Chapter 3

Castiel wasn't given a chance to agree. His guards marched him to the left and he was able to look around where he was. There was a large central hall, and hallways leading off it left, right, and center. An open second story was above, but they turned away from the stairs and down the hallway. Oswald, Kristi, and Riley stuck with him and Castiel noted that all of them looked a lot like each other. It was fully possible that they were family, but his surroundings distracted him from pondering that further.

The building was a hive of activity. People moving here, there, and everywhere. Doors opening and closing. There was a loudspeaker overhead announcing "...arrival of Guest 1128 dash B5, advancing down west corridor. All personnel are to remain alert and render aid if needed." Since they were in the western hallway, Castiel supposed that the loudspeaker must be talking about him. It was a little disheartening to hear himself described in such a fashion, but he supposed that was how they did things.

They reached a large glass sliding door bearing the legend, INFIRMARY, and his guards led him through it. There was a sitting area to the left, exam rooms on the right, and he was marched right to the back, through two more sets of sliding doors. The second had to be buzzed open, and both Oswald and Kristi had to use keycards to open the door. All of this security was making him rather nervous. It was like going down a rabbit hole with no idea of whether you'd ever get out.

"Dr. Wallace?" Oswald called.

"Here," a man in a white coat said, pushing aside a curtain. He wore glasses and a stethoscope. "So, this is our new one?"

"His name is Cas," Kristi said helpfully. "He's a bit of a brat."

Cas gave her what Dean and Sam called his 'bitchface.' He'd had enough of her snide little comments and attitude. "When you talk about yourself, don't attach my name to it."

Riley grinned and clapped him on the back. "Thank you, man! Aw, that made my day!"

Kristi bristled and looked ready to start shouting, but Oswald forestalled any further arguments. "Must we bicker, children?"

Kristi stalked away and dropped into an office chair, her entire being radiating indignation. He could hear her muttering under her breath about barbequed wings.

Dr. Wallace ignored the whole thing and focused his attention on Cas. "So, do you prefer 'Mr. Cas' or just 'Cas'?"

Castiel looked the doctor up and down. He did not appear unkind. "Cas is fine." He looked at Mr. Thompson. "Why am I here?"

"All of our guests get a check-up when they arrive," Oswald said with a smile. "I'm interested in seeing how yours turns out."

"I do not consent for this," Cas said immediately, and he returned his attention to Dr. Wallace. "As a doctor, you need my consent to examine me, don't you?"

"If we were in a regular hospital, yes," Dr. Wallace confirmed. "However, we're at Central's main base. The government doesn't even realize we're here, so unfortunately, the laws governing consent don't apply here."

"What about your Hippocratic Oath?"

Dr. Wallace gave him a warm smile. "I'm not worried about it, and you shouldn't be, either. Now, I'd like this to go as easily as possible for all of us, so please do as I ask you, and you'll be out of here in no time, hmm?"

Cas reflected that Dr. Wallace was just as bad as Kristi. His guards left after removing the chains from his wrists (thankfully Kristi, Riley, and Oswald all left with them), and all that was left on him were the manacles. Two very large orderlies appeared to take the places of his guards and to help Dr. Wallace put Cas through his exam.

It was extremely unpleasant. He was made to remove his trenchcoat, his jacket, his tie, and his shirt and undershirt, as well as his trousers, socks, and shoes. He was weighed, his limbs, torso, neck, and head measured, and put through a series of physical exercises that measured his range of motion and his strength. Photographs were taken of him, front and back, standing with his arms out to his side and his feet apart. More were taken with his wings against his back, stretched to the side, and lifted. Close-up photos were taken of the scars on his body and the one tattoo Jimmy had had done on his abdomen. X-rays followed of his entire body and his wings, and ultrasounds of his internal organs. An MRI was done of his brain, and he was thankful that silver was only weakly magnetic and fortunately, the fillings in his teeth made no difference. He'd seen a show on television once about someone who'd had a lot of metal in his body that had to get an MRI and the experience had looked very unpleasant.

