{Big Bang - J2} Dreaming in Cordite - Cyberpunk AU - 10
Title: Dreaming in Cordite
Author Name: deannawol
Artist Name: sandrainthesun
Genre: RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Characters: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Sam Ferris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christian Kane, Various Others.
Rating: 18 Overall - Sexual situations, graphic violence in places and adult language
Warnings: Slash (M/M) relationship, oral sex, violence, off-screen death of a non J2 character.
Word Count: ~51,000
~#~#~
The gunshots had him on his feet and dragging Megan up with him. Fear gripped him, making his mind flash back to the night in the club. He ran to the door, opening it a fraction. Dark clad men exchanged bullets in the hallway. Jared let the door click closed again. Shit, there was no way out. All they could do was hide and hope that someone came to rescue them.
The couch was probably the biggest thing in the room, so Jared dragged Megan down behind it, hoping that it would hide them from any quick glances that were made of the room. His hands were trembling. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. Wouldn’t do Meg any good to see him like this. It would only scare her more.
They waited, listening to the shots dying out. Jared held his breath, not daring to breathe as he prayed that no one would think to look in here. But no one was listening. The door opened a fraction. He saw Megan reaching for the vase but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. She threw it, aiming for the guy’s head but she was a mile wide. It was enough to give away their hiding place. The mercenary turned to look at them.
Dark blond hair and wide green eyes were all Jared could see behind the wealth of armour that the guy was wearing, but the way the man carried himself and the huge hand-cannon that he, no doubt, called a pistol, Jared could tell that he was a professional in every sense of the word.
Jared pulled Megan closer to him, putting himself in front of her. He wasn't sure if the guy was friend or foe but no matter what, he wasn't going to let go of his little sister. Should the worst happen, she wouldn't be alone. The man held out a hand. Jared looked at the hand and then up at the man, taking in the blood spatter and the live-wires leading to the still-smoking gun.
"Come with me if you want to live," his eyes twinkled as he delivered the line and the sudden smile lit up his face. "Damn, I've always wanted to say that!"
Jared shuffled back, pushing Megan back with him. Getting to his feet, he helped Megan up, never taking his eyes off the stranger.
"You gonna kill us?" she asked, the hand not held by Jared on her hip. "Because if you are, I'm sure that between us we can make you a very good offer to leave us alone."
Jared turned to stare at his little sister, begging her with his eyes to shut up, "Megan..."
"What?" she asked, brow furrowed in puzzlement, "I've seen this on TV. He's getting paid to knock us off. If we make him a good enough counter offer, maybe he'd leave us alone. Honestly, Jay, if you spent a little more time watching Real-TV and a little less time dropping your..."
Jared's hand shot out, muffling the words coming out of his sister's mouth. He looked at the mercenary in front of him with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.
"Look, Megan doesn't realize that not everything works like it does on TV," Jared apologized. "But if you would be willing to leave us alone, I can make sure that you get double your fee. She’s just a kid, man, let her go. Please?"
"Tempting offer," the mercenary nodded his head, "and not a bad plan. But there's two problems with it."
Jared waited for him to finish, Megan trying frantically to pull his hand away from her face.
"First one, and it is quite a big one that you should bear in mind, if you're hiring a merc, choose one with a good track record of staying bought. The guy who hired me made sure that he looked into my street rep. I'm what you might call an honourable guy. Once I'm bought, I stay bought until the job's done. Never made any exceptions and I'm not about to start now. Y'all understand?" the man's voice was quiet as he spoke. Jared couldn't look away from the gun in his hand, cyber-optics helpfully scrolling through its stats. A gun like that would punch clean through his Skinweave. He didn't want to think about what it could do to Megan.
Jared nodded. He felt Megan slump into him and looked down at her. Her hazelnut eyes were shiny with the beginnings of tears. Jared pulled his hand away from her face and hugged her to him.
"Now, the second point, and this may be important, is that I'm not here to kill you. Got hired to get you outta here before the other guys kill you," the man paused, "You heard the firefight earlier?"
Jared’s brow furrowed, “You’re not?”
"That was the first wave. I have no doubt that another party is on it's way back up now with more guns than the average Cyber-Swat patrol. So if you don't mind, could you hustle? Miss Ferris is throwing a couple of essentials into a bag for you and then we're gone."
It took an elbow in the side from his sister to get him moving.
"What do I... we... call you?" Jared asked.
"Street name is Winchester."
"Like the rifle," Jared remarked.
"Yeah, like the rifle," the man responded.
"Yeah, but what do we call you?" Megan asked, obviously not happy with the street name.
The man grinned and shook his head, "Well, you, little lady... I guess you can call me Winchester. That okay with you?"
She considered it for a moment before nodding, "I guess it'll do."
Megan was moving around, to Jared’s annoyance, meaning that he had to move to keep himself between her and the merc. He was about to say something, anything to get her to settle when the door flew open again. Before he had a chance to act, Winchester was in front of them, pushing them down, but it was just Sam with their bags. Winchester relaxed and let them back up.
"We ready?" Winchester asked.
Sam nodded, "Yeah, got everything packed. Should be enough to last a couple of days."
"Right, lets get gone," Winchester shrugged and went back to the doorway to the hallway, cautiously checking for any contacts as bags were juggled and handed out to the right people.
Jared’s eyes met Sam’s, brow wrinkling. She flicked a glance over to Winchester and then back to Jared, nodding. Relaxing slightly, Jared felt a little calmer. Sam had a nose for trouble and keen instincts. If she said he was okay, then more than likely he was.
Waving, Winchester signalled the all-clear and they moved past him into the corridor. Jared went first, pulling Megan behind him. Sam went next to Winchester's surprise.
"You think I'm leaving them until I know that they're safe?" she smirked, "Boy you ain't getting rid of me until I get bored of you. Try it and you'll find yourself looking down the business end of my marble friend."
"Long as you use that gun when you need to, ma'am, I'm fine with that." He shrugged and held his arm out in invitation. Nodding to him, she moved on, to leave him bringing up the rear.
"Take the stairs," Winchester whispered as he caught up to them. "Should be safer."
Megan sighed, "Yeah, cause who’d want to go up fifty flights of stairs, or down them?"
“I know how these guys think. All they want is a quick mission, in and out, no hassle. Why arrive up out of breath when you can hop in a lift? But we’re not going to let them have it easy. We're gonna make them work for every step."
Jared watched the man as he checked every corner, every angle before letting them move forward. Jared was in awe. The man moved like a panther, slow and steady with an edge of danger to him. There was no mistaking this guy for the posers that he saw every night on the TV-Sims, aside from the smoking hotness. When Jared talked to JD about being able to handle himself, this was what he pictured. Total confidence and belief in his abilities.
Jared walked close to Winchester, hoping for inspiration, for something to say that didn't make him sound like a fourteen year old teenager with a crush. He opened his mouth to start a conversation when Winchester pulled out a tiny cellular phone and clipped it into the phone splice.
"Bro, where you at?" Winchester spoke quietly, angling slightly towards the microphone.
"The hell you doing in the motor pool?" his voice rose. "I got a bug load of hostiles on my ass and three targets to watch over."
Jared's hands clenched at the choice of words. He felt useless. JD had gone through the basics of both ranged and melee weapons but he hadn't even thought to duck into his room for the shoe box he kept there in case of emergency.
"Yeah, hostiles. Yes, with guns. Jesus," Winchester spoke again. "The bastard double hired, externals and, I’d guess, internals. If you can spare the time, I could use a little help."
That was the opportunity that Jared needed. He tapped Winchester on the shoulder, "I can help."
"Gimme a sec, bro," Winchester said before turning to look at Jared. Jared almost buckled under the weight of the green eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said... I can help," Jared tried again, "I mean, I've been trained with handguns and small arms."
