Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7

Chapter 9: The Siege at the Fort, Part 1

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

I was in the mess hall as I saw several members of the Hunter Corps finishing up their breakfast just in time to hear a briefing about what happened. The news about the Executive Division coming here to destroy the fort was very damning indeed as I walked towards the window and noticed an Order of Letters ship approaching towards the clearing. It was a different ship as I saw that it came from the Medical Corps of all groups, for they were on business to help with the effort of helping out with the fort. When I ran outside towards the clearing, I saw Reuben emerging out of the ship as he was dressed in arctic gear the moment he was busy surveying the fort, for he had a job to do just as much as I did.

"It seems that you buried the hatchet after all," he said.

"This place may have been my worst nightmare, but there are a few good points here and there," I said. "Still, we got word that the Executive Division is coming and is ready to attack the fort."

"We got word from Rajeesh and his squad in the Hunter Corps, but they have problems of their own at present."

"It's the Red Inquisition, isn't it?"

"On the sidelines, those religious crackpots have been a nuisance to the domed cities in which they even force vulnerable people to celibacy against their will stemming from forced castrations and sterilization to death threats. All the same, they want purity in the ranks of their twisted agenda and it's not pretty."

"Reuben…, the Red Inquisition are doing more than just harming people who do nothing wrong. What they're doing for a long time has been committing genocide on the Draaza." Reuben gasps in shock as I began to harbor an anger to the ones who were causing trouble for me. "When I got there on the Doohan, I saw many Draaza changed and malformed into Askradi due to what the Red Inquisition was doing to them by forcing them to be celibate, especially when it comes to their mating and breeding stages. Remember the Yock Island ruins on Stohess? There was no one there in which I heard proof about how the founder of the Medical Corps fell to his tragic end. They are literally condemning a wayward species to death by all means possible in which there are a few Draaza left in this galaxy."

"Kazuo's gonna have a field day with this one..."

"And that's not all… Their religious mission invokes all those things that even God condemns, but their other goal is to do one thing and that is releasing Lucifer from his prison and force me to become his vessel."

"This is the Apocalypse in the Elder Days all over again, but far worse. Still, Torune Mitani's magic into sealing the Devil in his cage remains intact, but from what I heard from Ginryu, Torune's spells to keep him in his prison have started to show their age." Reuben shows me a shard that was made from a smooth obsidian as it had Elven and Enochian writing on it. "This was found at the Order's main headquarters on Alecrast after it was destroyed. While you and your family were under house arrest, I decided to do some digging and came across what was left of what I found. It also turns out that the real reason why the Executive Division came in and destroyed the Order's main headquarters on Alecrast is to terminate the four binding seals that Torune made and this shard is part of one of them."

I took the obsidian shard from Reuben's hand as I looked at it directly. The raw power that surged within me caused the shard to glow as it showed me images of the fierce battle between Torune Mitani and Lucifer in Kanto Village on Alecrast centuries ago. What I saw was that Lucifer was causing panic in the streets until he crossed the line to face off against Torune, who was fuming with revenge to stop him. Just as I was about to see more of that battle, I returned to reality as I gave Reuben back the shard that he found. The images of that battle between Torune and Lucifer filtered my brain as I saw the Elven and Enochian writing clearly the moment they vanished for now. It was something that opened my eyes as I was more than likely to be facing off against both the Executive Division and the Red Inquisition directly, for they wanted me to suffer both ways: either be a lightning rod for Project Amaterasu or be forced to become Lucifer's vessel. In the end of it all, I didn't want anything to do with being possessed by the Devil himself in which I wanted to distance myself from my past self's sins that he atoned for.

"They are coming," I said in the Elven language.

"What are you talking about?" asked Reuben in the Elvish tongue.

