I don't own it.
Chapter 2 of 6, here we go...
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
He should have seen the headshot coming. Sniper, four o'clock, perfect kill shot, dead centre between the eyes. He might have seen it if he was himself. But instead, he's William Brandt (here: Moscow, 2011). IMF, ex-field agent, current senior analyst. He's in a Hugo Boss suit. He's wearing a Versace tie. He's never even heard of the guy who made his shoes, they're so far above his usual spec.
Before Ethan Hunt hopped into the car, Brandt was doing one job. But now the Secretary is dead, and he's on the run and doing two jobs at once, and he's pretty sure Hunt knows who he is.
No, not him. Brandt.
He holds it together through the Burj Khalifa fiasco. Resists the urge to tear strips off Hunt. The man seems to run on nothing more than coffee fumes and his latest mad idea, which in this case involves giving away nuclear launch codes.
And he thought SFC James was a maverick.
James was nothing compared to this guy.
They're on the same side, mostly, so he doesn't snap the guy's neck for pointing a loaded pistol at him. Hunt wasn't stupid enough to take the safety off, luckily for him. If he had, Brandt… well. Wouldn't have been happy. So he disarms Hunt, nice and slow like Brandt would, and Hunt demands an explanation for his skills. Brandt has the story prepped, of course he does, but before he can say anything Hunt's run off again to follow a lead.
Ethan Hunt trusts Benji, which is saying something. He trusts Jane, too.
But he doesn't trust Brandt, not after that show.
The plan, then, is a simple matter of emotion. Gain Benji and Jane's trust, and through them gain Hunt's. Easily done. He spills the backstory to them while Hunt is gone.
By the time they hit Mumbai he's worn three different suits in the last forty eight hours, all very expensive, and he's fairly sure he's getting an ulcer. The teeth-grinding isn't all Brandt. There's a fair amount of the man behind Brandt in there, too. He's tired of the politicking, tired of trying to do two jobs on the strength of half a plan. His fingers are itching for a sharp knife and a clean fight, he doesn't really care against who.
The chance comes. He makes it last.
Afterward, he spills his sob story to the man himself. Ethan forgives him and spills some intel of his own.
Bingo.
He takes the phone with the mission briefing, because the man may be insane but he's also useful.
He also takes the suits.
He's starting to like the suits.