Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

°•°▪︎|CHAPTER 13|▪︎°•°

"Wait, that's it?" Jane yelled after Ethan, but he was already out the door, leaving her question unanswered. Frustration boiled over as she turned to the others. "What are we gonna do? Go after him alone?" Benji added, his voice tinged with uncertainty, but no response came.

With Ethan gone, Jane's attention snapped to Brandt. "You, can you explain yourself, Agent Brandt?" she demanded, her tone sharp and uncompromising.

Brandt took a deep breath, the weight of what he was about to reveal heavy on his shoulders. He began to recount his story, though it was clear he was only offering a piece of the truth. "I was part of a protection detail in Croatia," he started, his voice distant as his mind drifted back to the past. "We were shadowing a couple—husband and wife. They were never supposed to know we were there."

The memories came rushing back, vivid and painful. "It was routine, day in and day out, for three days. Then we got word that a Serbian hit squad was targeting the couple. My team had everything under control, or so I thought. We knew they were coming. But I couldn't shake this feeling that I should warn the couple, find some way to let them know," he paused, the regret evident in his tone. "But you know, orders are orders, so I didn't. I followed protocol."

His voice grew quieter as he continued, "One day, the husband decides to leave the hotel and go for a run. I followed him and left two men with the wife. When I got back, my guys were unconscious... and the wife was gone." The room seemed to hold its breath as he paused again, the gravity of his words sinking in. "The local police found her body three days later. Or what was left of it. That was my last day in the field. I couldn't face another life-or-death situation after that."

Sara's eyes softened with sympathy, tears gathering at the corners, though she fought to hold them back. Something about Brandt's story stirred a vague familiarity in her, a suspicion that gnawed at the edges of her mind.

"What happened to her husband?" Sara asked quietly, her voice tinged with curiosity and a growing sense of unease.

Brandt looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I never saw him again... until two days ago, in Moscow, when the Secretary introduced me to Ethan Hunt. And, apparently, a daughter I never knew about." His gaze shifted between Sara and Benji, both of whom seemed bewildered by this revelation. They exchanged a quick, puzzled glance, struggling to process what Brandt was telling them.

"No, that's not what happened," Benji interjected, trying to reconcile the story with what he knew. "She left him, you know. That's what I heard."

Brandt shook his head, the pain of the memory etched into his features. "I've heard that one too, Benji. But, unfortunately, I was there. Just like I was there when the Secretary got the phone call... that Ethan was in custody for killing six Serbian nationals in cold blood."

His final words hung in the air, leaving no room for doubt. The truth was out, and with it, the weight of the past that Brandt had been carrying silently all this time.

"Unsanctioned hit," Benji murmured, realization dawning on him. He exchanged another look with Sara, the weight of the situation settling heavily between them. "Yeah," Will confirmed quietly, his voice carrying the burden of the truth.

Sara sank deeper into her chair, the pain in her bruised ribs forgotten as the implications of Brandt's story washed over her. So that's what had happened all those months she'd spent at home, waiting for her father to return—only to get a call from her uncle saying he'd been arrested and was in jail. The pieces were finally falling into place, but they brought no comfort, only a deeper understanding of the darkness her father had been pulled into.

"Disavowed," Jane added, her voice carrying a note of resignation. Will nodded in agreement, then took a seat on one of the chairs surrounding the small round table. The weight of his memories seemed to press down on him as he continued.