We heard the gates opening up as we saw several soldiers who lived here in the fort returning the moment they were carting one of the wounded in a stretcher. Reuben had a feeling that there would be trouble as he rushed towards the group and began to examine the wounded soldier who took the full brunt of it. I also ran forward to see who was wounded as it was none other than a familiar face who had been shot due to the bullet wounds he sustained. It was Yoshou as he was suffering from his injuries that he had as he was in dire need of medical attention.

"Take it easy, we'll treat the wounds as fast as we can," said Reuben as he got out his medical kit.

"They came out of nowhere…," said Yoshou as he was starting to go into shock.

"Hold still, Yoshou," I said as I was concerned about his condition.

"Sam? Is that you? What's with the silver hair?"

"We need to get him to the infirmary wing before he bleeds to death," said Reuben as he got out a scanner to examine Yoshou's body. "There are bullets still lodged into him."

"I'll take them out of the body," I said.

"He needs emergency surgery, Sam. Your raw power isn't exactly the cure-all we all expect from you right now."

I used my raw power to shift the bullets from Yoshou's body as they were being taken out slowly one by one. By the time I got the last bullet out, Reuben was on hand to clean Yoshou's wounds as he bandaged them up the moment he ushered the soldiers to bring him inside. It was an effort that I had to pull as I didn't want another denizen of the fort dying on me right now, for this was my form of forgiveness for the cruelty I endured from Sylvanus many years ago.

"You saved him just now," said Reuben.

"It was a trick that I used just to carefully remove the bullets from the wounded soldier," I said.

"It's a miracle that you helped him or else he would've been dead by now."

"You gotta see the news!" yelled Anaira as he rushed out of the main house.

We followed Anaira as we went into one of the lounge rooms where was saw a huge screen television set broadcasting the news. Images of the Executive Division filled the airwaves as there was no end to stopping them in their bloody campaign of winning the war in the Second Galvanic Uprising so far. All three of us were looking at what was happening as the images of a certain breed of killing machine showed up in a mining colony not too long ago, for there was no end to such madness like that.

"Today's tragic turn in the Livni tradarium mining colony on Gehenna has shocked the galaxy when a group of merciless robots from centuries ago did this awful deed," said a newscaster on television. "In such a tragedy like this, thirty-eight people were confirmed dead and an additional hundred and twenty-six were wounded after seeing a group of robots firing their guns and stealing most of the tradarium that was once abundant in that mine. According to one of the witnesses who saw the incident, the name of the robots go by one name brand alone and that is none other than the Ketch robots."

I stared at the footage of the infamous machines from the Old Guard as they were like the robots who attacked the train to shut down the factory on Drakonus. The sight of them being there was a grim reminder of such toil coming from the Executive Division as they were more than just merciless in their battle against the Order and those who fought alongside with it. They were out for not only for abusing my raw power, but to take control of the galaxy for their own desires in their moment of conquest. Still, I was caught in the middle of this ongoing war as I had no other choice but to fight it out the rest of the way, for it was about to get ugly on the horizon…

Liesel was in an Executive Division ship as she entered out of it the moment she saw the Ketch robots returning with the spoils from their routine attack. The carts of tradarium were more than enough to make one richer than normal as they were being carted into the ship for purchase to the highest bidder. Liesel wanted the mineral to power up any form of machine as she was waiting for the right moment to get rid of me due to my meddling to destroy the Executive Division's cruel plans. When she was about to return to her ship, she saw Cain standing in front of her as he was ready to give her a stern warning, for he still wanted to pound Ailnoth a new one already.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" yelled Liesel as she drew out her gun.

"Your new toys did away with a mining colony who bore no grudge or ill will towards you, only to have them slaughtered while you and your robots plunder what they have for those who wanted quick cash for what was there to mine for."

"Get away from my ship!"

"I may be known as the Father of Murder, but your arrogance into causing havoc onto others runs rampant since the deaths of your handlers, Tobias Wetzel and Julilla Paxton. Sooner or later, I will find the true instigator of this ongoing war and this time, I will end him. You know who I'm talking about and he's still hiding in the shadows without a moment's hesitation."

