Dean lay on his back on the cot in his cell, staring up at the ceiling but not seeing it. His mind was reaching out for Castiel. The dragon was quiet now, but Dean knew he wasn't sleeping. Even though he was aware that they were on nearly opposite sides of the base, Dean could feel Castiel as though they were in the same room. The heavy chains chafed, restricting his movement. They'd been fastened securely to the floor, keeping the dragon from changing form by preventing him from shifting to whatever alternate dimension he seemed to exist in. The muzzle was the worst. It felt suffocating even with the openings, impairing the dragon's vision and weighing on his head. It disgusted Dean that it was still there. When they'd dragged the dragon in using cranes and heavy equipment, Castiel was still unconscious. He'd awakened completely trapped and barely able to move. To Ketch's credit, he'd argued loudly about removing some of Cass's restraints now that the dragon was back in custody, but he'd been overruled. Cass would have to play nice to make that happen. Meanwhile, the dragon was doomed to spend a miserable night.
Unfortunately, Cass wasn't alone in his misery tonight. At least Raphael had stopped screaming. How she hadn't ended up injured with the way she fought was nothing short of a miracle. While she'd also been sedated, the moment she woke she'd gone mad, fighting against her restraints until she'd apparently been sedated again. When she woke again, she'd gone from panicked rage to despair. Dean wasn't sure that was better, but at least she wasn't in danger of hurting herself now that she'd stopped struggling uselessly against the heavy chains. She was currently locked away in the adjacent building to where Castiel was held.
Dean wasn't alone, either. He could hear Donnie's quiet sobs from the cell next to his own. Dean had wanted to reach out to the other man and offer comfort, but what could he say? Dean was only too aware that it was their actions that had directly led to the Finnermans being recaptured. Dean had been locked in his cell when the traumatized, fighting husband had been brought in. The bastards had tazed Donnie before shoving him brutally into the other cell. Donnie had screamed and shaken the bars, making nearly as much noise as his enraged wife, although he'd collapsed and dissolved into incoherent sobs long before she'd stopped screaming. In the end, all Dean could offer was a small "I'm sorry, Donnie." He wasn't even sure if Donnie could hear him.
"The Finnermans aren't our fault," Cass insisted in Dean's mind. "None of this is. It's the fault of the people behind all of it, those who stole the eggs in the first place, the ones behind Michael, and those in charge of the projects that created the five of us."
"You're right," Dean responded. "Of course you're right. But it's hard to remember that when Donnie…?"
"I know, Dean."
Dean closed his eyes. "I never wanted this to happen to you again," he sent. "I knew our life wouldn't be an easy one. Chances were high that we'd be hunted for the rest of our lives, however long they were. I was ok with that. I'm not ok with this. I'm not ok with an innocent couple who only wanted to help big cats getting forced into a war they never even imagined and certainly didn't want to join. I'm not ok with Jack and Adam. I'm not ok with losing Ash and Ellen and Jo and all those other people at the Roadhouse, or anyone else who was just in the way of whoever's behind Michael." He frowned into the darkness. "That had to be Michael, right? The damage to the Roadhouse, that had to be a dragon's doing."
"It seems that way," Cass agreed.
"But how the hell did he know we were there?" Dean wondered. "If the Army was tracking my Baby, that would explain why they caught up to us eventually. But how the hell did Michael end up at the Roadhouse? Following the cameras would have only gotten Dick Roman's people so far. There's millions of cameras, right? How could they know which ones to watch?"
"They would have had to have a place to start looking," Cass agreed.
"Michael went sweeping in and took out the caravan the Army was sending after us and everyone at the Roadhouse, but we were already gone," Dean speculated. "So they would have had to use the cameras again to figure out where we were going. But I keep getting hung up on the Roadhouse. How did Michael's group know about the Army's caravan? How'd they find the Roadhouse? The Army found us because of the tracker on Baby, but how did Michael's group do it? They couldn't have even known about Baby because she wasn't registered to me, so it's not like they could have just had their computers watch for her. I suppose they could have figured out who Sam was and tracked me from Stanford, but I never went to the campus." He frowned in the darkness. "I don't get it. These bastards that have us now knew enough to send people in after me and Sam. They knew to look for the marks because they started the project. But that other group, the ones who originally came after me and Sam at the Roadhouse? They were not military."
That surprised the dragon. "Not military? How do you know that?"
