Can't Be Done

This story was inspired by the Ultimate Alien episode, Greetings from Techadon. When I was re-watching it the other day, I wondered how Gwen came up with the idea of getting Argit to help her trick Vulkanus and more importantly, how she convinced Argit to help her. Also, this is my first time writing Argit so I apologize if he seems a bit out of character.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 and characters. The quotes taken from the episode are placed in italic and used only for contextualization, I do not own them.

Gwen, Ben and Kevin stood in the recently destroyed parking lot of Mr. Smoothie. They had just managed to prevent another attack from a custom-made Techadon robot. As Kevin studied the pieces of machinery in front of him, they discussed what their best course of action was to figure out who was sending the robots and how to stop them from coming. Gwen was convinced that the solution to their problem was to first find out who had ordered the custom Techadon machine from the Weapon Masters. Taking charge, she told Ben and Kevin to find the Techadon fabricator while she went out to find which of Ben's enemies had ordered a hit on him. Gwen was about to leave the parking lot when Kevin's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Never happen. It can't be done," Kevin deadpanned, looking at Gwen with a serious expression.

Gwen seemed to hesitate at Kevin's words for just a second before tossing back the cube he had given for her to examine minutes ago. As soon as Kevin caught the object his girlfriend had thrown back at him, a proud and knowing smile formed on his face.

"''Can't be done.'' Stupid thing to say," Ben turned to Kevin, critiquing his friend as Gwen walked away from them. But as he saw Kevin's expression, he immediately knew what had just happened. Ben was clearly impressed by Kevin's plan.

They watched Gwen walk away before getting in Kevin's car to accomplish their mission; they had to find the control console and quickly.

Kevin's words had lit a fire in Gwen. Finding whoever had ordered the hit on Ben wasn't impossible, the situation just had to be approached properly. Kevin had mentioned that only someone with a lot of money would be able to afford a custom Techadon. This specifically narrowed down the list of Ben's enemies to those who happened to have a lot of cash to burn. It was a start. How could she quickly and efficiently go through her list of suspects? She needed more information.

After leaving Kevin and Ben in the destroyed parking lot of Mr. Smoothie, she wasted no time in making her way to Kevin's garage. She was sure she could find some information on the Plumber computers Kevin had installed on the Rust Bucket 3 because they were all equipped with Extranet access. Maybe there was some chatter online about the custom fabricator seeing as it was such a big and illegal purchase. If she was really lucky, maybe she could find rumours about where the Masters of Techadon could be found.

As she approached Kevin's garage, she made her way to the neighbouring building he had purchased and used to occasionally house their jet. She opened up a small box attached on the wall to punch in the code that would unlock the door. She heard the lock click open and was about to open the door when she suddenly stopped herself.

She was going about this the wrong way. She was thinking too much like a Plumber, like someone who followed rules. Based on what Kevin had told her about the Weapon Masters of Techadon, they didn't seem like they would follow the rules and document their sales. And a criminal buying their products wouldn't follow the rules either. She had to approach this as someone who wanted to do shady business and underground deals. Luckily, she knew a couple of people who fit the bill.

Sighing, she locked the door and instead, made her way to Kevin's main garage. Mainly, it's where he kept his car or other technological devices he was working on, but she also knew it was where he kept the tech he was secretly dealing and selling to others.

She knew he didn't sell weapons and dangerous technology like he used to when he was younger, but he did still sell to an exclusive, somewhat trustworthy, clientele. And one of those clients was Argit.

Kevin tried his best to hide his deals from Gwen and most of the time he managed to keep it a secret. Mostly it was because Gwen didn't want to know about it. But just like she could tell when he already had a buyer lined up, she could always tell when Kevin had recently made a deal with Argit. Unfortunately for her boyfriend, his attempts at secrecy whenever Argit was involved were blatantly obvious. Maybe it was because he knew how much Gwen disliked Argit or because he himself had his doubts about trusting Argit but was just afraid to admit it. Whatever the reason, Gwen could tell whenever a deal with Argit had recently happened and she had a sneaking suspicion Kevin had met with Argit a couple of days ago. If she was really lucky, whatever tech Kevin had gotten from Argit or money he had received in exchange for tech, would still be in his garage. She could use one of those items to track down Argit. He might have heard rumours about who had recently wanted to buy a custom Techadon.

After unlocking the door to Kevin's garage, she made her way to the back of the room where he kept some cardboard boxes. He claimed they were just full of junk his mom didn't want in her house anymore. Maybe they were, Gwen didn't really care what was inside the boxes, she cared about what was underneath them. She had noticed in the past that whenever Kevin made a deal he didn't want her finding out about, the cardboard boxes slightly moved out of their normal spot. She had only figured this out because one day, she had noticed that the dust that had accumulated over time had been disrupted. When she had asked Kevin if it was because he was finally going to empty the boxes, he made fun of her for being so bored with Ben's story that she had found dust patterns more interesting. He had quickly and expertly changed the subject, a classic Kevin move when he was trying to hide something.

She knew Kevin and if she was right, there was bound to be some secret hiding space underneath the boxes.

