Chapter Eleven

Floorboards Under the Bed

Benson wasn't looking forward to this interview one bit. He had seen enough of Connor Wong's show to know that the man had a reputation of being a rather cruel interviewer. It was painfully clear to Benson that Maellard was the one who was originally supposed to be on the program. However, Maellard wasn't a fool, and knew that if he actually went on the show it would very well tarnish his status as the city's most powerful figure. Perhaps that was the reason he sent Benson in his stead; to be a scapegoat whose character couldn't be destroyed, or so he believed.

"This is a nightmare," Benson said as he readjusted his tie. He wasn't used to wearing such proper attire, but being that this was a show of "high quality" he had no choice but to dig out the old suit and tie. It didn't help matters that he tied his tie crooked. "I don't want to come on this stupid show." He closed his eyes and let the wind hit his face.

"Well, it's happening," Skips said with disdain, "whether you like it or not." He sat unmoving next to Benson, driving the golf cart toward the television station. The yeti argued for using the station wagon or the truck to give a better appearance, but Benson only complained that gas was too expensive only to drive less than five miles from the park.

"I just don't get why Maellard couldn't have taken an hour out of his day to do this," Benson continued to complain. "I know Connor Wong is supposed to be this big shot griller in an interview, but Maellard seems hostile enough to defend himself from it. I think he's just doing this to watch me squirm."

"I don't think so," Skips remarked, ",Maellard's always being called out in the media, so he probably thought that another appearance would just add more gas to the fire. That's what happens when you're the most powerful man in the city. Besides, he's still pretty shaken up from the ritual earlier – probably best to leave him be right now."

Benson didn't want to hear it, but he knew Skips was being honest. "I guess you're right. Maybe it won't be so bad." He looked up and the stars and tried to see if he could point out any of the constellations. The lights in the city were too bright for any of the important ones to come out though.

They arrive at the Corporate News station a few minutes later. Valet was happy enough to park the golf cart somewhere safe, important, and also far away from the more prestige and expensive looking vehicles. A tall and skinny woman, dressed completely in red and clutching a tablet computer, approached the two men and greeted them.

"Welcome to Corporate News," she said, feigning a grin, "my name in Kat Scarlata. I'm the personal assistant to Connor Wong. If you'd please come with me, we'll get you ready for your interview."

Benson sighed and followed the girl along. Skips skipped along behind him, knowing that if his coworker ever needed some support, it was at that moment.

The woman they were following clicked her tongue and slid a few things along her tablet before looking back at the two men. "We here at CN are very pleased to have you with us. We pride ourselves on our excellent reporting from our investigators as well as the opinions of our viewers. Our programming is a mixture of politics and entertainment ranging from the highly successful Connor Wong Show, to the entertaining and comical Travel Adventures with Gumball and Darwin. We are happy that the people have spoken and chosen us to be the recipients for many awards: Including best satirical news panel on The Children Next Door, and best morning show for Good Mornings with the Eds."

Both Benson and Skips rolled their eyes at the canned introduction and speech they were getting. It was nothing short of amazing that this woman was able to recite all of this without breaking character.

Skips grinned and tried to test the woman. gWhat about the apparent controversy involving you and your rival network, the Adult fs Side? h he asked with some apparent cynicism. gI heard you guys were at each other's throats, and yet you're owned by the same company. h

Kat stopped in her tracks and turned right around to glare at the yeti. "Look white thing, I have to repeat this bullshit speech to every single person who comes in here for an interview. You can't honestly imagine how mind numbing that gets after the hundredth time of saying it. It makes it especially worse since I have to repeat it up to five times per day, so cut me some slack. I don't give two shits about CN or AS. They just provide paychecks, and as long as I'm getting six figures a year, I'll suffer through the job. Here…" She points to a door behind her. "This is your waiting room." She approached the door, turns the knob, and kicks it open. Her face turns to disgust as she looks inside.

Benson and Skips follow along, peeking in the room to see what was inside that would warrant such a reaction from her.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary: basic little white room with a few couches, a mirror and make up counter, some refreshments on a table, and a TV hanging up in the corner showing Connor Wong's opening title. However, the room was not completely devoid of life. Sitting on one of the couches were two women: one dressed in business attire with long flowing pink hair, with a pinkish tint to her skin to add to it. The other dressed in an outfit similar to Kat's, only it was all light blue with bits of white strewn about.

"Nat Ward," Kat scowled, "how nice to see you and Ms. Bubblegum again."

An awkward air filled the room as the two assistants stared each other down.

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Kat," Nat said with a smirk. "Still enjoy breaking the souls of you and Wong's guests?"

"I don't know really," Kat replied. "Are you enjoying trying to play the pariah card every time you and your client here don't get your way."

