8.21 The Great Escapist (transcript)
Written by: Ben Edlund
Directed by: Robert Duncan McNeill
Air Date: May 1, 2013TEASER
TITLE: NOW
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - DAY
KEVIN TRAN wakes up, a note still stuck to his face. He gets up and sticks it onto the wall with the rest of his notes. Someone bangs on the door and he approaches it warily.
DEAN (O.S.)
Kevin! Come on, it's us. Open up. [more banging] Bleeding out here!
KEVIN cracks open the door.
DEAN
Come on man, it's me. [KEVIN sprays him with water] Now it's wet me.
KEVIN
You forgot the knock. What's the point of a secret knock if you don't use it?
SAM
Sorry, Kevin. [SAM gets hit with the water gun as well] We got it.
KEVIN takes the chains off the door and SAM and DEAN enter the boat.
KEVIN
Got what?
DEAN
We got a tip that Crowley was moving his earth-side operations, so we, uh, laid ourselves an awesome trap.
SAM
And it worked.
DEAN takes the other half of the broken demon tablet out of his bag.
DEAN
We got the other half of the tablet.
KEVIN
What?
DEAN
It's the light at the end of your tunnel, kid. Don't say we never got you nothing.
DEAN hands KEVIN the tablet.
KEVIN
Holy crap. Are you kidding? We can get the third trial. We can finally figure out how to close the gates of Hell on Crowley's ass forever.
SAM
Sounds good to me. So, we digging up the other half of that thing, or what?
KEVIN
Don't need to.
KEVIN points to the wall of notes.
SAM
So, uh, Special K, you keep your nose to the God-stone, we're gonna drive out and make a lotta noise a long way from here, keep the safeboat safe for you.
KEVIN ignores him, already scribbling down more notes.
DEAN
We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?
KEVIN continues to ignore them.
DEAN
[to SAM] I guess he's okay. [to KEVIN] Alright, don't forget to lock up after us.
SAM and DEAN exit.
EXT. GARTH'S BOAT - CONTINUOUS
SAM and DEAN walk onto the pier, where they are engulfed by a rippling effect and transported to —
INT. CROWLEY'S LAIR - CONTINUOUS
The moment they enter the building, "SAM" and "DEAN" transform back into two DEMONS.
CROWLEY
So, it's three trials. Three trials and the Winchesters get to lock the door on me. Ha! [to DEMON #1] You. Fake Sam. If you're gonna tip our hand, I'll have to scrub Kevin's short-term memory again. And that's risky, so watch the patois in there.
DEMON #1
Patois?
CROWLEY
Your slang. Special K, nose to the God-stone, that's the way Dean speaks. Sam is... more basic, more sincere. Remember, I want two distinct, authentic characterisations.
DEMON #1
Yes, sir.
CROWLEY waves them off and both DEMONS exit.
CROWLEY
I was born to direct.
TITLE: SUPERNATURAL
ACT ONE
INT. BUNKER - LIBRARY - DAY
DEAN enters, carrying a tray of food. SAM's sitting at the table, huddled underneath a blanket, going over some documents.
DEAN
Alright, here we go. John Winchester's famous cure-all kitchen sink stew. There you go. Enough cayenne pepper in there to burn your lips off, just like Dad used to make.
DEAN sets the tray down in front of SAM, who pushes it away.
DEAN
Yeah, we do the whole airplane thing with the spoon? When was the last time you ate?
SAM
I- I don't...
DEAN
Days, Sam. It's been three days.
DEAN pulls out a thermometer.
SAM
When'd you get that?
DEAN
When you started throwing off heat waves. Here.
SAM throws the blanket aside and stands up, stumbling.
SAM
Enough, Dean. Please.
DEAN
The bloody handkerchiefs, the fever, the shaky legs... this is not good.
SAM
Well, I'm not good. And I'm not going to be good until we can start moving again. Until I can start the third trial.
DEAN
Trial? I wouldn't let you start a moped. We're on the rails with this thing, okay, and the only way out of it is through it, believe me, I know. And you know how bad I wanna slam the door on all those sons of bitches. But you gotta let me take care of you, man. You gotta let me help you get your strength back.
SAM
This isn't a cold. Or a fever, or whatever it is you're supposed to feed. This is part of it all. Those first two trials... they're not just things I did. They're doing something to me. They're changing me, Dean.
DEAN's phone buzzes and he pulls it out. The screen reads "New Email from Kevin Tran."
DEAN
It's Kevin.
SAM
Finally.
