MI: Ghost Protocol – Being Benji

Disclaimers: No money made here, no characters to call my own, just a little "fade in / fade out" scene I wanted to write. You recall the moment where Benji is watching Ethan prepare to step outside the window? Ever wonder what he was thinking? Here is a look inside Benji's head:

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Maybe I was a little too optimistic. Okay. I may have been suffering from the thin air up here. I can't believe I actually told him to go climbing out there. That's crazy.

Well, almost as crazy as the fact that he's actually gonna do it. Don't ask me why. Even if the world were to come to an end, it wouldn't get me to step out there. Okay. So the world is coming to an end. And okay, this is Ethan Hunt – the guy who is known for doing the crazy for breakfast, with an appetizer of the ridiculous and a dessert of the impossible. But to go out there with nothing but two gloves and a prayer – I know I couldn't do it.

But that's why Ethan is the team leader I guess. He's in charge of the mission. He's the one who gets to make the tough calls. And he's the guy who has to stand and face the orchestra if things go wrong. Makes me wonder how the guy actually manages to stay such a nice bloke. Believe me, I've seen others. Guys who have been 'out there' in the field for years, and some of them really scare me. But Ethan - I've never seen one like him. Tough as nails. Steady as a rock. And nice as Bob, provided you didn't try to either kill him, betray him or hurt one of his friends.

Speaking of hurting – I wonder if he's even thinking about the risk of falling. Probably not. Although he does look, well, a bit unhappy. Just before he faces the open window and I can see his face become a mask of concentration. I think I could probably fart the national anthem backwards right now and he wouldn't even notice. Okay. Bad example. But like I said, he wouldn't even notice.

As he takes that first steps off the edge, I can almost hear myself screaming 'what are we doing here?' What is this madness? But he knows. We're saving the world. Again. And if that means doing a free-climb outside the tallest building on the planet, I know without the shadow of a doubt, he's gonna take that mission and make it count.

Note: If you liked this, feel free to also check out the "Knight and Day" story section here at for another glimpse at "what they thought in the moment when..."