Transmission from the Trickster

Chapter 3

"So, you're finally ready to put our differences aside and work together?" Ketch stands in the doorway, a slight smirk on his face. He's probably feeling way too proud of himself, knowing the Winchesters called him and not the other way around.

Dean glances over at Sam and Castiel as if making sure no one has any last minute objections before answering. "Wipe that look off your face," Dean snaps. "We just have the same goal. Kill Lucifer. That doesn't make us friends, that doesn't make us equals, and it sure as hell doesn't mean we're working with Asmodeus, too, so don't even try that."

"Oh, Dean. Ever the friendly one."

Dean rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Do you have anything on Lucifer or not?"

Ketch begins a long winded explanation of why he does not have any new information, and how Lucifer seems to have dropped of the map, and that they need to find him before he gets back to full power and becomes unstoppable again.

"Okay, none of this is new information," Dean says. "Either tell us something we don't know, or go away and let us do our thing."

"'Your thing' doesn't seem to work very well," Ketch says. "You're doing no better than I am. I think it would be the best use of both our time and resources to work together to find the devil."

"Yeah, well, that's not very high on my to-do list," Dean replies. "So, again, here are your choices. You can either tell us what you know, or you can leave. Your call."

"Well, as of right now, I have no new information to offer," Ketch begins, quickly finishing his sentence when he sees Dean is about to kick him out for real. "But I do have some resources that may come in handy once we find him."

Dean glances over at Sam and Castiel, wanting to her their opinions before making a decision. It's Cas who chooses to risk it.

"What resources?"

It happens again then. The flashes, the visions, whatever they are.

Gabriel, locked in a room. He looks up slowly, the movement interrupted by brief flashes of his bloody figure huddled on the floor, unmoving. And then he sees the figure peeping through the hole in the door, watching him. Arthur Ketch.

"Is he okay?" Ketch asks, eyeing Sam with a puzzled look on his face.

"That's a great question," Dean agrees. "Sam? You good?"

"Gabriel," Sam says quietly. He meets Ketch's gaze and says, with more force in his voice, "You have Gabriel."

Ketch's brows furrow together in confusion. "How did you...?"

"Where is he?" Sam demands.

"Well —"

Sam pushes himself out of his chair and marches over to him, standing right next to him and towering over the seated man.

"Where is he?"

Ketch looks up at him in silence for a moment before answering, "Asmodeus has him. Don't worry; he can't hurt anybody, but he —"

"Woah, okay, hold up," Dean interrupts. "Asmodeus has an archangel on his side, and you're just telling us this now because?"

"Well, it didn't seem relevant," Ketch says. "Until we find Lucifer, he's not going anywhere. His sole purpose is to kill the devil, and then we can take him out as well, and we'll officially be out of archangels. It's a win/win for everyone."

"And he agreed to this?" Castiel asks. "To 'take out' Lucifer?"

"He didn't have to," Ketch replies. "He has no choice."

"He can't do it," Sam says.

"What?"

"He tried to fight Lucifer once, and he failed," Sam reminds them. "And that was him at full power, so the way he is now... I doubt he could hurt a fly. Lucifer keeps getting stronger, and it looks like Gabriel's just getting worse. He doesn't stand a chance."

"Well, we don't know how much Lucifer has recovered —" Ketch protests.

"Exactly! He might still be mostly human, but what if he's not? He could be back to his usual self by now. I know you've seen Gabriel. You really think, in that shape, he could take on Lucifer, even with our help? You're kidding yourself, Ketch. He's going to die, and if he's dead, there's no way we could take on Lucifer. Not without the horsemen's rings, and who knows where those are? And tricking Lucifer in there? He's not going to fall for that again."

"What are you saying, then?" Ketch asks.

"I'm saying we have to help him," Sam says. "Even if it's just to help ourselves. We have to break him out."

Ketch scoffs. "You want to save Gabriel? The archangel? That's ridiculous. He may not be in a good place right now, but at least he's under control. You can't manage an archangel at full power. No one can. You, Heaven, Hell, no one. Our only chance is keeping him hurt and locked up until we need him."

"But —" Sam looks at Dean and Castiel helplessly, expecting them to come to his aid, but they both seem hesitant to go with that.

"Are you sure you can get him to kill Lucifer?" Dean asks Ketch.

"Yes."

Dean nods slowly, then looks over at Sam. "Look, I know you want to be Superman and save the trickster or whatever, but in the long run, killing Lucifer will save him and us."

"So you want to trust Ketch?" Sam demands. "And Asmodeus?"

"Not trust," Dean says, earning an annoyed look from Ketch. "Just... think of it as using them."

Ketch scoffs. "I'm right here, you know."

"I'm afraid Sam may be right," Castiel says. "If Gabriel truly is hurt, it's entirely possible that he will lose, and without him, we have no chance at stopping Lucifer. Our best course of action may be to get him ourselves. We can still use him, but let him heal first, or we may lose our only weapon against Lucifer, permanently."

Dean looks between Sam and Castiel, and it seems to be his brother's puppy eyes that break him.

"Fine! We'll go get Gabriel!"

"Asmodeus will not let that happen," Ketch protests.

"Well, it's a good thing we don't have plans to ask him."