Walker was….well…complicated.
Benji didn't have a better word, the guy was just complicated.
Benji had known Walker for only a short period, but he felt like he knew the man intimately. Walker was a man full of contradictions, someone who couldn't be simply categorized.
He could be gentle, yet also dangerous. He could be smart, yet also foolish. Walker was someone who existed in a grey area, where nothing was black or white.
He was more than a friend and less than a lover. He was someone whom Benji couldn't quite figure out. Walker was, quite simply, complicated.
There was something about him that was just off, though. But what was it…?
Benji was beginning to feel that something was off about Walker. He had sensed it before, but now the feeling was more intense.
As much as he cared for Walker, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on beneath the surface.
He thought he was just being paranoid, but now he wasn't so sure. Perhaps there was something he hadn't learned about Walker yet, something that could change everything...
His thoughts were interrupted when Walker swooped in next to him: "Hey, Benji. Any new about the plutonium?"
"Well, while you were busy being "interrogated", I got us a meeting with the White Widow today."
"And, what kinda meeting are we talking about?"
Benji rolled his eyes: It's a meeting that might get us at least one plutonium core if we're lucky anyway."
Benji's attitude was met with a grin from Walker, who didn't seem too bothered by the sarcasm.
"Well, at least that's some hope," he said. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke again. "What do you know about the White Widow, Benji? Is she trustworthy?"
Benji chuckled a little before answering, "I wouldn't say trustworthy, but if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she doesn't lie."
"Fair enough," Walker said with a shrug. "But if we can't trust her, how are we supposed to know if she's even got the plutonium? For all we know, she's been playing us this whole time."
Walker looked up at Benji, a serious look on his face. "And why are you so sure she doesn't lie, anyway?"
"I've got good intel." Walker nodded and followed Benji to the car parked outside to get them to the meeting.
——————
As they entered the meeting room they were greeted with men loading guns and a large table with a map on it. The Widow and her brother, Zula were waiting at the table for them.
Benji and Walker waited for the others to finish their preparations, both men looking around the room intently. Benji let out a deep breath as he glanced at Walker, seeing a similar amount of tension on the other man's face.
Walker was right to be suspicious of the White Widow, the IMF's intel had painted her as an incredibly dangerous woman. And the fact that she was working alongside her brother only made the situation feel more tense.
Benji took a step closer to Walker and whispered in his ear. "Be careful. Keep your head down and don't talk, I'll lead."
Walker nodded as he and Benji approached the table. The White Widow and her brother, Zula, looked up at Benji and Walker as they stood in front of them. Zula seemed cautious, but his sister was confident and unphased.
"So," The White Widow said, looking from Walker to Benji. "Who's your friend?"
Benji responded calmly as ever, "He's with me, just in case."
The Widow smirked playfully, "Oh, what? You don't trust me…?"
Benji smiled back, playing along, "You really expect me to?"
"Fair enough." Zula cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Why don't we just get down to business here, yeah?"
Benji nodded, "Brilliant!" Benji tilted his head as if he was waiting for something.
"Oh, right." The Widow nodded to her brother who was still a bit spectacle. Nonetheless, he set a small black briefcase on the table and opened it to reveal one of the plutonium cores.
Walker's eyes widened slightly, *This might be easier than he thought. *
Benji simply raised an eyebrow in disappointment. "Where's the rest?"
"The rest?" The Widow acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about. "The other cores?"
The Widow smirked, "Oh, well I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm just a broker, I simply connect a buyer and a seller. But, perhaps we can make an arrangement."
Benji nodded, "Arraignment?"
The Widow nodded her head, her eyes flashing in excitement. "Yes, an arrangement. I can give you the other cores, so long as you do something for me in return."
She leaned forward, her smirk fading just slightly. "But there's one condition if you want the other two cores of plutonium."
Walker looked up at Benji, silently asking whether or not they should accept whatever the Widow was offering. Benji, for his part, didn't seem phased at all, he just sighed in resignation at the Widow's latest demands. "What's the deal?"
The Widow smiled, "If you want the plutonium then you have to get something for me….you're job is to extract Solomon Lane."
Walker tensed, *Lane. The terrorist, shit. *
Benji seemed more resigned than anything as if this was expected. Of course, the Widow would ask for something in return.
