This is the last chapter that will be posted in the second week; updates will be slowing down. Notes are below. Thank my beta Eff-Dot, and if you leave a review, fav, or follow, I appreciate seeing the notifications.

Chapter Five: I see Dead People…

Blowing Rock, North Carolina (2018)

494 was taking in every word from Phil, the friendly local. Right, more like the authority figure for some bum fuck nowhere town. Young men had disappeared over the last couple of years, very dangerous, yadda-yadda, blah-blah, woof-woof, and so on and so forth. It was all becoming background noise as Phil droned on. 494 lost interest when the conversation drifted to the town while his thoughts circled Rachel… Logically, he recognized it couldn't be her. 494 knew Rachel had stopped breathing, which meant she was dead.

Just thinking about her last moments, the pain and betrayal flashing across Rachel's features before she slapped him and ran screaming for her father. Well, 494 had never hated himself before that moment, sure he didn't always enjoy his orders, but he excused his actions since lousy shit happened. Manticore just happened to be ahead of the game in that respect. But at that moment, seeing Rachel's pain and knowing he caused it, 494 hated himself. Then the explosion happened, Rachel was killed, and Ben had saved him from Manticore.

His gaze drifted to his twin, who was listening to Phil with rapt attention as he droned on about some chick named Charlotte. Wait? 494 repeated Phil's last words. Charlotte was dead? No, he must have misheard the guy and forced his thoughts away from Rachel and the impossibility of her being here. Since it presumably was an illusion brought about by stress stemming from Manticore's actions, and discovering something very inhuman had taken an interest in them. Yep, only a delusion. It had to be. Because the hatred glowing in Rachel's eyes as she spoke: 'why did you kill me, Simon?' It couldn't be real - at least that's what he kept telling himself…

494 started listening more attentively, pushing down all thoughts on Rachel and discovered his earlier assumption was correct. Charlotte was dead, and Phil believed her ghost, or something similar, was responsible for the murders. That's when Phil focused on him, his gaze unwittingly a grim reminder of Lydecker—continuing with his story that a boy named James disappeared ten years after Charlotte's suicide and turned up dead a few days later. The pattern continued as the years passed, only a few over that time, but four men had gone missing within the last three years. All young, believing they'd seen someone familiar and were found at a later point, dead from massive heart attacks.

Phil continued to watch him closely, probably waiting for a reaction that wasn't forthcoming, since Manticore had trained them not to react.

"Seen anything lately, son?" 494 wanted to scoff and dismiss his words as ridiculous - really, ghosts? What next, the fucking Easter Bunny? Despite wishing otherwise, he couldn't dismiss Phil's claim because of their presence in North Carolina and time-traveling brought on by a pagan god that looked suspiciously like the Old Testament's version of an angel. Altogether made the likelihood of ghosts existing not outside the realm of possibility.

Taking a few seconds to analyze everything since Ben had drugged him, 494 unenthusiastically accepted this new aspect and conceded that his life had gotten even weirder. Because before today, there were just humans and them, transgenics. Now there were gods, and, according to Phil, ghosts. Not the friendly type of ghost, like Casper. Oh no, this one was a pissed-off specter that killed people. Awesome.

"You believe Charlotte is what we witnessed?" Ben's gaze was locked on him as he asked, his disquiet prevalent, watching him like he expected him to snap. Ben's concern only irritated 494 since he wasn't the one who wanted to jump at Loki's words and drop to his knees before the smarmy bastard. Probably believing that thing was better than Manticore….

But Manticore was responsible for Rachel's death, and would have sent him for reprogramming or even decommissioned him since that's what Manticore did with failures.

494 sank back into the seat, his earlier energy dissipating when his thoughts drifted to Manticore, his unit, and Rachel. Maybe Ben wasn't the crazy one since he knew what Manticore would do if they returned, but as the old saying went, better the devil you know, right?

