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.

Author's Note: This is not a supernatural story as such, though the demon may make an appearance later on.

Just one little other thing no agencies or agents were brainwashed, manipulated or tortured in anyway. :0)

CHAPTER 24 Hide and No Seek

Sam curled up as tightly as he could in the cramped cupboard and rested his aching head against the brickwork. He felt as though he had been running a marathon instead of through a few corridors. The blood loss made him feel weak and almost detached from his own body. All he could think about was that it wouldn't be long and he would see Dean again, then perhaps they could be together and free from the nasties of the world. Human and Supernatural.

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Mister Sloane stood in front of Dean and stared at him intently, his prize warrior had proven to be of more value than the psychic sibling. 'Subject twenty-eight I have a mission for you.'

'Sir, yes Sir.' Dean replied staring unblinkingly at a spot just over Sloane's shoulder.

'I want you to handpick three trainees and do a hunt.'

'Hunt Sir?' Dean blinked and turned his gaze for a second to the older man but then snapped it back, 'Sir, yes Sir.'

'We have had one of the subjects escape from medical, it is considered deranged and possibly dangerous but it is not to be killed is that understood.'

'Yes Sir.'

'I want it subdued and returned to medical for appropriate treatment and punishment.'

'Yes Sir.'

'Report back to me when you have chosen your men, you have fifteen minutes.'

'Yes Sir.' Dean saluted and then turned on his heels and strode away keeping his soldier's mask firmly in place. 'An escapee? If he couldn't help Sam then he would help... a deranged escapee.'

Dean stared around the barracks sizing up the various trainees, 'Subjects twenty-five, twenty-six and eighteen front and centre.' He yelled the order, his tone brooking now argument from the trainees. The two men and one woman scrambled to fall-in directly in front of Dean. 'Sir.' They said in unison.

'We have a recon mission, Mister Sloane wants an escapee from medical subdued and returned to medical. The subject is considered deranged and possibly dangerous but not to be killed is that clear?'

'Yes Sir.'

'Let's go.' Dean led out his small team, his façade ice-cold but his interior felt like molten lava.

After inspecting the area and issuing a spread out command to his team, Dean stealthily followed the tiny drops of fluid on the floor, his aim to be alone when he found the escapee, maybe they could give him information on Sam's death.

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Sloane strode into the small room just off his office and stared dispassionately at the restrained occupants of the two beds across the room from him.

'I must say that I am disappointed with the two of you.' He said slowly walking closer to them, 'how could the two of you turn on me like that?'

'We didn't turn on you.' Came the soft reply, 'you turned on us.'

'How dare you!' Sloane hissed, 'I never wanted this for the two of you but I see no other choice.'

'Leave her alone Father.' Sandy cried out watching in horror as their father advanced on her sister. 'If you want to slap one of us around, do me.'

'I often think you like that too much.' Sloane turned to Sandy, 'no both of you are to be punished but I have a job to earn your redemption if you wish to redeem yourselves.'

'Father?'

'Grace don't.' Sandy warned her sister but it was too late their father had already injected her with the new serum, Sandy watched in horrified disbelief as he so callously treated his own daughter. Grace's slight body seized as the poisonous fluid surged through her system. Minutes later she lay still staring blankly up at the ceiling and then he turned on his eldest, 'Dad please can't we talk about this?'

'Nothing to talk about, you and your sister openly defied me.'

'We want a normal life Dad we don't want to be your killing machines anymore.' Sandy cried out as she struggled to get away from her father but the restraints held her tight and she was unable to do anything but lie there and let him inject her with the serum.

'It is for the best girls.'

'How could you?' Sandy wept, 'what would Momma say?'

Sloane hissed and slapped her hard across the face splitting her lip in the process, and then he picked up another syringe and pressed it into her arm, 'you will obey me.'

'Father.' Sandy croaked out as she started to seize before everything turned a dull grey colour.

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Rose glanced around her before opening the cupboard door finding Sam unconscious on the floor she let out a small cry and knelt beside him placing a shaking fingertip on his throat she checked for a pulse. It was thready and faint but there.

'Dean?' Sam whispered brokenly feeling the light touch.

'No baby just me Rose.'

But before Rose could do anything to help Sam the door swung open violently and she faced a blank-faced Dean staring down at her with glittering green eyes. 'What the fuck do you think you are doing?' He demanded.

'You're dead!' Rose gasped in shock staring up at the apparition.

