Alternate Life or Real Life?

Disclaimer: as per chapter 1

Author's note: thanks so much for the reviews and feedback, it has fantastic, also the well wishes for my shoulder, after suffering for over 10 years I don't let it get in the way of writing my stories!

CHAPTER TEN

Sam blinked and stared around at his new surroundings, the walls all white and unadorned, felt like they were closing in on him, there was no window only a small mirrored window on the wall closest to the door. Other than that there was no furniture except for his bed and a small chest of drawers, monitors and computer outlets lined the wall behind his bed, all connected to leads and tubes attached to various parts of his body. It was only then that Sam realised he couldn't move his hands and ankles, leather straps bit into his skin, they were that tight he could feel the bruises already forming.

Then he made one more discovery, he was completely naked underneath the thin hospital sheet, okay Sam get a grip here, he kept repeating silently, like a personal mantra. His limbs felt like they were made of lead and his throat so dry, he needed a drink so badly.

'Ah Samuel it's so good to see you awake.' The Doctor's voice came from just outside his peripheral vision, 'I was wondering when you were going to rejoin the land of the living.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Oh you seemed to have a penchant for dying lately, I have had to revive you three time now, the third being just after I brought you here.'

'Where is here?'

'A clinic, I have autonomy over, no one can disturb us here.'

'My brother and dad will be looking for me.'

'Ah yes I have already fixed that little problem, unfortunately they have been a nasty little problem, most of the ones I have here, have no relatives living or if they do they are not around so it makes it less ... complicated.'

'What have you done to Dean and Dad?'

'Nothing, yet why do you think that I should?'

Sam swallowed a vicious retort and tried to think, he had to find out as much as he could, 'what ... what do you mean others?'

'Oh there have been quite a few over the last few years, young people like yourself all who have certain abilities that need to be harnessed and used appropriately.'

'But I don't have those kind of abilities.'

'Ah now Samuel who is being modest? Let me see, predictive visions and dreams, telekinesis, some empathy and a couple of others that I won't tell you about just yet as you haven't ah grown into them yet. No need to cloud the issue even further.'

'Even if I have all of these powers what are you doing to me?'

'First I need to see what kind of physical, mental and metaphysical endurance you have.' The Doctor finally stepped into Sam's sight, he read the readouts from the various monitors and computers as he spoke, 'and then the quality and reliability of your visions as well as triggers for the rest of your abilities. From there the data will be collated and you will be enlisted into a new program developed by a privately funded research laboratory.'

'And then? Come on Doc if I am gonna end up as a lab rat don't you think that I deserve a full explanation.'

'From there I am not sure, but you will be used for the greater good Samuel, yes, yes, now it is time for another session.'

'What do you mean session?' Sam asked wearily, he suddenly felt so tired, 'can't we just call it a day?'

'It is good to see that you still have a sense of humour Samuel, now lie back and relax it will be much easier for you that way?'

The doctor turned to face Sam, he held a syringe in his hand filled with that dreaded black solution, 'ah look Doc do you really need to ... ow!'

'Sorry Sam but it is what it is.' The doctor smiled as he pulled the needle from Sam's forearm, another bruise forming over the others from the multiple injections, 'this is the ideal formulation for you.'

'For what?' Sam asked, his words slurring a little as the drug started to smother him internally, wrapping its noxious tentacles around his circulatory system and winding its way to his already tortured heart.

'Relax Sam, the more you fight the worse it becomes for you.' The doctor said as he stood staring down at Sam, a strange look on his face, 'yes that's it my boy just relax and let it do its magic.'

'Ahh! Doc what ... ' Sam tried to form the words but his throat swelled and constricted so much that his breath barely hissed through. 'What have you done?' He gasped as he fought for each agony-filled breath.

'Relax Sam, ahh that's it.' The doctor pulled back the sheet and then stood back slightly so he could view the responses in Sam's entire body.

The young man's legs shook with the strain as he fought the effects of the drugs and the restraints holding him to the bed. Then another muscle contraction forced his back to arch, the muscles and sinews of his extremities bunched and corded as though they were bursting through his skin.