His thoughts became more tangled on what he should do: return to Manticore and possible torture and death? Where his unit - no, his family - was. Except if he did that, what would happen to Ben? 494 refocused on his twin, studying his appearance carefully. Ben looked like shit. Although they were identical, it was easy to distinguish who was who. Under those bulky layers of clothing Ben looked bonier. Like he hadn't eaten a decent meal in years, and he was paler, his face holding fewer freckles, making the dark circles under his eyes more prominent. 494 expected life had not been all rainbows and sunshine for Ben on the outside, which wasn't surprising considering his twin's need for answers.

Despite recognizing that he shouldn't give two shits about Ben or his wellbeing after he abandoned and later kidnapped him, 494 couldn't erase his conscience, despite wishing otherwise when it concerned his twin. Because unlike his unit, which would be alright in the long run possibly only receiving time in indoctrination, while 387 would be questioned but not dismissed, his brother was too good to be knocked down from the position of CO. 494 instinctively recognized that Ben wouldn't be fine. This realization and the anger that hadn't dropped after Manticore killed Rachel forced 494 to acknowledge that he wasn't returning to Manticore or his family. Not yet, at least.

So what should he do? Run like the traitors, or stay put somewhere and play house? That last option irritated 494, and he stood up, moving to Phil's office window, looking at the town beyond it. He paused when he spotted a café advertising apple pie. His memory drifted to the day Rachel introduced him to the treat. Everything else dropped as his eidetic memory supplied that moment in perfect clarity.

"So, pie?" He asked with a playfulness in his tone.

Rachel raised an eyebrow imperiously at his words, mock glaring at him.

"Not just any pie, but the pie, apple pie," her expression suggested it was sacred. Then she looked affronted and incredulous when his face made it obvious that he had no clue what she was talking about. He'd never tasted pie before, since Manticore's food was substandard. It gave his body the nutrition it needed to stay fit and healthy, but that was it. Taste was not a top priority for Manticore's super-soldiers and one of the reasons he enjoyed sampling different cuisines on his missions, which is how 494 had come to the conclusion that bacon cheeseburgers were the shit.

Rachel shook her head in exasperation, long dark hair swinging about her face as she smiled warmly, "for being so smart, your education is extremely lacking, Simon." 494 shrugged, not even playacting at that moment since it was the truth. His education had focused on the art of getting to his target so he could eliminate them with as little fuss as possible. But anything day to day was considered unneeded and therefore useless.

He watched Rachel turn around and begin dishing out two servings of pie. 494 couldn't help his smile as she dug into the freezer and pulled out the vanilla ice cream with a wink tossed his way. "Apple pie with vanilla ice cream is even better," she stated with certainty before setting a slice before him and placing a scope of ice cream on top. "Voila, apple pie a la mode, the greatest invention," he watched her with amusement, finding her antics more enjoyable than anything else, "ever," she finished, after taking a bite from her pie, looking blissful even as she gestured for him to try.

He nearly asked if she wanted time alone with the pie, but at her impatient gesture, 494 held his hands up in surrender and took a bite from the dessert, letting the flavor sit on his tongue for a moment. Wow, apple pie was awesome, even better than bacon cheeseburgers. He should have tried this before and happily began to eat more, thoroughly enjoying the new experience. "Simon." He looked up and found an earnest smile on Rachel's face, a hint of color now darkening her cheeks, before she cleared her throat and looked down at her pie. "My mom -" 494 stopped eating, witnessing the flash of pain cross her features before she shrugged it aside. "After my dance classes, we'd come home, and she'd let me have a piece of pie," Rachel smiled, but it bore more heartache than happiness. "It was the only time she'd let me spoil my dinner." Then she looked up, her smile brightening as she gazed at him. "Seeing as I've introduced you to the wonderment that is apple pie, I'm pretty sure I'll have to add that to my list of reasons that apple pie is the best."

With those simple words, 494 grasped why he was starting to like this girl. Rachel was brilliant and funny. She had a killer sense of humor that made him laugh, and above this, she was very kind, even with her smallest gestures. Rather like his sister, 319, except the feelings he experienced around Rachel were quite different from those he felt around his siblings.

