Title: Sequestration
Author: moonfairyhime
Rating: M, language and graphic scenes
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
Summary: The future isn't tomorrow, it's today, and this future isn't what anyone had expected. Humans stand between Vatic and Shade. Both brothers walk the path they believe is correct, but who knows what is right and wrong anymore?
Feedback: I'd really appreciate it.
Author's Notes and Warnings: This is AU. When I say AU, I mean AU. Slashy overtones, but only if you're really looking for them.


The world as everyone knew it ended on a Wednesday. This was, by large, very unsuspected. Only the best seers knew that the end was coming and most decided that it would be easier to die than to face what they knew was coming. A few others believed that the rebirth of the world would be an interesting thing to see, so they went forth and found others like them and hid. And those who had known from birth, well, they felt like the long wait was over and they could begin to truly live.

The humans who didn't die from the poisonous fog that covered the Earth soon wished they did. The fog destroyed buildings and other objects along with human lives. Then creatures from Below began to come forth from every available orifice. Mothers were forced to watch as their daughters were raped in front of them before they were raped also. Their broken bodies soon became food for some hungry creature. Fathers were made to watch their little sons be eaten by the creature under the bed, the very thing that these fathers promised their little sons never existed. Families were torn apart, limb by limb, each becoming a meal for some creature they thought never existed. Those who survived hid well and had big guns. Objects that had survived were almost looked upon as blessed, but the people knew that God had forsaken them.

The fight to survive had begun and humans had always been stubborn creatures.

And the psychics waited.

Dean Winchester squinted through the fog that now seemed to cover the Earth. He could almost see the sun. After the first month, the fog had risen to a more tolerable level, well above what remained of most buildings. Dean glanced at his father as John walked towards him. "What's up Dad?"

"Well, from what I got from the locals, we are headed in the right direction to what remains of Stanford." John said as he straddled his motorcycle. The Impala was far too cumbersome to drive through what remained of the United States, so Dean and John had been forced to ride motorcycles on their quest. The owners of the motorcycles wouldn't miss them too much; it's kind of hard to ride a motorcycle with no arms, legs, or eyes. "Dean, you know it's possible that Sam was one of the many who…"

"Don't say it, Dad. Sammy's alive. I know it."

"Dean, I'm just trying to think realistically. It's been six months since Below came Above. If Sam were alive-"

"-is alive-"

John sighed. "Okay. If Samis alive, then why hasn't he contacted us somehow?"

"Maybe because there are no more phone lines or cell phones or computers. Dad, most towns don't even have electricity anymore. Maybe Sam is trying to find us and we keep missing him by a day or he's a town behind us. Sam's smart, Dad. He's probably hiding somewhere, staying out of sight until we come for him."

"We'll go to Stanford, Dean, but if Sam isn't alive, don't let it destroy you."

Dean revved his bike instead of answering his father. Dean knew that John wanted Sam to be alive more than Dean did. Sam and Dean had talked at various times during Sam's stint at Stanford, but Sam and John had not talked at all since Sam walked out of their apartment of the week four years before Below came Above. Sam's death would probably be the end of John. Sam was the last trace of Mary that John had.

And if Dean was completely honest with himself, Sam's death would be his also.

The remaining people of the Earth after Below came Above were true survivors. They were the people who had no problem with shooting things that came from their scariest childhood nightmares. They hid well, using caves and digging holes, camouflaging themselves with whatever they could. Small villages had been built deep in what remained of the forests. Where tall buildings once stood, people had made homes out the rubble. People made their own laws and banded together for the good of everyone. A new society was forming; formed by resilient people who didn't take shit from anything, whether it was human or not.

The humans who had once been the hunters had become the hunted. When one chose to travel (and not many people did), an arsenal that could take over a small country was needed to protect oneself. The things out there didn't believe in mercy and humans were learning that mercy meant death.

Dean and John walked past what remained of the sign that may have once read "Welcome to Stanford University". It now read "Wel to ford sity". Dean and John looked around at the once beautiful campus before Dean stopped, trying to get his bearings.

"What's up, Dean?"

"Trying to remember where the dorm is where Sam lived."

"Here often, were you?"