With her mana, she expertly removed all the boxes in one go and placed them to the side. She would have to place the boxes back exactly where she had found them so Kevin wouldn't know she had discovered his stash. After all, he had gone to great lengths to hide it from her.

Bingo! On the floor where the boxes had been, she could see a faint mark outlining where the floor had been modified. She once again used her mana to pry open the section of the floor. It was a small hiding hole. She reached in and the only thing she could find was a small pouch containing some alien currency. They looked like small, colourful jewels.

Gwen closed her eyes and concentrated on the object now in her hands. Using her powers, she tried to locate the owner of the bag, whom she was 99% sure was Argit. It didn't take her too long to zero in on his location. And luckily for her, he was still on Earth.

She pocketed the bag of alien currency in case she needed it again to track Argit, closed up Kevin's hiding spot and expertly placed the boxes back in their original spot. Unlike Kevin, the dust marks would not give her away. But the missing pouch of money definitely would. She would either have to sneak in and put it back or confess to him what she had done. That would be a problem for later. For now, she quickly made her way out of Kevin's garage, remembering to lock up behind her.

Using a combination of her powers and the speed of the Rust Bucket 3, Gwen managed to find Argit quite quickly. To her surprise, he wasn't that far out of Bellwood. What didn't surprise her was the state of the building in which he was using as a current hideout. Based on the last place Gwen had tracked Argit to when he had stolen the RV from Kevin, he apparently enjoyed hiding out in rundown, filthy buildings.

As she left the jet, which she had parked far away from his hideout so as to not alarm him by her presence, she reminded herself that she had to be ready for anything. She couldn't afford to be caught off guard and hit by one of Argit's quills. She didn't know how Argit would react to seeing her, she couldn't fully trust him.

After walking for a couple of minutes, she finally made it to the building. She approached from the back to peek in the window to get a better idea of what was awaiting her inside. Gwen quietly, but efficiently tiptoed her way towards the window, all the while trying to remain out of sight. Before peeking in, she strained her ears to see if she could tell if Argit was near the window, but it didn't seem like it. She slowly peered through the window and took in the area. The lights were on and there was a variety of technologies lying on the only table in the room. What she assumed was Argit's small spaceship was also in the corner of the garage like building. She couldn't help but wonder what weapons or devices in the room had been supplied to Argit by her boyfriend. She shouldn't think about that. She had a mission, she had to find Argit and successfully gain some information from him.

''Interested in buying, selling or ratting me out, Red?'' Gwen suddenly heard a voice say from behind her.

She turned around in surprise, immediately forming a wall of mana around her for protection. She inwardly cursed herself when she saw that Argit had somehow managed to sneak up on her.

''How did you know I was here?'' Gwen asked him, unable to hide the anger in her voice.

''Do you really think so little of me, Gwen? Obviously I saw you coming. I've done business with Kevin several times, and with you and Ben for that matter. I immediately recognized Kevin's jet when you landed. Green isn't that subtle of a colour you know?'' Argit teased as he casually approached her to then lean on the wall of his hideout.

Gwen gave him a look that said she didn't buy his excuse, it seemed too easy. ''I carefully parked it so it would remain out of sight,'' she argued. ''And Ben and I didn't do business with you, we helped you avoid getting killed, that's different.''

''Right, whatever you say!'' Argit said, he was clearly enjoying toying with her. ''So what do you call this visit if it's not a business deal?''

''Answer my question first, how did you know I was here,'' Gwen countered not wanting to indulge him in his little game.

''You're not as fun as Kevin you know that?'' Argit answered her, standing up straight so that he was no longer leaning against the wall. ''And lucky for me, I was actually out for a walk, I ran out of food so I went to get some.''

Gwen sighed in anger, she still didn't believe him, but that wasn't a new feeling. ''Fine, whatever,'' she grumbled.

''I answered yours, now you answer mine, I'm starting to lose my patience too,'' Argit told her, visibly tensing in order to show off his quills as a warning.

''I'm here to make a deal,'' Gwen told him honestly, she was unbothered by his threat and shouldn't be wasting more time, she had a mission to accomplish.

Argit laughed, his mood instantly changing. ''I thought you were above breaking the law and making deals with criminals? You can't be serious? Kevin's always saying how much you hate this kind of thing.''

''I'm quite serious,'' Gwen said as she pulled out the pouch of alien currency she had put in her pocket. ''And I'm willing to pay if you can give me what I need.''

Argit's eyes grew in surprise but he quickly recovered and smirked in satisfaction. ''What do you need?''

''Just to be clear, I'll only pay you if you give me anything of use and if I can tell you're not lying,'' she warned him.

''Obviously,'' Argit replied leaning back against the wall again, clearly not worried about Gwen tricking him or attacking him anymore.

''What can you tell me about the Weapon Masters of Techadon?'' she started, not wanting to give away too much information until she knew he could be of use to her.

''Probably just as much information as your boyfriend already told you,'' Argit answered sarcastically. ''Who's got a hit out on them?''

