Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by
You know how I feel…
The little boy felt like he was soaring in a cloudless, blue sky of infinite possibilities every time he opened his books to study. He loved learning, every aspect of learning. The memorization of facts, the reading of lessons, the teacher lecturing and writing examples on the blackboard. He felt a quiet joy and a sense of fulfillment when he answered questions correctly.
The other boys, his classmates, didn't share his enthusiasm about school. They did their work as best they could and some were quite smart (no one wanted to return to the orphanages), but Illya was far and away the most dedicated student in his class and therefore, consistently garnered the highest scores on any test he took.
It didn't take his teachers long to label him as "gifted." He kept getting placed in more advanced classes and everytime it was thought that he had reached the height of his abilities, he excelled even more. One day, he was called to the headmaster's office and when he arrived, he was met by several men, some in uniform and others in suits.
The headmaster said to him, "Illya, these men are here because they have heard of your intellectual achievements. They have brought their own tests for you to take. Do your best." He pointed to a desk and chair in the corner. "Sit." When he did he was told, "Do not fail me. What you do here will determine your future."
He didn't remember how long he had sat there methodically working out math problems, answering questions about the sciences and Russian history. When he finished the last page of the exam, he was told to wait outside in the hall until he was called. Finally, he was called back inside. One of the uniformed men spoke. "You did extremely well, young man. You will serve Mother Russia. You will finish your secondary education and then you will be enlisted in the Navy. If you continue to serve well, you will continue your education when you complete your service."
Thirteen year old Illya smiled. "Thank you, Sir. I will make Mother Russia proud."
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good
Illya completed his secondary education when he was seventeen years of age and he enlisted into the Russian Navy where he was assigned to the Submarine corps. It wasn't always easy, but he served with honor and when he was discharged, he was immediately conscripted into the service of the GRU. He received an agent's training and actually was sent out on missions before he was called into headquarters. He still remembered that day. He was shocked to recognize the man in uniform as the same man who had told him years earlier that he would serve the Motherland. "Agent Kuryakin," he had said, "it is time for you to further your education. Next week, you will attend the Sorbonne in Paris to study Physics."
Twenty – three year old Illya smiled. "Thank you, Sir. I will make Mother Russia proud."
Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom on the tree
You know how I feel
Paris proved to be a revelation. It did not matter that he had handlers and a stipend so small that he had to be creative in order to have enough to eat every week. He was in Paris! At the Sorbonne. Surrounded by and being educated by some of the brightest minds in Europe, maybe even, the world. That little seven year old boy plucked out of the orphanage could never have imagined being here. He had hoped for more; this was more than he had ever hoped for.
He threw himself into his studies and it was discovered that he had a flair for quantum physics. While he was finishing up his degrees in Paris, the Powers that Be back in Moscow decided he would be more useful in the KGB. Those same powers decided that he should attend Oxford to earn his PhD. When he was told about his new assignment the twenty – six year old smiled and said, "Thank you, Sir. I will make Mother Russia proud."
Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
For me
"Agent Kuryakin."
"Sir."
"Comrade Khrushchev has reached an agreement with the UNCLE to become a member nation. To that end, he has agreed to loan, on a long-term basis, an agent to work for that organization. You have been selected to be that agent."
Illya snapped to attention. "Thank you, Sir. Will I have the same handlers or will I be making new contacts with our operatives in the West?"
"Neither. For whatever his reasons, Comrade Khrushchev has ordered that this is a true loan. You will have no contact with the KGB. You will attend their Survival School and assuming you graduate, you will be assigned to an UNCLE office in Europe before ultimately transferring to UNCLE New York. Understand, Agent Kuryakin, it is very likely that you will never return to the USSR if you are successful. If you are sent back because of failure, you will more than likely be executed for embarrassing your country."
The twenty – nine year old man nodded in understanding. "Yes, Sir. I understand, Sir. I will make Mother Russia proud."
Stars when you shine
You know how I feel
Scent of the pine
You know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good
I'm feeling so good
I feel so good
"Earth to Illya! Oh, Illya!" Napoleon looked on in amusement at his partner. They were in Napoleon's penthouse. He had insisted on cooking dinner for the Russian and himself to celebrate their first anniversary as partners. They were now ensconced in the living room, drinks in hand, after gorging themselves on steaks and potatoes. Napoleon wasn't a huge jazz fan, but he liked Nina Simone and had put her latest album on the hi – fi. When the song "Feeling Good" began to play, his partner had leaned his head back against the couch and seemingly been transported to another world.
"I am sorry, Napoleon. This song…expresses how I felt at certain points of my life. I have never heard it before."
"It's from a musical called 'The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd. Care to share?" Though he felt they were becoming friends because of their blossoming partnership, the Russian was spectacularly closed mouthed when it came to his past. He hoped Illya would tell him something that wasn't in his personnel file. He sipped his drink and when no answer seemed to be forthcoming, he tried again. "How did this song remind you how you felt at certain points of your life?"
"Those lyrics. They remind me of how I felt each time a milestone happened in my life. I would feel like…I was becoming more and more free, that I was entering a new dawn, a new day, a new life; just like the song says. When I was selected to leave the orphanage to attend the State school, I never could have imagined that I would be where I am today: A Soviet in New York City serving the UNCLE." He refilled his glass and his partner's and raised his drink in a toast. "Freedom is mine," he said as he clinked his glass against Napoleon's. "And I feel so good."