Here it is 😉; the chapter I promised you all with the last update.
I hope you all enjoy it.
Alicante, Idris, Imogen POV
"Enter!" she calls after hearing knocking on her office door. She doesn't need to look up to see who's meeting with her. She arranged for this meeting after all after her talk with Silvia concerning her meeting with Robert Singer. A necessary follow-up.
She looks up just as Colonel Sander Skyfall, her contact within the DOD, enters the room. He's wearing dark trousers and a white blouse with a tie over which he wears a black jacket. She can see the small insignia of his medals on the right side of his jacket—well, the right side as seen by her. His black shoes glitter in front of her. She smiles as she sees this. He's dressed formally, something she did not suspect nor sees a need to.
"Good morning, inquisitor," Colonel Skyfall says as he salutes her.
"To you as well. Please sit down, we've got a lot to discuss."
Colonel Skyfwll nods and promptly sits down in the chair on the other side of her desk. She waits for the colonel to speak up, but he doesn't. She raises an eyebrow and receives an amused look in return.
"So, Sander, what have you found out?"
"About the hunters, you've informed me about, you mean?"
She nods. She can also hear he's not saying everything. Something else is bothering him. Maybe she'll learn about it or maybe not. Who's to say?
"Well, I learned something about their backgrounds. Some end up in it due to hardship, others by chance, and others by their friends or family. This is due to they have is their usage of weapons."
"What kind of weapons?" she asks intrigued.
"They use everything under the sun, from blades to guns and more unconventional weapons. A lot is also drawn from legends and apparently useful. Haven't tested it though so can't say anything about its effectiveness."
"It means it's something for us to check. Thank you for telling me. Yet I suspect this is not all you've discovered, am I right?"
"No, it is not," Colonel Skyfall admits before informing her about his investigations and discoveries. Some of those discoveries are things the Nephilim can use while others need to be kept quiet. More in the sense of not luring people to try it than it being dangerous. Some, she even doubts will be useful to them.
It takes the colonel nearly an hour to explain everything. She suspects he's summarizing some things. His chosen words tell her such. It also leads her to a few decisions she needs to take in her position as inquisitor.
"That's a thorough investigation."
"Indeed, it is why it took me so long to meet with you. However, not all my investigations are finished yet; there are some things I want to have cleared up before closing it."
"Like what?" she asks intrigued.
"Like how they share information and who their information brokers are. Robert Singer is one, I'm sure of it but I also know he can't be the only one. There must be more and there are some other smaller things I want to have sorted out before closing the investigation."
"Good, keep me informed," she tells him and quickly makes a decision, "let's talk now about their methods. Some of them we can use but others are to be avoided."
"Like what?"
"The fact that they clash with law enforcement for example and the way some of them finance themselves."
"Yes, those things. It's something we need to take care of but how?" the colonel wonders as he scratches his chin. His eyes turn contemplative.
How indeed. She joins him in his contemplation. There are a few things she can think of but she's not sure how it'll be accepted. By one side or both. And she needs everyone to agree as she wants to work with the hunters. This way, they can handle more and have someone to fall back on when needed. Someone who doesn't ask too many questions.
"Do you have some ideas?" the colonel asks.
"A few but I don't know how well they'll be received," she admits.
"As it is a decision for the Clave to make, it's best to know which ones to put forward and which ones to ignore."
"Indeed," she acknowledges.
Thus for the next few hours, they discuss the methods of the hunters in detail. They talk about those methods they can use. This discussion, she uses to form notes for her proposals for the upcoming meeting with the Clave. They also talk about the precautions they need to take. This also turns into notes for another proposal for the upcoming meeting. She hopes they'll be able to use it to pull the hunters into the fold. Or at least have them become backup and refuge places for their own.
"Having concluded this, there's still something I need to give you," the colonel says as he digs into his briefcase. A few moments later, he pulls out a folder and hands it to her.
She accepts it with a raised eyebrow. She receives a calm expression in return.
Quickly, she scans the documents in the folder. Her eyebrows raise the more she reads. How did he manage to collect all these names? And are these the only ones? Somehow she doubts it.
"Thank you for this list; it's certainly a start. I'd like to know how you managed to get all these names. Are you sure they're all hunters? If so, please keep an eye out for anyone not yet on this list."
"I'll keep an eye on them, of course. As for the list; I've only included those I'm sure are hunters. There are a few I'm not sure about so..."
"How so?"
"Because of their other actions," the colonel explains, "for some, it's as if they're having a real job. And for others, it just leaves confusing paper trails as well as other trails. It just makes it much harder to make a clear judgment on them."
"That's understanding, keep up the work then. But there's something in connection to this list we need to discuss."
"I have an idea what this is about."
She grins and turns the conversation towards integrating the hunters into the Accords. It's one thing she feels is highly important. If not the most important thing to do now. They spend until deep into the night talking about it. As well as the implications it has or can have. It takes them so long because of all the different ways they need to cover. There are just too many variables left for her to be able to form a conclusive plan. She sighs. Even after all this time, they've still not yet…
"Not happy, inquisitor?" the Colonel interrupts her musing with an amused look on his face.
"No, not really," she admits tiredly, "I just don't like the uncertainty bringing them into the fold will cause. Nor am I sure they'll even want to,
She sighs, "I will have to set up meetings and go from there."
"Maybe, but you can at least plan for all the outcomes you can think about."
"Indeed."
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Dean POV
Dean looks to his side where Noah is silently moving along with him. Noah grimaces. He totally agrees. These types of scouting are just so annoying. There's nothing concrete to do; well they're to look for demons causing trouble. Just look. And that can happen in so many places. There's just a chance for them to have a boring hunt. All they'll do is stroll through the city, keep their eyes and ears open, and still not find anything. Not something he likes though at times, they find quite some interesting scenes. Demons hunting, some illegal dealing, and things like that. Now that is what he enjoys.
"Dean," Noah whispers.
"Yes," he whispers back. Hopefully, this will signal the start of something interesting.
"Where's your brother now?"
"Sammy?" he asks confused. What's got Sammy to do with this? He turns toward Noah before explaining, "He's with Bobby. I gave Bobby an excuse of needing some time away from the scrap yard and he luckily believed. Or at least didn't call me out on it."
"Bobby?"
"Yes, a friend of our father and an occasional babysitter," he explains, happy to talk about something interesting, not that he knows why Sammy was brought up, "I know he doesn't approve of dad dragging us all across the country but well… he's someone we can go to if we have a problem. He always listens and helps us. Dad also leaves us with him from time to time and that's just nice. Some house setting then. Oh, and Bobby is also a hunter just like Dad so they often talk about cases. If I've got the opportunity I try to listen in on them. Just to know what's going on."
"Or to eavesdrop or to learn those things they don't want to tell you," Noah teases before sobering up, "it also ensures you won't be caught unaware. I know Issy does the same with some things as do my other siblings. They don't like our parents hiding things from us just because we're kids."
"Just your siblings?" he asks suspiciously as he doesn't fully believe Noah's words, "you've never done so?"
Noah winches scratches his head, and looks away. It's all the answer he needs. Dean shakes his head. It just…
Shouting sounds around the corner. He shares a quick look at Noah before running in the direction. Finally, something interesting.
Turning the corner, he sees a group of boys tormenting younger boys. He's tempted to intervene and takes a step forward. A hand clenches his arm, he looks back. Noah's holding him back. As their eyes meet, Noah shakes his head. He bites his lips. He so wants to intervene but… no matter how much he dislikes it, he knows it's not his job. Besides, … he looks back and sees a quarterback moving in the direction. The bullies don't fail to notice him and beat it. The younger boy looks relieved at the quarterback.
They leave the area quickly without looking at what happens between the kid and the quarterback and continue their dull scouting. Afterward, they find multiple disturbances; all of which are of no interest to them. Or at least that's the case until they near an industrial area. It doesn't take them long to discover demons roaming around.
Sharing a look, they move deeper into the shadows all the while keeping an eye on the demon's actions. The longer they follow them, the more concerned they become. There are a lot of demons around. All seemingly seeking something or someone.
"Now you've got your excitement."
"Yeah, but I didn't mean this when I said I wanted some excitement," Dean admits, whispering just like Noah, "I hoped for a quick and short hunt but not this. They seem to be looking for something…"
"Or someone. I thought the same thing. This just means we need to investigate this more thoroughly."
He nods in agreement. Afterward, he returns his focus to following the demons. It doesn't take them long to find a large congregation of them. They stand in a large half-circle from what he can see. Their focus is on whatever's in front of them. They must be gathered around something.
Raised voices resound throughout the air.
He shares a look with Noah. Once more. This changes things completely. Maybe they can't even wait to report this in; they might have to act. Moving into the deep shadows, they watch to see what happens. It serves no one if they act prematurely.
More demons gather.
More raised voices.
The demons start to shout which sounds way too much for him like cheering.
"I don't like this."
"Me neither, Dean. Me neither," Noah agrees in a resigned voice.
They keep their eyes on the cheering group to try and see what they're cheering for. It doesn't take them long before they hear the sounds of a fight.
Fight?
The more he hears, the more it sounds like a one-sided fight. Hits come only from one direction followed by threats. The other person, male based on his voice, fights back defensively. At least, he doesn't sound as if he's hitting, more like taking the hits. Dean takes a blade in his hand without even noticing.
A terrifying scream fills the air.
This is when he notices the blade clenched in his hand. After this, he doesn't need to check with Noah to know what they'll do. Nor how they'll do it.
Rescuing the man in need.
Walking up behind the demons, they strike from both sides. Slowly but carefully, they work their way through the first line to each other. Then they move closer to where the fight continues. As if they didn't notice the fight breaking out behind them.
It doesn't stop. Not even at the renewed cries of pain Dean hears. The amount of people increases the more they push to the front. It feels almost endless. Nevertheless, they slowly but surely work their way to the middle.
