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Cole looked around. The neighborhood was seedy, but the two-story house in front of him was well kept though the yard needed work. No one obvious was watching so he got out of his car and walked to the front door. The porch creaked as the 5’10”, wiry, muscled man reached out to ring the bell. A couple of minutes went by until it was opened by a young, slim, black man, “Yea?” was uttered in challenge.
He met the brown eyes with his ice blue, “I’m Cole Norris, here to meet with Jason Asano.” Ennis, looked over his craggy, relaxed features and his all-black outfit. His forehead wrinkled as he responded, “Really? It’s really sunny today – not a good day to buy anything,” Cole observed his young face with weary eyes and sighed, “I don’t just buy when it’s sunny but when it’s raining, even in Spain,” he finished the agreed upon code. Ennis swung the door wide and gestured him in. "We’re waiting for one more guy before I take you to the stash." Cole swung around, leery, “One more?”
Ennis shrugged. “You both emphasized urgency and you both were only available today. This is when I’m available. Deal with it.”
The doorbell pinged again and Ennis moved towards the door. Cole moved to the front windows, taking up a stance to cover Ennis. Outside was a muscled, white man, short brown hair in a military cut, in a military style brown jacket, jeans, and a ball cap with close set eyes. He opened the door, slightly, “Yea?”
“I’m Austin Mason and here to meet with Jason Asano about buying some bullets.”
“It’s really sunny today – not a good day to buy anything,” Ennis started the code words. Austin responded, “I don’t just buy when it’s sunny but when it’s raining, even in Spain.” Ennis opened the door and gestured him inside. Austin moved in warily and immediately pulled his gun upon spying Cole, who had swung around to train his gun on Austin.
Ennis just sighed, “You’re both good. Calm down and we’ll go about getting what you both need. Stand down both of you.” Both Austin and Cole took a beat then put away both guns. “Let’s go.” Ennis turned towards the back door. They both followed. Austin looked at Cole, “Where’d you serve?”
Cole paused, evaluated Austin again and answered, “Still in. You?” Austin responded with a slight smile, “Fallujah. Two Tours. What are you here for that you can’t get in the Army?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Cole retorted. Austin gave him a long, considering look, “Ever meet men named Winchester, Rufus or women named Harvelle?”
Cole smirked at him, “Dean and Sam? Yea.” He continued on after Ennis. Ennis walked quickly down the alley and turned left and then right. The group got to another metal door and Ennis pressed his palm over a reading plate, the door snicked open. After another long corridor and walk down the stairs he opened yet another door that led to a tunnel and gestured the men down a hole. They all three dropped down into a bunker filled with shelves and lockers. Once down, Ennis, looked at both men, “So, you both met the Winchesters? Did they send you to me?”
Cole smirked and nodded, “Yea, know both Sam and Dean. Had . . . interactions with both. They’re good guys.”
Ennis said disbelievingly, “Are they? or are they just douchebags?” Both Austin and Cole looked at him and then at the creak of an opening door. They both drew their guns, again. Bernard, a large man about 6’2” built like a brick wall, stepped out of the back room, carrying two large crates. “Did you say Winchesters? That Dean is a tough somabitch,” he grunted, his thick black brows drew together showing a hint of consternation – though not at the guns pointed at him, rather the topic of conversation. Ennis gestured to lower their guns and jerked his chin in greeting to Bernard. Ennis scowled, “They are interfering, preaching assholes; always think they know best.” Bernard grunted in agreement.
Cole smirked, “Well, in my experience, they usually have information that comes in useful. Can we get down to business?” Ennis nodded. Austin suddenly asked “Are they really good guys? I know they’re street smart and they helped out in a situation I was in; saved some people. But, they’re really rough, like some of my former squad; Dean has hell in his eyes. They didn’t stay long enough for me to get a good read on them.”
“Situation? Where?” came from Cole. Austin responded, “River Pass, Colorado. Why?”
“Ah, War – right? With a red mustang? That was an interesting skirmish.” Bernard, Austin and Ennis looked at him with varying degrees of enquiry. Austin took a step or two away from him and suspiciously asked, “How do you know what happened there with War?”
Bernard, taking action, immediately splashed holy water on all three, Ennis, Austin and Cole. They all looked at him, west and disgusted. “Let’s do this,” Cole finished. He pulled out a silver knife and sliced his forearm, wiped it and handed it to Ennis, his hand on another knife in case he needed to pull it. “Knife’s silver, blood is red, water is holy,” he grinned at Bernard, then lifted his lips to show his gums, “gums are whole.” Ennis repeated the recently adopted ritual to rule out demons, shifters, Leviathans and vamps; a sort of Hunter’s greeting. Bernard followed and finally Austin, though with less familiarity. All signs pointed to all humans in the room. Good.
