TITLE: Rescue me

Chapter 02

AUTHOR: Ceindreadh

EMAIL: ceindreadh@eircom.net

CATEGORY: drama/angst/gen

WARNING: none

RATING: PG-13

SPOILERS: none

DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, I'm just borrowing them and I'll return them to Norman Felton and Warner Bros when I've finished with them

Thanks to FatCat and Kelly for Betaing this for me.

Part 02/07

Napoleon could feel a strong pair of arms grabbing him and dragging him to his feet. He stumbled in the direction they steered him, his eyes streaming from smoke irritation. It felt like a lifetime, but it was only a few seconds later when he found himself sitting outside on the pavement, sucking in the precious life giving air and coughing the smoke from his lungs.

"You okay there now boyo?" asked the police officer, looking considerably more soot stained than he had been before dragging Napoleon out of the burning house. "I told you to leave this to the firemen." He glanced up at the sound of approaching sirens. "See? Here they are now and they'll get your friend out of there as soon as they can." He paused before asking, "You *are* sure that he was in there, I mean this place hasn't been occupied for as long I can remember." There was an air of suspicion in his voice. "Leastways not for any legitimate purpose."

"He was there," rasped Napoleon, his throat feeling as if he'd swallowed razor blades. He fumbled at the inside pocket of his coat with shaking hands and pulled out his ID card. "I work for the U.N.C.L.E..." A coughing fit overtook him before he could continue, "We both do...he was in there...he's still in there...we have to get him out..." Napoleon tried to push himself to his feet but the policeman pushed him back down again. "So you're one of Mr. Waverly's boys, eh? Well don't worry, we'll get your buddy out of there." He nodded towards the man who was climbing out of the fire truck. "See that guy over there? That's Mack Stevens, Chief of the fifty-first. You tell him that your buddy is in there and he'll get him out for you." He pulled Napoleon to his feet and gently pushed him towards the fire chief who was bellowing orders.

"Chief?" said Napoleon, in between fits of coughing. "My friend..." He pointed towards the conflagration. "He...he's still in there." A spasm of coughing overtook him and he bent double feeling as if his lungs were going to end up on the pavement.

Chief Stevens took him by the shoulder and asked, "Where about in the building is he? Is there anybody else in there?"

"Third...third floor," rasped Napoleon. "Back bedroom..." He swayed slightly but managed to remain standing. "You have to get him..." He took a deep breath before continuing, "There shouldn't...shouldn't be anybody else in there."

"We'll get him out," said the Chief reassuringly. Turning away from Napoleon he yelled at his men, "Okay, we've got reports of one person in the building, top floor, so we're gonna need ladders."

Napoleon felt somebody pat him on the shoulder and he turned to see the police officer.

"Mack's team is the best there is...they'll get him out okay. You just leave the heroics to them, that's what they get paid for. Besides, maybe he snuck outside for a bit of fresh air, you ever think of that? Maybe you should try him on one of those radio thingies that you guys are always carrying around."

"Not Illya," said Napoleon, shaking his head. "He wouldn't leave his post, Officer..." He squinted to make out the nametag on the police officer's chest. "Officer Clancy."

"Well, it can't do any harm to try now, can it laddie?"

Napoleon wasn't particularly convinced, but it was worth a try. His hands were clumsy as he pulled the cap off the communicator and he realized that he had picked up a few scrapes and burns during his excursion into the flames. Not that that mattered...nothing mattered except finding Illya. "Open Channel K," he said urgently. "Illya, come in. Illya, can you hear me?" He kept trying until he heard a yell from the crowd that were watching the ladders go up. Napoleon immediately started pushing his way through the throng, but met with little success until Clancy appeared again. The crowd seemed to melt away in front of him as he led Napoleon towards the ladders.

Finally he got to a clear space and saw a fireman climbing down the ladder carrying something over his shoulder.

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To be continued