HPDBC Chapter 716 - 715: Alex's Morning, as Always, Doesn't Start with Coffee.
Chapter 716 - 715: Alex's Morning, as Always, Doesn't Start with Coffee.
Since returning to the bunker after a not-so-successful vacation in the woods — which had ended with Alex having to deal with cultists who had become part of a brainwashing experiment orchestrated by a very influential corporation — Alex just wanted to rest and do nothing. And fortunately for Alex, there were people around him who could keep him company.Alex, Dean, and Sam were sitting in the recreation room drinking beer while watching a movie. During this time, none of them said a word about the fact that the bastard Crowley had once again decided to take advantage of the situation and turn everything in his favor. After all, they already knew that even in a situation like this, Crowley would do something like that.
When the movie ended, Dean finally asked Alex why he had agreed to the deal with Crowley if they could have forced him to bring the Horn anyway, without making any deal. When Dean asked the question, Sam also turned his head toward Alex, wanting to know the reason.
Seeing that they were waiting for answers from him, Alex smiled and decided to tell them the real reason why he had suggested agreeing to the deal's terms. Stretching slightly, Alex got up from his chair and sat opposite Dean and Sam so it would be more convenient for them to listen to his explanation. Sam immediately turned off the TV and narrowed his eyes slightly. After all, he knew that if Alex had a plan, it would definitely work.
"Everything is quite simple. We need to buy time. And at the same time check how much power Amara has recovered," Alex said, raising a finger and beginning to explain his plan.
"What are you getting at? Crowley won't want to hand over the Horn while Lucifer is free. And we need Lucifer to defeat Amara. Without him, we can't do much," Sam said, frowning slightly.
"True. Lucifer has already faced Amara before. Only he will have enough power to use the Horn," Dean agreed, still feeling that Amara wasn't the main villain.
"Fuck Lucifer. I'm going to hand him over to Amara," Alex said, rolling his eyes after listening to Dean and Sam's objections.
"Can you repeat what you're planning to do?" Sam asked again, frowning at Alex's answer.
"I said I'm going to hand Lucifer over to Amara. Amara knows that Lucifer is her daddy's favorite son. And she won't kill him — she'll torture him to lure out God. And that will play into our hands," Alex began, explaining part of his plan.
Sam's eyes instantly widened at Alex's words. Sam couldn't even believe that such a dangerous idea had crossed Alex's mind. Frowning, Sam wanted to refute such a risky plan. After all, he knew what Lucifer was really like and how powerful he was.
Even the thought of handing Lucifer over to Amara already sounded absurd. Dean, sitting in his chair, nodded his head, agreeing with Alex's idea of giving Lucifer to Amara. Enough time had passed since the last time he had spoken with Amara. And Dean's doubts that Amara was the main villain had almost completely disappeared.
He no longer saw Amara as a villain. Rather, after every conversation with Amara, Dean had begun to feel that the situation was completely the opposite. And that Amara was definitely not the main villain. Dean didn't know why, but subconsciously he felt that their enemy wasn't Amara, and the more time passed, the more convinced he became of it.
"This is absurd. What makes you think this plan will work? Why would Amara torture Lucifer instead of killing him? Don't forget, he was there when they locked Amara in the Cage," Sam said, frowning even harder as he rejected Alex's plan.
"No, Sammy. This could work…" Dean interjected, taking Alex's side.
"Dean, you too?" Sam asked, staring at his brother in disbelief that he was accepting such a plan.
"Sammy, just think about it. Amara hates her brother more than anyone. And Lucifer is his golden boy. I'm absolutely sure she won't kill him. And that will buy us time. While Amara is busy with Lucifer, we'll look for other options. Like Alex said, we don't know how much power Amara has recovered. If Lucifer is stronger than Amara — great. If not, it will buy us time," Dean said, pacing around the room and making it clear that he agreed with Alex's plan.
Sam frowned, watching Alex and Dean who were ready to go through with such a crazy plan. Sam wanted to refute such an unreliable plan, but he simply had nothing to say in response. Seeing the confusion on Sam's face, Alex decided to fully explain his plan.