"It's something that was bothering me for a while, that finally came to me. They might have been ex-military, but they just didn't act like military," Dean explained. "Trust me, my dad's been in the service since before I was born. I've been surrounded by military my entire life. I know how enlisted men act. That wasn't it. They were with Michael's group, and thanks to Gabe's trick, they went back empty-handed. But Jo called the cops, which meant word would have gotten back to the Army. That explains why they sent in a caravan." Dean sat up in his bed. "Wait, how did the Army find out about Gabe? As far as Jo or the cops or anyone else at the Roadhouse knew, Sam and I had been taken by Michael's people. If we were gone, there was no reason to send a caravan out to the Roadhouse. They should have gone after Michael's people, right? But somehow, these assholes here knew Gabe had worked his magic back at the Roadhouse."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because they told me!" Dean pounded a fist against his mattress, glaring up at the dark ceiling. "They questioned me nearly as much about Gabriel as they did about Michael. They wanted him bad, and I guess I get that. Gabe left them with egg on their faces. No wonder they want him brought back into the fold. But how'd they know we found him, or that we weren't with Michael's people?"
"Your brother had military types go after him at Stanford, too," Castiel reminded. "I suppose it makes sense that someone figured out Gabriel was around him. Someone traced him out there somehow."
"Or did they?" Dean wondered. "You forget, the reason we went after Sam ourselves was because we thought they'd go after him to get to me. And they did! After the first time didn't work, one group or the other went to Kate, probably held Adam over her head, and got her to give up Sam. When they got out there, Balth intervened and got Sam out." The thought of Balthazar made unwelcome tears well up in Dean's eyes. He wiped angrily at them, refusing to give in to them now.
"It's alright to mourn Balthazar, Dean," Castiel said quietly. "Someone should."
"He really pulled it off," Dean admitted. "He put himself out there, even marked his chest with a fake mark, just to hide Sam. When he died, everyone assumed Gabriel died with him, or at least that's the impression they gave me. They were badgering me to give up where I thought Gabriel might have been because they wanted to recover his body for study." Dean scoffed. "I told him what I thought they could study, alright."
"It seems they didn't really know who he was," Castiel noted. "Whoever put those missing posters out with his picture back at Stanford obviously had no idea what he actually looked like."
Dean frowned. "Cass, what are you talking about? I know you didn't like the composite very much, but it really did look just like him."
"No it didn't," Cass retorted crossly. "It was of a short-haired man with stern features and a much stockier build than Balthazar. The description included blue eyes and blonde hair. That wasn't even close."
Dean sat up abruptly. "Cass?" he sent. "What, exactly, did Balthazar look like to you?"
"Thin, but not really scrawny," Castiel replied, confused. "Longer hair, although not as long as Sam's and kind of wavy. Brown, not blonde. He also had amber eyes and softer features than they had in that composite. What do you mean? That's not what you saw?"
Dean stopped breathing. "You just described Gabriel! Wait. He's an illusion dragon, but you could see through his illusions, right?"
"Yes and no," Castiel corrected. "If I knew they were illusions, yes, I'd be able to see through them. But Gabriel was powerful enough that, if I didn't know better, he could still fool me to a point."
"Would that include disguising himself as a human?"
Castiel took a moment to answer. "No," he said at last. "Gabriel could never alter himself enough to read as a human to me." The dragon suddenly gasped. "But he could certainly read like a guiding partner! Dean, I'm a fool. I knew when I met Balthazar that he seemed off somehow, but when you told me he was Gabriel's guiding partner, I assumed that was why. It never occurred to me to wonder why he'd seem so off if he wasn't actually bonded with Gabriel. It doesn't make sense that he read like a guiding partner, but Sam never did. Both of those things were absolutely illusions that a dragon with his ability could pull off. But that would mean…!"
"Son of a bitch," Dean admired. "Gabriel pulled off the biggest trick of them all. He was hiding both himself and his guiding partner the only way he really could. This whole time, Gabriel was right under our noses. He used his power to change his appearance, but he had to know you'd see through that…"
"…So he also used his power to dampen his presence as a dragon, and Sam's as his guiding partner," Castiel finished. "He made sure that absolutely no one would even look at Sam, while everyone's attention would be fixed on himself. It was the perfect, and the only, way he could protect your brother."
Dean's head was spinning. "There I was, ragging on Gabriel and Balthazar, calling them both cowards when the entire time? He was taking all the risk onto himself. Now I get why Balth and Sammy were never worried about Gabe while we were on the run. He was right there with us the entire time, letting everyone think he was his own guiding partner to keep all the heat off of Sam." He grimaced in the darkness. "Wow, I'm an asshole! If that was me, I would have punched me right in the mouth. I think Sam came close a time or two."
