Chapter 4
Angela was well aware of the stories that circulated about Absolution. She was most amused by the fact that people assumed she was a man. She always claimed it was the vagueness of the descriptions. They always outlined the heroics but never exactly the pronouns. It was no wonder people argued over whether or not she was a man. Certainly, the fans of the Supernatural books had their fair share of arguing.
Looking at the man looking at her, she replied, "That is a common misconception. Descriptions are notoriously vague." She gave a polite smile.
"Indeed," the man agreed as he continued to pace in front of her and look at her. "They tell of Absolution taking on the burden of the world, protecting it from the end. A brilliant leader." He gave a flourish before turning to look at her. "I've read about your hand in history. I must admit you are… clever."
"I gave advice," she corrected. "I led when I had to, but the history that humans know… it's fairly accurate."
"Ah, but history is written by the winners," he wriggled his finger in a knowing fashion. "Things get distorted. So, the question becomes, what really is objectivity? I heard it was something you were and are very good at," he said. He walked to a table and poured himself a drink. "The ability to look a larger picture is a rare gift. I envy that."
"It is a talent used in battle strategy. Generals have used it to conduct their wars," she replied as she tracked the man. She was done with the small talk and was ready to get down to business. She changed the subject, "Now, I am here because Balthazar needs a weapon of heaven he put into your care and the only way to get it was if I were to receive it."
It was probably foolish in that it was revealing her hand, but she had a plan with it. Sort of. It was how she gauged her opponent. It drove Sam crazy when they played chess since she would reveal whole plays and it left her free to bring up her traps that she had set so early in the game. It was always fun to watch Sam try to figure it out.
"Oh yes. Balthazar." The man finished his glass and poured himself another. He made a silent offer to Angela which she promptly and politely refused. He took a sip and moved to his chair. He didn't sit but gestured at her, "And how, may I ask, do you know him?"
"I don't," Angela replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. She shifted on her feet but refused to move.
"You must know him if he asked you to retrieve the weapon he left in my care," the man replied with a knowing look.
"We are not friends, if that is what you are implying," Angela replied. "We have met but not friends."
The man chuckled at that. He took a sip of his drink. "Seems the stories I've heard about you are true. You are willing to argue down to the most minute of details and probably to your own detriment." He took a step towards her.
"Merely correcting what other people make an error of," Angela clarified with a slight grin, "And only if necessary." She sobered and looked at the man. "So, have I passed muster? Will you give me what I seek?"
The man sipped his drink and studied her. She was a complete contrast from the stories he had heard. She didn't even try to use her status with the angels or those stories. Rather she gave a humbling view of herself. At the moment, he wasn't overly impressed since he wasn't seeing what he heard. Still, a bargain was a bargain.
Sighing, he snapped his fingers. A door opened and a shadow was revealed in light. It was overly dramatic, but everyone was allowed a little whimsy. He watched her expression and how unimpressed she was. He smirked, "Impressed?"
Angela had her arms crossed over her chest. "No." She started walking over towards the weapon. She was well aware of the weapons of heaven. Another benefit of her schooling under Gabriel.
As she approached, she glanced at the man. She didn't like the expression on his face. It had her wary. She kept her eye on him as she slowly reached for the weapon. She paused when she heard, "You don't want to be doing that."
Angela turned to look at him. She raised her brow, "And why is that? You have something that belongs to Balthazar and I came as you requested. Our bargain." She looked at the man firmly. She wasn't in the mood to tolerate shenanigans.
"And I am completing it. I'm just not inclined to believe that you really are the Malachi of Absolution," the man replied with a smirk on his face. He took a step forward with a smirk on his face, "You are going to have to prove it to me. And I don't mean a simple parlor trick." He raised a finger to his chin to muse before saying, "Show me… Chalikar."
Angela had been under the gun many times. She was considered even good at hiding her feelings and thoughts. Dean said she had a better poker face than Sam and that maybe she should have played that warlock for years. She considered it years of practice and intense training from Gabriel. She may have learned a lot from her father and other teachers, but Gabriel was the one that taught her how to bite the bullet and hide her thoughts and feelings. She ended up being better than him at times because of it.
Standing there, she put on the best poker face she had and looked at the man and studied him. She replied, "What?"
"Chalikar. Show it to me."
