Behind the Curtain
"So, there you are," Crowley mumbled. "Want a coffee?"
Lucifer looked up at Crowley and smirked. "Come to gloat? Fitting, I suppose."
Crowley watched him with obvious distaste, then shook his head. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen..."
Lucifer watched him, visibly annoyed.
"You're wasting your time and energy trying to make me feel any more miserable than I already am, Crowley."
Crowley smiled tightly. "I wasn't trying to do that. But I'd consider it a bonus." He indicated a chair in the corner of the otherwise empty room with his head, raising his eyebrows in silent question. Lucifer waved permission weakly to him and hung his head. He was seated on the floor, Sam's long legs folded up in front of him at a ninety-degree angle, his forearms resting on them. He was still wearing the tattered and bloody suit that he had been wearing when Castiel had attacked him.
"No, actually, I came here to offer you an opportunity," Crowley said after settling himself into the thin-cushioned chair, frowning in distaste as he adjusted the pillow.
Lucifer huffed, chuckling in disbelief. "You came to offer me a 'deal'?" he snorted, looking up at him, his eyes full of contempt. "Wow, you know, I might have gotten my butt kicked...but I actually hadn't yet calculated on all of the other kinds of levels of low that I could possibly reach..."
Crowley smiled sarcastically. "Oh, there's still time for all kinds of opportunities, I am sure. But no. It seems that the lads and I are organizing a little rescue party into the heart of Old Ones territory to fetch back the truant and valiant Dean Winchester." He leaned forward, his hands clasped together, fingers interwoven. "Interested?"
Lucifer snorted, his face twisting into a sneer. "That's pure suicide."
"Mm-hmm," Crowley answered, unfazed. "Interested?"
Lucifer dropped an arm off of his knee and looked at Crowley incredulously. "How desperate do you think I am?"
Crowley didn't blink. "You tell me."
Lucifer stared. Crowley blew out a breath between pursed lips and leaned back. "Look, in all honesty - which I rarely offer, admittedly – they could use your firepower."
Lucifer turned his head away. "You've already got two Archangels on your side. What difference would one more or less make?"
Crowley frowned. "Two? Gabriel...are you suggesting that Castiel...?"
Lucifer rolled his eyes, then his head and neck impatiently back to Crowley. "Do you honestly think he could have pulled off what he just did without being one?"
Crowley frowned. "I thought it was some kind of 'righteous anger' or something."
Lucifer smiled humorously. "Amazing guess, and actually pretty damned accurate. Let me ask you something, Crowley - how do you think God created or elevated Angels to Archangels in the first place?"
Crowley considered the question before answering. "Wasn't it order of birth?"
Lucifer shook his head. "Nope. In fact, some of 'em came into their power much, much later. No, Crowley, what you just witnessed in the hanger there is Father's tried and true method of testing and granting power to his little holy war machines. - trial by combat. And to answer your next question - any Angel, filled with enough righteous intention, can amplify his or her Grace enough to triumph over even an Archangel that has acted 'falsely'." He shrugged. "God's rules. I think He figured it was a way to keep...well, me, from happening again."
"'Righteous intention'?" Crowley repeated.
Lucifer nodded. "In this case, Castiel was the 'righteous one', at least, according to Father's rules. I ignored those people and let them die. He was acting as God intended we Angels to act; he delivered His Wrath." He lowered his head again. "And got himself a promotion in the meantime. Tell him congratulations from me the next time you see him."
Crowley watched Lucifer for a long time, deep in thought. Then, with a loud sigh, he clapped his hands on his knees and stood up.
"Well, if I can't convince you to come along, I guess you can stay here and hold down the fort."
Lucifer looked back up in obvious disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"You're excused. But no...I can't make you come along. And since you're about to be the most powerful being left behind, it stands to reason that you should look after the place while we're gone. Jesse can't take over, because his power is holding back the Old Ones that are literally right outside of our front door right now."
Lucifer's jaw dropped open slightly.
"Let me get this straight...", Lucifer began. Crowley clasped his hands in front of himself and waited patiently.
"You want me...one of the two reasons that you created the 'Resistance' in the first place, to take over it's safety...did I get that right?"
Crowley held up a hand. "No, let's be clear about one thing here. The words 'want to', are perhaps pushing it a bit too far. I said that I had no choice, as all the people with a functional moral compass are going to be going on the rescue mission."
