New York
Suffolk County Community College
President Rooney stands in front of a crowded meeting room of police officers. His once-smooth face is twisted with hatred and grows redder as he screams.
"...these murders, just throw them in! Let them die! They're killers..." President Rooney gags. He gasps for breath and grabs the podium.
In the back of the crowd, Mary calmly watches the President choke. She's dressed in a police officer's uniform.
In the front, two police officers glance at each other. One of them says, "Mr. President…?"
President Rooney slumps lower over the podium. The two nearest police officers and a secret service agent step forward. One puts an arm around the President, supporting his body, "Mr. President." By the door to the room, an aide in a suit motions jerkily to the secret service agent. The agent speaks rapidly into his headset.
At the front, an officer turns around and strides to a corner where another officer opens a large medical kit and hands him an epipen. The officer walks quickly to the front of the room and jabs the President in the thigh. The President continues to choke.
Mary looks completely calm, at odds to the rustling police officers in the room.
"Clear the room," the aide yells, his voice is loud in the mostly silent room.
The officer moves behind the President and clasps his arms around the President's chest, underneath the arms. The President's head lolls to one side, his body a dead weight.
Mary is one of the first to leave. She walks out of the conference room, and down the bright hallways of the community college, and out the glass doors. A black SUV with darkened windows swings up to the loading zone. She opens the passenger door. Ketch is in the driver's seat.
"It took," Mary says.
"Excellent," Ketch says. They pull away from the parking lot.
Heaven. The Garden. Day.
The angel stands on the tree-lined path in the arboretum. With infinite patience, he lets the ball of twine unwind into the darkness.
With a sudden beat of wings, Castiel appears. He places one hand around the outstretched twine and clasps it in his fist, holding it still. "What are you doing?"
The angel draws his angel blade. "Castiel."
Castiel glares at the other angel. "Put your blade away."
"I am no fool to put down my blade in front of you," the angel says rudely.
"Your tone is disrespectful, Hadraniel," Castiel says.
"I offer you the respect you earned with your ... free will," Hadraniel says.
Castiel looks exasperated, then he gathers himself. "Very well, then. What are you doing?"
"What will you do if I answer?" Hadraniel asks coolly.
"That depends," Castiel says. "What is this?" He tightens his grip on the twine and pulls it, drawing the twine backwards - out of the darkness.
Hadraniel's eyes follow Castiel's clenched fist. "One of our brothers looks into the new world."
"Don't lie to me. No angel can pass into the new world," Castiel says evenly. He tugs the twine again. Hadraniel's eyes follow the movement.
"So you know of this place. Tell me more," Hadraniel says.
"This conversation has no purpose," Castiel says. He draws his angel blade - it looks different - and moves his arm sharply-
"Stop! I sent a soul to look. It may be lost if you destroy the tether," Hadraniel interjects hastily. Castiel pauses as Hadraniel speaks.
"A soul?" Castiel says. "Could you not wait a single day before taking action that-"
"You! You speak of the consequences of actions! It is my duty to defend the gateway to Heaven. And here is a gateway breaching the walls of Heaven and putting all that we guard in danger," Hadraniel says.
"If this soul-" Castiel says darkly.
"I sent a soul blessed by your nephilim," Hadraniel says.
"Whose soul did you send?" Castiel asks.
"Samuel Winchester."
"Sam," Castiel sighs. He reels the twine in.
While Castiel faces the darkness in the Garden, Hadraniel dashes forward.
Castiel twists and grabs Hadraniel's blade a moment before it would have entered his body - a yellow light creeps up Hadraniel's fist and then his arm, freezing the angel's arm in place: Hadraniel shudders. He kicks at Castiel. Castiel blocks the kick with his leg and their legs tangle as the yellow light swallows Hadraniel's leg and head. Hadraniel freezes.
Castiel disentangles his leg and reels in the twine. Sam walks out of the darkness, the twine tugging at his hand. "Cas! You're alive!" Sam's eyes take in the angel frozen with yellow light. He stops. The twine is tied around his finger.
"I am. However, I do not have the time for lengthy explanations and the actions necessary to allay your suspicions." Castiel steps forward - releasing Hadraniel - and puts two fingers on Sam's forehead. Sam closes his eyes.