Bernard handed out band aids and beers and sat down at the table in the middle of the room. Austin asked again, “So how do you know what happened”
Ennis, Austin and Cole pulled out chairs as well. Cole answered, “I do my research. When you met Dean and he was showing people the guns they brought in and how to use them, did he ask you if you knew anything about guns and where you served?” Austin nodded, “He did and when I asked him the same question, he said Hell.”
Cole nodded and continued, “Did you guys ever come across the writings of Carver Edlund? He’s a “prophet” of God, and has written a series of books about the lives and times of Sam and Dean Winchester. He’s very detailed, like action reports detailed, though a bit more shlocky. I checked into it, connected with a Becky Rosen, who was actually married to Sam Winchester for a while – checked paperwork on that – marriage license, registered and annulment all on record in Vegas. She verified that the books and the unpublished works she gave me access to was all legit. She runs a fanfic website so a bit suspect. However, most of the things I could verify with other sources were told like it is. They live very interesting lives; bona fide heroes.”
Austin asked, “Did he really serve in Hell? His eyes were dead serious when he answered but I thought he was giving me BS and didn’t want to answer.”
Cole nodded, “He did.” At the guys’ disbelieving looks, Cole continued, “He spent about 4 months, our time, in hell (or 40 years in hell time). He made a deal with a crossroads Demon to bring his brother back when Sam got knifed in the back.” Austin nodded, “I heard a story about a Big Mike from Minnesota did that for his wife. She was pissed, said that she had made it to heaven and he pulled her out. He stayed on the road after that, hunting until his 10 years was up. He would occasionally come home to check her attitude but he wouldn’t last 3 days before he would head back out. Don’t know why he traded his soul for her.” Cole and Bernard grinned.
Ennis snorted “I find that hard to believe. Not the interesting lives part. They’re hunters and hunters don’t live sedate lives and the Winchesters in particular are crazy enough to go up against anything. So, I give you theirs might be more interesting than the average man. But they don’t seem all that impressive to me –not heroes, at all,” he said disgustedly. Cole glanced at him; the kid was still smarting from something the Winchesters had said or done.
Bernard’s face, impassive, assessed Cole, “That Dean is a major fighter. He held his own and put me down in a hand to hand. I’ve had SEAL training and have about 80 pounds on him. He can take a punch and dole them out too. Don’t know about Sam’s ability to fight but he and his brother also went up against a major witch and forced her to back off,” Bernard nodded, “Yea, I can believe it.” Ennis looked at him disbelievingly, “You mean Rowena? I thought they like, worked together! How is that going against her?” Cole, ignoring Ennis, jerked his chin at Bernard, “Yea – he played with me when we fought, he was a demon the first time but even as a human, he beat me soundly. Marine Intelligence,” Cole jerked his thumb to his chest, “so he’s a fighter. Sam, I haven’t fought but he can take some pain, loyal as hell.”
Austin broke in, turning to Bernard, “Wait, who is Rowena?” Bernard suddenly gave blank face at that question. “There is a Hell and people come in and out of it?” Austin continued, his mouth uttering every thought without a filter, “Wait! Are you sure Dean was a demon? How is he not a demon now? During the situation, all thought each other were demons when it was all an illusion. Hell… does that mean they really defeated War in the town?” Cole nodded, answering the last question, “The Winchesters sliced War’s ring off his finger which they later used to open the prison doors to Lucifer’s cage and locked both Lucifer and Michael in to stop the apocalypse. I consider saving the world pretty heroic,” he challenged Ennis.
Austin and Ennis looked skeptical and Bernard started to look interested. “How in the hell did you verify that?!? ” Ennis asked disbelievingly.
The door to the vault room suddenly opened and Ketch, a large man built along the lines of Bernard but with a more polished look, even in fatigues with a beard, walked in with a large suitcase. All four men suddenly stood up with guns in their hands at the ready. Ketch calmly stopped, held up his hands and looked bored. Bernard and Ennis immediately pointed their weapons up and Ennis said, “Austin, Cole meet Ketch, a supplier of mine. Ketch, take a seat, we were just getting to know one another and exchanging information before getting to business. You’re welcome to a beer.” Ketch hesitated before heading to the cooler and opening a bottle.
Ennis pulled a small silver knife from his boot and handed it to Ketch. Ketch sighed and without question, repeated the Hunter’s greeting ritual. While he did that, Ennis continued, “So how did you verify the story?” As his lip dropped back in place, Ketch pulled up the cooler to the table and sat down on top of it wondering what the topic of conversation was.
