Back to Reality

Agent Castiel Novak and Crowley materialized with Atropos in an almost bare, sparsely decorated room, the walls built out of corrugated metal. There was a table and a lamp, which flickered fitfully, and some charts on the wall, seemingly detailing a city, with several areas highlighted in red all around it. Castiel squinted at it, and recognized after a few seconds that he was looking at Los Angeles. He walked closer, trying to discern the meaning of the red areas, but there was no key.

"What is all of this?" he asked, not looking away from the map.

"The Resistance," Atropos replied, her voice flat, tired. Castiel turned at her and squinted.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

Atropos gave him a weary smile. "I haven't...been back here in awhile, from a perspective of time. It's somehow...nice. Despite the circumstances."

"And just how dire are those so-called circumstances?" Crowley asked, running a finger along the lone wooden table in the room, examining it for dust. He made a face and wiped it off on his trousers. "Is this really all that's left?"

Atropos shook her head. "No, but it isn't far from the truth," she admitted. "The Old Ones have destroyed most of Creation. We're doing everything we can to hold whatever's left together. Which is, sadly, not much."

"What happens next?", Agent Novak asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall.

Atropos shrugged. "We make our stand with what we've got. There's nothing else that we actually can do. Make no mistake, we are close to going out here..." she broke off and stared at the wall, her face a mixture of sadness and fatigue. "Michael really screwed us good."

"Michael?" Castiel asked, brow furrowing.

Atropos sighed. "The Archangel," she replied, causing both Castiel and Crowley to raise their eyebrows in surprise. She smiled at them knowingly. "Yes, the Archangel Michael. Or...at least he used to be. I don't know what you could call him at the end." She trailed off again and looked at the floor. She took a deep breath before continuing. "He gathered almost all of the power of Creation to himself, and fled to his own domain, a paradise that he created. The Old Ones exploited that as an opportunity to strike a fatal blow, as Michael had effectively corned himself, leaving himself unprepared and isolated." She shrugged and looked up at the two of them. "They struck it. Michael's domain was destroyed, and the energy that he had stolen went along with it. It was a masterstroke from the Old Ones. They knew exactly where to hit us..."She frowned and looked away. "Still trying to figure out how they managed to figure that out," she added in a low mutter.

"You said 'us'...so, you were on Michael's side?", Agent Novak asked.

Atropos barked out a humorless laugh. "Better the devil that you know, I suppose, but in a way, yes, when one is speaking about Creation versus the absolute Void, then I suppose so. We were fighting Michael, to be sure, but as far as defeating the Old Ones...we shared that goal, in a perverse way." She stopped and bit her lip. "So, let's meet the others, shall we?"

"Can't wait..." Crowley grumbled. He bowed at the waist and held out his arm at the door for Castiel. "After you, dear."

"Cut it out, Crowley," Castiel grumbled in response. "In case you weren't paying attention right now, we're in deep shit."

"All the more reason for one to maintain a sense of humor," Crowley protested. "Besides, if one can't keep one's perspective..."

Atropos opened the door to the main warehouse, and Crowley promptly shut up.

It was brimming with activity, people talking in groups, discussing strategy heatedly, but that wasn't the part that made him clamp his mouth shut like a vise.

It was the fact that nearly all of the hundred or so individuals in the warehouse were various versions of Castiel and himself.

"This...can be a bit jarring at first..." Atropos said sheepishly. Crowley glared at her and instantly suspected that she was enjoying herself a bit too much for his liking.

"These are all...us..." Agent Novak muttered numbly.

"Yes, well, other versions of you, from parallel dimensions of Creation. I've pulled the most useful ones back here, the 'Creation Prime', if you want to call it that. They might be helpful."

"Atropos," Crowley stated dryly.

"Yes?"

"That version of Agent Novak is wearing tights."

Castiel followed Crowley's gaze and instantly flushed red.

"Oh...yeah...him...well...in his dimension, some fallen angels had taken on the role of super heroes...helping humanity and such..."

Crowley groaned. "A little jarring..."

"You said 'Creation Prime', right?" Castiel asked, his voice still just over a whisper.

"Uh-huh."

"So, that means there's a...how do I put this...?"

"A 'real' version of you?"

Castiel looked at her and nodded, looking a little sick.

Atropos smiled warmly and patted him on the shoulder. "Yes and no. There is a version of you in this world, yes. But he is no more 'real' than any other version of you. The fact that this happens to be the nexus of Creation's energies at the moment is simply a matter of the state of the war."