Alex started by saying that they would have to summon Lucifer under the pretense of wanting to make a deal. Hearing this, Sam nodded, showing he was ready to listen further. Alex continued explaining that as soon as they summoned Lucifer, they would need to buy time so that Amara would come for her nephew.
And that the whole plan ultimately came down to using Lucifer as a bargaining chip. When Alex finished explaining his plan in detail, Dean nodded in agreement with every point.
Sam frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think through Alex's entire plan. The more Sam thought about it, the more he became convinced that this plan could work fifty-fifty, provided they could stall for time and Amara didn't kill Lucifer the moment she saw him.
"Fine… Let's say we follow this plan. How do we make Amara come? And what do we do if she kills Lucifer instead of capturing him? Do you have a plan for that case?" Sam asked with a tired sigh, looking up at Alex and starting to ask questions.
"She'll come, no need to worry about that," Alex said, nodding his head toward Dean.
Seeing where Alex was pointing, Sam narrowed his eyes and remembered that Dean was still connected to Amara because of their strange bond through the Mark of Cain. Exhaling, Sam nodded, but didn't forget to remind them that they still needed Rowena in case things didn't go according to plan. Alex nodded understandingly, saying that Rowena would come to them herself soon.
Sam said nothing more and left the recreation room to think everything over alone. Alex and Dean looked at each other and sat back down in their chairs to continue drinking beer. Sitting in silence, Alex and Dean didn't discuss anything else, and they didn't need to. Dean fully trusted Alex, so he asked no more questions, unlike Sam.
Some time later, Seras came into the recreation room, looking around with interest while hugging GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, who were hanging in her arms like three plush toys. Alex and Dean turned their heads and looked at GIR, MIMI, and Stitch in Seras's arms. The trio was behaving suspiciously quietly and wasn't even trying to break free. But Alex knew that this trio definitely wouldn't be able to escape from Seras's hands, even if they tried.
"So this is that man cave I've heard so much about?" Seras asked with a smile as she entered the recreation room.
"No, this is my Dean Cave, which everyone enters without permission. And where did you hear about it?" Dean said, comfortably settled in his chair and looking at Seras.
"When I was working as a police officer, my colleagues discussed how they'd like to have a place like this. Something like that," Seras said in an embarrassed tone, sitting on the armrest of the chair next to Alex.
Dean nodded understandingly, as he knew about Seras's past and how drastically her life had changed in just a few months — from an ordinary police officer who had nearly become food for a vampire to a Nosferatu. Alex looked at Seras and pulled her onto his lap. Seras let out a small squeak when Alex pulled her toward him.
At that moment, Seras's arms weakened for a second, and the trio — GIR, MIMI, and Stitch — who were sitting in her arms, seized the chance for freedom and immediately escaped, leaving behind only cries of "Freedom!"
Seeing that the trio had run away, Seras gave Alex an offended look while sitting on his lap. Seeing Seras's offended expression, Alex lightly tickled her, causing her to squirm on his lap while holding back laughter.
"If you two are going to do your romantic stuff, go somewhere else. This is a place for rest, not for couples," Dean said, pointing his finger at the door.
"That's jealousy, Dean. A forty-year-old single man, full of envy. How sad," Alex said in an innocent tone, lifting Seras off his lap.
"Bitch…" Dean said, gripping the beer bottle tighter with the desire to throw it at Alex.
"Idiot," Alex replied, matching Dean's gaze.
Alex and Dean stared at each other: one was angry, the other openly mocking his friend. Dean didn't even have words to argue with Alex, but that didn't mean he was going to ignore them. Gripping the beer bottle tighter, Dean threw it at Alex. Seeing the thrown bottle, Alex calmly caught it and took a small sip with a wide smile.
Before Dean could throw another beer bottle, Alex took Seras by the hand and quickly left the room. As he left, Alex didn't forget to flip Dean the middle finger before finally departing. Dean immediately flipped him off in return, looking at Alex with a serious face.
Seeing this, Alex laughed and left with Seras. Seras herself was surprised by the way Alex and Dean interacted. Looking at Alex, Seras couldn't help but ask why he and Dean behaved like that. Alex just laughed and called his relationship with Dean the most ordinary male friendship between close friends.
