Sam sat in the Impala, which was parked across the road from an abandoned factory that had long been out of use. Sam's gaze was fixed on the open gates, which were already covered in rust. At that moment, Sam was thinking that Amara was so close to them — just a couple of hours' drive away — and no one knew about it. And he himself wouldn't have known if it weren't for Donatello's help, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
Turning to Donatello, Sam asked the prophet if this was the right place. Donatello thoughtfully stared at the abandoned factory and slowly nodded his head in response to Sam's question, trying to describe what he was feeling inside the factory. Hearing the confirmation, Sam took his phone out of his pocket and texted Dean that they were already there. After sending the message, Sam began waiting for a signal from Donatello that Amara's presence had disappeared.
In moments like these, Sam felt time dragging on painfully slowly, which made him nervous. After all, he understood that one mistake and they would all be dead. And Sam wasn't sure how Amara would react when she realized she had been deceived. But what he was absolutely sure of was that death in this situation would be a mercy compared to what Amara could really do.
"Her presence is gone… I think I don't feel her nearby anymore," Donatello said slowly in an uncertain tone, staring intently at the factory gates.
"You think you don't feel her? Can you be more specific? Or should we rely on your "I think"? Or should I remind you who or what is in that factory. And she definitely won't pat us on the head if we go in there uninvited," Metatron burst out with a sarcastic tirade, exaggerating his hand gestures.
"Metatron, shut up… Donatello, are you sure Amara is gone?" Sam snapped at Metatron, then calmly asked Donatello.
"Yes, definitely. She's gone," Donatello quickly nodded, confirming that he felt Amara's absence.
Seeing Donatello's confirmation, Sam started the Impala's engine and pressed the gas pedal, sharply turning the wheel. The Impala spun its tires on the road, leaving a clear mark on the ground, and then shot forward, speeding through the open gates. When the black Impala raced through the rusty gates, a fairy-drone resembling an unremarkable flying golden orb followed behind it.
Sam kept his foot on the gas, not intending to slow down, racing across the territory of the abandoned factory. Panicking from such dangerous driving, Donatello clutched the seatbelt, but still pointed the way to the place where he felt the residual presence of Amara. Metatron, sitting in the back seat, suffered the most from the sharp turns, being thrown around the cabin from side to side.
"That warehouse over there. I still feel the presence coming from there. And I'm starting to feel someone else…" Donatello said in a nervous tone, clutching the seatbelt and pointing to a distant abandoned warehouse.
"That must be Lucifer…" Metatron said with difficulty, hitting the door again on a sharp turn.
Sam nodded after hearing Donatello and Metatron's words and pressed harder on the gas pedal. He understood that they needed to hurry because Amara could return at any moment, and if they were late, they could forget about any rescue. And then they would have to save their own lives.
Turning once more and driving around a storage building, Sam saw the entrance leading to the abandoned warehouse that Donatello had pointed out. Braking sharply, Sam looked at Donatello, who nervously nodded his head, confirming that they were in the right place. Getting out of the car, Sam looked up at the warehouse where Lucifer was supposed to be. None of them knew what condition Lucifer was in.
But Sam suspected it wasn't the best, considering he had been in Amara's hands, who clearly hated her nephew. Donatello and Metatron got out of the Impala after Sam and also looked up at the warehouse.
Once so close to the abandoned warehouse, Donatello began to get nervous, and in such a state it was difficult for him to focus on the feeling that allowed him to sense Amara.
"Alright, let's go. I don't know how much time we have left. But we'd better hurry," Sam said, walking around the Impala and looking at Donatello and Metatron.
Finishing his words, Sam approached the warehouse doors and began slowly opening them. With a creak, the sliding doors slowly opened, letting light inside. Opening the doors, Sam was able to see the condition Lucifer was in. Lucifer was chained to something resembling a medieval rack.
And his body was broken and wounded to such an extent that there wasn't a single living spot left on it. Seeing Lucifer in such a state, even Sam felt shocked, not to mention Metatron and Donatello. Sam swallowed the lump in his throat, looking at Lucifer's condition. Tied to the rack, Lucifer barely opened his eyes and lifted his head when he heard the sound of the warehouse doors opening.
