A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter…

I don't own Mission: Impossible.

Chapter 4

Ethan felt he had to do something to break the awkward silence which had lasted for hours. Jane barely spoke during the entire flight and now that their plane was about to land in Milan it was getting actually painful.

He remembered calling her the night he had gotten Brandt's message. She had sounded sleepy, not quite understanding what was going on. He still felt sorry about forgetting the time but that message had gotten him really agitated.

He still wasn't sure why she had agreed to go in the first place. He had a hunch that she wasn't sure about it, either. Hell, he wasn't even sure about his own reasoning. Brandt had sounded like he really needed help. But what it was all about remained mystery. The message left more questions than answers, to be honest. It merely had Brandt asking Ethan to get Jane and go to Milan, with some further instructions like passing through a certain exit, presumably to be seen by a certain security camera…

This provoked another question. Was Brandt alone? Unlikely. Someone must be helping him. And why Milan? Ethan remembered it was where Benji's failed mission had taken place. Was it related somehow to that disaster? Maybe Brandt knew something about the deaths of Benji's team. That would explain the secrecy. And what if…

He was cut off. They had landed and it was time to go. He didn't like the fact that they were traveling like that. It meant they couldn't bring any weapons with them and had virtually no supplies.

After following all of Brandt's instructions, which involved taking a taxi ride to the city centre and quite a bit of walking, the two agents stopped at an appointed spot and saw a car pull up next to them. The driver didn't say a word, motioning for them to take the back seat.

During the entire trip Ethan kept his eyes fixed on Jane. Her hands were clenched into fists and her eyes were glistening, however her breathing was calm and steady. He could only guess how things would go once they met Brandt. Looking out of the window, he noticed that they were moving out of the city and were now passing through some suburbs.

When the car finally stopped, both Ethan and Jane felt some uneasiness twisting their stomachs. The fact that they had actually anticipated to see what was waiting for them didn't change the fact. Jane suddenly felt repulsed. She was torn between not wanting to see Brandt ever again and the desire to look him in the eye, to see if murdering someone who had considered him a friend had changed him at all. Would he look guilty? Pained? Devastated?...

The car drove away as soon as they got out and the agents could take a look around. They were in a deserted area which looked like some abandoned plant. It was absolutely quiet. As trained agents, they had learned not to like this kind of silence. It was too suspicious. Suddenly, a set of footsteps could be heard and the pair tensed, ready for everything. However, as soon as they saw the man approaching them, they relaxed a bit.

Brandt could only be described as tired. The black eye they had seen in the video wasn't completely gone yet and the remains of it could still be seen. Same could be said about his split lip. But other than fatigue and some concern about things neither Ethan nor Jane knew about, his face showed no emotions whatsoever. It made Jane angry, and she gritted her teeth. Brandt gave his colleagues a small smile but didn't get any in return. Ethan cut him off before he even started to speak.

"So this is how you're spending your holiday?" he asked with an unreadable expression.

"Italy's nice this time of the year," Brandt shrugged weakly. He looked around and sighed. "We can't talk here. Follow me".

He led them into something that looked like an old hangar or an empty workshop. He sensed the coldness emanating from the other two but decided not to comment on it yet.

"So why did you call us here?" Ethan spoke again, the lack of expression once again notable both in his face and voice. Jane remained dangerously quiet.

"I think you'll understand me better if I tell you the whole story first," the analyst swallowed, trying not to meet Jane's glare, as it sent shivers down his spine.

One Week Earlier

"Agent Brandt," Lovett's expression was heavy and slightly sympathetic. The combination didn't make Brandt feel any more comfortable. "The mission you are about to receive is not for anyone else to hear. Even inside IMF. And… I'm afraid it will be of… personal nature for you".

Brandt raised an eyebrow. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"Seven days ago we got the information that one of our teams had failed a mission in Milan. Actually, they have been killed in an explosion. The official cause is a gas leak. We don't have any evidence to prove or deny that. The mission was vitally important. I had to fly there myself to set things right…"

Brandt was listening but his heart was racing. He remembered Benji mentioning going to Milan a while ago. Oh God, no…

"However, one of the agents survived the explosion," Lovett went on. "We found him not far from the scene. I think you know him. It's agent Dunn".

Brandt let out an audible sigh of relief.

"However, I'm afraid the event didn't leave him untouched," Lovett looked down and took a pause. "His mental… state made us worry a lot. We had to take him to be examined in one of the local hospitals…"

Brandt forgot how to breathe for a moment. His heart was twisting in his chest as he was waiting for the older man to continue.

"Our worst suspicions were proven right. Agent Dunn was proclaimed insane. He suffers from paranoia and delusions," Brandt felt his vision blur as he listened. He was trying really hard to keep his emotions in order but it was too difficult. Imagining something like this happen to his best friend really hurt. "I'm afraid he has completely lost his touch with reality. Needless to say, we had to disavow him. I am sorry to be telling you this".

"Where is he now?" Brandt's throat was sore and his voice was barely recognizable.

"And this is the trick," Lovett sounded even sadder than before. "After the examination he managed to escape. We were going to take him back to the US and take care of him, so that he would be safe and wouldn't put us in danger of being discovered".

Brandt swallowed.

"So what am I supposed to do?" he asked in a low voice.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find Benjamin Dunn. Preferably alive. Our contacts in Milan will show you to the place he was last seen. We figured that you know him better than any of the available agents… I will understand if you refuse".

Brandt shut his eyes tightly. This was going to hurt. This was going to really hurt. But maybe there was a chance for them to help Benji? Maybe they could keep him safe and… Oh God, this was going to hurt. He opened his eyes, looked up at the secretary and nodded, unable to utter a word.