The Institute

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from Supernatural nor do I profit in any way. I just write for the love of writing about the boys and hurting them on the odd occasion.

Warnings:

Rated for language, violence, and torture.

NO Wincest or Slash involved in this or any of my stories.

CHAPTER 9 Is It Too Late For Them?

Summers looked up as Mister Sloane came into the small exam room, Grace lay on the table in the centre, and patches hooked her up to machines surrounding her body.

'Well?'

'This was too close for comfort Sir, whoever did this ... did manage to kill her.'

'Now?'

'We are reviving her the best way we can, it is up to Subject twenty-one Sir.'

'It has very unusual gifts doesn't it?' Mister Sloane said as he walked slowly round the table taking in every inch of Grace's still body.

'Yes sir, this is the most remarkable and the most unusual.' Summers nodded in agreement, 'I have never seen any of them bring themselves back from the dead.'

'How does this affect its performance as a healer?'

'She will be seriously weakened for a few weeks...'

'It, Summers they are its they are not human ... humans cannot bring themselves back from the dead, heal with a touch, move things with their mind or any other bizarre ability that these ... these freaks have. They are its, non-human is that understood?' Sloane snarled coldly, staring up at the other man he pressed his point him, by poking Summers' chest in time with each word, 'They are its, non-humans understand Summers?'

'Yes, yes Sir.' Summers replied unable to meet his boss' fanatical stare.

'Good, now it has been brought to my attention that you reported a bond forming between subjects twenty-one and twenty-two.'

'Yes Sir, it seems that for some reason subject twenty-one draws strength and energy from subject twenty-two, I have witnessed it Sir, in their cells.'

'Interesting and where is subject twenty-two now?'

'Hunt has taken it to the infirmary, whoever did this to subject twenty-one worked it over good, it had to be resuscitated and then intubated to help it breath.'

'When did this happen and how?'

'Sir the only thing I know is that it happened sometime in the early hours of this morning, Hunt and I found them when we went to get them for their showers.'

'No one saw anything?'

'No Sir, but I have yet to view the video.'

'Very good, go and do that now, have Hunt report to me personally on the progress of subject twenty-two, I will remain here until subject twenty-one comes too, I wish to speak to it first and then subject twenty-two for their own versions.'

'Yes Sir.' Summers inclined his head and left without looking back at Grace, entering the security booth he confiscated the appropriate discs and went to a private viewing room. Stretching his back and neck, he put the first one on and sat back. After an hour or so of boring vision, Summers watched as Hunt moved towards the cells. His curiosity suddenly piqued he sat up and turned the volume up on the headphones a little more so he can hear everything.

He witnessed Sam's vision and the interaction between Dean and Grace; he listened to the brothers arguing briefly and then as Sam fell asleep the conversation between Grace and Dean.

'Fuck they're brothers and she's a reporter.' He muttered suddenly feeling very uncomfortable; he continued watching the security discs as Dean relocked the cell leaving Grace in Sam's, before retracing his steps back to the staff quarters.

Fifteen minutes later the cell door slid open and two large men stepped into the room and physically grabbed Grace dragging her from Sam's arms into her own cell.

He split the images from the two cameras so that he could watch both at the sametime. He saw Sam pounding against the doors trying to get to Grace, her pain-filled screams filling the early morning air. He watched as Sam concentrated on the door and the door unlocking itself releasing an enraged young Winchester, in seconds he opened the other cell door and burst into the room.

One of the men held Grace down while the other violently raped her, alternating the thrusts with slaps and punches to her body and face. Both excited and concentrating on what they were doing they didn't notice Sam until he grabbed the one penetrating Grace and pulled him away, slamming him against the wall he pushed him with his mind until his feet stopped touching the ground, an unseen force holding him pinned to the wall.

The other man stood over Grace's body and waved a knife menacingly at Sam, with the white-rage still controlling him, Sam waved his hand, and the knife clattered to the floor in the hallway behind him. 'What the fuck do you think you are doing subject twenty-two?' the other attacker yelled as he lunged at Sam who neatly sidestepped and with a soft push sent him flying against the wall. The attacker slumped to the floor his neck twisted awkwardly.

Blinking and still unable to believe what he had just witnessed Summers watched Sam as he knelt down next to Grace and tenderly lifted her head onto his lap, tears rolling freely down his face.

The blow took Sam by surprise, numbly he crumpled over Grace's body, another blow to the back of his head sent him sprawling to his left side, and blood trickling from his right ear Sam lay too still on the floor.