"I was here about as often as you were. The only difference is I was brave enough to get out the car and say hi to Sammy."

John winced at Dean's remark, but opted not to reply. Dean nodded to himself and began to walk in a direction that at one time may have lead to a building, but now lead to a pile of rubble. As John and Dean approached the rubble, two heads appeared out of two small holes. One appeared to maybe have been a student at Stanford while another looked like a professor. Both looked wary, but it was the older man who out-right glared at both John and Dean. "Who the hell are you and why are you here?"

Dean stepped forward, hands up in a peaceful gesture. "My name is Dean Winchester, and this is my father John Winchester. We're looking for my brother, Sam Winchester. He was a student here, before Below came Above. He majored in Pre-Law and he lived here with his girlfriend, Jessica."

The one who looked like a student suddenly disappeared and was replaced by another student. "My name is Jeff Maxwell. I was a friend of Sam's."

Dean and John both felt their hearts drop into their stomachs. It was John who asked the dreaded question. "What do you mean was? Did Sam…"

Jeff seemed to realize his mistake. "No! I don't mean Sam is dead. I mean I don't know where he is. Four days before Below came Above, I went to check on Sam. He had been sick and Jessica was out of town, visiting her grandmother. When I stopped in before class, he seemed almost back to health, but still a little bit weak. I came back later that night with some fresh coffee and soup, and he was gone. I tried to get a hold of him via his cell phone, but it was in the room. I tried Jessica's cell, and she hadn't heard from Sam either. I'm sorry, guys, but I don't know where Sam is."

Dean felt his spirits raise a little. "You never found a body?"

"No, it was like Sam disappeared off the face of the planet."

John paused. "What happened to Sam's girlfriend, Jessica?"

Jeff's face looked pinched. "She's dead. Made it back to campus about a day before Below came Above. She died almost instantly when the fog began to cover the Earth."

John turned and started walking back towards their motorcycles. Dean looked at both the professor at Jeff. "Thanks for your time. Stay safe."

Jeff nodded. "You do the same. Oh, if you see Sam again, tell him about Jessica and let him know I said hi."

Dean nodded and walked back to John and their motorcycles.

"What now, son?" John asked.

"I'm going to keep looking for Sammy. I know he's out there." Dean said and John noticed the determined glint in his older son's eyes.

"Dean," John said and sighed. "Sam is probably dead."

"You don't know that without a body."

"Dean . We can't keep looking for Sam. We tried Stanford, he isn't here. We should move on. See if some village wants us to protect them."

"Dad, why are you giving up so easily on Sam? You hunted the thing that killed mom for twenty-two years before Below came Above and you're giving up on Sam after six months?"

"Dean, if he left Stanford, he probably doesn't want to be found. Maybe he's alive, maybe he's not. You seem to forget that Sam walked out on us first." John sighed. "We can't hunt any more, Dean. Humans have gone from being the hunters to the hunted. Look, stay with me and we'll get a job with a village. If we hear any news about Sam, we can go and find out about it. Hell, if you want to, I'm sure we can fandangle a month or so out of the year to look for him. It's too dangerous out there for one person, Dean."

Dean sighed, knowing his father was right, but still wanting to look for his beloved baby brother. "All right, Dad. Let's get out of here."

Two years after Below came Above, life for humans was getting interesting and dangerous again. Two groups had emerged and the humans found themselves stuck in the middle of a civil war they wanted no part of. Demons had managed to ally themselves with almost every evil creature and they began an onslaught against humanity. They called their collective group Shade. The same time as Shade began to try to control humanity, the psychics, who named themselves Vatic, appeared. Both parties claimed to have humanity's best interest at heart. If humanity chose to ally themselves with Shade, the creatures promised to stop attacking humans. Vatic claimed to have humanity's best interest at heart, but the humans wanted to know where they had been when Below came Above.

Humanity, on an agreement that most of the remaining populace agreed with, was against anyone attempting to control them, no matter who tried it. Humanity just wanted to be left alone to pick up the meager pieces of their life, which they had been doing rather successfully before Shade and Vatic arrived.