The sight which greets them there has him widening his eyes. Man, he's big. He feels his hands starting to sweat and his heart beating faster. He takes a deep breath before it becomes more intense. He can't falter now. His eyes focus on the sight before him.
A large demon is terrorizing a man. The man's dressed in a dark suit with a white blouse covered in specks of blood. A steady stream of blood trickles from his head into an eye he keeps closed. The man looks completely mundane but he must not be else the demons would not have targeted him. He looks more closely at the man to see if he can find out why.
He strikes blank. Yet, he's also sure he'll seek out the reason later once he talks with the unfortunate victim. But for now, he needs to deal with this fucking wall of demons that has formed before him. He raises his blade. Noah steps up beside him. Together they make quick work of the demon wall. The only thing they get from the fight is a couple of bruises and cuts.
Again, they see the middle. They share a quick look before jumping on the bigger demon.
They slash.
They stab.
Over and over.
Noah gets a few good hits in before Dean knocks the demon to the floor. Their victory is however short-lived. The demon jumps up almost immediately and attacks them. It tries to get back to its target but by working together they manage to keep them separated.
During all this, they both manage to land hits on the demon which only serves to enrage it even more. At least, until they manage to stab it and hit an eye at the same time. The demon snarls before shuffling away. His tail between his legs.
Dean hears Noah breathing a sigh of relief. Yet before he can speak up, the target starts to yell at them.
"Why did you do that; I had it fully under control."
He turns to the target (whose name he still doesn't know) and is greeted by a reddish face. He tilts his head.
"Yeah, right, no need to thank us. You obviously had everything under control. The fact that you were being beaten to a pulp with little resistance clearly shows it."
The target huffs and mumbles something but Dean can't make out the words. His eyes roam over him to see if there's something he can see to determine the reason behind this attack, for he is a downworlder… or a sighted mundane. His feelings point more to the first than to the latter. And if it's the first, is he under glamour?
He tilts his head. Gold skin covered in red tiger stripes appears on the man. It disappears just as quickly as he sees it at first. The longer he looks the more it becomes clear. All this points to the man being under glamour. And based on his appearance, he's a warlock. Who his demonic parent is he doesn't know nor truly care about right now.
"You know what this means, right Warlock?" Noah says calmly. Yet, he can hear the nervousness in his tone. He knows why and hopes nothing bad will happen now.
"I know, child of Raziel. You 'saved' my life when it wasn't necessary."
"Well, we couldn't in all good conscience leave these demons around to target more people," Dean admits in a casual tone. Much more casual than he feels. He looks at the warlock for a moment before turning to one question burning into his mind, "Pray tell me, why were they attacking you."
"For the fun of it, I think."
"Really, as a warlock, I'm sure you can handle them normally so why didn't you?" Dean fires back.
"Did they have something on you?" Noah asks wisely before the warlock's able to respond to his question.
The warlock falls silent for a while as he frowns. It tells him the warlock's mulling over what to say. It allows them to share looks without losing sight of the warlock. Normally they're not dangerous but he's not about to jinx anything. In the end, the warlock sighs and pouts before answering their questions.
"They were probably sent by my father as I refused to help him with his next scheme. I just had enough of it and wanted some peaceful years for myself. He's gotten me into way too many problems over the years so… Yeah, I just noticed they're my father's attendants so didn't want to give the old greedy one anything more on me by snitching on him."
"Greedy one? Your father? Who's he?" Dean asks intrigued.
"Yes, greedy. My father runs the Bank. That should be enough for you to determine his name."
The bank? Does he mean Hell's Bank? He looks the warlock over to see if his feeling is right. The warlock just stares at them. He shares a look with Noah. Noah nods. It's all the confirmation he needs,
So, who's in charge of that again? Ma…something. He's sure of it. His eyes turn towards Noah who's eyes widen by the second. He knows the name, Dean's sure of it.
"Mammon?" Noah exclaims suddenly, sounding shocked.
The warlock shrugs. It's neither a confirmation nor a rejection of the statement. No matter; they don't need it, his words are more than clear. All it tells is the warlock doesn't want to talk about his father at all.
"So he had you attacked just because you didn't want to help him anymore?" Dean asks carefully, wanting to understand the reason behind the attack.
"I guess."
"And we saved your life or at least saved you from more serious injuries," Noah adds cheekily.
"Maybe, who knows? I had everything under control; I didn't need your help yet I also know that I now owe you a debt."
Dean and Noah share an amused look at the warlock's grumbling and pouting. He's unhappy. At the same time, he's glad the warlock, whose name he still doesn't know, isn't picking a fight with them. Who knows, maybe they'll need his aid for something in the future. Then it's good they know a warlock who owes them. And who's to say they can't help the warlock in the future. All in all, a good relationship with warlocks benefits everyone. But back to the name he desperately wants to know.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"My name?" the warlock huffs amused, "Now you ask me. Fine. My name's Morgan Stone."
