Three slightly-built, shadowy figures stole across the roof of the old steel mill, dodging between ventilation hoods and chimneys. They came to rest in the lee of the tiny brick building that housed the door and the top of the stairs into the factory below.
Jo and Ellen both cradled sawed-off shotguns in their arms, back-up pistols stuck in the waistbands of their jeans. Amitiel carried only her sword, held in a reverse grip in her right hand. As they crouched against the wall, the angel tilted her head, her eyes distant and oddly blank.
"The men are circling around to the west side of the factory," she whispered. "There are no signs of the demons yet."
Ellen gave her a sharp look. "How do you know?" she demanded.
"Castiel told me," Amitiel replied shortly.
"Oh, don't tell me you can read minds," the older woman muttered.
"Yes, we can," Amitiel said, not catching the sarcasm in Ellen's voice. She tilted her head again. "They are entering through the window. That is our signal."
"All right," Jo said, rising to her feet and reaching for the door. "Let's go."
Amitiel was the first inside, descending the stairs with noiseless steps. Ellen and Jo covered her as they followed. The metal staircase clung to the north wall, the other side open to the main factory floor. They heard the first gunshots before they reached the bottom of the stairs, and the first demon attacked just as Amitiel reached the floor.
Ellen and Jo shot him full of rock salt over Amitiel's shoulders, and as the demon stumbled backwards, Amitiel bounded forward, bringing her sword up to slash him across the throat. Two more demons jumped out of the shadows, one of them grabbing Amitiel from behind. She flared her wings, breaking his hold, and spun around to bury her sword in his stomach, angling up to pierce his heart. As he fell, she heard Ellen and Jo hold off the other demon with rock salt rounds.
Amitiel whipped around to find the second demon but he stood just out of reach. She cocked her arm back and threw her sword into his chest. Jo bent to retrieve the weapon and handed it back to the angel. For a moment the three women waited, but no more demons made their appearance.
"The others must have taken the boys' bait," Ellen observed quietly. Amitiel nodded and indicated a direction further across the factory floor.
"Marax will no doubt be in the most secure area," she said. "We should search the back rooms while Dean, Sam, and Castiel keep the guards occupied."
Ellen took the lead this time, Jo bringing up the rear. Amitiel extended her senses as far as they would go. She could feel her brother on her periphery, blazing like a white-hot flame. Dean and Sam were near Castiel, dimmer red glows. Here and there throughout the building she could sense the demons, like patches of darkness that slipped in and out of her sight. She growled with frustration at the limits she still had to reconcile herself with.
Ellen cried out a warning as a female demon dropped down from the catwalks above. The demon landed too close for Ellen to get a shot, so the hunter whipped the but of her shotgun into the demon's jaw. The creature stumbled back far enough for Ellen to swing the shotgun around and unload a blast of rock salt into the demon's chest. That knocked the demon flat onto her back, and Ellen slammed her boot down onto the demon's throat. Amitiel dropped to one knee to drive her sword straight through the demon's heart.
The angel and the hunter exchanged approving looks and began to move on. The sounds of struggle were getting louder and more intense. Amitiel paused in mid-step, her eyes narrowing. "They need help," she said suddenly. "There were more than we expected. Jo, I am sending you to them." Before Jo could agree or disagree, Amitiel reach out and touched the young woman's forehead, transporting her directly to Castiel's side.
Ellen reached into her jacket pocket for more shells and reloaded her shotgun. "Those boys better take care of my girl," she muttered. Amitiel turned to look at her.
"I've told Castiel to get her away should things turn for the worst," she assured Ellen. Ellen nodded in satisfaction and began moving again. They passed several doors before Amitiel finally hissed to get Ellen's attention. The door she chose led to a dark hallway, and the angel took the lead as the two females crept forward, alert for any sign of movement.
It happened before Amitiel had time to react. A metal panel slammed down behind them, locking immediately into place. Ellen swore and lunged forward to test it, but Amitiel jumped away from the metal. It was covered in anti-angel wards and lines of runes Amitiel recognized from the chains the demons had used earlier. She grabbed Ellen's arm and pulled her forward, just as the hallway filled with the sound of growls.
"What the hell?" Ellen demanded, raising her shotgun and peering down the darkened corridor. Amitiel knew very well that the human could see nothing, and had no idea why the angel suddenly placed herself squarely in front of the woman, bloody sword at the ready. But Amitiel was staring down three hellhounds and didn't have time to explain.
Ellen was lucky she couldn't see the beasts. The sight of them would probably send her catatonic. They were massive, each at least four feet high at the shoulder. They were covered in scales the color of dried blood, their backs quivering with backwards-swept spines. Their paws were tipped by razor-sharp talons, and a poisoned spike ended the long, prehensile tail. Their faces were a mass of lumps and bulbous protrusions, split in half by a fang-filled maw. Multiple red, glowing eyes were set in the top half of the faces, and saliva dripped from their open mouths.
