Season 13, episode 14, good intentions in story form with minor canon divergence.
Teaser: flashbacks to previous episodes.
Bunker. Donatello's Room.
Voices and symbols and images from the demon tablet echo in Donatello's head. He scrawls notes on a pad of paper. Food detritus and papers are on the table in front of him.
Sharp knocks on the door. … "Donatello?"
"Who is it?" Donatello wakens, startled. He shuffles the papers, distressed.
"It's Castiel." Castiel opens the door, carrying a plate. "Breakfast."
"Oh, thank you," Donatello says, taking the plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.
"How are you?" Castiel asks.
Donatello sits stiffly, waiting for Castiel to leave. "Fine, I'm fine. The tablet has a … energy, a raw power that … tell Dean thank you for breakfast. I'm making progress," he changes his tune abruptly.
"Yes, of course," Castiel says, then leaves.
Bunker. Kitchen.
Dean pulls a plate in front of him: it's heaped with bacon.
"Don't you think you should take it easy with the nitrates and saturated fat," Sam says, ending a calls on his phone and picking up a coffee mug.
"If bacon kills me, I win," Dean says, picking up a piece of bacon with his fingers.
Cas appears in the doorway, looking flustered.
"Cas, how's Donatello?" Sam asks, with a mug in his hands.
"He says he is making progress and wished for me to leave," Cas says.
"Heh," Dean says.
"Heard from a hunter in the UK, but nothing about Lucifer," Sam says.
"We must make haste," Cas says.
By the shore.
Jack looks out at mist and clouds that cover a mountain, across a piece of water. He's standing on a peninsula.
Castiel approaches. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Castiel," Jack sounds pleased to see him.
"I wanted you to see the natural world before it was spoiled. Most humans don't appreciate the gift they given. Left to their own devices, they would destroy their world."
"Why?" Jack asks.
"You've been sheltered," Castiel steps closer and puts his hands on Jack's face. "Let me show you." Images: glacial cliffs - ice falling into the ocean, a nuclear explosion, a bird covered in spilled oil, dead. "Humans," images of war, "they take and they take. They can help themselves, but most choose not to." Castiel releases his hands. "You must help them. You have the power to save them. And Sam and Dean, if only they'd accepted you. Do not fear your powers because they fear them. Do as I say."
"No, that's not true," Jack says passionately. "I used my powers, and they did not fear them, we … we got separated. I was thrown into the other world. You're not Castiel. None of this is real. This isn't right. Why would you try to trick me?"
'Castiel' smirks and laughs. The world swirls around him.
Jack opens his eyes to the grey of the apocalypse world. An angel releases his hand from Jack's face.
"Well so much for trickery," Michael steps forward.
"Michael," Jack says. "I know your name," he says, surprised.
Michael puts out a hand and throws Jack into the wall. Jack rolls over and starts to get up.
"Michael he-" the other angel says.
Michael strikes him and the angel goes flying. "We tried it your way." He grabs Jack and smiles.
Bunker.
Donatello finishes the translation. He grabs a paper and runs down the hall to the kitchen. "Eureka!" he screams. "I finished the translation-"
"Great," Sam says, grabbing the paper.
"The ingredients," Donatello says, completely calm now. "I would have been extremely excited to finish if I had my soul."
"What are we looking' at?" Dean says.
"We have most of this stuff, angelica root, it must be a different spell…. Oh, the hearts of warriors bound in a place that is not a place, a time that is not time," Sam says.
"Gog and Magog, warriors who enslaved half the Fertile Crescent," Donatello says.
"You know them?" Sam asks.
"Yes, the demon tablet has very specific instructions on how to free them," Donatello says.
Cas stares suspiciously at Donatello. "I will go, if you give me the instructions."
"Fine, I'll go with you," Dean says.
"And Sam and I will stay behind to assemble the other ingredients," Donatello says.
Bizarro World
Jack's feet drag in the ground as Michael hauls him to a cell, then throws him brutally inside.
Mary is sitting on the ground.
"Mary?" Jack says.
"Have we met?" Mary asks.
"Your sons, they are looking for you," Jack says.
"Are they here?" Mary says tensely.
"No," Jack says.
"Thank god," Mary sighs.
"My name is Jack," he says.
