My entry into the 2019 Brothers Apart contest. Just a little one shot with two of my favorite OCs.
Jason sighed as he walked down to the shops. The case was taking longer than any of them had thought.
Teenagers had been going missing in this town. Slowly at first, but the abductions were becoming bigger and more frequent. The disappearance of an entire school bus of kids was what had gotten their attention in the first place. Sam and Takota spent most of their time in the motel room, while Dean and Jason had scouted the town. There was little they could go off of.
So while the others were researching, Jason decided to head out and resupply. Dean was almost out of grog, and the two smaller members of their ragtag group were getting restless without results. So, Jason was going to get their favorite snacks to calm them down.
And don’t forget the pie, he reminded himself with an eye roll.
Besides, the cool night air calmed his nerves. And with the moon shining merrily along the footpath, he could almost forget there was a monster wreaking havoc across the town.
The corner store was quiet at this time of night. Only the tired looking young man behind the counter. He eyed Jason when he entered, huddled behind the counter. Jason just smiled back, nodding politely as he headed for the drinks. He didn’t blame the guy for being so paranoid.
Jason sighed again as he browsed, quickly collecting Dean’s alcohol and some soft drinks. The doors at the front dinged open, and he ignored it in favor of picking out some snacks.
That is, until he heard the cashier cry out.
Jason poked his head around the corner to see what was going on. The young man had been pulled over the counter, and was being held down by a group of young thugs. They were laughing as the cashier struggled. The attacker punched the poor kid, and his struggles lessened.
Jason sighed, quickly looking around to find and disable any security cameras before he got involved. But he needn’t bother. The cameras had already been switched off.
Frowning, Jason looked back at the group. Now that he actually took the time to look, he noticed how they were all around the same age. Only the one holding the cashier down was actually laughing and enjoying himself. The other three stood around uncomfortably, one grimacing in pain and holding their left forearm.
… Oh. So that’s what’s happening.
All this time, Sam and Takota had been researching for some supernatural creature. But now that Jason could see that lightning bolt mark on the attackers arm, he felt like an idiot.
This entire time, it had been Vertens.
Jason quietly placed his drinks down, keeping his eyes on the Verten before him. None of them had noticed him yet. Good. He quickly sent a memo to the nearest outpost, and then he struck.
It was too easy. All he had to do was slip around the isle and grab the man. It only took seconds for Jason to knock him out. The other three stood back, mouths agape as Jason dropped the Verten. He didn’t bother lowering the body to the floor, and just let him fall.
The human scrambled back against the counter, but he didn’t get very far. He blinked hard, wiping the blood from his eyes. The other three stepped back warily, looking between the immobile Verten and the short man that had so easily taken him down.
Jason held up a hand to them to wait, then knelt down next to the human.
‘You alright?’ He asked, gently running his hand over the boys head injury. The kid nodded, and Jason left him alone. There was a bit of blood, but ultimately, he would be fine.
Now, he turned to the others. They glanced at each other, eyes wide. They all now had a hand on their forearms. But they couldn’t make themselves move fom the leaders side. Interesting.
'I’m guessing he’s the one you lot are Marked to?’ He asked. The kids’ eyes widened. Jason didn’t wait for an answer. He grabbed the closest one, the young man, and pulled him closer. The kid made a startled noise, but all Jason did was move his sleeve to see his arm.
There was no bolt, but two swirling marks.
'How long since you got turned?’ He asked. The boy gulped, not meeting Jason’s intense stare.
'About a week ago.’ One of the girls answered timidly.
Jason nodded. They were probably victims from the missing school trip. He noticed how the three kept glancing at the prone Verten like he would suddenly lash out at them.
'Don’t worry, ’ He said, smiling kindly, 'He can’t do anything now.’
'But he will once he wakes up.’ The boy said, glaring hatefully at the mark on his arm.
For a moment, Jason wondered what else the Verten had made these kids do before he’d intervened.
Nothing good came to mind.
'Not if we break that connection.’ He replied, turning back to grab his drinks. The kids frowned.
'B-but they can’t be! They said it was unbreakable. R-right?’ The girl squeaked. Jason just chuckled as he grabbed some snacks, throwing them into a bag. He quickly pulled out five hundred dollar bills and passed them to the dazed human.
'You can keep the excess,’ He told the kid, then turned to the others, 'Nothing is infallible. Not even a Hydron Oath. Just very hard to deal with.’
'How do you know?’ The boy asked skeptically. Jason sighed.
'They said the same thing to me, once.’
No sooner did he finish did a small group enter the store. Jason hummed. It took them almost five minutes to get there. They’re getting slack.
At least the medic of the group was quick to get to work. He immediately went to the bleeding human to help patch his wound. Another began moving the immobile Verten, and the others were busy reassuring the marked kids.
While they were busy following protocol, Jason easily slipped out of the store to return to the motel.
At least now they knew what they were dealing with. Now, once the others had their food, they could plan out their next move. Find the Verten base of operations. Destroy their supply of Silver Tonic. Rescue any marked, and kill any Verten masters. Make sure to stop this whole affair before it could truly begin.
The others were still hard at work when he walked in. Or, Sam and Takota were. Dean looked like he was ready to pass out on his book. Jason chuckled as he dropped the bag on the table. Dean looked so damn bored doing research.
'Look alive, boys. We got a lead!’ Jason declared cheerfully. Dean glared at him for his cheery tone, but seemed to brighten up when he registered what was said.
'We do?’ He asked, hoping that he could stop researching and start a hunt. He had never been as good at researching as his little brother.
'What is it?’ Sam asked from the laptop.
'Verten “recruitment”.’ Jason said, almost spitting out the word like a vehement curse.
Takota groaned, hoping off the laptop.
’That’s what is happening?’ He asked, huffing as he crossed his arms, 'We should have known!’
Jason just chuckled, reaching for the bag to pass out the food. But he paused when he noticed a strain on his sleeve and wrist. Blood. He sighed, stepping around the table to wash his hands. He heard the bag crinkle as Dean began ransacking the food. Then he paused.
Jason froze for barely a moment. Then he scoffed, continuing to the bathroom.
‘The world won’t end without pie, Dean.’ He said. Dean chuckled, but there was no humor in it.
‘Seriously though. Where’s my pie?’
‘I ate it on the way back.’ Jason quipped, then shut the door. Dean snorted, frowning at the bag.
‘Bitch.’ He muttered as he pulled out the rest of the food. How was he supposed to get ready for a big hunt without his pie?
On the other side of the door, Jason was leaning against the wall, hands running down his face.
‘Jason? You okay?’ Jason sighed, smiling slightly as Takota’s voice entered his head.
‘You forget his pie?’ Jason grimaced.
‘Was it because of this new lead of yours?’
‘Well, then, calm down. It’s not your fault you forgot,’ Takota ordered, then snickered, ‘Besides, you should see the bitch face he’s making right now.’
Jason snorted, quickly trying, and failing, to stifle his giggles. He could imagine.
Pie or not, they could still get the job done.
Then, he could make it up to Dean by getting him a surprise pie after the hunt was over.
