Job one was getting the hell out of the prison area. That was proving to be difficult. The door leading out of the prison didn't budge no matter how hard Dean pushed on it. "It needs a key card," Adam explained, indicating the card reader next to the door. "The cells and the restraints on the dragons have actual keys, but the rest of the doors on this base all have key cards."

"Well, shit." Dean looked over the door. It was reinforced steel, not something he'd likely be able to burn through. He doubted even Adam could burn through all the doors they'd have to go through to get to the keys. He looked out the small reinforced glass window in the door and brightened. "I got an idea."

Dean pounded his fist on the window, getting the attention of a pair of guards who'd just wandered into the hall. When they looked his way, Dean gleefully gave them the finger, making kissy faces over it. That did it. The guards immediately began running toward the door. Dean stood back, waited for the guard to unlock the door, and then charged through it, arms outstretched to take both guards to the ground. One managed to twist free. Dean rolled on the ground with the other, pounding away until the man went limp. Something went sailing past Dean's head. That turned out to be the second guard, propelled by a mighty dragon-enhanced blow from Donnie. Donnie pounced on the man and soon both guards were down.

Adam quickly got into their pockets and produced a pair of key cards. "Got 'em! These should get us through these doors."

"Nice," Dean complimented, giving Donnie a hand up. "Lead the way."

Adam set a brisk pace, jogging quickly through the halls. Despite his newfound freedom, it was clear the traumatized soldier was still terrified. His face was white. He jumped at every sudden noise. Even as he led them through the halls, his eyes were everywhere, watching for guards. Fortunately, the few they encountered Dean and Donnie were able to take out easily enough.

Most of the action was still taking place outside, with Roman's men fighting Gabe's imaginary army. Dean had no idea where Sammy was, something that made his heart clench with fear. He had to trust that his brother wasn't stupid enough to do anything, well, stupid. Gabriel, he told himself, would have made sure Sam was safe. Keeping Sam safe was probably the only thing he and the irritating illusion dragon agreed on.

Unfortunately, not everyone was outside. Dean doubted that they'd seen through Gabe's illusion, if the sounds of fighting he could still hear were any indication. Apparently, Roman wasn't a complete idiot, at least not enough to empty the base to fight. A man in a black uniform identical to the one Ketch had been wearing saw them and immediately shouted in alarm. Suddenly, over half a dozen people came racing toward the three fugitives.

"Dean…?" Donnie called, trying to look everywhere at once.

"Donnie, I know it looks bad, but if we don't start kicking some ass we are never going to get our loved ones away from this psycho," Dean called. He was already focusing, drawing on Cass's power. "Adam, we may need your help on this one."

"M-me?" Adam squeaked. "But I…"

"Look, I'll do most of the fighting here, but Donnie and I can't take all these fuckers alone," Dean warned. "I'm sorry, but you're a soldier, Adam. It's time to remember that. C'mon, guys, let's dance!"

At first, things went well. He and Donnie charged into the fray, fists flying. With their dragon-enhanced strength and sheer determination, they were making real headway. Even Adam joined in, although tentatively, darting in and out of the bulk of the fighting to drag guards off of Dean or Donnie when one of them was on the verge of getting overwhelmed. As the fight continued, Adam's confidence grew until he was finally standing at Dean's side, ready to face the next wave of attackers.

Unfortunately, Dean's "dance" ended when two more guards raced in, this time with weapons drawn. Apparently, no one had told them not to kill the desperate prisoners as they immediately opened fire. Dean threw himself in front of Donnie without thinking. The sound of gunfire was deafening. Surprisingly, he felt no pain. His eyes, which he'd instinctively squeezed shut, peeked open and stared in shock at the back of Adam's head. "Adam!"

Adam snarled in a way Dean had never heard a human snarl before. The air around him seemed to shimmer, the temperature in the room skyrocketing. Adam raised hands that were sheathed in an ominous flickering red glow. "Leave… Us… Alone!"