Dean and John Winchester had found a job protecting a small group of people who lived in what may have been a warehouse a month after they found out that Sam had disappeared. In exchange for protecting the people, Dean and John had a small living area and were fed by the people. One year after they took the job, a psychic trying to kill a demon killed John by accident. Although the psychic was very apologetic and gave the village all of her foodstuffs, Dean added another reason to the list of why Vatic was just as evil as Shade. Before the psychic left though, Dean asked her one simple question. He had asked if the psychic knew a man by the name of Sam Winchester. The reaction from the psychic had been interesting: her eyes narrowed, as if trying to assess whether or not Dean was a threat. The psychic offered a tight-lipped no before walking out of the warehouse. Dean wasn't sure what to make of that response, but he couldn't ignore the feeling of hope that was in his heart. Dean had stayed with the people of the warehouse as they needed him and even Dean would admit it was easier to stay where one was needed instead of trying to find someone he didn't know was still alive or not.

Exactly two years and one month after Below came Above, a rogue psychic decided it would be a good idea to attack the people who lived in the warehouse. Something about her screamed familiarity, but Dean couldn't figure it out as he yelled for people to get to safety. The people ran as Dean continually fired silver bullets at the psychic, but the psychic appeared to have some sort of shield around her. Dean was going to try to go into and do some close range fighting with a knife, but before he could take one step closer to the rogue, a masculine hand grabbed his shoulder. Dean turned around and was face to face with a man who was wearing better clothes than Dean had seen in two years. The man was tall, but the cloak he was wearing easily obscured any facial futures.

Whoever it was spoke with a gentle voice, a voice that just screamed 'trust me'. "Rest, weary hunter. I have come for the rogue."

Dean glared at the him. "If you're from Vatic or Shade, I want nothing to do with you."

"I am from Vatic, but I want nothing from you. I've come only for the rogue and then I will leave you in peace." When Dean glared at him, the man shrugged. "None of your weapons will hurt her, Dean. Only a weapon crafted or blessed by someone in Vatic can kill a rogue."

Dean's eyes were narrow. "How do you know my name?"

The man appeared surprised at his slip, but shook his head. He pulled one long knife out of his boot and Dean could have sworn he'd seen the knife before. "I just do. If you will excuse me, weary hunter."

Dean watched as the man walked towards the girl. Her eyes were a soft green that Dean was sure were once bright with intelligence but now seemed dulled with stupidity and insanity. Brown curly hair was messily pulled up, making her appear even more insane.

The man stopped about twenty feet from the girl. "Chessa Willflower, you have been charged by a grand jury of Vatic's choosing. They have found you guilty of all charges. You have been charged with Willful Disobedience of the Vatic Charter, Willful Destruction of Vatic Land, Disturbance of Peace, General Lawlessness, Resisting Arrest, and the Murder of the Human known as John Winchester. What say you to these charges?"

Dean stared hard at the man in front of him. How did a bastard from Vatic know of his father's death? Dean slowly walked towards the two from Vatic.

The girl laughed, sending chills down Dean's spine. "I don't know, Sammy. What do you think I should plead?"

Dean froze at the name Sammy and tried to see through the cloak to see if the man wearing it was indeed his little brother. The man, though, seemed unperturbed. "Chessa, you know what will happen if you don't plead."

Chessa glared at the man. "I dare you to say it, Sammy. I dare you."

The man said one simple word and yet it seemed to have all the power in the world. He shook his head and softly said, "Finis." Chessa screamed as the necklace Dean just now noticed floated in front of her before exploding. Dean noticed the chain had left a visible red welt around her neck. The cloaked man made a circle above her head before neatly slicing through the mark on her neck. The body exploded, causing the hood of the cloak to fall from the man's head in the slight breeze that followed.

And before Dean stood Sam Winchester.

Four days before Below came Above, Sam had been sick. He was getting over a nasty cold and he was sure if he could rest for just one more day, he would be completely over the cold. Jessica was out of town and his friend Jeff had made sure to stop in and visit in the morning and at night. As soon as Jeff had left on the fourth day before Below came Above, Sam knew that there were other people in the room with him. When he asked who was there, three people appeared. Sam reached for the knife that was no longer kept under his pillow and glared at the people, asking why they had come.

