"Ha! Well done, gentlemen! Truly remarkable style!"

Egret and Scholar turned to where Sepharan stood staring at the bank of monitors.

"Silence, Sepharan!", Egret commanded.

Sepharan slowly turned to face the two females. "No, my good doctor, I will NOT be silent and I will NOT tolerate your condescending tone" he retorted.

Egret bristled. "How dare......!", she began.

"Oh, I dare, doctor. I am as much upper level THRUSH as you, therefore, if we are to speak it will be with respect. Do I make myself clear?"

"Explain your amusement", Scholar demanded, temporarily defusing the situation.

"You have been duped, m'dear", Sepharan replied, fixing her with an expression of contempt.

"Explain 'duped'."

" 'Outwitted' They have outwitted you."

"I do not......"

"Did you truly think Napoleon Solo, the dark-haired one, would risk Kuryakin's - the fair one - life by impregnating him!!??"

For the first time Scholar truly showed emotion - anger. "Impossible!!", she hissed. "I saw them!! The doctor and I were watching!!"

"No insult intended, m'dear, but neither you nor the good doctor are male. I am, however, and though I've never had that particular pleasure, I know what it takes for two men to couple. That is NOT what took place."

"Sepharan!! Keep your place!", Egret shouted.

"Dragging someone physically into a bedroom, jumping on top of them, ripping clothing from the body, are what we deem as foreplay", Sepharan continued as if the doctor had never spoken.

Sepharan's superior attitude was grating on her nerves. "I may not be a man, Sepharan, but I know the sounds and movements of passion!", she snapped.

Sepharan laughed, the sound was devoid of mirth. "You, of all people, should know about deception, doctor."

Scholar fought to follow the argument between the human. "Prove this deception!", she demanded.

"How advanced is your camera?", Sepharan asked. "How sharp is the lens?"

"What are you looking for?", Egret inquired.

Sepharan ignored her and repeated his question to Scholar.

"Whatever image you wish to see can be magnified to crystal clarity", Overlord answered, understanding the purpose behind the human's question.

"Excellent! Magnify the section just to the right of the bedroom door."

There was a soft whirr of machinery; seconds later the aforementioned section filled the monitors. The shopping bag read: THE PLEASURE CHEST.

Overlord chuckled. "How clever", he murmured.

"What is, Overlord?", asked Scholar, thoroughly confused now.

"You have been so caught up in your own agenda that you forgot to study the history of your subjects. You kept thinking of them as intellectually inferior beings when, as they have proven several times - especially these two - they are not. After all, they have escaped us - twice. WE who claim to be of superior intellect."

"Overlord...."

"Silence, Scholar, and listen! This should prove to be a learning experience. They used the implements from this establishment to aide in pleasuring each other without actual penetration."

"Forgive me, Overlord, but the implants....."

".....were of human design due to the fact that ours would have done permanent mental damage. Their medical personnel discovered this and removed them", Overlord finished Scholar sentence.

Genesis, who had quietly listened to this discussion with extreme interest, now pointed to the monitors. "Turn up the volume control", he ordered the young technician. "I believe our humans want to speak to us", he added.

The technician obeyed and all stared - Scholar and Egret in silent rage, Overlord and Sepharan in silent, but grudging, awe, as the faces of both Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, their expression filled with contempt, stared back. It was Illya who spoke. His voice, calm and clear, came over the speaker. "Napoleon and I are going to sleep now. We hope you have enjoyed the show. Sorry the ending wasn't as good for you as it was for us. 'Night."

The room was then plunged into darkness.