Plan B….etc.
Sam turned off his smartphone and looked up at the waiting faces of Dean and Castiel in the van. He shook his head slightly. Castiel let out a breath in frustration.
"Well, isn't that just great," Dean grumbled.
Sam shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We all knew that there were at least a million things that could have gone wrong with Crowley's plan. That Pastor was probably too scared to do it anyway. And we all figured on them keeping an eye on him."
Castiel stood up and turned towards the waiting team that Crowley had left with them. He nodded.
"Let's get everything in place, then. It's only a few hours until the broadcast, and we can't let it go through", he ordered. The team exchanged glances and slowly got moving. A few of them remained seated. Castiel watched for a few seconds before exhaling loudly.
"Now," he growled. The team looked up as one, then started moving and picked up speed. Castiel opened the van door and stepped outside. Dean and Sam followed. It was parked in an open lot near the television studio. There were some booster satellites and power sheds nearby.
"Demons," Castiel said quietly, obvious disdain in his voice. He turned towards Dean. "I don't trust them. It's bad enough that I have to trust Crowley."
Dean gave a wan smile and looked back in the van. The team had started setting up equipment and running cables from it to a waiting satellite.
"I hear ya, Cas," Dean answered. "Not much of a choice, though. He's the salesman of the group, we're the guys that shut things down if they get out of hand."
Sam was pressing buttons on his phone, and frowning.
"I can't get him to answer, either. The signal's lost." He looked up at Dean and Castiel. "Do you think maybe…?"
Castiel shrugged slightly and looked up at the sky. "He probably teleported away. Why he didn't come to us, I have no idea."
Sam shook his head, looking back down at his phone. "That doesn't explain why he isn't answering us. I think maybe he got captured."
Dean crossed his arms. "Well, let's assume the worst, then...it's not like we ever get anything else...", he murmured. "If they got him, he might let them know what we're up to. That means we gotta be ready for some heavy duty whoop-ass heading our way."
Castiel nodded. "If it's either the Demon or the Angel, try to stay out of the way. I'll handle it."
Dean looked up, brow furrowing. "And if it's both of them? Or Jesse? Or all three?"
Castiel met Dean's eyes with a steady gaze.
"Then stay further back."
Dean crossed his arms and raised his chin in defiance. Castiel shook his head. "I seriously doubt that right now they're going to leave Pastor Wald unguarded. My bet is that at least one of them is with him right now. If they've captured Crowley, then most likely two of them."
Sam nodded. "Makes sense. But listen, Cas. We've tangled with Angels and Demons before. Maybe we should be on standby with some devil's traps and holy oil, just in case?"
Castiel considered for a second, and slowly nodded. "I'm…inclined to agree with your idea. But, truthfully, I'm, still not entirely certain what we're dealing with here. All we've been doing lately is jumping to an awful lot of conclusions. We could be wrong about…well, everything. That miscalculation and lack of information could prove fatal. .I…we….need solid answers before I would risk open combat."
Dean and Sam exchanged a glance. Sam shrugged. "Then we'll also keep a close watch if something goes down, "he replied. "See if anything shows up that we recognize. We've been doing this awhile. Maybe there's something there that we'll be able to do something about."
Castiel smiled. "Thank you Sam, but you aren't considering the fact that I was a soldier of God for countless millennia. If there's something there that I haven't seen yet…." he finished by shaking his head.
Sam nodded. "I hear you, Castiel. But give us a shot, ok? It couldn't hurt."
Castiel gave them both a worried look.
"I sincerely hope not," he answered, turning back to supervise the Demons.
A short time later, they were ready. The van was set up to monitor the broadcast and interrupt the signal when the time came. The Demons had formed a perimeter around it, and had several scouts out in the surrounding area to warn of any approach. Castiel waited directly by the van, while Sam and Dan were out in the lot, checking and manning the defenses.
There was a crackle of sound as the show started, the organ music was starting up and Pastor Wald was heading onto the stage. One of the technicians pointed at the screen and called out to Castiel.
"We've got eyes on Jesse Turner. The camera caught a shot of him in the backstage area when the Pastor came out."
Castiel nodded and his shoulders visibly relaxed. Out of all of them, Jesse was the one that had given him the most cause for concern. The first encounter with him had always left him more than a little shaken. A cambrion of his power could literally rip Heaven apart. Castiel could not imagine a more dangerous opponent.
There was a shout of alarm from outside of the perimeter and Castiel looked up quickly, trying to pinpoint the location. A body came flying through the air from at least three-hundred meters away. It landed with a crash in the open lot and didn't move. Castiel scanned the perimeter and moved away from the van, jaw set, angel's blade in hand.
