Author's Note: Hi, this is my first fan fiction which I wrote years ago
when I was 11 or 12. I wrote this after watching the two movies, "Shop
Around the Corner" and "You've Got Mail". Some of plot is borrowed from the
movies. I hope you enjoy it! I'm a big fan of the Man from UNCLE series,
ever since I saw the first season episodes airing here in Japan. If you
have a chance, please review and tell me what you think! Don't worry, I
still have about 10 more chapters written which I will publish as soon as I
can! The star marks indicate what the main character is thinking.
The Rookie Agent Affair
Chapter 1: "Just When Everything Was Going Well."
I looked around my new office liking what I saw. It was a fair sized room with two big desks on each end of the room on the left when you enter and on the right, a small couch, a small coffee table, and two armchairs. I went to my new desk, on it a computer, a telephone, many files, and some of my personal stuff. I was glad I wouldn't have to be having it all to myself, I'm going to be sharing it with my new partner, Patrick O'Shay. We had both finished survival school together just a few months ago and we were stationed in New York UNCLE Headquarters. I sat down in my chair and smiled.
"Well, I'm glad that someone's happy!" Patrick said to me, who seemed to be very proud of the office, too. He was wearing the usual suit which enforcement agents wore. I looked up into his face and smiled even more. It was always so hard for me to believe he was older than me. With his red hair and mischievous green eyes, not to mention the freckles, you would believe him to be a kid just fresh out of college instead of a twenty-eight year old agent for a spy organization.
"Yeah, well, it's much better than having to have to share a small room the size of a prison cell, with only half a desk to use," I replied, laughing because it was true about the living conditions at the survival school. I had been tired of sharing a room and worst of all - sharing a computer!!! One of my passions is using my computer and surfing the Internet. Because I had to share a computer, I always had a limited time on using it. And limited time always meant. which reminded me.
"Um, Patrick, didn't you say you had to, um, go check up on something at the records department," I said, as innocently as I could. Hopefully, he'd get the hint and leave.
"All right, I get the idea," he said, raising his hands as if in defeat. "You don't want me around. Well, that's OK, as you said, I do have to check out something before we go get our debriefing." Patrick and I are going on our first case this afternoon to San Francisco. "See you later Danielle," he said, leaving the office.
I knew I too should be preparing for the case but there was something I had to do. I went straight to my new desk then started the computer on. The computer finally turned on and I moved the mouse and clicked on INTERNET. I logged onto the Internet and then opened up a chat room which I had found a few weeks ago. I put in my chat name, NewYorkGirl, and password then checked my mail. A short message came out saying 'YOU GOT MAIL' - from Areht! I was so excited I could hardly move my mouse correctly to open the message.
I had first met him in the chat room I had never been before and since it was his first time too, we started sending messages to each other. Since specifics are of course not allowed on the site, I didn't know anything about him except that he is a between 25 and 35 years old, he lives in New York, and his chat name is Areht. But I was fascinated by him. He wrote the most intriguing e-mails and he was different from the other Internet guys. We talked about books mostly, for both of us love the classics. A week ago he wrote that he had some business out of town so he wouldn't be writing for a while. For a whole week I have waited for his e-mail to come and it's finally here! The e-mail opened up.
Dear NewYorkGirl, I'm sure that you have been waiting for me to get back and write you. Actually, I also have been impatient to get back from wherever I've been, alas, I will not tell where since there is to be no specifics. I came home late so I'm sorry that I cannot write you a longer message. I just wrote to tell you, I'm back. Areht
I leaned back against my chair and read the message again. *I'm glad you're back, too my friend.* I immediately clicked the reply button but just as I was about to type in my response, the Internet turned off. I moaned. It was just so unfair. UNCLE personnel who have their own computer in headquarters are only able to use the Internet for just enough time to check mail unless we needed to do research.
Well, might as well do some work. The dossier on the case I will be working on was right in front of me but I didn't want to go into that right now. I decided to look through the UNCLE files. I opened up the network on my computer, which gives me direct access to UNCLE files. My goal is to become one of UNCLE's best enforcement agents, that's why my first case is so important to me. It's going to be rough though because of my being a woman. Out of the couple of hundreds of men enforcement agents there are only about 20 to 30 woman UNCLE agents. And to become one of the best, I knew that I had to earn it by studying hard and keeping myself physically and mentally fit. Study hard, I'm fine in that department. All of my grades are good and as for my memory, I was pretty sharp. Physically fit, I'm an expert in martial arts, a master at fencing, studied a bit in gymnastics, and could outshoot most of the students in survival school. Now, what I want to do is try to memorize and know the top UNCLE agents, know whom I'll be working with. I decided to start with Section Two agents first since I had already memorized UNCLE's section one.