Hearing such an answer, Seras could only nod with some doubt. After all, she had no male friends, and this was the first time she had seen such male interaction. Seras thought she had only seen something similar with Bernadotte and his group of mercenaries, who behaved roughly the same way as Alex and Dean.
Alex returned with Seras to the library. Upon entering the library, Alex looked at Samantha, who was drinking coffee to stay awake and lightly rubbing her eyes. Lucina was still working on her laptop, taking small sips of coffee. And Wednesday, who was still sitting in her place, had almost finished reading Wernicke's diary.
Alex placed his hands on Wednesday's shoulders and leaned forward slightly to hear her opinion on what she had read. Without looking away from the diary, Wednesday began listing everything that had seemed engaging and interesting to her.
And, being herself, Wednesday highlighted the parts of the diary that truly interested her and even gave several examples of how she could use them. Listening to Wednesday, Alex nodded in agreement with her opinion, finding some of her suggestions quite interesting.
"Just don't use anything like that on friends or loved ones," Alex said, kissing Wednesday on the head.
"I'd prefer to test it first on my old test subject. I think it's worth visiting home for a couple of days," Wednesday said calmly, placing Wernicke's diary on the table.
"Poor Pugsley. I already feel sorry for him…" Alex said, mentally wishing Pugsley luck in the upcoming ordeal.
"No need to feel sorry for him. Pugsley is resilient enough to withstand something like this… And perhaps he'll stop being so… mediocre," Wednesday said, turning her head and looking straight into Alex's eyes.
"Wednesday, your brother is starting at Nevermore next year. Maybe you shouldn't conduct brainwashing experiments on him?" Lucina said, closing her laptop and finishing all her work.
"That's exactly why Pugsley needs to experience this on his own skin. Without me, he'll just become a target for bullying again…" Wednesday said calmly, as if it was already decided that Pugsley would suffer.
"Oh, so you want to protect and prepare him. That's so sweet of you, Wednesday," Seras said with a smile, clapping her hands.
"Not protect. Only I have the right to torment Pugsley. And if he can't defend himself again, it will only confirm the fact that he is a mediocre weakling," Wednesday said, giving Seras a blank look.
"Well, that's not sweet at all… I'm still surprised how Pugsley has survived this long," Samantha said, chuckling as she set her coffee cup on the table.
"I tried. But he always got lucky… Perhaps too lucky… Hmm, I'll need to check that," Wednesday said thoughtfully, bringing a finger to her chin.
"Check what?" Lucina asked with interest, looking at Wednesday, who was lost in her thoughts.
"How much luck Pugsley has. It will be a very entertaining experiment," Wednesday said with a grim smile, lowering her hand and looking at Lucina.
When Wednesday spoke, not only did Alex once again silently express his support for Pugsley, but the girls also mentally wished Pugsley luck in surviving what awaited him. Looking at Wednesday, Alex thought that he would need to find time to talk his wife out of tormenting her brother Pugsley by testing the limits of his luck.
Alex didn't need to use his abilities to know how it could end. He was sure that in the end Pugsley would be chained to a hospital bed with broken bones and casts on every limb. Placing his hands on Wednesday's shoulders, Alex tried to distract her attention from the plan to torment her own brother.
At the same time, Alex planned to warn Pugsley to be ready for a premature escape as soon as Wednesday appeared on the horizon. Feeling Alex's hands on her shoulders, Wednesday turned her head and looked him in the eyes, guessing what he was thinking. She wasn't going to say that Pugsley wouldn't be able to escape even if he wanted to or was prepared for it.
After sitting in the library a little longer, Alex and the girls headed to the bedroom to rest. The most upset of all was Seras, because she would have to return to London in the morning. Seeing Seras's upset face, Alex couldn't help but remind her that she could come anytime, even if it was just a short visit.
Seras looked at Alex as if he had just helped her uncover one of the universe's secrets. Alex just sighed and stroked Seras's hair. After all, he had told her many times that she could come whenever she wanted. Seras only smiled shyly and hugged Alex tightly, rubbing her cheek against his chest. That was how the very eventful day ended.
