Chapter 2
"Mr. Solo. I believe my order is very clear. You're to be placed under protective custody along with the other worldwide Section 2 chiefs until we figure out what Thrush's intentions are. As far as the attack on Mr. Kuryakin and his counterparts around the world, Section 1 believes it was an effort to place our organization at a disadvantage if something were to happen to you."
"Sir, I haven't gotten this far by being pampered or pulled from the field every time someone make threats against me," Napoleon carefully spoke each word.
"You have your orders Mr. Solo, abide by them, or spend time in a holding cell until we straighten this situation out."
As the CEA surveyed the agents around the table, he noticed that none of them were looking him directly in his eye, but knew that they all could feel his frustration. Anger was coloring his thoughts, but he kept them to himself; he was expected to set an example for his agents, losing his temper wasn't the way to do that.
"Yes sir," he softly answered, his eyes facing the table in front of him pay no attention to the others in the room.
"If Thrush isn't attempting to throw us off with the date and time on the message, we have one day to find out what they intend on doing before it happens. Section 1 believes that you'll be relatively safe until that time; you'll work with Mr. Slate, Miss and Mr. Kuryakin to attain an answer as to what they're up too. No matter what you discover, you, Mr. Solo will report to headquarters two hours before the specified time—is that understood?"
"Yes sir," was the response from all present.
Waverly watched his agents leave the room knowing that Solo was furious but would follow his orders. Something was going on, and although Section 1 had agreed to order the protective custody of the targeted agents, he knew that they were missing something. The time and date, what was it that seemed wrong?
…..
The four agents walked down the hall, not speaking until they reached Napoleon's office. "Okay, ideas. I want this taken care of before it gets any further."
"We are missing something, partner"
"And what would that be," he turned angrily toward his friend, "Want to let me in on your observations," after he snapped, he noticed how quiet everyone was. "Sorry, I don't like being a sitting duck and not being able to do anything about it. Do you have any idea what we're missing?"
"Sorry, just one of those feelings I sometimes get. Something is not adding up."
"Sitting in the office isn't getting us anyplace; let's go back over the area of the park. If we each take a corner and work inward, we could cover most of the area," he started but stopped as of the other agents shaking their head no.
"Fine. We'll split into teams then, and take twice the time to search the area. Jo you're with me on the south end of the park, Mark and Illya you take the north end. Before we leave, I'll have research double check the buildings in the area for anything unusual."
Mark poked Illya, "Surprise isn't it. He gets the bird while we get each other."
Napoleon smiled, "I'm still senior agent here."
Jo gave each of the men glare before walking out leaving them in her wake.
The four agents walked together until they reached the park then separated, each team going to their assigned area.
"Jo you head that way, I'll go this way."
"No," she tossed back at him, "One of us needs to be with you at all times."
"I'm the CEA."
"And I would rather you be angry at me than Waverly; he has a much better imagination when it comes to disciplinary action than you do."
Heading toward the corner of the park, "Then come on. I DO NOT need someone to guard me, you know."
Jo grinned at him, "I know but you will do it because Waverly ordered it."
…..
The two groups looked over the ground, benches, tables, and even the swings. Nothing seemed out of place or came across were known Thrush agents.
The group met in the middle of the park at the same time Napoleon received a negative message from research. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts as they sat on the park benches deciding on what to do next.
"Date and time," Illya repeated a number of times.
"What is it tovarisch?" Napoleon knew this was his partner's way of thinking out a problem.
"Something with the date and time. Open Channel D please," he said into his communicator.
"Yes, Mr. Kuryakin," Waverly asked.
"Sir, did all the messages have the same time and date on them, sir?"
"That is correct, why?"
"If we are to protect our Section 2 chiefs why would they give us advance notice giving us extra time to protect each one of them? It makes no sense," suddenly Illya had it. "Sir, what time is it in Tokyo," the first city with a CEA after the International Date Line.
"It's—Mr. Kuryakin get Mr. Solo out of there right now. Extra agents are on their way."
"Chert vozmi," Jo said as she pulled her gun following the lead of her brother.
"Good guess, Mr. Kuryakin, but too late. Everyone drop your weapons," a group of Thrush agents holding rifles on them soon joined the voice. "Mr. Solo, you'll come with us."
Napoleon stood still, "You have a choice; you can come with us willingly and your friends will just have a nice sleep, or you can come with us unwillingly and they'll die."
