Well, we're at the climax now! Only one chapter after this. Thanks as always to everyone who has been reading this :)
Chapter Eleven
Sam and Dean were forcibly led further into the factory toward a room which one of the angels, who seemed to be the leader—Dean had heard one of the others call him Jonah—opened up. The door shrieked on rusty hinges and the Winchesters were shoved inside, both nearly stumbling before the door was slammed shut and locked behind them.
"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered, kicking the door once on principle, and then caught sight of Meg sitting chained to a chair in the center of a devil's trap on one side of the room.
She smiled wryly when she saw them. "Oh look, my heroes."
"Meg!" Sam cried, rushing over and scraping at the devil's trap with one heel. Dean was already getting his lock pick set out of his boot—the angels hadn't bothered to check for that—and was crouching behind her chair to unlock the manacles.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked.
"Peachy," Meg replied sarcastically. "I was kind of getting bored of being free again. Apparently I have a serious case of Stockholm syndrome."
Dean released her wrists and pulled the chains from around her, glancing at the fresh blood and bruises that stood out on her cheek and split lip. "For the record, we did come with a rescue plan," he told her as he helped her stand up. "They just got to our inside man first."
Meg cocked an eyebrow at him. "Inside man?"
"An angel named Samandriel came and told us where you were being kept," Sam told her. "But they had him at sword point when we got here."
"Huh," Meg said, some surprise showing on her face. "I guess the featherduster wasn't a complete loss after all. Though I suppose he'll probably be killed now… or fixed."
Dean glanced at her as she said that. "Meg, do you know what they're doing to Cas?"
She wrapped her arms around herself and sank down to sit against the wall. "Nothing good. From what that bitch Naomi said, it sounds like they're brainwashing him."
Dean's stomach flipped, but it wasn't exactly surprising news."
"You've seen Naomi?" Sam asked.
Meg gave a wry smile. "Oh yeah, me and her had a nice little chat."
Dean took in the fresh bruises on her face and could imagine how that had gone. He'd had enough dealings with angels to know how they worked.
"So," Meg said, eyes flicking between the two of them. "Any chance of picking the lock from in here?"
Dean cast a glance at the door but shook his head. "No. Padlock on the outside. We're screwed."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Meg said and rested her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. Dean shared a look with Sam and then they both slowly sank down on either side of her, facing the door.
"Just when I thought things were finally starting to work out too," she sighed.
Dean snorted. "Yeah, well, welcome to our lives."
"Your lives suck," she replied, turning to glance at him.
"Don't I know it," Dean muttered as he stared at the door. He had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like whatever walked through there next.
"Castiel, can you hear me?"
Castiel opened his eyes, blinking blearily up at the woman standing over him. He frowned slightly, wondering what had happened. Everything felt…fuzzy, muted, like he wasn't all there. Maybe he wasn't. Had he been injured? He found it hard to remember what had happened, in fact, his mind was very dull, but also oddly clear. It was odd that it could be both, and Castiel immediately didn't like the feeling. It felt wrong. The woman's voice certainly sounded clear in his mind, something that demanded an answer.
"Yes," he found himself saying without consciously thinking to do so. Somewhere deep down that unnerved him, though he couldn't guess why.
"Good," the woman said and he could see her more clearly now as his eyes came into focus. She seemed vaguely familiar…Naomi? The name came into his head, so that must be who she was. Somewhere deep in his mind, the name made him feel…something, something negative, but he didn't know why that was either. He must have been injured, he decided. His brain wasn't working properly.
"Can you stand up, Castiel?" she asked him next.
It was only then he realized he was sitting in a reclining chair. He frowned, and slowly pushed himself upright, sliding off of it to stand in front of Naomi. She smiled at him.
"How do you feel, Castiel?" she asked.
He thought about it for a long moment, brow furrowed. "I feel…nothing," he realized as he searched himself. It was true, there was nothing to feel. Everything was just…blank.
The spark of alarm started to ignite in him. No, this isn't me. A voice deep inside of his head tried to say. Wake up. Wake up!
He pressed the voice back down, as Naomi started to talk again and he was inexplicably forced to give her his whole attention.
"I have a task for you, Castiel," she told him, walking over to a table that sat next to the chair. It had a cloth over it and she shifted it slightly to reach underneath. Castiel's stomach clenched at the motion and he was confused at his reaction, but it went away as soon as Naomi pulled his angel blade from under it and handed it to him hilt first. He took the cold metal into his hand, holding the blade at his side, awaiting her orders.
