Chapter 9

The Worshipful Master was sitting in his chair in the main office of his business. He had been waiting for an update from the brothers. Even though young Tercelli nearly screwed up his careful planning, it helped out in the end since the brat now had a sprained ankle and was on crutches. It would be easy to grab him and proceed to get what they had worked so hard to get.

Sir, you have a visitor.

"Let him in Lucille," the Master replied through his intercom. He sat up hiding the anticipation he felt as his man entered. He said, "Glad you can make it Bob. Tell me did you get it?"

The man Bob stood at an at ease position, a remnant of his days serving in the army. He was still feeling the sting of his defeat at the hands of the order and those two yahoos that interfered. Still he had to give the report. He replied, "We spotted them leaving the center of town. We called in to the police and they backed up and we went into pursuit. Took pit maneuvers on the back roads to drive them off the road. Attempted to ram to keep the doors jammed."

"Did you get them?" The Master was a little impatient with the rambling but Bob was good at his job and always gave thorough reports.

"There was interference," Bob replied. "A black car pit maneuvered us and put itself between us and the target."

"I thought you were clear to attempt this?" The Master stood up with a dangerous look in his eyes. He got the feeling that what he was about to hear wasn't going to be to his liking.

"We were. They must have been the ones that young Tercelli mentioned pulled the kid out of the way yesterday. We got out and started to fire. We hit both and were going after the kids but then they showed up." Bob stayed in his at ease position but was away that he might be in trouble. He would take it though. He was a soldier and he could take pain like a man.

The Master was upset at the failure but he couldn't blame Bob for that since the guys in the black car interfered. He replied, "I expected the order to show up but those two. They were trouble the minute they showed up. You said you hit them both?"

"Yes sir. One in the side and the other in the arm. I am guessing that they are brothers since one was anxious about the other. I've had partners and I've never seen a reaction like that between them as I would between brothers." Bob relaxed a little. Perhaps he might be redeemed by giving this bit of information. True the brotherhood had one more enemy to deal with if they survived being in the company of the order but they would succeed.

"Interesting," the Master replied as he paced about his office. "You left them there I presume?"

"Yes sir. We have our orders," Bob replied.

The Master then began to chuckle. He was aware that with the recent murders and the one to occur tomorrow night after the game had put the order on edge and possibly a little paranoid. They would not be kind to the two that interfered even if they were bleeding. He said, "Well we might have our little problem taken care of since they are at the mercy of the order and they would be suspicious now of everyone and everything."

"Then that bodes well for us then sir?"

"Indeed."

Mr. Taylor is here to see you, sir.

The Master replied over the com, "Send him in."

Bob stood at attention not showing his displeasure at being in the same room as Taylor. He always thought Taylor was the brown nosing type for he had certainly seen him fawning over the Master when they were in their private sessions. He ignored Taylor as he walked in and said, "I have a report sir."

The Master was well aware of the dislike these two had for each other but they were both good in their own way which was why he kept them around. They both knew that as well. Still it was fun to watch them growl and posture like a pair of pompous roosters. He replied, "So was Hardman what we suspected?"

Taylor replied, "Yes sir. It's surprising that he managed to maintain his cover for so long."

"Well the order covers all angles as far as the brat is concerned. It would make sense that they place one in the places he would be at. Possibly a tail guard too," the Master contemplated as he paced a bit. He knew the order was that good. They had been doing this for over two millennia but that didn't mean they didn't have any weaknesses. "Taylor you did a good job here and the brotherhood is proud of you."

"I do what I can sir and I am to please."

The Master grinned at the brown nosing. It was amusing to watch. "So what did you do with him?"

Taylor was happy that he had gotten the Master's favor that he didn't expect the question to come out. He asked, "What?"

"What did you do with Hardman?"

Taylor suddenly felt very uncomfortable and he was aware that Bob was giving a smug smile. He didn't know that Bob didn't exactly complete his mission either but that wasn't evident. Taylor wondered if this was the end since he might as well have failed the brotherhood. He swallowed slightly and replied, "Well, we caught him and we took him to the field to do what you ordered, teach him a lesson. We were doing that but…"

"But what?"

"But…"

"You didn't kill him did you?" Bob asked in a straight voice. He didn't show how pleased he was to have Taylor in an uncomfortable position.

