Castiel knew it was probably stupid to do what he was doing, he knew that he was wasting time and leaving Dean and the others underground alone might be a terrible idea. But he couldn't deny himself what he was feeling. He understood what the tortured creature must've been feeling, that need for freedom burning at every nerve ending. He didn't have to imagine how it felt to think death was right around the corner, and knowing that he'd never see daylight again was so painful. It was a faint memory but he knew it and he couldn't allow himself to leave another to suffer that fate.
He flew past Michael and Desirae without looking at them, he kept the gargling clone close and tried not to let the disturbing feelings settle in too much. It reached up with a shaking arm and grasped at his shirt repeatedly, its hand sliding down and reaching back up to do it again. It whined and coughed, Cas tilted his head further away as he carried it up to the front door. He could hear the calls from Michael and Desirae behind him but he didn't want to answer to it just yet.
The front doors opened and the mutated being stopped making any noises altogether as it stared. It had to squint after staring at the sun and made a soft gasping sound. Cas carried it over to the grass and laid it down before stepping back and watching as it slowly writhed in the grass. The thing cooed in the same way it had made the other sounds, like it was trying to speak through watery lungs.
Cas stood there for a few moments, just letting the clone feel the sunlight and the earth below for a little bit longer. He watched its eyes, the purest form of wonder was in there as tears slipped away. Cas smiled sadly and walked to its side, he knelt down and grabbed the thing's head. "Sorry," he said just before snapping its neck. It was simple, quick and painless with no mess. He sighed and left it there, clean up could happen later.
Descending the stairs to the basement he prepared himself for the questions he'd be asked as he passed by.
"Cas!" Desirae exclaimed when he appeared, "What happened? Are you okay?"
"We're all alive so far," he said with a reassuring smile as he continued toward the far door. "I mean it's only been a few minutes but so far so good."
"We heard the shots fired," Michael added, watching Castiel hurry along, "Why'd you come back?"
"I had to do something really quickly, I'll explain later." Cas waved at them over his shoulder and hurried on through the door, closing it firmly behind him. He made it back to the others in no time, he was only gone for a little bit but it still felt like eternity. Dean looked up with bright eyes, it was like Cas had been gone forever or something.
"Everything okay?" Dean asked when Cas reached him, a strong hand settled on Cas' arm and he felt a little more at ease.
"Everything is fine, I'll clean up when this is all done." Cas moved in closer and gave Dean a hug, "Sorry, I had to."
"I get it," Dean cradled the back of Cas' head, the other hand slipped around his waist. Cas wished he could stay there, that they weren't in the middle of a terrifying excavation into the basement labs. With a little luck they'd be out of there in no time, though he had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy.
"Shall we then?" Charlie nodded toward the dimly lit hall ahead of them. Cas appreciated the understanding from all of them, he felt like it was safe to be himself around them and that was all he really needed. Not that he understood what he was supposed to be like, but experimenting with his own personality and doing different things in their company was safe.
No one really wanted to keep going but they all knew that it wasn't an option. If they just ignored that the clones were there eventually the things would just bust out and get them all in their sleep or something. No, it was better to finally deal with it all. Cas regretted not doing it sooner, they'd put it off for far too long.
If he'd been in his right head at the start he would've brought it up sooner, probably right in the beginning. Leaving things to chance like they did wasn't wise, especially since they didn't understand what the hell was down there in the first place.
But that was in the past now, there was no point in telling them what they should've done differently. They had to figure what to do right in the moment, and thinking ahead was definitely the best course of action for that, not looking back. Cas knew the others were banking on his senses to make it through, probably more than even they understood. He could tell just by how they moved that they couldn't smell what might be around the next corner, they couldn't hear the subtle changes in the air pressure like he could. They had no idea what was going to come at them, they needed him with them.
And yet, at the same time Cas knew that he needed them just as much. If he came into a situation where there were several clones, and he knew he would eventually, then he'd lose his mind. He'd go completely blank and run on instinctual killing. If something happened that required quick thinking, intuition or anything other than pure homicide he would be totally screwed on his own.