"I'm more impressed with the control Gabriel has over his powers," Cass said. "He maintained his illusions the entire time he was with us, even while asleep. The stress he must have been under to do that was enormous! No wonder he preferred to drive his own car rather than riding with us. It was the only break he had. It's amazing he was able to keep his illusions up for so long, especially when we all ended up together in one vehicle and he had to maintain them constantly."
"I thought he looked a bit peaked when he pulled into that rest stop," Dean recalled. "The guy's powerful, I'll give him that. But what happened when Michael went full dragon right on top of him? They told me he got crushed and died!" Panic suddenly washed over him. "Cass, if Balthazar is really Gabriel, and Gabe's bonded with Sam…?"
"I don't think he's dead," Castiel responded quickly. "Injured, certainly, but not dead."
"How do you know?" Dean demanded frantically.
"Because they didn't find your brother." Castiel's calm answer washed over Dean like a cool wave. "I overheard Ketch screaming at someone over the phone because they apparently weren't able to find Sam. If Gabriel died, your brother would have been found. The fact that he wasn't found tells me that Gabriel was still up to his tricks. Even injured, he's powerful enough that he could have tricked whoever found him into believing he'd been crushed and killed, and let your brother use his powers enough to make anyone who stumbled over him overlook him."
"But they brought Balth's body here," Dean recalled. "They told me that. They were flying in some hot-shot specialist to study his brain so they could learn about any changes that came about from bonding with a dragon." Dean chuckled, remembering how convincing Gabriel's illusions of him and Sam had been. "That bastard's been here all along. He's probably hanging out somewhere on base, stealing people's lunches and causing all sorts of havoc while he heals up. And meanwhile, Sam's still out there!"
The sudden hope he felt from his dragon made Dean smile. He lay back down, fingers interlaced beneath his head, and closed his eyes again, picturing Cass. "Hey listen. We've got a little hope now, but you still need to play nice. Don't fight them the way Lanette's been doing, or they'll just hurt you."
"Don't you fight either," Cass warned sternly. "They know exactly how to force us to follow their orders. Lanette and I will do anything, anything at all, to protect our bondmates, just like Michael has been doing all along. I can't survive this unless you're safe, so don't be, well, you!"
That made Dean snort. He quickly covered his mouth with a hand, not wanting Donnie to hear him. The broken man had finally gone silent. Dean wasn't sure if that meant Donnie had fallen into an exhausted sleep, or he was simply lying awake in the darkness like Dean was. Either way, it wouldn't do for Donnie to hear him laugh. The thought of the Finnermans drove all his humor away.
"There's got to be a leak somewhere, either in the Army or in Michael's camp," Cass said, putting voice to the suspicions circling Dean's mind. "It's the only thing that makes sense. Somehow, information is being shared between them. I don't know who or why…"
"I think maybe I do," Dean replied. "We know we were being tracked, and we already speculated that the reason we were let go for so long was so we could keep searching for other dragons. That's precisely how they found the Finnermans. But this whole time, we've always been told that our primary target was Michael. Now we know he's an emperor, it makes sense why, and why the Army was obviously hiding somewhere close. They were just waiting for him to show up. Someone wanted the fight to happen between you and Michael so they could get you both. That's why I think it was someone in the Army, leaking information about where we were and what we were driving to Michael's team. It's the only explanation for what happened at the Roadhouse. Seeing as how the Army was right there, ready to take down and scoop up two dragons? My money's on them. I'll bet that the leak was intentional, just so the Army could get a shot at Michael. They never wanted you to destroy him, Cass, they wanted him back in the fold, ideally with Raphael and Gabriel. The end game was always to re-capture all five dragons. But now, Michael's people will know they've been played. They almost lost Michael. The only reason he turned and ran was because someone in his camp realized the trap and got him out before it could close around him. But you can bet they won't fall for that again. They'll be much more careful with where they use Michael."
"That will make finding him considerably more difficult."
"Not our problem," Dean declared stubbornly. "That's Ketch's problem now."
"Dean, I still need to find a way to stop him," Castiel insisted just as stubbornly. "Just because we've been captured doesn't change facts."
"Ok, let's look at the facts then." Suddenly irritated, Dean sat up, swinging his legs down over the side of the bed and scowling into the darkness. "Mikey's an emperor dragon. You're a fire dragon, and we know you can't beat him. Lanette's a storm dragon, but she's just a civvy with no real idea how to fight. You think the two of you can take him down?"
