author's note: The stories "Last Goodbye" and "The East Berlin Affair" give a brief introduction to the character Eric Lerhner...though this story can be read independently from the others...
lllya Kuryakin sat in the one of the several conference rooms located in the New York headquarters of U.N.C.L.E. with grids of the city and numerous maps spread out before him like pieces to a giant jigsaw puzzle...but at this point not all of the pieces quite fit together the way he had hoped they would.
He had an overhead projector displaying a transparency against the wall showing the city streets, on top of that he placed another one displaying a route from JFK airport to as it snaked through the city...highlighted in yellow, then he added other transparencies showing four more routes in blue, orange, purple and green as well as emergency routes noted in red. Noted along the way were the locations of security teams and cameras positioned at strategic points along the way.
He stared at it for a few minutes, removed his reading glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes, then massaged his shoulder absentmindedly.
He was no longer wearing a sling from when he had injured it on his mission to Athens Greece but would admit to no one that the injury still bothered him a bit even though he had sucessfully completed his physical therapy...but then again a lot of his "old" injuries pained him, especially when the weather turned bad.
He walked over to the window looking out to the street below watching the figures of people walking quickly huddled under their umbrellas to escape the torrential rains that had fallen for most of the day. The wind was gusting wildly through the city streets, making them like wind-tunnels, sending umbrellas flying and littering the sidewalks with their skeletal remains as they were abandoned by their owners.
Illya sighed thinking that this current assignment was possibly one of the most stress-filled tasks in his entire tenure at U.N.C.L.E... coordinating the security for not just the yearly summit for the five section-one heads but also for a conference for the chiefs of section two, three and five from Caracas, Nairobi, New Dehli, Berlin and New York...including assistants, clerical, personal security as lead agents from field offices around the globe would be in attendance as well.
Carlo Farenti had already been replaced by Harry Beldon and now Miguel Ferrera of the Caracas headquarters would be turning over the reigns to a yet unnamed replacement, as his CEA was considered too young for the position...so there was actually a sixth travel and security concern for Kuryakin to contend with as well...no one but the section chiefs knew who the mystery man was.
This year's gathering would be held at a public venue at the Plaza Hotel located at 5th Avenue and 59th Street...not that far from headquarters. Given the volume of attendees at this years conference there were simply too large a number of visitors to accommodate at the New York office, the hotel was the next logical choice for the event given it's proximity to headquarters.
Besides the section heads, members of the legal, accounting and propaganda divisions would be crawling out from behind their desks in their offices above "The Mask Club"...peering over people's shoulders and taking copious notes and asking a lot of questions. The cover story being used was they would be a group of insurance salespeople attending a convention at the Plaza, as there were other guests staying at the hotel as well. Creating another security nightmare for the Russian as all of his teams had to be undercover, blending with the staff and guests in order to remain invisible.
Accounting was already breathing down Waverly's neck about cost over-runs and of course those concerns were pouring down like the rain outside from him to Kuryakin.
The "Old Man" was quite perturbed about the increasing interference of accounting and was overheard complaining that "they were taking over the organization..that we are all at the mercy of damnable book keepers!"
Illya being the perfectionist as always was working twelve to fourteen hour shifts, regrettably foregoing even a brief honeymoon to Ireland...sending Elliott and Demya off without him, as the demands of the summit took precedence...there was no consideration to the fact that the Kuryakins were newlyweds...they both accepted the job had the priority over their lives and managed the best they could. Though they were both gone from home often, Illya and Elliott gave Demya their constant attention reassuring the child how much he was loved by both of them. He handled their absences well as that simply being a normal thing...the terrible twos subsided and now the boy became more interesting to his parents as he was grasping surprising concepts and becoming quite conversational for a twenty six month old child.
The Kuryakins discovered that Alexander Waverly had apparently overstepped certain boundaries in allowing their marriage to take place without any repercussion. Illya wasn't sure what this all meant...he and his wife's resignation from section two could still come to pass after all if section one challenged Waverly's decision.
All the more reason for his security plans for the Summit to be flawless...he had to prove his value yet again to section two as well as to U.N.C.L.E. hoping that this would help sway their decision as to his and Elliott's status as field agents.
Illya stepped back to the table looking at his maps again... was not fully satisfied with his plans as he reviewed the diagrams and security details again...there was something missing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was...though staring at it right now was was not going to give him the answer.
