Grand Theft Impala (Dean)

[lucas]

Lucas was blinking. This had proven much easier then expected, the car in question an oldie from what Lucas was guessing were the sixties, was easily broken into. The car was old; the locks while maintained and upgraded were hardly a match nor did they feature a car alarm and with all certainty didn’t have a GPS tracking system. In other words it was perfect to steal. He parked the car in one of the towns many old parking lots, this one in particular was located behind an abounded bowling alley. At this rate he only needed a few more cars and his debt would be settled, well technically his and Mouse’s debt would be settled. He smirked as he opened the glove compartment, he had agreed to steal cars, he had never said that he would give Roy and his ilk the contents.

“What is this?” he asked as he examined the collection of…tapes. What had the owner missed the whole CD thing, not to mention anything more advanced? He rustled quickly around the tapes, finding himself slightly annoyed that the owner seemed to prefer singers from the eighties. He rolled his eyes as another pack of tapes fell out of the glove compartment, followed by a package of condoms. Well at least the former owner practiced safe sex. He continued to dig around in other worthless crap for a minute or two before he found an FBI badge, and a CIA badge followed by papers that identified the same two men as members of several government agencies. What the hell was this? Just in case he pocketed a few of the papers. He exited the car and went for the trunk. It took him a few minutes but he did manage to eventually pick the lock. And that’s when things got really weird.

At first it basically looked like an empty trunk, if it weren't for an small piece of metal pocking from under the bottom. Ohh a secret compartment - he quickly pulled up the false bottom. Dozens of weapons were stacked in there. Sawed of shotguns, pistols, knives you name it. What was there a weapons convention in town? He didn’t bother to go through all of that, knowing his chances something was probably wired to explode. He banged the trunk closed again. Well this would be complicated, on one side Roy might offer him more for the guns on the other he had to take into account that the former owner of the car might be some gun wielding lunatic. He shrugged, he would leave the car for the night, he would decide what to do with in the morning since nobody would find the damn thing here anyway.

Roughly half an hour later he entered the dump that was his apartment. Or rather the dump he shared with Mouse. He dropped his jacket on what passed as couch as he went to check up on Mouse. Odd, the place was empty; he did find a note next to the fridge though. His face contracted with worry as he read the contents.

“Crap”

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

He hadn’t really been gone that long, or he didn’t think he had, but apparently, he’d left his car out on the street long enough for someone to have stolen it. It was the only explanation he could come up with because the space where he knew he’d parked her was now worryingly devoid of a vehicle.

“What the..?” He muttered to himself, key in hand and eyebrows drawn together in confusion as he turned a slow circle in the middle of the street. For a moment, he thought maybe he’d gotten mixed up, that he’d parked somewhere else, but there were only so many parking meters on the street and only one had a paper bag over it with Dean’s handwriting scrawled across it, lettering in big black Sharpie marker announcing, ‘On call gynaecologist’.

If the traffic cops had caught him out, the most he would have expected to come back to was a ticket, certainly they wouldn’t have had time to tow his car anywhere, so the only logical explanation was that some punk had stolen his wheels. And that was unforgivable.

A litany of curses and threats to castrate came out of Dean’s mouth so fast he started to hyperventilate. People on the street veered out of his way, giving him strange looks as though they had just stumbled across a crazy person who’d escaped from a mental ward. Dean swore that if he didn’t get his car back soon, he probably would go crazy enough to get committed, for the safety of the public in general rather than anything else.

The Impala wasn’t just a car to him, it stood for everything Dean had ever had in his life and more importantly, it was home. It held more memories of his family, both good and bad, than he could count and some son of a bitch had taken it from him. Boy, were they gonna pay for that when he found them. They’d picked the wrong set of wheels to steal.

A few long minutes of ranting, kicking at inanimate objects and sheer fear over the possibility that his car could be lost without a trace, had Dean feeling dizzy and tight chested, enough to have to double over and brace his hands on his knees, head tucked down until the light-headedness passed. Sam wasn’t even with him to stop his legs from turning to jelly and a tiny part inside him wanted to cry. It felt like a death in the family, a shock to the system that he wasn’t equipped to handle on his own, but he had to. So he forced a long breath out slowly, then sucked in another and held it in his chest until the panic went away and he could focus again. After a minute, he was standing up straight again, rubbing his brow with his fingers while he mentally came up with a plan to track down his car. That was when he spied the security camera across the street. It was pointing almost directly over where he’d parked. There was hope.

After spending the rest of the day following up leads and chasing down his prey like a hungry Hellhound, Dean finally found himself outside the door of a crappy apartment in the middle of a crappy block on a crappy street, miles from where he’d last seen the Impala. His anger had been simmering ever since discovering it had gone and he knew that if the guy he’d seen on the security camera footage, picking the lock on his car and then driving off with it, was behind this door, that there was a very good chance that Dean would break all his rules about killing people just to make himself feel better. But first he'd find out what the bastard had done with his car and he'd put all of Alastair's torture skills to good use to find out if he had to.

