Title: Control
A/N: This is the second part of the story Sound the Bugle, which can be found on my profile (there's only four stories there, only two of which being Supernatural, so it shouldn't be hard to find). I highly recommend you read that first, it's only three chapters long and adds some backstory to this. If you're lazy and don't want to, I guess you can struggle through this without it. This takes place a couple of years after the Winchesters leave Castiel in Heaven's prison to deal with the Purgatory souls under Gabriel's guidance. Abbadon is the newest big bad, and she is Hell-bent on making a Hell on Earth and Heaven. But she doesn't want to kill those who go against her, she wants everyone to serve her as the Demon Queen. She starts kidnapping angels and Righteous humans to torture them in Hell and turn them into her most loyal supporters. Everyone will bow to the Queen. Throughout the course of these two years, the skirmishes with Abbadon had grown to full blown war, and there is now an demon assault on Heaven and the angels are fighting their way through Hell to recover their lost brethren. This is where we pick up.
Conflict was stirring the air and disturbing the calm peace Castiel had been able to find in the quiet refuge of a relatively safe corner of his mind. For once, the disturbance was not merely the eternal war that took place inside Castiel's vessel as the Leviathan battered at his wall in strategic waves that wore him down to his last fraying nerve. No, such painful strain was familiar to Castiel and did not explain the way Cas's muscles instinctively tensed for battle or his hair stood on end. The copper tang of the air and resonant rings of war that no one could truly smell or hear was the reasons for the soldier in Castiel to brace himself for battle.
Heaven's prison was quiet, undisturbed as usual, and most of the occupants had no idea as to any problems outside the secluded area. Only a select few, the prisoners bred for conflict who had seen too many battles to not trust the instinct that told them something bad was happening just out of range of their finely tuned senses, moved about restlessly as needles pricked into their muscles in anticipation or fear.
Castiel could feel Gadreel moving restlessly a few cells over. Much like Cas, the garden's guardian was a warrior and could feel the inexplicable tension of battle. Castiel sat on the stone bench quietly and restrained himself from pacing the space of the cage like a wild animal and prowling just inches from the bars.
"Calm yourself, my friend." Castiel called out to the unseen fellow prisoner. He had only a vague idea what Gadreel looked like, seeing him only a few times before he was imprisoned immediately before Lucifer's fall.
The rustling sounds of movement ceased. "Can you sense it as well, Castiel? The call of battle?"
"The call? No. But I sense the conflict."
"What I wouldn't give to be out there." Gadreel said with a tinge of longing coloring his voice.
Cas frowned and shifted uncomfortable as the souls sent a shooting pain down his vessel's spine. "You long for freedom." Castiel guessed quietly.
"I long for redemption, brother. I only want to prove my loyalty to Heaven. But what chance do I have for that in this cell?"
"Redemption." Cas muttered the word to himself, trying it out on his tongue and leaving a sour taste.
Gadreel paused. It seemed like he could sense Castiel's distaste at the word in the air. "Would you not rather have redemption than punishment, Castiel?"
There was a long silence when Cas wasn't sure if he could find an answer. Finally, "...it's an interesting concept."
"You don't believe it's possible." Disappointment painted Gadreel's tone like the blood of several humans had coated Castiel only a year prior-
Cas shook himself out of that thought process before he could fall too deeply into the hole. Thinking like that was what weakened the wall and let the souls in. Still, Gadreel was waiting for confirmation, and Castiel felt obligated to oblige. "Some acts are too unspeakable for forgiveness."
Gadreel didn't reply. It took Castiel longer than it should have for him to realize the reason for the defeated air Gadreel gave off.
"Gadreel, I was not speaking of you." Cas rushed to explain. "It is myself I cannot conceive of forgiveness for."
"You are a good angel Castiel. If anyone deserves it... it is you."
Castiel was shaking his head desperately even though the other angel couldn't see him. Before he could say anything however, a gut-wrenching scream cut off any words brewing in his throat. Suddenly, the conflict they had sensed wasn't so far away, and sounds of battle echoed in the long white hallways. The other prisoners began to stir from their own minds. Some wrapped hands around the bars of their cells and attempted to force them open as if the metal and magic enforcing them would suddenly become weaker in the wake of this new development. Castiel rose and got as close to the bars as he could without touching them.
"That was an angel's death cry." Castiel said. Though he couldn't see him, Cas was sure that Gadreel was nodding in agreement.
"They are coming." Gadreel noted as the sound of ringing footsteps grew closer.
Castiel braced himself for a fight despite being locked in the permanent cage Gabriel had made to never be opened. If the enemy did come, it was unlikely they would be able to break into Cas's cell, or break Castiel out.
Golden eyes rounded the corner at a speed that were probably against the laws of physics. Then again, Gabriel never was one to follow the rules. The last archangel skidded to a stop in front of Castiel's cell, breathing hard. Blood leaked down Gabriel's forehead into his eyes, and there was an alarming hole gaping in the archangel's light armor that he wore. The dark brown hair was tousled where it wasn't glued down with blood, no doubt from battle and possibly the presence of a helmet, present whereabouts unknown. An archangel blade was gripped tightly in his hand, knuckles a stark white in contrast to the blood that spattered it.
He would have looked the part of Warrior of God quite well if it wasn't for the smile stretching practically ear to ear or the joyous twinkle in those golden eyes.
"Hi Castiel!" Gabriel greeted, the boisterous voice sounding completely out of place in the background noise of death and violence.
"Gabriel, what's going on?"