Castiel grips Sam's arms: they disappear.
A parallel universe.
A grassy mound. Night.
Sam drops behind a high mound of grass-covered earth. His unconscious body lands on top of one of two figures taking cover behind the mound. Streaks of green and red light shoot overhead.
"Whoof-" a light voice muffles itself and manhandles Sam partly off her body, so she can breathe.
The other figure is focused on the battle taking place and scrambles up the grassy mound. He lifts his staff and aims it over the top: bursts of light pulse from the crystal at the top of the staff. Muffled thumps that sound like explosions rock the air. The figure slides down the mound as a chain-reaction of explosions sound out and the air flashes with multi-colored light, like fireworks exploding at point-blank range, making it impossible to see the people there.
The chain of explosions come every few seconds, coming closer and closer. Sam stirs on top of the slight figure underneath him, who is covering her ears from the blasts.
"Hah. They won't recover from that easily," a man's voice says smugly. He seems to notice Sam for the first time. "When? … Did this …," he sputters haplessly.
"He fell out of the sky!" The woman sounds horrified. "Through an interdimensional rift!"
"So, not one of your current boyfriends then?" 'Castiel' says lightly.
"Shut up. He's...he's not a whole being…." The woman sounds mildly fascinated or perhaps revolted, it's difficult to tell from her sarcastic voice.
Sam opens his eyes. A final explosion of white fireworks illuminates their faces and then the explosions stop. An alternate dimension 'Castiel' and 'Meg' stare at him. Besides the wizard's staff, 'Castiel' is dressed for running in a dorky headband, an orange athletic shirt, and black running shorts. 'Meg' wears black slacks and a blue polo.
'Castiel' looks up. "An untethered soul … clearly on a journey of redemption…" he says in awe. A crafty look comes over his face.
"Who are you?" 'Meg' demands in a whisper.
'Castiel' raises his staff: a white spark forms in the center of the crystal. "Cover your eyes," he says. Meg swiftly covers her face and takes cover against the grass. Sam sees her swift reaction and covers his face just as-
White explodes from the staff.
Inside a Fort.
'Castiel', 'Meg', and Sam appear in a cramped room dug halfway into the ground. Uneven brick steps lead out of the defensive fortification on both sides of the room. Outside, colored light from a second chain of explosions clashes with the gentle glow emanating from the cut stone floor.
The room is manned by two guards: one person in khaki shorts and a blue athletic shirt carrying a compound bow and arrows, and a knife attached to his belt with a carabiner. A second person is similarly equipped, sitting on a low, wooden bench, eating a tin of tuna salad with a cracker. A small pile of crackers is balanced precariously on her leg. Serrated teeth glint in her red, open mouth. They look subtly inhuman.
'Meg' lands on the floor in a heap underneath Sam. Sam scrambles to his feet. Before the enemies react, Castiel levels the crystal at the two guards and makes a slicing motion. White light splashes the two people: where it touches, their bodies open up and blood, liquified flesh, and organs spatter on the floor. The body of the person standing falls to the ground, but the body of the one sitting down stays upright, headless, her body cavity open and gaping.
Two bright soul lights float out of the bodies.
'Meg' looks disgusted as the blood and body fluids spatter her and Sam's lower legs. Sam looks between 'Meg,' 'Castiel,' and the souls.
"That didn't take us as far as I'd hoped," 'Castiel' says, his eyes focused on the souls. His arms tremble as he holds his staff level. The souls slowly suck into the crystal at the top of 'Castiel's' staff.
'Meg' asks sharply, "Are we inside the Fort?"
"Yes," Castiel says.
"Great. Behind enemy lines. I should have stayed home when I woke up and my legs weren't working," 'Meg' says from the floor. She's lying like she can't move from the chest down. "Why do I listen to you? You have the worst plans, it's-"
'Castiel' looks calculatingly at Sam.
'Castiel' levels his staff at Sam-
Sam dives forward and knocks the heavy crystal end of 'Castiel's' staff towards the floor. His hand brushes Castiel's arm: Sam's body disappears, leaving behind a ball of soul light. Sam's soul jumps into 'Castiel's' mouth.
