The Atlantis Expedition

Chapter Two: Come Talk To Me

It had been a crazy week, bringing so much change with it that it honestly made his head spin a little. Benny had gotten his first retirement check from the Space Corps, driving home the fact he would never fly another mission into space again. It hurt, but he'd had enough time to come to terms with it, and the check was big enough to get himself an apartment. That Bad Cop lived there too was only a minor reason for his choice; it was affordable, it had a manageable size, and it was within walking distance of nearly everything he needed.

Moving in was an adventure in itself. Every few minutes he got stopped by another tenant asking him if he was really sure he wanted to live on the top floor with the scary police officer that argued with himself (rather loudly at times too, apparently, at which Benny couldn't help but snicker at the thought). Even the landlady asked him if he was absolutely certain he wanted to share living space with Bad Cop. Twice.

Oddly enough, President Business had let him have at the Micromanager scraps, and he'd been able to build himself another spaceship- this one quite a bit smaller than the battleship he'd built out of the studio. Almost the size of a fighter jet, really, but more space-worthy, and with room enough for a passenger (it had occurred to him to include it after Emmet pouted about missing out on riding the battleship, so he'd promised his new friend a ride once everything calmed down).

It took four days to get the city cleaned up, and another three for the multitude of Master Builders to repair the buildings that still stood, and replace the ones that didn't. It probably would have taken even less time if they hadn't kept trying to ignore the instructions and do their own thing, but Emmet did just as good a job of keeping them in line as he had his small band of saboteurs. President Business and Bad Cop were still trying to wrap their heads around the idea that this simple construction worker could be such a force of nature- and Business had even been on the receiving end of it. It was little wonder that Emmet had won the revolution.

Benny stayed in touch with Bad Cop's parents right up until they left when reconstruction started, on account of "we would just be in the way, rather than a help, now". Trying to be the Cops' friend was a lot tougher than the astronaut had been expecting. He thought he'd made some headway on Wednesday, only for Bad Cop to be just as abrasive and snarly as he had been Tuesday night the very next day. On the rare occasion Good Cop was out, even he kept everyone at arm's length. So he did the only thing he could think to do, and turned to their parents for some insight.

"For all that Alastar is the more sociable one, neither one of them were ever great at making friends," Mrs. Callaghan (or as she insisted Benny call her, Ma) sighed. "Their condition isn't exactly rare or unknown, but it's uncommon enough that most still find it weird, and, well, Cary's grumpiness is enough of a deterrent on its own. Trust has never come easily for either of them."

"And I'm sure what President Business did to them didn't make things any easier," Benny huffed.

"Yes," Ma agreed, her voice quiet. "They still haven't really opened up to us about they did for him, but we're slowly putting together bits and pieces based on what they don't say." She was silent for a moment. "You just keep being you, Benny. Show them you're someone who is honest and can be trusted, and they'll come around." She offered him an encouraging smile, and he smiled back.

"Hey, I'll get them talking to you soon enough, just you watch." Benny grinned. "I can be pretty convincing."

"Here." Ma slipped a piece of paper into his hand. "If you have any more questions, that's our home phone number. Please don't hesitate to call us."

"Of course, thank you."

Benny had figured maybe they were just being shy or something, but as three more days passed with their interactions becoming increasingly rare, Benny grew more concerned. It felt like they all were being actively avoided- even Emmet's attempts to get to know them better were constantly shot down, and Benny didn't know how anyone could say no to those puppy eyes.