"Your mother … wasn't Kelly Kline…" Mary says.
"Yes, you knew her?" Jack says.
"I was there when you were born," Mary says. "You should be a child, or I've been here longer than I thought."
"I am 6 months old," Jack says.
"How did you get here?" Mary says.
"I opened a door," Jack says.
"To another world, you can do that?" Mary says.
"With a dreamwalker. We were coming to save you, but angels were chasing us, and it went wrong. Michael … he's .. strong and he's ..."
"He's inside my head …" Mary says.
"Yes, that's what it is," Jack says.
" … I saw everything. He wants to cross over to our world," Mary says.
"Yes. He wants me to open a portal. But I won't. He can't make me. Even if he hurts me more, or tries to trick me," Jack says.
"He's not going to hurt you, he's going to hurt me. Why d'you think he brought you here? So we would meet and talk and when he comes back, … but stay strong Jack, our world's counting on you," Mary says. "When he comes, let him kill me. Just don't open a door to our world."
Bunker. Library.
Meanwhile, Sam walks into the library with a box of glass jars. "How we lookin'?"
"We still need the Dead Sea brine and the wolfsbane," Donatello says.
"On it," Sam says.
Clearing.
"You ok?" Dean says.
"Dean, I was dead," Cas says. "And I was brought back for a reason."
"Jack brought you back because he needed you," Dean says.
"I swore to protect him. Yet he is trapped in another universe and Lucifer is here, getting stronger moment by moment. There is no safe place for Jack," Cas says.
"We'll find a way," Dean says. "Whatever it takes." He claps Cas on the shoulder.
"Yes. Prepare yourself," Cas says and draws his angel blade. "I feel them. They do not feel..."
Dean and Castiel stand on a circle of freshly turned dirt.
The dirt moves. Hand claw the loose dirt.
Dean stares.
Heads appear. They snarl at each other.
"They are making disparaging comments on the lack of an army to face them," Cas says.
"Huh," Dean says. "Stab 'em now?"
"No, we should wait until they are completely free," Cas says, looking at the trapped monsters curiously. "...Now they are bickering about the speed with which they are exiting the cage in which they were trapped."
The two figures are halfway out of the dirt.
Dean steps forward. The closest figure swipes his blade at Dean. Dean blocks it with his angel blade, but the angel blade shatters. "Son of a bitch!" Dean jumps back, out of reach of the figure.
"One of them boasts that their blades were blessed by a god," Cas says.
"Which god?" Dean kicks the figure, wrestling with it, and takes the blade from its hand, falling backwards into the dirt. He rolls and comes up on his feet.
"I'm uncertain, they have not mentioned it," Cas says, not moving from his spot. Dean circles the figures.
"Let me know when," Dean says.
"Now, Dean," Cas says. Dean beheads the closest warrior. The other warrior charges Cas, who dodges, but is knocked to the ground. Dean beheads the second one.
Cas gets up and reaches into the chest of the figure next to him. The chest cavity pops open, revealing a scroll. "These are constructs. They have no hearts. We must burn these scrolls or they will..."
Dean chops at the first figure, which is moving, groping around for its head. "I get it! Burn 'em!" Dean swings the blade through the figure's legs and it collapses again.
Bunker. Library.
Sam assembles ingredients on one of the two tables in the Library.
Donatello comes closer. Sam's phone buzzes with a call from Dean. Donatello looks down and ends the call. He grabs a bottle of whiskey and tries to hit Sam on the head.
Sam partly dodges and spins around, grabbing Donatello's wrist. They both fall to the ground. Sam chokes Donatello out.
Bizarro World.
"No, we will escape," Jack says. "I am strong. Every time I use my powers here, it feels wrong and it doesn't work. My head doesn't stop pounding."
"Mine too," Mary says. "Ever since … Michael took me. Maybe the warding on this place…."
"Do you think that's why my powers aren't working?" Jack asks.
"My headache is the least here ..." Mary moves to where she was sitting before.
"Because the warding's weaker?" Jack asks, puzzled.
Jack crouches next to Mary. He puts one hand up. His eyes glow - dim orange. The bars on the window glow orange in patches. "It's working."
Jack pushes the bars and the window out. He and Mary step outside outside into the desolate landscape.
Bunker. Map Room.
