#author day

Why can’t we ever come to places like this on actual holiday? Benji wondered a touch bitterly to himself.

Casablanca was absolutely beautiful. That being said, it felt a bit hollow knowing he and Ethan were only here for the purpose of the mission. They had traveled across the world together, but always with the shadow of their formal motivation hanging over them. There wasn’t really any time for relaxation when the fate of the world rested on their shoulders.

Well, there was also the fact that on this particular outing they weren’t exactly alone. While it was undeniable that Ilsa was an absolutely irreplaceable asset, Ethan actually seemed to trust her, which made Benji more than a little uneasy, as he didn’t trust her any further than he could throw her; and (despite his field certification), that wasn’t that far.

They were sitting in a house-well, more of a mansion, really- trying to figure out how on earth they were going to get their hands on this bloody ledger without getting them all killed. Although it was slowly becoming clear what the only option was. Benji stood at the front of the living room, feeling like he was giving his dissertation all over again, as he was incredulously stared down by his two companions.

“Diving gear?” Ethan asked, desperate hope clinging to his words with brittle fingers.

“Wouldn’t work, it’s detectable by the system.”

“And you’re sure masks wouldn’t work?” Ethan was reaching, Benji could tell. It was a terrifying look on the senior agent.

Benji chuckled regretfully and shook his head. “Believe me, there is nothing I would rather try, but the security system is too advanced. You’ll have to go in bare, and trust me to get your profile switched out in time.”

Now Ethan was staring at Benji as if he had sprouted another head. Or maybe something a bit more outlandish. Sprouting a second head couldn’t be all that strange compared to some of the things they’d seen. Benji stared back, more than a little confused, as he couldn’t imagine what about this mission was so incomprehensible to the veteran agent. Sure, it was difficult, but really not so much more difficult than anything else he had been tasked with before, which was making his reaction all the more baffling.

It was also just a bit worrying of a thought that this wasn’t the most outlandish thing they’d ever been thrown headfirst into. Maybe that list of viable career options sitting on his desk back in America wasn’t a a bad idea after all.

Ethan finally clarified his stupefied expression. “You’re diving? You, Benjamin Dunn, are free diving into millions of gallons of water with no breathing apparatus or communication device to replace what is essentially a glorified flash drive?”

Benji tried his best to keep the twinge of hurt off his face. “Yes, I am, thank you very much. You know, I do actually have my field certification, I can do most of the things you can.”

Ethan was still staring at him, though rather more intensely now. “Benji, do you know how dangerous that could be? Why not have me do the life threatening stuff, and you walk down the hallway?”

Benji blinked. Ah, so that was it. Ethan was worried about him. Of course, the emotionally stunted idiot couldn’t just outright say it like a normal person. Well, he was right, after all. It would be dangerous. Incredibly so. On average, a person could only hold their breath for two minutes in a calm environment. Less, if they panicked. But there was actually a good reason for Ethan taking what was at first glance the easier task.

“Ethan, look, I know you’re all about scaling buildings and jumping out of aeroplanes and the like, but, if whomever walks down the hallway and through the scanner ends up getting caught, there will be a bit of close quarters combat.”

Benji stuck him with a glance. “Something which you definitely excel at over me. All I have to do for the dive is hold my breath.”

“I understand all of that, but- ”

“Ethan, Benji’s right.” Benji jerked. He’d almost forgotten Ilsa was in the room until she spoke up. “He’s a fully trained agent, same as you. If he says he can do this, why are you so reluctant to let him?”

Ethan didn’t show any outright surprise at Ilsa’s contribution, but a slight eye movement towards her showed he had been just as wrapped up in their conversation as Benji. “I- it’s just…” He finally sighed, running a hand across his forehead. Worry lines appeared in between his brows. “No, no, you’re both right. I’m sorry, I got carried away. Let’s do it.”

                                                       ***

As Benji stared down into what looked to be an aquatic black hole, he silently cursed his incredibly sound logic. While in theory, the event of a worst case scenario would make Ethan the better operative to retrieve the ledger, Benji would much rather be the one stone-faced and calmly strolling down a hallway. Instead, he was struggling to remember exactly how long he had been required to maintain an apparatus free underwater dive to receive his certification. Five minutes? Six? And that was just floating below the surface, not interacting with industrial computer security equipment. However long it had been, it would have to be enough.

