Unknown Vessel

“Okay Sammy, I’m bored, you found anything that even looks like a case?” Dean managed to get the question out around a mouthful of greasy diner cheeseburger.

Sam, the younger Winchester brother, sat at a too small hotel table hunched over his laptop. Brow furrowed in concentration he said: “Maybe –” Both men started as a third man suddenly appeared in the room.

“Dammit Cass” Dean growled as he wiped spilled ketchup off his shirt. “Why can’t you just knock like a normal person?”

Cass looked at the door, as if considering going over and knocking, but then looked back at Dean, “I’m not a normal person, this is how angels travel, you know that.” Dean rolled his eyes but Cass continued, “Besides, we don’t have time for that. I need your help.”

“Of course you do. Look, Cass, it’s not like we don’t have anything better to do. We don’t just sit around waiting for you to call on us.” When Sam opened his mouth to protest, Dean sent him a dirty look, “Shut up Sammy”. Cass frowned in confusion, looking back and forth between the two brothers before getting back to his point. “Several years ago a very important girl was kidnapped, I’ve just located her and we need to retrieve her. Grab your things, we are close enough to take the Impala.” He turned towards the door, expecting the brothers to follow him. Sam closed his laptop and started gathering up his few things. Dean held out a hand to stop him. “Wait, Cass, we need more information first. A few years? That’s a long time. Who’s had her? Demons? What? Why is she so important to you? Or is it an angel thing?” Cass turned back towards him, impatience on his face. “Please, Dean, I can’t do this without you and I assure you, she is very important to all of us. I will explain on the drive. Please, can we go?”

“Fine.” They grabbed their gear and were headed out within minutes. As they approached the car, a beautiful black 1967 Impala, Cass asked “May I sit in the front?”

“NO.” Both men answered without looking at him. He sighed and climbed into the back seat, his long, tan trench coat tangling in his legs as he did so. Dean climbed into the driver seat of his “Baby” and Sam slid into the passenger side after throwing their duffel in the trunk with all of their other gear. As Hunters of all things supernatural it was quite an eclectic collection of deadly weapons and tools. Dean turned the ignition over and the car roared to life. He looked at Castiel in the rearview mirror. “Where to?” Cass pointed out towards the highway, “South. For now.”

As they continued down the highway, Dean and Sam exchanged curious looks. Finally, when it was apparent that Castiel wasn’t going to start talking, Dean barked, “So?”

Cass sat forward, the better to be heard over the roaring engine. “Oh. Yes. So the girl is actually a Nephilim named Mayessa and she is the last ingredient needed in a ritual to create an ultimate vessel that will allow Lucifer to return to Earth and utterly destroy it.” The car slalomed sideways as Dean jerked the wheel in response to Castiel’s quick and completely unexpected answer. As he struggled to get the car back under control Sam spun around in his seat to stare at Cass. “Do you want to go over that again? Maybe with a little more detail?”

Castiel sighed but his dark blue eyes were intense when they met Dean’s again in the mirror.

“Mayessa is the daughter of a human mother and an angel father. It is forbidden but obviously possible. Unfortunately, her mother is not just any human, but a powerful witch and her power was inherited by the girl. She was kept hidden and safe, so we thought, with secret identities and continual relocation.” “Like Angel Witness Protection.” Dean interjected with a grin, his focus back on Cass as they flew down the highway. “Umm, yes, I guess.” Cass responded, then with a frown at Dean, continued on. “Anyways, the girl has been a point of contention since her birth. Many of the angels believe that she is too dangerous to be allowed to live. The rest of us believe that she shouldn’t be killed simply because of her lineage. She is innocent of any crime and -as far as we know- has done nothing to harm anyone or anything. But then Azraziel, a demon of immense power, enlisted the aid of Rovena, an equally terrifying witch, and together they were able to find the girl. She was kidnapped several years ago and we have been searching for her ever since.”

Sam said, “Years? And you think she’s still alive? If that’s the case, why hasn’t this vessel ritual already been performed?”

“We believed that she was still alive but now we have proof. The ritual is extremely complicated and it’s taken this long for them to gather the ingredients and make all the necessary preparations. For the final steps they had to surface enough that we could feel the energy of what they are doing. That energy is what I’m following now to find them. With the levels I’m feeling they must be nearly finished.”

Sam took the lead again, letting Dean focus as, picking up on the urgency, he pushed his foot to the floor and Baby hurtled down the highway at triple digits. “So what, exactly, is this ritual?”

Cass paused, seeming to search for words, or deciding how much to say.

“Look, Cass, you said Jump, all we’re asking is how high. You owe us that much.” Dean growled at him.

