CHAPTER FIVE — TRAIN WRECK

"I'm a fifteen year old fugitive, those are some serious life goals." — alexia ortega

THE WATERY DEPTHS OF THE RIVER WERE QUICKLY CONSUMING THE VEHICLE AS IT SUNK TO THE BED BENEATH. Alexia felt her heart race inside her chest as the car filled with cold. It rose its way up her body, trying to engulf her entirely. The girl shivered at the sensation but tried her hardest to remain calm despite it all. Someone was gunning after them, but even the fifteen-year-old knew this wasn't the time to panic. And besides, growing up along the coast meant she was a pretty good swimmer. 

She burst through the watery layer and into the air pocket trapped within the car with her Father and the analyst right behind her. They gasped for breath as they tried to get their bearings, their lungs straining slightly from being underwater so long. Alexia then raised her hand to move the soaked strands of hair from in front of her face. Oh how she wished she had tied her hair up earlier because now it was everywhere.

Ethan quickly cast his eyes over the two on each side and scanned them for any sign of injury. "You two okay?" He asked as he placed his hands flat against the metal above them.

"Yeah."

Both Brandt and Alexia sighed their replies as they struggled to keep their heads within the small pocket of air. And it didn't help that she was shorter than the two men which just made it even harder for her. 

Her feet were constantly pushing up from what was the roof of the vehicle as she attempted to keep herself up and within their safe area. But with the day she had just had, Alexia was growing increasingly tired and her limbs throbbed with fatigue.

They had to get out of there. And fast.

Glancing between them, Ethan then spoke up. "Take a deep breath. Stay with me." He instructed. And even though Brandt and even Alexia didn't truly know him yet, they knew they could trust him with their lives. Because that was the sort of man her Father was. 

So, they nodded at him.

"Ready?" The two nodded once again. Then Ethan swam towards the broken car window to lead them to the river bank. The analyst insisted that the teen went next then he followed right after her and the super agent as he headed straight for the broken window of the car.

But before they could swim to the surface, bullets pierced the water, almost nicking them.

They truly were trapped. It seemed whoever had run them into the river was still there, ready to shoot anything that moved. For the love of Descartes, this wasn't good.

Ethan instantly grasped both Alexia and Brandt's arms, tugging them back inside the safety of the crashed car. They took shelter at its side before swimming inside and into their air pocket. But that air pocket was getting smaller by the minute. The water level inside was rising fast.

"What do we do?" Panted Brandt as Ethan glanced over at the teen with a worried look.

But her gaze was not on either of the men as something else had caught her eye. It was an emergency road flare. And those worked underwater.

Reaching out, Alexia grasped the item like their lives depended on it — which it probably did. A plan was coming together in her intricate mind, weaving itself together like a web. So, she turned to her Father and offered him the flare. "This can help." She stated matter-of-factly.

He took it from her hand and the idea in her mind seemed to be contagious because he soon realised what had to be done. "Great work, Lex." He smiled proudly. The teen blushed a little under the compliment. Then he turned to Brandt as well and said. "Wait here." He told them and Alexia couldn't help but roll her eyes. As if they could go anywhere else.

"Where else are we going to go?" Brandt asked rhetorically, echoing the young hacker's sentiment. 

Ethan was already gone, having vanished to put at least some form of her plan into action. Brandt turned to Alexia with a tired look as they awaited Ethan's return and the girl just gave him the hint of a smile in response. Then, a moment later, Ethan returned.

He re-emerged in the car and beckoned them urgently for them to follow him. Which of course they did because it wasn't like they had other options. 

Taking a deep breath, Alexia pushed her head back under the water and swam towards the exit. Everything ached but she knew she had to push through. And as the fire of the road flare directed the attention of their attackers somewhere else, the agent, the analyst and the hacker slipped away to safety.

They reached the surface quite quickly and gasped for breath as soon as they breached the top layer. Now they were directly under the bridge, far from the sight of the people who had shot them. They were safe... for now.

Now they just had to find the others. And get the hell out of Russia whilst they were at it.

