"I don't know why we had to come all the out here just because of a little fire... Shouldn't that be a job for the local enforcement or something?"

The voice of the renowned hero of Earth carried through the still air, the silence that abound only broken by his words and the sound of footsteps, of the outskirts of lower Undertown. The Tennyson and his partner, Rook, had been called down to these rather remote parts of the alien portion of the city by order of Max. Ben's grandfather had sent them on their way for the seemingly small case saying that they were having a slow day and it wouldn't hurt to look into even a small case. Better to have gone into a situation expecting a riot rather than not and then coming out with a black eye.

"We are the local enforcement." Rook commented in his own rather innocent way. "And the activity here is said to be 'suspicious' considering the distance this area has with the main district yet it also sits in an area where it does not encroach upon other areas so clans like the Kraaho do not have reason to disturb the area. It makes the area a haven for those who do not want their activities known. Thus it makes sense that we should investigate to be certain that these individuals are not becoming a threat to the public."

Ben could only sigh as his partner over analyzed a simple sentence and poured an exposition of logic into his words. He had steadily grown more fond of the lanky Revonnahgander as they had worked together, getting used to his mannerisms and actions, but even he still found Rook's over worked thought process taxing at times. It was just an aspect of his partner though and he would live with it.

"I believe we have found what we were looking for."

At Rook's words Ben pulled himself from his musing and lifted his gaze. Before them stood a medium sized building partially built into the stone of the Earth. It resembled a warehouse and it's only true defining feature were the black stains that ran along it's walls and the thin layer of ash linning the ground around it. The structure was settled a decent distance from the others and the materials used to make the buildings didn't seem to be to flammable at any rate so the flames didn't spread but that gave all the more reason for one to think that this fire was started by someone's hand. Weather it was a mistake or there was motive behind it all was yet to be seen.

"Well let's get this over with."

The Tennyson male moved closer and forced the doors of the building open carefully. With light from outside now spilling in Ben peered within the ruined innards. The out side of the structure was fine but whatever had been inside was now in shambles. Rook stepped past his partner, Proto-Tech gun in hand, and began a survey. Where the light did not hit Rook's gun mounted lamp easily illuminated and all the remains of what must have been left over merchandise, or simple collections of items, or whatever. Ben slunk in after, pulling a small utility flashlight from his pocket, splitting off from Rook to do his own exploration.

All the searching though was resulting in much of the same. Ash, charred remains of items, and a whole lot of nothing. The brunette gave a huff as he investigated a room in the back. It was one of the last rooms and then he was going to call it a day. It looked like this could have been an office or something of the like, some of the personal affects and space in general having been touched less by the flames but still there was little to be found at a glance. With a rough sigh Ben scuffed his shoe through the soot, kicking the leg of the desk that rested in the room.

Whatever grumbled complaint that built in his throat never left his lips as a soft noise caught his attention. With a hand over his watch and the other holding the flashlight and with all senses on high he began to move closer to the noise origin. In the corner where a shelf had been toppled and boxes haphazardly thrown was the one place where any noise could have arisen. As he moved closer he heard yet another noise, a little shuffle. Could someone still be in here?

Shifting the miniature flashlight to his mouth and holding it between his teeth he laid a hand on the shelf and gave a tug, leaping back as the item toppled forward and once more laid his hand over the omnitrix, ready to push in the device given a seconds notice. Though as the stirred ash settled once more and as Ben's eyes adjusted to it all what he saw brought his hand down and the anticipation of a brawl turned into confusion.

"Argeh?"

Sitting in the corner, half wrapped in some swath of fabric, and looking out with wide yellow eyes that reflected the light shone upon them was the all to familiar form of the con man. The young hero shook his head as he approached, transferring the light to his hand once more, waiting for the spill of excuses as to why the rodent was there.

"Alright Argit wh-" His words died away and his actions stilled as the quill covered felon reacted in a way very unlike himself. Argit whimpered and flinched away. Argit flinched a lot but only when they was a threat of being hit, and even then he usually faced it all relatively well, and Ben couldn't think of a time when he had actually heard the rodent whimper. Something was definitely wrong.

