2007-10-12: Rainman

Starring:

Benjamin_icon.gif Meryl_icon.gif

Summary: Someone needs clothes, and Meryl needs a bride. (???) She drives good. At home in the driveway.

Date It Happened: 12 OCTOBER 2007

Rainman


Meryl's Car, THE INTERSTATE

Having received the email from Meryl, Benjamin has started to get things in order prior to him leaving for Australia. Wow. Australia, just thinking about that alone has him excited, despite the worry gnawing at his gut. This isn't a vacation, he's going to help try and reverse the work of one bad guy. Sitting at his desk in the bullpen-esque setup of cubicles, he's making out a list of things to pack in between work. What? He's a list maker okay? Things to do, things to buy, money to set in an accessible account for Rose..

—-

Australia, seriously! Meryl's been there on and off to drop in on her parents, but not in a long time. She's looking forward to it, but then again, Meryl looks forward to just about anything. Firefights, detention, bees. In fact, after having spent all day painting the Hartsdale facility, she's STILL not in a bad mood as she heads for Ben's office with a bag slung over her shoulder. There's stuff in it. Like a cookie sheet. It's probably best not to ask about that.

And then she waltzes right into Ben's cubicle and grabs his arm. "Come on, we have some shopping to do," she insists, and will pull him right out of his chair if allowed. "We're going to the mall."

—-

And as Benjamin's arm is grabbed, his pen makes a god awful squiggly line across his page as he writes. "What tha.. Meryl! I was going shopping after wor.. wait.. what? Why?" Suddenly he grows suspicious of Meryl's intentions. Because knowing her, there's no telling what she wants to shop for. Despite the brief protest, he is getting up from his seat.

—-

Squiggly lines are still lines, and can thusly still be read! THE LIST IS NOT RUINED! It would look better if Ben was writing with green pen, though. Maybe pink or blue. "We're going to get you some art supplies," is her answer while her mind is on it, "And we're also going to get Megan some nice clothes. Or, rather, you are. Or, rather, I'll buy, but you'll be the one giving them to her. Because we need you two to preferably not tear at each other all the way there and back. This is the best idea ever, and you can't refuse." Ah, that would be her thinking out loud again! Oh, well. "I'm driving!" …She's a good driver. At home. In the driveway. On Sundays.

—-

".. I don't need art supplies." As always, Benjamin gets a little exhausted trying to keep up with Meryl. Things start to sink in once he selectively tunes out words. Oh. Okay. "Oh.. I was wondering about that. Megan and clothes.. not that in a pervy way or anything but, just that y'know. She hasn't been let out on her own and hasn't been able to go home and get new things. Tell you what.. I'll do the buying. You just help pick things out. Okay?"

—-

"Yes, you do," she states, dragging - yes, dragging - Benjamin back to the desk to point out the abomination that is his work. "There's nothing creative about this. No colour. Your notepad is even white. Seriously, Bingo, you need a little bit of colour in your life if you're going to get anywhere. We're buying you some crayons, end of story."

And then they're off again, toward her car, which is actually surprisingly not banged up, despite the fact that it's often Meryl who's driving it. "You're always a perv," she says, though it seems by the way she says it, that she might not actually know what 'perv' means. She does, but at the moment, she's just parroting things back at him.

"So anyway, when you drive, you hhave to pretend it's like a game, and the fewer things you hit, the more points you get," she explains as she steps into the car and buckles her seatbelt. "If you want to buy, that's cool."

—-

Benjamin gaaaacks as he's dragged, "Easy Meryl! I just had the stitches out, but I have to be careful still.. and.. what? It's not supposed to be creative. They're just lists." The protest is feeble, futile and why does he even bother? "Fine. I'll get some crayons." At the car, he keeps his mouth shut about the condition of the vehicle and Meryl's driving. He has no clue how bad or good a driver she is. Then.. "I am not a pervert. Just ask my ex-wife and Alice. They'll tell you how straight laced I am.. and why am I even trying.."

