On Crimson Wings

Chapter One

After Sam and Dean returned to South Dakota with Zeus's thunderbolt, they were eating in a local diner when Dean noticed Sam staring off into the corner. Sam was not touching his salad, though Dean had finished his burger and fries.

"Sam, you ok?" Dean asked.

"Huh? Yeah, fine."

Just ignore the image of Lucifer taunting him, and telling him that he was still in Hell, Sam thought. Lucifer was not one o give up easily, and neither was fake Lucifer.

"You're in Hell, Sam. You know why? Because deep down, you like being part demon, and that's where you belong. Not Earth, and certainly not Heaven. You are demon spawn, Sammy boy, just like me. You know why you had to be my vessel, don't you? Because you are just like me."

"No," Sam muttered under his breath and turned away.

"Oh, I know you like it, Sam. You like the power your demon blood gives you. It makes you special, just like you always wanted to be." Fake Lucifer laughed. "You sure are special, Sam. One special Grade-A Freak. You are so much of a freak that you can't even walk around without a disguise."

Sam very deliberately took a bite of his salad and began to chew. Some of the dressing dripped onto his fake mustache. He ignored it.

Dean gave him a worried look. "Uh huh. You have barely eaten anything for the past hour. What's going on with you, Sam?"

"Nothing, other the usual crap."

Suddenly, a man barged into the diner waving a revolver. "Everybody down, on the ground! Now!"

Sam and Dean complied.

"Do something," Dean whispered.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, use the Force! Something," Dean replied.

The man waved the gun at them. "Hey, you two shut up. Everyone, empty your wallets now. I just want your cash."

"What's the matter?" Lucifer taunted. "Afraid everyone will know you're a freak, Sam?"

"Shut up, Lucy," Sam whispered.

Dean looked at him, but said nothing.

"Hey, you two. Wallets," said the robber.

"No," Sam growled. He pushed with his mind and the robber went flying into the walll. The gun clattered to the floor.

Lucifer laughed and vanished as everyone stared at Sam in amazement.

"That works for me," Dean said. He took $20 out of his pocket and left it on the table. "Come on, let's get out of here."

The Winchester brothers made a run for it. Luckily, the Impala, currently painted beige, had been parked fairly close. Dean could hear sirens approaching. Someone had called 911. However, just as they got to the car, an excruciating migraine hit Sam.

"Not now," he groaned, clutching his forehead.

Dean opened the car doors. "Get in. I'll drive."

Sam got in. "This is going to be a bad one, I can tell."

"Okay. We'll go to Jody's place," Dean said.

"Not enough time."

Blood was trickling down Sam's nose. He closed his eyes, and all he could see was Lucifer. There was also a very sharp pain in Sam's back. He ignored it because it was minor compared to the migraine. The traffic lights across the street were flickering, as well as neon signs on buildings around them.

Dean looked around. This was not good, not good at all. Sam couldn't control his abilities when he was like this. He wished he could do something to help his brother. At this point, though, there wasn't really anything he could do short of driving Sam to the hospital. If it came to that, of course, he would, even if it meant getting them both arrested.

Sam gasped as laser-sharp pain cut through his head. "Gah…" There was a bright flash of light that seemed to originate from him as it enveloped everything, and then darkness overwhelmed him.

Something was incessantly beeping.

That was Sam's first sensation as he came around. And…was that feathers beneath him?

As he moved his hands, metal clinked on metal. Sam slowly opened his eyes. He was in a hospital room, handcuffed to a bed. Beside his bed there was a very worried-looking Dean, and a blonde nurse in her 40's.

"Uh…where am I?" Sam asked. His voice cracked, it had been a while since he'd had anything to drink.

"Hospital," Dean said. "Sioux Falls."

"How long was I out?"

"It's been two weeks," Dean answered.

Sam's eyes widened. "Two weeks? What happened?"

"You lost consciousness. I had no choice but to take you here. And as soon as I did, someone recognized us and called the FBI, so we're under strict guard. They told me to tell you not to try anything, even though they know they don't stand half a chance against us with your powers. Still, FBI guys shooting at us would be a bad thing."

Sam sighed. "Sorry."

"Not your fault." Dean paused. "There's, uh, something else you should know."

The nurse and Dean exchanged glances.

"What?"

"Look down."

Sam looked down and was not entirely surprised to learn that he now had wings. In fact, the most shocking thing was not that he had wings, but that they were red. Dark red.

