Wye

Picture from Lisa's Video Frame Capture Library

Codename: Mr. Wye

Real Name: Allan Finch

Age: 45

Hair: Brownish-Gray

Eyes: Blue

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 160

Birthplace: London's East End

Current Residence: New York City

Former Occupation: Spy

Current Occupation: Troubleshooter and consultant (re: private investigator)

Identifiable Marks: Two scars on his back from bullet wounds.

Special Skills: Public speaking, twisting his words, training agents.

Likes: Mr. Ecks, making fun of stupidity, black comedy.

Dislikes: Anyone who hurts Mr. Ecks, stupid people, cooking, romance.

Backstory: Mr. Wye is a man whose past is largely shrouded in mystery. He grew up in London's East End and was the acquaintance of one Ginger Townsend, a boy two years his senior who was very aloof and cold. He was also excellent at striking fear into the hearts of his enemies, and Wye really wanted to stay on his good side. Knowing that's all Wye wanted when he came across as friendly, Ginger mostly ignored him.

Ecks' parents lived on the street for a while, until the boy was about to be born. Then they prepared to move to a ritzier neighborhood better suited to their financial situation and what they wanted for their son. Wye may have briefly seen Ecks as an infant right before they left, of course having no idea of how important the child would one day be in his life.

Wye was in the military for an unspecified amount of time, during which he learned many of the skills he later put to use in more nefarious organizations. He also attempted marriage, but that bombed when his wife and his best friend ran off together. Hence, Wye developed an intense dislike of romance and came to feel that it was all fairytale nonsense. He wasn't that crazy about the idea of friendships, either. He had his friend blacklisted in England and they fled, afraid of what else Wye might do to them.

It's unknown exactly what embittered him so deeply about the world's governments that he joined the extremist organization, but apparently he was involved with many of the leaders for many years. Bryn Watson was familiar with him over twenty years prior to the events of The Odd Man Affair, at least to the point of knowing the codename he used even then and that he did the nasty Mr. Zed's dirty work. Exactly what that entailed is something else we don't know, and perhaps it's better left that way.

Wye has a complex and dark philosophy, feeling that all the world's governments are corrupt or insufficient in one way or another. But he was never out to change the world; the organization's members amused him more than anything else, especially those who had dreams of grandeur and positively changing the world. Wye seriously doubted that an organization such as theirs could ever have a positive impact. The people would just be bitter at being conquered and, although they might obey out of fear for a while, eventually there would be a revolution and the organization would be overthrown.

Wye is deathly afraid of large dogs, especially if they've been trained for guarding and killing. He was rather appalled when he encountered a teenage Ecks sitting peacefully with a large Rottweiler. They got along quite well during that early meeting, despite Wye's fear and horror of the dog.

They didn't see each other again for several more years. When they did, it was upon Mr. Zed's idea that Wye should complete Ecks' training as an agent and take him on as his partner. Wye did not like the idea at all, and found it all the more awkward when he discovered how taciturn and withdrawn Ecks had become. But he was moved when Ecks admitted he had hoped that Wye would train him, and he finally agreed.

It was hard for them to get along at first, with Wye's love of talking and Ecks' love of not talking. But gradually they grew close and Wye found himself surprised by the depth of his caring for the boy. He realized that Ecks had become more important to him than anything else. He wished that he could give Ecks the freedom he longed for, but he was afraid to do anything to get them out of the organization, not wanting them to be running for their lives, either. So he tried to make their lives in the organization as pleasant for Ecks as possible.

Somewhere along the way, Wye bestowed an affectionate nickname on Ecks---"Duck." Though irritated at first, considering it childish, Ecks gradually came to tolerate and then like it.

Being far more world-weary and experienced, Wye was a good contrast with the more idealistic Ecks. He knew right away that Vivalene was a femme fatale and warned Ecks about her. Despite Ecks' fascination with the mysterious woman, he valued Wye's opinions and knowledge enough that he listened.

Even though Wye was the senior agent, he was the impulsive one while Ecks was the calm, methodical one. Occasionally on assignments, Ecks would have to rein Wye in and convince him not to do things in an impetuous way.

He held no illusions about being able to change the world if they went along with Zed's plan to overthrow the organization's leadership and take it over themselves. But he felt Zed's desires to simply gain power were more realistic and honest than those who pretended to want to help the world and really just wanted to help themselves and more logical than those who felt they could actually change the world for good.

His feelings upon finding Ecks stabbed in Hyde Park were complex, dark, and pained. Although one of the earliest things he had been taught was to be prepared for another agent's death, it did nothing to help him handle knowing that the only person he loved in the world was dead. All he could think of was to chase down those responsible and make them pay. To that end, he chased Napoleon, Illya, and company onto a bus, with the apparent intention of shooting them then and there. He accidentally shot Napoleon in the shoulder when Bryn Watson saw him and tried to bat him away. She managed to push him off the bus and earned her place among those he hated. She was with those who had stabbed Ecks and was helping them get away; he would not forget that.

Upon returning to Ecks, he found that the boy was actually somehow, miraculously alive. Knowing the organization could not learn any of what had transpired, since Ecks had been hurt while trying to dispatch whom they thought was Mr. Raymond---one of the leaders they were overthrowing---Wye devised a plan. He struggled to help Ecks up and back to the car. He would leave Ecks at a hospital and tell Zed he was dead. He was afraid that otherwise, Zed might use Ecks as a scapegoat and say that he had been the only traitor. Also, this way Ecks would be free---if he lived. He could get away and start a new life somewhere else.

