The rat made a vain attempt to escape Kevin's clutches, scrabbling against the road, claws trying to find purchase. He didn't get very far. After a minute or two of flailing, he finally gave up.

"I don't know anything" Argit choked. Kevin laughed out loud.

"You always know something, buddy." He lifted Argit up off the ground so that he was now face to face with Ben inside the car.

"I don't! I swear!" He protested. Ben, throwing his hood back, leaned over the edge of the window and smiled.

"Don't be so modest. You're a wealth of information. Now, why are we here?" The rat looked back and forth between the two of them helplessly. He sighed and hung his head.

"The hot redhead you two used to run with is missing."

"Good. That's a start." Kevin said approvingly. He shook Argit a little in mid-air. "What do you know about it?"

"Nothing. Its just a rumor."

"Try again." Ben stated flatly. The rat shot a nasty glare at him.

"I'm telling the truth. Its nothing but juicy gossip the scummy guys are passing over beers."

"There's got to be more than that." Kevin leaned in threateningly close. "Don't make me beat it out of you." Argit cringed at the warning, curling up into himself and whimpering in the back of his throat. He looked so incredibly pathetic that Ben couldn't help but feel bad for him. He opened his mouth but Kevin shook his head, holding a hand up and signaling for him to be quiet. Finally Argit resurfaced, his eyes shut tight.

"Alright, alright. There was this guy the other night. I didn't see him because I was hiding under the bar. He mentioned something about Gwen Tennyson." He said quietly.

"What about her?" Ben asked. He cast a wary glance at Kevin, who was biting his bottom lip rather hard. His dark eyes were focused entirely on the rat in his clutches. When Argit was slow to respond, he cleared his throat meaningfully.

"It was after the whole story had broke. Everyone knew she was missing. He was bragging about being hired to sweep her apartment."

"Sweep the apartment?" Ben paused. "He must have been the one who erased her mana signatures!" He concluded excitedly. He leaned back slightly into the car as he began to think of a way they could stake the bar out until the jerk resurfaced. He was so caught up in the idea of catching and pulverizing the creep into talking he almost didn't notice that Kevin was talking to him.

"I don't think so, Tennyson. Cleaners don't normally kiss and tell. Being secretive is part of their job This was probably just some asshole who wanted to sound cooler than he was."

"Unless he wasn't very good at his job..."Argit offered. Ben, suddenly deflated, fell back into his seat completely. For a brief moment, he really thought they had something concrete. Now they were back to square one. And a small square at that.

"No, Kevin has a point. Its probably nothing."

"Who knows? You hear all sorts of stories at the bar. Um, can I be put down now?" The rat inquired. Kevin nodded and set him back on his feet, but didn't release him.

"We're not done yet. I'm not taking this guy seriously, but I want you to keep an ear open for him. He shows up again, you call me. Got it?"

"Got it. Can I go?"

"Sure. And here. This ought to pay for your night." Ben watched as Kevin slipped Argit a crisp twenty dollar bill. The rat took it and stuffed it inside of his coat, then wordlessly scampered back to the bar. He cast a dark glare towards the two of them as he went inside. Ben exhaled slowly and sunk back into the seat. Kevin rounded the front of the car quickly and got behind the wheel. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"That was nice."

"What?"

"What you did. Giving him money. That was nice." Ben elaborated. Kevin shrugged and reached for the keys, shoving his open palm towards Ben when he realized they weren't in the ignition.

"Yeah, well, he's only gotten more pitiable through the years. You still got to rough him up a bit to get anywhere with him, but it makes you feel horrible afterwards." He took the keys and started the car, the engine roaring to life.

"I guess this goes without saying, but you've changed." Ben observed. Kevin just shrugged.

"Doesn't everybody?" Ben didn't respond. He turned to stare out the window, watching carelessly at the night time scenery flew by. His thoughts melded together much like the endless buildings and trees. Kevin's words repeated themselves over and over. As he let his eyes close of their own volition, he thought about how they were entirely true. He wasn't the same bright eyed boy who'd left Earth nearly three years ago to chase his destiny across the stars. Being a Plumber full time wasn't all that he'd expected. The glamorous attention that followed him while he was a teenager was nowhere to be found now. There were no beautiful actresses, news stories, or action figures after a job well done. Praise, yes, but nothing like what he was used to. It was a good lesson for him to learn, albeit a hard one. Apparently, he still needed to work on his impulsiveness. Ben chuckled to himself as he remembered Gwen telling him that after their last visit.