Hand on the door of the car, he just stares at Meryl. "Uh.. I think we might get this done faster if we take a bus.. but that sounds like a fantastic game to play.. but maybe another day?"

—-

"No," Meryl answers cheerfully. She's in her car, and they are taking the car. "Look, you don't have to worry about anything, I'm a good driver, really." So don't fear for your life, it'll be okay! NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN. "Last time I ran into anything was almost a week ago, and the car's already fixed, so no one'll know."

Insert big smile here. Did she really run into anything? No. But pushing Bingo's buttons is a fun game. "Who's Alice? Is she from Wonderland? How's her cat? Are you gonna get married? Can I come? I can be the flowergirl, I'm good at that. Or the maid of honour. I'm good at that, too. I promise I won't ruin the cake— Can I make the cake? It'll be awesome. The wedding's gonna be bright pink and yellow!" …By the way, Benjamin, she just proposed for you, or something.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could hit up the mall. It's just too bad that there's not a store for secret agents, you know? We'll have to be a little creative."

—-

Oh God. I'm going to die. That's what's going through Benjamin's head as he slides into the shotgun seat and buckles in. Trying to be as stoic as possible about this, he simply answers. "You met Alice. No she's not from Wonderland and she doesn't have a cat.. and.. wha… no.. we won't be getting married. Sorry to disappoint about that." Alice already specified she doesn't want to get married. Ever. It's something he sounds just a little disappointed about, but there's relief too. Why would anyone in this Company want to be married, project a normal life, have kids, endanger them.. and what if you have a child who has an ability? So it's probably no surprise when he answers Meryl that he sounds a bit distance. "Sure. The mall sounds great."

—-

T'ch. No one's gonna die. C'mon, Ben, Meryl already said she's a careful driver! The fact that she sort of peals backward out of the parking space, though, with a loud squalling of tires, might not do much to put his mind at ease. "Oh, she was the girl who was there when Meg and I game to see you in the hospital." She laughs. "Man, you got told, didn't you? Megan's getting good at that powers thing. It's weird." Taking her eyes off the road!, she looks over at Ben. "I mean, I think it's awesome what you guys can do— "

HOOOOOOOOOOOOONK

Eyes back on the road. "But she's really new at it, and she's already making a lot of progress. I mean, she used your ability."

—-

Ben turns to look over at Meryl.. and no response is forthcoming as she informs him that he got told. He's too busy grabbing one hand to his seat, the other to the door. The squealing of tires do NOT put him at ease. ".. it's.. one big misunderstanding with Megan.. that's all.." Where are they going? His eyes are closed and he might even be praying. "Yeah. It's awesome. Really. We have powers." Please, don't wanna die like this. "I'm glad she's making the progress that she is, honestly. I do like her, even if her brother is going to kill me if he finds out about all of this."

—-

La-dee-dah~ Driving on the Interstate toward the mall! Everything's cool as Meryl weaves expertly in-and-out of traffic, playing an expert game of Dodge-em all the while. So far, she hasn't lost any points! "Well, I guess that's a matter of what you consider awesome. I mean, if you put me to sleep while I'm driving, that might not actually be so awesome." She shrugs. "But you won't, because you're good at yours, too. I think. Aren't you?" Passing into the next lane, she very nearly clips a semi truck. "You get more points for narrow misses."

—-

"I've already put one driver to sleep on accident. It wasn't awesome. That's how the Company found me." Benjamin keeps his eyes closed. He's just taking a nap, no really. Seriously. Leaning his head back against the headrest, eyes shut tight, he responds, "No I won't, I'm much better now about it. So don't worry about accidents from me. I've been house trained." har har. *sob*

—-

Meryl's a lot more perceptive than some people give her credit for. In fact, now that it's no longer entertaining to scare the hell out of Benjamin, her driving miraculously becomes much tamer, as she sticks to one lane and decreases her speed to somewhere closer to the speed limit. "Ben," she says quietly. "Ben, you don't honestly think that we all think of you as some wort of pet, do you?"