Suddenly, Ethan’s voice crackled in his ear.

“Benji, do you copy?”

“Uh, um, yes, yeah, copy, I read you loud and clear.” Benji cringed at his obvious stuttering. The last thing he needed was Ethan trying to talk him out of this at the last minute. In his current state, he probably wouldn’t need much convincing at all.

Benji heard Ethan pause to take a deep breath.

“Benji, you’re sure you’re ok with this? I could always-”

“Nope, totally sure, no worries, it’s already been settled. No use turning back now.” Benji felt a short laugh escape his mouth that felt all too fake. He couldn’t listen to any promptings. He just had to listen to The Ethan Hunt Guide to Completing Fucked-Up Missions. Jump first, regret later.

Ethan sighed worriedly. “Ok. Just, look, remember to not exert yourself in any way until you absolutely have to. Let the momentum of the fall carry you as far as it can.”

“I know. Ethan, be careful, please. If I don’t manage to get the profiles switched out in time, then-”

“That won’t happen.” Ethan said resolutely. “If you fail, that means you’re dead, which is not an acceptable outcome. Good luck, Benji. I’ll see you on the other side.”

“Good luck, Ethan. Be careful.”

Benji heard his partner chuckle. “Don’t worry about me, you idiot, you’re the one with the hard job. Over and out.”

Benji let out a small sigh and pulled out his earpiece. Ilsa glanced at him for a moment, her hands hovering over the tablet she had been fiddling with for the last few minutes, making a few last-minute micro-adjustments to Benji’s oxygen sensor and the cooling system override.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” she said, giving Benji a small, reassuring smile.

“Ok. Ok, whew. Yes, I’m ready.” I think, Benji added silently, checking the oxygen meter on his wrist for the dozenth time. He slowly stood, took a deep breath, and checked his oxygen meter, again. Shaking out his arms and legs, telling himself he was warming up and not trying (and failing) to shake out his nerves, Benji finally put on his goggles, glancing down at Ilsa for confirmation. Ilsa gave a small thumbs up, and Benji let himself fall.

                                                        ***

Benji didn’t remember passing out. Well, he figured drowning would be the more accurate term, but even thinking I drowned made him feel like he was likely to throw up, so he was going to stick with passing out. He remembered diving into the cooling tank, being clothes-lined by a massive robot arm, and getting the profile switched out, thank God. After that, it all goes a bit fuzzy. He remembers being desperate, in a lot of pain, being terrified, and then feeling nothing at all. Now, he was lying on a cold stone floor in a pitch black room. He could hear someone shouting from what seemed to be quite far away. A headache pounded at his temples.

The voice seemed to be getting closer, too, which wasn’t doing any favors for his head, except, wait a second, that’s Ethan’s voice! Ethan was shaking him, screaming at him, and Benji wished he would calm down a bit because I’m fine, can’t you see that Ethan? All that shaking was making him nauseous as the pain in his head spiked, but Ethan didn’t seem to hear him. Benji knew he could get Ethan’s attention if somebody would turn the bloody lights on, Christ-

Benji opened his eyes.

“…Ethan?” Benji mumbled, feeling like his throat was on fire.

“Benji? Fuck, thank God, are you alright?”

“Fine. Oh, Christ, except I’ve got a headache that might kill me, ugh.” Benji tried to drag a hand up to his forehead, but the limb just flopped uselessly on the ground. He squinted instead, peering up at the senior agent with as much focus as he could muster-which, admittedly, wasn’t much.

Ethan was staring at Benji in a near panic. Warning bells ticked off in Benji’s scrambled head. Ethan Hunt did not show that much emotion. Ever. And yet here he was, wide-eyed and nearly vibrating with nervous energy, clad in an obnoxiously bright button down shirt that made him look a bit like an amateur flamenco dancer. Benji giggled to himself even as he felt the first tingle of worry in his chest. Benji focused a bit harder, looking past Ethan to the shadowy figure behind him. Ilsa was standing over the both of them, looking just as worried as Benji felt and more than a little fidgety.