Dean and Cas enter the Map Room. "Sammy!" Dean shouts.
"I'm in here," Sam says.
Dean and Cas walk into the library, where Sam is holding a bag of frozen peas on his head and drinking from a mug.
"What happened?" Dean asks.
"Donatello attacked me," Sam says. Sam's laptop is open to a security feed of Donatello mumbling to himself, tied securely to a chair in a warded circle in the dungeon. Dean and Cas look at the screen. "What happened with Gog and Magog?" Sam asks.
"They were … constructs and possessed no hearts. Dean slew them," Cas says.
"The possessability of it … yesss … protect the power," Donatello mutters evilly.
Cas says, "The tablets were meant to be protected from those who would misuse them. It was … difficult for me to ... relinquish the angel tablet when I carried it. It seems soullessness has left him vulnerable to insanity-"
"I see you looking at me, covetous," Donatello stares into the camera and hisses. "God chose me!"
"...to crazy," Dean says.
Bizarro World.
Jack and Mary jog past a fallen tank and other debris. They slog over a hill and reach a crooked shack.
Noises.
Mary pulls Jack behind her as a vehicle rolls up.
A red light plays across their chests. Bobby and another man leap out. "Mary," Bobby calls out.
Bobby pulls down his scarf. "It's Bobby Singer."
"Bobby Singer... My sons told me about you," Mary says. "You were like their father."
Bobby says, "Who's the kid?"
"I'm Jack," Jack says, raising his hand.
"A friend of the family," Mary says.
"Good enough for me. Get in," Bobby says.
Jack smiles happily.
Bunker. Dungeon.
Sam and Dean stand in front of the door to the dungeon.
Sam braces himself. He opens the door. They walk to Donatello.
"Donatello ... you can fight this," Sam says.
"What makes you think I want to!" Donatello roars. He looks at Dean and in a suddenly sane voice, says, "You should be dead. Only the Messiah will slay Gog and Magog!"
"Well, I'm not dead," Dean says.
"Did the tablet do this to you?" Sam asks.
"Of course, you imbecile! I translated the tablet. I saw the power of God. It's all here, all of it! Mine!"
"We want to help you-" Sam starts to say.
"No. You brought me here to use me, to get a spell. You're wasting your time. If it's magic you, want … Sufficotuer," Donatello says. He opens his hand.
Sam looks on at Donatello. "Donatello, listen-"
Dean uncrosses his arms and grabs Sam's shoulder. He gasps for breath.
"Dean?" Sam says. Sam slaps Donatello across the face, but Dean continues to choke. Donatello laughs.
Sam swings Dean's arm over his shoulder and walks him down the hall and out of sight of Donatello.
Dean leans against the wall and takes a breath.
"Dean?" Castiel appears.
Dean takes a breath. "I'm fine. Donnyboy went Rowena on me."
Bizarro World. A camp.
Jack's hands make shadow puppets in a flashlight. A small child stands next to him and laughs, and an older child holds the flashlight and smiles.
Bobby hands Mary a chipped mug.
"Thank you," Mary says, taking a sip from the steaming mug. "What happened here?"
"Angels. Blew up what's left of San Antonio. These're the survivors we pulled out…. They're exterminating us like rats," Bobby says.
"Michael's after us," Mary says.
"We got some tricks up our sleeves," Bobby says. "Throw him off, for a while."
Jack's hands suddenly change into eagles and antlers.
"What is he?" Bobby says, looking at the shadows.
Mary looks at the shadow puppets.
"A witch, a psychic? We could use one," Bobby says.
"He's a nephilim," Mary says.
"Excuse me?" Bobby says.
"He's half angel, half human," Mary says.
"I know that. Why would you bring one of them, here," Bobby says.
"He's half-"
"Angel." Bobby says. "He's not welcome here." He gives Mary a look. "I see him in the morning and there'll be one less nephilim around."
Bunker.
"Maybe something in the tablet-" Sam says.
"Prophets are conduits of God's power. A human soul would give moral guidance, compassion. He has none," Castiel says.
"How do we fix him?" Dean says.
"We can't," Castiel says.
"We were so close," Sam says.
"What?" Dean says.
"To getting mom and Jack back!" Sam says. "Amara ate Donatello's soul. There's no coming back from that. He was our best ..."