DEAN opens KEVIN's message on the laptop—it says "WATCH THIS VIDEO NOW". He clicks the link and KEVIN's video message plays.
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - DAY
(The following is intercut with reaction shots of SAM and DEAN in the bunker.)
KEVIN
Sam, Dean. I've set up this message with some software on a remote server so it'd send itself to you if I didn't reset it with a command once a week. Which means I didn't reset it this week. And there's only one reason I wouldn't. Which means if you're watching this, then I... then I— I'm dead. I'm dead, you bastards! So screw you, screw God and everybody in between! (beat) Crowley must've gotten to me. And the one thing I know is that I won't break this time. Not sure how I know, but— but I do. I've been uploading all my notes, the translations, I'm sending you the links so you can get all of it. You guys are gonna have to try to figure out the rest. I'm sorry. [tearing up] I know it was my job, but I— but I couldn't... (beat) I'm sorry.
INT. BUNKER - LIBRARY - DAY
DEAN angrily swipes a stack of books off the table.
DEAN
Damn it!
INT. BUNKER - LIBRARY - LATER
SAM is printing out KEVIN's notes while DEAN is on the phone.
DEAN
Yeah, I know you haven't seen him, Keel, nobody has. Alright, well, if you talk to Garth, well, just have him call in. Yeah. [hangs up]
SAM
Garth still MIA?
DEAN
Yeah.
SAM
How about the other prophets in line? I mean if Kevin is, uh... is dead, then won't one of them be activated?
DEAN
Nothing, no, not a peep. (beat) Here we are. No lead, no tablet, squat.
SAM
Well, I mean, we got all this. [picks up a stack of notes]
DEAN
We should've moved him here.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
CASTIEL sits at one of the tables, looking at his watch.
SUPERIMPOSED: Santa Fe, New Mexico
A waitress, KARA, comes up and refills his coffee cup.
CASTIEL
I guess I've been acquiring the taste.
KARA
Yeah, the coffee's not too bad here.
CASTIEL
You know, I remember when you first discovered it. Before you started brewing it, you'd just chew the berries. Folk tale is true, by the way, you learned it from the goats.
KARA
Uh, been on the road a long time, huh?
CASTIEL
Feels like I've been on the run forever.
KARA exchanges a look with the man behind the counter.
KARA
Uh, I'm sorry, mister, but you're gonna have to order more than coffee if you wanna keep the table.
CASTIEL
Of— of course, um. [glances at a menu] I'll have the smart-heart beer-battered tempura tempters.
KARA
Of course. Coming right up.
KARA walks off. There's a buzzing noise and CASTIEL's coffee cup starts to shake.
CASTIEL
They're getting closer.
A nearby waiter, PERRY, looks up.
PERRY
What's that, chief?
CASTIEL disappears.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - MOMENTS LATER
PERRY is on all fours, looking underneath the table CASTIEL was sitting at.
PERRY
I swear to God, Lance, the guy just disappeared.
LANCE
You on that crack again, Perry?
Two ANGELS (ION and another) appear and observe them.
INT. NAOMI'S OFFICE - DAY
NAOMI
Ion, tell me that you have good news.
ION
He's using a clever tactic. It's a restaurant called Biggerson's.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
CASTIEL sits at the table, drinking his coffee.
SUPERIMPOSED: Palm Bay, Florida
ION (O.S.)
The humans have built hundreds of them, almost exactly alike.
INT. NAOMI'S OFFICE - DAY
NAOMI
What are you talking about?
ION
It's their sameness.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
SUPERIMPOSED: Denver, Colorado
ION (O.S.)
Castiel is using it against us.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
CASTIEL remains in the same position, continuous from before, while the backdrop changes.
SUPERIMPOSED: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
INT. NAOMI'S OFFICE - DAY
ION
Now, we try to orient ourselves, but it's as if we're in every Biggerson's at once—
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
SUPERIMPOSED: Portland, Oregon
ION (O.S., cont'd)
Trapped in a quantum superposition.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
SUPERIMPOSED: St. Louis, Missouri
ION (O.S.)
Now, he chooses which to go to next—
INT. NAOMI'S OFFICE - DAY
ION (cont'd)
That's what's giving him the edge.
NAOMI
You're saying that you can't catch him.
ION
There's— there's just so many Biggerson's.
NAOMI
Very well. You say he can't be caught? Then we will simply have to make him stop.
INT. BUNKER - LIBRARY - DAY
SAM and DEAN are going over KEVIN's notes.
SAM
Hmm. [looks at another page] There it is again, every time.