IT WAS INCREDIBLE: THE NUMBER OF CACHES, SECRET HIDING PLACES AND COMMUNICATION POINTS THE IMF HAD AROUND THE WORLD. And in that very moment, she was so incredibly grateful for their preparedness. Because it was about to save their butts. If they got there that was. Right at that moment, Alexia and Brandt were following after Ethan as he led them towards wherever they were going. But she trusted him to take him to the right place.

The agent buried his hands deep within the pockets of his jacket as Alexia was trying to tame the wild frizz that was starting to appear on her drying hair. Her clothes were absolutely soaked and she was so glad she didn't have any tech with her because that would have been fried. The chilly breeze just made her even colder so the young girl pulled her jacket tighter around herself and tried to gain as much warmth as she could.

Then Brandt spoke up. "Why would that work?"

Ethan glanced back at him, eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Why would what work?" He queried and Alexia just sighed. She knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

"The flare on the body. Why would it work?" Clarified Brandt as Ethan turned to exchange a look with Alexia.

"It did work."

As they continued their trek into a railroad park, Alexia rolled her eyes at the man. He was busy scanning the carriages in front of them to notice her reaction. "Yeah, I know but—" Ethan cut off Brandt when he realised they were going in the wrong direction and quickly changed their course. And Alexia and Brandt were quick to follow. Then the analyst continued. "But why? I mean, how did you know that would draw their fire?"

"I didn't."

Alexia sighed once more and then added. "It's also basic psychology." Beside her, Ethan raised an eyebrow curiously at the girl. She then turned to him, matching his expression for his response. But Ethan just shrugged. Turning back to Brandt, she then said. "He played a hunch." Ethan hummed in agreement.

Blinking, Brandt took a moment to let Alexia's response settle in. It seemed the teenager was smart than her possible Father. So the analyst returned to the agent. "Okay. All right, so what was your scenario? Right, you... There's a guy being shot at in the water." Alexia glanced at her Father only to spot a glimpse of an amused smile creep onto his face. "All of a sudden, decides to light up a flare and swim around? I mean, what did you assume they'd be thinking?"

"Thinking?"

"Yeah."

Ethan chuckled and Alexia snorted when he said. "I didn't assume they were thinking. I assumed they were shooting at anything that moved." Exactly. Alexia nodded in agreement. "I just have them a target. Look, these..." Ethan let out another chuckle. "These guys aren't Rhodes Scholars, you know?"

Brandt didn't press any further. But then he breathed in heavily as the direness of the situation sunk in. "It's really happening, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Alexia sighed softly before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Then a train horn blared in their ears.

They were close.

Ethan perked up at the sound, as had the others, and then questioned. "Okay, you know what that sound is?" He turned to them with a smile as he hopped up onto a wooden platform. 

Relief and hope filled her heart at the sound and she too smiled as she followed after the two men. They were getting out of Russia. Finally.

"That's our ride out of here!" Exclaimed Brandt after they ran across the creaky wooden platform and jumped down to the other side. Then they sprinted along the track, searching frantically for their carriage. Not that Alexia knew what they were looking for yet. "All right, it's a green car. Number 47."

Now she knew what they needed.

So she put her keen eyes to some good use and immediately started scanning every train carriage that came past her. The trio all dashed along the track, yelling out when they found green. But they hadn't yet seen 47.

Even with her entire body aching, craving a well deserved nap, she kept going. The cuts on her body were sore and even all the running couldn't get rid of all the cold she was feeling. But it helped so she kept going. 

As they rounded the corner, the three rogues quickly went in search for the number they needed. She kept repeating the number under her breath as they continued their hunt for their getaway. But it was dark so that made it even harder to read the sides of the train.

"I don't see it." Stated Ethan, panic laced in his voice.

They were headed straight for the rear of the train but they hadn't yet seemed to find 47. But it had to be there somewhere. Then Brandt cursed in realisation. "Oh, shit!" He whipped around and immediately started sprinting in the opposite direction.

Oh, shit, indeed. Because it seemed they had already passed it.

Ethan and Alexia quickly ran after him and somehow the young teen managed to catch up with them. She didn't know who was more surprised by that: them or her. But by some laws of physics, the smaller tired fifteen-year-old kept up with the two men as they headed straight for a train car. Brandt then pointed to a device on the side. "This is it. The manifest."