Amara had worked on him so thoroughly that he was suffering not only from physical pain, but also from mental pain as she forcibly tore out all his memories. With difficulty opening his eyes, Lucifer saw only three blurry silhouettes, among which he could clearly recognize Sam.
"Oh, wonderful. I have visitors… It's Sam and his boy scouts…" Lucifer said with difficulty, not losing his arrogant tone even in such a situation.
Sam frowned at Lucifer's words but said nothing. He shifted his gaze to Metatron and nodded his head for him to help free Lucifer. Metatron quickly approached the rack to which Lucifer was tied and quickly noticed that he wasn't bound in the usual way, and freeing him would take time.
But seeing Lucifer in such a terrible state was a complete shock even for Metatron. He had never seen Lucifer himself in such a pitiful and horrific condition. Slowly turning his head, Lucifer looked at Metatron, then shifted his gaze back to Sam.
"So now you're a rescue team? How sweet. And you even brought Daddy's favorite? What, too late, buddy, you got punched? Cool feeling, right? First you… nobody. Then suddenly — bam, and you're the new Jesus. Only let's hope we get a different ending," Lucifer began to ramble in his usual tone, as if he wasn't in a terrible state.
"Alright, enough talking. We'll get you out of here," Sam said, interrupting Lucifer's long monologue.
"And that sounds fair… I wouldn't be here if you bunch of stupid idiots hadn't decided to throw me under the train called Amara," Lucifer said in a cynical tone, reminding them how he had ended up in such a condition.
"We'll save you. And you'll help deal with Amara. Refuse — and we'll leave you at this resort Amara arranged for you," Sam said, looking at Lucifer.
"Refuse? Don't you see what she did to me? Do I look like her fan?!" Lucifer hissed through clenched teeth, looking at Sam with an angry gaze.
Sam couldn't argue with Lucifer's words, seeing his condition. But he only saw the physical damage and didn't know what else Amara had done to Lucifer. What Sam was absolutely sure of was that it was far worse than what Lucifer had done to him when they were locked in the same cage.
In any other situation, Sam would have gladly gloated over Lucifer's condition, but right now he had other concerns. He took his phone out of his pocket and texted Alex to check the situation. Alex's reply came quickly, saying that Amara and Dean were still talking, but they had better hurry. Sam wrote "okay" and put his phone back in his pocket.
Shifting his gaze to Metatron, who was reading a spell that was supposed to free Lucifer, Sam wanted to ask how much more time was needed. He understood that if he interrupted Metatron with his question, he would have to start all over again. Watching Metatron read the spell, Sam shifted his gaze to Lucifer, who was barely conscious and suffering severe pain.
"You do understand that you'll have to cooperate with your father? Will that cause any problems?" Sam asked, walking closer to Lucifer.
"Eh, it's family business. You of all people should know about that, Sam. And here it's something bigger. We can make peace for a couple of days," Lucifer said with difficulty, chuckling through the pain as he looked at Sam with a hazy gaze.
"So you'll drop your old tricks and behave properly?" Sam asked in a serious tone, staring intently at Lucifer.
"What happens in Heaven stays in Heaven… Scout's honor," Lucifer said with a painful chuckle, folding his fingers in a scout sign.
Looking at Lucifer, Sam had a hard time believing his words because of all the past events. Not wanting to bring up the past at this moment, Sam looked again at Metatron, who continued muttering the spell under his breath, his voice getting louder and louder.
Feeling the tension rising, Sam heard the sound of an incoming message. Quickly taking out his phone, Sam saw a message from Alex saying they needed to hurry and that time was running out. Seeing this message, Sam felt his heart tighten.
"Metatron, how much longer? Dean can't distract Amara anymore! Alex wrote that Amara is starting to suspect Dean," Sam quickly said after reading Alex's message.
"I'm almost there. I've almost grasped the essence of this spell… I just need a few more moments," Metatron quickly replied, trying not to lose the thread of the spell binding Lucifer.
Answering Sam's question, Metatron continued reading the spell and began doing it faster, realizing that time was running out. Starting to mutter the spell faster, Metatron felt he had already reached the core and would soon be able to free Lucifer. Sam, meanwhile, began to feel anxiety with every passing moment after Alex's message.
