Ethan waited outside the Kremlin for over ten minutes before receiving confirmation from Jane Carter that she had successfully hacked into the security system. Carrying two briefcases, he and Benji proceeded into the palace, handing their identification to the guards at the checkpoint.
While waiting for their credentials to be verified, Ethan's peripheral vision caught sight of a middle-aged man behind him, also waiting to pass security. The man smiled politely and nodded in greeting, to which Ethan responded with a slight nod.
Once Ethan and Benji entered the Kremlin, the middle-aged man, Kubrick Hendrick, took out a device from his pocket. Seeing that he had successfully tapped into Ethan's team's communication channel, he smirked, placed his ID on the counter, and clipped an earpiece onto his ear. Listening to Benji's incessant chatter with Ethan, Kubrick walked through the checkpoint.
Meanwhile, Church, Marvin, and Edward had already located the secret entrance to the Kremlin through a hidden passage. Using the small resonance disruptor provided by William, Marvin silently broke through a wall.
Peering into the opening, Marvin saw that it led to a server room. He relaxed slightly, holstered his weapon, and nodded to Church. "Clear."
Edward, watching Marvin handle the disruptor, marveled, "Technology has advanced this much? Back in my day, something like that was just theoretical."
Marvin shrugged. "Don't ask me; I just know how to use it." He pressed a few buttons on the device before tossing it several meters away. To Church and Edward's surprise, the disruptor began to self-destruct, burning itself out.
"Let's move. Questions can wait until we're out of here," Marvin said curtly.
With Edward leading the way, they navigated through corridors and passages, reaching the storage room containing the red mercury nuke in under ten minutes.
Edward retrieved a dusty, aluminum-alloy case disguised by Sunday and placed it on a table. Shining a flashlight inside, the three saw the crimson glow of the red mercury rod.
"I always thought this was a myth," Church muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "God help us if this ever falls into the wrong hands. The entire balance of the world would be upended."
"No kidding," Marvin said, agreeing. "This is 31-year-old technology. With today's advancements, just one red mercury rod could be used to create a compact, clean, and undetectable nuclear device—small enough to fit inside a pencil case. Smuggle it anywhere, even the White House, and current security systems wouldn't have a clue."
"Enough, Marvin," Church snapped. "We'll talk about this later." He closed the case and led the way out of the storage room.
As they passed through a central area with towering columns, they suddenly came face-to-face with Ethan and Benji, who were disguised as high-ranking Russian military officers. Around them, soldiers of lower rank stopped to salute the duo.
Dressed as a colonel and lieutenant colonel, Church and Marvin had no choice but to return the salute. However, Edward—unmasked and out of place—made their group stand out. Ethan only needed a quick glance to recognize Church, whose gruff demeanor and history with the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) were hard to forget.
Similarly, Benji's unmasked face was familiar to Church, who quickly deduced Ethan's identity from the context.
The three men exchanged stunned, alarmed glances but maintained their composure, silently agreeing to pass by each other without incident.
Behind Ethan and Benji, Kubrick Hendrick casually glanced at Edward Bailey as he passed. Pretending to scratch his ear, he gave Edward a subtle nod before continuing on his way.
Once Ethan and Benji were out of sight, Church turned to Marvin. "We need to move. Now."
"What's going on?" Marvin asked, confused.
"Call Victoria," Church ordered, ignoring Marvin's question. "Tell her to take Sarah and retreat to Ukraine. We'll regroup in Budapest."
"What the hell is happening?" Marvin pressed, growing alarmed.
"Just do it!" Church barked, his voice low but urgent. Grabbing Edward, he led the group back into the hidden passage at a near sprint.
Meanwhile, Ethan and Benji, their hearts pounding, debated their next move. Should they retreat or press on?
Ethan, considering the stakes of the nuclear threat, decided to proceed with the mission. "We're already in the heart of the Kremlin. We can access the database quickly and get out."
"Are you insane?!" Benji hissed. "We should get the hell out of here!"
"Shut up, Benji," Ethan snapped. "We've got this." Determined, he marched forward, leaving Benji no choice but to follow reluctantly.
At the data archive, Benji opened their briefcases, retrieving a small device that emitted subtle, rhythmic dripping sounds. Placing it near the archive's entrance, he activated it.
The guards, puzzled by the noise, looked around and eventually left to investigate the restroom.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Ethan scanned his credentials and entered the archive.
Simultaneously, Kubrick Hendrick used his credentials to access the vault housing the nuclear launch codes briefcase. After neutralizing the guards, he listened to Ethan's team's communications via the tapped channel and switched to the Kremlin security frequency.
Kubrick's team reported that Church and his companions had exited the passage and, in their haste, had not destroyed it. As a result, Kubrick's men were already in the tunnel, setting explosives.
Inside the archive, Ethan realized the files on Kubrick Hendrick were empty. Recognizing the setup, he signaled Benji and Jane to prepare for an immediate extraction.
Benji, once again using the water-drop device, lured the guards back to the restroom, allowing Ethan to slip out of the archive.
At the same time, Kubrick emerged from the vault with the launch codes briefcase. Smiling to himself, he opened his communicator and spoke.
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