The Thinking Machine Affair (4 page)

"Yes, sir," the clerk replied.

Waverly connected with the office of U.N.C.L.E.'S Chief Enforcement Agent, Napoleon Solo. "Mr. Solo, I'd like to see you in my office," he said when Solo appeared on the screen.

"I'll be over right away, sir," Solo answered.

Waverly leaned back in his chair, wondering how the intruder had managed to bypass alarm and security devices and penetrate almost to the heart of the electronic communications system. This was a serious matter, and indicated that there was room for improvement in U.N.C.L.E.'s safety system.

Napoleon Solo knocked before entering Waverly's office.

"Mr. Solo, I want you to be present at the examination of the intruder as soon as he is located," Waverly said. "I want to know everything about the man and his motives…"

He was interrupted by someone at the door. An attractive brunette entered, and as she handed Waverly a buff foolscap folder, Solo gazed approvingly at her shapely outline. The girl wore a short navy blue skirt and dark nylons, and her silk blouse was creased in the right places. Solo smiled and unconsciously raised his hand to smooth his dark hair as her blue eyes caught his.

Another interruption followed. It was the information clerk, to inform Waverly over the closed circuit communications system that the intruder had been located.

"Bring him to the interrogation room," ordered Waverly.

"Very well, sir," the clerk said, and switched off.

Napoleon Solo headed for the interrogation room. Waverly remained seated, to open the buff foolscap folder the brunette had brought in a little earlier.

Not long afterwards, Solo reappeared in Waverly's office. The frown on his face betrayed that the result of his talk with the intruder had been far from satisfactory.

"Well?" asked Waverly.

"I'm afraid, sir, the intruder collapsed and died before I had the chance to learn anything from him," Solo reported.

Waverly picked up the briar pipe from his desk and held it in his right hand, as if considering whether to light it or not.

"I searched him and found several of these tiny gadgets in his hollowed-out heels," Solo continued. He placed a small metallic object on the desk. "I have sent a sample to the Technical Investigation Department for analysis. The body is also being examined to establish the cause of death and to see whether anything can be found that might provide a clue of any kind."

Waverly picked up the gadget and examined it. "It looks like some electronic bugging device or something of the sort; but we should have the answer soon," he said confidently.

The U.N.C.L.E. medical section went to work to establish what fast-acting poison had killed the intruder, a muscular six-foot man in his early thirties, whose body had already confirmed that he had been in excellent health until the moment of his death. Assisted by highly-skilled biochemists, the medical team examined blood and saliva samples.

"The man isn't dead," Dr. Griffith Evans, the chief biochemist, eventually pronounced. "It's an identical case to the one we had some time ago."

Dr. Frank Morris, who headed U.N.C.L.E.'S medical team, understood what the biochemist meant. He well remembered the incident some time back when another man had collapsed and died in the interrogation room. The result of the blood and saliva examination were identical with those taken now. Before the corpse could be buried it was claimed by "relatives" and transported to THRUSH Headquarters, where Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin later discovered that the "dead" man had been brought back to life and his full health restored by an antidote then unknown to the U.N.C.L.E. experts. But now U.N.C.L.E. had in fact obtained this antidote that it was possible to restore the life of the intruder.

Dr. Morris gave Waverly his findings.

"How long do you think it will take until the man is back to normal?" Waverly asked.

"I've no knowledge of how fast the antidote works," the doctor replied, "but taking into consideration the unique physique of the man, and also the fact that the poison could not yet have taken a very firm grip on the blood and vital organs, I should think he might be revived within a few hours."

"Go ahead then, and let me know when he's ready for questioning, will you?" Waverly terminated the conference with these words. Then, looking at his Chief Enforcement Agent, he added: "From the start, the whole business smelled of THRUSH. No one else could have bypassed our outside detection devices. Now we'll discover what they're up to and hit back at them—and mighty hard, Mr. Solo."