Dean chuckled. "They're you."

Sam looked very annoyed. Please oh please let me be able to hide them, he thought. As soon as he thought it, the wings vanished. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank Chuck for small favors," Sam said.

Dean nodded. "There's something else. When you lost consciousness, there was this bright light," Dean said. "Everyone within a five-mile radius was healed of absolutely anything and everything. It's all over the news. They're calling it the Miracle in South Dakota."

"And yet, for some reason, I'm still handcuffed to this bed," Sam replied. "Go figure." He raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you handcuffed?"

"Because it's been two weeks, and I managed to convince the FBI that it wasn't us killing all of those people on TV. They still want to talk to you, though. I keep trying to convince them that you're not a national security threat or an extraterrestrial. The FBI doesn't seem to want to believe me."

"Great. Hey, can I get something to eat?"

"Yes," the nurse said. She held up her iPad. "I've already contacted the cafeteria. They're sending someone up now."

"Great," Sam said. He glanced across the room. A water bottle was sitting on the desk. "Uh, do you mind? I'm kind of thirsty, and IV juice just doesn't cut it."

"I got one for you," Dean said. "There were signs you might wake up today." He held up a water bottle, opened it, and handed it to Sam.

"Thanks." The ice cold water tasted spectacular.

There was a knock on the door. "Open up, FBI."

The nurse opened the door. "I have other patients to attend to, but the doctor will want to see you today," she said, and left.

The man standing in the doorway was at least as tall as Sam. He was well-built, and reminded Dean of his time spent in the 1930's. The FBI agent looked very similar to Eliot Ness. Dean wondered if he was a descendant.

"My name is Agent Smith," he said. He looked over at Sam. "Nice to see you finally awake."

Sam nodded.

Agent Smith shut the door and sat down. "As I'm sure you're aware, you are a very high profile case. We have this place under rotating guard. Word has it those things you fought on Air Force One might try and attack here."

"The Leviathans? But they're at the bottom of New York Harbor."

"Not anymore," Agent Smith replied. "We've scoured the wreckage, and there's no sign of any sort of DNA, other than the fish."

"Smashing them into tiny pieces should at least have delayed their regeneration by a few decades."

"Yeah," Dean said.

"Again, I don't know what happened. But they're not at the bottom of the harbor anymore," Agent Smith answered. "And we're concerned they may come here, after you."

Sam nodded. "Why exactly are you concerned about us?"

"You're the only one with the ability to even slow those things down. We're concerned they have infected members of Congress. They may even have infected staffers at the White House."

"Well, they got Roman," Dean replied.

"What are they, exactly?" Agent Smith asked.

"They're ancient. They're older than angels and demons, even older than God. He couldn't destroy them, so he contained them in Purgatory," Sam answered.

The agent didn't look stunned, but he didn't look entirely happy, either. "I'm still trying to wrap my brain around angels and demons being real. So, these Leviathans can be trapped?"

"Yeah, but we don't know how," Dean replied. "My guess is, the angels do. Someone up there has to."

"Chuck," Sam said.

"Who's Chuck?" the agent asked.

"Uh…" Dean took a deep breath. "I think that's for us to know, and him to reveal if he wants to."

There was a flash of light, and Chuck was there. He was holding a box-shaped object with an old blue towel over it. A tabby cat was sleeping on top, and it opened one eye and looked very annoyed.

"Shoo," Chuck said. "Go find some mice."

The cat meowed and jumped down.

"Jesus!" The agent exclaimed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"No, actually, my name is Chuck," he said. "Don't take it in vain."

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. "Why are you here?" Dean asked.

"You need help dealing with the Leviathans. The agent is right, they're coming here."

"But how…?" Sam asked.

"Ah. That, well, uh…I brought something that should help. Luckily, you two have the proper DNA to use it. Well, Dean does, anyway."

"Not me?" Sam inquired.

"Your DNA has changed to the point where the Ark will no longer recognize you as being a descendant of Cain. You have to realize, you're only about 1/3 human now. I sped up your mutation; you're going to need your abilities to deal with the Leviathans," Chuck explained.

Sam sighed. "Great. I thought I had five years."

"It's not like you can't hide the wings. You can still hang out on Earth if you want. But, I really will need your help after this."

Sam nodded. "I want a raise, a vacation, and a pension plan. And something for Dean, too."