Winchester was still looking at him.
He squirmed, "Just targets and stuff but... If it helps?"
"Ya ever have to shoot someone?" Winchester asked, quietly. His eyes flicked to their companions before returning to look him squarely in the eye.
Jared shook his head. Winchester sighed. He reached back and pulled a gun, the Colt loaded with blanks, and weighed it carefully in a hand. With a practiced ease, Winchester unloaded the gun, slipping the magazine into his back pocket.
"Loaded this with dummy rounds to start with. Wasn’t figuring on a double cross but I brought enough regular rounds just in case," Winchester's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "But I reckon we can do better."
He pulled out another black magazine and clicked one of the bullets from the top. He held it out to Jared, prompting the younger man to take it. Jared picked it up and turned it over to look at the base.
"HEAP ammo?" Jared asked, eyes widening. "You expecting to run into ’borgs or something?"
"Ain't nothing gets these gun-shy idiots outta the way faster'n explosive rounds being fired at their heads," Winchester nodded. "High explosive armour piercing. Don't get better less you pick up some of the military grade stuff. You fire at anything shooting at us. Don't gotta aim at them, just in their general direction and I guarantee you that they will duck and cover. Think you can do that...?" Winchester paused. "Heard your sister call you Jay, it okay if I call you that or you got another name you'd like me to use?"
"Jay's fine. Name's Jared but all my friends shorten it. Either's fine, I guess," Jared caught himself starting to babble and blushed.
"Well, Jay, you gonna be okay with that?" Winchester asked. There was a sympathetic look in his eye that Jared couldn't miss. "Not everyone can do it, and if you have a problem shooting at people I'll understand. More than likely you may recognise some of these guys, they're wearing P-Corp Uniforms. All you gotta do is fire at the walls, the floor, anything close enough to them to put the fear of the Almighty into them. I'll do the rest."
Jared nodded. He knew that he could ace any of JD's tests. He could put a bullet through the heart or head of a target at a hundred feet but a live person, someone that maybe he knew. Someone that he'd laughed with, snuck beer with or played poker with on a Saturday night when he wasn't out burning up the dance floor. He wasn't sure that he could do that. He turned and looked at Megan, watching her talking animatedly with Sam. He pulled in a breath and let it out slowly. He needed to keep her safe. He needed to help her get through this. And if that mean shooting someone out to kill him... Well, he'd deal with that when it came up. He was used to nightmares. He could definitely put up with a couple more for Meg's sake.
"Don't worry about me," Jared looked back at Winchester. "I'll be fine."
Jared clicked the bullet back into the magazine, sparing a moment to make sure that it was lined up correctly before taking the gun from Winchester and slamming it home. He cocked it with more force than necessary and grinned. He rolled up his sleeve and pulled back a flap of faux skin. He flicked his eyes over the TS logo in the bottom of his vision. The target scope picked out possible targets, the gun's stats and ammo remaining popped up in individual windows at the bottom of his vision. He moved the gun around, getting used to it before turning to face Winchester again. Winchester had an eyebrow raised.
"Got them after the last attack," Jared said, "Figured they'd come in useful."
Winchester opened his mouth to say something but his partner, or whatever, interrupted.
"Dude, stop fucking swearing into comm. You good or do I gotta haul your ass outta the fire too?" Winchester asked, smirking at the reply. "We're coming down the stairwell. Figure it'll give the most cover. You gonna come up? I got a second gun here and someone to use it so I should be good for a little while but we still got at least one sitting duck."
Winchester paused, listening to the voice on the other end.
"A'right. See you there, then and try not to get your ass shot, okay?”
Turning, Winchester looked at the assembled company, "Miss Ferris, ya still got that gun?"
Sam nodded and pulled out the Beretta.
"Good, I want you to stay glued to Megan here. You're the last line of defence, ya understand? I'm gonna be alternating between point and drag. Eh, front and back," Winchester amended, catching Jared's blank look. "We have another friendly in the building, but don't worry, he'll announce himself before he pops up. I'd appreciate if no one shot him," Winchester's eyes twinkled as he continued, "He gets a mite annoyed when people take pot shots at him. Jared, here, is going to be at the front watching out for any guys trying to shoot us. One quick word before we start moving. We're going to take it slow. Last thing that we need is anyone falling and twisting something. Keep an eye out, keep an ear out too. If you spot anything don't yell out, just tap me or wave at me. Let's see that we avoid as much trouble as possible. Everyone good with that?"
Megan was curled in on herself, arms wrapped around her as she watched her brother take the gun. Sam nodded, eyes checking behind them. Jared gripped the gun and forced a smile.
Winchester checked his gun links and nodded to them, "Right then, let's get moving."
Winchester was first to move, moving to stand over by the safety railing. With a cautious eye, he watched for a second before waving Jared on. Jared could hear the blood rushing through his veins as he took his first steps. The clatter of his boots seemed impossibly loud as he walked down the stairway. He could feel the beads of sweat start to bubble and prick at his skin through the palms of his hand, making the grip of the gun damp and clammy, but he didn't dare stop to wipe them off. He looked back over his shoulder once, making sure that Megan and Sam were behind him. Megan was flat against the wall, with Sam walking beside her. She carried the Beretta low but firm, her hair swinging as she looked back up the stairs and then forward again. Behind them was Winchester. The man could have been out for a walk in the park for all the nerves he was showing. Jared envied him his cool. Turning forward again, Jared stepped slowly down the stairs. His back was to the wall as he took the steps one at a time.
They were barely at the half flight landing when Winchester overtook him and held up a hand.
"I'll take the lead until we get to the exit door," Winchester explained in a whisper, "Just keep your gun trained on the door and be prepared to cover me if I need it."
Jared nodded. He relaxed his fingers for a second and then moulded them back to the grip, his index finger resting lightly on the trigger. Jared watched as Winchester worked his way down the stairs, coming to stop just beside the door. He leaned against it for a second and then motioned them on. Jared took the steps two at a time, until he was past Winchester. He stopped at the next half landing, stopping to scan for anybody on the stairs below him. And that was how it went. Him and Winchester leapfrogging down the stairs and keeping Sam and Megan bracketed between them.
They'd covered fifteen floors before the penthouse exit door burst open and men came pouring into the stairwell. Jared noticed and pinned Winchester to the wall. Sam followed his lead, pushing Megan behind her. A tap on his shoulder and a pointed glare made him blush and move out of Winchester's way. Should have known that he’d have spotted them first. Jared lost focus for a second as he felt the warmth of Winchester's body push past him but the opening volley of gunfire brought him back to reality.
"Shit," Winchester cursed, "There's a lot of them. Might wanna try to aim for any support structures you see, or try to keep them back from the railings."
Jared nodded and leaned out to take his shot. Before anyone could fire, Winchester was forcing them back, stealing away their ability to do anything more than fire down randomly. With a hand signal, Winchester urged Sam and Megan to move. They didn't even pause, just started to run down the stairs. Jared and Winchester were slower, stopping to fire or cover the two women as they moved past a particularly open place.
"Frack it, they're gaining ground too quickly. Bro, please tell me you're somewhere close. We're close to the thirtieth."
He paused to fire twice upwards. Jared heard a cry somewhere above followed by a lot of cursing.
"You got your bag with you, the one with the little surprise?" he asked. "Great, set it up around twenty-two if you can. Should be able to get down that far."
Sam looked ready to lay into him, but a splash of plaster beside her prompted her to turn and run again, bringing Megan with her.
Winchester nodded to Jared, "Keep moving, I'll keep them off you. Maverick should be able to get you the rest of the way out when you get down to him."
He started to turn but Jared caught his arm, "What the hell are you planning on doing?"
Winchester's eyes were cold as he answered, "My job! Get your sister out of here. I'm going to buy us some time."
