AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welp, it looks like it's been a year since the publishing of Hunters and Rebels' first chapter! Happy birthday, little fanfiction. Happy birthday. In celebration, I've gripped this fic tight, and raised it from hiatus.
Without further ado, Chapter 11 of Hunters and Rebels.
There was something about this Castiel fellow that struck Barney as odd. Well, to be fair, there was a lot that struck him as odd. After all of the years he'd lived, and all of the battles he'd fought, he couldn't once recall meeting someone who claimed to be an angel.
- Not until now, that is.
He was religious before it all happened. He had a faith, and he prayed to a God. Days after the Black Mesa incident hit, he still prayed, even when Lauren didn't show up. That loss hit him hard, and for a while, his mind was filled with the thickest fog of denial. Losing a loved one was such a shock, and for the longest time, he'd pray that she was safe, and prayed that the Combine would get the hell off of the planet.
Neither of these prayers had been answered.
This was the reason why Barney didn't believe in God, even in spite of his religious familial upbringing. This was the reason why he was so incredibly reluctant to believe that someone was an angel, of all beings.
Still, unbelievable or not, it was important to check in on the rebels and refugees housed in White Forest, and Castiel just so happened to be one of them.
A couple of knocks on the door of the angel's room was all it took for a response,
"Yes?"
"It's me - Barney. Haven't heard anything from ya' in a while. Everything okay in there?"
Castiel opened the door, only moments after Barney's question. His face was grave, his light blue eyes giving off a cold, yet determined look.
"I'm fine. Have you gotten any word from Dean?"
Barney gave a nervous chuckle, "Sorry man, nothing but radio static."
The azure-eyed man didn't hesitate when responding, "I'm going to look for him."
"Like that?" Calhoun's voice was uncertain as he motioned toward the injury on Castiel's chest, "Are you sure about that? That Headhumper got you pretty good. I don't think it's safe for you to go out there-"
His speech was interrupted by Castiel, who seemed determined as ever, "That isn't of import. My mission is clear: I have to find Dean Winchester before it's too late. It's already bad enough that I'm unfamiliar with this terrain."
Barney sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in a bout of frustration. He couldn't just let some headcrab-clawed guy run out into the wilderness. Who knew what kind of dangers lied beyond familiar territory? The Combine's superportal may have been destroyed, but there was no telling how many stray Hunters or vengeful Advisors were on the prowl. Letting someone go out on their own without any knowledge of these hazards was plain inhumane.
When the ex-security guard had come to a decision, he held his hands out, making an offer,
"Look, if you're going to run out there in search of your buddy, at least let me tag along. I'm not going to let you become Headcrab kibble."
Castiel seemed rather frustrated, himself, though his stance was completely still and lacking of any kind of humanly sensible discomfort. The man fell silent for a moment, though he soon came to an agreement,
"So be it. Let's go."
"Woah, woah, woah," Barney stopped Castiel, the moment he began to waltz by him, approaching the direction of the building's exit, "You're barely wearing anything - let's get you suited up before we run out of here."
Barney motioned toward the storage room, leading him toward the room before anything else. It was a small room - at least, in comparison to any kind of storage house he'd been in, though it held a decent amount of supplies, ranging from scavenged Combine bulletproof vests to ammunition boxes of all sizes. The first thing he handed to Castiel was one of these vests.
"Protection is vital around these parts. Even with the Combine tucking its tail between its legs, there's still plenty of danger to go around."
"I already have protection," Castiel protested, though he accepted the vest, anyhow, "I have an angel blade. Does that not compensate?"
Barney sneered, "I'm not sure how big the thing is, but it probably won't compensate for a pissed off rogue Overwatch soldier."
The blue-eyed man nodded, as if understanding what Barney had said, and he applied the bullet-proof vest, though his response contradicted Calhoun's assumption, "I don't know what that is."
"You'll find out soon enough. How good are you with a gun?"
"Well, it seems that firearms have proven to be more useful than I suspected," the trenchcoat-wearing man replied thoughtfully, "Yes, I'd say I'm very good with a gun."
"Perfect. You're going to need one, then," Barney dug around in the stored supplies, unveiling an AR2 Pulse rifle, "Normally, I'd give you something less bulky, though I get the feeling you're going to need more firepower than that. 'Think you can handle?"