Cass seemed to nod to himself, “Alright. That is fair. The ritual draws power from, well, pretty much everything, and creates a perfect vessel. You know how much trouble Lucifer had with his last vessel. That much power cannot be contained by just any body. And this vessel is not only strong enough to hold him, but will amplify his power and strength. It will make him completely unstoppable.” With these ominous words the car fell silent, the engine screaming even louder as Dean pulled every ounce of speed out of her.

“Slow down Dean, we’re getting close but I’m having a hard time focusing in.” The car’s roar quieted to a purr as Dean pulled onto the shoulder and slowed to a crawl. Fortunately they were out in the middle of nowhere and the traffic was almost nonexistent. Castiel closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the location. “We need to head west at the next exit, it’s about 30 miles that direction.”

“Okay, Cass, you said powerful demon and terrifying witch. What else can we expect? A bunch of lesser demons I would guess. Can we just gank them all and the ritual will end? Or do we need to counteract something, somehow?” Sam was already flipping through his Dad’s journal, ensuring that the info on how to end a witch was fresh in his mind.

“There is angel warding, that’s why I need you two. But it is different than any I’ve seen before. I think that is because the girl has angel blood so that complicates things. Other than that, I’m going in as blind as you are. This is all myth and legend, we didn’t even believe it was possible. So I have no idea what to expect.”

“Great. That’s just great.” Dean’s tone was disgusted but the lack of information was pretty much the norm for them so he said it mainly for Castiel’s benefit. “So we go in with holy water and some chilled chicken feet and just hope for the best? That sounds about right.” He shook his head but took the next exit and headed down the road. “And another thing, this girl is going to be the vessel? So Lucifer will be wearing a chick meat suit?” Dean asked with a grin. “Is it a hot meat suit?” At Sam’s exasperated look he just smiled wider, “What? I’m just asking.”

Cass interrupted them, “Here. Pull off here and we will continue on foot.” Dean slowed, the tires crunching on the gravel shoulder as he pulled into the shadows along the forested road. The men got out and gathered around the trunk. Guns, knives, vials of liquid, jars of powder all going into pockets. Once they were as prepared as they could be, they followed Castiel as he headed further into the darkness. They followed him in silence for about ten minutes before they began to hear voices and then see the flicker of light in the distance. The forest trees and underbrush became more sparse and they approached a large clearing. When they could see movement they crouched down and Sam pulled binoculars out of his coat. Looking through them he said, “I see a group of men, maybe 10 or 12, in a circle around some sort of platform. I think maybe the girl is on it. There’s a bunch of torches and some bigger fires. We won’t be able to get too close before they see us.” Dean hit him on the shoulder, holding his hand out for the binoculars. Sam frowned but handed them over. “Yeah, they’re probably all demons, right? They’re out in the open though, where are the angel wards? On the ground like we do devil’s traps?”

Castiel nodded. “Yes. As I said, they’re different than I’ve seen before. I think they have drawn the wards on the ground, or rather, one big ward. If you can break the lines, then I should be able to assist you.” Dean barked out a quiet laugh, “I love it when you use words like should.” Castiel began to explain but Dean cut him off, “It’s fine. So what, Sammy and I go in, scuff up their art and then what? We take on the demons and you get the girl or vice versa?”

Castiel simply said “Yes.” Then disappeared with a whispered flutter of fabric.

Dean let out another aggrieved sigh, “Typical. Alright Sammy, you go left and I’ll go right?” At Sam’s nod they separated and slunk off into the darkness.

They circled the clearing until they were roughly across from each other. Their lifetime of shared hunting made words unnecessary as they worked in tandem. Dean snuck up behind the nearest Demon and lunged forward, snaking an arm around his neck and plunging the angel blade into its back. As it screamed, black smoke poured out of its mouth and he heard a second scream across the clearing as Sam made his own move. For a second there was stunned silence and then all hell broke loose. Both brothers struck quickly, trying to even the odds as much as they could. As they struggled, both men tried to see the angel wards that would be keeping Cass out of the fight. With a cry of triumph Dean spied the painted line on the ground and lunged forward, dragging the toe of his cowboy boot through the dirt and paint, breaking the pattern. More demon screams rang out as the angel joined the battle. Through the blood and screaming the three slowly worked their way towards the center, rhythmic chanting barely heard over the chaos. Finally, a pile of burned out corpses left in their wake, they made it to the center. There was a large stone altar with a girl on it, manacled hands and feet stretched wide. There was a man, or demon, at her head reading from a large book and a woman at her feet that must be the witch. She was throwing different liquids on the girl at regular intervals, both were wholly focused on their tasks. Dean ran up behind the witch, angel blade raised for a seemingly easy kill when he suddenly bounced off an invisible wall, falling to the ground as the wind was knocked out of him. Sam had similar results attacking the demon, and suddenly Cass froze. At first Dean was afraid that he had hit a similar obstacle but when the firelight flared up he could see a look of concentration on his friend’s face.

