The Thrush from Thrush Affair

by jhalpin322@aol. com

  “I’m sure it must be fun,” Solo said, “but get me out.”

  Lilli laughed again, and took out the second hypodermic. She injected Solo. Illya was already moving: first his head, then his hands. Finally he stood up. His legs wobbled and he almost fell, but he steadied himself and began to walk, jump, squat to revive the muscles. After a time Solo joined him. Lilli Kessler watched them both.

  Illya Kuryakin turned to her.

  “How did you manage to get clear of them?” Illya said.

  Lilli shrugged. “It was really simple. They are trying to work it out. They took my suggestion, and went alone to some room. It is, of course, a stalemate. I imagine they will try to work together now, but that could be fatal. THRUSH minions do not cooperate well. They are so busy they more-or-less forgot about me. I managed to get to the laboratory and take the antidote. I had to kill the doctor. I stole the guns at the same time.”

  Lilli looked at both men. “I know a way out, but it is not easy. It will take all our strength and ability. Also, I think Maxine Trent still does not trust me. She will miss me soon if she has not already. I think we should move with speed, yes?”

  “Yes,” Solo said.

  “All right, lead.” Illya said.

  The two men took the guns, and the three of them moved to the door. Illya and Solo looked down at a sprawled guard. He was quite dead, a thin steel wire around his throat. Illya looks at Lilli with considerable respect. The woman looked at the body of the guard she had killed, and then looked away.

  “Come,” the petite blonde said.

  She led them along the silent corridor in the direction away from the entrance. They moved down many silent corridors. They saw no one. Then Lilli stopped. She pressed them back against the corridor wall.

  Two black-uniformed guards were coming down the corridor.

  TWO

  The Guards came on, talking to each other.

  “They will see us,” Lilli whispered. “But to shoot will ruin everything!”

  Illya bent and tore at his leg. There was blood. He drew out his long, needle-like blade. Solo reached into his mouth for the tiny smoke bomb false tooth. The two guards were close. They looked up and saw. Solo threw his bomb. Smoke billowed up. Illya leaped through the smoke. There were sharp grunts and a low, faint scream that died as the man died.

  The two guards lay on the floor of the corridor as the smoke cleared.

  “Good,” Lilli said. “Come on. It is not far now.”

  The two agents followed the petite blonde. A few moments later they stood in front of a small steel door. Lilli Kessler produced the key.

  “Interpol trains us in a lot of things,” the petite blonde said. Including how to pick a pocket.

  She opened the small door and the three of them ducked inside. Solo and Illya found themselves in a low, narrow passage with stone walls and old timber shoring holding up the ceiling. The passage faded off into a murky blackness. The timbers were very old, almost rotten.

  “One of the old mine shafts,” Lilli said. “The mountain is honeycombed with them. They’ve been abandoned a long time.”

  “It looks like a sneeze would bring them down,” Solo said.

  “There isn’t any other way out,” Lilli said. “I’m not even sure we can make it, but there is no other way.”

  “Do you know where to go?” Illya asked.

  “Yes, I saw the old map, and I memorized it as far as I could. After that we’ll have to use our judgment.”

  “Come on,” Solo said, “and don’t sneeze.”

  They moved slowly and carefully along the dark shaft, their way lighted only by a tiny flashlight Lilli produced. The old timbers shivered and creaked as they passed from the light force of their steps. Dust and rotted wood dust showered down. They picked their way to avoid touching any of the ancient timber shoring. The first passage led for a quarter of a mile through the bowels of the mountain. Then they came to a cross passage.

  “Left,” Lilli said.

  They turned left and moved slowly on. They went like this through many passages, all dark and shored by rotted old timbers. Once Solo brushed a support and it gave way with a rotted crash. The whole tunnel caved in behind them for a distance of fifty feet. Then the shuddering stopped, the dust began to settle, and the rest of the shaft held.

  “At least we can’t go back now,” Solo said.

  “You always see the bright side,” Illya said.

  They moved on until they reached a spot where four tunnels branched. Lilli stopped.