Liesel fired a shot into Cain's arm as he fell to his knees. Still, she didn't want him to interfere as she was ready to kill him out of anger. Just as she was about to finish him off, she saw him get up and began to lift her up with his telekinesis while pinning her to the outside door to her ship. He wasn't about to let her go lightly as he was there to give her a warning of his own, for this wasn't about to go away lightly.

"You listen to me further, daughter of the test tube," he said. "Your handler will meet his demise once I find him. As for your plundering of precious minerals while slaughtering those who came here first to mine them, it will cease in which you will end up facing off with the new Messiah who will stop at nothing to be part of the Destiny of Worlds as planned."

"Are you talking about Sam Winchester?! He won't last long because his raw power is a threat to us in general. We already knew what happened when General Wetzel and Julilla were lusting after him due to being their 'ultimate prize,' only to change into such malformed creatures who ended up dead! As for what those religious bastards who want him dangling to become Lucifer's vessel, they won't get what they want in which we'll find and shoot him dead!"

"If you threaten to kill the one with raw power, this galaxy will suffer the fear of eternal night and eternal winter. Make word of it or else you will see me again and don't you forget it! I heard the cries of the innocent folk you victimized, only to steal from what they were digging into."

"Do you think that anyone is innocent? Well, let me make it clear to you…, because no one is innocent!"

"Heed my warning not to pursue the Messiah or anyone else who did no harm to you or else you will pay for your life, is that clear to you?"

Cain released Liesel as he departed into parts unknown for the time being. Even though she was shaken, the sight of the Father of Murder didn't scare her as she was determined to take me out, for I was still caught in the crosshairs so far…

I went towards the infirmary wing as I walked towards Yoshou's hospital room. By the time I saw him in his bed, he was in bad shape as he had bandages all over his body. Still, he was caught in the crossfire as he also wasn't in the best condition after all that was seen earlier, for he needed to rest up before anything else happened to him. Yoshou was a complete mess as I also noticed that he was attached with an intravenous drip in his arm and some electrodes all over his body, for he was more like a guinea pig than I was at this time. When I saw him opening his eyes, he was still staring at me as he was trying hard to process the appearance that I had now, for having silver hair on my head was more complicated than what I anticipated to be. Still, I was concerned about his health and safety as I also wanted to know more about his predicament in the crossfire, for this was just the beginning of what was yet to come in this time of war on the horizon.

"Are you feeling alright, Yoshou?" I asked.

"Sam…," he said to me. "You don't look the same anymore, but you still have that jeweled sigil on your forehead even after you were banished from here three years ago."

"Don't try to talk too much; you need to get more rest."

"I saw that bitch attacking the mining colony my platoon were in… She sent in those robots who were far worse than those crackpots in red." He was shaking from shock as he was struggling to communicate with me. "Those machines that she sent in had the Aquarian Star insignia on it, which is the coat of arms to the Order of Letters. They were killing some of the miners when they plundered that mine and got away. As for that bitch with no morals, she was wanting to hoard the tradarium that was plundered out of the mine, only to sell it for profit to make more of those… infernal things!"

"Did she have a name?"

"Her name is Liesel Eichenberg and she once served the Alecrian Army alongside Tobias Wetzel and Julilla Paxton; both deceased. Her twin brother leads a horde of robots and artificial soulless humanoids that were once crafted by the late Darbus Toller of all people, but they've been on a power trip during this war that the Executive Division started up. For the record, both she and her brother aren't like the other two, for they want you dead."

I remembered the Ketch robots that were sent by Lorne and Liesel clearly as they were a threat to all of us in this time of war. The train incident on Drakonus a month ago was a reminder of how the newest leaders of the Executive Division will stop at nothing to keep me from ascending to my true calling in the end. Still, I had to go forward as I also had my duty to fulfill into making sure that my old comrades were safe from harm. When I left the infirmary wing, I noticed Reuben approaching as he was concerned about something other than the situation that was going on all over Gehenna, for there was a very personal problem that went overlooked on the sly.

