Carry On My Wayward Son
Coulson and Kara stalked into the lab armed and strode up to Radcliffe who was working on the Framework.
“Oh Agent Coulson you’re back.” Radcliffe greeted. “Is everything alright?”
“Why don’t you tell me.” Coulson glowered. “During the mission to capture Kebo, May was shot in the head. She didn’t die.”
“Oh well that’s great news!” Radcliffe grinned. “I think that calls for celebration.”
“It would except when Lincoln went to figure out why, he found that May had been replaced with a robot like Aida.” Coulson stated.
“What?” Radcliffe raised an eyebrow. “No that’s impossible.”
“Clearly not.” Coulson replied. “So are you gonna tell us why you decided to replace May with a robot and when this happened or are we doing this the hard way?”
“Wait you think I did this?” Radcliffe frowned. “Not this wasn’t me I swear.”
“Hard way it is.” Kara sighed. She pulled out a pair of cuffs and slapped them around Radcliffe’s wrists.
“What?” Radcliffe gasped. “No please this is a mistake I had nothing to do with this!”
“We need to dismantle Aida too.” Kara stated. “God only knows what’s going on with her.”
“Agreed.” Coulson nodded. “Take Radcliffe to lockup. With the Darkhold out of the question, we’ll need to figure something else we can use to send Kebo back to Hell.”
“Actually I know a guy who might be able to help.” Kara said.
---
Carry on my wayward son
A car’s engine revved up.
There’ll be peace when you are done
A black impala pulled out of a parking lot.
Lay your weary head to rest
The impala turned onto the freeway.
Don’t you cry no more
“Well that was certainly one of the most interesting cases we’ve ever worked.” Sam Winchester said.
“The music wasn’t bad.” Dean shrugged.
“I didn’t get to hear much of it so I wouldn’t know.” Sam replied. Just then one of Dean’s phones began to ring. Curious, Dean picked it up and flipped it open.
“Hello?” Dean answered.
“Howdy Dean.” Kara said from the other end. “It’s been a while. How’s Sammy?”
“Uh who is this?” Dean frowned.
“Lynn Santiago.” Kara answered. “We met a couple years back. You and your brother were in town hunting a nest of vampires.”
“Yeah that rings a bell.” Dean nodded. “Did I give you my number?”
“No you didn’t.” Kara answered. “Which was a bit hurtful to be honest considering what we got up to while we were looking for those things.”
“That I definitely remember.” Dean chuckled. “Any reason for the call?”
“Yes there is.” Kara replied. “My name isn’t LynnSantiago. It’s Kara. I work for SHIELD.”
“Wait what?” Dean’s eyebrows shot up.
“Oh relax Dean this call isn’t really about you.” Kara sighed. “I’ve got a demon in my friend and I would really appreciate it if you’d help us throw his ass back to hell. Since you’re the only monster killing expert I know, I’m calling you.”
“Uh alright.” Dean stammered his agreement. “Sam and I just finished a case so we’re free to help.”
“Great. Pull over.” Kara ordered.
“What?” Dean frowned. A spotlight shined above the car illuminating the darkness. Sam and Dean shielded their eyes from the light and looked up to see what had to be the biggest plane ever built above them.
“Pull over.” Kara reiterated.
---
“Oh my god.” Dean laughed as the Zephyr cargo ramp opened to the Playground and he and Sam walked down. “This is awesome.”
“This is SHIELD.” Kara said.
“Well SHIELD can pick me up to fight demons anytime.” Dean chuckled. Coulson and Mace strode up to the brothers to greet them.
“You two must be Sam and Dean Winchester.” Coulson greeted. “My name is Agent Coulson and this is-”
“Jeffrey Mace.” Sam nodded, shaking Mace’s hand. “Yeah we’ve seen him on the news.”
“Great job with the uh corrupt Senator by the way.” Dean interjected. “Who doesn’t love to see scumbags get what’s comin’ to them.”
“I appreciate that.” Mace chuckled. He led them to his office where Daisy, Fitz, Simmons, and Mack were waiting.
“Sam, Dean, these are Agents Daisy Johnson, Alphonso Mackenze, Jemma Simmons, and Leo Fitz.” Coulson introduced.