Sam threw his head back and let out a hoarse cry, his eyes wide and bulging as another contraction tightened his body even more. All of a sudden, his vision started to cloud and swirl, until it finally cleared and a bright white light blinded him. He could hear Dean calling him, but he sounded so far away, Sam was moving down a winding corridor, each step slow and sluggish, he kept walking slowly making his way to where he could hear Dean's screams. Smoke filled the corridor, thick and choking, making Sam's eyes water, coughing and scraping at his eyes he kept moving, Dean's screams becoming louder as he got closer. 'Sam, come back to me Sam.' He turned and saw his father standing behind him, holding his hand out to Sam, 'come on Sammy, that's it back this way.'

'Dean, I have to help Dean.' Sam cried out, 'Dad it's Dean he's in trouble.'

'There's nothing that you can do for him now Sam, it's just you and me now.'

'No, no Dad we have to go and find Dean he's hurt.' Sam pulled away and started to make his way through the dense smoke to Dean.

'Samuel Winchester get back here now, Dean is beyond our help.' His father demanded.

'No, you're not Dad, our Dad wouldn't give up on either one of us.' Sam gasped as the smoke filled his throat and chest, cutting off his breath completely.

Sam's body went limp and he dropped back onto the bed, his head lolling to one side, his eyes open and unfocused, started to glaze and fixate.

'Bring her in.' The doctor ordered barely able to contain his excitement, that had been the clearest vision Sam had had so far and one of the easiest to manipulate. The only snag was his heart, each session weakened it considerably. Before he could be ready to present Sam formally to Mr Grayson, the doctor would have to do something about it.

Grace wheeled Isabelle into the room, she had to young woman strapped into a wheelchair 'she is being a little resistant Doctor.' Grace reported, as she set the brakes on the chair on the opposite side of Sam's bed to the doctor.

Isabelle stared at Sam in horror, she could already feel the pull to heal him, the strain inflicted on his heart, and the lingering touch of death on Sam's mind. She so desperately wanted to heal him, but Belle knew it could very well kill her.

'I need you to heal him Isabelle, I feel that he won't respond to traditional methods this time.' The doctor said dispassionately.

'He's not breathing.' Isabelle whispered, 'it could be too late.'

'No excuses, just heal him or should I remind you of the consequences?'

'No, no I'll try.' Isabelle said, 'I'm so sorry Sam.' She added before she laid her hands on him, one on his forehead and the other on his chest just above his heart. Closing her eyes she concentrated on Sam and felt the pull as she slid easily into her trance. Gasping for each breath, Isabelle started to shake uncontrollably, sweating profusely, the strain of the healing showed on her face as she fought to revive Sam.

'Are we getting all of this on film Grace?'

'Yes Doctor, the cameras are all running, we will have this healing from every angle.'

'Good, very good this is turning into a very good day Grace.'

'Yes it is Doctor, a very good day.' Grace said with a small knowing smile as she watched Isabelle fighting to keep control of the healing process. 'It seems that young Sam here is resisting the healing.'

'Yes, nice little show they are putting on isn't it.' The doctor replied, his eyes shining with fervour and obsession mixed together.

'Ah!' Isabelle let out a cry and her hands dropped to her lap, her head fell forward and blood dripped from her nose, a red stain growing on the white hospital gown.

Sam shuddered and strained against the restraints before he lost himself in sleep once more, completely unaware of what was happening around him.

'Take Isabelle back to her room and settle her in, make sure that she has a decent meal this evening and give her another ten CC's of the serum.'

'Yes Doctor, what about Samuel?'

'I will see to his treatment protocol, I may have to increase the dosage for him as well.'

Sam opened his eyes and slowly waited for them to come into focus, he was still in the same room, but this time he felt different, something wasn't quite right but he couldn't work out what it was, and then he shifted his gaze and looked up.

Another IV drip, the bag filled with the black noxious serum hung on another metal frame, the fluid dripped down the tube inserted in his thigh instead of his arm. 'what the?'

'Your veins collapsed in your arms so we had to improvise.' The doctor remarked casually when he realised Sam was awake.