But he would still have to kill her father in the next couple of months. The earlier joy he'd found in spending time with Rachel and trying something new evaporated, and he looked down, ashamed of what he would have to do. "Simon, is everything alright?" When he looked up, 494 found Rachel scrutinizing him worriedly. Her hand moved to his arm. The gesture was meant to comfort him, something he didn't deserve. He wasn't Simon or even human, the only thing that was his alone was the barcode number on the back of his neck, and soon enough his actions would leave Rachel weeping.

Taking a quick breath, he reapplied his false mask and smiled at Rachel, noting her uncertainty with his expression. "Yeah, sorry, your words reminded me of my parents." The lie fell from his lips easily enough, and Rachel looked ready to apologize, but 494 forced himself to continue smiling.

"Don't worry, that's not a bad thing." Her gaze still showed hesitation, so he took another bite, trying to recapture the previous thrill of trying something new. Rachel continued to eye him carefully, like his siblings, but didn't push the subject and started talking about nothing in particular, just sharing amusing stories that left them laughing as they enjoyed the other's company.

"Alec?"

494 snapped his attention back to the present. The lovely afternoon and time he spent with the girl who even then he'd been falling in love with faded into memory. Looking over to his twin, he found Ben observing him, and he nearly snapped but instead turned around to look outside.

"You two can stay in the upstairs loft, but once you finish fixing that old clunker, I'd like you to leave Blowing Rock." As Ben thanked Phil, 494 looked over to the café and felt himself stiffening when he spotted Rachel. She was standing across the street watching him, the rage in her gaze almost palatable as her earlier words, "why did you kill me, Simon?"

Missouri (2018)

Cain regarded his guest questioningly. God, or Chuck, as he preferred to be called, was communing, except Cain believed it was doing little good. However, with a guarantee to remove the Mark and be reunited with his beloved Colette, Cain did nothing to dissuade his guest from his pursuit. Besides, even he recognized trying to intimidate the being that created everything would do nothing and was therefore pointless. So, he continued to host his guest and allowed him to commune with the Mark.

Except Chuck had paused and was looking outwards. His features weren't showcasing the usual façade of a nervous human that could be highly irritating and why Chuck lived in a trailer near his home. "He's discovered them, which means it's starting." Chuck stood up and refocused on him. Cain quickly discerned that it was God looking at him, not the Chuck persona he'd donned to give the impression that he was helpless and therefore human.

"I'm going to set up a few wards. I can't have my son finding us." His gaze dropped to the Mark, "she's already angry enough without the added presence of my son distracting her." That statement left Cain uneasy because he could see true weariness crossing Chuck's features as he studied the Mark. That was not an expression one expected from God, nor hoped to see quite as frequently as it appeared on his face.

But as quickly as the weariness appeared, a familiar nervousness replaced it, and Chuck smiled again, appearing harmless. When he moved away, Cain dropped his gaze to the Mark. The feelings it stirred no longer dominated his thoughts. Chuck had quieted them, but whatever Chuck was attempting to do; even Cain recognized it had little effect.

Blowing Rock, North Carolina (2018)

Ben fumbled around until a wrench was thrust into his hand. Tilting his head to the side, he found Alec sitting out front, just beyond the car's side panel that he was repairing. A sheen of sweat coated his features, likely from the work Phil had him doing around town. While Ben fixed the 1987 Bronco, Alec worked other odd jobs around town. Even though Phil wanted them to leave Blowing Rock as quickly as possible, that didn't mean the car and roof over their heads were free.

His twin didn't complain about the menial work. In fact, since their first day here, Alec seemed to be moving on auto-pilot. The only time he showed anything remotely emotional was around the ghost that continued to haunt his steps, which is why Ben had thrown himself at the Bronco, tackling it like any other problem that cropped up in his life, with force and deliberation.

Even though he wanted to find out why Loki sent them here or if it had any connection to Dean, Phil's reasoning for his generosity in not acquiring another dead body on his hands was reason enough to work fast and move on. Besides, after hacking into Phil's office computer, Ben confirmed Phil's story and found nothing on Dean or his brother Sam. Not that he expected it, because Phil didn't come off as a liar. Ben had even slipped Phil the photo of Dean and Sam, stating Dean was their triplet and Sam their younger brother. This got a reaction from Alec. Ignoring his twin's amusement he told Phil they were looking for their brothers but had trouble down the road, barely making it past one of the gangs that now operated with impunity across the US since its status had changed to that of a third-world country.