“These guys are the Ghostbusters?” Mack gestured.
“Yeah somethin’ like that.” Dean nodded.
“I love your books!” Simmons blurted out.
“Pardon?” Dean raised an eyebrow.
“The Supernatural books.” Simmons explained.
“Yeah we would really appreciate it if we could focus on the demon and avoid that subject entirely.” Sam said. Simmons looked a bit disappointed by this.
“So where’s the demon?” Dean asked.
“We’ve got him locked in a Devil’s Trap downstairs.” Daisy answered.
“Great.” Sam said. “Just take us down there and we can perform the exorcism.”
“It’s not quite that simple.” Mace replied.
“Why?” Dean frowned. “It’s a demon and it’s trapped. Should be pretty easy to send it packing.”
“Yeah you’d think.” Kara sighed. Daisy pulled up the feed of Kebo in the cell as well as both his file and Ward’s.
“This is the demon.” Daisy said, gesturing to Kebo’s picture. “David Kebo. He’s insane, he enjoys hurting people, and he is one of the most lethal people in the world.”
“No wonder he’s hellbound.” Dean shrugged.
“And this is the guy he’s possessing.” Daisy gestured to Ward’s picture. “Grant Ward. He is a SHIELD agent and a friend. He’s also one of the most lethal men alive. And he’s an inhuman with the power to shoot fire from his hands. And since Kebo is occupying Ward’s body, he’s got Ward’s powers.”
“Shit.” Dean groaned. “Yeah that’s gonna be a problem.”
“Exorcisms aren’t short.” Sam explained. “If we try to throw him outta your friend’s body he’s gonna chuck fire at us to keep us from sending him to Hell.”
“Which is why we haven’t tried to exorcize him.” Mace nodded.
“Do you guys have any idea what we should do?” Fitz asked. After a moment, Sam spoke up.
“I have an idea.” he said. “But it’s a really bad idea.”
“Sam no!” Dean snapped.
“Dean it’s the only way.” Sam insisted.
“What’s the only way?” Kara asked.
“Sam’s special.” Dean sighed. “When he drinks demon blood he gains a bunch of powers. He can immobilize and exorcize them with his mind. But it’s not a good solution because after we get rid of this Kebo guy Sam is gonna need to detox.”
“So I guess we just gotta get some demon blood.” Fitz shrugged.
“We should probably get it from someone other than Kebo.” Sam added.
“Why?” Mack frowned. “He’s the only demon we’ve got.”
“Because I haven’t drank any in years.” Sam explained. “I’m gonna need a lot of it to get my powers working enough for me to exorcize him. And the goal is to keep your friend alive so draining him isn’t gonna work out well for him.”
“Not to mention demons are a chatty bunch.” Dean added. “If this guy was a spy then he’s probably smart enough to put two and two together. The demons know about Sam and his demon blood powers so if you start draining him he’ll figure out what’s going on pretty quickly.”
“Best to keep the element of surprise.” Mace nodded.
“Not to mention what could happen to Ward.” Simmons added.
“That brings us back to how do we get demon blood.” Coulson sighed.
“We’ve got that part covered.” Dean assured.
---
Kebo paced around the Devil’s Trap when he heard the doors to his cell open behind him. He turned around to see Fitz and Simmons standing inside.
“Leo! Jemma! So good to see you two!” Kebo chuckled.
“Yeah that feeling isn’t mutual.” Fitz snapped.
“I would be disappointed if it was.” Kebo shrugged. “What brings you by?”
“Will Daniels.” Simmons answered.
“Right the astronaut.” Kebo nodded. “So what are you thinking that coming in here with that brave face on is gonna bring you closure?”
“I’m here because I need to face you for what you’ve done.” Simmons spat. “What you’ve taken from all of us.”
“And what exactly do you plan to do?” Kebo laughed. “Torture me while I’m in your friend’s body?”
“We’ll send you back to Hell.” Simmons snarled.
“We’ll see Jemma.” Kebo smirked. “We’ll see.” Fitz placed a hand on Simmons’ shoulder and led her out.
---
“Thanks again for tagging along for this.” Sam said as he, Dean, Lincoln, and Kara prepared the ritual.
“Of course.” Kara nodded. “Beats waiting around for something to happen.”