"I can handle," Castiel accepted the gun when it was handed to him. In spite of his previously displayed confusion, he seemed to grasp the concept of wielding a gun, even one that was of high power.
Once all necessary preparations were made, the two set out toward the exit of the base. One of the rebels in charge of guarding the heavy-duty doors noticed this, and was quick to motion toward the duo,
"Going anywhere, Calhoun?"
"Yeah," Calhoun responded, "The man I met, Castiel, wants to go looking for his friend. I'm going to give the guy a hand; I won't be gone for too long."
"Sure thing, mister Calhoun. Do you want any help?"
"We do not require help," Castiel appeared persistent on just the two of them going.
"Well, alright," the rebel replied, "I'll raise the door. You two be safe out there - it's bad enough that we haven't gotten word from Freeman and Vance."
The mention of those two names made him a bit concerned. Come to think of it, they had been gone for a while without saying a thing. One would think they'd have the courtesy to call over radio. A lot of terrible things could've happened to them, and…
No, now was not the time for worrying about that shit. The last thing he needed was to get all upset in the midst of danger.
The two passed through another gate, exchanging information with the other rebels who guarded the exterior of White Forest. Similar responses were given, and similar questions were asked, though, in the end, the only ones departing the base were Barney and Castiel, just as they'd entered not long ago.
The air outside was fresh, crisp and filled with the chirp of birds. Ironically, birds were one of the very few remaining creatures that didn't perish with the Combine's takeover. They'd obviously found something to eat, even with all of the pollution floating around Earth's crust.
Birds weren't the topic of importance, however, so Barney started off with the basics,
"So, no idea what the Combine is, huh?"
"I know the definition of combine, though I assume that's not what you're referring to," Castiel lifted an eyebrow.
"No, man. I'm talking about the Combine. As in, big, scary alien overlords?"
Castiel seemed perplexed, as his eyebrows were knit together in a rather confused fashion, "I haven't heard of them before. Where does this… Combine reside?"
"All over the goddamn place, as far as I'm concerned," Barney aimed at a nearby headcrab as they walked, no hesitation to execute it when it drew closer. It only took one shot to clear it out of the way, "They grabbed Earth by its short and curlies about twenty years ago, and haven't given up since."
The Combine takeover was an incredibly touchy subject for Barney. Honestly, he could've given a longer, more detailed description on how terrible the Combine was, and all of the horrible things it had done to millions - no, billions of people, but… Again, now really wasn't the time for getting upset about those things. Best to keep eyes on the road ahead, and distract oneself from the dangers ahead.
"I see," Castiel's eyes appeared to be wandering about the area; he seemed more focused on the surroundings than on the explanation Calhoun had provided to him.
Man, what a weird guy.
It took a few moments for the other to say something more, "So, these Combine - are they going to pose a threat to us?"
Barney shrugged his shoulders, "I can't say, for sure. A good buddy of mine - Gordon - he actually started up a rebellion against the bastards. There used to be a big portal up in that sky," he pointed to the sky above, "but it got destroyed when Gordon and our colleagues launched a rocket toward it. Nobody's heard much from the Combine since, though I reckon they'll be pissed, if they ain't already dead."
"They're humans?" Castiel tilted his head ever so slightly to the side,
"Not exactly. There's transhumance forces on their side, but they're run by alien freaks. I worked undercover for them before the rebellion started; saw some nasty stuff in that business."
"Would that be one of theirs?"
The trench coat-wearing one directed a finger to an entity in the distance; it was insect-like, four legs scampering about accompanied by a buzzing of wings. The creature was about the size of a wolf, though it bore no canine resemblance.
An antlion? Out this far?
"Nope," Barney aimed his rifle at the creature, shooting it down before it could get any closer, "Just an antlion. Strange, they usually aren't this close to base; we haven't been out here for too long."
Ugh, those were the last kind of pests the inhabitants of White Forest would want to deal with. He'd have to take care of those things after their little hike.
"Don't be afraid to shoot any headhumpers or antlions that crawl your way," Calhoun continued, "They're far from extinction. You'd be doing the world a favor."
Castiel's gaze upon him was one of confusion, "I'm not afraid."
"Good."
