Author's Note: I own nothing.

9 A Little Shady

Jay frowned as she pinned her hair up into a braid. It was wrapped so that it sat in a spiral on the back of her head, intertwined with a golden ribbon. She frowned at her closet. Formal wear at the Black Hole wasn't exactly the same as formal wear everywhere else on earth. The Black Hole was a club that sat in an alien settlement under Bellwood. It was a favorite hangout of many illegal dealers, both tech and otherwise. Pulling out a little black dress Jay made her way to the small bathroom that had only a box shower, toilet and sink. The good thing was that she had placed a charm on the pipes so the water never ran cold. She pulled on a shower cap and showered quickly. She changed into the dress and pulled a pair of sandals out of the closet along with a sheer purple top that she paired with the dress.

She pulled some jewelry out of a box and slipped it on, switching out her silver piercings for gold to match the necklace she was wearing. With that done she frowned at the mirror and waved a hand over her face, makeup materializing in its place, though her lips remained bare. She hadn't had to wear lipstick in years, her lips were permanently stained black after all. She shook off that thought and made her way back to her car pulling out of the warehouse and driving off to the secret entrance to Undertown. The guard, an alien in an ID mask, nodded opening the road for her.

Undertown was a complex sprawl of buildings that had popped up under Bellwood over the last five or so years. Many aliens here just wanted to be left alone, some were refugees, others were here because Earth was something of a hot spot for illegal activities. One corner of Undertown, that most of the residents called Red Lane, was given over to clubs and venues similar to those found in red light districts of cities on the surface. This was where Jay headed now, parking in the lot next to the Black Hole and grinning at the bouncers. One was a large Tetramand that she didn't recognize but the other was a familiar face.

"Didn't realize you'd be working here tonight Frisk." The human was practically the definition of mousy. Though he was fully human he spent most of his time hanging out with aliens and selling info he could get. He was a go to for many underground dealers. He grinned at Jay as he looked up from his list.

"Of course Sorceress, you know how much I love seeing you around." He glanced at his silent partner. "She's here for tonight's private event." The Tetramand nodded, pulling a keycard out of his pocket and handing it to Jay before opening the velvet rope for her with a smile. She nodded to him and made her way into the club. On the surface it could have been any club in Bellwood, except the majority of the clientele was alien in nature. There were a few humans spotted through the crowd but for the most part Jay was making her way between aliens as she made her way to the bar at the back of the club. She grinned at the being behind the bar, they were tall, spindly with light grey skin and big black eyes. They sort of reminded her of the traditional Grey Alien most people associated with Area 51. She smiled and flashed the card she'd been given at the door. The alien nodded and jerked a finger at a hallway to their left.

"Third door down." Jay nodded her thanks and slipped through the crowd and into the hallway showing the card to a guard there, an Incursion with a missing eye. He nodded opening the rope here and letting her through into the empty hallway. She headed down it to the third door and slid the card through a reader by the door which slid open. This room was a much smaller version of the main room. A bar in the corner, manned by a male Kineceleran, had a few patrons there, sipping drinks. She made her way through the small clusters of people there to the bar.

"What can I get you?" The bartender asked zooming over to Jay as she sat at the bar. She smiled at him.

"I'll take a glass of Nectar." The bartender nodded zipping away to get her order. Someone stepped up next to Jay and she rolled her eyes as she spotted who it was out of the corner of her eye. Octagon Vreedle had switched out his usual overalls for a ratty tux, in keeping with the fancy dress code of the evening.

"Well if it isn't my favorite Sorceress." The bartender returned with a champagne flute full of semi clear green liquid. He handed it to Jay who pulled a few Taydens out of the pocket in her dress, plunking them down on the counter. "What is a lady like you doing at an event such as this?" Jay sipped her drink as Octagon ordered one of his own.

"Looking to get back at a Plumber for a lot of things." Octagon laughed.

"Well that is a goal I believe we can all that say we have in common. Any Plumber in particular? I hear there's been a few kicking around these days." Jay shrugged.

"Any would do but if we wanna get specific I'd love to bleed some payback out of Devin Levin." Octagon's drink arrived and he paid before sipping it contemplatively.

"That wouldn't happen to be the very same Plumber who landed you in the Null Void would it?"

"One and the same, you heard anything about him?" Jay asked quirking an eyebrow at the repo man. He shook his head.

"Not in specifics no. The event we have all gathered for today seems to be to seek out those interested in an auction for a piece of equipment liberated from a Plumber base in what I believe is referred to as Florida." Jay frowned at that, it was unlikely as hell that Devin had made it as far as Florida in the past few days. This, like the incident in Grover's Mill, seemed to have nothing to do with the Plumber she was looking for. "But if you're interested I could keep an ear to the ground so to speak for any sign of the Plumber in question." Jay narrowed her eyes at the repo man.

"Why?"

"Well I do owe you for the tip off that the Plumbers were on my tail a few years back. It was much appreciated and I never returned the favor." That was a hint that he didn't want to be in her debt any longer. It hadn't been much of a tip, a blind man could have seen the undercover rookie Plumber in the crowd of dealers. But the Vreedles had never been the brightest of beings. She rolled the idea around her head for a moment as she took another sip of her drink. Having a Vreedle in ones debt wasn't the best place one could be. No one wanted to mess with their mother, though she mostly left Rhomboid and Octagon to their own devices. She nodded slightly.

"You find out any info on Devin Levin and I'll consider the favor repaid." He grinned in relief.

