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kanders07Thanks to periwinkle27, aneuhaus, and kievanrus for all their help betaing this.
Title: The U.N.C.L.E. Training Affair
Author: kanders07
Genre/Pairing: Gen
The three young people sat tied up on the floor of the warehouse cellar. It was dark and damp and no one had come back in since they had been captured at least two hours ago. It was supposed to have been a simple courier run. Nothing should have gone wrong.
The three young people sat tied up on the floor of the warehouse cellar. It was dark and damp and no one had come back in since they had been captured at least two hours ago. It was supposed to have been a simple courier run. Nothing should have gone wrong.
The teens were members of an U.N.C.L.E. training program developed by Napoleon Solo two years ago. Though Mr. Waverly had been unsure of the idea, Section One had approved it and chosen Solo to oversee the program. Along with the addition of dorms and classrooms in the Headquarters building, a small portion of the labs had been appropriated for scientific training. Only the best and brightest students were recruited from high schools around the world, out of which only ten or twelve were chosen each year.
Chris Martin struggled to see his two companions in the dark cellar. “Are they coming back or are they just going to leave us here?” he asked.
“Who knows,” answered Lisa Jamison. “Any idea who they were?”
“No, I didn’t really see them. They must be Thrush.” He sighed. “We are in so much trouble; I told you we shouldn’t have brought her along.”
“It’s too late for that now. We’re all here and we need to figure out how to get out of here,” said Lisa. “Anya, are you okay?”
“Yes, I believe so. Chris, you agreed to this, so now we are in trouble together.” The Russian accent was pronounced in the girl’s English but the sarcasm wasn’t lost on Chris or Lisa.
Chris snorted, “Nobody has ever been captured on one of these runs. You come along and look what happens.”
“Look, you guys, this is not the time to have an argument. I don’t think Anya had anything to do with this. We need to get out of here,” admonished Lisa.
“I am tied to a post and the knots are very tight. I can not loosen them.” Lisa could hear Anya struggling with her ropes.
“Yeah, me too.” They heard noises above them. “Wait! I think they’re back,” said Chris. No one answered him. The three young people listened for a few minutes to what sounded like a battle above them. Finally, the noise upstairs stopped and they heard footsteps and voices outside the room where they were being held. Suddenly the door burst open and the lights were turned on. All three squinted in the brightness as their eyes adjusted.
“They’re in here,” someone called and a group of shadowy figures came in. Anya felt someone untying her arms behind her, but couldn’t see who it was in the bright light. Then she heard a soft voice speaking Russian in her ear, “You are in a lot of trouble.” She felt a chill run down her spine.
Outside the warehouse the three rescued captives stood in front of Napoleon Solo. He paced in front of them for a moment without saying anything and then motioned to another agent. “Get these three back to Headquarters and into Medical.” To the youngsters in front of him he said, “As soon as you are released from Medical you are to report to my office. Go!” The three of them went with the agent while the rest of the team finished the clean-up. Napoleon and Illya got into another car and went back to Headquarters.
Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin entered the medical section. They approached the doctor standing at the nurse’s station.
“How are they?” asked Napoleon. The doctor looked up
“They’re fine. They’ve got some minor scrapes and bruises; nothing that won’t heal in a few days,” he replied. The most serious injury is Miss Kuryakina’s wrist. Apparently she sprained it when they were caught. I heard they put up quite a fight.” He noticed the unimpressed look on Napoleon’s face. “I’ve sent them on to your office.”
“Very well,” said Napoleon as the two agents turned to leave. Neither of the men said anything further as they headed toward the office they shared.
The two older trainees were in their second year of the program. Anya Nickolaievna Kuryakina was in the first year. The minimum age for selection was fifteen and so she had been selected with the newest group of trainees, not completely with her brother’s blessings.
The three students were already in the office when the two men got there. They stood at attention in the middle of the room waiting. Illya sat down at his desk quietly and Napoleon stood in front of them and looked at each of them in turn. They were a little worse for wear; the doctor had been right, nothing that wouldn’t heal in a few days. They had been lucky, thought Napoleon, damn lucky.
“So,” he said calmly. “Which of you is going to explain the mess you found yourselves in today?” For a moment, none of the three said anything. Then Lisa Jamison stepped forward and spoke.
“I guess I will, sir.” Napoleon nodded to her to continue. “We were just supposed to deliver the package to the warehouse sir, and then return. We didn’t expect to be picked up by Thrush. It’s a training warehouse; nothing has ever happened there before.”
“I see. Who was the agent in charge, Miss Jamison?” asked Napoleon.
“We weren’t assigned one so I guess I was, sir. When Anya…I mean, Miss Kuryakina asked if she could go along, I thought she had cleared it with the appropriate people. I guess she didn’t. I didn’t check it out.”
“Mmhmm. And…ah…how many of these training missions have you been on Miss Jamison?”
