Ch. 8: A Quick Exit

Benji popped his head up, coughing out the concrete dust that had filled his lungs. The room was dim, the monitors flickered and glitched. A fluorescent light hanging precariously on one end by a chord swung back and forth. Sparks shot out at Benji from the computers and he jumped, frantically looking around. Hunley was on his back, groaning and sitting up slowly.

Benji's heart was pounding in his ears. He tried to steady his breathing and focus. His first thought wanted to trick him into thinking it was some kind of accident, but the dread pouring into his chest wouldn't allow him to believe it. He scrambled on tattered hands and knees to a gun in one of the desk drawers. With shaking hands he jammed a magazine into the gun and sat on the floor, back to an overturned desk.

"What happened…?" Hunley asked, coughing.

"We're under attack."

Benji peeked his head over the desk and spotted heavily-armed soldiers sweeping the hall outside the room. He ducked back down, steadying his breathing. Hunley spotted the soldier and leaned against the desk by Benji. The secretary shook his head.

"I need to get to a gun," Hunley whispered.

"We can hit the cache on the way to the west exit…"

"No, we need to go to my office. We have to get word out to Hunt. They might not know what's going on."

Benji felt panic rise up. They weren't too far from a low-key exit. Hunley's office was in the other direction.

"We can contact Ethan when we get out of the building," he whispered quickly.

"We might not get out of this building. We have to get a message to them."

The agent next to him shut his eyes and let out a scared huff. His eyes flicked open, "Okay. I'll cover you."

Benji's head popped up again and he spotted a gap in the patrol. "Go, go!"

Back in the hotel, Brandt and Zhen's earpieces immediately cut out with a zap of static. They looked to each other and to Ethan, who was still blending in with the crowd.

"Did I lose you guys?" Jane called.

"Still here," Brandt confirmed quietly, "Zhen and Ethan are with me."

"Benji?"

Jane got no answer.

"Benji? Hunley?" She tried, getting louder.

Brandt and Zhen started to tense up.

"Something is wrong," Zhen mumbled, "We need to pull Ethan."

Brandt walked up to Ethan quickly and calmly, pulling a cell phone from his pocket, "Sir, it's about the account in Zurich."

"Can't you see he's busy?" Miranda barked.

"It's urgent," Brandt snapped, turning back to Ethan. "The Englishman has pulled out."

Ethan turned to the partygoers, "Excuse me, I have to take this."

Ethan followed Brandt away from the group.

"We lost contact with Benji, the comms went down. We don't know what happened."

"It's been almost an hour...Kane hasn't showed," Ethan replied, frustrated.

"What's the plan?" Zhen asked as they approached.

Ethan pretended to take a call and slipped his earpiece back in.

"Benji...Benji are you there?"

No response, no sound.

Ethan glanced back at Miranda who looked from Ethan to the clock and back at him, smirking.

"We have to go," Ethan decided, "We have to grab Yanik and leave."

The trio left the ballroom. Miranda whispered to Titus as the doors closed.

Back at HQ, the pair slowly snuck their way from room to room, hiding among the rubble of the explosion. Benji stepped over bodies of technicians that were in the various labs. He shook his head, angry at the havoc wreaked here. They finally reached Hunley's office door when a straggling soldier turned the corner and spotted them. He raised his gun, but Benji fired first, hitting the man in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Benji grimaced as the sound bounced off the walls. That was going to be heard for many floors.

"I hit him, but I think I caught his vest," Benji told Hunley. "Just get the door open."

Benji held his gun, poised to fire again if needed. Hunley unlocked the door and the two made their way inside. Benji stood guard at the entrance while the secretary tried turning on monitors. Nothing connected.

"I can't get it," Hunley announced. Benji turned around and took one last look into the hall before running up to the desk. He held out the handgun.

"Take it, I'll get this," Benji dropped to his knees and crawled under Hunley's desk, disconnecting wires and plugging things in. Hunley took over Benji's position at the door and watched for any signs of someone coming. The tech opened a laptop and began typing quickly, straining to see in the dark.

"Dunn...someone's coming," Hunley whispered. Benji worked faster. Suddenly a series of beeps rang from the laptop, ushering a strong "Shh" from Benji. The soldier outside turned to the door and Hunley started firing. The soldier took cover behind a wall.

In the hotel, Ethan raced up the stairs, followed by Brandt and Zhen. They reached the hall and opened the door, only to see heavily-armed men creeping down the way towards them. Sudden static crackled in Ethan's ear, and a grumbled "Work with me, ya twat!" cut through.

"Benji?" Ethan whispered, his voice still not his own. He had never been so relieved at expletives in his life.

"Ethan! Look, we don't have much time. HQ was attacked. Hunley and I are pinned down in his office. We're going to try to get to the safehouse, but we have to hurry. They might be onto you too, so get out!"

"We're almost back to the room, we've got Yanik," Brandt chimed in.

Ethan was shaking his head at Benji's words, "You need to get out of there now, Benji. Just get as far away from there as possible. I'm coming to get you."

"No, no good, there's too many of them. You'll never be able to reach us."

Brandt and Zhen rushed through the door and into the hall, taking out the guards with the suppressed weapons. Zhen looked back to Ethan, who was torn about his position.

"Go, we will meet Jane and go to the rendezvous point," Zhen replied, shaking her head, "Just hurry."

Ethan nodded to her and Brandt and took off back down the stairs, heading out the back door and peeling off his mask.

"Benji! Benji, you still there?"

Back in the office, Benji felt some comfort at hearing Ethan's voice again.

He looked to Hunley, who was firing out the door.

"Uh...Ethan, it's not looking so good."

"I'm coming to get you!" Ethan replied, panting as he ran.

"...There's no time…" Benji swallowed, clutching the laptop.

"Don't say that! I can get to you! Just stay hidden."

Benji crawled to the desk and pulled open the drawers, finding another handgun. He opened it, checking the magazine. Quickly, he snapped it back into place, knowing he had to make his shots count.

"I have to go," Benji replied grimly, standing up. He couldn't quite bring himself to turn off the com.

"Benji, just wait! I will get to you. Find somewhere to hide. I will come for you both. I can get you out!"

Benji let out a little laugh, "It's not your decision to make, Ethan. I'm a field agent. I have to go."

Benji walked over to the door, standing with his back to the wall, gun up ready to fight.

"We need to keep moving, sir," Benji advised.

"Benji, wait!" echoed from under the desk as the two men fired out the door and ran, heading down another hall.