Participants:
| Scene Title | It's Been An Honor |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Benjamin drops by Lynette's place to tell her he'll be leaving on a trip, of course… they both discover a little something during the discussion. |
| Date | October 07, 2010 |
Gun Hill: Lynette's Apartment
Inside Lynette's apartment… it's pretty clear the landlady is not having a good day. Or, perhaps, did not have a good night. The coffee table as been overturned and papers sort of fell everywhere, and there's a little stack of empty bottles and an ashtray that really needs to be emptied. The living room is pretty much a mess. She hasn't bothered to clean up yet. But she is having a little hair of the dog sort of thing, as she has a rocks glass in hand that seems to be holding the remains of a Cape Cod. Hey, cranberry juice is good for you.
So when there's a knock on the door, she comes to answer, still in her pajamas covered by a robe, with her drink in hand. It's not a good day, apparently. She peeks out of the door, the living room behind her only hidden a little. She's not all that tall, after all. "Ben!" She seems surprised to see him. But she smiles all the same, "Is everything alright?"
"Lynette." Benjamin offers with a small dip of his head, as the door opens. He's still dressed casual, but none of it is covered in evidence of his construction work. Guess, he didn't do his normal work load today. Then again, he's got more pressing matters on his mind. Blue eyes flick up long enough to see some of the disarray in the background before he rumbles out a soft, "It would seem I should be asking you the very same question."
A single brow lifts to accompany that, gaze dropping to the woman again, a touch of concern there. "I was hoping we could talk," Ryans offers, allowing a bit of a small smile to show through his normally neutral mask. "I'm leaving in the next day or two, not sure when I'll be back, so I figure there is a thing or two to go over."
"Oh… well, I'm afraid I get far too into those reality TV shows." Lynette smirks a little, down playing the situation. As usual. "Please forgive the mess. I haven't gotten around to cleaning up…" When he mentions leaving, the woman's head tilts and she just looks at him for a moment. "Well, I suppose you had better come in, then. Ah… the dining room should be fairly safe." Safe from tripping over things, she means.
Brows tick up, but the older man doesn't comment on what she says. Even as he is let into the apartment, Ryans only offers a soft, "Thank you," despite the extent of the mess. Turning a slightly amused look her way, he motions for her to proceed him. "Either way, it is an important matter, I assure you.
"Since you are housing us, I figured it was best you know. Some of my people are staying behind, but I'm taking two others," Ryans starts, moving to follow the landlady, eyes falling to the turned over coffee table. "We are headed out on a mission, Bennet knows about it, so we are not going behind the Ferrymen's back. In fact, it's to insure the networks safety."
Lynette pats the table when she gets there in silent invitation for him to sit. "You want something to drink, Ben?" The amused look is caught, of course, and returned with a crooked smile.
"A mission? I suppose I assumed your missioning days were over," she says, although without judgment. "Do I get to ask just what you're getting yourself into or should I skip right to asking if you're going to be coming back?"
"Hmm?" There is a slight distracted sound to him, brows ticking up, before looking back her way. "Oh… no, I'm good, thank you."
Before answering anymore of her questions, Benjamin settles into one of the chairs, the wood creaking at the added weight. Hands are folded and move to rest on the hard surface of the table. "No… you can't keep a soldier — or in this case — an agent down." He muses, focusing on the patterns of the table, following the way the wood grain zig-zags across. "We're off to find a way to down a satellite.
"A Company satellite that the Institute is working on taking control of." He looks at Lynette now, leveling her with a serious look. "If they get it, they could use it to eventually track everyone with abilities down, with pinpoint accuracy."
"You're going to take down a satellite," Lynette repeats, as if just making sure she heard that right. "I…" She blinks a little, because this isn't a man to pull a prank or anything, and yet… "How would you even do that? Not that I think it would be any good for the Institute to have access to something like that, but… I mean…" Her life is very strange lately.
She's not alone, Benjamin's life has been very strange, and he looks completely serious about what he just told her. "Rebel has a plan." As Messiah, that name might be familiar to her. "It involves a trip to China and hijacking their space shuttle."
The corner of his mouth, tugs up at the corner, knowing how that sounds. Shifting in his seat he leans forward a little, sliding folded hands further on the table. "While I'm gone, Ashley up in 505, will be the person to turn too for security concerns. I have faith in her ability to help protect this building while I'm gone."
Lynette just sort of… looks at him for a long moment. And then she lets out a breath and runs a hand through her hair. "Well. Better you than me, darling. Is this the sort of thing your Company used to pull off? Hijacking foreign shuttles and such?" Her brow furrows and she lowers herself into a chair, too. "Seriously, Ben. Is this something you're going to walk away from or is this some sort of last hurrah? It doesn't sound… I mean, all respect to Rebel and his ideas, but he's a little removed from the rest of us. There isn't another way? Breaking into the Institute and sabotaging or something?" She does give a nod to the note about Ashley, but it's not where her focus is at the moment.