There was another cry, and a third. Bodies flew in from two different directions and landed with a sickening crunch on the ground. Castiel glared and nodded to himself in affirmation. Both of them, then, he thought. The Angel and the Demon.
In response to his thoughts, two figures came striding out into the dusky open, one to the right of the van, the other to the left, both still at least a hundred meters away. They moved steadily forward, and did not hurry. Castiel glanced back in the van. Pastor Wald was still acknowledging the crowd on the television, and waving at the cameras. They still had a bit of time.
"Really, Castiel?", the one to the right called out. "This is what you were trying to do? You really didn't think that we would let this happen, did you?" Several Demons rushed to the figure, only to be immediately and violently flung away, a white light blazing.
Right on cue, there was a sharp, metallic rasp and the brief smell of butane in the air as Dean threw his lighter to the ground. Holy oil lit up in a wide circle around the figure. Dean stepped out from behind one of the equipment sheds and smiled sarcastically at the trapped figure.
"You'd be the Angel, then, right?" he smirked. "Thanks for the heads up, pal." The Angel glared back at him, white eyes blazing fire.
The second figure began to race forward, but a large figure in a blur of motion to it's side ran straight into him, throwing a large white sheet over it, painted with a bright red devil's trap.
"Well, we know what that makes you, then", Sam said, breathing heavily from the effort. "Let's make this a little more accessible, 'cause we need to talk." He walked over to the van and pulled out a tarp, which was also painted with a devil's trap. He rolled it flat onto the ground, picked up the figure and dumped it in the center, removing the first sheet. The teen inside had blazing red eyes and black hair. He snarled at Sam, then, stopped , considering Sam like he recognized him. He stopped struggling, straightened up, and regarded Sam cooly, a crooked half-smile on his face.
Castiel strode forward to the burning circle and stared at the Angel trapped inside. It was a different teen than the one he had met at Leon's house back in Baltimore. He frowned and looked over his shoulder at the Demon. It was also a different kid.
"Who are you?," he asked, puzzled. "The energy signature is the same, but your vessels are different." He squinted. "Raguel?", Castiel asked, uncertain.
The Angel cocked his head. "Raguel? I haven't heard that name in…eons." He closed his eyes, shook his head and laughed softly. "Call me Raguel, then, if you want, Castiel. It doesn't matter."
Castiel frowned and looked the teen up and down. "Why do you keep switching vessels?"
The Angel smiled and shrugged. "We've told you before Castiel. We're something….different." His smile widened. His eyes flashed white, then red, then he tilted his head back and closed them, stepping forward, crossing effortlessly over the border of the burning fire. Dean muttered a curse and rushed at him, but he was flung backwards with barely a touch. His still form lay prone in the dirt. Castiel's eyes widened in shock. He spun towards the Demon, who was also walking out of the devil's trap, eyes fixed on Castiel.
"Sam, no!" Castiel shouted, too late, as Sam crashed into the Demon from behind. The Demon didn't budge, flinging Sam into the side of the van, hard. Sam's form went limp and slumped down. The Demon looked at it for a second and smirked, shaking it's head.
"Ah, the disappointment. Still living up to your potential, I see," it said softly. He turned his head and eyes slowly back to Castiel. They flashed red. "C'mon, Castiel. I hear you've leveled up. Let's see what you got."
Castiel circled back to put his back to the van's entrance, straining to hear the broadcast. Pastor Wald had begun to speak. He looked back just in time to see the Angel rip the array of cables free from the van's attachments with one motion. He smiled at Castiel.
"Well, that takes care of that, " he jeered.
Castiel stared, mouth open. They needed to stop this, and immediately.
"The EMP!, Now!", Castiel shouted back into the van. When there was no response, he took his eyes off of the Angel and looked inside.
While Castiel had been watching the Angel dismantle the cable array, the Demon had materialized inside the van. The remains of the Demon technicians were dripping from every surface. Dripping off of the Demon as well. He smiled at Castiel and held up a red button fixed to a panel that dangled from a frayed, disconnected cord.
"You mean this, don't you?", he smiled evilly, swinging the button from side to side. He let it drop with a clang to the van's floor. Castiel groaned as something hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground. He looked up through a haze at the Demon, who was bent over looking at him, the smile still there. His eyes blazed red, then white. Castiel felt his eyes closing...what were they...?
"You lose, Castiel. We win. Now….," he said, straightening up and clapping his hands together. "Let's see what's on TV."
