Waverly’s eyebrow went up.  "Quite some time.  Since Mr. Kuryakin isn’t here with you, might I assume he
              didn’t tell you?"

              "How did you know?" Solo asked.

              "Several very small things which were meaningless individually but when combined made an interesting
              picture," Quinn replied.  "His resistance to hypnosis and certain drugs.  The way he seemed to know the
              hand-to-hand combat techniques before I showed him.  The way he stands and moves at times.  It didn’t
              really come together until I got your phone call, and then everything just seemed to fall into place."  An
              expression flicked across his face too quickly to register with the men to whom he spoke.  "How much do
              you know of what happened to him?"  The emotion paused this time long enough to be seen as anger.  "Damn
              it, Alex, how the hell did you come to lose what was obviously an excellent, if not the best, of your agents?"

              "A unique set of circumstances combined with a very determined individual," Waverly explained.  "He
              made it look as if he’d died in an auto accident. The special additions to his clothing and dental fillings
              were a prefect match, and it was all we had to identify the body.  He was my second best operative," he
              shot a glance at his companion, "after Mr. Solo here.  A very close second, and Mr. Solo’s partner.  We
              only discovered he was still alive from a captured THRUSH minion wanting to make a deal."  He gave
              Quinn a worried look.  "How bad is it?"

              "He remembers nothing between his childhood in Kiev just after Wold War II until his capture," he
              answered, "or his name, and we – his psychiatrist and I – think there may be some trauma he’s still
              repressing.  That’s a major improvement from how he was when I first found him.  Do you know what he
              was doing in Hong Kong, and why?  When the car failed to kill him, he begged me to finish him.  For a time
              he either couldn’t or wouldn’t speak any language but Russian; he still can’t speak English beyond a few
              phrases.  How’s your French, and does Mr. Solo speak any other languages?"

              "My French is excellent, and so is my Russian.  Up until recently, I had someone to practice it with, and I’m
              looking forward to practicing with him again," Waverly replied.

              "I speak French, Italian, and some Russian, though most of my Russian isn’t suitable for polite company,"
              added Solo.

              That statement garnered him a raised eyebrow from Quinn.  "Does your partner often have cause to swear at
              you?"

              "No comment," came the reply.

              "Is there anything else about the situation we should know?" Waverly diplomatically changed the subject by
              asking.

              "He’s skittish around men he isn’t familiar with.  He asked me last night what he should do if he ran into a
              former "client" who wanted buy another piece of ass; his words, not mine," he said quickly, noting the look
              in the eyes of both other men.

              "And what did you tell him?" asked Solo.

              "To ignore the man, and if he persisted, to tell him he was mistaken, and if he still persisted to threaten him
              with blackmail.  Such behavior IS still frowned upon, if it isn’t outright illegal, in much of the civilized
              world, isn’t it, Alex?" Quinn inquired.

              "Very much so," Waverly confirmed.  'I’m going to have sound out Napoleon on this issue, and this trip
              might be a good time to do it.'  If Solo wasn’t open-minded about homosexuality, he might have to rethink
              his decision about his eventual replacement.  He’d been watching the younger man’s face and body language
              carefully when the read the interview with Greyson, and just now when the subject of his partner’s "clients"
              came up, but hadn’t been able to determine anything one way or the other.

              Quinn was also watching Solo for the very same thing.  Of course, he had an advantage over his old friend,
              and he used it without a qualm.  Though he only did a surface read, he could easily sense the depth of
              feelings the man held for his partner.  Would he still hold such feelings if he knew the man was currently
              engaged in a homosexual relationship?

              They gathered their luggage, passed through Customs quickly, and were picked up at the curb by Quinn’s
              driver.  Solo noticed the car’s trunk already contained two suitcases and several shopping bags.  "Planing a
              trip?" he asked Quinn.

              "Planning for one.  Mr. – Kuryakin, you said?"  Solo nodded.  "Mr. Kuryakin will doubtless be returning to
              New York with you.  I wanted to be sure he’d have suitable clothing.  You wouldn’t want him catching
              cold, would you?"

              "No, I wouldn’t," Solo replied, grimacing at the memory of having to pack Ilya’s effects.  He suddenly
              realized his partner had no clothing beyond what Quinn had provided, and it was mid-winter in New
              York.  He also wondered if he could get his partner’s books back from the NY public library system.

              Elsewhere in Colombo

              "So Waverly is here, personally retrieving his lost lamb, and Solo is with him?"

              "Yes, Mr. Phillips."

              "And my little pet still can’t remember what I look like, and sleeps in Quinn’s bed?  I wonder what his
              UNCLE will say about that.  Who’d have thought one of their best agents was a flaming queer?"

              "Indeed.  I have more than enough evidence to blackmail either man, if our masters so choose."

              "We’ll keep it as a contingency plan, if our first one fails.  I’m looking forward to having my pet’s company
              once more.  This time I think I’ll keep him for the exclusive use of our own people.  Do you think any of
              them would be interested in having a former UNCLE agent to do with what they will?"