Pivot Point
Story Name: Tales from Pivot Point
Pen Name: ElenaRoan
Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, written purely for enjoyment.
Warnings:
Summary: Various people the boys have come across in their lives
Timeline: Begins season 4 of Supernatural
Note: This is also a crossover, though it is only dependent on Pivot Point. Credit to MOG for the AU being used for the crossover.
Chapter 18: Interference
It had been just a regular touch-base phone call. Emphasis on had. When the call was answered, there was so much distortion on the line that he could barely recognise his cousins' voices, let alone make out the actual words. It didn't quite sound like EVP, but he couldn't be sure. Vin stopped trying after a few more attempts, from both sides. More worrying was that there was no message or email from either brother on what the issue was.
After chewing on his lip for another half hour or so he headed out to Chris' ranch a little early.
"You're early." Chris commented as he entered.
"Well… there was only so long I could twiddle my thumbs and worry." Vin replied, running his hand frustratedly through his hair.
Chris looked at him with concern, "problem?"
"Maybe. Called the brothers, there was so much interference I could barely recognise their voices, let alone make out any words."
"EVP?"
Vin shrugged, "didn't really sound right. But I'd expect some form of message if it wasn't a situation."
"Do you know where they are?"
The sniper shook his head, "they're just wondering at the moment. Of course, them being them, that doesn't mean they don't stumble on cases and stuff."
"I think they're actually worse than you with being trouble magnets." Chris shook his head, then went over to the fridge and pushed the various alcoholic drinks to the back and pulled out some soft drinks for easy access. Vin snagged one and took a drink.
"Even if I'd known where they stopped last night, Hunters cover a lot of ground. Especially Sam and Dean, since they're being actively hunted right now, so they're keeping moving."
"Any chance they've been found?"
"They wouldn't have been able to answer at all in that case." Vin replied with a shake of his head, "and we'd probably get called in for an insane 'bomb'."
"That's definitely something I hope we never have to deal with."
Vin nodded his agreement.
The rest of the team trickled in over the next hour.
"There a reason the beer's hidden?" Buck asked as he snagged himself a drink.
"The brothers might be in trouble, so if they do send an SOS, we need to be ready to roll."
"What did they say they were dealing with?"
"Vin couldn't connect. Not sure if it's EVP or something benign, but there hasn't been a message so…"
"Best to assume it's a problem, got it."
"Any idea where they are?" JD asked.
"Unfortunately, no. Otherwise, I'd have us headed there as soon as everyone got here just in case." Chris replied.
"I'll see if I can get a trace on their phones." JD decided.
Chris nodded, and the tech genius disappeared into the study.
He reappeared an hour later, "problem."
"What's wrong?" Chris asked as the entire team's attention was focused on JD.
"Can't get a trace at all. It's like someone slapped a Romulan cloaking device on their phones."
"The Winchesters?" Henriksen asked before anyone else could say anything, JD nodded, "I know Sam did something to hide their phones a while back when some massive demon sieges went after them, they sent warnings to pretty much everyone they knew. Including me."
Chris sighed, "well, that explains why JD can't get a trace on them. Still means we have no idea where the hell they are or able to get to them if they need it."
"Vin, are you getting any impression that they're in danger?" Josiah asked.
"No… well… no more than usual." Vin replied.
"And what is their 'usual' chance of demise?" Ezra asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Too damn much." Vin grumbled.
"Well… baring a spike in that sense all we can really do is keep an eye on police reports in general for anything odd." Josiah put in.
"Which… is rather vague given we don't know even the general area they are in." Nathan added.
"Keep watch in shifts, and stay here for the time being." Chris decided, "if we get some sign of their location, or they let us know one way or the other, we can move out together or head back to our homes."
The rest of the team nodded in acknowledgement.
The night and the next day passed tortuously slowly.
"So, what now?" Vin asked Chris as they were headed into the next night, "we can't really keep this vigil going with work tomorrow."
"Yeah." Chris agreed, "at least there hasn't been any sign that they're dead or in trouble."
"But there also hasn't been anything that says they're okay. And I don't think they'd leave us worrying if they had a choice in the matter."