Sam looked at Donatello, who was also starting to get nervous. Noticing Sam's look, Donatello shook his head, showing that Amara wasn't returning yet. But he himself didn't know how much time they had left. At that same moment, the bonds holding Lucifer's arms and legs weakened, and he limply fell from the rack onto the floor.
Falling to the floor, Lucifer lost the last of his strength and couldn't even move, and it was even harder for him to stay conscious. Sam immediately approached Lucifer to move to the next stage of the plan — namely, escape.
"Hey, Lucifer, now get us out of here, quick!" Sam said, leaning down to Lucifer.
"No, I can't do that," Lucifer said with difficulty, barely opening his eyes to look at Sam.
"What do you mean, you can't?" Sam frowned, already feeling the situation quickly turning bad.
"The pull to the ground is too strong, she doesn't want to let me go… Wings failed… Batteries dead… Pick whichever option is convenient for you," Lucifer said with difficulty, forcing out a cynical smile.
Finishing his words, Lucifer closed his eyes, and his head dropped as he lost consciousness for a short moment. Seeing this, Sam didn't know what to do. And the simplest option that came to his mind was to run the normal way. And seeing no other way out, Sam quickly approached Lucifer and began trying to lift him.
Grabbing Lucifer's arm, Sam threw it over his shoulder and started lifting him to get him out of the warehouse. Seeing what Sam was doing, Metatron also decided to help carry Lucifer so they could leave this place as quickly as possible. He had known from the very beginning that things wouldn't go smoothly, considering the Winchesters' luck.
Jumping down from the platform, Metatron approached Lucifer from the other side and threw his arm over his own shoulder. Seeing what Metatron was doing, Sam nodded gratefully, partially revising his opinion of this former scribe. Donatello, who had been standing aside and was already heading to the Impala to open the doors, suddenly froze in place, his eyes widening in fear.
"Guys, I don't want to say this. But I feel her. She's coming back," Donatello said in a panicked tone, sensing Amara's approach.
"Then hurry to the car. Donatello, go ahead and open the doors. We need to move," Sam said, adjusting Lucifer's arm on his shoulder to speed up.
Donatello nodded immediately and quickly ran to the Impala to open the doors. Sam began dragging Lucifer toward the exit to leave this place as quickly as possible. After taking a few steps, Sam suddenly felt Metatron let go of Lucifer's arm. Holding Lucifer, Sam turned his head and looked at Metatron, who had frozen in place.
"Metatron, why are you standing there? Run to the car, we need to get out!" Sam shouted, urging Metatron on.
"I'm staying, Sam. Go ahead. Maybe I'll buy you a few seconds," Metatron said slowly, shaking his head and making it clear that he was staying behind.
"Stop messing around, Metatron. We need to leave! And what can you even do to her without your power! You yourself said more than once that you're afraid of death!" Sam shouted, dragging Lucifer to the warehouse exit and turning to Metatron.
"It's okay, Sam. Every story comes to an end. And this is the end of mine. So go. It's the least I can do to make up for my guilt toward all of you," Metatron said with a slight smile, refusing to leave.
Looking at Metatron, who had decided to sacrifice himself, Sam could only nod his head with difficulty. In the past, it was Metatron who had caused Dean to become a demon and Cas to lose his grace. Because of his schemes, Kevin had died at the hands of Gadreel.
Metatron — the former Scribe who had wanted to become something greater, who had wanted to become the new God — was to blame for all of it. And now standing before Sam was nothing more than an ordinary human, stripped of his grace, who was consciously walking toward death. In such a situation, Sam could only accept this choice.
Sighing heavily, he dragged Lucifer along with him and didn't look back. But right at the warehouse exit, Sam stopped. Slowly turning his head, he froze for a second: old events and past grudges flashed brightly in his memory. Shaking off those thoughts, Sam looked at Metatron.
"Metatron… I forgive you. For everything…" Sam said with difficulty, casting one last glance at the former Scribe before finally leaving.
Hearing these words, Metatron's eyes widened in shock. A weak, tired smile appeared on his face. He hadn't expected to hear exactly that from Sam at the end. But at the same time, these words made it clear to him: everything he was doing now would not be in vain. When Sam finally left the abandoned warehouse, Metatron heard the muffled roar of an engine that quickly began to fade into the distance.
