Aftermath
There were a few burns, but most of the fluids had been on his clothing and had barely eaten to his skin. What was of great concern was a large needle like something off a porcupine embedded into the base of his skull near the spinal cord. Dean's face was pale even for his skin. He was not responding to anything.
L carefully pulled the quill out, having Near keep fingers on Dean's pulse. They should be at a hospital for this but given the situation, field treatment would have to do.
For a while, there was no response, but slowly, Dean's pulse rate picked up, and his eyes fluttered a little, but nothing else.
"Dean, open your eyes. Let us know you are still with us." L looked concerned.
The hunter was struggling to open his eyes,and he was gasping for air. His heart rate became erratic.
"Come on, Dean." His voice was low.
Dean tried to speak, but his words were badly slurred, “Can't breathe. God, my chest hurts. I can't move.”
L sent Near for Watari, who came in a few moments later. After hearing the description of the fight, he looked at Dean. "I don't have time to find someone to do a chemical analysis. Can you tell me what's on the quill?"
Dean tried to open his eyes and look at Watari, “Think it's...the word was mumbled but Watari got the gist of it and went looking for the kit Dean had put together after he came back from town and went through what Cas had left him.
Within moments, the syringe was injected into Dean's arm. "This should do it."
Slowly, Dean began to breathe normally, and the heart rate began to return to normal. Dean tried to inhale air too fast and choked and slowly rolled to his side, holding his ribs, Watari looked at the bruised and bleeding face. “What happened to his face?”
Dean's eyes opened and he looked up, with a slightly glazed look, “My face?”
"It's bruised," he answered. "Mello, ice pack to reduce the swelling."
Mello scrambled to follow orders.
“The thing hit me in the face while I was out? There's nothing in the clearing to do that?” He unsteady gaze found L, “Did something else happen?”
L gave him a full report, leaving nothing out.
“The mountain trail? Then it was taking me to her! I wouldn't have been able to move. Hell, that's not good. She wants me immobilized, which means Ruby's been talking about me. Watari, I need an antidote I can take to prevent the chemical on the quill from doing this to me again. We got to figure something out, cause I have got to be able to cut her head off. At least be able to slow it down.”
Near shook his head. "The plan should be sure proof though. Dean had no time to move after being hit with the quill. The antidote would not be able to be administered."
“No, I'm not saying this right. I want something to prevent it from working, at least for awhile. Give me time to cut her head off. If you can't find something that will work permanently, at least give me an hour or more.”
"That may take more time than we have. I'll send the quill to a lab and see what we can come up with," Watari said, bagging the item in question.
“They know where we are, Watari, and Sam can't defend himself, when Ruby comes after him. It may be a combined front next time. The demons must have some of our defenses figured out. It would be easy for the creatures to destroy them and let the demons in too. Damn, I don't feel good.”
Matt shook his head. "How did they find us?"
“I know Sam has been having sex with Ruby, so there's no telling what she may have done. He may be marked in some way we can't see. Could be his cell, the computer, something in his duffel, but she's tracking him somehow.” Dean closed his eyes for a moment. “I really do feel bad. Damn that stuff packs a wallop.” The hunter slowly breathed in through his nose and out of his mouth, trying to fend off the nausea. “We need Cas and I sure don't know how to find him.”
"How do you contact him?"
“Cas comes when he wants to. I can yell at the air and call everything in the book, but Cas still comes when he needs to. This should have brought him, and I'm not thinking clearly. He should be here.”
L went out to check to see if the angel had arrived.
“Damn it, Cas, where the hell are you? I need you.”
The detective frowned, looking through the cabin in hopes that the other had showed up. This was not going well.
L turned around and was literally nose to nose with Castiel. “You were looking for me?”
He didn't react. "There are problems. Your..expertise is required."
Castiel turned and walked to the living area where Dean was laying on the couch. He stared in disgust at the angel and asked, “Where the hell have you been?”
I do not answer to you , Dean Winchester. I was told that my expertise was not necessary. I understood that L and his people could take good care of you, therefore, there were other jobs I had to see to. Was he wrong?”
“What the hell are you talking about, Cas? If I didn't know that you showed no human tendencies, I'd swear you were upset by a comment someone made about your ability to take care of me not being the greatest. Hell, Cas, no one takes care of me. I take care of myself most of the time.”
Near looked at Castiel. "Somehow, this safe house Castiel chose is not safe. This location has been occupied less than a few hours and already the enemy has located it"
“That is always a possibility, Near. Someone somewhere is talking about things and that is a danger because Ruby wants Sam and seriously needs Dean out of her way. These creatures and Sam's paramour have to be removed. Dean, it is your job.”
“Well, you know, Cas, the little thing we didn't know about almost got me killed tonight. What's on the quill? I went down in seconds. Why didn't you tell me about that?”
“The creatures do not have that ability?” Cas sounded confused and scared. “I will be back. They will not try again tonight. They will be mourning the loss of one of their own.” Cas disappeared.
“What the....oh, damn it.”
Mello bit off a chunk of chocolate with a low growl. "That little poofing ability of his is aggravating."
Dean closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, “You have no idea.”
Watari sighed. "I shall get back to Sam. Let me know what goes on from here."
L nodded, settling back at his own laptop.
Cas reappeared. "I went to examine the body. It is gone. Did you bring it here?"
Mello looked at the angel. "Did we need to?"
"They came and got their own. I will be back." Cas was gone again.
Dean's hoarse, 'Damn it!" was faint.