DEAN
Hmm?
SAM
This symbol? I know it. Now, Kevin has it down as, as sort of like a signature, for the Scribe of God. It appears every time Metatron makes one of his, uh, like, editor's notes.
DEAN
Okay...?
SAM
But I think I've seen it before. I mean, it was a long time ago, it was one of my, uh, humanities courses at Stanford.
DEAN
They taught Word of God at Stanford?
SAM
No, uh, it was an overview of Native American art—I think it's a petroglyph.
DEAN
A petro-what-now?
INT. BUNKER - LIBRARY - MOMENTS LATER
SAM slams a book onto the table and points to the symbol.
SAM
This one belonged to a tiny tribe in Colorado, more of a— a clan, really. It says here they held on to their scrap of mountains when all the other tribes fell to the white men. So this glyph was a territorial marker—closest translation: "messenger of God". (beat) Messenger of God. (beat) Messenger of God—Dean, we have to go there!
DEAN
On that hunch? You can barely function.
SAM
I'm only gonna get worse. I mean, until we get back to the real job, until we find the third trial—we're out of prophets! We're not gonna figure out what Kevin couldn't! I'd say we go to this messenger of God who wrote it in the first place!
DEAN
And you think this Metatron is hiding out in the mountains with a bunch of Indians.
SAM
Yeah! Yeah, I do. (beat) You're not— you're not really supposed to say Indians, it's... We should go.
SAM walks off.
DEAN
You're delirious.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
CASTIEL still sits at the table, while the scenery behind him changes rapidly.
SUPERIMPOSED: Bangor, Maine
SUPERIMPOSED: Lincoln, Nebraska
SUPERIMPOSED: Reno, Nevada
SUPERIMPOSED: Tucson, Arizona
SUPERIMPOSED: Santa Fe, New Mexico
CASTIEL looks down at his coffee cup; the table is smeared with blood. He surveys the restaurant, which is now littered with bloody bodies.
KARA (O.S.)
You have to stop.
CASTIEL turns to look at her. KARA lies crumpled against one of the booths, her eyes having been burned out.
KARA
They said you have to stop.
CASTIEL
No.
KARA
They said you have to stop.
CASTIEL moves over to her.
CASTIEL
No.
KARA
Just stop... you have to stop...
CASTIEL
No.
KARA
You have to stop. [CASTIEL reaches out to heal her] They said you have to stop.
ION and the other ANGEL appear behind CASTIEL. ION presses his angel blade to CASTIEL's throat.
KARA
You have to stop.
ACT TWO
EXT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - DAY
SAM and DEAN pull up in the Impala.
SUPERIMPOSED: Route 34, Colorado
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - DAY
SAM and DEAN enter.
DEAN
Nice place.
They walk up to the desk. DEAN rings the bell. The HOTEL MANAGER enters.
DEAN
Morning. Hi. Uh, we'd like a room? (beat) Here, please.
SAM wanders off while DEAN signs in. From SAM'S PoV, we see his vision blurring and there's a ringing noise.
SAM
[to DEAN] Did you hear that?
DEAN
Hear what? [to the MANAGER] He has the flu.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
KARA
You have to stop. You have to stop. They said you—
NAOMI snaps her fingers, breaking KARA's neck.
NAOMI
Can't hear myself think.
CASTIEL
We were supposed to be their shepherds, not their murderers.
NAOMI
Not always, angel. There was that day, back in Egypt, not so long ago, where we slew every first-born infant whose door wasn't splashed with lamb's blood. And that was just PR.
CASTIEL
Well, I wasn't there.
NAOMI
Oh, you were there. You just don't remember it.
CASTIEL
How— how many times have you torn into my head and washed it clean?
NAOMI
Frankly? Too damn many.
NAOMI snaps her fingers to make one of the chairs slide over to her. She sits down.
NAOMI
You're the famous spanner in the works. Honestly, I think you came off the line with a crack in your chassis. You have never done what you were told. Not completely. You don't even die right, do you? Where is the angel tablet, Castiel?
CASTIEL
In the words of a— good friend... bite me.
NAOMI
Oh, we'll bite. Don't worry. [to her ANGELS] Go. Search all these Biggerson's. He must have hidden it along the way.
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - DAY
KEVIN is working on the translation of the demon tablet while DEMON!SAM and DEMON!DEAN keep watch.
KEVIN
I can barely see. I need food.
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - MOMENTS LATER
DEMON!SAM reads from KEVIN's shopping list.
DEMON!SAM
Alright, uh, barbecue ribs, mashed potatoes...
