A/N: So this is my new story… it's based on one of the drabbles written for the "10 songs" challenge. This chapter might appear a bit confusing but it will be cleared later. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Mission: Impossible…

Chapter 1

The current mission was evidently less impossible than some of the others. One would say it was easy, but this word was taboo in the IMF team. Brandt and Benji were breaking into a hotel room to get some files from its occupant's (Tom Henderson, suspected of countless crimes around the globe) computer. Benji went into the room, while the analyst stayed outside to look out and provide the cover if necessary. Ethan and Jane stayed outside the building to warn their teammates and possibly hold the unwanted intruders back.

Benji was all into his work. He couldn't help the grin which appeared on his face when he finally got into the system. "So easy," he muttered under his breath, when he suddenly felt something cold touch the back of his head.

"Really?" the voice was quiet enough to not be heard through Benji's mic but loud enough for the tech to hear. "They said you were good, agent Dunn".

For a second Benji was so shocked that he couldn't move a muscle. Just as the shock vaporized and he opened his mouth, he felt the barrel of the gun press harder against his head.

"Just flinch," the voice hissed, "and you're dead".

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Agent Brandt was bored. Generally, you can't get bored on a mission that often, but there you go. He listened to Benji's muttering in his earpiece, which was occasionally interrupted with some random lines from some songs. Obviously, the technician didn't even acknowledge doing all that, but it did distract the other agents.

"Benj, you have a great voice but could you please keep it down," William could barely stop himself from giggling.

"What? Oh, right, sorry," Brandt could practically see the embarrassment on his friend's face as he heard the response. It amused him even more. For a couple of minutes it was quiet. Then the analyst heard the tech murmur something that sounded like the word "easy". And then quiet again.

Five more minutes passed, and for Benji it seemed like a new record.

"You alright there?" Ethan's voice sounded.

"Yeah," Brandt responded. "All clear so far".

"Benji?" Ethan called when there was no response from the tech.

There was a silence which actually made the agents worry. Just as Brandt was about to enter the room, he heard the Brit's voice.

"Yes, I… I just need to focus… I—I'm sorry".

For a second it appeared to Brandt that his friend's voice was shaking. But he then assumed he was imagining stuff. He had to keep the lookout, after all.

There were a few more minutes of silence, which William found more tiring than all of Benji's chatter and his singing combined. And then it all exploded with sounds and noises.

"You've been given the wrong instructions!" Ethan yelled in Brandt's earpiece, his voice frantic and panicked. "The target might be somewhere near you! Get out of there!" Shit.

"Benji, have you heard that?" the analyst blurted out. "We've got to — argh!"

Something heavy hit him in the head, knocking him to the floor. At the same time there was a gunshot, and Brandt felt his shoulder was on fire. There was another gunshot from the opposite direction (seemingly from where the bin that had knocked him down had come from), and there was silence again.

"Brandt?" Benji ran up to him and knelt by his side, still holding his gun. "Brandt!" the tech helped the analyst into a sitting position, just in time for William to see another gunman behind his friend and react appropriately, taking the guy out with one shot.

"Sorry, I had to move you out of their bullets' way," Dunn looked sheepish. "Couldn't just shout, had to take them by surprise… I didn't quite do it as well as I was supposed to…"

"It would have been worse if I had remained standing though," Brandt interrupted, rubbing his forehead and trying to figure out how bad the wound in his shoulder was, as he looked down to see his mic completely destroyed. When he turned his gaze up to his friend, he noticed Benji was still kneeling there, unmoving, with his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth in a single thin line.

"Are you alright?" William asked, surprised at how much weaker his voice had become in mere seconds. Benji finally forced his eyes to open, and for a moment Brandt thought he saw tears ready to slide down.

"Let's get you out of here," the tech nearly whispered, helping Brandt to stand up and supporting him as they hurried out of the hotel.

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Jane Carter had gotten the team leader's alarm call and hurried to the hotel, only to bump into her teammates.

"Oh, thank God!" she sighed, but then saw the analyst's shoulder, blood soaking through both his and the technician's clothes. She helped Benji get him to the van and started inspecting the wound, as Ethan sped up to the nearest hospital. Benji was sitting in the back, too. As soon as he heard Jane say that Brandt's wound wasn't life threatening, he fell into a weird apathetic state, staring into nothing all the way to the hospital. Jane noticed that but decided to save the talk till the next time.

At the hospital, however, things didn't change. As Brandt was wheeled to the surgery, Benji kept sitting with the same distant look. Finally, when Ethan went to talk to the doctors, Jane decided she had to find out what it all was about.

"He'll be fine," she started a bit awkwardly. Benji nodded.

"Yeah," he looked at his watch and sighed.

"So what's wrong with you? You're not yourself right now…"

Benji smiled bitterly. The expression was kind of odd on his face, and it made Carter cringe.

"And you know exactly what my "self" is?" he asked. Jane was confused with this question.

"I'm just tired of this all," he went on. Jane's confusion only grew. Benji looked at his watch again. "People aren't always what you think they are, Jane. Being an agent, you should know it better than anyone".

Jane stared at him, as worry grew inside her. What was he talking about?

The tech made another bitter smile.

"I need some fresh air," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Tell Brandt I said hi if I'm not there when he wakes up".

With that, he turned to the door and went outside, leaving Jane completely lost and utterly shocked by the weirdness of the entire talk.

Two hours later Brandt was out of the surgery, with Ethan and Jane expecting him to wake up. Jane had told the team leader about her talk with the tech, and now they were also waiting for him either to come back, or to give them any signal. Carter decided she wanted some coffee. As she took her purse and opened it, she saw something white inside it. When she took the piece of paper out and unfolded it, she felt shivers down her spine…