The Deadly Games Affair (Act IV)...: illyushadarling

illyushadarling

The Deadly Games Affair (Act IV)...

Jan 02, 2012 13:16

Oh, thank God for Monday holidays! Since I have the time today, I've taken the opportunity to go ahead and spoil you by posting cappage and commentary on Act IV of our current Affair. Just don't get too spoiled, my friends. Acts won't be posted at one per day, but I will get the rest of Season 1 done this year.

Now join me

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When we join Napoleon in Act IV, he's just lying around. In fact, he doesn't do much in this act other than lie around. But I don't think too many of the Solophiles reading this will complain too much. Especially when he starts wiggling about, trying to loosen his restraints. Oh, did I neglect to mention there are restraints? ;-)

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Okay, back to the action. Napoleon awakes, still groggy from the effects of the fumes, and scans the room to see lots of scientific equipment and computers.

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Oh, and Angelique. And Chuck, both of them tied to wooden framing. "You're awake?" Angelique asks somewhat plaintively. "More or less," answers Napoleon. "Where's Volp? On a house call, I hope."

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"In there, where he found you," she replies, indicating the room with the coffin-like containers with a jerk of her chin. "Napoleon, is it true what he said, that i-in there..?" she continues, referring to Volp's reference to the legend of Barbarossa's rise from the dead. "I'm afraid so," Napoleon admits. He asks how long he was unconscious and how Volp found him, and Angelique informs him that Volp heard him choking on the fumes, found him and restrained him on the gurney, what seems a long time ago now.

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Napoleon turns his attention to Chuck, inquiring about his health and state of mind. When Chuck admits he's scared to death, Napoleon assures him that's to be expected, but then offers comfort by saying, "Look, we have help coming. Exactly how soon-"

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"Let them come! They're all ready too late," Volp declares, as he re-enters the room, pushing in another gurney with a sheet-shrouded figure upon it. Oh, my, it's the Barbarossa wannabe, being wheeled in for his coming out party. His coming-out-of-suspended-animation party, that is.

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Napoleon may be down but he's not out. "Barbarossa's pretty ripe, Volp. I don't think he can muster much of a following if he comes out looking like Neubel did when they found him."

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"Poor Neubel," muses Volp. "A pity, a great pity, ja. But don't be afraid. I do not intend to make the same mistake twice."

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Volp walks to the wall and flips a switch, which causes the floor under the pick-up truck to rise back to its original position in the garage. "You see, when the lift is in position at the upper level, we are effectively sealed in. And the help that you spoke of will be sealed out."

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"I see," says Napoleon. "So you plan to make this a permanent home for you and your pickled superman."

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"Hardly," Volp retorts. "There's an emergency exit, a kind of tunnel. When the sleeper awakes, he and I will use it together." "Another tunnel. Ya got a lot of gopher in you," Napoleon digs. But Volp ignores his jibe, scurrying about as he completes his preparations for the rejuvenation of his fallen leader.

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"And now to make certain we are not disturbed..." Volp strides to a wall of equipment and throws another switch, which results in an explosion above them! "The house above us is now in flames; it will burn to the ground. Nobody up there could possibly suspect what is down here, and if they did, how could they get through the fire?" Oh, great. In fact, just peachy. So much for Illya riding to the rescue... :-(

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Volp returns to Napoleon. "My friend, you have made this moment possible. I will explain it to you, very carefully. Because I want you to feel... fear.

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"Fear, you see, will release adrenaline into the bloodstream and adrenaline will be helpful in the process of revival." Oh, that's your reason, is it, Volp? Well, maybe that, and the fact that gloating and expounding upon their plans is what all good evil mad scientists do. Ya hear what I'm sayin', people?

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Volp continues to prattle on as he prepares his SA subject for revival, and Napoleon watches and listens, rather aghast at the macabre nature of Volp's plan. "Blood is the key to my entire discovery," the scientist explains. "Even I myself did not realize how important it was, until the unfortunate failure with Neubel."

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Volp explains further that, with Neubel, he used the man's own blood, removed from his body and stored for all those years. Once Neubel's body was reanimated with his own blood, decay set in rapidly. Now, Volp has figured out that the blood used in the rejuvenation process must be fresh, and it must be the same blood type...

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... A type not shared by either Angelique or Chuck, as Volp has all ready determined. But, oh, lucky man! Napoleon's blood will do just fine!

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This announcement by Volp sends Napoleon into paroxysms of wriggling. Not with joy, I think. (My apologies to all you Solo lovers... My skills do not yet include creating animated gifs, and this would have been the perfect spot to insert one, eh? Oh, well, if you want to see Napoleon squirm, you'll just have to watch the ep. *grin*)

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"My friend, yours will be a unique honor," Volp declares. "It is through you that he will live again. Oh, I'm sorry that you will not be here to enjoy your reflected glory.

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"Of course, unfortunately, he will require your entire blood supply." Oh, goodie. *grimace*

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Efficiently, Volp begins to insert the large bore needle that will drain the blood - and the life - from Napoleon's body. Yikes! Where the heck is Illya?! Time is running out!

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Ah, there he is, at last! Unfortunately, all he can do at present is watch those flames crackle merrily.

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But wait - he looks like he's thought of something! Now let's just hope it pays off, and he gets to his partner in time!

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Back in the underground laboratory, Volp is still trying to get that needle into Napoleon's vein, and Napoleon isn't exactly holding still for it. As Volp politely asks, "Please, do not move your arm!" Angelique screams and yells, horrified. "It moved! Look at it!"