So Castiel did his best not to question the intelligence of bringing the others down with him. He didn't want any of them to get hurt, but he didn't want to die either. Sure, life wasn't easy for him but he fully intended to try and get his back somehow. Maybe he'd be the same somehow and everything would just click. More likely, he'd be a very different person after his experiences and make new connections. He loved what Charlie had told him during their trip through the city, he loved having Dean at his side no matter what choices he made. He loved what he was becoming, even if it meant hurting the feelings of people like Michael and Charlie.
The team went further in and the longer it took for anything to happen the more tense the atmosphere became. Cas felt his stomach twist and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end; he knew those other clones were close by. He sniffed a few times and slowed his pace to listen more closely. The others did the same without a word, all eyes on Castiel as he waited and listened.
He could smell Jet's blood, it had been around for a while but he could smell it more clearly than before. His guess was that the severed limb had been close, which meant clones. Cas stopped moving entirely and motioned for his friends to copy him, which they did without any hassle. He would've tried to be a little less cryptic about what he might be hearing but he was too focused on the faint sound of feet on metal.
"They're close," he whispered, he could see the area around him looked brighter and bluer than normal and didn't doubt for a second that his eyes had sparked to life again.
Dean's hands were nervous on his rifle but he seemed more prepared this time than the last. "Any idea which way?" He asked and Cas shook his head.
"Not quite, but I hear one of them at least. I think it's that way," he pointed down the path that seemed to smell of Jet's blood more than the other, "But that could be the direction that Jet and Desirae ran the first time, I'm not sure."
"Let's just pick a direction and move," Charlie glanced around, "I don't want to stay put too long."
"Sure," Cas nodded and continued forward, he was getting a little nervous with the clones they were looking for. He didn't remember each time he ever fought one but he did know that they were all fairly different. It was usually after fighting one he'd get some kind of new surgery or injection of some kind. The clones had been a way of advancing him, but he didn't doubt that MacLeod intended to create a super being of some sort as well.
"You know," Sam whispered, "I thought we'd run into more… I dunno, people involved with this whole thing."
"Right?" Dean chimed in with a little laugh, "Like, there's no way MacLeod did this on his own."
"He didn't," Charlie explained just as softly as the other two, "He had a team that he worked with, when he decided to go to his town house there was basically a skeleton crew to handle the basics around here. He didn't treat them well, from what I could tell from the documents I read they hated him too."
Sam looked over at her questioningly, "Was all that in the computers up there?"
"Yeah, not everything I read was useful to Cas' situation but I kinda get how this place ran." Charlie looked over at Cas apologetically, "Sorry I wasn't much help."
"You've been an amazing help," Cas whispered back to her, a somewhat anxious but comforting smile on his lips. He wasn't sure if it helped at all but he did what he could anyway. "Do you know where those people are?"
"Not really, I think there was an employee list but I didn't look at it for very long. If I spend more time there I can figure things out."
Dean nodded, "Yeah, I'd like to know why they all abandoned ship after MacLeod bit it."
"I'm betting it was something in the will, MacLeod probably didn't want anyone messing with his work." Sam added, Cas noticed that they were starting to talk a little louder than they did at first so he hushed them. All three were silent immediately, like they thought he was trying to listen for something. Though he hadn't sensed anything coming he did appreciate the reaction time on that, he felt like he was in charge for a few seconds.
Though he was amused by their sudden silence, he couldn't laugh at it for much longer. There was a rush near them and a very faint snarl, for a second he thought it was further away but it dawned on him that it sounded more like an uncontrolled grunt in the clone's throat than a faraway growl.
Cas' wings flared out like a protective shield, but since he was so low moving forward his wings knocked his friends away from him. It happened in a flash, the clone came barrelling down at them as it crawled along the highest part of the wall. It dove down onto Castiel just as he smacked everyone else aside, he felt sharp claws hook into his side, a sharp pain that brought back angry memories.
He did his best to stay in the moment, he felt adrenaline rush through his system and heard an insane kind of sound echo off the walls. It was either him or the clone, he didn't know which one. He was still in control for the most part, he hadn't seen the thing's face yet and he knew that would be the moment that tipped him over the edge.