Phil accepted his story and stated he'd never seen either enter the town, but suggested that Ben could ask around to see if anyone recognized the two. At first, he did ask around, desiring to learn anything he could about their DNA donor. However, as Charlotte's appearances became more consistent, Ben grasped why Phil wanted them gone. Each time she appeared before Alec, his twin started following the pattern the other victims showcased that Phil told him to watch out for. Unfocused, while displaying an open willingness to follow the specter, usually ending in death.

However, Ben relaxed somewhat when he looked his twin over and found neither a blank, emotionless mask that always appeared when they interacted nor the guilt that surfaced each time Charlotte popped up. Instead, Alec's gaze wandered over the garage Phil let him use before settling on him, eyebrow raised, intrigue showing in his hazel green eyes. "You actually know what you're doing." It was more a statement than a question. Ben found it easy to smile with pride as he refocused on the engine and tightened a valve. Working on cars was easy enough and enjoyable. More often than not, he found it easier to get lost in the motions of mechanics than to interact with people. Machines didn't talk back or accuse him of being an inhuman monster.

Not to mention it brought forward his memories of Bruce, who'd taught him about cars, how they ran, what to fix, and how to determine what he was getting for his dollar. This knowledge made it easy to make money, and no one, unless you were rich, purchased new vehicles with today's economy. Generally, people were always happy to pay him when it became known he was a mechanic and could fix their vehicle.

Refocusing on the Bronco, he knew the SUV was a gas-guzzler, but it was a good car that could take them anywhere. If they needed to go off-road to avoid attention or pursuit, this car would do the trick. Despite his desire to find out what Loki wanted or if the Blue Lady wished anything, getting Alec away from Blowing Rock was the priority.

About 78 miles out of Blowing Rock was Charlotte, NC. Ignoring the name and the fact that any of the major cities were a risk to enter, Lydecker had more eyes to trace their movements. The bigger cities also provided the best access to information if you were looking for something or someone, and Ben hoped they could find something on Dean. At the moment, all he had outside of fleeing Blowing Rock was hunting down information on their DNA donor. Ben also hoped it might give Alec something else to focus on. Glancing at his twin, he noted that Alec appeared comfortable. His posture and expression held no tension, and Ben didn't think Alec was playacting.

"Yeah, Bruce taught me everything about cars," the answer brought forward one moment with perfect clarity. Watching and asking questions as Bruce repaired a Ford Escort, he'd explained everything carefully and then let him take a crack at it. Ben paused what he was doing as the memories of that day and the spaghetti Bruce made afterward became painful. Because at the time, he'd been happy and believed he'd found the Good Place he and his siblings discussed, except not long after Bruce was taken from him…

"Must've been some guy." At Alec's words, he blinked away the clear image of Bruce and looked over to his twin, who was observing him. His expression shifted from neutral to understanding. Then it vanished as Alec's grin reappeared, "Keith finished the grub. Come on. The car will be here when you get back."

With that, Alec stood up, and just as Ben put down his tools, he saw Alec stiffen, which likely meant Charlotte. Moving out from under the Bronco, Ben growled in annoyance, because a few feet from them stood the specter, as ugly as ever. Alec's grin had disappeared, and he could see only pain and shame reflecting in his brother's eyes as they became more unfocused.

Getting tired of the damned thing haunting Alec's every step, Ben grabbed the nearest object, a crowbar. Jumping to his feet, he moved as the specter drew closer to Alec even as his twin backed up, "Alec down!" He barked out, and Alec dropped to the ground, likely from instinct, while he swung the crowbar through the specter's head. He watched it shriek in anger as it focused on him before sputtering out and vanishing.

For seconds only silence and their frosted breathing rang throughout the garage, then Ben looked down at the crowbar, did it…? No, he anticipated the specter was merely toying with them. Except as he looked around, Ben could detect none of the usual coldness, and his instincts weren't prickling as generally happened whenever the specter was nearby.