He opened his eyes as his mind conjured up an image of Gwen in her apartment, sitting across from him at her small pedestal table, coffee mug in one hand and her other pointing at him purposefully. She hadn't changed a bit, he thought with a frown. She was still the same responsible, smart, kind, caring girl she had been when they were younger. Her grades in college were impeccable. Her involvement in the campus and local community was astounding. She was getting ready to start an internship at a well known law office in the big city, while still working at the college library. And she was still lecturing him about his behavior, advising him on what to do and what not do. He realized suddenly how much he missed her guidance.

"What do we do now?" He asked softly, not realizing he voiced his question aloud.

"I'm going home and getting some sleep." Kevin mumbled. "You should think about doing the same."

"I don't think I'll be able to..." Ben whispered, turning his eyes back to the window.

The apartment was dark and dreary. The sky outside of the window was an dull grey. It was one of those days where everyone assumed it was only a matter of time before it rained. Outside on the street she imagined people rushing around under umbrellas and ponchos, eyeing the clouds above warily. She sat at her small dining table, staring down at the patterns in the caramel colored wood grain with such a sense of apathy it surprised her. Slowly, her fingers dragged a circular pattern on the glossy surface, each nail clicking down one after another. Even that simple action seemed to drain her of her energy. It had been awhile since she felt so tired, so listless. She let her eyelids drift shut and allowed herself to simply exist for the moment. An itch interrupted her meditation. She moved to scratch the offending patch of skin on her wrist, only to feel a horrible gash just below her palm.

Gwen's eyes shot open and she gasped as she saw the glowing blue runes embedded in her skin. Images of long claws and hollowed sockets glowing red hit her like a spray of cold water. She scrambled to her feet and turned around, ready to bolt for the door-

The dishes needed to be done badly. She sighed as she stood in front of the sink looking down at the mass of dirty glasses and plates. When did she use all of these? She couldn't remember. One by one, she picked each delicate piece of dinnerware out of basin and placed it on the simple white countertops. It would probably take her all night to do these. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal, even as she moved to grab her smelly, yellow rubber gloves. It was such a gloomy day outside and she couldn't bring herself to even get dressed, let alone go out. She had pulled on one glove when something blue and blazing caught her eye.

Gwen cried out when she saw the runes on her uncovered wrist. Dried blood crusted around the edges of the cuts, obscuring where flesh met magic. Again she came to the realization of what was happening to her with the same violent chill. She turned from the sink, running for the door-

She couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. The fleece sheets were so warm and comfortable compared to the suddenly very cold air in her bedroom. Her head sank comfortably into her pillows, and as she turned her face into them, she couldn't help but smile as the warm, vanilla scent of home filled her nose. The strange thing was she didn't quite remember coming home for a visit, but that didn't matter. Below her she swore she could hear the sounds of her mother in the kitchen. Her imagination conjured up images of a warm bowl of steaming soup waiting for her on the table. She'd have to get out of bed to get it though. Unwilling to confront the dilemma, she dove back under her covers and closed her eyes, blissfully unaware this time of the marks on her body.

It leaned backwards from over the prone form of its captive, the bones of its head and neck creaking as they stretched and relaxed. Its claws, through for now with haunting the girl's dreams, slid smoothly away from her head, where they had formed almost a cage. It inhaled deeply. Every fiber of its being was weak, spent. Containing the girl had been easy. Keeping her suspended was proving much more difficult. It cast its tired gaze over to the opposite side of the dungeon-like room at the other occupant. The large covered form moved slightly as the man beneath it breathed. Thankfully he was more cooperative. It had only had to recast the runes once since it had first bound him. It didn't want to imagine what it would be like if both of his charges needed constant tending.

The girl twitched slightly on the table she laid upon and it instinctively jumped forward, prepared to send her back into oblivion should she wake. After a few seconds of stillness, it cackled.

"It isn't time for you to awaken, princess." The girl's eyebrows furrowed in response to its taunt. It eye sockets turned red for a moment before winking out. A singular claw reached out to touch the girl's face, trailing down her temple to the apex of her chin. A small red line formed in its wake, extending the entire length of her face. She flinched again and her jaw tightened in a silent protest.

