The morning brought new intrigues to the UNCLE agents lives. As Napoleon lounged on the lanai of Sharon's hidden bungalow he was startled to hear her tell of the change in allegiances she had recently undergone.
"You're what?" It took a lot to make Napoleon Solo genuinely surprised, he had seen too much in his line of work to let human behavior shock or alarm him, except the most inhumane actions; one never got used to that.
"I changed sides, sweetie. I'm working for the Company now." Sharon had looked forward to sharing this with Solo; she assumed it would put them on the same side, that he would be glad for it.
"You're with the CIA now? How on earth did that happen?' He wondered if it was a change of heart, of conscience or…
"Are they paying you more?" That was a low blow, and he was immediately sorry.
"I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, it's just that… Wow, from THRUSH to the CIA. Sharon darling… You saw the light?"
Sharon could have been insulted or hurt, or both. But facing facts, it was THRUSH she had left, and done so with her life intact. Of course people would wonder how, and why.
"Napoleon, you were there with me when the whole spontaneous combustion issue was going on, with your partner seriously injured…' She sighed at the recollection of how helpless she felt, and how disgusted she had been with the outcome of that horrible concoction.
"I got into THRUSH without knowing what they truly are. I have no other explanation, and once you're in…"
"I know. And I am glad that you're out of it, I guess I just didn't ever expect to hear that you're a CIA agent now. Come here…" Napoleon took her in his arms and held her, kissing her gently.
"So I need to ask you this; why are you here?" Bali was becoming quite the breeding ground for intrigue and covert agents.
"Same as you sweetie. Something is going on here and I'm going to find out what it is. The Agency thinks that THRUSH is infiltrating native groups in a move that is politically motivated. There's trouble brewing with the military, and it's possible that the Hierarchy is placing its own people in position to mount a coup of some sort."
That didn't track with the trail he and the others were following, based on what they had heard in town, about the ocean being stolen. He released the hold he'd had her in and stepped back a little. The jungle around them was buzzing with the sounds of morning, and pungent floral aromas cascaded into the open room.
"Bizarre…' Napoleon's voice was barely above a whisper as he contemplated that strange clue, the carved bird and nonsensical stuff…''
"You're muttering, what's wrong?" Sharon was ready to share what she knew about the situation, to work with Napoleon and his team. She closed the distance between them, stroking his arm for reassurance; she was on his side now.
Napoleon had been surprised to see Sharon in the bar, assuming she was there representing THRUSH. But, had she been surprised to see him?
"You knew I was going to be here." It was a statement. If Napoleon was good at anything, it was strategy and figuring out other people's schemes. The look on Sharon's face told him what he needed to know.
"Why the charade? Why not just tell me and let us get on with the business of stopping THRUSH?" He was on the edge of being angry with the beautiful former enemy agent. Geez, sometimes he hated being in this business.
"Why? Because I wanted last night Napoleon. I didn't want anything else in the way of having you, just like we were without anything else between us." That was the truth. Suddenly sorry for the obvious lie, Sharon put her hands on his face, drew close enough to kiss him. Napoleon drew back, taking her hands in his as he lowered them to her side.
"No, not like this. Not now… I need to get back and talk to my people.' He wasn't sure why he was reacting like this, but he felt …
"You used me. God, I never thought it would bother me but, it does Sharon. You should have told me. Did you take over the job of watching me and… Are you keeping an eye on Illya? Have you taken over from that couple aboard the ship? Is he on your radar?"
Napoleon was getting madder the more he talked. He knew a little about the politics here in Indonesia, knew that the communist party was actively pursuing power. If the CIA thought that Kuryakin was here to help push that agenda forward then UNCLE needed to protect him.
"I'm going back now. We'll talk later, but for now I need to confer with my colleagues." Sharon's expression reflected the change in Napoleon, the surprise of him being offended by her lack of honesty.
''I'm so sorry, I never thought you'd be … I didn't want to hurt you or deceive you Napoleon. And no, I'm not after Illya, he has never been a part of my assignment here. Please believe me.'' Why this man mattered so much to her was unexplainable, but from the moment she met him there had been a connection, and last night was proof of that.
"Look Sharon, I just need to go and be on the job with my partner and the other two members of our team. We'll talk about this, we'll … I loved being with you last night. That was all very real for me."
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. That would have to be it for now, maybe forever.
