"Looks like I have a winning hand, a royal flush indeed. You Mister Slate are the Jack, Miss Dancer the Queen, Solo you're the king and Illya Kuryakin you are the ace."
The four agents were shackled by their wrists to a lichen covered brick wall with a gun being aimed in their direction.
"Central will be ecstatic when I present UNCLE's top agents to them...perhaps I'll gift wrap each of you in Persian carpets and roll you out in front of the THRUSH Council just the way Cleopatra was brought to Caesar and to think I was only going after you dear Napoleon, and I get the other three as a bonus.
"More the theatrics Miss Campbell," Napoleon said.
"I have a better idea, why don't you let us go and we'll take you with us. U.N.C.L.E. would welcome you with open arms. With the intelligence you could share, you'd be a hero. You wouldn't have to worry about one of your bird-brained underlings trying to murder you so they could climb another rung up the ladder leading to promotion."
"Hero, Solo? Do you seriously think I want to be one? No, you have me all wrong. I want the wealth and power only THRUSH can give me. I want a seat on the Council, and when I bring you four to them, my dream will come true."
"I dare say not my dear; you're short a card for a royal flush," a wizened voice spoke from behind him. Before Campbell could turn her head, she heard a"pfffft' and felt a stinging sensation in her neck. By the time the woman's fingers found the source of her pain, she collapsed unconscious to the cold floor.S
She'd been hit by a sleep dart from the gun of none other than Alexander Waverly.
The Old Man smiled. " I haven't done that in a long time, and I must say it felt quite good. Now are you all ready to go home? I'm sure there'll be a reasonable explanation as to how my four best agents got themselves in such a predicament at the hands of a low level THRUSH agent such at Ailish Campbell."
The Mark, April, Napoleon and Illya all turned an interesting shade of pink, as they were unable to hide their embarrassment.
.
"Yes Napoleon, and how did this happen again?" Illya snickered, whispering to his partner "Whose fault was this?"
"Sorry, I can't help it when a pretty girl catches my eye. Not to worry though, I'll think up a good answer," Napoleon winked, while Waverly's attention was on freeing Slate and Dancer.
"Catches your eye, you mean catches you," Illya hissed."And we three had to come to your rescue."
"And a fine job you did of rescuing me tovarisch."
"Just rub salt into the wound," Illya pursed his lips.
.
"Gentlemen, you do realize I can hear everything you're saying," Waverly turned to them.