When morning came, Seras, skipping breakfast, quickly got dressed and kissed Alex on the lips before leaving. Alex and the girls managed to say goodbye to Seras before she sank into the shadows to return to Hellsing. After Seras left, Alex just sighed, lightly rubbing the red fang mark on his neck. Not intending to sleep anymore, Alex yawned slightly, got up from the couch, and went to wash up.
While Alex was washing up, Lucina, Samantha, and Wednesday had already woken up and were getting dressed. While the girls were doing their morning routines, Alex left the room and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Listening to music in his headphones, Alex cooked breakfast for everyone, lightly dancing along.
And all Alex hoped for was that this day would pass calmly and he could be a little lazy and do nothing. When breakfast was almost ready, the girls entered the kitchen. Lucina sat down at the table, holding her phone and reading the news. Samantha was texting her friends, asking how they were feeling after what had happened just a day ago. Wednesday calmly sat at the table, talking with Thing, who was standing on her wrist and waving his fingers.
"I hope the coffee is ready," Dean said, entering the kitchen and yawning slightly.
Alex nodded toward the coffee maker, showing that the coffee had already been brewed. Dean hummed to himself and walked over to the coffee maker, pouring himself a cup. Sitting down at the table, Dean stretched out his legs and sighed slightly, still feeling sleepy. The last to arrive was Sam, who entered the kitchen rubbing his neck because he had slept uncomfortably.
After finishing cooking breakfast, Alex set the plates on the table and sat down next to Wednesday. During breakfast, Alex noticed that the noisy trio still hadn't appeared. Assuming that the trio had once again spent the whole night playing games and devouring snacks, Alex just shrugged and continued eating. When Alex thought the morning was starting as it should, a loud crash sounded, causing the bunker to shake. Because of this earthquake, everyone exchanged glances, not understanding what was happening.
"Couldn't he have done this earlier? Like in the evening," Alex said with a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, looking at Alex.
"Lucifer went to Heaven. And it looks like Amara has recovered and struck back at the feathered bastards," Alex said, taking a sip of coffee as if everything was normal.
"Repeat that? Lucifer went to Heaven, and Amara attacked Heaven?" Sam asked, nearly choking on his coffee at Alex's words.
"That's what I said. Maybe I should ask MIMI to check your hearing?" Alex said, looking at Sam with a blank expression.
"Not that. You said Amara has recovered? How? You and Cas said she was badly damaged by the shot from the Heavenly cannon," Sam said, making it clear what exactly he wanted to ask.
"And what do you think? Who could help Amara?… I'll give you a hint: she has red hair and a very dangerous book in her hands," Alex said, tapping his finger on the table.
"Rowena!… Fuck, why am I not surprised. Now it's clear who she decided to latch onto like a leech," Dean said, slamming his hand on the table and nearly knocking over his coffee.
Alex just gave Dean a look as if reminding him of what he had said yesterday. Meanwhile, Lucina turned on the news on her phone, and everyone's eyes immediately shifted to the screen. The phone screen showed a news report where the anchor was talking about an unknown phenomenon that had occurred in the sky just moments ago.
After the anchor's words, stormy skies appeared on the screen, with lightning and thunder rumbling. It looked as if a powerful storm cloud had swept across the entire world. Dean and Sam immediately got up from their seats and ran outside. Alex and the girls also followed Dean and Sam outside to see everything with their own eyes.
Once outside, everyone looked up at the stormy sky. Seeing this, Alex couldn't help but whistle, hoping that Amara had held back enough not to destroy Heaven. The last thing he wanted was to deal with the souls that would be thrown out of Heaven.
"This is what happens when Amara is in a bad mood, and she's been in that state since the beginning of time," Sam said, looking at the stormy sky and realizing that this was only a small part of Amara's power.
"I think she just tapped on the gates of Heaven with her little finger and caused the apocalypse in the skies," Dean said, lowering his gaze and turning his head to Alex.
"Are you still sure you want to hand Lucifer over to Amara, Alex? Or should we use his power instead?" Sam asked, looking at Alex with a serious gaze.
"We stick to the old plan. We hand Lucifer over to Amara and buy time," Alex said, shaking his head and looking at a specific point in the sky.