Angela could play dumb on purpose when it suited her purpose. More often she did it to tease Dean and sometimes Sam. It was done in good fun, but also proved useful when hustling for funds. She played dumb now, "Then you should know that Chalikar is nothing more than a legend. A myth."
The man looked at her with a narrowed look. "So it is said, and yet… even with pure myths there is a modicum of truth." He advanced towards her. "Now… show me Chalikar."
"I can't show you what even I don't know."
"Be careful, Malachi. You are treading on thin ground."
Angela never was one to take a threat lightly or well. It was especially chaotic if the threat was to what mattered the most to her. That was probably her one weakness, but she had her moments of control. This was one of them. She couldn't afford to be reckless considering she had two men that looked like her boys in the car and they knew little to nothing of this world. Looking at the man that was staring daggers at her, she narrowed her eyes and smirked, "Are you threatening me?"
The man took a sip of his drink, "I will do what I must." He took another sip and added, "And I must see if you really are as they say."
"You have the descriptions and the stories, and you would know that I will never agree with them. If you truly knew me that is." She looked at the man with a raised brow and her expression in a smirk. It was hard to resist the pull of a good fight. She hated to admit it but getting into a fight always seemed to lift the mood. Maybe that was one other thing that she and Dean connected on. They liked a good fight and he was a scrapper.
"I do," the man replied as he finished his drink. He set it down and stepped forward. "And I know that you are notoriously deceptive when you choose to be. I also know that you are the leading authority on all things ancient and magical."
"I hardly think that," Angela replied, "There is someone better. Specializes in the art." She started pacing with the man as he started pacing with her. She sensed that this was going to go south soon, and she might not like it. "I can't possibly see that I would know anything…"
There was a click and Angela saw a gun pointed at her. The man was pointing it at her, and he looked like he knew how to use it. "Stop lying. Show me Chalikar."
Angela stared at him. She could charge, but there was no guarantee that the bullets weren't the kind she could brush off. Knowing Balthazar, he would have picked someone who knew how to protect against the creatures of the night. It was safer to assume that the bullets in that gun could seriously injure her or kill her.
The man held the gun on here and smirked, "I can see you're intelligent. You're probably debating on whether or not I know how to kill you and your kind."
"The thought crossed my mind," Angela allowed as she circled with the man. The first rule was never to turn your back on your enemy. "You don't get to be as old as I am without learning anticipation."
The man held the gun pointed at her. He studied her as they moved around the room. He noted the way she moved around the room. He grinned, "I see what you are trying to do. It may work on others; the subtle way you're moving to get closer to the weapon. Very clever."
Angela merely grinned at that. She continued to move with the man as she shrugged. "I came to do a job and I do aim to finish it despite my dislike of the person that I am doing the job for. So, please just give me the weapon and I'll be on my way. I have no desire to engage in combat with you."
The man shook his head and gestured at her while still pointing the gun at her. "Another thing I have red about you. You like a good fight but always so eager not to engage. Don't you find that a contradiction, given what you are?" He looked at her with an inquiring look with a hint of mockery. "Do your companions?"
Angela continued to smirk at the man. He was clever and he knew his history regarding her. She admitted, "I admit it is a contradiction. To love a good fight but resort to diplomacy first. Almost… paradoxical." She had looked upwards as if trying to find the right words. She shifted and came to a stop. It wasn't an ideal position where she wanted to be, but it was better than nothing. "You could say that it comes from past history."
"Past history?"
"You have read about me. You know that I've seen several major wars and countless smallest ones on all habited continents in this world. I've lived through xenophobia, slavery… the points in human history that revisionists try to make it seem like it doesn't exist." She stared at the man full on. It was a posture those that had witnessed privately called her rallying pose. Her stance lent forth inspiration when faced against impossible odds, gave hope… the things that have been equated with the great leaders in human history. She never saw it. She only said that good posture gives the appearance of confidence and when you have confidence in what you believe, then you would succeed.
Looking at the man, she was doing as she always did. She continued, "No one wants war. A good leader tries to use diplomacy before it comes to that. War is destructive on all levels and not just the battlefield. The effects are lasting."
"And you would prefer that there be no conflict at all?"
"That is a perfect world, and this is hardly that. But the unique thing with the beings of this world… we try." Angela offered a slight smile.
