Illya paced impatiently in the surgical waiting room at Mount Sinai Hospital. His wife was out of surgery and in recovery. His partner was still in the operating room...it was taking a long time and that was making him nervous.
Napoleon to him was indomitable and losing him was just not a consideration...he could not accept that Solo could die. Yet when he would see his friend and parter incapacitated in a hospital bed it upset the balance of their world and made the Russian feel vulnerable.
Elliott on the other hand was another story...Illya did not know what he would do if he lost her. As confidant as he was in his partner's ability to survive; the thought of losing Elliott sent Illya spiraling into the opposite direction. He had lost everyone he had ever loved in his life... thinking about her dying make him feel only terror and panic.
They both knew the risks of their chosen profession, talked about the reality of dying at any time; but talking about it and actually facing it were a completely different story. Elliott was no longer a friend, a lover...she was his wife and mother to his son.
Alexander Waverly lay unconscious in medical at headquarters...so right now that left Illya as acting CEA.
They had lost two Continental Chiefs, Mbogo and Patel and the CEA for Caracas, MIguel Fuentes. Bobby Chang was the only CEA not wounded...and of course Eric Lerhner. The bastard was not even there with Beldon to help defend everyone...
There were a dozen or so lesser casualties; luckily none of the non-UNCLE guests or any innocents in the hotel lobby were hurt...the fire alarm going off helped evacuate those people quickly from the building.
But the crowds of guests escaping out to the streets added to the utter confusion of the attack in the ballroom. It had been quick, concise and obvious that the Continental Chiefs were the targets; no doubt by T.H.R.U.S.H.
How they were able to get past the guards was an enigma to him at the moment...that he would discuss with Mark after they viewed the surveillance footage. This he reserved for only he and Slate...having told him not to speak to anyone of it, including Harry.
Illya had called for a clean-up crew to be brought in immediately, having to fend off members of legal, propaganda as well as accounting on how to cover the entire incident...he had more personal issues on his mind at the moment.
His answer to them was short and to the point...
"Fucking deal with it yourselves...that is what you are paid for...is it not?"
That left them open-mouthed and speechless as he walked away from them...
He headed to the hospital, following the ambulances and once he saw his wife and Napoleon; he would return to headquarters to face the music and Harry Beldon. He was senior Chief at present and it was with he that Illya would have to debrief and review what had happened at the Plaza.
He was no longer on good terms with Beldon and anticipated having a rough time of it with the man. He would have to review his careful planning step by step with him...though now it had all seemed that it had been for naught.
Illya knew that he was in trouble... though he thought of something that Napoleon had said to him in the past...
"If someone wanted a thing bad enough; they would find a way to get it...no matter how carefully you protect it."
In this case the assassination attempts had almost come to fruition; but at least some of the security had worked since some of the Contnental Chiefs had survived.
The Summit in Washington was put on hold until security was ramped up to high alert and would continue as planned, though Illya disagreed with that plan whole heartedly. Harry Beldon approved it as Jules Cutter being a stubborn man insisted on it's continuing and wasn't going to let the attack in New York intimidate him nor his people.
Max Schneider finally emerged from the surgical unit as any time an U.N.C.L.E. agent required treatment for a serious injury it was done in one of the major New York hospitals with a physician from the organization in attendence or to assist with the operation itself.
"Max?" Illya asked as he spotted the doctor.
"Bad news or good new first?" said Schneider.
"Bad...that way the good will sound even better."
"Napoleon is critical condition...he has at best a 50/50 chance of pulling through."
"He has pulled through worse before."
"Illya I know how you guys think. You...he is not invincible.
There is a very strong chance he will die this time."
"And the good news then?"
Max Schneider could never get over the way the Russian was able to turn off his emotions as if he had an internal switch...sometimes the man's coldness could be quite disconcerting.
"Christ Illya...that's your partner we're talking about?"
"What do you want me to say Max...just because I show no emotions; does not mean I do not feel them. So give me the good news... please?"
"Your wife is going to be fine. The surgery went well...it was a shoulder wound and though she lost a fair amount of blood, it actually looked worse than it was."
The Russian gave a sigh of relief. "When may I see her?"
"She'll be up in her room in another half hour or so, she doesn't seem to be handling the anesthesia too well this time...so don't stay long?"
"And Napoleon?"
They just finished closing up...so he'll be in recovery for a while...Illya he may not even wake up. You need to prepare yourself for the worst.
Kuryakin remained emotionless. It was too much to bear...all that had happened had made him shut down; reverting back to the way he used to be would help him cope...back to being the cold, unfeeling "Ice Prince;" keeping his feelings buried and back in their neat little compartments.
He would need to be this way for what he would have to soon face.
"And what about Waverly?"the Russian asked.