"I'll ask again — are you sure about this? You said yourself that as Death you can't interfere. What about us? What are we supposed to do with this? Look at the sky — Amara just blew on it, and Heaven was almost destroyed," Sam said in an irritated tone, pointing at the stormy sky.
"I'll explain everything when the time comes. When I say we need to buy time, it means we need to buy time. As you said, Amara just blew on the sky, and it looked like the end of the world. But use your brain too, Sam. What's stopping Amara from destroying everything right now? She thirsts for revenge. That's why we're giving her Lucifer. Has it sunk in now?" Alex said in an equally irritated tone, looking at Sam, who was once again acting ridiculous.
While Alex and Sam argued about what to do, Lucina, Samantha, and Wednesday decided not to get involved. They definitely didn't want to become part of such drama — when Alex couldn't tell them his plans because of concerns that they were being listened to, and Sam, like an idiot, kept insisting that they needed to think everything through and grab at any opportunity.
The girls turned around and went back into the bunker, leaving the three men outside. While Alex and Sam continued arguing, Dean just stared at the sky, feeling conflicted about the current situation. He understood that they should stick to Alex's plan, and then they might have better chances of winning.
At the same time, Dean partially agreed with Sam's plan — to use Lucifer to fight Amara using the Horn of Joshua. Tired of listening to Alex and Sam's argument, Dean turned to them and saw inscriptions beginning to appear on a nearby stone.
"Guys…" Dean said, trying to get Alex and Sam's attention.
"I'm telling you, Sam. In the current situation, this is the surest option. Where's the guarantee that even a small part of God's power will help at all?" Alex said, ignoring Dean and continuing to argue with Sam.
"There's no guarantee. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't check this option. What if it works? Even a small chance that it could hurt Amara would already be a victory," Sam replied, ignoring Dean and continuing to argue with Alex.
"Guys! Stop arguing," Dean shouted again, trying to get Alex and Sam's attention.
"What?" Alex and Sam asked simultaneously, turning their heads toward Dean.
"Since you've finished arguing, look — it looks like someone was right," Dean said, pointing his finger at the stone.
Alex and Sam turned their heads in the direction Dean was pointing and looked at the stone, where the inscription "We need to talk" had been burned. Without words, it was clear that it was Rowena who had decided to make contact. Exchanging glances, Alex, Dean, and Sam nodded to each other.
As they were about to enter the bunker, another inscription appeared on the stone — this time with an address for the meeting. Memorizing the address, Alex, Dean, and Sam returned to the bunker. Dean immediately went to the storage room where Crowley was to tell him that Rowena had contacted them. Sam went to pack a bag to prepare for the meeting with Lucifer. Alex stood in the main hall, rubbing his face and feeling a headache and fatigue.
He was already tired of hiding everything from Dean and Sam. But he understood that it was still too early to tell them. Lucina approached Alex and gently took his hand, letting him know that everything was fine and he should relax. Alex just sighed and hugged Lucina, resting his chin on her head. Lucina smiled, pressing herself against Alex and hugging him tightly in return.
"Oh, you two are so cute. But if you're done hugging, are you ready to go?" Dean asked, returning with a bag over his shoulder.
"You always ruin everything, Dean," Lucina said with a heavy sigh, letting go of Alex and turning her head toward Dean.
"I did it on purpose… Anyway, Cas and Crowley have already gone for the Horn. And we're ready to head to the meeting with Rowena," Dean said with a slight smile.
"Alright, I'll go grab my baton and coat," Alex said, kissing Lucina on the head and preparing to head to his room.
"Why do you need a baton?" Dean asked doubtfully, looking at the departing Alex.
"So I don't accidentally kill Lucifer… His face pisses me off. From the very beginning, I've wanted to smash that bastard… But that doesn't mean I'm not going to beat him up. Again," Alex said with a wide smile, stopping in the doorway.
Hearing Alex's answer, Dean smirked, completely agreeing with it. After all, he also wanted to kill Lucifer, and they had tried many times. Reaching his room, Alex took a folding metal baton out of his inventory and put it in the inner pocket of his coat.
