Title: Immortal!Dean 'Verse - Into The Black

Fandom: HL, SPN but set in a far future that looks remarkably like the Firefly 'verse

Characters: Dean Winchester, Duncan MacLeod, Richie Ryan; Mentions of Chloe/Dean

Disclaimer: The characters you know and love all belong to their respective creators.

Summary: Richie has been missing for over 6 months. Duncan finally has a lead and needs Dean's help to rescue him.

Chapter Summary: Richie is a prisoner of the Alliance; Dean challenges Mac's plan

Chapter 2: Lab Rat

Richie had tried to keep track of his days in this windowless cell. The faint image of tick marks lined one side of the cell but between the sleep deprivation, the starvation and most Immortals skewed sense of time, it was impossible to know how long he'd really been here. Was it the year that the tick marks suggested or only a few months, maybe it had been only days. In a fit of despair he had rubbed them all out as if he could erase the nightmare that kept him in the cell.

He spent his nights chained to a barren cot in a small room at one end of the torture chamber that others would call a medical lab. He dreaded the arrival of his tormentors. Some days they wouldn't feed him and some days they took samples but every day they hurt him and most days they killed him. Often it seemed more for their own amusement than any practical test.

He'd lost track of all the ways that they'd killed him: shooting, stabbings, electrocution, drowning... but it was when they started harvesting his internal organs, without benefit of anesthesia, that the pain became unbearable.

In the beginning, he'd had hope. Brand, one of the low level techs, would occasionally slip him some food and offer a kind word. He had treated Richie like a human being and not a lab animal. After a particularly bad round of experimentation where they wanted to see if they could remove several internal organs at once, Brand had offered a rescue plan. If Richie gave him the name of a friend and a way to contact him, Brand would try to set things in motion.

Richie had been too delirious with the pain, and too blind with hope to see the trap. He'd let Duncan's name slip. That was the last time he saw Brand. He was overwhelmed with despair. He couldn't stand the thought that Duncan or Dean or any number of his friends might have been captured and even now might be in the neighboring lab.

He never told anyone else about his friends. He maintained that he was a genetic mutation and the only one of his kind. Under endless hours of death and resurrection, he did confess to them that decapitation was the only way to ensure permanent death. He hoped they would avoid challenging his admissions long enough for him to escape or get rescued. Eventually he found himself wishing they would just take his head and end the torture.

He tried to use the meditation techniques that Duncan had taught him to separate himself from the pain. It seemed to help for a little while but eventually the pain of the torture, the loss of hope for a rescue and the thought that he had betrayed his friends became too much to bear. On that day, his mind simply refused to come back.

The door to the lab opened. "I don't think we should tap into its brain yet." asserted Dr. Green. He was in heated conversation with his shorter, darker companion.

"We have been taking blood and tissues samples for months," countered Dr. Hayden. "What are we waiting for? You've extracted all his other internal organs and they have all grown back. The brain should do the same." Dr. Hayden indicated the myriad of specimen jars that held all the parts that they had removed. His personal favorites were the two hearts. Forget the government's project to create invincible soldiers; they had learned so much about general anatomy simply watching these organs re-grow.

"Do you really want to risk doing irreparable damage? There are still aspects of the genetic code that bear scrutiny. We don't know what aspect of the brain controls the regeneration."

"If it was telling the truth about decapitation, there might be some risk," Hayden admitted. "But think of what we could learn if we can actually watch the neural network repair itself."

"We are not here to improve our knowledge of anatomy per say; the government is funding this project to successfully recreate his mutation."

"Green, are you so blinded by the dollars that they are waving that you've forgotten to be awed by what the specimen can do. Once we recreate the regenerative ability, we loose the opportunity to have a living subject for ourselves." Hayden begged.

"Unlike some," Green sent an intimidating look at his partner, "I know where my loyalties lie and it's with the people paying the rent. Our only concern is to successfully meet the project goals and keep our funding."