"There is a demon that needs to be executed, as well as two humans," she told him. "You have a duty to heaven to fulfill."
Castiel nodded automatically, accepting the mission. But he still couldn't get the niggle out of his mind of something about this not being right.
"What are the crimes of the humans?" he asked her.
A frown appeared between Naomi's brows but she was quick to hide it. "That doesn't matter, Castiel. All you need to know is that they are sinners, they are evil, and they must be dealt with."
Words stuck in Castiel's throat. Words that he couldn't quite find even though he knew somehow they should be said. A dull ache started behind his eyes and the frown reappeared on Naomi's brow again before he swallowed back the strange urge. Instead he just nodded. "I will see it done."
"Good," Naomi said, relaxing slightly. "Everything seems to be back in order."
Something about that phrase was strange too, but every time Castiel tried to delve deeper in that thought, it was like hitting a brick wall. So he chose to ignore it instead and followed Naomi as she led him toward the door.
The room opened to an abandoned factory and Castiel dutifully followed Naomi down a long industrial looking hallway, presumably to where they were keeping the prisoners he was supposed to execute.
That was when he caught sight of several more angels standing around. Two were busy picking up a body to bear it away. Castiel stopped in his tracks, eyes widening as he took in the dead angel they bore between them.
"Samandriel," he said, shocked, something akin to grief fluttering up inside his chest before it was pressed back by the unknown force that was currently encircling his mind. "What happened?"
Another angel, Jonah, stepped forward, casting an irreverent glance at the dead angel. "He was a—"
"He was killed, by the prisoners," Naomi cut in sharply, sending Jonah a sharp glare. Castiel thought the exchange was odd, but his whole attention was taken by Naomi again as she turned to look him in the eyes. "His loss was regrettable. But you will see him avenged if you do your duty, Castiel."
Castiel looked back at Samandriel's body again, before Naomi snapped at him and he spun around, finding Jonah's hand clamping onto his shoulder.
"Come do your duty, Castiel," Naomi told him.
"Of course," Castiel replied without emotion. Perhaps he was doing good after all if he could avenge Samandriel's death.
Jonah walked beside them, but let go of Castiel's shoulder as they continued on their way. Finally Naomi stopped at a locked door and motioned for Jonah to open it. She turned to Castiel, her eyes firm and piercing.
"Remember, Castiel. No matter what, you must do your duty." The last words felt as if they were being driven into his skull, and a vague pain lanced behind his eyes again, but he simply nodded.
"Of course," he said and turned toward the door as Jonah opened it, preparing to do as she asked.
Meg heard the footsteps grow nearer and she shared a glance with the Winchesters as they stopped outside of the door. All three of them got to their feet. Meg felt sick, wishing she had a weapon. She was pretty sure she knew what was coming and she wasn't sure she could face this. Just the thought of seeing what Naomi had done to Castiel was a stab to the chest, but she was even more frightened of Naomi being proven right. What if she actually had managed to brainwash Cas? What if he was forced to kill her and the Winchesters? Meg was sure that Naomi was evil enough to make sure Cas knew what he had done when he was lucid enough for it to break him. Meg was pretty sure that the angels couldn't break Castiel with brainwashing and torture forever since they'd apparently been pretty unsuccessful so far, but she was also certain that being forced to kill the people he cared about would break him anyway.
The door opened and that dick Jonah stepped in, a small smirk on his face before he opened the door wider.
Meg caught her breath in dismay and the Winchesters stiffened beside her, as Castiel walked into the room, Naomi close on his heels. The female angel found Meg's gaze and sent her a haughty self-satisfied look. Meg snarled at her in return.
"You bitch," she growled and took a threatening step forward, but Dean's hand clamped onto her shoulder, holding her back.
"Cas?" Sam said softly, almost pleading.
The angel barely acknowledged him, but his brow did furrow and his eyes squinted slightly as if in pain. Meg hoped that he would break out of whatever blank space he was in, but Naomi called to him sharply.
"Castiel, these are the prisoners I was telling you about," she said.
Cas' eyes became distant again and he straightened. Meg felt Dean's hand tighten on her shoulder and she knew he had seen what she had. That this wasn't their Cas. Not right now. Meg wanted to throw up.
