A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. Thank you for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I don't own them.

Chapter 9

A few more moments were spent in silence. That was a lot of information for such a short period of time, even though they were all trained and skilled agents.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Ethan spoke up, feeling a bit odd not to be in charge once in a while.

"I've got more than enough on Lovett now," Benji replied. "I'll talk to Guido… we'll try to figure out the best way to deal with it. For now though… I think we can use some rest".

He gave his friends a quick half-smile which didn't touch his eyes and left. Jane and Ethan followed him with their glances for a while before looking at Brandt, just in time to see his features drop.

"Is he really alright?" Jane asked, sensing what was bothering the analyst. Brandt sighed.

"I don't know," he replied. "I mean, he's not insane, that much is clear. But what Lovett has put him through… He really is sort of unstable, you know. He can't quite control his emotions, especially when angry or irritated. You found it out firsthand," he nodded at Jane. "That was a very minor example of course. Had the occasion happened when I first saw him here, I think he would have broken your arms in that state".

Jane swallowed.

"Is he gonna be okay?" she asked almost timidly. Brandt shrugged.

"He is trying really hard. I mean, he is doing better now than a few days ago but he still fails sometimes. And when he does, he gets angry at himself and it only makes things worse. It might be a lingering effect from whatever Lovett gave him… but we don't know whether it will be gone completely. I think every time Benji has an outburst he loses a bit of hope that it will".

There was another silence. It was eventually broken by Ethan.

"So we have enough evidence on Lovett. What are we waiting for? Are we going to wait till the other side of the deal shows up to take down them both?"

"Ideally, yes. But now we wait. We have a few hours to rest. I can show you where the offices in this plant used to be, it's quite comfy".

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

Benji hated sleeping. That time when you slip into oblivion, no matter how different this kind of oblivion was from the one he had been put into for days… He had to be used to being unable to sleep after stressful events, like after Mumbai but he was tired. Both literally and more generally. Now he could only sleep for a few minutes before waking up for a quick reality check from time to time. He had to believe it would get better. It had after Mumbai, after all.

This time was no different from any other. Or so it seemed at first.

Benji woke up to see a human silhouette by the window. At first he thought it could be one of his friends. He knew Brandt had sometimes come in to check on him, which was slightly irritating at times, although at other times Benji felt more grateful for it than he admitted. However, the posture didn't look like Brandt's, or Ethan's or, especially, Jane's. The person turned around and Benji froze.

"Oh, you are awake, Benjamin!" Lovett declared.

Benji looked around him. It was not the room he remembered falling asleep in. He panicked.

"Where… where am I?" he was surprised at how his voice sounded – hoarse, low and growly. He felt like his tongue had trouble obeying him.

"You don't remember?" Lovett asked, the obviously cartoonishly fake sympathy decorating his features. "Well, you were delirious for days. Calling your friends' names… I think you really thought they were with you?"

Benji couldn't say a word in response. Lovett walked closer. The tech tried to get up but it was only now that he finally saw straps restraining him.

"It's incredible what tricks our mind can play on us, isn't it?" the older man spoke softly. "It creates some wonderful delusions…"

Benji could feel everything around him spin in an all too familiar manner, his surroundings beginning to dissolve. Brandt… Jane… Ethan… Was it all a delusion? Was he really still there, alone?

"The most phenomenal thing about it," Lovett's voice was distant but clear, "is that your mind's tricks are a clear sign that you are losing it…"

"No…"

Benji was shaking now, his breathing getting erratic, his eyes welling up. He was lost, everything was weird and he wanted to get out. He felt like he was drowning and desperately needed to breathe in. But water was pushing on him from everywhere, there was no way to get out, no air to breathe…

"Let me help you, it will make you feel better…" Lovett's voice sounded again, this time right by his side.

Out of the blur Benji could make out some vague shapes. One of them clearly was a syringe.

"No!" Benji forced out of his mouth again and began to struggle rather pathetically.

Lovett was advancing, and Benji could feel the needle press against his skin. He tried to scream but he knew it was pointless. Nobody was there. Nobody would come. He was alone. His voice was gone…

He let out a loud gasp and jolted upright in his bed. He spent like a minute trying to get his breath back to normal and looking around wildly. He stood up and walked up to the window, looking outside in the darkness. Pressing his forehead against the cool glass, he suddenly felt like he was burning. The coldness against his forehead was incredibly soothing. He started recounting the events. He had escaped Lovett. Brandt, Jane and Ethan were with him. Together they were going to put an end to this. They were capable of everything together. They were a team. And they really were with him now. He was not alone.

He didn't know how long he had been standing by the window, breathing deeply and reasoning himself that this was what was really happening and that the meeting with Lovett had been just a dream and not the other way round. He only got out of the trance when he felt the first sunbeams making their presence known through his eyelids. He opened his eyes. The new day was there. The blurry darkness was gone.

A/N: I'd also like to dedicate the ending of this chapter to a friend of mine. No matter how bad things appear to be, just remember: you are not alone. Your friends are right there, by your side. Never forget about it.