  “This is as far as the map went that I recall. It’s up to you men now,” the petite blonde said.

  The two men looked at the four tunnels. Solo grinned at Illya. The Russian U.N.C.L.E. agent studied one tunnel after another.

  “Any ideas?” Solo said.

  “One,” Illya said. “I read it in a boy scout book.”

  Then Kuryakin wet his finger and stood just inside each tunnel mouth. He did this twice, wetting his finger before each tunnel holding the finger up. He turned to Solo.

  “You try it, Napoleon.”

  Solo repeated the operation. He pointed to the third tunnel from the right.

  “That one has more air movement,” Solo said.

  “That’s what I think. Let’s go,” Illya said.

  They went into and along the tunnel. They repeated the same operation three more times at multiple tunnels. It had been a very large mine. The Illya stopped, sniffed, felt the air.

  “It’s stronger,” Kuryakin said.

  Solo nodded. “I can feel air moving now.”

  They moved on with more confidence and came upon the rusted rails of a narrow car track.

  “It has to lead out,” Solo said.

  They gripped their pistols more tightly and moved with greater caution. At last Lilli pointed ahead. The air had become strong, sucked into the mine shafts. Ahead there was a faint greyness. Light. They inched carefully toward the greyness. They came around a corner, and ahead there was a round circle of light with the rusted tracks leading straight to the opening.

  The light was not very bright, merely a circle of pale grey. Solo led the way. They reached the opening and saw the reason for the feeble light. They were lucky. The opening was heavily overgrown. Illya and Solo parted the bushes carefully and peered out.

  The entrance to the mine was in the side of the mountain on a wide, flat shoulder of the mountain… The flat area had been turned into an airfield. All around the peaks of the Rockies towered. The entrance to Hand’s stronghold was a two-story office building at the edge of the landing field. The building was the main office of his company: Pikes Peak Engineering Company.

  “Look, Napoleon!” Illya whispered.

  Kuryakin pointed out across the air field. A large four-engined jet-bomber stood on the runway. Even as the two U.N.C.L.E. agents watched, the ground crew completed the work of refueling the jet. Beyond the big jet-bomber there were other hangers.

  “What are we waiting for?” Solo said.

  The alarm went that instant. A loud, wailing alarm that rolled all across the air field and echoed from the mountains. It seemed to come from far below, and from the distant building of Pikes Peak Engineering Company at the same time.

  “They have discovered our escape!” Lilli said.

  “Then what are we waiting for?” Illya said.

  The three came out of the bushes that covered the mouth of the old mine shaft. The jet was about a hundred yards away. There seemed to be no one around it. Far across the field men were milling near the big low building that camouflaged the entrance to the secret stronghold of Walter Hand.

  Solo, Illya and Lilli Kessler walked casually but as fast as possible toward the jet. The air field was completely open and exposed, and they felt like naked people as they walked on toward the silent jet. Guard vehicles were fanning out from the main building. Solo, Illya and Lilli reached the jet.

  A figure appeared in the doorway of the jet. The black figure had a rifle.


  “Who the hell---“

  It was a mistake. Illya shot the man out the door. Illya stood under the door, his back bent. Solo vaulted onto his back and up through the door. There were two shots inside the jet. Solo appeared at the door.

  “He was first, but I was best. There were only two men, Lilli!”

  Illya bent again. The blonde climbed onto Illya’s back. Solo reached down and hoisted her up and into the jet. Then he reached down for Illya. The nimble Kuryakin held Solo’s hand, jackknifed, and swung in the door.

  Inside the jet, Solo went forward to the controls.

  Lilli looked out the side window.

  “They’ve heard the shots, I think,” the girl said quietly. Illya looked out. Vehicles were racing from the low main building. Men were running far behind the vehicles. Forward, Solo worked on the controls. Illya looked around the interior of the jet. Then his eyes flashed. It was a bomber-and it was fully armed! Machine guns and small cannon were fixed on the gun mounts. Illya ran to the nearest machine gun mount, cocked the gun, and peered toward the racing vehicles that were already shooting.