“Plus it’s probably not a bad idea to have superheroes around to fight demons.” Lincoln added.
“Hopefully no superpowers are needed but with this guy you never know.” Dean sighed as he tossed a match into an oil drum, lighting it on fire. A bearded man in a black suit appeared before them inside the Devil’s Trap.
“Hello boys.” the man smirked. “I see you’ve made some friends.”
“Kara, Lincoln, this is Crowley.” Dean introduced. “He’s a demon.”
“Wait we’re calling a demon for help?” Lincoln frowned.
“Not just any demon.” Crowley interjected. “I just so happen to be the King of Hell.”
“Oh okay so a million times worse.” Kara sighed.
“What can I do for you today gentlemen?” Crowley asked.
“We need demon blood.” Sam answered.
“Oh?” Crowley raised an eyebrow. “Trying to kickstart your powers are we? Well I’m sure we can work something out. How about I give you a demon to bleed and in return, I get to take one of your inhuman friends for a joyride.”
“I’m sorry what?” Kara exclaimed.
“Well ever since you guys started cropping up, I’ve been wanting to use one as a host for a bit of fun.” Crowley explained. “I mean who wouldn’t wanna play around with superpowers?”
“You’re a demon.” Lincoln said. “Don’t demons already have a bunch of powers?”
“Well yes but it’s been ages since I’ve been able to try out a new trick.” Crowley shrugged. “So how ‘bout it?” Crowley extended his hand towards Lincoln and Kara.
“If it gets Ward back then-” before Lincoln could make the deal Dean stopped him.
“And you’ll get out once you’ve finished your joyride?” Dean said to Crowley, eyebrows raised. “No funny business like you tried to pull with Bobby?”
“Yes yes I’ll hop back into this fellow after an hour of playing around with pretty boy’s powers.” Crowley agreed. “So, we have a deal?” Lincoln nodded and shook Crowley’s hand. Dean broke the Devil’s Trap and Crowley smoked into Lincoln. Crowley’s host dropped to the ground and Crowley, now in Lincoln’s body sparked lightning through his fingers and grinned. “This is gonna be fun.”
---
Daisy knocked on the door to the med bay where she saw Mack, Donnie, and Thomas lying on hospital beds and Rose sitting by Thomas.
“Hey Tremors.” Mack greeted.
“Hell of a last day on the job.” Daisy chuckled.
“Yeah.” Mack agreed. “I mean I got like a day left and Kebo comes back from the grave. I can’t imagine how hard all this must be for you.”
“Seeing Kebo running around with Grant’s face hasn’t been fun.” Daisy sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about when I was under Hive’s sway and everything Grant did to get me back. I owe it to him to do the same.”
“I get that.” Mack nodded. “We’ll get him back.”
“I know.” Daisy said. “So what are you planning to do once you’re retired?”
“Spend time with Ruben and Elena.” Mack answered.
“You’re sure about this?” Daisy asked.
“Yeah I am.” Mack nodded. “It’s time for me to move forward with my life. But I’ll still keep in touch.”
“Good.” Daisy chuckled.
“Are you Skye?” Daisy looked up to see Rose standing behind her.
“It’s Daisy actually.” she corrected. “Grant calls me Skye. You must be his sister Rose.”
“Yes I am.” Rose nodded. “Grant talks about you a lot. You’re pretty.” Daisy couldn’t help but blush.
“Did Grant say that?” Daisy asked.
“No he said you were beautiful.” Rose answered, causing Daisy’s cheeks to burn even more. “He’s never talked about anyone the way he talks about you.”
“I don’t deserve him.” Daisy said truthfully. Despite everything, she still didn’t feel worthy of what Grant felt for her.
“Grant says the same thing about you.” Rose chuckled. “Says you’re one of the best people he’s ever known and you make him want to be better.” A smile spread across Daisy’s face.
“Thank you.” she said. “Does this mean I get your blessing?”
“Honey you’ve had my blessing since the moment I heard about you.” Rose chuckled.
---
“God I hate having him here.” Coulson grumbled as he poured himself and Mace a drink.
“You’ll get no argument from me.” Mace sighed. “That psychopath poses a risk to all of us. The longer he’s here, the better the odds he figures out a way to get out of the Devil’s Trap.”