The agent sped ahead to slide up the metal covering the device and the manifest vanished to reveal an electronic lock. Along the track, a small metal tower was blocking their path so they had to run around it to get back to the manifest. Alexia felt herself decelerating as her body started to give in. They had to do this quickly. 

Ethan inputted his IMF code but forgot to press the enter key. Which delayed them even more.

A breathless pant escaped Alexia's lips as she struggled to maintain a reasonable distance between her and the men. Brandt reached for the door, but it was still locked. But then a new level of security appeared.

"Retinal scanner."

At Alexia's words, Ethan groaned in irritation. But before he could get back to the device, another one of those towers got in the way, preventing him from doing the scan. So, he tried again.

"Agent confirmed."

Alexia sighed in relief as the computer's words made its way into her ears. And as soon as the device verified Ethan's identity, the carriage door slid open, ready for them to get inside. But the train was not stopping. They were going to have to try and climb in whilst it was moving.

Brandt was the first inside and as soon as he got on, he turned in the entrance and offered his outstretched hand to Ethan and Alexia. The former nodded to Alexia, telling her to go next, so with the last of her strength, she had a final sprint and reached out for Brandt's hand. The feeling of his hand in hers filled her with relief and he pulled her inside the carriage.

Now that she was safely within the train car, it was just Ethan left.

Both Brandt and Alexia offered the agent their hands as the train picked up its pace. Panic flared in his eyes and then he dashed forwards and grasped both their hands. Then together, Alexia and Brandt heaved the agent inside. And then the door shut behind them.

They panted breathlessly on the floor for a moment but when they looked up, they were greeted with guns in their faces. 

It took Alexia a moment to realise it was Benji and Jane and suddenly she calmed down and allowed her heart rate to start to return to its resting pace. "Ethan? Alexia? Jeez, I thought you two were dead!" Exclaimed Benji and Alexia smiled at him as he helped her to her feet.

"It's good to see you too." She said and allowed her exhausted form to somewhat collapse into Benji's side.

The techie didn't argue as he noticed her flickering eyelids and shaking limbs. She was damp, a little bloody and tired and had obviously had one hell of a day. So Benji just released one hand from his gun to wrap it around the top of her back. Considering all she had been through, the fact she was still standing and still sane proved that she was one hell of a kid. Benji respected that.

"We are." Brandt stated.

Ethan was glancing at Alexia worriedly as she leaned against Benji but at the analyst words, he turned to look at him. Both Jane and Benji pointed their guns straight at him. So the agent got up and gestured between his team and Brandt. "Agents Dunn and Carter. William Brandt, Chief Analyst." He introduced and they lowered their weapons.

"Analyst?"

Despite her fatigue, Alexia fought the incoming tide of sleep to watch in disbelief as her Father pressed a button and a TV lowered from the wall and slid along the floor to make a table. The IMF was so cool. She couldn't wait to take a deeper look into their systems —beyond hacking them for one file this time. 

He placed a USB (then Alexia realised it was the very USB the Secretary had given him before he was shot) down into the screen and brought it over into the middle of the train car so they could all see. "Agent confirmed." Echoed in her ears once more and Ethan put on a pair of headphones as his name appeared on the screen.

It seemed whatever the Secretary had to say was just for his ears alone so Brandt and Alexia used this time to change into some dry clothes. And once Ethan was done, he joined them in discarding his damp garments. The girl then wrapped herself in a blanket to regain some heat as they all watched Kurt Hendricks — Cobalt — on the screen. 

And from what she could tell from his lecture, they really were in some deep trouble.

Behind her her Father was making a phone call but she paid it no mind. Right now she was more focused on Cobalt and that he was scaring her more by the minute.

"Every two or three million years... some natural catastrophe devastates all life on Earth. But life goes on. And what little remains is made stronger. Put simply, world destruction is an unpleasant but necessary part of evolution."

A sudden whooshing sound made them all turn to see that Brandt had accidentally opened a weapons compartment. The girl just tightened the blanket around herself as the video continued.