"Hey... what's wrong?" Despite their history Ben couldn't help but change his demeanor. His voice soft and movements careful as he approached, the teenage Plumber watched the other closely. The smaller male was trembling, actually trembling, and shifted further back, whimpering as he did. "C'mon. I'm not gonna hurt you this time."

Ben spoke the same way one would to a frightened animal, considering it wasn't to far off with this alien, and reached up slowly, taking hold of the fabric that the other bundled in. Pulling it away he dropped it with a gasp. Under the light given off by the flashlight Ben saw a good deal more than he was prepared for.

Argit was huddled as far back in the corner as he could get, arms up and head dipped in some form of defense against whatever imagined threat he saw, and he looked like a wreck. His fur was stained and messy, covered in ash and what Ben could only identify as blood. His small form, bare of his jacket and left only with some tattered shorts, was covered in cuts of various sizes and the faintest hint of bruises that could be spied at the thinner layers of fur. One of his ears was partially torn, the area that previously held an earring, and his arm looked as if it had been burned but it had been some time ago. What really disturbed the teenager was the angle that one of the alien's legs rested at. He was no doctor but he could tell when a limb was broken.

"Oh my god..." The words left his mouth without thought and he quickly shook his head to clear it. "Oh man... uhm... alright we need to get you out of here.." He reached down to lift the smaller creature but stopped when the snitch let out a strangled cry of fear. It was so guttural and pained that it tugged at every one of Ben's heart strings, all the more with the fact that a sound like that was pure and genuine.

"Hey..." Withdrawing his arms and clipping his flashlight to his shirt collar the teen dropped his voice further to whisper to the frightened alien. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I just want to get you out of here and get you some help."

Slowly Argit's eyes lifted, wide and fearful golden orbs meeting concerned toxic green, and his ears flicked. It didn't look like he believed Ben.

"I'll make sure you're safe, I promise."

Once more the quilled felon lowered his head, hugging his elbows as he did, and drew his tail about himself. The alien male made a soft set of noises and it took Ben a moment to realize that the other was talking.

"What?"

"Y-you'll... just turn..me in..." The conman's voice was rough from the smoke. He coughed, bringing a soft whine up with it. "E-even if you don't... I'm ...on my own.. after that. I..I'd be good as... dead.. either way.."

Even at death's door he still didn't trust anyone, though instead of making Ben roll his eyes it made his heart hurt. What kind of trouble had the rodent gotten himself in that even some beneficial care, that even the option of getting treated and not going to prison didn't even make him perk? What had happened to turn the loud mouthed, self absorbed, greedy, opportunistic bastard into a whimpering, cowering, glum mess?

Whatever it was it was his duty, as a Plumber and hero, to find out and try to pull the other away from the fate he had deemed so inevitable. Argit was a backstabbing, lying, low life, but even he didn't deserve to just be beaten so horribly and then cast in the gutter to perish. If he was going to be punished it would be the legal way, but right now it looked like the conman needed the system to offer him a little bit of care and punish the one that did this.

"I'm not going to turn you in... and if you're scared to be on you own after this... than I promise to protect you." What was he saying? Was he seriously promising Argit of all people his protection? Once more round yellow eyes met his verdant set. "You have my word."

It took several long moments before, at last, Argit nodded and gave a soft murmur of consent. With only the faintest of smiles Ben moved closer and once more reached down to scoop up the conman. With great care he moved the other smaller, and as he got a feel of him he could say the other was malnourished, male out of the corner and onto the table in the middle of the room. Leaving him there a moment the boy moved back to the book case. Snapping off a portion of the boards and grabbing the fabric that Argit had been wrapped in he stepped back to the injured felon. Quickly and gently as he could Ben straightened the others leg, listening with great pain as Argit whined and whimpered, and used the fabric and boards to make a quick field splint.

"There... that'll make the trip a little easier."
Turning his focus on his watch Ben turned the dial and hoped that in the moment it would be kind and listen to his demand before he pushed it down. Thankfully it did. Lifting the smaller alien into his arms the barer of the omnitrix took off, Fasttrack leaving a streak of blue as he barreled through Undertown to the hospital.