Silence came before them, and they continued to stare daggers at each other. In between them was an invisible battle of wits and brawn in which they had stake in completely.

Thankfully, a stage hand popped on by and informed the other guest that they had two minutes to get in place while the show was on commercial.

"We'll continue our discussion later in the evening," Kat snapped, "if that's alright with you, Natalie."

"I would absolutely love to continue this rousing conversation later, Katherine," Nat quipped at her.

They bump each other's shoulders as they passed by. Benson and Skips were both expecting them to break out into a fist fight right there on the spot. That wouldn't happen till after the show though.

As Benson approached the couch to sit and relax, he passed by the pink woman whom Nat was an assistant to. She smiled at him warmly and asked, "Is this your first interview with him?" Benson nodded. "Don't let him get to you. He can be a tough one to talk to, but if you can at least catch him off guard, you can still get away with your integrity intact."

Benson listened, and nodded. "Thanks," he said to the girl.

"No worries!" She laughed.

"Bonnibel!" Nat yelled from the hallway. "Hurry up! You know the first thing Connor will attack is going to be tardiness!"

"Coming!" the girl replied. She gave Benson one more nod, and exited the room.

Kat slammed the door as hard as she could behind her. "God, I love those two," she said with a smile. "They make our mundane lives a little more exciting I think. I cannot wait to scratch that bitch's eyes out after the show though. I'll make sure to go for the jugular this time."

"Sounds like you two don't like each other that much," Skips said.

"Oh far from it," the woman laughed. "We just have a friendly rivalry is all. One that degrades into a massive fist fight out in the alleyway after every interview, and is followed up a night of friendly drinking at the local bar. Good times."

Skips looked over at Benson, and expected a similar expression of confusion from that. Instead, Benson was too busy looking up at the television as the show came back from commercial. Connor Wong's distinctive face, sporting his usual casual business attire, pops up on screen. He holds up a tan colored book with drawings of castles and creatures on it, as he announces his returning guest, Bonnibel Bubblegum, to promote her newest book.

Benson leaned against the couch and followed along with the interview. He needed to know exactly what he was up against. He only seen a few episodes of Connor Wong before, and very rarely did he actually pay attention to the interviews. He mostly just had it on in the background while he was working on something else. But now, he had to focus all of his attention on this person on screen. He seemed pretty ruthless by the looks of things.

Right as he was watching, however, the screen went black. Kat had come upon and flipped the TV off. She looked at Benson with a sigh and a glare and then down to her tablet.

"You have about fifteen to twenty minutes to get ready before you're asked to come out," she explained. "Afterwards, the interview will take place over the course of about ten to fifteen minutes, usually depending on how much time we have left with the show. The show itself is only an hour long, and depending on how well Connor likes you, you may be asked to stay longer. Other than that, be calm, courteous, and answer the questions to the best of your ability. Oh, and I need you to sign this." She thrusts her tablet into Benson's arms. The screen read "liability waiver", with her pointing down to the signature line. Benson knew what she wanted, and signed it with a quick flick of his finger. "Thank you," she said. "I'll come collect you when it's time." She thanked them both, and left.

The moment she was out of the room, he quickly turned the television back on. He and Skips were shocked to see Bonnibel and Connor nearly at each other's throats. She had begun to stand and finger point while raising her voice, while he flailed his arms about and screamed as loud as he possibly could to drown her out. His face was a deep shade of red, and his head was literally inflating like a balloon. He took a deep breath and it deflated slowly. He definitely wasn't 100% human.

"This guy's dangerous, Benson," Skips said to him. "I've watched his show a few times. No matter what you say, he's gonna find a way to make you look like the bad guy. He doesn't like being wrong."

"Neither do I," Benson replied. He watched the girl opposite of Connor gain the upper hand suddenly, and the man's head balloon to three times its size. "And neither does she by the looks of it." He sighed and let out a relieving sigh. "I think I might fit in quite nicely."

Watching Bonnibel defend herself with such integrity and pride gave Benson an extra boost of strength to get through the interview. Plus, he knew that guests remained on stage for the duration of the show after the interview (if they were asked) so sitting next to the girl he barely knew might help some as well. That is unless she gangs up on him as well. She didn't know why he was there, so Benson hoped that she would be on his side.

"You still need to be careful Benson," Skips continued. "Connor Wong is a smooth talker. He will use anything he can get his hands on and use it against you. He prides himself on dirty politics and controversy."

"I think I'll manage, Skips," Benson reassured him.

Skips shook his head as he listened to his coworker. In his eyes, the gumball machine didn't know what he was getting into, and Skips was powerless to do anything about it. He crossed his fingers, and hoped for the best.