Returning to the main hall, Alex looked at Dean and Sam, who were waiting for him. Nodding, Alex placed his hands on Dean's and Sam's shoulders, and in the next moment they disappeared from the bunker. The next moment, Alex, Dean, and Sam appeared at the place where Rowena wanted to meet. It was an old small chapel that no one had visited in a long time. Dean and Sam dropped their bags on the floor, looking around and immediately starting to think about what and how.
"Now we wait for Rowena. We have everything we need to keep Lucifer in place," Dean said, opening his bag and starting to take out holy oil and spray cans of paint.
"You didn't forget the spell to summon the Archangel, right?" Sam asked, taking things out of his bag.
"No, I didn't forget… Here it is… Alex, where are you? Don't you want to help?" Dean said, taking out an old parchment and looking around for Alex.
"I'm here. Anyway, until Rowena, Cas, and Crowley show up, I don't see any reason to do anything," Alex's voice sounded from above.
Dean and Sam looked up, hearing Alex's voice coming from somewhere above. And when they raised their heads, they saw Alex hanging upside down from a wooden beam near the ceiling, holding a gaming console in his hands. Alex looked back at Dean and Sam, making it clear that there was no need to rush anywhere since what they had come for hadn't started yet.
Dean and Sam exchanged glances and decided to follow Alex's example and just wait. Sam flipped over a wooden bench and sat on it, taking out his phone from his pocket to check the latest news related to what Amara had done.
Dean went outside to look around and check the area. Once outside, Dean saw dozens of old coffins that had long been overgrown with grass and moss. Looking around, Dean saw nothing suspicious and returned to the chapel.
"How long do we have to wait?" Dean asked, flipping over a chair and sitting on it.
"I think a few hours or so. So you can find something to do so you don't get bored," Alex said, continuing to hang upside down from the wooden beam under the ceiling, holding the portable gaming console.
"And what do you suggest? Should I start cosplaying a bat too? No thanks," Dean said, raising his head to look at Alex.
"I didn't ask you to climb up here. Just do something to pass the time," Alex said, waving the portable gaming console.
Dean looked at Alex and just shrugged. Taking his phone out of his pocket, Dean also opened the news to find out the situation in the world, just like Sam. Alex continued hanging from the ceiling, continuing to play his video game. Time continued to pass, and an hour had gone by since they arrived at the abandoned chapel.
An hour later, Dean started watching videos on his phone while wearing headphones. Sam was reading Wernicke's diary, which he had borrowed from Wednesday. And Alex was walking across the ceiling of the chapel, hanging upside down and still playing his video game. Dean, who was watching a movie, irritably shook dust off his shoulder that had come from Alex's actions. Pausing the movie, Dean took out his earphones and looked up at the ceiling.
"Hey, Dracula. Stop walking on the ceiling! I'm already tired of shaking dust off my clothes and hair," Dean shouted to get Alex's attention.
"Carmilla doesn't walk on the ceiling, just so you know. And I got tired of hanging upside down. That's why I'm walking," Alex said, stopping and looking down at Dean.
"Technically you're still hanging upside down," Sam interjected, looking up at Alex.
"It's more comfortable for me this way," Alex said, shrugging.
"Then come down or stop walking over my head if it's so comfortable. Or hang back on your beam, you damn bat," Dean said, pointing his finger at the beam where Alex had been hanging earlier.
Alex rolled his eyes and pushed off the ceiling, starting to fall down. Landing neatly on the floor, Alex flipped a chair over with his foot and immediately sat on it. Dean just rolled his eyes and continued watching the movie. None of them knew how much longer they would have to sit there waiting for Rowena. So they passed the time as best they could.
To be continued...
(Well, as I said, we'll be gradually moving through the story, heading towards the end. And as I understand it, it's time for me to start thinking about the next world you'll find yourself in. There seem to be a lot of options: should I stick to the original plan of Hero Academia first and then DxD, or should I choose other worlds, or change their order? But I'll tell you right away, these worlds must have schools. So the list is getting shorter. Hmm... I'll leave it all in your hands. And in mine, I'll hold food, for God's sake. Peace, love, and your subconscious are deceiving you. You are actually a potato.)
Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunte