Tova and the others were trying to figure out the stratagems for a raid of Kendrick's, if it could even be done. If it should even be done.
"As far as security, it's about that of your average boarding school." Mr. While was telling the group around the table with a blueprint of the school. "Cameras, a resource officer. The only difference is that the resource officer is one of our men and carries more heat. The real problem is, all the teachers are also trained operatives of some operatives of some sort, I suspect the combat professors will be the largest issue, not to mention the more advanced students."
"Wait, you actually think the kids will fight us?" Edgar's son Irving, who had joined the cause, balked.
"These children aren't going to see us as rescuing force." Mick spoke up, "They're going to see as the enemy. Which begs the question, what exactly are we going to do with them once we get ahold of them?"
Suddenly something dawned on Ian, who had joined them, and he spoke up franticly, "We're not going to use them as leverage? We can't! We'd be just as bad as the Men of Letters."
"We're not going to use them as leverage." Tova assured them quickly, "We're going to deprogram them."
"Deprogram them?" Mick repeated, somewhat skeptical and unsure.
"Look, Edgar said it himself, the British Men of Letters operate like a cult." Tova began again, "Most of these kids had no choice in being in sent there and don't realize there's anything different. It's not their fault. "She subconsciously glanced over to Mick without even thinking about it "Even the ones they just pick up off the street either don't realize what they've got themselves into or are in too deep to see a way out."
"So, they're all this hapless damsel's in distress then?" Mick shot back, subconsciously meaning something else.
"That is not what I meant—" Tova began.
"Look, it's not that I don't get what you're saying, but our current attempt at deprograming isn't going all that well well." Perdita pointed out, her point empathized by the count of commotion and things shattering upstairs as Della almost primally screamed, causing Perdita to wince, "We can't even handle one mixed up kid, how are we going to handle a hundred more? And where are we going to put them all? How are we going to keep them contained until we can make them see sense?"
"I think Perdita might be on to something there." Edgar added, "It's not that we don't hear where you're coming from, I just-think there's a better, more efficient way to strike a blow."
"Actually, I think we should at least try to find a strategy that works to get them out." Mr. White spoke up, "Everybody's children suddenly missing, the people who are supposed to be able to find them unable to? Gonna put doubt in the leadership." After a moment he admitted soberly, "Also, more selfishly….my granddaughter just started this year."
The room got so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"I'm not a legacy," Mr. White began, "But I brought children into the British Men of Letter. Children who were born into it. Children who…won't be very happy when they learn I've switched sides. It's my biggest regret, bringing children into this madhouse and now Cassia is being led right down the same road. If I can get her out now, before she's completely brainwashed then maybe…"
"Maybe you can save her." Tova finished for him.
Mr. White nodded.
Everything got quiet again, then Edgar said, "Alright, I propose, that we work this angle, but if we can't find a feasible stagey within 24 hours, we go to plan B."
"I can live with that." Mr. White agreed.
"Yeah, me too." Tova agreed.
Just then the door was opened by Vera, who along with Edgar's daughter Agnes, came in carrying a large box, "Package from Italy, of all places."
"Must be the medicines Annamaria said she'd send." Tova declared, walking over and opening the box, picking up a letter on the top of the box.
That was when Perdita got an idea. "Say, your friend, she wouldn't happen to had sent anything like sleep medicine, would she?"
Tova pulled out a bottle of milky white liquid with a label that read Sleeping Draft. "Actually, yeah. Why?"
"I think I have an idea of how we can even out the odds." Perdita declared with smirk.
Later, as the others were preparing for the raid on Kenrick's, Mick was off in the room he was staying, starring out the window. As hard as he was trying not to, he kept ruminating on his own time at the school, about the things that went on there. Not just forcing the children to murder. The lore drills that went all night into the wee hours of the morning until they were so exhausted they couldn't see straight, let alone answer questions. Doing calisthenics until they passed out, kids as young as ten. Weapons training. Public humiliation. Being made to stand at attention for hours on end. Being denied food as punishment, sometimes for days. Sometimes being denied food, just because. Which was kind of ironic, considering one of the reasons he went so willingly, thought there was more than one, was because he figured wherever they were taking him, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about where his next meal was coming from anymore. Of course, if he had put up some sort of struggle, they would have probably killed him. He had seen a bit much, after all.
"Here you go, son." The man in the dark suit said, handing the dark-haired boy in front of him a flask, "It's alright, it's just water."
The boy was rail-thin, dressed in street clothes, his brown jacket a bit ratty, his shoes almost two smals, dirty. He was still staring at the men with wide-blue eyes, terrified, but he took the flash anything, putting it to his lips and beginning to guzzle it. The water felt cool against his mouth and dry throat.
"That coin did a number on you, didn't it?" The man in the suit asked.
Having drunk the flask dry, the boy didn't respond for a moment, glancing over at the man's companion, another man with a stern, non-descript face, dressing a suit not that different from the first man, but also wearing a fedora. "I didn't mean to take it." He told them finally, "I was just looking to nick a couple Quid." He stopped realizing he had probably said too much.
"Well, don't feel too bad, it was actually rather impressive." The man in the suit complimented him, "I didn't even know my pocket had been picked until I went to retrieve the coin. We wouldn't even know where to find you if we hadn't have seen you writhing on street." After a be asked, "What's your name, son?"
The boy swallowed. "Mick—Michael." His voice trembled a bit as he added, "Please don't hurt me."
"No one's going to get hurt, Mick." The man assured him in a hush tone, "Now, where are your parent?"
Mick swallowed again. "I—I don't exactly have any."
At that point, the man in the suit and the man in the fedora exchanged knowing glances, the man in the fedora nodding.
"Are you—are you going to hand me over to the police?" Mick asked fearfully.
The man in the suit shook his head. "No, no you're not." Standing up he offered Mick his hand. Mick tentively took it, letting himself be helped up. "You have potential, Mick." He told him, leading the boy away, "I think you could be an asset to our people."
"P-people?" Mick stammered, being pulled along.
"I'll explain when we get there." The man promised.