They watched the rest of the interview go by, until finally Connor stopped Bonnibel, declared himself the winner and that she was wrong no matter what was said on the discussion. It was comparable to a child throwing a temper tantrum when they were told that they were wrong on every level. And yet, the girl's expression remained stoic as he got his way. She smiled and thanked him for his time.

The door into the room opened, and Kat returned with her tablet and red dress. "It's time," she said without even looking at him. "I hope you wrote out your will." She smirked evilly and led Benson out.

"You can head back to the park, Skips," Benson said as he was leaving the room. "I can handle it from here."

"Like I'm going to go back to park while you get massacred," Skips muttered. "I think I'll stick around for a little bit longer."

Benson shrugged at him, and continued to follow Kat out onto the stage. She passed Nat, in which the two exchanged quick "pleasantries" as Benson was directed to the set. Skips remained behind the camera, and watched his boss take a seat next to Bonnibel Bubblegum.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Benson asked her.

She shook her head. "Do you?"

Benson chuckled and nodded. "I wish I didn't though. It would make this interview less nerve wracking I think."

"Just remember what I told you," she whispered. "And I'll help you out if things get a little too heated. Even if I don't agree 100% with it."

"Thanks."

A stage man screamed for quiet as the show was returning in…

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"The Connor Wong Show is sponsored by Pony's Sugar Coated Chicken! Because when you needed something for dinner and desert, Pony's Sugar Coated Chicken for you when you get home! Also by, This and That Life Insurance, because let's face it, you're going to die eventually, and wouldn't you want your family to still love you even after you're dead?"

"Thanks for joining us," Connor Wong says to the camera with a grin. "Joining us now is the park manager for the local city park, where several dangerous and unsanitary activities have prompted lawsuits against the park, investigations, and bribery from the city leading crook and frequent guest on my show, Maellard. Please welcome Benson. Thank you for coming."

Investigations? Bribery? Lawsuits at the park? These were all news to Benson. But he couldn't let his confusion be shown. He did his best to adopt an emotionless and cold expression and to try and remain neutral in the tone of his voice. "I'm happy to be here," the gumball machine lied. Bonnibel also welcomed him with a nod, making him believe he was doing alright so far.

Through out the city, the park workers all had their televisions tuned to the CN channel, and were busy watching with curiosity and bated breath.

High Five Ghost watched from he and Muscle Man's home in their trailer, now located directly outside the park gates. "Mitch! It's on!" he yelled to the bathroom. Muscle Man came out of the bathroom, his hair now returned to his original color, and looked at HFG unhappily.

"It's not the same, bro!" he said to HFG, pointing towards his hair. He then began to scream at the top of his lungs and started banging his head against the wall. High Five Ghost couldn't wait for these emotional side effects to pass.

Maellard watched from his office in the corporate building he owned. He tapped his fingers on his desk and quietly waited for the merciless attack on his underling. If there ever was a test to see if Benson was truly worthy of this job, this was it. Maellard jumped in sheer fright though as Tim appeared from out of nowhere with two sodas in hand. "Good lord, Timothy. You scared me half to death!"

"Quit yelling at me, YOU OLD BASTARD!" Tim screamed as loud as he could. He hugged the wall of the office and limped over to the old man, still feeling weak from the ritual. "Here's your damned diet drink. I hope you choke on it you cold hearted, malicious, pathetic, aging fossil."

Mordecai and Rigby watched from the Coffee Shop, along with the worker's of the store. Eileen watched along from the sidelines as she cleaned the store up, while Veronica specifically took her break at that moment to sit down and watch Benson be emotionally cut into ribbons.

"This is going to be fantastic," she said with anticipation. "I looooooove Connor Wong. I watch his show whenever I get the chance. I just love a man who knows how to use words to his advantage. Nothing like a man with a silver tongue."

Eileen and the boys rolled their eyes and continued to watch the television. Mordecai gave the still slightly sobbing and now incredibly depressed Rigby a pat on the head to cheer him up a bit. He too was waiting for these ritual side effects to wear off. He turned and looked behind himself. Pops was curled up on top of table, sleeping soundly after tuckering himself out from earlier. He just wanted to make sure he was still in sight before returning back to the TV. He sighed and thought about Margaret. She had stepped away with a coffee in hand, saying she would be right back before leaving the shop.

"Lets start audience off with some background information then, shall we?" Connor began. "A few days ago, the park held a sort of carnival as a fundraiser to gather money to keep the park open correct?" Benson nodded. "Now, in the process of this carnival, one of the supervisors, an anthropomorphic raccoon, Don…"

Benson had no idea why the people had to know Don was an anthro.

"…went on a rampage, injuring several people and causing a large amount of damage to the park in general. I also heard that he kidnapped you and one other, as well as attack one of your park custodians. Is this correct?"