Jared looked at him for a long moment before turning and starting down the stairs. He was halfway down the next flight when he stopped and looked up at Winchester.
"Hey Winchester?" Jared waited until Winchester looked his way, "Good luck!"
Winchester nodded once and then turned back and started up the stairs at full tilt.
Jared started down the stairs, his long legs giving him what he needed to catch up to Sam and Megan. Sam looked behind him at the empty stairwell, brow furrowed. Jared shrugged, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.
"Come on, we need to get down to twenty-two," Jared whispered.
They heard the sounds of explosions and gunshots behind them, worryingly close. Random insults flew back and forth above him. Winchester's voice rang out once or twice, cool and derisive with no suggestion that he was running for his life. He didn't know how Winchester did it, facing death with a quip. Part of him wanted to run up to stand beside him but he couldn't leave his little sister. He kept an eye on the stairs, watching for any balaclaved targets but Winchester seemed to be keeping them busy.
They were out of breath by the time they got to the twenty-third floor. Jared pulled them up sharp, asking them to stay still with a gesture. He stepped forward, trying to peer down to the lower level. He could see a flash of black there, just at the edge of the viewable space. He glanced upwards but could see nothing. Chancing it, he moved closer to the edge to get a better view. The figure was pulling things out of a large backpack and then disappearing back out of view. Jared descended, keeping his gun in hand and pointed at the figure.
Brown eyes looked up at him as he stepped onto the last half-flight of stairs. Jared's hand shivered as a cramp ran through his muscles but he didn't dare drop the Colt.
"Jay, right?" the man spoke, voice calm as he worked away at one of the steps, Jared noticed that he never took his eyes off the Colt. "I'm Maverick. Winchester sent you down to me while he went and played the hero. You'll be wanting to move your sister and Miss Ferris down here."
Jared measured the man with his eyes before retreating back up the stairs and gesturing for Megan and Sam to come with him. They moved quickly, moving carefully around Maverick. Jared kept himself between his sister and the unknown quantity, flinching occasionally as a stray bullet caused a puff of dust to rise where it impacted the concrete. His eyes caught something on the edge of one of the steps and he paused to look. Slathered over the side of one of the steps was a pale grey substance, putty-like in consistency. Wires and plugs seemed to erupt from it in several places, running to a device in Maverick's hand and also to a push button that was seemingly stuck to the wall.
Jared's brow crinkled as he looked at the collection of wires and putty for a second before it all clicked into place for him.
He turned to Maverick, "You're planning on blowing the stairs?"
"You have a problem with that?" the merc asked.
"Yeah, kinda," Jared admitted.
Gunshots continued to ring out as Maverick reached out to put a hand on Jared's shoulder. The gesture was comical given the half foot height difference in Jared's favour.
"I'll make this real simple for you, Jared," Maverick started, "Do you want to get out of here alive and with your sister?"
Jared's eyes flickered to Megan, watching her shrink back into a corner with Sam curled down around her, "Yeah."
"Then, we need to make sure that they have a lot more to deal with than a couple of bullets. If we take out the stairs here, we kick in the seismic sensors which will lock down the lifts. The stairs below this will be fine," he dropped his voice a little, "if we move quickly. I know what I'm doing here, so trust me."
"And Winchester?"
Maverick's eyebrow rose at the concern that the younger man was showing for his brother, "Well, I'm hoping that he hurries his ass up and stops playing cat and mouse with the hired guns."
Jared looked up the stairwell. The shots were fewer now but still coming too fast for Jared to be completely sure who was winning.
"You and your kin start down the stairs. I gotta roll out the cable so as I can get to the next level. I'll be right behind you," Maverick reassured. "We'll get you outta here before you know it."
Jared looked at him warily but couldn't argue. Maverick didn't fill him with confidence, not like Winchester. There was a sloppiness to his movements that wasn't present in the military toned body of the other man. He was happy to leave him behind and make their own way down and out. After all, JD had to have figured out what was going on by now. Any minute now, he'd show up with the guards he knew were loyal and blast hell out of the guys trying to off them. Right?
Jared made his way over to his little sister and knelt beside her. Megan's curls were starting to droop and she didn't look too far behind them. Sam wasn’t looking much better. She wasn't used to all this running around and being on guard constantly and it was clearly taking it's toll. Jared could feel his own muscles aching but in distant disconnected way.
Jared ran a finger over Megan's cheek, forcing a smile, "Hey Munchkin, dunno about you but this is starting to get boring. Think you can go another couple of floors?"
Megan glared at the nickname but nodded, "Anything you can do, Jay..."
Jay grinned for real this time and straightened up. He gave a small bow and held out his arm.
"After you ladies..."
Sam pushed herself to her feet and then extended a hand to Megan, helping her up, and they were off again. Jared went last this time, making sure that they were covered. The trio kept to the wall, fearing stray shots but moved quickly.
They were two floors away from single digits when there was a godawful boom and the whole building rocked. Jared was slammed to the ground, dragging Megan with him as the blast of plaster and rock stole his footing from under him. He groaned, shaking his head to clear it. It took him a moment to realize what the uncomfortable surface was below him. Panicked, he backed away, scrambling to roll off of Megan's limp body.
"Christ, Megan," Jared cursed himself, "Shit, I'm sorry. Megan, can you hear me? Please. God. Can you hear me?"
His hands fluttered over her as he tried to figure out if she was unconscious or... He wasn't going to think of the alternatives.
He looked up for Sam, mouth opening to call her over, but she lay crumpled against the wall, blood running down from a cut on her forehead. Jared closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't help Megan or Sam if he wasn't thinking. He took another breath, letting it out slowly before he opened his eyes. Don't move her, make sure she's alive. His hand was steady as he reached out, feeling for a pulse. He could see the blue of a vein running up Megan's neck against the paleness of her skin. Tentatively, he reached out, letting his fingers press down on the fine tracery. It was slow but it was there, weak, slow but there. Jared almost collapsed in relief.
"Dunno who you got on your side, Munchkin, but they're sure looking out for you."
A moan had Jared on his feet and at Sam's side. He dug around his pocket for a clean tissue. Sam winced as he pressed it to the bleeding wound, eyed flickering open. Jared smiled down, happy to see her awake and mostly okay. Or at least, alright enough that he didn't have to carry her out of here.
"That damned fool went and blew up the building, didn't he?" Sam asked, trying and failing to get to her feet.
"Looks like," Jared shook his head.
"Oh my God," Sam cried out, seeing Megan laid flat.
"Far as I can tell, she's just unconscious. But I'm not sure if I should move her."
Sam held out an arm, inviting Jared to help her to her feet. Using one hand on the wall, Sam pushed herself to her feet and used Jared for stability as dizziness sent the room spinning.
"Help me over there, Jay-baby."
Jared guided her around the chunks of rock. Her nails dug into his arm as she held on for dear life but he couldn’t feel anything. Skinweave or shock, he couldn’t tell.
"You're gonna have to check her, hon. It's all I can do to keep my two legs under me," Sam closed her eyes, only to open them as she started to sway.
Jared led her to the wall and left her clinging to the dusty blocks, "Just tell me what I need to do."
"Ya gotta check her for breaks," Sam instructed. "Start with her head. It's a good bet that if she's unconscious she's banged her head up but good."
Jared knelt beside her and gently ran his hand over Megan's scalp. There were a couple of bumps but nothing felt weird. Relaying his findings to Sam, he moved down, checking her neck and down her arms. Ribs and stomach came next, making him feel mildly uncomfortable, then down her legs. Nothing seemed to be wrong apart from her not being awake.
"Jay, we gotta get out asses in gear and get outta here. I know by the textbook, we shouldn't move her, but alive and not able to walk is better than dead and never able to move again. We'll get to..."