After the MRI came...samples. The inside of his cheek was swabbed, a sample of his hair and saliva taken, and then several tubes of blood. A bandage was placed over the collection site and Dr. Wallace replaced his gloves with clean ones. "Cas is an interesting name," he said, turning to look at Castiel. "How did you get it?"

"Dean and Sam gave it to me," Cas answered. It was true. Everyone before them had called him Castiel.

"And why did they call you Cas?"

Cas smiled as a memory came back to him and he knew what to tell Dr. Wallace. He'd been in the car with Sam and Dean and the Mamas and the Papas had come on the radio, and he'd told them that he liked the sound of Mama Cass' voice. "I liked hearing Mama Cass sing, so they called me Cas."

"I see," Dr. Wallace said, picking something up from a tray and approaching Cas. "Now, could you hold your right arm out for me?"

Cas immediately felt cautious. "Another blood sample?"

"No, I need to take a skin sample. It will hurt, but if it's any comfort, the sample I take will help advance humanity's understanding of angels."

With one fluid move, Cas knocked the two orderlies away and sent Dr. Wallace head over heels. He was off the gurney and headed toward the door a split second later. He blasted through the glass and headed toward the next set of doors as an alarm started blaring. He was almost there when something hit him from behind and knocked him down. Pain shot through his back as they landed on his wings and pinned them down, and then four other orderlies arrived, dogpiling on top of him.

"Now, really, Cas, that wasn't necessary," Dr. Wallace said as the orderlies got him to his feet. "Where did you think you could go?"

Castiel fought to move. He managed to shift a few inches away, but that was it. There were too many people holding him where he was. "I don't want you to do this!"

"A little pinch and then it'll all be over," Dr. Wallace promised as one of the orderlies moved so the doctor could reach Cas' arm. He took hold of Cas' wrist and shifted so he could pin Cas' arm between his side and his elbow.

A cold swab against his skin, the sharp smell of alcohol, and Castiel felt the scalpel slice into his flesh. He flinched in pain and he could feel the blood welling up from the cut. He hissed as the scalpel cut deeper and made a noise deep in his throat.

"Shh-shh-shh-sshhh, you're almost done," Dr. Wallace soothed as Cas tried to pull away. "Just a second more. A little bit more...that's it." So saying, he slipped the sample into a petri dish and another orderly took it away. "All done. You did very well."

Cas glared at him. "Screw you." He felt at least two orderlies jerk in surprise at that, but they recovered quickly and led him back to the gurney. He was laid down on his back and he was put in restraints, on his wrists and his ankles. Dr. Wallace turned to bandage the incision site, but it was already healed over, the scar fading into nothing.

"Incredible," he breathed, putting the supplies aside and picking up a magnifying glass. He held it over the site and examined it. "Do you always heal this quickly?"

Cas stayed quiet.

Dr. Wallace took a photo of the site and smiled at Cas. "I think this is the start of a fascinating relationship."

"I'm not available," Cas snapped.

Dr. Wallace just chuckled and patted Cas on the head for that. He fetched a blanket for Cas so he could stay warm, and then took a seat beside Cas and started asking questions. Any serious illnesses or injuries? How did his body manifest illness? What symptoms could they expect? Was regular exercise required? What about sustenance?

Castiel lost his patience quickly. Dr. Wallace was trying to sound like a friendly doctor doing a routine checkup and it was all just really a forced torture and question session. It was best if Castiel told him just the basics that would ensure he would at least have the chance of escaping later. "I require exercise and sunlight daily. I do not eat. My past injuries and illnesses are none of your business."

Dr. Wallace gave him a long look. "A patient should be honest and forthright with his doctor, Cas."

"You're not my doctor."

"As long as you're here, I'll be your doctor," Dr. Wallace answered lightly. "If you don't feel like talking right now, we can talk later when you're ready. If you'll agree to behave, you can get dressed and then the orderlies will take you to your quarters. I'm sure that you'd like some time to relax and settle in."