I typed in SECTION TWO UNCLE AGENTS. Enter. I looked at the list and clicked, CHIEF ENFORCEMENT AGENT: SOLO, NAPOLEON ANTONY. The first thing I saw was a picture of a man, maybe in his early thirties, with dark brown hair which was pushed back almost carelessly, except it made him look good. *Hmmm, quite handsome* I thought. *He looks vaguely familiar*. I finally remembered that I had seen him around the building, maybe last week or so. He had been in the cafeteria while I was having some coffee. Funny, I hadn't seen him around lately. *He's probably on a mission or something. All right, let's find out about New York's chief enforcement agent.* I scrolled down on my computer and started reading.
*Born 1930, January 2nd. Resides and works in New York City. Once married but wife killed after being only married one year. Height, 6'1'', weight, 175 lbs. Mole on left cheek.* I looked back at the picture and saw that it was correct. As I was almost finished reading Napoleon Solo's file, my telephone rang. I picked up the phone.
"Agent Danielle Leona speaking."
"Ms. Leona, this is Mr. Waverly's secretary Lisa Rogers speaking. Mr. Waverly would like to see you in his office and discuss the Sawyer's case," the voice spoke in the phone.
*She must mean about my case on the kidnapped Dr. Sawyers*. "I'll be right over." I hung up the receiver and stood up. I saw that my hands were shaking a bit. I felt silly. My first time to see the great Section1 leader Alexander Waverly and I was getting nervous. Of course I know what he looks like since I had already studied up on all the Section 1 leaders of UNCLE, but still meeting him in person. I took a good deep breath to steady myself. I walked out the door and strode to the direction of Mr. Waverly's office. A steady stream of UNCLE personnel were going in the opposite direction, since it was almost lunch hour and they were all going to the cafeteria. On the way to my destination, I met Patrick.
"Well, what's going on?" he asked, looking somewhat upset. "I was called to Mr. Waverly's office while I was right in the middle of something pretty interesting and."
"Who is she Patrick," I teased him, since he was notorious flirt. He always seemed to get a date in the most unimaginable places.
"Her name is Maggie Miller who works in records and. It's none of your business! You didn't answer my question!"
"Calm down, I was just asking. Mr. Waverly just wants to talk to us about the Sawyer's case. All right here we are."
We both stopped in front of Lisa Roger's desk. "I'm Danielle Leona and this is my partner Patrick O'Shay." I tried to look professional but as soon as Patrick saw Ms. Rogers, he immediately stopped being moody and put on his most charming smile. "You must be Lisa Rogers. I am very pleased to meet you." I rolled my eyes. *How many times have I heard him say that?*
Lisa Rogers returned his smile. "And I'm happy to meet you, too. And I'm sure that Mr. Waverly is most anxious to see you." She spoke into her intercom. "Ms. Leona and Mr. O'Shay to see you sir." I couldn't quite catch his answer but it must have been an affirmative because Ms. Rogers said to go in.
The room was very big with a huge round revolving table. At the head of the table sat Mr. Alexander Waverly. Just as when I had first seen his picture in my computer, I was again surprised. He did not at all look like a sharp and strong leader of a worldwide organization. He looked more like a kindly old grandfather or a college professor maybe. He stood up to greet us.
"Miss Leona, Mr. Patrick." He shook our hands in turn. "I'm very glad to have you in our New York Headquarters. Please sit down." After we settled down in our seats he began. "I'm sure the two of you are very excited about going on your first mission." Patrick and I both agreed enthusiastically.
"Well, I'm sorry to have to say that I'll have to take you off the case Miss Leona."
What he said did not register for a while. I just looked at him blankly. When I could finally speak I said, "But sir. Why? I mean. we've been getting ready for this trip for weeks and this is my first assignment with Patrick as a partner. I know we can work well together." I knew I was blabbing and not making sense but the news had shocked me.
"I'm very sorry my dear," the number one of section one said with a sad smile. "This case just took a dangerous turn. One of our agents was killed recently who had a lead in the case. Also, THRUSH is holding Dr. Sawyers for ransom. They want us to give our plans to the new weapon we're working on or. you get the general idea. Mr. O'Shay and a team of UNCLE agents will set out on a rescue for the good doctor because of Mr. O'Shay's degree in electronics. We have found out where Dr. Sawyer's is being held and it has a highly sophisticated security system. You might be able to help in disabling it, along with one of our best men, Mr. Kuryakin."
"But sir," Patrick said, trying to make a way to get me back on the case. "Danielle knows the danger of being on a mission. She knew the risks when she entered survival school. Besides, she'll be a lot of help to me in getting around the security system. She also has a degree in electronics. I'm sure she'll be a much better help than Mr. Ku-something or other."
"Oh, I assure you that Mr. Kuryakin will be a lot of help. He is one of section two's top agents, number two of section two to be precise. That is why I have decided to send him along instead of Ms. Leona. I would like you, Mr. O'Shay to get all your files on the case and give them to Mr. Kuryakin after I talk to him. Then I would like you to pick up your airplane tickets for Europe. That is all."
