This is an excerpt from The Five-O Affair, which originally published in 1997 and which won the 1998 Fan Quality Award for Multi-Fandom stories ("gen," or general division) at the Media West Con in Lansing, Michigan. In this U.N.C.L.E./Five-O crossover, Napoleon Solo and Steve McGarrett relunctantly compare notes late in the story:
"Where's Kuryakin?" Williams said.
"Either captured or killed, most likely," Solo said. "He's made no attempt to contact me since getting the information about Wo Fat. He failed to show when I got to the restaurant." McGarrett rose from his desk and started snapping his fingers, a nervous habit when he was trying to think. "Nothing specific, like a yacht name?" he said.
"Just that the yacht left at two tomorrow and the auction would occur an hour later."
Williams turned to McGarrett. "Steve, if Wo Fat gets his hands on that bacteria..."
"He uses it to take over China -- and blames the United States in the process," McGarrett said. "And if Wo Fat's in the game, it doesn't matter who else is bidding. He'll tip the scales his way." McGarrett paused. "Mr. Solo, I don't trust you very far...."
To read the entire story, click here .
What follows are sneak previews of some U.N.C.L.E.-related stories currently available. This page is (c) 1998-99 and 2007. The characters are owned by their existing copyright holders.
Most of these stories can be found here . But if you'd like to browse first look below.
Click here to return to the Man From U.N.C.L.E. page.
Timeshift II, which came out in November 1998, has several stories, including a sequel to The Five-O Affair. Available for $10 (plus $3 mailing) from Last Minit Press, 10 Canterbury Court, New Milford, CT 06776.
In, The Forget-Me-Not Affair,. the U.N.C.L.E. agents (this time accompanied by April Dancer) again invade Five-O's turf. In this excerpt, McGarrett gets a primer on Thrush from Solo.
"Fingerprint erasure?" Solo said.
"Erasure. Fingerprints obliterated. Fingertips as smooth as glass," McGarrett said. "I've got two dead bodies with no fingerprints."
"Thrush," Solo replied.
McGarrett squinted. "Excuse me?"
"Thrush. An international criminal organization. Takes many forms, many guises, utilizes many strategies. But one consistent method is the use of a medical procedure to -- as you put it -- erase the fingerprints of their foot soldiers. Especially expendable personnel. The grunts in Thrush's army, as it were."
"You expect me to buy that?" McGarrett said warily.
"Until this case occurred, would you believe the idea of fingerprint erasure?"
"Touché," McGarrett said. "What does this Thrush want in Hawaii?"
To read the entire story, click here .
Also in Timeshift II:
The Ecology Affair. Solo and Kuryakin vs. extremely well financed "eco-terrorists."
The Ingster Files. Parody of what "crossovers" might have been like if MFU third-season Boris Ingster had had his way.
The Mind Games Affair. Thrush revives Dr. Agnes Dabree to help perfect virtual reality device. Solo and Kuryakin become the guinea pigs.
Road Trip. A vignette featuring April Dancer and Mark Slate as the senior agents on a team. Events tie into The Mind Games Affair.
The Blood Feud Affair. The Black Hand is back. Return of the new UNCLE car.
Timeshift III
Timeshift III, published by Last Minit Press, debuted at the 1999 edition of Media West. Some samples:
The Genesis AffairIn a story set "a long, long time ago," the first mission for Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin is not going well.
Kuryakin struggled to get up, his aching body protesting as he did so. He looked out the window and grimaced for a moment. “Yes, I suppose that is it.”
“Wonderful,” Solo said sarcastically.
“Well, how did I know you would turn out to be such a-a-a....blockhead? You get yourself captured then critique me when I try to get the assignment completed.”
“Oh? Gee, you’ve been such the model of teamwork and civility, how could I be in such error?”
“Stop it!” Rita yelled. “Stop it both of you! You’re acting like children! They killed poor Pablo, they’re probably going to kill other people. We’ve got to get out of here, but we’ll probably get blown up while you two argue.”
The agents glanced at each other for a moment. “I guess she’s right,” Solo said.
“Well, what do we do about it?” Kuryakin said.
“Think of a way out of this. When did you set the detonator?”
To read the entire story, click here.
Also in Timeshift III:
The Lady of the Five Moons Affair The solution for a present-day affair lies in the journal of a long-dead Western adventurer, Paladin.
Paper Trail An unusual way of telling a story.
The Doubled Up Affair Napoleon Solo is beside himself -- literally, thanks to a Thrush cloning plot. Based on ideas and characters created by Patti Ellis and C.W. Walker.
Timeshift: U.N.C.L.E. in the Present Day
Timeshift, published by Last Minit Press, contains five new U.N.C.L.E. stories by this Web page's proprietor. There are also two reprints, The Five-O Affair and The LBG Affair. The zine debuted at the 1998 edition of the MediaWest convention. Some excerpts:
Clara. Napoleon Solo has bolted UNCLE under unexplained circumstances. Illya Kuryakin has traced him to Europe and wondering whether he should go after him without telling Waverly.
I must have been more lost in thought than I imagined because suddenly I saw Mr. Waverly in the middle of the hallway.
