SUBDUCTION

DEAN–

The next few days were just driving, the American countryside flying by fast when he's at the wheel, faster still when Bobby is, and edging closer to the actual speed limit when Sam takes over. It took them close to a full 24 hours to make it to Nevada from South Dakota and now they were in the car again. Dean supposes he should be sick of driving, but that never happens. In fact he had missed driving almost as much as he missed Sam the year he was with Lisa. When he had admitted that to her, she planned a long road trip for them. After he spent a long hot day in Lisa's car with her and Ben he realized that the driving and Sam were kind of a package deal.

He had his eyes trained on the road as they started the climb out of Reno, but his attention was on his brother. Sam was in the backseat, having given up his usual spot to Bobby, engrossed in his new toy. While Sam and Bobby had been at the morgue checking out the body of the victim, Dean had put in some very profitable time at a poker table at Harrahs. Passing a gift shop on his way out of the casino he saw a shiny new iPad and knowing Sam had been intrigued by the gizmo that hit the market while he was in the pit, he'd plunked down some cash for a top of the line model with all the bells and whistles. Watching the intense look on his brother's face as he got to know the new device made him feel better than he had in a long time.

"Bobby, did Rufus say if it matters what the purpose of creating this thing..." Sam didn't get the rest of his words out before Dean interrupted.

"Shit monster Sammy. Not a thing, a shit monster."

"Dean we've been over this. It's a golem and just because horse manure is part of the mixture that's animated doesn't mean it's a...a..."

"Shit, Sammy. You've been to hell so I think you can say shit." Dean regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Granted the only sign that Sam noticed or cared that his brother had mentioned his stay down below was a slight tightening of his shoulders. "Well whatever you call it, it's going to be dangerous. Get this. A hundred and sixty years ago a bunch of miners are killed in a mine. Obviously that's not real unusual during that time, but stories spread that they were killed by a monster created by a guy from Eastern Europe that he had created with magic to do all the dangerous work for the miners."

"Yeah great plan until the incantation turns on the incantor just like it always does. Idjits messin' around with things they don't understand," grumbled Bobby.

"Well, the authorities just called it another cave in and left it at that. Enough of those guys made it out alive to pass on the story and unfortunately it looks like they passed on the incantation too. And I'm just worried about the why."

"What?" Dean asked.

"Why." Sam responded, fingers still tapping at the glass pad on his lap unaware he was being teased. Just like old times, Dean thought.

"What why?"

"Why these kids... Dean!" Bitchface aside, Sam didn't actually look all that angry. "What I'm saying is that the miners created the thing to help them mine. That was its reason for being. Yeah the whole thing went pear-shaped, but my guess the thing was still just doing what it was born to do. Just not in a way that was safe for anyone in that mine. But this time, well, it seems more malicious and I think that whatever the idiots created it to do, well..."

"It ain't good." Bobby finished.

"When is it ever?" Dean asked turning off of I-80 at the Farad exit.

"But I don't think it much matters why they made the damn thing. All the lore says they're evil, but dumb. Compared to that poltergeist, should be a cake walk." Hell, it wasn't even a two-man job let alone three, but they had been so close that it seemed stupid not to detour the extra hundred miles to take care of it. Sam had read about the mysterious attacks in the Sierras outside of Reno, one of which resulted in death and put that together with something he had read about in one of Bobby's many books of lore that had taken place in the same small mostly abandoned mining town of Farad, Nevada.

Dean remembered when Sam was about 8 he had become fascinated with the gold rush and kept pestering their father to take them to California so they could find gold. He only told Dean, not Dad, the part where they took the gold and bought a house and a dog and a mom. At the time Dean had yelled at Sam that you didn't buy moms and besides they already had one and she was in heaven watching over them. Sam had cried himself to sleep afterward repeating sorry, over and over.

"Sorry. You're probably right. Just worrying over nothing. The lore seems pretty clear – burn it fire and sage, then destroy the incantation scroll that's inside it. I'll just..." Dean waited for the end of the sentence, but yet again Sam just faded off. His head was down and his fingers tapping at the iPad.

BOBBY–

He's fading fast and he knows he should be using his energy to help the boys, but all he really can do is admit to himself that Sam had been right. Sam usually was when it came to this sort of thing; kid had such a sharp mind. But he hadn't trusted Sam enough to even listen, to even give a moment to think about what he was saying. And now here they were: Dean already down, Bobby fading fast, the civilian cowering against the wall behind him, and Sam standing over them fighting with everything he has. His last thought before the darkness took over was 'Boy always fights with everything he has.'

DEAN–

He had been the first to fall. The stupid thing had gone for him the second they walked into the rickety old hut. All of their intel had said that the thing would be dormant when alone; that without its creator feeding it orders it would be just be the lump of shit it actually was. But of course it wasn't alone. There was a kid, sixteen - seventeen at the most, in there with it looking terrified, shaking like a bad muffler. He was round-faced with brown hair and eyes and looked more than a little like Ben and just that moment of distraction had been enough.