"We need to talk, Sam," he said to me.

"If it's about Yoshou's condition, he's improving after what he endured," I said.

"This isn't about what happened to Yoshou that bothers me, it's about you."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"You know what is going on. For a while, your mental state hasn't had any problems, but you can't get away from them."

"There's nothing wrong with me, Reuben. And for the record, you should focus on the wounded who suffered from our enemies, not on me as a whole."

"And what about your latest hallucination, Sam? He is looking forward to strike without warning in which he is similar to our brother's past self when Metatron took him out and later became a demon, only to be cured. Even though Dean's still training soldiers on Shiganshina, the imprint of his past self all dressed in a red shirt with his eyes flashing black is a wake-up call to what's yet to come."

"Who told you this?"

"I was the one who told him, Sam," said a familiar polydactyl cat as she came from the vent. "After dealing with General Wetzel, you changed your appearance like a leopard changes its spots, but you can't hide from your inner demons forever."

It was Pamela as she skittered towards me. Still, she was concerned about me just as much as Reuben was as she was there to deliver a warning towards me, for I had to hear it anyway. Still, even though I had my prior engagements to fulfill with the duties I was tasked for, I also had to deal with the dangers of my mental state as it was also something that couldn't be ignored right now, for it was a problem for me from the start.

"It's about time that I caught up to you, but you can't just keep your mental state buried forever, Sam," said Pamela. "Old lady Sybil's been having visions in which your brother's past self during his demon days will end up harming you on the sly if not dealt carefully."

"I first got wind of what is known as Demon Dean or the Deanmon after I destroyed the Sol-2. He was taunting me for a bit, only for my brother to cancel him out for the time being."

"It's a good timing on his part, but that form of hallucination won't stay buried forever. Your mental state needs not only the good things in your life, but all the bad ones as well. This fort was nothing but hell for you in which you had no other choice but to become Sylvanus' punching bag while Sawney Masbath had a ball by using him as a puppet."

I saw Pamela skittering towards the secret compartment as I followed her there. When I caught up to her, I saw her dig out a red piece of wood as it was designed like a shogi playing piece. Picking it up, I examined the runes on it as they were similar to the writings of witches from long ago. Still, I had a bad feeling that Sawney Masbath's manipulation of Sylvanus was about to hit a snag as I was fearing the most in this time of my life, for it was about to get ugly later on.

"You're looking at one of the control runes that Sawney Masbath had in his possession and it actually belonged to none other than Rowena MacLeod of all people," said Pamela.

"Where did you find this?" I asked.

"It was in Sawney's private collection the moment he got tossed to Belbe Citadel on this planet. It also seems that he was busy dabbling into witchcraft just to keep his victims under his manipulative control. The rune I found was transferred into Sylvanus' body for a long time for years until Severin and Sylvana got wind of trying to wriggle out of our disgraced blackmailer's magic. That was when they caught up to him, only to have him killed while on a mission to Harkonnen."

"I have mixed regrets about Sylvanus, but don't miss him right now."

"Well, you should or else you would be caught under Mara's radar again and she knows how to sic her hellhound on those who refuse to follow church doctrine in how to be a better person in the future. You can't back out on facing your worst terrors, but there are those who refuse to let you go it alone."

I set down the rune on the table as I left the secret compartment in which I saw several members of the Hunter Corps dressed in warm clothes rushing with their weapons in their hands. My worst fear was confirmed as I walked towards the window and noticed the id in Dean's image smiling while his eyes flashed a glossy black before disappearing. Rushing outside, I saw the soldiers in Hunter Corps garb rushing up towards the top of the walls of the fort as I followed to where I saw a platoon from the Executive Division approaching. They were a mixture of Darbus Toller's leftovers and the Ketch machines coming from far away as they were ready to take out the fort and kill the inhabitants that lived in it. By the time I went back inside, I returned to the hall where the secret compartment was as I saw Demon Dean standing in front of me still smiling while his eyes remained a menacing onyx. He was ready to strike as he was not about to let me go through quietly, for he was there to give me hell for no reason whatsoever.