He knocked twice on the paint chipped door with one hand, his other unconsciously clenching into a fist ready to swing if he’d found who he was looking for.

"Candygram." He shouted through the door, struggling to keep the venom out of his voice so that whoever was inside wouldn't be spooked enough to not answer.

[lucas]

“Dear Mr. Carter, our mutual acquaintance Mr. Mouse (as he calls himself) has decided to remain for a while in my company. The conditions as well as time Mr. Mouse spends with us are wholly depended upon you, and how fast you can make your deliveries. Yours Ray”

Translated from BS to normal English it meant the following: hurry up or we’ll break Mousses legs and then his neck. Crap. Why the hell was this, crappy shit happening to him? This meant that he had to get the car he had nicked earlier today and deliver it sooner then he expected. Well, he’d have to clean out the trunk…or at least check if there was anything explosive in it. He knew Ray, he was a bastard but he was a smart bastard, he wouldn’t risk his neck on something that was too hot. And a trunk full of probably illegal weapons was one of them. Then again he only noticed the weapons cache because a piece of metal had been sticking out, now that he had crammed it back in the bottom of the trunk looked completely passable. Could he risk it?

Even if Ray missed the weapons on his initial examination he was bound to stumble across them eventually. In other words he had to make sure that the car was worth it and then skip town with Mouse in tow as soon as possible. Okay that seemed like a viable option. Somebody knocked at the door, causing Luke to jump. He had been so engrossed in thought that he hadn’t heard the usually to loud footsteps on the stairwell.

“Candygram” shouted a deep male voice. He blinked. Candy what now? In this dump? Who was this guy kidding, there was no way there was any kind of a gram going here, heck they were lucky if they could persuade the paramedics to get here, forget the mail. Was this some kind of a joke on Ray’s part? No, he couldn’t see it, not really – a few thugs on the other hand sure. It took him a moment before he actually found the baseball bat, might not due much good against guns but it was better then nothing.

“Just a second” he said as he removed the door chain, which was the only actual lock on the door that worked.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

There was some hesitation on the other side of the door and given the rough area he was in, Dean wondered if whoever was inside was worried about getting robbed or, more likely, raided by the police. If this was the guy he was looking for, he'd be wishing it was either of the above when Dean was done getting his revenge.

A sound like a chain being pulled back was closely followed by a male voice saying, "Just a second," and it was all Dean could do to stop himself from kicking the door in impatiently.

Finally the door cracked open a fraction and he was greeted with the sight of a scruffy looking kid, barely in his twenties if that, dressed like he'd just fallen into his closet and had put on whatever stuck. Dean was half tempted to ask him if his Mom was home. His gut told him he was the culprit but Dean held back the fist he wanted to throw to take a second to confirm his suspicion.

"Hey, this is a strange question, but have you seen a 1967 Chevy Impala around here today?"

[lucas]

The guy who had knocked at the door looked… grumpy – also he asked about something or someone called Chaney or maybe a Chevy. Anyway he didn’t have time for this. He leaned against the wall as the stranger seemed rather intent on getting the answer to his question. Then it clicked with him.

“Cheyenne is a floor up, and do tell her to keep it down this time around” Cheyenne the buildings resident S&M hooker had roughly a client or two a day. And while he generally wasn’t bothered by it, it was the noise and the occasional scream or two that got to him especially at two or three at morning. “I get that you guys like it…err…rough but seriously can you skip the whole cage thing?” he added “Anyway good luck” he closed the door.

Okay this had almost given him a coronary for no reason. He walked back towards the kitchen, which was just down the hall, and proceeded to look for Mouse’s gun. Lucas hated guns, but this time around he actually might need one at least for intimidation purposes. Not that his choice was limited considering what was in the blue car he nicked today but with this one he was at least familiar how it worked, not that he had actually used the gun. Or any gun for that matter. He took the 9 mm into his hand; it felt heavy and caused him to feel slightly nauseas so he put it on the counter. This was going to be a long day.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

Cheyenne? Who the fuck is Cheyenne?

Dean decided that the guy was a moron because somewhere between Dean saying the name Chevy and the kid hearing it, a wholly unlikely game of Chinese whispers had occured in his tiny little mind. And then he'd shut the door in Dean's face and that just pissed him off more.

Wasting no more time, Dean took a step back, looked up and down the hall to make sure no-one was around to call the cops, then raised his foot to give the meagre excuse for a door a very hard, very precise kick where the lock would be. It splintered away, swinging back into the apartment with force and Dean was just disappointed that the guy wasn't stood behind it at the time.