"Yes," Benson answered. "But I'd like to add that he was possessed by an outside source, and that his actions were against his will."

"Yes, I heard about that from several witnesses," Connor remarked. "I also heard that the creature in question fits the same description as the one that attacked the park about a month ago, and that these same witnesses claim that the creature came out from the park itself."

Benson breathed through his nose and answered: "It came from somewhere underneath the park, Connor. We're still trying to figure out why it was there in the first place. We don't even know how old it."

"Old enough to hold a grudge against Maellard," Connor added. "My inside sources have gone on record to quote that Maellard has personally hired a body guard under the sole purpose to protect him from this monster. Now, I've known Maellard to be fearful at times for his life, but this is the first time he's ever hired someone to protect him. Tell me Benson, does this creature you talk about have some sort of past with Maellard?"

"I can safely say that he does not," Benson answered.

"Really? His son says otherwise." Connor looks toward a screen on the back of the stage, and Pops appears on it. The words, "recorded earlier," appear below.

"Well, I'd have to say that that monster certainly knew papa!" Pops said with excitement. "Papa hasn't told me much of anything else though. And every time I ask him, he simply tells me to drop it. He's a strange one my father. When is this going to be on the air? Do I get my free head warming cap now?" His giggles are cut off by the screen going blank.

Meanwhile at his corporate office, Maellard grimaces. He was upset, but not angry. Chances were, one of Wong's men broadsided Pops with questions and did not tell him who they were working for. Connor Wong and his cohorts were known for such sneaky and underhanded methods. Maellard did not like what he saw one bit.

Timothy, on the other hand, was too busy laughing his head off. "Your son looks more retarded on television than he does in real life!" He was then promptly hit on the head with the man's cane.

Connor smiled at Benson, who was now slightly surprised by Pops inclusion. "It seems suspicious that Maellard doesn't want to talk about something that wants to kill him. Perhaps he has some sort of dark twisted secret, what do you say, Benson?"

"I wouldn't know, I'm afraid," the gumball machine retorted. "I'm only an employee under him. I don't know much of his personal life."

"And yet," the human scoffed, "he sent you instead of coming in to face the city, nay the nation, himself. He's a coward for doing so. You of all people, having to work under him, should know about his terrible working conditions, low pay to his employees, and the awkward amount of scandals and controversies he's gone through."

"I can tell you that the working conditions and pay rumor isn't true," Benson lied through his teeth. "I've been working at the park for years now, and I can guarantee you that besides a few hiccups in the way things work, there has been no instances where any of our employees have complained about Maellard and how the benefits and pay work." He had to defend Maellard. Ironically, he had to defend the job he hated most, which was governed by a cruel boss with terrible working conditions and pay, in order to keep getting paid so that he may continue to live. Life was funny that way.

"You shouldn't lie, Benson," Connor grinned and he stared down as some papers in front of him. "I have several reports here that state two employees were constantly complaining about working conditions. Most of them directed at you, in fact."

Benson glanced at the papers across from him, and took a deep breath. He had no idea how it was that he got his hands on those things. They were strictly confidential and hidden away. Someone must of snuck in and made copies without anyone looking. It didn't surprise Benson. Someone probably braved the park right after it temporarily closed down, and copied the park records. Benson cursed Maellard and himself for not removing the book from the park.

"It seems like you aren't the most kindly of bosses either," Connor mentioned as he looked from one page to another, "constant outbursts of rage, ignoring issues between coworkers, favoritism, destruction of property, and this is my favorite: a few cases of murder by defense as well." He paused and tried to gauge the look on Benson's face. "Looks like Maellard ended up hiring a little version of himself."

Benson's eye twitched. He wanted to leap across the table and slam his fist in the man's jaw. But he kept his composure. He couldn't show weakness of any sort in front of this man.

"So instead of talking about Maellard, or the monster who's trying to kill him, or anything else involving that man, let's talk about Benson," Connor sneered.

"I was told that I was to be on this program to discuss the incident that happened at the park only," Benson reacted.

"Do you want to talk about that?' Connor grinned. "Lets talk about that then. According to police reports, about 62 people were injured from you and Maellard's inability to kill a creature that both of you were aware."

"We didn't know it was still alive."

"The damages to the park, including medical bills for the injured caused by Don, and the monster, not to mention the booths falling apart, comes to a total estimate of about $200,000. Now I'm sure the fundraiser barely brought in that much, so the tax payers are going to have to pay for the mess that you and your boss caused."

Benson frowned. "All things that happened on that day – we had no control over."

"What the creature?"

"We thought the thing was dead. One of our custodians killed it. Apparently, it's harder to kill than we thought."

"And Don?" Connor inquired further.