There was a blinding flash of light, it finally broke the concentration of the two powerful beings. The chanting broke off and they both spun towards Castiel. Screaming in fury the witch attacked with some sort of black lightning as the demon drew a blade and sliced at where Cass had been standing just a second before. Dean and Sam both clambered quickly back to their feet but were flung back once more. They shielded their eyes, trying to see what was happening as lightning and energy crackled overhead, nearly blinding in its intensity. There was some sort of roiling, nightmare-black cloud floating just above the girl, long tendrils snaking down into and around her glowing form. The cacophony of chanted spells, screams, and thunder added to the chaos and overwhelmed their senses. They could see the silhouettes of three people but couldn’t tell who was who. As the wind intensified, tearing at their clothes, they backed up enough to regroup. “I say we go for the witch killing spell and see what happens.” Dean yelled and Sam simply nodded, retrieving the bottle full of ingredients as they started the incantation. They pushed forward through the now gale-force winds, their voices all but drowned out. As they came to the end of the words Dean pulled his coat up for protection and got his zippo lit long enough to light the fuse going into the bottle and then Sam hurled it into the center of the three figures. There was an ungodly shriek and thunder boomed, sending them both flying once more. Suddenly the the lightning stopped and the winds calmed some. Castiel and the demon both seemed startled by the change and as they quickly realized that the witch had been killed the demon simply disappeared, leaving a vile string of curses on the wind.

The brothers looked each other over and seeing no major injuries they limped and staggered over to where Castiel stood, staring down at the girl. The black cloud was smaller now but still floated menacingly above her. While she had been struggling and screaming earlier, she was now staring blankly up at the sky. “Is she dead?” Dean asked bluntly. Sam frowned at him and he just shrugged. “No.” Cass muttered as he closed his eyes and held his hand out over her forehead. The ritual has taken hold. Although they didn’t complete it, it’s not unraveling or fading away. Maybe I can… NO!” Cass staggered back as there was another boom of thunder and the cloud began to disperse and drop towards the girl, seeming to melt right into her skin. With a loud gasp she jerked back to life, her back arching as she bowed up off the altar. Sam and Dean both jumped forward to help but then stopped, not knowing how to help or even what was wrong. Castiel had both hands pushed to the sides of his head as he lost what little color he had and dropped to one knee. With a pained look he met Dean’s eyes and said “Get her to the bunker, keep her safe at all costs!” Then he too disappeared. “Son of a bitch!” Dean swore then pushed Sam towards her feet. “Let’s see if we can get these off.” The manacles were solid and well-built but didn’t hold up to the bolt cutters that Sam retrieved from the car. The brothers worked as fast as they could, knowing that they would have company any minute. “Hurry up Sammy, as soon as they find new meat suits I think those demons will be coming for payback.” “Yeah, I know.” Sam answered crossly, “I’m working as fast as I can.” Once the last link was cut Dean scooped up the girl and they ran back to the car. Sam slid into the back seat and Dean passed her to him, she had passed out when Cass left but was starting to show signs of waking again. Dean jumped in and gunned the engine, spewing gravel out from under the tires as he whipped the car into a 180. They hurtled back the way they had come, worried eyes meeting in the rearview mirror.

They made it back to the bunker without any more complications and got the girl inside and settled into one of the bedrooms. She was mumbling and tossing but still hadn’t woken fully. Sam leaned against the doorway and ran his hands through his long hair, the only outward sign of his concern. Dean appeared next to him and handed him an open bottle. “So now what the hell do we do?” he growled before downing half the beer. “You got me.” Sam answered, “Have you tried calling Cass again?” Dean sighed and pulled his phone out, hitting redial and listening to the long rings. “Still nothing.” With a loud gasp the girl sat straight up in bed and looked wildly around her. Both brothers held out their hands to her in a calming, unthreatening manner. “Easy there sister” Dean said softly and her gaze swung to him. “Who are you? Where am I?” She demanded as she scooted up the bed until her back hit the wall, dragging the blankets with her. Sam spoke gently, “My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean” Dean tried a small wave and a smile but she continued to stare suspiciously between the two of them. “We, umm, found you in a clearing, umm, with demons. And a witch.” The words came out more as a question than a statement and they both waited to see how that went over. Her posture didn’t relax but she did nod slowly. “I remember… some of that… And there was a third person, wasn’t there?” The brothers nodded and Sam continued, “That was our, umm, friend. Castiel. He helped us find you.” She nodded again, her face regaining some color and a bit of the panicky look fading from her eyes. “He was an angel?” she asked quietly and the boys exchanged startled looks. This time Dean spoke, “Yeah. He is. How did you know?” “I felt it. When he tried to heal me.” With these words she placed both hands on her stomach and looked down sadly before meeting their eyes again. “He couldn’t stop it, could he? The ritual.” Again the brothers exchanged looks but both were at a loss for words. “I can feel… something. I don’t know what it is but it’s different. It doesn’t feel evil or bad though. Just like, a heaviness, I guess. When is the angel coming back? I think it’s safe now.” Dean’s eyebrows went up. “Safe? For him? From you? Look, I’m sorry, but if you can give us some more information, that would be great. We pretty much went into this blind. Her gaze dropped back to her stomach and she continued to rub circles around it. Finally, she said, “It’s a long story. Could I possibly have one of those beers? And maybe some food? I think it’s been days since I last ate.” Sam showed her where the bathroom was as Dean went back to the kitchen and threw together a plateful of sandwiches. He was just putting them on the table when she stepped hesitantly out of the bathroom, her small figure nearly swallowed up by the robe she had found and wrapped around herself. Sam pulled out a chair for her and she said a quiet thank you as she sat down. Dean twisted the cap off another beer and started to hand it to her when he stopped short, “Wait, are you old enough to drink this?” He didn’t really care about that but he did want to know her age. With a soft laugh she replied, “Yeah. I’m 23. At least, I think I am.” She reached out and snagged the beer from him and took a long pull. “God that tastes good. Thanks.” She picked up a sandwich and took a huge bite, her eyes closing in appreciation. The brothers exchanged looks, realized they weren’t going to get their answers quite yet and seated themselves, digging into the sandwiches and beer while they waited.