"Amitiel, what is it?" Ellen demanded, her gaze sweeping blindly over the creatures.
"Hellhounds," Amitiel replied tersely. "Stay where you are."
The hounds advanced towards them, tails lashing and claws scraping over the cement floor. Amitiel crouched in readiness, her grip tightening over her sword. The hounds prowled closer, teeth snapping in eagerness. Then the first hound lunged.
Amitiel met it head-on, turning it aside with her shoulder. As it impacted the wall face-first, she spun around, slicing her sword down its side with a spray of blue-black blood. The creature scampered backwards with an angry snarl as its two companions crowded forward. One slashed at the angel but Amitiel caught the talons against her blade and twisted, shearing two of them off as she slammed the hound's paw against the ground. The third and uninjured one bulled past its companions, mouth hanging open but Amitiel caught it by the throat and held on. It strained to get at her, teeth snapping inches from her face. Its back paws scrabbled at the ground, carving gouges into the cement. Amitiel's back bowed with the effort of keeping it at bay, her arm beginning to tremble.
Ellen's shotgun discharged practically beside Amitiel's ear, spraying iron buckshot rather than salt. The shot put out three of the hellhound's eyes and tore off one of its ears. Ellen fired again, and the hound flung itself away from the angel in an attempt to escape the iron embedded in its flesh. Steam rose from the pellet wounds and dark blood dripped to the ground.
Ellen seized hold of Amitiel's arm and dragged the angel to her feet. "How many of 'em are there?" she demanded.
"Three," Amitiel replied grimly. She pointed. "There, there, and there." Ellen fired off three rounds in quick succession, hitting the hound she'd already injured but missing the other two. Amitiel shifted herself forward down the hall, plunged her sword through the injured hellhound's neck, and shifted back to Ellen's side before the other two hounds could react.
Howling in rage, the remaining hounds bounded forward, shoving at each other in their eagerness to reach Amitiel. Ellen fired again, grazing both hounds, but One of them still reached Amitiel and slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. Amitiel fell backwards against the metal barrier and cried out when the wards burned across her back. Ellen reached for her again, shotgun extended in the other arm, but two demons appeared in the hallway and grabbed the woman's arms, yanking her backwards.
The hounds were upon Amitiel now. She was at a disadvantage, not having returned to her feet. She slashed her sword at their faces, trying to drive them back enough to give her room, but they dodged her blow and changed tactics.
Amitiel screamed as jagged, broken teeth closed over her left wing. The hellhound bit deep and hung on grimly, like a demonic pit bull. She thrashed, trying to free herself, but that only allowed the other hound to attach itself to her right wing. She was only dimly aware of more demons approaching her with heavy, black chains. One of the hounds shook his head, tearing flesh and muscle and feathers. Amitiel screamed again, her true voice stretching the limits of her human vessel. The demons flinched as they bound her, blood trickling from their ears, but they didn't stop until she was completely immobile. Then one of the demons barked an order and the hellhounds released her.
Amitiel hung limp against the chains, her wings tattered and torn around her. Blood-smeared feathers were scattered over the floor. One of the hellhounds lapped at the droplets of blood with a sound of pleasure. It was all Amitiel could do to stay conscious as they dragged her down the hall.
XxxXxxX
Why the demons hadn't killed them, Dean had no idea. Held firmly between two ridiculously large demons, he was half-dragged down the dim hallways of the factory. Overhead, the lights flickered wildly, sending shadows running menacingly all around them. Dean craned his neck to look behind him. Sam had two demon escorts of his own, but they were practically carrying him rather than dragging him along. Sam was too concussed to put up much of a fight. Castiel, on the other hand, was struggling madly against the chains binding his arms and around his neck. The angel had managed to transport Jo to safety, but the moment of distraction was all the demons needed to catch them off-guard.
They finally reached a doorway, which the demons yanked their prisoners through. The room beyond was light by candles and torches held in brackets on the wall. More demons thronged along the edges of the room; Dean estimated about twenty of the hell spawn present. Ellen was being held at knife point in one corner. The older woman's eyes swept over the new arrivals and looked to Dean with an intense expression. Dean assured her with a quick nod and Ellen instantly relaxed.
In the center of the room, someone had drawn a vast and intricate seal in what looked to be fresh blood. Lying in the center of the seal, bound hand and foot with chains, lay Amitiel. Her eyes were open, but glazed and empty. Her breath came in ragged pants and there were spatters of blood on the ground around her, but Dean couldn't see any injury on her.
