"Now listen, kid. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice." One of the men says, a serious look on his face.

"Yeah. Either way you're coming with us!" the other one adds.

As the Reality Police walk closer to him and Andy, Trigger is barking ferociously, which only seems to irritate the officers more. Evan wonders if maybe Trigger can sense something about these guys too. The Reality Police. That was the name Mr. Dark had mentioned just before Evan used the cuckoo clock, but he really hadn't thought very much of it. Maybe he should have. Already they seem like bad news.

"Andy, run!" Evan yells at the top of his lungs.

"No! You're not going anywhere!" The first officer snaps. "You know too much already."

Andy looks frozen as her eyes dart from Evan to the Reality Police. Then her eyes are locked on Evan.

"Come on, there should be room on my bike!" she says.

"No, it's okay. You go!"

"Evan, just get on the bike!" she orders.

Now she's the one looking irritated. Now that's the Andy I know, Evan thinks. He obeys, taking a seat, and then they're off, biking down the road as Trigger runs beside them. Meanwhile the Reality Police are cursing.

"Damn it, kid!" one of them barks.

"Thanks for the assist." Evan tells her. "We need to get to that store and get the Monster Blood before it's too late."

Sure enough, the officers have gotten back in their car and are trailing the two kids. Evan can't see either of them through the dark tinted windows. He can only imagine how angry they probably are.

"Just who were those guys?" Andy asks. Her attention is focused on pedaling as fast as possible.

"I don't know!" Evan replies. "I think they're mad because I went back in time!"

"You mean you were telling the truth?" Andy asks.

"YES I WAS TELLING THE TRUTH!" Evan yells. "And now they probably want to kill me!"

"Geez, you really are weird. If I were you I'd find a lawyer." Andy replies. "But whatever you do, DON'T TALK TO THE POLICE."

Now there was a piece of advice Andy always followed. She seems panicked too. Any second now the Reality Police could gain on them. It's a wonder they haven't already, Evan thinks. Who knows? Maybe they're enjoying the chase.

"If they give me the opportunity, I'll keep that in mind." Evan replies.

"The toy store is on the next block. There's a new one and an old one. I like the old one best. I need to get a gift for my cousin anyway." Andy says.

"The old one is where we'll find the Monster Blood."

Andy nods and as they drive past the familiar sight of the video store on the corner, there it is. WAGNER'S NOVELTIES & SUNDRIES, the crude hand-painted sign identifying it as such. The building looks in even rougher shape. Evan wonders how long the store even stayed in business after he bought the Monster Blood. He hasn't been back here since.

"Sometimes the owner can be a little mean. I don't know if he'll let you bring your dog in." Andy says.

"Well, we have bigger problems right now." Evan replies.

The two push their way into the warehouse-like store, a tiny bell overhead ringing to announce their entrance. The place is jammed with boxes of toys and other stuff, leaving little room to walk. It makes Evan feel a little claustrophobic. Then Evan sees the owner, a grumpy-looking man with a single tuft of white hair in the center of a red, bald head. He doesn't look any happier now than when Evan remembers seeing him, barely acknowledging their existence, including Trigger's, who is excitedly sniffing the dusty shelves and regretting it. Perhaps it's for the best. He's trying to lay low, after all.

"Do you see your Monster Blood?" Andy whispers.

"No. It's in another room. A dusty one." Evan replies.

"Well, that narrows it down."

"Just keep going, it's here."

As they walk, Trigger leading the way, Evan remembers the narrow hallway all too well. It leads to the room where he feels his heart instantly stop as he spots it. The thing that ruined his life: a dusty blue can labeled MONSTER BLOOD in faded letters, then below it, SURPRISING MIRACLE SUBSTANCE. Yeah, some miracle, Evan thinks. Even now he has no idea what the hell that's supposed to mean. Beside him, Trigger sits on the floor and whimpers.

"That's the stuff?" Andy asks. "It looks old."

