CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Shifter Part One

"So what's it like, being an FBI guy?" The Jewelry store clerk purred, leaning her elbows on the glass counter top as she gazed up at Dean who was completely decked out in a cheap suit.

The eldest demon grinned, giving off a flirtatious vibe as he rested his arm on the same counter, closing the small distance between the two of them. "Well it's dangerous." He began, laying it on thick. "And the secrets we've gotta keep. God the secrets." He looked up as if in thought, shaking his head slightly before turning his attention back to the brunette. "But mostly it's, it's lonely." He finished, trying to come off as remorseful.

"I so know what you mean." The clerk whose nametag read Frannie practically gushed.

Jo tried to ignore the demon's disgusting flirting as she and Ellen interviewed the manager who had some helpful information.

"And that's when she took his gun?" Ellen questioned, her brows furrowed in concentration as she listened to the manager's story.

The middle-aged man shook his head, looking horrified. "She shot him in the face. I heard him die. Over the phone. He had called me." He relayed, referring to the night watchman.

"She killed herself?" Dean questioned Frannie, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Well, the cops said she dropped a hair dryer in the bath and fried herself." She paused, looking innocent in every way of the word possible. "They should know right?"

The eldest demon tried to hide his scoff as he straightened. "Yeah, well thanks Frannie. I think that's all I needed."

The clerk grabbed his arms softly, a playful smile playing at her lips. "Are you sure? Because I've got more. You know," She looked around coyly as she leaned in closer to him to whisper. "If you wanted to interview me in private sometime?"

Although Dean wanted nothing more than to say 'hell yeah', he knew Jo and her mother wouldn't approve.

"So you never actually saw the security camera footage yourself?" The blonde hunter asked, pulling the manager's attention away from Ellen to her.

"No, the police, they took all the tapes." He relented, looking irritated.

"Yeah, of course they did." Dean said disdainfully as he approached. He clapped Jo on the shoulder, waving Frannie's number at her with mischief shining in his eyes.

…

"Fucking cops." Ellen muttered under her breath, riding in the backseat of the Impala while the eldest demon drove rather recklessly. He gave her a funny look in the mirror, surprised at her potty mouth.

"They're just doing their job, Mom." Jo pointed out from her seat in the passenger side.

Ellen laughed bitterly, her voice obviously annoyed. "No, they're doing our job. They just don't know it." Rolling her eyes, she glanced at her daughter who had a printed off article in her lap. "Jo, what did you find out about this bank?"

Dean pulled off to the side of the road, parking in front of a ramshackle house that needed some major work. As the group got out, still dressed in their FBI business wear, they all pulled out their fake badges.

"Uh, it was hit about a month ago. Same M.O. as the jewelry store." She trailed off, skimming the article quickly as they grew closer to the house. "This guy Resnick, he was the only security guard on duty." She quickly folded up the article and shoved it into her pocket, ascending the concrete steps.

"Mr. Resnick? Ronald Resnick?" Dean called as he banged on the screen door impatiently. He had begun knocking once more when a bright light flooded their visions, the three shielding their eyes.

"Son of a bitch." The demon muttered as a short, plump man walked up to the door warily.

The man who they assumed was Ronald peered at them with suspicion. "Who are you?"

"FBI, Mr. Resnick." Ellen clarified as they all presented their badges to the man.

Ronald squinted at the badges carefully through the screen, still cautious of the group. "I already gave my statement to the police."

"Yes, we just had a few questions about you're statement." Jo said as she smiled, trying to seem likable.

The security guard looked taken aback, surprised. "You read it and still want to talk to me?"

"Sure do." Ellen answered, her tone pleasant although Dean could tell in her posture she was losing her patience.

"Well, come on in!" He said excitedly, opening the door and leading them through his messy home into a cluttered room. As they walked in, they took in the walls completely covered in alien pictures and various conspiracy theory posters.