"And yet weapons like the one you seek and Chalikar exist," the man pointed out, "Weapons that have been known to inflict terrible things."
"The time that the weapon I seek was different then," Angela pointed out. "The world was different then. Magic was strong back then and many sought to try and subjugate others. The urge hasn't passed with time…"
"I noticed how you never mentioned Chalikar," the man pointed out. He grinned at her, "You are trying to hide it from me."
"Chalikar doesn't exist," Angela replied. "It is pure myth, a story to bring hope to the oppressed." She was used to denying the existence of things that were better left in the hands of those that were chosen to wield them. She did believe that some shouldn't be on this earth, but they were in place for a reason. She tried not to question often.
A gunshot hit near her foot. She raised her brow at the man as he said, "Stop lying. I know it exists." He adjusted the gun. "The next one won't miss. Now… show it to me."
Jensen peered out of the windshield. It had started raining again while they were waiting. He was uneasy that they had been waiting for so long. The place made him feel uneasy. He glanced in the back at Jared who was looking like he was comfortable in the backseat even though it looked like it was a tight fit. He asked, "You sure you're comfortable back there."
"Yeah," Jared replied. "Didn't think that it would be, but it is. Angie seems to have it all worked out."
Jensen noted the way how easily Jared started calling their companion by the name that others have. "You seem to be comfortable calling her that."
Jared shrugged, "It seems natural. Like she's natural… and right."
Jensen raised his brow, "She doesn't even exist where we're from. I can't recall anyone that looks like her on the crew or who we know in the business."
Jared shrugged, "Maybe so, but… She's fun. Even when she scared us with the truth." He gave a slight grin, "And she's fun to hang with."
"You do realize that she is the real deal. Vampires… werewolves… everything from the show."
"I know."
Jensen shook his head at that. He turned back to face forward. He stared ahead and mused, trying not to be impatient at the fact that there was nothing to do but wait. Logically, it made sense. He and Jared didn't know anything about this world and their companion did. And she did take it upon herself to keep an eye on them. Probably a good thing since Bobby said something about going back out on a supply run.
Jared shifted in the back feeling quite comfortable. He liked the car and could tell that it was well taken care of. He suspected that Angela had a liking for things like muscle cars and by her mannerisms, was proper. A curiosity and yet he rather liked it. He got the feeling that Gen would like her too. He couldn't explain it, but he felt that he could trust Angela and she had a way of making someone feel safe despite the danger they were in.
They waited in the car, but as time passed, they grew antsy. The length of time she was away seemed to be too long for a simple pick up job. Jared sat up straight and tapped Jensen on the shoulder. "Thinking what I'm thinking?"
Jensen had been watching the house. The downpour started coming harder, like it was picking up. He was thinking the same thing. They had been sitting there for too long. "Yeah. I don't like it. She's been in there way too long."
"Thinking we should go in?"
"What are you nuts?" Jensen turned to look at Jared. "For all we know it's a room full of what she is."
"But she's by herself."
"Yeah and I'm pretty sure that the odds are in her favor."
Jensen made a point there. They didn't know her, but they both got the impression that she could handle herself. Like handle herself if some ass decided to get cute with her in a bar handle herself. The kind that would end up with a few bruises and maybe broken bones. Jared though had the thought that she could get hurt despite the fact that she was like superhuman in a lot of things. She was still a person.
Jensen sensed Jared was going to talk and added, "I get it. She's flesh and blood like you and me, but… we're way over our head here. We don't know anything."
Jared had to admit that Jensen was right. It didn't mean that he liked it. He felt helpless just sitting there. "Maybe you should get in the driver's seat. Quick getaway."
Jensen looked at Jared, "And have her get on my case? You've seen what she can do? She scares me."
"But in the good way."
Jensen gave him a look. It was the good kind of scary. It was the kind that while scary it was because it was good for you. He didn't want to admit it, but there was something motherly about Angela. The way she looked after them was motherly, but she didn't baby them. At least what they could tell. She told them point blank the situation, but left it to them to pull it together and process. Sure she helped, but no smothering.
Now they didn't know what to do if she was in trouble. In fact, they never conceived that she might get into trouble. It was scary how fast they accepted her capabilities and the idea she might be in trouble… it was ludicrous to think about. Now that they were in that possibility, the realization how unprepared they were was starting to sink in. They were starting on the road to panic.