'I'll ask you again, what are you doing?'

'Trying to save your brother's life.' Rose shot back.

'Sam's dead.' Dean deadpanned moving to grab her arm, 'I have to retrieve the escapee.'

'The escapee is Sam, they told him you were dead and he wanted to join you.' Rose hissed moving slightly giving Dean full view of the young man lying curled up on his side in a pool of blood. 'There is your escapee.'

Dean stared down at the pathetic form, unable to comprehend what he could see, 'it's a trick Sloane told me that Sam died on the operating table.'

'And he told Sam that you died trying to escape.' Rose shot back angrily.

'I – I ah Sammy.' Dean's voice broke as he dropped to his knees and reached out a hand to touch Sam's face. 'He's so still.'

'He's lost a lot of blood again.' Rose sighed, 'what is it with this boy and his stitches?'

'I-I have been ordered to return him to the medical unit.' Dean stammered, 'why would Sloane send me to hunt Sam down.'

'A test.' Rose spat out, 'testing to see who has your loyalty.'

'The ultimate test of domination, if I returned Sam to him willingly and unblinkingly then he would think that I have given in to him completely.'

'And if you don't and try to escape then he will have the both of you hunted down and killed.' Rose shook her head, 'my poor boys.'

'Rose?'

'Oh nothing, look the safest thing for the both of you at the moment is for you to return Sam to the medical unit at least there I can take care of him.'

'Sloane mentioned treatment and punishment.'

'I don't know what he means by that but what else can you do? If you don't return Sam then he will kill you and still have Sam or will kill both of you to make examples of you to the other inmates here.'

'Fuck Rose,' Dean sighed despondently 'okay you had better get out of here before you're caught.'

Rose nodded sniffling and pushed past him hurrying back to the medical unit to prepare it for Sam.

'Subject eighteen here now.' Dean ordered seeing the young man hovering a few feet away from the cupboard.

'Yes Sir.' The young man saluted Dean and stood at attention like a good little blind soldier.

'Help me I have found the target.' Dean ordered, 'take his feet I have his head and shoulders.'

'Yes Sir.'

As they made their way slowly back to the medical ward, subject eighteen stared down at the unconscious and bloodied Sam, 'what happened to him Sir?'

'Don't know,' Dean grunted, 'now keep going.'

'Yes Sir.' Carefully they carried Sam back to his room and laid him out on the bed.

'Go and find the other two and stand guard outside.'

'Yes Sir.'

'Oh and Eighteen.'

'Yes Sir?'

'No one is to come in except for the Nurse Rose, the Doc or Mister Sloane.'

'Yes Sir, understood Sir.' The young subject saluted Dean before turning on his heels and hurrying from the room.

'Fuck Sam look at you.' Dean whispered brushing a stray lock of hair from Sam's face tenderly, 'what have you gotten yourself into now?'

'De-Dean?' Sam stammered not wanting to open his eyes and find out that it is Dean's ghost there.

'Hey Sammy, come on dude open your eyes and let me see you.' Dean whispered patting Sam's cheek, 'come on bro we don't have a lot of time.'

'Dean?' Sam blinked and tried to focus on his brother, 'nooo, you're dead.'

'Rumours of my premature demise have been greatly exaggerated.' Dean grinned, 'could say the same about you Sam, you are a sight for sore old eyes.'

'No, no this isn't real.' Sam sighed squeezing his eyes shut again, 'not real.'

'Sammy, listen to me we do not have a lot of time here you have to look at me, it is really me. Sloane stuffed around with your mind ... with our minds.'

'What do you mean?'

'He told me that you had died during your surgery just before they filled me with their shit and took me away, they even went as far as telling me that they had cremated your remains.'

'Cremated?' Sam blinked and stared up at Dean, 'no, no they said you tried to escape and they killed you.'

'Listen to me,' Dean stopped and picked up Sam's limp hand pressing it hard against his own cheek, 'feel me Sam I am alive, it is me.'

'Dean!' Sam gasped cupping his hand on that familiar cheek, tears escaped from his eyes, 'too late.'

'No, no Rose is going to help me get you better and then we're getting out of here.'

'No Dean too tired, too late Sloane won.'

'No Sam don't you dare give up you hear me.' Dean cried out as loudly as he could. 'We're getting word to Caleb and Bobby and we're busting out and leaving nothing but ashes this time.'