Jared interrupted, "We could just crack a Trauma Team card, get her air lifted outta here. You too."
Sam sighed, her voice sad, "You know we can't do that, honey. Second we do that, they know where we are and what we're doing. Those idiot boys up there would have gone on for nothing. And I saw the eyes you were throwing at that soldier boy. Real shame that, but he's given us a chance. We'd be as dumb as that other boy up there if we didn't take it."
Jared's cheeks were red as he opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say to that.
"She's right you know," came a voice from behind him.
Jared turned to find himself looking into the smirking face of Winchester, eyes crinkled up in genuine amusement. Behind him stood Maverick.
Jared glared at the older man, "What the hell were you thinking blowing the stairs. You could have killed us."
Maverick shrugged, "But I didn't. Christ, but you're a whiner!"
Winchester thumped Maverick and moved past Jared to check on Megan and then Sam. Jared watched him as he checked their vitals and had a quick chat with Sam. His face went dark for a moment and then faded back to neutral.
"Jay, you good to carry Megan?" he asked, looking up at Jared.
Jared nodded, "Yeah, sure."
Jared ducked down, arms going under Megan. He breathed out as he lifted her. She was heavier than he thought, but still manageable. He cuddled her to his chest, making sure that her head was tucked under his chin, sheltered. With only a slight stumble, which Winchester was there to help him with, Jared got to his feet.
"You good?" Winchester asked, his hand still on Jared's arm.
"Let's get moving," Jared replied.
Maverick pushed past him and started down the stairs. Jared went next. Winchester wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and helped her to navigate the steps. They weren't making much speed but with everything locked down, they didn't need to.
Maverick cleared the way into the parking garage. Slipping a small case out of his pocket, he made his way over to one of the combat SUV's. Opening the case, he pulled out a small black box and placed it against the car door. A click and central locking was disengaged. Winchester pulled open the door for the backseat and helped Sam in. She shifted over in the seat until she was on the opposite side. With a gesture, Winchester called Jared over and helped him get Megan safely strapped in. Jared got in next and pulled the door closed behind him. Megan was now braced between himself and Sam. Her breathing was shallow and she didn't look any better, which was worrying Jared. He looked over at Sam, briefly meeting her eyes then looking away. This whole thing sucked enough.
"Where are we going?" Jared asked as Winchester climbed into the front passenger seat.
"We're going to have to lay low tonight," he said, "probably a motel on the edge of town. But don't worry. As soon as we get the keys, Maverick is going to go grab a ripper doc that I know and trust. He's a real good doc, Jay, owes me a favour too so there's no danger of anything leaking back to anyone."
Jared settled Megan against him, trying not to think about the way her head rolled slackly against his shoulder. Wouldn't a hospital be better for her? Somewhere with lots of equipment and doctors and nurses in pristine uniforms who knew exactly what they were doing instead of some cheap hotel and whatever can fit into a tiny black bag.
Winchester's eyes flicked from Jared to Megan and back again, looking Jared in the eye as he spoke, "I got a little sister myself, round about her age. I'd bring her to this guy rather than take her to the Medical or Parklands... He's good, real good and he's prepped for things like this. He's a combat medic, ex-army. Knows his stuff, Jay. Wouldn't suggest it otherwise."
Jared softened, not trusting his voice to speak. He ran the back of a finger over Megan's cheek and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Fine, we'll do it your way," Jared agreed, "but if anything happens or if she..."
"We'll get her into the hospital and me and Maverick will keep y'all safe," Winchester nodded, "You have my word."
Jared flicked a glance at Sam, trying to get her take on things, but she was swallowing carefully and trying not to move. Her eyes were pained but accepting and Jared swallowed.
"Okay, lets get gone."
Winchester tapped Maverick on the shoulder, reloading his Colt as the engine roared to life. Winchester took aim as men poured out of a second exit and opened fire. Jared braced Megan as Maverick swerved wildly towards the exit. The shutters were coming down as they sped up the ramp. The engines revved dangerously as Maverick floored it. The jeep smashed through the barrier with little more than a snarl of metal and a crack in the windscreen. He threw the wheel to the left and the tires screamed but they were on the road and moving. It would take their pursuers time to start the chase and Maverick was making every second count.
Jared watched the world fly by as he looked behind them. He smoothed back Megan's hair, whispering nonsense as he watched the Padalecki building, dwindle into the city's skyline. He felt numb. The building that they'd called their home was now behind them in more ways than one. Their haven had turned into a death trap and someone in there had targeted them, tried to kill them and very nearly succeeded. They may not be safe but they has some time and it was high time that there were some answers. He had to know if he was going to keep his family safe.
"Who was it?" Jared asked, voice low.
Winchester glanced back, "What?"
"Who put the contract out?"
He could feel Winchester's eyes heavy on him but he couldn't look the mercenary in the eye. Couldn't look anyone in the eye. He was going to have to call Chris or JD soon if he didn't want the cops on their tail. JD was going to kill him. Chris was going to laugh his ass off and bust Jared back to the secretarial pool. Just the idea of going back with nothing made his fists clench. He could at least get a name; it'd be an alias but it would something to work with. Jared was fucking through playing victim, he wanted this son of a bitch dead. And at the moment, the one thing standing between him and the answer to his question was the man sitting in the front seat. And yes, even though he was the hottest guy that Jared had seen for a while, he wasn't going to let that blinker him to find out exactly who was threatening the life of his little sister.
"Damnit," Jared cursed, not pleased at the silence from the front seats. "You know who put out the contract. You have to if you were told to kidnap us before they got to us, so don't bullshit me. Someone wanted my guts splattered over the arty white fucking walls and I want... No, I need to know who cared enough to try to kill Megan."
"Wasn't just Megan they wanted to kill, Jared," Winchester's voice was almost lost to the screech of tires as Maverick took a corner too fast.
"You think I don't know that? Fuck it, I was in the hospital long enough," Jared's voice rose.
"Christ, Win, just tell him, would ya?" Maverick spoke up, "Kid's batshit enough to keep yammering on until you do and some of us are trying to make sure that we're not going to have a whole party of gatecrashers tonight."
Winchester shook his head, a slight smile on his lip, "Might be right, Maverick."
A minute passed and still Jared didn't have an answer.
"So? Who was it? You better fucking start talking or I swear to God-"
Winchester scruffed his hair roughly and took a deep breath, "You're not going to like it."
Jared curled his lip and stared at Winchester, "You show me anyone who likes being targeted."
The words got a chuff of laughter from Maverick, "Kid's got that right."
"Right, but don't say that I didn't warn you," Winchester said. He stopped, looking over at Maverick, then turned to look Jared right in the eyes. "It was Kane. Christian Kane put out the contract."
"That can't be..." Jared started, shock drowning out the rage.
"Not a chance..." Sam cut him off. "That boy's been part of the family since his parents were killed. The boys grew up together. They were closer than brothers. Hell, the boy was the first one to help out after..."
Jared reached out to grasp her shoulder. Sam trailed off, head dipping as she took a shaky breath.
"How do you know?" he asked, chancing a look at Winchester.
"My girlfriend is a paranoid fixer. Contract came across her desk." Maverick said tersely, swinging them around a minivan.
"She's a fix- you mean you work for her? But that doesn't make sense. Why didn't you take the job?"
Maverick didn't speak as he turned into a parking lot and put the car into park. He turned off the engine and turned to face Jared. His voice was cold, "Who says we didn't?"
"Maverick, stop being a fucking asshole already!" Winchester growled, unclipping his Colt and scrubbing a hand through his hair. "We got our reasons but those ain't your business. Just leave it at the fact that I'm not exactly his biggest fan and if keeping you guys safe screws his plan up the ass sideways, then I'll sleep a little happier tonight."
