Participants:
| Scene Title | Till I Can't Ignore It |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Abby relays Peter's message to Ryans. |
| Date | July 14, 2010 |
Urgent.
That's the voicemail left for Ryans. Meet up with her, would he, for early breakfast. He's got credentials, she's got credentials and so 6:30 on the dot she was out of her place, Huruma fetched Kasha as per the agreement and by seven, Abby was parked in the nite owl and ordering oatmeal and fruit, as well as coffee. What it was urgent about, who knew, but it was urgent none the less
One thing about Benjamin Ryan's he's always been an early riser and the older you get the more this is true. So Ryans is slipping into the diner not long after Abby is settled into the booth, in fact, there is a good chance he sat in his car and watched her arrival.
Sliding into the booth across from her, he offers her a small fleeting smile. "Good morning, Abby." A waitress stands nearby while, the older man gets settled, "Coffee, please." The woman is quick to fill the cup and he doesn't say too much during that time. Once she steps away, Ryans reaches for the sugar and creamer, bruised hands already showing some yellowing. "So." He glances at her briefly, attention mainly on what he's doing. "What is so urgent?"
Little msile, polite smile, and the pink haired woman who's gotten up early on her day off offers him a nod in greeting, waiting for the waitress to disappear. From her pocket, there's a rustle of paper and she brings out simple white sheet folded up. Across the back, his number in her writing. But when she unfolds it, there's scribble words across the front.
"This was given to me. By someone who relayed that it was what a post-cognitive saw." It's slid across the table to him, brows pitched downwards in worry. "I asked you about Darren the other week. You said he was off at training. There's pretty good reason to believe that he's been taken, but the institute and his training is no longer being done. Please Benjamin, do you think you can find out if this is true or not?" A tap to the paper. "One of these men talking, is Agent Harper"
Brows furrow at the mention of Harper, as he reaches out to gently to take the piece of paper and read over what it says. Studying her for a moment longer, Ryans finally lets his eyes drop to the paper, reading it's contents. There is a flash of anger and his jaw tightens, the edges of the paper crinkles slightly as his grip tightens on the paper.
He doesn't say anything, for a long moment re-reading the words yet again. Forcing himself to relax, breath coming out in a long sigh through his nose. Ryans asks gruffly, "Your certain about this?" Laying a piece of paper on the table, Ryans taps his fingers on it. "You trust the person that gave you this?" That blue gaze is steely and watches her intently, as if looking for something to doubt.
"Trust the person who gave this to me. I told you long ago Benjamin that I was neutral ground. It came from when I was healer. People would speak around me, I got called in to heal when sensitive things had just gone down. Mitchell, the man who had been elected president but never took the seat? I was once nearly elbow deep in his chest, trying to keep him from dying when the midtown man sliced him with lasers." Her own coffee is plucked up so she can sip at it.
"I'm still fairly neutral ground and people come to me, to deliver messages between factions, at times, or just to warn me away, or if they think I might have information. There is a reason I have a letter from the president thanking me for my continued co-operation with them. I have.. pretty strange, but high connections with people. Healing, gets you a lot of favors, even if you never asked for them. I trust the person this came from, like you trusted me to bandage you up and try to contact the Ferry and Mister Bennet"
Now comes the hard part. "The person who gave that to me, wants your help. Wants you to see if Darren is still safe with the company. If he's not, then they might ask for your help again. If he is, then.. again, they might ask for it. Darrens gift is not one that needs to be in institute hands. He ressurects Benjamin. He brought Peter Petrelli back from the dead, half an hour after he had died"
There is another heavy sigh from the Senior Company agent and he settles back in his seat. Looking down at the paper, he gently settles it hand over it, a controlled movement. "If this is true…" He starts softly, giving her a concerned look, "If — what is in this conversion is true. It's more then just Stevens. Two of my newest agents are mentioned. They are filling our ranks with their people and/or recruiting them.
"I'm quickly, running out of people I can trust." Not that there is a lot of trust within the Company. "But I'll look into this… I'm due for a report on his training progress anyhow." Leaning forward he picks up his coffee, giving it a careful sip. "Just shows even we are not free from being snatched up by the Institute for their experiments, if we have something they want."
There is no hiding the look of disgust. "If he's gone… I'm not sure what I'll be able to do, but we'll see." Ryans picks up the piece of paper and folds it carefully to put in his pocket. "But they shouldn't have him, your right."
"If they have him, then the person who gave this to me, intends to liberate him from the institute" Abigail murmurs quietly into her cup. "And since you're the only one I know who's managed to do so…" She looks up. "What would you do, if I told you that you know the person who passed me this information? That he's … unsure of whether you would listen to him much the less help him?"