Lucifer smiled evilly. "Didn't you say that you were going yourself?"
Crowley smiled back, just as evilly. "I surprise myself sometimes as well."
Lucifer shook his head. "It seems like a colossal waste of resources. All to rescue Dean Winchester?"
"And no less than four Archangel-powered Heralds, whose power we can add to Jesse's," Crowley corrected, holding up a finger. "As well as thousands of human souls. I don't think I need to remind you how valuable - and powerful - those are at this particular moment," he added, arching an eyebrow.
"How do you know that I just won't leave once you're gone? Isn't that what I do? Abandon people to their fate?", Lucifer answered back, spite and venom filling his voice.
"Where is there left to go?" Crowley asked, looking over his shoulder. "Out there? There's nothing left, Lucifer. Nowhere left to go. Let's face it...this is your home now. And if there's one thing that I can count on from you, it's that you'll protect your own behind." He shrugged.
Lucifer smiled at him. "I guess you're right."
Crowley smiled back. "Of course I am. I always plan ahead for every eventuality." He turned to leave and looked back briefly over his shoulder. "Don't wait up. We'll most likely be late."
Lucifer watched him go, and his smile faded rapidly.
Sanctimonious idiot, he thought. And so, so wrong. He leaned back and closed his eyes. There is oneother place left to go. And I think I can't wait to go there. His smile came back slowly, more deep, more genuine. And when I do come back here, I'll be able to remind all of you what real power looks like.
Castiel, Crowley and Gabriel materialized on a surface that was so dark and formless, they all had a momentary reaction of losing their balance. Once it was clear that they were standing on something solid, they began to look around, trying to orient themselves.
Their were vast forms moving and swirling in the dark air. They were able to make out that some were man-sized, some much, much more so. They also began to make out a landscape, of a sort. The hills and small valleys seemed to shift like waves in a storm, blowing away and reforming rapidly. There were some features that remained solid enough, green and lush, even glowing in the smoky air. In short, the terrain was the epitome of Chaos.
"Nice," Gabriel said, his lip curled in a sneer. Castiel looked over at him quizzically. Gabriel shrugged. "I'm not saying that I'd want to build a summer home here, but some of the foliage is quite...nice..." As Castiel continued to stare, Gabriel rolled his eyes and chucked his shoulder. "C'mon, Cas! No need to stay so damned grim all the time. Let's go find Deano, shall we?"
"Oh, he's a laugh riot in the face of certain doom, isn't he?" Crowley muttered. "And no forgetting . we'll be needing to find those Heralds as well."
"Speaking of which - is there anywhere is our hastily formed, hair-brained plan, any kind of idea of what we're supposed to do with four newly minted Archangels that also happen to be filled with teenage angst and rage hormones?" Gabriel asked, moving forward and turning his head from side-to-side, scanning the horizon.
"We convince them that they'll live longer if they come with us," Castiel replied dryly. "And assure them that Michael is dead. And with him, Lucifer and his plans for the Universe."
"Oh," Gabriel said simply. "Yeah. Sure. That'll work."
"According to my mother," Crowley cut in, emphasizing the last word with a sneer of resentment, "we can use their energies as a beacon, and she'll be able to hone in on it and take any living souls left in New Eden out of here."
Gabriel nodded. "Ok, that's much better. Hey, maybe we'll live through this, huh?"
The ground literally exploded around them, spraying dirt and grass and a liquid very reminiscent of blood into their faces, causing them all to scramble back, raising their arms to defend their heads. The ground seemed to moan and shake, nearly knocking them off of their feet. Castiel was able to stabilize his footing and draw his Angel Blade. It glowed like a beacon in the swirling, dark, smoky air.
A creature had broken out of the earth, half of it's long body still anchored underground, and was snapping it's head around viciously at them. It was a nightmarish mix between a gigantic centipede and a walrus, with a hairy but insect-like face. With horror, Castiel noticed that it's eyes were very humanoid, and seemed to be in pain – they were teary - and pleading. The three hesitated, partially in shock and disbelief at the mockery of life that stood before them. It lunged at them, and slapped at them with stinging tentacles that immediately seared their skin and clothes where they landed.
Gabriel reacted first, striking at an arm that sought to grasp him. The beast let out a bellow and twisted back into the air, towering twenty feet above them. It spit out another roar, the sound a mixture of fingernails on a chalkboard and a far too human wail of agony.
