April marched up to Napoleon and slapped him hard across the cheek.

"How dare you do that to everyone!" she cried, then pulled him to her in a tight hug. Mark too was equally as angry as he was pleased to see his friends alive and well. He tentatively shook Illya's hand, before giving a laugh and hugging him. When the first shock was over, Mark put his arm around his partner and frowned.

"I totally agree with April on this though. It's a relief to know you are safe, but do you have any idea what you put everyone through? How many people know the truth?"

Napoleon and Illya exchanged glances. Neither of them looked happy.

"Very few. Mr. Waverly and the Russian Ambassador and his aides worked out the details between them apparently. The only way to make sure that…" Illya's voice gave out and he shook his head and walked to the window. Tarasov patted his shoulder. Napoleon looked upset.

"My family… my family all believe that I am dead, and that I was too badly burnt in the explosion to be recognizable. No one else knows. A few of the staff here in UNCLE Moscow, Mr. Waverly, the Russian Ambassador and his aide…and now you two." He ran a hand through his hair.

"I can't imagine what my family must be going through right now… and I doubt they will ever forgive me for doing this to them."

Mark and April looked at each other. Clearly, Napoleon and Illya were having a difficult time adjusting to this new situation themselves right now. The last thing they needed was recriminations coming from their best friends.

"I'm glad Mr. Waverly sent us to join you. At least we can help you get this lot sorted out." Mark replied sincerely. Napoleon looked grateful. Illya was still staring out of the window, his arms wrapped around himself.

Tarasov sat down at his desk, and urged Illya to return to the table and sit with his friends. He declined, however and paced back and forth across the room. Tarasov watched him for a moment, and then turned back to the table.

"It is probably evident to all of you what is at stake here, and what has happened, but to make it plain I will set it all out for you. Now, I take it you two now know about the destruction of the Ukraini mine?"

"The destruction of the THRUSH scientific center, and the death of all its staff, including Illya's brother." Mark replied. "Yes, Mr. Waverly gave us the heads up before we left New York."

"No doubt he also mentioned that Mikhail Kuryakin left a memorandum containing a recommendation for Illya's execution. We have been spending the last month trying to determine if that recommendation had been seen by any other THRUSH personnel and if it had in fact been turned into an order."

"THRUSH are always trying to kill off UNCLE personnel anyway." Mark commented. Tarasov nodded.

"True, but that is not the same thing as deliberately setting out to track someone down, and pursuing them with the sole intention of murder. Whoever else gets in the way will be taken down along with the intended target."

"So that is why I had to die." Illya put in, sitting himself down at the table and glowering round the room. "Section two here have been working almost exclusively on this ever since…."

He shook his head and rested his elbows on the table, putting his head in his hands. Napoleon sighed.

"Illya and I don't see eye to eye over this. Mr. Tarasov's people discovered that a THRUSH warrant has been sworn out for Illya's head to be delivered to THRUSH central, with or without his body attached to it. If we die, we buy ourselves a little time to hunt these men down"

"If I die Napoleon, not we!" Illya interjected with a black look at his partner. "There was no need for you to do this, to put your people through this."

"I wasn't going to let you do this alone, Illya!" Napoleon flared suddenly, rounding on him. Mark raised a hand in a conciliatory gesture.

"Hey mates, calm down yeah? What's done is done. Illya, for what it's worth, I know how I would feel if I found April had done for me what Napoleon has done for you… at least, I think I do, but I sure know that four can do a lot more than one on his own. With the whole THRUSH organization hunting you down, what chance have you got on your own finding anything out without getting your head blown off?"

Illya flashed him a look compounding of annoyance and gratitude, then buried his face in his hands once more. Mark shook his head.

"The thing is, where do we start? I know he worked for THRUSH and all, but what does Illya's brother stand to gain by ordering his execution? I mean even though they might `ave been on opposite sides, blood is still thicker than water, innit?"

Illya looked at Mark dully.

"The reason would be clear enough if you were able to see his body, Mark. Mika and I were almost completely identical in every way. In fact, the only way to tell us apart was through the colour of our eyes. Mika had green eyes."

Mark looked puzzled.

"So?...Oh…Oh!" he said, as light dawned. April stared.

"Are you saying that….? That's horrible!"

Tarasov tapped the table.

"That is why it is so necessary for Illya to `die', because with him out of the way, it would have been child's play for Mikhail to step into his shoes at UNCLE."

Illya nodded.

"He knows me very well…. he knew me well…he would have had no problem becoming me until he was ready to destroy everything; and he would. Mikhail is about the most single-minded person I know…" Illya shook his head and turned away. "Well, he was."

"But now Mikhail is most certainly dead, and the world think Illya is also dead, what will THRUSH do now?"

"But surely," put in April, "If the point of killing Illya was to put Mikhail in his place, with Mikhail himself dead, what would the point of THRUSH killing Illya?"