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Indeed, the shrouded body is twitching visibly, but Volp assures his captive audience that it is just nerve spasms caused by the reviving fluid flowing through the veins, and that the body will not truly be alive until after another four minutes, when "we will be ready for your contribution" he tells Napoleon, clapping him on the shoulder as though he were a willing participant worthy to be praised.

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The tableau is interrupted by another explosion from above, and flaming gasoline from the pick-up's exploded gas tank begins dripping through into the lab.

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Napoleon explains this to Volp, and assures him "This whole place will be ablaze in a lot less than four minutes!"

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Volp reveals the location of his emergency exit (which wasn't exactly well hidden *rolls eyes*, but then returns to the side of his master, reluctant to give up when he is so close to success.

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Angelique distracts the scientist by begging for him to shoot her and Chuck rather than let them burn to death...

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... giving Napoleon an opportunity to wiggle some more, and this time it pays off: he is able to manipulate the release buckle of one of his restraints against a nearby piece of equipment, and...

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... he's free! He judo chops Volp, finishes releasing himself...

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... and rushes over to free Chuck and Angelique.

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Napoleon hurries them toward the tunnel entrance...

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... and rushes back to disconnect Volp's subject and rescue the errant scientist. But Angelique, rather than leaving, doubles back and grabs the pistol Volp had placed on the gurney just before Napoleon knocked him out.

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"I'll take him, darling," she purrs cattily, as she points the gun at Napoleon. "After all, that's why I'm here."

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"Angelique, there's no time," Napoleon warns.

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"Thrush wants him, and Thrush will have him!" the blonde snarls, sure of herself once more. Ah, but do you see what I see, quietly creeping up behind her? :-)

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Illya handily disarms her...

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...then begins to escort Angelique and Volp into the tunnel in accordance with Napoleon's directive.

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Those nerve spasms of which Volp spoke? Well, one of them just caused Napoleon's arm to be gripped like a steel vise by the hand of the not-quite-dead-enough monster on the gurney.

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He pries it off, then wheels the gurney back and pivots it toward the fire now blazing powerfully in the pit under the lift, as Volp watches with desperation on his face, and Illya watches with what looks like a good facsimile of revulsion.

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Napoleon shoves the gurney and its occupant into the flames...

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... and Volp, horrified...

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... leaps in after it.

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Illya slowly steps beside his partner and intones, "What was that that went into the flames?" (I can so hear in DMc's voice that quality that lends itself, still, so well to audiobooks, can't you?) "Something that should have died a long time ago," replies Napoleon.

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Then he sloughs off his dark mood and inquires of his partner, "How'd you find the tunnel?" Illya replies, with a grin creeping across his face, "The smoke. It's coming up through a manhole cover."

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Then the boys exit through the tunnel, taking the time to grab all of Volp's papers as they go.

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At last, back safe and sound at U.N.C.L.E. HQ, Napoleon meets one last time with our Innocents, Terry and Chuck, in Waverly's office. Spinning the globe, he announces, "All right, you'll have a week in Tahiti, then back via Honolulu, to San Francisco. Now how does that sound?" "Wow! Now that's what I call a honeymoon!" exclaims Terry.

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"oh, hey, now, wait a minute," interjects Chuck. "After a trip like this, are you going to be satisfied keeping house in a cold water flat?"

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"We thought of that, too," replies Napoleon. And he holds up a large box. "What is it?" asks Terry. "This is Volp's stamp collection. We found it in a safe deposit box in Manhattan.

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"And since he has no heirs, we would like you to have it." Napoleon presents the box to them with a flourish. "The whole collection?" queries Chuck. "Um hmm," Napoleon assures them. "I think that'll set you up in something better than a cold water flat."

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"Thank you," says Chuck, then notices a look on Terry's face and replies, "Um, Mr. Solo, we appreciate the trip, it's lovely, and, um, we'll remember it all our lives, but I don't think-"

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Terry completes their polite refusal. "We wouldn't feel like plain old American newlyweds if we couldn't pinch pennies the first few years. Why don't we give it back to the college?" she asks Chuck.

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And they agree to do just that, as a kind of bequest from "Professor Amadeus", handing the box back to Napoleon.

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Illya enters and politely interrupts. Staring daggers at Napoleon, he informs him, "You have a caller. At the security entrance."

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"Oh?" asks Napoleon. Illya can't hold the glare, relents and grins as he says, "You'd better attend to it, before the place gets a bad name."

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Straightening his tie and grinning in his turn, Napoleon starts to take his leave of the couple. "Excuse me, duty summons."

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But Terry delays him just a bit with, "In case you don't make it to the wedding." I wonder if Chuck's the jealous type...

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Then, harkening back to Chuck's comment in Act III, Napoleon smiles and says to him, "Listen, don't sell your line of work short. There's a lot to recommend it."

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Napoleon exits Del Floria's, looking very dapper in his crested blazer, and looks about for signs of his visitor.

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And there he spots Angelique, of course, attired in a chiffon dress and perched on the back of her Corvette.

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"Hello, darling. Did you miss me?" she chirps, as he strolls toward her.

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"I did wonder what became of you after the fire. You didn't hang around to say goodnight."

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"Well, to tell the truth," she replies, "I was just trying to figure out a way to get Dr. Volp's papers away from you. Unfortunately, the opportunity didn't present itself."

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"When did you ever wait for an opportunity?" asks Napoleon. "That opportunity just passed," she teases. "Truce time?" "No spiders?" he inquires. Grinning somewhat evilly, Angelique replies, "Just me, darling."