Cas ground his teeth together as he grabbed hold of his attacker by the waist and used all his might to push it off. He felt a burning in his side, he knew that the clone had torn his skin but he didn't care. Cas turned to face the thing and watched as the world was drowned in blue light.
Light-headed he dashed forward; his arms moved on their own and he felt the impact as if it were in slow motion. Everything felt like he was in some sort of daze, moving through thick liquid and listening with earmuffs on.
He could hear Dean shout his name, which was the clearest sound ringing in his ears other than the shrieks that escalated.
Then there were gunshots next, Cas could only guess as to what was happening. He knew it would be fast, he knew it was happening like a flash and he had no way of holding onto himself.
He heard Dean again, screaming his name but in a different way. Dean was terrified, something was wrong.
Cas forced himself to look, he wasn't going to let something happen, he refused to let something happen. His mind connected for a moment, he realized the second clone they had been looking for showed up too. It was in front of Dean.
Cas didn't take in the rest of the situation, he was too angry. Rage swarmed his senses and he burst forward. Cas couldn't hang onto the consciousness he'd managed to gain and slipped again.
He found himself standing in front of Dean, that copper taste on his tongue again. Cas turned away and spat it out, hacking up thick fluids in his throat. He coughed and felt his stomach turn with just a single thought about what that might've been. He glanced back to Dean, blood had splattered all over his boyfriend and led down to a decapitated head and body at Dean's feet. Cas didn't have to ask to know that he'd done that with his teeth, how else could he have that much blood in his mouth?
He wasn't sure how long that fight had been, he could hear gasping and strained noises from the others. Dean's eyes were wide, his hands gripping a rifle that had been bent in the center.
"Good move Cas," Sam clapped him on the shoulder, a tired laugh escaping the younger Winchester. "You really saved the day."
Cas pulled away but gave Sam a thankful nod, "I'm not really sure what I did, but you're welcome." He looked around at the scene he'd left behind. Again there were body parts strewn about, more than he thought there ought to be. "Is anyone hurt?"
Dean exhaled shakily and moved to touch Cas' side, "You were,"
"Charlie hit her head," Sam added and Charlie quickly shook her head.
"Not that bad, just stunned me."
Cas sighed with some relief and looked at his side as Dean's fingers grazed the bloody fabric, "It's not so bad, stings a little but I think it's pretty shallow."
"Still," Dean furrowed his brow and looked around, "Should've brought something to help with that sort of thing."
"When you go in guns blazing you tend not to pack a first aid kid." Charlie chuckled.
Cas could smell his own blood and felt a wave of relief he hadn't expected, he didn't smell like the clones did. He had a different scent, he wasn't the same as them. They weren't quite him, they couldn't be.
He breathed out slowly and looked at Dean's concerned expression, "Are you okay, Dee?"
There was a little spark of life in Dean's face at the mention of his nickname, he looked Cas in the eye for a few seconds before he nodded, "Yeah, I think so." He raised his gun with an anxious laugh, "It broke my boom-stick."
"That's unfortunate," Cas eyed the broken rifle and then looked Dean over, "I got to you in time?"
"Yeah, you were like fuckin' lightning." Dean kissed him breathlessly, like he was still scared out of his mind but trying not to be. Cas returned it sweetly and nodded his understanding.
"Okay," he looked at Charlie and realized he could smell her blood too, "Charlie…" he said tentatively and moved closer to her, "How hard did you hit your head?"
"I scraped it on the wall when I fell, it's okay." She waved her hands at him, a sort of hint not to come closer but he did anyway.
"I smell your blood, are you sure it's okay?" He hesitated to get too close, just in case he'd find he did something horrible.
"She's fine, Cas." Sam reassured him, "I already checked, it's a bloody cut but people tend to bleed more from head wounds. She'll be fine, maybe a minor concussion but I doubt it."
"Didn't know you were a doctor," Dean snarked at his brother to which Sam just made a face right back.
Cas watched Charlie's face, she did seem alright. "If you're sure then," he paused before moving back to Dean's side, "Would you tell me if you were hurt?"
"Yeah," Charlie smiled at him and gave a thumb's up, "Promise."
He returned the gesture and looked around at the team, "We okay to move forward then?"
"Yeah,"
"Let's do it."
"Lead the way, Cas."