He'd lost count time how many times he had gone back scouring over everything ...reviewing each travel route from Kennedy Airport to the Plaza... alternate routes as well as the placement of security along each of them...noting the potential danger zones, having escape routes mapped out. Yet that feeling still ate at him...what was it?
He abandoned the maps and reviewed the security details for the hotel itself...that at least seemed fine. Perhaps he was over-tired and worried too much, letting a bit of paranoia get the better of him, as he was ever the fatalist.
He pulled the floor plans, jotting down some notes to add several more guards disguised as hotel workers in a few in a few of the corridors as well as near the lobby...all the entrances and the roof were covered. The hotel entrance at the southern portion of the Grand Army plaza would be the point of entry for the arriving chiefs...the section in front of the hotel by the Pulitzer fountain called "The Abundance"...a statue styled after the Roman goddess of orchards would act as a natural barrier covering the entryway as the cars approached. The north side of the Grand Army plaza and well as the Scholars gate would be covered with additional external security along the carriage drive near the Central Park side of the hotel itself.
At the end of the conference there was to be a banquet in the grand ballroom for all in attendance and that of course required external security...inside the individual teams accompanying the chiefs would be in position. It was here that the new head of section one in Caracas would be announced.
Once the banquet was over, then security to be reversed as everyone left from the hotel to the airport for their return trip...no overnight stays at the Plaza... that having been forbidden by accounting.
Illya yawned, tired both physically and mentally of looking at everything at this point and decided it was over-kill...he would look at it all again in the morning.
At least he did not have to concern himself over the security for a similar conference being held in Washington D.C. with the heads of sections three, four and five, running concurrently with the one in New York. Jules Cutter and his people were tasked with coordinating security for that event.
Illya wondered why the powers that be had decided to run them both at the same time, as agents from every possible office were being called in to cover security for both events, essentially reducing their numbers in the field to bare bones minimum. When he discovered that it was apparently accounting's idea to have the meetings take place at the same time, in the two location eliminating travel expenditures at peak travel times and so forth...none of this made sense to him.
It cost money to fly people around the globe irregardless of whether it was at the same time or at different ones...but when he had heard the phrase "group discount"...he just shook his head wondering what had become of the spy game? Waverly was right...these "desk jockeys" had no clue as to the problems they were creating all in the name of saving money. Granted the U.N.C.L.E. coffers were not boundless and the organization depended upon the financial backing of it's member nations...but there were times that seizures from the rival organization of T.H.R.U.S.H helped balance the books as well.
Cost over-runs, expenditures for travel, private jets...the cost of fuel were all being thrown at him by the accounting department when he would discuss his proposals...much to his frustration as he tried to organize and coordinate this ridiculous undertaking in his opinion.
And to add to his stress level; Illya had to spent Wednesday afternoon dealing with the insufferable Eric Lehrner the CEA from the Berlin headquarters. Lehrner had not changed one iota from their days at survival school where the man created a rivalry in his mind between he and the Russian. He was an annoyance to Illya back then and he was now again as Kuryakin had recent issues dealing with him on a mission to East Berlin the last time he and Napoleon had been sent there.
Lerhner held a grudge against Illya that never seemed to go away...jealous of every aspect of the Russian's career with U.N.C.L.E. especially the fact that he was assistant CEA in the New York office...giving him the status of the second highest ranking agent in the entire organization. Eric had even hinted at wanting to replace him as assistant to Napoleon.
Eric Lerhner being his usual self-centered self, had arrived early. He was in charge of the security detail for Harry Beldon but instead of arriving with the other chief enforcement agents on Friday; he showed up in New York two days early; tormenting the Kuryakin with endless questions about the arrangements for the conference.
"Eric...I do not wish to go over this twice. Please wait until your CEA briefing convenes on Friday?"
"How typical of you Kuryakin...got yourself in a place of power on this one and like always you take your superior attitude and laude it over me treating me like an underling!" Lehrner snapped at him.
Illya exhaled deeply trying to restrain himself...this was not the time nor the place for an argument with the egotistical German.
"Alright...alright!" Illya answered, deciding it was better just go over the plans with him and get Eric out of his hair.
"I will only go over the details of the Plaza with you...the routes through the city are known only to me and my team and will be given to the lead drivers for each of the Continental Chiefs at their time of arrival at the airport and not before. There will be no discussion what so ever on this aspect of the event... so do not even ask me. Am I clear Eric?"