Master Fic Post | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Epilogue | Master Art Post | Soundtrack
Author Name: deannawol
Artist Name: sandrainthesun
Genre: RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Characters: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Sam Ferris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christian Kane, Various Others.
Rating: 18 Overall - Sexual situations, graphic violence in places and adult language
Warnings: Slash (M/M) relationship, oral sex, violence, off-screen death of a non J2 character.
Word Count: ~51,000
~#~#~
The gunshots had him on his feet and dragging Megan up with him. Fear gripped him, making his mind flash back to the night in the club. He ran to the door, opening it a fraction. Dark clad men exchanged bullets in the hallway. Jared let the door click closed again. Shit, there was no way out. All they could do was hide and hope that someone came to rescue them.
The couch was probably the biggest thing in the room, so Jared dragged Megan down behind it, hoping that it would hide them from any quick glances that were made of the room. His hands were trembling. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. Wouldn’t do Meg any good to see him like this. It would only scare her more.
They waited, listening to the shots dying out. Jared held his breath, not daring to breathe as he prayed that no one would think to look in here. But no one was listening. The door opened a fraction. He saw Megan reaching for the vase but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. She threw it, aiming for the guy’s head but she was a mile wide. It was enough to give away their hiding place. The mercenary turned to look at them.
Dark blond hair and wide green eyes were all Jared could see behind the wealth of armour that the guy was wearing, but the way the man carried himself and the huge hand-cannon that he, no doubt, called a pistol, Jared could tell that he was a professional in every sense of the word.
Jared pulled Megan closer to him, putting himself in front of her. He wasn't sure if the guy was friend or foe but no matter what, he wasn't going to let go of his little sister. Should the worst happen, she wouldn't be alone. The man held out a hand. Jared looked at the hand and then up at the man, taking in the blood spatter and the live-wires leading to the still-smoking gun.
"Come with me if you want to live," his eyes twinkled as he delivered the line and the sudden smile lit up his face. "Damn, I've always wanted to say that!"
Jared shuffled back, pushing Megan back with him. Getting to his feet, he helped Megan up, never taking his eyes off the stranger.
"You gonna kill us?" she asked, the hand not held by Jared on her hip. "Because if you are, I'm sure that between us we can make you a very good offer to leave us alone."
Jared turned to stare at his little sister, begging her with his eyes to shut up, "Megan..."
"What?" she asked, brow furrowed in puzzlement, "I've seen this on TV. He's getting paid to knock us off. If we make him a good enough counter offer, maybe he'd leave us alone. Honestly, Jay, if you spent a little more time watching Real-TV and a little less time dropping your..."
Jared's hand shot out, muffling the words coming out of his sister's mouth. He looked at the mercenary in front of him with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.
"Look, Megan doesn't realize that not everything works like it does on TV," Jared apologized. "But if you would be willing to leave us alone, I can make sure that you get double your fee. She’s just a kid, man, let her go. Please?"
"Tempting offer," the mercenary nodded his head, "and not a bad plan. But there's two problems with it."
Jared waited for him to finish, Megan trying frantically to pull his hand away from her face.
"First one, and it is quite a big one that you should bear in mind, if you're hiring a merc, choose one with a good track record of staying bought. The guy who hired me made sure that he looked into my street rep. I'm what you might call an honourable guy. Once I'm bought, I stay bought until the job's done. Never made any exceptions and I'm not about to start now. Y'all understand?" the man's voice was quiet as he spoke. Jared couldn't look away from the gun in his hand, cyber-optics helpfully scrolling through its stats. A gun like that would punch clean through his Skinweave. He didn't want to think about what it could do to Megan.
Jared nodded. He felt Megan slump into him and looked down at her. Her hazelnut eyes were shiny with the beginnings of tears. Jared pulled his hand away from her face and hugged her to him.
"Now, the second point, and this may be important, is that I'm not here to kill you. Got hired to get you outta here before the other guys kill you," the man paused, "You heard the firefight earlier?"
Jared’s brow furrowed, “You’re not?”
"That was the first wave. I have no doubt that another party is on it's way back up now with more guns than the average Cyber-Swat patrol. So if you don't mind, could you hustle? Miss Ferris is throwing a couple of essentials into a bag for you and then we're gone."
It took an elbow in the side from his sister to get him moving.
"What do I... we... call you?" Jared asked.
"Street name is Winchester."
"Like the rifle," Jared remarked.
"Yeah, like the rifle," the man responded.
"Yeah, but what do we call you?" Megan asked, obviously not happy with the street name.
The man grinned and shook his head, "Well, you, little lady... I guess you can call me Winchester. That okay with you?"
She considered it for a moment before nodding, "I guess it'll do."
Megan was moving around, to Jared’s annoyance, meaning that he had to move to keep himself between her and the merc. He was about to say something, anything to get her to settle when the door flew open again. Before he had a chance to act, Winchester was in front of them, pushing them down, but it was just Sam with their bags. Winchester relaxed and let them back up.
"We ready?" Winchester asked.
Sam nodded, "Yeah, got everything packed. Should be enough to last a couple of days."
"Right, lets get gone," Winchester shrugged and went back to the doorway to the hallway, cautiously checking for any contacts as bags were juggled and handed out to the right people.
Jared’s eyes met Sam’s, brow wrinkling. She flicked a glance over to Winchester and then back to Jared, nodding. Relaxing slightly, Jared felt a little calmer. Sam had a nose for trouble and keen instincts. If she said he was okay, then more than likely he was.
Waving, Winchester signalled the all-clear and they moved past him into the corridor. Jared went first, pulling Megan behind him. Sam went next to Winchester's surprise.
"You think I'm leaving them until I know that they're safe?" she smirked, "Boy you ain't getting rid of me until I get bored of you. Try it and you'll find yourself looking down the business end of my marble friend."
"Long as you use that gun when you need to, ma'am, I'm fine with that." He shrugged and held his arm out in invitation. Nodding to him, she moved on, to leave him bringing up the rear.
"Take the stairs," Winchester whispered as he caught up to them. "Should be safer."
Megan sighed, "Yeah, cause who’d want to go up fifty flights of stairs, or down them?"
“I know how these guys think. All they want is a quick mission, in and out, no hassle. Why arrive up out of breath when you can hop in a lift? But we’re not going to let them have it easy. We're gonna make them work for every step."
Jared watched the man as he checked every corner, every angle before letting them move forward. Jared was in awe. The man moved like a panther, slow and steady with an edge of danger to him. There was no mistaking this guy for the posers that he saw every night on the TV-Sims, aside from the smoking hotness. When Jared talked to JD about being able to handle himself, this was what he pictured. Total confidence and belief in his abilities.
Jared walked close to Winchester, hoping for inspiration, for something to say that didn't make him sound like a fourteen year old teenager with a crush. He opened his mouth to start a conversation when Winchester pulled out a tiny cellular phone and clipped it into the phone splice.
"Bro, where you at?" Winchester spoke quietly, angling slightly towards the microphone.
"The hell you doing in the motor pool?" his voice rose. "I got a bug load of hostiles on my ass and three targets to watch over."
Jared's hands clenched at the choice of words. He felt useless. JD had gone through the basics of both ranged and melee weapons but he hadn't even thought to duck into his room for the shoe box he kept there in case of emergency.
"Yeah, hostiles. Yes, with guns. Jesus," Winchester spoke again. "The bastard double hired, externals and, I’d guess, internals. If you can spare the time, I could use a little help."
That was the opportunity that Jared needed. He tapped Winchester on the shoulder, "I can help."
"Gimme a sec, bro," Winchester said before turning to look at Jared. Jared almost buckled under the weight of the green eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said... I can help," Jared tried again, "I mean, I've been trained with handguns and small arms."
Winchester was still looking at him.