'I don't feel so good.' Sam whispered, 'gonna be sick.'

The doctor roughly shoved a bowl under Sam's mouth just as the younger man retched and vomited, he waited until Sam had finished and then used a tissue to wipe the spittle from Sam's face and deposited the contents into a sterile holder to be analysed later.

Pale and shaking Sam laid his head back against the pillow and watched the doctor as he moved around the room, checking the different machines and typing on a laptop computer. 'Doc, can you let the restraints out a bit, I'm not going anywhere.'

'Well I suppose that would be alright,' the doctor agreed, his good mood affecting his better judgement, 'I will undo them for an hour to let you stretch and then I will replace them for your next session. They are essential so you don't hurt yourself.'

'Thanks.' Sam said as his eye lids grew heavier and sleep claimed him, he barely acknowledged the doctor loosening the leather straps and the immediate release it gave him.

After the doctor left, Sam slowly opened his eyes and listened intently, satisfied that no one was around, he cautiously sat up, waited until the dizziness passed and then carefully swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Fighting the rising nausea, and the light-headiness he stood and the shaking in his legs he lurched towards the bench where the laptop sat. Grabbing the computer just before his knees gave way Sam collapsed, fighting the shaking in his hands he opened an email program. Painstakingly he typed out a message for Dean, and then before he let the blackness claim him, Sam managed to slide the laptop back onto the bench just above his head.

'Oh shit.' Grace breathed when she found Sam slumped unconscious on the floor, blood seeping from a cut on his forehead. Desperately she pressed the emergency button and then went back to her patient, carefully she inspected the cut, it was only a graze but was already looking red and angry. He must have fallen from his bed and hit his head on the corner of the drawers.

'What is it Grace?' The doctor demanded as he ran into the room closely followed by one of the orderlies.

'Sam must have fallen from his bed and hit his head Doctor.' Grace said, 'I don't understand how did his restraints come to be undone?'

'I untied them, he needed to stretch and move a little.' The doctor muttered as he watched Sam closely, the orderly easily lifted the youth onto the bed and without waiting for the order replaced the restraints, tightening them even more.

'Thank you Grace, Ivan I can take it from here.' The doctor dismissed them with an absent wave of his hand.

'Doctor I ... ' Grace started but quickly left when she saw the look the doctor gave her.

He stood over his patient menacingly as he tried to work out what happened, his gaze strayed to the laptop but he dismissed that thought quickly, even if he was able to get out of bed on his own there was no way that Sam could have reached the computer let alone used it. No, it must have been as simple as the nurse suggested, used to being restrained Sam must have rolled and fallen from the narrow bed, striking his head as he fell.

A soft moan made him blink and refocus back on Sam as his patient started to come too, 'what happened?' Sam mumbled his words slurred and his voice hoarse.

'You fell out of bed Samuel, I have had to have you retrained again for you own good.'

'My head hurts.' Sam groaned as his eyes closed again, 'why does my...?'

'Sam?' The doctor flashed his small light into Sam's eyes, but his patient had lost consciousness once again. Frowning at this new delay the doctor strode over to the intercom and summoned Grace.

'Yes Doctor?' She asked as she hurried into the room, casting a furtive glance at Sam.

'Get the girl, we need her to heal this latest wound, I feel ... I am worried about Sam he is not responding the way he should.'

'But Doctor ... '

'Just do what I ask Grace.' The doctor growled, 'bring the girl now.'

'Yes Doctor.' Grace nodded and disappeared again, hurrying down the corridor to Isabelle's room.

The doctor turned his attention back to Sam, he checked the IV drip, ripped from Sam's thigh when he fell; the serum leaked over the floor but not enough to be too much of a waste.

The sound of retching forced his attention back to Sam as the unfortunate youth started to retch violently, then blood spurted from his mouth, bubbling up his throat and choking his airways. Then the blood turned black, as a mixture of serum and blood slowed to a trickle. Sam gasped for each breath as he fought to cling to the last remnants of his life-force, refusing to give in to the call of the Demon.

TBC