And that was it. We were dismissed. Oh, I admit that I liked him but right at the moment I felt low as dirt. I couldn't believe it. After weeks of preparing for this mission, to be given to this Mr. Kuryakin probably just because I'm a woman, and most probably because Mr. Waverly thought he'd do a better job than a mere rookie. Because that's who I am. But I was determined not to stay that way for long.
I was snapped out of my reverie as Mr. Waverly spoke into his intercom. "Miss Rogers, please find Mr. Kuryakin for me and tell him to report to me immediately. " He then looked back at us. "Mr. O'Shay, good luck on your mission. Ms. Leona, I'm sorry it didn't work out well but I'm sure that I'll have something for you to do right here in New York while your partner is away."
Patrick and I stood up, said our good-byes and left. Patrick must really feel bad about it I thought because he didn't even give a second glance to Lisa. We walked down the hall in silence. The halls were almost all empty, everyone being in the cafeteria. When we reached our office and sat down on the couch, Patrick finally spoke.
"I'm sorry about this Danny," he said, using his pet name for me. "I really wish you could come and I wish I could stay here with you."
"Don't say that Patrick," I said, knowing he felt almost as awful as I did. "This is your big chance to show UNCLE what a whiz you are at mechanics. I'll get my chance soon." I took his hand in mine and squeezed it, to show that I really meant it because I did. "Now you go get those plane tickets. I'm going to collect all the files for you and we'll meet at the cafeteria. I'll give them to you and you can see the great Mr. Kuryakin." Oh, how I didn't like whoever he is. Though I never met him, I had taken an instant dislike to him, even though I knew it wasn't that fair of me.
Patrick left without a word. I stayed on the couch, looking up at the ceiling, trying to stop the tears that were coming into my eyes. I blinked them away and went to my desk. *I wish I could talk to you Areht* I thought. *You're one of my best friends though I've never seen you before. You're the sort of person I can talk to about my troubles.*
I just stayed there like that, maybe for 15 minutes, just staring at my computer. I finally gathered up the Sawyer's case files and left my office, heading for the cafeteria, since Patrick should have gotten the tickets by now. When I got there, all the tables were crowded and it took me a while to find Patrick. I found him at one of the tables with a girl, probably Maggie of the record's department. He seemed to be having a good time so I didn't want to bother him. I looked around for another seat close by. I was surprised to see one seat open, with only one man at a table. I was puzzled by this. Almost all the tables were filled with people, everybody with a friend. But this man was alone, having a whole table to himself. No matter. I went up to him.
"Do you mind if I sit here, or are you waiting for someone?" I asked politely. He looked up, looking a little bit surprised. "Oh, please go ahead and take a seat. And no, I'm not waiting for someone." He seemed to have a slight and very soft accent. European or something.
I said thank you and sat down across the table from him, in a way that I can see both the stranger across from me, and Patrick who was sitting in the table behind him. I then studied the man across from me. He was a very, very, handsome man with longish blonde hair which was cut into bangs, pale skin, and very bright, ice blue eyes. He was sitting down so I couldn't tell much about his height but I guessed he was about half a foot taller than me. He was very slim but probably very athletic. He was wearing a dark suit which complemented him nicely. He was not American that much I could tell because of his accent. His accent was hard to place. Maybe European. You could tell he was an enforcement agent by the way he seemed to notice everything which went on around him. He seemed young though for an enforcement agent, maybe in this later twenties or early thirties.
Though he was reading some sort of book, I could tell that he was also studying me. But I knew that there was not much to see. A young woman with wavy brown hair framing an obviously American face. A face a bit too ordinary to be called strikingly beautiful. And I knew that if he looked into my eyes, he would just find chocolate colored eyes which Patrick teasingly called 'brown eyes too serious'.
After a few moments he looked up and we both stared at each other, brown eyes against cool blue eyes. I finally looked away and my eyes strayed to Patrick, who seemed to be captivated by his date.
"I see that you are waiting for your partner, Mr. O'Shay to finally notice that there are other people in the world besides Maggie Miller," the handsome man finally spoke, looking straight into my face.
"How did you know that I'm Patrick's partner," I asked, shocked that he knew about Patrick, though he couldn't see him.
The stranger gave a small, mysterious smile. "I know that you are Danielle Leona, so it was just an educated guess that the man was Patrick O'Shay. Just finished survival school a few weeks ago, and was recently stationed here, right? Born in New York, graduated with honors, received a degree in electronics in a university in England, and is now working together with Mr. Patrick O'Shay as partners. Am I correct or have I missed anything?" He cocked his head slightly to one side and raised one eyebrow.
The more the mysterious stranger spoke, the more dumbfounded I was. How did he know so much?! When I could finally find my voice I answered, "Yes, you most certainly are correct but how."
"That's easy," he said leaning back against his chair. "I always make it my duty to know New York's new recruits. I read your file as soon I came back yesterday, including Mr. O'Shay's."