At the sight of his sister, Castiel yelled something in Enochian, but the demons ignored him, dragging him forward until he was positioned beside Amitiel in the middle of the seal. The demons forced him to his feet and secured the chains to loops sunk deep into the concrete, effectively immobilizing him. Castiel leaned over Amitiel as far as he could, speaking to her rapidly, too quietly for Dean to make out his words.
The door in the far wall suddenly burst open and a woman strode in. She was a leggy, lean brunette whose fashion sense reminded Dean forebodingly of Meg. Behind her paced a tall, solidly-built man with an unreadable expression in his deep-set eyes. The woman walked up to the very edge of the seal and crouched to bring herself to eye-level to Castiel.
"Hiya, angelcakes," she said with a leer. "Didja miss me?"
Castiel gave her a glare that should have, by all rights, drilled two holes through her skull. "I will destroy you, Marax," he said in a voice husky with barely-controlled rage. "I will scatter you across the universe. Slowly."
Her grin only grew wider. "Oh, you say the sweetest things to me, baby." She got back to her feet and turned to the man behind her. "Are you ready?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied in a deep voice. She went to stand directly in front of him.
"You will be greatly honored by our master and our master's great brother," Marax told him. "Your name will forever be remembered as the great hero."
The man only inclined his head once. Marax nodded back and held out her hand. One of the demons stepped to her side and placed an obsidian-bladed knife in her hand. Then she turned back to the angels. Dean lunged forward against the grip of his captors.
"You leave them alone, you bitch!" he spat. "Touch them and I'll kill you!"
Marax glanced at him dismissively. "Wait your turn, Dean Winchester. My master is going to have fun with you." She stepped into the center of the seal and bent over Amitiel. She grabbed the angel's arm and yanked the sleeve back. Pressing the tip of the blade against the tender skin at the inside of Amitiel's elbow, Marax dragged the knife down the angel's forearm. Dark red blood welled up from the wound and spilled over onto the ground. Marax dropped Amitiel's arm and performed the same procedure on Castiel, the male angel seething silently the whole time.
Then Marax retreated hastily from the seal. The demons watched the seal intensely, all of their eyes shuttering to sold black. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then the ground began to tremble under their feet. The lines of the seal started to glow with a hellish, orange light. The light grew until Dean had to screw his eyes shut against it.
Within the light he heard the strange voice he recognized as belonging to an angel, that thousands of whispers accompanied by the shrill, ear-piercing tone that threatened to burst his eardrums. The light and noise got worse and worse until it felt like Dean's head was going to explode. Then it ended.
Dean cautiously cracked an eye open. Castiel and Amitiel were still lying in the center of the seal, but now both of them were sprawled on the ground, eyes closed. Dean couldn't see if they were still breathing. The demons were now staring at the man standing next to Marax.
The man slowly tilted his head to rake his gaze across the room. He lifted his arms, stretching his muscles and flexing his fingers. He looked around the room again before his eyes finally came to land on Marax.
"Master," she breathed worshipfully. "You've returned."
Dean's heart splashed somewhere in his stomach as Belial continued to stare at Marax for a long moment. Then the angel's hand darted forward, tangling in Marax's long hair and yanking her head back. Belial kissed the she-demon, hard and deep, enticing a moan from Marax's throat. Then Belial released her.
"I have presents for you, master," Marax simpered, gesturing to Amitiel and Castiel. "And look, the Winchesters. I brought them here for you." Belial turned to look at Dean. His eyes were too dark to determine their color, but what Dean saw made his stomach turn in knots and try to disgorge his heart back out through his throat.
"You have done well," Belial finally said. "The Michael Sword will die, and Lucifer's vessel will be brought before my brother. This war will end and we will rule this planet."
The demons broke out in throaty growls and Dean was forced to his knees, a knife at his throat. Belial held up a hand. "Wait." He turned to look at the angels lying over the gate to his former prison. "First, though, I believe I will indulge in a little revenge." He gestured sharply. "Unbind them."
"Master," Marax began, but Belial gestured again, cutting her off. Marax indicated to two demons and they hurried forward to undo the chains around the captured angels. Dean wanted to struggle, wanted to fight and blow the demons straight back to hell, but the cold steel at his throat kept him in place.
Castiel stirred faintly, opening his eyes and lifting his head. His expression froze in horror when he caught sight of Belial standing over him. Belial smiled, a cruel, twisted grimace. "I have been waiting a long time for this, brother," Belial said quietly, and lifted his hand. An orb of intense, white light gathered in his palm, and then Belial thrust it toward Castiel.
"Cas!" Dean screamed, lunging forward, forgetting the demons surrounding him. A line of fire scoured down the side of his neck and warmth blossomed against his skin. But there was nothing he could do.
Amitiel threw herself across Castiel, raising one hand as if to ward off a blow. The blast struck her upraised arm and exploded, washing the world into white fire.
xxxxxx
A/N: Introducing Belial: as played by Sam Worthington. *applause*