"Perhaps it's best to end his suffering," Castiel says.
"What?" Sam says.
"If Donatello's life ends, the next prophet will be called," Castiel says.
"No!" Sam and Dean say at the same time.
"We can talk to him," Sam says. "Convince him to give us the spell."
"We are not killing him because he's gone cuckoo," Dean says.
"Fine," Castiel says and stalks off.
"Cas," Dean says.
"What are you doing?" Sam asks.
"What I have to," Castiel says, striding down the long hallway.
Sam and Dean hurry after him. "Cas!" Dean says.
Cas enters the dungeon with Donatello and slams the door shut and locks it.
The door hammers on its hinges as Sam and Dean try to kick it in.
Donatello looks at Cas removes his trenchcoat. "What are you doing?"
"I will read your mind," Castiel says.
"No, no, you can't read my mind! I've absorbed too much knowledge and power! It will drive you mad, crazy, crazier than I am," Donatello says. "Have a little sense!"
"Perhaps," Castiel says. He puts his hand on Donatello's forehead.
Donatello says, "Ardat intu-"
Cas grabs Donatello's face and forces his mouth and throat closed. "I'm sorry." Cas' eyes glow blue.
The door bangs open as Dean kicks it.
Bizarro World.
Jack finishes his shadow puppet show. The little kid walks away with her mom. Jack walks to Mary.
"These people, they're brave," Jack says, smiling.
"I'm glad you like them. But, we can't stay," Mary says.
"Why?" Jack asks.
Mary doesn't answer.
"Because of me," Jack figures it out.
"I'm sorry, Jack. It's not fair," Mary says.
People run around.
"What going on?" Jack asks.
Mary looks around and sees Bobby.
Bobby draws his gun on Mary. "You brought this on us, usin' his angel powers!"
Jack steps forward, pressing his fingers against Bobby's forehead.
"Here, follow me," Bobby says to Mary. He holds out his gun to her, handle-first. "Take it, there's a grain cellar, we're evacuatin'."
Mary looks at Jack.
"Go on," Jack says. "I'll hide."
"I'll go with you," Mary says.
"No," Jack says. "It'll be safer, if we're apart."
Bunker. Dungeon.
Cas puts on his trenchcoat. Donatello lies slumped in the chair.
"I know what we need," Cas says walking to Sam and Dean and past them.
Donatello chokes, his eyes roll up. Sam runs to him.
"Cas!" Dean walks after Cas.
Bizarro World.
Jack runs in the forest.
Behind him, an explosion like a meteor falling on the ground. Screams.
Jack hesitates and turns back.
An angel in cammo has Bobby and Mary cornered at a trapdoor in the ground.
Jack holds his hand up, "Stop!"
The angel is surrounded in golden light, lifted in the air. Jack closes his hand and the angel turns into dust and blue light.
More meteors streak in. Jack holds up his hand and bursts the meteors before they reach the camp.
Sioux Falls. Hospital.
Donatello lies in a hospital bed. Sam sits next to him in the cramped room.
Dean and Cas enter.
"He's stable, in a coma," Sam says.
Dean runs his hand over his face. "Cas, what's wrong with this?"
"Cas," Sam says.
"His soul was gone and his brain was injured by translating the tablet," Castiel says.
Dean looks down.
"He was a danger to himself and others. A complete recovery was unlikely. I needed to act quickly. He was reporting to Asmodeus," Cas says.
"What?" Sam says.
"Not by choice," Cas says. "He was under a spell. It is better this way."
"Says who," Dean says.
"I say so. I had the power, the knowledge, and the skill to extract his memories. We do not have time to argue. We need the grace of an archangel, a fruit from the tree of life, the seal of solomon, and the blood of a most holy man," Cas says. "Whatever it takes, I will protect Jack."
Bizarro World.
"Thank you,' Bobby says.
"Jack, what you did was amazing," Mary says. "You saved everyone."
"... I know. They're bad angels. They won't stop as long as Michael tells them to attack humans. I … I have to kill Michael to make it stop," Jack says.
#Will edit/back-edit. We get to see more of the apocalypse world! Will back-edit, rushing it before I watch the next episode. Can't take OOC Sam and Dean without wanting to edit the script … if only I was a script editor for Supernatural...