  The engines whined and coughed into life.

  Bullets slammed into the big jet. Illya opened fire. One of the vehicles was hit instantly and slewed madly across the field to overturn and burst into flame. The others came on. Illya fired at them. The big jet began to move. Solo taxied it slowly for a hundred yards, while Illya continued to hold off the pursuers. Then he gunned the engines into full life and the big jet roared down the runway. Moments later it was off, climbing steeply, the wheels up.

  On the ground the pursuers stood staring up at the big jet as it climbed out of range. Illya stopped firing.

  Three

  The big jet bomber cruised high as Napoleon Solo checked his bearings. The mountains were all around them below. Far off to the left was the city of Denver spread out in the afternoon sun. Solo banked sharply, and turned the giant aircraft toward the east. The tanks were full of fuel; the jet was cruising smoothly.

  Ten minutes later Illya saw the fighters.

  “Bandits. Ten o’clock high!” Illya shouted.

  Solo, at the controls looked out and up. Three jet fighters were dropping down out of the sun. They looked like old Air-Force Sabre jets. They had no markings. They made a pass over the big bomber, and the leader waggled his wings in a signal for the big jet to turn and go down. Solo made a sharp turn and began to evade.

  “THRUSH?” Illya called.

  “Looks like it!” Solo called back. “Can you handle them?”

  “I can try,” Illya shouted.

  “So can I,” Lilli Kessler said. The petite blonde took position at a cannon mount. She smiled at Illya. “I told you that Interpol taught me many strange skills, my little Russian.”

  In the air the gun mounts were completely motorized and electronically controlled. Illya Kuryakin sat at his machine-gun mount. Lilly took her place at the seat of the cannon mount. At the controls, Solo checked the rocket firing controls. They showed that the jet had no rockets in position.

  “No missiles!” Solo called.

  “They won’t have any either,” Illya said.

  “Here they come, gentlemen!” Lilli cried out.

  The three jet fighters had turned and made their second approach firing. They came again out of the sun, the pilots showing considerable experience. They were not armed with missiles, only with cannon and machine-guns. They were also not that experienced. In their first pass they hit nothing. Neither did Illya or Lilli.

  The third pass began from below. The pilots in the jet had no stomach for too much opposition. On this pass two cannon shells struck the big jet but at no vital place. Illya tracked one past. Five hundred feet from the big jet the fighter-jet exploded. The seat ejected but the pilot sat slumped and dead as his chute opened and he drifted down.

  The jets made one more attack. They hit nothing in their haste. Lilli knocked one out of the sky with a burst of her cannon. The pilot ejected safely and floated down slowly down. The single remaining jet turned and escaped.

  “Interpol taught you well,” Illya said to the blonde singer.

  “They were very thorough.” Lilli said.

  Solo tested to be sure that the big jet was unharmed. It was. They flew on toward the east at six hundred miles an hour. Illya came and sat in the co-pilot’s seat beside Solo.

  They’ll try again. At least once,” Illya said.

  “Yes,” Solo said. “I’ll try to bring it down somewhere they won’t expect.”

  Solo finally brought the jet down at the abandoned military airport on Long Island. The three of them escaped from the jet unseen. But THRUSH tried again.

  FOUR

  Solo and Illya knew the instant the car they had ‘borrowed’ reached the street of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters that something was wrong. A silent car was parked directly across the street from Del Floria Cleaning and Tailoring shop. A pair of lovers stood in the streetlight, talking and kissing. Two drunks slumped against a building on this side of Del Floria’s.

  “Drive on,” Illya said. “But slow and let them see us.”

  Get down, Lilli,” Solo said from behind the wheel.

  The blonde got down. Solo drove slowly so that he and Illya were clearly visible. As they passed under the light of the street lamp, the lovers jumped apart. Pistols appeared in their hands. Solo jammed down the accelerator and the car jumped forward. He reached the corner, and skidded around on two wheels.

  Behind them, the two lovers and the two drunks ran for the parked car. Illya Kuryakin looked back.

  “Let them see us Napoleon.”