"You will see justice done," Naomi told him, and nodded toward Meg. "Start with the demon."
"I..." Castiel looked like he was struggling and Meg took the opportunity.
"Cas, I know you're in there," she said. "You don't have to do this."
He took a small step backwards, eyes cast down in confusion. "No, I…"
"Castiel!" Naomi grabbed the back of his neck and got into his face, stopping him in his tracks. "Obey!"
Cas went ramrod straight as if he'd been shocked. Meg's heart sank as she saw him go robot again.
"Kill the demon," Naomi said.
"Hold on!" Dean snapped, moving in front of Meg. "You can't do this!"
Jonah strode over to him as another angel came into the room and went toward Sam. They grabbed the Winchesters and hauled them toward the back wall and pretty soon the two hunters were being held at sword point and Castiel was striding purposefully toward Meg.
It was right then that she decided that whatever had to happen, she wasn't going to let Castiel be broken. One way or another, she was going to stop this.
"Cas no!" Dean yelled as Castiel swung his blade at Meg once and she dodged out of the way.
"Cas! Meg is your friend!" Sam added. "You don't have to do this."
Meg dodged another swipe with Cas' angel blade, wondering how long she would be able to evade him.
"She took care of you, man," Dean added. "Cas, Meg is more than your friend too, isn't she?" That earned him a punch to the gut with the butt of Jonah's angel blade. Dean folded with a choked off cry.
Meg looked up at Cas though, and smiled at him with a wink. "He's right. You and I are kinda a thing. Don't you remember, Clarence?"
Castiel blinked and hesitated slightly at the nickname. Meg held her breath, hoping that she might have finally broken through to him, but then Naomi had to ruin it.
"Do it, Castiel! Kill the abomination!"
Cas swung with renewed vigor and Meg almost didn't get out of the way this time. She ducked and rolled on the floor, then came up as Cas spun around, blade held at the ready. She backed up and then found herself pressed against the wall. "Dammit," she muttered.
Castiel strode forward, and Meg waited until the last second before she ducked. "Sorry, Clarence," she whispered and kicked him in the knee.
Cas cried out and stumbled to his good knee, a look of surprise on his face. Meg danced away, watching.
"What…?" Cas began, looking confused. A hand went to his head and he winced again.
"Castiel!" Naomi snapped, stepping toward the angel. "Kill her!"
Castiel's head came up again and he rose.
"Cas stop!" Dean yelled. "I know you're in there! You don't want to do this!"
"Silence!" Jonah snapped, punching him again.
"Cas, you can do this, fight her!" Sam added before he too was silenced by a heavy blow from the angel holding him.
"Kill the demon!" Naomi snarled.
Meg ducked under another blow Castiel aimed at her. Getting more desperate, she kicked out at him again, catching his hip with her heel. She really didn't want to hurt him, but if pain was the only way to snap him out of this, she figured he would forgive a few bruises. Cas staggered back a step before he surged forward and swung. He caught her with a back swing, slamming the pommel of his blade against the side of her head.
Meg yelped and collapsed. She could hear the Winchesters yelling, but she didn't have time to get up before she felt Castiel's hand around her throat, hauling her to her feet and slamming her back against the wall.
"Cas," she choked out, gripping his wrist.
"Do it!" Naomi shouted. "Finish it, Castiel!"
Cas brought his blade up, but didn't do anything else. He seemed to be hesitating for some reason. Meg caught his eyes, looking straight into them, searching for something she recognized.
"Clarence, don't," she whispered.
"Castiel!" Naomi snapped.
There was an angry yelp of pain from the other side of the room, and Meg caught sight of Dean out of the corner of her eye hurtling toward them. He must have gotten loose from Jonah. More sounds of struggle told her Sam was also fighting back.
"Cas!" Dean shouted as he reached them, grabbing Castiel's sword arm and wrenching him away from Meg and shaking him slightly. "Stop this, man, this isn't you! Fight this!"
Castiel released Meg and she slid to the ground, gasping for breath. The brainwashed angel turned his full attention to Dean now, and Meg was about to shout a warning, but it was too late. Cas had already grabbed Dean by the front of the coat and was swinging him bodily into the wall where he hit with a thud and fell next to Meg with a grunt.
Sam surged forward then, free of his angel guard, and grabbed Cas from behind, wrapping his arms around the angel's upper arms to try and restrain him.
