Chapter Something or the Other
Jenny Shepherd was in MTAC when all the screens went blank. At first she was annoyed, but confusion soon replaced the annoyance when familiar eyes filled the screen, "Streaming Freedom" filling across the top and bottom. Agent DiNozzo's eyes, in fact, now known to be Eyes Only.
"This is a Streaming Freedom Video Hack.
"It will last for however long it needs to last.
"It cannot be broken and it cannot be traced.
"Many years ago we found out that transgenetics lived among us. They wanted nothing but peace, only to find that they were being used as weapons. In order to stop their secret from getting out, the people that created them were going to set off an electromagnetic pulse that would change the world as we know it. There would be no electricity. No communication. No way out of the Hell that America would become. But we stopped that from happening.
"We thought it was over.
"We were wrong.
"Manticore is back. They've kidnapped and killed too many people. They work outside of the government, they make their own rules. They don't care who they kill and what they do to get what they want. They are located in Seattle, Washington and will stop at nothing until they control this country and the ones surrounding it.
"We have to stop them.
"Again.
"This has been a Streaming Freedom Video Hack.
"Peace.
"Out."
There was a pause in and the message started over again, the exact same words as the ones before. Jenny stared in shock, listening to the repeating message until the ringing of the phone jerked her back into reality.
"Shepherd, NCIS."
"Fornell, FBI," a gruff and slightly annoyed voice replied. "What kind of joke is DiNotzo getting at?"
Jenny sighed. His question meant that not only NCIS had received the hack. That the FBI had as well. Which meant that there was a good chance that all the other federal units had too, as well as just about every news station in America. Tony was good at what he did, whether it was as an agent, or as Eyes Only. "It's no joke, Fornell," she murmured. "It's no joke."
~*~
Sam entered the compound with just a little trepidation. He didn't like the fact that Abby and Ducky had insisted on going along, despite their lack of combat skills. He knew they could probably protect themselves, but then, he didn't even trust the other agents to be able to handle what they were possibly going up against. Already, the EMF was squealing at him.
The rooms were all empty, torn to shreds. Evidence of the lives lived there were scattered about, and Sam couldn't help but quirk a small smile at the "X5-494 Waz Here" scratched onto one of the walls. That was Dean, alright.
"It's so empty," Abby whispered.
Sam frowned, his EMF squealing at him again as they passed a blood splattered wall. "There's too much activity," he whispered to himself.
Gibbs was examining something on the ground, and he conversed with Abby for a short moment. "Any reason why sulfur would be here?"
Sam spun around at that question. "Sulfur?" he asked incredulously. "But…great." At their confused looks he sighed. "Demons."
"Demons," McGee replied shortly. "So, what? Don't you just…kill them?"
Sam winced. "No." He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and feeling a headache coming on. "There are only two ways to kill a demon. The Colt—which is gone. And the Knife—which is gone." He paused, shaking his head as the aching intensified. "I can kill them, too, but that's bad. No good and ahh…" He winced, stumbling slightly.
"Sam?" Ziva asked, straightening from where she had been examining something.
Sam gave a wordless cry and dropped to his knees, head in hands as he doubled over.
Screams. Flickering lights. Painsobad. Dean. Nonono. Not Dean! Laughter. Bobby with gun. Shooting, shooting. Missing. Wall. Pain. So much pain. Dean down. Ringing phone. Bobby hurt. Max screaming. Demons. So many demons. Lights. Painsobad. Nononono.
Ducky and Abby were crouched next to him when he came back to himself. Gibbs , Ziva and McGee were hovering nearby. He ignored all of them, clumsily reaching for his phone, trying to work through the piercing pain in his head.
Dean's phone rang, but there was no answer, and Sam hung up before it could reach voice mail. "Too late," he whispered, pushing himself to his feet.
Gibbs caught him before he could fall again. "What's wrong?" the agent asked gruffly.
"Vision," Sam mumbled, rubbing at his temples. "Haven't had one since I died." He gave a soft whine. "And Manticore has Dean, Max and Tony. Bobby was hurt, but I'm pretty sure he's still alive."
There was a long bout of silence that Sam used to steady himself. He couldn't very well save the others if he couldn't even stand. "You saw them get taken?" McGee asked. "By who?"
Sam swallowed heavily, picking up the dropped EMF and switching it off. The squealing wasn't doing much other than wishing he had some painkillers with him. "Manticore isn't using brainwashing. They're using possession. In other words, most of the transgenetics have been possessed by demons. Manticore also has ghosts and vampires on their side, and I think I even saw a few hell hounds."
'What's that mean for us?" Abby asked softly. She no longer looked excited at the prospect of the Supernatural.
"It means we're up against insurmountable odds," Sam said, shrugging slightly. "All in a days' work." He pulled out his phone again, dialing a new number. "Hey, Ellen? It's Sam. Could you do me a favor?"
~*~
Bobby Singer was in a horrible mood. His home had been overrun by demons and vampires—neither of which treating them very well—and had forcibly taken his three guests. He had managed to be no help at all by being thrown into a wall and knocked out near the beginning.
The relentless pounding on the door was what had roused him. He stumbled towards it and pulled it open with a scowl. Only to find Ellen and Jo standing there looking concerned.
Ellen reached out and gently touched the sluggishly bleeding wound on the man's forehead with a frown. "Every television station was suddenly playing some Streaming Freedom hack, and then we get a call from Sam," she said, walking into the trashed house, Jo right behind her.
"Sam?" Bobby mumbled. "The boy's in Seattle."
Ellen nodded. "He had a vision."
At that, Bobby seemed more aware. "He hasn't had a vision since—"
"Yellow Eyes died," Jo said. "We know."
"his powers," Bobby sighed. "They're becoming stronger."
Ellen frowned at that, but Jo shrugged. "Why's it matter?" she asked. "So what if Sam got his powers from a demon? He's not evil. All he's ever tried to do is fight evil. So why does it matter how he does it?" she grinned then. "Besides, I find it funny that Sam uses the abilities given to him by a demon as a weapon against demons."
"The angels said—" Bobby started.
Jo interrupted him. "Forget the angels. They're full of crap, as far as I'm concerned. They send those Winchesters out fighting demons but don't help them and ban their best weapon. Granted, I believe there's a better way for Sam to go about it. One that doesn't make it look like he's dying."
The two older hunters stared at her in shock and she just gave them an indignant look. What she had said actually made sense in a strange way. It countered just about everything they believed about powers from demons, but it also backed up everything they believed about the Winchesters. And, frankly, they didn't like these angels any more than Sam, Dean and apparently Jo did.
"Fine," Bobby grunted. "Let's pack up and get to Seattle. We got a war to fight."