The CEA straightened his shirt cuff, smoothed out his jacket, and lifted his hand padding his hair into place before moving toward them, "Don't," the three other agents said.
"See you guys later, Illya your in charge until I return." He handed Jo a small circle of black onyx stone, "Keep this for me," then whispered, "I love you." before he walked toward future.
A few second later, gas saturated the area, putting the remaining agents to sleep as Napoleon walked away with his captors.
….
The three agents woke up with an oxygen masks pumping air into their lungs. One fast look around told them that Napoleon was no longer in the park. Other agents were going over the park with a fine-tooth comb; each item found bagged, marked, and sent to the lab to be examined for clues even insects were sealed for further investigation.
Jo felt the stone the he had handed her before they took him away; it was a piece from the statue she had given him after the Fears of the Heart Affair. He carried it around to remind himself of her when they were apart, why would he give it to her now. She felt her brother place his hands on her shoulder, "We will get him back, I promise you."
When the three agents arrived back at headquarters, they were informed that two other CEA's were killed outright while the other two were under guard at their headquarters after attempts on their life; Solo was the only one that they even attempted to capture alive.
"I do not understand, why did they want Napoleon alive when they attempted to or success in killing the other CEA's," Jo asked while pacing back and forth in Waverly's office.
"Miss Kuryakin, please sit down. I believe that they wanted Mr. Solo for his knowledge of case that he was assigned to a last month. Because it's still open, he was not debriefed of the information he holds. Although it this seems to be an elaborate setup to capture him alive, the information that he processes if released could be the cause of World War 3."
"It is imperative we retrieve Mr. Solo before he talks if possible, but under no circumstances can he be allowed to tell them what he knows. You three will use the resources of UNCLE to put an end to this situation as soon as possible."
The agents sitting at the table understood what Waverly was saying; he was ordering them to kill Napoleon if they were unable to rescue him. As they left the conference room, no one glanced at the 'old man' or spoke, each lost in his or her own thoughts.
Illya led the other two to his empty office. Pulling out a bottle of vodka from his bottom draw, he poured each one of them a drink that they downed quickly to be replaced by another poured glass.
"We aren't giving up on him; we'll find him and bring him back alive, luv" it was Mark who spoke first putting his arm on Jo, "He left you in charge Illya, so what is our first move?"
"Jo you follow up on any traffic from the park, how did they get him out of there so quickly; we had the place closed down within five minutes, yet no one saw anything. Mark organize the information flow from our people, have them push their contacts," Illya grabbed his coat as he finished his directions to them.
"Where will you be, guv?"
"Going over the park myself, inch by inch," he said as he walked out the door.
…..
The next two days were spent in following up every lead possible no matter how insufficient. Little to no sleep plus meager meals led to fraying tempers and short fuses until Waverly finally ordered his men to spend the next 8 hours resting.
"There no time for this," Jo was not in a mood to take a break.
Illya handed her a cup of tea, "Drink this; Waverly is right, without some rest no one is going to do Napoleon any good. Drink this!" he ordered her.
She downed it quickly giving him an indignant expression, "Are you happy now?" As the drug hit her system, she stood furiously, "How dare you?" was all she managed before passing out. The two men caught her laying her in bed.
"She's not going to be pleased mate when she wakes up."
As her brother covered her, he said, "Well I hope that her anger at the situation and Thrush will outweigh her anger at me. Come on, let's get a few hours ourselves before we start going over everything again."
…..
Waverly stopped in to check on his people; ordering rest and seeing it carried out was always two very different things. He knew these men and women would give 110% to find a missing agent; this time he hoped that they wouldn't be too late. Silently he left the area, going to his office to get a few hours of sleep himself.
…..
The two pillows hit them at the same time, sending Mark and Illya toward their guns until they realized what had attacked them. "Get up you predateli (traitors); you drugged me how dare you?"
"Talk to him, luv, I'm innocent."
"Mark, the last time you were innocent, you were a babe in your mother's arm. Why did you feel it was necessary to drug me? I would have slept sooner or later," looking at the two men for an answer.
Before either man could comply, the phone in the room rang, "We may have something, Mr. Kuryakin." Illya grabbed his jacket running to the lab, followed closely by Mark and Jo. Arriving he was directed to the microscope where he came face to face with a fluorescent pink katydid.
