David McDaniel - The Final Affair

It didn't sound easy, and it wasn't going to be as easy as it sounded. Just knowing that the corridors around the medical detention area were filled with ultrasonics which made movement impossible didn't help to get through them, nor was the knowledge of a CCTV camera which monitored all twenty-four doors in Harry's ward in a straight view down the hall particularly encouraging. Nevertheless, any security device can be bypassed, given the technology and the incentive. U.N.C.L.E. had both.

The difficult part was the ultrasonic. The alarm sensor was cheap and simple: it generated a modest number of decibels at forty or fifty kiloHertz and reacted to the echoes of everything within its area of coverage. Any change in the waveform, causable by the appearance, disappearance, or movement of anything which reflected or absorbed soundwaves at any place in range would upset the echo pattern and trigger the alarm.

The detector unit was smaller than a table radio and cost about $50; its only countermeasure on the west coast strapped around the waist and fed a spiral cord to a light aluminum baton. Mr. Simpson introduced Napoleon to the lights and switches above the handgrip.

"Don't turn it on until you're ready to use it – the batteries are good for six hours, but not under a steady drain. You'll hear the ultrasonics before they can detect you, of course – or this neon pip will. That part you can leave on all night: it has a penlight cell which should last most of a year."

"That tells us when we're coming close?"

"Yes. When the pip is glowing steadily, stop and set this, switch to Monitor. This blue light will go on, probably for ten or fifteen seconds. When it goes out, you might want to wait another second or so before you put your full weight down, so to speak; then you move the switch back past Test to Source and these two pink lights will go on. Then you're sonically invisible. When you have only half your time left on the batteries, one of them will go out. When you have ten minutes left, the other turns orange and starts to fade."

"How does it work?"

"I was just coming to that part. During the first phase, it is analysing the wave patterns in the room; when you switch it over it – duplicates them. As long as you walk slowly, not over ten feet per second or so, and carry the wand with this knob above you like an umbrella, you'll probably be pretty well protected."

"Pretty well?"

"Well, under some circumstances it might not be adequate. If this green light goes on it means the unit isn't quite matching. If that happens, stand absolutely still until it goes out. It'll usually be three or four seconds. The air conditioning system moves a lot of warm air through this corridor, so the ultrasonic alarms are not set to their greatest sensitivity.

"Of course," said Illya. "Moving air could refract the waves and set off a false alarm. Now what, do we do about the television camera? I see there is a relay box here in corridor four, the second sound-guarded one, but that's five or six minutes away from Harry's room and if a camera went out they'd have someone up to see about it within five minutes."

"Yes," said Mr. Simpson. "But not in a minute and a half."

"Probably not," admitted Napoleon. "But how do we get from the box to the cell and back in under ten minutes? I did pretty well in track at college, but that was a few years ago, and I'm not sure my wind is up to the distance."

"You don't have to – at least not both of you. I'm sorry, I thought that was clear. You will go in together as far as Corridor Four, where you, Mr. Kuryakin, will make yourself comfortable and prepare not to move for ten or fifteen minutes. You will wait with your hand inside the relay box after an appropriate delay for Mr. Solo to reach his position at the entrance to Mr. Stevens' ward, you can trip this induction jammer without moving anything but your hand, which will be concealed behind the panel. After ninety seconds you restore normal service. They won't worry about it further until morning."

"By which time it will be too late."

"Hopefully."

"And all I have to do is play Statues for fifteen minutes while Napoleon runs up and down the halls?"

"Walks."

"Walks, then. What do I do if a guard comes by?"

"Not likely, since he couldn't move in the sonic field anymore than you could. At least you'll be safe from guards," said Napoleon. "You can meditate for a few minutes before and after you jigger the picture. I suppose I have to come back and pick him up afterwards?"

"Certainly," said Mr. Simpson. "He probably knows more than Harry Stevens."

"I'd like to think so," said Illya. "Is Harry going to be able to perambulate under his own power?"

"We sincerely hope he can. The odds are beyond us at this point. We haven't been able to find out what he was shot with before he was put to bed, and there's no way of telling."

"We may have to carry Harry," said Napoleon. "That'11 slow things down. How long was that picture to be cut?"

"Ninety seconds. Will you need two minutes? That's quite a long time for dead air."

"A point. How much does Harry weigh?"

"Ah… one-twenty"

Napoleon shrugged, "Ninety seconds. Do I have a key to his room?"

"It's a three button combination. They don't need more – a bolt and latch would restrain those patients who need it, and all comings and goings are monitored and taped automatically."

"Except when the camera malfunctions," said Illya.

"I believe the malfunction should be recorded as well," said Mr. Simpson. All things considered, I think you should be glad it is as simple as this. Breaking into one of Thrushes more securely protected areas was impossible before – now it is merely difficult."

"Difficult for you; for me is easy," said Napoleon.

"Close de box," said Illya. "Does that about cover things?"

"Pretty much, One more point: Mr. Waverly asked me to tell you before you left. If you are caught, don't be recognised."

"We'll work on it. Incidentally, considering the situation, why us?"

"Because you're that much, better than anyone else available.

Remember that as a team your training, experience and record is simply superior to 98% of the U.N.C.L.E. field staff. Besides, no one else in the top ten percent is within call on such extremely short notice. Therefore you are not only the obvious but the solitary choice for the job. My congratulations."

"Thanks."

Their counterfeited magnecard opened an unmarked door in the blank side wall of an apartment house which faced on the next street uphill. Behind the door was a half-empty basement garage, deserted and silent. To their left, deeper into the hill, another closed door with an inconspicuous cardslot beside it was the only break in an otherwise featureless concrete wall. It opened into a similarly bare corridor which ran fifty feet farther into the hill and then turned right to a third door, which surrendered to the same key and let them into a small waiting room. A sign on the inside of this door said EXIT; the other door was open on their left.

"This looks like it," said Napoleon. "Ready for Phase One?"

"Do you want a countdown just like in the movies?"

"Only if you start at two – we haven't much time. Give me the gadget and let's get it together." He strapped the battery belt around his waist and plugged the baton into it. The three-position slide switch came naturally under his thumb as the orange detector pip flickered to unsteady life. "Bang on. That's the way we have to go."

He thrust the knobbed end of his wand out the door and the pip glowed like a fanned ember. He flipped the switch up and the blue jewel below the detector pip lit.

It seemed like a very long time before it went out and the unit declared itself ready to match anything. He flicked the switch down and locked it, and two pink jewels shone side by side.