"Surprise, Sammy; I'm here to wreck your day!" he yelled gleefully.

"Stay the hell away from me, I mean it!" I yelled.

"I'm not like Soulless Sam when he got his ass kicked in the spirit realm with the help of the departed, but I won't let you forget your reason to submit to the Executive Division… or perhaps throw yourself towards the Red Inquisition. Pious as they are, you might even wanna work with them someday."

"I will never work with those pious scum. And another thing, those religious crackpots are nothing more than pure evil who hide in the form of Christian doctrine. They even have the gall to cause more genocide on the Draaza, which are threatened to the point of extinction!"

"You better listen here, Tinkerbell!" I saw Demon Dean pull a knife as he had it pressed close to my throat. "There's a new power player in the Second Galvanic Uprising and he wants a meatsuit to walk in. And another thing, Satan's waiting, but he'll soon have you say yes to him one way or the other."

It wasn't long until I noticed a spirit ward become attached to Demon Dean in which he vanished without a trace for the time being. Turning around, I saw Reuben standing from behind as he was concerned about the impact of my mental state in which he was quick to act, for he was no stranger to dealing with what I was suffering from, for he had his reasons to curb Demon Dean's wrath for the time being.

"You're lucky that you're still living," he said.

"The Red Inquisition are coming for me," I said as I was shaking with fear.

"It's a godsend that Pamela came at the behest of Sybil, but you can't give into the demands of the latest personal id who wants you to lower your defenses."

"Lucifer is biding his time, for he will—"

Without warning, I fainted onto the floor as I was under too much mental pressure. Reuben was aware of the personal struggle that I had as he wasn't about to let me off the hook yet, for I had to face off against such toil that I had endured over the years soon enough…

Dean was returning from a training mission as he was back in the slug roe home in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina. With the increased efforts into going on missions while dealing with both family and comrades in arms, he had his work cut out for him as he entered into the living room where he saw Magda sitting on the couch with Silas latched onto one of her breasts. He also noticed Dahlia and Mizuki in their playpen as they were climbing out of there until he caught them in his arms. Even though the girls were about to go into their terrible two stage, they were no match for Dean's efforts as he couldn't get enough of them, for they were part of his family after all.

"You're in a good mood," said Magda as she finishing up nursing Silas.

"After going on a rigorous exercise with some of the locals, we can't just shirk our duties after what those asshats from the Executive Division are trying to do," said Dean.

"Yesterday, Shion came here, but she also wants us to get the lead out when it comes to seeing reports about those robots in the enemy's ranks."

"If you think that that her lectures are bad, dealing with Quintus is far worse. The guy's a seasoned veteran, but he's also no stranger to dealing with those soulless Ken and Barbie dolls that crawl all over just to do the bidding of the Executive Division."

Without warning, Dean heard footsteps approaching as he set the girls down back in their playpen. When he went towards the front door, he opened it up as he was expecting company for no reason whatsoever until he would soon answer the call. To his surprise, he saw Quintus standing in front of him as he was there to observe things in Shion's stead. Even though he wasn't thrilled to seeing the seasoned veteran of the Order here, but there was something wrong in which he was most likely to answer what was going on so far.

"Your timing's bad, Quintus," he said.

"There's been an incident on Gehenna in which a fort is under attack," he answered.

"What?" Dean was stunned to hear the shocking news as he had a gut feeling that something awful was about to occur. "Did the Executive Division send in their plastic grunts to topple it?"