"Come on, Cas," he pleaded. "Stop this!"
"Castiel do your duty!" Naomi screamed again, getting increasingly furious. "Jonah, Abram, on your feet!"
Cas slammed his head back into Sam's nose, and Jonah caught the hunter as he staggered backwards. Dean was on his feet again by then, and rushed at Cas, but the angel just slammed the pommel of his blade into Dean's ribs and threw him to the ground. Dean hit hard, and lay there with a groan.
Cas' focus turned back to Meg now, and he had a determined light in his eyes that made her heart freeze in her chest. She slowly stood up as he came at her.
"Kill the demon, Castiel!" Naomi snarled.
He raised his blade, and at the last minute, Meg surged forward, inside his strike and grabbed his sword arm at the wrist, her other hand on the back of his neck as she used her grip to swing him around and shove him against the wall hard. He blinked dazedly as his head hit the wall, and Meg wasted no time. She had to break him this time and with desperation, she did the only thing she could think of.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his ear and whispered, "Do you remember the pizza man?"
And then she kissed him on the mouth.
Castiel was a captive in his own body. It was like being chained up, and having a blindfold on that he could still partly see through. He could see Meg and the Winchesters, but could not react to them. His body would not stop trying to kill them, and the blankness that filled his mind told him this was the right thing to do, that it was seeing justice done.
And every time he tried to claw up from his prison, Naomi would speak and send him crashing back down again. He was screaming the whole time, but could do nothing about it. She had him, somehow. She had him tethered to her. He was nothing but a puppet for her to do with as she pleased.
Until Meg threw him against the wall. This was the demon he was supposed to kill, by all rights he should bring his blade up and stab her in the heart. He could have easily broken free of her hold. He was stronger than her, but he had been stopped by completely nonsensical words.
"Do you remember the pizza man?"
His captive inner self reached out, triggered by the phrase, getting some leeway. He could feel Naomi's chains loosening, and could also feel her anger. She was about to reinforce the chains again, but everything came crashing down as Meg pressed her lips to his.
Her taste, the smell of her, like ashes and roses, overwhelmed him, leaving him unable to focus on anything else. She clung to him desperately as if she would lose him if she let go—and she just might. But Castiel was sure that Naomi couldn't have him now. He felt her hooks tear free.
A splitting headache caused him to pull away from Meg with a cry as he doubled over, practically throwing the blade aside, so he couldn't be forced to use it.
"Cas!" Meg said, gripping his shoulder.
He saw her, roses and thorns intertwining in her darkness, and wondered how he had ever let Naomi into his head. He looked over to see Sam and Dean, captives of the angels once again, a little roughed up, but alive. They were staring at him with caution and worry in their eyes.
"Castiel!" Naomi snarled, striding toward him. "Finish this, Castiel. Now!"
"What have you done to me, Naomi?" he ground out, looking up at her as another spike of pain drove through his head. Something trickled down his cheek and he raised his fingers to it, pulling them away and finding blood.
Naomi had her hands in his shirt, hauling him to his feet. "Obey me, Castiel!"
He cried out as another headache crippled him. Then he took a deep breath and looked up to stare her in the eyes. "No."
"Fine then," she snarled and slammed the pommel of her blade into the side of his head. Everything fell into darkness.
Meg watched Castiel hit the ground, and that was all it took for things to start. Dean took the opportunity of the distraction to grab Jonah's sword arm and slam it with all his strength over his knee. The angel cried out and dropped the blade. Dean snatched it up and stabbed Jonah with it.
The scream and the bright light brought more angels into the room and Sam and Dean instantly went forward to attack.
"Get Naomi!" Dean shouted at Meg.
She didn't need to be told twice.
She snatched up Cas' angel blade, hoping he would be okay, and strode over to where Naomi was still standing over him, despite the surrounding kerfuffle.
"Hey," Meg said and hauled back, slamming the pommel of the blade into the angel's stuck up face.
Naomi gasped and staggered back before getting her own blade ready. "How dare you?"
"Just returning the favor," Meg told her with a smirk. "You hurt my unicorn."
Naomi looked at her in disgust, shaking her head. "You have ruined him. I will have to go through his head and carve out every memory of you as well as the human apes." She swiped at Meg, but the demon danced back easily.
"No you won't," Meg told her, swiping with her own blade, which Naomi caught on hers. "You're going to die."