He pointed to the files I had put on the table. "First case?"
"Well, yes and no," I sighed and decided to tell him about it. He seemed like a really nice guy and besides; I was beginning to like him. "It was going to be my first case with Patrick but then Mr. Waverly decides that he should go with someone else. A certain Mr. Kuryakin something or other." As soon as I said that, the blonde guy choked on the coffee he was drinking.
"Are you OK?" I asked. After he recovered I went on. "I know it's unfair of me to be so judgmental but I wish Mr. Waverly had let me go." Then something dawned on me. "Do you know this Mr. Kuryakin?"
Because he didn't answer me I thought he wouldn't tell me but after a while he said, "Well, let's just say I know about him."
Before I could question him about his strange answer someone laid a hand on my shoulder. I jumped a little as the person behind me said, "Well, Illya, be nice and introduce me to your charming friend." I turned around and saw that it was Napoleon Solo! I was amazed at my luck. Today I'm meeting two of the most important UNCLE people in New York! "Hello," I replied coolly, meeting him eye to eye. He sat down next Illya. "You sneaky Russian. Trying to keep her all to yourself. When did you meet?" *So that's where he got his accent. He's Russian! Well that is a surprise. How many more surprises does he have for me?*
"Napoleon," Illya said, sounding exasperated. "You are most annoying, persistent, curious, and most of all, a pest! We only just met!"
"Oh right, you just happened to sit together with this lovely lady, start a conversation, and talk like old friends." Napoleon heaved a sigh. "I'm supposed to believe that?"
"Yes, now stop asking questions and would you please go away," Illya said rolling his eyes. The two looked at each other, glaring. I started laughing out loud. You could tell that though they were arguing, they were probably the best of friends, maybe partners. Come to think of it, I never learned in Napoleon's file about who his partner was. They both were looking at me a little strangely. "Sorry, I couldn't help it! You two are just so funny."
"Is that so," said Illya.
"You still haven't told me who she is." Napoleon was starting to look a little exasperated.
"But I know who you are, Mr. Solo. Your full name is Napoleon Antony Solo, you were born in New York City, born on January 2nd, 1930. Was recruited to New York branch, Section 2 in 1954, and was promoted to chief enforcement agent on September 1962. Am I correct or have I missed something?" I winked at Illya, who was smiling broadly.
During the whole time, Napoleon stared at me blankly. He cleared his throat while looking at Illya and said, "At least someone knows who everybody is."
"Oh, and this is Miss Danielle Leona, new recruit to New York's Section 2." Illya looked smug. Napoleon looked irritated about it all. "Well, I guess it's my turn to tell you about my partner Illya," he said sarcastically. "His full name is Illya Nicko. OUCH!!!"
Illya accidentally spilled some of his hot coffee all over Napoleon. "I'm so sorry, Napoleon! Are you OK?" Napoleon glared at Illya while his friend stared innocently at him. "I'm sure you can change into another change of clothes in your office," Illya told him.
"I guess I'd better." Napoleon did not look at Illya. "In spite of all this, I am very happy to meet you and I hope we can meet again some time, maybe go out to dinner?" he asked me. I chuckled. *Always the perfect gentlemen* I thought. "Mmm, maybe," I countered, knowing I couldn't make any commitment. He smiled and answered, "I'll try to make that maybe into a yes. Until we meet again?" He got up and in a regal manner, took my hand and kissed it. He then left the cafeteria. I looked on after him. He was interesting!
I looked back at Illya. "Your friend is really nice. You two really make a pair."
Illya smiled at that. "I wouldn't exactly put it that way but I guess your right." My new friend suddenly looked at his watch. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I must go back to my office. I've just been given a new assignment and I'll have to get ready." He stood up and I stood up, too. "I hope we can have another one of these conversations soon some time."
"Another time then, Illya," I said, offering my hand. He took it and shook my hand. "Good-bye Danielle." Then he was gone. As I had done with Napoleon, I also stared after him. I didn't notice someone sit in front of me.
"Huh, you're certainly doing well by yourself," April Dancer said, shaking her head in admiration. I met April when I first came here and we immediately became good friends. We had a lot in common. We're both enforcement agents, one of the few woman agents, and we have high goals of reaching the top of Section Two. April Dancer has also most of the same physical features, both of us having shoulder length dark brown hair except hers was lighter. We both also were about the same height, though I'm a little bit slimmer and taller and we both have brown eyes.
She kept on talking. "You're so lucky! It took me weeks to get introduced to Napoleon and Illya when I just came here! And becoming friends with Napoleon's is easy because he loves any woman, but Illya! What did you say to pique his interest?"
I was surprised and flattered by her sudden admiration for me. "Why, I just asked if I could sit down and we just started talking!"