“I would be surprised if he hasn’t already.” Coulson admitted. “After all we just painted it on the floor. Luckily that room is completely sealed off. Still it’s only a matter of time before he figures out a way to break out.”
“Hopefully the Winchesters get back here soon with a way to get Kebo back to Hell soon.” Mace said, exhausted.
---
Kebo sat inside the Devil’s Trap as Daisy entered the cell with a sandwich, a cup, and a large jug of water. She threw the sandwich to Kebo and ordered him to eat.
“Why Daisy I thought you didn’t care.” Kebo snickered.
“I don’t want my boyfriend starving to death now eat the damn sandwich.” Daisy snapped. Kebo obliged, laughing as he polished it off. Once it was gone, Daisy opened the jug and dipped the cup inside. Once she’d filled it, she splashed the water in Kebo’s face. He cried out in pain as his skin burned.
“Holy water I take it.” Kebo chuckled.
“Dean said I could dump this entire container on you and Ward would be fine.” Daisy sneered. “But I’m gonna take my time.” She splashed more holy water in his face, causing him to cry out in pain.
“I can see why Ward likes you so much.” Kebo laughed as he writhed in pain, dropping to his knees. He then placed his hand on the floor and burned a line right through the Devil’s Trap. Daisy’s eyes went wide but before she could react, Kebo smoked out of Ward and into Daisy. Smirking, he used Daisy’s powers to blast an opening in the containment module. Then he smoked out of Daisy and back into Ward. “Man I love these demon powers.” Kebo grinned as he stepped out of the cell.
---
Sam, Dean, Kara, and Crowley arrived at Mace’s office and Mace and Coulson were there to meet them.
“So you’re juiced up on demon blood?” Mace asked Sam.
“Oh yeah.” Crowley smirked. “Moose here is all ready to go.” Coulson grabbed a salt shotgun off and aimed it right at Crowley’s chest.
“Care to explain what’s going on?” Coulson demanded of the Winchesters.
“Don’t worry it’s cool.” Sam assured. “Yes Lincoln is possessed but the demon’s on our side.”
“Oh yeah me and Dean here are besties.” Crowley said, slapping Dean’s back.
“Crowley, the demon possessing Lincoln is the King of Hell.” Dean explained. “He agreed to give us demons to bleed in exchange for, in his words, ‘taking an inhuman for a joyride.’ He agreed to hop out after an hour of playing with Lincoln’s powers.” Coulson reluctantly lowered the shotgun but kept his eyes fixed on Crowley.
“Well now that we’ve got that taken care of, I guess all we need to do is perform the exorcism.” Mace said. Suddenly Daisy burst into the office.
“Kebo’s free.” she panted.
“Lock down the base.” Coulson ordered immediately. “Daisy, Kara, get to work on finding him.”
“Sir how are we supposed to trap him?” Daisy asked. “He used Ward’s powers to break the Devil’s Trap.”
“I might have a solution to your problem.” Crowley chimed in.
“Well we’re all ears.” Mace sighed.
“Fry your demon friend’s brain.” Crowley said. “Overload his brain and he’ll stay in one spot long enough for Sam to perform the exorcism.”
“Won’t that be bad for Ward?” Coulson frowned. “We fry Kebo’s brain we fry Ward’s too.”
“Potentially yes it would but these two happen to know of a friendly angel who can put his brain back together once we’re done should that be necessary.” Crowley grinned. Sam and Dean nodded, assuring the SHIELD agents that this was true.
“Alright.” Mace sighed. “Coulson, have Fitzsimmons and Donnie get to work on building this thing. Daisy, Kara, go protect Ward’s family. The rest of us will try to keep Kebo busy.”
---
“So what are we building?” Donnie asked as he and Fitzsimmons got to work in the lab.
“Something that can fry a demon’s brain.” Fitz answered.
“Electricity tends to have an effect on the brain.” Donnie suggested. “We could use Lincoln’s powers to set it off.”
“No something like that’ll take too long to build.” Simmons shook her head. Plus there’d be a lot of setup and we’d need to lure Kebo into one place. We need something more mobile.”
