2007-09-24: Sob Stories And Guilt Trips

Starring:

Benjamin_icon.gif Megan_icon.gif

Summary: Ben goes to talk with Megan, since it's been awhile.

Date It Happened: September 24th, 2007

Log Title Sob Stories and Guilt Trips


Primatech

If Meryl's little project is going to be a success.. first things first. The assembled team that she wants will have to be able to work together. Right? Right. Easier said than done. Taking it upon himself to try and put things into motion, Benjamin is taking a little time out from work to approach Megan's room. He's empty handed, knowing that Megan's not going to take anything from him. Knocking quietly at the door, he waits for an answer.

Now that she has a more comfortable room, Megan has been slowly acclimating herself to this place. She's even allowed out under supervision since they know she'll come back. For the most part she's been cooperative. There's no real way to tell who is at the door, so when there's a knock, Megan goes to open the door and let whoever it is in. "Coming!" she calls out. That is, until she opens the door. Then, her face is all frowns. "Oh. What d'ye want."

"Hi Megan," Benjamin greets. There's not much of a smile, seeing as he's getting frowned at. "I wanted to talk to you. Now that I'm allowed to." Seeing as he was verbally ripped a new one before. Circumstances have changed a bit, so there's no issue here. "How are you getting along here?" Smooth. Keep it to small talk for the moment.

"Got it all cleared with yer superiors, then?" Megan replies bitingly. She's not about to make this easy for him. After feeling played and betrayed, there's not going to be any warmth for him. "M'fine." The cast has been off for a little while now and she's healed up quite nicely. She's working on her ability. But that doesn't mean she'll tell him all that. "What d'ye want?" she repeats.

"There was a security problem after you brought in. Because we were having coffee together," Benjamin hesitates to call it a date now, "They thought I had something to do with it." He takes a step forward, even if it's a little rude to walk into someone's room. But he's not talking out in the hallway. "Like I said. I wanted to talk to you. We have an acquaintance in common."

"Security problem? What d'ye mean?" Not even sure about what security problem they're talking about or why Benjamin would be thought of as a part of it, Megan just keeps her ground. "What d'ye think yer doin'?" She doesn't want him to come inside, even if they do have an acquaintance in common. They can talk in the hallway just fine! That way she can slam the door in his face in a satisfying manner should he displease her. "Hey!" He's walking into her room and she doesn't like that! However, he's also bigger and taller than her.

"Some information about you leaked out when it shouldn't have.. People thought I let it slip. I was suspected.. anyway.. That's not what I wanted to talk about." Benjamin is momentarily deaf to Megan's protests once he's in the room. He may be bigger and taller, but he's about as menacing in appearance as a Care Bear. "Meryl.. She wants us both to work together on a mission. So I figure, if that's going to happen, we need to talk."

Not exactly pouting, but certainly unhappy about this turn of events, Megan lets the door shut slowly and just leans against it with her arms crossed. She would have been quite happy to never see Benjamin again. And to not have to 'work through' all this. "Meryl? Mission? What are ye goin' on about? M'no' part of any mission and m'no' about to work with ye after what ye did." Care bear, maybe, but she's still got marks on her neck that could prove otherwise.

Benjamin crosses his own arms and leans against the wall just a couple of feet away from Megan. "Oh, so she hasn't talked to you yet. I'm not surprised. She's easily distracted.. and look. I didn't /do/ anything to have you brought here. I don't expect you to believe me, but I /swear/, I had no idea you had a power or that you were suspected of having one and that there was an order to bring you in. I had just started working here. I didn't have access to that information." As for the marks on the neck.. It's part of the job. Megan'll find that out soon enough when she's told to do similar.

The other day was the first time anyone had ever brought up the possibility that she might find herself in the folds of the Company. So to suddenly find out about missions and Meryl's involvement is kind of head-spinning. Even if what Benjamin tells her is true, he was still there with that Doug person when she was brought in. Still just left her there. There's a shake of her head. "Fine. Ye dinna know. Whatever. M'no' even sure what yer talkin' about, still. What mission? And why d'ye think I'd be a part of it?"