Dean's exhaustion from the attack set in and he dozed off on the sofa. He had been asleep for about an hour, when he started sweating, and tossing on the couch, his head shaking back and forth, muttering under his breath. It grew more violent, and suddenly he cried out , “No, Alistair....I won't do that.”
The group focused on their work, letting him rest without saying anything.
Dean started crying in his sleep, “I can't take any more..okay...yes, I'll do it. Just let me down.” He began to cry harder.
It was shortly after this that Castiel reappeared. He walked towards Dean and laid a hand on his head. “That is over, Dean. I removed you from there. Most men would not have lasted 30 years. You did what you did and that is why you are the one to end the apocalypse when it happens. I am sorry, but you fulfilled the demon's prophecy and you will fulfill ours too. It is your destiny, not Sam's. I am so sorry.“
The eyes of the group stared at the angel. "You assume a great deal on that," Mello commented. "The apocalypse was always in the hands of angels and demons in the book of Revelation. So saying it's in his hands is the WORST thing to say to him."
“You are mistaken if you believe that. The antichrist is human and will be taken over by Lucifer. The battle to free him is on right now. Dean will be used of God and will help end it. It is what I have been told. He needs to know his destiny. I will fight to the death to protect him because I have come to respect and like him. My superiors are against my involvement. I became involved because of him, not what he is. I am seeking to find a way to prevent it, but he must know what is planned for him. I know Dean Winchester and he will go the other direction because no one tells him what to do, and I will follow because I believe in him.”
The blond shook his head. "I think you're being lied to...in a major way. But that's why you have L on the case too."
“I am probably going to be hunted by my own kind so they can kill me. I am afraid and do not really know what to do but I am rebelling to protect this man. I believe he is important but not in the way my brothers or the demons believe. If he has anything to do with the ending of Lucifer or the apocalypse, it will only be because Sam Winchester drags him into it. Watch Sam closely, because he may not want this, but he is being manipulated into it. Where Sam goes, Dean will follow whether it is for his own good or not. Remember that.”
L's voice cut in. "Again, I am waiting for the information to solve the problem. Bring everything you can or write it all down."
Castiel walked towards L and touched his forehead, “This is everything I have at this time. It is what I have seen and heard from others.”
He growled softly afterward "Never do that again."
“I did not enter your mind, L. I never read anything you think or have stored in your brain. I planted the information there.”
Near answered quietly. "L is rightly protective of L's mind. Never know what could happen."
“Rightfully so, Near, but time is of the essence here. To give L scattered bits of information on papers made no sense. All of it in one neat compact thought was the only way to make sure nothing was missed. Nothing was damaged. It was just a simple thought implant of the information. There should be no need to repeat it. I will be staying because I will be needed in this battle. Dean is going to be injured. Yes, you can help him, but I can heal him completely once my powers are regained after the battle. Demons are going to try to keep you out. You will need me to hold them off so you can get in the rear entrance and prevent his death.”
"The question remains as to HOW they found us," Matt pointed out, eyes focused on his game machine. "His phone is clean. I checked."
“I fear that I know the answer to that question, and it is in the information I gave L. One of my brothers told them. I do not know. I went to talk to Anna and she says there are traitors amongst the legions. I am trying to find out who is doing this. They want Dean dead because they want the apocalypse to happen. They can take care of the demons and Lucifer, but he can prevent it. They believe that and so do the demons to a point. If the demons ever truly reach the point of belief in him, he will be dead because all of them will hunt him down. The angels would prefer to let the demons do the work and let it look like a normal hunt.”
L frowned. "Is there a way to keep anyone outside of yourself from knowing our location?"
"Yes, I become a fallen angel and do not return to Heaven. They will hunt me, and I will have to avoid Dean for the time being, but right now, he will need me for this battle. All of you do."
"We need to switch locations. We are not ready for a battle yet. Dean is ill and another plan will be needed considering the difficulties in regards to the quills."
“This can be done tonight, if you are all ready. They will not expect an attack tonight. You have a good idea now where the lair is. I will go find it while you get weapons loaded and prepare for the battle.“
The angel walked over to the couch and laid his hand on Dean's chest and a white light flowed through them. Dean's eyes opened and he looked up, “Cas?”
“Can you do this tonight, Dean? We need to bring it to an end swiftly.”
Dean looked at the others. “I'm ready, Cas. For all our sakes, it's got to stop.”
Castiel bowed his head for a moment. He walked over to L and laid his hand around the back of L's neck and L felt a sting. He headed to each of them and did the same thing, going back to Dean and finishing it.
“What I have done is given you something that will not allow the quills to take affect. It will last 24 hours. We do this tonight. Get ready. I will find the lair and return for you.”
Near jerked away from the angel's touch, gray eyes holding a shuttered defensive look. He did not like being touched by strangers.
Dean saw the reaction, got up, and went to his kid. He knelt down and pulled Near down with him. “Near, that quill nearly killed me tonight. What Cas just did was give you something to keep you from being affected by it. It's kind of like a vaccination. It will last for 24 hours, be we should be through by then. Cas is not very good at explaining things. He's not human, but he has a kind heart. He wants to protect our world. It's okay.”
L and the others bit back a smirk when Near responded. "Near does not trust this Castiel."
“Castiel was tortured up there and he's trying to deal with that. They forced him to go back to not really being involved. The problem is that Cas is involved, okay. He's beginning to have human feelings about us and its' something he doesn't understand or know how to deal with. He's trying, and I'm gonna give him a chance because he's helped me many times. I like him.”
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