SPACED:- part one of two.
Space can be a mysterious place, especially when Winchesters are involved.
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Dean deftly manoeuvred the ship until it was lined up flush with the assigned air lock, humming cheerfully as he waited for the docking clamps to secure the Impala to the space station.
He hardly had time to cut the power before Sam scooted out of the cockpit, his "See you later, Dean," trailing in the air behind him.
A smile curled Dean's full lips.
Little brother Sammy had his girl here on the station and the twenty-two year old was absolutely smitten by the beautiful Jessica Moore.
Dean still didn't understand how his shy geeky little brother had managed to enchant the perky long-legged blonde. But there it was.
Added to that was Sam's urgency to contact his tutor here on Deep Space Kansas. Although he was studying pre-law using the standard long-distance, college schooling via computer, his brother needed to check in personally at given intervals.
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Leaning back in his seat, Dean took a few minutes to relax before disembarking onto the station proper.
Deep Space Kansas was one of the bigger and busier stations in the quadrant, always crowded with traders and visitors stopping off for supplies, to buy and sell their merchandise, or simply to pick up on the latest news.
Dean wasn't fond of crowds; could be the way he was raised, just his dad and Sam as company, but the grand mass of people on the various space stations made him feel closed in and uncomfortable.
However, he wasn't going to deny himself a cool beer at Harvelle's Terra Bar.
He had friends there, and he knew he wouldn't be seeing Sammy anytime soon, so if he wanted to be clued in on the latest gossip, the bar was the place to go.
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Soon he was caught up in the mass of pedestrians milling around on the main thoroughfare which ran the length of the station and housed the commercial properties.
He pushed through the swinging doors that gave Harvelle's an old world saloon feel, and made his way to the counter.
"Dean, " Ellen smiled in greeting. "Didn't expect to see you so soon. Not that I'm complaining, mind. The place always seems to attract more patrons of the female sex when you're around."
"Well, what can I say, Ellen. I'm awesome. There are those who recognise that," Dean grinned.
"Unfortunately, Jo is among them," Ellen grunted.
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Dean held up is hands in mock-alarm. "Hey. I've never encouraged her, not once."
"I know, " Ellen acknowledged. "It's all on her side."
"Just keep that in mind," Dean replied with a grin.. "I don't want my ass whupped by her enraged mom when she moons over me!"
Ellen harrumphed. "So why are you here then?"
"Sammy was due to check in with his tutor, so we made a quick detour. If he'd had to miss out, I'd never have heard the end of it. Sam can be a real little bitch when he's pissed."
"Huh. And the blonde bombshell he's dating has nothing to do with it?"
Dean winked. "If Jessica was my girl, I'd want to see her as often as I could too! So," he continued, slipping onto a bar-stool and palming the bottle of beer Ellen plopped on the counter, "anything interesting been goin'on?"
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"Na. The station has been as quiet as the grave. Even Ash is bored. His computer keeps coming up with big round zeros. Just means he spends more time sleeping, boozing and ….uh...entertaining!"
Dean tilted his bottle. "Great life, if you can get it."
"Yeah, but I'm fond of the dude. He's good with repairs around the bar. Guess I'll keep him, warts and all."
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She paused for a second as if considering whether to speak.
"Heard anythin' from your daddy?"
Dean's features took on a stony expression. "No," he answered curtly.
Ellen sighed, inwardly cursing the fucker. How John Winchester could've taken off and abandoned his boys, she'd never understand. Just the thought of leaving Jo behind made her heart ache.
Still, she insisted. "How long's that been now?"
"A while."
Ellen desisted, she wasn't gonna get anything more out of the boy, so she changed the subject.
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"So, how's Sam doing? You're gonna have a lawyer in the family. Won't be no talking to you then, huh Winchester?"
A proud smile stamped itself on Dean's face. "Geek boy got all the brains. He's gonna make a great lawyer."
"You're no slouch in the brains department yourself, Dean," she countered. The boy was too modest!
"How long you been piloting that old bucket of yours? Since you were hardly big enough to reach the controls."
"Now look, Ellen. I can forgive a lot of things, but calling my Baby an old bucket...well I don't know I'll ever be able to pass over an insult like that."
"If I give you a couple of crates of beer at half price, will that get me back in you good books?"
"Maybe. Not promising anything," Dean grunted.
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The blaring of the station's siren and the flurry of activity which could be seen through the bar's window caused Ellen and Dean to rush to the doors.
"What the hell's goin' on now?" she grumbled.
"I dunno, " Dean replied, but his heart began to pound as he noticed the activity was concentrated near the area where the university's small campus was situated.
He broke unto a run, the college was back near the docking area, but by the time he got there it was all over.
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"Fuck!"
Lying on the ground was Jessica, her cheeks already beginning to lose their bloom, paling into the hopelessness of death.
"They took a kid, " a voice said. "There was a tall young dude with the girl. A couple of guys in masks dragged him off."
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Sammy. It could only be his brother. His gut was telling him so, and Dean relied on his instincts as much as his eyesight. But why would anyone take him? And why kill Jessica?"
Looking around in panic hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother, his eyes went to the large panoramic windows.
A small ship was leaving the station and Dean knew without doubt Sam was on it.
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His legs pumping like pistons, he ran for the Impala. There was no way he was letting the fuckers take Sam.
Sliding into his chair, Dean waited impatiently for the clamps to open. If he got away now, he'd be able to lock his tracking system onto the fleeing ship.
"Come on, baby. We gotta get Sammy back."
The flickering dot that was his target wavered before stabilizing itself on Dean's radar.
"Yatzee."
Even if it switched into hyper-warp, now that Dean had the lock, he'd still be able to follow, jumping when the unknown spaceship did.
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Just as Dean expected, his prey blinked out, but the Impala had no bother staying on her tail.
After a few jumps the ship slowed into normal space. Dean didn't have a clue where they were, he'd been too busy keeping tabs on the changes in direction.
The medium-sized planet which filled his view-screen was completely unknown to him.
He pulled back. The people who'd taken Sam were clearly making for it. He'd wait until they landed, then bring the Impala down.
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The fuckers wouldn't know what hit them. Nobody took his brother without paying a very heavy price.
The why they had, would have to wait until later. His sole purpose was getting Sammy back.
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Once on the surface, relieved that it was a class A planet with breathable air, Dean followed the indications on his hand-held device.
His search ended when he came up against a normal-looking building tucked away behind a thick copse of trees.
He shook his head in confusion. What the hell was going on?
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Creeping up to one of the windows, he glanced in. Sam was sitting on a chair his wrists tied to the armrests, a gag arounfd his mouth.
Dean felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. His instinct had been correct. Sam HAD been on the ship.
All he had to do now was take out the bastards who'd dared to kidnap him.
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He was about to turn away and look for the best way in, when one of the men came into view. There was something familiar about him and when he pulled of his mask, Dean knew why.
"Dad?"