Castiel nodded, looking a bit more relieved. "And...you said a lot of Creation's energy has been destroyed...is there any way of getting it back? Strengthening ourselves?"

"Oh, good question," a voice from behind them said. They turned around to see a tall man with a white, immaculately tailored suit and smiling blue eyes walk up to them. "Finally, Atropos, you brought me a Castiel and Crowley that think ahead."

"Who are you?" Crowley asked, head tilted.

"Oh sorry, allow me to introduce myself," the tall man said, reaching out his hand, his smile brimming from ear-to-ear. Crowley looked down at his hand and then slowly shook it.

"I'm Lucifer," he continued, shaking Crowley's hand. Crowley pulled his hand back as if he had suddenly discovered that he was holding an electric eel.

"But...you're in Hell...banished...what...?" he sputtered, taking a few awkward steps back.

Lucifer shrugged.

"What side are we fighting for?! The Devil?! Where have you brought us?!" Castiel asked, wide eyed and panicked. He had drawn his sidearm and was watching Lucifer closely.

"Oh relax, it's not like you think..." Lucifer said, rolling his eyes. "I've seen the error of my ways, so to speak. I've defected. Joined up with the good guys. Go Creation, and all that."

"We captured him, his brother Michael went crazy and turned on him and Lucifer had nowhere else to go," Atropos said bluntly, looking Lucifer up and down. "And he's been an almost completely useless pain-in-the-ass ever since."

"Hey!" Lucifer said in mock aplomb, "I helped take down that giant tentacle Sky-Monster!"

"I said 'almost'", Atropos shrugged.

Castiel watched the exchange and relaxed a bit. "So...he's working for you, not the other way around." Lucifer raised his eyebrows and Atropos looked at him and snorted.

"Oh please, don't delude yourself," she smiled sarcastically at Lucifer before turning back to Agent Novak. "Yes, that's the deal. He provides expert advice..."

"As being the only multi-dimensional being present here that has fought the Old Ones..." Lucifer cut in.

Atropos sighed and closed her eyes in exasperation, trying to ignore him, "...and support when called for. In exchange, we don't imprison him."

"As if you could..."

Atropos shot him a withering look and Lucifer held up both of his hands in mock surrender. "Allright, allright, back off Cujo."

Agent Novak eyed the two of them, then nodded to himself and put his weapon away. Crowley still looked supremely unconvinced and was watching Lucifer carefully.

"So, you got an answer or what?" Castiel asked, looking at Lucifer sideways.

Lucifer turned directly to him and raised an eyebrow, looking Castiel up-and-down.

"Wow...human...cool, not even a hint of Angel Grace in him..." Lucifer muttered. He looked back to Atropos and smiled. "Just how far out there did you go, Atropos?"

Atropos smiled back tightly. "To the ends of Creation, Lucifer. We can't afford to leave any stone unturned."

"Um...what?" Castiel asked, confused. "Did you say...'angel grace'?"

"Never mind," Lucifer turned back, shaking his head, his beaming smile returning. Castiel visibly shuddered. "So, to answer your question – we don't know how to."

"Um...what?" Castiel repeated, his confusion growing.

Lucifer shrugged apologetically. "You asked if we can get the energy back somehow, and honestly, we don't know that yet. You are the first, however, to ask that very good question, so...kudos." He watched Castiel frown and continued. "You know the old theory that matter can't be created or destroyed?"

Castiel nodded.

"Well, that wacky Mikhail Lomonosov was the first person to truly 'touch the Hand of God' with that theory, so to say. He was right. It can, however, be defined, or, in this case, re-defined." He paused and looked around. "For instance, this gaggle of Castiel and Crowley's, they are all just atoms, arranged and defined in specific bonding actions. It could, with enough power, be re-defined as something else, like, say, turning your demon-friend Crowley there into a tortoise."

Castiel glanced over, and with alarm noticed that where Crowley had been standing, was now instead a very angry looking giant tortoise.

"Lucifer."

"Hm?"

"Please stop turning Crowley into a giant tortoise."

"Booooring..."Lucifer said, but then, almost instantly, Crowley was standing there again, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"It's that easy?"

Lucifer shook his head. "No, it's just that I'm incredibly powerful is all."

"And utterly full of himself," Atropos added quickly.

