In the world of high-stakes capital, there's little room for compassion or conscience—if someone wanted him dead, then he'd make sure to send his opponents to the grave first. And while the defense industry had its challenges, it certainly excelled in intelligence, firepower, and finding people willing to die for the cause.
With years of US military involvement stirring up chaos around the world, there were countless people with nothing left to lose, ready to exact vengeance. Among them, they even found former American soldiers who had been abandoned by their own leaders after serving their country.
It only took ten days to assemble over a hundred operatives, all with a death wish and the mission to storm the White House.
The plan was set, the team ready, and even a third-party backer from within the government had joined in. All they needed now was an insider.
Just as they were planning how to secure one, fortune seemed to smile upon them—a secret connection delivered the shocking news that Benjamin Arthur's head of security, Martin Walker, had a son who was still alive.
This discovery thrilled everyone involved. There was no better way to sabotage Arthur than by flipping his own security chief. The hardest part of the plan was now in place.
After a failed assassination attempt on Arthur, Martin Walker's authority was quickly bolstered, paving the way for the plan's final steps.
Though terrified, Alexander Dunning, the plan's originator, didn't dare to refuse the nearly deranged Brown Hammer. So he entered the White House as the covert director of operations.
The plan unfolded smoothly, almost too smoothly—until the very last moment when luck seemed to run out. But if they didn't kill Benjamin Arthur, they'd soon be hunted down one by one. The first to go down would likely be Dunning himself. Bolstered by the promises of the defense moguls, Dunning decided to risk everything. Using a hidden cell phone, he sent a message to the leader of the White House captors, ordering them to kill Benjamin Arthur, then swallowed the SIM card.
A faint buzzing sound from the gang leader's pager caught his attention. He glanced at it, then yanked off his hood and glared at Ethan Hunt, who was disguised as Benjamin Arthur.
"Remember the name: Abraham Judd. I'm sending you to meet the family members your people blew to pieces. Farewell, Mr. President."
With that, he raised his gun to shoot Ethan.
The moment Judd's pager buzzed, Hunt sensed danger. As Judd removed his hood, Hunt's eyes darted around the room, rapidly reviewing every detail he'd observed since entering.
In an instant, Hunt smacked Judd's gun-wielding hand, then rolled behind him, snatching two grenades from Judd's side in the process.
He pulled the pins, held his arms forward, and spun around, shouting, "If you shoot, we all go down together!"
The captors aiming their guns at him slowly relaxed their trigger fingers, daunted by the sight of the two grenades in his hands.
"You're not Benjamin Arthur, are you?"
Judd, hearing Hunt's accented words under life-threatening pressure, realized he'd been tricked.
"Damn it!"
Already prepared to die, Judd raised his gun and fired at Hunt.
Bang!
Screams erupted from the remaining ten hostages.
Hunt, hit in the chest, looked stunned, his expression pained. He stammered, "You... you..." and began to fall backward.
"Grab the grenades from him!" Judd shouted to his men, gesturing for two nearby to secure the explosives.
"Activate the explosives!" Judd ordered the remaining three captors. "If we can't kill Benjamin, we'll blow this place sky-high and meet our families in heaven."
Suddenly, a loud explosion blasted open the door to the hostage room. Michael Banning entered, his gun aimed squarely at Judd, and unleashed a hail of bullets.
The air filled with the deafening sound of gunfire as Delta Force operatives stormed in.
The timing of the strike couldn't have been more perfect. Judd's men were either reaching for Hunt's grenades or preparing to arm the explosives. Distracted, they were caught entirely off guard by the sudden assault.
The door blast and ensuing chaos startled them, and in the brief seconds that followed, all six captors were taken down. Even after they fell, the Delta operatives delivered a final shot to each captor's head to ensure no one survived to detonate any bombs.
Lying on the ground, Ethan Hunt finally dared to sit up. He'd been terrified of getting hit in the crossfire. Although his chest was bruised from the shot, as William had promised, the bulletproof suit had saved him. But his head was still unprotected, and a stray bullet could easily have killed him.
Seeing Hunt rise, Michael Banning confirmed that all the captors had been eliminated, then walked over with a grin and winked. "Mr. President, are you alright?"
Confused by the hidden message, Hunt just responded, "I'm fine. Thank God the suit worked as well as William Devonshire claimed. Otherwise, that shot would've sent me straight to heaven."
Hunt carefully lowered the grenades, allowing a Delta operative to replace the pins before handing them over. Then, with Banning's support, he stood up.
Seeing Hunt on his feet, the rescued hostages erupted into applause, showering him with thanks. "Thank you, Mr. President. You have my unwavering support from now on!"
"My God, I was saved by the President himself!"
Ethan's courage, quick thinking, and even taking a bullet had clearly left an impression. The hostages were so grateful that they gave him credit for the entire rescue, overlooking the efforts of Delta Force.
With a smile, Hunt nodded in acknowledgment.
Then, following Benjamin's instructions from William, he delivered a rousing speech full of idealistic promises, emphasizing his duty as President to protect his citizens.
William, who was standing nearby, rolled his eyes at the showy words.
Uninterested in the grandstanding, William handed Benjamin the video footage from the spider robot and prepared to leave.
But Benjamin, overjoyed after watching the video, ignored all decorum and hugged William, even moving in to kiss him on the cheek.
William shoved him away instantly. "Damn it, if you try that again, I swear I'll knock you out."
Benjamin just laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "You're my lucky star, mate!"
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