"Liesel has sent in a mixture of Darbus Toller's soulless dolls and some of the Ketch robots who nearly destroyed the Order's main headquarters on Drakonus a few weeks ago. And for the record, both she and her test tube twin brother, Lorne, don't have any intentions to use Sam for his raw power, but they want to kill him as well. They viewed him as a constant threat after the deaths of their former comrades, Tobias Wetzel and Julilla Paxton. In the end of it all, both Liesel and Lorne want Sam eliminated in order to pursue their goal into subjugating the galaxy to the will of the Executive Division itself."

"And you want me to go there to Gehenna, which is far away?"

"Sam is over there at the fort. Does that of all things ring a bell to you?"

"Sam can hold his own in this time of war 'cause I have my own priorities to consider in the form of my squad and the locals who live all over in the Dabb Mountains. There's already too much on my plate and Sam can handle himself when he's over there on Gehenna"

"And what will happen when the Executive Division's new leaders track him down just to kill him if there's no backup? Talk some sense, Dean!"

"Sam may be a handful, but I can't abandon my duty to my squad right now. I'm needed for them and I can't be in two places at—"

At that moment, Quintus punched Dean in the jaw as he was seething with anger. He was concerned about my safety like everyone in the Order and beyond as he also wanted to beat my brother to a pulp for his defiance. Getting up, Dean was reeling from the blow that was dealt by Quintus as he stood clear by refraining from striking back. Even though he was tasked into protecting me, he had his own squad to deal with as he also had his reasons to put the Executive Division in their place in this ongoing war. Still, he wasn't about to escape Quintus' wrath so readily as he was in the doghouse, for me as a main priority was the most important in this time of crisis right now.

"How dare you throw your brother out to the wolves like that?" yelled Quintus as he was itching to punch Dean again. "The Executive Division isn't the only threat that wants to dangle him to their whim to the point of misery!"

"I can't go the fort right now 'cause of the fact that we have missions to shut down the Executive Division here and other places," he said as he was touching at his jaw.

"According to what Shion told me, you once lived at that frozen palace on Gehenna with your brother since your father's death, only for the two of you to excell in different fields while graduating at the top of your class. You played the 'good soldier,' Dean, while your brother was being pushed to the brink of falling under the cracks! He was nothing more than a servant while you played the part of what you were placed in! As I also recall, didn't you go up against a giant Wendigo once, only to kill it three years ago in that fort on Gehenna?!"

Dean remembered that incident as he never forgot how he was nearly devoured by the giant Wendigo who caused destruction in the fort three years ago. The sight of it being destroyed by a grenade launcher and rounds were more than enough to have him worried for my safety, but he was caught in a bind due to the duty that he had to uphold. When he outside to follow Quintus, he was greeted by a woman dressed in black while wearing a navy beret on her head. Removing it, the woman was none other than a High Elf with burgundy hair and purple eyes in which she was also a part of the Mitani Clan as well, for she had duties just as much as Dean did.

"Dean Winchester in the flesh," she said to him. "I had a gut feeling that you would be shirking your duties to protect Reiko's spouse while juggling with your own priorities with your group."

"Rie Mitani," he said as he saw her touch at his face the moment she healed it. "I had a feeling that you would show up here, but your timing is bad."

"Seriously, Quintus, did you have to punch him like that? He knows that he can't be in two places at once right now."

"And what about Sam? He is in grave danger not only against the Executive Division, but a religious cult who are hell-bent on letting Lucifer out of his prison," he said. "The only thing that is needed in their sick agenda is to force the new god to become the Devil's vessel."

"It reminds me of the events of Swan Song that I read, only to see the Sam of old sacrificing himself to keep Lucifer contained. I also read the report while I went back to my homestead on Alecrast in which a familiar denizen of Gehenna's in the hot seat after he pegged a Red Inquisition shooter. Still, he's been targeted by both the Red Inquisition and the Black Dragon Guild, but he's been put on Essos for safety reasons. Therefore, Reiko and the rest of my siblings aren't the only ones who are blessed with my late mom's power, for I will be there to help Sam in your stead. I'll make sure that he stays save because he should also pay attention to Grandpa's teaching right now. He may be gone, but his spirit won't forget in which he will do his best to get Sam out of that rut sooner or later."

