Illya lay on an exam table in the emergency room feeling as weak as a new born. His temperature had risen to 104˚ but he felt hotter than that, more as if he were on fire and his hand was now painfully swollen. He was beginning to have difficulty speaking and his respiration was becoming labored. They immediately placed him on oxygen, a heart monitor and IV fluids.
Dr. Marty Seligman had arrived from the field office in Los Angeles and made quick work testing the venom sample that the Russian had carried with him; finding it to be somewhere between that of a rattlesnake and copperhead...a hemotoxic venom that could disrupt clotting, cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage.
Illya suddenly began to vomit blood and a nurse grabbed a paper bucket complaining," this is the part I hate about having this job." as she held the container for him to use.
Dr. Seligman ordered her to leave and had another nurse replace her; shouting complaints about her finding a new career and questioning the woman's professionalism as she skulked out of the ER. He then began to administer vials of the anti-venom into Illya's IV line.
Then a male nurse helped move Illya around, sitting him up to take a chest x-ray; the heart monitor responded to his pain of being manipulated...but the Russian remained silent; only his increased heart rate showed his discomfort each time they moved him. He was put on a catheter and transferred by gurney to ICU where Napoleon found him once he had arrived from Parkfield.
The cleanup crew had taken custody of the snake-like child and Solo was glad to be rid of it as it gave him a good case of the creeps.
Illya could talk but his was his speech was still slurred...and Napoleon seeing that his partner was exhausted, pulled up a chair alongside his bed; waiting for him to doze off. He pulled his communicator from his pocket contacting New York.
"Mr. Solo this creature that you discovered is most unsettling," said Alexander Waverly," keep me a breast of any further developments at your end. We had no idea that any such experimentation was being under taken by Thrush... I'll try to see what information I can discover about any rumoured Thrush projects involving involving genetic engineering. Oh, and of course keep me informed of Mr. Kuryakin's condition. Waverly out"
Over the course of the next four days Illya had been being administered twenty vials of anti-venom, then was finally transferred from ICU to a regular hospital room, having been given donor blood, thought his platelet count that was still just below 90,000 but was finally on the increase.
Napoleon walked into his partner's room with container of chocolate ice cream...the Russian's favorite; knowing it would cheer his usual testy mood when confined to a hospital bed.
"How you feeling today?" he asked as Illya happily dug into the the ice cream.
"Still have a headache...but other than than that I am fine and ready to get out of this place. I have lost track of time...how long have I been here?"
"Just shy of a week and don't worry I contacted your wife and let her know what happened and that you are on the mend...she sends you her love."
"Thank you Napoleon...has there been anything further discovered in regards to the specimen?"
"Haven't heard a thing...they're keeping this thing under tight wraps...but the old man still has us on the assignment so we'll know soon enough as soon as we get to the office in L.A."
The next day Illya's platelet count reached acceptable levels and he was finally released; his hand heavily bandaged. He was told that it would take four to six weeks for the wound to completely heal and was lucky that the wound had not required fasciotomy surgery. The doctors were also not pleased that Solo's incising of the wound was not a good idea as snake bite treatment had changed and such first aid...could have been dangerous.
"I stand corrected then," mumbled the Russian. Illya said he felt fine; not mentioning that his vision seemed different...it now being oddly sensitive to movement. He kept his mouth shut as he wanted out of medical and was anxious to be in on the study of the creature.
Dr. Seligman discovered in Illya's blood work that he had developed an antibody to the venom and concluded would be immune to further bites should they occur; then took samples to create an antidote just in case one would be needed in the future as one never knew what T.H.R.U.S.H. was capable of. He was still being kept in the dark about the source of the venom and would not be told until he returned to the L.A. office. The physician had no idea of the existence of the snake-child that had bitten the Russian. UNCLE was keeping that and the creature under tight security from everyone.
The two agents headed out in their rented convertible; keeping the top down and enjoying the west coast weather for the 200 mile trip up US-101 to the field office that was in a used book store located discreetly on the outskirts of the busy city of Los Angeles.
Illya settled into the passenger seat, normally he would be the one to drive but Napoleon insisted; wanting to give his partner a break. The Russian finally agreed after his partner swore upon pain of death that he would not get then lost; Illya figuring the hour and forty-five minute trip was was a pretty direct route would not give Napoleon much leeway for getting them off course as he usually did when driving.
"So how goes it with the lovely Miss Graziani?" he asked Solo." you know everyone just knows her as the mystery woman...including Elliott."
"Lovely...yes," Napoleon smiled.
"And you are really not seeing anyone else?"
"Nope."
"I know I am going to regret asking this...but you have slept with her have you not?"
"Nope."
Kuryakin was quite surprised at this, knowing his parter's sexual prowess and indeftigable libido."
"Yes I know...out of character for me huh? But this one one is different...I think I'm going to bide my time."
"Really...could it be that the one and only Napoleon Solo is truly out of circulation?"Illya smiled, lowering his voice, "there will be a lot of broken hearts at headquarters."
"Please...headquarters? The world dear boy...the world."
That made Illya burst out laughing.
"Good to hear you laugh again tovarisch..."
"Good to hear you have found someone special. I speak from experience and recommend it highly...so are you planning to...?
"No...I don't think I'm quite ready to take the plunge...though I did take her home to East Hampton to meet the family."
"Oh that must have been an experience!" Illya laughed for a second time..."were Stella and your father up to their usual standards of behavior?"
"What do you think?" he smiled
"And how did Gabby do...after all it is not like your family is accustomed to welcoming your female companions into their midst."
"Oh she didn't take any of their nonsense...I was quite proud of her actually."
"And how was your dear mother?"