"Don had no idea that that thing was going to attack. He's currently in the hospital recovering from injuries caused by that thing and us having to subdue him."

"Subdue?"

Benson's face grew slightly sullen as he thought about it. "He was causing a scene. We had to stop him somehow."

"So you attacked an innocent by standard whose only crime was being possessed by something he had no control over?" Connor asked.

"You're twisting his words, Connor," Bonnibel interrupted. "He was trying to protect the park and the people inside of it."

"I'd say he was more worried about the park than the people if he was gladly attacking someone to make the carnage stop," Connor snapped at her, before refocusing on Benson. "What if you had killed him, Benson? What if you had killed poor Don?"

"We took care so that something like that didn't happen!" Benson argued. "Don's my friend! I would never let anything like that happen to him!"

"I don't believe you," Connor said in a low tone. "I think you and your team had every intent to kill poor Don if it meant saving you and Maellard a buck. What a sad day it is when a person can only think of money than the life of another living thing."

"I said nothing of the sort," Benson said, standing from his chair.

"Someone seems to be overly angry over this," Connor laughed. "I don't know about you or anyone else out there, but that seems awfully suspicious."

Benson gritted his teeth at this man. This interview didn't make a lick of sense. He was just saying random things to make himself look like a hero. Skips was completely right. Benson shot a glance over to Bonnibel, who was staring a sympathetic look back at him.

"I think we'll confirm some of these suspicions when we return from our commercial break," Connor said to camera. A stage men yelled something, and people came running up to the stage.

"TWO MINUTES!" someone screamed.

Connor sighed and stood from his seat. "Good interview so far! This is great stuff," he said with a suddenly bright and cheery smile. He walked away from his guests and over to Kat.

Benson sighed and grunted under his breath.

"He's going easy on you," Bonnibel said. "That means he's probably going to attack you head on as soon as we come back from commercial."

Benson didn't want to hear that. This bastard barely gave him a word in edge wise. How was he supposed to defend himself when he barely got a chance to even do anything?

"I think someone is trying to get your attention," Bonnibel said pointing to someone off stage.

Benson looked out for his seat and saw Margaret next to Skips, waving one wing in greetings and holding a coffee mug in another. Benson looked over at Bonnibel who shooed him away with her hands, telling him to hurry it up.

"Surprise!" Margaret said as Benson walked up to her and Skips. "Were you expecting me?"

"I don't think I know what I'm supposed to be expecting anymore," the machine groaned. "Why are you here?"

She held up her coffee mug and offered it to him. "I brought you your favorite!"

"My favorite?" Benson asked as he took the mug from her.

"The one I've been making for you the past few weeks?"

"Oh that one!" Benson beamed. He took a sip of it to find it only a little warm, which actually exemplified the creaminess in it. It caused his body to shutter joyfully, and gave him that minor boost of energy he needed. "Still just as good as ever."

"Thanks!" Margaret blushed. "The boys told me you were coming on here tonight, and I've read about how rough Connor Wong can be. So I thought, 'what the heck?' I'll just pop on by, and give him a little boost. Hopefully it'll make you feel a little better about the interview."

Benson took a long drink, continuing his grin as he did. "It did, Margaret! Thanks." He handed the half empty mug cardboard mug back to her. The two of them then stood there awkwardly, both of them laughing shyly until Benson had to return to his interview. "Stick around! We can all do something after the show!"

Margaret nodded and took a deep breath as he walked away.

"You're really starting to like him, aren't you?" Skips asked with a sly curve to his lips.

Margaret's blush deepened. "Well, maybe just a little," she whispered.

Benson cursed the world under his breath as he slumped back down into his seat. The drink Margaret had brought was a nice touch, and it did give him the drive to finish the interview, but something told him that Connor was about to tear into him. Everyone pretty much already agreed it was going to happen.

"She seems cute," Bonnibel whispered to him. "Is that your wife?"

"What!" Benson nearly screamed. "No, not that at all."

"Girlfriend then?"

"She's just a friend. She works at the Coffee Shop a few streets up. We only just started to know each other. She just came by to give me some support."

"It seems like she likes you."

Benson looked back at Margaret, who was busy discussing something with the yeti. "Maybe she does. I don't think anything is going to come of it though."

"So you don't like her?" Bonnibel asked.

The gumball machine watched as he saw Skips crack some sort of joke, and Margaret laugh. He could hear her sweet voice from there. "Well, maybe just a little," he whispered.

"WE'RE BACK IN FIFTEEN EVERYONE!" a stagehand screamed to the whole set.

Benson quickly readjusted himself in his seat, as did Bonnibel. She quickly wished him, "good luck," and within seconds, they were once again brought into the world of Connor Wong.