Lehrner flared his nostrils grunting at him. Then Illya pulled the floor plans for the hotel and began going over the assigned positions for the security details...what he did not tell Eric was the fact that surveylance cameras had been installed in strategic locations around the hotel at the entrances, lobby, main ballroom and the rear and kitchen entrances. Only the security detail that Illya had assembled from New York was aware of this detail and it would stay that way.
Lehrner argued everything with him, challenging every location as well as the number of agents stationed throughout the hotel...insisting that there should be more coverage outside than inside the hotel. Eric argued vehemently even over the entry of the section one chiefs to the ballroom. There was a"pecking order" to be followed as to which Continental Chief would enter the banquet hall...Waverly being the most senior would enter last, however Lehrner insisted that Harry Beldon be the last to enter.
Illya knowing the flamboyant Beldon all too well guessed that Harry wanted to make a dramatic entrance to garner as much attention possible to himself as usual. But he would hear nothing of it; each chief had a specific arrival time and order of arrival and that would be followed to the letter.
Eric was unable to sway him on that point and finally left in a huff...Illya chiding himself for not realizing the fact that had he had pissed Lehrner off sooner; then he would have gotten rid of him faster!
As always, Illya went where he was told and did as he was told by Alexander Waverly...and right now that meant sitting in headquarters working out all the logistics of of moving so many people throughout the city as safely and anonymously to and from the hotel. Every available agent would be brought in to cover the travel routes, the alternate routes, as well as the hotel itself a...leaving coverage in many field offices to bar bones minimum. This made Kuryakin quite nervous...if THRUSH ever got wind of this, it could spell trouble.
It was planned that each chief enforcement agent from the five main headquarters of the organization would head the team of personal bodyguards to their Chief, controlling those individual security concerns...so that eliminated Napoleon from helping the Russian with his monumental task. Solo had his own issues to deal with not only being tasked with Alexander Waverly's safety but he would be chairing the section two meeting of the chief enforcement agents as well...policy making decisions would be addressed and made in the section one meeting and Napoleon would be briefed on those changes in order to pass them along at his own briefing.
Solo walked into the conference room joining his partner once he arrived at headquarters bearing coffee, strong and black. Illya had been practically living on caffeine lately as he had been burning the proverbial candle at both ends...they both had been doing so for the past few weeks...but the Russian even more so.
"Illya accepted the coffee from Napoleon with a grateful nod.
"So when are you going to call it quits for the night?" Napoleon asked noting the time on his watch was nearing midnight.
"Now I think," Illya yawned as he put his glasses into his eyeglass case.
"Care to hit the commissary with me? I haven't eaten much of anything all day and I'm famished...I don't know about you but I will be glad when this is all over with?"
"As will I my friend. We are being put into a dangerous position with much of our on-going field operations...and it is making me nervous." the Russian answered.
"I'm trying not to think about at this point...we can't control it, so what is the point in worrying about it?" Napoleon said.
"Now let's go eat while the commissary still has decent food..."
Illya chuckled..." I hear that Charlie is coming out of retirement to sub for Tillie while she is on maternity leave?"
"Eww...I think that's when I'll start my diet," Napoleon smiled," I've put on a couple of pounds...gotta get rid of them, after all I have an image to maintain," he laughed patting his gut.
"Sorry, I do not have such a problem" the irordinantly thin Russian smiled. "Elliott is a wonderful cook and she always makes sure there is plenty for extra helpings" he smiled patting his own stomach." High metabolism," he boasted to his partner.
"Well one day that high metabolism is going to slow down and turn on you!" Napoleon warned jokingly.
"As I told Elliott once...I will be fat when I am a grandfather, and bouncing grandchildren on my knee!"
"Hey from your mouth to God's ear!" Napoleon smiled," now enough talk, can we go eat please?" He suddenly realized something was odd..."you know, you're always the one saying that, not me!"
"Truthfully Napoleon, I have not had much of an appetite lately...I have had too much on my mind...I will be glad when we can get back to being shot at in the field...at least there is no one from accounting looking over our shoulders..."
"Well at least when the summit is over, your dealings with them will be done...I have to hear the accounting reports with Waverly every Monday morning and I swear they're becoming more demanding than ever."
Next thing you know we won't even be allowed hotel rooms on missions and have to sleep in the streets...
