Dean downed the glass of water he'd been given. It helped. He'd never screamed the way he had tonight and his throat was still a bit raw. But then again, he'd never watched anyone kill themself right in front of him. He supposed he could be permitted a bit of leeway. His hands were still shaking. He felt like he couldn't quite catch his breath. Part of him was still convinced that the whole thing was a dream, that he'd wake up and Novak would be there to frown at him over his latest bullshit. But that wasn't true. Novak wouldn't ever frown at him again. The MP was gone, and somehow, Dean felt as though he'd lost part of himself with him.

The door opened, and the one person Dean wanted most to see finally made an appearance. Col. John Winchester was followed by two other men, both high ranking. Dean immediately jumped up, wanting to run to his father like a damned child, and was almost grateful when the cuff on his wrist securing him to the table prevented the action. "Dad!"

"Private, you will address me as Colonel," his father immediately barked. "You are facing three men who very much outrank you. I expect you to behave appropriately!"

Dean immediately went to attention, standing as straight as he could with one hand cuffed to the table. That seemed to please the colonel. He and the other two returned the salute. "At ease, Private."

"Yes, sir." Dean waited for the three to sit and then sat himself. His eyes were locked to his father's face even as his fingers traced the cuff. He still wasn't entirely sure why it was there. This whole time, people had been giving him accusing looks and barking orders at him. It didn't make any sense. It was almost like everyone thought he'd had some part to play in Novak's suicide, even though Dean had been locked behind bars, unable to do anything except scream for help while his only real friend bled out on the floor. Dean swallowed hard, forcing the mental image away to focus on his father.

Col. Winchester's face bore no expression. The eyes Dean and his brother had inherited looked back out at him, seeming to note Dean's expression and the way the private trembled and dropped his gaze under the scrutiny. "Private Winchester, this is Brigadier General Thompson and Colonel Stephens," he began. "We were fully briefed on what you saw tonight. You were close to Novak?"

Dean considered the question, fingers still idly tracing the cuff. "We fought like cats and dogs," he recalled. "The guy was always after me, always ready to bust me any time I stepped out of line. But at the same time?" His hands clenched into fists. "He always treated me with respect. All the MPs hated my guts. Fucking Walker was the worst of all, but Novak was always willing to listen to my side of the story. He usually busted me anyway, but at least he listened, you know? He was…" He swallowed. "He was a good guy. I actually thought it was strange that he didn't come in over the weekend to check up on me because he always did before any time I was in jail."

All three men looked interested at that. "Is that so?" Stephens asked. "Any particular reason why?"

That was another question he had to think about. "I think because he knew the other MPs usually treated me like shit," Dean offered. "He was the only one who was decent. Until tonight, I never would have thought of him as a friend, but now that I think about it?" He nodded. "Yeah. I really did like the guy. If things had been a little different, we probably would have been friends." He hastily wiped at his eyes. No way could he cry in front of his father.

"His death seems to have affected you quite a bit," Col. Stephens noted. He indicated Dean. "You're pale as death and you're shaking."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, when someone shoots themself in the head right in front of you, it kind of leaves an impression."

"Private!" Col. Winchester barked.

Dean flinched. "Sorry, Sir. I'm under a lot of stress right now. I just saw someone I never even realized how much I liked and respected kill himself." He shuddered. "He just shot himself in the head, looking right at me. He was even smiling a little. Meanwhile, I was locked in that stupid cell. I couldn't get to him. There was nothing I could do to stop it, no way I could help him…" He shook his head. "Where the hell did fucking Walker go? He was nowhere around when his partner needed him! I was screaming for help while Novak bled out on the floor. It felt like forever before someone finally came in. By then, it was too late. They started CPR and dragged him off in an ambulance, but part of his head was missing. He was dead, and there wasn't a damned thing anyone could do about it." He angrily wiped at his eyes again, willing his eyes to stop watering. "I just wish I could have said or done something, or I at least figured out what he was going to do," he managed between shaky breaths. "I'd give anything to have him back."

"Then you'll be glad to know he isn't dead."

Col. Stephens said it so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for Dean to process it. "What? What?! He's alive?" Dean jumped up excitedly and pulled on the cuff. "Can I see him? Please, just so I can tell him I'm sorry for all the stupid shit I put him through and…"

"Slow down, Private," Col. Winchester advised, holding up a hand. "Novak's alive, but only physically. He's brain dead, no brain activity at all. Doctors were able to restore his heartbeat and breathing, but basically, he's a vegetable. With the amount of damage he did to his frontal lobe, he's not expected to recover."