At the break of consciousness the guard pinned to the wall dropped to his feet, caught his breath and then went to lunge at Sam, when a hand stopped him, 'no, get dressed and then take it back to its cell and place it back into its bed. Let them be found like this.'

Summers blinked when he saw who the third attacker was, all colour drained from his face as recognition hit him with full force.

Dean sat next to Sam's bed, fretting his chewed his lower lip until it bled before pacing the room and then sitting again. The same movements lulled his already hyped-up senses, giving him an infinitesimal amount of relief.

'Dean?' Sam whispered tossing his head as a nightmare assailed him, 'Dean help me.' he cried out again, one hand reaching out for an unseen face.

'Sammy ... hey you have to quiet down we don't want anyone coming in and finding us like this.'

Thrashing his head from side-to-side, Sam's face screwed up into an agonised grimace, his knees bending and curling up to his chest, his hand flailing at the unseen attacker covering his face defensively.

'Ah so how is the patient doing?' Sloane's voice cut through the sudden silence like a knife.

'It is having nightmares Sir,' Dean said, 'aside from the new injuries it sustained during the near fatal attack.'

'List them Mister Hunt.'

'Subject twenty-two sustained two fractures to its skull, a perforated ear drum, bruising on the brain and some bleeding.'

'Very good report Hunt, I do tire of those who have to speak in medical jargon when a plain explanation is often the best.'

'Thank you Sir, what you do need me to do now?'

'I was going to have you sent to me in the exam rooms but time is of the essence and it looks like subject twenty-two is succumbing to its ... Go to the exam rooms and fetch subject twenty-one and bring it back here.'

'Subject twenty-one Sir?'

'Yes what is wrong Mister Hunt?'

'I – I thought that it had died due to the injuries it sustained in the assault.' Dean stumbled through his words.

'Ah yes, you weren't to know I suppose if the good Doctor did not explain it to you.'

'Sir?'

'Subject twenty-one is unique Hunt; it has the ability to heal itself even from the point of death.'

'So not only can she-it heal others it heals itself?'

'That is it, in a nutshell. Now go and fetch it, you can get physical if you need to.'

'Yes sir.'

'I need subject twenty-two talking, I want to find out who attacked it and why.'

'Understood Sir.' Dean turned and hurried down to the exam rooms, the new information buzzing through his already scattered thoughts.

'Hunt, in here.' Summers yelled as he saw the younger man hurrying down the corridor.

'Sorry Summers but I have to get subject twenty-one and take it to Sloane.' Dean called as he turned to keep going.

'I think you are going to want to see this before you see Sloane again.' Summers said cryptically.

Shaking his head Dean trotted back to where Summers stood and followed him into the viewing room. 'Gee Summers we can watch porn anytime.' Dean quipped but then the humour died on his face when he saw the attack playing out on the monitor.

'Keep watching Hunt.' Summers said watching the older brother's reactions closely.

Dean's face paled as he watched Sam's use of his powers to stop the rape and assault on Grace.

'What the fuck is going on Summers?' Dean turned to look at the other man, 'what the hell?'

'I know, I swear I did not know about any of this until I watched the security vision for Sloane.' Summers explained quickly, 'we have to get your brother and Grace out of here as soon as we can.'

'How, how did you?'

'I saw everything, Dean ... I can call you that can't I?' Summers said his voice barely above a whisper, 'there's no cameras in here it's the only safe room.'

'What about the toilets and showers aren't they?'

'Nope, the subjects are watched at all times, so if the guards want to get their jollies off by watching them shower and shit well...'

'That is just gross man.' Dean shook his head disgustedly. 'So whatcha gonna do Summers?'

'Well I am not going to turn you in that's for sure, hey I know what it's like to be the big brother and try to protect the younger one.' Summer's voice broke slightly as he conjured his own nightmarish memories. 'Paul wasn't much older than Sam when they recruited him.'

'You had a brother with gifts?'

'Yeah it was in the early days before the big breakthroughs, they lost more than they were able to find at first. Pauly died at the hands of one of the Doc's predecessors.'

'So why are you working here?' Dean asked his eyes narrowing in suspicion, not knowing who can help or who will stop him from saving Sammy.

'I want to close this place down; I want to see it implode into tiny dust particles.'

'Owkay I get the picture, down with the institute and up with the freaks!' Dean grinned finally feeling some of his tension leave. 'But first, I have to get Grace to Sam's room before Sloane sends out his dogs.'

'Okay, go along with everything for now, I'm going to keep investigating the attack and see if I can find out who did the clean up.'

'Kay I'll see you back in here later?'

'Yeah I'll page ya.'