"So," Benji said, looking the Widow directly in her eyes, "You want me to capture Solomon Lane."
A sly grin spread across the Widow's face as she nodded, seeming more confident now.
Benji took a moment to think, the Widow's request had thrown a spanner in the works, but maybe this could actually work out in his favor…
Benji nodded, "What's the plan then…?"
————————
"Solomon Lane? That's quite the predicament, huh…" Gabriel didn't seem fazed at the mention of a global terrorist, much less extracting one at that.
Ethan waited for some kinda proposal of their next course of action, but he got none, "So, what do you want me to do with this?"
Gabriel sighed, "Do what you need to do to get the job done, that's what I want you to do, Ethan."
So much for some guidance, Ethan thought sighing.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow in speculation, "Something wrong, Ethan?"
Ethan quickly shook his head, "No, I'm fine, just a bit…I don't know, nervous I guess."
"Who wouldn't be? Extracting a terrorist is more of a Friday job than a Monday job." Ethan rolled his eyes at that one.
Gabriel was quiet for a moment as Ethan started to leave before speaking up, his tone completely casual. "And Ethan, remember your deadline…"
Ethan pretended not to hear as his stomach sank, twisting in knots.
Gabriel's words echoed in Ethan's head, the urgency of his deadline suddenly weighing on him once more.
He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he left the room, closing the door behind him and taking in a deep breath.
Ethan had no choice but to focus on the mission now, he couldn't afford to let any feelings distract him.
He had to get the job done, no matter what it took, or what the risks were.
—————————
Ethan was pulled back to reality as he registered Benji's voice beside him. "Should be any minute now."
They were sitting in a parked truck, waiting for the transport vehicle that was carrying Lane to show up on the camera they'd set up. When it did, they'd make their move. The plan was solid: smash into the transport vehicle so it goes into the water, get to the Rondavo point where Benji's team would be waiting with Lane, and go from there.
Ethan took a deep breath to calm himself down a bit. He really shouldn't be too worried, they had a good plan that was harangued to work.
That's not what you're worried about, you're worried about the stupid deadline. Why, it's just a normal assignment, with a little more to it, but the objective was the same, execute the target! Why? Why the Hell is so Danm difficult?
Benji looked over at Ethan, seeing the worry and doubt written clear as day on his face. "Hey, Walker, it's going to be okay."
Benji gave Ethan a quick smile, trying to boost his confidence and ease some of the anxiety he was seeing in his friend.
"We've practiced this. We know our jobs, we've got this in the bag." Benji said with a quick nod, hoping his words would have the desired effect.
It was clear that Benji cared about Ethan, whether as a friend or something more was still uncertain.
Ethan nodded, wishing Benji was right. Ethan shook his thoughts away and returned his focus to the task at hand.
Benji gripped the steering wheel in anticipation. "Here we go…"
Ethan nodded, tightening his seat belt and straightening up.
Here we go, indeed…
Ethan was jolted backward as Benji slammed the gas, pedal propelling them forward.
The truck crashed into the transport vehicle with a roar, the force of the collision sending the other vehicle careening off the road and into the nearby river. Ethan was thrown forward, his seatbelt tightening across his chest and the feeling of adrenaline quickly taking over as Benji kept his foot pressed to the pedal.
Benji's truck kept moving forward, slowly gaining speed as he sped off toward the rendezvous point. The seconds ticked by, but all Ethan could think about was the deadline. The deadline was getting closer and closer, and this operation, this one mission, was his only hope.
As Benji swerved the truck onto the road, the Widow's men were dumped out of the back of the truck, they were sent tumbling into the road behind them as police cruisers approached to round them up.
Ethan couldn't help but smile as they sped away into a narrow alleyway. As the truck turned a sharp corner and pulled away from the pursuing police vehicles, Ethan's smile widened a little. He had to admit that he was a little bit impressed by Benji's driving skills.
The mission was far from over, but they had managed to snag Lane and escape without getting caught, which was a good start.
As sped up, police cruisers gaining on them, their minds went back to their objective. They drove until the truck was pinned in between the sides of the alley before kicking out the windshield and hopping on the waiting motorcycles, speeding off with officers still close behind them.
Ethan was genuinely surprised at how much he was enjoying this, the adrenaline rush and the thrill of it all. It was exciting!
