CHAPTER 7

Dean pulled the Impala over, and everyone got out. Crowley paused to talk with the guards, new ones, as the ones who had allowed Zim to escape were currently being tortured by Hell's finest.

He returned to the others. "Leland was able to take a key off one of my napping guards. That's how he got Cris Zim out. Not sure why he left Geoff in there, though."

Dean and Sam approached the Cage and saw, through the flames, two forms inside. Geoff hunched in one corner, a miserable look on his face. Then there was Michael, who didn't seem to be at home in his own skull.

Dean couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Don't," Sam said. "The Cage is fucked up. It's no laughing matter."

"Shit. I forgot you spent some time in there."

"I hope no one's feeling homesick," Crowley said. "Shall we?"

They all approached the Cage, but Reddington took the lead. "I can't tell you how pleased I am that you still have at least one Zim. Geoff, do you remember how your brother got out of here?"

"It's Geoff," he said.

"That's what I said."

"No, you pronounced it Geoff. It's Geoff."

"Oh! I know that. I simply don't care."

"I saw what happened," Michael said.

Crowley smiled. "It speaks!"

"That weird looking guy with the glasses got him out of here. He called himself Leland, I think."

"We already know that," Reddington said. "Why didn't you or Geoff get out of there when he came for Cris?"

"I have no wish to leave," Michael said. "Although I wish Geoff had left. Being in here alone isn't quite so bad. Living an eternity with the Brothers Zim was pretty bad. Think you could get this one out of here?" Hooking a thumb to Geoff.

"Impossible, I'm afraid," Crowley said.

"Although we are trying—"

"Don't say another word, Dean."

Dean was not one for being interrupted, especially not by the likes of Crowley, but there was somewhat of an edge to the King of Hell's tone. Then Dean realized he'd nearly told Michael about their plan to return Cris to the Cage. How likely would Michael respond if he knew that?

"Did you see where Leland took Cris?" Reddington asked.

"It's hard to see through the flames sometimes," Michael said. "I think Leland used a portal to get back to the land of the living."

"Dembe?" Reddington asked.

Dembe removed a device from inside his jacket. It looked like something that belonged in a Ghostbusters movie. A light at the top blinked steadily until it crescendoed about five yards from the Cage. "Here, Raymond."

Reddington and Crowley approached the spot Dembe indicated. Crowley nodded. "You can see some of the pattern he used for the portal here." He touched a darkened spot and smelled his fingers. "Chaos magick. Leland's getting lazy in his old age."

"It worked, though," Sam said.

"Where do you think it sent them?" Reddington asked.

Crowley ran his hands over the symbol, smelling and tasting the soot left behind. Finally, after careful consideration, he knew where they'd gone. "Cris Zim is heading back to Braidwood."

"I know this sounds a little . . . odd," Reddington said. "But is it possible that Cris Zim is one of Leland's students?"

"Students?" Dean asked.

"Leland trains boys to be terrible people," Reddington said. "If so, he probably started early on Cris Zim. And it would explain so much."

"So you're saying that none of what Cris did is his fault?" Sam said.

"Fuck that, Sammy. Don't make excuses for that dickhead."

"That would imply that Leland's got a new lesson for him," Crowley said. "We might still have time before Zim does . . . whatever Leland trained him to do. We should get to Braidwood ASAP."

TO BE CONTINUED . . .