"But there is the promise of so much more." Hayden sighed. He didn't know why he tried. Green was a drone with no sense of wonder. Certainly not the risk taker Hayden was. He felt frustration that the Government had taken control of his research.

Green dismissed Hayden's argument, stating firmly, "This is a one of a kind specimen. We need to keep it regenerating and that means no brain experiments." Dr. Green had come to stand in front of the cell holding the object of their discussion.

Richie sat unblinking on his cot. He had wasted away and looked more dead than alive.

Hayden was distressed by what he saw not because he was torturing a human being but because their resource was damaged. "Damn it Green, it's still catatonic. I told you we should feed it more, kill it less and stop with the brainwashing."

"Don't be an idiot, Hayden. We had to understand the limits of the mutation. We now know that some aspects of mental illness are not regenerative. Just like we know he can't grow back appendages."

Hayden remembered that day months ago when they were set to cut off one of the specimen's arms. It had begged them to stop; sworn that it wouldn't grow back. In predictable conservative fashion, Green insisted they cut off the little toe first, just to be sure. While the wound healed the toe did not return. It seemed that some amputations were permanent. They let him keep his arm.

"Still this proves my point," insisted Hayden. "The mind is shut off but the regeneration is still in tact." He grabbed a pulse weapon off a nearby table and shot the subject.

Without so much as a whimper, Richie fell off the cot dead but minutes later he was breathing again. "Now will you let me take a sample of his brain?"

"Fine," Green agreed reluctantly, "But if something permanent happens, I am reporting it as your decision to the director."

"Cheer up, Green." Hayden smirked, "Maybe the brain tissue will be the key we've been looking for to reconstruct the mutation in others." Hayden smiled and went to prep the OR.

"That's your plan, Mac?' Dean asked incredulously, "Trust this Brand guy to sneak us into a top secret lab and free Richie." They were still one day out from Fortuna and Dean had yet to hear one thing about this rescue that gave him any hope of its' success.

"Brand insists he has clearance to get us past the buildings security check points. The lab isn't heavily guarded because they don't expect anyone to be able to get inside in the first place. "

"Well, that plan sucks." Dean crossed his arms and set his jaw in a hard line, "It relies on complete faith in this guy. I'd feel better if we at least had some confirmation that Richie is even inside."

"Dean, come on," Duncan cajoled, "Richie's family; we have to risk it"

Dean's face twisted in anger. "Dude, enough!" He slammed his hand down on the console. His voice was flat and deadly; the kind of tone that made Vampires flinch. "That's twice you've accused me of wanting to back out. You don't have to remind me how important Richie is. Damn it Duncan, you know I am willing to risk anything for family but I'm gonna need a better plan."

"Dean, I'm sorry," Duncan knew he'd crossed a line. Stopping Dean from caring about those he considered family was like asking him not to breathe. "It's not like I haven't been careful. I haven't used the holovid so he doesn't know what I look like or what kind of ship I'm flying." Duncan smiled tried to lighten the mood, "I guess your paranoia has rubbed off on me after all these years."

"Fine, you drive for a while," Dean said. Although judging by his expression, Dean thought that it was anything but fine. "I'm going to get some rest. If I'm going to become a government guinea pig, I'll need my beauty sleep." Without waiting for Mac to respond, Dean stormed off the bridge.

Mac sighed and turned his attention back to piloting the Impala. They'd been snapping at each other ever since this started. It had been a long time since he had to beg Dean to trust him.

He rechecked their route to Fortuna. They were still one day out. Hopefully, Dean would come around before they landed.

Brand was going to get a promotion out of this, he was sure. Once the prisoner had trusted him, it had been easy to garner information about another freak. The doctors had been so sure that the prisoner was a unique genetic mutation and they had been unable to crack Richie on that issue. But several covert acts of kindness later and Brand was able to get one name – Duncan Macleod. Finding MacLeod hadn't been that hard. It seemed the guy was already looking for Ryan.

When he had stumbled upon the network that connected him to MacLeod, he knew it was his lucky day. Brand had used the information gained from Ryan to assure MacLeod that he could be trusted and they could free him together.

He had decided to capture MacLeod alone. He would present the new freak to the Director and the Doctors once it was secured in the lab with Ryan. The plan was brilliant, if he said so himself, and his bosses would be incredibly impressed with his proactive attitude. He could practically taste his promotion.

Brand answered the communicator in his quarters. Duncan had insisted he did not have video capability. Brand wished he had a picture of the man but it didn't matter, "Duncan, I am relieved to hear from you. I was worried you'd changed your mind."

"No chance of that Brand, I just had to make a stop for some supplies." Duncan explained.

Brand nodded, "Great, I have your fake credentials. I think they will pass but it would have helped if I could have gotten a picture. We should do this after hours just to limit the chance for exposure. I have confirmed that Ryan hasn't been moved and the guard contingency is minimal. If you're with me, they shouldn't even question our entry into the facility or the labs."

Duncan agreed. "I should be touching down at the Haven docks in two hours. I'll meet you then."

"See you soon. Brand out." Brand allowed himself a small smile of triumph. It was all going according to plan and the stupid freak didn't even realize it was a setup.

Brand's door chimed. He opened it to a team Alliance Planetary Operatives, "Brand Flynn, you are under arrest for conspiring to steal government property." Special Operative Miller announced as he forced his way into the apartment.

"What?!"

Miller continued, "We have reason to believe that you are planning to free the specimen in Section 13.1. Your activities have been monitored. There is no question of your quilt." One of the other officers recited a list of additional charges.

Brand stood frozen as the realization of his stupidity hit him, "No, No! You've got it wrong. Let me explain it to Doctor Green. He'll understand" He was shouting and backing away from his accusers.

Operative Miller smirked, "He was the one who filed the complaint."

"No you don't understand. I'm positive Ryan isn't the only regenerator. There are others. His friend is one, I'm sure and I told him to come here." He clapped his hand over his mouth.

"Grady," Miller gestured to the officer who had read the list, "add betrayal of government secrets to the charges and then get this weasel out of my sight."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm innocent!" Brand screamed. "No! No! I have information useful to the project. Please….please." His protests dwindled to a whimpering as the officers dragged him away.

Out in the hallway, Miller came to stand with Dr. Green and the program Director, Anderson Crabb. "Yes, that's him," Green said as he pointed at the suspect being dragged down the hall.

"We'll find out what we can about his contact and attempt to intercept him," Miller assured the Director.

"Do you put any faith in his claim that his contact is another regenerator?" The director asked Green.

"We are convinced he was trying to steal the resource and sell it to another lab," Green answered than paused before adding, "It is possible the contact was another mutant, but I believe the odds of that are small."

The Director nodded.

"The messages we intercepted indicated his contact is a smuggler know as Duncan MacLeod." Miller informed them, "The background check confirmed that he is also a known trader of unusual things. We think he might be the broker. But, there is nothing in his history to suggest he is anything but human"

"Still, when you capture him, we should test his blood," Green insisted, "We might get lucky."

"So Miller, do we have an E.T.A. on MacLeod?"

"Yes director, the last message we intercepted said he would be in the Haven dock in two hours but unfortunately we do not know what kind of vehicle he is piloting.

"I assume you will be monitoring all traffic into the Haven docks?" The Director inquired.

Miller confirmed their plans for capturing MacLeod, "…as well as the next two closest docking spaces. We'll be searching all vehicles and detaining anyone with questionable backgrounds. Don't worry Sir, we should have him in custody before dinner time."

The Director turned back to Green, "We should step up security in the facility for the next week just to make sure the asset is safe. And Green?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"This little hiccup does not give you any more time. You've had nine months. We expect to see some positive results if you expect the government to renew your funding."

"Understood, Sir."