"Isn't there a danger, sir, that by reviving and interrogating the THRUSH Agent we might alert THRUSH and do more harm than good?" Solo observed. "Wouldn't it be better to let them think we don't know anything and let them have their corpse when some fictitious relative comes to claim him?"

"Mr. Solo, you seem to have acquired the art of thought reading," Waverly said dryly. "I was just going to propose the same thing. As and when the 'dead' man starts to regain consciousness we'll put him into deep hypnosis so that he is unaware of having been interrogated etcetera..."

There was a knock, and Fred Harris, U.N.C.L.E.'s technical expert, entered. Somewhat long-windedly, he reported:

"The gadgets are specially constructed electronic beam receivers, sir, capable of receiving ultra-short wave beams from a distant transmitter. They are very similar to electronic beam receivers which were discovered some months ago at THRUSH Eastern, only these are much smaller, and, I dare say, more effective."

"Interesting," Waverly commented.

Harris went on to explain: "I am sure that the purpose of these electronic gadgets was to use U.N.L.C.E.'S complete internal, and possibly also external, communications systems for receiving electronic beams transmitted from a distance. All the intruder needed to do was to fix these gadgets, which are provided with magnetic claws so that they stick firmly, to cables, boosters, etc., and our internal and external communications systems would have then been perfect receivers for any communication that some distant THRUSH Center…"

"I am aware of it," Waverly interrupted Harris impatiently. "I am familiar with all brainwashing methods—electronic and otherwise—so you needn't elaborate. But what I want to know is whether or not the intruder succeeded in fixing his gadgets anywhere on or near the communications systems."

"We have recovered one on the intercom cable, and there's no doubt that it was this electronic beam receiver that set the alarm system in motion," Harris told him. "My theory is supported by the fact that additional gadgets were found on the intruder. It is obvious he was trapped before he had the chance to complete his job."

"It's dangerous to rely on theories," Waverly grumbled.

"I know, sir," Harris concurred. "Every single inch of the internal and external communications systems is being examined and so are the surrounding areas and electric supply links. We are not relying on theory alone but are taking every precaution. Still, I believe the search will prove my theory and establish..."

"Thank you, Mr. Harris, that will be all for now," Waverly again interrupted. He was very impatient. As the man, visibly nettled, turned to leave, Waverly recalled him to say: "There's another thing, though, that puzzles me."

"Yes, sir?" Harris enquired.

"How was it possible for the intruder to evade the closed circuit television eyes and other alarm devices and penetrate so deep into our headquarters?"

"Well, sir," the expert returned, "these little electronic beam receivers can also be used for the interruption of closed circuit television and other alarm and safety devices. This incident has now established that a super-safety circuit, as we call it, must be provided—the same type of safety circuit that set off the alarm system when the beam receiver was fixed..."

"Thank you, Mr.—ehm—Harris," Waverly said. "I take it you'll put the necessary work in hand without delay?"

"It is already in hand, sir. It is being carried out as top priority."

The door closed behind the man as he departed.

Waverly took the buff foolscap folder from his desk and said:

"I wonder if this is in any way connected with our THRUSH intruder?"

Napoleon Solo looked at his superior with blank eyes, although it was obvious that Waverly wanted him to enquire what he meant.

"I'm referring to a report from Prague which came in only a short while ago," Waverly continued.

"Yes?" the agent prompted.

"It's a report on the sudden and mysterious disappearance of a young Czech scientist a woman named Vlasta Novak—who has been engaged in some secret Government research."

Solo almost blurted out, "The daughter of Professor Karel Novak who's working on some top-secret project," but stopped himself, unwilling to interrupt his superior.

"This young woman is the only daughter of one of the best scientists the Czechs have, a man called, ehm, Professor Karel Novak, who's engaged in some hush-hush research in his villa in a Prague suburb." Waverly told Solo what the U.N.C.L.E. Chief Enforcement Agent had already discovered. "She left the Research Institute where she worked to return home, but she never arrived there. Czech State Security at once started a nationwide hunt for her, but she seems to have disappeared without trace."