"This guys crazy." Dean whispered to Jo, earning an elbow jabbed into his side as she walked in front of him with a small smirk.

"None of the cops ever called me back. Not after I told them what was really going on." He began as he took a seat, gesturing for them to do the same.

The girls sat precariously on the couch, Dean situating himself on the arm of it, just imaging all the germs that probably covered it. "So you uh," The demon started, feeling uncomfortable by Ronald's intense gaze. "You let Mr. Morales into the back after hours, right?" He asked, referring to the man who had committed the murder.

"Yeah, I mean Juan and I normally played cards whenever I had the nightshift. But, the thing I let into the bank… wasn't Juan." Ronald stood up, his tone becoming urgent as he begged the three with his eyes to believe him. "I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't his face. Uh, every detail was perfect, but too perfect, you know? Like if a doll maker made it, like I was talking to uh a big," He stopped, searching for the words. "Like a big Juan-doll." He finished.

Dean sat there, trying to choke down the snide comment that was on the tip of his tongue, thankfully getting saved by Ellen chiming in. "A Juan-doll?" She asked doubtfully.

"Look, this wasn't the only time this happened. Okay?" Ronald stood up, stifling through his desk for a folder, finally finding it and handing it to Jo. "There was this jewelry store, too. And the cops and you guys won't see it!" Jo flipped through the folder, shocked by all the work this normal guy had done. "Both crimes were pulled by the same thing." Ronald concluded, his tone excited.

"And what was that, Mr. Resnick?" Ellen asked, sounding bored.

The security guard returned to his desk, turning back around holding a copy of the magazine Fourteen Times with the headline 'Birth of the Cyberman.' "Chinese have been working on 'em for years. Part man, part machine. Like the terminator. But the kind that can change itself to look like other people."

Dean smirked, looking amused. "Like the one from T2."

"Exactly!" Ronald agreed, smiling broadly. "See, so not just a robot, more of a…. a mandroid."

"And how do you know for sure?" Jo questioned, handing the folder back to the security guard.

Ronald held up one finger, rushing over to the VHS player and inserting a tape. "See, I made copies of all the security tapes before the cops got them and buried them." The demon nodded, understanding the strategy behind his move. "Now watch." He ordered, as the tape began to play. The group watched, definitely seeing the way Juan's eyes had a light-flare. "See? He's got the laser eyes! That is not no damn camera flare."

Ronald continued, showing them a bunch of evidence, where he thinks the thing is hold up, and how the crimes are grouped together. Dean nodded, looking impressed while Ellen had a mask of all business plastered to her face.

"Mr. Resnick," The brunette began, standing up to where she was looking directly in Ronald's eyes. "Listen to me, there is no such thing as Mandroids. It's just a camera flare. I'm sorry, but it's the truth." Ellen lied causing Dean and Jo to look at her, startled that she didn't tell the guy the truth.

"Get the hell out of my house!" Ronald ordered, regretting trusting the three.

Ellen looked calm, not too bothered by the demand. "First things first."

…

"I mean that has got to be the kicker." Dean started as he plopped down on the hard motel room mattress. He adjusted his blue button-up sleeve, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I mean, you tell that poor son of a bitch that…" He stopped, trying to remember. "What did you say? Remand the tapes that he copied? Classified evidence of an ongoing investigation?" The demon laughed, remembering the look of utter hatred that Ronald had shot Ellen. "That's messed up."

The brunette shook her head as she sat down at the creaky table to watch the tape again more closely. "It had to be done. That man did not need to know about the supernatural, he's better off bein' left in the dark."

"I mean, come on, you could've at least thrown the poor bastard a bone. He did some pretty good legwork here." Dean noted as he looked at the file of all the evidence Ronald had gathered, pulling out a map of the city.

"Mandroid?" Jo asked, slightly amused at just the idea.

Dean shrugged, still chuckling to himself. "Except the mandroid part. I liked him, he's not that different from you guys. People probably think you guys are crazy." The demon argued, not yet ready to classify himself as one of them, as a hunter.

