The Heuy jolted from the hit setting off alarms as it began to lose altitude. The radioman calling out coordinates.
"MAY DAY MAY DAY! over the roar of of the engine, the blades whipping the air as smoke billowed into the cabin.
They were spiralling down fast and Elliott grabbed the cross bar by the open door to keep from being thrown out of the helicopter as she was tossed around inside.
When it crashed, they hit hard and she was thrown out, landing face down to the ground as the copter collided against a hillside. Elliott raised herself up on her hands, her head spinning as her vision faded. She saw one of the crew members crawl out of the hilo just before it burst into flame, then she blacked out.
Elliott woke up, finding herself bound and sitting in a metal chair. The radioman sitting in a chair beside her whispered to her.
"You alright miss?"
"As well as can be expected, " she answered weakly. Her head was pounding and her body ached all over but other than that, she seemed to be free of injury.
"Não falar_ no talking!" the guard barked at them in Portuguese.
"What'd he say?"
"No talking." she whispered.
"Silêncio!
"Aw carumba..dá um tempo...estamos amarrados você sabe_ aw Jeez, give us a break...we're tied up ye know?" Elliott barked back at him.
"So what's yer name?" she asked the radioman.
"Pete, Pete Hagan...section three. And I'm guessing that Azriel is not your real name?"
"Correct. My name is Elliott...seeing as how my assassination days are numbered."
"Understood ma'am."
At that moment a burly man dressed in an ornate military uniform walked in, his entrance snapping the guard to attention. It was the General himself accompanied by an aide.
"So senhor, your attempt to kill me has failed...who is it that sent you?" he addressed Hagan.
The aide leaned into the General's ear, whispering to him, his response was one of surprise.
"Ah senhorita...so it was possibly you who tried to assassinate me? He picked up her special that lay partially disassembled on a nearby table, examining it carefully.
"This I recognize...it is the weapon used by UNCLE, is it not?"
Elliott remained silent...the General slapped her across the face.
She spat a mouthful of blood..."ffuck offf!"
That garnered her another harder slap, his ring cutting her cheek this time.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Pete shouted.
The General drew his side arm, shooting the man in the head without hesitation...the impact sending him over backward in the chair to the floor.
"Oh Jesus!" Elliott blurted out, "Ye God damn animal!"She struggled trying to loosen her bonds.
"Now what is your name?" the General asked with a calm demeanor even though he had just murdered a man in cold blood.
"Me perdue meu General_pardon me my General," said the guard." I overheard the name Azriel. The woman said she was an assassin.
"Azriel...Azriel?" the General repeated," I know that name...it is from the bible and the name of "o anjo da morte"...the angel who is the bringer of death. How clever a code name for such a prettty assassin. I never would have expected a woman...I find that very erotic. Tell me are you like the black widow who kills her mate after making passionate love...oh yes, the thought of that is very arousing to me."
He ran his hands across her chest, slipping his fingers beneath her shirt, squeezing her breasts, pulling at her nipples.
Elliott put her head back closing her eyes, preparing herself for what she thought was to come next, but instead he withdrew his hands with a satisfied grunt. She lashed out with her foot, just missing his groin.
He laughed out loud..."You are a feisty one with your fiery red hair. Are you this passionate between the sheets? Put her in a cell for now."he ordered the guard." I will savor fucking her for another time," he said as he left.
Elliott guessed three days had passed when was brought to the General's bedchamber, her hands bound behind her. She had been bathed and now wore a loose fitting peasant top hanging low off her shoulders and a flowing green skirt.
"Leave us." he ordered the guard.
"Ah yessss," that color is most complimentary to your beautiful red hair." He took her long hair in his hands smelling it, the wrapped his arms around, slobbering at her throat. He pulled down her blouse and began groping her, putting his mouth to her breasts. He removed the rest of her clothes as she fought him, throwing her down to his bed. Then climbed on top of her forcing his lips to hers as Elliott struggled against him, but there was no way for her to move to escape him as his weight pinned her. His breath stank of peppers and onion. And she smelled his strong body odor as he groped her again, biting her breasts, shoving her legs apart with his own as he prepared to rape her.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a voice called nervously.
"Perdão meu General...but we have captured another U.N.C.L.E. agent.
The General grabbed a robe putting it on as he opened the door.
"Yes my General, a thousand pardons at the interruption. We caught another agent in the compound a man sir, perhaps here to try to kill you and rescue the senhorita?
The General looked at Elliott lying on the bed, thinking for a moment...
Elliott's thoughts jumped to Illya...thinking it was he who was here to free her and now too was a captive.
"Take her back to her cell. He picked her clothes throwing them at the guard as she was dragged away naked from the room.
Elliott sat curled up on a ragged straw mattress in the corner of her cell; her head resting atop her crossed arms waiting for the guards return,
The cell door opened and a man was thrown inside the cell with her. She saw the dark head as he picked himself up from the the floor, his face swollen and bruised.