That was Tova stepped into the doorway. "Mick?" She didn't get a respond, he kept staring out the window, so she spoke up again, "Mick?"
Mick jumped a little the second time, breaking free of a memory and turning around. "Yeah," For some reason he repeated in a softer tone, "Yeah?"
"I just wanted to check on you." Tova told him, "Haven't seen you in a while. Our double agent has a way to get to the sleeping draft to the staff. Making special cookies just for them and everything."
"That's—that's good, yeah, that's—that's wonderful." Mick responded rather awkwardly.
"Mick, you'll forgive an observation but you don't—you don't seem okay." Tova told him.
Mick finally came out of it. "I just can't stop thinking about Kendrick's."
Tova folded her arms, looking at Mick, concerned. "Mick, you know I wasn't talking about you earlier?" Well, not speficly.
"I know, it's not that." Mick responded, "Though you were right. I didn't know what I was getting into and by the time I did—I had no way out." He sat down on the bed, shaking his head as he said, "Even if I had known what would happen, I didn't have a way out."
"Oh, Mick," Tova lamented, sitting down next to him and reaching out, beginning to rub small circles on his back.
Mick began to open up. "It didn't stop with Tim, you know? They never-they never demanded we kill classmates after that, but it-it was encouraged. Expected, almost. You wouldn't believe how many of us were more than happy to do it. I never, really, um-but there was this one time in combat training. I knew that if I didn't kill him, he was going to kill me. "
Tova's heart skipped a beat. "Those bastards." She hissed under her breath before pulling Mick until a full embrace, "I'm so sorry, Mick." Her voice was on the edge of tears, "I'm so, so, sorry."
Mick stiffened in her hold before pulling back. "What are you doing? I just confessed to murder and you're coddling me." His whole body felt hot. He was so ashamed and embarrassed. He had been duped and he done such horrible things.
"You were defending yourself from someone who would have killed you." Tova reasoned, "Because the adults who were supposed to be looking after you both forced you into situations you should have never been in. You were both victims."
"I don't—I don't-" Mick tried counter, but words wouldn't come. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. He rubbed his face wearily.
"Ssh, ssh," Tova soothed moving in closer and starting to rub along his spine again, "You're working through it. This is going to take a while, but you will work through it. And I'm here for you anyway I can be. In the meanwhile, we can save the next generation of Micks and Dellas."
They were close enough now their foreheads were touching. Mick could feel the chains around his soul starting to loosen. "Come on then," He said finally, giving Tova a smile, "Let's go save some mix up kids."
Just then the moment was broken by Tova's phone going off. "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free…"
"That's my North American phone," Tova declared urgently, thumbing to get to it, "You know it's gotta be about this mess." She finally picked up, "Sam?"
"I just emailed sent you a video recording." Sam told her urgently, "You're gonna want to see this."
Everyone else was gathering around the kitchen, doing the final strategizing of the impending raid. "Okay, the younger ones might be more biddable, especially since with everything going on isn't known some of us have defected," Ian was saying, "So if we lead them out first and have people from Scotland to take them from the scene—"
Just then Tova and Mick came running down the hall, Tova holding an old lap top, Pandora hot on their heels. "You guys have to see to see this!" Tova declared, breaking through the crowd and sitting her lap top down on the table.
"See, what? See what?" Pandora queried, standing on her tip toes to try to get a better view.
"Do I—" Agnes began.
"Just in case, you better." Edgar said.
"Come on, sweetheart." Agnes told her niece, gently nudging her to the living room.
"Aw!" Pandora protested.
Tova hit play on the video in her email and a scene of Dr. Hess' office, a rather harried looking Dr. Hess picking up a file when she looked up in surprise and the displeasure.
"Good afternoon." An unseen, accented man's voice greeted her, "Dr. Hess. Stunningly beautiful as ever in spite of the rather, trying circumstances I hear you're under."
In truth, Dr. Hess had slight bags under her eyes, she clearly hadn't slept, and her updo was starting to look a little rough. She certainly wasn't ugly, but not what anyone would call 'stunningly beautiful'.
"Crowley." Hess pratically growled in a way that almost confirmed that, yes, she didn't sleep the night before and therefore was not to be trifled with that afternoon, "Revoltingly unctuous as ever."
"Isn't Crowley…." Edgar began.
"Yes, yes, he is." Tova confirmed.
"Okay, why is one of our elders on a last name basis with the demon currently running Hell?" Perdita asked.
"Better yet, why is he even in her office?" Ian added, "How did he get in? Why isn't taking care of him right now or calling for help?"
"Keep listening." Mick told them gravely. He had already viewed the video with Tova and was burning with anger from the revelation.
"Let's cut to it." Crowley was saying on the tape, "You have your people attacking the American hunters, which naturally, I applaud."
"You know about that?" Dr. Hess asked, genuinely surprised.
"I provided Arthur Ketch with a Hellhound." Crowley answered.
"He what?!" Ian exclaimed, alarmed.
Tova paused the tape. "He didn't really. Apparently, they just pulled out a name at random and the most feasible action they could up with. There is a not a man with a possible personality disorder running amuck in American with a Hellhound at this time. Nobody panic." Then she started the video again.
"I didn't think he was looking for a pet." Crowley continued, "Also, you've got certain -frenemies of mine worked into quite the tizzy. Obviously, your organization is looking to put down roots. I just want to make doubly sure that you and I have the same arrangements in the States that we do in the U. K. "
Instead of denying it, or acting confused as to what he was referring to in any way, Dr. Hess admitted it out right rather matter of fatly. "I don't see why not. No point in being at war. No sides lose. If your demons limit their involvement to humans idiotic enough to sell their souls."
"Done." Crowley agreed.
Dr. Hess wasn't done yet. "And share information."
"As needed?" Crowley responded, "I'm assuming after you nip this resistance in the bud finding the source of the cosmic surge is your top priority."
"Considering nothing's actually came of it yet I have some more important issues on my plate right now, but after that, probably." Dr. Hess replied.