"What the hell, Ben!?" Turning at Alec's words, he found his twin had stood back up and was watching him incredulously. His expression doubtless mirrored his own since he hadn't expected it to disappear so quickly. The specter tended to hang around and torment his twin whenever it appeared. It'd been repeating this pattern since yesterday, and unless more people showed up, its ritual never changed. Looking at the crowbar in his hands, Ben deliberated if it had something to do with the specter's exit but, hearing the approaching steps, dropped the consideration and looked towards the entrance as Jane, another local, appeared in the doorway.

Her eyebrow rose in question as she looked between them before she smiled and gestured towards the diner. "Well, come on you two. Nothing will be left if you don't hurry." No, it wasn't the tool, simply too many people for the specter to work its torment.

He nodded, expression tight. "Thank you, Jane," Alec uttered as he smiled with that cheerfully fake expression his twin seemed to have patented to a tee, "give us just a few minutes." She nodded and continued walking. After disappearing, Alec's smile dropped, and he rubbed a hand down his face, now appearing worn and tired. "Please tell me you'll finish that rust bucket soon?"

He wanted to say yes because the specter's visits were becoming more aggressive, and each time Alec froze up. Taking a breath, Ben set the crowbar down. "Let's grab some food, then get back to the car; you can help me." Calculating accordingly, Ben suspected if he worked through the night, he could probably have it finished by tomorrow afternoon.

He'd need to speak with Phil and inform him that the specter's visits were worsening. Perhaps he could keep a discreet eye on Alec. Not that his twin would appreciate the scrutiny; he'd already gotten annoyed whenever Ben asked how he was doing. But until they put Blowing Rock in their rearview, he couldn't leave Alec alone. He'd just gotten Alec back; he had no desire to lose him again.

Heaven, (?)

Ambriel smiled when Jofiel returned but realized her discovery had garnered no reaction after seeing his expression. "Sorry, sister."

She and Jofiel were charged to watch over the prophet since Heaven no longer assigned a direct guardian to protect Kevin. Their job required constant monitoring of the prophet's dreams and notifying their boss if Kevin was in danger. Ambriel much preferred Kevin to Chuck, whatever had become of him, as the younger prophet demonstrated a stronger dedication to stopping Lucifer.

"Yes, the standard response: if Lucifer appears in his dreams, we will immediately notify the higher-ups. Otherwise, they have bigger fish to fry." That sounded like something Zachariah would say. Ambriel didn't care for her superior but was smart enough never to voice her opinion. Instead, she kept her head down to draw as little attention as possible.

Looking over the dream the prophet experienced, Ambriel recognized that it wasn't much to go on. But she was convinced it held more truth than the false prophetic dreams Chuck experienced during Lucifer's rising. Looking at the young human male whose heart was being crushed by a restless spirit, Ambriel hoped he survived the encounter.

First, Chuck/God is not a dick; this is the Chuck/God we got to see briefly at the end of season five and, more prominently, in season 11 since I stopped watching the show after season 13. This chapter holds more world-building; next chapter, shit hits the fan for the twins.

Lastly- I'm not a Youtuber, and I know my story isn't breaking records, but I want to honor one of the people that made Batman, my favorite hero during my childhood. Kevin Conroy passed away on November 10th, 2022. I was a kid when the 2001 animated Justice League came out. I loved the iterations this animated show made for the Justice League, Wally West as the Flash, the romances between Batman and Diana, and Shayera and John.

The Justice League and Batman stories were always top-notch, probably why I only watch a little from Marvel or DC nowadays, here are a couple of examples. In one episode, Batman stays with a little girl until she dies, holding her hand until her end. Another example is when Superman is believed to be killed, and we see, in the end, one of the Justice Leagues' greatest enemies, Vandal Savage, ally himself with Superman showing a different side to his character. These are only a few that come to mind, but overall these shows displayed excellent writing, characters, animation, and overall quality that sometimes feels lacking in today's writing.

The 2001 Justice League and 90s Batman animated series made me love Super Heroes. I know everyone has their favorite Batman, but for me, Kevin Conroy truly made Batman feel human. I'll miss the heart Kevin brought to such an Iconic character, and thank you, Kevin, for making Batman my hero. You will be missed.