Sam was shocked when they told him they came to train and to teach him. Sam was told of what was to happen and his part in it. To Sam's credit, he was not shocked, but instead accepted what they told him as if he all ready knew what they were saying.

And in a way, Sam did know what they were saying. He had seen this moment many times before in his nightmares (which he would learn were actually visions of the future) and he knew that this moment was coming the second he took his first breath.

Dean and Sam eyed each other carefully. Sam hadn't changed much, Dean noticed. Still a tall, lanky-ass bastard with his hair kept too long. His eyes, however, seemed far too old for the twenty-four year old man. It looked like Sam had seen far too many battles and had escaped death in many of them by a fraction of a second. Sam was wearing what must have been standard Vatic wear: a black cloak, black shirt, and black pants. Dean could see at least four other weapons stashed on Sam's body, but he couldn't tell what they were.

As for Dean, Sam noted that he had lost a little bit of weight, but was still as toned and well-muscled as always. His hair was still cropped short, but Sam was almost startled by how old Dean's face looked. Sam knew that the humans had a harder time coping than those who lived with Vatic, but Sam was still surprised that Dean looked much older than his twenty-eight years. Even though Sam knew that Dean knew Sam was indeed his brother, Dean still looked ready to fight.

As Dean stared at his little brother, he wasn't sure if he should hug him or hit him. Instead, Dean offered a wary smile. "It's been a while, Sammy."

Sam's reply was instantaneous. It was also familiar. "It's Sam. You can tell them it's safe to come out, I'm not going to hurt them."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "I don't trust you."

Sam grinned as he placed his knife back into the holder strapped to his leg. "You lie. You still trust me as much as you did six years ago."

"So, you come back after two years of playing nice with the bastards Vatic and expect me to trust you?"

This time, Sam's eyes narrowed at Dean before his head whipped around in the other direction. "Come out. I know you're there. Invisibility spells won't help you."

Dean stared in the direction that Sam was looking at but saw nothing. Suddenly, the air rippled and a demon appeared. This demon was well-dressed and seemed to have an aristocratic manner. His black hair was tied back and his blood red lips, contorted into a vicious smile, matched his tan face. A medieval sword was strapped onto his back. "Well, if it isn't the mighty Sam Winchester. I'm surprised that Conner let you out of his sights. Oh! I made a pun."

Sam had his knife back into his hand before Dean realized Sam had moved. "Leave. There are people here who never wanted to be brought into our war."

"Does Conner know that you think for yourself, Sam? His precious seer has a brain," the demon sneered at Sam. "You know you could do so much better on our side and yet you chose Vatic."

Sam tossed the knife at the demon who teleported away and remained unseen, tsk'ing at the knife. "Temper, temper Sam. You will be wooed to the dark side. If not today, then maybe tomorrow. Vatic will fall to Shade."

Dean watched as Sam took a deep breath. "What the hell was that all about, Sammy?"

Sam, however, was focused elsewhere. "Okay, there's nothing else here."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "And where the hell did you pick up the ability to know when something else was in the room?"

"I was born with the Gift, Dean." Sam said as he removed his knife from where it was imbedded into the wall.

"Can you speak English, College Boy?" Dean asked, still wary if this person was his brother.

"Yes, Dean I'm sure I'm your brother." Sam grinned at Dean's surprised look. "Dean, for me to belong to Vatic, that means…"

"I know what it means, Sammy. You're a psychic. Or psycho, it's hard to tell with you. I'm wondering how Joe College, who when he left was just your average geek boy, leaves college as a member of Vatic. What the hell did they feed you at Stanford?"

"I was born psychic, Dean. It just took a while for the powers to manifest, which is normal in my case. Besides, how thehell was I supposed to know the difference between regular nightmares and premonitions growing up the way I did?"

Dean looked like a small bus had run him over. "Wait a minute, Sammy. Premonitions?"

"I have the Gift, or the curse depending of how you look at it, of second sight. I also have surface telepathy, so lying to me will be a waste of you time. I can sense lies and extremely strong emotions. However, I can't sense undertones or actual thoughts."

"How did you know that demon was there?"

Sam shrugged. "I can feel when something or someone nearby is Gifted. It doesn't matter if they're good or evil, I can feel them."

