( METATRON )

OFFICE
[ ☼ ]

Crowley sits down behind the desk while Ion pushes Castiel into a chair opposite him. "Just wanted to take a moment away from the main action to chat with my old business partner." Crowley says as Cass clutches his bloody stomach. "I assume you won't die just yet. Takes a painful long time to bleed out from the gut."

"You can do whatever you want, Crowley. I will never tell you where I buried the tablet." Castiel says.

"I know, Cas. I know. Luckily, I don't believe you'll have to. I've been getting regular updates from my expensive friend here." Crowley says. "Naomi should have caught you out of the gate, seeing as lately she's been knuckles-deep in that melon of yours. She thinks that your touching the tablet has broken her spell over you, hmm?"

"The tablets weren't meant for the angels, and they weren't meant for you."

"She's got a lot on her plate, so you can't fault her for missing it. I was thinking to myself, 'self, if Cas got away from her by touching the tablet, why would he ever stop touching the tablet'? And then I thought to myself, 'self... he hasn't stopped touching the tablet, now has he'?" Crowley plunges his hand into Castiel's stomach and pulls out the angel tablet. "Oh, you're a pip, you are. What?" His phone rings "Oh! This is the king."

STORAGE FACILITY
[ ☼ ]

The Demons who were impersonating Sam and Dean have been caught in a Devil's trap. "The kid told us where the other half was, but it... wasn't. Dab of crap tricked us, sent us into some kind of Hunter mousetrap." Demon #1 says.

OFFICE
[ ☼ ]

"You jackasses, you're ruining my streak!" Crowley hangs up and turns to Ion. "Watch him. I'll be right back."

TWO RIVERS HOTEL
[ ☼ ]

Sam and Dean exit their hotel room, Sam holding onto the doorpost as they go. "I should be taking you to the ER." Dean says.

"They can't do anything for me. You know, I've been remembering things, little things, so clearly—" Sam starts.

"What, donkey rides?" Dean asks.

"You used to read to me, um, when I was little, I— I mean, really little, from that— from that old, uh... Classics Illustrated comic book. You remember that?" Sam asks.

"No." Dean says.

"Knights of the Round Table. Had all of King Arthur's knights, and they were all on the quest for the Holy Grail. And I remember looking at this picture of Sir Galahad, and, and, and he was kneeling, and— and light streaming over his face, and— I remember... thinking, uh, I could never go on a quest like that." Sam says. "Because I'm not clean. I mean, I w— I was just a little kid. You think... maybe I knew? I mean, deep down, that— I had... demon blood in me, and about the evil of it, and that I'm— wasn't pure?"

"Sam, it's not your fault." Dean says.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Because these trials... they're purifying me." Sam says as they reach the end of the hallway. "They were here, the— the— the books, the boxes! They— they're gone." Dean pushes open the door.

METATRON'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]

Sam and Dean enter the room, which is filled with thousands of books. They round the corner and come face to face with Metatron, who aims a rifle at them.

METATRON'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]

"Who're you?" Metatron asks.

"Metatron? This is Metatron?" Dean asks and turns to Sam. "This is Metatron?"

Metatron suddenly reappears behind them. "Sit down." He says. They do. Sam clutches his head as the ringing returns, increased in volume, nearly blocking out Metatron's voice. "Who sent you?"

"We came on our own. We're the Winchesters." Sam yells loudly.

"I'm Dean, this is Sam."

"You work for Michael? Or Lucifer?" Metatron asks.

"What, you really haven't heard of us? What kind of angel are you, we're—we're the freaking Winchesters." Sam says.

OFFICE
[ ☼ ]

"How— how far can this go?" Castiel asks.

"Shh. Shut up." Ion says. 

"Ion. How far can we let it all drop? This charge was left to us, it's our mission."

"Do you even know what the mission was? They've been in all our heads." Ion says.

"We aren't machines for them to program and reprogram." Castiel says. "That wasn't what this was meant to be."

"Nothing matters." Ion says.

"You are so wrong, brother. It all matters." Castiel digs out the angel bullet from the wound on his stomach.

GARTH'S BOAT
[ ☼ ]

Crowley blows open the door and enters. "You little prat. Having fun yet?" He asks.

"Screw you." Kevin says. 

"Am I seeing this? How did you figure it out?"

"It started when they forgot the secret knock. But really, it— it was the way they acted. I don't think on their best day Sam and Dean would go into town and get me a barbecue dinner, not when there are leftover burritos in the fridge." Says Kevin.

"So... my demons were too polite?" Crowley asks.

"Yeah." He says. 

"Well, I'll be a son of a whore."

METATRON'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]

"Michael and Lucifer? T-those— those dudes are in the deep fryer." Dean says.

"Yeah. We put them there ourselves." Sam says.

"What about Gabriel? And Raphael?"

"Dead." Sam says. 

"You really don't know this?"

"I've been very careful." Metatron says.

"Hey, can you—" Sam starts as the ringing has gotten even louder. "...can you turn that down?"

"Turn what dow— oh. You're resonating." Metatron lowers the rifle.

"Resonating? What— what do you mean, resonating?" Dean asks.

"You've undertaken the trials. You're trying to pull one of the great levers, aren't you? You're pretty far along, too." Says Metatron. "You get that far along, you start resonating with the Word. Or with its source on the material plane. With me."

"You said you were being careful. Careful how?" Dean asks.