Dean barely had the presence of mind to pounce on Donnie, driving the other man to the floor and using Cass's power to shield him. He was almost too late. Flames roared, filling the room, turning the space into a pocket of Hell. Above the roaring of the flames came the agonized screams. The smell was perhaps worst of all, singed hair and burning flesh mixing with burning plastic and hot metal. Donnie screamed in fright, clinging to Dean as Dean tried desperately to shield him.

Fortunately, it was over in seconds, although it felt like an eternity. Panting, Adam dropped to his hands and knees before keeling over to collapse onto his side. Dean did a quick check of Donnie, finding the other man unharmed. Then he moved to check on Adam. "Adam, you've been shot?"

"And it really hurts," Adam whispered. He reached up and grasped one of the flattened, deformed bullets that decorated his torso. Wincing, he pulled it free, revealing a bloody hole in his skin. The bullet had pierced Adam's skin, but his wounds weren't deep. "Jack," he offered in response to Dean's expression. "I knew it was possible for him to give me some of his power, but we were always told that if he ever did, it would be b-b-bad. For me." He was shaking now, his voice such a soft whisper that Dean had to strain to hear. "Alastair. You don't understand. You have no idea. The things he did to me? He… he…"

Dean impulsively embraced him. "I'm proud of you," he said softly. "I can't imagine what they put you through, but you still broke through it enough to save us now. I'm damned proud of you, brother."

Adam sobbed, clinging to Dean even when the contact with his wounds made Adam hiss. Dean let him cling, looking back at Donnie, who was back on his feet looking uncertain. "How about we try not to attract any more attention?" Dean called to Donnie. "Think you could peek ahead? I'll help Adam."

"I'm ok," Adam insisted, wincing as he got up. "It hurts, but I can keep going. We need to go this way. Come on."

Moving much more carefully now, the three made their way quickly through the base, ducking out of sight any time they found guards. Fortunately, the bulk of Roman's men had their attention focused outside. But Dean could feel time slipping away like sand through his fingers. The longer it took to free the dragons, the more chances for Gabriel to make a mistake or run out of steam, or for someone to manage to see through his illusions.

Dean hurried the other two as quickly as he safely could until Adam finally stopped outside a door. "This is the central control room," he explained, pointing at the door. "I saw it a few times in passing as I was being taken to different places on base to train Jack. It's full of monitors and control panels. Roman's trainers would keep supplies in there, too. Restraints for Jack and…" He looked down. "…And other things. To make us obey."

Dean clenched his fists. "Then let's get in there." He tried the door and to his surprise, it opened. Inside, two men were working frantically at the static-filled monitors, apparently trying to undo Gabriel's attack on the video monitoring systems. Dean charged in and had one on the floor in a couple punches. Donnie was quick to pound the second into submission, but not before the man managed to slam his hand down on a button on the control panel.

Meanwhile, Adam was busy in a large cabinet that stood at the back of the room, on the opposite side from the monitors. Dean looked and what he saw made him sick. Electric cattle prods. Whips. Heavy chains. There were also massive cuffs and collars big enough to fit a dragon that all had sharp, painful-looking prongs on the inside. Telltale traces of a brown substance coated the prongs. Dean shuddered and turned away. No wonder Adam was so traumatized. It was a wonder that Jack was as cheerful as he was, but he understood why the two had little to no fight left in them now. What they must have gone through made Dean's head fill with violent ideas about what he might do when he got his hands on Dick Roman and Arthur Ketch.

"What's this?" Donnie wanted to know.

Dean gratefully turned his back on the cabinet to look at what had attracted Donnie's attention. The other man was looking at the control panel below the monitors. The control panel consisted of a series of lights, all of them red, surrounding a computer. Dean's eyes landed on labels beneath the colored lights listing various rooms. "Hey, these are the electronic locks," he realized.

