CHAPTER TEN

Moscow, Russia –

The plan was simple. Ethan would wear a mask and the uniform of a guard at the Russian Ministry of Defense. From there, he would find the records room and pull the complete file on the Sevastopol. He'd take pictures of the files and then return them to their drawer.

Meanwhile, Benji would impersonate Ethan. They would purposely raise the alarm to give American intelligence an idea of where they were. As the agents tried to track Benji, Ethan would be free to do whatever he needed to do.

"My only concern is that Gabriel and The Entity will know where the American intelligence guys are going, so they'll know where we're going," Benji said.

Ethan prepared his mask. "That's why you're going to the Kremlin. Gabriel is going to think that we're looking for the files there."

"And if he anticipates that you're actually going for the Ministry of Defense? What if The Entity has figured it out too and we're doing exactly what they want us to do? That thing can hack the Russians in a heartbeat."

"This is our best play, Benji."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. All right. Let me put your face on."

Once they were in disguise, Benji headed for the Kremlin while Ethan headed for the Ministry of Defense. The American intelligence officers were on their way. They spotted Benji sneaking into the Kremlin and began to pursue him, thinking he was Ethan.

Ethan's disguise was not questioned at the Ministry. They let him inside instantly. He went for the records room. In there, he sorted through piles of folders and overstuffed drawers. He eventually found was he was looking for in a secured safe hidden behind a panel in the door. He snapped pictures at lightning speed.

While Benji managed to escape Briggs and his American agents, Ethan slipped out of the records room. Things were going smoothly. Too smoothly. Thus, it was no surprise when Ethan saw Gabriel waiting for him outside of the Ministry. He smiled in a smug sense, and Ethan wished he could cut the expression off his face.

"You wanted me to go to the Kremlin with your American friends," Gabriel said.

Ethan sighed. "The key isn't with us, if that's what you came for."

"I came for you. We have unfinished business, and I can't have you knowing where to go."

"You made a mistake, Gabriel. You took someone from me that you shouldn't have. And you're going to pay for it in the end."

Gabriel removed a knife from his pocket. Just as he approached Ethan, a massive SUV skidded to a stop between them. Brandt was behind the wheel. Ethan jumped inside with him. Gladly, Brandt sped off, kicking dirt and gravel into Gabriel's face. Gabriel rushed to his getaway vehicle and attempted to pursue them.

"It's good to see you, Brandt," Ethan said while removing his mask.

Brandt had a faint smile. "Always a pleasure, Ethan. Benji?"

"The Kremlin."

Although Gabriel fired several shots at the SUV, Brandt drove over a set of train tracks as a train was coming. The train cut off Gabriel. Cursing, he backed down. "I'll get you when the time comes, Hunt…"

At the Kremlin, Benji was hiding behind a wall as he waited for extraction. The SUV came along and picked him up. Benji took off his mask, pointing at Brandt. "You didn't tell me he was coming, Ethan. I thought he was stuck at his desk."

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, I wasn't sure if he could make it. He couldn't officially accept or reject my invitation. The Entity would've known," Ethan explained.

Brandt chuckled. "You know I wouldn't leave you boys out in the cold."

"Did you get it?" Benji asked.

"Oh, I got it," Ethan confirmed.

"Where to now?" Brandt asked.

"The Bering Sea. And we'll need a submarine," Ethan answered.

"Of course we will," Brandt mumbled.

The Bering Sea –

Ethan, Benji, and Brandt stood on the deck of a ship they had chartered. The miniature submarine was stored below. They had acquired it through a combination of connections Ethan and Brandt had available to them. Despite having the proper equipment, they didn't have much of a plan other than to break into the submarine and have Benji take the code. Ethan was sure Gabriel would be lurking.

"We should suit up," Ethan told Benji.

Benji nodded. "Right. Time to play frogman."

While Benji changed in one room of the boat, Ethan went to another. He took his satellite cellphone from his pocket and dialed. Ilsa's sultry accent answered with a phrase only Ethan knew the response to. "You better hurry now."

"Good luck," Ethan returned.

"I've been wondering when you'd call," she replied.

"We have the location of the sunken submarine. Benji and Brandt are with me. We're going down to get the code. Is your computer finished?"

She clicked her tongue. "Almost. A few tweaks left. When are you going down there?"

"In about five minutes."

"Five minutes? You need to be careful. Gabriel knows you're there. I know he does."

"I know it too, but we won't fail. We can't fail. Just be ready. We're coming to you once we have what we need."

He could hear the happiness in her tone. "You're coming here?"

"Yes. I'm coming back to you. I promise."

"You better stick to that promise."

"I will. And Ilsa…"

"Yes?"

"I'm not leaving you again."

Brandt knocked on the door before sticking his head inside. "We have company."

"I have to go," Ethan said quickly. "It won't be much longer. I swear."

With that, Ethan ended the call. He rushed to join Brandt and Benji on the deck. A boat was approaching fast. Ethan looked at his friends. Benji knew what it meant. "Sub?"

"Sub. Now," Ethan said.

It was tight fit for all three of them to squeeze into the mini sub, but it was necessary. Brandt would control the sub while Ethan and Benji stole the code. Granted, Brandt had never operated a submarine before. He took the controls nervously.

"This is like driving a car, right?" he asked.

Ethan patted his shoulder. "You'll figure it out. Come on, Benji."

"Sure. I'll figure it out," Brandt sighed.

Ethan and Benji finished suiting up while Brandt shakily steered their sub to the Sevastopol. When Ethan and Benji exited the sub in their scuba gear, the Sevastopol was directly ahead of them. They reached the wreckage and used the hole in the side to enter. Ethan had memorized the sub's layout from the files. Benji followed closely.

By the time they reached the inner workings of the submarine, they were not alone. Gabriel was on his way in full scuba gear. Ethan directed Benji to the proper spot and handed him the completed key. Benji knew to work fast. Ethan could only hold Gabriel off for so long.

The battle between Gabriel and Ethan was somewhat hindered by the water. It was a knife fight at its core. Benji ignored them and focused entirely on the task at hand. Gabriel's focus was on Ethan's weaknesses. Surely, cutting the line to his oxygen tank would be the end of him.

Gabriel sliced the hose to Ethan's oxygen tank and pushed him aside. He held his knife at the ready, moving towards Benji. To Gabriel's horror, Ethan had merely chucked his gear. That made him quicker, and he had no issue holding his breath for now. His record was in Casablanca, after all. Three full minutes.

Ethan pulled Gabriel back. He kicked him in the gut and shoved him beneath the catwalk that led to the submarine's core. Benji finished transferring the data and joined Ethan on the trip out. They hurried to the mini sub where Brandt was waiting.

They got inside the sub right before Ethan ran out of oxygen. Brandt glanced. "Get it?"

"Got it," Benji confirmed.

"Um, Brandt…" Ethan said.

Gabriel's mini sub was heading their way, and it was obvious Gabriel had made it back alive. They saw Gabriel glaring at them through the sub's window. Brandt tried to put the sub in reverse. Benji tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, Brandt…"

"I'm trying!" Brandt replied. He yanked on a few levers and pushed a few buttons. Thanks to a stroke of dumb luck, he had deployed a giant claw apparatus. The claw reached out and hit the opposing sub. Brandt shrugged. "Not what I was going for, but okay."

They rushed to the surface with Gabriel's sub right behind them. To make matters worse, men on Gabriel's boat were firing at their charted vessel. The vessel was leaving the mini sub behind. Brandt frantically hit the jets, trying to catch the boat.

Fortunately for them, most of the area was covered by ice. Ethan pointed at it. "Abandon ship! Head for the ice. And someone lock the controls. I want Gabriel to chase this sub."

Brandt did what he could to jam the controls. While the sub moved on, the men discreetly slipped off the sub. They swam for the ice and climbed atop it. Gabriel ultimately realized he was chasing an empty vessel, but by then Ethan and the others were heading for dry land.

After running for several minutes, the team made it to shore. They hid behind several boulders to catch their breath. Brandt, who didn't have a wetsuit, shivered in the air. "Can we go somewhere warm now? Maybe head south?"

"No," Ethan responded with a wide grin. "We're going to Sweden."