Ghost Protocol: Meet the Civilian

Chapter 5: Dubai

Kat tossed from one side to the other, trying to get comfortable in her seat and hopefully get some sleep before they arrived in Dubai, but it was proving impossible. Every time she shut her eyes she saw the bullet going through the Secretary's forehead, his brain getting splattered on the window and seat behind him. She shifted again, before jumping about a foot into the air when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Hey, hey, it's just me." Brandt soothed when she turned to him, startled.

"You okay?" He asked as he eyed her and she nodded.

"I'm fine." Kat said a little shakily and Brandt's brow lifted skeptically.

"Okay, no, I'm not fine." Kat admitted and Brandt nodded.

"It's normal." He reassured her quietly as he shifted just slightly in his seat to be more comfortable, turning his back to Jane as she slept on his other side. "You haven't been trained to deal with this kind of thing."

Kat stared at him, her gaze turning mournful as she asked him softly: "Does it ever get easier?"

"You learn to live with it." He replied and Kat stared at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Are you okay?" She asked at last, her green eyes peering at him carefully. "I mean, he was your boss."

"I've been trained to deal with it." He replied with a light shrug, but Kat's next words caught him by surprise as she pointed out shrewdly: "That didn't answer my question."

Brandt paused, shifting slightly. He was suddenly aware just how close Kat was, physically, as she peered up at him from where she had her head on the side of her seat, right by his shoulder. It made him slightly uncomfortable to have her watching him so thoughtfully, her bright green eyes seeming to pore into his soul, and he was once again hit by how strangely collected this civilian was. She panicked whenever something unexpected happened, just as he would expect from someone not used to their field, but she had displayed an uncanny ability to calm herself quickly and to either follow orders without question – highly unusual from panicking civilians - or look for a logical solution to her problem.

"I don't think about it." Brandt told her at last. "You can feel guilty about it, but only after the mission is completed. Otherwise, you run the risk of letting personal emotions cloud your judgment."

Kat nodded in understanding, slowly lowering her eyes as she played with her hands. Brandt was just about to settle back in his seat when Kat said suddenly, her voice soft: "Sorry, by the way."

He glanced at her, surprised and confused.

"What?" He asked, and she repeated: "Sorry. I know I'm making you guys' mission harder than it needs to be. I want to help, but..."

She trailed off, clearly remembering Jane's words.

"Yeah..." Brandt began slowly as he stared at Kat, his gaze just as curious as hers had been earlier. He was reminded by how careful she was around them, keeping quiet and trying not to be a bigger bother than her untrained presence was. He'd caught her every time she'd been about to say something before she quickly silenced herself, clearly not wanting to draw attention to herself while they were busy planning.

It hadn't helped when Carter had snapped at her, and while the agent's words had been true, they were also uncalled for. He was just as unhappy as Carter about the fact that they had a civilian to look after, but he also knew it was unfair to take that out on the woman herself. Kat hadn't asked to be here any more than they'd asked for the situation and, like she'd said, she had just wanted to help in whatever way she could.

"Don't worry about it." Brandt said abruptly, making Kat look up at him in confusion.

"What Carter said." Brandt explained. "You're not in anyone's way. Just pay attention to what we tell you to do, and it'll be fine."