Seeing the full extent of Ecks' injuries, even flat-lining almost as soon as he was brought in, shattered most of Wye's hope that Ecks would pull through. He had to go to Zed's house for the meeting to keep up appearances, but it was torture to drag himself away.

It wasn't any wonder that when he ran into Bryn Watson on the stairs of Zed's house, something inside him just snapped. He couldn't go after the men who had harmed Ecks, but Bryn had helped them and had knocked him off the bus, and that was good enough for right then. He backed her down the stairs, taunting and threatening her, and when Illya came and entered the fight as well, Wye fought like a madman. The fray culminated in Wye's gun going off in Illya's hand and shooting a guard at the door of the meeting room. A female sentry then shot back, hitting Wye with at least two of the bullets. He went down hating both Illya and Bryn for what had happened to Ecks and believed he was dead.

So did everyone else. When he regained consciousness, he had been placed in a shed on Zed's property with the other dead. Knowing that a shady undertaker would be by to pick up the bodies, he struggled to crawl out of the shed and off the property. He went through the back gate and managed to drag himself a mile or two up the road before collapsing from his wounds. A passing motorist found him near-death and got him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The doctors managed to revive him, and to keep himself safe, he feigned amnesia. This meant he couldn't get in touch with the other hospital during his recovery and find out about Ecks' condition, but it would ensure that the organization wouldn't likely learn he was alive.

His recovery was long and painful, eventually involving physical therapy to fully regain the use of his right shoulder and arm. During that time, he researched abdominal wounds and scared himself imagining all the worst things that could have happened to Ecks. He became increasingly sure that Ecks couldn't have pulled through, especially considering how he had been at death's door the last time Wye had seen him, but he still tried to hold on to a smidgen of hope.

When he was finally released, he discovered that the organization had been toppled due to the efforts of the fake Mr. Raymond and U.N.C.L.E. While inspecting Zed's house, he encountered Mr. Waverly and they shared a deep discussion. Mr. Waverly finally allowed Wye to go free, despite knowing who he was. Wye's only desire now was to find Ecks and help him have a new, free life, and since they were both listed as Deceased, there were no warrants out on either one of them.

Wye finally learned that Ecks was alive and leaving England. Trying in desperation to find him at an airfield they had often used, he caught up to his friend and they shared a poignant reunion.

Wye was not pleased in the least when they got to New York and Ecks decided to stalk Illya for a while. But upon Ecks' assurance that he had a purpose in it and he didn't think Illya would try to kill him since they were no longer threats to world stability, Wye finally, reluctantly agreed, if he could be present when Ecks finally revealed his identity to Illya.

It was Wye who came up with the idea of being private investigators since they couldn't find other spy work and since Ecks really wanted to live free and not be bound to anything. Although initially reluctant, Ecks warmed to the idea and they set about preparing their house with a live-in office.

Despite Wye's fear of dogs, he agreed that Ecks could train some there on the property, if he so desired and as long as he made sure they wouldn't attack him. Ecks fully agreed. As of right now, however, Ecks hasn't actually put the plan into action beyond looking at dogs in the city that might be possibilities. They're often traveling for work and he isn't sure how that would work with owning dogs, since they are such social animals.

Wye was furious and dismayed to discover that his ex-wife and best friend also relocated to New York. By that time his fire had died and he didn't intend to do anything more to them, but he hated just knowing they were there. He hasn't let them know he's there too and rather hopes they won't find out.

Wye doesn't especially like that they run into Napoleon and Illya sometimes, but he minds a lot less since the events of The Peaceful Meadows Affair, when Illya actually saved Ecks' life.

Personality and Interests: Wye is the dark counterpart of Napoleon Solo and is a smooth-talker. He uses this to his advantage and always has. Completely opposite to Napoleon, however, he is still completely derisive of romance due to his bad experiences. Normally calm and collected, he also has a sadistic streak and rather gets a laugh out of subjects that would be classed under the heading of black comedy.

He loves Ecks like a kid brother and is fiercely protective of him, although at the same time he knows Ecks is a capable adult. If anyone harms Ecks or is involved in any way with those who have harmed him, they've just made a vicious enemy. Wye cannot take Ecks being hurt and generally flips and attacks anyone he can get at who was involved.

Wye still feels quite cynical about all governments, though after so many years in the extremist organization, he did have to concede that their methods were in general worse than most governments'. He isn't likely to admit that out loud, but he did express his disgust to Mr. Waverly over how the organization's orphans were forced to remain there on threat of death.

He doesn't like disaster films, feeling that there's only so many ways to depict such calamities, and prefers black comedy and crime dramas. He detests romance and will sometimes put on romance films just to laugh at them. He has an interest in weaponry and guns and likes watching spy films too, sometimes just to see the gadgets used.

He is in excellent physical condition and is raring to go. He detests U.N.C.L.E.'s policy of making field agents retire at age 40 and was rather pleased when Mr. Waverly told him he was thinking of having the policy altered so that anyone still healthy enough and interested enough in remaining a field agent would be allowed to do so. Even though he and Ecks cannot become part of U.N.C.L.E. even if they want to, due to their pasts and their betrayal of their organization, he was still glad to know that such an unfair policy would not continue.