My attempt at the "Waverly" challenge on NFUWSS.
rated G
This is a work of fan fiction and is not for profit. I do not have any interest, financially that is, in the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and its affiliates.

The Folder
by Periwinkle

He looked at the folder that was sitting open on his desk and grunted. He didn’t care that both his wife and his secretary were trying to get him to cut down on his smoking; he needed a smoke to deal with the problem in front of him, so he spent a moment fiddling with his pipe, getting it tamped just so.

The reports were disturbing and somewhat unbelievable. He doubted that they were accurate. Someone was slipping in the European office if they had accepted this without double-checking. He made a mental note to talk to his counterpart in Europe. He'd have to point out to them that it was impossible for the list of achievements to be accurate given the time frame they occurred in.

Still, U.N.C.L.E. was definitely interested in this person. His scientific knowledge would be of great value to them. The man had been working for a group which was had a disreputable reputation and it would be so much better if he could be enticed to work for U.N.C.L.E. instead.

Mr. Waverly leaned back in his chair and puffed on his pipe for a moment, pondering how to turn this situation to New York’s advantage. It appeared that the scientist had already been acquired by U.N.C.L.E. and was ready to leave his current employer. Said employer had no love for the United States, but the scientist was apparently neutral towards the country.

So how could Section One best exploit the situation?

He thought about it. Poked at it. Perused it. Examined it from all angles to be sure he hadn’t missed something. It looked promising. It seemed to be a desirable thing.

He took another long pull on the pipe, causing him to relax some as he smelled the Isle of Dogs aroma around his head. As far as he could see, the biggest obstacle to overcome would be his employees’ resistance to working with someone from “the other side.” Some of his staff had long memories.

Coming to a decision, he sat upright and closed the folder with a snap. He’d pair the scientist with Napoleon Solo. Mr. Solo was fairly open-minded; he would probably be able to overlook Dr. Kuryakin’s KGB background. He just hoped the partnership would work out.

He pressed the intercom button to summon Mr. Solo to his office.