Understanding that he couldn't waste another second, he began preparing. Taking a small folding knife from the pocket of his tattered jacket, Metatron slashed his own arm. Gritting his teeth from the pain, he quickly began drawing ancient spell symbols in blood on the peeling wall of an old wagon.
Drawing symbol after symbol, Metatron was perfectly aware that without angelic power he could barely buy even a few moments. But he sincerely hoped that this short moment would be enough to delay Amara and give Sam and the others time to get as far away as possible. Continuing to draw the symbols for the spell, Metatron's hand suddenly trembled, and he froze when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.
"Bravo, bravo. What a wonderful act of self-sacrifice. You didn't disappoint me after all, librarian. Don't you think so?" Alex's painfully familiar voice rang out.
"Hmm… I admit, I didn't expect this Gollum to pull off a trick like this. And for Sam to decide to forgive him. But you were right," Dean responded, standing beside him.
Metatron slowly turned his head. Just a few meters away from him stood Alex and Dean. But what truly made his eyes widen in shock was something else: Amara was gently holding Dean's arm. Not understanding what was happening, Metatron pressed his back tightly against the blood-covered wall of the wagon. His mind frantically searched for an explanation.
Dozens of possible scenarios flashed through his head, and the most obvious one seemed like madness — Alex and Dean had been on Amara's side from the very beginning. Perhaps the Darkness had used her powers to subjugate them?
Because of the surging panic, Metatron had completely forgotten that Alex was Death, and subjugating his will to Amara was simply impossible. But right now he couldn't think straight. All his thoughts boiled down to one thing: buy time.
"Why, Dean? Why did you side with her? What kind of revenge are you talking about?" Metatron continued to stall for time, discreetly moving his hand closer to the symbol drawn in his blood.
"Isn't it obvious? Dean and Amara are thirsty for revenge… And I, such a kind soul, am helping them," Alex said, propping his cheeks with his hands and trying to look cute.
"Listen, Alex… Maybe you should explain it to him? After all, you were the one who wanted to hire him, not me. Or does he still think we don't see him reaching for the symbol?" Dean said, pointing at Metatron and turning his head toward Alex.
When Dean's words sounded, Metatron's hand froze an inch from the wall. Feeling their gazes on him, he understood this was his last chance. And just as he was about to sharply slap his palm against the symbol to activate the magic, he heard a dry snap of fingers. In the same instant, all the symbols he had drawn in his blood flared up in bright flames and vanished without a trace.
Metatron jerked his hand back from the sudden heat and looked at Alex. The latter was looking at him with an expression that clearly said: "Are you serious right now?" But instead of panic, a faint smile appeared on Metatron's face. Even if the spell hadn't worked, he was proud of himself. He believed he had still bought enough time by distracting their attention.
"And why is he starting to smile? Shouldn't one shit their pants and try to negotiate in situations like this?" Dean asked, pointing at Metatron.
"Isn't it obvious, Dean. He's happy that he bought time for your brother… What I would call a very poor attempt… How do you usually say it?" Amara said in a calm tone, letting go of Dean's arm and shifting her gaze to Alex.
"I'd give it six distracting maneuvers out of ten… I think thirty seconds will be enough for them. And then we can pretend you chased after Sam and your nephew," Alex said, taking out his pocket watch.
"I think it's better to give them a minute. So it looks believable. Knowing Chuck's obsession with all this plot nonsense, he definitely accounted for the whole villainous monologue from Amara followed by Metatron's murder," Dean said, turning his head toward Alex.
"Wow, you've gotten smarter. Here's a candy for you, Dean," Alex said in a cheerful tone, taking a candy from his pocket and extending it toward Dean.
"Dude, but that's a cliché. In all those movies, the villain first has a dialogue with his victim and only then kills them. It's damn classic," Dean said, rolling his eyes and snatching the candy from Alex's hands.
Alex laughed at Dean's words but didn't deny that Chuck really loved using the most banal clichés. All this time, Metatron hadn't moved from his spot, greedily absorbing every word. He wasn't a fool. Even from these fragments of phrases, his sharp mind managed to partially reconstruct the picture of what was happening.
As someone who had read countless books — from masterpieces of world literature to the lowest-grade pulp — Metatron instantly filled in everything Alex and Dean had casually mentioned. His imagination rapidly completed the terrifying reality.