"So?" smiled Illya.
"Fine...you sleep curbside, I prefer a bed!"
"So when you retire as chief enforcement agent...this is what I have to look forward to enh?"
"I'm afraid so tovarisch."
"Then I may rethink going back to R&D." Illya laughed.
"Yeah right..."
Illya did not say it out loud but if section one decided that two field agents being married...his trip back to the lab was a definite possibility.
Illya nodded soberly as he gathered his files, securing them into a locked cabinet then headed to the commissary with his parter.
Tillie had gone for the evening and the lights were dim...so Napoleon and Illya slipped back into the kitchen raiding the refrigerator for some sandwiches...and making a small pot of coffee. They sat in the shadows at one of the tables undisturbed as they munched on tuna fish on rye and drank their coffee.
Napoleon crinkled his nose as he tasted the coffee," Not as good as Tillie makes."
"Good enough," Illya answered the caffeine was not working as he started to feel sleepy.
"So then, how goes the security arrangements...you nearly ready?"
"I have no choice but to be ready, that is why I am working so late; I unfortunately had to deal with Eric Lehrner today."
"I heard the little prick was here early...you two didn't have a fight again did you...I remember that last time in Germany..."
"You will be very pleased to know that I behaved myself and did not punch him in the nose," Illya laughed, "though I wanted to do so very much."
"Good for you...though I wouldn't have blamed you if you did haul off and give it to him." Napoleon said as he swallowed the last of the coffee, he can test anyone's patience. It's no wonder he and Beldon make a perfect pair...they're both pains in the neck." He pushed his coffee cup aside, yawning himself.
They cleaned up...Illya opting to go home to sleep in own bed instead of staying at guest quarters. He had surrounded himself with U.N.C.L.E. too much for the past few days, perhaps getting out of the environment would allow his head to clear and help him figure out what was gnawing at him as to what was wrong with his plans?"
Illya left headquarters arriving home near one in the morning, unlocking the door and automatically resetting the alarm; he walked into the empty apartment.
He dropped his keys on the table when suddenly he noticed one of the chairs pulled out from it. He had not left it that way when he had been home last...drawing his special from it's holster; he was instantly on alert for any presence in the apartment.
He moved slowly, cat-like, making no sound as he checked the kitchen, the bath, even the closet...then lastly the bedroom.
"It's about time...I was getting tired of waiting?" a familiar voice spoke to him quietly in the darkness.
He breathed a sigh of relief, "Elliott why did you not tell me you were coming home early?"
"I wanted to surprise ye... it was no fun in Ireland without ye though Demmy had a grand time... I knew ye'd be working hard and knowing ye...too hard." she said as she turned on the bedroom lamp. Elliott tucked her special back under the pillow, turning to reveal herself dressed in a very flimsy black lace neglegée. "so I thought I'd come home early to take yer mind off things for a wee bit..."
"MMmmm...well hello Mrs. Kuryakin," Illya smiled, admiring her attire. Tucking his gun to it's holster he walked straight to her, pulling his wife into his arms, giving her a passionate kiss.
"Had I known you were here, I would have come home earlier...I missed you."
"What and ruin my surprise...do ye like it?"
"Of course...very alluring, but I like what is underneath it better...he glanced across into his son's crib, finding it empty."
"He's with Mrs. Orloff tonight darlin'" she whispered.
"Ah a conspiracy is afoot..." he smiled as he rolled over her onto his back, beside Elliott on the the bed. She un buttoned his shirt slowly, kissing his chest, teasing him with her tongue and , running her finger gently around his face, neck and chest, until Elliott suddenly realized he was snoring...
"Damn...feckin' honeymoon's over before it even started," she muttered, as she pulled off his shoes then covered him with the blanket not bothering to take off his clothes. She then closed the light, wrapped herself up cuddling next to him for some body heat and went to sleep not angry but just disappointed.
Illya woke early, downhearted that Demya was not there...but no matter, he would spend time with his son after the conference was over, hoping to convince Waverly to allow them to finally go a way on a honeymoon.
Though Illya was of a mind to reach over and make love to his wife, he simply did not have the energy, not after only a few hours sleep... instead he got up, going to the kitchen; he made light breakfast of toasted bagels and tea, which they ate in bed. As they lay there he apologized to his wife, embarrassed at his lack of enthusiam at her surprise.
