Illya looked over every part of the device without saying a word. This was going to be difficult...more difficult than any bomb he had ever defused before.

Although his preference was for blowing things up, he was still one of the most highly trained disposal experts in U.N.C.L.E. Or at least the most highly trained of those currently in the room. Illya looked over every part of the device without saying a word. This was going to be difficult...more difficult than any bomb he had ever defused before.

Although his preference was for blowing things up, he was still one of the most highly trained disposal experts in U.N.C.L.E. Or at least the most highly trained of those currently in the room.

Not of course that Napoleon wouldn't have been capable of disarming the bomb himself. However since it was currently strapped firmly to his body, that might possibly prove a little difficult.

Illya finished his visual examination of the bomb and looked up. Blue eyes met brown and a look of understanding passed between them.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" said Napoleon evenly.

That was an understatement if ever Illya had heard one. The bomb itself had been strapped to Napoleon's chest. But it had been strapped using electric cables, which fed into what appeared to be a timing mechanism. The display was blank, but Illya just knew that that would only remain so as long as the circuits remained intact. Which meant that he couldn't simply cut the wires and hope to get himself and Napoleon far enough away from the bomb before it would blow.

More cables fed their way around Napoleon's body, securely binding him to the chair. His legs were strapped to separate legs of the chair and the cables twisted their way upwards, and a quick glance had shown Illya that they were coiled around Napoleon's wrists, binding them to the back of the chair.

Illya knew that some of the cables were bound to be dummies and could safely be snipped...but the question was, which ones were they?

"You are not in trouble," said Illya firmly. "I will defuse this, as I have defused so many others."

"I don't think they were quite as tricky as this one." Napoleon hesitated only momentarily before continuing, "Maybe you should just walk away..."

"That is not an option," growled Illya. "This bomb will be defused. Now be quiet and let me concentrate." He moved behind Napoleon and ran his hands over the wires wrapped round Napoleon's wrists. "I don't suppose you were able to see which wires were the dummy ones?" There was no response so he looked up at the back of Napoleon's head. "Napoleon!" he growled again.

"Sorry," said Napoleon evenly. "I thought I was supposed to keep quiet."

Illya would have swatted him if the situation hadn't been so urgent. "Did you see which wires were the dummies?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Sorry partner," replied Napoleon, "But they blindfolded me before wiring me up. Guess they didn't trust me to keep my eyes shut and not peek."

"Hmmph, and when have you ever resisted taking a peek at anything?" Illya had moved back in front of Napoleon and was removing a selection of tools from a bag, crouching down to lay them out neatly on the ground. Without a further word, he set to work.

Napoleon could only see the top of Illya's head as he worked away at the bomb, but he knew from experience that his partner was evaluating every move, thinking it over twice or three times before he dared to make it. The only timing device was the one attached to the cables...or rather that had been the only *visible* device. Still, for the moment Illya had to operate on the assumption that time was not an immediate concern, hence his extreme caution as he applied the tools to the outer casing of the bomb.

Time passed. Illya had opened the outer casing and was carefully tracing the lines of the cables, checking over and over again to see which ones were connected to what could be secondary devices and which were just dummies, designed to slow him down. He didn't bother glancing at his watch to see how long he had spent so far. This would take as long as it would take, and rushing it was not an option. One by one the wires fell prey to his cutters, but Illya held his breath every time, knowing that being in such close proximity to the bomb left him just as vulnerable as his partner to its effects.

Napoleon could hear the slight change in Illya's respiration just before he cut each wire. The room was so silent, that he wouldn't have been surprised to hear Illya's heartbeat as well. Throughout the entire procedure, Illya exuded an air of calming confidence that was most reassuring. It wasn't until Illya stood and looked Napoleon in the eye that he was able to see a bead of sweat running down the Russian's face. "What's wrong?" Napoleon asked, a twinge of worry crossing his mind.

"The wires...they are tangled..." Illya swallowed hard. "There are only a few left...but I cannot...I cannot be sure which is the master wire...the one that will neutralize the bomb permanently."

Napoleon glanced down at himself. Illya had done an excellent job in a relatively short time. The device was now attached to his chest by a single cable, and a few strips of adhesive that Illya had used to stop it slipping as the various wires had been removed. The cables that could not be safely cut had been spliced into other cables, loosening them sufficiently to free Napoleon's arms and legs from the chair.