The Master picked up on that and asked, "Did you take care of him or not?"

Taylor stuttered slightly before finally getting out, "We were going to kill him when we were interrupted."

"What do you mean interrupted?" The Master had a feeling that they just got another problem put on their plates. He eyed Taylor with an inquisitive look that meant he wasn't going to tolerate any funny business.

Taylor and Bob both recognized the look and inwardly they cringed. Bob though was glad that it wasn't directed at him like it was before Taylor walked in. Taylor swallowed knowing that what he was on the spot. "Like I said, we were about to kill him when this woman walked up and started poking around."

The Master stopped. A woman was there? As far as he knew the order consisted mostly of men to defend the brat. Women were primarily the priests of the order, unless there was a third outsider interfering. He asked, "I assume you took care of it?"

"Actually…" Taylor started playing with his fingers. He felt ashamed now as he said, "She killed Wright."

"She killed Wright?"

Taylor gave a slight nod and continued to play with his fingers. He couldn't look the master in the eye. "With a cell phone."

Bob nearly choked on his laughter at the ridiculousness of the answer. The Master looked at Taylor as if he had grown a second head. He asked, "A cell phone?"

Taylor nodded, "Hit him right between the eyes and she took out my other men. They're pretty beat up."

The Master knew exactly what had happened. His men had run away. Something about this woman scared the crap out of them. He said in a mocking tone, "And you ran away didn't you?"

Taylor knew he was screwed. He saw no way out of this one and decided to tell the Master everything. He might even be merciful in his punishment. He continued, "Sir, this woman was not of the order and she is not like any woman that I know of that can fight. Was I wrong to leave sir?"

The Master thought about it some. This new person was something strange and different. If the order did change their rules, they may be in for some rough times. Then again this didn't start until the ones that Bob reported about came into town. What if all three came in at the same time? That meant that they were not with the order but more likely hunters. The Master scowled. He hated hunters since they were always poking their noses into things that they shouldn't. "Let me ask the both of you, did you ever see these people before yesterday?"

"No sir," both replied at the same time.

The Master nodded, "Just as I thought. It looks like we have some hunters in town."

"Will that upset our plans, sir?" Bob asked, "If so, I can put some of our men on them and make sure they are driven out of town."

The Master drew into a thoughtful gaze. This could work to their advantage. If they made it so that the hunters drew out the brat and the order, they may be able to complete their plans after all. He said, "No. This might work. If the order doesn't kill them first and recruits them, then we can follow them and still be able to get the brat."

Taylor relaxed a little. It seemed that he wasn't going to get punished for his failures this time around. He glanced at Bob who wasn't showing anything. He watched while the Master formulated his plan. "What do you want us to do sir?"

The Master looked at his two best men. He knew it would piss them off but between the two of them, they should be able to pull it off. He gave a wry smile and said, "Well…"

Alex was surprised when Dean pulled him away from Nebi and punched him. In the years he had trained with Nebi, never once had he seen a punch get through the stoic man's guard. He didn't know if Nebi was shocked or annoyed but he did know that the punch Dean threw was trouble and it came when more of Nebi's men came in. He pulled Kelly and Mason behind him and pushed them out of the way of the Winchester brothers and Nebi's men.

Alex recognized that Nebi was getting into his fight to the death mode and he shouted, "Nebi stop!"

It was almost too late when Nebi's men pulled out their guns. Alex pulled Kelly and Mason down to the ground and threw his body over theirs as soon as he saw the first gun. However there was no gunfire but rather the sound of yells and a door slammed open. Alex looked up and saw that Nebi's men had been flung aside and standing there was the woman Angela and she looked pissed.

Nebi was quick on the recovery and was on his feet and had pulled out a silver bar and was facing Angela. Alex knew that when Nebi pulled out his nightstick, he meant business no matter what anyone said. He couldn't help but scream, "Nebi, stop!"

Nebi though wasn't listening as he circled the woman who had burst into his holding area and taken out his best men. He could tell she was not like the two that had been detained. No matter, he would defend the young master even if he had to die for it. He narrowed his eyes as he circled and watched the woman. She had her hands up in a defensive posture and he noticed that her wrists wee bandaged. That could be an advantage and there were a few things about his staff that even his own men didn't know.