KEVIN
Garlic mashed potatoes.
DEMON!SAM
Garlic mashed potatoes, mixed greens with... baby lettuce, cornbread, and, uh, Pad Thai?
KEVIN
Garth says there's a good little place on the other side of town.
DEMON!DEAN
What the hell. [shrugging] Kid's been working hard.
INT. CROWLEY'S LAIR - DAY
CROWLEY and his HENCHDEMONS are watching DEMON!SAM and DEMON!DEAN on the monitors.
CROWLEY
Those guys aren't half bad.
HENCHDEMON #1
No, sir! You chose well.
CROWLEY
Of course, if I wasn't running everything, I could've played Dean myself.
HENCHDEMON #1
Oh, you would've made a great Dean, sir.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - SAM & DEAN'S ROOM - DAY
SAM is lying one of the beds, drinking a glass of water. DEAN enters.
DEAN
Regular tourist mecca we got here. We're the only guests in this whole place. Last entry in the registry was in '06.
SAM
Hey, you remember when uh... when Dad took us to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, on that pack-mule ride?
DEAN
The what?
SAM
And you're, uh... your mule kept farting, just— l-letting go, like, gale force?
DEAN
Dude, you were like, four years old. I barely remember that.
SAM
(laughing)
You rode a farty donkey.
DEAN
Okay. Uh, I'm gonna go check out the Two Rivers Tribal Museum and Trading Post.
SAM
Yeah. Yeah! [sits up] I'm gonna— I'm gonna, uh. I'm gonna follow the hotel manager, D-Dr. Scowley-scowl. He's like a villain from Scooby-Doo.
DEAN
No, hey, uh, little big man? You should get some rest.
SAM
Yeah, I can do that too.
SAM promptly falls back onto the bed.
INT. TWO RIVERS TRIBAL MUSEUM - DAY
CLERK
The people of the Two Rivers tribe came to this land centuries ago. A land that was harsh, and stony. But the mighty leader told his people that they must stay here. He claimed that this was the home on Earth of the great spirit's sacred messenger, and that if they'd make offerings, their blessings would be many.
DEAN
What were the offerings?
CLERK
Huh?
DEAN
Uh, what did the great spirit's sacred messenger ask for?
CLERK
Stories. He asked the people to tell him stories.
DEAN spots an old photo on which the hotel's MANAGER looks exactly as he does now.
DEAN
I bet I know what the blessings were.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - SAM & DEAN'S ROOM - DAY
SAM tosses around on the bed, feverishly, then gets up.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
SAM staggers down the hallway, holding onto the wall for support as he goes. The ringing noise and blurred vision from before have returned. The elevator doors at the end of the hallway open. SAM hides in an alcove while the MANAGER places a stack of boxes in front of one of the rooms. As soon as he leaves, SAM makes his way over and opens one of the boxes, which turns out to be full of books.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - SAM & DEAN'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
SAM stumbles back into the room. He pulls out his phone, swaying, and hits the speed-dial... then passes out as it rings.
DEAN (O.S.)
Sam?
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
NAOMI's other ANGEL punches CASTIEL in the face. ION appears.
ION
I've been all over them. It's not there.
NAOMI
[to CASTIEL] Why? Why are you doing this? Let us put the tablet back where it should be.
CASTIEL
I need to protect it.
NAOMI
From the angels?
CASTIEL
From all of us.
NAOMI
I'm just going to have to pull you apart, aren't I?
Suddenly, her ANGEL is shot, falling to the ground in a cloud of blood and light. ION is shot in the arm a moment later, Grace leaking out. The shooter turns out to be CROWLEY, who has just appeared.
CROWLEY
Naomi, darling. Miss me?
ACT THREE
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - SAM & DEAN'S ROOM - DAY
SAM comes around, submerged in a bath of ice water.
SAM
Get off! [he pushes DEAN away and scrambles to get out of the bath]
DEAN
Take it easy, Sam. Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy, take it... [wraps a towel around SAM's shoulders] Found you on the floor, passed out, your temperature was a 107. I had to force it down or you were toast.
SAM
He's here, Dean. Metatron is here, I know it, I can hear him.
DEAN
What're you talking about?
SAM
All I know is that I'm connected to it somehow.
DEAN
What, like you got a link to him, like a prophet?
SAM
I don't know! I just know he's here. Metatron is here.
DEAN
Okay, "here" where?
SAM
I can show you. I can show you. The manager. He was delivering books to him.
DEAN
Books?
SAM
Books. Hardcovers, paperbacks, novels—books.
DEAN
Stories.
INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY
CROWLEY shows his gun to NAOMI.
CROWLEY
Do you like it? I had my R&D people melt down one of your angel blades, cast it into bullets. Seems to do the trick.
NAOMI
How dare you.
CROWLEY
I'm the daringest devil you've ever met, love.
NAOMI's eyes glow bright and a white light starts flooding the diner, emanating from NAOMI. CROWLEY aims the gun at her.
CROWLEY
We've been here before, haven't we? Let's see who blinks first.
CROWLEY shoots, but NAOMI disappears just in time.
CROWLEY
Hmm. [walks over to CASTIEL] Hi, Cas. [CASTIEL glances from CROWLEY to ION] That's right, Cas. I got me an angel on the payroll. It's that kinda universe, these days.
CROWLEY shoots CASTIEL in the stomach.
CROWLEY
[to ION] Now grab him and follow me.
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - DAY
DEMON!DEAN
Hey, kid, you okay?
KEVIN
I can't, alright? It— it's the break in the stone. There's key writing, I— I can't make it out. You guys were right, I— I do need the other half of the tablet to get the trial. It's not too far from here.
DEMON!DEAN
Awesome. Uh, what's the 10-20?
INT. OFFICE - DAY
CROWLEY sits down behind the desk while ION pushes CASTIEL into a chair opposite him.
CROWLEY
Just wanted to take a moment away from the main action to chat with my old business partner. [CASTIEL clutches his bloody stomach] I assume you won't die just yet. Takes a painful long time to bleed out from the gut.
CASTIEL
You can do whatever you want, Crowley. I will never tell you where I buried the tablet.
CROWLEY
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. 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?
CASTIEL
The tablets weren't meant for the angels, and they weren't meant for you.
CROWLEY
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.
CROWLEY
Oh, you're a pip, you are. [to ION] What? [CROWLEY's phone rings] Oh! This is the king.
INT. STORAGE FACILITY - DAY
The DEMONS who were impersonating SAM and DEAN have been caught in a Devil's trap.
DEMON #2
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.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
CROWLEY
You jackasses, you're ruining my streak! [hangs up; to ION] Watch him. I'll be right back.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - HALLWAY - DAY
SAM and DEAN exit their hotel room, SAM holding onto the doorpost as they go.
DEAN
I should be taking you to the ER.
SAM
They can't do anything for me. You know, I've been remembering things, little things, so clearly—
DEAN
What, donkey rides?
SAM
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?
DEAN
No.
SAM
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. 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?
DEAN
Sam, it's not your fault.
SAM
It doesn't matter anymore. Because these trials... they're purifying me.
They reach the end of the hallway.
SAM
They were here, the— the— the books, the boxes! They— they're gone.
DEAN pushes open the door.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - METATRON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
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.
ACT FOUR
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - METATRON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
METATRON
Who're you?
DEAN
Metatron? This is Metatron? [to SAM] This is Metatron?
METATRON suddenly reappears behind them.
METATRON
Sit down.
They do. SAM clutches his head as the ringing returns, increased in volume, nearly blocking out METATRON's voice.
METATRON
Who sent you?
SAM
(half-shouting)
We came on our own. We're the Winchesters.
DEAN
I'm Dean, this is Sam.
METATRON
You work for Michael? Or Lucifer?
SAM
What, you really haven't heard of us? What kind of angel are you, we're— we're the freaking Winchesters.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
CASTIEL
How— how far can this go?
ION
Shh. Shut up.
CASTIEL
Ion. How far can we let it all drop? This charge was left to us, it's our mission.
ION
Do you even know what the mission was? They've been in all our heads.
CASTIEL
We aren't machines for them to program and reprogram. That wasn't what this was meant to be.
ION
Nothing matters.
CASTIEL
You are so wrong, brother. It all matters.
CASTIEL digs out the angel bullet from the wound on his stomach.
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - DAY
CROWLEY blows open the door and enters.
CROWLEY
You little prat. Having fun yet?
KEVIN
Screw you.
CROWLEY
Am I seeing this? How did you figure it out?
KEVIN
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.
CROWLEY
So... my demons were too polite?
KEVIN
Yeah.
CROWLEY
Well, I'll be a son of a whore.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - METATRON'S ROOM - DAY
DEAN
Michael and Lucifer? T-those— those dudes are in the deep fryer.
SAM
Yeah. We put them there ourselves.
METATRON
What about Gabriel? And Raphael?