He squirmed, "Just targets and stuff but... If it helps?"
"Ya ever have to shoot someone?" Winchester asked, quietly. His eyes flicked to their companions before returning to look him squarely in the eye.
Jared shook his head. Winchester sighed. He reached back and pulled a gun, the Colt loaded with blanks, and weighed it carefully in a hand. With a practiced ease, Winchester unloaded the gun, slipping the magazine into his back pocket.
"Loaded this with dummy rounds to start with. Wasn’t figuring on a double cross but I brought enough regular rounds just in case," Winchester's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "But I reckon we can do better."
He pulled out another black magazine and clicked one of the bullets from the top. He held it out to Jared, prompting the younger man to take it. Jared picked it up and turned it over to look at the base.
"HEAP ammo?" Jared asked, eyes widening. "You expecting to run into ’borgs or something?"
"Ain't nothing gets these gun-shy idiots outta the way faster'n explosive rounds being fired at their heads," Winchester nodded. "High explosive armour piercing. Don't get better less you pick up some of the military grade stuff. You fire at anything shooting at us. Don't gotta aim at them, just in their general direction and I guarantee you that they will duck and cover. Think you can do that...?" Winchester paused. "Heard your sister call you Jay, it okay if I call you that or you got another name you'd like me to use?"
"Jay's fine. Name's Jared but all my friends shorten it. Either's fine, I guess," Jared caught himself starting to babble and blushed.
"Well, Jay, you gonna be okay with that?" Winchester asked. There was a sympathetic look in his eye that Jared couldn't miss. "Not everyone can do it, and if you have a problem shooting at people I'll understand. More than likely you may recognise some of these guys, they're wearing P-Corp Uniforms. All you gotta do is fire at the walls, the floor, anything close enough to them to put the fear of the Almighty into them. I'll do the rest."
Jared nodded. He knew that he could ace any of JD's tests. He could put a bullet through the heart or head of a target at a hundred feet but a live person, someone that maybe he knew. Someone that he'd laughed with, snuck beer with or played poker with on a Saturday night when he wasn't out burning up the dance floor. He wasn't sure that he could do that. He turned and looked at Megan, watching her talking animatedly with Sam. He pulled in a breath and let it out slowly. He needed to keep her safe. He needed to help her get through this. And if that mean shooting someone out to kill him... Well, he'd deal with that when it came up. He was used to nightmares. He could definitely put up with a couple more for Meg's sake.
"Don't worry about me," Jared looked back at Winchester. "I'll be fine."
Jared clicked the bullet back into the magazine, sparing a moment to make sure that it was lined up correctly before taking the gun from Winchester and slamming it home. He cocked it with more force than necessary and grinned. He rolled up his sleeve and pulled back a flap of faux skin. He flicked his eyes over the TS logo in the bottom of his vision. The target scope picked out possible targets, the gun's stats and ammo remaining popped up in individual windows at the bottom of his vision. He moved the gun around, getting used to it before turning to face Winchester again. Winchester had an eyebrow raised.
"Got them after the last attack," Jared said, "Figured they'd come in useful."
Winchester opened his mouth to say something but his partner, or whatever, interrupted.
"Dude, stop fucking swearing into comm. You good or do I gotta haul your ass outta the fire too?" Winchester asked, smirking at the reply. "We're coming down the stairwell. Figure it'll give the most cover. You gonna come up? I got a second gun here and someone to use it so I should be good for a little while but we still got at least one sitting duck."
Winchester paused, listening to the voice on the other end.
"A'right. See you there, then and try not to get your ass shot, okay?”
Turning, Winchester looked at the assembled company, "Miss Ferris, ya still got that gun?"
Sam nodded and pulled out the Beretta.
"Good, I want you to stay glued to Megan here. You're the last line of defence, ya understand? I'm gonna be alternating between point and drag. Eh, front and back," Winchester amended, catching Jared's blank look. "We have another friendly in the building, but don't worry, he'll announce himself before he pops up. I'd appreciate if no one shot him," Winchester's eyes twinkled as he continued, "He gets a mite annoyed when people take pot shots at him. Jared, here, is going to be at the front watching out for any guys trying to shoot us. One quick word before we start moving. We're going to take it slow. Last thing that we need is anyone falling and twisting something. Keep an eye out, keep an ear out too. If you spot anything don't yell out, just tap me or wave at me. Let's see that we avoid as much trouble as possible. Everyone good with that?"
Megan was curled in on herself, arms wrapped around her as she watched her brother take the gun. Sam nodded, eyes checking behind them. Jared gripped the gun and forced a smile.
Winchester checked his gun links and nodded to them, "Right then, let's get moving."
Winchester was first to move, moving to stand over by the safety railing. With a cautious eye, he watched for a second before waving Jared on. Jared could hear the blood rushing through his veins as he took his first steps. The clatter of his boots seemed impossibly loud as he walked down the stairway. He could feel the beads of sweat start to bubble and prick at his skin through the palms of his hand, making the grip of the gun damp and clammy, but he didn't dare stop to wipe them off. He looked back over his shoulder once, making sure that Megan and Sam were behind him. Megan was flat against the wall, with Sam walking beside her. She carried the Beretta low but firm, her hair swinging as she looked back up the stairs and then forward again. Behind them was Winchester. The man could have been out for a walk in the park for all the nerves he was showing. Jared envied him his cool. Turning forward again, Jared stepped slowly down the stairs. His back was to the wall as he took the steps one at a time.
They were barely at the half flight landing when Winchester overtook him and held up a hand.
"I'll take the lead until we get to the exit door," Winchester explained in a whisper, "Just keep your gun trained on the door and be prepared to cover me if I need it."
Jared nodded. He relaxed his fingers for a second and then moulded them back to the grip, his index finger resting lightly on the trigger. Jared watched as Winchester worked his way down the stairs, coming to stop just beside the door. He leaned against it for a second and then motioned them on. Jared took the steps two at a time, until he was past Winchester. He stopped at the next half landing, stopping to scan for anybody on the stairs below him. And that was how it went. Him and Winchester leapfrogging down the stairs and keeping Sam and Megan bracketed between them.
They'd covered fifteen floors before the penthouse exit door burst open and men came pouring into the stairwell. Jared noticed and pinned Winchester to the wall. Sam followed his lead, pushing Megan behind her. A tap on his shoulder and a pointed glare made him blush and move out of Winchester's way. Should have known that he’d have spotted them first. Jared lost focus for a second as he felt the warmth of Winchester's body push past him but the opening volley of gunfire brought him back to reality.
"Shit," Winchester cursed, "There's a lot of them. Might wanna try to aim for any support structures you see, or try to keep them back from the railings."
Jared nodded and leaned out to take his shot. Before anyone could fire, Winchester was forcing them back, stealing away their ability to do anything more than fire down randomly. With a hand signal, Winchester urged Sam and Megan to move. They didn't even pause, just started to run down the stairs. Jared and Winchester were slower, stopping to fire or cover the two women as they moved past a particularly open place.
"Frack it, they're gaining ground too quickly. Bro, please tell me you're somewhere close. We're close to the thirtieth."
He paused to fire twice upwards. Jared heard a cry somewhere above followed by a lot of cursing.
"You got your bag with you, the one with the little surprise?" he asked. "Great, set it up around twenty-two if you can. Should be able to get down that far."
Sam looked ready to lay into him, but a splash of plaster beside her prompted her to turn and run again, bringing Megan with her.
Winchester nodded to Jared, "Keep moving, I'll keep them off you. Maverick should be able to get you the rest of the way out when you get down to him."
He started to turn but Jared caught his arm, "What the hell are you planning on doing?"
Winchester's eyes were cold as he answered, "My job! Get your sister out of here. I'm going to buy us some time."