Cole shrugged, “I trapped a demon - he . . . told me the story. I then came across the Supernatural books, and Becky Rosen who pointed me in the direction of the unpublished books online. I was trying to find anything on Dean and Sam. It was interesting, so when I had another demon trapped, I asked for his version of the apocalypse. The demon wasn’t there personally but had encountered both Dean and Sam at River Pass. The demon verified that the Winchesters killed the whore and showed the town how to actually exorcise and kill demons. The demon said he got out of there when he heard they were in town. He claimed that was why he was 1 of 10 demons that got out before the whore was killed and the rest of the horde that numbered about 30 demons. That incident was in the book. Lastly, A friend of a friend of a friend of an angel (before the fall) had the same story as the first demon about what went down when Lucifer and Michael confronted each other which as what was written in the book ‘Swan Song’. That’s as close as I could get given that the only ones at the physical location of the apocalypse were dead but for Dean and Castiel, their angel friend, who doesn’t talk to anyone but the Winchesters, it seems. A friend of Bobby Singer also told me a similar version.” Austin silently moved his lips, repeating, they have a personal angel. All four men looked interested.
Cole took a sip, “The story goes: Lucifer had a few hundred thousand demons at the ready when he and Michael met at Stull Cemetery, just as Michael had his ‘heavenly host’ ready. Lucifer was riding Sam -Sam had bet that he could take momentary control of his body to put Lucifer in a cage. Sam wasn’t able to do it. So, Lucifer was using him as a vessel – you knew they are both vessels?” Austin shook his head, “Vessel?”
Ketch broke in, “Certain people have the capacity to host Angels. If the person doesn’t, the person explodes if an Angel ‘puts them on’. Apparently, it runs in bloodlines. A couple of years ago, when a Pastor with a televised prayer hour encouraged people to accept Angels into themselves. His congregation started blowing up. That was Angels, when they all fell.” Cole nodded.
Cole looked at the men and continued, “Michael, in the meantime, had convinced Adam, Sam’s and Dean’s half-brother to be his vessel – apparently being vessels runs in the Winchester line. Dean drove up to the cemetery just when Michael and Lucifer were about to exchange punches and said he wanted a minute or two with Sam/Lucifer; Michael objected and Lucifer laughed. Castiel appeared with Bobby and bought Dean time by firebombing Michael. Lucifer didn’t take kindly to that and killed Castiel and Bobby Singer. I don’t know what Dean said or did but Sam was able to fight free of Lucifer. Sam used that time to open the gate to the cage with the rings of the 4 Horsemen they defeated and jumped in. Somehow, he also got Michael in there.” Bernard looked off into the distance and Ketch looked like he was thinking. Austin looked amazed.
Austin mused, “I always wondered how all the weird shit stopped and didn’t come to pass. So, Sam went to hell or at least a cage in hell? But didn’t I hear about both Sam and Dean working a case up in Oregon – with the Mother of all Monsters? How can that happen if Sam is caged with Lucifer inside him?” Bernard and Ennis looked doubtful. Ketch cleared his throat, “I never heard the full version but I do know that they stopped it. Though Lucifer did get out again but after Sam was out. Don’t worry lads, Dean and Sam got him back in hand, though they were dropped in a black site for 2 months as a result.”
Austin, Bernard and Cole looked incredulous, “What?” exclaimed Austin. “How did they get out?” asked Bernard. “How do you know?” asked Ennis looking impressed. Ketch considered his beer, how much to tell? He decided that he wasn’t under BMoL rules anymore but he also knew information was priceless. He decided that it wouldn’t hurt his reputation to tell the story, though he would have to be careful. They might look on him more favorably if they thought he had helped, which he bloody well did.
He looked up into four interested faces, waiting impatiently. “I once worked for an organization that prided itself in gathering information, all sorts of information, with a specialization on the supernatural. I have since terminated my relationship with them, but while I was in their employ, the Winchesters and their actions were the topic of many a conversation: the stopping of the Judeo-Christian apocalypse, the resealing of the Leviathans into Purgatory, the amelioration of the Angel war on earth, the rejuvenation of the Sun and, of course the closing of the demon rift. I was in on the beginning of that ordeal.” He looked up into wide eyes though Austin, Cole and Bernard, showed a bit more stoicism than Ennis. “If you’ve heard something incredible that is attributed to Dean and Sam, it’s most likely true. Though they are pains in the asses. They always take the hard road.” He sighed.
Austin cleared his throat, “What are Leviathans? They were responsible for reversing the death of the sun? There’s a demon rift? What happened to the sun?” Cole nodded and said, “All stories but the opening and closing of the demon rift are in the unpublished works – you can find them online. Thanks for being another source to verify. Demon rift?”
Bernard jumped in first, “How did they get out of the blacksite? Those are where high value targets are kept and almost more importantly, how did they end up there?”