Her heart in her throat once again at the fact that not only did the British Men of Letters were on the trail of her friend's illicit half-angel baby, but the fact that the king of Hades flat out knew about her existence (thankfully for whatever reason he decided to keep it to himself, even when outside of the Winchester's reach), Tova paused the video a final time, "There's a bit more back and forth, but I think we all get the gist."
The entire room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop as everyone processed what they saw, filling with shock and anger. "So that's how you lot did it." Edgar said finally.
"They've lied to us all these years." Ian added, "Maybe the whole time."
"Certainly your record isn't as sparkling as you thought it was." Irving commented.
Mick met Mr. White's gaze. "Did you know about this?"
"No." Dr. White replied, "I suspected things weren't on the up and up, but I'm as surprised as the rest of you."
"Which means very few people know about this 'arrangement'." Tova speculated.
"This could break the British Men of Letters right in two." Perdita added, quickly turning her head to Edgar, "How do we get it out to everyone?"
Hours later, in the teacher's lounge in Kendricks, a woman dressed in red with smooth brown hair was sitting in a chair, watching the video of Crowley and Dr. Hess, utterly shocked and confused. "Is this real?" She wondered aloud, "Walt, have you seen?" She met with the sound of snoring, which caused her to look up from her lab top in surprise, "Walt?"
Walt, a bespectacled man with a plain, mild face was currently lying back in his chair with his head back, the aforementioned glasses sliding off his face, drooling streaming from his mouth. As the woman looked around, she realized that all the other teachers were laid out on the furniture, one man even laid up against the counter, unconscious.
"What the—" The woman began, standing, removing a gun from her red suit jacket and she stepped out into halls.
Meanwhile, a series of black vans pulled up to the school, about fifty people spilling out, including Tova and Mick and their companions. "Alright, here we go…" Tova began, "You, guard grades 9th and up until we can get to them. They're going to be a bit a harder to reign in, bring the tranks, remember, these are still just kids, don't use live ammo, you lot surround the grounds, catch any we miss. You watch 6th-8th until we can bring them down. The rest of you with me getting grades 4th and 5th, try not to be too imitating, but they might try to fight back too, probably won't be as effective, though, the rest of you with me, we'll take the middle group."
The woman walked through the halls, getting more alarmed, calling out, "Hello?! Can anyone hear me?! Please!" She whirled around and saw professor, an older woman with graying hair, slumped over at her desk.
Running her hands through her hair, she went through the events of that day. Nothing out of the usual, at least until dinner. The students were on half portions right now, but for some reason the kitchen staff had made cookies for the instructors. She was diabetic, so she had skipped on those.
Just then, there was loud bang from the front gates of the school.
"Go, go, go!" Tova shouted as the divisions bounded up the town, each thundering up the stairs to their destinations.
In the upper dormitories, hearing what sounded like an attack, a group of teens gathered in the hall, half of them with handguns. One boy in particular with short cut brown seemed to take car. "Eliza, you and that lot take the right, Bill, take the grade elevens and secure the perimeter—"
However, before they could act on the boy's commands, the division broke through and all hopes of a cornitated attack were dashed, the teens just pointing guns at the invading force, who pointed their tranizlizers riffles right back at them.
"We mean ye no harm." The leader of the division of told them calmly, with a thick Scottish brogue, "But ye need to come with us. We're just going to take ye somewhere safe."
The teens just stood there, the ones with weapons holding them, ready to fight.
"Look," The leader continued, "We have the numbers here. We've already dealt with your professor. Ye are outmanned and out gun."
This caused the teens to look around, silently trying to come to a decision. Slowly, they began to laid down their arms.
Except for one who fired.
The leader fired back, sending a trank into the youth's neck, sending him unconscious. "It's alright." He assured the ones who were surrendering, who had begun looking around, scared, "He's just knocked out, is all. Mac, would you mind getting him?"
On the first floor, where the youngest of the students were housed, half of the children were asleep, or in the process of getting ready for bed.
Tova peaked through the door and saw the scene. "Alright, no need to go in guns blazing. Perdita, remember what we talked about?"
Perdita nodded.
"Alright, I'll hand it over to you." Tova said, stepping away from the door.
With that, Perdita stepped in, causing everyone to stop what they doing and look at her.
"It's alright." Perdita assured them in a hushed tone, "My name is Miss Fleming, I'm a new instructor, I wasn't supposing to start for another week, but there's been an incident. We need to evacuate so the others sent me to fetch you while they get the others. "
The children were quiet, checking the story in their minds, when a skinny little girl of about ten with her hair in a smooth brown pageboy spoke up, "Which class?"
"Weapons and tactical." Perdita lied, pulling out a class at random and hopping.
It just so happened that the Weapons and Tactical instructor had stepped down to join the operatives in America, so that class wasn't in session until a replacement could be found. The children began to form a line.
"Yes, yes," Perdita hushed, her pounding, overjoyed that this was actually working, "Now quickly."
As they rounded the kids out, getting them into the vans, the kids started to get a little suspicious, looking and whispering amongst themselves.
"Where are they taking us?"
"Where are the teachers?"
"Something isn't right here."
During this time, a dark haired boy with a port wine stain birth mark on his face, leaned over to a slender girl with a brown page boy hair cut, whispering, "We should make a break for it."
"Come on." The girl urged, taking his hand and fleeing.
One of the Scottish operatives saw this and called out, "We got runners!"
Two more operatives took off, grabbing the kids before they could get very far, causing the girl to scream as both of them thought, kicking, and failing, "No, no, no let me go!"
That was when Mick and Mr. White came running over. "It's alright, we'll handle this. Give the girl to me."
The girl stilled when she saw Mr. White as the man that had been holding her let her go. "Grandad?" She asked, surprised and confused, "I don't understand. What's going on?"
"I'll explain everything, love, I promise." Mr. White assured, "But you need to come with me, please."
"What about, Mal?" Cassia asked, her eyes darting over to her friend.
The boy in question, was still struggling with the other agent, who had tightened his grip.
"There's no need for that." Mick spoke up, "He's just a kid." He glanced over to the Cassia and her grandfather. "Don't worry, I'll see to it he's okay." Then he turned back to the agent. "Now let him go."
