“Yes.” said Mr. Simpson. “But not in a minute and a half.”

“Probably not.” admitted Napoleon. “But how do we !Jet from the box to the cell and back in under ten minutes? I did pretty well in track at college. but that w:as 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?W

“Walks.”

“Walks. then. What do I do if a guard comes by?”

“Not likely, since he couldn’t move in the sonic field any more than you could. At least you’ll be safe from guards.” said Napoleon. “You can meditate for a few minutes before and after you ji9ger the picture. I suppose I have to COlT1e 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. I~e haven1t been able to find out what he was shot with before he was put to bed, and there is no way of telling.”

“We may have to carry Harry,” said Napoleon. “That’ll 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 Thrush’s 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 recognized.”

“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.

“That should do it. Ready to go?”

Illya nodded.

“Okay. Bunch up now —this umbrella isn’t any too big.”

The silence of the corridors was eerie. Their feet shuffled noiselessly on the light carpet as they passed neatly numbered doors and turned twice according to memorized directions. Then they found and stopped at a locked steel wall panel almost tall enough to step through. Two doors, one above the other, painted the same restful color as the rest of the wall; the upper housed intercom junctions, the lower video. -The locked latch of the lower compartment, a standard industrial type, surrendered easily to a stock key. Illya sat crosslegged on the carpet beside it, studied the inside for a minute and said, N In about forty seconds it will be 3:42. You’re still satisfied with a seven-minute lead time and a ninety-second cutout?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. My zero is 0342. I’ll cut the picture at 0349 and it will stay cut until 0350:30. I’ll hope to see you back here by 0400.”

“Remember, I should have somebody with me. I may take a little longer coming back.”

“Just don’t make any extended stopovers. The first shift comes in at 5:30 and I’d hate to have to explain to Ward Baldwin why I was sitting in his basement with my finger on his camera cable.”

“I’d better get started. HeLve talked up my forty-second margin.”

“Don’t be long.”

Illya sat with his left side against the wall and his head half inside the relay box. His right elbow rested on his knee and his wristwatch, moved for the occasion to his unaccustomed wrist, was visible with scarcely a shift of his eyes from the little box he held ready to be pressed against the fat gray video cable. He relaxed slightly and began to watch the minutes marching past.

Napoleon kept a measured stride to the end of the corridor and around the corner, down that hall beyond the range of the ultrasonic field to another door and into a stairwell. The door closed behind him as he stripped off the heavy belt and coiled it around the staff, then set the improvised caduceus in the corner behind the door. He wouldn’t need it until .he came back this way.

He was at the proper corner with twenty seconds to spare. and his eye tracked the second hand across the last thin lines to the minute. Then with the faith of long friendship he moved as if the corridor would be safe two seconds after the mark. Counting in his head, he sprinted lightly to the eighth door on the right and punched 6-1-9 on the lock. It opened at once into a darkened cubicle. The blue-white swath of light fell across a bunk against the far wall. Sprawled across it, shirt and shoes off and sound asleep, was Harry.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave your toothbrush,” Napoleon murmured under his breath as he continued his mental count. 21 -22-23- 24 …

He hoisted Harry, sti11 unconscious, more or less to his feet and braced him against the wall. <i>30 - 31 - 32 - whoops! - 34</i> …. Napoleon turned around and let Harry sag forward over his back., arms over his shoulders. Harry was breathing deeply and evenly. <i>Poor mutt,</i> Napoleon thought irrelevantly. <i>This is probably the best sleep he’s had in a while.</i>