"Ah, Mr. Kuryakin," he said, looking up from a clipboard he was carrying. "I was looking for Mr. Solo, but you'll do. I need a courier assigned to make a run to Europe. Geneva. The documents involved are mostly routine, but I'd prefer a personal delivery. Probably one of the younger men can handle it. Mr. Kapiloff, perhaps. I'll leave it to your discretion."
He handed me a packet and walked on his way before I could respond. I felt myself arching my own eyebrows. If I followed my sudden impulse, it wouldn't exactly be disobeying orders. After all, Mr. Waverly did leave the matter up to my own discretion.
To read this story, click here.
The Land of the Living Affair. Solo meets up with Angelique again.
"It's all rather simple, darling. Do you know what your trouble is? You're split between two worlds."
Solo frowned, genuinely puzzled by the remark.
Angelique sensed his confusion. She stood up from the loveseat. "Right now, you have one foot in the realm of the dead and one foot in the land of the living. Intellectually, you can accept the loss, but emotionally you cannot. Men like yourself suffer from one weakness. No matter how tough you think you are, there is a soft center somewhere deep inside. Whoever she was must have touched that center at one point. Am I close?"
"You seem to be doing so well, you tell me."
"Darling, you need to come back to the land of the living. Any success I have in this affair will only be satisfactory if I know Napoleon Solo has been bested while he was at the top of his game. Unless that is the case, any triumph will be quite hollow. And I certainly shan't bother trying to seduce you unless I know you're at your best."
To read this story, click here .
Other stories, include:
The St. George and the Dragon Affair. Three "innocents" Solo encountered on previous missions have been kidnapped. Also, debut of a new UNCLE car.
The Confession. A vignette told from the perspective of a priest.
The Mafiya Affair. Solo and Kuryakin go to the Ukraine in an affair involving a terrorist, the Russian Mafiya and a woman from Illya's past.
This anthology of UNCLE short stories, published by NorthCoast Press, also debuted at MediaWest in May. It includes this story:
The ROT Affair, parts 1 and 2. Solo and Kuryakin investigate why Thrush is so interested in retired advertising man Roger O. Thornhill.
Kuryakin and Solo exchanged stares and then looked at Waverly, who seemed equally befuddled.
"You know this man?" Solo said after a moment of silence.
"Now don't play those silly spy games with me," Thornhill said, his voice indignant. "This is the Professor. What he's a professor of I haven't the slightest idea. But he's the big spymaster of U.S. intelligence. About ran me ragged. Professor, maybe you can tell these boys of yours to call Eve. I'm sure she's worried to death about me."
"My dear fellow, I haven't a clue as to what you're talking about," Waverly said impatiently.
"Now see here, Professor," Thornhill said. "I don't know what you're up to. I've had fifteen years of peace since that dreadful Vandamm business. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me go..."
To read this story, click here .
The Phoenix Affair. Solo and Kuryakin investigate industrialist Thomas King, who may be linked to crimes against three high-technology companies. But all is not what it appears to be.
The Sorbonne Affair. Kuryakin is reunited with an old flame in Paris. This event may tie into an assignment Solo has just received.
The 500-Miles-to-Die Affair. Thrush plans to assassinate an industrialist who also owns a race-car team. Solo and Kuryakin are dispatched to middle America because the killing will occur at the Indianapolis 500. April Dancer cameo.
The Judas Goat Affair. Sequel to The Sorbonne Affair involves UNCLE efforts to smash a Thrush project. Waverly assigns April Dancer to work with Solo, fearing that Kuryakin has too much of a personal interest. But there are other twists.
The Double Entendre Affair. While on a raid of a Thrush satrap, Solo receives a transmission from a Thrush chieftain. There's just one problem -- the Thrushman should be dead. Even worse news: the Thrush chieftain surfaces on a mission that takes Solo and Kuryakin to the Deep South. Also, watch out for the deadly Pamela Keystroke.
The Black Hand Affair, parts 1 and 2. Solo and Kuryakin are assigned to stop the Black Hand, a new European-based criminal/terrorist organization modeled after a 19th Century group.
The On My Mind Affair. Dr. Agnes Dabree is back.
NOW available from NorthCoast Press, The Tiger Cage Affair, by Patti Ellis. A peace seeking diplomatic mission becomes a deadly fight of survival for the Men From U.N.C.L.E. in this 1996 novella.
He was thirsty. And hot. No. Not just hot. He was sweltering, drowning in his own sweat.
Voices. Why couldn't he understand what they were saying? The voices were high-pitched, speaking rapidly.
He tried to open his eyes and succeeded in opening one, briefly. Small, calloused brown feet. Bamboo. The sweat dripping into his eye forced him to close it.
Bamboo?! Where was he?
_____________________________
Illya hated to lie here in a bug-infested hole with the taste of insect repellent on his lips, knowing that just possibly, only a few kilometers away, his partner and friend might be suffering at the hands of communist guerrillas.
Order from NorthCoast Press, c/o Lisa Madden, 916 Aintree Park Drive, Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143: $10.00 U.S., add $3.00 for postage; $16.00 International. 90 pages, bound. Cover art by Warren Oddsson, inside art by Lisa Madden.