Underneath It All

Part 2

He nodded, "There."

Both him and Ilsa started to sprint. They turned the corner and Ethan saw the girl, she was staring directly at them. He slowed down to a slight jog, Ils easily keeping pace with him. The girl looked like sh was expecting them and turned into another side street, the both of them hot on her heels. Ethan vaguely heard Ilsa call into her comm for a car, and heard Benjis reply in his own ear, he would be at their location in two minutes. 

As Ethan and Ilsa crept deeper into the alley they heard a door squeaking. The door was still swinging, which meant it had just been opened and closed in a rush. They glanced at each other, nothing pulling guns, they went inside. It was an abandoned apartment, but equipped with furniture and a rusty light was hanging from the ceiling. Ethan stayed in the main area while Ilsa searched the rest of the rooms. There was a crackle in his ear.

A crash came from further inside, sending Ethan running. He found Ilsa on the ground, a red lump quickly forming on her forehead and her gun lying on the ground. She cursed. 

"We have to follow her." He wheezed as he helped up Ilsa and they got out of the apartment.

They set off and just as a figure came into view, a single gunshot was heard. They slammed on the ground out of instinct and hid in a doorway. The cry of pain that followed sounded young, alerting Ethan the shot hadn't been aimed at them. He made out the sound of a car speeding away and the muttering of someone talking. The reply sounded pained, but confident. 

Ethan peaked around the corner and saw the girl and a man, obviously there to kill her, starting to fight. He pulled a gun but dropped it when a knife blade made contact with his fingers. The girl kicked it away and plunged the other knife into his shoulder, twisting hard before she was thrown against the wall and a foot stepped on her injured leg, right on a bullet wound. Her screams were something Ethan knew would haunt his dreams for a while. The man smiled, obviously enjoying himself, but before he could kill the girl Ilsa took aim and hit him squarely in the head. His body fell on the girl and she shoved him off, trying to stand and looking everywhere for the shot. Ethan and Ilsa dashed over to her and they both examined the person they had been chasing. 

She was about fifteen or so. Her hair was dark brown and pulled up in a bun, a slight glimmer of something resting in her hair. She was dressed very plain and practical. She was obviously afraid but staggered to her feet despite the blood seeping through her jeans. Her hands went to her hair and pulled two things from it. Upon closer examination Ethan saw they were knives. She gripped them with the comfortability of someone who was experienced. And Ethan remembered the knife she had thrown two weeks ago into the back of her attackers skull. He put his gun back in its holster and slowly began to approach her. 

"I don't want to hurt you," he said calmly, "I'm not like them." He motioned to the body of the man laying at his feet. She only rolled her eyes. 

"I'm not stupid, they all say that. Then suddenly you're pinned against a wall in an alley with a gun at your side and a death threat hanging over your head." Her voice broke a few times, evident of the pain, and both agents could tell she was close to passing out. 

He glanced at Ilsa and they had a silent conversation like they always did in the presence of those they didn't want to say things in front of. They reached a decision quietly, but before any further actions could be taken the knives dropped to the ground as the girls eyes rolled back in her head and her body began to fall. Thankfully for Ilsa's quick reflexes she was able to catch the girl before she hit the concrete. 

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Ethan and Ilsa had moved the girl back to the apartment she had most likely been occupying. They took her knives and searched her for other weapons, then found a first aid kit and set to work patching her up. The bullet had come just shy of being completely buried in her thigh. Instead it appeared that it had only taken out a chunk of skin. Ilsa cleaned it while Ethan threaded a needle and prepared some bandages. The girl awoke while they were sewing her up but didn't say anything. Instead she seemed to be studying the two as they worked. Ethan did not look at the girl once, for fear he would see a scared child in her eyes, even after seeing her kill three men. Ethan Hunt was and could do many things, but he had never been good with children, much less did he know how to comfort one. After Ilsa was done they stood in silence for a few minutes, all of them waiting for someone else to speak. Ethan broke it. 

"Do we have to be worried about being attacked anytime soon?"

The girl only shook her head, "Do I have to be worried about you and your girlfriend here?"

They exchanged glances, "I'm not his girlfriend." Ilsa told her, "And we told the truth before, we're not like them." She only nodded.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked, "Are you part of a terrorist organization?"

She shook her head at him, "I'm only a kid." But she was obviously lying. 

At that Ethan gave a chuckle, "A kid who killed three men in one night." 

Ilsa gave him a questioning look at that, "You know her?" 

"We haven't been formally introduced." They shared a smile at that, and Ilsa felt a surge go through her. A feeling she had not felt in a long time. She knew exactly what it was, but wasn't even ready to admit it to herself yet. Much less anyone else (cough, Ethan, cough cough). Clearing her head they focused back on the matter at hand. 

"You need to tell us who you are," Ilsa stated, "And you must do it soon." 

The girl looked her straight in the eye, "Tell me who you guys are then. And what business you had with Cole."

"You know who he is?" He asked sharply. another nod was received in return but no other explanation. 

"Ilsa Faust, this is Eth-" Ilsa began but was cut off.

"I know who he is." She smiled and extended Ilsa her hand, "Pleasure to meet you Miss Faust. I'm Andromeda, you may call me Andi though." 

Ilsa shook her hand, "Well Andi, you must call me Ilsa. As I'm sure you won't be leaving us any time soon." 

"What do you mean?!" The panic in her voice was obvious, "I will not stay with you!"

Ethan sighed, "You were injured and we need to make sure that you're stable. Besides, I still have some questions for you and I think that they are better asked on a secure location." 

Andi contemplated that for a second, "Let me pack a bag, then I'll come." Ilsa nodded in agreement and she disappeared down the hall, leaving Ethan and Ilsa with a hundred unanswered questions and no answers. 

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Andromeda took down her battered backpack from the shelf in the closet. She packed three changes of clothes . Then took a hairbrush from the bathroom and her meager amount of money from under the loose floorboard. After the main part of the backpack was filled she looked in the hallway to make sure neither of her companions were lurking, then ran her fingers along the thin seam on the inside fabric, catching the minuscule tear and sliding open the complicated hooks she had designed. She then placed some photos and papers in the hidden compartment. Including several passports and travel documents. She had always been told to be ready in every situation and always followed the advice. She resealed the compartment and slid in a box of cartridges and a small handgun along with several knives into the main part of the pack. A knife also went into her shoe.

She turned as footsteps stopped outside her door, finding the face of Ethan Hunt looking back at her.

"Ready?" He asked. 

Andi zipped the backpack up and stood, grabbing her jacket lain haphazardly on her mattress/bed. She nodded. This was it. 

"Ready." She said, because there was no other answer.

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