“I guess around twenty, sir.” Napoleon turned to Chris Martin.
“And Mr. Martin; how many of these missions have you been on?”
“Fifteen or so, sir.” Napoleon nodded before going on.
“Has either of you ever been sent out without an experienced agent along?” he asked softly.
“No, sir,” they answered together. Napoleon glared at them.
“It didn’t seem odd to any of you that there was no experienced agent on this mission? Where did the order come from?” None of the trainees answered him and he finally turned his attention to Anya. She was smaller than the other two trainees and had eyes the same shade of blue as her brother’s. Unlike Illya she had light brown hair that she tended to keep pulled back and reached almost to her waist.
“Miss Kuryakina,” he said, looking at her. “When you asked Miss Jamison if you could go along, had you cleared it with anyone?” Anya looked away for a second, then met Napoleon’s gaze again.
“No sir,” she said trying to keep the fear from showing in her voice.
“You didn’t clear this with anyone? Why did you go then?” Napoleon looked at her, waiting for an answer. Anya looked away from him. “Who told you to go along?” She shook her head slightly.
“No one, sir,” she replied, a blush rising in her face. Napoleon continued to look at her. She was covering for someone and he wasn’t sure that it was the other two trainees. Maybe someone else in the class, but whom?
“I think there’s more to this, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. The three of you are suspended pending further investigation.” He nodded to Lisa and Chris, “You two are dismissed.” Anya turned and watched as her friends left the office. As she turned back to Napoleon, she noticed Illya still sitting at his desk. Napoleon leaned back on the front edge of his desk and crossed his arms.
“Now, why don’t you save me a lot of trouble and tell me who sent you along on that mission?” he said finally.
“No one, sir.” Napoleon continued to watch her. She looked back at him stubbornly. “It was my idea to go along, no one else was involved.” Finally, she looked away.
“You know something; I don’t believe you. I want to know how you came to be on a mission where you had no business being. You will report to me first thing in the morning and you will give me an answer. Dismissed.” Anya turned and looked briefly at her brother before she left the office. Napoleon moved over to his partner’s desk and perched on the corner. Illya looked up at him.
“She’s lying,” he said after a moment. Illya nodded.
“Yes, she is.”
********
Anya entered the apartment she shared with her brother. After resetting the security system, she put her things down and took off her jacket. Ever since she had entered the program she had had permission to live at home. It had been decided that it would be better for her to live with Illya because she hadn’t adjusted well to boarding school. The only time she stayed in the dorm was when her brother was on assignment.
She expected that Illya would be home soon as he and Napoleon were not on an assignment. She went into the kitchen for a snack and then went to the living room with her book bag. Dropping the book bag on the couch and setting her snack on the coffee table, Anya went and turned on the radio. After she had returned to the table, she began unpacking her textbooks. She rested her elbows on the table in front of her and leaned her head on her hands. She could not tell Mr. Solo who had suggested that she go on the courier run. She simply couldn’t.
Illya had said nothing to her at headquarters. He had been in the office when she, Chris and Lisa had been suspended. Anya hoped that would be the end of it.
When Illya came home about an hour later, Anya was sitting on the floor by the coffee table working on an assignment. She didn’t look up when he came into the apartment and continued to work when he entered the living room hoping that he would simply let the incident go. Without saying anything he went over and turned off the radio, then turned toward his sister.
“Anya, I want to speak to you.” Anya looked up at him as she stood up from the floor where she was sitting. There was disappointment in his eyes and something she hadn’t seen before. Clearly this wasn’t the end of it.
“Illyusha?” She paused. “I’m sorry, I know I wasn’t supposed…” she continued in a rush.
“Stop! I’m not interested in your excuses,” he said, his tone icy. “You left headquarters without permission. You know better. The rules are not written only for others to follow, they are for everyone.” She had never seen him so angry and took a step back.
“I know but Mike -” She stopped, she had said too much. She looked down at the floor between them.
“Mike? Mike Smith? What has he to do with this?” he asked. Anya looked up at him for a moment, and then looked away again, shaking her head.
“Nothing.” she said finally. Illya lifted her chin so she was looking at him before he spoke again.
“Do not lie to me, I won’t have it. What did he have to do with all of this?” When she refused to say anything more and looked away again he became angrier. “This is the second time you have broken the rules of U.N.C.L.E.’s training program. You begged me to allow you to be in this training program. You swore there would be no problems. Now, twice in eight months there has been trouble and you have been in the middle of it. This showing off is going to get someone hurt or killed.”
“That’s not fair. I wasn’t showing off.”
