Author's Note:
Where is everyone lol
Also blood warning in this one, we got some limb dismemberment
Jet could barely feel his arm when he decided to pay attention to it, it worried him a little but he didn't want to focus on it. A quick glance down told him it was still there and that was all he needed to know for now. He still couldn't find Desirae but he was hopeful that he was getting close.
He paid attention to the time and knew he'd been down there for over an hour already, it gave him some comfort that his phone still worked down there enough to tell him the time. Worst case scenario and he started to pass out because of his arm he'd be able to call or text for some help.
But he kept an upbeat attitude about that and decided that he wasn't going to need help - as if that would somehow magically stop his limb from hurting or something.
"Rae," he called again, intermittently because he was sure she knew he was looking now. It was just a little boost in case she'd lost track of him. He had no hopes he'd be able to sneak up on her, she was much faster than him and she would undoubtedly hear him coming.
The paths still twisted and turned and he questioned the design of that place. It probably had something to do with underground power lines and pipes, but in that case why didn't they just dig it a little deeper? Whatever, he didn't plan on wracking his brain over it.
What did bug him though was how dim it was down there. Jet was pretty sure there was an option to light the way somewhere at the control panel, but unfortunately he hadn't stopped to check for it. Instead he walked through the low lighting areas, glancing into every cage he passed by. They were all closed off, burnt floors and some charred remains; no signs of life. Dean had told him about how they burned whatever might be left, he couldn't imagine being one of those still alive during that. All he could really do was hope it had been painless.
As he continued forward the path branched off several times, it definitely connected to other paths and he was well aware he could get very fucking lost down there. To pace himself he took moments to just walk and others to run when he got his energy up again. He knew that he'd lost her but he was hell bent on finding her again, Desirae wasn't getting away from him. The fact that she went into the basement told him she was feeling horrible about herself, like she belonged with other monstrosities that used to live down there. He wasn't sure she knew about them all being dead though, he guess he'd have to have a talk about that too.
Time was ticking by, he noticed he'd gone around in a circle at least once and all he could imagine was Sam and the others, just having fun and showing Cas around town. 'Why'd I have to be an idiot…' He scolded himself tiredly.
Just as he was starting to think that he was going to get nowhere he heard footsteps, they were faint but he knew that he heard them. "Rae!" He called as he circled around the next bend; it led to an open door that would've concealed a long hallway with several doors. This hall was cleaner and looked newer than the rest. Jet guessed that one of the earlier branching paths led to this one and he'd just taken the long way around.
But the important part was that the door had been opened, Desirae was definitely inside somewhere. Jet moved forward, taking note of the change in his surroundings. Down the hall, way down, he saw a door was slightly open and fluorescent light poured out.
"Rae," he ran down the hall, past a few turn offs and skidded to a stop before he reached the room. The door wasn't just open, it was broken. His stomach twisted and he felt the urge to book it the opposite direction and get the fuck out. But he didn't leave, he carefully inched closer and looked at the door and the way it was bent.
The door was solid steel, the outside was untouched but the half the faced the inside of the room was bent, scarred and even burned in many places. Jet looked at where the door should've connected to the wall, claw marks had dug into the metal like it was made of clay, destroying the frame.
"Rae?" he asked more tentatively but he knew that whatever did this to the wall couldn't possibly be her. He looked up into the room next, unsure if he even wanted to. The walls were similarly scratched and there were more cells inside with numbers clearly labelling the doors. Jet didn't have to guess at what they meant for too long, he knew they were the labels of the different Castiel clones.
He recalled the video where MacLeod let the failed experiments loose in one room but he knew that the one he was looking at definitely wasn't the same one. Those failed experiments, or whichever one lasted until the end, was probably still around. He hadn't seen the main cameras point to anything like the room he was looking at, it must've been under a different set or folder on the main computer.
The clones that hadn't been pitted against Cas in different tests were still around, there was at least one that was strong enough to break through the door. Jet swallowed nervously and felt the urge to yell swiftly diminishing.
What the absolute fuck was he supposed to do now? The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he questioned the intelligence of remaining downstairs. Not that he was going to leave without Desirae, but he knew he had to hurry the hell up if he wanted to make it out of there with both of their lives intact.
Jet cautiously peered into the room, there wasn't any sign of a person or clone. "Desirae?" he whispered, his heart rate increasing the more he recalled hearing those footsteps. He hadn't even considered that it might not be Des walking around. The basement was never all that safe but the thing that made Jet's chest tighten was the fact that the rest of the house wasn't safe anymore. This was something they would absolutely have to deal with.