"Not sure what is going to happen, honestly." He levels her with a flat look, not really letting her see his thoughts play across his features. "But… no. This isn't the typical Company MO." That hinted smile returns as he admits, "It is, however, something I would do. Sometimes, things in life require crazy actions."
Hands separate a little, in a helpless gesture. "Like jumping off a dam, when you have no where to go." Obviously, something Benjamin has done, cause there is no humor in his voice. "This may or may not be a last hurrah. Depends on if Rebel ever figures out how to get us down from there."
That's right, there seems to be a lack of plan as to how to get home again. "Taking down that satellite —" A finger lifts to point above, as if he's point to the object himself " — will insure that every little bit of the programing used to track our kind is gone. It will keep everyone safe and that is worth the risk."
Looking over at him as he speaks, Lynette's expression seems to be adrift somewhere between worry and admiration. "It's a lot to ask someone," she eventually says, sitting back in her chair. There's a glance toward where she left her current pack of cigarettes, but she looks back to Ben without getting one just yet. "I appreciate your willingness, but you might think about asking Rebel if he plans on bringing you all back down before you storm China."
Blue eyes study the blonde, noting the little things, as any agent would, finally, he speaks up again. The words are spoken slowly and with care, Ryans has thought a lot about this. "I signed up, knowing there might not be a way down."
Glancing away, Ryans brows furrow a little."It's just something that has to be done, or else no one will be safe and the Institute will have an 'all you can steal' buffet of evolved for their experiments." Hands unfold and he settles against the back of the chair, hands settling on his legs. "There will be no place to run and no place to hide. I am only one person, Lynette." His brows lift even as he focuses on her again. "There are millions of people out there that could be hurt, if I decide not to go, just because there is not plan to get home."
Lynette lets out something like a frustrated, but indulgent sigh at his reply and she folds her arms on the table as she looks over at him. "Why are you so damn noble, hmm? You realize, you have very little choice in finding a way back. I mean, who is going to work on my building in you're not here?" Of course, that's hardly her top concern at the moment, but that's how she's going to frame it all the same.
That actually gets a chuckle out of the older man, an actual smile cracking the surface of his face. "There are plenty of people in this world. In fact, there is that young man I brought in recently. Henry. You tell him, Ryans says to help and he will. He's a good guy."
The good-natured smile starts to fade at the edges, the seriousness of the situation weighting in on the old man again. Finally, there is a soft sigh and he rubs a hand over the side of his face, noting that he forgot to shave this morning. "Like I told Delia… I can only try, but there is no guarantee. I leave in the next day or two, so… I don't know for sure how long I'll be gone. It's a long drive ahead, before we take a flight. It's a good size group of us, some will be holding back the Chinese government, while a small group will fight their way to the shuttle."
"Off to cause an international incident. That's my boy," Lynette says with a crooked smile. But she stands up from her seat to come over to press a gentle, but friendly kiss to his cheek. "You're a good man, Ben," she says with a pat to his shoulder. "We can't stand to lose good men. If you can manage to make it home, make it home, alright? You're being enough of a hero already. And really, how can that daughter of yours run that clinic if she's crying all the time? Girls need their fathers, no matter how old they are."
"I am anything, if not crazy. It's why I was good at what I did." Ryans offers with a crooked smile of his own, watching her stand a move closer. There is no flinching away when she leans over to kiss his cheek, but there is a slight curling up of his lips in a shy smile, his eyes dropping to the table's surface again.
"I'll try," Ben offers gruffly, his hand lifting to take her's where it sits on his shoulder. "Just… make sure the Ferry watch out for my girls?" It's asked softly, eyes lifting to meet her own. "They are all I have in this world right now." His fingers tighten gently, a sad smile following it. "If I don't make it, they will need the network's support. But, I promise to try."
"We won't abandon your girls, Ben. I promise. It isn't how we work. It certainly isn't how I work and I'll personally kick Bennet in the shins if there's so much as a suggestion otherwise," Lynette offers with a smile. "And for the record, completely crazy is a better way to put it. Space. It is officially the craziest plan I've heard in my entire life, and let me tell you, that's saying something." Especially considering her adventures last night.
Her hand is given a squeeze before he lets it go, almost reluctantly. "Crazy sometimes, actually, works." Ryans informs her with a soft chuckle. "Before all this, I helped the daughter of one of the Company's directors escape the Institute and get to the Ferrymen." Hand rest on the edge of her table, so to push himself up to stand. "We were cornered on a dam, no where to go. Luckily, the young girl had the ability to turn into a gaseous form and escape.
"I, however, had a choice. Turn myself in or jump." A smirk of amusement, pulls up one side of his mouth, deepening the lines of his face there. "I jumped. Ready to give my life, rather then to be in their hands. I am not a popular person with the Institute, as I am pretty sure there is a bullet waiting for me. So it was a lose/lose situation."