"He will be remaining in medical at headquarters...he has a slight skull fracture and is still unconscious. His vitals are good though...given his age and physical condition. He's a pretty tough old bird."
"I hate to tell you, but Miguel Ferrer is out of the picture. No one knows this, but he is retiring because he has cancer. He's supposed to begin treatment in Memorial Sloan-Kettering tomorrow and I'm afraid his treatment can't wait."
"I thought you were supposed to give be the bad news first?"
"That puts Harry Beldon completely in charge...not a good thing. Dr. Halliwell is too new to the inner workings of being a continental chief..." Illya mumbled to himself as he walked away from Schneider lost in thought.
Elliott opened her eyes seeing her husband seated beside her bed; he had his head was lowered with his eyes closed.
"Illya" she whispered; barely able to speak.
"Hi" he smiled as he looked up at her," You gave me a bit of a scare Annushka."
"Bad?"
"Your wound was not..."
"Not me...ballroom."
"Yes, it was bad. Seventeen injured. We lost two of the Chiefs, one CEA...Waverly is unconscious with a skull fracture, Ferrer is out of the picture as well...he is leaving for medical treatment for an illness tomorrow."
He hesitated, trying to maintain his composure," and Napoleon..."Illya finally let his voice crack." Napoleon may not make it."
Elliott covered her face with her hand..."Who did it...THRUSH?"
"I do not know...whom ever it was has gotten away. I have not been back to headquaters yet...I want to wait until I see Napoleon."
Elliott reached up, taking her husband's chin in her hand.
"Illya he's not going to die."
"I want to believe that...but I think this time he is going to."
"What did I tell ye about always being a fatalist?"
She suddenly began to retch and Illya grabbed the bed pan, holding her head for her as she threw up stomach bile. Once it subsided, she closed her eyes; laying her head back onto her pillow.
Illya leaned forward giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I will be back to see you tonight moya lyubov'...I must go see Napoleon then get to headquarters. Wish me luck?"
"Bon chance mon cher," she smiled, then closed her eyes.
Illya walked into Napoleon's room, stopping for a moment; looking at the tubes and wires connected to his partner's body. The only sounds were the steady beep of the heart monitor and the ventilator that was helping him to breathe.
Illya pulled up a chair beside the bed, sitting himself close by...if it were not for the fact that he had to return to headquarters; he would not leave until his partner had shown some signs of coming to. Illya had no such luxury in this case...perhaps he should just say good bye, just in case. "No...not yet, " he told himself.
He reached out taking Napoleon's hand in his...
"I am here my friend. We still have too much work to do eh? So you cannot leave yet. You and I are a good team and we need to stay that way. If you can hear me Napoleon...do not give up...come back to me my friend. I need you?"
He sat a few more minutes with him then finally released Napoleon's hand; leaving for the meeting he was not looking forward to with Beldon.
Illya walked into Waverly's conference room; finding it disconcerting that Harry was seated in the "old man's" chair.
Eric was seated there beside him...obviously waiting to pounce on him as was is usual modus operandi...
"Ah Mr. Kuryakin...welcome back. I take it things are under control at the hospital...how are your lovely wife and partner faring?"
"As well as can be expected," he answered as he seated himself at the table.
"Well Mr. Kuryakin we find ourselves in the midst of a very serious dilemma. I have reviewed the details of your security for the Summit and I myself found them adequate at best. Frankly I am surprised that Alexander accepted them..."
Illya shook his head in disagreement. "Given the restrictions put upon us by the bloody accountants; we had..."
"Oh so trying to blame your incompetence on book keepers..." Eric interjected.
"Screw you Eric!"
"Now now boys..." crooned Beldon."At this juncture I am afraid that I have no recourse but to suspend you from duty Mr. Kuryakin...without pay, while this fiasco is being investigated."
"Mr. Lehrner will take over as CEA for New York...and will be heading to Washington to ensure the same disaster that occurred here; will not repeat itself. We can only surmise that it was THRUSH who got hold of your paltry security plans."
"No...I will not accept that. It is my place to take over while Napoleon is incapacitated. Waverly will be back in no time...I am sure. AND THERE IS NO WAY THRUSH COULD HAVE BEEN PRIVY TO MY PLANS!"
"You will lower your voice instantly!" Harry barked at him.
"The decision has been made...if you do not agree with it; then I am sorry to say that you may feel free to submit your resignation. That would indeed save us a lot of trouble Illya...regrettable though it would be. I had thought better of you all these years...such a waste."
Harry continued to dig at him."Keep in mind; there exists the possibility that you may be brought up on charges as a result of my investigation... so I advise you seek legal counsel just in case. Now I must ask you to surrender your special at this time?"