"I don't know," Castiel admitted. "Even if Gabriel helps, I don't know if we can take Michael down. He's an emperor. Everything I was doing barely scratched his scales, while he, well, you saw what he did to me."
Dean winced, feeling the ache of his dragon's wounds. The only good thing about being here was that Castiel could get good medical care. He knew Cass was a quick healer, but the fact that his beloved dragon had been injured at all still tore at Dean's heart.
From the next cell, Donnie suddenly sobbed. Across the base, Raphael shrieked once more. Dean winced. Getting up, he moved to the bars of his cell. "Hey, Donnie?" he called.
Donnie sniffed loudly. "What do you want?"
Dean winced again at the venom in the man's tone. "I get that you probably blame me for you two getting caught again," he began.
"What? I don't blame you! Why the hell would you think I blamed you?" Donnie asked, confused. "I blame the motherfuckers who captured us. They're the ones I'm pissed at, not you. I'm sorry you're in here, too. That mean they got Castiel?"
"Yeah," Dean said, surprised. "We found Michael, but he was just too strong."
"Aw hell." Donnie sniffed again. "I hope Castiel didn't get torn up too much." He gasped. "But that means they're going to want Lanette to…!"
Raphael's screams once again pierced the quiet of the base. Dean shook his head. "Donnie, you gotta help her. She's only going to hurt herself fighting like that, man, you gotta calm her down!"
"How the hell am I supposed to calm her down when I'm locked up and she's chained down so tight she can hardly even move?"
Another scream filled the air. Dean kicked at the bars of his cell. "You can sense her enough to know she's chained up? That means you can sense her enough to calm her down. This sucks. I'm not going to lie. I just got into a relationship with Castiel and it tears me up to have him treated like an animal. I couldn't imagine what you're going through with your wife."
"What'd you say? You're in a relationship with him now?" Donnie asked. "Well, congratulations!"
Saying it out loud had still made Dean cringe a little on the inside. But Donnie's immediate whole-hearted acceptance and approval made his heart melt a little. "Thank you, but let's go back to your wife. You're her guiding partner," Dean began. "She's hardwired to listen to you. That's how those bastards could make Michael attack us, even though he's actually not much more than a brain-damaged kid, barely old enough to enlist. I imagine they only chose him for Michael's joining partner because of his relationship with Adam, and after what they did to him?" He shook his head. "You could tell that the last thing he wanted to do was fight. He was forced to because those fuckers had his guiding partner."
"I know," Donnie moaned. "They're forcing him to fight, just like they're going to make my baby fight!"
That resulted in yet another ear-bursting scream from the storm dragon. "Dammit, Donnie, you cannot think like that," Dean ordered. "Listen, I promise you, I will find a way to get you two out of this."
"How? Your ass is locked up in a cage same as mine!"
"I'll find a way," Dean insisted, "but for now, you are the only one who can help Lanette. We can't get her out of those chains or you out of that cell. What we can do is make it better for her. Close your eyes."
"The fuck you talking about, kid?"
"Just do it!"
A loud sigh came from the other cell. "Ok, they're closed."
"Alright. I want you to imagine you're taking your wife out on a date," Dean instructed. "Somewhere special, just the two of you. Maybe someplace you always wanted to go, or someplace that's got good memories for the two of you?"
"Mmm. Ok, I'm imagining the restaurant where I proposed. It's swank as hell, but damn, did she look fine in that dress!"
"Good," Dean encouraged. "You're there right now, the two of you. She's in that dress. You're there, with her. Tell her how good she looks. Tell her how much you love her. Bring her there too, right with you."
"Oh, baby," Donnie moaned. "Lanette, you gorgeous thing you. I love you so much, and we're ok, baby. We're together. No matter what happens, it's you and me. Always."
From across the compound came a low croon, almost musical. Dean smiled. He heard Donnie's bunk creek as the man climbed back into it, still whispering words of love to his wife.
"That was a good thing you did," Cass sent him.
"Now it's your turn." Dean closed his eyes and imagined himself back behind the wheel of his baby. Cass was beside him. Led Zeppelin was playing on the radio and Dean was singing along. Only one hand was on the wheel. The other gripped the hand of the amazing man with him.
Cass turned, shining blue eyes fixed on Dean. "I love you."
"I love you too," Dean replied. "You and me, out on the open road. We can go anywhere, do anything we want. No one is chasing us. You don't have to fight anyone. This is how it should be."
"Yes." Cass's gravelly voice was deeper than usual, carrying his emotion. "This is wonderful, Dean. We're free."