Evan just nods. It's hard to believe, really. The can doesn't even look like much, but he's currently shaking just walking up to it. Evan knows he has to set aside his fears, though, and takes in a whoosh of air as he picks up the can of Monster Blood.

"Let's just get out of here. I don't want to be here longer than I need to." Evan says.

The two are walking to the entrance when Evan hears the bell ringing again. Someone else is in the store, he realizes, and it doesn't take long for him to find out who.

"Where's the kid?!" the voice of one of the Reality Police snaps at the store owner.

"What kid?" the owner asks, hardly interested in whatever the men want.

"Don't play games with me, old man! The redhead! Came in here with a brunette accomplice and a dog." The officer replies angrily.

"They're in the back!" the owner tells him, now sounding a little frightened.

"Shit!" Evan cries. "Now we really need to leave!"

"Look, let's just make a run for it. The old guy won't even notice it's missing." Andy replies.

"You have a point."

Evan pockets the Monster Blood, which is just small enough to fit. Once again, he feels that hopeless feeling. Evan knows he can't afford to screw this up. But then Trigger starts to growl at the sound of the officer's voices. Evan tries to shush the dog, but then he accepts the fact he's screwed as the Reality Police fill the doorway. They look angry.

"Well, well, well, the pooch gave you away." The first officer says. "We should have known you'd come back here. Just couldn't stay away from the Monster Blood, could you?"

"What do you guys want?" Andy asks. "Evan is trying to save the world! ..Or something."

The officers have a good chuckle at this one.

"You think he's some kind of hero, huh? Your friend here is a wanted criminal."

"Oh yeah?" Andy replies, her voice full of snark, "Well then I'm a criminal too!"

"Don't push it, girl!" The first officer snaps. "We want the boy."

"It's okay, Andy." Evan tells her. "You want me? Fine."

He steps forward in the direction of the Reality Police.

"Evan, don't be stupid!" Andy scolds, trying to stop him. It doesn't work.

"I'm sorry, Andy."

"You'll have time to apologize later, when you appear in court for breaking reality!" the second, angrier officer says. "Hold out your wrists."

Evan complies, as he just stands there as the two officers slap a pair of glowing blue handcuffs on him. Evan's never seen anything like them before.

"Reality Cuffs." The first officer explains. "You won't be getting out of those."

Watch me, Evan thinks. But his cockiness turns to panic as the cuffs glow around his wrists, overwhelming him with an intense energy that fills the entire room. Then everything goes dark.

When Evan wakes up, he's still cuffed and in an interrogation room. The kind you see on pretty much every crime drama TV show, with a light hanging overhead and a plexiglass window for others to peer into. He has a splitting headache. Evan goes to rub it, before remembering his hands aren't free right now. He can feel the Monster Blood in his pocket and breathes a sigh of relief.

"Wakey, wakey." The voice of the first officer says harshly.

Evan groans from the pain. "Where am I?" he asks.

Evan is startled at the deeper sound of his voice and realizes somehow he must be back to 17. He's rather glad about that. Being 12 isn't fun.

In response to his question, The Reality Officers look at each other and laugh.

"You hear that? He wants to know where he is!"

Then the second officer grabs him by the collar and Evan finds his face just inches away from the cop's. His face is full of rage. It's hard to tell if it's genuine or if they're trying to play the "good cop, bad cop" routine on him.

"I'll tell you where you are," he rasps "YOU'RE IN TROUBLE!"

"You're in a place where reality doesn't exist." the first officer explains. "Where existence itself does not exist. That's where the Reality Police resides."

"And you guys… are the Reality Police?" Evan asks. It almost sounds too absurd to believe.

"Perhaps we SHOULD introduce ourselves. My name is Bruce. My partner here is Wayne."

"Oh yeah, and you better believe we know YOU, Evan Ross." Wayne says. "We know all about your crimes."