"Annushka, I am sorry about falling asleep on you last night, "he said to her sheepishly,"I was more tired than I thought.
"S'all right...so my randy Russian has left the building for a while. Ye will be back after all this is done...ye have a lot on yer mind. And I know ye...obsessing about every little detail now aren't ye?"
"You know me too well," he said leaning over giving her a kiss on the cheek, " I promise you this, after it is all over I am going to get stinking drunk and have my way with you woman!"
"That my love is a promise I will hold ye to?" she laughed.
He got out of bed heading to the shower, taking his time as he let the steaming hot water cascade down on his shoulder until it felt loose. Elliott climbed in with him not to get frisky, but to make sure she had a shower as well as Illya had a tendency to use all the hot water on her.
It was one of his indulgences that he truly permitted himself, having had to take cold showers and baths most of his adult life back in Russia and Elliott had learned to deal with it.
He left her in the shower and dressed for his return to headquarters.
"I will see you there later?," he said giving her a quick kiss goodbye as she stepped out wrapping a bath towel around herself "
"We can go over your assignment ...you are to be in charge of communications with the security teams along the travel routes."
"Ye know what...I have one day left of my time off and I'm going ta put it to good use...there's no need for me to come in early and disrupt your schedule...ye can brief me on Friday with the rest of the team..."
"Spacibo moya angel.." He kissed her goodbye heading out to his cab that waited for him in the dark...it was still raining.
Illya arrived early at headquarters, being greeted by Wanda at the reception desk as usual, handing him his badge.
"Good morning Heather." he smiled at her, though looking very tired.
"God Illya it's six-thirty in the morning...awfully early isn't it, even for you?"
"Too much to do my dear...could you please ask Napoleon to join me in the senior agent conference room when he arrives...unless of course Mr. Waverly requires his presence?"
"Sure Illya, will do? How is your wife and that little boy of yours?"
"Fine...thank you for asking."
Heather was impressed, since the Russian had gotten married, his manners had improved greatly and he seemed to have a good affect on his wife, calming that crazy temper of hers. The staff at headquarters adored Demya and it was a rare treat that their parents brought him into headquarters.
Morning pleasantries dispensed with, Kuryakin disappeared through the door heading straight to his office for his paperwork and then to the conference room. Today he needed to finalize his notes for the CEA briefing for the next morning. That at least would be fairly simple, discussing the pickup arrangements and reviewing the the personal security details that each of the Continental Chief would be travelling with. Teams from the New York office would meet the each Chief and their entourage at the airport, their own CEA supervising the trip from JFK to the Plaza.
Waverly would need to send him some of the newest agents to help with the operations...one of the discussions at the conference would cover the issue of Jules Cutter...there were a number of candidates that washed out of Survival School due to some of his ridiculously stubborn tactics. His aversion to female candidates was becoming problematic and U.N.C.L.E. was looking at the candidates that Cutter had failed, questioning his stringent standards. Times were changing and Jules Cutter, though "old school" had to change as well.
There would be another discussion for topic for discussion tabled at the meeting with Waverly and the four other chiefs...the Kuryakin's marital status.
The had been been permitted to marry by Waverly even thought the general policy of the organization had been against it for field agents...feeling there was no place for marriage and families in the world of espionage as it created greater safety risks for all involved.
Waverly's decision to permit the wedding could potentially be challenged by the other heads of section one creating the possibility that Illya and Elliott's position in section two could be could be disputed. They had both been ready to resign and transfer to other sections...but now Illya was not so sure he wanted to do that any longer.
Kuryakin's assignment to oversee the conference was not only a professional challenge to him, but a personal one as well... again he found himself having to prove his worth to U.N.C.L.E. but this time it was for personal as well as professional reasons.
He and Elliott's careers as field agents were in a precarious position and he hoped that Waverly would be able to sway the other continental chiefs in seeing their way to agree to the policy change as to the marital status of agents. For once in Illya's life he wanted to have his cake and to eat it too...he no longer considered resigning from section two as a viable option. He wanted to stay in section two...although he would not mind if his wife was not. They had this discussion previously and Elliott won, deciding that she too wanted to remain a field agent.
Kuryakin and his wife both knew that they were essentially "guinea pigs" for Waverly in his experiment to see if agents could function without issue while at the same time have a family... but in reality it was very too soon and only only time would truly tell if it would truly work.