Ketch took a deep breath surreptitiously; he didn’t want them to know he had “cleaned up” Dean and Sam’s unprofessional behavior. Though now that he was no longer in the employ of the BMoL, he did acknowledge that he might have overcorrected. “As I understand it, Lucifer had convinced POTUS to let him take over. The Winchesters, who had been chasing Lucifer to kill him or put him back in the cage, found out about it and proceeded to exorcise him out of POTUS. They were successful but didn’t leave before the secret service, who had been warned by Lucifer, wearing POTUS, telling them about the Winchesters, found them caring for the fainted body of POTUS. They were immediately arrested and taken to the blacksite. It took them 2 months before the Winchesters decided to get out, which they did – I don’t know how. I was called in when Castiel asked for our help in locating Sam and Dean on their way out of the blacksite and back to home. All they had was a long highway in which to meet them. They emerged from the forest where we estimated they would and drove off. Not sure how they got out but they did defeat a large squad of Secret Service soldiers chasing them – leaving all of them wounded but alive. Sloppy but they justified it by saying that “they were soldiers, just doing their job”. They are remarkable and find a way to get things done, when they stop fighting amongst themselves.” Ketch took a deep breath.
Cole continued the story, “According to the unpublished works of Supernatural, they made a deal with a reaper that they would die, temporarily one last time and come back til 12 midnight before a Winchester would die permanently. The deal was broken by Castiel, who couldn’t bear to see any Winchester, Mary had stepped up to protect both her boys, die. However, none of the agents or anyone else at the blacksite who had seen the Winchesters lived to tell the tale. Someone had come behind them and killed them all.” Cole answered, looking straight into Ketch’s eyes. “I wonder who would dare do that to American soldiers?”
Ketch held still and didn’t betray his alertness and readiness level. This situation could still be saved if he didn’t lose his head. Bernard jumped in, “That might have been best. It’s not good to be on the government’s radar. They might have gotten picked up at an inopportune time – like when the world was ending and they needed to stop it. You know paper pushers – never can get anything else done.” Cole and Austin suddenly grinned.
“Well lad, I’m here to deliver the order you bought: angel blades - I have 200 blades, 100 pounds of silver, and 10 gallons of Dead Man’s blood. As for the rest, I have 100 doses of the werewolf cure base, 300 doses of consecrated blood, in O blood type, and 300 doses of consecrated blood in AB.”
Bernard suddenly spoke up, “There is a cure for werewolves? What’s the consecrated blood for?”
Ketch shrugged, “Well, technically, the cure only works in specific instances and it has a 60% fatality and I didn’t find it. The Winchester’s read about it and tested it… in the field. Wider trials are ongoing in other Men of Letters laboratories to verify the results. The consecrated blood is to cure demons. The Winchesters found that too. How do you think Dean was a demon one minute and human the next?” Bernard and Austin looked dumbfounded.
Ennis nodded. “After Dean died this last time, Sam started the Hunters network in earnest. If you guys want in, you dedicate two weekends, at least, to hunting. For that you get training in physical fighting, all access to lore and discoveries made – it’s all online with a user name and password. If you pick up a job they’ve posted, they give you access to weapons and or objects that are useful in the hunt – you do have to return it unless you go full time, though. If you are full time, there are safe houses you can use that belonged to the Men of Letters American chapter. If you’re more interested in the admin or learning side or are too injured or not physically capable, you can try to be inducted into the Men of Letters side of it. That’s where I think I’ll be headed soon. Though for now, I’m procuring and hunting.”
Austin looked fascinated, “So the Men of Letters tell the Hunters what to do and where to go?” Ketch boomed in laughter, shaking his head. Ennis glanced over at him, a little smirk on his face, “No. The British Men of Letters tried that. They failed miserably. Sam offers the knowledge and training for quid pro quo once he verifies your ability, interest and honesty. However, you have to sign up for the alerts for the jobs in your area. If you consent to go on a job, and it’s deemed too big for your skill level, they put you in touch with another Hunter who’s also signed up for the job and you handle it together. Though, he does ask that you do wear cameras that automatically upload to the server so people can learn from other’s actions and/or they know what’s gone wrong if you don’t report back and you can do a play by play after. No ordering of others.”
Cole nodded, like special ops then. “What’s up with 2 weekends a month? All hunting?” Ennis shrugged, “I traded it for gathering supplies, cataloguing the library at the Atlanta chapter house and a few other odds and ends. I’m sure you can make a deal, if you want in.” Bernard’s phone beeped and at that, Bernard stood up, “I’m off, just got the call.” He nodded to the rest, downed his beer and stepped outside the door. Ketch stood as well, “I’ll bring in the other cases,” and left behind Bernard.
Ennis turned to Cole and Austin, “You were here for Dead Man blood Tranqs, and silver bullets, right? How many?” “I need 2 cases each. Do you have anything for witches?” Cole asked. Austin spoke up, “I’d like 4 each and the witch killing bullets. Do you have any hex bags for hiding as well?”
Ennis rubbed his hands and grinned, “Thanks to the Winchesters, yes to all.”