or if the opportunities come he is ready.'"
"I'm impressed that you can quote any President, but what does what he said have to do with this situation?"
Napoleon sat at his desk and pulled out agents' reports to read and review. "It means if and when these fresh faces begin to show up, I'll be ready to introduce myself."
"As long as you do not ask me for a loan to take anyone out, you can be as ready as you like. Crazy Amerikanski."
*ref. my "Dinner and a Tale: Lisa Rogers"