"Oh, and are you so certain of that, demon?" Naomi sneered.
"Pretty damn certain," Meg replied and surged forward, striking low and slicing Naomi across the ribs. The wound glowed white with grace, and Naomi staggered back a step, folding her hand over the wound as if surprised. Meg smirked.
Naomi slashed at her, and caught Meg across the upper arm, but Meg stabbed her in the thigh, gaining a scream. Meg followed that up with a firm kick to the stomach that sent Naomi staggering back against the wall.
Meg twirled the blade nonchalantly. "Sorry about the pantsuit, bitch."
Naomi staggered upright again and ran at Meg. They locked their blades, and for a moment it was a battle of wills as much as anything. Meg could hear Sam and Dean fighting viciously against the other angels, saw flashes of both parties being tossed around out of the corner of her eye before another bright nova told her another one of the feathered douchebags was down.
She finally got the upper hand on Naomi by kicking her in her already injured thigh. The angel gave a snarling cry and staggered backwards. She slashed at Meg again, but the demon ducked around the blow and slammed her fist into Naomi's face. It felt so good she did it again.
On the third swing, Naomi caught her wrist and wrenched it around. Meg cried out, and brought her blade up, but Naomi caught it against hers, locking the hilts. She used the leverage she had to press Meg up against the wall. Meg struggled, trying to get free, but Naomi had superior strength as well as the upper hand. The crossed blades were getting closer and closer to Meg's throat. She was pressing back with all her strength, but she didn't think she could hold on for much longer.
Another white flash told her that Sam and Dean were still in the game. She managed a smirk.
"They'll kill you too, you know," she told Naomi.
The angel smiled with that smug satisfaction Meg hated. "Not before I kill you, though."
"No."
Naomi gasped as the tip of an angel blade suddenly appeared through her breastbone. Her eyes flew wide, and she staggered back from Meg as the blade was yanked free, wound sparking before Naomi threw her head back and screamed, her eyes burning out in a white nova.
Meg shielded her eyes against the flare. When she was finally able to see again, Naomi lay dead on the floor, wing marks burned on either side of her; and standing over her corpse was Castiel.
"Not before I kill you," he said gruffly to the corpse. He turned to Meg then, and a million emotions washed over his face. "Meg," he said softly, seeming to put them all into that one word.
Meg took him in, from the bloody angel blade, to the welt on the side of his head. He had blood dripping down his cheeks like tears, but his eyes were his once again soulful and sincere. She didn't say anything, just stepped forward and folded him in her arms, pressing her face into the crook of his neck and inhaling his scent. The freshness of him, the brightness of his grace, was dulled a little by the blood and his pain, but it was him. It was a long second before Cas returned the embrace, seeming to be in shock. And who could blame him?
It took her a moment to realize Sam and Dean were there too, hovering beside them.
"Cas?" Dean asked hesitantly.
Meg finally let him go and Castiel turned to Sam and Dean, remorse and pain written all over his face.
"Sam, Dean," he said. "I'm sorry."
He didn't get to finish before Dean yanked him into a rough hug. Cas was stiff at first, but he finally sagged, shoulders slumping. Once Dean had released him, Sam took his place. Meg smirked slightly, but was glad they were being forgiving. They had grown too, it seemed.
"There's no need to be sorry, Cas," Sam told him firmly. "We know it wasn't you."
"Yeah, that bitch messed with your head," Dean said, kicking Naomi's foot from where he stood.
"I never knew," Cas said, stepping over to Naomi and staring down at her with a haunted look. "I don't know how many times she did this…how many others…"
Dean's hand settled on his shoulder. "Cas, what's important is that you are back now, and she's not gonna do that again. To anyone."
"And you fought her," Meg told him, a proud smile on her face. "She told me you did. Apparently you were a real pain in her ass."
Cas looked at her incredulously. "I was?"
Meg reached out to squeeze his hand. "She thought you were broken, but for the record, I think you're the opposite." Sam and Dean nodded in firm agreement.
Cas' gaze softened, but he still looked overwhelmed. Dean seemed to see that too, because he settled a hand on Cas' back and started to nudge him in the direction of the door.
"Come on, let's get the hell out of here," he said.
"Agreed," Meg replied.
Cas nodded and she felt his hand squeeze hers as they made their way out of the building.
Hopefully this time, they could actually get some much-deserved rest.