"What in all the hells is that?!" Crowley yelled, scrambling back. The creature fixed it's gaze on him and snapped forward with blinding speed, it's mandibles clasping around Crowley's waist. He let out a yelp and tried to strike at the bony appendages with his fists, a red glow appearing in the air as they trailed Hellfire with every strike.
Castiel leapt onto the back of the thing's neck and drove his Blade straight down into a gap between it's shoulder plates, It let out a roar of pain, and it's head instantly spun completely one-hundred-eighty degrees around, glaring at Castiel, but letting Crowley fall to the ground as it did so. Tentacles shot out from the beast's underside and wrapped themselves around Castiel, who screamed in pain as they began to burn into him.
With a cry, Gabriel struck at the base of the tentacles with his Blade, but there was a virtual forest of them, and some of them began to strike back at him, keeping Castiel trapped where he was. Crowley rolled over with a groan of pain and tried to fling a ball of fire at the monster, but it had little to no effect.
There was a cry from somewhere in the air above them, and a thin, blond teenage girl appeared in the sky, flaming sword in hand. With a thunderous crack, she hit the creature right between it's eyes with the sword, cracking it's skull almost instantly in half.
The eyes dimmed, and it's massive form deflated slowly to the ground, black blood oozing out it's wounds. The tentacles unwrapped themselves from Castiel, who slid wearily to the ground, gasping for air, and choking in pain.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," the girl sneered, tapping her sword in her palm. "Oh, Michael is going to love this..."
"Hate to break it to ya, hon, but word on the street is that's Mikey's dead," Gabriel answered hoarsely, eyeing her sword warily and putting up his own Blade in an defensive posture. He narrowed his eyes. "Or...do you know where he is?"
She narrowed her eyes back at him. "Are you sure that he's dead?" she asked in a hiss.
"Um...hey, I could be wrong about that..." he answered, rather unconvincingly.
"I frikkin' knew it!" she screamed, and took off running into the dark, swirling air.
"Oh, that can't be good..." Gabriel muttered and stumbled to his feet, grabbing Castiel and pulling him along with him, in a half run in the direction she had gone. "C'mon Cassie, we gotta stop her..."
"Wh...why? What happened...?" Castiel asked groggily, trying desperately to gain his feet.
"I think they found Dean, and I alos think that I just told psycho-Xena there that he's not Michael anymore. If we don't stop her, he's toast..."
Castiel's eyes widened and he grunted in effort, breaking into a run.
"You coming?" Gabriel shouted at Crowley as they raced past him. Crowley waved his hand dismissively and got up, stumbling after them and holding his side in pain.
"Sure. More certain death, or at the very least more agonizing pain. How could I say 'no' to that?" he grumbled, lunging after them.
Dean rubbed his hands together over the small fire and then blew into his fists, trying to warm them up. The three remaining Heralds watched him do this and he tried to look aways, trying to avoid their open scrutiny.
Probably wondering why I even need to do that, he thought.Gotta look more in control, Dean, he admonished himself. Reluctantly, he stood up and clasped his hands between his back and began to pace in what he hoped was a sufficiently menacing and annoyed manner across the small cave floor.
There was a rush of motion at the entrance of the cave and everyone looked over and saw Sarah poking her head in.
She looks pissed, Dean thought absently as he began to walk over to her.
She met his eyes and growled in rage.
"Fake!" she screamed in rage, scrambling the rest of the way into the cave, advancing on Dean with her sword held in front of her. "You're nothing but that Winchester creep!" She looked to either side of her at her companions, passing over Robert and Angela and settling on Trevor. "Trevor! Get him, hold him!"
"Wait a minute, Sarah..." Angela began to protest, but Sarah, with a growl, shoved past her, trying to corner Dean near the back of the cave.
Trevor drew his sword and it sprang to life with blue and red swirling flame. He moved past a gaping Robert and leveled his sword at Dean. "Sarah, are you sure?"
"Positive," she snarled with a smile. "Heard it from Gabriel himself. Kill him."
"Wait...what?!" Trevor sputtered, turning towards her. "Gabriel...? Gabriel is here?"
"Yes, but it doesn't matter, we'll deal with them later. Kill him!" she screamed with a murderous rage, trying to rush around Robert, who was now blocking her way. Dean was doing his best to try to get as far away from her as possible, his back up against the far cave wall.