"Perhaps she managed to slip across the frontier before her disappearance was discovered," Napoleon said. "She wouldn't be the first scientist to slide under the Iron Curtain."

"Nonsense!" Waverly said rather rudely. "This young woman is so devoted to her father that she wouldn't think of leaving him. No, Mr. Solo, the mysterious disappearance of this person reeks of THRUSH. The alarm on her disappearance was given half-an-hour after she left the Research Institute, and half-an-hour is too short a time for anyone to get from Prague over the frontier. Taking into consideration the effectiveness of Czech State Security, which covers the whole country, and also the fact that the young woman seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth, I would say that she's held at THRUSH European Center, and I'd also say that the Center ought to be somewhere near Prague."

Waverly paused for a moment and Solo added:

"And, I think, you'd also bet that our intruder, when eventually handed over to his 'relatives', will lead us to this particular center."

"Well done, Mr. Solo," his superior said. "There's only one slight miscalculation in your conclusion. Instead of 'will lead us' you should have said 'will lead Mr. Kuryakin', because he will be following the corpse, and you will fly to Prague to keep an eye on the Professor and be around if THRUSH should try and get him."

"When do I leave, sir?" asked Solo promptly.

"Now."

"Shouldn't I wait for the outcome of the interrogation of the intruder?" It was going to be a pity to miss his pretty date for the evening, Solo thought wistfully.

"Mr. Solo, we are quite capable of doing the job professionally, even without your valuable assistance." Waverly grunted aggressively. "If there's anything special you ought to know, I'll contact you."

Accustomed to his plans being changed for him so often, Napoleon turned to leave the office.

"Good luck, Mir. Solo," Waverly said benevolently. Alone again, Waverly crossed to the window and looked down on the East River. He stood there, thinking.

The sudden buzzing sound of the closed circuit communications system broke into his meditation and brought him back into stone-cold reality. It was Dr. Morris, telling him that the THRUSH agent was regaining consciousness.

"I want him brought to the interrogation room and I want you to come too, in case additional medical assistance is required," Waverly ordered. He then summoned Clive Hughes, U.N.C.L.E.'S hypnotist and Chief Interrogator.

Minutes later, Alexander Waverly, Dr. Morris and Clive Hughes stood in the interrogation room looking at the man on the stretcher. To the untrained eye he still appeared lifeless, but the doctor explained: "He's not yet able to hear, understand, see, or sense, but he will be regaining consciousness quite rapidly."

"I want him to be in a state of hypnosis so that he doesn't know he has been brought back to life, nor anything else that will be happening," Waverly told Hughes. "Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," the other acknowledged. "When the interrogation is terminated he'll believe he is just being revived."

"No. I suppose I haven't made quite clear what I want you to do," Waverly countered. "I want you to put him in a state of hypnosis so that he does not know, and will never remember, that he was brought back to life by us. When the interrogation is terminated I want him to be given another dose of the THRUSH poison to create the impression that we have never revived him."

"I understand now," Hughes said.

"Can it be done successfully?"

"Certainly."

"I'm afraid, Mr. Waverly, we might fail," Dr. Morris said dubiously.

"You have got the THRUSH poison which he took when he was trapped?" Waverly enquired.

"Yes..."

"Well, what are you worried about then?"

"I'm worried that the double administration of the poison might really kill him. He has an extremely strong constitution but..."

"We'll have to take the risk," Waverly cut in impatiently.

As the two men were talking, Clive Hughes was already hypnotizing the motionless prisoner. At first he was unsuccessful, but as life began gradually to flow back into the body, the hypnotist's efforts met with more success. After some tests he confirmed that the man was in the required state of deep hypnosis, ready to be interrogated.

"I want you to make him believe that he's talking with the Chief Organizing Officer at his THRUSH Center," Waverly instructed.

The hypnotist complied with the order; the consequence was that, asked for an account of his mission, the man on the stretcher unhesitatingly submitted his report:

"I did not encounter any obstacles and landed at New York without attracting attention. As per my instructions I proceeded to U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters and established that the Ultimate Computer's information was accurate.