The agent reluctantly did as he bid, dropping the boy to the ground.
"You alright, lad?" Mick asked, concerned.
The boy nodded.
"Come on, let's catch up with them." Mick urged, gesturing with his head. As they walked away, he continued to talk, trying to keep the boy at ease, "It's Mal, right? "
"Yeah." The boy got out, trying to keep a tremble from his voice, "Malcolm."
"Well, Malcolm, I'm Mick." He told him, "Tell me, is that curse still on the wall in the fifth boy's toilet?"
"Yeah." Mal confirmed, "It's not written quite right, though."
"I'm wildly aware." Mick told him, "That was there when I went here. You'd think someone would have painted over it by now. Or at least corrected the curse…"
By the time they had saw the 4th and 5ths off, the son had set and they were working under the cover of darkness.
Tova was the first one into the 6th-8th dormitories, followed by Scottish operatives armed with tranks. The children were well aware of what was going on, and while some took defensive stances, trying to shield the others from whatever was going to happen, other huddled together, some of them even shaking.
"I know what you're probably thinking, but I promise you, we come in peace. " Tova told them loudly, but not yelling, "Now, if you could all just get in two single file lines, I promise everything will make sense, we'll explain what's going on, you have my word."
They let the youths whisper amongst themselves for a moment, and in the end they somehow came to the conclusion that their best route was to do as they adults said.
"Well, that's a bit disturbing to be honest." Perdita commented.
They managed to get the kids out into the yard without anything happening. "I'm starting to think we might actually pull this off." Tova whispered over to Mick.
What done of them realized was, the diabetic teacher was hiding in the bushes, waiting to make her move.
"Alright," Tova called out as the van carrying the last of the middle group drove off, "Teenage wasteland, here we come!"
She was marching back into the building when it happened. Someone jumped Tova from the side, and next thing she knew she could a feel a knife against her throat.
Immediately, there were a dozen guns on the teacher. "Anyone move she gets it!" The woman called out, pressing the knife in.
"If you're not careful I might anyway." Tova hissed, "Look around, you're out maned and out gunned. How do you really think this is going to end?"
The teacher loosened her grip, her head darting around. While she was distracted, Tova grabbed onto the woman's arm and threw her to the ground with such force the other woman was rendered pratically unconscious, groaning on the steps of the school.
"Can someone take care of this please?" Tova called out, before walking back in.
After rounding up the teenagers and the one teacher who had seen what happened, they high-tailed it back to Edgar, which was still their base of operations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they were still dealing with a lot of still freaked out and rather tired kids.
"Maybe we didn't think this though." Tova lamented, running her hands through her hair, sitting at the table.
Mick reached out touching her shoulder. "Hey," He began, "We'll figure this out."
That was when Edgar came running in. "You're not going to believe this." He declared, a stratified grin on his face, "Since you've been gone, the council has been fielding dozens upon dozen of calls from low-level British Men of Letters, looking to jump ship. Some high ranking ones, too. Your Sam's little sting operation has ripped the British Men of Letters in half!"
Mick and Tova exchanged looks. "Did we really just—" Tova began, scarcely believing it.
"I think we just did." Mick declared, getting up from the table, "See? It's all coming together after all. Now, if no one objects, I am making you the cup of tea you clearly need. If I remember correctly, the lady likes English Breakfast or Green, either one."
Tova smiled at him. "You would be correct.
Meanwhile Dr. Hess had been fielding calls all day, both about the video, and the sudden Roanoke-like disappearance of everyone's children.
"Or course, it's fake." Hess insisted on one line, "I don't know how I'm not a tech expert." Just then another phone rang and she fumbled to pick it up. Then there was a knock at the door. "What now?! Have they blown up our headquarters!"
"Not exactly." A voice called from the other side.
Dr. Hess blood ran cold. "Ketch? What are you doing here you were supposed to go back to America!"
Just then the door opened and Ketch stepped in, carrying a smaller, disheveled blonde man who was currently a crying mess. "I've been there and back, ma'am. And this is what happened."
Dr. Hess stared at the man Ketch was dragging in disbelief, "Rawlings?" She looked to Ketch, "Good God, what did they do to him?"
"From what I could tell when I got there…. Psychoanalyzed him into submission." Ketch answered.
"And where were you when all this was going on?!" Dr. Hess snapped.
"Learning about the history of China." Ketch responded, not giving any more detail.
"Grrrgh!" Dr. Hess gritted, gesticulating wildly, "These Damn American Hunters! They've cut us off at every turn, turned our operatives and now they've broken my best man! How are these mangey colonials doing this?! Have they all made some sort of crossroads deal?!"
"Your guess is as good as mine, ma'am." Ketch responded, letting go of Rawlings and going for the gun in his pocket, "But, this is a bit awkward, I didn't come here to deliver Remy, not really. I have some-unfortunate orders from the elders, in light of recent events."
Seeing where this was going, Dr. Hess grabbed a gun and whirled it at Ketch, firing and hitting the man point blank in the head. Then, panicked, she fled her office. Who knew how much time she had? And she was going to make someone pay with the time she had left….
The events that led up to the murder of Arthur Ketch started a day before on the other side of the world.
Ketch was setting across from pale young man in a suit. Remy Ralwings, one of Hess' pets. Hess had sent him along in hopes he could help 'get the situation under control'. In other words, he was there to spy.
At last Ketch spoke. "I feel I should warn you about what happened the last time we tried this…"
"Oh, I got the gist. "Remy cut him off, "You let a group of American Hunters get the better of you and then you turned tail and ran when they told you too."
"Oh, that is just—" Ketch began before calming himself, "A vast oversimplification of what happened. At least one of the hunters involved was also a witch, and used that to their advantage to disarm us. Which is why we've brought all the anti-magic we could fit on the plane with us this time. Also, there's this one hunter, Jody Mills, friend of the Winchester, I believe, according to our dearly departed Lady Bevel. Seems to know something about the surge. Anyway, if we can manage to get out of the airport, we need to find her. See what she knows…."