He took out his phone and tried to call Sam, the reception didn't quite get through. He grumbled and typed up a text instead.
Hey babe, I don't want to ruin your trip to town but I need you guys home ASAP. Long story short the basement is crawling with Cas clones – call Bobby because I got shit reception.
Typing that message was a bitch with one arm; Jet lifted the phone up and waited until the message barely managed to slip through. Apparently just because his phone had a bar or two it didn't mean anything in the ways of a decent phone call. "Fuckin' figures," he mumbled and put his phone in his pocket for safe keeping.
He had a hunch that Desirae was the one who opened the door from the other section of the basement to this one, she was leaving doors open behind her so far, and it was all he really had to go on. Dumb luck had gotten him this far in life, he figured it was fair to rely on it a little further.
Jet took quieter steps as he continued down the corridors, the lighting wasn't as dark but it still wasn't as bright as he expected a facility to have. Probably power saving mode or something, whatever. He noticed that the floor was scratched in places, like the thing that broke out had run in a frenzy down the hall.
Part of him demanded he go another way but he could only imagine that the thing was chasing a food source if it was going to leave scratches like a dog on a smooth surface. He fought his better judgement and ran ahead, he was terrified for himself but it was so much worse when he thought about the food source being Desirae. 'Please don't be her, please don't be her.' He begged silently to himself as he followed the markings.
It wasn't long before he heard whimpering mixed with a vicious snarl, it was distant but there was only one direction to go. Jet ran as fast as his legs could carry him, small shrieks and loud crashing noises were next and he pushed himself as hard as he could. Skidding around the next turn he saw Desirae with her back pinned to a wall, she was cowering on the floor and staring up with wide eyes at a pale, familiar figure.
Castiel's clone was more deformed than Cas himself, it had an extra set of arms and fingers that came to a defined point. Its jaw had dropped open wider than any human should be able to, just like Cas could. It had several rows of teeth that were all bared for its prey to see. Jet didn't stop to admire the thing any longer, he bolted down the stretch of hallway between him and Desirae.
The clone snapped its jaw with a high pitched whine that dropped into a growl, it had finally cornered its dinner and it was going to enjoy eating after its starvation. Except it didn't count on an extra person being there. The thing lunged to make the kill and connected with a mound of fabric attached to a very pissed off stranger.
"You hungry?" Jet sneered and clenched his jaw as the clone's teeth pierced the sweater that was wrapped around his arm. He'd lodged it into the thing's mouth to stop it from getting Desirae and had hoped that maybe there was enough sweater to stop its teeth from getting through. He wasn't entirely right.
"Jet!" Desirae cried out, she sounded terrified, relieved, and ashamed all at once. She was out of breath and still violently shaking, but Jet imagined that more connected to the bitch trying to eat him at that moment.
"I got him, kiddo." Jet reassured her but before he could tell her to run he heard another snarling sound from the part of the hall he'd just come from. He spared a glance and saw another clone, its animal enhancements were more of the feral cat type and its size certainly showed it. "Oh c'mon," he sighed just before the one he was dealing with tried to snap its jaw another time.
Jet cursed loudly and reeled to punch the thing in the head. "Let go you son of a bitch!" He shouted as he repeatedly, and frantically pummelled its head. The clone snarled into his skin and started to shake its head like a dog with a chew toy.
In that moment Jet broke free, but not because the thing let go of him. He stumbled back, his eyes wide as he tried to register his freedom and the pain in the same few seconds. A roar echoed from the other clone and it started to run forward.
He didn't have time to think.
Jet turned and grabbed Desirae with one arm and held her tight to his chest as he ran. He heard a clash behind him, one clone shrieking as the other tore into it. Though it would've been one hell of a fight he didn't think twice, he had to get the fuck out of there.
"Jet," Desirae's voice was shaky, "Jet you're arm-"
"I know," he huffed, his head was starting to spin and he felt sick but he couldn't stop. "Don't look at it, okay?"
"You need to stop the bleeding," she looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes that glowed nearly as bright as Castiel's. She looked him over quickly and used her nails to easily cut off the base of his shirt, he would've complained but midriff was the least of his problems. Desirae tied it close to the base of where it was torn and tightened it. Jet bitched loudly at first but tried to shut himself up, cutting off circulation was the entire point and of course that wasn't going to be painless.