"You guys can go fuck yourselves. I'm not talking to you without a lawyer present." Evan tells them.

Andy's advice comes in handy sometimes. He expects them to look angry, but they don't. Then they start laughing again.

"Come on, Evan," Bruce says "Do you REALLY think we have REALITY LAWYERS in this dimension?"

Evan just stares. Truthfully, he hasn't thought about it.

"Guess what? THERE AREN'T ANY." Wayne snaps. "The only person available to defend you here is YOURSELF."

Evan groans and feels a pit in his stomach. He's never been very good at doing that. He thinks back to his days babysitting Kermit. Whenever his cousin did something wrong, he got blamed for it, and did a poor job looking innocent in front of Aunt Dee, who always took Kermit's side.

Wayne can detect Evan's anxiousness and grins.

"You guys have to listen to me," Evan says. "I didn't mean to break reality or whatever, but I was trying to stop an evil monster!"

"Ah yes, Lawrence Dark. We know all about him." Bruce says, nodding. "He's been an enemy of the Reality Police for quite some time now."

Evan feels his head spinning. Then he just feels angry. If the Reality Police know about Dark, why not do anything about it?

"Then why not go after HIM?" Evan asks. "He's the one trying to turn everyone into monsters!"

Bruce and Wayne look at each other and shrug.

"We will deal with Dark as he can. For now, you are the greatest threat to reality." Bruce says.

Evan's jaw drops. "ME? It was a cuckoo clock! How was I supposed to know what it did?"

"You knew EXACTLY what it did!" Wayne growls. "You said it yourself Evan- you deliberately traveled back in time, an immediate violation of the Reality Police's Timeline Maintenance Codes and you proceeded to disclose information of the future to people of the past."

"Yes, Evan. Do you know just what kind of damage you could have done to reality?" Bruce asks.

"I guess not." Evan admits. "But you have to let me out of here! Reality is in serious danger and you don't even realize it!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Wayne says. "We realize well enough that reality is in danger and now you have to pay for it!"

Bruce sighs. "Evan, maybe it might be better if we explain just what the Reality Police does, so you understand the gravity of this situation?"

Evan starts to respond before he's cut off by Bruce, who apparently had no intentions to even give him the option of saying no.

"The Reality Police has existed since the beginning of time," Bruce explains. "In our world we have two halves: The natural, being humankind, and the supernatural, which encompasses a variety of things. It's our job to ensure humanity is protected from the existence of the supernatural. In essence: We make sure that people believe that myths and legends are exactly that- myths and legends that do not exist."

Wayne nods. "Have you ever heard of the Body Squeezers Invasion of Los Angeles?"

Evan looks at him, a little confused. "No?"

"EXACTLY." Wayne replies. "Because we made sure it was thoroughly covered up. Now the only people who believe it are seen as nutty conspiracy theorists."

"Yes, we've dealt with many alien invasions in our days. Creeps, Egg Monsters, Pumpkinheads, you name it." Bruce says. "It's cases like these that, if anything were to be exposed to the public, it would be absolute panic. Wayne, why don't we take Evan here and give him a little tour?"

Wayne looks at him suspiciously. "I don't like the idea, but fine, if he stays in cuffs."

Evan feels Bruce loosen his restraints and he's led out the door by the two officers. Beyond the room, Evan finds himself greeted with a large tunnel and he realizes he's actually in some kind of strange facility, where other Reality Police agents seem to be working. Passing by one of the room, he sees a group of agents taking apart a sleek-looking blue car.

"That car used to be haunted by the spirit of an evil girl." Bruce says. "Now we use it for spare parts."

Some of the place feels more like a prison, as the whole place is lined with cells. The more Evan walks, the more cells he sees. Most of them are filled with the most horrifying creatures Evan has ever seen and he isn't even sure how to process this. Nevertheless, he feels afraid.