"Napoleon?"
"Hi Ellie!" he smiled," I'm here to rescue you."
"No offence...but some rescue? Is Illya with ye?"
"No, not this time. Waverly banned him from the mission...he's not to know your identity as Azriel"
Elliott was a bit surprised..."and ye are?"
"Privilege of being CEA," he smiled.
"Sooo is everything going to yer plan...or is this a little snafu that ye've hit?" she said gesturing to the prison cell.
He pulled her to her feet. "Everything is proceeding as planned."
They had confiscated his weapons and communicator, his wristwatch and jewelry, but they had not searched him carefully enough. Napoleon pulled up his sleeve revealing a long scar on this forearm; he picked at it until the piece of latex peeled away instantly. The he opened the heels of both his shoes, hidden inside were several miniature sleep darts and two small tubes that he fitted together making a blowgun.
He looked at Elliott."Ready to blow this place?" he said facetiously.
"Do ye really need me ta answer that...please by all means?"
He walked to the door, positioning the blowgun through the small barred window aiming it at the guard. He gave it one puff, launching the dart, hitting the man directly in the throat. And watched as seconds later he dropped silently to the floor.
Napoleon fixed the false scar to the lock, then pulling one of his buttons off his shirt, he crushed it releasing a small catalyst that started a chemical reaction, burning open the lock.
They opened the cell door quietly, stepping into the corridor quickly retrieving the guards side arm and rifle. Napoleon loaded another dart into the blowgun, shooting the next guard that was stationed at the exit to the cell block taking his weapons as well.
He and Elliott made their way up the stairs and out into the compound, walking straight into another group of guards. The two agents dove behind a wall taking out a few of them. Then a fire fight ensued.
"We have ta get out of here before more of them show up," Elliott said as she stepped out from the wall firing, taking down the last of them.
"You're crazy!" Solo laughed
"Ye are just getting that now?"
She and Solo scaled the low wall surrounding the compound, taking off into the rainforest heading in the direction of São Paulo. The General's stronghold was on a hill, giving them a full view of the city off in the distance.
The sounds of monkeys howling and birds singing echoed around them as they ran...it was hot and hard to breathe as the temperature had to be over 90 degrees. The humidity was oppressive as they continued running.
"It's going to rain, you can smell it in the air," Napoleon said as he pulled Elliott along with him. They could hear sirens blaring in the distance and the baying of dogs as they moved away from the compound, Solo maintaining a tight grip on Elliott's hand.
They hadn't lost the Generals men as sounds of the dogs became closer when nearing the outskirts of São Paulo. They came to a road that leading them to a run down into a poorer neighborhood as the downpour finally came. The rain at least might help throw the dogs off their scent.
Napoleon and Elliott ducked into one of the nearby buildings running up the stairs to the top. There they ran from rooftop to roof top, splashing trough puddles that formed as the rains continued to come down. They stopped to catch their breath again soaked to the skin. Leaving Elliott sitting by a chimney, Napoleon walked over trying the door to the rooftop, finding it unlocked. Shots suddenly rang out...they had been found again! Bullets hit the door and Napoleon had no choice but to duck inside the door. Elliott ran back behind the chimney, getting off a few shots, then she turned and ran to the next building, balancing across the roof top as she dodged the men who were still after her. Three of them that she could see, the rest must have gone down after Solo.
Elliott tore across the roof tops, running at full speed from building to building as they fired at her, bullets ricocheting off another chimney as she ducked behind it, chunks of brick flying everywhere behind her. There was no sign of Napoleon, and she prayed they hadn't killed him. Elliott turned firing at them again, bringing one of the men down, then took off again.
She suddenly stopped herself short...she had run out of building and faced the chasm of an alleyway that stood between her and the next rooftop.
She turned back, seeing the remaining two coming closer...she grabbed the knob on the door to the roof but it was locked.
"Feck!" she cursed.
She took a few steps back, then bounded forwards to the end of the building, launching herself up and across the alley. But the leap wasn't far enough and she, now found herself dangling by her hands from the ledge of the next building.
A bullet struck the cement by hands chipping it, sending pieces of it scattering down into Elliott's face.
She was as good as dead...the question was to permit them to shoot her or just to let go and fall to her death...at least the latter would offer them no satisfaction. Tears filled her eyes as she bid a silent farewell to Illya and her son Dimitry.
Suddenly gunfire erupted again, this time from above her, it seemed to go on forever as she hung there...her grip finally beginning to weaken. Then silence as her hands failed her and she let go. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her by the wrists, pulling her up and to the rooftop.
"Napoleon!"she gushed, tears still in her eyes. She was elated as just a few seconds ago she had resigned herself to plummeting to her death. Elliott suddenly grabbed his face in her excitement, holding it between her two hands she planted a kiss on his lips happy to see him.