He was running out of breath and knew he needed a break or he'd pass out. He looked around quickly for another room, a place to hide, anything. They didn't come across one of those at first but he realized that he recognized the area they were entering. The door to the rest of the basement was just ahead, he could close those experiments in and then maybe he'd be off scot free.
They slipped through the door and he turned to close it, slamming it shut with a grunt and leaning his head against it as he desperately tried to catch his breath. "Holy shit…" he wheezed.
"Jet," Rae was pulling at his shoulder, her nails digging in a little.
"What is it-" he froze when he saw a set of bright shining eyes. There was a clone about five feet away from them, its head turned almost 180 degrees to stare at them in still silence. "Ffffffuuuuuck…" he breathed quietly despite knowing that this thing clearly saw them.
It screeched once but didn't move, eyes still wide and staring like an owl's. Once again it showed off a lovely set of teeth, this time it only had one set but they were filed, sharp like a predator's. Jet wished he could ask MacLeod what his fetish was with predators, but then again he had a shit load of questions about a lot of things so that single curiosity wasn't all that special.
Jet wasn't sure what the hell to do, the thing screeched again, this time turning around fully to face them. It looked mostly human other than its odd posture, unlike the last two. Jet's mouth pulled tight, he glanced down at Desirae who stared at this thing, terrified and clinging to Jet for safety. He looked back at it, neither of them moved. His heart rate was ridiculously fast now, running didn't help that.
It screeched one more time and Jet screeched right back, mimicking the noise. The thing hissed and arched up in response.
"Why'd you do that!?" Desirae cried and he took a few steps back.
"I don't know! I had to do something!" He shouted and dove to the floor, just managing to dodge the thing's first assault. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He scrambled along the floor and struggled to stand back up. All he had to do was make it out of the basement, close the door and they'd be okay. That's all. They'd be fine.
The clone growled and roared, its mouth was hanging open and it panted heavily as it stalked closer to them again. It sniffed the air and its tongue hung out, it was fixated on getting something to eat. Ravenous was the only word that reached Jet's head to really describe the look he was getting.
"I'm scared," Desirae whimpered through a sob, "I'm scared."
Jet stopped backing away. What was he doing? He'd never out run this thing, it'd tear him apart as soon as it got the chance. Despite the shakiness of his legs he stood firm, "Get on my back, Rae."
"What?" She looked up at him but he didn't take his eyes off the snarling clone crawling slowly forward.
"On my back, now."
She listened, just in time for the thing to spring forward again. Jet jumped out of its way, keeping his back angled away at all times. Claws caught the front of his t-shirt and tore part of it further, but it missed his skin. Jet clenched his teeth and undid his belt, sliding it off his jeans and wrapping part of it around his wrist. He wasn't sure what to do with it but it was better than using absolutely nothing.
The clones could be made of anything. He knew that the one in front of him could have strength like Castiel and Desirae. It could have enhanced senses like the successful clones seemed to have. And on top of all of that it was starving and looking to eat just about anything. Jet held steady and glanced down at his left arm; his forearm was still partially attached, hanging by torn muscle but not much else. Maybe he could give it a snack.
Jet exhaled heavily and grabbed onto the dangling forearm, he couldn't feel anything in it anymore, Desirae had tied the cloth pretty damn tight. He swallowed, his mouth was dry and he was sure he'd throw up. Jet took a deep breath and pulled on what was left of his arm with all of his might. The clone's eyes followed the dismembered limb as the last of the tissue tore and splattered blood across the floor in front of it.
He threw the limb and the clone jumped at it, jaw snapping open and shut as it chased a possible meal. Jet turned and booked it again, rushing down the hall and praying there weren't more clones waiting for them.
"You just ripped off your arm…" Desirae muttered, shock was the only feeling Jet was getting out of her.
"I did." He gasped, he was starting to feel really out of shape though mangling his arm was a pretty good excuse. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"You're lying," she buried her face against his shirt.
"Sorry," he laughed a little, "I'm a liar."
"Why?" her voice was muffled but he still heard it.
"I've always been a liar, I don't know why."
"No," She lifted her head and looked up at him, he only barely chanced a glance down at her before he had to watch where he was going again. "I mean why would you come and get me?"
"I'll explain more later," he huffed, "But I did it because I love you."
She didn't need much more than that, though. "I love you too," she sniffled, he could tell she was wiping her face on his shirt and despite everything that was going wrong he laughed.