He burst in a split second afterwards, scanning the immediate room for the subject of his interogation, finding him at the other end of a narrow hall that probably led to a kitchen.

"Don't dick me around, I'm not in the mood. Where the fuck is my car!?" He yelled, storming towards the younger man with the intention of putting the fear of God in him.

[lucas]

So as he was staring at the weapon on his counter, still feeling highly apprehensive about it, the door of his apartment got kicked off its hinges. The loud noise startled him, quite frankly he didn’t expect it, maybe due to the feeling of relief he had experienced a few moments earlier. The guy who had knocked, completely pissed off with one of those disembowel you with a glare looks, was stomping in. Had it been anywhere else, chances were that Luke would attempt to hide but considering that this place only had two rooms (three if one counted the bathroom) he didn’t really have that option. Nor could he escape through the window since they were nailed shut.

Car? Crap, crap, crap. Which car was he talking about? And more importantly how the heck did he find him? He sighed, he didn’t have time for this, and this completely complicated his latest delivery. An idea came to him as he remembered that his bat was leaning across the room from him. He looked for it, it wasn’t there, it was in the hallway right pass the pissed off loon. Oh joy. He grabbed the gun and pointed it at the intruder, his stomach churned.

“Yeah, I am not in the mood either” he said as he aimed at the man “As for the car I’m afraid that you’ll have to be a bit more specific”. This was one of those crappy days, actually months that started with Mouse’s debts and ended up with him holding a gun at a guy. Not that he actually ever fired one, but at this distance chances were that even he could hit a target. A target. He felt sick again.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

There was a familiar object on the counter beside the guy in the kitchen and Dean reacted instantly when the kid moved to grab it. He was quick, but Dean was quicker, pulling his own ivory handled Colt from the back of his jeans with expert precision and efficiency at the same time. It was the only weapon he had on him since everything else was locked in the trunk of the Impala, wherever this kid had hidden it.

“Put the gun down kid. This won’t end well for you if you don’t.” He warned sternly, observing the poor posture the guy had and the improper way he held the gun in his hands. Dean knew just by looking that he’d either never held one before, or he was still very new to it. Unlike Dean, who’s grip was firm and his stance steady, this guy looked the epitome of nervousness. A green tinge around the gills had Dean wondering if the kid was gonna puke there and then.

“The car I’m looking for is a black Chevy Impala. It’s a classic and it’s mine. Where. Is. It?”

[lucas]

It was a bit pass 6 p.m. Lucas was tired and one could say a bit cranky. Also he was currently pointing a gun at a guy from whom he had most likely stolen a car. The guy in question however was also armed and pointing the gun in question back at him. Unlike Luke however he at least looked as if he knew how to hold one. He was slightly proud of the fact that he resisted the urge to gulp.

“Put the gun down kid. This won’t end well for you if you don’t.”

He perked an eyebrow at the stranger. Yeah cause this was going to end well for him otherwise. His arm was getting tired; well he had to do something at this point and quite frankly he wasn’t able to pull the trigger on a tree let alone on an actual person. He lowered his arm a bit, the gun pointing at the man’s feel instead of his general chest area.

“Again I have no idea what that means…” then it occurred to him as he looked at the guy, he recognized him from the pictures on the false documents “…oh you mean that old car from the sixties?” once again his mouth worked faster then his brain. He should have just feigned innocence. Then again this guy did track him down, so he must have been on to him to begin with.

“Yeah I really can’t do that” he said “Sorry?”

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

"How many cars did you steal today that you don't know which one is a black Chevy?"

Yep, the kid was definietly a moron and it was beginning to grate on Dean's patience. Shooting him was tempting, but unless he absolutely had to, he'd refrain for as long as possible. Gunfire would draw attention and he'd already done enough to alert people something was going on when he kicked in the kid's front door.

"I want my car back and I want it back now or so help me God, I'm gonna start putting holes in body parts." He growled, taking a step closer when the other gun was lowered.

“Yeah I really can’t do that. Sorry?”

"What do you mean, you can't do that? Why not? What have you done with it?" There was a cross between forceful demanding and slighly panicked worry in Dean's voice, making him sound all the more dangerous if he didn't get what he came for.

"Please tell me you didn't crash it somewhere. If there's so much as a scratch on her when I get her back, I'm taking the damage out on you."

[lucas]

"I want my car back and I want it back now or so help me God, I'm gonna start putting holes in body parts." Said the stranger as he took a steep towards him, which wasn’t exactly helpful.

“Yeah, that will definitely persuade me” he said snappishly. The sarcasm had always been a self defense mechanism, if threatened be snippy. He could never explain it, the more threatened he felt the more stubborn he got, or at least wittier. The stranger, or rather the gun wielding loon as he will remain forever etched in his memory, however seemed to be loosing it. He rolled his eyes as the man started panicking about his cars safety. Quite frankly it would have been silly if it wasn’t for the guns and the whole life or probably death thing.