Chris nodded in agreement, but before he could reply, his phone interrupted him. He glanced at the caller id and raised an eyebrow.
"It's Sam." He quickly told Vin before answering, "hello?"
"Chris… um… it's Sam."
"Yeah, did actually notice that." Chris replied, rather dryly. There was no evidence of the interference that Vin had reported, nor did the almost hesitant greeting really sound like the middle brother was in danger. Immediate danger anyway.
"Um… yeah. Uh… how are you doing?" Chris was torn whether to be worried or roll his eyes at the halting attempt at something vaguely resembling small talk.
"We're good." He replied, "I'm pretty sure you didn't call just to shoot the breeze, though."
"Yeah… um…" a sigh echoed over the connection, "got… a weird case."
"Need us to come help?" Chris asked, weird was the norm for them from what he understood.
"No… well… um…"
"You in trouble?" He asked worriedly, just because the other Hunter wasn't in immediate danger didn't mean there wasn't something he needed to deal with.
"Not exactly." Chris frowned into the slight pause, Sam had called from his own phone, so he wasn't incarcerated. Currently anyway, though that didn't rule out legal troubles. He'd need to check with Ezra, but he was reasonably sure their undercover agent had given serious thought to what to do if they did get arrested. Then the middle brother continued, "it's… there's a cult leader using a tulpa to… um… direct his people. Focus their worship and punish diversions from 'the path'."
That ruled out the more problematic trouble to deal with, not that being given the name of the creature creating the difficulties cleared up what the issue was. He didn't recognise the name, "might need to explain what a tulpa is."
"Tibetan thought construct." Sam's voice relaxed noticeably, "uses a particular symbol to focus thoughts, and with enough focus, it takes form. The leader is using the symbol as the 'holy symbol' and directing his followers thought with 'holy stories' to give it form."
"That sounds like something not easy to remove."
"It isn't." Sam confirmed with a sigh, "about all we could do would be to destroy the symbol. And at least it's in a specific location rather than being worn as jewellery. But without removing the leader…"
"He'll just recreate it." Chris finished, now the hesitant phone call made sense. Neither brother was used to admitting when they were out of their depth, much less asking for help, "and since he's human, the usual Hunter method will get you in trouble, and reinforce the focus of his followers."
It was almost a relief to know they would hold off on taking direct action in that sort of situation, most Hunters played fast and loose with the law, and there were definitely more than a few who wouldn't baulk at murder.
"Any evidence of… legal misconduct on his part?" He asked after a moment thinking about what they might be able to do, the ATF were wary of cults for a reason.
"Nothing that could be used in a court of law…" the hesitancy in his voice was back.
"Direct from you, maybe." Chris reassured him, "but we can call it an anonymous tip and find it officially."
"Some… odd deliveries." Sam told him, "got no way of checking licenses or anything… but there are weapons there."
"That's a start. How do we defend against the tulpa?"
"That's harder. There are no vulnerabilities to really exploit, they're dependant on the stories being told. He's pretty strict about those stories, though, so they at least won't change abruptly on you. But part of it is opposing the leader brings retribution so as soon as you are known to be investigating you'll be subject to it. The wooden wards might defend you, it is a thought construct after all, but we didn't get to test that. I'll email you the tulpa stories so you'll know what to avoid. Destroying the symbol might depower it, but…"
"But that'll have its own problems. Leave it with me, I'll do what I can." Chris finished.
"Thanks." There was a sound of typing, and he could guess the middle brother had just emailed what he said he would.
"No problem, Sam. You can call whenever, we'll help anyway we can. Even if that's just lending an ear, don't feel you can't okay? Whether it's you need rescue or need a break or backup, we'll help." Chris told him, needed him to understand they'd help any way they could.
Sam gave a self-deprecating chuckle, "yeah… just… not exactly practised at it. We're usually the ones doing the cavalry charge."
"Well, you are good at it. But you two don't need to do it all on your own."
"Thanks." Another chuckle echoed over the line, "well… I'd better go. I need to give Vin a call, he tried to call while we were in that town, but coverage there was so crap we couldn't be heard. Did send him a message letting him know that, so he shouldn't be worried, but I should call."
