Napoleon was onboard the helicopter heading for Maine. Communications had tracked a flight path from a parking structure not far from the Purple Unicorn to the Volière hospital just minutes after the shooting. It was now assumed, with good reason, that Illya was there either for treatment or…he didn't want to think of the alternative. He needed his partner to be alive.
There were two UNCLE 'copters in the air, the second one a carrier model holding twenty UNCLE agents. The force would be sufficient to storm the Thrush stronghold and take command, especially since it was staffed by primarily medical personnel. That was the assumption, at least. Napoleon was hopeful that Duvall would be there, and possibly Marianne Lucas. He wanted both of them for the long hours of interrogation that he had in mind. If Illya hadn't survived, there would be no mercy from the CEA.
A slender blond in a white lab coat was seen walking down the Volière corridors, stethoscope hanging from his neck as though he intended to stop in and check on a patient. He was young looking, but that didn't raise any alarms. He appeared to not be wearing socks if anyone looked closely enough, which they failed to do. As he headed for the front doors, there were not any attempts to slow him down or stop him. He looked cautiously from left to right and then pushed open the glass doors to the hospital entrance and exited, walking at first and then breaking into a slow jog as he headed for the woods beyond.
Illya's chest was crushing him as the fractured breastbone grated, one piece against another. The pain was not enough to cause him to black out, but it reminded him that he wouldn't get far before that eventuality. Even without much blood loss, the effect was that of a steering wheel crushing his chest in a car accident; painful and debilitating.
He made it into a clump of trees and bushes near the edge of the parking lot. He could see a helicopter on the roof; it must be a helipad. One guard was stationed nearby, but otherwise he saw nothing to indicate that he might have been observed leaving. There must be another section of the building that was dedicated to Thrush personnel and surveillance, possibly a command center of some type. He also surmised that Duvall was still inside and wondered if he should try to get to him and take the man back to UNCLE headquarters. Then again, he wasn't in much shape for that, nor did he have any back up…not that he had been stopped by those negatives before. His head was pounding and he needed to sit and rest for a bit, to think of a plan. Regardless of whether or not he went back in, he didn't even know where he was. Not a good start to storming the place.
The UNCLE helicopters were nearing their destination. Napoleon looked below and could see the lights of the hospital as it sat in a clearing between two heavily forested tracks. There was one helicopter atop what must be a helipad; the one Illya had come in on no doubt. He motioned for the pilot to go to that location and get low enough for him to jump out. There was enough room to allow for their craft without hitting the blades of the idle chopper that was stationed there. The carrier craft was to land in front of the hospital entrance and storm the building. He would go in from the top, thinking that would lead to whatever personnel was present besides the medical staff. The dark haired agent had no idea that his partner was watching from the woods below, marveling once again at yet another rescue operation that was only marginally behind his own schedule.
As Illya observed the approach of the UNCLE helicopters, he sucked in his breath in anticipation of what must come next. Now he had to go back in, because they would be looking for him. Also, he had to go back for Duvall. The man had suckered him and Mr. Waverly into believing that a mole was in headquarters; his veiled attempt at portraying a defector had merely been part of the man's master plan. He didn't know if Marianne was inside or not; he hadn't seen her, but he needed to go back and look for both of them.
When he saw the first chopper lower to the rooftop, he knew it was Napoleon who jumped down and overpowered the guard. As the second larger craft landed a mere hundred yards from where he was crouched in the bushes, a rush of adrenaline powered him into action. In spite of the pain in his chest, he ran back to the hospital and joined the surge into the front of the building. Some of the UNCLE men recognized him and stopped only momentarily to give a brief rundown of their plan. Napoleon was on the roof, going in from that direction. They would secure the hospital staff and then proceed to what they believed was an underground command center. Their target was the head man, Duvall, whom they hoped was still on site. Illya had an idea that the doctor he had incapacitated earlier would be able to tell him exactly where, and took two men with him to the room he had only recently vacated. The older man was still there, not completely awake yet and wrapped up comfortably in the hospital blanket just as Illya had left him.
"Herr Doctor, tell me where Deacon Duvall is. There is not point in refusing to cooperate with me". Illya's tone of voice was enough to persuade the man that his course of action was already decided. He gave him the information, not sorry to be done with these Thrush maniacs. He was a physician, after all. He had no desire to see people hurt without the ability to make them well.
"He is downstairs, in their lair. You must go to the elevator marked HOUSEKEEPING; press the button that says 2B, and you will be taken to the man's office and apartment. He stays there when he visits the hospital. He has not left, so you will find him there".
"Thank you Herr Doctor. You will be safe now, I promise". Illya left the room and the old man with an UNCLE agent and instructions to guard him carefully. He had felt the man was kindly disposed towards doing the right thing.
From there Illya headed back into the main corridor and to the elevator the doctor had described. Once inside he did as he had been instructed, an UNCLE special in one hand, courtesy of the agent he had left with the doctor. His breathing was hindered only slightly now, the pain seeming to subside in concert with the amount of adrenaline his body could produce. For now it would be sufficient to carry out his task.
Napoleon had managed to subdue the guard, felling him with a sleep dart before the man could fire his gun. The helicopter rose again and headed for a landing in the parking lot that was now streaming with UNCLE agents as they headed for the hospital entrance. He slid through the door and headed downward, into the building, bypassing the hospital floor and deeper into the basement substructure of the building. This is where he would find the Thrush command center, he had no doubt. Hopefully he would also find Duvall and Lucas, the two main characters in this strange affair. As much as he needed to know his partner was safe, his first order of business was to subdue the Thrush chief. He had that in mind when he heard a noise coming from the corridor to his left; he turned with gun in hand ready to fire, only to see a blond in a white lab coat that hung loosely around the slim body.
"Illya, don't shoot! Are you alright? I was afraid…" The blue eyes were bright in the fluorescent lighting, affecting the same glad reaction to seeing his own partner.
"Yes, I am alive, although in considerable pain. I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible, if you don't mind". The quirky half smile reassured Napoleon that they were indeed back in action, the two of them better for being a team once again.
"Let's get on with it then. Do you know where you're going?" The dark haired agent assumed that his partner must have some idea where to look, so motioned for him to lead the way. Duvall's door was just opening into the dimly lit corridor as the two agents approached, causing him to reach for a gun. Solo was quicker, and shot him with a dart even as the man was firing an errant bullet into the wall. The CEA was on his communicator immediately, asking for someone to transport the downed Thrush back to the helicopter, a request that was met with quick compliance. Transporting his partner was left to him, for as soon as Duvall was downed Illya sank to the floor, the adrenalin no longer sufficient to ward of the pain and approaching darkness. He passed out just as Napoleon reached across to catch him.
"Once more into the breach, eh tovarisch". Habit and friendship accompanied the two as the senior agent lifted his partner and carried him upstairs.
The entire operation took less than forty minutes to complete, such was the effectiveness of their surprise on the unsuspecting Thrush personnel. With Duvall in hand and the satrap secured, the UNCLE helicopters headed back for headquarters under a full moon; soon Illya would be back in medical in a bed already reserved for the unconscious agent.
There had been no sign of the mysterious female Thrush. She wasn't in this location, which would necessitate an urgent interrogation of the sleeping Duvall. Once back at headquarters they would get the information. Little did Napoleon know what the actual impetus for his disclosures would be; nor did he have a clue that all of their lives were in danger as the clock ticked off the minutes until disaster struck.