For followers of this story that have already read the last chapter, I want to apologize.
The beauty of fan-fiction is the ability to create new worlds and stories based on the characters that we love and share them with others of like mind.
The disadvantage of it is that we are not professional authors, and are going to make some dumb mistakes. I made one.
My beta-reader (I highly recommend getting one of those, for any aspiring writers out there. :) ) pointed out that I had left something very important for the reader experience out of the last chapter. A sense of figuring the plot out, of immersion and inclusivity by picking out hints and clues of how the story will progress. And she was damned right. I was playing the cards too close to my chest, and excluding you, the reader, out. I'm truly sorry about that.
The problem was, the chapter was already published, and as I was already into the next one, and it didn't work anymore for me, I wanted to fix it, not just for me, but for you, for Cas and Crowley, for the story.
So, I re-wrote it so it works now. I know this is really mean to ask of you that have already read it, but could you please, PLEASE re-read the new material in the last chapter? It starts at the Joshua "dream" sequence. It will enhance the story and just add to it, I promise.
Thanks in advance. I'll keep this author's note up for a month or so before removing it, so that everyone that has been following can get it. Once it's gone, any newcomers won't need it, anyway.
Thanks again for your patience. And for following the story. What comes next is the end of this "episode" of Castiel and Crowley. I hope you liked it as much as I did writing it. And there will be more. There just has to be. :)
Chapter 12: Showdown at High Tide"Guys. Guys? Hello? Seriously? I hate this plan. I hate it. Please? Let's not do it, OK? Please? Anything else? ANYTHING...? ELSE...?", Charlie was practically running behind Castiel and Crowley, who were striding purposefully into the parking lot, Castiel scanning the torrential sky, Crowley barking orders on his cell.
"Charlie, there's no need to doubt yourself," Castiel answered, not looking back at her. "You can do this, I know that you can."
Charlie was tapping Castiel furiously on the shoulder now. He stopped and looked at her.
"Um, it isn't about whether I can do it or not. Really. I believe you. I do. It's just...," Charlie trailed off, a pleading look coming over her face.
"Just what?"
"I mean, we're going to rely on my subconscious? I mean, I get what you told us, OK? The Old Ones are only able to manifest themselves based on our thoughts, right?"
Castiel nodded. "Exactly. They are beings of pure chaos. They have no real form. The only way they can manifest themselves in this world is through a host human's thoughts. Human thought is like an anchor for those things. That's the whole purpose of that "wedding" of Joshua's. He's binding the creature to this world through a person's thoughts and dreams. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise they can't exist here, yeah, I got that, " Charlie was nodding quickly, rivulets of hard rain pelting her hair and face. Crowley had stopped as well and was looking at them both with a puzzled expression.
"But me...", Charlie began.
"It has to be you, Charlie. Joshua bonded you with the Old Ones with his spell. Your thoughts are still a conduit to them..." Castiel interrupted.
Charlie held up her hand palm up in front of his face. "I know, Castiel, I know...what I meant was... me...me, OK? Do we really want to let my subconscious loose on the world? I mean, if you thought what happened in Joshua's basement was bad..."
Castiel frowned. "That was Joshua taking control of the creature from you. He's also bonded to them somehow..."
Charlie sighed. "OK, fine. Suppose you're right. But same problem, " She thumped her chest with her open hand. "I know only most of what lurks in my dark and not-talked-about places. And that alone is not exactly pretty. What if something, I dunno, much, MUCH worse comes out?"
Castiel cocked his head, regarding her. "Charlie, we'll both be there to help. And I trust you."
Charlie sighed heavily. "OK. Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you. Like...a lot...", she mumbled as they moved on.
They got into the Mercedes and Crowley fired it up, pocketing his mobile in his suit jacket.
"Right, so, my boys are on their way to pick up sleeping beauty back there at the hotel room, with strict instructions to keep his gag on. The helicopter will meet us about three miles north of here at an abandoned mall."
"Helicopter?", Charlie asked, buckling herself in as Crowley gunned it out of the parking lot.
"Yeah, well, most of New Orleans is under water already, " Crowley shrugged. "To get to the heart of the storm, we're going to have to fly there, and I am not getting carried by him," Crowley nodded towards Castiel.
"Wait, you can actually fly with those shadow-wings of yours?", Charlie asked Castiel, her eyebrows raised.
"If you listen carefully, you can actually hear them moving when I travel from place to place, " Castiel answered. "It's just so fast that human's can't perceive them,"
"And it gives you horrible motion sickness," Crowley grunted, accelerating onto the north-bound highway. "I mean, queasy for weeks afterwards."
Castiel looked up quizzically. "When have you ever flown with Angels, Crowley?"
Crowley grinned widely and looked back. "Oh, there's a multitude of things about me that you have no idea about, believe me."
After a few minutes, they pulled into a huge parking lot that looked as if it hadn't been used in years. The signs for the mall were hanging on by a few links, and only the faded shadows of the store names were left on the cracking walls, barely visible through the sheets of rain. They waited in the car until they heard the heavy thump of helicopter blades from outside. A huge black shape came out of the sky and settled into the lot, it's double-rotors spinning slowly in the rain.