However the possibility of a motion detector had prevented him from moving from the chair just yet. "You've done all right so far...but if you can't be certain, then maybe it's time to walk away." Gingerly he brought his hands in front of him. "Give me the cutters...and then leave the room. Once you're a safe distance away, I'll cut the wires."

"No!" said Illya, stubbornly. "You cannot even see the wires...you would have no way of knowing which ones to cut."

"You can show me which one...guide my hand to the right one. And then get safely away." Napoleon looked Illya firmly in the eye. "You know it's the logical choice...besides, do you think I want you to get all the credit for this?" He smiled wryly at his friend, but the smile was not returned.

"No."

Napoleon sighed, "You know the consequences if you get this wrong?"

"I am fully aware of them," said Illya evenly.

"Fine then, go ahead. But don't come running to me if you pick the wrong wire and we both get fried!"

Taking a deep breath, Illya crouched down before Napoleon, cutters in hand as he reached for the wire that he had selected...the wire that all his instincts were telling him was the right one...the wire that was obviously the right one...the wire that was maybe just a little *too* obviously the right one. In a split second, Illya revised his earlier assessment and snipped a different wire...

For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was of Napoleon and Illya's hearts beating rapidly, followed by a loud exhalation of the breath that they had each been holding.

"You did it partner," said Napoleon, a smile of delight on his face. "Well done!"

Illya stood and pulled the now useless device from Napoleon's chest.

"Well done indeed," came Mr. Waverly's voice from the observation gallery. "Bravo, Mr. Kuryakin. You dismantled that device in record time...just as I predicted, eh fellows?" He turned to the Section 1 members from various other U.N.C.L.E. headquarters that had gathered for this little demonstration. There were various mumblings from the group as they grudgingly admitted that yes indeed, Mr. Waverly's top team of agents had indeed proved most expert in the field of bomb disposal.

Down below in the observation room, Napoleon brushed a few imaginary specks of dust off himself before slipping on his jacket. "Nice work partner. I must admit that I wasn't looking forward to the electric shock those gadgets give off if you make a mistake."

Illya shrugged, "Then maybe next time you shouldn't be so vocal about my prowess. Most of the other agents who tried this device used dummies instead of real people, but you just had to volunteer."

"Ah, I just thought it might give you a little bit of extra motivation."

"Hmm, would that be extra motivation to defuse the 'bomb' or set it off?" A smile appeared on Illya's face, the evil smile that he tended to reserve for intimidations and interrogations...and teasing his partner of course...one of his favorite pastimes...well, that and blowing things up!