He was airborne and crashing into the wall before he could think and three things happened at once. His head cracked against a wall sturdier than the shack had a right to, the can of propellant fueling his flame-thrower busted open, and he heard his brother call out to him.

"Dean!" Sam was over him, protecting him, pleading with him, but he just couldn't form an answer, couldn't keep his eyes open. And Sam looked so scared that the last thought before the darkness took over was 'Sorry Sammy."

SAM–

Two of the sage flame-throwers they had made were destroyed and the other was just out of Sam's reach, that is it was out of Sam's reach if he wanted to keep the golem from getting to Dean, Bobby and the kid. There was only one thing to do. He had to get to the flame-thrower and keep the monster's attention on him. He just didn't think he could guarantee the safety of all three of them if he left them unguarded for even the moment it took to get to the flame-thrower. He needed an idea and he needed it fast. He couldn't let his brother and Bobby down. He had to protect them, prove to them that he was so sorry for what his soulless self had done. Going over the entire thing in his head, Sam was suddenly struck with a thought. The monster had only come after them when Dean had made a move toward the kid. He connected that with what they knew about the victims so far. All of them had been relatively young and to put it bluntly bullies, with the exception of the only death. And Sam is pretty sure the dead guy had been beating his wife.

He wasn't the sort of hunter to just go with gut instinct, preferring to research a thing practically to death, but right now he had to do it and hope for the best. His whole family was depending on him. Taking in a deep breath and a giant step back he put his theory to the test.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, but it's gonna seem..." There was no time to explain and he didn't really have the words to do it. He whirled around aiming a punch at the kid, instantly garnering the monster's malevolent attention and, in move he could yet again thank John Winchester patented hunter training for, he duck rolled under it's giant arm and dived for the sage fire-thrower.

His hand curled around the propellant can just before the golem rammed him into the wall. The permanently calm face of the thing belayed the ferocity of the attack. Holding the thing off with all of his strength, Sam let his eyes dart to Dean for just a split second. Blood was seeping from somewhere on his head creating a vivid red halo. And Sam knew there was no time, no time to think or deliberate.

Sam looked at his arm holding the thing back. He tried again with a last rush of adrenaline to push it back but it didn't budge. 'Dean and Bobby are counting on me!' screamed through his mind as he pulled the trigger. The flame burst out, burning through the bundle of sage, Sam's arm, and the golem. The pain was blinding.

The only conscious witness to Sam's desperate, insane act covered his ears as both hunter and hunted screamed in unison. The golem did step back now as the fire engulfed it at an unnatural speed and it finally burst into vibrant blue-green flame, standing rigid as it crumbled apart. Sam rolled onto his arm intellect fighting against instinct to smother the flames. The act sent shockwaves of pain through him, but the flames were out.

The quiet of the cabin was only broken by Sam's heavy fast breathing and the sobs of the boy, who looked as if he might be in shock. Sam wished he could just lie there, let unconsciousness take him; let Dean take care of him, but that wasn't an option. So with a deep shuddering breath he pulled himself together and off the ground.

First he grabbed the scroll that was peeking out from the ashes of the golem and using a lighter from his pocket he set it alight while reciting the counter incantation. That done he went to his family. He checked on Bobby first. A cursory check didn't yield much except what appeared to be a broken ankle or foot. Looking around, he sees that there is plenty there he can use to make a splint, but first he needs to check on Dean.

"Dean? Dean, come on. Time to wake up." He knuckles Dean's sternum and is rewarded with his brother's soft groan. Okay, everything was going to be okay. The crying finally breaks through. "Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Uh..uh Josh." The kid looks at Sam with wide terrified eyes. "Please don't hurt me. We never meant for anyone to get hurt. Honest. I'm so so sorry." Then he is crying again, tears streaming down his young face.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I know you didn't mean for anything to happen. I know that. It's over now. But I really need your help okay. We left our car down at the head of the fire road. Do you think you can go down there and get our first aid kit?"

The tears don't stop, but Josh seems a little less scared after hearing Sam's words. He nods and makes to stand up.

"Here are the keys. Now you're going to see some stuff in the trunk that's...well pretty hardcore, but I promise I'm not a serial killer or anything. We...we...uhm...well, we do what you watched us do here today. We kill the bad things out there."

He watched the kid race out the door and slumped to the ground next to Dean, feeling lost and alone, wondering if he had messed up again. His arm was throbbing mercilessly the skin red and blistered. He remembers being so happy, so proud when Dean had told him that he understood that he needed to be treated as an equal. That he didn't need his brother to always 'looking out' for him. Right now he really wished he could just surrender to that kind of caring, but he needed to prove to himself and to his family that he could be trusted, show them how sorry he was.