"Waitaminute, is that a Chinook ?", Charlie asked in surprise, her hands cupped against the interior of the car's window. She looked back at Crowley, her brow furrowed. "Aren't those only for the military?"
Crowley smiled widely and shrugged. "Like I said before, love. Multitude of things. And would you really want to be flying around in that, " Crowley indicated with a finger the furious storm outside through the windshield. "in a news chopper or something?"
Charlie shrugged and threw open the door. "Got a good point," she smiled. She hugged her coat around herself and sprinted low across the parking lot to jump into the massive helicopter. Castiel and Crowley were close behind her. The door slid shut and the blades picked up speed, lifting the machine back into the air.
It moved with deceptive speed and agility for such a large object over the flooded streets. Soon, all they could see outside was roiling water, debris and unrecognizable objects being tossed around in it. Charlie squinted and looked back at Crowley.
"Did you say that New Orleans was already under water?"
Crowley nodded and looked to his left out of the window. "We're actually over it now, sadly."
Charlie frowned. "And if this works...if I can somehow send these things back to where they came, what about the city?"
Crowley glanced at Castiel, who met his gaze evenly, a stern expression on his face.
"I'm afraid it's too late for the Big Easy, love. Mardi Gras is cancelled. Permanently. But there's good news. Reports say they got everybody out in plenty of time. Even got help doing it from FEMA, shockingly enough. So there's that."
Charlie looked back out at the water and let out a groan. She settled back into her seat and shook her head slowly, her eyes closed.
"I thought I was doing something useful for a change, " she said after a few seconds. "I actually thought I was saving people. And look at me. I end up sinking New Orleans." She opened her eyes and looked back out sadly at the water. "Maybe the world would be better off if I quit messing with it."
Crowley frowned and Castiel raised his eyebrows. "Charlie, " he said gently. "If we can stop this here, we will have saved the rest of the world. That'll be because of you."
"So is this disaster. That's because of me too."
Castiel shook his head. "What do you think would have happened if Joshua was allowed to continue unchallenged?"
Charlie shrugged, not answering, staring out of the window.
Castiel continued. "He would have continued creating his hybrids, setting himself up to rule the world. If we hadn't stopped him..."
"I know. I just wish...you know?", Charlie turned teary eyes towards Castiel, letting out a large breath."Is there ever such a thing as a clean win?"
Castiel sat back, considering. Crowley grinned. "Well, when and if we ever get one of those, love, let me know. Then I'll break out the expensive stuff." He leaned forward and looked out of the window. He frowned and reached back to tap Castiel with the back of his hand. Castiel leaned forward and looked out as well. His face went ashen. Charlie stared out into the black sea as well, and her jaw dropped.
"Well...I'd say we're here now," Crowley said slowly.
The sea boiled over in a fury. There was not one, but several huge whirlpools forming in it, each one miles across and reaching down seemingly into complete blackness. Black shapes moved in them, like tentacles of an impossibly huge creature, stirring the waves into a further frenzy. They glistened with scales. There was an overwhelming feeling of pure malice in the air.
"Guys...?" Charlie squeaked out. "Are we sure about this?"
Crowley looked up speculatively at Castiel, his eyes wide and questioning. The angel nodded back at him grimly. "Open the doors."
Crowley gulped and pressed an intercom button. He told the pilot to open the crew doors and hold position here. They all unbuckled their seat-belts and moved towards the slowly opening rear ramp. A yellow warning lamp spun quickly over their heads as the roar of the storm cascaded through the air. There was also another sound, something deeper, underneath it all, a bellow from the depths that shook them all to their bones. Something huge and ancient angrily called up to them in challenge.
Castiel grabbed Charlie's hand and indicated that Crowley should take the other. The three of them stood there staring into the utter madness that was the ocean as wind and rain pelted them like bullets. Charlie watched in horror as some of the skyscraper-sized tentacles seemed to move up out of the water towards their position. The pilot must have seen it too, because the copter lurched a bit higher, making them stumble a step back. Crowley snapped on the intercom and bellowed, "Hold it still you bloody idiot! I don't care what happens, you hold this bloody ship still or I'll have your skin!"
Charlie's eyes were wide with terror as she stared down into the ocean. "Cas...?" she started.
Castiel looked out and then back to her. "Charlie, I need you to face this! You need to know you're stronger than them! You need to send them back! Charlie? Charlie?! Can you hear me?!"
Charlie was staring wild-eyed at the churning water. Her eyes began to narrow. She took a deep breath. The wind seemed to die down and slow around her. Fear slowly began to change to calm. Then anger. Then rage.
"No way, bitches," she spoke steadily, anger growing in her face with every word, resolve settling onto her features.
"I said...No. FRIKKIN. WAY!"
Her eyes closed and she threw her head back, her red hair streaming in the wind. There was a repeated roar from the depths, but she set her jaw and clamped down on Crowley and Castiel's hands. She took a deeper breath and opened her eyes.
