"Alright Alright. I'll join you guys tonight" I say finally after being convinced to join the crew for an overnight at the studio in order to meet with Ben.
I was trying to get out of it knowing my relationship with Ben but Woods told me that he would feel safer with me there made me finally give in. Ben was asleep on the air mattress near me so once I was off the phone I went to wake him up. Ben looks up at me once he was awake.
"Hey we have a problem," I say to him sitting down on the air mattress near him.
"What's wrong?" Ben asks as he sits up pulling me close.
"So they want to meet with you tonight. Said they would try and contact you soon. They want me to join them" I explain.
Ben sighs slightly "Can you handle pretending you don't know me?" Ben asks me.
"Can you?" I ask causing Ben to laugh slightly.
"It'll be hard but I'll manage," Ben says pulling me in a tight hug.
"We should probably get moving then," I say trying to pull away. "Ben," I say laughing as he holds me tighter.
Ben pins me down onto the mattress. He moves his mask so he can kiss me. His arms wrap around me tightly pulling me against him. I smile into the kiss as I wrap my arms around him tightly. We stayed like this until Ben needed to put his mask back on to breathe. After his mask was back on Ben presses his forehead to mine before getting up.
Ben and I go our separate ways for the day dreading having to see each other late tonight. I get to the Studio where I am immediately greeted with a hug from Woods. Sam hands me a mic to put on as I would be in their video for today. Eventually, Matt attempts to get ahold of Ben by calling a phone they had apparently left in his RV. I bit my lip as I watched nervously. Ben never answered the call but did send a text a few minutes later.
Phantom: Very clever, leaving something behind after rifling through my belongings.
Matt: We know you're not really Wes, so cut the act. None of that stuff belongs to you.
Phantom: Very well. What exactly does her little worker bees want me now? Be quick about it.
Matt: A meeting.
Phantom: A meeting for what purpose?
Matt: We found that storage unit you were clearly looking for, some pretty interesting things inside of it. Things that prove you murdered Wes.
Phantom: What?
Matt: You heard me, Ben. There is already enough proof for your conviction.
Phantom: You clearly didn't uncover the correct evidence then.
Matt: What could possibly be left?
Phantom: I have what you need.
Matt: Then meet me tonight in the courtyard.
Phantom: Confirmed but I want to see this scientist friend of yours. I hear she has been helping you.
I gulp nervously as Matt read the text. Ben was just gonna make things harder.
Matt: Why would you want to see her?
Phantom: Isn't it obvious? I want to see who I'm up against. Scientist to scientist.
I look at Matt after he reads the message "Matt it's fine. He wants to meet me then it's okay. I will meet him" I say.
Matt nods to me before sending the final text confirming the details. Now comes the waiting game. I sit with the others while we waited for Ben or the phantom to arrive. I was slowly getting more and more nervous. Matt finally gets the text that Ben had arrived.
Matt grabs my arm gently as he leads me out into the courtyard as everyone else gets into their spots. Once Matt and I get to our spots I look up at Ben making eye contact with him. He looks at me gently. This was going to be hard. I could tell.
"Hello, Benjamin" Matt says to Ben. "You wanted to meet her. So here she is" Matt gestures to me
"Benjamin is dead," He says to Matt.
"Okay, then what do you want me to call you?" Matt asks.
"You may call me, the Absolute" Ben says.
Matt scoffs slightly "I'm absolutely not going to call you that, my man," Matt says "you know what I keep thinking? Why did you even agree to come? Why are you here?"
"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" Ben asks. Matt sighs. "You said it best yourself. How did you put it? Something about being infected with purpose"
"And what is that purpose?" Matt asks.
"The same as yours" The phantom answers.
"You hurt people and you do it behind a mask," Matt says.
"How are you any different?" Ben asks "You tell millions of people to put their trust in you, you tell them that you will keep them safe." The phantom gestures to me. "You entrust someone with a radioactive serum without telling them. You can't even keep yourselves safe"
"You attacked my employees. You literally hit Woods over the head. " Matt says.
"No, I-" He starts to yell causing me to tense up. I kept reminding myself to not move to calm Ben down. "You and I, we're the same. You are just better at hiding your mask l"
"I'm nothing like you. " Matt says. "For what?"
"Time will tell," The phantom says.
"We know what you've been planning man. We know about the serum dispersion bomb. We know what you've been planning. What you've been building. It's all over" Matt says catching be my surprise. Ben didn't tell me this.
"Yes," Ben says. "It is over. My work is done now, thanks to you. For leading me to the absalate where poor Wesley was buried. Only this time, I will not fail."
"So what's your plan? Effect millions of people?" Matt asks. "For what? For what?"
Ben starts to laugh. "You can't even begin to understand." Ben says
"Then help me understand," Matt says.
"You will see, eventually," Ben says.
"I'm getting bored Man," Matt says back. "I'm bored of all this. Why did you come here?"
"To clear my name and to obviously meet the lovely scientist you hired," Ben says.
"I know you're the one who did it. I have proof. I know you didn't want Wes to be with Deb. I know you wanted to be with Deb. I read the letters you sent to Deb" Matt says.
"No I didn't" Ben yells at Matt
"Calm down Ben, calm down now," Matt says. "Just tell me who did it"
"No, no, no, no..." Ben starts to say. It was getting harder for me to just stand there. I look at Ben worried
"Just calm down man. Tell me who did it" Matt says to Ben.
"I can't. I can't. No, no. Virgo!" The phantom screams. "Benjamin, I will kill her... I can't 16.. 16-2-2-0-1. 16-2-2-0-1. 16-2-2-0-1" he rambles. I quickly move away from Matt to Ben
"Y/N!" Matt says I pull out of Matt grasp
I press my hands to the side of Ben's face. "Easy Ben. Calm down. It's okay" I whisper to him.
Ben grabs my wrists gently looking at me lovingly. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I knew I messed up. Everyone knew now that I knew Ben already but I couldn't just stand there while he went through that. I turn towards Matt as Ben wraps his arms around pulling me into his chest.
"He didn't kill anyone," I say sticking up for Ben.
"We aren't talking to you," Matt says to me harshly.
"Don't talk to her like that" Ben growls.
"Listen all I need to know is who did it alright? All I need to know is who did it. Who is it Syphus?" Matt asks through slightly gritted teeth
"No!" Ben yells.
"I don't know why you keep protecting him," Matt says. "He doesn't care about you at all"
"I was like you once," Ben says. "Filled with so much hope. She let me waste away... Be she..." Ben nuzzles into my hair slightly "Has given me life again"
"Why should I believe you, Ben?" Matt asks. "I need proof"
Ben slowly pulls out a tape from his jacket and hands it out to Matt. Matt takes it.
"What is this?" Matt asks.
"The truth, the full tape of August 6th." Ben answers.
"The murder? Why?" Matt says. "You... you've had this, this whole time? Why?"
"Y/N say you're goodbyes we are leaving. " Ben says to me causing me to nod.
"Buddy I can't let you just leave especially not with the traitor," Matt says.
"Don't worry. You'll see us again eventually you will fulfill your purpose as will we." Ben says as he holds me protectively
"You two are gonna hurt a lot of people man," Matt says.
"Just remember, you and I, we never had a choice. It was rigged from the start" Ben says before pulling me away.
My heart was racing as Ben walked me to my car, before opening the passenger door for me to get in. Once I was settled in I could see Woods look at me with a hurt expression. Ben gets into my driver's seat before leaving the studio. My hands go immediately to my face as I started to cry. I really had messed up.