Having spent many centuries at Chuck's side, Metatron knew all too well his obsession with the so-called "plot." And now even the appearance of the Supernatural novel series, which Chuck had once written while pretending to be the unsuccessful writer Carver Edlund, took on its true, horrifying meaning. Everything. From the very beginning. Had been nothing but one big script.
Metatron felt everything inside him go cold. So his return, his revenge, his grand plan to expel the angels, and even his insane desire to take the empty throne and become the new God himself — none of it had been his personal choice. It had all been just another chapter, neatly typed on Chuck's typewriter.
"Oh, it looks like he figured it out while we were laughing. Impressive," Alex said, noticing how Metatron's gaze had changed.
"So you're going to skip all that explanation bullshit?" Dean asked, shifting his gaze from Alex to Metatron.
"Nope, he still has to go through it… In any case, he needs to disappear from the stage. No matter how you look at it, his character arc has come to an end. And he even went through redemption, thanks to Sam. I think this is a quite worthy ending for Chuck's book finale… But personally, I still need a competent librarian. Reginleif spends too much time with books, it's about time she got some rest," Alex said, stroking his chin.
Finishing his words, Alex looked at his pocket watch and turned to Amara, showing that it was time. Amara calmly nodded, exhaling through her nose. She felt disgusted by the feeling of having to play according to the script written by Chuck. But she understood that it was all for the sake of ensuring Chuck had no chance to escape when he decided to stage his finale.
Before Amara left, Dean raised his hand, silently asking her not to overdo it so that Sam wouldn't accidentally get hurt — it would be enough to just give them a good scare. Amara gave Dean a long, blank look, showing that she wasn't going to harm his brother anyway and knew perfectly well what to do. Dean smiled tensely and muttered that he was just reminding her.
Amara softened slightly, gently ran her palm over his cheek, and in the same instant dissolved into the air. When Amara left to play her role in this spectacle, Alex and Dean turned their attention to Metatron. To their surprise, he looked quite relaxed once he learned the true background of what was happening.
"As I understand it, Sam doesn't know… And you're deceiving your brother again, Dean," Metatron said in a calm, almost casual tone, no longer feeling any fear toward Alex and Dean.
"And you understand why… And I can see in your eyes how much you want to know all the details. Why you're still alive. Why we're still chatting in your presence. And what this librarian position is about," Alex said in a lazy tone, lighting a thin cigar.
"I admit, I am indeed interested in all those details… And I dare to assume… Although no, it's not even an assumption anymore, but rather an obvious fact. God… That is, Chuck. He's no God at all. He's something completely different… And if we reason logically, he's clearly not from this world. Hmm… Where exactly he came from is still unclear to me. But what I'm now one hundred percent sure of is that Amara is no Darkness," Metatron began reasoning out loud, putting the puzzle together in his head and imagining the overall picture.
"You guessed everything. Well done. And now for the interesting part. We don't have much time for conversation. So you're going to get a quick crash course… Trust me, you'll like it," Alex said with a smile on his face, approaching Metatron.
"Usually that's what they say right before something bad happens," Metatron said in a cynical tone, pointing at Alex's words.
"In a way you're right, Gollum. The first time it made me puke pretty hard. So hope you have a strong enough stomach," Dean laughed, sitting down on a rusty pipe and resting his elbows on his knees.
Metatron didn't have time to open his mouth before Alex's finger touched his forehead. In that same moment, Metatron's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor like a sack of sand. Alex didn't even try to catch him. Despite having formed a different opinion of Metatron after his actions, Alex wasn't going to give him any slack.
When Metatron fell to the floor, Dean laughed, genuinely amused by it. Hearing Dean's laughter behind him, Alex turned his head back and smiled slightly. Already thinking about sending Metatron somewhere else to make it look like he had died at Amara's hands, Alex received a message on his phone.
Taking his phone out of his pocket, Alex saw a message from Reginleif with a simple "thank you." In response, Alex sent only a heart emoji and then put his phone back in his pocket. In the same second, a portal opened with a characteristic noise right in the middle of the warehouse. Four minions cheerfully jumped out of it one after another, with toy siren lights on their heads, holding folded stretchers.
"Big Boss! Big Boss!" the minions shouted, jumping around Alex.
"I'm glad to see you too, Peter, Mike, Kevin, and of course Steve," Alex said, stroking each of the minions' heads in turn.
Seeing the minions in person, Dean almost fell off the pipe he was sitting on. Carefully examining these yellow creatures in overalls, whose existence he of course knew from pop culture, Dean was most surprised by the fact that Alex knew each of them by name. While Dean was stunned, examining the uninvited guests, the minions stared back at him.
And being natural yellow agents of chaos, they immediately began making cheeky faces at Dean in unison. In the same instant, all the complex feelings Dean had just experienced were replaced by dull irritation. Cracking his knuckles, Dean was already about to get down and give these little pests in denim overalls a good kick.
The minions immediately hid behind Alex's back with laughter, but still continued to peek out from different sides, teasing Dean. Chuckling, Alex stroked the four minions' heads once more, gently hinting that now wasn't the time for them to fool around, and nodded his chin toward the sprawled Metatron on the ground. The minions shifted their gaze to Metatron and then looked at each other in confusion.
"Big Boss! Po ka baka tudo? Where pupa?" Mike asked, pointing at Metatron.
"Take him to the infirmary first. And when he wakes up, send him to the library. And don't lose him on the way," Alex said, explaining where to take Metatron.
"Yes, Big Boss! Infirmary-compote! Roger!" the minions said, saluting.
After saluting, the minions quickly threw the stretchers on the floor and with one deft movement placed Metatron on them. Picking up the stretchers with Metatron, the minions began making ambulance siren sounds and immediately rushed into the portal they had come from. The minions acted so efficiently that they didn't make a single mistake, considering how many times they had done this.
When the minions carried Metatron away, Alex laughed, folding his arms across his chest. He was still getting used to the fact that his wives had decided to use the minions in this way. And for him, this was better than if they had dismantled his Helios, where they lived.
"Little pests… I should have kicked them after all," Dean said irritably after the minions had taken Metatron away.
"Come on, Dean. They liked you. Usually they would just ignore someone they didn't like," Alex said, chuckling at the angry Dean.
"Are you serious?… Eh, fine. At least I saw the minions… But how do you even remember all their names. And how many of them are there anyway," Dean said, shaking his head and looking up at Alex.
"If we're talking exact numbers… Then somewhere around ten thousand four hundred individuals," Alex said thoughtfully, lazily stroking his chin.
"Holy shit… Now I understand why you said they could have torn Orario apart stone by stone… But the fact that there are so many of them is just staggering…" Dean said in a surprised tone, his eyes widening in shock after hearing the exact number of minions.
"Who are there so many of? And what did I miss?" Amara's voice sounded behind Dean.
"You missed the appearance of those yellow creatures in overalls who carried Metatron away," Dean said, turning his head toward Amara.
"Ah, the minions… It's a shame, of course, that I missed the chance to see them," Amara responded in a light, almost serene tone, immediately understanding who they were talking about.
"Where do you know about them from?" Dean asked in surprise, hearing that Amara knew about the minions.
"Why wouldn't I? I need something to occupy myself with during the breaks between playing the vengeful sister… And Alex told me about how his daughters dragged an army of these creatures home," Amara replied in a light tone, sitting down on a rusty pipe next to Dean.
Dean opened his mouth, not even knowing how he should comment on this. And whether he should even mention that Amara goes to movie theaters alone to watch films. Deciding to pretend that this information was as normal as the entire current situation in his life, Dean decided to ask how the "fake" chase went. Amara calmly answered Dean's question, telling him that as soon as she stopped his Impala, which Sam was driving, the car disappeared.
And she didn't need to say where exactly the car had disappeared to. Dean's gaze instantly went blank because he knew that his car had definitely been damaged and he would have to do repairs. Sighing heavily, Dean only regretted that his car had been damaged. Alex and Amara looked at Dean and just shook their heads because he was worrying about his car in such a situation.
To be continued...
(So the chapter is written, we move on to the ending. Just yesterday I was thinking about how I should have fit the events of the last chapter and this chapter into one. But no matter how you look at it, it's practically impossible. It's all about interactions. Or my excuses. Who knows. In short, I'm not sure. So now we're thinking about a brighter tomorrow, waiting for something. What we're waiting for, no one knows. And I'm going to go eat. Peace, love, and laziness are normal. Sometimes.)
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