"Well, you must have said something! Illya is one of the most unapproachable and distant man ever! Half the woman in the command will die to be in your place! I mean, to just sit down and talk with Section Two's Number Two agent, Illya Kuryakin!!"
Author's Note: The next chapter, things will start to pick up. What do you think? Please review, I accept both praise and criticism. But please remember I was VERY young when I wrote this!
The Rookie Agent Affair
Chapter 1: "Just When Everything Was Going Well."
I looked around my new office liking what I saw. It was a fair sized room with two big desks on each end of the room on the left when you enter and on the right, a small couch, a small coffee table, and two armchairs. I went to my new desk, on it a computer, a telephone, many files, and some of my personal stuff. I was glad I wouldn't have to be having it all to myself, I'm going to be sharing it with my new partner, Patrick O'Shay. We had both finished survival school together just a few months ago and we were stationed in New York UNCLE Headquarters. I sat down in my chair and smiled.
"Well, I'm glad that someone's happy!" Patrick said to me, who seemed to be very proud of the office, too. He was wearing the usual suit which enforcement agents wore. I looked up into his face and smiled even more. It was always so hard for me to believe he was older than me. With his red hair and mischievous green eyes, not to mention the freckles, you would believe him to be a kid just fresh out of college instead of a twenty-eight year old agent for a spy organization.
"Yeah, well, it's much better than having to have to share a small room the size of a prison cell, with only half a desk to use," I replied, laughing because it was true about the living conditions at the survival school. I had been tired of sharing a room and worst of all - sharing a computer!!! One of my passions is using my computer and surfing the Internet. Because I had to share a computer, I always had a limited time on using it. And limited time always meant. which reminded me.
"Um, Patrick, didn't you say you had to, um, go check up on something at the records department," I said, as innocently as I could. Hopefully, he'd get the hint and leave.
"All right, I get the idea," he said, raising his hands as if in defeat. "You don't want me around. Well, that's OK, as you said, I do have to check out something before we go get our debriefing." Patrick and I are going on our first case this afternoon to San Francisco. "See you later Danielle," he said, leaving the office.
I knew I too should be preparing for the case but there was something I had to do. I went straight to my new desk then started the computer on. The computer finally turned on and I moved the mouse and clicked on INTERNET. I logged onto the Internet and then opened up a chat room which I had found a few weeks ago. I put in my chat name, NewYorkGirl, and password then checked my mail. A short message came out saying 'YOU GOT MAIL' - from Areht! I was so excited I could hardly move my mouse correctly to open the message.
I had first met him in the chat room I had never been before and since it was his first time too, we started sending messages to each other. Since specifics are of course not allowed on the site, I didn't know anything about him except that he is a between 25 and 35 years old, he lives in New York, and his chat name is Areht. But I was fascinated by him. He wrote the most intriguing e-mails and he was different from the other Internet guys. We talked about books mostly, for both of us love the classics. A week ago he wrote that he had some business out of town so he wouldn't be writing for a while. For a whole week I have waited for his e-mail to come and it's finally here! The e-mail opened up.
Dear NewYorkGirl, I'm sure that you have been waiting for me to get back and write you. Actually, I also have been impatient to get back from wherever I've been, alas, I will not tell where since there is to be no specifics. I came home late so I'm sorry that I cannot write you a longer message. I just wrote to tell you, I'm back. Areht
I leaned back against my chair and read the message again. *I'm glad you're back, too my friend.* I immediately clicked the reply button but just as I was about to type in my response, the Internet turned off. I moaned. It was just so unfair. UNCLE personnel who have their own computer in headquarters are only able to use the Internet for just enough time to check mail unless we needed to do research.
Well, might as well do some work. The dossier on the case I will be working on was right in front of me but I didn't want to go into that right now. I decided to look through the UNCLE files. I opened up the network on my computer, which gives me direct access to UNCLE files. My goal is to become one of UNCLE's best enforcement agents, that's why my first case is so important to me. It's going to be rough though because of my being a woman. Out of the couple of hundreds of men enforcement agents there are only about 20 to 30 woman UNCLE agents. And to become one of the best, I knew that I had to earn it by studying hard and keeping myself physically and mentally fit. Study hard, I'm fine in that department. All of my grades are good and as for my memory, I was pretty sharp. Physically fit, I'm an expert in martial arts, a master at fencing, studied a bit in gymnastics, and could outshoot most of the students in survival school. Now, what I want to do is try to memorize and know the top UNCLE agents, know whom I'll be working with. I decided to start with Section Two agents first since I had already memorized UNCLE's section one.
I typed in SECTION TWO UNCLE AGENTS. Enter. I looked at the list and clicked, CHIEF ENFORCEMENT AGENT: SOLO, NAPOLEON ANTONY. The first thing I saw was a picture of a man, maybe in his early thirties, with dark brown hair which was pushed back almost carelessly, except it made him look good. *Hmmm, quite handsome* I thought. *He looks vaguely familiar*. I finally remembered that I had seen him around the building, maybe last week or so. He had been in the cafeteria while I was having some coffee. Funny, I hadn't seen him around lately. *He's probably on a mission or something. All right, let's find out about New York's chief enforcement agent.* I scrolled down on my computer and started reading.