Illya’s eyes flashed. “Fair? It’s hardly fair that you endanger yourself and anyone else with you when you decide to go off on your own. It is not up to the older trainees to look after you. Not only did you put the three of you at risk, but enforcement agents had to be sent to rescue you. Look at you; you could have been seriously injured.” Anya put her arms behind her back in an attempt to hide the bruises and the brace on her wrist but Illya reached out and pulled her arms forward again. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You insist you don’t want to be treated like a child, but this was completely irresponsible. What exactly are you trying to prove? You can not bend the rules to suit yourself nor can you expect me to bail you out.”
“I’ve never expected…”
“What were you told the last time you got involved with one of these stunts?” he asked, ignoring her. The last time she had gotten in trouble, she had talked her way out of it and promised that it wouldn’t happen again. This time, she and two others had been hurt, not badly, but he had to take a stand. This kind of behavior couldn’t continue.
“That there would be serious consequences. I’ve been suspended.” She paused, watching as he walked to the couch and sat down. He was suddenly very quiet and he was frightening her. “It won’t happen again.”
“You’re right, it won’t happen again. You will be punished. If you insist on acting like a child, that is how you will be treated. Come over here,” he said, his tone making clear there was to be no argument.
She walked quietly over and stood in front of him. “What are you going to do?” He grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards him.
“Illya, no,” she whispered pleading and tried to pull away from him, completely aware now of what he intended. He tightened his grip slightly and pulled her down across his knees.
“You can not continue to do whatever you want.” Suddenly Illya’s hand came down, hard. Anya cried out, startled. His hand came down again, a second time and a third, stinging through her clothing.
“I’m sorry; I never thought it would come to this,” said Illya regretfully. She tried to get up and away from him but Illya laid his other arm across her back holding her in place. “Be still. Perhaps you will think twice next time.”
This was not the gentle brother she had known since she arrived in
Anya changed into her pajamas and climbed into her bed. She turned and faced the wall. In the two years she had been living with him she had never seen her brother so angry. He had always talked to her before. She had been restricted to the apartment; never had anything like this happened. What was the difference tonight? He had turned her over his knee like a little child. Even Papa had never struck her. Anya was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear Illya come into her room until he turned on the lamp on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Come, sit up,” he said. “You need to eat something.” She turned and sat up, taking the sandwich and glass of milk from him. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes while Anya ate some of the sandwich, not really hungry. She set the glass and plate on the bedside table.
“What happens now?” she asked quietly without looking at her brother.
“I suppose that’s up to you, isn’t it?” replied Illya.
“I have to see Mr. Solo in the morning.”
“Yes, I know.”
“I’ve been suspended from classes, along with Lisa and Chris. They’re not in as much trouble. But he ordered me to come in tomorrow. I don’t know why. And suspension wasn’t enough for you. You’re not Papa, you have no right…”Anya said, angry now at what she saw as unfairness. Before she could continue, Illya grabbed her chin, and holding on so she couldn’t look away, said,
“Do not forget to whom you are speaking. You’ve lied about the entire incident.” He let go of her, taking a deep breath and his voice softened, “Anyushka.” She looked away from him. “You could have been killed today. Don’t you understand that? You are the only family I have. That is why I didn’t want you in this program. I am responsible for you, just as Papa was. What would he have said if I let anything happen to you?” He stopped for a moment gathering control of his own emotions. “Tomorrow, you will tell Mr. Solo the truth; all of the truth this time. And then you will remember this evening the next time you decide you want to go off on your own. If anything like this happens again, I will remove you from the program. Is that understood?”
“Yes, I understand,” said Anya quietly. She looked back at her brother. It had not occurred to her that he might be worried about her safety. She had thought he objected because she was too young. At last she turned away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” Illya nodded and turned back the cover on the bed.
“Get into bed.” Illya stood as Anya lay back down in the bed. He pulled the blankets up around her, leaned over and whispered, “What happens tomorrow happens, Anuyshka. Go to sleep, little one.” With that he gently kissed her forehead. Then he picked up the dishes, turned out the light and left the room.
******
Anya Nickolaievna Kuryakina had been born after the war was over. She had not seen her father taken away to prison or learned to hide from soldiers or gone hungry because there just wasn’t enough food. Her childhood had been very different from that of her brother. At the end of the war Nickolai Andreievich Kuryakin had been released to return home to his family. It had taken time for him to recover his health, but the family was happy. They had survived the war that so many had not. Illya had been away at school when he had been notified that his mother was expecting a baby. He was embarrassed at fifteen to be waiting for a baby brother or sister, but was happy for his parents.
The war had taken its toll on his mother’s health as well, and the pregnancy was very difficult. Illya was home on holiday when his mother went into labor. The midwife sent both Illya and his father away while she worked with Illya’s mother. Neither of the Kuryakins wanted to be too far away when the baby was born so Illya watched as his father paced in front of the small house where they lived. Finally he sat down next to his son with a worried look on his face.
“Illyusha,” said his father. “I don’t know if your mama can survive this. It’s been very difficult.”