"Touche"

Castiel held up his hand. "OK, OK, fine, and this is what the Old Ones are doing? Re-defining the energy of Creation?"

"Yep."

"Into what?"

"Into themselves."

Castiel shook his head. "What does that mean?"

Lucifer's smile broadened mischievously. "Go and have a look outside."

"No, please don't do that..." Atropos broke in, slightly panicky.

Castiel looked towards the massive warehouse door and narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

"Yeah, Atropos, why not?" Lucifer asked. Atropos shot him a look. "What?" he shrugged. "You brought them into this. Why not show them what you've got them into."

Atropos eyed him and then looked over at Agent Novak. She looked away. "If you must. Just...make sure you shut the door after you've had a look. Quickly, please."

Castiel looked at Crowley who held up his hands. "Don't look at me. I am dealing with getting over a ferocious craving for lettuce."

Castiel rolled his eyes and walked slowly over to the main doors through the crowd. He deliberately looked straight ahead, not wanting to examine that particular group more closely, especially considering a lot of them were...him.

A couple of guards saw him approaching and immediately began fiddling with their automatic weapons, looking nervous. Castiel put on his best disarming smile and held up his hands. "S'Ok, fellas, just a quick peek. Your boss back there said it's fine."

They exchanged a glance with each other before one of them spoke up.

"Uh, mister, you sure you wanna do this? It's pretty...um...crazy out there. And if one of them gets in here...we're the ones that's gotta deal with it."

Castiel smiled. "Guys, it looks to me like you got plenty of back-up here."

The guard shook his head vigorously. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant 'deal with it', as in what happened to the lasttwo door guards when something came bustin' in here...it went for them first...you know what I mean?"

Agent Novak's smile dropped and he nodded. He took out his gun again and looked at them.

"Take a step back, then. I'll be the point man, allright?"

"Fine by me..." the guard hurriedly answered, as him and his partner got a good ten-feet behind Castiel and raised their weapons, sweat breaking out on their brows.

Castiel nodded at them and took a deep breath. He grasped the lever on the warehouse door and slowly put his ear against the cool metal, listening to see if anything might be moving around outside of it.

He heard the soft sound of shuffling, and a moaning, as if there was something on the wind. He frowned and glanced back at the guards, who were staring intensely at the door, fingers and postures tense.

He yanked the lever up and slid the door a few inches open.

He peeked his eyes around the edge of the thick metal door, and immediately wished he hadn't.

The sky was rolling black, contrasted against an even impossibly deeper black. Thick gouts and swirling columns of inky, black smoke rose into a starless sky. Castiel's eyes tracked upwards. Some of the skyscraper sized columns seemed to be….walking, moving across the land. He realized in horror that they were some kind of horrific beings...covered in uneven, misshapen, tortured limbs, their faces and massive heads masks directly out of ancient nightmares. In a panic, he dropped his gaze quickly and scanned the ground right outside of the door, and saw several hundred 'smaller' - but still the size of large bulls - darker, oily shapes swarming around on the ground, howling, ripping at the earth itself with massive, cruel claws...one of them turned it's malicious gaze towards him...

"That's enough, c'mon man, close the door!" one of the guards behind him screamed, breaking Castiel out of a daze. His suddenly sweaty hand slammed the door shut as fast as he could, twisting the handle back into the locked position, just as the creature outside had rushed towards him. There was a heavy impact on the door, and a flash of light that made Castiel jump instinctively back. He looked the door up and down as the monster outside screamed in horrific agony, it's cry being taken up by several of it's comrades, the sound like a thousand nails being ripped across a chalkboard. Practically everyone in the warehouse was now staring in fear at the closed door.

"The door is warded," Lucifer said from behind him. Agent Novak, breathing heavily now, turned to face him. "It's the only thing left keeping them out." He moved closer and put his hand on Castiel's shoulder, meeting his eyes. "Did you see them?"

Castiel, still breathless, managed to sputter out a weak 'yes', nodding his head rapidly. "Did...they used the energy of Creation to manifest themselves into...what's out there...is that what you're telling me?"

"Exactly," Lucifer answered, smiling sadly. "So yes, getting them to surrender that energy, or figuring out how to re-define it, would take...some doing, I'm afraid."

Castiel caught his breath and looked back at the closed door before turning back to Lucifer. "And...you brought us here...to fight that!?" he asked, incredulous.

Lucifer's smile broke out wide on his face again. "Welcome to the Resistance."