A/N: Thank you for staying with me all this time :) Here's another chapter. I hope you like it…

Disclaimer: I don't own Mission: Impossible.

Chapter 14

The three agents were standing in the corridor after being forced out of the room. Jane and William were looking inside through the glass window but couldn't make out much from the mess that was going on. They didn't know what was actually happening but it didn't look like anything good. Ethan was still on the phone, trying to focus on his conversation, although now and again his gaze would travel to the window his friends were looking through. He ended the call quickly and joined the other two agents.

"They'll call back if they find anything," he replied to Brandt's questioning look. Without a word both agents turned back to the window.

Finally, the door opened again. The doctor who walked out looked completely exhausted.

"Benjamin… has had a cardiac arrest," he breathed, not waiting for them to ask any questions. "We've managed to bring him back but… he is unlikely to survive the next one".

Brandt felt that everything around him was moving way too much as the three of them walked back into the room and took their previous positions. He knew he really needed some rest but mentally got angry at himself for just thinking that. From time to time he looked at Ethan, expecting any news from the tech team. What was taking them so long? Benji would have done it much faster. He looked at the technician again. What if they don't find the antidote? And even if they do, won't it be too late? What if he doesn't make it? Some of those questions he must have had mumbled out loud, because, as he noticed, Jane's eyes were now fixed on him, the expression in them verging on rage.

"How can you think that?" she finally hissed. "After all we've been through! Back in Mumbai we managed to do the impossible because we didn't lose our hope. And both you and Ethan kept telling me that we can do this. And Benji would have told me the same but he didn't want to waste any time before going to save your ungrateful ass!"

"Ungrateful?" Brandt felt even more hurt now. Those words were cruel and unfair. Besides, it wasn't just his "ungrateful ass" that had depended on Benji's actions back then. Switching the power on seemed slightly more important to the bigger picture.

"And we did it! We are strong, all of us," Jane seemed to be a bit calmer now. "So give Benji more credit. He's tough".

The analyst nodded. He knew anger was Jane's way of coping with bad things. And he knew Benji was tough. He wanted to believe he was tough enough to pull through, but he had seen what the tech had already been through. And he had seen only part of it. Everyone has his limits, and the question was just how long Benji could last until he reached his.

Lost in those thoughts, he nearly missed some movement near the window as Ethan answered a phone call. They couldn't understand whether it was something good, as all he said was "yes" and "got it" and the expression on his face remained unreadable.

The leader ended the call and looked at his team.

"There was another text sent to your phone, Brandt. And it was a formula. They've just finished checking it. I'm going to the dean of this hospital so they can e-mail the results to him or her". He went to the door and stopped before exiting the room, turning to the other agents. "We can do this," he managed a small smile before hurrying out.

Brandt and Carter looked at each other and almost simultaneously let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding. Everything was going to be fine now. And then the dreaded beeping started again, kicking both agents' relief out of them. The medics rushed past, as William and Jane were being pushed out of the room for the second time.

The doctor approached them once again with an almost apologetic look.

"We are doing our best," he started. "But we can't fight this forever. Benjamin is dying. Even if we bring him back this time, it will happen again and again. His condition is only getting worse".

Tears were streaming down Jane's face. Brandt squeezed his eyes shut with an effort. No way were they giving up now. Not after getting this far. Or, better to say, this close. This close to fixing everything.

"I know," William replied, grabbing the doctor by the arms: partially to make the man pay more attention to what he was going to say and partially to steady himself. "But we have found the cure. Your dean is getting the formula as we speak. All we need is just a little more time," he felt hot tears on his own cheeks but ignored them. "Please".

The doctor nodded before going back inside.

"We've got a pulse," he declared after a few more agonizing moments.