The Red Cloak Trail

The Red Flash

IN 221 B BAKER ST, LONDON

As John rubbed his eyes sleepily for the third time, he wondered how he had gotten himself into this life style.

"It's all Sherlock's fault, I guess," he mumbled to himself.

His eyes searched for his watch in the dimly lit room.

"Bloody hell!!! Its one in the morning!" He exclaimed.

John had been blogging their latest completed case as well as researching their next one, while Sherlock lay on the black couch, eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping though. John could tell by the silent movement of his lips as he thought over things. No, he wasn't sleeping, he was just in his mind palace solving their case. John glanced out the window and noticed a figure crossing the street. That's odd he thought to himself. Not the fact that someone was out at this hour. No, he lived in his apartment at 221B Baker Street in central London, people were bound to be out and about even this late. The odd thing was what he/she (he couldn't tell from this distance) was wearing. The figure appeared to be wearing, a red, ... a red cloak. John blinked, and even stranger, the figure had vanished. John sighed and rubbed his eyes again. It's too late for this, he thought, I'm hallucinating.

"I'm going to bed." He announced.

Sherlock did not reply and John did not expect him to. He could go on for days, lying there in silence. John climbed the stairs to his bedroom and laid down. He thought ruefully of his early morning tomorrow (TODAY, he amended), and silently cursing to himself he fell asleep.
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ROUTE 66, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Dean and Sam had been in the car for nine hours on there way to the next hunt, when Castiel appeared in the back seat. They were just deciding where they'd eat and spend the night when they heard a sound behind them.

"SON OF A B***H! Cas, we told you to stop doing that! A little warning, next time?" Dean yelled.

Sam, having just recovered from hitting his head on the ceiling in shock, just shook his head and sighed .

"I apologize for startling you. I sensed a powerful entity in this vicinity, that is of neither Demon nor Angel in origin. As well as sensed a strange occurrence about to take place involving you two." Castiel replied, his gruff voice as robotic as ever.

Sam spoke up. "Well what is it then if it's not an Angel or a Demon ? And what do you mean a "strange occurrence"?

"I have no knowledge of this entity other than what I have previously stated, nor do I know the exact date or time of the occurrence." Castiel answered, irritation could almost be detected in his voice.

"So... Let me get this straight. You came to warn us about something bad ass enough to want to warn us about, but all you know is that is bad and not anything we've seen before? On top of that something bad is gonna happen but you don't know when? How is that different from normal??!!"

"I have no knowledge but felt it deeply important that I be here." Castiel insisted.
"But-----" Sam started.

"Sammy," Dean cut him off. Knowing how tired he was, Sam was probably similarly exhausted. "We'll figure it out. First we need to get som chow and sleep." He said pulling into a local diner's parking lot.

**************************************
Dean pulled out of the parking lot with Sam and Castiel sitting in silence. He felt much better for having eaten two slices of apple pie and some coffee. As he turned back on to the narrow stretch of highway, he noticed the lack of cars and wondered how late it realy was. He didn't look at the clock, though, for fear of being to tired to drive after realizing how late it was. He continued driving and was about to change the son when he saw a flash of red in his rearview mirror. Dean blinked, then double checked all his mirrors. There were no other cars on this stretch of highway. That should have made him feel more at ease but instead it made him further uneasy. Especially when he thought harder of what he had seen. The flash of red hadn't looked like another car. It had looked like, well like a red... cloak.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

LONDON, EARTH 2012

The Doctor stepped out of of his blue police, smiling broadly, with his current companion, Donna, in tow. She followed him, looked around, and sighed.

"This doesn't look like the beach, Doctor."

"No you're right, it isn't the beach, but this is better! Earth, London, judging by the look of it, and 2014, going by the architecture."

"Oh that's so close! I'd be about... well you don't need to know my age, spaceman (She'd be about 46). You said we'd go to the beach. You said it before we went to the..."

Donna paused not wanting to go further and mention The Library and all the things that had happened there. The losses she had sustained were still clear in her mind and she was sure, despite his enormous grin, it was the same for the Doctor.

"Well it doesn't matter WHEN you said it. What matters is that you said it. Now let's hop back in the T.A.R.D.I.S., and head to the beach even if its space-beach."

"This is much better! Breath that air feel the life of the place. You humans with your day-to-day lives and your hustle and bustle, it's fantastic! Now let's wonder about and see what trouble we can get ourselves into . All-on-sy!" He replied then began to fast walk down the street.

Donna shook her head. For a man more than 900 years old, he sure acted live a five-year-old child. As she began to follow she noticed a sudden flash of red. Startled, she walked around the outside of the T.A.R.D.I.S., then called out "Doctor...", then stopped.

She was worrying for nothing, she told herself. The Doctor turned around and called from much further up the street. "Donna? What, are you coming?"

"Nothing... never mind, wait up Doctor!" She called back.

As she chased after the Doctor she couldn't help but remember what she saw, what she THOUGHT she saw at least. Donna could have sworn there had been a figure standing in front of the T.A.R.D.I.S. looking up at with awe. The strangest part of it was the fact that the figure was that it was... wearing a red... cloak.