Napoleon reacted, pulling her to him caught in the heat of the moment, kissing her back passionately and Elliott found herself returning his embrace. His hands were all over her pulling her skirt up, he undid his belt as they lost themselves in their passion, then he lifted Elliott up, pushing her back against a chimney, lowering her onto him. She gasped as he entered her, discovering the big reason why so many women were crazy about Napoleon Solo. He kissed her throat as he pushed up into her, thrusting again and again. His undeclared love for her had lured him into a moment of pure desire and lust and it was over in minutes, Napoleon gently lowered Elliott to her feet instantly regretting what he had done.
She fixed her clothing nervously, then let out a sob, covering her mouth with her hand."What did we do?" Napoleon grabbed it, giving it a squeeze.
"We gotta go." he whispered but nothing more.
They headed down from the roof top to the street below following it to an open air market filled with shoppers.
Suddenly there was a jarring explosion in the middle of the market, then another to their left...more explosions as cars blew, stalls went up in flames, vendors and shopper thrown. People were screaming, the dead and injured strewn across the market within minutes.
Napoleon having been knocked down by a blast, pulled himself up scanning quickly for Elliott. He spotted the red head laying around fifteen feet away in the smoldering remains of a stall.
He ran quickly to her, checking her pulse...she was alive, covered in blood from who knows how many and what kind of wounds.
He scooped Elliott up in his arms, starting to move as quickly as he could away from the carnage. It seemed odd to Napoleon the Generals men would used such extreme measures to try to take out he and Elliott.
He made it away from the market and to the next block. He stopped again for a moment to catch his breath and to check that Elliott was still breathing as well, when a young woman emerged from doorway... giving her a start when she saw him holding a woman covered in blood.
He did not speak Portugese and tried Spanish instead...
"Signorina perdón_ miss excuse me? That didn't seem to work...then he tried Italian.
"Mi potete aiatare...la mia amica à rimasta ferita nel mercato...c'erano esplosioni_ Can you help me...my friend was hurt in the market...there were explosions?"
"Sì,sì...sì li ho sentiti...si prega di portare lei in casa mia_oh yes, yes...I heard them...please bring her into my house!"she said, gesturing for Napoleon to enter.
The door opened to a large room filled with a table and chairs and a sofa in front of a stone fire place. The girl quickly cleared off the table, allowing Napoleon to lay Elliot down carefully, then she went into another room, reappearing with a first aide kit, scissors.
"The kitchen is there," she pointed him," I'll need water...and towels in the drawer."
She immediately set about cutting away Elliott's bloody top...she had several fair sized pieces of glass embedded in her shoulder...but nothing that seemingly needed stitches. Napoleon arrived with the towels and water, and she proceeded to wash away the blood to make it easier to see the wounds. Elliott had a small gash in her head, that was responsible for most of the blood, she cleaned it, put ointment then dressed it with a small bandage. Then she carefully removed the shards of glass, cleaning and bandaging those wounds as well. By the time she was done Elliott had 6 bandages on her head, back and shoulder.
The girls finally squeezed the towel into the pot of water that now was a dark shade of pink...and sighed, then draped a fresh towel covering Elliott up.
"Your friend will be fine but I am sure she will have a headache when she wakes."
"Mille grazie_ many thanks miss...?"
"Senna, my name is Senna Alegria."
"That is a beautiful name Senna Alegria...almost musical." he smiled, pausing for a moment as he admired her.
"My name is Solo, Napoleon Solo."
Senna returned his smile."So you were caught up in the rivoluzione, I would assume."
"Revolution... you mean the General's coup?"
"No Napoleon...the revolution against the tyranny of the General. The people have had it with him...he's crazy. It was bound to happen."
"Really?" Napoleon smiled thinking this was going to solve a big problem for UNCLE.
"ohhhmmm" Elliott started to moan, "what the feck happened?" She tried pushing herself up to her elbows, then laid back down again, her hand to her head.
"No, no senhorita, you musn't move just yet... you may have a concussion?" she said to Elliott
"Ellie, we apparently have gotten caught up in the middle of a revolt against the General...you're going to be alright. You've got some cuts and bruised and a pretty good lump on the head.
Elliott insisted upon moving to the sofa, Napoleon helping her to move as she held the towel to her chest, covering herself. Senna appeared a minute later with a blouse for her to put on.
"Senna, this is my friend Ellie Mc Gowan."
"Thank you for yer help miss." Elliott said to her.
"I am only glad that I was here to give it, "Senna touched Elliotts hand lightly."Now I think it is best that you stay here to rest for a bit...I will go a few doors down to my friend Cecilia to get food, she's always cooking something. You both look like you are in need of a good meal."
Senna left them alone, and Napoleon sat on the couch next to Elliott. She had a blank expression on her face, looking very distant.