*Born 1930, January 2nd. Resides and works in New York City. Once married but wife killed after being only married one year. Height, 6'1'', weight, 175 lbs. Mole on left cheek.* I looked back at the picture and saw that it was correct. As I was almost finished reading Napoleon Solo's file, my telephone rang. I picked up the phone.
"Agent Danielle Leona speaking."
"Ms. Leona, this is Mr. Waverly's secretary Lisa Rogers speaking. Mr. Waverly would like to see you in his office and discuss the Sawyer's case," the voice spoke in the phone.
*She must mean about my case on the kidnapped Dr. Sawyers*. "I'll be right over." I hung up the receiver and stood up. I saw that my hands were shaking a bit. I felt silly. My first time to see the great Section1 leader Alexander Waverly and I was getting nervous. Of course I know what he looks like since I had already studied up on all the Section 1 leaders of UNCLE, but still meeting him in person. I took a good deep breath to steady myself. I walked out the door and strode to the direction of Mr. Waverly's office. A steady stream of UNCLE personnel were going in the opposite direction, since it was almost lunch hour and they were all going to the cafeteria. On the way to my destination, I met Patrick.
"Well, what's going on?" he asked, looking somewhat upset. "I was called to Mr. Waverly's office while I was right in the middle of something pretty interesting and."
"Who is she Patrick," I teased him, since he was notorious flirt. He always seemed to get a date in the most unimaginable places.
"Her name is Maggie Miller who works in records and. It's none of your business! You didn't answer my question!"
"Calm down, I was just asking. Mr. Waverly just wants to talk to us about the Sawyer's case. All right here we are."
We both stopped in front of Lisa Roger's desk. "I'm Danielle Leona and this is my partner Patrick O'Shay." I tried to look professional but as soon as Patrick saw Ms. Rogers, he immediately stopped being moody and put on his most charming smile. "You must be Lisa Rogers. I am very pleased to meet you." I rolled my eyes. *How many times have I heard him say that?*
Lisa Rogers returned his smile. "And I'm happy to meet you, too. And I'm sure that Mr. Waverly is most anxious to see you." She spoke into her intercom. "Ms. Leona and Mr. O'Shay to see you sir." I couldn't quite catch his answer but it must have been an affirmative because Ms. Rogers said to go in.
The room was very big with a huge round revolving table. At the head of the table sat Mr. Alexander Waverly. Just as when I had first seen his picture in my computer, I was again surprised. He did not at all look like a sharp and strong leader of a worldwide organization. He looked more like a kindly old grandfather or a college professor maybe. He stood up to greet us.
"Miss Leona, Mr. Patrick." He shook our hands in turn. "I'm very glad to have you in our New York Headquarters. Please sit down." After we settled down in our seats he began. "I'm sure the two of you are very excited about going on your first mission." Patrick and I both agreed enthusiastically.
"Well, I'm sorry to have to say that I'll have to take you off the case Miss Leona."
What he said did not register for a while. I just looked at him blankly. When I could finally speak I said, "But sir. Why? I mean. we've been getting ready for this trip for weeks and this is my first assignment with Patrick as a partner. I know we can work well together." I knew I was blabbing and not making sense but the news had shocked me.
"I'm very sorry my dear," the number one of section one said with a sad smile. "This case just took a dangerous turn. One of our agents was killed recently who had a lead in the case. Also, THRUSH is holding Dr. Sawyers for ransom. They want us to give our plans to the new weapon we're working on or. you get the general idea. Mr. O'Shay and a team of UNCLE agents will set out on a rescue for the good doctor because of Mr. O'Shay's degree in electronics. We have found out where Dr. Sawyer's is being held and it has a highly sophisticated security system. You might be able to help in disabling it, along with one of our best men, Mr. Kuryakin."
"But sir," Patrick said, trying to make a way to get me back on the case. "Danielle knows the danger of being on a mission. She knew the risks when she entered survival school. Besides, she'll be a lot of help to me in getting around the security system. She also has a degree in electronics. I'm sure she'll be a much better help than Mr. Ku-something or other."
"Oh, I assure you that Mr. Kuryakin will be a lot of help. He is one of section two's top agents, number two of section two to be precise. That is why I have decided to send him along instead of Ms. Leona. I would like you, Mr. O'Shay to get all your files on the case and give them to Mr. Kuryakin after I talk to him. Then I would like you to pick up your airplane tickets for Europe. That is all."
And that was it. We were dismissed. Oh, I admit that I liked him but right at the moment I felt low as dirt. I couldn't believe it. After weeks of preparing for this mission, to be given to this Mr. Kuryakin probably just because I'm a woman, and most probably because Mr. Waverly thought he'd do a better job than a mere rookie. Because that's who I am. But I was determined not to stay that way for long.