"I'm not one of them. I'm not an archangel. Really more run-of-the-mill. I worked in the secretarial pool before God chose me to take down the Word." He says. "Anyway, he... seemed very worried about his work, what would happen to it when he left, so he had me write down instructions. Then, he was gone. After that, the archangels took over." He pulls up a chair and sits down. "And they cried, and they wailed. They wanted their father back. I mean, we all did. But then... then they started to scheme. The archangels decided if they couldn't have Dad, they'd take over the universe themselves. But they couldn't do anything that big without the Word of God. So I began to realise, maybe they would realise... they needed me."

"So you get a ruffle in your feathers and just decide to disappear? Go stick your head in the sand, forever?" Dean asks. "You have no idea what's been going on out there."

"Nope. That's the whole point."

OFFICE
[ ☼ ]

Ion has turned away from Castiel, looking out the window. "You soldiers, down in the garrison, at least they let you believe the lie. Upstairs, working for Naomi, working in intelligence, we had no option but to live in the dirt. She never reset me completely. I always knew too much, I had to— I had to do my job." Ion says.

Castiel comes up behind him. "Ion..." He knocks Ion to the ground. "Shut up." Castiel takes the angel bullet and pushes it into Ion's eye. Ion erupts with white light, screaming.

METATRON'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]

"So you have been holed up here, or, or, or in a wigwam, or before that in some cave, listening to stories, reading books?" Asks Dean.

Metatron grins. "And it was something to watch. What you brought to His Earth, all the mayhem, the murder. Just the raw, wild invention of God's naked apes... it was mind-blowing. But really... really, it was your storytelling. That is the true flower of free will. At least as you've mastered it so far. When you create stories, you become gods, of tiny, intricate dimensions unto themselves. So many worlds! I have read... as much as it's possible for an angel to read, and I haven't caught up." He says.

"You know what? Pull the frigging trigger." Sam says.

"What?" Metatron asks.

"Pull the freaking trigger, you cowardly piece of garbage." Sam says.

"Sam. Hey!" Dean yells.

Sam grabs the end of Metatron's rifle and points it at himself. "All the time you've been hiding here, how much suffering have you read over? Humanity's suffering! And how much of it has been at the hands of your kind?!" He asks.

"C'mere, hey." Dean pushes Sam back. "You want a story? Try Kevin Tran's story. He was just a kid. He was a good, straight-A kid, and then he got sucked in to all of this— this angel crap. He became a prophet, of the Word of God. Your prophet. Now, you should've been looking out for him, but no! Instead, you're here, holed up, reading books."

"He's dead now. Because of you." Sam says.

GARTH'S BOAT
[ ☼ ]

"You know the Winchesters are up to the third trial?" Kevin asks. "That they're gonna shut the door on Hell?"

"I'm not worried, kid." Crowley says.

Kevin picks up the demon tablet. "You have no idea what's on this demon tablet. Right, the power you could have gotten with this, if you weren't running around like a chicken with his head cut off." He says.

"You think I can't make you tell?"

"I know you can't. And you do too." Kevin says.

"You know what? I've already won. I have the angel tablet, you little smudge. And I got deals and plans up the jacksie." Crowley grabs Kevin by the throat. "And I don't... need... you!" He slams Kevin against the wall and strangles him.

Suddenly, Kevin's eyes start glowing white. Increasingly bright light emanates from him until Crowley is thrown back across the boat, hands and face burned.

METATRON'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]

Kevin lies unconscious in one of the chairs. Metatron places a glowing hand on Kevin's chest and the bruises around his neck fade away. "Is that it? Is he good?" Dean asks.

"Give him a minute." Metatron walks off and Dean follows him.

"How did you get past Crowley's angel-warding?" Dean asks.

"I'm the Scribe of God. I erased it."

"But you saw, right? I mean, you— you're caught up on everything that's been going on." Says Dean. "All the crap that your brethren's been doing to humanity all this time?"

"I saved the boy, didn't I?" Metatron asks.

"But are you in? With us, I mean."

"You really intend on closing the doors of Hell?" Asks Metatron.

"Seems like the thing to do, don't it?" Dean asks.

"It's your choice. And that's what this has all been about, the choices your kind make. But you're gonna have to weigh that choice." Metatron says. "Ask yourself: what is it going to take to do this, and what will the world be like after it's done?"

"Dean? Dean!" Sam yells.

Dean returns as Kevin starts coming around. "Kevin? Hey. I thought we lost you, kiddo." Dean says.

"I'm good." Kevin pulls out the demon tablet. "Second half of the tablet. And I got it. Third trial. I didn't tell Crowley."

"So what is it?" Sam yells.

"To cure a demon."

"Yeah." Kevin says. "Who are you?"

IMPALA
[ ☾]

Sam and Dean drive down the road. "Cure a demon. Okay, ignoring the fact that I have no idea what that actually means, if we— if we do this, you get better, right? I mean, you stop trying to cough up a lung, and, and, and bumping into furniture?" Dean asks.

"I feel better, yeah, um, just having a direction to move in." Sam says.

"Well, good, cause where we're headed doesn't sound like a picnic." Dean says.

"But we're heading somewhere. The end." Sam says. Dean brakes abruptly as they spot a figure lying in the middle of the road.

ROAD
[ ☾]

As the Impala swerves, its headlights illuminate the figure, revealing it to be a bloodied Castiel. The car skids to a halt and Sam and Dean jump out.

"Cas?" Dean asks.

"A little help, here?"