—-

Well. That question has Benjamin's attention. He actually opens his eyes and looks over at Meryl, completely taken aback and by surprise. That.. was.. a really good question from her. A keen observation.. and he knows by now that he should give Meryl more credit, but still. "… I get the impression a lot of people in the Company feel that way. That it's as if we have an ability, we're to be owned. It's something I noticed when I was in the hospital. Poked, prodded, stared at like I was in a zoo. I don't think everyone feels that way, but there is a dehumanizing way some treat us."

—-

He's right, of course. People don't exactly look at Evolved as friends. They're anomalies. Even Meryl sometimes refers to them (endearingly) as aliens. Plus, she can't speak for everyone in the Company. There's a brief glance at Ben before she looks back to the road. "Look, Ben…" She pauses. "Even if there are some, I guess… You won't ever get that from me." She has all the reason in the world to hate people with abilities, and she can't, because they're all just people, too. Perhaps it's a kindergarten mindset, and sometimes she's afraid of what they can do, but all the same, she sees everyone on equal ground. "No one owns you."

—-

"I know I won't, and I'm grateful for that. You don't have it in you." Benjamin seems to be relaxing more for the ride now that Meryl's driving is more normal and less typical New York insanity. "And I know not everyone has that mindset, but it's pretty obvious with a number of people there." The way those with abilities are treated like they're property, looked down upon like freaks. It's a wonder more haven't taken to the streets.. but perhaps that's another reason why the Company exists. Keep those with abilities on the downlow, there's enough trouble in the world without adding more fuel to the fire.

—-

See? Meryl's a good driver, and she's not even at home in the driveway. "Well, it's just that we get a lot more new Evolved than regular garden-variety people. All the newbies are treated pretty harsh," she says with a shrug. It's… Not quite true. It does seem like the people who can hurt others just by thinking about it are treated with a little more caution. "Just remember the people who like you for you, okay? Like me. I thought you were a turd at first, but you're an okay guy, Bingo. I like you."

—-

Benjamin chokes a little when Meryl says she thought he was a turd. "I.. get that a lot. I'm sure you've peeked at my file, so you can see what kind of background I came from. Boring, a nobody, an accountant for God's sake." He runs his hand through his hair a little, shaking the curls some. "I know, and I appreciate that Meryl. There aren't too many people out there that I can tell about what I can do, and confide in them. I'm kinda restricted. Although it seems like more people know than should."

—-

He was a turd. After all, she was just trying to show him the amazing properties of snot when he put her to sleep, for no good reason! "So what would the world do if there weren't any accountants?" she asks. "I mean, even garbage truck drivers think that they're not really doing much, but imagine if there were no garbage truck drivers. I think accountants are awesome. By the way, I'm lying, but I'm really trying to make you feel better. I think that has to be the most boring job ever, and I don't know why anyone would want it, but… Hey, if you're good with numbers…" She pulls off the highway toward their exit. "A few people know, yeah. I guess it just happens. There are people you can talk to, though. I'm sure you've figured out by now that we're not the bad guys." They aren't the good guys, either, honestly.

—-

Benjamin laughs at Meryl's words. They go a long way towards making him feel better. "I appreciate it.. and it was the most boring job ever. But it's what I was good at, I made a decent living with accounting. There was nothing to complain about, although my ex-wife might disagree there.. but she's way out of the picture now." He nods, feeling lighter than he was. "I like that I'm not simply crunching numbers every day. Even if I've been stabbed, my friends now are afraid to associate with me and no longer trust me." He sort of shrugs in a what can you do gesture.. "I've known we aren't some bad or evil organization.. questionable methods yes.. but outright bad? No."

—-

It gives her a nice feeling when she makes someone feel better. The laughter helps, and Meryl smiles. "Well, you get a lot of action with the Company, that's for sure," she states. She holds up the hand that Benjamin shot at, though, to reveal that there's not even a scar left anymore. "Still, you meet some pretty amazing people, too. Don't think there's many people who weren't forced into it in some way or another, myself included. But you make the best." It… does bother her a bit that he might have friends on the outside that know about the Company. Still, she isn't about to send the Haitian after them. "I can't claim to know how that goes," she says. "Still, just… Well, I guess I dunno what to say, sorry. I think it's their loss. Or, that's what I'd like to think." Glancing sideways, though, she admits, "I know the truth, of course, and I'm sorry."