Adam quickly pushed past him and began tapping on the keyboard. "Dammit," he hissed. He pointed at the button one of the men had pressed. "That's the emergency lock. The electronic locks now require passwords as well as the keycards to get through. We'll have to figure out another way." He looked down at the unconscious guards and narrowed his eyes. "Maybe they've got their passwords written down somewhere or something?"

"I got some passwords," Donnie snarled. Raising his hands, he shaped them into claws. The room filled with the scent of ozone.

Dean quickly grabbed Adam and jerked him back. Just in time. Donnie slammed his hands onto the control panel. Lightning arced and sparked. Showers of sparks flew up from the control panel. A moment later, smoke and flames were rising. Dean snagged Donnie's belt and yanked him back just before the computer exploded, parts flying up into the air just missing the three in the room on their downward arc.

Hearing a sound, Dean peeked out and was pleased to see that the door leading into the control room had slid open. He looked through it and was delighted to see that all the electronic doors in the hall were now opened. "Dude, nice job!" he exclaimed, slapping Donnie on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Donnie grunted. "Adam, you got the keys?"

"Right here," Adam announced, displaying the keys.

"Then let's get the hell out of here," Donnie announced. "I've had enough of this place and this entire shit show to last a lifetime."

Dean couldn't agree more. With all the doors open, it was harder to dodge patrols. The group was forced to fight twice more. Donnie, it seemed, was inspired, sending lightning punches into anyone who stood between him and his wife. Even Adam got into the fight. The strength of an emperor dragon was considerable, if the way enemies were flying off of Adam's fiery fists were any indication. Dean's newfound half brother's wounds were still oozing blood, leaving an ominous trail as they moved. Adam didn't seem to notice. His eyes were shining, full of anger and determination as he fought on. It seemed as though the lieutenant had finally found a focus for all of the pain he'd been forced to endure for so long. Dean was happy to let him take the lead. When the final opponent went flying off of Adam's fist to smash against a wall with a decisive crunch, the trio returned to the dragons.

The first thing Dean saw when they re-entered the prison section was the blood dripping from Jack's wrists. "Dammit, Jack," Adam scolded, quickly unlocking the cell and running to his dragon. "You know you can't fight these cuffs. Now you've got your wrists all torn up again."

"Never mind me, what about you?" Jack poked gingerly at Adam's wounds, wincing in sync with his guiding partner.

"Don't worry about that now. Here." Adam tossed the keys to Dean.

Dean was quick to free the other dragons. He saw with dismay that Castiel, Lanette and even Gabriel also had bloodied wrists. He quickly found out why. The cuffs that restrained all four dragons were lined with smaller but equally vicious versions of the cruel spikes that had lined the dragon-sized cuffs and collars back in the control room. Dean was breathing hard through gritted teeth in an effort to control his emotions. Donnie didn't say a word, but the look on his face as he inspected his wife's torn wrists was almost frightening.

"Nice work," Gabriel called. He was swaying a bit as he walked, throwing a bloodied arm casually across Dean's shoulders for support. "Now, Sammykins and that crazy old coot with the shotgun whose number you gave your brother are out there. They've been busy taking pot shots at Roman's men to reinforce the idea that they're under attack. But already, the mercs have figured out that most of what's out there is illusion. It won't be much longer before they start charging through my army to find out what's real and what isn't."

"Bobby Singer," Lanette sighed. "I should have known that old fool wouldn't be content to go into hiding. Alright, what's your plan?"

"Simple," Gabe declared. "We get out of the building, go dragon, and turn this whole complex into a smoking crater. Sound good?"

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed.

"I'm in," Lanette agreed.

"Have you lost your mind?" Castiel complained. "Gabriel, I'm certainly willing to fight, and it seems Jack is, too. But Lanette is a civilian and you don't have much in the way of natural weapons outside of your illusions. When Jack and I were fighting, we were getting hit with RPGs and other heavy weaponry. Do you really think Roman won't have anything similar?"

