Experiments Gone Wrong
In response to the Spook Me Multi-Fandom Ficathon 2012 Challenge.
Gun in hand, Napoleon walked silently down the eerie hall. Mold and mildew coated his hands as he touched he walls, and now he could hear noises coming from the room to his right. As he opened the door and silently entered the room, he saw nothing, but as he turned to leave, he heard something behind him.
“Leaving so quickly Mr. Solo? Surely you want to see what you came for.”
The chilling voice sent a shivers up his spine. As he turned to face its owner, he felt a stinging in his leg. Trying to take a step,he felt himself slipping into darkness.
Napoleon awoke, seated in and bound to a chair in a dim corner of a room to the sounds of ‘squeaks’, emanating near his feet. Looking down he saw small caged animals--mice, rat, gerbils, even cats and dogs screaming out in pain.
In front of him in the glow of a spotlight stood a man who was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t see him clearly enough to recognize he face.
It was his outline that had an air of familiarity to it. He was dressed in black under a lab coat and holding a glistening glass globe in each hand, reflecting the light to his face as he took a step forward.
As Napoleon’s eyes adjusted, the man’s identity became clear.
“Illya?” He asked, uncertain at first. It looked like him. Napoleon became annoyed as Illya stepped closer.
“What is this, a joke? Untie me now and stop this nonsense. We don’t have time for you to play mad scientist. And what type of get up that supposed to be?” he demanded.
“You’re wrong Mr. Solo; I’m not your irritating partner, although I look like him. You came by yourself remember. My name is Count Johann Konrad Dippel, surely you’ve heard of me.”
Napoleon thought for a moment, the name did sound familiar. Then when he figured out where he had heard it before, he laughed.
“Didn’t your great great grandfather die about three centuries ago? Actually from the looks of this lab, even it was outdated back then.”
“No, No Mr. Solo, I’m ‘the’ Johann Dippel, and this is my original lab. My formula for recreating life also extends it. I have been ridiculed for centuries because of Mary Shelley's story "Frankenstein." She wrote that about me, did you know that?”
Napoleon could tell the man was crazy. He was glaring wide-eyed, never blinking as he spoke. Then there was the fact that he believed he was a three hundred year old man, but he hoped to use it as a weapon against him.
“So you’re the great scientist who invented a way to bring back the dead,” he spoke with an air of disbelief in his voice to antagonize his captor.
“So what are these little creatures, experiments gone wrong?” He said, glancing at the cages near his feet.
“Surely after three centuries you could at least get the size right or is what you use to keep yourself alive affecting your brain?”
Anger clouded the Count’s face. “Laugh if you want, but I’ll have the last laugh. You see I’m ready to show Thrush Central how well my experiments work, and you’ll be my first human subject. Just imagine the great Napoleon Solo one foot tall.”
….
The room filled with several members from the central committee of Thrush. Each took time to examine the miniature creatures and listen to an explanation of the shrinking process. Dippel gave them a demonstration of his procedure, with the end result being a German Shepard no larger than a hamster.
Napoleon watched the experiment with a sense of dread; knowing he was next. One of the representatives approached him, calling his attention from the now miniaturized dog.
“Mr. Solo, you have seen the results of Dippel’s experiments and what is about to happen to you. However, you have a lot of information we could make use of, so you have a choice. Give up this information and we’ll give you a merciful death; refuse to talk and you will end up as one of his little pets to be further experimented on until you die.”
Solo looked at the cages once more. He had no doubt their occupants were suffering, but refused to betray his vow to UNCLE. A shake of the head was his only response.
The scientist grinned evilly at him and signaled his men to put a metal cap on the agents head. Napoleon was wrestling in the chair trying to escape when he felt an electrical current tart to flow through him. His response to it was to scream uncontrollably.
……
Illya was woken with a start, to the screams of his partner. He called out Napoleon’s name a few times but the Americans shrieks drowned him out. Finally, he shook Napoleon, moving quickly out of the way, as he knew it was a dangerous thing to touch a trained UNCLE agent while sleeping.
“Wake up you are yelling.” Illya said in a loud voice.
Napoleon reached out, touching the Russians face. “Illya, is that you?”
“What man do you think would be sharing a bed with you bed in this run- down room we were lucky enough to find on our budget?”
“I…. It was just a bad dream; I think it was about the movie I was watching when I fell asleep.”
“Next time, believe me when I say you should not watch scary movies while recovering from rugs Thrush has pumped into your system.”
The American laid back down after giving him an indignant look saying, “It’s nothing.”
“If you say so. Do you need me to do anything for you? Tuck you in, read you a story, bring you a glass of warm milk,” the Russian said with a smirk, and a condescending tone in his voice.
“Nothing, thank you.” Napoleon answered firmly, turning his back on the Russian.
“Good night then.” Illya reached up to turn the light off.
”Ah, could you leave it on.”
“Certainly Napoleon, it is but a ‘small’ thing that I can do for you,” he said as he turned over with a smile. ”Sweet dreams my friend.”