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The theme chime of Connor Wong played as the camera zooms in on his serious expression. "Welcome back. If you are just joining us, earlier we interviewed Bonnibel Bubblegum about her new book as well as the current collapse of several nations overseas, and with us now is Benson of the Maellard Corporation discussing with us the recent strange events the city park has gone through, including a fundraiser gone wrong and an attack on the workers and citizens. Now Benson," he continued, the camera switching to a view showing all three of them, "it's pretty much fact at this point that you are Maellard's second hand man."

"No it's not," Benson grimaced. "I'm a park manager. I have no say in what goes on with Maellard and his corporation."

"So you say," Connor grinned. "Perhaps you're right. But that doesn't mean you aren't responsible for what happened at the park. I mean, it is you and your workers jobs to make sure that the park runs like clock work with no difficulties, correct?"

"You know that's true."

"So then why didn't you know about the hideous creature that has attacked your park twice now within a month?"

"Again, Mr. Connor," Benson said with malice, "that thing was underground. We couldn't have known it was there to begin with."

"But it still makes you responsible," he snapped. "All of you were unprepared for that thing the first time around, and the second time, you both were just sitting around, twiddling your thumbs as it possessed a defenseless raccoon anthro, and caused him to go on a rampage."

"That thing attacked him out of nowhere!" the gumball machine argued. "I couldn't stop it!"

"OH! So you saw the creature in question attack Don? How interesting…"

"Don't read into it," Benson replied, "it came right out of nowhere and attacked Don while he was busy dealing with the situation about the booths."

"Speaking of which," Connor interrupted, "I have a statement from the company your park rented the build-a-booths for, and they're claiming that they supplied you with all the necessary equipment to keep the booths up. In other words, they blame you for your shoddy workmanship."

"Well we can't be blamed if they go and fall apart on their own, right?"

"Oh well I think you can. According to reports, it turns out that several lug nuts were missing from some of the booths. Either you have a saboteur, or your team is just lazy, and I'm willing to think it's the latter."

"And why would you think that?" Benson asked with an angry curiosity.

Connor gave his trademark smile and folding his hands together on the table. The screen on the wall flickers and shows a picture of the current part staff: the New Years Day photo that they took a few months back. "Well, look at them. Your entire staff is made up of anthropomorphic animals, mentally unfit morons, and you of course... you know, mostly defects."

Benson's face flushed purple with rage and he stood up from his seat, knocking it over in the process. He slammed both his fists down onto the table and gritted his teeth. At that moment, he didn't care who – watching their television – saw him. That was just stepping over the line. Even Bonnibel was surprised, flinching at the very statement.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!" Benson screamed at the host.

Connor, unmoving from his seat, smiled at the reaction. This was exactly what he was waiting for. He waved his hand for some men to come on stage, in which two of them stepped up behind him. The security guards leered down at Benson from three feet above his height. The gumball took some breaths through his nose and tried to calm himself.

"And this is exactly what I was talking about," Connor said from behind his goons. "Gumball machine's have been statistically shown to have more angry outbursts than humans."

"Show me proof," Benson sneered through his teeth.

"I don't have any on me, but I can assure you that there are hundreds of studies on the subject of inanimate lifeforms, including gumball machines. And all my viewers as well as the citizens of this fair city can take my word with trust."

"Bullshit they can, you bigoted-ass news whore!" Benson shrieked.

Mordecai spit his coffee out from the Coffee Shop, while Eileen and Veronica's mouth dropped agape. High Five Ghost was even surprised by the sudden profane outburst. Maellard and Tim grew silent as well, with Maellard nodding his head with impression. "The boy's got it in him." Tim slammed his drink on the table, and Maellard jumped in fright.

Margaret had a wing to her mouth as she listened in. She had no idea Benson could be prone to such anger. She had heard from Mordecai and Rigby he was capable of such, but she always thought it was exaggeration. She looked up at Skips. His face was the same it had always been. Margaret was surprised by his unflinching nature. But when she looked down at his fingers, she could see a slight twitch to them. His fingers had curled into fists and were beginning to shake madly.

"Watch yourself, Benson," Connor said with his usual grin, "you ARE on camera."

"So are you!" Benson yelled. "And you just said some pretty racist things about some of my friends!"

"Racist? How dare you call me that!" Connor screamed at Benson, matching his tone. His head slowly began to inflate a small amount. "I have nothing but respect for all living and nonliving things on this planet. But there is factual evidence and studies proving that they are both physically and mentally defective from humans."

"You're doing it again!" the machine accused. "You don't even have the proof to back yourself up!"

"As I said, Benson: there is factual evidence and studies proving otherwise. Look them up yourself. We can even go on commercial break so that our viewers at home and yourself can look it up." Connor shrugged from behind his guards, feeling completely protected and on top of the world.