"Of course he does," Gabriel retorted. "I scouted this place out myself before I came in here. I know exactly where all Roman's shit is. I also am way too much of a gentleman to expect a lady to take on anything like that. I don't even want you and Jack to do it. Unfortunately, though, I'm going to have to ask everyone to play their role. If you do it or not is up to you, but trust me when I say this is your last real chance to live free." He started forward, forcing Dean to support him as he limped ahead. "As for me, I'm just about drained, but I still have a few more tricks left in me. I've got at least enough juice for one last illusion. For that, I'm going to need your help."

"So what do you want us to do?" Jack asked, sounding as confused as Dean felt.

"What I want you to do is what you do best," Gabe declared. He pointed with his hand. "I want you to go out there and raise hell. I'll back you up while Romeo and Casanova here join up with our friends outside and help spread the chaos. Castiel, you'll be out there, too, but I've got special instructions for you. Finally, my dear Mrs. Finnerman?"

"Yes?" Lanette asked, puzzled.

Gabriel released Dean, turned, took Lanette's hand and brought it to his lips. "My lovely lady," he crooned. "You are going to save the day!"

Sam stumbled backward, firing as he went. Ahead and above, Gabriel's illusions were blinking out one by one. Now only a few dozen illusionary fighters were still appearing to attack the compound even as they retreated. Meanwhile, the defenders were swarming out like angry bees from a disturbed nest. Helicopters were buzzing overhead. Sam's head was pounding. Sweat from his efforts was running into his eyes, disrupting his aim even further as his shaking hand continued to fire off the last of his ammunition. "I'm out," he called.

Bobby Singer kept close to Sam, supporting the exhausted younger man even as Sam kept contact to maintain the illusion of invisibility. The grizzled veteran fired his shotgun empty and dug into his pocket. He swore. "Me too. Tell me Gabriel had enough time?"

"He thinks so, although he's pretty weak," Sam admitted. "Now it's time for phase two." Turning, the pair jogged quickly to their second staging area. Arriving, Sam anxiously reached out for his dragon and breathed a sigh of relief. "They're out. Get ready."

"Where?" Bobby complained. "I don't… Son of a bitch!"

Sam decided it was fortunate that Bobby was out of ammunition. Otherwise, the startled veteran might have accidentally shot him when Dean suddenly appeared not two feet away, Donnie and Adam close behind. "Ok, Gabe told us his plan," Dean said, oblivious. "I have to say, he's crazy but he's got some serious balls."

"Lanette will do her part," Donnie announced proudly. "Now let's get to work here."

Bobby nodded and moved to the duffel bag he and Sam had hidden under some brush earlier. Opening it, he pulled out some ammo and passed some to Sam. "Donnie, I never did ask, do you know how to shoot?"

Donnie shrugged. "Point the end at the enemy and pull the trigger, I imagine," he announced. "Don't worry about me. I may not win any marksmanship trophies today, but I know what I have to do and I can pull my weight."

"You do that," Dean encouraged. "You won't be doing the bulk of the shooting anyway. You just need to add to the confusion."

"I can help," Adam called excitedly. "I got my marksman badge shortly before I joined Project Michael."

"Good," Bobby declared, frowning in concern, "but you look like you're hurt." He indicated Adam's blood-soaked shirt. "You're leaking like a sieve, boy. Shouldn't you lie down somewhere?"

"I'm fine," Adam insisted, standing proudly at attention. "I can do this."

Bobby sighed, smiling fondly at the earnest young man. "You know what we're supposed to be doing?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Adam declared. He held tightly to his weapon, his eyes fierce and determined. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Bobby met Adam's eyes briefly before focusing his attention back at the base. "Alright, gentlemen, any minute now… Ah, there they are!"

Roars shattered the air overhead. Then four magnificent dragons came soaring through the air. The four banked sharply, coming back around toward the base even as the helicopters dodged frantically and the ground defenders scrambled for cover.

"This is it," Bobby called. "Open fire!"