"Free." Dean whispered the word, squeezing Cass's hand. Beneath Baby's tires, the road hummed. The sun was shining overhead in the giant blue dome that arched down around them. Ahead of them was nothing but open country. Then suddenly, Baby was airborne. They were flying, floating through the American countryside, free as birds. Normally, Dean would have been terrified, but this was somehow different. All his life, the one place he'd always felt safest was inside his father's car. He'd chosen Baby for this for that reason, to share that sense of safety with Castiel. But now Baby was no longer confined to the twists and turns of the road. She could go anywhere, over any obstacle. The entire world was open before them. Instead of feeling afraid, he'd never felt so free.
"See?" Cass laughed. "There's nothing scary about flying, Dean. It's freedom, freedom like you've never known."
Dean looked out the window in wide-eyed wonder, seeing the trees pass far below. He rolled down his window and stuck out his hand, feeling the air flowing through his fingers, running liquid-like over his skin. He could sense the air currents like he was seeing them. He understood how they played together, creating eddies and tides, swirling currents of warm and cool air mixing and moving past each other. No wonder Cass was so graceful in flight. His mighty wings could navigate this with ease, each feather catching the currents of air and riding them like he was part of them.
"You were never in danger flying with me," Cass assured. "No more than you are driving this car. I…" He stopped, frowning.
Dean, still trailing his hand out the window, looked over and frowned. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure," Cass said. "Something's wrong. I thought I heard gunshots?"
Dean immediately opened his eyes and sat up again in bed, listening. Sure enough, he could hear what sounded like faint gunshots. Alarmed, he moved to the bars. "Hey, guard?" he called. "Someone out there? I hear gunshots, what's going on?"
No answer. That was alarming all by itself. Dean moved to the bars and shook them. "Hey! Is anyone out there? What's going on?"
"Gunshots?" Donnie asked quietly.
Dean grimaced. Somehow, he'd managed to forget there was a civilian in the cell next to him. "Yeah, Cass told me he heard them first, but I could hear… There!"
Those were definitely gunshots, much closer now. Now it was a cacophony of them, a warzone somewhere on the base. Dean could hear shouting, followed by more gunshots. Alarms sounded, drowning out everything else as emergency lights blazed to life. He sucked in his breath. "Donnie, I want you to get back into your cell, back against the wall in the corner," he directed. "Try to keep back from the bars and away from the window, just in case any stray shots come our way."
"What, you want me to just hide under the bed?" Donnie asked, confused.
"That's actually not a bad idea." Dean was already crouched down next to his bead, wary of stray bullets. He heard more gunshots. Those sounded like they were just outside, down the hall. "Just get back and keep your head down. If they come in here, I'll talk to them."
Donnie swore softly. Dean hoped he knew enough to follow his directions.
A couple minutes later he heard shouting and gunfire right outside. A door flew open and lights came on. Dean blinked and stood up, hands in the air. He squinted in the sudden bright light at the armed men dressed all in black that were filing in, weapons aimed at him. "Back against the wall, Winchester, and keep your hands up! You, Finnerman, get up and do the same."
"Donnie's a civilian," Dean called, obeying. "Don't hurt him. He's got nothing to do with anything happening here. Talk to me, and…"
"Both of you turn around and put your hands on the wall above your heads," the speaker barked. "Do not move."
"Ok. Donnie, do what they say," Dean called, obeying.
Dean heard the sound of keys unlocking the cell doors. Then he was roughly grabbed, pushed hard against the wall and cuffed. A bag went over his head. Hands grabbed his arms and pulled him, stumbling, out of the cell. From across the base, Castiel gave an alarmed roar, followed by the same from Raphael. The dragons weren't happy at all about what was happening with their bondmates. Dean forced himself to stay calm. "Look, I'll do whatever you want," he called. "Leave Donnie alone."
Dean's only answer was Donnie's grunt. No doubt he was getting the same treatment as Dean. "Cass, they got me and Donnie," he sent. "I think whoever's been leaking information to Michael's group just arranged for yet another dragon heist."
"I think you're right, but I imagine we're about to find out."
Dean was glad to hear his dragon was reasonably calm, although he could easily sense Castiel's anxiety. Already, there was heavy fighting outside of the dragon's enclosure. That spoke volumes about their attackers. Even though the dragons would have been the obvious target, these people had known enough to get the guiding partners first before going after the dragons. Dean had no idea where he was being taken. He was roughly shoved into a vehicle. Before he could ask questions, something sharp poked into his skin. Castiel screamed in fury, but Dean couldn't do anything about it now. Everything had gone dark.
