Chapter 6

Even though it was under 200 miles from Sioux Falls to Omaha down the I-29, it took them all day to get there using the back roads They had stopped for lunch outside Bancroft, near the Forty Second Parallel. Sam had been explaining how modern Hunters worked. He'd never really thought about hunting as being as ancient as mankind itself. Someone as old as Mother Nature admiring Hunters certainly put a new perspective on the profession. He had fought so hard to get away from hunting and now couldn't imagine his life any other way. He opened the trunk to show Amelia the tools of his trade. Sam had thought about stashing the Impala and stealing another car to be less conspicuous. But even Amelia agreed, with some reservations because of the amount of gas it used, that they needed Dean's car and the arsenal in the trunk.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Omaha, and the industrial park area where the SucroCorp lab had been, it was dusk. Sam had told Amelia everything they had learned while trying to stop the Levis, including the accidental discovery that Borax burned them. She asked a few questions here and there but spent most of the ride glued to Sam's laptop. For her part, Amelia had mixed feelings about the small, portable computer. She was delighted her trees didn't need to be cut down to print as many books but these devices also used up a lot of natural resources. She hadn't wanted to tell Sam she already knew all she needed to know about Leviathans from the last time they were free to roam the planet.

Sam had decided to drive up a small hill overlooking the industrial park to get a good look around before driving to the burned out building. He found a perfect spot to see down into SucroCorp property. What was left of the lab was still surrounded by yellow police tape. The building looked deserted but an occasional security cart passed by, making its way from one group of buildings to the next. As the sun set completely and darkness consumed their lookout, the industrial park was bathed in the glow of the street and security lights. Amelia got out the car and joined Sam looking down at the complex.

"I don't see anybody but the security patrol. They come by about every hour." Sam turned to offer Amelia the binoculars. When she shook her head no, he added, "Can you sense anything?"

"The place reeks of both leviathan and demon." Amelia still didn't like that Sam and Dean had had to work with demons. But she accepted that they had had no choice, 'lesser of two evils' and all. "But neither is here now."

"How long will you need?" Sam asked her as he headed for the driver's side door to start the drive back down the hill.

"I can feel the barrier is still weak from here. I'll be able to call for Dean as soon as we get there." She knew this was what Sam wanted to hear. "I can't promise he'll hear me, or know how to respond."

"We still try though?"

"Of course." She didn't want to mislead him. There was really very little chance she could find Dean quickly enough. Amelia had told Sam there was a risk that if they spent too long peering through the weakened spot something else would take notice and try to force its way out. "Give me a minute; I'm going to call for some assistance."

Sam watched as she stepped away from the car, turned her face up to the sky and raised her arms. Within a few seconds several nighthawks had perched on her outstretched arms. Sam stared as she smiled and nodded her head at her new assistants. After a minute small flock took off and flew in several directions.

Amelia turned back to see Sam smiling at her. He pointed in the direction one of the birds had flown off to. "Assistants?" He asked.

"They have agreed to be our lookouts while we're in the building." Sam huffed out a 'huh' as they climbed into the car.

It only took five minutes to wind their way back down the hill and into the industrial park, and what had been the entrance to the building. Sam checked his watch; they should have about 35 minutes before the security guard came around again. "Do you need to be at the exact spot where Dean killed the Leviathan?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so. The crack was very large; I can feel it is near." Amelia was slowly walking toward the building with an out-stretched hand.

Sam ran to get in front of her to cut the Crime Scene seal and open the door as she approached the damaged building. They stepped into the building and Amelia gasped. "The stench of leviathan is overwhelming here."

The interior of the building was surprisingly uncluttered. Sam guessed between bomb and arson investigators most of the debris had been removed to analyze for clues. He also took a small bit of pride his explosives had done such a thorough job; the building was basically an empty shell. Amelia wad headed directly toward where the lab had been and came to a stop after going around a retaining wall that had survived the blasts. Sam stood beside her and looked at the large crater in the foundation where they had killed Dick Roman.

Amelia sank to her knees at the edge of the hole and started twirling her hand. A small whirlwind formed picking up dust off the floor creating a fast moving dust devil. She held out her hand like she was beckoning the whirlwind, it swayed toward her and she grabbed the column of spinning air and dust just as it touched down at center of the crater. Amelia chanted quietly in a language Sam didn't recognize and a tiny shard of light pierced the darkness. Amelia opened her eyes then and turned to Sam. "Call for Dean, it will be more powerful coming from you, a voice he'll recognize."

" Sam!" Amelia shouted when he had just stared at the swirling air. "Hurry, call to Dean!" He turned away from whirlpool, now filled with little sparks of light spinning around the rapidly moving air.

Sam went down on his knees next to Amelia and screamed like his life was on the line. "Dean! Dean! If you can hear me, we're going to get you out! Dean, I'm..." He was cut off as the vortex of air and dirt burst apart when Amelia slammed her hand down on the floor. He roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her small frame. "Why did you stop!"

Amelia let Sam shake her, knowing he was frustrated and disappointed. She had probably given him too much hope that they would reach his brother this way. He shook her few times and then just stared at her with a sad, pleading look she had only seen on puppy dogs before. His hands fell from her shoulders and she reached out and took him into her arms for the strongest hug she could make around his large frame. He dropped his head onto her shoulder and let out a long sigh. "Sam, we knew we might not hear from Dean this way. But, I think he probably heard you. I know I could feel his presence." She patted and rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. It had been a long time since she had been able to comfort a distressed child, even if this one was over six foot tall.

Sam took a deep breath, lifted his head, gave Amelia a small smile and started to stand up. "I'm sorry for grabbing you." He held out his hand to help her stand up and she smiled back and took his hand. "I'd be a mass of bloody goo on the floor if I'd done that to any of the other gods we've come across." He added, subtlety adding to his apology and hoping she had a sense of humor.

"Don't give me any ideas." She responded in a very stern tone, as she bent down to brush the dust off her knees. When she finished and looked up at Sam she had a large grin on her face. "What, it was a joke." She added when she saw the look of dread on his face.

Sam's phone started beeping. He had set it the timer to warn them when they needed to leave to avoid the security guard. They quickly made their way back to the entrance. As soon as Amelia stepped out of the building, three of her feathered lookouts stated flapping their wings and screeching at her. She smiled and nodded at the birds and they flew off into the night.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked as they headed for the car.

"They were upset. The vortex I used to peek through the barrier made a very uncomfortable noise." Amelia had the same sad look she had when he had awoken after Bobby's. "I apologized and explained it wasn't intentional. They did say no one had come around while we were inside but that several large vehicles were coming this way."

"Well, we better get going then." As they reached the doors, Sam added. "You want to drive Tony Stewart?

Amelia turned a befuddled look at him. His face broke out with a huge grin forming the cutest dimples she had seen in several centuries. "No, I'm sure you'll be much better at evading the approaching cars."

Sam's smile spread across his whole face and he shook his head as he climbed behind the steering wheel. As soon as she shut her door he hit the gas and they were off.

"Will this Tony person be able to help us in our quest to get Dean?"

Sam was still chuckling as they cleared the Omaha city limits. "So, where to next?"