"What happens then, I wondered, when mankind faces the next end of the world? I looked to Hiroshima, Nagasaki... thriving cities rebuilt from the ashes, monuments to the unimaginable, dedicated to the concept of peace. It occurred to me here that nuclear war might have a place in the natural order."

Alexia was sick to her stomach by his words. At least, what he was suggesting with them.

"But only if it could be controlled. Only if it touched every living soul equally."

As soon as the video cut to black, Alexia sighed in relief. It was over. She ran her hands down her face as she attempted to rid her head of the horrific message he was trying to get across. But it wasn't going to go away easy.

Then, after the vide ended, Ethan made his way to the centre of the train carriage so he could address his team. "IMF now believes this man, Kurt Hendricks, is the nuclear extremist, code name: Cobalt." He cast a look at Alexia and then continued. "Today he was seen leaving the Kremlin, with what is likely a nuclear launch device." All their faces contorted into worry at the news. Alexia remembered that man from the Kremlin and if she had known what he was carrying... she honestly didn't know what she would have done. Not let him get away with it, that was for sure. Ethan then changed the picture on the screen. "Two days ago, Sabine Moreau killed one of our agents in Budapest and relieved him of Russian nuclear launch codes." He turned around and changed the picture once again to show the... Burj Khalifa? "Intel indicates she will check into the Burj Hotel in Dubai in 36 hours."

So now, it seemed, they were heading straight for the tallest building in the world. That had to be another thing off of her bucket list. 

Some part of Alexia was regretting ever leaving the safety of her Uncle in Cadiz because at that moment, on the run and almost being killed twice in the last 24 hours, it wasn't good. But she had found her Father and made some friends which seemed to make this all worth it. Besides, it wasn't like she could back out now. 

"Marius Wistrom." Ethan carried on explaining their plan. "He is a known operative of Cobalt. Wistrom is currently en-route to Dubai. For the launch device to work, Cobalt needs the activation codes. He's sending Wistrom to buy them from Moreau. The Secretary is dead."

Alexia hung her head sadly. The image of his death was permanently imprinted onto her brain. She may not have known him well, but he seemed like a good man who wanted to do what was right. She liked him and now he was gone. 

Benji and Jane's eyes widened in shock at the news whilst the teen and the analyst just looked away. It was so fresh for them. And sure, he wasn't the first person Alexia had seen die. But she had never witnessed a death as violent as that before. 

"The President has invoked Ghost Protocol." She had no idea what that was. "We're shut down. No satellite, safe house, support, or extraction." Ethan informed them. "The five of us and the contents of this car are all that remain of the IMF."

Well, that was depressing.

Wait... had he included her in that? He considered her a part of this?

Alexia looked up at her Father with a perplexed look, but before she could question him, he said.. "And as of this moment, any action is unsanctioned. So if you want out, speak now."

The teen thought about his words for a moment. He truly cared about the people around him — his duty of care. He wanted to give them the choice of leaving, of going to safety, and Alexia truly appreciated it. But there was no way she was leaving now. Pursing her lips, she tugged the blanket tighter around her shoulders and shrugged them.

"I'm a fifteen year old fugitive, those are some serious life goals."

Her remark made the others smile at her and some — like Benji — even laughed. No one else spoke up to signal that they wanted to stay, that they didn't want to give up. Brandt went to say something but hesitated and turned away. Alexia smiled at the man with pride and appreciation.

At their decision, Ethan nodded in acceptance. "Our mission is Hendricks. We're all that stands between him and his goal. Nothing can be left to chance." Alexia smirked and raised an eyebrow at the super agent's words. Because knowing the reputation of the IMF, it'll probably end up being up to chance. It was just how they rolled — according to what files she managed to read that was. "Everyone connected with this man is considered an asset with valuable information about our target. No one can know we're still online. We lose Hendricks now, we lose him forever."

Jane looked up. "So what's the play?" She asked determinedly.

Ethan then replied and pointed to the screens. "Wistrom will take delivery from Moreau in 36 hours. Now we cannot let the launch codes leave the hotel, but we need Wistrom to lead us to Hendricks."

"He'll only do that id he has the codes." Brandt glumly noted.