Illya was speechless; suspension, charges..."what the hell was going on here?"
"No smart ass comeback?" taunted Eric.
Illya was just about to go after Lehrner when Margaret Halliwell spoke up; having walked into the office and overheard Beldon's summation.
"How dare you start this meeting without me, Harry Beldon!" she snapped, "And I heard what you just said to Illya...you will not be pinning what happened onto him! I cannot believe that you cannot see the obvious; that someone on the inside has betrayed us? Even the best of security could not have defended against treachery?"
"Margaret...you are not experienced in such matters as your background has always been in the lab and not the field,"said Beldon," Frankly I was taken aback at your appointment..."
"Harry you're damn well messing with the wrong bloody woman!" she raised her voice as she shoved her finger into his face. Dr. Margaret Halliwell, though in her sixties was a formidable figure of a woman and kept herself quite fit. She turned away from Beldon; waving for Illya to accompany her from the conference room... but not before Illya placed his weapon on the conference table.
"You are not going to railroad me," Illya growled at them as he left with Dr. Halliwell; heading to his office.
"Alright...fill me in on everything that you have," Margaret said as she settled herself onto the leather sofa.
"Margaret, I agree with your assumption...it had to have been an inside job. It was simply not possible for anyone to have guessed at my arrangements as well as for them not to have been leaked. I kept everything under wraps until the last minute. And there were simply too many agents assigned throughout first floor venues for someone unknown to them to have gotten past them."
He stood up a little too quickly from his chair; laying his hand on the desk to steady himself and he suddenly felt light headed. "At best guess I would say there were only three shooters...for them to have appeared and disappeared as quickly as they did was impossible...unless they were our own agents...double agents." Illya surmised.
"Are you alright Illya?" Margaret rose from the sofa concerned as the Russian suddenly looked very pale to her.
"Fine Margaret...I will be fine. Now if you do not mind ...I need a little time to myself to think?"
"No problem dear. I am sure you are concerned about your wife. I heard she will recover and I look forward to meeting her under better circumstances. I must say that I was quite surprised that you had gotten married; considering your devotion to duty. And your choice of brides I found very interesting...Elliott had quite a volatile reputation when she was stationed back in London. Margaret smiled as she placed a hand on Illya's shoulder," I have a feeling that marriage has been very good thing for both of you."
"Then you are not against it for an agent...marriage is after all against company protocol?" he asked.
"I see nothing wrong with it at all dear. It is a natural part of life and our agents are after all human beings and not machines. Having someone to come home to makes what we do all the more important."
"Thank you Margaret for supporting me on all fronts." he smiled weakly as he walked her to the door.
"My pleasure dear...keep me informed please? Even though your are on suspension; I know you'll be up to no good, so to speak. I suspect Harry Beldon will not keep me in the loop; I am au fait with his way of operating. I'm brassed off with him and he knows it!"
Illya leaned on the door with his hand supporting himself as it closed behind her. He was beginning to feel a bit nauseaous and could not quite remember when he had last eaten. It was way too late to raid the commissary...thinking sadly the last time he had done such a thing; it was with Napoleon.
He could grab something at the hospital cafeteria, then cringed that the thought even passed his mind as he hated hospital food in any form.
He went first to Napoleon's room...sitting with him for a few minutes. There was no change...which he hoped was a good sign; at least he had not taken a turn for the worse.
He sat beside his partner again, holding Napoleon's had to his own forehead; whispering softly in Russian...
"Gospod' Iisus, vrach dush i teles maya tvoe prisut-stvie, mozhet byt', kogda-libo s maslom i blagolovit' yego nemoshchi tmoyey hvaly i slavy. Prosti vse i hochu na Yego lyubov' k tebe_ Lord Jesus physician of souls and bodies, may thy presence ever be with him and to bless his infirmity to they praise and glory...to the salvation of his soul. Forgive all his sins and want for the love of thee..."
"May I ever fix my thoughts upon thy great sufferings upon the cross ...may I learn from thy courage, patience, humility and love and above all true submission to the Father's will...Restore him in health...but if his life be ended then may he be found worthy through his merits to inherit eternal life...Amin'."
As he finished the prayer for the sick a phrase from the fairy tale he had told Demya came to his mind...
"Pi zhelaniyu Payka v moem rasporyazhenii i vse sdelali eto vam nravit-sya_by the pike's wish at my command and everything it will be done." He waited just for a second...a child's wish that it would work, willing his partner back. Illya shook his head at his foolishness, then left to see his wife. " I will be back my friend," he whispered; leaving the intensive care unit.
Napoleon's eyes opened briefly; and he was feeling as though he had been hit by a steamroller. He saw the blond head as his partner as he walked out the door but didn't have the strength to call after him.