Chris shot a glance at the agent in question, impatiently waiting off to the side for him to assure him his cousins were actually okay, "ah… yeah… he didn't get that message."
"Damn technophobic towns. I damn well should get satellite phones for the two of us, we end up in areas without coverage way too often as it is without some nuts deciding phone and wifi are 'evil'." Sam growled frustratedly.
"Always pros and cons." He replied as he waved Vin over, even though they undoubtedly needed the extra coverage satellite phones weren't easy to dump and replace. Along with being more expensive, "he's here, anyway, let me hand you over to him."
He handed the phone over to the sniper without waiting for a response.
"Sam?" He heard as he moved off to where the rest of the team were.
"Ezra, Josiah, a moment?"
The two agents came over as the rest of the team flicked concerned glances in his direction.
"What's the problem?" Josiah asked as they reached him.
"Sam called, got a case they need to hand to us. They're fine, by the way. Technophobic town interfered with their coverage and the message they tried to send to Vin so he wouldn't worry never made it."
"From what I saw, both of them are more than capable of handling an eccentric case." Ezra commented, "I am relieved that the communication issue was simply technological in nature."
Chris nodded in agreement, "it's the human components of this one that needs it. Ezra, I need you to 'find' the evidence and build a strong enough argument that will let us investigate a cult."
"I see." The southerner frowned.
Chris turned to Josiah, "and Josiah, I need anything you can dig up on something called a tulpa. Sam called it a Tibetan thought construct and said he'd email me the details of the stories that govern it. Knowing him, he'll include anything else they've dug up that might help also."
The big agent nodded solemnly, then both of them followed Chris into his home office where JD had been taking a shift watching police reports.
"Was just about to come get you." The tech expert said as he saw them, "an email from Sam just came in."
Chris nodded, "he just called. A technophobic town with something called a tulpa, they did try to send a message to Vin so he wouldn't worry after the interference on the phone calls. Just it never got to him."
JD nodded in understanding, "yeah, if coverage is bad enough that a connection is possible but not able to actually be heard it could get to him in a few days, or never if it was bad enough. Thought even the most remote populated areas had enough coverage now, though."
"Well, apparently the town decided the internet and wifi were 'evil' so it's almost more surprising there was enough that they got any sort of connection."
"Huh… that can't be common. Might actually be able to figure out where they are from that." JD mused.
"Were, and Sam undoubtedly included that information in the email since the case has been handed to us." Chris waved the youngest member of the team out of the way so he could access the email.
"They okay? That's unusual, isn't it? The handing a case off, I mean."
Chris nodded, "they're fine from the sounds of it, but yeah, it's unusual. Just means they're smart enough to know a human problem, even one with a supernatural creature on a leash, needs a human solution."
After a quick glance at the meticulously organised information included, he sent the lot of it to the printer.
"How long were they there?" JD asked after several minutes of the printer continually spitting out pages as he checked that there was a refill that could be put in if they ran out.
"Just since yesterday. Sam appears to be a prolific researcher."
"He should be." Victor's voice inserted from the doorway, "he got a full ride to Standford despite rarely being in one place for even 3 months the entirety of his childhood. Was also about to get a full ride to Law School when his girlfriend was killed and he walked away from academia."
The FBI agent entered fully into the room, "when I was first investigating them I thought that was when he'd had a psychotic break and joined his father and brother in delusion. I know better now, but part of me can't help but think we lost one hell of a lawyer. I take it we've heard from them? They okay?"
Chris nodded as he retrieved the print outs, "the interference was because there was barely any coverage in the town they were in. They did try to send a message, but it never got to Vin."
He quickly sorted through them, handing anything about the tulpa to Josiah and anything involving the town or cult leader to Ezra.
"Good lord." Ezra commented after a quick glance through, "how was this missed? An entire town goes off-grid like that, particularly after the events leading up to it, and no one investigates?"
"Maybe someone did." JD suggested.
"Not exactly a reassuring idea, given the leader is still in power there." Ezra shook his head.
"Well, the two of you have your hands full. I'll list you as being assigned to look into something we got as a tip, so you can take tomorrow off if you need."
They nodded and headed off to deal with their tasks.
8