Dean was elated that Rie was there to do the grunt work in his place as he saw an angelic aura coarsing all over her body. Like Reiko and Shigeru, the High Elven soldier was blessed with her Nephilim mother's abilities as she vanished without a trace, for she had work to do right now…

I was in my old room as I was newly cleaned and dressed after suffering a strain on my mental state due to the presence of Demon Dean earlier. Sitting up, I saw the fire in the fireplace roaring as I remembered that familiar sight from all those years of being in the fort on this frozen wasteland of a planet. To my surprise, I noticed Pamela on the bed as she was curled up until she woke up to see me alert, for I was in far more danger than I had anticipated. Even though I held my own for a while, I had no other choice but to cave into my basket of helicopter parents in such a time of crisis, for there would be danger lurking on the sidelines so far.

"You're awake," said Pamela as she was looking at me.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"You were out for two days in which the id in the form of Demon Dean wore you out, which is far worse than Soulless Sam."

"What?!" I was ready to get out of bed until I saw Pamela kneading her paws into the quilt I huddled up in. "I fainted after I saw Demon Dean?!"

"Don't even try to get up yet, Sam. If you did, then you'll be hearing from Reuben and he'll get pissed off if he sees you out of bed."

"Coming through! Official business, please!"

I heard the commotion from the hall as I got up out of bed to see what was going on while I grabbed the quilt that was on my bed the moment Pamela got off of it. To my surprise, I noticed yet another one of Reiko's siblings, who turned out to be Rie, coming here as she was dressed in arctic gear while she wore her navy beret on her head. Even though I barely knew her, I had a feeling that she would be a proverbial ally in this ongoing war, for the battle was already out there in full force so far.

"It's a godsend that you're safe, Sam," she said.

"Rie…," I said. "How did you get here?"

"Dean's got his hands full, but I decided to come here in his stead. He even got clocked by Quintus after he told him that he had his responsibilities to his squad on Shiganshina."

"Dean always once told me that I can hold my own, but I also have to protect the fort."

"Sam, wait!"

I rushed out even further into the hall as I looked out the window to see some of my former comrades staving off against the intruders who were threatening to compromise the fort. Rushing further outside with my bare feet, I saw some of the servants fleeing the chaos as the soldiers in the fort were ushering them to safety. Luckily, I spotted some boots that I put on as I noticed the danger that was up close to the fort. I was seeing the chaos up close as I later noticed Nibori approaching in the distance. What she didn't expect was that the Ketch robots were scaling up the walls in which she was in for a rude awakening. She never saw anything like it before as she got out her laser rifle and shot at one of them the moment it fell to the ground. Seeing another Ketch robot spotting her, it was ready to attack until I intervened by using my raw power to destroy it, for I had to do something before it was too late.

"Thanks for the backup," said Nibori.

"Don't mention it," I said.

"There's more climbing up the fort walls." Nibori spots two more Ketch robots on top while spotting some soldiers shooting at them with no avail. "They look like Cybermen from an ancient television show from the Elder Days, but they're a lot worse."

"I've seen them before. What we're seeing now are known as the Ketch machines. They were originally crafted from the Old Guard, but they turned on their masters at the hands of a war criminal known as Taren Capel, who has been entombed in his prison on Gethos for many centuries."

"Taren Capel?"

"His likeness in the form of those machines have made them more merciless by targeting humanoids instead of monsters, which made the Old Guard shut down the Ketch Initiative. I've seen some of those robots trying to attack me on a mission to shut down a factory on Drakonus once, but their presence with Darbus Toller's artificial dolls fighting to be the Executive Division's grunts. Still, they will always be a threat just like their masters in the end because of the—"

BOOM!

