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 19 Look at Me, Look at the Freak!

Grace nursed her stinging face, tears of shame and defiance mixed together stinging her eyes but she refused to let them fall and for her father to see her cry. She was not going to be weak.

Sandy on the other hand sobbed openly and begged their father for forgiveness in their failure to recapture Sam Winchester.

'Daddy stop it,' Grace yelled as he delivered another blow to his sobbing daughter causing her to fall backwards against the wall. 'Beating us will not bring Sam back.'

'Don't you dare sass me young lady.' Sloane roared his hand striking her face before she could respond, blood spurted from the split on her lip where his ring cut the tender skin. 'I give you an order and you fail ... you fail – and you will receive your punishment like a true Sloane.'

'Stop it, daddy please I can heal but Sandy can't.' Grace cried out watching her sister fall unconscious at her father's feet, her face covered in blood and mottled bruising, 'you're killing her.'

'I give the two of you a simple instruction, lure subject twenty-two to the bar, give it the activator and bring it back here, what part of that did you not understand?'

'The brothers had help.' Grace yelled her own anger building as she openly defied her father, 'you never said that they may have had someone watching out for them.'

'How? How would they even know?' Sloane seethed, pacing he ignored his daughters, 'damn it.'

'What now?'

'Subject twenty-two ... it must have ... its visions.'

'He saw us there waiting for him in a vision?' It sounded like a question but Grace meant it as a statement, 'they knew what to expect and sent others in their stead.'

'The ones who helped them escape?'

'Get your sister cleaned up.' Sloane ordered Grace, 'be waiting and ready for me when I get back.' He strode out of his office heading towards the communications area when he met with one of his personal guards. 'What is it Rogers?'

'Cole's body has just been found in a motel room, a professional job by the sound of it.'

'Where is his body now?'

'On his way here, I made sure that there were no mix ups.'

'What else Rogers?' Sloane asked, knowing the other man so well, they had been side-by-side for over thirty years.

'Summers' body was also there, Cole must have been able to kill him but ...'

'Dean Winchester.' Sloane snarled the name like it was poison.

'From what our man says yes.' Rogers confirmed, 'we have our officers on the job so it won't go any further.'

'Excellent walk with me Rogers.' Sloane said visibly calming down. They walked in companionable silence to the communications room, 'what is the status of subject twenty-two?'

'Stationary Sir,' the blank-faced communications officer replied, 'there has been no movement for the last two hours.'

'Excellent keep me informed subject eight if there are any changes.'

'Ah sir, they are on the move.' Subject eight interrupted him urgently, 'moving slowly but continuously north.'

'Intercept them.' Sloane ordered, 'perhaps this is better than I could have imagined.'

'Sir?' Rogers looked at his boss curiously.

'Now we have the element of surprise.'

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Sam rested his head against the cool passenger side window, his eyes shut against the bright daylight. He knew Dean was right next to him, settled behind the wheel of his baby, he knew Caleb and Bobby brought up the rear of their mini convoy, protecting the Winchester brothers' backs. But, he still had an overwhelming sense of dread building inside of him.

Once again, his hand moved, seemingly of its own volition to his shorter hair and twisted his fingers in it. A lump formed in his throat as he replayed the sequence of events that happened since his original disappearance.

Dean never faltered, not once in his determination to retrieve his brother and to save his life. Sam felt the guilt wash over him like a tsunami crashing over an unsuspecting island drowning the inhabitants in crushing volumes of water. Unable to breath Sam floundered between conscious and the realm of darkness that now existed for him instead of sleep. Without opening his eyes, he moved his left hand across the bench-seat until he felt the solidness of his brother's body. Long fingers twisted in the hem of the T-shirt, no words exchanged, no looks or recriminations. Dean felt the tug on his shirt and on his heart.

Turning his head Dean glanced at Sam before returning his attention to the road ahead and the growing traffic, they had to get off the main highway before it got too crowded, for their safety and for the safety of the other drivers oblivious to the dangers that could be pursuing the impala.

'Dean?' Sam finally broke the silence opening his eyes he turned his head to watch his brother's, but he kept his fingers firmly entwined in Dean's shirt. 'Tell me ...' he faltered and ran his free hand over his face, wincing when he felt the stinging coming from the movement, his still healing body thrummed with it.

'Tell ya what Sammy?' Dean asked sounding bright and cheerful but unable to meet Sam's direct gaze.

'What was Grace doing with Sandy, what did Bobby and Caleb tell you last night?'

'Sammy...'

'No Dean I need to know, was it all an act by Grace?'

'I dunno Sammy, Bobby found out that ... their freaking sisters Sammy.' Dean blurted out, 'Grace and Sandy are Sloane's daughters.'