Jared looked at him for a long moment before turning and starting down the stairs. He was halfway down the next flight when he stopped and looked up at Winchester.
"Hey Winchester?" Jared waited until Winchester looked his way, "Good luck!"
Winchester nodded once and then turned back and started up the stairs at full tilt.
Jared started down the stairs, his long legs giving him what he needed to catch up to Sam and Megan. Sam looked behind him at the empty stairwell, brow furrowed. Jared shrugged, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.
"Come on, we need to get down to twenty-two," Jared whispered.
They heard the sounds of explosions and gunshots behind them, worryingly close. Random insults flew back and forth above him. Winchester's voice rang out once or twice, cool and derisive with no suggestion that he was running for his life. He didn't know how Winchester did it, facing death with a quip. Part of him wanted to run up to stand beside him but he couldn't leave his little sister. He kept an eye on the stairs, watching for any balaclaved targets but Winchester seemed to be keeping them busy.
They were out of breath by the time they got to the twenty-third floor. Jared pulled them up sharp, asking them to stay still with a gesture. He stepped forward, trying to peer down to the lower level. He could see a flash of black there, just at the edge of the viewable space. He glanced upwards but could see nothing. Chancing it, he moved closer to the edge to get a better view. The figure was pulling things out of a large backpack and then disappearing back out of view. Jared descended, keeping his gun in hand and pointed at the figure.
Brown eyes looked up at him as he stepped onto the last half-flight of stairs. Jared's hand shivered as a cramp ran through his muscles but he didn't dare drop the Colt.
"Jay, right?" the man spoke, voice calm as he worked away at one of the steps, Jared noticed that he never took his eyes off the Colt. "I'm Maverick. Winchester sent you down to me while he went and played the hero. You'll be wanting to move your sister and Miss Ferris down here."
Jared measured the man with his eyes before retreating back up the stairs and gesturing for Megan and Sam to come with him. They moved quickly, moving carefully around Maverick. Jared kept himself between his sister and the unknown quantity, flinching occasionally as a stray bullet caused a puff of dust to rise where it impacted the concrete. His eyes caught something on the edge of one of the steps and he paused to look. Slathered over the side of one of the steps was a pale grey substance, putty-like in consistency. Wires and plugs seemed to erupt from it in several places, running to a device in Maverick's hand and also to a push button that was seemingly stuck to the wall.
Jared's brow crinkled as he looked at the collection of wires and putty for a second before it all clicked into place for him.
He turned to Maverick, "You're planning on blowing the stairs?"
"You have a problem with that?" the merc asked.
"Yeah, kinda," Jared admitted.
Gunshots continued to ring out as Maverick reached out to put a hand on Jared's shoulder. The gesture was comical given the half foot height difference in Jared's favour.
"I'll make this real simple for you, Jared," Maverick started, "Do you want to get out of here alive and with your sister?"
Jared's eyes flickered to Megan, watching her shrink back into a corner with Sam curled down around her, "Yeah."
"Then, we need to make sure that they have a lot more to deal with than a couple of bullets. If we take out the stairs here, we kick in the seismic sensors which will lock down the lifts. The stairs below this will be fine," he dropped his voice a little, "if we move quickly. I know what I'm doing here, so trust me."
"And Winchester?"
Maverick's eyebrow rose at the concern that the younger man was showing for his brother, "Well, I'm hoping that he hurries his ass up and stops playing cat and mouse with the hired guns."
Jared looked up the stairwell. The shots were fewer now but still coming too fast for Jared to be completely sure who was winning.
"You and your kin start down the stairs. I gotta roll out the cable so as I can get to the next level. I'll be right behind you," Maverick reassured. "We'll get you outta here before you know it."
Jared looked at him warily but couldn't argue. Maverick didn't fill him with confidence, not like Winchester. There was a sloppiness to his movements that wasn't present in the military toned body of the other man. He was happy to leave him behind and make their own way down and out. After all, JD had to have figured out what was going on by now. Any minute now, he'd show up with the guards he knew were loyal and blast hell out of the guys trying to off them. Right?
Jared made his way over to his little sister and knelt beside her. Megan's curls were starting to droop and she didn't look too far behind them. Sam wasn’t looking much better. She wasn't used to all this running around and being on guard constantly and it was clearly taking it's toll. Jared could feel his own muscles aching but in distant disconnected way.
Jared ran a finger over Megan's cheek, forcing a smile, "Hey Munchkin, dunno about you but this is starting to get boring. Think you can go another couple of floors?"
Megan glared at the nickname but nodded, "Anything you can do, Jay..."
Jay grinned for real this time and straightened up. He gave a small bow and held out his arm.
"After you ladies..."
Sam pushed herself to her feet and then extended a hand to Megan, helping her up, and they were off again. Jared went last this time, making sure that they were covered. The trio kept to the wall, fearing stray shots but moved quickly.
They were two floors away from single digits when there was a godawful boom and the whole building rocked. Jared was slammed to the ground, dragging Megan with him as the blast of plaster and rock stole his footing from under him. He groaned, shaking his head to clear it. It took him a moment to realize what the uncomfortable surface was below him. Panicked, he backed away, scrambling to roll off of Megan's limp body.
"Christ, Megan," Jared cursed himself, "Shit, I'm sorry. Megan, can you hear me? Please. God. Can you hear me?"
His hands fluttered over her as he tried to figure out if she was unconscious or... He wasn't going to think of the alternatives.
He looked up for Sam, mouth opening to call her over, but she lay crumpled against the wall, blood running down from a cut on her forehead. Jared closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't help Megan or Sam if he wasn't thinking. He took another breath, letting it out slowly before he opened his eyes. Don't move her, make sure she's alive. His hand was steady as he reached out, feeling for a pulse. He could see the blue of a vein running up Megan's neck against the paleness of her skin. Tentatively, he reached out, letting his fingers press down on the fine tracery. It was slow but it was there, weak, slow but there. Jared almost collapsed in relief.
"Dunno who you got on your side, Munchkin, but they're sure looking out for you."
A moan had Jared on his feet and at Sam's side. He dug around his pocket for a clean tissue. Sam winced as he pressed it to the bleeding wound, eyed flickering open. Jared smiled down, happy to see her awake and mostly okay. Or at least, alright enough that he didn't have to carry her out of here.
"That damned fool went and blew up the building, didn't he?" Sam asked, trying and failing to get to her feet.
"Looks like," Jared shook his head.
"Oh my God," Sam cried out, seeing Megan laid flat.
"Far as I can tell, she's just unconscious. But I'm not sure if I should move her."
Sam held out an arm, inviting Jared to help her to her feet. Using one hand on the wall, Sam pushed herself to her feet and used Jared for stability as dizziness sent the room spinning.
"Help me over there, Jay-baby."
Jared guided her around the chunks of rock. Her nails dug into his arm as she held on for dear life but he couldn’t feel anything. Skinweave or shock, he couldn’t tell.
"You're gonna have to check her, hon. It's all I can do to keep my two legs under me," Sam closed her eyes, only to open them as she started to sway.
Jared led her to the wall and left her clinging to the dusty blocks, "Just tell me what I need to do."
"Ya gotta check her for breaks," Sam instructed. "Start with her head. It's a good bet that if she's unconscious she's banged her head up but good."
Jared knelt beside her and gently ran his hand over Megan's scalp. There were a couple of bumps but nothing felt weird. Relaying his findings to Sam, he moved down, checking her neck and down her arms. Ribs and stomach came next, making him feel mildly uncomfortable, then down her legs. Nothing seemed to be wrong apart from her not being awake.
"Jay, we gotta get out asses in gear and get outta here. I know by the textbook, we shouldn't move her, but alive and not able to walk is better than dead and never able to move again. We'll get to..."