Lynette returns that squeeze warmly and, as if sensing his reluctance, she doesn't go back to her seat, but leans back against the table next to his instead. "I would have jumped, too. How'd you walk away from that one?" Because she would expect him to look flatter, you see. "Don't you get… scared, Ben? I mean, not in the moment like jumping off a bridge, but now. Waiting until you go steal from China and launch yourself into space."
There seems a moment where he considers her question, Ben gives it serious consideration. "Of course," he finally says, looking at her finally. "I would be a fool not too." There is no reluctance in his admitting that, only honesty. "But what keeps me going, is knowing I'm doing the right thing… no matter the cost or the fear I might have for the people I care about if I don't survive what I'm doing.
"This is me, who I am. I don't think I can ever deny that part of me." Ryans sighs softly, not really looking at her now. The words are soft, but rumble, much like the purr of a large cat, "But, yes, I get scared, just not for myself." He's lived his life, but he doesn't say that allowed.
"Not for yourself, huh?" Lynette leans over to look at his face, her own carrying a gentle smile. "I hope you're alright with the idea of some of us down here being scared for you." Straightening, she smirks a little deeper, amusement on her expression. "You're something of an oddity, do you know that? I can't decide if I'd be more disappointed to find out that this is all an elaborate cover of a more devious personality or if it isn't."
Benjamin studies her, thoughtfully, amusement starting to etch his face. "I think I'm alright with that," A gentle smile deepening the lines at the corners of his eyes.
"As for what is underneath all this?" Ryans rests his hands on the table, leaning on them as he says, with raised brows, "A devious personality that only rears his head when those he cares about are in danger. Don't get me wrong, Lynette, I will do just about anything for the ones I am close too, that includes doing some very bad things to protect them.
"I will kill for them." There is no shame when the old man says that, it's only a simple fact.
"Good, because I'm pretty sure that's going to happen whether you like it or not." Lynette can't help a more genuine smile at seeing his own, and she scoots back onto the table before he starts to go on. "Well, that's fair enough. Which of us doesn't cross lines when what we care about is in danger? You know, I envy you. I'm just me out here. You've got a family. Must be nice."
"It can be a blessing and a curse." Ryans admits, shifting to the side a little. "They have been used against me before. A hazard of being in the family of a man such as I, but I wouldn't give them up for anything."
Fingers alight on her knee, a faint brush of finger tips, as he gives her a smile. "I should go get out of your hair." Which Ryans follows with reaching up, to snag a thin lock of blonde hair and give it a small playful tug, before his hand drops away. "I need to do more packing. Oh… and speaking of which, if you need weapons for defending this place, there is two duffel bags tucked in a cubby in the back of my closet."
Lynette looks up at him, the tug getting a warm, but gentle laugh out of her. "Oh, Mister Ryans, you're pretty much welcome in my hair anytime," she says, teasing just a little. But, at his last words, she lifts her eyebrows and smiles more crookedly. "Good to know, thank you." Standing back up, she does start to guide him back toward the door to let him finish getting prepared whatever it is you get ready before going to space. "Just… take care of yourself, Ben."
It's Ryans that reaches to open the door, even as he smiles down at the shorter woman, "I will do my best and attempt to get back." A step is taken out of the door, but he stops, "You take care of yourself as well," A meaningful glance goes to the mess behind her, a touch of concern returning.
"Shouldn't let those reality shows get you." It's obvious he doesn't believe that reasoning, but letting it slide. His head dips down slowly, blue eyes on the blonde woman, "Been an honor, Lynette." It almost sounds like a man who knows he's going to war and not returning, maybe Ben believes that or he's just covering his bases.
With a little glance back toward the mess, Lynette rubs her arm self-consciously, which doesn't quite seem to fit on this woman. But when she looks back to him, her crooked smile is back and she nods, "I'll try. They're very engaging."
Reaching out, she takes his hand as if she's going to give it a shake, but she just gives his a squeeze, her other hand coming to cover the back of his. "Best of luck, Ben. And believe me, the honor is entirely mine. You've been something of a surprise. But always a pleasant one." Her own version of a tentative goodbye that holds the hope that it's not goodbye goodbye. But she lets his hand go after a moment, her own smile a little sheepish.
Even as she lets go, Benjamin's hand tightens, not letting her go. There isn't much he can say to her kind words, it does however seem to warm his smile. His head dips down, while at the same time he draws her hand up, until he can brush lips across her knuckles, even as his eyes watch her reaction.
No words still, as he lets go of her hand then and turns to leave, making his way down to his own apartment.
Lynette blinks just a little when he doesn't let go, but when he lifts her hand to his lips, there is a blush on her cheeks and an expression that's not at all displeased and might just include her lips pressing together to avoid a big, dreamy smile. Gee whiz. And when he goes, he may just hear a bit of a sigh behind him as the blonde leans against the door to watch him go.