That hit like a punch to the gut. Dean collapsed back into his chair and squeezed his eyes shut. "That's even worse," he whispered. "Novak never would have wanted to live like that. You have to let him go."

"What makes you say that? What do you know about Warrant Officer James Novak?" Col. Stephens asked.

"I know that everyone in his life let him down," Dean began. "I know that the woman he loved ditched him and took half of everything he had. I know that he had his hopes up about getting chosen for some big secret position and got screwed over at the last minute because he doesn't have any friends or family…"

"What, exactly, did he tell you about that position?"

Dean looked up and was surprised to see that all three men were staring intently at him. He swallowed hard. "Um, not much," he offered. "Just that he'd made the cut the whole way to the final elimination round and got voted off the island for a really stupid reason." He frowned. "Whoever did that was an idiot. Novak put his whole heart and soul into everything he did. They should have…"

Col. Winchester cleared his throat loudly, looking uncomfortable.

"So he never actually told you about the details of that project?" Col. Stephens pressed.

"No," Dean replied. "Just that he wanted it, had his whole heart set on it, and was flat-out crushed when he didn't get it. That's what finally pushed him over the edge. From what he told me, he spent the whole weekend brooding on it before he finally decided to kill himself."

"Private, this is very important," Col. Winchester began. "Do you have any idea why, exactly, Novak decided to shoot himself in front of you?"

Dean considered the question for a moment. When the answer came to him, his stomach churned. "I think he knew I was the closest thing to a friend he had," he admitted. "I think he just wanted one person to give a shit about him. I saw he was upset and asked him what was wrong. I think that was all he wanted, in the end. If I had just kept my stupid mouth shut…?!" It was too much. Lowering his head onto his arms, Dean sobbed. He'd never cried in front of anyone, especially his father, since he was a child. But then again, he'd never lost anyone he cared about as much as he belatedly realized he cared about Novak. The son of a bitch was a self-righteous, by-the-book prick, but at the same time, he was one of the kindest, gentlest men he'd ever met. He remembered the last time he'd been arrested by the MPs. On a dare, he'd borrowed their captain's brand-new personal jeep and gone for a joy ride. He hadn't even taken the stupid thing off the base, just ran it once around the perimeter and returned it. It wasn't his fault that another vehicle passing in the opposite direction kicked up a stone that cracked the windshield. The captain had been furious. Apparently, he'd taken it out on the MPs for not stopping Dean. All the MPs had been royally pissed off. As punishment, they'd refused to give him supper. They'd been eating while standing outside of his cell, mocking his hunger until Novak arrived. Novak looked just as pissed as the rest of them, yet he'd insisted everyone leave Dean alone and had personally brought him dinner. Despite everything, Novak was always fair. Now, Dean couldn't for the life of him recall if he'd thanked Novak for that.

"So you were close," Col. Stephens said quietly.

Dean startled. He hadn't realized he'd said all of that out loud. "Well, it wasn't like we really talked much beyond 'Keep your nose clean, Winchester' and 'Get a life, Novak.'" He grimaced, white hot shame washing over him. "I actually told him to get a life!"

"Do you believe Novak felt the same for you?" Stephens pressed.

Dean thought about it and nodded. "Yeah. The other MPs knew it too. They liked to call us boyfriends because they're pricks, but they clearly saw something. As much as he claimed to despise me and everything he thought I stood for? Novak always made a point to check up on me and make sure I was alright any time I got into trouble. Like I said, in another time and place, we might have been friends." The thought made his heart ache. All this time, he could have been friends with Novak.

Col. Stephens sat back, crossed his arms over his chest, and turned to the other two. "We made a mistake with Novak."

"Novak's the one who made the mistake," Col. Winchester defended. "I was there for that interview. You asked him if he had anyone he was close to, and he said no. He never mentioned Private Winchester."

"I suspect that the private has it right," General Thompson said, speaking for the first time. "And this is coming from the idiot who turned Novak down."

Oops. Dean winced, but the general continued.

"Novak didn't think of Winchester because the two of them were so busy being enemies that they never realized that they could have been friends. Gentlemen, I think we have our answer."

"Sir, you can't be serious," Col. Winchester protested. "While I don't know the details of your project, I do know the kind of man you're looking for. You want someone committed and dedicated, with an impeccable record. If Novak was hale and hearty, then yes, I could see him fitting the bill. But Private Winchester is anything but." His father's eyes narrowed and glared at Dean, who flinched under it. "He works in the motorpool and has no advanced training. Beyond that, he has zero sense of responsibility. He takes what he wants, does what he wants, and has no care at all about who suffers for it. That is precisely how he ended up behind bars in the first place, because he doesn't care about anyone but himself!"