Benson wasn't going to give up that easily though. "You mean studies conducted by bigoted 'scientists' who have been called out for their 'research'!" The air quotes Benson gave were filled to the brim with venom.

"Are you against science then, Benson?"

"Quit trying to put words in my mouth!"

Bonnibel curved her eyebrows down in anger and folded her arms. "You're being quite rude to your guest, Connor," she said calmly. "I happen to know that there are tens of thousands of studies proving that anthropomorphs and nonliving entities, both physical and spiritual, are just as capable as any human alive. I even wrote some studies on the subject, as well as some books, which you yourself have advertised on your show."

Connor huffed in aggravation at the woman. "Your advice isn't worth the paper it's written on, Bonnibel. According to you, your advice brought about the total destruction of your precious 'kingdom' and its residents a few centuries ago, or have you forgotten that little story you've told the world, Princess Bubblegum? Why you haven't been committed yet for creating such stories is beyond me."

The girl's face turned a hideous crimson as her hands began to shake. Benson looked at her and found her on the verge of tears. He looked outside the stage and saw Nat slack jawed, as well as Kat looking absolutely furious. Obviously, Connor said something he wasn't supposed to.

"Forgive me, Bonnibel," Connor quickly apologized. "I shouldn't have said anything about your 'kingdom'. You are quite the girl to truly believe the stories that say such a place as the Candy Kingdom and the mythical land of Ooo even ever existed. I over stepped my boundaries for insulting your intelligence and... grip on reality."

"Stories?" she yelled, almost in tears.

"Well there's no proof of the existence of Ooo."

"Just like you have to no proof of what you said to me!" Benson screamed at him.

He looked over at the girl. Her expression was just as stern and powerful as his. The two guests combined had enough power to overthrow the cruel person in front of them. The fact that Connor's head had inflated so large was proof enough of that. He was reaching his rope's end.

"I have proof on that," Connor said calmly, his head deflating back to regular size. "At least with that, it's factual. With Ooo, not so much. I'm not one to believe in fairy tales or the ramblings of a woman who's older than dirt, and can't get over her friends deaths, I'm afraid."

Bonniebel had had enough. It was one thing to attack her, but to attack the people she had loved so dearly in the past? She simply removed her mic, and stormed off stage with Nat at her side. She sneered at Kat, claiming that they'll be, "hearing from our lawyers," before exiting.

Benson slit his eyes to Connor. "You're an awful human being. You brought us all on here to make us look bad and claim your point that you're better than us, and then when we ask for proof, you give us nothing. You're worse than two slackers I happen to know. At least they have integrity and are good people."

Mordecai smiled from the Coffee Shop and wrapped his arm around Rigby's shoulder. He shook him playfully, happy to see Benson say such a nice thing about them. Even Rigby cracked a smile upon hearing the compliment.

"You mean two workers – not slackers – you happen to know?" Connor inquired. "I assume it's the two anthros, the bird and the raccoon, right? It's not surprising you think they are lazy. Blue jays are known to be terribly rude and cruel around other people, and raccoon's are lazy thieves who only think of themselves."

Mordecai threw his coffee at the TV. Eileen joined in, throwing an empty plastic glass at the screen in Rigby's place.

"No one talked about my Rigby like that!" she screamed out. When she realized what she said, her face turned a bright red in embarrassment, and she shyly backed away out of the room.

"So where's your damned proof then!" Benson screamed.

"I told you: I don't have any on me," the host argued, "but the people at home are welcome to look up 'why raccoons are lazy' and why blue jays are 'terrible parents' at any time. I suggest they do it now and expand their minds. In order to live in harmony with everyone we first must understand them."

"Why should they believe anything you say?" Benson asked, nearly climbing on top of Connor's desk.

Connor laughed and glared evilly at Benson. "Because I'm the one everyone is watching. The people wouldn't watch me if they didn't believe me. And honestly, who are the public going to trust? An educated scholar who has his own show with millions of followers, or some hermaphrodite gumball machine who's just a sad excuse of a 'living' thing?"

If Connor had only turned his head only ten degrees to his right, he might have seen the camera go flying into his face. The security guards didn't even notice until the glass of the lens had cracked onto his cheek. Within that very moment, Skips jumped onto the set, pushed both guards out of the way, and knocked the host right to the ground. The only thing the remaining cameramen could see was a fist coming up, and plummeting back down from behind the desk in quick succession.

Everyone behind the stage, and watching at home, gazed on in horror and fascination as the yeti wailed down onto the host. Benson's face, once purple with rage and anger, returned to its pink hue and clear nature as he watched. He stepped away, out of sight of the camera and joined Margaret, just as enthralled as everyone else. The security guards were doing their best to get the beast off of Connor Wong, but he only pushed them away and continued to attack.