A flabbergasted expression comes over 'Castiel's face. Meg stares up at him.
"I'm ... full of feelings," 'Castiel' says.
"You've eaten souls before. What's different about him?" Meg asks.
Shouts come from outside the fortified manhole.
"It's … horrible," 'Castiel' says with a constipated look. "He's literally been in Hell."
"Get us out of here!" Meg yells.
A figure looms in the small doorway at the top of the stairs.
'Castiel' raises his staff. Blinding white light fills the room.
Heaven. The Garden.
The scene returns to Castiel and Hadraniel. Castiel returns with a flutter of wings. The ball of twine unravels in a blur leaving Hadraniel holding only a few strands of it. Behind Castiel, Hadraniel slowly unfreezes as the yellow light fades.
Hadraniel tests his limbs and backs away from Castiel. "Where did you send the soul?"
"To seek his redemption," Castiel answers. "He will find peace."
"You are not as you were."
"I am greatly changed for the better," Castiel says calmly. "I have found faith, as you-"
Hadraniel drops the twine and flees. The trees of the garden shift and hide him.
Castiel pauses a moment. He picks up the twine. His angel blade - sized and shaped like a butter spreader - elongates and changes shape into a thin, pointed cane. Yellow light trickles from the point. Castiel inscribes Enochian symbols on the path in front of the darkness leading to the new world.
The White House.
Washington, D.C.
Dressed in bland, dark suits, and carrying attache cases, Dean and Toni follow an elderly government official's jittery entourage into the White House. The white-haired Senator is on the phone. "Yes, we're almost there. Set one up with ABC, I know Richardson's… Yes... Make sure the overwhelming message from media sources describes the death as an unfortunate accident."
Dean and Toni walk past a secret service officer and separate from the group. Down a hallway, they walk into a small bathroom, where a ladder, a tool caddy, and a bag of clothes wait for them.
"Right, let's get started," Toni says briskly as they change into the workmen's outfits. "I'll handle the spellwork. You get the corners."
Almost ignoring her, Dean takes off the suit and puts on overalls and shoes.
"When you are done, you will walk outside with the ladder and tools. Load the ladder onto the dolly. A white van will be waiting at the corner of Pennsylvania and 17th. Do you understand me?"
"Yeah," Dean says.
"Good." Toni takes out a copper bowl and sets it on the sink. She takes out bags of blood, dripping with condensation, and spill them into the bowl as Dean finishes dressing behind her.
Dean opens the attache case, takes out hex bags, and places them into the tool caddy.
"Luckily this building is a regular shape. Do not miss any of the corners," Toni narrates in her villain voice.
Dean walks out the door with the ladder and tool caddy. As soon as the door swings shut, Castiel appears with a flutter of wings, his hand outstretched to touch Dean's forehead. "C-"
Castiel touches Dean's forehead with two fingers. Dean and Castiel disappear. The ladder and toolbox clatter to the ground.
The door swings open. Toni Bevell is standing back in the room as if she kicked the door open. her gun raised.
New York
81 Northbound
A black SUV speeds along the highway. A cell phone rings.
Mary and Ketch are inside. Mary is eating french fries from a paper bag in her lap as she drives north on 81.
Ketch answers his phone.
"I have a problem," Toni Bevell's voice comes from over the phone.
"A problem. Yes, of course you have a problem," Ketch says.
"Yes. Dean's having a heart attack," Toni says. "I moved his body into the secure room. I need one of you to come here and help me with the warding protocol."
"She has a problem," Ketch says to Mary.
"Right," Mary sighs.
"The hunter is incapacitated. Lady Bevell needs you to install the warding hex bags in the corners of the White House as she works the spell."
"Hmm." Mary pulls over to the side of the road and unbuckles her seatbelt. "The timeline for the next step?"
"There shouldn't be a problem," Ketch says.
Mary leans over, and gives him a peck on the lips. She takes the bag of takeout and gets out of the SUV. "Good luck," she says as she steps out of the SUV into the sun.
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Author's Note: Sorry the story's a little wacky in this chapter. The British men of letters are really depressing in an overly realistic way to me.