Meanwhile, at an airport runway in the states, a woman with long smooth blonde hair that tickled the back of the black blazer she was wearing, was sitting in the cab of a long-hall truck, putting a paper cup of coffee to her lips, inhaling the scent of coffee, sweetener and half and half, pressing it to her lips.
Just then there was a knock on the side door and the woman and her companion, a man in camo fatigues and black sleeveless t-shirt tank, turned to see another man knocking at the window. "Okay, Amity's gotten herself set up. We haven't seen anything incoming yet."
"Think I'll come down anyway." Joel said, opening the door before turning back to his companion, "Liz, you coming?"
"In a minute, when I'm done with the nectar of the gods, here." She said, before turning back to her coffee.
Meanwhile, Clive walked back over to the jeep, where Bonnie was fiddling with the glovebox. His heart jumping in his throat, he ran over to her, "You know what, babe, why don't you drive?" He asked, quickly shutting the glove box.
Bonnie looked at him skeptically. "You want me to drive?" She had been given the impression in the past that her boyfriend was somewhat terrified of her driving.
"Maybe you can scare them into submission." Clive responded, pratically pushing her over and peering into the glove box before he closed it. Prying back two papers he found the little red box right where he left it. Good. She hadn't found it. But he needed a better place to hide it until he was actually ready to pop the question.
Just then, a plane appeared on the horizon.
"Guys!" Bonnie called out, jumping from the jeep and pointing her finger in the air, doing her best Tattoo, "Da plane! Da plane!"
At that point Joel was Lizzie down from the truck. "Alright," He said, "Let's get this show on the road."
The four hunters lined up as Clive pulled out a phone to his ear, "Okay, sis. Be at the ready at first sign of trouble."
They watched as the plane landed and then two figured got out. "See?" Ketch began, "What did I tell you?"
"They actually thought this would work twice?" Remy wondered aloud, pulling a gun out if his suit pocket.
"Don't." Ketch told him curtly, reached out and grabbing his arm, "I did that the first time remember? Besides, no one could make that shot from here." Seriously, for all Remy's boasting on the plane, it was like amateur hour over here! Ketch was starting to think he had been set up for failure, he really was.
And so, the two groups began walking towards each other, meeting in the middle.
"Let me guess," Ketch began, sounding just done with everything, "Your American hunters come to tell us to get off your land."
"That about sums it up." Clive told him.
That was when Bonnie realized something. "Clive, do you have those pictures Sam sent of the last Brits that showed up.
"There in the jeep." Clive murmured in low voice, "But I don't really see why that matters now, honeybunch."
"You will in a minute." Bonnie said, before addressing the British Men, holding her finger out saying, "Can we hold this just a sec?" Then she ran back to the jeep.
Clive shot the Brits an apologetic smile and shrugged as if to say, what can you do? As few moments later Bonnie sped back with a picture in her hand, pointing at it franticly, "Look, it's the same guy!" She pointed at Ketch, "That guy, right there! He's one of the ones Sheriff lady—what's her name again? Julie? Jada—Anyway, she sent," She pointed to Ketch again," Back!"
Clive looked over to his brother and Lizzie. "She's right, that's him." He declared.
They all looked at Ketch as Lizzie deadpanned, "You actually came back?"
"You think last time's antics was enough to warn me off?" Ketch responded.
"Well, we were hoping." Bonnie responded.
That was when Remy lost all patience. "This is absurd." He declared, going for the weapon in jacket.
That was also the time a red dot appeared on his chest.
"Don't." Ketch warned, gesturing to the dot, a moment before one appeared on his own chest.
"Did you honestly we think we wouldn't be prepared after you pulled nearly the exact same move last time?" Clive challenged, "Gentlemen, I may be a bit bias, but my sister is a very good shot."
"I may be a bit bias in the opposite direction, so you can me believe when I say my ex is also a very good shot." Lizzie spoke up.
"Alright, we know who this one is." Joel began, pointing at Ketch, then pointing at Remy continued, "But who's Billy the Kid here?"
"I'm Remy Rawlings." Remy introduced himself, seemingly recovered his bumble, "Graduated Kenricks top of my class."
"You say that like it's something to be proud of." Bonnie declared with a disgusted look in her face, "From what we got that place is basically Murder Hogwarts. You're bragging about being top killer at Murder Hogwarts!" She looked at Clive, "He's bragging about being top killer at Murder Hogwarts."
"We all heard him, babe." Clive told him.
Lizzie, on the other hand, pointed a Remy saying matter-of-factly, "I'll take this one. Joel, you would mind taking us to my place?"
Lizzie's place, as it turned out, was an RV, the inside of which was cluttered with tools of the hunting trade, as well as papers and books. In fact, there was hardly a space of the RV that wasn't covered.
Remy picked up a book at random from the counter. "Dark Phycology? "He read aloud, then glancing towards the kitchenette noticed a frame PHD diploma above the stove. "Is that yours?"
"What, a didn't think a knuckle-dragging American hunter had the brains?" Lizzie quip, clearing a spot on the table, turning to face him, "I had just finished my residency when—" She looked down, fiddling with the papers in her hand, "Something happened that sent me on the path to hunting," she cleared her throat, getting herself together again, looking up, "When, uh, when I got out there I discovered there was actually a need for my originally skillset, civilians with PTSD due to surviving demon possession, or seeing their whole family devoured by Wendigo, having their lives nearly ruined, by a shape-shifter, etcetera." She moved some books to a clear aera before gathering up patient files, "Add in a few hunters with issues that are willing to come to me, and few outliers I'm not going to get into for several reasons, "She began walk towards her bedroom, then turned halfway around, "Please, feel free to sit down."
Remy walked towards the table and slowly sat down on the bench.
Lizzie walked off to the bedroom, still talking. " Anyway, obviously these types can't go to regular therapy, well, not without getting locked in a rubber room, at least, which would make things a thousand times worse. And since I still had my license, still do by the way, I started giving people my card." She opened up a small filing cabinet, "But, what we know about the human mind and psyche is always changing, so between that and lore, I'm a lifelong learner." She shut the cabinet and turned around, "I know how cliché that sounds."