Dean nodded, putting pieces together. "So, you spent the last two years of your life training your psycho abilities. You work for Vatic, which as far as most of us are concerned, is just as evil as Shade. You look better and smell better than anyone else on the face of this forgotten planet. In two years, you haven't even tried to let me know that you were alive. Do you even care that Dad and Jessica are dead?"

Sam looked like Dean had slapped him. "I know that dad and Jessica are dead. I saw both of them die, but I was still in training. I couldn't do anything. Jessica's death was fate, as was Dad's. Vatic had to wait for it's time to come."

"You never used to believe in fate, Sam. You used to believe in me." Dean said.

Sam looked pale and for a moment Dean regretted his words. "I used to believe in a lot of things, Dean."

People began to come forth from various hidden spots, all looking at Sam like they were going to murder him before he murdered them. One of the more rational old women walked forward and pointed her hunting knife at Sam. "Who is this, Dean?"

Sam bowed slightly, smiling. His voice once again fell into that 'trust me' octave and Dean wondered if Sam had picked that up in Vatic school or if he always had that ability. "I'm Sam Winchester, Dean's little brother."

"You're Vatic," her voice was accusatory.

Sam didn't even to bother to deny the fact. "Yes I am."

"Filthy bastard."

Dean may have been pissed and a little wary of his brother, but his older brother sense would not let anyone say those things about his little brother. "I'm sure Sam has a perfectly good reason for joining Vatic."

"Sam can speak for himself. Yes, I'm Vatic." Sam ignored the gasp and rolled his eyes. "I was here for the rogue, but I am also here to offer you the protection of Vatic. It's safe, where we live. There's food and actual baths…"

The old woman with the knife shook it at Sam. "We don't need help from Shade or Vatic."

"Sam!" A man ran towards Sam, covered in the same type of cloak Sam was wearing. "You were supposed to meet me ten minutes ago, but when you didn't return… Conner would kill me if something happened to you."

Sam grinned at the man and Dean ignored the stab of jealousy and bitterness. "I'm fine, Eric. Vlad was here, and I was talking to my brother."

Eric smiled tolerably. "Trying to save more lives, I take it?"

"We don't want to be saved." An old man steeped up next to the woman. "Dean here takes good care of us."

Eric nodded, frowning at them. "Fine, then. Let's go, Sam."

Sam nodded sadly. "If we're really not needed here."

"We don't need dogs of Vatic." Dean said, spitting on the ground near Eric's feet, ignoring Sam's look of pain. "Oh, Jeff says hi."

"Let's go, Sam." Eric said.

"Good-bye, Dean." Sam said as he turned towards Eric, took one step, and fell over in a dead faint.

Eric caught Sam as he fell to the ground. "Shit!"

Before Missouri died, she taught Sam how to deal with his surface telepathy. After Missouri died, another psychic taught him to manage his senses to let him know if what was approaching him was good or evil, powerful or weak, however, he wasn't as good as Missouri. As a result, Sam could only get a good idea of where something or someone was by concentrating on that little warning bell in his head. If Sam couldn't concentrate, then he couldn't pick out where the person or thing was.

Unfortunately, nothing could tame his visions. His second sight was something that refused to be controlled, giving him visions whenever possible, ignoring what time of day it was. Sam didn't mind the night terrors, it was the ones in the day that literally knocked him of his feet that bothered him. When Sam collapsed, he was always glad that he lived with others like him. They understood why he collapsed, and they didn't make fun of him because of it. Instead, the others "Gifted" with second sight tried to train him at least to be able to continue breathing when the dreams hit him. They knew that Sam's second sight was stronger than any of theirs. Everyone knew that Sam and his visions were a strong asset to them, but they feared for Sam because of the sheer strength of his visions. They also feared for his sanity.