It ramped up when they heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. They looked at each other and Jensen asked, "Was that a…?"
"Yeah," Jared said as he leaned forward to peer through the windshield. "That was one."
"What do we do?"
"I don't know."
Another shot made them jump and they looked at each other. They tried hard not to panic when they heard multiple shots firing and they were coming from inside the house. They looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. They couldn't really call for help. The house was isolated from anyone that might have heard the shots and called for help. Then again, what would anyone be able to do against someone or rather something that wasn't exactly normal?
Before they could think of anything to do, the door burst open and out came Angela running. She was carrying something in her hand and she didn't care that it was pouring as she made a beeline to the car. Jensen did have the sense to turn on the engine so all she had to do was jump in and pull out. It didn't help the fact that they felt panic and were ready to shout at her and demand if there was anything that they needed to do. Jared did say, "Get the door open."
Jensen leaned over and opened the door to the car. He shoved it open and prayed that she didn't get mad that the door was getting rained on. He shot a look at Jared that said it was on him if she got mad at them. He looked at the windshield as he saw something in the doorway and figured that something was going to chase her. He was going to say something when something was shoved in his face.
"Here, hold this," Angela said as she got into the car.
Jensen juggled what it was, trying not to be put out by the fact that it almost jabbed him in the face. He managed to get out, "What the…"
"Just hold it," Angela's voice cut him off as the car shifted gear.
"Hey…"
It was a surprise to see her pull out a gun and stick it out the door and aimed it towards the house. She let off a couple of shots, forcing whoever it was to back up and seek cover. It also bought her time to shut the door and put the car into gear. The next thing the boys knew, they were peeling away and sending mud flying.
Neither of the boys said much since they were holding onto dear life as the car bounced along the road away from the house. They both decided it was prudent not to say anything since it was clear that Angela was busy with driving. It was a good thing too, since it became evident they were being chased when something hit the rear of the car.
"You wanna play that way?"
The car gained speed even though it didn't seem to be a good idea with all the rain. Yet, both of them decided it was best not to tell her that. They were rewarded when she said, "Just hang on. I know a few tricks. We'll lose them."
They didn't know whether to laugh or what. They did look at each other since it seemed so out of place that she said that. They just remained quiet as she maneuvered the car down the road and onto the highway. Surprisingly, or miraculously, it was empty since she seemed to think it was a good idea to be on the wrong side of the road at times.
After a couple more hits, Jensen couldn't help but ask, "What the hell did you do to get them to chase you?"
"Just the usual. Refusing to play nice because they were only interested in trying to find something that should remain hidden," Angela replied as she made a maneuver that caused the car chasing them to spin out and go off the road.
Jared turned to watch the car spin out and slide off to the side. The car looked like it was going to tip, but it didn't. It did come to a stop, probably stalled. It was hard to see in the pouring rain, but he could tell that they weren't being chased further. "Looks like we're clear."
"Good. Then we can go back." Jensen relaxed a little.
"No. We can't."
Both of them looked at her. It was Jared that asked, "Why not?"
"Because they will try to ambush us there."
"Then where do we go?"
"Lucky for you two," she said, "I know plenty of places and how to stay hidden. Even in plain sight."
It was sort of comforting that she said that, but not completely reassuring. They were in a strange place with a person that was a type of thing that was only real in movies and television and they were being chased by someone and it had to do with the thing that was in Jensen's lap. It was a picnic compared to the fact that back home the most exciting thing they did was get through an entire scene without getting at each other's throats.
Jared was the first to speak after the brief moment of silence, "So uh… where are we going?"
"Right now, the back roads. I know a place, a roadside tavern that we can catch a breath or two. I need to make a phone call."
"Why don't you use your phone?"
"Not that kind of call."
"Can you at least tell us what was so important? Why this is so important?" Jensen held up the thing in his lap.
The silence was unnerving at first and both thought she wasn't going to answer. Certainly within her right and neither of them wanted to press. She did scare them that much, or rather intimidated them. They didn't realize she was trying to find the words so they didn't freak out more than necessary. Finally, she said, "It was what I was asked to get as a favor to someone. It's a weapon of sorts."
"Weapon."
"More like a hand of God."
A/N: So Angie goes to collect the weapon and ends up in a position that demands she show Chalikar. Stay tuned for more French Solution...