Napoleon and Illya exchanged glances with Tarasov. Tarasov raised an eyebrow.

"The only people who know of the death of Mikhail Kuryakin is Alexander Waverly, and everyone in this room. Those agents who dealt with the body itself simply know that it is the body of a THRUSH underling."

Mark and April stared at each other aghast.

"You're gonna put Illya in green contact lenses and have him pretend to be his brother? That sounds bloomin' dangerous, mate."

"If Mikhail has the authority to order an execution, he has the authority to cancel it. Either way, it would be the best and quickest way to get to the root of this thing."

Napoleon was chewing his knuckles thoughtfully, listening to the conversation but making no contribution to it. Finally, the chatter died away as one by one everyone turned to look at him. He looked round the room in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"You're my partner, Napoleon. I think they want to know what you think." Illya reminded him drily. Napoleon sighed.

"I think… I think I want to be laying on a nice warm beach right now, with a gorgeous woman in my arms."

He shook himself out of his reverie and sighed again, rather heavily.

"I hate all of this. I don't want Illya going in there alone… actually I don't want him going in there at all. It seems more like suicide to me. If he has to go in, then I am going in there with him."

"Don't be daft, Guv, THRUSH wouldn't be fooled with that! They know that mug of yours too well!"

Napoleon rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I wasn't proposing to stroll in there with him side by side, idiot. What kind of fool do you take me for? But surely we could arrange some kind of little sideshow to get THRUSH interested couldn't we, sir?" He appealed to the older man who stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If Illya, dressed and pretending to be his brother were to…er… capture me in front of Mikhail's THRUSH friends…? It would take a bit of acting to convince them that we hate each other of course, but…"

"How long do you want to be tortured before we come charging to your rescue?" April asked with a glance at her partner. No one replied to her question. Illya was still standing with his back to them. He turned slowly, and they could see sadness and despair in his eyes, unable to quite hide it.

"If they have any doubts about my identity, Napoleon, they will no doubt assign me to be the one to torture you."

The two men's eyes locked. Napoleon wore a ghost of a smile.

"It's happened before…twice."

"I remember. I still have nightmares about the day we first met*… then the Gurnius Affair was… that almost killed me. I couldn't do it to you again my friend. I'd rather die."

Napoleon was on his feet, willing his partner to see his side.

"Illya, don't you understand, there's nothing they or anyone can do to me that I haven't already been through at one point or another…I would rather go through all of it again than let you die or be killed. I…I can't…"

"Napoleon, they would not expect me to take it easy on you. That would be a part of the test, they know how close we are…if I were to hold back from anything… it would kill me to have to do that to you again…"

"Illya, look at me. I am asking you please… the alternative is that sooner or later they will catch up with us and kill you… and whatever you might say of yourself, that would kill me. I would rather suffer the worse torture imaginable if it means at the end of it that…" Napoleon's voice gave out, and a single tear rolled down his nose. His partner took Napoleon's chin in his right hand and gave him a hard stare.

"Are you certain about this, Solo?"

"Certain, sure."

"And I suppose you will be shooting your mouth off? After all, you hate me for what I've done to your partner."

The corner of Napoleon's mouth twitched, and he nodded.

"I suppose verbal attacks can hurt as much as physical ones… Illya, just so that you know… anything I might say, even under duress is…it will be…"

Illya placed his hand over Napoleon's mouth.

"I know, my friend. Forgiveness now, for what we are about to do to each other?"

Mark and April watched, moved, as their friends clasped hands firmly in their pact. They had already been through so much, it seemed unfair that they may soon find themselves forced to become enemies, firing bitter words, and physical torture at one another simply to stay alive. April opened her bag and fished out two sealed plastic packets and threw one each to the two senior agents. Napoleon caught his easily and stared at it, turning it over and over in his hand.

"What is it?" he asked. Illya's eyebrows rose high.

"They have completed it? It is fully tested?"

April nodded, and turned to Napoleon.

"When you are ready to begin your mission, Napoleon, you swallow this pill. It's a micro transmitter. It sends out a homing beacon on UNCLE's new secret wavelength, and it will keep transmitting for up to two weeks, even if you die. The range is… maybe… fifty miles or so. One of Illya's designs."

"Hey, partner mine, that's pretty cool. That way Mark and April can be following us at a safe distance and come charging to our rescue in the nick of time, as always."

Mr. Tarasov got to his feet.

"Well then, I am happy you have it all settled. I will leave you to sort out the details. I suggest you waste no time getting started. Time is of the essence now. Speak to my CEA, Molovitski who will make sure you are supplied with everything you need for your mission. Good luck." He turned to Mark and April on his way out.

"Your part in this is possibly the most critical. You are going to have to monitor their situation any way you can, and make sure you can get them out of there, wherever they end up, before they end up dead."

He left the room. The four agents were left sitting around the table.

"Very well guys." Napoleon said, looking around. "It's time we made our plans…"

*Reference to The I Have Your Back Affair