bakerstreet | assassins: the meme

"If they were that certain, you wouldn't have been pressed into service," he answers simply. There were those in command that knew enough, knew that men (as far as they were aware) like Michael and the Winchesters were necessary to combat an evil that the population at large was not prepared to deal with.

"Before we set foot outside of this building, I would like to know what it is you know about demons."

Which he knows, of course. But there are enough people who question why they'd been brought in that Sam wonders sometimes.

He watches the agent for a moment before he walks over and sits down in one of the chairs. "Demons have been around nearly as long as humans," he says, folding his hands on the table. "Nearly because they have to be created from human souls, normally tortured until they've become twisted and dark. The first demons were created by Lucifer before he Fell, proof that humanity were weak and not worthy of the orders that God had given, that angels were to serve humans.

"Because demons are only souls and energy, they need a vessel to walk on Earth. But they can take any human as their vessel. The original soul of the vessel is still there, pushed aside and usually in a state similar to sleep while the demon acts in their stead, usually to sow strife and create issues in the world. While they can hide, when they are using their powers, their eyes normally bleed entirely black."

The resemblance to lower angels is startling, but all the reaction Michael allows himself to show is a slow blink. Possession. They were moving among the humans already, but it was not at Gabriel's direction, it was at Hell's. "And who is it they answer to? Or are they simply a force on their own?" Chaos or order, he had to have a better idea of what he was dealing with.

Sam wasn't certain, yet, how to handle the fact that the blink was all he got out of it. But it was better than it could have been, he supposed. "There are factions. There's always factions. Mostly, the demons follow Lucifer. Or are at least working for those who claim to speak for him. Which isn't as impossible as you might think. Now, there's still the faction that is trying to follow him, but lately there's a new King of Hell named Crowley. He's..." Sam pauses, trying to figure out the best way to describe the demon. "A business man, mostly."

"Lucifer." The lost archangel, the wandering brother from his own world. For now it's a start. He is beginning to become more familiar with the alignment of Heaven and Hell and it is very far removed from his own. "And what of the angels? What is their role in all of this?"

Information. Michael needed as much as he could not only to determine the sides, but to determine what his place was. Why had he been sent, what was the purpose? Or had Gabriel finally discovered a way to be rid of him without killing him outright?

Unsurprisingly, more people were willing to believe in angels than they were in demons. Which was pretty much the opposite of how Dean had always operated, but they hadn't seen the same shit the Winchesters had in their lives.

Keeping Castiel out off things had been easy enough so far, but it was only a matter of time.

"Angels are...harder to pin down. They're like demons in that they have to have a vessel on Earth in order to work here, but they have more restrictions. They can only take vessels from certain bloodlines, which were created to be angelic vessels. And in order to take a vessel, that vessel has to agree. From there, it's often similar to the way demons treat their vessels, but some souls are better able to keep track of things than others." Sam sits back. "As for roles...well, for a long time, angels and demons were working toward the same end, to get the Apocalypse going."

"Working together," it is a strange concept and not one that Michael relishes thinking about. But back in Vega, his own brother was working to slaughter every last human, so perhaps it wasn't that great a stretch?

"How long have you dealt with them? What else do you know?" A nod towards the door. They're leaving now. The case they have is relatively straightforward, but Michael wants to see just how good he is in the field before he sets him on the real mission. Getting him home.

Sam frowns at him. "Look. Partner or not--and I've never had a 'partner' outside of Dean--a name would be nice. I'd rather not be pointing and saying, 'That guy over there'. Hardly seems professional."

He'll get to the questions in a moment. But he doesn't KNOW this guy, so a name would at least be helpful.

((Now from the right account...))

"My name is Michael." He pauses to glance at Sam. Perhaps he did owe him some answers, but not until they're outside, standing in front of the car.

"The Archangel. But I am not like any angel you have encountered."

Sam doesn't stand yet. In fact, he narrows his eyes at 'Michael', trying to get a feel for what he is and...angel he might be, but the first thing that comes out of Sam's mouth is the only thing that he can really think. "Bullshit."

Michael isn’t completely certain what sort of a reaction he was expecting by simply presenting Sam with the truth. But what he can say is that he wasn’t expecting a simple one-word response to being told that he was speaking with an archangel. A brief smile flickers across his features, so faint it almost wasn’t there to begin with. There is so much of Alex in the young man he’s looking across the table at.

While he can no longer protect Alex, perhaps he can atone for some of his past failures by protecting this world. “What could I possibly gain from lying to you about who I am?”

Well, he has point, there.

Which is why Sam leans forward, fingers loosely interlocked. "I honestly have no idea," he says after a moment. "You feel like an angel to me, that part I have no problem believing. It's just that any angel would know better than to claim to be Michael to me, since I'm kinda the one who pulled him into the Cage with Lucifer to end the Apocalypse before it really got going."

Which is something that all angels should know. Demons, too. Humans, not so much. Unless they're like Anna and are angels who fell and were reborn as humans.

"Lucifer?" That made even less sense. The last Michael had seen of that particular brother, he abandoned Heaven and struck out on his own. Shaking his head, Michael sets his confusion aside. "I would explain to you if I had the answers myself. I am an archangel, but this is not the world I know."

"My world suffers the Apocalypse and for years I have sheltered a city of humanity against the onslaught." Michael frowns and turns away as he continues to speak. Sam doesn't need to see how much it troubles him. "I have no memory of how I came to this world and no way to go home."

Sam blinks a few times, but that's the only outward reaction he has for a long few moments. His mind, of course, is already turning this new information over.

Finally, he pushes his chair back and stands, pulling down his suit jacket to make certain it's sitting all right. "So. Where are we going?"

Edited 2015-05-01 16:58 (UTC)

Good. At least he's not asking questions that Michael has no answer for. Although perhaps that will come in time. Sam's file is extensive and clearly he is the one whose strengths lie in matters of lore and research. "There have been a series of disappearances. Local law enforcement believes it to be a serial killer. I believe they are wrong."

The doors swing open and for a beat, Michael allows himself to miss the cleaner air of the desert. "It appears to be a lower angel, or perhaps a demon. In any case, they are not prepared to deal with such a thing."

Oh, there will be questions. There will likely be LOTS of questions. But they are also questions that can wait until they're out of the office and somewhere that's less likely to be overheard.

It does help that Sam's had at least a little experience with parallel worlds. Enough to know that they're not entirely science fiction.

Sam listens and makes a soft sound at the back of his throat. "More likely a demon. Not impossible to be an angel, though. Some of them haven't been too happy with humanity, after all. Either way, it would be best to look at the first reported disappearance if it's an angel. A demon would do their best to hide with the populace."

assassins: the meme

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