A/N: Sorry for another long wait! And thank you for still staying with me… The story is moving to its end now…

I still don't own them.

Chapter 13

"Okay," Ethan could finally sigh in relief. He was the leader again. He had something to do. His main priority was to have Benji somewhere safe. He knew the younger agent could flip under so much stress. "Brandt, Jane and I will stay here," he took a pause. "Benji, you go to the opposite wing and try to see whether he communicates with anyone".

The Englishman knew why he was being sent out of the way but he didn't complain. He had no idea what facing Lovett might turn into for him. And they had no right for mistake. He nodded and hurried to his destination. He had a lot to do and wasn't quite sure how much time he had. Setting up all the equipment… He knew there had to be someone watching out for the others but he was also aware that they will most likely be vastly outnumbered. He was hoping for Guido's support and worried that could be wishful thinking. The guy had already helped him more than enough. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his hand again…

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Ethan knew that sending Benji away, where it was safer, was the right thing to do, even though it meant there would be only three of them dealing with Lovett's forces instead of four. He hoped that there couldn't be many people with Lovett. IMF couldn't be that full of moles or idiots. And Lovett couldn't expose himself that much and take too many people with him.

The moment he heard the noise of the speeding cars, he knew this was it. The all too familiar sensation of adrenaline going up in his veins kicked in, and once he looked at his teammates, he knew they were experiencing it, too. Despite being tired, an upcoming face off was something of a tension relief. And they were looking forward to it.

Before the noise even reached them, there was another familiar sound. Gunfire. Showers of it. The agents could only assume it was their local police friends coming to help. For a few seconds they froze, not knowing what to do. If the enemy was being dealt with by the police, they had a chance to go out of this without a scratch. On the other hand, Lovett would be caught but would be unlikely to give away the person he was working for. Springing into action now would be too risky, as it would undoubtedly blow their cover and put them against the now friendly police.

The silence didn't last long. There was a different kind of noise. A louder and more terrifying one. And also a very familiar one. An explosion. Everything around them shook like in an earthquake, bits of ceiling falling off, glass shattering somewhere not far from them.

"What the hell is that?" Brandt yelled out as soon as the crashing sound in his ears began to die out. He got no reply and looked up at his team leader who was merely staring somewhere into the space of the next room, which had previously had windows in it. The analyst followed the older agent's gaze out of the now empty holes in the wall… and his heart sank.

"Oh my God…" Jane whispered, her voice shaking and cracking as she was trying to keep calm.

An entire wing of the building was now missing. The remains of it were currently being destroyed by fire, and even though the three agents were standing at quite a distance, they could feel the heat on their faces. They didn't want to imagine what those ruins also held. It was the wing where Benji had been.

Ethan couldn't even produce a sound. He couldn't understand how it could have happened. He had sent Benji to his death. But how could he have known it would happen? What even had happened? What was going on? He, Ethan Hunt, one of the IMF's best and most experienced agents, didn't know or understand what was happening around him at the moment. He, the team leader who had led his people out of so many situations, was now absolutely helpless, having lost his control entirely. He felt lost. On top of it, he had just lost a friend. Again.

Jane could feel fire burn inside her with more intensity than the one that was currently turning part of the building into ashes. That's it. They lost him again, after so briefly having him back. And she had been hoping that the old Benji would be back… She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to focus on something else. Rage. It had always helped her deal with the feelings of loss or despair. And Benji had found rage to be alien and destructive to him… She shook her head, letting some tears drop to the floor. Whoever was responsible had to pay.

Brandt just stared. His mind was too lost to even think. Benji had gone through so much in the past weeks and now it looked like it was all for nothing. It was just so pointless and meaningless that Brandt couldn't agree to take it as part of reality. He was too used to logic. He needed things to make sense. So he tried to clear his mind and think. But not about Benji. Don't think about your best friend's death, Will, that doesn't help to be logical. How could it have exploded? Who could have placed the explosive there? Had they known that Benji would have been there? His line of thoughts was interrupted, as one more set of sounds came in, from a third direction.

And suddenly the place became really crowded, as several men broke in.

"Shit," Ethan whispered. Clearly the people still fighting the police were just a distraction. The explosion might have been one, too. Benji must have been just unfortunate to have been in the middle of it. Not as much just unfortunate, Ethan, it was you who sent him there… He shut his eyes tightly. Not the time to beat yourself up.

The three split up, as the fight began. Among the intruders the agents could see Lovett himself. They were close, they just needed to overcome this…