The dark tentacles began to shimmer, blending with the shadows in the massive waves. The wind shrieked and howled but then started to die in its intensity. The waves roiled and closed in on themselves, the whirlpools started to still. The storm clouds parted, a light rain began to fall instead. Charlie began to breathe more slowly, her chest heaving, sweat mixed with rain pouring down her face. She released Castiel and Crowley and took a step forward, before dropping to all fours on the ramp and letting out a laugh of triumph.
"Not on my watch, chumps. Not on my watch!", she screamed out into the calming water, then she sprang up in a hop and spinning around, grinning wildly. She clapped her hands together and gathered up a relieved Castiel and Crowley in a big hug.
"I did it," She breathed out finally in a sigh. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes and looked up at a smiling Castiel. Crowley stepped back and smoothed off his suit jacket, picking off a bit of lint. He lifted his head and smiled.
"You sure did, chipmunk."
Castiel frowned and looked out. "Did you change its form? Where did it go?"
A seagull cawed loudly and landed on the helicopter ramp. It eyed them for a second and then flew off. Charlie grinned triumphantly.
"Can I just go watch some Netflix now?", she sniffed. "I think my cat probably misses me."
The Chinook brought them back to an empty parking lot north of New Orleans. A black Humvee waited for them there, Crowley's red Ferrari parked next to it, and Charlie's VW bug. Joshua was bundled up in the back of the Humvee, and Crowley told his men to bring him to his temporary HQ in Atlanta. After a few hugs goodbye for Charlie, Castiel and Crowley got into the Ferrari and headed north towards Baltimore. There was apparently a possible case there about some kind of mutant virus that might have connections to the old Croatoan bug that Hell had unleashed a few years back.
"Can't have the other Demons freelancing while I'm stuck up here," Crowley grumbled, putting on his sunglasses and roaring onto the highway, waving his hand at the parked police cruiser behind a nearby billboard. The cops glared but did not follow.
Castiel didn't respond and they rode in silence for a while listening to the radio.
"We need to find out what he was going to use those hybrids for, exactly, " Castiel finally spoke up after they had crossed the Tennessee border.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, that wanker. Well, we'll get to questioning him after Maryland, I promise you that, Castiel."
Castiel looked out the window and grimaced. "It worries me greatly, Crowley. That we don't know what his intentions for them were. Or how many had been created over the years."
Crowley shrugged and glanced over. "My wager is that he makes them for the same reason Demons and Angels make them. Some kind of link to the human world, right?"
"Exactly, all in one form," Castiel nodded slowly. "Have you thought about that? An Old One with the ability to define itself?"
Crowley shuddered. "Actually, now that you put it that way, that is quite worrisome."
Castiel nodded and stared at Crowley seriously. "With just one of those things, he could threaten creation itself. On a whim."
Crowley grinned. "Oh, they wouldn't be as all-powerful as all that, I think, Castiel. They'd be watered down versions of the Old Ones, and burdened with all that human conscience crap. That's bound to get in the way of world conquering ambition every time."
Castiel turned away and looked back out at the road. "I hope you're right, Crowley. Because if just one of those things is loose out there, and isn't 'burdened with human conscience', as you call it..."
Crowley nodded. "Don't worry Castiel. We'll find them. All of them. That's question one for Joshua when we get back. I assure you of that."
I see the bad moon arising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.
I see those bad times today...
The radio in the overturned black Humvee kept playing Creedence stubbornly as a figure in a sweater strode away from it and brushed himself off, glancing back once to make sure the two demons in black suits were not moving anymore. He watched as flames began to lick at the vehicles' sides and moved away a bit further as it neared the gas tank.
Hope you got your things together.
Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we're in for nasty weather.
One eye is taken for an eye.
The angel and the demon had been an important test. Now he knew that he could be hurt. And how he could be hurt. This was important information. It was always wise to know one's limits. He looked down at his arm, which was slowly transforming back from a clawed tentacle into a human limb. He smiled. When the police and FBI had questioned him about the death of his "parents", he had had no trouble telling them his cover story. He had felt absolutely nothing for them. They had never been his true parents. They had only performed the ritual that had brought him into this world.
Well don't go around tonight,
Well it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.
There was a massive explosion as the flames finally got to the gas. Joshua watched in pleasure as the shape of the Humvee twisted and wrenched under the intense heat. He put his hands in his pocket and began whistling as he strode off down the highway. So will go all who stand in my way, he thought. So will go all.
In an office in Atlanta, Justin moved from his desk to pick up the phone. He nodded vigorously and took notes as Crowley shouted instructions to him through the receiver. He sighed. He needed to find another position. Being an assistant to the King of Hell, exiled or not, was dangerous work.
He looked down at his Post-It and sighed again. He moved to a bookshelf and selected the Satanic Verses from Rushdie. He slid it aside and entered the correct code on the number pad behind it. A door opened in the wall behind his desk and he walked into it. He passed a few security checkpoints and a scanner before entering a lab. He walked in warily, eyeing the tank in the middle before moving to a monitor attached to it and pulling up a report.
Justin then pulled out his mobile and dialed Crowley again.
"No sir, no change in status, " he said. "Yes sir. It's still alive."
He looked up warily again at the Deep One imprisoned in the tank. It glared back at him with pure malice.
Yep, he needed a new job.