“What if we modified the Overkill Device?” Fitz suggested. “We already altered it to destabilize Carl Creel’s powers. Perhaps we could use it to destabilize Kebo.”
“That could work.” Simmons nodded.
“Great.” Donnie said. “Should we get Radcliffe?”
“No I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Fitz sighed.
“He’s being locked up for whatever happened to May.” Simmons explained. “But that’s tomorrow’s problem.”
---
Kebo strolled down the hallway as fire burned behind him, coming right up on Crowley with his hands in his jacket pockets.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” Kebo grinned. “Crowley.”
“In the flesh.” Crowley smirked. “Or, well, this fine lad’s flesh anyway.”
“And what might you have come here for?” Kebo asked.
“Oh I just wanted to have a bit of fun.” Crowley shrugged. “It’s not every day you get to possess a meatsuit with superpowers. Sending you back to Hell? Now that’s just a bonus.”
“Well I was planning to take a run at your crown once I got done with Ward but since you’re here, why don’t I kill two birds with one stone.” Kebo smirked.
“You give me your best.” Crowley chuckled. “I’m under strict instructions not to kill you but I can still make this hurt.” Kebo grinned and rushed Crowley who quickly ducked out of the way, revealing Coulson and Mace behind him. Coulson shotKebo with the cold gun while Sam and Dean emerged from the two living quarters in the hallway and blasted Kebo with salt rounds, knocking him back. Mace rushed Kebo and landed several solid blows on him before Kebo caught his fist and slammed him into the wall. Regaining his footing, Kebo launched a blast of fire at Coulson, knocking him to the ground and chucked a fireball at Sam and Dean, forcing them to take cover. As Coulson scrambled to his feet, Kebo shot another fireball which hit him square in the chest. Crowley fired two lightning bolts at Kebo which collided two twin infernos being shot from Kebo’s palms.
“He’s distracted.” Sam said to Dean. “Get the cold gun and cover me while I try to exorcize him.”
“That wasn’t the plan!” Dean hissed.
“The plan was to hold him off but he’s already knocked out Director Mace and Agent Coulson.” Sam retorted. “We’ve only got one shot at this.”
“Fine.” Dean relented. He dove for the cold gun and fired it. Kebo was to quick and disengaged from Crowley, evading the lightning and the cold beam. He shot a blaze of fire at Sam that he narrowly managed to avoid. Sam extended his hand and Kebo shot a bolt of fire at it, causing him to cry out in pain. “Sam!” Dean shouted. Furious, he gripped the cold gun and shot a blue flame of cold at Kebo which he narrowly avoided, quickly ducking under a bolt of lightning sent by Crowley.
“I gotta tell ya Crowley this is the most fun I’ve had in years.” Kebo laughed. “SHIELD really pulled out all the stops for this one. Too bad it’s gotta end now.”
“Damn right.” Daisy snarled, emerging next to Crowley holding the Overkill Device.
“What’s that thing gonna do?” Kebo scoffed. Daisy said nothing as she pulled the trigger. And orange beam of energy crackled and fired into Kebo’s head. Immediately Kebo cried out in agony, grabbing his ears falling to the floor. Daisy held her finger on the trigger as the energy fired into Kebo’s head.
“THIS WON’T KILL ME!” Kebo shouted.
“No.” Daisy nodded. “But it’ll suck.” A flurry of memories flashed inside Kebo’s head, both his and Ward’s. His mind was bombarded with images of Ward’s past and his own. Daisy released her finger from the trigger and Kebo let out a cry of relief. He lay on the floor and began to twitch. Images began to flash in Kebo’s mind much clearer. He saw Ward sitting in Vault D talking to Daisy.
“Do you believe I’m telling you the truth?” Ward said in the memory.
“‘Do you believe I’m telling you the truth?’” Kebo repeated. Daisy’s eyes went wide.
“Grant?” she whispered softly. Another memory flashed through Kebo’s mind, this time him in prison with Bobbi on the other side.
“We’ll see Barbara.” Kebo said in the memory and out loud.
“‘We’ll see.’” Kebo finished. More memories flashed through Kebo’s mind. “‘Seems the lady’s willing to die for both these fine lads.” Then it shifted again. “‘I’d hurry. They’ve got orders to blow her head off in an hour.’” Next a memory of both Kebo and Ward. Their first mission, arguing over Kebo’s choice to kill the kid. “‘I know what our superiors want from us.’” Kebo quoted himself.
