The Wall (S1E6): Episode Tag

Disclaimer:  I do not own either of the Mission: Impossible series or any of the characters therein.  I receive no compensation or any other tangible benefit from this story.  I am just a fan who enjoys taking the team out for an adventure every now and then.  🙂

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The plane from Berlin touched down in San Francisco in mid-afternoon.  From the airport, the five team members went straight to Jim’s condo for what the elder agent referred to as an “important” debriefing.  When they arrived, there was a black limousine parked in Jim’s customary spot in front of the condo.

“Someone’s here,” Max commented.

“Who is it, Jim?”  Nicholas asked.

Jim cast the group a knowing glance, but said nothing as he opened the front door and led everyone inside.  

A tall man with graying hair, wearing a black suit, was sitting in Jim’s chair in front of the computer.  As everyone entered, the man stood up and greeted Jim with a warm handshake.

“Mister Phelps.”

“Good afternoon, Mister Secretary,” Jim replied.  The Secretary then greeted the four younger agents by name and shook hands all around.  He then directed everyone to sit down before following suit himself.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?”  Nicholas began, for it was not typical for the Secretary himself to make an appearance at the team debriefings.

“The mission you just finished was an extraordinary one,” the Secretary responded.  “It was both very important and very dangerous.  Karl Bruck is one of our country’s greatest allies in promoting peaceful trade relations between East and West Germany.  Without his negotiating power, the East-West Trade Conference would not have happened, setting foreign relations progress back at least forty years.”  The Secretary smiled.  “Not only did you maintain the integrity of the Conference, you managed to end mass genocide and eliminate corruption within the East German security detail that were perpetuated by Gerstner and Batz.  And you did so at great personal risk, and without drawing undue attention to yourselves or to our country.”

The Secretary reached over and removed a manila envelope from the coffee table beside him.  “Because of your tremendous work on this mission, each of you will be receiving an official commendation in your personnel files.  I requested to deliver your certificates personally.”

The gray-haired man pulled the first two certificates out of the beige envelope.  “Let’s start with Mister Phelps and Miss Randall,” he began.  “By disguising yourselves as a corrupt banker and his daughter, the two of you convinced Gerstner to let you infiltrate his black market scheme – a feat that one of you alone would not have accomplished.  Your roleplay at Gerstner’s interrogation triggered him to reveal where he was keeping Ilse Bruck.  And, of course, the two of you were instrumental in saving Miss Bruck’s life and getting her safely back to her father.”  The Secretary handed the certificates to their respectful owners.  “The IMF thanks you for your service.”

He reached into the envelope and pulled out two additional certificates.  “Mister Harte and Mister Black,” he smiled.  “It was no easy task getting that truck across Checkpoint Charlie by the deadline.  Mister Harte’s technical work with tapping into the phone lines and getting the power back on to Miss Bruck’s life support system were both invaluable.   You both maximized your use of time in order to get to Gerstner’s office before harm could come to your teammates.”

“That was close,” Max acknowledged.

“Close, yes, but you made it,” the Secretary reminded him.  “The importance of Mister Black’s ability to disguise himself as Colonel Batz, as well as mimic the voice of Major Kirov, cannot be underestimated.  And Mister Harte’s manner of interrogating Gerstner was both credible and effective.”  Again, the Secretary handed the certificates to the two men.  “The IMF thanks you for your service.

“Finally,” the senior official smiled, as he extracted the final certificate from its holder, “Mister Collier.”  The Secretary paused briefly before continuing.  “We already knew that the IMF was in your genes, but you have developed into an outstanding agent on your own.  Forced into East Berlin alone, unable to contact any other team members.  Only the most skilled of agents could cross the border with forged papers and still flawlessly play such a credible role.  By switching the videotapes and making sure they got into the correct hands, you destroyed their black market business and made sure they were held accountable for their crimes.”  The Secretary handed Grant his certificate, punctuating the presentation with a warm handshake.  “The IMF thanks you for your service, and for following in your father’s footsteps.”

With the last presentation, the Secretary stood up.  “This mission was certainly not without danger, and timing was crucial throughout.  I don’t know of any other team that could have finished it successfully.  Even though the five of you have not worked together very long, you are easily my most skilled and dependable team.  Keep up the good work.”

As the five team members exchanged wide grins, Jim stood up to shake the Secretary’s hand.  “Thank you, Mister Secretary.”

“Once again, Mister Phelps, you have demonstrated your ability to bring together the strongest individuals and mold them into a team that is collectively many times stronger.  I look forward to working with you all again very soon.”  He flashed a smile at the other four team members.  “That is, after a well-deserved week’s vacation for all of you.”

And with that, the Secretary said his goodbyes and made his exit.  Jim closed the door behind him and chuckled softly to himself.  Then he turned to look at his teammates.  “I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” he said proudly.  “Now, go enjoy yourselves, and I’ll see you back here next week."

The End.

(c) 2022