I was snapped out of my reverie as Mr. Waverly spoke into his intercom. "Miss Rogers, please find Mr. Kuryakin for me and tell him to report to me immediately. " He then looked back at us. "Mr. O'Shay, good luck on your mission. Ms. Leona, I'm sorry it didn't work out well but I'm sure that I'll have something for you to do right here in New York while your partner is away."
Patrick and I stood up, said our good-byes and left. Patrick must really feel bad about it I thought because he didn't even give a second glance to Lisa. We walked down the hall in silence. The halls were almost all empty, everyone being in the cafeteria. When we reached our office and sat down on the couch, Patrick finally spoke.
"I'm sorry about this Danny," he said, using his pet name for me. "I really wish you could come and I wish I could stay here with you."
"Don't say that Patrick," I said, knowing he felt almost as awful as I did. "This is your big chance to show UNCLE what a whiz you are at mechanics. I'll get my chance soon." I took his hand in mine and squeezed it, to show that I really meant it because I did. "Now you go get those plane tickets. I'm going to collect all the files for you and we'll meet at the cafeteria. I'll give them to you and you can see the great Mr. Kuryakin." Oh, how I didn't like whoever he is. Though I never met him, I had taken an instant dislike to him, even though I knew it wasn't that fair of me.
Patrick left without a word. I stayed on the couch, looking up at the ceiling, trying to stop the tears that were coming into my eyes. I blinked them away and went to my desk. *I wish I could talk to you Areht* I thought. *You're one of my best friends though I've never seen you before. You're the sort of person I can talk to about my troubles.*
I just stayed there like that, maybe for 15 minutes, just staring at my computer. I finally gathered up the Sawyer's case files and left my office, heading for the cafeteria, since Patrick should have gotten the tickets by now. When I got there, all the tables were crowded and it took me a while to find Patrick. I found him at one of the tables with a girl, probably Maggie of the record's department. He seemed to be having a good time so I didn't want to bother him. I looked around for another seat close by. I was surprised to see one seat open, with only one man at a table. I was puzzled by this. Almost all the tables were filled with people, everybody with a friend. But this man was alone, having a whole table to himself. No matter. I went up to him.
"Do you mind if I sit here, or are you waiting for someone?" I asked politely. He looked up, looking a little bit surprised. "Oh, please go ahead and take a seat. And no, I'm not waiting for someone." He seemed to have a slight and very soft accent. European or something.
I said thank you and sat down across the table from him, in a way that I can see both the stranger across from me, and Patrick who was sitting in the table behind him. I then studied the man across from me. He was a very, very, handsome man with longish blonde hair which was cut into bangs, pale skin, and very bright, ice blue eyes. He was sitting down so I couldn't tell much about his height but I guessed he was about half a foot taller than me. He was very slim but probably very athletic. He was wearing a dark suit which complemented him nicely. He was not American that much I could tell because of his accent. His accent was hard to place. Maybe European. You could tell he was an enforcement agent by the way he seemed to notice everything which went on around him. He seemed young though for an enforcement agent, maybe in this later twenties or early thirties.
Though he was reading some sort of book, I could tell that he was also studying me. But I knew that there was not much to see. A young woman with wavy brown hair framing an obviously American face. A face a bit too ordinary to be called strikingly beautiful. And I knew that if he looked into my eyes, he would just find chocolate colored eyes which Patrick teasingly called 'brown eyes too serious'.
After a few moments he looked up and we both stared at each other, brown eyes against cool blue eyes. I finally looked away and my eyes strayed to Patrick, who seemed to be captivated by his date.
"I see that you are waiting for your partner, Mr. O'Shay to finally notice that there are other people in the world besides Maggie Miller," the handsome man finally spoke, looking straight into my face.
"How did you know that I'm Patrick's partner," I asked, shocked that he knew about Patrick, though he couldn't see him.
The stranger gave a small, mysterious smile. "I know that you are Danielle Leona, so it was just an educated guess that the man was Patrick O'Shay. Just finished survival school a few weeks ago, and was recently stationed here, right? Born in New York, graduated with honors, received a degree in electronics in a university in England, and is now working together with Mr. Patrick O'Shay as partners. Am I correct or have I missed anything?" He cocked his head slightly to one side and raised one eyebrow.
The more the mysterious stranger spoke, the more dumbfounded I was. How did he know so much?! When I could finally find my voice I answered, "Yes, you most certainly are correct but how."
"That's easy," he said leaning back against his chair. "I always make it my duty to know New York's new recruits. I read your file as soon I came back yesterday, including Mr. O'Shay's."
He pointed to the files I had put on the table. "First case?"