"Wait...them? What 'them', Sarah? Who is 'them'?" Trevor shouted, lowering his sword and staring at Sarah. Angela used the opening to grab Sarah by the arm and swing her around. Sarah snarled at her, incredulous.
"Castiel and Crowley are also here!" she shouted. "Whose damn side are you all on, anyway?!"
"That's a damned good question," an out of breath Gabriel asked from the cave's entrance. "Who are you fighting for, exactly?"
The Heralds all turned to him, Trevor and Sarah raising their swords. Castiel came in beside Gabriel and lowered his gaze at the two, flicked his eyes over Robert and Angela, and nodded.
"Cause the way I figure it, Michael is out of the picture. Lucifer is back on our side, and you guys are out in the middle of all of this wonderfulness without a clue as to what to do next. So, once again - who the hell are you fighting for?" Gabriel asked, huffing.
"Maybe we're fighting you on general principle," Sarah snarled. "The new vs. the old. Get our chance to pay you back for this mess you made."
"That we made?" Gabriel protested. "Well, sorry hon, but that was all Lucy and Mikey there. We're the ones trying to un-screw this mess. And you're the one trying to...what is it exactly? Stab everyone that isn't you?"
Sarah smirked. "Real cute, but it won't save Dean. He lied to us. And for that, he dies." She spun and hurled her sword in a straight line directly at Dean's heart. Pinned as he was against the back of the small cave wall, there was no way for him to avoid it.
Dual arcs of lightning shot out from Castiel's back, and the cave shook with a sonic boom. Before anyone could even blink, he was standing in front of Dean, the flaming sword grasped by the blade in his hand. His eyes glowed bright, blinding white and blue. He snarled and took the sword in both hands, bending it until, with an echoing crack, it snapped. The two pieces fell to the floor.
Sarah glared, then turned and tried to run.
Crowley caught her. "Uh-uh, little miss, we'll be needing your cooperation later on, after all."
She struggled, then, when she couldn't break free, looked Crowley up and down in shocked surprise. "I'm...I'm an Archangel, you Demon slime...! How are you...?"
Gabriel's brow furrowed and he frowned. "Yeah, actually, that's a darned good question...how are you doing that?"
Crowley grunted with effort and smiled at him. "I ate my Wheaties." Gabriel's frown deepened. "No, Gabriel. Some secrets I keep for myself. At least for now."
Gabriel raised his eyebrows and looked over at Castiel, who shook his head.
"Let it go, Gabriel. I've been working with him for awhile now. It's better not to ask and just find out later."
The cave around them shook.
"Place ain't so stable, guys, what say you we get outside?"
"Not that it matters, but that'll kill us faster," Sarah grunted.
"Why?" Gabriel asked, frowning.
"That thing that came out of the ground? That was just an appendage. What we're actually standing on right now? I flew up into the air to take a better look at it when I was ordered to do reconnaissance." She glared at Dean, who smiled back. "This is nothing but one big Old One. We're standing near it's mouth. Far as I can tell, this cave is just a pore or something. But at least it kept us hidden."
Gabriel shuddered, then shrugged and smiled, tucking his Blade back in his belt. "Well, I think we've done enough sightseeing for now. Wanna blow this joint?"
Crowley nodded. "Everyone join hands. We need to leave. Now."
Hesitantly, the other Heralds joined their hands. There was a glowing light, and they disappeared.
Lucifer pulled the bone crusted, jagged Key out of his coat and fit it perfectly into the massive, ornate gate of skulls that represented the main Gate of Hell.
He smiled as it swung open, sulfurous air blowing into his face.
He and Michael had destroyed Heaven, to be sure, but Hell, he had kept for himself. It was a reminder of the domain that he had built, flawed as it was, it was still his, despite Crowley's manipulations to control it.
And besides, it held a prize that was too valuable to destroy.
He made his way swiftly through familiar passageways and halls, both confined and grand, through palaces and parlors and dens of Sin itself, until he finally reached a large, rusted metal door. His smile widened as he touched his palm to it, watching the runes inscribed on it glow red and emit black smoke. He heard the massive tumblers click and with a groan, the Vault door opened.
He strode in, triumphant. With the power inside the Vault...
He stopped, his smile fading.