"It would appear he cares now," Col. Stephens pointed out quietly.

"John?" the general began. "I understand your reservations. This project is classified above top secret. Anyone going into it is going to be gone for a long time, doing highly dangerous work. This is your son, after all…"

"Private Winchester is no son of mine."

The words hurt so badly that Dean grimaced. Still, he knew better than to speak, even as his father continued. "He's actually due to be court martialled tomorrow. I fully anticipate he'll be dishonorably discharged. While nothing he's done has been overly serious, he's got a long record of minor offenses and misdemeanors dating back to his early childhood. Trust me, I know."

Dean went pale at that. He'd known he was in trouble, but it hadn't sunk in yet just how much trouble he'd actually been in.

The general squeezed Col. Winchester's shoulder. "All of that aside, he's still your son. While I still can't give you all the details, the project required two men, a guiding partner and a joining partner. If Novak was alive, he would absolutely be recommended as the guiding partner, which would make your son the joining partner. As such, he wouldn't have needed any real qualifications, because he'd be mostly following the direction of the guiding partner. How I would feel if it was my child doing that I cannot even imagine. However, with Novak being brain dead, our only choice is to use him as the joining partner. That makes your son the guiding partner."

"Wait, how can you use Novak as anything?" Dean asked, confused. "He's brain dead!"

"For this particular project, that doesn't matter," Col. Stephens declared. "In fact, that's the ideal situation."

"And that's the role you would have originally used me for?" Dean felt more than a little insulted.

"If you're looking for someone to actually take the reins on your project, then he is absolutely not qualified," Col. Winchester argued.

"He's got the only real qualification that matters," the general said.

"We don't have a choice anymore," Col. Stephens declared, slapping a hand on the table that made Dean jump. "With the other two subjects taken, it's vital that we move forward with our final subject immediately. We only have until noon tomorrow. Given Novak's current condition, the question of consent is no longer an issue. If Private Winchester was about to face a court martial and be dishonorably discharged? Well, frankly, this is the last chance he has." He turned to Dean, who was listening in complete confusion. "Private Winchester, what I'm about to say will not leave this room. The project that Warrant Officer Novak was being considered for had two parts. A partnership between two people who cared for and trusted each other was absolutely necessary for this project to work. Warrant Officer Novak had the qualifications we were looking for in the guiding partner. His role would have been as the team leader, the instructor and manager. You," he continued, giving Dean the once over, "do not have those qualities. Therefore, your role in this project would be far more limited than we originally anticipated."

"You'd have to follow orders, Dean," Col. Winchester snapped, glaring openly at his son. "You would have to. It would not be optional. If you decided to act like you usually did you could cost countless American lives!"

"But if you did your duty?" Col. Stephens pressed. "If you followed orders and carried out your missions as instructed? Then you could change the face of modern warfare."

"Whoa, hold on," Dean cautioned, holding up his hands. "My head is spinning here. What, exactly, do you want me to do? You still want Novak to be a part of this, even though he's brain dead? What, are you planning to turn him into some sort of Frankenstein monster or something? Come on, let the guy rest in peace!"

"Private Winchester, what if we told you there was a way for Novak to live again?" Col. Stephens asked. "A way that he could talk to you, be that friend you wanted, and hear everything that you never got the chance to say to him? What if he could walk beside you and help you carry out some of the most important, top-secret missions this country has?"

"He won't be like he was," the general cautioned, smiling at Dean's dumbstruck expression. "He'll lose quite a bit of himself to the process. But you could help him get some of it back, if you're willing to try."

That didn't make any sense to Dean. He shook his head, confused. "If I'm willing to try?" Dean echoed. "Of course I'm willing to try, but what are you going to do to Novak?"

"I want to register my protests against this," Col. Winchester declared as the other two stood up without answering Dean's question. "The private has no idea what he's consenting to, and Warrant Officer Novak has no way to consent at all. Even before this, he was only told about the project in the most vague of terms."

"And yet he consented," Col. Stephens said smugly. "The moment I heard about the private's reaction, I took steps to have Novak's body sent to the compound. Now that the private is willing, it's time we got going. As I said before, we have a very limited window."

"Your protests are duly noted, Colonel," the general declared. Turning to Dean, he indicated the handcuffs. "Have the MPs get the private back into uniform and send him out. Private?" He extended a hand, which Dean dumbly shook. "Welcome to Project Castiel."