Sam froze as the words registered in his mind, Sloane's daughters. Images of Grace came flying at him thick and fast, he saw her face when they first met and she healed him. When she was raped. Was she raped?

'Talk to me Sammy.' Dean repeated a third time, when he still received no answer he swore under his breath and pulled off onto the side of the road, luckily there was a rest stop just ahead and by the time they stopped they were safe off the highway and away from immediate danger. Bobby's truck pulled up next to the impala moments later.

'Sammy talk to me.' Dean ordered his hand covering the one twisted in his T-shirt, 'you got hold of me so I can't go anywhere but you have to tell me what is going on in that head of yours.'

'Was it all a trick?' Sam mumbled, 'Grace – they raped her after beating me, was that an act Dean?'

'I dunno Sammy, I really dunno.'

'She – she kept bringing me back Dean, she kept trying to help me, how can she?' Sam turned to face Dean, his face a mask of betrayal and confusion.

'I dunno what happened; perhaps he forced her too, perhaps...'

'perhaps she did it without coercion.' Sam finished for his brother. 'I am so tired of hurting Dean; tired of people pretending to be someone or something they're not. I'm tired of others trying to control me, using pain and fear to make me do things.' Sam's words tumbled over each other as the dam finally broke and he couldn't hold back any longer. He told Dean everything he could, from the first thing he could remember after waking up in the Institute and his meeting Grace for the first time to the first test. 'Dean he tried to force me to bring on a vision as though I could control it.' Sam cried out his anguish sounding loudly in his voice, 'then, then the next one he blindfolded me, I was so scared and then I had a vision about a fire at the institute and you were in it.'

'Me?' Dean frowned, except for the explosions rigged to get Sam out there hadn't been any fires at the institute. 'You sure?'

'Yeah, everytime they forced me into ... every vision was the same, a fire at the institute and you were there in the last one you died.' Sam admitted hanging his head, he was unable to meet Dean's direct stare. 'I – I don't understand Grace Dean was she such a good actor? I mean she told us so many different things, how do we know what is true?'

'The truth is what Bobby saw and found out Sammy; focus on that everything else is a lie.' Dean declared, 'Grace lied to us whether on her own or by some way her father devised ... damn it.'

'What is it Dean?'

'That so-called serum.' Dean started when he saw the confusion on Sam's face he took a breath and slowed down his thought process. 'Okay, they have this serum, it is used to subdue the subjects and make them more pliable. In your case you got massive doses in your drinking water as well as the odd injection.'

'Serum?' Sam shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs. 'When, when I couldn't think straight or do what I ... I followed their orders blindly are you telling me that it was this serum?'

'Something like that.'

'So if Sloane gave it to Grace and gave her a script to follow, then she wouldn't be worried of slipping up. She firmly believed everything at the time?'

'Maybe ... what are you getting at Sammy?'

'The rape, she orchestrated it ... Dean I killed a man for no reason.'

'You didn't kill him Sam, Summers told me, and Grace brought him back from the dead after her own resurrection.'

'Dean ... you saw the video of that attack ...'

'It all looked real until.' Dean stopped himself and glanced away staring at the roadway for a few heartbeats until he could work out how to explain who and what he saw on the video.

'Dean?'

'At the end when you were knocked out, Summers and I saw who came in.'

'Who was it?'

'Sandy and Sloane together, they kept the act up where Grace was concerned we could never work out why but now...'

'Now it is all clear.' Sam spat out 'they played on my gullibility to make me perform for them.'

'Sam!'

'No Dean they had me performing like a trained animal didn't they, they knew exactly what buttons to push and how high they could get me to jump.' Sam cried out his voice laced with self-loathing and disgust, 'and he called me his property.'

'Sam stop it, you are no one's property and none of that was your fault.' Dean snapped trying to get through to Sam.

'No, get away from me Dean I might kill you too,' Sam scrambled out of the car and ran blindly through the row of trees lining the rest stop.

'Dean what's wrong?' Bobby barked jumping out of his own vehicle when he saw Sam's berserker rush.

'He's remembering and panicked.' Dean replied succinctly, 'you and Cal go that way, Bobby I can't lose him not now.'

'No one is losing him Dean.' Bobby reassured the younger man, worried not only for Sam's safety but also for Dean's sanity. He really did not know how much more the older brother could take before snapping.

'Bobby he's worried that he might kill me.' Dean sighed, 'I thought we had gotten all through this but...'

'What triggered it?' Bobby asked as they headed towards the spot that they last saw Sam before he disappeared between the trees.

'He was asking about Grace.' Dean said before vanishing into the tree line.

