10x02 - Bad Rain - Part Five: Lost to Wait
Episode number: 10x02 of Season 10 Fan Fiction (S10FF)
Title: Bad Rain
Subtitle: Lost to Wait
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word count: 1,308
Rating: PG-13/Teen
Warnings: violence, forensics, language
Sam lingered outside after reaching out to Cas and Dean. He could feel the tension between Dodge and Marie, and his presence seemed to increase it. Continuously.
How could he let this happen? Dodge had warned him over and over again that he couldn't be out in the field with her when she was on official FBI business. It was too risky, but he kept insisting that he had to stay with her to protect her from all the supernatural crap that came from associating with the Winchesters. He'd been so worried about Amazons that he lost sight of common sense precaution.
What if Dodge couldn't get her partner to see reason? She could wind up behind bars, and she'd definitely lose her job. And then what? She'd want to keep fighting the fight, but former FBI agents rarely became hunters. Too many illegal activities, too many chances to get caught. Her career would be gone, all because he had kept pushing.
No, he wouldn't let it come to that. He'd figure out something to protect Dodged from his stupidity. Right now, the best plan was to convince Marie that there was no way to handle this with the FBI playbook or through official channels. She might not like the circumstances, but if she understood what was going on, at least she would know that her partner hadn't gone off the deep end.
That meant waiting outside and hoping for the best wasn't an option.
Sam returned to the treatment room to find Natalie monitoring Sliver alone. His appearance was much better, as his skin was now solid and his claws and fangs had receded, making him seemed so very human.
As for Dodge and Marie were, they were having a very loud argument in the other room.
"You're so far off the reservation, you can't even see that you're doing!" Marie shouted.
"I follow the evidence! Wherever it leads!" Dodge retorted.
"That doesn't explain why you shut me out and lied to me!"
"Because you wouldn't've believed - "
Marie interrupted, "We are not the X-Files, Dodge!"
"Fine. See this one through, and then you file the report," Dodge said. "You tell me how to handle it. You take the reins."
The quiet that followed was unsettling, and Sam felt the need to fill the silence.
"How's he doing?" he asked Natalie.
"Stable," she replied.
As if speaking the word jinxed it, the lights and electronics began to flicker. A chill spread throughout the room.
"Dodge!" Sam yelled. "Dodge, get in here!"
Dodge came racing in with Marie on her heels, and both women stumbled when the icy temperature hit them full force. Marie's mouth dropped open in surprise when she could see her breath.
"No, no, no..." Sam mumbled.
"What's happening?" Marie asked.
Sam already knew the answer, but he couldn't articulate a reply. If they wanted to save Sliver, they'd need to do something - anything - right now, before it was too late. But what could they do? Their theory had been completely wrong.
Despite his paralysis, Sliver's eyes were wide with panic, and Sam could only assume he had realized what was happening, too.
"We need salt," Sam blurted. "Surround him with salt, and - "
POP-CRACK!
The sound echoed throughout the room, and though there was no visible sign, it was clear that it emanated from Sliver's frozen body. All eyes fell on him. His fear remained painted on his face, but his pupils dilated fully as the last breath of air left his body.
For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. Then Natalie approached Sliver and put checked his neck for a pulse.
"He's gone," she announced.
"What just happened?" Dodge asked.
"I can run tests," Natalie replied. "But my guess? He died of internal decapitation."
"How's that possible?" Marie asked. "He couldn't even move. Nobody touched him. Do you expect us to believe his neck broke itself?"
"I expect you to believe your own eyes," Natalie responded. "As you said, no one was near him. He couldn't move."
"Then how did it happen?" Marie persisted.
"A death echo," Sam said. "Some spirits become trapped and relive their deaths over and over again. They don't usually possess people, but - "
"Stop, stop!" Marie interrupted. "Spirits? You mean ghosts?"
"Flickering lights, a sharp drop in temperature," Dodge stated. "All signs of a haunting."
"You're out of your minds," Marie said. "I need some air."
She stormed out of the room, and before Sam could follow her, Dodge signaled him to stop.
"Doctor Young, could you run those tests?" Dodge asked. "Marie might not want to believe any of this, but she'll accept evidence when she sees it."
"I don't want to be involved in an investigation," Natalie replied. "I have enough trouble as it is."
"I'll talk to her," Dodge said. "Do my best to keep your name out of it."
Natalie nodded curtly before leaving for the other room.
"Dodge, I'm sorry, this is all my fault," Sam began. "I should've backed off when - "
"I'm a big girl, Sam," Dodge interrupted. "If I wanted you gone, you would've been gone. Okay? So, tell me about this death echo thing. I thought spirits like that were trapped in an endless loop, not violent."
"Yeah, usually they are," Sam said. "But this one acted more like a death omen spirit. They appear as warnings, often inflicting injuries and trauma as messages. That would explain why he didn't show any signs of possession."
"So, a death omen spirit winds up killing this guy instead of warning him?" Dodge asked. "That doesn't make any sense, Sam."
"Well, neither does a shifter having vampire fangs and werewolf claws," Sam pointed out. "Whoever made The Serum is messing with the supernatural, and they don't care about the rules. Maybe that's the point."
"That still leaves us with a lot of unexplainable deaths," Dodge said. "It's not like the FBI will just forget about this case, even if this is the last body. Which something tells me... this isn't."
Castiel and Dean arrived at six-one two-one Garden Square in Hemlock, New Jersey. The hunter expected an abandoned building, but instead they found a warehouse with state-of-the-art security.
"Here goes nothing," Dean said as he got out of the car.
"I can get us inside," Cas offered. "It's not warded."
"No, not unless we have to."
They walked up to the front door, and to their surprise, the gate unlocked automatically.
"Welcome to the warehouse," a computerized voice said from the side panel.
The door unlocked itself as they approached as well, allowing them entry without so much as a 'hello.'
The main floor was a large, open space, well-lit and air-conditioned. There was nothing but shelving units that were filled with simple wooden coffins.
"I don't like this," Dean muttered.
"They're all empty," Cas said. "But, I can sense something. From below."
"Fantastic," he remarked.
Cas went a wall and grabbed something, revealing a door that Dean hadn't seen moments ago.
"What the hell?"
"It was warded from human sight," Cas explained.
It led to a stairwell that seemed to go down forever. They decided to check out the first basement level. It was laid out just as the main floor, an enormous, empty room with shelving filled with coffins. The only difference was that this floor was chilled to near-freezing.
"Empty?" Dean asked.
Castiel shook his head, no.
"They're all full?" Dean prompted.
"Yes, about two hundred and fifty," the angel replied. "From the smell, they are like the bodies in the morgue.
"How many floors do you think this place has?" Dean asked. "Ten? Twenty?"
"At least."
"So, if they're all filled like this one, that's..."
"Thousands dead," Cas replied. "This is much bigger than we thought it was."
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10x03 Night Flight
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