A/N: So here's chapter 14! Hope it doesn't disappoint…

Don't own!

Chapter 14

The small room was completely dark and at first the former analyst assumed it was empty like the previous ones. However, in the dim light coming from the corridor he spotted some movement. Prepared for it to be a trap, he cautiously walked forward. As his eyes got adjusted to the poor light, he finally made out a body lying on the floor. It wasn't his friend though. The guy looked like he had been through some of the worst times of his life. His face was covered in blood and bruises to the point where it was actually difficult to see his features. He looked at Brandt with curiosity, visibly being too far past the pain limit to be scared or worried about the stranger. The agent didn't know what to do. Maybe he should just call for help, an ambulance, anything, and proceed to look for Benji. Or maybe he should pay some attention to this guy. Maybe he knew something about the whole thing.

"Who are you?" the man finally asked, bringing the analyst back to his senses.

"I'm…" Brandt trailed off, not knowing how to respond. "I'm looking for my friend. He must be somewhere here. His name's Benji… I mean, Benjamin. He's got blonde hair and…"

It felt really awkward and stupid. And completely inappropriate to the whole situation. However, the guy's eyes sparkled with something resembling hope.

"Are you saying you're Benji's friend?" he asked as quickly as his badly busted lip allowed him to. Having received a shaky nod in response, he let out a short sigh. "I know where he might be. That is, if he's where they usually keep him".

Brandt could feel his blood boil at this. He hated to think of his friend being "kept" somewhere. Sounded too animalistic.

"And who are you?" the agent asked, watching the poor guy's attempts at recollecting his strength. He seemed to have at least a couple fractured ribs. Whatever they had needed from him the way they had tried to get it was inhumanly cruel.

"Just call me Mike," was the answer. Seeing from the other man's stare that it wasn't enough, he added, "I was one of Wickham's students. Friend of Benji's. And you?..."

"Just call me Brandt," the agent responded, helping Mike to his feet. When he didn't clarify, Mike made an expression which could be identified as a smile. "Guess you are his co-worker".

Brandt didn't know exactly what that meant but decided they had already spent too long on talking. Still supporting Mike, he led them out of the room and back into the corridor. He heard footsteps behind them and turned just in time to react to the guard aiming at them. Mike winced as the guy fell dead to the floor but said nothing. He tried to think about what would have happened if Brandt hadn't done that. Actually there were a lot of thoughts in his head but he tried to push them aside, focusing on the sheer hope to live.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jane tried to hold on to her seat as Ethan took one wild spin after another. They had to break loose. Or at least get into a more crowded area. Another gunshot – and the back window of their car was smashed. She pushed herself through the window and fired back. For some reason it didn't work quite like it did in action movies, as she had to hide back into the relative safety of the car.

Carter saw they were approaching a crossroad. She also noticed the road seemed to be quite busy. But the most disturbing thing she noticed was the light in Ethan's eyes. Like the rest of the team, she was just as much scared of that light as she was fascinated by it. She had no time to ask questions or object in any way. All she could do was close her eyes and wait for all this to blow over. Somehow.

She opened her eyes only when she heard the sound of a terrible crash behind them. Ethan had a wide grin on his face. He wasn't going to slow down. This chase was time-consuming enough already.

"Call Thompson," he finally ordered. "Ask him for further directions".

Jane obeyed without a word. They would have time to discuss agent Hunt's insane tactics. Now wasn't this time.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was hard to tell how long Brandt and Mike had spent on walking down some corridors, trying to keep as quiet as they could. Brandt had a feeling they were way too slow but Mike obviously couldn't move any faster. He could feel the man wince and hiss with every step.

Finally, they reached another small room. Mike let out a deep breath before opening it, remembering all the previous times he had been there. They stepped inside and froze. The room was empty.

"I don't understand," Mike mumbled, feeling Brandt's stare drill holes in his head. "Where else can he be… they never let him out of here…"

"But he was out when I saw him," Brandt argued. Now it was Mike's turn to stare. "He was… he shot me," the agent went on and saw a sympathetic look on the other man's face. "What is wrong with him, anyway?" Mike opened his mouth to say something but Brandt kept talking. "Then he killed the guy in a suit and…"

Mike's gasp made the former analyst stop.

"He killed Benzie?" he was truly panicking. "Quick!" He turned round and made to run out but fell down at once.

"What is going on?" Brandt yelled, not caring about being noisy any more.

Gasping for breath and gritting his teeth in pain, Mike began to explain.

"Benzie and Wickham made a very advanced technology…"

"The Anti-God," Brandt interrupted but Mike's glare made him cringe.

"Yes. And, in simple terms, it gives them access to the human brain. They can basically control other people's actions".

It began making sense. Brandt felt chills down his spine. So Benji was under their control. They were using his friend - his best friend - as a puppet. And even tried to make him kill him. The ex-analyst felt even dizzier than before.

"Wickham has the controls and Benzie gave orders. Benji tried to fight it… But he never succeeded at that. I doubt it is possible to fight it. Before Wickham left I had overheard his talk with Benzie. It was about the last order to give Benji if something happens to Benzie".

The sudden flow of different names was another challenge for the agent. As Mike was trying to catch his breath, he used that time to try to make sense of those words.

"And what was this order?" he finally asked. The reply Mike barely audibly breathed out was like a heavy blow to the gut.

"Self destruction".