“So, did we do it? Did we retrieve the oh-so-mysterious ledger?” Benji asked. He slid an arm around Ethan’s waist, trying to use him as a lever to haul himself up.

Benji would have missed the small smile if Ethan’s face hadn’t been almost directly above his as he was helped into a sitting position. “It seems so. And, with a little help from Ilsa, everyone came out just a little worse for wear.”

Benji smiled back at Ethan, feeling more than a little dreamy. Maybe sitting up wasn’t such a good idea just yet. His headache was still gnawing at his temples, nausea twisting in his guts. Focusing became difficult. Was there still water in his eyes?

He had just opened his mouth to ask Ethan when the man suddenly pitched forward. A shadow loomed over them. He blinked. A whisper, an apology, from above. Then he thought no more.

                                                           ***

When Benji came to, he noticed that his headache had completely subsided, although somehow his brain felt heavier in his skull. Great, I’ve got a concussion, Benji thought to himself, and lightly brushed a few fingers across his temple, unsurprisingly finding them wet with blood when he looked. He sat up, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat when he did, and slowly looked around. Ethan was still out cold, slumped over on the floor next to Benji, who slowly crawled over and grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to shake him awake, briefly thinking it a little funny to be in a strange role reversal of the events that took place directly before.

“Ethan? Ethan, come on, we’ve got to go! Oh, for the love of- WAKE UP YOU DENSE BASTARD.”

Screaming at a highly trained recently unconscious covert operative was maybe not the wisest choice, as Ethan jerked awake, immediately grabbing Benji by the throat and slamming him into the ground. He stared, wide-eyed and unknowing at Benji, until recognition flashed across his face. Ethan immediately released his bruising grip on Benji’s neck, slowly standing and staggering backward, before falling to his knees, a vague confusion in his eyes.

“What…what happened?” Ethan said, mildly slurring.

Benji shook his head lightly, brow furrowing in frustration as he slowly made his way to his feet, actually managing to stay upright this time. “Ilsa. I saw her knock you out just before I went down, although I’m not sure if she got to me or if I just passed out again. I’m going to take a wild guess and say the ledger is missing.”

Benji saw Ethan’s eyes widen in panic. Clearly, taking a hit to the back of the head had affected his impulse control a fair bit, as Ethan seemed completely unconcerned with maintaining his typically impassive demeanor. He began frantically patting himself down, apparently not finding anything, as his hands slowed and he looked up at Benji, his expression transforming from desperation to a slightly less concerning look of solid determination.

“Benji, we have to find her.”

Benji nodded. “I know.”

Ethan nodded back, seemingly in agreement, although Benji noticed that he hadn’t made any move to get up.

“Uh, Ethan?” Benji said, barely suppressing a laugh.

“Yes?”

“You maybe want to try and stand up? It’s a bit hard to engage in a high stakes pursuit when you’re planted on a concrete floor.”

“What are you talking about?” Ethan responded, plainly having not quite gotten his bearings fully back.

Benji sighed and rolled his eyes, feigning exasperation. “Alright, c’mon, up we go Mr. super spy.” Benji said, extending his arms towards Ethan. “Grab onto me, I’ll help you up.”

Ethan grabbed a hold of Benji by the wrists, using the other man’s weight to pull himself up. He wobbled a bit, and Benji placed a steadying hand on either side of Ethan’s waist.

“Are you sure you’re alright? I don’t think it would hurt to hang around here a minute or two more.”

Ethan shook his head, blinking slowly. “No, no. We have no idea how far she could have gotten by now. Let’s go.”

Benji watched as Ethan began to walk towards the exit, with himself cautiously followed behind, ready to catch Ethan if need be.

“Ah, yes, I’m sure our adversary will shrink in fear at the sight of the pair of us, truly an unbeatable team.”

Ethan paused long enough to turn and give Benji an affectionately annoyed look, nearly collapsing again as he resumed his shuffle. Benji sighed and ran a hand nervously through his hair, trying not to let himself become properly worried.

“What could possible go wrong?”