----------------------

The End Not of course that Napoleon wouldn't have been capable of disarming the bomb himself. However since it was currently strapped firmly to his body, that might possibly prove a little difficult. Illya finished his visual examination of the bomb and looked up. Blue eyes met brown and a look of understanding passed between them. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?" said Napoleon evenly. That was an understatement if ever Illya had heard one. The bomb itself had been strapped to Napoleon's chest. But it had been strapped using electric cables, which fed into what appeared to be a timing mechanism. The display was blank, but Illya just knew that that would only remain so as long as the circuits remained intact. Which meant that he couldn't simply cut the wires and hope to get himself and Napoleon far enough away from the bomb before it would blow. More cables fed their way around Napoleon's body, securely binding him to the chair. His legs were strapped to separate legs of the chair and the cables twisted their way upwards, and a quick glance had shown Illya that they were coiled around Napoleon's wrists, binding them to the back of the chair. Illya knew that some of the cables were bound to be dummies and could safely be snipped...but the question was, which ones were they? "You are not in trouble," said Illya firmly. "I will defuse this, as I have defused so many others." "I don't think they were quite as tricky as this one." Napoleon hesitated only momentarily before continuing, "Maybe you should just walk away..." "That is not an option," growled Illya. "This bomb will be defused. Now be quiet and let me concentrate." He moved behind Napoleon and ran his hands over the wires wrapped round Napoleon's wrists. "I don't suppose you were able to see which wires were the dummy ones?" There was no response so he looked up at the back of Napoleon's head. "Napoleon!" he growled again. "Sorry," said Napoleon evenly. "I thought I was supposed to keep quiet." Illya would have swatted him if the situation hadn't been so urgent. "Did you see which wires were the dummies?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Sorry partner," replied Napoleon, "But they blindfolded me before wiring me up. Guess they didn't trust me to keep my eyes shut and not peek." "Hmmph, and when have you ever resisted taking a peek at anything?" Illya had moved back in front of Napoleon and was removing a selection of tools from a bag, crouching down to lay them out neatly on the ground. Without a further word, he set to work. Napoleon could only see the top of Illya's head as he worked away at the bomb, but he knew from experience that his partner was evaluating every move, thinking it over twice or three times before he dared to make it. The only timing device was the one attached to the cables...or rather that had been the only *visible* device. Still, for the moment Illya had to operate on the assumption that time was not an immediate concern, hence his extreme caution as he applied the tools to the outer casing of the bomb. Time passed. Illya had opened the outer casing and was carefully tracing the lines of the cables, checking over and over again to see which ones were connected to what could be secondary devices and which were just dummies, designed to slow him down. He didn't bother glancing at his watch to see how long he had spent so far. This would take as long as it would take, and rushing it was not an option. One by one the wires fell prey to his cutters, but Illya held his breath every time, knowing that being in such close proximity to the bomb left him just as vulnerable as his partner to its effects. Napoleon could hear the slight change in Illya's respiration just before he cut each wire. The room was so silent, that he wouldn't have been surprised to hear Illya's heartbeat as well. Throughout the entire procedure, Illya exuded an air of calming confidence that was most reassuring. It wasn't until Illya stood and looked Napoleon in the eye that he was able to see a bead of sweat running down the Russian's face. "What's wrong?" Napoleon asked, a twinge of worry crossing his mind. "The wires...they are tangled..." Illya swallowed hard. "There are only a few left...but I cannot...I cannot be sure which is the master wire...the one that will neutralize the bomb permanently." Napoleon glanced down at himself. Illya had done an excellent job in a relatively short time. The device was now attached to his chest by a single cable, and a few strips of adhesive that Illya had used to stop it slipping as the various wires had been removed. The cables that could not be safely cut had been spliced into other cables, loosening them sufficiently to free Napoleon's arms and legs from the chair. However the possibility of a motion detector had prevented him from moving from the chair just yet. "You've done all right so far...but if you can't be certain, then maybe it's time to walk away." Gingerly he brought his hands in front of him. "Give me the cutters...and then leave the room. Once you're a safe distance away, I'll cut the wires." "No!" said Illya, stubbornly. "You cannot even see the wires...you would have no way of knowing which ones to cut." "You can show me which one...guide my hand to the right one. And then get safely away." Napoleon looked Illya firmly in the eye. "You know it's the logical choice...besides, do you think I want you to get all the credit for this?" He smiled wryly at his friend, but the smile was not returned. "No." Napoleon sighed, "You know the consequences if you get this wrong?" "I am fully aware of them," said Illya evenly. "Fine then, go ahead. But don't come running to me if you pick the wrong wire and we both get fried!" Taking a deep breath, Illya crouched down before Napoleon, cutters in hand as he reached for the wire that he had selected...the wire that all his instincts were telling him was the right one...the wire that was obviously the right one...the wire that was maybe just a little *too* obviously the right one. In a split second, Illya revised his earlier assessment and snipped a different wire... For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was of Napoleon and Illya's hearts beating rapidly, followed by a loud exhalation of the breath that they had each been holding. "You did it partner," said Napoleon, a smile of delight on his face. "Well done!" Illya stood and pulled the now useless device from Napoleon's chest. "Well done indeed," came Mr. Waverly's voice from the observation gallery. "Bravo, Mr. Kuryakin. You dismantled that device in record time...just as I predicted, eh fellows?" He turned to the Section 1 members from various other U.N.C.L.E. headquarters that had gathered for this little demonstration. There were various mumblings from the group as they grudgingly admitted that yes indeed, Mr. Waverly's top team of agents had indeed proved most expert in the field of bomb disposal. Down below in the observation room, Napoleon brushed a few imaginary specks of dust off himself before slipping on his jacket. "Nice work partner. I must admit that I wasn't looking forward to the electric shock those gadgets give off if you make a mistake." Illya shrugged, "Then maybe next time you shouldn't be so vocal about my prowess. Most of the other agents who tried this device used dummies instead of real people, but you just had to volunteer." "Ah, I just thought it might give you a little bit of extra motivation." "Hmm, would that be extra motivation to defuse the 'bomb' or set it off?" A smile appeared on Illya's face, the evil smile that he tended to reserve for intimidations and interrogations...and teasing his partner of course...one of his favorite pastimes...well, that and blowing things up! ---------------------- The End