The Reciprocity Affair
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Reciprocity Affair |
| Publisher: | Slash Net Publications |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Graculus |
| Cover Artist(s): | not credited in zine |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | 2002 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Man from UNCLE |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | Slash net Publications & Zine Flyer / online here |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Reciprocity Affair is a slash 90-page novel by Graculus.
Excerpt
Excerpt from the flyer:
Illya woke again, it was to pain.He jerked back to consciousness as the knife cut into his side, slashing through the thin skin over his ribs. Illya stifled a scream as the pain hit him like ice water across his skin, and he bit down on his lower lip.
He was still in the warehouse, still handcuffed, but now his legs were tied together, his ankles tethered to something he couldn't see, and his shirt had been removed.
The woman he had seen before was still there, the knife in her hand now glistening with his blood. Illya could feel the warmth on his side as the blood trickled down. She remained silent, but closed in on him again, knife raised, this time to target his other side.
A wave of pain hit once more, its intensity in awful contrast to the size of the wounds that he knew the woman was inflicting on him. Illya bit down on his lip again, the taste of his own blood filling his mouth. This wasn't the way he wanted his life to end, alone here and at the mercy of a lunatic. Illya had grown accustomed to being alone, had told himself that was how he liked to live, but this was different. There was a dramatic difference between solitude and the kind of terrifying isolation he was experiencing now.
Again and again, the woman raised her knife to cut into him - Illya forced himself to focus on her face, on the small smile that was her only reaction to the pain she was inflicting. That way, at least, he could try and push back the waves of despair that threatened unexpectedly to overwhelm him. The cold fingers of fear were brushing at his consciousness now, Illya realized, and he bit down on his lip once more to prevent a scream erupting.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.
Reactions and Reviews
Once again Illya is captured. Once again Illya is used as bait. Once again Illya is tortured by a psychopath. And once again Napoleon rescues him. Then the story takes an unusual twist.Something is very wrong with Illya, even though he denies it, and Napoleon is worried. What exactly happened in the warehouse? And what did Thrush do to Illya? To make matters worse, Illya is supicious of Napoleon's actions as they seem out of character. Illya is having trouble remembering exactly what happened in the warehouse, but still, his partner's response to his capture seems unusual. So now both agents are circling around, trying to find out what's wrong with the other, while denying that anything is wrong with themselves.
Not exactly your typical hurt/comfort story. Illya's been hurt, which isn't unusual, but here Napoleon is not only having to deal with trying to comfort him, but also determine what happened to his partner at the same time as he's trying to ignore his growing recognition of just what Illya means to him. And the more he tries to hide his emotions, the more suspicious Illya becomes. And then Illya snaps and breaks and Napoleon realizes a few things about his partner and himself.
A fascinating insight into the mens' brains and their feelings for each other. [1]