"I'd be happy with a mansion and a Lamborghini," Dean said. "Oh, and a backyard pool. And some hot girls."

Chuck laughed. "It's good to see you still have a sense of humor."

"Yeah. About defeating the Leviathans?" Sam asked.

"Oh, right." Chuck took the old towel off the box, revealing an exquisitely-carved golden box.

Sam's eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

Chuck nodded slowly. "It is the Ark. However, since we need Dean's blood to activate it, it will have to stay here. I will keep an eye on you, but I cannot be here because there are more pressing matters to attend to."

"More pressing than the Leviathans?" Dean asked.

"Yes, actually. There are a number of weapons still missing because of the civil war, and we're in the process of hunting them down."

"Wait," Agent Smith said. "These weapons, are they on Earth?"

"Yes," Chuck said gravely. "We are afraid that some of them may fall into the wrong hands."

"You don't know where they are?" Agent Smith looked astonished.

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Some of them have elaborate magic on them to elude detection. In any case, if they fall into the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic for humans. You know what you people call thermonuclear war?"

Agent Smith nodded. "Yes."

"This would be thousands of times worse in terms of damage. All life on Earth could wind up devastated. That's why we need to find the weapons," Chuck said.

"But, even if they are on Earth, would anyone know how to use them? Would anyone be able to use them?" the agent asked.

"Humans are a very inventive species. Yes, I think it's possible. There are certain legends around these weapons, and although we ensured that they were not 100% accurate, there are some truths to the legends. It would take a very creative and devious mind to figure them out, but humans are known for being particularly creative and devious," Chuck said.

"Uh huh," the agent replied.

Chuck took a breath. It was a very deep breath. He looked at the agent pointedly. "I did put that in for a reason, you know."

Agent Smith gaped at him. "But…why can't you just…"

"I did not create the Leviathans, John. They existed before me. I cannot unmake that which I did not make. There are rules, even for me."

"Great," Sam said. "So we have the Ark. We should probably hide it under that towel again. Uh…can I get these handcuffs off?"

Chuck waved a hand and the cuffs fell off. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Dean and Sam exchanged worried glances.

"Relax, I'm joking. Well, sort of." Chuck put the Ark on the desk. "I don't suppose I have to say, be careful with this."

"How do we activate it?" Dean asked.

There was a particular indentation on top. "See here? Press your finger in. You will feel a prick. Soon after, the Ark will be activated. Only use it in time of great need. Zeus's thunderbolt will damage the Leviathans, but the Ark will strip their souls from them and send them back to Purgatory. I must caution you against using it on anything other than the Leviathans."

"Thanks," Dean said.

"Don't mention it," Chuck replied. "Really, don't." He waved a hand around. "The people outside of this room cannot know anything about this."

"Right," Dean said.

"Good luck," Chuck said. "I'll be back for the Ark."

There was a meowing sound from the corner.

"Sanura, be good," Chuck replied.

The cat meowed again.

There was a flash of light and Chuck vanished.

Agent Smith blinked. "Was that really…?"

"Yes," Dean said.

"Wow," the agent said.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"I still need to question you about the bank robbery," the agent said.

"You don't need to question us about the bank robbery," Sam replied, trying to sound convincing.

The agent laughed. "Nice try."

"Dang. I was hoping to get Jedi mind tricks," Sam said.

Dean laughed. "That would have been a cool upgrade. We need to get you a cape."

"No," Sam said.

"Yes," Dean said. "With a W, for Winchester."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Over my dead body."

"You know, I've met Death," Dean said.

"Uh huh. Now you're going to tell me Santa Claus exists, also?" the agent said.

"He does. But he's not what you think," Dean said. "And Death is a good guy. He's just misunderstood."

"I'm going to get something to eat," said the agent. "You two, stay put."

As the agent left, a nurse arrived with Sam's food. It was jello, chicken soup, and orange juice. "Hello? Mr. Winchester? I have your food." She did not notice the cat scurrying out of the room behind her.

"Great, thanks."

She put it on a small table next to the bed. "I'm glad you're awake. We've been pulling for you."

Sam managed to smile. "Thanks."

"You're giving a lot of people hope. Keep it up." She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't fly out of here just yet, the doctor wants to talk to you."

He nodded.

Her eyes went to the Ark, hidden under a blue towel. "What's that?"

"Oh that?" Sam said. "It was just a gift someone left us. We'll take care of it."

The nurse nodded and left.