Nebi twirled his staff and then struck. He was surprised at her speed so he increased his. He managed to get a lucky shot that hit her bare forearms. He watched as he saw the red welt form and her recoil from it. When she looked at him he saw her eyes glow and he knew what she was. All he had to do was ram his staff through her. He set up again for another attack and struck again making the welt bigger.

Nebi stepped up the attack until he had her on the ground. He raised his staff ready to run her through when he was grabbed and given a punch to the face. He released the stick and it clambered to the ground as he fell to the ground. He was jumped upon by one of his detainees; the one with the bandage around his arm.

"What is going on?"

Angela didn't hear any more when she saw the Winchesters being attacked by those strange men. She reacted and charged in ready to do some major brawling. She let loose her powers and sent the goons flying, careful to avoid hurting the kids and the Winchesters. It was then she was challenged by the supposed leader, the one the boy called Nebi.

She had seen the silver staff and reacted as she would when fighting fist to fist. She held her hands up and palms open, ready to defend herself. The guy was fast but she was faster and avoided the first few strike attempts. When he speeded up, it became a challenge and he got a blow in.

Technically she blocked it but the burn was too much to bear and she jumped back. She realized that this guy knew his stuff. She cast a quick glance and saw the bandage on Dean's arm and the bloodstain on Sam's shirt and she wondered if this guy did anything to them and stepped up her attack. Unfortunately she got hit again in the same spot and the sting was unbearable. It lowered her defense and she was knocked on her back and the guy was standing over her.

A look at the guy told her exactly what he was going to do to her. It was this time that she wished she had Absolution in her hands. She knew there was nothing she could do if that staff went through her. She tensed her muscles, ready to jump and spring away but the strike never came. Of all people it was Dean that grabbed the guy and gave him the 1-2 punch.

Sam picked up the staff and held it up ready to swing at any advancing enemy. It was then the woman Miriam came in and demanded, "What's going on?"

To Angela, it seemed as if everything had stopped while the guy Nebi and his men stopped and stood up. She took a breath of relief and took the hand that Sam offered her. She stood up and made a feeble attempt at hiding the welt, but it was unsuccessful.

Sam still held the staff when he helped Angela to her feet. He was busy taking care of a few of that Nebi guy's men who managed to recover and were coming after him and Dean when she was knocked over and about to be stabbed. It was Dean that was the closest but Sam had spotted it. All he had to do was call out to his brother and Dean responded. Sam grabbed the staff and used it to hit a few of the guys away until that woman came in.

It was apparent that she was in charge for the guys that had attacked them stopped and stood at some form of attention. He went to help Angela up when he noticed her wrists and the welt on her forearm. He refused to let her arm go and took a look at them. He asked, "What happened?"

Angela tried to tug her arm away since the staff was a little too close for comfort. She pointed at it and said, "That did this."

Sam frowned as he looked at the staff and the welt. He wasn't sure why it happened since Angela could handle silver with no problems as well as salt and iron. He couldn't get why this thing would cause a welt like a burn. Then it occurred to him that it could have been cursed to cause damage to Shadow Chasers and he quickly dropped it on the ground. He asked, "Is it serious?"

Angela looked at it. It was already starting to heal but it would sting for a while. "No. It'll be gone by tomorrow. What about you and Dean?"

"They were trying to harm the young master," the guy named Nebi advanced.

"That's not true!" Alex came out of hiding with Kelly and Mason in tow. He stood defiantly facing Nebi. "They saved my life… twice!" He held up two fingers to emphasize.

Nebi was about to say something but was held back. "Hold your tongue Nebi," Miriam interjected. She walked over and said, "All of you except Nebi return to your posts."

The men left as ordered. Miriam watched them leave and said, "I apologize to all three of you. With the way things are for us, we have to be careful about the people we meet."

"Sound advice but I would think you would at least give some concern for injured parties," Dean grumbled. He rubbed his sore arm as he indicated to Alex, "The kid here was the only one who bothered along with his friends."

Miriam nodded as she gave a stern look to Nebi who stood saying nothing. She looked at Alex and his friends who looked all right despite what they had been through and the three hunters standing together. "Again I apologize. Nebi takes security very seriously. You know that quite well Alex."

