Oh, that was only for the two day "Recruitment Blitz" we had a coupleof days a go. I promised every agent 1 free merit for every person they suggested to me to be recruited. Maxie had a lot of recruits to gve so he received quite a few merits for it. This it how the merit system goes:
If you an Intel/Spec Ops Agent or a scientists you wil receive assignment to complete. Once complete an assignment you will receive merits (Depending on how hard it is.) Usually one merit is given out for each assignment completed. After every six merits, you are invested into a higher rank, as Maxie was. However, if you are a Military Officer, you don't usually receive assignments. Instead, you must be an active member of the group and help to provide security for the group in order to receive merits.