Dean ran down the winding corridors towards the exam room where he found a pale but very much alive Grace sitting on the edge of the bed.

'Good to see you still kicking subject twenty-one.' Dean said his smile taking the sting out of his words.

'Where's Sam – subject twenty-two?' Grace asked timidly.

'I have to take you to him, he's in the infirmary.'

'What happened to him?'

'Fractured skull, bleeding and bruising on the brain, a perforated ear drum – look I don't have a great deal of time left to get you to his room, now you coming or do I have to carry you?'

'No, no I can walk.' Grace slid off the bed and held her hand out to Dean, 'but I could do with some help.'

'No probs there Missy, okay let's get this over and done with.'

As Dean and Grace neared Sam's room, they could hear his voice, the way it carried so much pent-up emotions hit the odd pair and they hurried their speed to get to the room. An anguished cry came from the bed as they burst in, taking the scene in quickly Dean faced Sloane, 'I have subject twenty-one for you Sir.'

'Ah very good, subject twenty-two roused himself a short time after you left.' Sloane said with a sickening sweet smile, but when Dean risked a quick cursory glance of Sam's body he saw the tiny puncture wound left by a syringe and the discarded item lying on the trolley next to the bed.

Grace ran to Sam's side and ran her hands lightly over his body, her tears falling when she saw the restraints on his wrists and ankles and the look of horror reflecting back at her. 'No, no healing.' Sam cried out flinching away from her gentle touch.

Intrigued Sloane moved closer to the young couple, momentarily forgetting about Dean. 'Why don't you want to be healed subject twenty-two?'

'Not right, using her to heal me. I'm not – worth it and she, she suffers so much.' Sam stumbled over his words but managed to get them out.

'That is none of your concern subject twenty-two, I need for the pair of you to tell me truthfully about the attacks perpetrated on you earlier this morning.'

'I – I don't remember much.' Sam started, 'I heard subject twenty-one screaming and, and I managed to get into there, the rest is a blank.'

'And what about you subject twenty-one? Answer me honestly and I will allow you to heal it.'

'They dragged me from subject's twenty-two's cell back into my own,' Grace started speaking, her face blank and an air of detachment settled over her, as she spoke her voice levelled into a low even monotone, 'they pushed me to the floor, one ripped my clothes from me and held me face down on the floor. Then the other one started to – to fondle me, and then they forced me over onto my back and then took turns. Forcing themselves into my mouth and – and other areas. I don't really remember much after that except for waking up in the exam room.'

'Alright subject twenty-one that is very good, heal subject twenty-two and hopefully it will regain some memory of the events in question.'

Despite Sam's weak struggles Grace managed to heal the worst of his latest injuries, both Dean and Sloane stood in silent awe as she worked on him. Frustrated, Sam turned his face from her and stared blankly at the wall. Not recognising or acknowledging anyone else in the room.

'Subject twenty-two you will now tell me your version of the events.'

'I heard subject twenty-one's screams and I – I unlocked the cells with a thought, ran into her cell and threw the one inside her against the wall pinning him there, and then the other one tried to attack me and I think I killed him.' Sam's toneless voice and lack of emotion worried Dean immediately and with Sam's face away from him, he had no way of reading his brother's state of mind.

'Then someone or something hit me from behind, I don't remember anything until waking up here.' Sam turned a blank emotionless face and dull eyes to Sloane, 'with Mister Hunt standing over me.'

'Very good subject twenty-two, Mister Hunt was one of the ones who found the two of you, Summers is investigating the ones who attacked the pair of you.'

'Thank you Mister Hunt.' Sam muttered as he turned submissive eyes to Dean before letting his gaze fall to the floor.

'Hunt take the two subjects to the holding area, I don't want subject twenty-two to suffer any further injuries so take it in one of the wheelchairs, twenty-one can walk alongside. No one is to speak to either of them, touch them or even look at them is that understood?'

'Yes Sir,' Dean said trying to stay focused on what Sloane was saying, 'do you wish for me to stay with them or to return to my other duties?'

'No ... actually this time I think it is appropriate for you to stay with the subjects.' Sloane said mysteriously before waving his hand dismissively and strode out of the room, 'do not forget the restraints for subject twenty-two I do not want it to move from that chair.'

'Understood Sir.' Dean called after him before turning to face Sam and Grace, aware of the cameras whirring to life behind him Dean silently undid the restraints and lifted Sam into the waiting wheelchair, with a heavy heart and his file on causing more Sammy pain growing by the second; he reattached the restraints and then covered Sam's knees with a rug. 'Okay subjects twenty-one and twenty-two let's get going.'

TBC