Panic and anger began to build up in his stomach. He turned around and spun wildly, searching the shelves and drawers that seemed to stretch up into infinity around him,
Empty.
All empty.
"My souls..." he whispered, his panicked turning slowing. "Where are all of Hell's...?"
He froze,. Then closed his eyes slowly.
Lucifer roared out of the depths of the Vault of Souls, a roar that shook the walls in every corner of Hell.
"CRRRROOOOOWWWWLLLLLEEEEYYYYY!"
Rowena walked into the room where Atropos was waiting for her and closed the door gently behind her. "The boys are back. Unbelievable, but they did it. They got the Heralds. Dean Winchester. All of the survivors." She shook her head in disbelief. "I guess we're all set, then."
Atropos looked over at Rowena and lowered her eyes. "Is it really time?"
Rowena titled her head. "Lamb - you knew what we would have to be doing with them all when you started this."
Atropos nodded weakly. "I...it just seems so unfair. To them."
"They won't even know what happened to them."
Atropos shook her head. "That doesn't make it any better. I came to know some of them. Rowena. Rowena, I don't know if I can..."
"If you don't, we all die. It's truly that simple," Rowena answered gently.
Atropos looked up and away. "Damn Him, Rowena. He could have put this to rights all by Himself, not make me do it."
Rowena frowned, considering. "Maybe that's His entire point. To make you feel that pain. To make you understand."
Atropos grit her teeth. "Why?"
Rowena smiled bitterly. "Because people in that much pain themselves always seem to want to share it with everyone else, I'm afraid." She moved over to a large table, where literally thousands of glowing strands of golden thread floated in the air, all of them standing on end and gently waving in the air like a field of wheat in a gentle breeze.
"It's time, Atropos."
Atropos' shoulders slumped, then she looked up, set her jaw, and walked over to the table. She hesitated, the threw up her arms, spread out to the side.
The threads stirred, then began to swirl around an unseen center point, rotating faster, and faster, and even faster. The air screamed in a wail. Rowena flinched back, shielding her eyes. The golden light grew until it felt it would burn them all away.
Out in the Resistance warehouse, the refugees from the other dimensions that Atropos had 'rescued' began to glow as well.
Then, one by one, they disappeared, leaving not a trace.
Atropos' brow was coated in slick sweat, her eyes piercing the wailing light, willing the Threads of Life together, forming them, forging them all...
….until finally, one, single, diamond hard, golden thread stood. It seemed to cut into the reality around it, existing outside of it, and encompassing it all at the same time.
Atropos sagged to the floor, looking up at it in wonder. Rowena stared in awe as well.
"The Pattern is made anew," Atropos muttered. "From the many, one single whole." She looked over at Rowena and smiled at the stunned look on her face. "One dimension. One reality. That's all that's left. Our literal last stand."
Rowena looked down at Atropos, her jaw still open. "It's...it's beautiful."
Atropos smiled weakly and stood up, hugging herself, her legs shaking with fatigue.
"And, hopefully, unassailable. The Darkness will never reach us here. At least, that was the idea. You can thank Michael and Lucifer for that idea"
Rowena swallowed hard and met Atropos' eyes. "And the rest...the rest of the world outside?"
Atropos smiled.
"Go see for yourself."
Rowena walked numbly out of the room and through the nearly empty hanger of the Resistance. Several people watched her curiously as she walked towards the main gate.
She casually, but hesitantly touched her hand to the handle, and yanked it open, the door sliding automatically open as she did so.
The guards were shouting at her to stop, but she could barely hear them. She was too busy listening to the sound of the birds outside - singing.
The warm sun fell on her face and she smiled broadly in spite of herself, turning her face up into the delicious light.
She heard the gasps of wonder and surprise from the members of the Resistance behind her. She heard rather than saw them gathering around behind her, as if afraid to trust what they were seeing.
She stared out at the intact skyline of Los Angeles. In the distance she heard the wail of a fire engine and the buzz of afternoon traffic. She looked up and saw a plane on approach to LAX.
She took a long, shuddering breath and sunk to the ground, sitting sideways on it.
Atropos had done it...took thousands of alternate dimensions, and created one from them all. One fortress. One reality.
One last stand.
She couldn't stop the raw, cold fear in the back of her mind though, because she knew...could feel it...
She shuddered and looked out at the new world again. And wondered how long they all had before the Old Ones came for it.