"Freed her from the Institute from a Company facility, thanks to the help of her own father." Ryans corrects helpfully, "…and it almost failed." Which is why he had to jump from a dam. "He was man who once thought the worst of me… he turned to me for help to free his daughter." Ryans brows lift a little as he continues. "Me… Someone he once tried to get tossed out of the Company.
"So I guess, all you can tell this person is… time changes everyone. Who we are now is not what we once were." Fingers turn the coffee cup on the table slowly. "That certainty holds true now, with me. Who would have thought I'd be trying to undermine the governments pet project.
"Beyond that… he can only try." Ryans offers with a shrug.
'Who would have thought that a good southern christian girl would kill a man with a gift meant to heal" Abby counters with a nod. She turns over the piece of paper, tearing off a piece to write down a number. "Peter Petrelli" It's passed over, taking back the rest of the paper so she can go back to her Oatmeal.
"Wonderful." Ryans says, sounding less then thrilled about the name, taking the section of paper offered. He eyes the number before tucking it into the pocket of his shirt. "I'll listen to what he has to say." He promises, his voice a touch gruff. "It's done well for me so far, besides…
"I have a meeting coming up with people I trust exclusively, I plan to mention that conversation." He points at the paper Abby took back, looking unhappy still about the content. "That is part of why I will listen to what he has to say. I owe him, it saved me from possible trouble in the future."
The old man gives her a more genuine smile. "And thank you Abby, as always for being a neutral party… saves a lot of blood and tears, I think. Cuase I think he's right, had he just come to me directly, I wouldn't have listened first."
"He and I aren't on good terms right now. Makes work… difficult and he's moved out" Abigail opines. "I don't approve of what he does but…" There's a shrug. 'No one ever approved of what I did either" She offers him a smile back. "Benjamin, if I ever up and disappear, and Peter comes to you, help him will you?" A flicker of something across her face. "I don't know if he will but… Just, help him"
Reaching across the table with a gentle smile, Benjamin Ryans moves to gently pat her arm, like he would do his girls. "Abigail. You go missing and I will do my damnedest to find you. I made a deal with the devil to protect my girls, you can probably expect about the same."
Pulling back, he lifts the coffee mug in both hands, "Your a good girl and it wouldn't do to have another one disappearing. The world needs all the good people it can get." Ryans takes a long drink of his coffee. "So to answer your question, if he came to me and asked for my help to find you… then I would within my ability." As much as he'd want to co-operated to the fullest extent, at this moment he has a lot riding on those shoulders of his, it limited him somewhat.
She collected the damndest groups of people to save her, when she was a damsel in distress. "Don't quite know if I'll ever need it. I think.. I got my wish to be a self-rescuing Princess. The lord pray for anyone who ever thinks to try and take me" There's a soft grin nad her spoon is put down. "Too many things to do today. I found a place, to replace the bar. Even have a name. Won't be up I think for another two months or so, but… When it is, I'll let you know. Let me know what's up with Darren. If he's in institute hands or not. If he needs to go back to the Ferry, let me know too"
"Self-rescuing? I take it that has something to do with the fact you radiate heat at interesting times?" It's a simple question asked as lightly as the Company man could be. Ryans is far from being unobservant. He lifts a hand to hold her off a moment longer. "Don't worry.. I haven't yet told a soul and don't plan too."
The coffee is set down and pushed away. "I'll be in contact, once I know what has happened to the doctor." Leveling her with a matter of fact look, Ryans leans over and says in an even softer tone. "And between you and I, if we do have to get him back… I want him in Ferryman's hands and well away from the city as far underground as they can get him."
Shit. He'd noticed. Little surprise, he was a company agent. She looks sheepish when he points it out and nods. "Please don't. Don't ever mention it. It's not just me who'd.. be on the line for it. Someone else too and I owe that person. Without them I'd probably right now, be in the institute's hands, or.. underground as far as I could get" He can't see the small contraption under her shirt that's connected to her cellphone, cataloging her temperature as they carry on their merry day.
"I should let you go, I should go too" Money down to cover coffee and drinks. "Tell Lucille, if she can hold on a month or two, the new bar will be up in Soho. Just some renovations to do first"
"Until it's something I can't not ignore." Benjamin Ryans states firmly, it's the best he can offer. Should she get out of hand, intentionally or not… he might have to do something. "When that happens, have the Ferry take you underground, get away from the city."
Pushing to his feet, takes time as his ribs ache at times even with the pain meds. "I look forward to seeing the new bar." The words genuine. "I enjoyed stopping by Old Lucy's now and then for a scotch. Haven't really done something like that since."
A gentle smile breaks through the stoic mask he always wears. "Take care of yourself Abby."