Benson took his drink from Margaret and sipped on it. A cruel grin appeared on his face as the carnage unfolded in front of him. He couldn't help but start laughing.

Somewhere far away, Maellard was doing the same thing.


"This should be enough to get the old boy out of jail," Maellard said with a content grin on his face. He handed the check to Benson, and slammed the bottom of his cane down onto the ground in approval. "I must admit, Benson, I was quite impressed with how you handled yourself with Connor. It's not everyday that someone actually stands up to him like that. Kudos." The fact that Maellard actually pronounced his name correctly put a huge smile on Benson's face.

Tim even nodded in approval and winked at Benson as he walked away with Maellard.

It was an hour after the show finished, and it didn't surprise either Benson nor Margaret that a SWAT team had to take Skips away in cuffs. Maellard and Tim were on the scene a few moments after the attack, still laughing about it. When they found out where he was being taken, he cut Benson a check and expected the yeti to be back at work by the next day.

Margaret and Benson were left to drive the golf cart to the police station and bail the yeti out. Connor was nice enough not to press charges at least, but that was only because he was afraid of a scandal.

"That was..." Margaret breathed.

"Yeah..." Benson finished.

They sat next to each other in silence and watched the night sky pass by. Benson had offered to give the girl a lift home since she walked from the Coffee Shop to the station. He didn't want to leave her there, especially in a hateful place such as that.

"Thanks for the ride home," she says, letting the wind pass by her feathers. The gusts get caught in the ruffles between quills, fluffing it up and giving her a smooth movement of sorts.

"It's fine," Benson sighs as he turned a corner. "Skips can wait a few minutes while I drop you off. He's probably in his cell laughing his butt off."

"I know I would be," Margaret grinned.

"So would I."

They both exploded into laughter. It echoes through the empty streets, giving them the impression that they were the only ones there.

The cart stopped at a red light, ceasing the wind and the laughter shortly there after.

Benson tapped at the wheel, and stole a quick glance to the girl. She was edging herself closer to him, blushing slightly. "What are you doing?" he asked, a smile still on his face.

She said nothing, only scooting closer until she was right next to him. "Hey Benson," she began, "are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

"No," he answered curiously. "Why do you ask?"

She didn't say anything. She only gave him a toothy grin, implying something that was even within Benson's grasp.

He blushed a bit. "Tomorrow?" he asked nervously. "You want to do something tomorrow? Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Do what?" she questioned.

"Be seen with someone like me. Someone who's older than you..."

"I've dated older men, Benson."

"...and someone who's been with Veronica?"

"That's not a deal breaker either."

"...or even a gumball machine?"

"Benson!' she yelled. "I like you! You're a sweet guy. A little angry and stressed out at times, but a nice guy. I really want to get to know you. So what do you say? We can do something simple; maybe a little dinner and dancing?"

Benson's blush deepened. A girl was asking him out. He hadn't been out on a date in so long, unless you counted what he and Don did as a date (which he didn't). He did like Margaret enough though. He understood what Mordecai liked about her. Mordecai! He couldn't go out on a date with her! This was his coworker's crush! What was he even doing thinking about this?"

"Listen Margaret," Benson said, "it's not gonna happen. And it's not because I don't like you. I do like you. You're a good friend. It's just that..."

"Mordecai will be fine," she blurted out.

Benson's face grew shocked as she finished, winking at him.

"I know what I'm doing, Benson," she added. "Mordecai has had every chance in the world to ask me right now, and he still hasn't. It sounds kind of mean, but it is kind of his loss. So I know what I'm doing. If I wasn't, I probably wouldn't be asking you now, would I? So what do you say?"

"Well... uh..."

Benson thought about it. Margaret really seemed to want this, and Benson was curious to date her too. Not so much because he had a crush on her, but more because she was a girl who actually gave him the time of day and really wanted to be close to him. That was a good reason, right? But it was so sudden though, and right out of left field. This didn't seem right at all. He didn't know what to say to her.

Maybe he could convince her to go out as friends. But what if things escalated beyond that? She was so young too, far younger than him. That seemed a bit strange to him. And then there was Mordecai lingering at the back of his mind.

She was still staring at him for an answer. He had to make up his mind. He took a deep breath, and told her as the light changed.

Floorboards Under the Bed - The Twilight Sad


Author's Notes

I cannot begin to tell you how much I loved writing this chapter. It was just such a joy to write. And yes, the cameo with Bubblegum was intended. You can just consider her a part of the Diamonds universe now, hahahah! Also, I loved coming up with all the little side characters in this chapter. They are so crazy and weird, which is what I always like to write about. I really am proud with how this chapter came out.

So Until Next Chapter...

Adieu...