Sometimes she underestimated just how cunning Argit could be. She didn't like how he was controlling this conversation and business deal. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

''Ben,'' she said, finally dropping her shield of mana. ''Heard any rumours recently of someone wanting to buy a custom Techadon or know someone who has enough money to do so?''

''And here I thought you were the smart one in the relationship,'' Argit teased her, he was obviously enjoying himself way too much.

''The more you make fun of me, the less I'm paying you,'' Gwen warned him once again. Argit seemed to react a bit to that threat, as she hoped he would. He could never resist the chance of gaining more money or a good deal.

''Look, you didn't hear this from me, but I know for a fact Vulkanus is loaded'' Argit told her honestly, obviously wanting as much money as he could get. ''Which shouldn't surprise you, you know how loaded he got after his last business deal with Kevin.''

''I don't remember seeing, ''forcing someone to uncontrollably absorb Taydenite in order to mine it off of them for all eternity'' under the definition of a business deal last time I checked the dictionary,'' Gwen almost growled at him. She hated having to interact with Argit, he seemed to know just how to push her buttons.

''Touchy subject?'' Argit teased, unable to control himself.

In response, Gwen placed her shield of mana back up and pocketed her money. ''I'm leaving,'' she stated.

''Oh come on Red, I'll stop, I promise,'' Argit quickly said, running up to block her path. ''Not only is Vulkanus loaded, I heard rumours that he's been bragging to anyone that wants to listen that he would be the one to finally get rid of Ben. But he's been refusing to tell people how he was going to do it,'' he explained urgently.

Gwen paused to think about what he had just said and analyze his body language. This seemed to her like the first completely honest sentence he had uttered all night.

''Think about it, I know for a fact Vulkanus is rich, you do too! And I know that he's been bragging about wanting to kill Ben and you're looking for someone who's currently trying to kill Ben!'' Argit rambled, desperately trying to convince her he was right.

''Fine,'' Gwen said. ''I agree, it makes sense.'' She dropped her shield and grabbed the pouch back out of her pocket. She gave three of the colourful jewels to Argit, whose hand was already waiting in anticipation.

''It was a pleasure doing business with you, come back anytime,'' Argit joked as he pocketed his money.

''The feeling isn't mutual,'' Gwen mumbled as she walked around him to walk away. All she needed to do now was to find out where Vulkanus currently was and get him to call off the Techadon. Hopefully it wouldn't take her too much time. She would start by visiting the last known places she, Ben and Kevin had encountered him. Maybe she could find some items he had left behind and use them to track him.

''I hope you find Vulkanus before it's too late,'' Argit called out to her in a sing-song voice.

Gwen stopped dead in her tracks. He knew something else, she could tell by how much pleasure he had taken in saying that. She took a deep calming breath and turned back around to face Argit.

''How much?'' she asked, not bothering to play his game.

''Another three,'' he said, smirking. ''And an extra two since I'm feeling generous with my information. Consider it a first-time-client deal.''

''Deal,'' Gwen answered slightly annoyed, pulling out the pouch for what she hoped was the final time that night. Kevin would definitely notice that all his money was gone now. She was going to owe him big time. ''Where can I find Vulkanus.''

''He's probably back where he was when he was bragging about knowing how to take down Ben,'' Argit told her. ''He's most definitely the kind of person to sit there and gloat about it.''

''Agreed, now where's that place located?'' she humoured him before asking for a direct answer.

''A popular space café not too far from Earth,'' Argit replied.

''I need directions or a name if you want to get paid.''

''Better yet, I can take you there myself,'' Argit suggested.

''People will get extremely suspicious if we arrive together, especially Vulkanus, so just give me the coordinates,'' Gwen countered.

As much as she hated to admit it, Argit's suggestion had suddenly given her an idea. Now that she knew that Vulkanus was the one behind the Techadon attack, she wasn't so sure she could convince him to call it off, especially if, like Argit said, he was bragging about it to anyone who would listen. She couldn't do it alone. She would definitely need Kevin and Ben's help to take Vulkanus down. And unfortunately, based on her newly formulated plan, she would also need Argit's help.

''Actually...''

''Yes?'' Argit answered, sensing her change in tone.

''How much would it cost you to help me trick Vulkanus into leaving the space café to go to Earth?'' she asked. ''Keep in mind you'd have to do everything I say and, for once, try not to back stab me.''

''Those are some high demands Red,'' Argit said, clearly pretending that he wasn't already planning on accepting. She could tell by his demeanour.

''Just name it,'' Gwen retorted impatiently. She needed to get going soon, Kevin and Ben were counting on her.

''How about the rest of the contents of the very same bag I gave to Kevin a couple of days ago?'' Argit said, feigning innocence, but his smirk betrayed him. Of course he would know she had gotten the money from Kevin. At least he didn't know she had stolen it from him. He would have a field day with that bit of information.

''Deal, but you only get the money if the plan works,'' Gwen warned him.

''Knowing you, Red, it will,'' Argit winked.

Gwen rolled her eyes in annoyance before explaining her plan. And to think Kevin had thought it couldn't be done.

I hope everyone enjoyed this story! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome! Take care!