"Elliott. I'm s.."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"We have to talk about it...look I'm sorry, so sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have done that to you."
"Fine...ye are sorry but I did it too. How am I going to...he can never know. Illya can never find out, it'll kill him."
"Kill him... honey, I think he'll kill me?"
"Elliott...I need you to know something...maybe it will allow you to forgive me just a little bit...I love you, I have for quite a while now."
Elliot turned to face him, touching her hand softly to his cheek. "Thank you Napoleon...but I don't love ye, not that way at least. I love him...I love Illya and always will."
"I know. You don't have anything to worry about, this won't ever happen again and he'll never know, I give you my solemn word on it. You're right, it would kill him...all the things that you have helped him to free from his heart would be destroyed by this one thoughtless act."
Elliott curled herself up in a ball, burying her head in her arms, not saying anything else to Napoleon.
Senna brought a hot bowl of Couriço, a dish made of sausage, red wine and peppers and a side of feijoada, made with kidney beans, beef, tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. She set the table putting out a bottle of red wine and glasses.
Napoleon and Elliott joined her at the table saying little. He watched at Elliott only picked at her food.
When they were finished, he thanked Senna, their eyes meeting not for the first time that night.
"My compliments to you and your friend Cecilia for the meal, your kindness and hospitality...now I have one rather large favor to ask of you signorina. We need a car?"
Napoleon told Senna that he and Elliott were agents for U.N.C.L.E. and of their problems with the General.
"We need to get away from here and to our office in Rio de Janiero...is that possible Senna?" he nearly purred, turning on his charm.
"I have a car...Napoleon," she said, responding to his flirtatious voice, "but it will cost you." Senna took hold of his tie, leading him to her bedroom.
When he returned a while later, Elliott looked at him, rolling her eyes..."Ye know...I think ye have a problem...two women, sex with two women in such a short time?
"Ellie...don't even go there."
Napoleon gave Senna Alegria a long kiss as he and Elliott made ready to leave in the grey Range Rover she had loaned them.
"Will I see you again some day Napoleon?"
He smiled at her...only the gods decide our fate but I hope so" he kissed her on the hand then got into the truck and drove off...but I do have to make sure your car is returned to you..." There were some fires still burning, some sporadic gunfire off in the distance as they headed out of São Paulo along the coast up to Rio de Janerio.
When they arrived eight hours later Elliott was checked into medical, her wounds cleaned and redressed.
Napoleon when to the conference room, contacting Mr. Wavery via satellite transmission. Waverly's face appeared on the screen as they spoke.
"We have just received word that the General has been killed in a counter-revolution against his regime...well done Mr. Solo his elimination and the rescue of Miss Mc Gown make for a most satisfactory end to this whole business."
"I wish I could take credit for the General's downfall sir, but that was strictly the doing of the local populace. I am thankful that I did not have to terminate Miss Mc Gowan. All in all, things worked out for the better."
"Please escort Miss Mc Gowan back to New York when she is ready to travel Mr. Solo." The video screen went blank when Napoleon turned he find Elliott standing off to the side behind him."
"You had an order to terminate me?"she whispered in disbelief.
"Yes...but it was never going to happen Ellie. I couldn't have done that to you. That was why Illya wasn't sent on the mission...Waverly couldn't give him an order to kill you."
Elliott walked away from him shaking her head. "I need to rethink some things" she mumbled to herself.
The flight back to New York was an uncomfortable one for both of them. Sitting in close quarters was not good for either of them at the moment...what had happened between them was still too fresh.
Napoleon closed his eyes thinking about his momentary weakness with Elliott. He regretted it, chastising himself for losing control but at the same time the thought of their brief moment of pleasure together was breathtaking.
It was the connection he had sought with so many women but never had found until now... with a woman he had no right to. He would keep his promise to Elliott, that he swore to himself...at least he would have this memory of being with her. He only hoped that what had happened would not drive a wedge between them. If it did, he could understand why and would accept it as the consequence of his actions. He had to talk to her about it...he had to know.
"Penny for your thoughts," he leaned over whispered.
"I'm thinking my Illuysha...and ye Napoleon...the two of ye are the men in my life for better and for worse, so to speak. One is my lover, and one is my friend... I don't want to lose ye as a friend? Don't think that of yerself, that ye are not my friend any longer, alright?"
"I won't Ellie...thanks for wanting to keep me as your friend, you and Illya mean the world to me," he smiled," may I?" He leaned over and gave her a little peck on the cheek. "Ellliott...I have always prided myself on being an honorable man and now I'd done the most dishonorable of things. I've betrayed my best friend."
"No Napoleon...you made a mistake. It only proves that you are human...that we're human. Please don't beat yerself up over it?" Elliott smiled at him for a second."It'll be alright Napoleon...it has to be."