After polishing off two sandwiches and starting on her second beer she leaned back in her chair and began, “You’re hunters, right?” At their nods she continued, “I’m guessing that he at least told you that I’m a Nephilim and that I was kidnapped about six years ago?” Dean sputtered out “Six? I was thinking more like two or maybe three. That’s a long ass time to be held by demons.” “It was. But they actually treated me really well. I didn’t know they were anything other than humans for a long time. I learned later that they needed me to stay in perfect health to be their perfect sacrifice, and that’s why they did everything they could to keep me content. My mother was killed when I was taken, so that first year was mostly just grief and rage. But even emotions like that will fade eventually. And several other girls were kept with me. I thought they had been taken too but they were just acting that way to gain my trust.” Her voice broke with the emotion she was trying to hold back and she took another swig of beer, collecting herself. “They were my only contact, my only friends, or so I thought. But the whole time, they were just manipulating me and guiding my thoughts. Anyways, about a year ago I overheard a couple of the guards talking. They were bored with their duty and complaining that they weren’t allowed to, umm, have a little fun with the prisoner. And why couldn’t they when I was just a lamb for slaughter for some silly witch-demon ritual. I didn’t believe it at first, I mean, who would?” She laughed bitterly. “But little things started to add up. Finally, I asked another one of the girls about it. She laughed it off but I could tell she was nervous. The next day I had all new guards. I really started trying to figure things out at that point. I questioned everything, kept trying to escape, the other girls played along and helped me out. But the guards were always one step ahead, that’s how I realized that I was being tricked. That the girls were selling me out. So then I began trying on my own. Eventually they realized that I didn’t trust them anymore and their true colors showed. They laughed at my attempts and mocked me whenever I asked questions. Soon they were gone too. About six months ago a new man, Ronan, showed up. He said that I was born for something miraculous, that I was going to bring about a whole new world. He wove this magical fairytale with me as some great heroine. I didn’t trust him, not at first. But over time I began to believe. I’m pretty sure it was a spell or some sort of magic, but I’m not sure. I was so lonely. I think part of me was just so desperate for a friend. Anyways, we began a training regimen, strengthening my body and mind. I figured, even if it was all a trick, it would be to my benefit to be stronger so I threw myself into the training. It was actually pretty fun, not to mention it broke the monotony. Then about a month ago, we moved down here. I was put on a super weird, strict diet and my training was intensified. Ronan sat me down and explained what I was. That I was unique and special and born for greatness. I was going to be part of a ritual to help strengthen them so they could help the human world. The way he talked, I thought he was an angel, and that I would be helping other angels. I thought it was for a good cause. Then two nights ago, Rovena showed up. She was all smiles and flowers and I didn’t like her at all. She made all the hair stand up and her eyes were creepy and dead looking. I could tell that it made her mad that I didn’t like her. So the sweetness turned into derision and the pleas became threats. She said that it didn’t matter what I thought or what I wanted. I would play my part all the same. I told Ronan that I wanted to leave, or at least to have her leave but he just deflected my concerns. Then they brought back the girls, the ones that had been my friends and then traitors. She killed them. One by one, right outside my window. I saw their black eyes and then their black souls as she devoured them. At that point I panicked. I knocked out the guard on my door and tried to sneak away. Obviously, I failed. I don’t remember anything else clearly until I woke up here.”