Jane Carter spent considerable time navigating the sewers before locating the prison's network access point. Once connected, Benji quickly gained access to the entire prison system through his terminal.
By introducing a Trojan program, it didn't take long for him to seize control of the prison's server.
"Beep..."
The sound of a cell door unlocking echoed in the silent prison wing. Moments later, a nearly two-meter-tall inmate stepped out of his cell, glancing around in confusion. Spotting no guards, he grinned and began showing off to his fellow inmates in neighboring cells.
It didn't take long before the noise from the inmates in the eight-cell wing grew into a commotion.
Hearing the disturbance, patrolling guards reported it via radio to the control room and opened the electronic doors to enter the cellblock, commanding the freed prisoners to return to their cells.
"Beep, beep, beep."
As two guards, armed with batons, walked into the center of the wing, a series of electronic unlocking sounds echoed.
Benji had remotely unlocked all eight cells simultaneously. The already rowdy inmates stepped out of their cells, glaring menacingly at the guards.
Whatever the guards said next seemed to spark fury among the inmates, as all eight men—hulking figures from the Russian underworld—attacked them in unison.
"Whoop-whoop!"
Alarms blared throughout the prison.
The warden, alerted to the chaos, ordered all off-duty guards to suit up in riot gear to quell the disturbance. Unfortunately, the prison's electronically controlled doors, now under Benji's command, rendered the warden's orders ineffective. The riot police couldn't even enter the affected wing.
"Beep, beep, beep."
Another sequence of electronic door unlocks reverberated as Benji opened all general population cell doors, diverting the guards' attention.
Meanwhile, in the wing housing high-risk inmates, a single cell door slowly opened. Ethan Hunt, dressed in a tank top and looking slightly disheveled, stepped out. Looking around, he noticed the iron gate to his right opening automatically.
Realizing someone had come to rescue him, Ethan smirked. Ignoring the shouts and pleas of other inmates, he leisurely walked through the open doors and into the stairwell. Following a trail of opening electronic doors, he eventually reached a sealed storage room.
Before he could question whether this was a mistake, the concrete floor beneath his feet began to vibrate.
"Whirr..."
In seconds, a one-meter-wide hole appeared in the floor.
With a swoosh, a rope shot up, anchoring itself to the storage room ceiling. Peering down through the hole, Ethan saw a woman tossing up a descender device.
Sliding down into the sewer, Ethan found himself face-to-face with the woman. Amused, he asked, "And you are?"
"Ethan Hunt. I'm Jane Carter, CIA operative. Time's short—we'll talk later," Jane said, leading him out of the prison via the sewer system.
Once in the van, Benji turned from the driver's seat, grinning. "Long time no see, Ethan! I thought you were on vacation or had been reassigned. Never thought you'd end up sitting tight in a Russian prison."
Ethan smirked at Benji's quip but didn't explain. "Good to see you too, Benji. I take it something big has happened. Otherwise, HQ wouldn't send anyone to pull me out."
At Ethan's comment, the jovial mood in the van quickly turned somber.
"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, his concern evident. "Something serious?"
"Hanaway is dead," Benji said solemnly.
"What?" Ethan exclaimed. "Hanaway Gibbs?"
"Yeah." After a pause, Benji explained, "Our orders were to intercept a file in Moscow. Everything was going smoothly—file secured, Hanaway evading rival agents. But just before rendezvousing with us, a female assassin took him out."
Jane handed Ethan a phone, displaying a photo of the assassin. "Recognize her?"
Ethan glanced at the image, his eyes widening in surprise. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Madeline Swann."
"You seem to know her well," Jane pressed, her voice tight with anger. "Why can't we find anything about her in the CIA database? Who is she really working for?"
"She's an assassin. As long as you pay her in diamonds, she'll take on any job," Ethan replied, then added, "Last I heard, MI6's 007 has been chasing her for nearly a year. Guess Craig hasn't caught her yet."
"Why is MI6 after her?" Jane probed further.
"Madeline Swann's father, known as Mr. White, is a top killer for Spectre," Ethan explained. "MI6 suspects Spectre was behind the death of their former M, which is why Craig has been hunting Mr. White and Madeline Swann."
"Enough!" Jane snapped impatiently. "You still haven't explained why there's no record of her in our system."
"I have no idea," Ethan admitted after a pause. Sensing Jane's frustration, he looked to Benji for an explanation.
Benji whispered, "Jane and Hanaway were... involved."
"Ah," Ethan sighed, rolling his eyes. "If Swann worked with us or MI6 in the past, her file might be restricted. Jane, ask someone higher up. They should know something."
"I will," Jane said firmly.
A few moments later, the van stopped under a bridge. Benji pointed to a nearby public phone. "Your mission starts there."
Ethan nodded knowingly, threw on a jacket, and stepped out. Approaching the phone, he picked up the receiver and entered a code.
The phone booth's panel slid open, revealing a retinal scanner.
"Identity confirmed. Welcome back, Agent Hunt. Intelligence indicates that Hanaway's death is linked to Kubrick Hendrick, a strategic nuclear advisor for Russia. The nuke launch codes may also be tied to Edward Bailey, reported dead 31 years ago.
"Your mission: infiltrate the Kremlin, identify Kubrick Hendrick's true identity, and investigate his connection to Bailey. Additionally, reports suggest Frank Moses is in Moscow, pursuing the same objective. To outpace competing factions, you'll operate under a new identity."
The small monitor displayed a photo of a uniformed officer. "Anatoly Federov: height, build, and facial features closely match yours.
"Reminder: If you or your team are killed or captured, we will deny your existence. This message will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Agent Hunt."
Ethan hung up the phone and returned to the van, his expression grim. After a brief pause, he said, "We have to go to the Kremlin."
"Wait, wait!" Benji exclaimed. "Are you suicidal, or did I mishear?"
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