Benjamin looks down at the floor for a few moments before settling his gaze back on Megan. "Meryl wants you to be a part of it. There's a man we need to track down in Australia. He's dangerous and he's been on the loose for far too long. I've been working on gathering information to help us find him and bring him in." He cants his head slightly to the side as he watches Megan, then says, "If you don't want to be involved.. you find the heart to tell Meryl no." Just /try/ telling her no.

It's impossible to tell Meryl no. That's a dirty trick, Benjamin. "Me?" Megan frowns and looks over at the former-accountant. "I dunno how I'd be of any help with that. M'no' a fighter and m'no' really able to do anything." Other than perhaps take over people's bodies. But that's not exactly an offensive power. "Dunno how I'd be able to bring anyone in. Or if they'd even let me." They haven't really given her a long leash here. "And donna guilt trip me, Benjamin."

Benjamin is learning about using dirty tricks. Some are just way better at it than him. But he's learning.. hence the 'you tell her no'. "I'm not trying to guilt trip you." It's not trying when it works. "This man hurt Meryl and her parents, and several others. It's a mystery as to why he's gotten away with things as long as he has. I'm not sure what part each of us is going to play in this, but Meryl has her heart set on me, you and Agent Armstrong for this mission." He unfolds his arms and slips his hands into his pants pockets. "I'm not a fighter either, but we all have unique talents that can be used for this. We'll work out the particulars as a group."

Dirty tricks aren't about to endear Megan to him any time soon. Luckily, she's endured enough of Lachlan's puppy dog faces to know what's going on here. "Sure yer no'." Megan rolls her eyes and gives a glare at the couch sitting opposite of her. "Which is why yer givin' me some sort of sob story and sayin' 'Oh but if yer really a cold hearted bitch, why donna you just tell her no'. Meryl's been nothing but nice to her since she arrived in holding. If it had been just anyone other than Benjamin coming to her to tell her about this she'd be much less hesitant. That is, unless it was Nova. "Yer kiddin'. Her too? This is ridiculous." Why don't they just gather up everyone who hurt her emotionally or physically in a big room and put her right down in the middle of it.

"It's not a sob story, it's the truth. Everything that man did to her, it explains why Meryl's so.." Crazy? ".. unique." Nice choice of words there Benjamin. "Look.. I'm sorry.. I went about this all wrong. I thought she had told you about it, or maybe she was waiting and I'm jumping the gun now. But she's got it in her head that she wants you to help out on this. Meryl gets a little weird about her attachments to people. I've noticed that much about her already. I'm not happy about her wanting Armstrong along either, but that's who she's picking. This is Meryl's call.. I mean jeez.. Just thinking about Armstrong makes my face hurt." He runs a hand through his hair, which is in need of a trimming these days, the frizz is trying to run rampant. "I just.. I wanted to talk to you before Meryl got her heart too set on you being a part of this. Can you work with me or not?"

"I dunno if I can trust anything ye say," Megan tells Benjamin plainly. Because with all that she's been lied to and jerked around and prodded, she can't forget that Benjamin was at the very beginning of it. And warned her of nothing. Not that he's really looking all that good since the last time she saw him. What with the scruff and the need for a haircut. "M'no' sure." The only reason this isn't a flat out no is because it involves Meryl. But with everything sprung on her so suddenly, she's not sure what to do.

"I don't blame you for not trusting me," Benjamin says, even if he wants Megan to trust him. But honestly, he's a suspicious character now. "Think about it. Because.. if we're going to work together, then, there's going to have to be some level of trust. I may not like everything this place stands for, or a lot of the people I work with.. but I do trust them to watch each other's back and mine when it comes down to working with them."

That's good, because right now Megan can't. Not after everything that's happened. Even if ultimately this turned out to be a somewhat good thing, her ability to control her power and to a certain extent understand it…it's still a bit of a sore subject. "M'no' even working with anyone. Or even here." It's all a puzzlement. Maybe she will go see that Doctor. Whatever his name was. "So I dunno how m's'posed to trust ye all."

"It won't be long before you are. It took them a few months to tag me for work. It's not so bad, good pay, compensation," Benjamin says with a faint smile and shrug. "Maybe I'll prove to you somehow that I didn't have a part in your being here.. or maybe we'll just move past that. Anyway.. don't be surprised if Meryl comes by and asks you about joining in on the mission. Talk to you later." He doesn't look back at Megan as he moves past her and back out the door.

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