SAM
Dead.
DEAN
You really don't know this?
METATRON
I've been very careful.
SAM
Hey, can you— [the ringing has gotten even louder] can you turn that down?
METATRON
Turn what dow— oh. You're resonating. [he lowers the rifle]
DEAN
Resonating? What— what do you mean, resonating?
METATRON
You've undertaken the trials. You're trying to pull one of the great levers, aren't you? You're pretty far along, too. You get that far along, you start resonating with the Word. Or with its source on the material plane. With me.
DEAN
You said you were being careful. Careful how?
METATRON
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. 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 realize, maybe they would realize... they needed me.
DEAN
So you get a ruffle in your feathers and just decide to disappear? Go stick your head in the sand, forever? You have no idea what's been going on out there.
METATRON
Nope. That's the whole point.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
ION has turned away from CASTIEL, looking out the window.
ION
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.
CASTIEL comes up behind him.
CASTIEL
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.
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - METATRON'S ROOM - DAY
DEAN
So you have been holed up here, or, or, or in a wigwam, or before that in some cave, listening to stories, reading books?
METATRON
(grinning)
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.
SAM
You know what? (beat) Pull the frigging tigger.
METATRON
What?
SAM
Pull the freaking trigger, you cowardly piece of garbage.
DEAN
Sam. Hey!
SAM grabs the end of METATRON's rifle and points it at himself.
SAM
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?!
DEAN
C'mere, hey. [he 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.
SAM
He's dead now. Because of you.
INT. GARTH'S BOAT - DAY
KEVIN
You know the Winchesters are up to the third trial? That they're gonna shut the door on Hell?
CROWLEY
I'm not worried, kid.
KEVIN picks up the demon tablet.
KEVIN
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.
CROWLEY
You think I can't make you tell?
KEVIN
I know you can't. And you do too.
CROWLEY
You know what? I've already won. I have the angel tablet, you little smudge. And I got deals and plans up the jacksie. [he grabs KEVIN by the throat] And I don't... need... you!
CROWLEY 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.
ACT FIVE
INT. TWO RIVERS HOTEL - METATRON'S ROOM - DAY
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.
DEAN
Is that it? Is he good?
METATRON
Give him a minute.
METATRON walks off and DEAN follows him.
DEAN
How did you get past Crowley's angel-warding?
METATRON
I'm the Scribe of God. I erased it.
DEAN
But you saw, right? I mean, you— you're caught up on everything that's been going on. All the crap that your brethren's been doing to humanity all this time?
METATRON
I saved the boy, didn't I?
DEAN
But are you in? With us, I mean.
METATRON
You really intend on closing the doors of Hell?
DEAN
Seems like the thing to do, don't it?
METATRON
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. Ask yourself: what is it going to take to do this, and what will the world be like after it's done?
SAM
Dean? Dean!
DEAN returns as KEVIN starts coming around.
DEAN
Kevin? Hey. I thought we lost you, kiddo.
KEVIN
I'm good. [he pulls out the demon tablet] Second half of the tablet. And I got it. Third trial. I didn't tell Crowley.
SAM
So what is it?
METATRON
To cure a demon.
KEVIN
Yeah. (beat) Who are you?
INT. IMPALA - NIGHT
SAM and DEAN drive down the road.
DEAN
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?
SAM
I feel better, yeah, um, just having a direction to move in.
DEAN
Well, good, cause where we're headed doesn't sound like a picnic.
SAM
But we're heading somewhere. The end.
DEAN brakes abruptly as they spot a figure lying in the middle of the road.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
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.
DEAN
Cas?
CASTIEL
A little help, here?
END
DELETED SCENE
INT. CROWLEY'S LAIR - DAY
CROWLEY and his HENCHDEMONS are watching DEMON!SAM and DEMON!DEAN on the monitors.
CROWLEY
Those guys aren't half bad.
HENCHDEMON #1
No, sir! You chose well.
CROWLEY
Of course, if I wasn't running everything, I could've played Dean myself.
HENCHDEMON #1
Oh, you would've made a great Dean, sir.
Another DEMON walks into the room holding a box.
DEMON
Sir, your magic bullet theory has been tested... and it appears to work.
The DEMON opens the box, revealing a gun and bullets. CROWLEY lifts the gun out of the box and loads it up.
CROWLEY
Now that's a delight.
CROWLEY'S cell phone rings.
CROWLEY
Oh. (glances at his cell phone screen) Really is my day. (answers the phone, chuckling)
CROWLEY (on the phone)
This is the king.