"Well, yes and no," I sighed and decided to tell him about it. He seemed like a really nice guy and besides; I was beginning to like him. "It was going to be my first case with Patrick but then Mr. Waverly decides that he should go with someone else. A certain Mr. Kuryakin something or other." As soon as I said that, the blonde guy choked on the coffee he was drinking.
"Are you OK?" I asked. After he recovered I went on. "I know it's unfair of me to be so judgmental but I wish Mr. Waverly had let me go." Then something dawned on me. "Do you know this Mr. Kuryakin?"
Because he didn't answer me I thought he wouldn't tell me but after a while he said, "Well, let's just say I know about him."
Before I could question him about his strange answer someone laid a hand on my shoulder. I jumped a little as the person behind me said, "Well, Illya, be nice and introduce me to your charming friend." I turned around and saw that it was Napoleon Solo! I was amazed at my luck. Today I'm meeting two of the most important UNCLE people in New York! "Hello," I replied coolly, meeting him eye to eye. He sat down next Illya. "You sneaky Russian. Trying to keep her all to yourself. When did you meet?" *So that's where he got his accent. He's Russian! Well that is a surprise. How many more surprises does he have for me?*
"Napoleon," Illya said, sounding exasperated. "You are most annoying, persistent, curious, and most of all, a pest! We only just met!"
"Oh right, you just happened to sit together with this lovely lady, start a conversation, and talk like old friends." Napoleon heaved a sigh. "I'm supposed to believe that?"
"Yes, now stop asking questions and would you please go away," Illya said rolling his eyes. The two looked at each other, glaring. I started laughing out loud. You could tell that though they were arguing, they were probably the best of friends, maybe partners. Come to think of it, I never learned in Napoleon's file about who his partner was. They both were looking at me a little strangely. "Sorry, I couldn't help it! You two are just so funny."
"Is that so," said Illya.
"You still haven't told me who she is." Napoleon was starting to look a little exasperated.
"But I know who you are, Mr. Solo. Your full name is Napoleon Antony Solo, you were born in New York City, born on January 2nd, 1930. Was recruited to New York branch, Section 2 in 1954, and was promoted to chief enforcement agent on September 1962. Am I correct or have I missed something?" I winked at Illya, who was smiling broadly.
During the whole time, Napoleon stared at me blankly. He cleared his throat while looking at Illya and said, "At least someone knows who everybody is."
"Oh, and this is Miss Danielle Leona, new recruit to New York's Section 2." Illya looked smug. Napoleon looked irritated about it all. "Well, I guess it's my turn to tell you about my partner Illya," he said sarcastically. "His full name is Illya Nicko. OUCH!!!"
Illya accidentally spilled some of his hot coffee all over Napoleon. "I'm so sorry, Napoleon! Are you OK?" Napoleon glared at Illya while his friend stared innocently at him. "I'm sure you can change into another change of clothes in your office," Illya told him.
"I guess I'd better." Napoleon did not look at Illya. "In spite of all this, I am very happy to meet you and I hope we can meet again some time, maybe go out to dinner?" he asked me. I chuckled. *Always the perfect gentlemen* I thought. "Mmm, maybe," I countered, knowing I couldn't make any commitment. He smiled and answered, "I'll try to make that maybe into a yes. Until we meet again?" He got up and in a regal manner, took my hand and kissed it. He then left the cafeteria. I looked on after him. He was interesting!
I looked back at Illya. "Your friend is really nice. You two really make a pair."
Illya smiled at that. "I wouldn't exactly put it that way but I guess your right." My new friend suddenly looked at his watch. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I must go back to my office. I've just been given a new assignment and I'll have to get ready." He stood up and I stood up, too. "I hope we can have another one of these conversations soon some time."
"Another time then, Illya," I said, offering my hand. He took it and shook my hand. "Good-bye Danielle." Then he was gone. As I had done with Napoleon, I also stared after him. I didn't notice someone sit in front of me.
"Huh, you're certainly doing well by yourself," April Dancer said, shaking her head in admiration. I met April when I first came here and we immediately became good friends. We had a lot in common. We're both enforcement agents, one of the few woman agents, and we have high goals of reaching the top of Section Two. April Dancer has also most of the same physical features, both of us having shoulder length dark brown hair except hers was lighter. We both also were about the same height, though I'm a little bit slimmer and taller and we both have brown eyes.
She kept on talking. "You're so lucky! It took me weeks to get introduced to Napoleon and Illya when I just came here! And becoming friends with Napoleon's is easy because he loves any woman, but Illya! What did you say to pique his interest?"
I was surprised and flattered by her sudden admiration for me. "Why, I just asked if I could sit down and we just started talking!"
"Well, you must have said something! Illya is one of the most unapproachable and distant man ever! Half the woman in the command will die to be in your place! I mean, to just sit down and talk with Section Two's Number Two agent, Illya Kuryakin!!"
Author's Note: The next chapter, things will start to pick up. What do you think? Please review, I accept both praise and criticism. But please remember I was VERY young when I wrote this!