"What, not even a hello?" Gabriel moved to the wall dividing Castiel's cell from the others and began doing... something... with the sigils marked there. Castiel's view was limited and he tried to move closer to see what his brother was doing.
"What are you doing?" He leaned even close to the bars, seeing the edge of extra markings Gabriel was adding to the sigil.
Gabriel head snapped to look at Cas. "Woah Cassy! Take a step back man! Do you want a lightning bolt jolting through you right now?"
Cas realized just how close he was to the bars, mere millimeters away and backed up several steps hurriedly.
Gabriel turned back to what he was doing, muttering under his breath about inquisitive little brothers always getting into trouble no matter what he did. He raised his voice to lecture Castiel. "I thought it was pounded into your head by now that those bars are off limits. Godstiel's multiple escape attempts must have fried your brain for good."
Castiel ignored Gabriel's lecture and returned to the more important matter at hand. "Gabriel, who's attacking Heaven?"
"Abbabitch and her Hell minions."
"Abbadon? You told me Heaven and Hell was skirmishing, not having a full out war."
"Yeah, well, I might have left out a few of the less important details Cassy."
Castiel glared. "Those are rather important details, Gabriel." He growled.
"Pssssh! Tomayto tomahto. Semantics Cas."
The sound of swords clashing rung out especially loud. Both angels glanced in the direction of the fighting getting nearer and nearer. Gabriel returned to his work on the sigil, but Castiel didn't take his eyes off the hallway, expecting demons to come flooding in any second and overwhelming his brother.
"Gabriel, you need to go. They're coming, and you're already injured."
"Not quite yet Cas. Now be quiet and let me work."
Castiel's mouth snapped shut but he spared a glance to glare at his brother.
After what felt like an eternity had passed, Gabriel pulled away from his artwork and drew close to the bars, the mischievous smile wiped away to be replaced with uncharacteristic solemnity. His golden eyes held Cas's own stubbornly, not allowing Cas to break away.
"Castiel. They are going to take Heaven's prison I can't stop it without losing more important ground. I need you to promise me something."
"Gabriel-"
"Cas, please." Gabriel cut him off.
Cas nodded slightly, still not breaking eye contact with his brother. "Anything."
"Promise me that you will follow all my orders without question. Promise me on humanity that you will listen to everything I say."
Cas only paused a beat, but the demons were getting closer. "I promise."
"No matter what, do not use your powers for anything, is that clear? Don't use your wings, don't go all McSmitey, don't touch that wall. Do you understand?"
"Understood." Cas answered, like a soldier would to his commander, because that's what they were right now. They weren't brothers, they were an angel answering to an archangel.
"Good. Now step back."
Castiel stepped back to the corner of the cell as Gabriel's eyes and hand lit up, the cell bars trembling under the power of an archangel -because of course Gabriel built in a fail-safe mechanism to break Castiel out- before the bars blew inward and Cas felt a swell of power encompass him as the sigils failed to repress his power. For a moment he was almost overwhelmed-
And then Gabriel clapped sigiled metal cuffs on Cas's wrists, and the power lessened -barely- but enough for Castiel to regain control once again. It took him several moments for it to register that Gabriel was speaking to him, his mouth moving, hands gripping his shoulders desperately. With a snap, the sound boomed back into full surround sound, nearly deafening Castiel. "-on Cas! Come on back buddy, I can't have you check out on me right now." Cas's eyes focused once again on Gabriel's and the archangel stopped his pleading. "You with me now, kiddo?"
Cas nodded slightly, feeling like porcelain that will break at the slightest movement.
"Alright, come on. We gotta go. Just take it easy, okay?"
Again, a tiny nod, but Castiel didn't try and move from where he was. Pure terror lit up his eyes, and somehow his brother read that in him and nodded gently. He took his hand and gently led him down the halls, surrounding him in his comforting grace.
A different grace reached out and touched Castiel as well, giving him a sad farewell as he passed. Cas drew to a stop, his hand slipping out of Gabriel's as he turned to look at the owner of the grace, recognizing it immediately even without touching it before.
"Castiel, we need to go." Gabriel turned back and grabbed Cas's hand again, but stopped to look at the occupant when Castiel stayed put.
Gadreel and Gabriel stared each other down, two brothers gauging the worthiness of the other.
Castiel broke their staring contest with a weak voice, barely above a raspy whisper, pleading with Gabriel. "Set him free, Gabriel. He will fight for Heaven willingly. I will vouch for his loyalty."
Gabriel took one last appraising look at Gadreel before blasting the cell open. "Don't betray Castiel's trust, Gadreel." Gabriel growled the warning dangerously.
"I won't." Gadreel's loyalty burned in his eyes as he took Castiel's arm and slung it over his shoulder, helping the angel shuffle faster out of Heaven's prison. Demons swarmed the white hallways just as the last whispers of wingbeats faded away.
A/N: Alright! First chapter completed! This fic will be longer than Sound the Bugle, I'm thinking at least 7 chapters, and I'll try to post 2 times a week, though it will be difficult. Regions in soccer just ended last week, and I thought I was going to have a lot more time now. But, winning regions undefeated means going on to the semifinals (YES!) and I got put on the roster to play (SO EXCITED!). Anyway, long story short, two more weeks of soccer. It'll be hard to get the story out on time, but I will do my best!
Guys, Merianon made a great point on one of her fics, and I just want to paraphrase it. Even a simple review like "I love it" goes a long way to an author and it takes merely seconds. Any support you can show, even if it's a follow, favorite, or smiley face, would make me so happy and help get the chapters out even faster. So PLEASE review, favorite or follow if you enjoy this.
Wish me luck!