"Yeah and he was acting like a douche when I asked for his help," Alex retorted.

"You know the orders young master. All are suspect until cleared," Nebi said.

"Quit calling me that Nebi and it still is unacceptable," Alex glared at the man who was a friend and a mentor. "You taught me that when a person is injured, you do everything in your power to help them. Was that all a lie or what?"

Nebi sighed and began to explain as he would a child, "You must understand that not all people are going to be your friends. These three, especially the woman are strangers and they had to be investigated."

"And does that mean letting them bleed to death?"

"They weren't in any danger," Nebi replied.

"Yeah right," Alex retorted and marched on his bad ankle to where the bowl was and picked it up. He marched right back and pulled out one of the bullets and held it up for Nebi to see. He then said, "This was lodged in Sam here and he was bleeding out. Unless you intended to give blood for a transfusion, then I would have thought you intended to let him die."

Miriam glanced at the large bloodstain on Sam's shirt and Alex. She noticed the restraint the shorter man was using when he heard that Sam would have bled out. Angela was staring at Nebi with a blank stare. She asked, "Is this true Nebi?"

"I follow my orders and do my duty."

Alex scoffed. Miriam tried to soothe him but he stomped off followed by his friends. She then dismissed Nebi stating that she would speak to him later. She said, "Again I apologize. If you wish I can see to your release."

Angela saw that Dean was still seething at the fact that they might have let Sam die. She motioned for them to set back and replied, "That would be acceptable."

Miriam nodded. "Perhaps you will think about what I said?"

"Maybe," Angela replied, "Now if you don't mind, I will stay here and we can take the kids home. Their parents might be worried."

Miriam refrained from stating that they would do it. She realized that these three were not out to harm the heir. In fact they had done a better job of protection than they had these past two days. Perhaps something could be worked out but that would have to be requested when they didn't feel threatened. Perhaps coming from the boy's parents would provide some leverage as well. She replied, "That will be fine. I'll see to it that your car is ready to go. Oh and we found your rental so it is here too."

"Thanks. Just give us a few," Angela replied.

Miriam nodded and left the group alone in the holding area. Once she was gone it seemed as a big sigh of relief passed through the whole group. It allowed Angela to check the dressings on the boys. She had to admit that she was impressed with the work. She walked over to where Alex was sitting with his friends. The girl made room for her to sit beside Alex so Angela took the invitation and sat down. She said, "You did a nice job with the dressings."

"Thanks."

Angela gave a kind smile, "You know I understand where your friend Nebi is coming from and I understand where you are coming from."

"You think so."

Angela ignored the dry tone that sounded rude. She understood well and replied," I do. I once had a friend who did the same thing Nebi did. We didn't handle it so well either but I forgave him."

"Nebi taught me what I know…"

Angela nodded, "I see. It does feel like betrayal."

"I take it you know about that too."

"Both sides."

At that moment as Alex was going to reply, a cell phone began ringing. Angela heard it clearly and recognized it as being hers. The sound was coming from Dean's jacket pocket and she went to the source and put her hand in it to retrieve it. "Angie could you not do that?" Dean looked at her as she dug through his pocket.

"Sorry," Angela replied as she pulled out the phone. She clicked it open and answered, "Bobby?" She listened to the hunter give a spiel about calling and getting her voicemail or checking it and returning phone calls. She calmed him down, aware that she was being stared at by everyone in the room. She asked if he had anything. When the hunter gave the affirmative she said, "Okay Bobby. I'm going to put you on speaker. Sam and Dean are with me."

She put the phone on speaker and said, "You're a go Bobby."

The hunter's voice sounded loud and clear as he said, "I did some checking on that picture you sent me. That symbol is a coat of arms for a very old group."

"Isn't that usually the case Bobby?" Dean asked.

"You wanna hear this or not idjit?"

Angela intervened, "Tell us. What was on that medallion?"

Bobby grumbled a bit before he continued, "That particular coat of arms is for the Order of Melchizedek."

A/N: Well that was an interesting turn of events. And Bobby comes in with an answer in his usual manner. Have the tables turned for better or worse on the Winchesters? Find out next time on The ORder of Melchizedek...