The psychics waited until the fog lifted before creating a place to live. As humanity struggled above and somewhat below the ground on the Earth after Below came Above, the psychics made themselves a home well under the Earth's surface. They also made a name for themselves. They began to call themselves Vatic. They created laws and gave jobs. The people in Vatic lived simply in huts, but the Elder had a wonderful hut with more than two rooms; it had two levels. Of course, the person who is in charge and who really does nothing lives the best. Such is government. After a group of psychics rebelled in the twelfth month after Below came Above, charmed necklaces were created to keep people in check. It didn't matter what type of psychic you were, everyone wore a necklace. If you broke too many rules, the spell on the necklace was activated and you were rendered immobile. It was a simple spell, really. All one had to say was 'finis' and the spell was activated. However, the charm was spelled to be activated only by those designated to hunt down rogue psychics and only people who were designated as rogues by the Elder could have the spell used on them. Then, the speaker of the spell decapitated the rogue and the body went away in a little explosion. The necklaces worked wonderfully.

There were two types of psychics in Vatic: those with mental Gifts and those with physical Gifts. Those who have mental Gifts have Gifts such as surface telepathy or precognition, something that can only be noticed by the mind's eye. Those with a physical Gift can affect actual objects. The psychics who are Gifted with telekinesis are an example of those with a physical Gift.

The psychics who decided to live out the end of the world had been right; it was an interesting thing to see.

Dean watched in fear as Eric stopped his baby brother from falling to the dirty floor. "What the hell is going on?"

Eric glared up at Dean. "He told you about his second sight, right? Well, he's having a premonition. Must a pretty bad one… He hasn't collapsed because of one in months."

The old woman with the hunting knife pointed it at Sam. "Get him out of here. We don't need anymore trouble."

Before Eric could answer, Sam groaned and opened his eyes. "Dean?"

Dean shoved Eric out the way and grabbed his little brother. "Hey there, Sammy."

"My name s'not Sammy, it's Sam."

"Of course it is. What did you see?"

Sam shivered. "I saw more death, Dean. More dead bodies. We have to stop Shade."

Eric knelt down next to Sam. "Sam, why don't you close your eyes and rest for a bit? You've had a busy day. I'm going to take you back to Vatic."

"I'm not a child," Sam insisted as his eyes slid shut.

Eric moved to take Sam from Dean, and Dean actually growled at Eric. "You touch my little brother and I'll cut off your damn hands."

"I need to take Sam from you, Dean. He belongs to Vatic. The only way I'm not going to separate you two is if you come with us." Eric said.

Dean stood up, cradling his little brother in his arms. He frowned at how little Sam weighed. "I guess I'm going to Vatic then."

"Dean, you can't leave us." A younger boy walked up to Dean, gently tugging on Dean's trench coat.

"I've taught you guys well, you'll be fine. It looks like my little brother got into a lot of trouble while I was gone, and he needs me to take care of him more than you guys do." Dean said smiling. "Now then, Erica, my bag is in the corner. It should be packed and ready to go. Grab it for me, will you?"

Eric frowned at Dean, but made a waving motion with his hand. The bag and a blanket flew right in front of Eric and Dean. "Here are your belongings, and my name isn't Erica, it's Eric."

"Are you sure about this Dean?" the old woman walked up, still eyeing Sam and Eric with distrust.

"Yes, Ellie, I'm sure. Sammy needs me, and I could never let him down." Dean said.

The old woman nodded. "Very well, Dean. Take care of your brother, even if he is Vatic scum. We'll be fine here, you have taught our young ones well. Stay safe, Dean Winchester."

Dean nodded as he turned and walked away from the people. "You all do the same."

Although many of the humans attempted to stay out of the way of both Shade and Vatic, some tribes of humans did choose to ally themselves with a group. People who had seen countless murdered in the days and months that followed after Below came Above often chose to ally themselves with Shade. They had seen far too many killed and they didn't want to see anymore people murdered if they could help it. More often than not, people realized that they had made a mistake going to Shade, but they always realized it a little bit too late. Oh well, arms and legs aren't that important, really.

Others chose to accept the protection that Vatic offered. The enjoyed a mostly peaceful life, even if they weren't permitted to enter some areas of Vatic. The psychics were generally kind to the humans, even if they were a bit condescending and aloof at times. The humans understood, however, it was mostly an act to keep them safe. The psychics may have imposed strict rules about the humans, but none of the humans ever died as a direct result of a psychic from Vatic. The rogues were quickly taken down by the hunters, or at the very least, chased out the city so that no harm would come to its inhabitants.