With that out of the way, she sat down across the table from Remy.
"So, what are you going to do?" Remy asked in a rather dismissive tone, "Psychoanalyze me? Tell me that opening with my standing at Kenrick's is a sign of narcissism?"
"Making any diagnosis based off one remark would be highly irrespirable, actually." Lizzie informed him, "And while, yes, at this point for all I know you very well could be one, quite frankly narcissism is becoming the new scapegoat diagnosis. I mean, come on, some people are just jerks. And sometimes both parties are even to blame, I know shocking. But, if I do come to suspect some kind of pathological narcissism, I do have a test for that if we cross that bridge. "She was careful to look him in the eye, "Of course, without your consent, this is all moot."
"Alright," Remy responded, still not taking her seriously, "Why not? Go ahead."
"Since you do seem so keen on that point, why don't we start with Kenricks?" Lizzie suggested, "From my understanding you'd have to do some pretty nasty things to become valedictorian…."
Meanwhile, Ketch was holding on to the side of the backseat for dear life as Bonnie made a turn so fast the tires squealed. Once they were back on straight road, he actually put his seat belt on. He had feeling it was the only way he was going to survive the night.
"Babe!" Clive exclaimed, "I know I said try to give him a little scare, but easy on the turns there! We want to live!"
"I'm sorry!" Bonnie exclaimed, tense, "I just—I just keep thinking about what they're doing to those kids and I get so, so mad." She turned back and yelled at Ketch, "How could you be a part of that?! How could just stand by let that happen and just—go about like a good little solider?!"
"Babe!" Clive exclaimed, "Eyes on the road!"
Bonnie turned back around, her chest heaving.
"It's not like I'm in charge of the school." Ketch said rather calmly, "I don't have anything to do with it at all. The Men of Letters point me in a direction and bang, off to the races." After a beat he added, mostly to himself, "Why is everyone so obsessed with our training anyway?"
"It's not just the training, buddy." Clive spoke up, "There's also the whole killing civilians who get in the way or see too much."
"Yeah, because that is not gonna fly around here, bucko!" Bonnie interjected, her right and off the wheel and waving a finger around in the air before finding a home again on the steering wheel, "We when save people, we tend to actually want to save them! Seriously, what's the point of saving someone from a supernatural threat if you're just going to kill them away?!"
"We can't exactly have them blabbing about their encounter with the paranormal or the shady organization who fights it, can we?" Ketch responded.
"Ha!" Bonnie exclaimed, "So you admit it's shady?"
"Look, except for a few physcos that nobody wants to work with, no on intentionally kills civilians here, and we're not exactly living in the unmasked world, if you haven't noticed." Clive pointed out.
Ketch was silent. He didn't have an answer to that one.
"So, apparently it's not all that necessary." Clive continued, "You can see how that makes you look like barbarians."
"That's a bit of strong word…" Ketch began.
"From what we got that's what your first lady on the ground thinks about us." Bonnie spoke up again, "Which is the very definition of the pot calling the kettle black. And so also, we're not stupid, either. Clive here taught himself Mandarin on his own, just to impress my parents."
"Bonnie, I think he gets the point." Clive spoke up.
"Yes—Toni." Ketch responded. How was that woman causing him grief even in death? "No one predicated she would go rouge. No one but me. I had a sneak peek at what a neurotic, overreaching time bomb she was. We use to date."
Clive couldn't help himself. "Boy, you know how to pick 'em, don't you?"
"Says the man who's courting Mad Maxine over there." Ketch pointed out.
"Okay, you're just jealous that my parents loved me enough to leave everything behind to escape familial pressure to get rid of the mulligan baby gone wrong while yours sent you to -Murder Hogwarts." Bonnie spat.
"Okay, babe, that was clever the first couple of times, but now—" Clive began.
"I'm sorry, what?" Ketch responded, confused.
"Okay, you know China's one child policy?" Bonnie asked.
"Yes, I think most people are aware of it." Ketch responded, starting to guess where this might be going.
"Well, what most people outside the country don't realize is that in rural aeras families get a mulligan five years later if they have a girl." Bonnie explained, "Three guesses what my big sister Bao-Jin is."
"Let me guess," Ketch quipped, "Girl?"
"That's right." Bonnie responded, "And guess what I, the mulligan turned out to be. Also, a girl. Which lead to a lot of yelling from family members I've never met and my Mom grabbing Bao and walking down the road with my dad following while saying something that roughly translate in English as 'Min, wait for me!'"
Clive smiled, amused. He had heard this story maybe over a dozen, but that part never got old.
"Fast forward, they come to America, I'm born, and they have two more kids in short order." Bonnie finished, "All girls. Bilhah and me, Irish twins."
Just then, Bonnie made a really sharp, causing the glove box to open and the red box to fall out. Bonnie caught of sight of it. "Um, Clive…. What is that?"
"It's…" Clive began anxiously, "It's um…"
Suddenly it hit her. "Is that what I think it is?"
Clive decided that, even if this wasn't what he had planned, he was going to go with it. He opened the box, revealing an antique sapphire engagement ring. "Bonnie Elizabeth Chau, will you make the –luckiest, most blessed, man in the world and marry me?"
Bonnie let a squeal. "Oh my gosh, yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" She leaned over and planted one him, before taking the ring and putting it on her finger, causing the car to swerve.
"Hands on the wheel!" Ketch shouted.
"Sorry." Bonnie responded, quickly gaining control of the car before glancing back at her left finger, "Oh, will you look at that rock. Oh my gosh, I need to call my sister, I she's going to want to know everything."
"Which one?" Ketch asked, "You have three."
"Oh, they're all going to want to know about this." Bonnie told them.
"Babe, maybe wait until after we deal with tea and crumpets over there." Clive murmured.
"Right." Bonnie agreed, before her face contorted into a look of dismay as she realized, "Oh my gosh, my name's going to be Bonnie Parker."
"What's wrong with that?" Clive asked, slightly disconcerted by the statement.