Sam gasped for air as he dropped to his knees, still weak from his ordeal at the institute his legs gave way before he could run too far. All he wanted to do was to run and to keep running. Running away from the pain, the torment, the betrayals and the pity.

'Sam?' Bobby's voice broke through his tortured thoughts and he shuddered visibly realising that Bobby could see him so vulnerable and weakening even more, he could feel the pity heavy around him. raising his eyes to the older man, he made a gurgling choking sound and tried to clamour to his feet to run again. Rough hands gripped his shoulders and held him tight, anchoring him. 'Sam, stop it's alright, it's going to be alright.' Bobby said gruffly, his own previously ignored emotions started to surface.

'I can't do this anymore Bobby; I can't do this to Dean.' Sam sobbed collapsing back down to the ground. 'How can he stand to look at me? How can you stand to look at me?'

'Why Sam? there's nothing wrong with you.'

'I'm weak and disgusting, a freak ... Dad was right, and he knew that when he told Dean to...'

'Sam your Dad was an ass.' Bobby groused giving Sam a slight shake to emphasise his point. 'He couldn't accept that you were different to Dean, that you were ... special.'

'No, no he saw me as I really am; I'm a freak Bobby I belong back at the institute.'

'What did those freaks do to you?' Bobby mused aloud.

'They told me the truth, for the first time in my life they told me the truth.' Sam said lifting his face to meet Bobby's, 'they said that I should be locked away, to be studied and trained so I can't hurt anyone else. I'm not human Bobby, and I'm not safe to be around, Dad told Dean that he might have to kill me and now I know why.'

'Sam that's rubbish.'

'No, no it's the truth, can't you see Bobby, I don't need to be possessed, coz I'm already bad inside and out.'

'I never want to hear you say that again Sammy.' Dean said behind them making Sam scramble around in fright to stare at his older brother, reminding Dean of a deer trapped in the oncoming headlights of a semi-trailer.

'No Dean, no shoot me please, or send me back but don't trust me.' Sam pleaded with his brother, his chaotic thoughts creating a headache making him wince. Blood trailed down from his nose and ears but went unnoticed as Sam slid further into his hysteria.

'Sammy please let me help you.' Dean said taking slow and steady steps towards his brother, hands out and palms up, no threatening movements or tone of voice, just a brother concerned for his sibling.

'No Dean it's too late to help me. Summers and the others they died coz of me, I bring nothing but death.'

'Dude you are so not a reaper.' Dean said keeping Sam occupied while Caleb moved stealthily behind him, a sedative already loaded in the syringe.

'No but I still bring on death.' Sam said refusing to see any logic, the weeks of torment and brainwashing had taken a toll on Sam as the serum finally started to leave his abused system. Swaying unsteadily Sam kept shaking his head and wringing his hands, confused and unable to accept anything Bobby or Dean said he decided that there was only one thing he could do.

'I'm sorry Dean.' he whispered pulling out his own knife from an ankle sheath, his fingers brushing over the scabbed brand.

'Sammy what the freaking hell do you think you're doing?' Dean cried out in dismay when he saw Sam fondle the small and extremely sharp hunting knife.

'I can't do this anymore Dean.' Sam said blinking back a new round of tears, 'I'm sorry.' Just as he pushed the blade into his forearm and dragged it downwards Caleb jabbed the injection into Sam's shoulder. Stunned Sam turned his head to look at his friend in horror, the knife slipping from his fingers landing in the small pool of blood soaking into the earth.

'Sammy!' Dean yelled running to his brother's side, he skidded to a stop and caught Sam as he slumped sideways the drugs working faster than the attempted suicide, 'oh God Sammy.'

Moving with blinding fastness Bobby ignored the overwhelming flooding of emotions from the brothers and did what he knew he could do. Taking Sam's knife, he cut up the sleeve of Sam's shirt creating a makeshift bandage, and then he slipped off his own belt and used it as a tourniquet around Sam's bicep slowing the bleeding.

'It's too shallow to do any permanent damage Dean.'

'What just happened Bobby? Can someone tell me what the fuck just happened?' Dean cried out clutching his unconscious brother to his chest, as painfully large choking sobs wrenched their way up spewing from his mouth as the hot tears fell. 'I don't know what to do anymore Bobby, fuck why can't they just leave us alone?'

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The garbage truck driver stared horrified at the gun pointed directly at his chest, the large black car blocked his way to the rubbish dump.

'Sorry Mister Rogers.' One of the black-suited men said holding the discarded device, 'looks like they managed to find it.'

'Ah shit.' Rogers paled visibly at the thought of telling Mister Sloane, pulling the trigger; he did take cold delight in watching the life gurgle from the innocent man.

TBC