"Fight all you like, but I won't allow it. You will open those beautiful eyes again when I want you to."

"Skullface." It whipped around suddenly, the red glow returning to its eyes as the door to the room opened, allowing the yellow of the old fluorescent light in the hallway to spill inside. A small cloaked figure appeared in the crack. It shuddered slightly as it rose to its full height, looming over the quaking pile of rags like a predator ready to jump. It sniffed the air slightly. The cloak smelled of garbage and booze.

"Ah, yes. Precisely on time I should say. I trust you were shown here by my assistant?" The figure whimpered a bit as it allowed its claws to curl ever so slightly around its hood.

"Y-yes..."

"Wonderful. Come, let me escort you to the front room." The claws tightened around the figure's head and they squealed pathetically as the Hunter held them out in front of its body, shutting the heavy door of the dungeon behind it and gliding down the hallway. The way the figure shook in its grasp delighted it. Already it felt more rejuvenated than before. Perhaps it would be a wise decision to keep this pitiful creature as a house pet. Soon enough they arrived at the rotted out front room, a mass pile of broken boards and forgotten furniture. The hide out used to be a train depot, but it had been forgotten with old age and half-buried in a mud slide years earlier. Now, its employer and its assistant were the only ones besides itself who knew of its whereabouts. That and its little informant. It carelessly dropped the cloak and its inhabitant to the ground, where it scurried to hide behind a moth-eaten recliner.

"Forget your fear, little rat, and tell me what I want to hear." It took a moment for him to come out from his hiding spot, but Argit knew he couldn't stay there forever. His knees knocked together as he walked out in front of the Hunter, or Skullface, as it was known on the streets. He looked up at the Ectonurite unable to keep the fear from entering into his voice.

"They found me."

"Oh?"

"Tennyson and Kevin Levin." Skullface paused as it tried to place where it had heard of the latter name. His employer had mentioned him as one to look out for, though they hadn't told it why.

"I know of Benjamin Tennyson. The wielder of the Omnitrix has a history with my kind. But this Kevin Levin-"

"H-he's a Plumber too. The only one assigned to Earth. He used to bang Gwe-"

"Do not speak her name. I've just managed to quiet her down for awhile. But that is neither here nor there. What did they want?"

"They w-wanted to know what I knew a-about her. I told them w-what you wanted me to t-tell them." Argit said excitedly. He smiled carefully as he continued. "They wanted me to keep a l-lookout for the guy and call them when I saw him." Skullface's teeth ground together in a show of glee. The plan was going precisely as it was supposed to. Oh, the reward would be good indeed. It wrapped its lower body around the rat loosely, lifting him up so they were now eye to eye.

"You are doing very well, my little rat. You will contact them when I say. After that, you will be free to go on your way, with the money I promised you."

"What are we waiting for?" Skullface laughed low in its throat at the sudden eagerness in Argit's voice. It squeezed ever so slightly to remind him who was in charge.

"Call too soon and they will suspect. Call too late and they will have already moved on. Call at the right time and they will walk into the trap none the wiser. Now, do as I say. Run home and wait." Argit didn't need to be told twice. The minute he was released he scampered out the half-broken door and into the night, becoming a whisper through the myriad of weeds and burrs stretching out between the crumbling hideout and the distant city lights. It watched until he disappeared, then turned to its assistant. They remained half hidden in the inky shadows, with only the glossy gleam of the moonlight catching the tips of their shoes to give away their presence.

"Is she awake again?" Skullface groaned.

"No. She sleeps still. I placed the restraints on her regardless." The assistant reported.

"Good. What of our second guest?"

"He remains asleep as well. What would you have me do next?"

"Nothing for now. I will rest for a short time and then check in on them again. Take care of what you need to." With those few words, the assistant vanished and it was left alone in the dark. The small spark of life that had filled it was slowly burning out. Soon it would need to find time to feed. But there was time. The girl would remain sleeping for awhile, or at least it hoped. It glided back to the dungeon and peered inside. Inside, she laid motionless on the table top. Every so often a finger would jump or a muscle would twitch, but it was nothing to be concerned about. It eyed the man beside her. He was even more still than she.

"Dream, children, dream. For soon, the nightmare will begin."