—-

"Yeaaah.. I still feel bad about accidentally shooting your hand. I'll take remedial gun lessons or something." Benjamin says, with a faint wince as Meryl holds up the hand. Even if it was healed nice and scar-less. "That's the way I'm looking at it too. Make the best of the situation. Mr. Bishop rationalized it pretty well.. You're always going to have disagreements with your employer." Just some employers don't tell you to kidnap and tag people. "A friend saw me get kidnapped, and word just kind of spread. Another didn't know I was employed by the Company until someone went to the future, found out and came back with information and spread it too." Another laugh escapes, but it's not in humor. "You don't have to apologize. I honestly don't blame them for being suspicious of me. I work for someone they don't trust, and in some cases they hate."

—-

"Well, I'm a good shot!" Meryl says proudly. "I can give you lessons, no problem. Just make sure you always aim away from people, and you'll do fine. I mean, if you hit the board around the target, the board really doesn't care, yeah? And… Anyway, I found someone who could help. I've been through worse. Remind me to show you my back when you're trying on bras in the dressing room. If it looks good on you, it's probably not going to look good on Meg. So we'll put those ones back." It's really hard to tell if she's kidding or not sometimes.

Enough about the Company, though. She's here with Ben to have a good time. As she pulls into the parking lot, she says, "There's this great place with sesame chicken. It's the best restaurant ever, in the mall's food court. After we're done, we gotta stop there."

—-

"I.. somehow don't think that's very flattering to Megan. She's much nicer looking than I am," Benjamin retorts with a faint grin. It seems he's quite fine with the detour in subject matter. Discussing the more unpleasant side effects of working for the Company can get downright depressing. As they pull up at the mall, he glances over briefly at Meryl as he unbuckles his seatbelt. "Maybe I'm allergic to sesame, how about that?"
Meryl pulls off her seatbelt, glancing up at Benjamin with this huge grin on her face. "You're not, I read your file." Wink. She knows all about you, Ben. There's no escape. Some might say Meryl is nosy, but…

Okay, they'd be right.

Seriously, though, she needed something to put her to sleep, and she could think of nothing better than reading the excitement that is Benjamin Winters' file. When you don't have the real thing, settle for something close? Whatever. Stepping out of the car, she heads around it to Benjamin's side. Still beaming, as soon as he opens his door, she says, "Marry me!"

—-

"Ohnoes, nothing is sacred or secret now," Benjamin says with mock horror.. and he probably shouldn't say 'ohnoes' ever, ever again. That's on the list with words like emo. He gets out of the car, shuts the door.. and promptly flattens his back against the side. He stares bug-eyed at Meryl as if she really and truly flipped. Is she serious? No.. maybe.. Hell, he doesn't know! So he takes the joking route, "But you haven't bought me dinner yet."

—-

She flipped a long damn time ago! COME ON. LOOK AT WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO. "Okay, we'll hit the food court first then, and I'll buy you dinner." Then they can head to… Uh. Bed, Bath, and Beyond or something and hold a wedding in the aisle with all the towels and stuff. Perfect setting! Is she kidding? Isn't that all part of the surprise? He'll just have to wonder if she's serious the whole time they're in there. Leaning over, she gives Ben a quick kiss on the cheek, before taking his hand and running for the mall. NEXT STOP: FOOD COURT.

—-

Benjamin knows Meryl will be forgetting this the moment she's stuffing her face.. she will.. right? Here's to hoping. Once upon a time, oh say, a few months ago, this might have had him blushing bright red. From the woman's impulsive behavior to the kiss on the cheek. (Hello weirdness!) Now? It's all strangely accepted. Letting Meryl lead him on, he keeps pace with her so that he's not flapping in the wind, cartoon style.

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