Illya Kuryakin and Gabe Allen had indeed found the THRUSH operational base. It was located inside of a luxurious pink marble villa on the outskirts of Naples, near the Amalfi coastline. Underneath the villa, which served as a residence for an elderly Italian couple, a small and very efficient THRUSH laboratory operated in total and complete secrecy.
    Accessed only through the mansion, the operation was well-guarded with a state-of-the-art scanning device that eavesdropped on all outgoing and incoming radio transmissions. Also, several particularly large and ugly THRUSH thugs managed to remain incognito by posing as the villa�s staff.
    The two agents had carefully watched the traffic coming and going from the villa before deciding on making an entry. They had managed to breach the villa�s security during a confusing moment, common in Italy, when a delivery arranged by the U.N.C.L.E. agents went awry. During the ensuing argument in which almost the entire household staff joined in, the two agents slipped into the house and secreted themselves, listening for information that might lead them to the laboratory.
    They were soon rewarded when, toward evening, they discovered the small and antiquated elevator that was located in the rear of the villa would go from the third floor directly to the first floor, and keep on going. The two agents found it relatively easy to move around the villa. The outside was so spectacularly guarded, or so THRUSH thought, that the inside was virtually left wide open. The THRUSH guards were at their post on the exterior and the old gentleman and his wife were both hard of hearing and fond of frequent naps. It had been while the two slept, Kuryakin and Gabe took the opportunity to search the villa from the third floor to the ground and discovered the secrets of the elevator.
    They decided to wait until nightfall, when most of the villa�s residents were asleep, to use the elevator. They hoped both the staff and the elderly couple would turn in for the night. Once darkness fell, the U.N.C.L.E. men impatiently waited while the couple worked their way through the lengthy Italian dinner hour, then fell asleep over a carafe of wine.
    "You stand look-out while I see if I can rig this thing to open," Kuryakin instructed Gabe. The other agent, average-sized but powerfully built belying his gymnastics background, kept watch while Kuryakin broke into the elevator and hot-wired it to run the pair straight to the basement. The men entered with some misgivings� after all they didn�t know what awaited them on the other side. They had decided beforehand to fan out, each to opposite sides, guns drawn and going in low so as to present as small a target as possible. Dressed entirely in black, the two hoped the weapons wouldn�t be needed, but past experience said otherwise.
    The elevator, much swifter than its age would indicate, soon touched bottom and the doors glided open to reveal a dark corridor lit only by a red bulb. They deployed in opposite directions and luck had initially appeared to be with them. The laboratory appeared to be deserted with the exception of one man. That man, a timid little scientist who identified himself as Dr. Rosetti, was more than willing to tell the two fierce-looking strangers what he was doing.
    He briefly explained the chemical, its effects and said it would be introduced into Cairo, then Tokyo. He told them THRUSH would use it to destroy U.N.C.L.E., too and while that agency was reeling in disarray, THRUSH would press its advantage in the major cities of the world. What Rosetti didn�t know was how the chemical would be dispersed.
    The two U.N.C.L.E. agents set explosive charges through the underground laboratory, all linked to detonate in less than 10 minutes by which time the two agents hoped to make their escape. Hauling the scientist along, the two returned aboveground and were nearly out of the villa when they tripped an interior alarm. Bells clanged and heavy booted feet sounded everywhere. They dragged Rosetti into the kitchen�s pantry, which was large and old-fashioned.
    "How long do we have?" Gabe asked.
    "Less than five minutes now."
    "I�ll call headquarters and let them know what�s up. Can you hold them off?"
    Kuryakin nodded and checked once again that his weapon was loaded and ready.
    Gabe gestured to Dr. Rosetti. "What about him?"
    Kuryakin shrugged and reached over, neatly chopping Rosetti on the neck, sending the Italian scientist into a harmless puddle on the floor.
    "He shouldn�t be a problem, now..." Kuryakin�s sentence was interrupted by the sound of feet running in the kitchen. The Russian lowered his voice to a whisper.
    "You�d better get started." He moved closer to the door to catch anyone who opened it. Gabe moved back as far as he could into the pantry and pulled out his communicator. He had just started transmitting when Kuryakin shouted for him to look out. Bullets sprayed through the closed door, narrowly missing both men. Rosetti, lying on the floor, wasn�t so lucky. A spot of crimson flowered on the back of his white lab coat. Kuryakin, flattened alongside the door, waited tensely for the assault to recommence; meanwhile Gabe was giving his report. He turned back to the Russian.
    "How long until the charges go off?"
    "About a minute." Kuryakin said. Both men knew what that meant. A fresh spray of bullets began outside the door. The small blond agent crouched down, prepared for the door to open. A booted foot kicked the door open and, as it slammed back into the pantry, the sound of an explosion, followed by another and then another reverberated through the room. Suddenly the floor began to rock and buckle and the thug on the other end of the intrusive boot disappeared into a widening fissure in the kitchen floor.
    "Let�s go!" Kuryakin screamed over the noise. But Gabe Allen didn�t hear him. He lay crushed and instantly dead under a beam that had fallen across the back of the pantry. Kuryakin hurried across the floor while debris continued to rain down. He reached for Allen�s wrist but found no pulse. He grabbed the communicator still in the dead agent�s hand, only to find it damaged. Discarding it, Kuryakin worked his way to the door and began to snake across the room, avoiding the large fissures that gaped open to the lab below.
    Smoke, thick and black, was rising into what was left of the shuddering villa. Kuryakin could hear the sounds of the big house collapsing into itself. Realizing he had to get out fast or die, he made his way to a window on the far side of the room and hoisted himself through, just as the opposite wall began to crumble.
    Hitting the ground, Kuryakin staggered as far away from the house as he could before collapsing. Gasping for air, he watched as the villa shuddered and crashed into a burning heap only seconds after the U.N.C.L.E. agent escaped. Rolling over on his back, Kuryakin tasted the acrid chemical mix that flamed the fire. Overcome, he felt himself going black and, his reserves gone, he surrendered to the darkness.

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