Stopping at one particular cell, Evan sees what looks like a group of furry blue creatures. They almost look like koalas, Evan thinks, until he gets a closer look. Whatever they are, they're big, with two sets of razor-sharp yellow teeth, green eyes and long snouts. Their bear-like heads don't match the bodies at all, which almost resemble chimpanzees, especially in how they walk, and then a beaver-like tail extends from behind their backs. It's a bizarre combination, and Evan would rather not look at them for too long. The way the creatures seem to be whispering amongst each other creeps him out too. Evan almost swears he can hear a strange language coming from their mouths.

"Ah, the Beasts from the East." Bruce says. "Quite intelligent creatures. Once we discovered they had taken over a large area of the Pacific Northwest, we knew they were a danger to reality."

"Isn't it a little messed up to keep them caged like this?" Evan asks.

As scary as they seem, it doesn't seem right.

"I don't think you heard my partner." Wayne butts in. "These are dangerous monsters. They almost killed a group of kids before we stopped them. Part of some sick game they love to play."

Bruce nods. "But their game is quite fun. In our research, they've told us all the rules, so we've adapted it in a way that humans can play."

"So what's the point of this then? This research?" Evan asks.

"You ever heard the phrase "know your enemy", Evan?" Bruce asks. "Understanding the supernatural is the only way to protect the very foundation of reality. Just take a look at this."

Bruce points in the direction of another cell, which currently contains a large vat of an unknown liquid. Evan thinks he sees it moving in there. It reminds him of King Jellyjam back in the Dead House, but whatever this is is different.

"These are the remains of the Masked Mutant, a dangerous terrorist we managed to defeat." Bruce explains.

Evan looks at him. "The Masked Mutant? You mean like the comic book villain? But he's not even real!"

Wayne shakes his head. "Fiction and reality doesn't mean shit here."

"Precisely." Bruce says. "Sometimes the lines between what's real and what's not become blurry and our world is overtaken by the world of the imaginary. Pretty wild, isn't it?"

"So everything supernatural- you guys just lock up here?" Evan asks.

"Oh no," Bruce replies. "It would take too much time to deal with every supernatural threat out there. We respond to the most urgent of cases. The ones that pose the most threat to reality."

Evan can feel his temper flare. "Where were you guys when the Monster Blood attacked me?"

Bruce chuckles. "The Monster Blood? Hardly our concern. Nobody believes you about it anyway, so really, that makes our jobs easier!"

Wayne laughs too, which only makes Evan madder.

"So you guys just pick and choose who to help? What to deal with?" Evan asks.

"Evan, Evan," Bruce tsks tsks at him. "There's no need to get upset. We are committed to keeping Reality safe, and that's what we care about most. I don't think you have the right to judge us, considering the grave violations you've made. If we hadn't caught you, reality itself may have collapsed entirely."

"Fuck you." Evan replies. "I did what I did to help people. Can you say the same?"

"I think I've had enough of this kid." Wayne says. "He needs to stand trial. I bet our leader will know exactly what to do with him."

"Leader? What are you talking about?" Evan asks.

In honesty, he had been thinking Bruce and Wayne were the heads but it does make sense for there to be some kind of higherup. Who exactly it could be though Evan has no idea.

The officers don't respond. They just laugh.

"I agree, Wayne. I think she'll have a good punishment in mind for him. Then we already have a special cell in mind for you, Evan."

"Cell? I don't belong here!" Evan protests.

"That's the thing, Evan," Bruce says. "You've managed to evade us for so long, but we know this is where you really belong. With all the other monsters."

Evan feels the room spinning, and his headache is now somehow even worse.

"Belong here? I'm not a monster, I'm a teenager!" Evan yells.

"Come on, Evan. You can't lie to us." Bruce says. "We know what you are. And our leader knows exactly what to do with you."

"W-what am I?" Evan asks. "What are you guys talking about?

"You're just like your great-aunt, kiddo." Wayne laughs. "You've got witches' blood running through you!"