"The same as ever...always deflecting and being the great peace-maker...she liked Gabby a lot. I think everyone everyone did except for Stella of course and dad had his usual reservations. Your name came up in conversation by the way..."
"Do not tell me...your father?"
"Yes but it was Theresa who really talked about you...she apparently was quite disappointed to find out you'd gotten married and became a father..."
"Oh well?" Illya smiled.
"I didn't realize she had quite the crush on you...hey you and my sister never...?"
"Rest assured...never."
"Good...as her older brother I would have had to defend her honor..." he laughed.
"Have you met Gabby's family yet?"
"No...I'm holding off on that. She has a large, rather traditional Italian family, seven brothers to be precise and complete of course with the 'donna che predomina in una famiglia.'
"Do not tell me...the classic formidable Italian grandmother?"
"Exactly."
"Well that explains why you haven't bedded Gabby yet...seven brothers and a matriarch who would order you killed for tarnishing the honor of a Graziani. You would have a better chance of surviving a satrap full of Thrush minions than the wrath of la famiglia." Illya chuckled.
"Hey, that's not funny?" Napoleon complained.
Kuryakin said nothing more; laying his head back. He fell asleep instantly as he was still feeling drained from his venomous experience and hospital stay. His vision was still feeling strange...
They arrived at the the field office located in a used bookstore, just on the outskirts of the business district in Los Angeles; finding the study of the snake-child to be well under way.
Several geneticists had been vetted and brought in from Caltech in Pasedena to conduct the examination.
They deemed it to be similar in size to that of a six month old human and had finally figured out what to feed the child as it seemed not not want to take what a human baby would want to eat.
Illya leaned over looking at the creature; being careful to stay far enough away after his last experience with it. It lay asleep now, and with it's eyes closed it looked completely like and innocent human infant...reminding him of Demya at that age, until the snake-like tongue flicked out from between it's lips; momentarily startling the Russian.
"After examining stool samples we discovered the remnants of small bones...feathers, basically what a snake would ingest. We finally settled on giving it baby mice from the lab." said Dr. Kineson.
"Interesting..." said Kuryakin, "it requires live food?"
Napoleon made a face at the thought of that.
Kinison filled them in on what they had discovered after his full examination of the creature had been completed.
"It is most fascinating and disturbing, " he said, "somehow they have been able to successfully splice reptilian and human genes...but we are unsure if this process was in-vtro producing a genetically modified organism or if the creature was bred from similar specimens...there also exists the possibility that it is a clone?"
"I would not have thought it possible," Illya commented, cradling his injured hand subconsciously as looked in the secure bassinet again...
"Doctor...am I mistaken or has it...what is it male or female?"
"Female."
"Am I mistaken or has she grown larger?"
"Yes Mr. Kuryakin," said the geneticist," she indeed has...quite a few centimeters in a matter of days. It is possible she has an accelerated growth rate because of the reptilian DNA."
"Gentlemen," said Kinison," as a scientist I am intrigued by this creature...but as a human being I am dismayed at the implications of it's existence. Who would have had the audacity to create such an..."
"Abomination?" Illya finished the scientist's sentence.
"Yes Mr. Kuryakin that is the appropriate word...and to what purpose would it have been brought into this world?"
"The name of the organization is T.H.R.U.S.H." Napoleon interjected.
"What may I ask is that?" asked Kinison.
"The Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity...an organization bent on ruling the world, by any means."
"My God...such a thing exists? With that philosophy and this type of creature in their hands; that would be a very dangerous thing."
"I agree Doctor," Illya said," given the accelerated rate of growth and the venomous abilities...Thrush has created a potentially unpredictable killing machine. Imagine the ability to grow an army of these things? Napoleon...I recommend we do away with this specimen...if she were allowed to mature...well if she were to mate and produce offspring; the results of which would be catastrophic on the human population and the ecosystem...and if she were to produce, potentially as a snake would...it boggles the mind?"
"Jesus Illya," Napoleon was shocked," she's just a baby...and she's part human. What if she has human feelings and intelligence? Couldn't she be taught to behave? Or couldn't something be done to reverse the process?"
"NYET!," Illya pointed at the infant, "That is a vile corruption and an affront to nature! The continuance of such a thing could potentially wreak havoc on the human race!"
Napoleon had not heard his partner become this animated in a long time. Here was a man who was a loving father to his own child; yet he spoke coldly about destroying the infant as if it were just another sample in his lab.
Alexander Waverly concurred with Illya; agreeing that such a creature's existence could not be permitted. It's destruction was warranted and Waverly authorized it to be euthanized, then autopsied; austensively closing the book on this affair for now.
The next day Solo and Kuryakin stood beneath the large domed mural with it's painted palm trees and pedestrians in Los Angeles International Airport waiting for their American Airlines flight to be called for their return to New York.
They headed directly to headquarters after their six hour flight having spoken little, filed their reports then parted ways as it was late.
Napoleon went home alone, not bothering to call Gabby as he knew she was asleep; having worked a long shift. Illya headed home to his wife and child.
He stood at his son's crib, staring at Demya's innocent face as he slumbered...trying to banish the disturbing thoughts of the snake-child from his head. Napoleon thought him cold about wanting to destroy her, but it in fact upset him greatly; finding it a necessary evil...to take the life of the infant; knowing that it was in part...human.
"Annushka...luybov moy," he whispered to his wife before undressing; gently slipping into the bed beside her; he snuggled close to her; kissing Elliott softly on her shoulder...
She sensed something was wrong," Are ye alright my love?"
"Fine," he whispered his usual response; choosing not to tell her what troubled him. He wrapped his arm around her and drifted off to an uneasy sleep.