“‘He was a kid not a threat!’” Ward said in the memory and Kebo aloud. Daisy rushed to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Grant I know you’re in there.” Daisy murmured. Images of Kebo in bed with Bobbi flashed through his mind. Then of Ward and the team.
“I know that you care about us Ward!” The memory of Fitz insisted.
“‘You’re right.’” Kebo said. “‘I do.’”
“This is honestly not what I was expecting.” Crowley chuckled. The memory changed to that of Daisy and Kebo’s first meeting.
“You’re not half the man Ward is.” Daisy said in Kebo’s memory.
“‘I am ten times the man Ward is!’” Kebo shouted.
“Grant please you can fight him!” Daisy begged.
“I trusted you!” Bobbi shouted as the memory changed to when Kebo came out as Hydra. “I loved you!”
“I know Barbara.” Kebo smirked in the memory and repeated aloud, looking right up at Daisy. “‘That’s why it was so easy to beat you.’” Then the memory changed to Daisy and Ward on the couch.
“‘There are things about me… that you wouldn’t like if you knew.’” Memory Ward murmured
“‘You wouldn’t like me if you knew…’” Kebo repeated, a look of sadness that could only be Ward spreading over his face. “‘I’m not a good man Skye’”
“Yes you are.” Daisy murmured stroking his face like she’d done all those years ago. Only this time she knew all the darkest parts of Ward.
“‘That’s not a weakness is it?’” John Garrett said in Kebo’s mind, the memory being when Fitz nearly killed him and he was lying on the ground.
“‘It’s a weakness…’” Kebo whimpered. Dean lifted Sam to his feet as they watched this play out.
“Looks like it’s now or never Sammy.” Dean sighed. A final memory flashed into Kebo’s mind. One of him and Daisy in the containment cell after she’d been cured of Hive’s sway.
“Despite who I was, who I am. I love you, Skye.” Memory Ward said. “Flaws and demons and all.”
“Nothing you do or say will ever change that.” Kebo finished. Then he was lifted up into the air by Sam. He curled his hand into a fist and black smoke began to pour out of Ward’s mouth and into a red glow in the floor. Soon the smoke was gone and Sam dropped Ward back to the floor. Daisy rushed over to him and cradled him in her arms.
“I got you.” she whispered.
---
Thomas and Rose stared at their brother through the glass in the med bay. Daisy and most of the SHIELD team were standing their with them while Simmons and a no longer possessed Lincoln treated him. They’d said that Ward was incredibly lucky and that while he would likely be in a coma for a few weeks and would likely suffer random memory flashes and hallucinations for a while, he would be able to make a full recovery. Meanwhile, Coulson and Mace met with Crowley and the Winchesters to thank them for their help.
“We couldn’t have done it without you.” Mace smiled, shaking all of their hands.
“Of course.” Dean nodded.
“How’re you feeling Sam?” Coulson asked.
“I’m fine.” Sam assured. “Dean and I’ll get back to our own hideout and do my detox there. I’ll be fine. I haven’t had demon blood in years and this wasn’t that much.”
“Good.” Coulson said, relieved. He turned to Crowley and said, “Make sure Kebo doesn’t get back out.”
“Oh don’t you worry.” Crowley grinned. “I’ll make sure he stays put. I’ll shove him in Lucifer’s Cage if I have to.”
“You know what? I don’t wanna know.” Coulson sighed, raising his hands in exasperation.
“No you really don’t.” Sam grumbled.
“Well good luck.” Mace said. “Safe travels on the road.”
“We’re not that lucky.” Dean chuckled.
---
“Well. Seems things have gone a bit off the rails.” Taskmaster chuckled.
“Yes they have.” Lucy agreed. She was sitting across from him in his base of operations which was located in Russia. Behind her stood Aida the original. “Luckily I have a number of failsafes in place. I still have LMDs on the base besides May’s.”
“So we’re going to plan be then.” Taskmaster asked.
“Indeed.” Lucy nodded. “First thing we need is a proper piece of bait. And luckily, this whole ordeal has left of with the perfect solution.”