"That would be nice," Cas admitted. He was tired of being in the infirmary with all its discomfort and endless questions.

With four orderlies and Dr. Wallace watching him, Cas pulled on his clothes. He tried not to wince as he saw the tears that his wings had made in the back of his coat. He did not know what spell had been used or how it had forced his wings into corporeal form, but he was very interested in finding out just how and where they'd learned it. Carefully, he pulled on his coat, his wings slipping through the tears without catching, and he settled it on his shoulders, feeling more like himself.

One of the orderlies radioed someone and escorts arrived for Cas. Without a word, they slipped the spelled chains back onto his wrists. More were wrapped around his arms, chest, and wings and he was led away. As they walked, Cas looked carefully at the bindings. One of the sigils invoked fatigue, which was probably why he was suddenly so tired. Clearly, they didn't want him to have the energy to fight back. Once more, he wondered where they'd learned what they knew.

He was led out of the infirmary, down the hall, and into an elevator. One of his guards swiped a keycard through a reader and Cas heard machinery hum as soon as the doors closed. The ride, though, was confusing. He couldn't tell if they were moving up or down. After a minute, the doors opened and he was led down another hall, buzzed through two doors, down another hall, and into a room.

"Here we are," one of his escorts told him. "You should be comfortable here."

Cas had expected a bare room with perhaps a cot and a toilet, like a jail cell. Instead, he was looking at a very comfortable room. There was a double bed with a mound of pillows and a plush comforter. There were rugs on the floor, a table and chairs, a bookshelf full of books with an easy chair and a lamp in front of it, a desk and chair, and an entertainment center. An open door led to the bathroom, and Cas could see both a large bathtub and a sizable shower stall.

"There should be everything you need, but if there's something missing, be sure to let us know," the escort told him. "Also, if you want something, let us know, and if it's something we can provide, we'll do our best to get it for you."

Cas looked around the room, more than confused. "Why so many comforts? I'm a prisoner here, aren't I?"

"You may not be allowed to leave, but that doesn't mean we have to be cruel. We generally find that our guests are happier and healthier when we see to their comfort. You wouldn't be an exception just because you're an angel. If anything, we want you to like us, at least a little bit."

"I'm a kidnapping victim," Cas reminded him. "That might be a little difficult under the circumstances."

"Well, we can be understanding," the escort said. "There is a guard on duty, twenty-four seven. If you need anything, ask him. The button beside the door will allow you to call him. Now, we were told you don't eat, but do you drink? Do you require water or anything else?"

Cas thought about cool water going down his throat. He didn't need to drink water, but occasionally, it felt nice to drink it. "Drinking water would be nice, thank you."

"Okay, we'll get that for you. In the morning at nine o'clock, one of our psychologists will be coming to talk with you. Until then, you can do as you like."

Cas was confused. "Why would a psychologist come to talk with me?"

"We weren't told why, but ten to one, they'd like to get an idea of how you think and what your personality's like," he said as the escorts began to take the chains off him. "Now, how familiar are you with human technology?"

Cas looked at him and had to fight down a smile. He lived with Sam and Dean. Of course he would know how to use technology by now. "I know how to work Netflix, and I'm sure I can figure out anything else on the entertainment center."

"Great," the escort said with a grin. "The last person we brought in didn't even know television existed, and when we explained the Internet, he just got confused."

Cas felt rather sorry for the poor guy. Also, they brought him in? Was he another "guest?" "How did he take to the helicopter?"

Two of the escorts grinned at him. "He didn't understand at all, but he's been educating himself."

"He's still here?" Suddenly, Cas wanted to meet this person. It would be nice to meet someone who could relate to the confusion he'd experienced with the human world.

"Still here. Maybe someday you'll meet him. If there's nothing else you need, we'll get that water and leave you to relax."

"Thank you." During the conversation, Cas had been sneaking little glances around the room, and in each of the corners and on the door he spotted sigils made of silver. Combined, they meant weakening and containing. There was no way he could break out of the room using brute strength. He would have to wait until he was taken out. The escorts left, and Cas found himself alone. What was he going to do?


"If it weren't so dang cold, I would say that we're at a real beach," Dean said, looking around at their surroundings. He could hardly see anything in the dark, but as soon as they'd arrived, they wanted to get a look at the last place Cas had been. "Look, there's sand, something like surf…"

"Uh-huh," Sam said, looking at a map. "Except it's forty-two degrees."

"Why do we gotta get caught in a cold snap?" Dean complained. "Okay, we've got Cas' location from his cell, and if he's not on an island or a boat, he's...out in the water. Can angels become mermaids?"

"I think we'd've known before now if Cas was able to do that," Sam pointed out. "What I'm thinking is that there's an island out there that isn't on modern maps. All we have to do is find it."

"Well, yeah," Dean agreed. "Question is, how?"

"There's a few methods I'm thinking of," Sam said, his nose an inch from the map. The flashlight he held wasn't helping much. "One, we could get a boat and search that way. It would take us a while, though. The second would be to…" He stopped and looked up as a helicopter passed by overhead.

Dean followed his gaze and then looked at his brother. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Uh-uh. One, it's flying. There's a reason I drive everywhere. Two, do either of us know how to fly it? I'm pretty sure that if we get a pilot and tell him we have to go rescue a kidnapped angel from a secret island, he's gonna call county mental health as soon as he can!"

"Do you see another option?"

Dean looked around. "Ummm…."

"My point exactly. Dean, it's Cas."

"I know it's Cas!" Dean snapped. "I'm just saying we have to be careful!"

Sam folded up the map and pulled a bag out of the Impala. "I know. We do have another possible few options. Before we left, I took a look at some of the spells that the Men of Letters had written down. I wrote down a lot of spells that I thought might be useful, and some of them are location spells. If we have something of Cas', then we can find exactly where he is, and then we could get him away. The only problem is that I have no idea if any of these spells would work."

"I don't see another option," Dean admitted after a minute. "Whaddaya got?"

Sam took out several sheets of paper from his bag and unfolded them, as well as several bags of ingredients and some bowls. "The most basic one is that we mix these powders, ignite them, and then let the smoke hit the object of the person we're looking for. It's best done at night since there will be a light showing where the person is."

"Any chance that anyone else will see that light?"

"Book didn't say."

"Great," Dean sighed. "Any other options?"

"A few," Sam said, turning over a page. "There's one where we can enchant a needle to point in the direction of the person, but it takes a couple of hours to work, and the set up is kind of complicated. Still, I think that would be better than a beacon. There's another spell that allows us to see what Cas sees and then we find him that way, but that will only work if we see something we can use as a landmark. If he's inside, then it'll be pretty useless."

"But it would work if we wanna check up on him, right?" Dean pointed out. "What about a spell that would let us talk to him? Got anything like that?"

"The only one I could find that didn't require a really elaborate set up would be this one here," Sam said, pointing. "We'd need to burn a few herbs and something that belonged to Cas, and if the person is in a relaxed state, then we can kind of slip into his head and talk to him."

Dean stared. "Any mention if any of that's been done with an angel before?"

"I doubt it anyone would have had a chance to try it," Sam confessed. "I mean, how would that have happened, and once you ask yourself that question and you consider the circumstances, do you really want to think about it?"

"Point taken," Dean agreed, looking over the spell. "Think we can do it?"

"Casting it is no problem. It's what happens once the spell starts to work that concerns me."

"Right. Is the person who casts it the one who gets to talk to Castiel?"

"Yeah."

"Then let me. He's gotta be scared out of his grapefruit by now. Demons and other angels and stuff like that he can handle, but his experience with humans is tiny in comparison. I think it'll reassure him if he talks to me."

"That 'profound bond' thing?" Sam asked with a little smile. "Okay, I can see that."

A quick run through of the spell with Sam and Dean was ready to cast it. They had all the ingredients needed plus a piece of a spare tie of Castiel's that would provide the link with him they needed. Taking his courage in both hands, he lit a match and dropped it into the spell.

Superman, Dean thought, was slow in comparison. At least, that was his impression. One second he was standing by the Impala and staring at the flaming spell, and the next he was flying through the air over the lake, and down, down...holy crap, he could see people! Firmly telling himself that he had not seen a guy sitting on the toilet, Dean tried to focus his thoughts on Cas. He was starting to wonder if the spell had somehow gone wrong when he found himself in a blank area, dark and quiet. "Cas?"

Immediately the scene changed and he was in the bunker library. "What the hell?"

"Dean?"

Dean whipped around just in time to find his arms full of angel. "Cas! Aw, man, you okay?"

"How are you here?" Cas asked, sounding stressed. "This is my head, isn't it?"

"Spell that'll allow us talk mind to mind," Dean explained. "Sam found it. You okay? Tell me if you're okay or not, we don't know how long it will last."

"I'm all right for the time being," Cas said at last. "They gave me a physical exam that I didn't enjoy, and then they took me to my room, and since then I've been trying to relax. It's not working too well."

"How are they keeping you where you are?" Dean knew from experience there were only a few things that could imprison an angel.

"Silver sigils in my room, and the manacles they put on me," Cas sighed. "I would really love to learn how they know what they know, but I doubt they'll tell me."

"At least you're okay," Dean said, clapping his friend on the back. "Cas, can you tell us if you saw anything that could help us find you? A landmark, anything like that?"

Cas thought back to the helicopter ride. "No, not really. I was blindfolded. I could hear things, though. There was a bell ringing in time with the movement of the water, and there was some electricity buzzing somewhere nearby when we landed. I think we're on an island."

"That's what Sam figured. Can you give us an idea of the shape of the building?"

"They didn't take the blindfold off until after we were inside. I can tell you that it's a two-story building, with a central wing, a wing that extends behind it, and a wing to the east and the west. The helicopter landed near it and I didn't hear it take off again, so there must be someplace for them to store it. They have a whole block where they keep...specimens, I suppose you'd call us. I didn't see any of them, though. They brought me straight to my room and locked me in."

"Have they hurt you?"

"Not to be cruel," Cas said after a moment's hesitation. "Most of it was...well, examining me. There was some of it that hurt."

Dean was about to ask for an exact list of everything that had happened to Cas and who had inflicted it, but a sudden tug in his mind made him realize that the spell was fading. "Listen, Cas, I don't have long. Sam and I are coming for you, so you just have to keep yourself safe until we can reach you. Can you do that for us?"

"Yes," Cas said, giving Dean another hug before he faded. It was more for his comfort than for Dean's, but if it comforted his friend, then so much the better.

"All right. Keep your eyes and ears open. We're…"

A reverse of his flight before, and he was lying on the ground next to the Impala, Sam tapping his face.

"Dean? Dean!"

"I'm okay," Dean said blearily, feeling his stomach complain at what he'd just put it through. "I'm good, Sammy. What happened?"

"One second you're staring into the bowl where the spell was burning, and the next thing, you collapsed. Did you talk to Cas? How is he?"

Dean shakily got to his feet and and swallowed a few times. Then, he darted into the nearest bushes and was sick. When he emerged from the bushes, Sam handed him a bottle of water and some tissues.

"Thanks," Dean said once he'd used both. "I talked to Cas, and aside from a physical exam that sucked and being locked up, they haven't hurt him. He's scared, though, and he wasn't able to tell me that much. It's a big building with a couple of wings, and he could hear a bell ringing in time with the movement of the water and some electricity buzzing. That's it."

"Well, it's more than we had before," Sam sighed. "I'm sure we can figure something out. You okay?"

"Let's just say I'm regretting having dinner," Dean said after a moment. He looked out over the lake and sighed. "Do you think we'd have better luck during the daytime?"

"Most likely," Sam agreed. "Bright and early?"

"Oh, yeah. Let's be nice and give these guys one last peaceful night. Tomorrow, they're going to have a couple of pissed-off Winchesters on their hands, and may they rest in peace."