As the motorcycles picked up speed and outmaneuvered the pursuing police cruisers, Ethan finally gave a breath of relief. The mission was far from over, but at least they had made it this far without any major repercussions.
Benji glanced over at Ethan, seemingly enjoying the rush of it all just as much, if not more. And in that moment, Ethan couldn't help but feel a little bit of gratitude towards his partner. Even after everything that had happened between them, Benji had been there, and his driving skills had come to the rescue.
Ethan was jolted out of his thoughts by Benji's warning voice. "Walker! Turn right! WALKER! Wa-!"
Ethan's world went dark as his motorcycle crashed into an oncoming car and he was thrown off the bike, slamming harshly into the ground, a white-hot flash of pain engulfing his body…
Ethan lay on the ground, stunned by the abruptness of the crash.
Everything had been going so well, and then in the blink of an eye, it was over. He could hear Benji somewhere nearby, shouting his name as police sirens approached in the distance.
Ethan was only barely conscious of his surroundings, the pain and adrenaline numbing him to reality.
As the sirens drew closer, he knew he didn't have long to get out of there...
He struggled to his feet, the movement sending a wave of pain through his body, but he didn't have a choice. He had to run.
As Ethan stumbled forward he felt Benji grabbing him and basically dragging him to the waiting boat nearby with his team waiting for them. The boat sped forward as Benji and Ethan managed to get on board, "Go, Go, Go!"
As Ethan came back to his senses, he saw Benji in front of him with a smile hiding his worry for his friend.
Benji waved a hand in his face, "Walker? You hear me?"
Ethan blinked lazily, "Please get your hand out of my face Benji…"
Benji chuckled, pulling his hand away. "You just have a knack for near-death experiences, huh."
Ethan smirked back, "Not really by choice though."
——————
As Ethan and Benji entered the extraction point, Benji's friend, Luther, excoriated Lane to a holding cell.
"So, what happens now?" Benji opened up a three-D printer and showed it to Ethan. "Now, we copy Lane's face and bring The White Widow the fake Lane while we hand the real Lane to the IMF."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, confused. "Wait, copy his face…?"
"Yeah, see. After Luther scans his face, we use the printer and make a replica of it." Luther came back, handing Benji back the scanner.
Benji motioned to the screen for Ethan to watch, "Check it out…"
Ethan watched intently as the two-D picture printed in three-D. Benji held up the rubber mask, "Pretty cool, huh?"
Ethan smiled, "Yeah, the CIA certainly doesn't have that?"
"Oh, shit, it is true…" The three men turned to see Alan Huntley standing in front of them, glaring.
Luther sighed as Bengi tried to explain, "Look, Sir, I can explain-"
Huntley cut him off, angry, "Can you?! I'd love to hear it! How the Hell can you explain starting a city-wide police chase, And kidnapping a god-dam terrorist?!"
Benji's mouth hung open, unsure what to say. Luther spoke for Benji, "To be fair Sir, you weren't there…"
Ethan chimed in as backup, "Besides Sir, we did get a dozen of the Widow's men caught-"
Hurley wasn't having it, "I didn't ask you! Is this seriously your full-time job now? Covering for him?!"
"Sir, we're already here, okay! We have a meeting with the Wudow in fifteen minutes." Huntley gridded his teeth in annoyance at Benji's stubbornness.
Finally, Huntley asked, "Fine, how's this gonna work exactly?"
Benji held up the mask, "We're going to give you the real Lane, while we take the fake Lane to the Widow, Walker's gonna be the fake Lane-"
Ethan quickly cut in, "W-Wait, wait! Why am ILane?!" Luther rolled his eyes at him.
Huntley sighed, "First of all, no. Second of all, you've got much bigger things to deal with."
Benji eyed him, confused, "Like what exactly?"
"Like the fact that John Lark is dead. And the fact that Lark's real name was August Walker… which means…" Huntley motioned to Ethan.
Shit…
All eyes fell on Ethan then as his mind raced, wondering what to do now…
Benji's mouth hung open as he spoke, "What-W-wait then…who the Hell is this guy?!"
"Benj-" Huntley cut him off, setting a file on the table. "According to this document, we weren't the only ones looking for Lark. So, MI6 did the work for us. The evidence shows that August Walker, or rather John Lark, was murdered by a man named Ethan Hunt…who's profile picture looks suspiciously like our mystery man here. Care to explain…Hunt?"
Oh christ...
Ethan gulped, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.
This... Was bad. Really bad. He's screwed…
Ethan stood frozen. What Fuck was he supposed to do? To say?
"I-"
POP! POP! POP! POP!
Four quick shots rang out before anyone even saw a gun. Ethan felt the blood before he saw it…
The bullets zipped through empty air before connecting. Two bullets hit Huntley, one in the back of the head, the other hitting his spinal cord. One just missed Benji's head, whistling past his ear where it stuck to the wall. The last bullet ripped through Luther's chest.
Both Ethan and Benji pulled their guns on the shooter. Ethan froze, lowering his gun.
"Gabriel…"
Benji glanced at Ethan, still in shock from what happened. "Wait, y-you know him?!"
Once again, all eyes went to Ethan, who stood between them, a death grip on his gun.
"Time's up, Ethan…" Ethan felt his heart hammering against his chest as fear flashed through him once again.
Trembling, Ethan spoke, "Just give me a second alright??" Gabriel sighed, lowering his gun.
Ethan owed Benji the truth before he…killed him. "Look I-Benji, I'm so, so sorry…for-for everything. I never wanted to hurt you, I just thought that I was doing the right thing, still don't know if I am or not but…this is just something I have to do."
Benji dropped his gun and raised his hands as he spoke desperately. "Wait, please…E-Ethan, I don't know why you think you have to do this but I do know that you're my friend, and I know you didn't want this to happen. Ethan, I believe you…"
Ethan swallowed, feeling tears flooding his eyes. "I'm sorry, Benji. I'm so sorry. Please, I need you to understand, that you have every right to hate me, but have no choice. All that I ever wanted to do was help, and I thought was, I really did…"
Benji nodded sympathetically, "No, I don't hate you. I can tell that you really do care, and you really do want to help, but you do have a choice. There's always a choice, Ethan. You…you don't have to do this…"
Ethan turned his attention back to Gabriel, almost pleading, "Please don't make me do this…I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't…don't make me do this…"
Gabriel just stared at him with the same cold, disappointed expression, shaking his head. "No. No, Ethan. I'm not making you do anything. You chose to do the job, and you knew what it entailed. Benjamin's right, you do have a choice. What're you gonna do, Ethan…?"
Had he been given a choice, a real choice, there was no way Ethan would've ended up here.
Here, standing between the man he loved and the man who controlled his life, Ethan was faced with a decision he wasn't ready to make. All this time he thought he had held the strings, controlled fate like he held the threads in his hands. All this time, all he was, all he ever could be was a puppet.
His master was staring back at him, eyes dark, holding up his hands as if to control him once again. The gun trembled in his hand, unable to make this decision.
It seemed it would be made for him, though. A flash, a deafening noise, and the world went quiet.
————————
Ethan sucked in a breath as he slowly opened his eyes. It was done. It was over. He wasn't a puppet anymore, to anyone. As he stared at Gabriel's blood-soaked corpse, a rush of relief flew through Ethan.
"Ethan…" Benji was standing in front of him, eyes wide. Ethan blinked as he realized he was still holding the gun. "I…"
Benji shook his head, reaching out to lower the gun in Ethan'd hands. "It's okay…it's over. Ethan, everything's gonna be alright now, but first, you've got to let go of the gun, okay…?"
Ethan nodded, his grip loosening as he let Benji set it down. Ethan's sad gaze shifted to the deceased Huntley. "I'm sorry…"
Benji nodded, speaking softly, "You don't need to apologize, Ethan. It's not your fault."
Before they could say anything more, Luther stumbled into Benji nearly knocking him over. "You alright, man?"
Luther nodded, "Thank God for bulletproof vests."
Ethan stood quietly, not knowing what to say to Luther. To his surprise, Luther held out a hand for Ethan to take. "I get it. Just make sure it doesn't happen again…"
Ethan nodded, visibly relaxing. Before Ethan registered what was happening, he was pulled into a hug, Benji and Luther wrapping their arms around him.
For the first time in a long time, Ethan let himself cry.
And for the first time in a long time, he was met with a loving embrace by people he truly cared for.
People he truly loves…