Illya grabbed a cup of coffee from the nurses station then walked into his wife's room...
"Illuysha!" Elliott called to him groggily as the sleeping tablets the nurse had slipped to her were starting to take effect." Glad yer back...are ye alright? Ye look tired...I'm tired. I think they gave me something?"
"I could be better... the latest news is that Beldon has suspended me pending the investigation of the Plaza." He suddenly remembered the coffee cup in his hand and ducked it behind his back.
"I saw that... ye are luckly I'm out of it right now."
He gave up hiding it and took a sip..."Elliott, things have gone from bad to worse here and I am at a loss at what to do. One good thing is that Margaret Halliwell is on my...our side. Once Waverly is back on his feet; he and Margaret will out number Beldon in any decisions that are made that will affect us."
Max Schneider walked into Elliott's room to check on her.
"Oh good...I've got the two of you here. Two checkups for the price of one. So tell me Illya, how are you feeling?"
"Fine...I feel fine."
"Don't give me that crap. How-do-you-feel?"
"I feel like shit...my head is pounding, I am nauseous and I have been light-headed with a little vertigo...but other than that I am fine. Does this satisfy you?"
"Sit." he ordered Illya to the chair. He held up a finger in front of the Russian's face, moving it slowly to the left and then the right.
"Follow my finger." He watched the movement of Illya's eyes..."Yep, you've got a case of mild vertigo...not surprising since you have a predisposition to seasickness. Of course it hasn't helped that you are still burning the candle at both ends. I can give you a mild dosage of meclizine hydrocholoride to help with it."
"Will it make me drowsy?"
"Yes...it could."
"Then I will fore go the medication thank you...just see to my wife please? Look Max...Beldon has suspended me from work...it is a long story, but I need to get back into headquarters tomorrow to work on my own investigation of what happened today. If anyone asks why I am there...it is by your orders for medical follow-up yes?"
"umm...O.K.? But you'll owe me for it?" he warned the Russian.
With that Illya kissed Elliott hastily and took off out the door before Max decided to do change his mind.
He went home to Demya sending Auntie Olga off, asking her to return first thing in the morning.
Demya was asleep in his crib as Illya gently picked him up, cradling the boy in his arms...it was then that he let his emotions free; crying silently. Shushing and rocking the boy as he carried Demmy to the bed with him; feeling the need to have his son safely beside him that night as he slept.
Boris clawed her way up the side of the quilt onto the bed, snuggling in between the father and son; purring happily.
Illya kissed Demya on the head as the purring of Boris finally lulled him to sleep beside his son.
He woke at six in the morning...quickly showering and dressing as Mrs. Orloff was due at seven to take over with Demya.
His communicator chirped as he hastily swallowed some toast and drank some tea.
"Kuryakin here," he yawned.
"Morning mate," said Mark Slate " I have been up all night going over the video surveillance footage of the entire day...and lad you are not going to believe what I saw."
There was a pause..."Ye know what...I dont' think it's safe for me to say...can you come in to see it for yourself?"
Mrs. Orloff's knock at the door answered that question for Illya. "On my way Mark."
He arrived twenty minutes later at he reception desk at headquarters.
"Illya I'm sorry...I don't have clearance for you to be orders are right here from Mr. Beldon; you are not to be admitted. You've been put on suspension?"
'Wanda," he smiled at her, "I know that...but I am also under treatment for Dr. Schneider. I have an appointment with him. Go ahead and call him to verify it...Beldon may not have been away of it."
"Alright...just give me a minute to contact medical."Wanda pressed the headset to her ear as she clicked a switch on her control panel..."Yes, thank you doctor, " Illya heard her say,"All set... Mr. Slate is on his way down to escort you."
"Sorry Illya," she apologized as she handed him a visitors badge instead of his own.
Mark appeared within a few minutes acting quite formally."Just follow me Mr. Kuryakin...sorry for the formalities mate. Just following proper procedure."
The two agents walked casually down the corridor then ducked into the main elevator heading to the lower level and the AV department. Mark lead Illya into one of the back viewing rooms; having disabled the security camera so anyone viewing the screen for this location would see an empty table and chairs with no one coming or going.
He hit a switch; bringing up an overhead video screen. Mark running the video footage on fast forward until he reached what he was looking for.
"There was nothing to see, or no one unusual until this..." He slowed the video just as the smoke grenade was thrown into the ballroom. At first there was only a hand tossing it through the doorway, then a face appeared just for a brief moment through the smoke as it billowed into the air...
Mark advance the footage further..."look here," he said pointing to the screen. He's the one who shot your wife and Napoleon."
Illya let out a string of Russian curses pounding his fist to the desk.
"Eto chempion shlyuha_ son of a whore!"