Pine trees of towering heights surrounded them as they surveyed the forest. Barney didn't want to venture too far away from the base; there was no telling if Castiel even had a clue where his friend was.
"Any idea where he would be?" the resistance co-leader suggested, "You think he'd be holed up in one of the old mining towns, or what?"
"If Dean is anywhere nearby, the signs of his presence should be prominent. Danger seems to… follow in his wake."
"Geez, I know someone who's a lot like that."
Oh, too familiar. Even if the guy was his best friend, Gordon was a bit of a handful sometimes. There wasn't a single place he walked through that didn't get stirred up.
"-There's another man, too," Castiel added, "He goes by the name of Sam Winchester; he is Dean's brother and is also of vital importance. He may be close to Dean. The two are inseparable, for the most part."
"Got it."
The conversation shifted back toward the Combine with Castiel's second mention of it, "Whats the approximate size of a nonhuman Combine affiliate?"
Barney hadn't been looking ahead of him. Instead, his eyes scanned the forestry for signs of any human life, or even any signs of chaotic happenings. None of these were found, though a distant thumping could be heard.
Thump, thump, thump…
"Depends, really. Why do you ask?" he turned toward Castiel.
"Is that one of them?"
Running around trees, a gorilla-like formation could be seen bounding toward the two. It emitted electric whirrs and beeping tones, the ground pounding underneath its gargantuan body. Castiel was aiming toward it when Barney grabbed the man's arm, forcibly lowering his rifle.
"DØG!"
Perhaps Barney wasn't much of an animal person, but there was one animal-like individual that he greatly honored. He was Alyx's childhood best friend, and though he was comprised of mechanical parts, his enthusiasm and life-like artificial intelligence surpassed all of the other Black Mesa-engineered bots. DØG was widely appreciated by the current day's resistance, and many of the rebels gladly welcomed his presence.
Castiel's confusion seemed to intensify at the sight of the mechanical canine,
"…What is that?"
"That's DØG," Barney ran up to the robot, grinning at it, "Where are Gordon and Alyx?"
DØG looked frantic. It pounded on the dusty ground with its massive hands, rearing its head to the land behind it.
Were they in trouble?
"Oh, hell," Barney quickly examined his AR2, confirming its readiness, eyes darting toward the direction of Castiel, "I think something's wrong - we might have to put that search on hold for a while!"
"I'm going to follow."
Castiel seemed persistent enough, and Calhoun honestly didn't have time to argue with the guy, "Alright, but you better get ready to open fire!"
DØG lead the way, running toward the directionite'd come from, with the two men following. The world around Barney became a blur as he ran, foliage and wildlife alike passing by. Castiel managed well enough; he took out any headcrabs and lone antlions that were in their way, and he was quick to catch up in spite of his injuries.
While DØG couldn't speak, it certainly had its own legible communication system. The displayed language was enough to indicate that something had gone seriously wrong, especially after Barney had asked about his two dear friends. Perhaps the artificial dog was emotive, and often excitable, but it was quite easy to tell when something went wrong.
This must have been one of those moments.
The way DØG lead must have been a newly discovered route, as the paths Barney and Castiel turned on were hardly familiar. It was known among the resistance that there were various ways to enter and leave the White Forest base - this path definitely wasn't the one that Barney entered through. It was incredibly unfamiliar, though by some little feeling in the back of his head, he trusted the robot's judgement.
After minutes of non-stop running, the ex-security guard halted to catch his breath. What seemed incredibly strange to him was that his new partner showed no signs of exhaustion, though Barney chose to focus on that peculiarity later, "Hold on, DØG! I'm only human, I can't just run forever!"
The robot stopped in its tracks, turning to face him. A couple of behemoth arms outstretched, lifting Barney (and his gun) from the ground. He let out a yelp, though that didn't seem to bother DØG one bit. In spite of his struggling, the bot only ran quicker.
Castiel had no trouble keeping up, which just made everything more… weird. What the hell was up with him? Maybe that claim he was an angel wasn't so false after all-
…Nah.
Either way, with the help of DØG and the struggling of Barney, the two managed to find what they were looking for - an answer that required no words, but rather, a sight that was filled with dissonance. The rocky cave entrance and the worried faces spoke for themselves.