"Yeah well, he ain't a hunter, which means it's our job to keep him safe and not tellin' him what this thing really is." Ellen said firmly, freezing the tape on the frame with Juan's eyes lit up. Jo walked over to the demon, snatching the map from his hands as she sat down at the table to get to work.

"What exactly is this thing?" The middle Winchester asked, wishing he didn't feel so clueless about this stuff.

Ellen walked over to him, flipping through a worn journal she had brought with them. "This belongs to your daddy. This has everything he knows about the supernatural in it. And this," She pointed to a specific page and heading. "This is a shape shifter which is what I'm guessin' we're dealin' with."

Dean took the journal, studying the page and many others with curiosity while the brunette hunter sat back down, watching what her daughter was doing.

It didn't take the two hunters long to figure out what exactly the shifter's route was and for them to have a heading. After reluctantly putting his father's journal down on the bed, Dean grabbed his keys off the counter and headed outside with the girls.

….

Bobby set his scotch glass down on his worn table with a clank, wishing he could find a better way to try and drown out Sam's screams coming from the panic room. Checking his watch tiredly, the old hunter was surprised to see it had been going on for three hours straight.

"Dean, stop, please!"

Bobby stood up and fetched more whiskey from the kitchen counter before plopping back down and pouring himself another drink with a long sigh. He wiped a rough hand down his face, wishing he had a distraction.

"Help! Somebody! Help me!"

The shrill sound of Bobby's cell phone ringing gave the old hunter the relief he needed as he flipped it open to accept the call, not even caring to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" He answered, his exhaustion seeping into his tone.

"Bobby?" Ellen asked with worry, not liking the sound of the hunter on the other end.

Bobby smiled to himself, taking a sip before replying. "How's the case goin'? Figure anything out?"

"Yeah, it's a shifter. Should be easy. We'll be back in the next two days." There was silence on the other end of the call and Bobby could hear the faint sound of the eldest demon speaking in the background. "How's Sam?" She finally finished, obviously the question coming from Dean instead of the brunette.

"He's-" The baseball capped hunter got cut off by another plea for help coming from the basement. "He's alright. Getting there."

"Well, take care of him. Yourself too, try not to drink yourself to death." With that, Ellen hung up.

Bobby shut his phone, his gaze lifting as John walked into the room, red eyed and pale.

"Any updates?" The elder Winchester questioned, his voice gruff as he came and joined his friend at the table.

Bobby smiled weakly, not wanting to involve John with the hunt that was going on involving his eldest son. So instead, he told him the one thing that might actually help someone. "Go check on your son."

….

"Ruby, I think Dean may need some motivation." Crowley stated, rocking back and forth in his office chair with a thoughtful expression.

The blonde demon laughed bitterly, setting down the tiny glass sculpture of the King's head back on the desk with disgust. "If by motivation you mean a pack of hounds, then I agree."

"Dean doesn't respond to fear." Meg chimed in from her position leaning against the china cabinet. "If he did, he'd be down here already."

"So what do you recommend then, pet?" Crowley asked, waiting expectantly.

Meg shrugged casually, straightening and walking over to be more active in the conversation. "We give him reasons not to wait. I can get him down here." She concluded confidently, earning doubtful looks from the other two demons in the room.

Crowley sighed, wishing he had a better plan than to let the brunette go to try to work some magic. Begrudgingly, the King saw no other option and waved his hand in a gesture of 'go for it'.

With something resembling a malicious grin, Meg walked out the door with a spring in her step.

….

TBC

Because this chapter was just getting super long, it's being split into two parts. Thanks for reading and reviewing it means a lot! Please continue doing what you're doing. It motivates me to update sooner. Let me know what you guys are thinking, what you want to see more of, do you like hunts this detailed, constructive criticism, people or quotes you want to see, just anything you want to leave me with. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed!