Sending out an SOS

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel hated prison.

Really, really hated prison.

He'd given Lucifer the slip, found a way to fool his older brother into believing that he was well and truly dead and took a back door into Heaven. The safest place to stay when you were hiding from the Apocalypse, heavenly politics and damn near everything? Home.

Well, until Dad's dickless little secretary cast the mother of all spells that threw absolutely everyone out and shattered the wings of every member of the Host. Brothers, sisters, all cast down, lost and broken. Naturally, that was when Metatron found him, stunned and broken and dragged him back into prison. He didn't even have long to wonder why.

Metatron liked to listen to himself talk, liked to mimic stories but he never really understood them. Like most of the angels he never really got humans. Or the angel that hung around them in a battered old trenchcoat.

So when the illusion started, when Metatron used his image to try and manipulate ol' Castiel? Gabriel did a little hijacking of his own.

I need your help. You can do this.

And with Metatron's attention focused elsewhere, Gabriel found that he could do it again. He didn't have the strength to speak at first. But he could appear. Standing with Castiel and his slowly growing flock. It took a few times, but he finally managed to speak nearly a week and a half later.

"Hey bro."

Comments

[unwary]

Castiel stiffened when he saw that familiar form yet again. It had been a week and a half and Castiel was losing faith that this was just Metatron toying with him in a way that made little sense. He was also not entirely convinced it was his own mind giving a way again -- this was not how his hallucinations went the last time he lost touch.

So after a moment of silence, Castiel brought himself to look at the form of his brother, eyes narrowing slightly. "Where are you, Gabriel?"

It's a simple question, but he has to wonder if his brother will even be able to truly answer it or not.

[low_key_angel]

"Finally. I was starting to wonder if I was ever gonna ninja my way through." He's a bit paler, a bit more worn this time, but it was worth it to be able to communicate with Castiel completely on his own this time.

"I'm in jail Cas. That little sleight of hand that Metatron tried to pull? Well, it was part fact, most really crappy fiction."

[unwary]

"You're in jail?" Cas frowned, narrowing his eyes on his brother. The brother he had thought dead or an illusion or Metatron exercising some sort of poor sense of humor.

"Why is he keeping you prisoner Gabriel?"

[low_key_angel]

"Oh you know, just a thousand year old grudge against my brothers for being a dick when Dad blew town." His expression is momentarily pained. "So when he's not on Earth pulling Gadreel's strings or dicking with you, he's up here and it's not just to talk pop culture."

In truth, the torture was starting to get to him, break apart his already wounded grace. But he needed to set Cas on the right path, even if it cost him what flagging strength he had left.

"He's mainlining souls, Cas. Overcharging on them." And if anyone knew how dangerous that little trick was..

"That message wasn't all fiction. You can do this Cas. Stand against him and kick his ass. Do that for me, willya?"

[unwary]

"He's torturing you." The thought had Castiel shifting uncomfortably, worriedly. He was being hurt and Castiel could do little to help him. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, knowing what tortures Metatron was likely capable of.

"Human souls?"

He hesitated at the encouragement. He will never understand how anyone can have faith in him anymore. "Gabriel, you know what I've done... surely."

[low_key_angel]

"Well we aren't exactly up here swapping soup recipes." Which is about as close to a yes as he's going to get out of him. Cas has other things to concern himself with at the moment.

"The only kind there are up here, Castiel. Some hunters are holding a line up here, but the second Metatron gets wind of them, they're toast." Gabriel steadies himself for a moment. "Yeah, yeah. You're riding the Winchester self-flagellation bus. Do me a solid and get off it. We don't have time."

"I don't have time."

[unwary]

"You should know his plans for me in this story. What do you want me to do, Gabriel?" He isn't sure he knows what to do, how to fix this. But time is running out and leaving Gabriel up there to suffer at whatever tortures Metatron has planned for him isn't something he desires to do.

He wants to fix things.

[low_key_angel]

"I have a general idea. He's nothing if not predictable," Gabriel pulls a face. "And me? I want you to do what you and the Banana Brothers always do. Take a carefully, well laid out plan and drop kick the entire playbook straight to Mars. After that - spork that windbag with something shiny and silver."

"Not sure I can finesse a jailbreak outta here, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. So you, eyes on the prize. Whack Metatron and open up the freaking doors again before the veil ruptures."

Because Gabriel was a big fan of being alive. But right now there were much bigger issues that needed dealing with.

[unwary]

"We will try." He let out a sigh, turning his head away briefly. He wasn't confident, but then again, Sam and Dean... they had all stood up to Lucifer and won once and since then, they had overcome so many impossible odds.

"I won't forget you. I will get you out of there, but you have to hang on, Gabriel. Stay strong."

[low_key_angel]

"Eyes on the prize Cas. You have to take him out and crack the doors to Heaven. No spell is unbreakable."

He was here to guide Castiel, kick his ass out of self-doubt and make sure that he and the Winchesters did what they always do, pull a miracle out of thin goddamn air at the eleventh hour. But damnit if the promise didn't make him feel a little better.

The smile he gave his younger brother was thin and pained. "I'll do my best Cas. You go, find the Winchesters and save Heaven."

[unwary]

"I will try." He hesitated. "I'm not certain how Sam and Dean will welcome the angels who follow me... and I can't turn them away. They're lost. They need me."

Even if he was the absolute last person they should ever feel that they need.

[low_key_angel]

"They're lost because they don't know how to think for themselves. Dad gave all of them free will, they're just too afraid to use it. This isn't gonna be a standard throw-down type war. He'll paste all of you. You need the Winchesters and you need to think. Be sneaky."

"The tablets, Cas. Find the tablets. There's a key in there, you just have to crack it."

[unwary]

"There aren't any prophets left. Metatron has made certain of that." He hesitated, looking down. He will... try to find the tablets, though he's certain Metatron has to be ahead of him there as well. If there's even a possibility of a secret buried in them...

"Do you think there's a chance of settling this peacefully? Calling some sort of truce? So many of our brothers and sisters have died. I'm tired of the violence between us, the death..."

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel swore under his breath. "Find them first. Then you can Plan B it."

The question clearly catches Gabriel off guard and he stares at him for a long moment. "Cas. Look, I can appreciate you wanting to Gandhi your way out of this. But we're angels. Dad created us for two things, war and worship. Diplomacy? Not exactly our strongest suit."

Wearily he scrubbed at his face. "But it's not impossible. Enemy of my enemy and all that. Unite them against Metatron, against the douchebag that threw them out in the first place."

[unwary]

"Then I'm afraid one day, we will kill ourselves in the process. There are already so few of s left..." And he was in a large part to blame for that. He knew they needed to stop Metatron. He knew they needed to make things right.

But he didn't want more blood shed if it could be helped at all.

"I will see if I can speak with Gadreel. He's closest to Metatron. Maybe he'll listen or at least give some information." He didn't want to rule out his help yet anyway.

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel sighed. Really, they didn't have time for all this Mata Hari bullcrap. He didn't have time. Metatron was slowly peeling him apart and at the rate Castiel was going, he'd be nothing but a shell by the time he got there.

But he's also locked away in prison. Maybe this was a chance to make things right after years of running away from who he was. Or maybe he'd just taken one too many blows to the head. Either way, he can't force Cas into something he isn't ready for. "I'll see what I can do on my end. What I can get Metatron to talk about while.. yanno."

[unwary]

"I'll hurry," he promised. "As fast as I can, Gabriel. We have numbers on our side this time."

They might even have a shot before his body burned out from stolen Grace -- a secret he couldn't even bring himself to tell Gabriel. Anyone, really. He breathed out a sigh.

"Do you think you'll have the strength to show yourself again if you do learn something?"

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel offered a shrug. The best answer he had at the moment. "Maybe? I don't know Cas, the best I'll be able to do is try. He's pretty gung ho about listening to himself talk and so far what I've heard I don't like."

The image flickers for a second and when Gabriel reappears he looks drained. Exhausted. "Those numbers - they're a problem. He's setting you up for something Cas. You have them, but you won't for long. Watch your ass. I'll be in touch when I can. Stick close to the Winchesters. Figure this out. I'll do my part for as long as I'm kicking."

[unwary]

He was planning something. Castiel frowned at the realization. If he didn't have a number of his brothers and sisters on his side, he wasn't sure what he could do. How he could face off against Metatron with so many on his side...

"I will, Gabriel. You should save your strength for now."

[low_key_angel]

"Yeah," he waved away the concern. "I know I should. Should have done a lot of things differently, you know?"

The image flickered again and Gabriel fought it for another moment before finding his voice. "He's been wearing your trenchcoat. I know he's not exactly one for cosplay but all the same. Watch your ass little brother. I'll phone home again when I can."