“No I didn’t crash it” he replied “It’s in perfect working condition, give me some credit will ya?” he replied feeling a bit insulted at the lack of faith in his thieving skills. Which, in it self, was especially weird in this particular moment. “What I meant was that I kind off need it” he said feeling silly even as he spoke “Which granted isn’t exactly your problem, well aside from the it’s your car part” he continued to talk as he started to think on a way to get out of here.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

"You kind of need it?" Dean blinked, disbelief in his eyes.

"Oh well, why didn't you say. Here have my keys why don't you. While you're at it, you might as well take my wallet too and I have a kidney I'm sure I can do without. Help yourself." His sarcastic reply abruptly ended with an even more deadly glare than before, the barrel of his gun moving from the guy's chest to his head. Pointed right between the eyes.

"I couldn't give a crap what you want. Just tell me where you left my car before my itchy trigger finger gets twitchy."

[lucas]

“Ha, ha” Lucas replied as the stranger snapped sarcastically. He was about to snap back when he found himself staring down a gun barrel, causing his throat to contract. Was this guy really going to shoot him over a car? He did see worse, Roy for instance had once shot a man for looking wrong at the girl he had been dating at a time. Well this was basically it then he could already see the headstone – died over a really old car or shot by car fanatic.

“Its three blocks west of here...” he said having weighed his options Lucas decided that lying was definitely the best possible one “...behind an old cinema from the fifties, there is a parking lot right in front of the back exit”. His face, aside from the frown of having a gun pointed at him, remained completely straight. He was a good liar, or at least he tried to be one, heck he fooled most of the people he met. Now he only had to hope that even if this creep bought his story that he wouldn’t take him along for the trip since these directions would directly lead him to Ray’s favorite haunt.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

The mention of an old cinema rang a bell in Dean's mind and he was pretty sure he'd passed one close by on his way here, so at least there was truth in the location the kid was giving him, but he would have been a fool to blindly believe that he wasn't just fobbing him off with a random car lot in the hope that Dean would leave him be to go find his car, giving him plenty of time to disappear. No way he was getting off that easily.

"Show me." He said flatly, flicking his gun towards the door before aiming it back at the guy's head again.

"Leave the gun behind and show me right now. You're not leaving my sight until I see my car again." If need be, Dean planned to hold him at gun point until they'd searched every car lot in the city. Whatever it took, he was getting his wheels back today.

[lucas]

“You do know that you’ll have to eventually put that gun away…” he commented as he placed his gun on the counter to his left “…otherwise it might attract some unwanted attention” He replied still feeling slightly unnerved while staring at the muzzle which was pointed, unwaveringly so, at his head. A moment later he was exiting the dump in which he had been living for the last few months. Generally he disliked dealing with Ray and his ilk. For starters they gave him the chills and secondly he never had any doubt in his mind that Ray would kill him if he ever crossed him. This amongst other reasons was why he wanted to get Mouse and get lost as soon as possible.

Now the stranger posed a possible solution and a possible death sentence. It all depended if he could get Ray to believe him that his pay off was better if he got rid off the stranger. Which was another problem, it was just as likely that Ray would off the guy as it is that he would simply beat him up. He had to work around that somehow. Ray wouldn’t hurt either of them if he believed that they posed too great a threat. Yet he doubted that he could pull that one off especially considering that he would on Ray’s turf. It took him some ten maybe fifteen minutes to finally reach the old cinema. The cinema was rundown and worn by time as the rest of this neighborhood; the walls were covered by either posters or graffiti, some of the walls even sprouted moss, and the glass in the door was cracked.

“This way” he said as he led into an alley which led to the back of the building that held the cinema. It also led to the only entrance and exit of the place, and he knew that Ray always had somebody watching who was approaching. He walked around the corned and found himself staring at an almost vacant parking lot. The only two cars were an old love bug and a caravan that was parked across two lots. The stranger had been right behind him, where was a gang banger when you needed one?

He already felt the stranger drawing his gun on him again. Then to his relief and annoyance he heard Ray.

“Well, well Mr. Carter I didn’t expect you so early” Ray was of Hispanic decent, his accent was audible accordingly “And you have brought a friend with you how nice”

“Where’s Mouse?” he asked not bothering to look at the two men behind Ray, and what was probably another in the shadowy alley from which they had come moments ago.

“Always direct I like that” Ray replied “However let’s not forget our manners shall we? Ray Hernandez” he said as he eyed the stranger next to him “I don’t believe we’ve met Mr. Winchester”

Lucas would later recal that it was this moment that his plan exploded right into his face.