"Nothing, except the last Bonnie Parker was mowed down by Texas Ranger with her boyfriend Clyde Barrow on the way to their parents after a country wide crime spree!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"Oh." Clive responded, "Really?"
"Yes!" Bonnie exclaimed, "Trust the girl who was named for the film."
"Bonnie and Clive." Ketch mused, "Now I get it."
After Bonnie and Clive finally let him, Ketch managed to track down Lizzie. Skulking through the trailer park, he finally found the one he thought was Lizzie's. It wasn't that hard to find. Joel's truck was right by it and the man was sitting up there with his sister, who still had her sniper riffle.
"Should I shoot?" Amity asked as they watch him rush through the other RVs.
"No, Clive said they didn't him his gun back." Joel reasoned, "And Lizzie can handle herself."
Inside, Remy was sobbing, his whole body shaking as he rubbed his face.
"Remy, Remy, it's okay." Lizzie soothed, trying to calm him down.
"No, it's not!" Remy exclaimed, hysterically, "How can you even stand to be near me?! I'm a—I'm a-"
"You were a child in the hands of monsters." Lizzie cut him off, "But now you're a man. You can make your own decisions."
"I don't—I don't—" Remy began.
That was when Ketch literally burst through the door, pausing at the scene he discovered, as it truly was the last thing he expected. "Good God. What did you do to him?"
"Believe it or not I think we actually made a breakthrough." Lizzie declared.
Ketch didn't respond, other than marching over to Remy and pulling him. "Come on." He ordered as he dragged him out of the room.
"Wait!" Lizzie called after them, running. Pulling out in front of them, she whirled a small white card out of her blazer. "If you want to set up another appointment." She told Remy, handing him the card.
Remy took it and then Lizzie stepped out of the way, letting Ketch drag him off.
Once they were out of earshot, Joel called down, "You know you can't save everyone."
Folding her arms Lizzie called back stubbornly, "I can try."
"I still think I should shoot him." Amity commented.
Likewise, the events leading up to Sam sending Tova the video of Crowley's interaction with Dr. Hess began a few days earlier.
It all started with another attempted at feeding Toni. "Must me go through this every time?" Hannah asked, leaning down.
Toni didn't respond, just looking off.
"Alright." Hannah declared, sitting down, folding her arm.
That's not going to work a second time, Halo. Toni thought.
Hannah cocked her head. "That still sounds like a slur."
Just then the sound of the front door opened could be heard and Sam voice called out, "Hannah?! Hannah where are you!"
"This isn't over." Hannah told her walking out of the room.
Sam was walking down the hall towards her. "Sam, I'm starting to worry about Toni." Hannah said, walking to him, "She still won't eat."
"And why do we care about that?" Charlie asked, looking up from where she and Cal were preparing for their shift.
That earned her a disbelieving look from Hannah.
"Look, we can get to that in a minute." Sam said, "But, look, I've been thinking. According to our friend in there hasn't been any sort of actual monster penetration of the country since the sixties—like, vampires, demons nothing. But, back in 08, there was this criminal that worked with a lot of hunters-"
"Bella Talbot." Charlie cut him off, "Yeah, she like, sold her soul at age fourteen."
"Exactly," Sam said, "Way, way after the sixties. So-"
"Both these things can't be true." Hannah finished.
"Exactly." Sam responded, "And I think I know who to ask."
That was how Sam and Hannah found up standing in front of a devil's trap, Sam finishing the spell, sending smoke coming up from the bowl. Within seconds, an exhausted looking, man in a black suit appeared. "Oh. You two." Crowley announced, sounding none too excited to be dealing with them again, "Mr. and Mrs. Winchester. Haven't you two caused me enough trouble? Ever since you let down Cain down stairs Hell's been in utter chaos. He's killing off demons left and right, I don't know where anyone is—"
"Does it look like we care?" Hannah questioned, folding her arms. Between Toni and her kids, she wasn't in the mood to deal with his crap, "Listen up, demon, we have problem, we have questions, and we think you can answer them."
"And what makes you think I would help you?" Crowley sneered, "Did you not hear a bloody word I just said?!"
"You'll help us, because it's the only way you're getting out of here and back to your precious kingdom." Sam informed him.
Crowley looked down at devil's trap, and sighed. "Alright, so what do you need to know?"
"What can you tell us about the British Men of Letters?" Sam demanded.
"That lot?" Crowley responded, "So you finally found out about them? I set up a deal with them ages ago. They leave my crossroads demons alone to do their business, I give them information on a need to know basis and keep the rest of the black-eyed lot at bay. Had a bit a pull even before I took over."
Sam and Hannah exchanged looks as they processed the information before turning back to Crowley. "Is the person you made this deal with still around?"
"Well, her successor is." Crowley answered, "Gillian Hess, uppity little social climber, in her circles."
Sam and Hannah exchanged looks, Hannah smiling as Sam nodded. "Think you can get an audience with her?"
Fast forward half an hour, Sam was securing a button to Cowley's suit jacket while Charlie was checking the camera feed. "Okay." Charlie began, "It works."
"Alright," Sam began stepping back, "Now, remember you have to get to admit to your deal on the recording, laying it out exactly."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Crowley responded, "Remind me why am I doing this again?"
He was answered with Hannah trusting an angel blade point at his throat. "Because if you don't, you're going to be a demonic shish-kabob."
"Good enough reason." Crowley responded, before glancing at Sam, "What's with her? She seems rather…. high strung, even more so than usual."
Someone threatened her cubs. Sam thought, and now she needs to get back to them. But to Crowley, he said, "All the more reason not to do anything to piss us off. "
Surprising enough, Crowley actually came through for them, and about an hour later they found themselves watching a tape of Dr. Hess unwittingly admitting to everything.
"I'm sending this to Tova." Sam declared, "We have to assume that most of the lower British Men of Letters have no idea the elders are fudging their numbers. If she could get this out to them it could at the very least shake up the whole organization. "
"Which means we get out kids, back." Hannah whispered.
"Wonderful." Crowley snarked, from the devil's trap, "Can I go now, please?"
Everyone exchanged looks. "Oh, why not? It's not like he has that much pull anymore." Sam declared before walking over and breaking the devil's trap, "Go on. Get."
"Thanks, Moose." Crowley, "I'd like to say it was nice working with you, but, well—" With that he was gone.
"I still think we should have killed him." Cal declared, "That host body's probably dead by now and that guy give me the hereby jeebies."
"Be grateful you don't know him like I do." Sam said, "But there are bigger issues to deal with right now."
That was when Hannah got up saying, "I have to go try to feed Toni again."
"Yeah, that's not what I was thinking of." Sam said as he watched his wife walk away.
"Is this some angel 'love your enemy' thing?" Charlie asked, really not understanding Hannah's behavior.
"I honestly don't know what's wrong with her." Sam admitted, equally mystified.
Hannah walked back in the room with an MRE meatloaf. "Hey," She said gently, walkover and undoing the chain, "Here we go." She sat in in front of Toni, opening the package before sitting down herself.
Toni just stared at it, blankly.
Must we do this again? Hannah though, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She was quiet for a moment, then decided to come out with what she been had been wondering the whole morning. "Did you know?"
Toni looked up at her. "Know what?"
"What the elders deal with Crowley." Hannah got more specific.
"What?" Toni balked; not entirely sure what Hannah was going on about.
"Yeah, we were just talking to Crowley, I'm assuming you know who Crowley is seeing as you know oh so much about the Winchesters, we were just talking to him and he told us some interesting things about a woman named Dr. Hess, I actually think I remember her from our interrogation session, inherited a deal from her predecessor."
"Inherited?" Toni repeated, starting to look a little livelier now, "You're not making any sense, angel."
Ignoring the comment for now, Hannah continued, "Apparently, if Crowley can keep regular demons out of Britain Crossroad demons basically have free reign. No sense in fighting a war no wins, she said."
Toni shook her head. "You're lying. Or he lied to you and somehow you fell for it. Demons lie, remember?"
"Considering the circumstances, I suppose he could have been telling us what we wanted to hear, but then we got her on tape admitting to it." Hannah countered.
"You're lying." Toni insisted, "You're making it up."
"Why would I make this up?" Hannah questioned, leaning in, "Think about its Toni. If you know about Dean's demon deal, then you probably know about Bella Talbot, so you know that numbers are at least being fudged. That's how we figured it out. Crowley and his little meeting with Hess just confirmed it for us."
"No, no, you're trying to tick me." Toni responded more desperate now, shaking her head, "You're trying to get to turn, to get more information from me…."
"We already have everything we need." Hannah pointed out, "The only reason you're still here is we don't really know what to do with you." Please get through to her! This has to work! "You're a smart girl, think about it…"
Toni ran her fingers though hair before shouting, "Shut up!" while slapping Hannah, causing the female angel to fall to the ground. Before she could react the aristocrat hand her hands around Hannah's neck, chocking her. Hannah pushed her off. Trying to regain the upper hand, Toni reached out, grabbing onto Hannah's locket in the process. The angel shoved her with all her might, sending her crashing into the wall with such force it cracked.
Her eyes closed rubbed the back of her aching head. She slowly opened eyes and found herself staring at picture of four children: A bespectacled teenager with two little boys who looked to be about four in his lap, one with a mop of tawny hair and green eyes, the other with inky black hair and large blue eyes. They were holding a pudgy baby with tuffs of brown hair, one brown eye, one blue.
Hannah stared, wide-eyed, heart pounding. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! This was exactly what they had been trying to avoid!
Toni picked up the locket, staring at the picture. "Oh." She gasped in a hushed voice, "So that's where Dean and Castiel went."
That was when Sam brush into the room, having heard the commotion down the hall. He stared in horror, realizing what had happened.
Toni finally looked up. "And when exactly did this happen? How did this happen."
"There was witch." Hannah began, defeated, "Something went wrong."
"Hannah—" Sam began.
"What's the point, Sam?" Hannah responded, "She figured it out." She glared at Toni, "Albeit it had to be spoon fed to her."
The pieces began to click in Toni's mind as she stared down at the picture. "And I that cosmic surge we detected was this one being born." She put a finger on Grace's image.
Both parents' hearts jumped in their throats, but fortunately Hannah still managed to think on her feet. "What you detected was an angelic miscarriage. We had just found out, starting to prepare and then one day I just felt this—this pain and then blood started pouring down my legs." She looked down; afraid she'd give herself away if Toni could see her face, "Sam got me to doctor but it was too late. Our baby was gone."
Toni's heart plummeted, her blonde running cold, a stricken look crossing her face. She had almost miscarried with Connor while she was pregnant. Her boyfriend had pushed her down the stairs, which would have normally been the beginning of a fun evening for them, but under the circumstances it was the most terrifying day of her life. She could only the imagine what Hannah must have gone through. She was so overcome for a minute she almost forgot the obvious. "And the child in this picture?" Her voice trembled as she asked it.
That was when Sam stepped in, crafting a story where his wife left off. "She's one of the Stynes. They just started the breeding cycle again when we found out about them. Something went wrong, her mother bled out before they stop it. Not like they needed her anyway, right? I mean, you must know how they are. Well, where."
Toni nodded. "So, she needed parents, you needed a daughter."
"I don't know if I would say need." Hannah spoke up again, "But she did come into our lives at just the right time. "
Everything was silent for a moment, the air thick, then Toni slowly pushed the locket back towards Hannah. "I'm sorry." She said, though she wasn't entirely sure what for. Sorry for their lost? Sorry for delving this up again for them? Sorry for attacking them in the first place? Sorry for not admitting what was right in front of her face? All she knew was that she was sorry.
As the couple walked out of the room, once they were far enough away, Hannah commented, "Well, that was a total disaster."
"Yeah, we definitely have to kill her now." Sam agreed.
That was when Charlie, so excited she didn't read the room, ran up to them. "Good news guy. I think I have a way for everyone to get what they want when it comes to her Ladyship in there."
"I for the record still thinks it's a very bad idea!" Cal called back.