Blood In The Water . Part III (cont.)
Or How To Fade Back into the World
“There are still a couple transhumans, Artic Division, down in on Maple St. looking for space within the Coolers. Missy is still having trouble running the X6’s through drills by herself, those kids don’t listen to anyone,” said Luke with a chuckle, looking up at Mole from his clipboard. The halfhearted grin slid off his face at the stoic expression he was given and he sighed. “Until Max and Alec get back we don’t have any familiar faces to show the public that we’re minding our own business-”
“They’re not coming back,” snapped Mole, glaring at Luke. “It’s been…they aren’t coming back any time soon. They have a job to do, and they’re doing it.”
Luke nodded, looking away from their Commander for a moment. Mole raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?”
“Logan’s on hold downstairs.” Mole groaned and pushed himself out of his chair, pushing past Luke and out into the corridor.
After he and Bela had destroyed Brookridge Academy, he didn’t stick around to collect her body. He knew she wasn’t going to come out of that building, he could practically smell it on her, the determination. Dean’s car had been a little scuffed up, something he glared at him heatedly for about a minute before the world went white and shiny.
He’d heard nothing of Alec and Max since they’d stormed out of Sandeman’s. OC had laid out what she remembered from Sandeman’s side of the conversation for him, Logan and Joshua, and they figured that there was no way Alec or Max could be dead. Neither of them were stupid enough to believe Sandeman and his horseshit idea of how to get back to normal.
But it had been a long time since the rift had closed. Too long for a soldier to go without checking in with their base, too long for Max or Alec to go without checking in to bitch about each other and get the word on the transgenic sitch. Mole picked up the landline and dropping into the chair next to the video monitor, raising his eyebrows at Logan in greeting.
“Mole.”
“Logan, any word?” Logan shook his head.
“I’ve been looking, but I can’t find anything. Not their bodies, not Max’s bike.”
“So there’s a chance they could be alive?”
“I’m hoping.”
“Hope is for losers,” growled Mole. “Do us a favor and just get us our fearless leaders returned. So I can kick their asses for leaving me in charge.”
“I’ll find them,” said Logan determinedly. “I will. I promise.”
Mole nodded and cut the feed, closing his eyes with a small shake of his head. That man wasn’t going to find a damn thing, not even if he knew the exact route Max and Alec had gone and personally walked the path looking for them. There was no way they were alive. No way they were ever coming back.
Then again, destiny was always screwing them over.
.
“That stupid lizard wrecked my car,” grumbled Dean around the rim of his beer. He and Sam were leaning against the hood of the impala on the side of the road. Watching the view in front of them, but not really looking at it. Sam snorted into his beer, no amusement behind it, just something for him to do. Dean looked over at him with a frown and nudged him with his elbow. “C’mon, Sam, get over her.”
“I can’t,” muttered Sam. “You didn’t know her, Dean. I spent months dreaming about her. I know her better than I…”
“Okay,” agreed Dean. “Don’t get over her, but could you please stop brooding? It’s brining down the happy vibes.”
Sam snorted, rolling his beer between his hands, thinking of River, is she was alrig-
“Dude, I told you to stop brooding.”
After the ritual, after the white, he and Dean had just been together. He was sitting in the Impala and Dean was glaring at nothing. It took him a moment to realize it had worked, that whatever they had done had worked. He hadn’t told Dean about what Sandeman had told him, about being a vessel. He hadn’t told Dean much of anything.
“So now what?” muttered Dean, staring out into the sunset, feeling kind of nostalgic. A bird flapped its wings behind them, or it sounded like a bird. The crunch of footsteps in gravel caught their attention and they turned, Dean tightening his grip on his beer bottle, like he was going to use it as a weapon. An accountant looking man wearing a tan trench coat waked up to them. Sam snorted.
“And what are you supposed to be.”
“I am an angel of the Lord. Castiel.”
This time Dean snorted. “No such thing buddy, try again.”
“That’s a vessel?” asked Sam quietly, earning a look from Dean and an acknowledgement from Castiel.
“That’s right. I’m here to explain.”
“Explain what? The almost end of the world. Great job on that, by the way,” snapped Dean. Castiel tilted his head to the side and looked at Sam.
“You didn’t tell him.”
“Tell me what?”
“What you’re meant to be.” Dean straightened up, glancing between Sam and Castiel.
“And what is that?”
“Vessels for archangels.”
Dean blinked at him then turned to Sam, raising his eyebrow in a ‘c’mon, level with me, this is a joke right?’ way. Sam looked away. “Sam?”
“You were temporarily filled with Michael’s presence,” began Castiel. “Before the rift closed, you might have felt it.”
“The head splitting, oh god, oh god we’re all going to die, pain? Yeah, might have felt that.”
“That was the presence of Michael,” continued Castiel. “He allowed you to be present when he recited the words to finish the ritual and close the rift.”
“This is bullshit,” muttered Dean. “I’m not a vessel, there’s no fucking way.”
“Sam knows the truth, and he’s prepared to accept it-”
“I’m not doing anything,” interjected Sam. “Dean’s right. There’s no fucking way.”
“Be that as it may. We have work for you. For you both.”
Sam pushed himself off the car and faced Castiel. “What kind of work?”
“God’s. You both personally witnessed the rift-” Dean glanced at Sam, wondering if he would have ever motioned anything about that “-You both played your parts to close it. The transgenics have already done their part to keep the world in order, it’s the present we have to worry about now.”
.
Three more gravestone added to their private cemetery, joining the bodies of Wash, Shepherd Book and Mr. Universe.
“Seems like we just keep getting back up,” said Mal softly. “When all I want to do is wish it all away.”
“It’s alright, Captain,” said River, her fingers falling over the hologram of Simon’s face, distorting the image. “Time is a circle, spiraling onward for eternity. I’ll see Sam again, we’ll be back.”
“Hopefully not any time soon,” grumbled Jayne. “Ain’t nothing worse than Earth in my opinion. Hell, can’t even get a decent glass of whisky there.”
“What now, Captain?” asked Zoë, staring at Wash’s face as she spoke.
“We keep flying.”