"You got yourself a deal little lady." They shook hands and Octagon wandered off into the small crowd. A small stage near the front of the room lit up with a spotlight and a being in a containment suit stepped up onto it. He looked a bit like a centipede inside the suit and it was clear by the haze that surrounded his face that he'd be much more comfortable in the Gas House, breathing in the toxic atmosphere there.

"Welcome beings one and all." He was reading off of cue cards which amused Jay to no end. He was clearly just getting into the business. "My boss would like to offer his sincere thanks for your interest in his wears. He would like you all to know that he is having a sale on next Thursday, everything must go." Jay snorted. It wasn't subtle slang, whoever had set up this meeting was clearing their stock so they could flee the planet. "Buy in is tech for tech or Taydens, and the large majority of his wares were recently liberated from a Plumber warehouse. He has asked that I again say how quickly he wishes to sell, he's not opposed to some haggling."

Jay was starting to tune out the speaker. A Plumber warehouse meant they had successfully raided a base without getting caught. But the urgency also meant that some of the tech might be traceable. Whoever was found holding that traceable tech might be found culpable for the whole thing. She sighed as the cyanic being flipped his cue card.

"Those interested should present a down payment of six hundred Taydens, or the tech equivalent, tonight. They will then receive the coordinates of auction. Thank you for your time." Jay frowned contemplating her options. She had the down payment. It paid to be able to pull things out of thin air, though she was really pulling from her vault hidden under the warehouse. She sighed downing the last of her drink and nodding to the bar tender for a fresh one. He obliged and she paid, smiling at him as she finally stepped away from the bar. Plumber tech was useful, no matter if it was Devin's or not. It was also lucrative. She had enough stashed to get whatever she might want, and if they didn't have anything she wanted it might be a good place to make contacts for other deals. So she stepped over to the cyanic with a smile. A few others had paid him already. She swirled her hand and a pouch with the required Taydens appeared in a swirl of deep pink light. They cyanic blinked but nodded taking the pouch with one hand and handing her a card with the other. She smiled and sauntered away from the cyanic tucking the card away. She finished her drink and headed out of the bar, heading home to get some sleep.

Kevin frowned as he moved the couch and rug again opening the basement hatch and taking the stairs down into his father's office. There was still quite a bit of tech here and he was wondering if there was anything he could use to help the investigation. It made him frown that Jay had already put in more work than he had with the files on the Highbreed and the DNAliens. He had that data pad with him too. He couldn't help but think about the girl who'd joined their group. His phone buzzed as he sat down and he glanced at it. Cooper was calling. He answered quickly.

"Dude where are you? I'm at your house." Kevin nodded.

"Come on in, you know where the spare key is. I'm in the basement." He heard Cooper digging for the spare key for a moment.

"I didn't even know you had a basement." Cooper ended the call and the hatch to the basement opened as Kevin booted up the computer in the room. Cooper whistled as he came down the stair.

"Now this is a secret headquarters, you've got your own mini Batcave!" Kevin laughed then frowned as the computer beeped the silver hourglass of the Plumbers the only thing on the screen. Cooper stood by his shoulder his eyes flashing blue to communicate with the computer. "It wants a badge." Kevin frowned pulling Magister Labrid's badge out of his pocket. He reached forward to tap the badge on the computer but a scanner just behind the keyboard flashed as the Omnitrix passed over it and the computer hummed to life. A voice echoed through the room.

'Welcome Kevin Levin.' It was metallic and Kevin blinked as the machinery in the room came to life. He glanced at Cooper who shook his head.

"Not me. Your dad must have put the Omnitrix into the Plumber database." Kevin nodded as the screen came up fully. He sighed and frowned pulling up his own file. He blinked. According to this he was ranked as a Rookie Plumber for his experience with the Omnitrix and the training he'd been doing with his father since he was seven. He frowned and typed up a search for a file. The metallic voice echoed around the room again.

'File located. Subject: Jennifer Tennyson. Alias: Jay. Alternate Alias: The Sorceress. Status: Wanted on multiple counts of weapons trafficking, evading arrest, interplanetary trespass, smuggling, assisting the tyrant Vilgax, theft, attempted theft, attempted mutilation, truancy, and prison break from the Null Void.' Cooper whistled.

"That's a hell of a rap sheet. When did she help Vilgax?" Cooper asked. Kevin frowned at the file. The photo was old, the same photo from the missing posters he'd seen of Jay when they were younger.

"When we were kids. She said something back then about him promising to help her get back to normal if she helped him get the Omnitrix off me. She wound up in the Null Void because of it." He said frowning. Cooper shook his head.

"Some of this is serious shit Kev. Attempted mutilation?"

"I'm gonna guess that's from her trying to get the Omnitrix off me too. She blamed it for her powers overloading. I don't know if that's why her powers went crazy or not but one of the times we fought she did try to cut off my arm." Kevin brushed it off and Cooper frowned at him.

"We don't know if that's why that is. It could be anything. Are we sure we can trust her?" Cooper was very serious. Kevin frowned.

"I don't know. She's been nothing but helpful since Magister Labrid gave her a chance. Maybe we should give her one too." Cooper's frown deepened, but Kevin wasn't to be deterred. He frowned and spoke.

"Computer can I change the status of Jennifer Tennyson?" There was a beep.

'You have clearance to chance the status of Jennifer Tennyson.' Kevin smiled.

"Change her status to on parole, currently assisting an investigation." There was another beep and the file on screen changed, listing Kevin himself as the officer she needed to check in with. Cooper let out a breath.

"I really hope you know what you're doing man." The blonde commented and Kevin nodded.

"So do I. Now let's get to work finding my dad."