Jared interrupted, "We could just crack a Trauma Team card, get her air lifted outta here. You too."
Sam sighed, her voice sad, "You know we can't do that, honey. Second we do that, they know where we are and what we're doing. Those idiot boys up there would have gone on for nothing. And I saw the eyes you were throwing at that soldier boy. Real shame that, but he's given us a chance. We'd be as dumb as that other boy up there if we didn't take it."
Jared's cheeks were red as he opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say to that.
"She's right you know," came a voice from behind him.
Jared turned to find himself looking into the smirking face of Winchester, eyes crinkled up in genuine amusement. Behind him stood Maverick.
Jared glared at the older man, "What the hell were you thinking blowing the stairs. You could have killed us."
Maverick shrugged, "But I didn't. Christ, but you're a whiner!"
Winchester thumped Maverick and moved past Jared to check on Megan and then Sam. Jared watched him as he checked their vitals and had a quick chat with Sam. His face went dark for a moment and then faded back to neutral.
"Jay, you good to carry Megan?" he asked, looking up at Jared.
Jared nodded, "Yeah, sure."
Jared ducked down, arms going under Megan. He breathed out as he lifted her. She was heavier than he thought, but still manageable. He cuddled her to his chest, making sure that her head was tucked under his chin, sheltered. With only a slight stumble, which Winchester was there to help him with, Jared got to his feet.
"You good?" Winchester asked, his hand still on Jared's arm.
"Let's get moving," Jared replied.
Maverick pushed past him and started down the stairs. Jared went next. Winchester wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and helped her to navigate the steps. They weren't making much speed but with everything locked down, they didn't need to.
Maverick cleared the way into the parking garage. Slipping a small case out of his pocket, he made his way over to one of the combat SUV's. Opening the case, he pulled out a small black box and placed it against the car door. A click and central locking was disengaged. Winchester pulled open the door for the backseat and helped Sam in. She shifted over in the seat until she was on the opposite side. With a gesture, Winchester called Jared over and helped him get Megan safely strapped in. Jared got in next and pulled the door closed behind him. Megan was now braced between himself and Sam. Her breathing was shallow and she didn't look any better, which was worrying Jared. He looked over at Sam, briefly meeting her eyes then looking away. This whole thing sucked enough.
"Where are we going?" Jared asked as Winchester climbed into the front passenger seat.
"We're going to have to lay low tonight," he said, "probably a motel on the edge of town. But don't worry. As soon as we get the keys, Maverick is going to go grab a ripper doc that I know and trust. He's a real good doc, Jay, owes me a favour too so there's no danger of anything leaking back to anyone."
Jared settled Megan against him, trying not to think about the way her head rolled slackly against his shoulder. Wouldn't a hospital be better for her? Somewhere with lots of equipment and doctors and nurses in pristine uniforms who knew exactly what they were doing instead of some cheap hotel and whatever can fit into a tiny black bag.
Winchester's eyes flicked from Jared to Megan and back again, looking Jared in the eye as he spoke, "I got a little sister myself, round about her age. I'd bring her to this guy rather than take her to the Medical or Parklands... He's good, real good and he's prepped for things like this. He's a combat medic, ex-army. Knows his stuff, Jay. Wouldn't suggest it otherwise."
Jared softened, not trusting his voice to speak. He ran the back of a finger over Megan's cheek and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Fine, we'll do it your way," Jared agreed, "but if anything happens or if she..."
"We'll get her into the hospital and me and Maverick will keep y'all safe," Winchester nodded, "You have my word."
Jared flicked a glance at Sam, trying to get her take on things, but she was swallowing carefully and trying not to move. Her eyes were pained but accepting and Jared swallowed.
"Okay, lets get gone."
Winchester tapped Maverick on the shoulder, reloading his Colt as the engine roared to life. Winchester took aim as men poured out of a second exit and opened fire. Jared braced Megan as Maverick swerved wildly towards the exit. The shutters were coming down as they sped up the ramp. The engines revved dangerously as Maverick floored it. The jeep smashed through the barrier with little more than a snarl of metal and a crack in the windscreen. He threw the wheel to the left and the tires screamed but they were on the road and moving. It would take their pursuers time to start the chase and Maverick was making every second count.
Jared watched the world fly by as he looked behind them. He smoothed back Megan's hair, whispering nonsense as he watched the Padalecki building, dwindle into the city's skyline. He felt numb. The building that they'd called their home was now behind them in more ways than one. Their haven had turned into a death trap and someone in there had targeted them, tried to kill them and very nearly succeeded. They may not be safe but they has some time and it was high time that there were some answers. He had to know if he was going to keep his family safe.
"Who was it?" Jared asked, voice low.
Winchester glanced back, "What?"
"Who put the contract out?"
He could feel Winchester's eyes heavy on him but he couldn't look the mercenary in the eye. Couldn't look anyone in the eye. He was going to have to call Chris or JD soon if he didn't want the cops on their tail. JD was going to kill him. Chris was going to laugh his ass off and bust Jared back to the secretarial pool. Just the idea of going back with nothing made his fists clench. He could at least get a name; it'd be an alias but it would something to work with. Jared was fucking through playing victim, he wanted this son of a bitch dead. And at the moment, the one thing standing between him and the answer to his question was the man sitting in the front seat. And yes, even though he was the hottest guy that Jared had seen for a while, he wasn't going to let that blinker him to find out exactly who was threatening the life of his little sister.
"Damnit," Jared cursed, not pleased at the silence from the front seats. "You know who put out the contract. You have to if you were told to kidnap us before they got to us, so don't bullshit me. Someone wanted my guts splattered over the arty white fucking walls and I want... No, I need to know who cared enough to try to kill Megan."
"Wasn't just Megan they wanted to kill, Jared," Winchester's voice was almost lost to the screech of tires as Maverick took a corner too fast.
"You think I don't know that? Fuck it, I was in the hospital long enough," Jared's voice rose.
"Christ, Win, just tell him, would ya?" Maverick spoke up, "Kid's batshit enough to keep yammering on until you do and some of us are trying to make sure that we're not going to have a whole party of gatecrashers tonight."
Winchester shook his head, a slight smile on his lip, "Might be right, Maverick."
A minute passed and still Jared didn't have an answer.
"So? Who was it? You better fucking start talking or I swear to God-"
Winchester scruffed his hair roughly and took a deep breath, "You're not going to like it."
Jared curled his lip and stared at Winchester, "You show me anyone who likes being targeted."
The words got a chuff of laughter from Maverick, "Kid's got that right."
"Right, but don't say that I didn't warn you," Winchester said. He stopped, looking over at Maverick, then turned to look Jared right in the eyes. "It was Kane. Christian Kane put out the contract."
"That can't be..." Jared started, shock drowning out the rage.
"Not a chance..." Sam cut him off. "That boy's been part of the family since his parents were killed. The boys grew up together. They were closer than brothers. Hell, the boy was the first one to help out after..."
Jared reached out to grasp her shoulder. Sam trailed off, head dipping as she took a shaky breath.
"How do you know?" he asked, chancing a look at Winchester.
"My girlfriend is a paranoid fixer. Contract came across her desk." Maverick said tersely, swinging them around a minivan.
"She's a fix- you mean you work for her? But that doesn't make sense. Why didn't you take the job?"
Maverick didn't speak as he turned into a parking lot and put the car into park. He turned off the engine and turned to face Jared. His voice was cold, "Who says we didn't?"
"Maverick, stop being a fucking asshole already!" Winchester growled, unclipping his Colt and scrubbing a hand through his hair. "We got our reasons but those ain't your business. Just leave it at the fact that I'm not exactly his biggest fan and if keeping you guys safe screws his plan up the ass sideways, then I'll sleep a little happier tonight."
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14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Epilogue | Master Art Post | Soundtrack