An explosion shook the fort walls as we saw a tank rushing from the gates. The soldiers were overwhelmed by its might as they were also fleeing from the fire that rained from its gun nozzle while destroying more of the fort's infrastructure in its wake. It was a massacre from the tank as I gathered up Nibori and fled to the interior part where we found the secret place where the icy pool once stood until it was drained. With a plan set into motion, we were ready to bring everyone to safety as there wasn't any time left, for there was a sanctuary below that no one else knew about.

"We have to get the servants and the invalids to safety," I said.

"That tank was a wake-up call, but it's hell-bent on destroying this place," said Nibori.

"Then all hope is lost..."

"Hey! There's plenty of room down there!" yelled Dvora as she was leading the scared civilians and soldiers to safety. "Looks like your find will do, but you better hurry!"

"The tank and those robots are closing in fast," said Nibori. "We need to protect the civilians first."

"We're on it, but Castiel's up there hiding in plain sight just to peg off those tin cans. The Executive Division is coming closer, but slowly moving."

"We have to get the lead out before we all become fodder for those scum! Let's hurry it up, people!"

We saw our comrades and civilians fleeing to the underground trail as they rushed into the underground trail from below. Even though we led them downward to the secret from within, we saw every last civilian and servant fleeing into the underground as my group was the last to enter before we sealed it shut. By the time we got to the temple and the underground place, we were safe as we did our duty to protecting the people in the fort for now. Still, this was war and it showed no prejudice as I was also thankful that I protected my former comrades in the fort, for this was going too far when the Executive Division was there to destroy what didn't belong to them.

"Is everyone all safe and accounted for?" I asked.

"Castiel elected to stay behind," said Anaira as he was tending to some of the wounded.

"Are you kidding me?!" yelled Dvora. "He's gone up against the Executive Division before when he got his limbs chopped off until he got prosthetics!"

"He'll be fine," said Rie as she was bringing some of the wounded to safety. "Cass is no stranger to being fallen in and out of battle, but he bounces back when the chips are down. He was even saved once from the brink of death of Jack Kline, who happens to be the bastard son of Lucifer; talk about 'daddy issues...'"

I was worried for Castiel's safety as I wanted to get back out there to find him. Just when I was about to get up there, I heard the sound of a vidphone vibrating in which I dug into my nightclothes pocket to find it. By the time I answered it, I had a gut feeling that there would be repercussions coming as I was fearing for the lives and safety of those I grew up with, for they were the only priority to be protected right now.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Hello, Sam," said Liesel over the phone. "It seems that you're there for the red wedding in the fort. Anyway, you're literally screwed because we're here to rain on your parade and you're gonna be the one who will end up bleeding to death."

"You're Liesel, aren't you? From the sound of it, you're just another pawn of the Executive Division while causing widespread havoc here on this frozen planet."

"Your petty little angel friend is out there causing havoc of his own on me and the toys that I brought in! Therefore, I had a run-in with that prick with the cybernetic hand who turns out to be none other than the Father of Murder himself."

"You ran into Cain, didn't you?"

"He said that there would be a reckoning if I attacked you, but I don't really care. You're a threat to us in the Executive Division and you will be weeded out, but I've got those idiots dressed in red telling that they want you alive while I wanna to see you dropping dead!"

"You won't get to us because of the fact that there will be a reckoning that will bring you down in the end."

"What reckoning? There will be yours in the end in which I can piss off those wingnuts in red and do you know what they wanna do with you?"

"They want me alive just to become Lucifer's vessel, plain and simple. For the record, you won't get far, for we won't let you cause harm to the innocent."

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion from above shook the infrastructure as it also had little effect due to how tough the underground was from below. We were safe for the time being, but we weren't out of the woods yet as the worst was yet to come. Shaken, I wanted to go out there as I was concerned about Castiel's safety, for he would soon be in grave danger in the form of Liesel's arsenal from above. Hanging up and putting away the vidphone in my hand, I was worried as I left the underground place in order to join the fight, for I couldn't leave my angelic friend hanging in this battle so far…

To be continued…