  “Right. Plan nine?”

  “Plan nine,” Illya said.

  When the other car came roaring around the corner, Solo drove away again at full speed. He led the car a chase, carefully heading for a specific street.

  “Now!” Solo said sharply.

  “Hang on, Lilli!” Illya said.

  Solo suddenly pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor as he rounded a corner. The car shot ahead. Solo jammed on the brakes. The three of them jumped out. Illya and Solo led the way to an alley. The other car came around the corner just in time to see the three enter the alley. It screeched to a halt, slewed across the street, and came to a stop near the mouth of the alley. All five jumped out with their guns drawn and ran into the alley after Solo, Illya and Lilli.

  In the alley, the three reached a high wall. They stopped long enough to fire a round at their pursuers. Then they vanished into the wall.

  The five THRUSH agents ran to the wall. They looked at each other. They never saw the silent men who came out of the buildings on both sides through doors as secret as the door in the wall.

  The sounds that filled the alley now were low and soft, like the sound of a sharp spit, the pfft, pfft of escaping air.

  Three of the five THRUSH agents fell without knowing what had hit them. One managed to turn and see the silent men before the dart struck him in the neck and he collapsed to the stones of the alley. The fifth got off a shot. The shot went wild into the night. The last THRUSH agent fell and lay still.

  The men of U.N.C.L.E. Section IV (Security and Communications) gathered around the fallen THRUSH agents. They swiftly picked them up and carried them into the buildings. The THRUSH men were not dead, only drugged by the sleep darts. There would be long sessions of questioning.

  Moments later the alley was as peaceful as it had been.

  Alexander Waverly looked up as Solo, Illya and Lilli Kessler came into his office. There were those in U.N.C.L.E. who swore that the chief never slept. He always seemed to be there. Waverly himself could have explained that his years of espionage work had trained him to sleep in catnaps whenever there was time. But Waverly never explained anything. Now he filled his pipe and nodded as his two agents and the woman singer sat down.

  “So you escaped,” the bushy-browed Section-I member said. “Good, even though you had to use Plan Nine. Incidentally, we wil
l get nothing from those five. Typical THRUSH agents. No fingerprints, no papers, no knowledge of anything beyond their immediate assignment.”

  “The jet?” Illya said.

  Waverly looked for a match. “Nothing there either. We did learn one small fact: the THRUSH agents you led into the Plan Nine trap were from some foreign unit. They were neither Hand nor Burton’s men. Which means that THRUSH is getting tired of the flim-flam over here.”

  “It could shake up the entire North American operation,” Illya said eagerly.

  “Precisely,” Waverly said, locating a match. “It seems that part of our plan is working. The problem is that one or both of them still has the rocket plans. That could re-instate them. It was unfortunate that you had to leave so hastily from Hand’s stronghold.”

  “We didn’t have much choice,” Solo said.

  Waverly lighted his pipe. “No, I suppose not. Well, what do we do now?”

  Lilli Kessler smiled. “We go back and get the plans. What else?”

  Waverly held his match suspended in the air as they all looked at the petite blonde singer. He returned to lighting his pipe. When he had the pipe going well, he blew smoke into the air of the quiet office.

  “Just how do we go about it, Miss Kessler?”Waverly said.

  Simple,” Lilli said. “The meeting with THRUSH council will be held in San Francisco. I heard them say that while I was in Walter Hand’s stronghold.”

  “Go on,” Waverly said.

  “Well, we must go to San Francisco and be at that meeting!”

  Waverly smiled. Illya and Solo looked at each other. Solo leaned forward and patted the knee of the petite blonde. He smiled soothingly.

  “Lilli, we don’t know where the meeting will be held. We aren’t likely to get an invitation,” Solo said.

  “I suppose we could stake out the San Francisco,” Illya said, looking at Waverly. “At least we know the city. We could watch for Hand and Burton, and trail them.”

  Waverly nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I imagine we could. But it would be a risky business. We’d need all the men we could muster. Even then, Burton and Hand are unlikely to come walking openly now that you two have escaped.”