“No Papa, don’t think like that. Mama will be fine.” Illya didn’t want to think of his mother dying and didn’t want his father to think about it either. While he would never have admitted it to anyone, including himself, at that moment he would rather the baby died.
As they waited outside, the house suddenly got quiet. Then they heard a baby cry. The midwife came to the door and called to Papa. He went inside, leaving Illya alone and wondering what was going on. Finally, the midwife came out again and told Illya to go inside. He went to the room his parents shared and tapped on the door. His father opened the door holding a small bundle. He looked at Illya and shook his head sadly, tears shining in his eyes.
“It was just too much for her, Illyusha,” he said softly guiding the boy out of the room.
They had buried Mama in a small cemetery outside of town. Papa held baby Anya with one arm and his son with the other. Life went on.
Illya had tried to blame Mama’s death on his baby sister but he couldn’t. Anya was a happy baby and she looked so much like Mama. She reminded Papa of her too. Illya went away to school but when he came home for holidays he spent a great deal of time with his little sister. Anya grew into a bright and happy toddler and both Papa and Illya doted on her. When Illya was sent away from the
**********
Before Anya got off the elevator the next morning Illya laid his hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him, “The truth, Anya,” he said softly. She nodded and left him in the elevator. When she got to the office Napoleon shared with her brother, she knocked on the door and waited. When she heard Napoleon call come in, she entered.
Anya stood in front of Napoleon’s desk as he went through some files. After a few minutes, he set aside the files and looked up at the girl standing in front of him. She was young, but very sharp. She would make a good agent in time.
“Well, are you ready to tell me just how you ended up going with Martin and Jamison?” he asked finally.
“We were in the cafeteria on Monday and it came up,” she replied quietly. Napoleon got up and came around his desk to stand in front of Anya, knowing he was intimidating. To her credit she held her ground and his gaze.
“It came up…” he repeated quietly. “And you thought it would be a good idea to leave headquarters and tag along.” Napoleon Solo’s quiet manner when he was angry or annoyed was well known among both the agents in his section and the students in the training program. If he was quiet he was dangerous indeed. In her nervousness, Anya clenched her fists behind her back and waited.
“Not exactly, sir,” she answered when it became apparent that he was waiting.
“What exactly, Miss Kuryakina?” he demanded without raising his voice. Anya sighed softly before going on.
“Mike said I should go along. When I told him I hadn’t been assigned, he laughed and said I was chicken. Then he said I probably wouldn’t even make it through training because I couldn’t make decision on my own and how did I expect to live up to my brother’s reputation…” Anya’s voice trailed off as she realized how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.
“I see; so you took a dare.” She looked at him, confused and he wished Illya was here to translate. Dragging the word from his memory he continued. “Vyzov,” he translated. She nodded. “In the process you were captured, banged up and suspended. That little stunt could have gotten the three of you killed. Thrush doesn’t play around. Was saving your pride worth it?”
Looking away she answered softly, “No, sir.”
“I will expect you to remember that. If anything like this happens again you will be expelled from this program. Is that quite clear?”
“Yes sir,” Anya said. Illya came into the office at that moment and sat down at his desk.
“You’re dismissed,” said Napoleon. Anya turned and left the office without looking at either man.
“Well?” asked Illya after Anya had left the room.
“It seems that Mike Smith dared her to go along,” replied Napoleon, shaking his head.
“A dare; I thought it might have been something like that. She mentioned him last night but wouldn’t tell me how he was involved. He seems to have singled her out for some reason.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed. I don’t know if he’s generally a bully or if it’s just Anya. At any rate, I’m going to have to do something about him. He can’t be allowed to disrupt the program any further.” Napoleon looked thoughtful. “You know, she reminds me of you in many ways, stubborn, independent, and very loyal.” He grinned at Illya who just sighed quietly.
“What’s up? The crisis is over and I will deal with Smith. You look like you’ve lost your best friend,” quipped Napoleon.
“I believe I may have overreacted last night,” replied Illya.
“Overreacted? That’s not like you. Overreacted how?” Illya shook his head as he looked over at his partner.
“I had only planned to speak to her about the incident. But, I was angry, furious really.”
“Illya,” interrupted Napoleon. “What happened?”
Illya hesitated, “I’m afraid I gave her a spanking she won’t soon forget.” Illya shook his head, clearly feeling remorse at what had happened. Napoleon looked at him for a moment and then chuckled a little.
“Is that all?” he said. “It’s not uncommon for kids to get the occasional spanking. Even I got a few. It won’t do any permanent damage, and if she doesn’t forget maybe it will keep her from getting involved in any more stupid schemes with her classmates. Look Illya, she doesn’t have the same kinds of influences here that she did in
“I suppose you’re right. There should be no repeat of this behavior. I told her I’d remove her from the program if she got involved in anything else,” answered Illya.
“What do you know,” said Napoleon. “So did I.”