Smirking, Alexia amended. "Or if he thinks he has them."

At her words a proud smile appeared on Ethan's face and he nodded in her direction. Alexia blushed slightly. "Exactly. Our objective is to intercept the sale, replace the authentic codes with counterfeits and follow Wistrom to Hendricks." If everything went to plan, it would be incredible and would work amazingly. But from experience, Alexia knew things didn't always go the way you expect them to.

Benji stood up abruptly and gestured to the screen. "Well, that's simple enough. We snatch the codes, we gin up some fakes. Jane, you double Moreau, and sell the codes to Wistrom and Bob's your Uncle." He said and Alexia giggled quietly to herself.

"And how do you propose we just snatch the codes from Moreau?" Queried the analyst as he looked up to look at the other agents, plus Alexia.

"We take her out."

Everyone immediately turned to Jane as they all knew the true reason she wanted Moreau dead. And as much as Alexia wanted justice for Agent Hanaway, this was neither the time nor the place. Their priority had to be the codes and Cobalt and they needed Moreau to get to both.

"Yeah, we take her out." Benji repeated and Alexia wasn't exactly sure whether or not he was being sarcastic. "But you know, discreetly."

"Discreetly?"

"Yeah." Sighed Benji and when he spotted the stern glare Ethan was sending his way, he quickly backed down. "Right, she's an asset. Right. I get it. Sorry. Nothing left to chance. He said... I'm spit-balling. It's not all gonna be gold." Alexia snorted.

"We don't touch Wistrom." Ethan ordered.

"All right."

After Benji surrendered, Ethan moved his gaze to Jane. "Or Moreau." He told her much to her displeasure as he headed towards her. "She'll answer for Hanaway, but it has to be when I say. After we get Hendricks." Jane nodded reluctantly. Because although she desperately wanted Moreau to suffer for what she did, she understood the importance of their mission. Then Ethan turned to Alexia. "Are you sure? We can get you back home, if you'd like."

Dropping the blanket, Alexia stood up. "I'm sure. Besides, I'm useful. Just ask Benji."

Ethan cast a look to his tech friend who immediately lit up and nodded his head frantically. "She's right. She's amazing. I mean, like super hacker level genius. Better than me, most likely, she—"

"I get it, Benji, thank you." Ethan cut him off rather softly. 

"And besides," Alexia continued, regaining her Father's attention. "I can defend myself. My Uncle's a gym owner so he's been teaching me stuff since I was a kid." She scoffed slightly. "Did you really think I would come all the way to Russia, alone, if I couldn't protect myself?"

A smile emerged on Ethan's face at her words. "Good." He said and then tossed an empty duffel towards her as he looked at all his team. "Only pack what we need."

"Yeah, absolutely. Only pack what we..." Benji trailed off as he spotted a device that he seemed to be very eager to try out. "You never know."

The adults grabbed the guns but Alexia's attention was more drawn towards the blades. Her marksmanship wasn't the best. But to be fair, she hadn't had much practice and she was sure, with time, that she would become a perfect shot. So, for now, she grabbed three knifes from the rack and stuck one in each of her high combat boots before clipping the third to her belt. 

Ethan had an unreadable expression on his face as he watched the teen arm herself and sift through IMF's things. Everything in the car amazed her, she almost couldn't believe it. The computers were the top of the line (she was definitely going to have some fun with those) and there were so many unique and awesome weapons for them all to choose from.

Alexia ran her fingertips across the IMF symbol and hummed in thought. She may not officially be an IMF agent, but she was helping them now. She was a part of the team. 

So Dubai better be ready because they were already on their way.

Rewritten as of: 27/05/24

I know it's been so long since I last reposted a chapter and I'm so sorry for that. I got caught up in other fics, but don't worry, I'm back now. 

This chapter is now 50% larger than the original which is definitely progress and I like this version better. We got more Alexia and Benji in this one. Benji is already becoming the best uncle ever and is Alex's #1 hype man. We love you Benji! Ethan is bonding with her more too which is great.

I love this book so I'm sorry I was away for so long. I won't leave it that long again even if I'm writing for other stuff.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326