Sam screwed his face up and gasped, pulling his knees up in an effort to ease the strain on his stomach, he made pitiful mewling sounds that sent shivers down Dean's spine.

'Dean?' Rose stepped into the room and looked up at the young man, 'how?'

'Help him?' Dean whispered, 'please Rose help him.'

Rose stepped around Dean and checked Sam's stomach, his surgical wound puckered, and red, green ooze lined the actual incision weeping into the already blackened blood. 'Oh Dear Lord, Dean we have to get Sam to a proper hospital.'

'Rose what is it?'

'I – I ... I am only guessing but at least septicaemia I couldn't ... Dean if he doesn't get the proper medical treatment immediately then...'

'Damn it Rose we're in a medical unit...'

'This is barely a first-aide station with a pseudo surgical unit; they butcher more than they repair. Yes, they did do the minimum to prevent Sam's death but ... he needs specialist treatment. Of course his little escapade didn't help his condition but ... Sam may not understand what he is doing at the moment.'

'What ... how can we get him out of here?' Dean ran his fingers through his short hair and started to pace, 'Sloane is expecting me to return Sam to here and then go back to training, he has to start suspecting something if we don't act soon.'

Rose chewed her lip and then looked up at Dean, 'is there anyone who can get Sam out of here? I mean anyone on the outside?'

'Yeah but ...'

'One of the ... experiment failures died this morning, he is roughly Sam's build and almost as tall ...'

'Fuck Rose ... what about ... hang on doesn't Sloane have the cameras filming everything? He's probably watching and listening to everything right now.'

'No, the doctors refused to have the cameras in these rooms, they are as classed critical care the subjects that end up here, normally leave here one way and it is not returning to the mainstream parts.'

'Do you have a cell?'

'Yes, please Dean I am not lying to you, you have to believe me I am not setting you up.'

'I know Rose, I do believe you can you ... can you get?'

'Yes but please it is imperative for Sam to remain calm and still until we get him out of here can you?'

'Just get the ball rolling Rose ...' Dean dialled Bobby's cell number from memory and waited impatiently for him to pick up. 'Bobby it's me.'

'Dean ... My God I never ... what's going on?'

'Can you get hold of an unmarked van and get some bogus body pick up papers?'

'Dean?'

'You have to come and pick up Sam's body.'

'What?'

'You have to come and pick up Sam's ... body.'

'Oh God Dean no ...'

'Look Bobby I don't have much time, we have to ... have an order made up to pick up the body of subject twenty-two for inc-incineration.' Dean's voice broke as he tried to keep it together, his gaze firmly fixed on Sam's pale face and dull eyes.

'Dean what about you?'

'Just ... just get here Bobby, when you get through the gates head around the main building to a docking bay.'

'Dean...'

'I gotta go, ring me on this number when you ... when you get to the gate.'

'Sure, sure damn I'm sorry Dean.'

'Don't be Bobby; you'll know everything when you and Cal get here.' Dean said before disconnecting the call. 'Sam hey guy how you doing?'

'C-cold Dean.' Sam whispered,'t-tired.'

'Not much longer, Sammy I got Bobby and Cal coming to get you.'

'You t-too Dean.' Sam reached out and clung to Dean's hand, 'I – I c-can't.'

'Sammy, dude I have to finish things here.' Dean said cupping Sam's cheek with his free hand, 'Sammy if I don't finish ... they'll just keep coming for us.'

'No ... no we s-stay t-together.' Sam forced the words out, 'don't feel...' Sam's eyes closed as the words died on his lips. His fingers lax in Dean's as each tortured breath became fainter.

'No damn it Sammy, you hang on little brother.' Dean said, 'I'm getting you outta here and then I am going to destroy this place one bastard at a time.'

'Dean?' Rose stepped into the room and looked at the broken young man and the still form on the bed, 'oh Sammy?'

'No, no he's alive ... for now.' Dean whispered, 'I ah have friends coming in an unmarked van they'll have a work order to pick, to pick up subject twenty-two for incineration.'

'Dean ... you have to go too.'

'No, no I am going to finish this Rose but you had ... they are going to work out that you helped us.'

'Dean ...'

'Can, can you accompany Sam? He, he trusts you ... I trust you.'

'Oh Lord boy, look at the two of you.' Rose cried gathering Dean into her arms she hugged him tight, a small smile graced her lips when she felt him finally hug her back, 'Dean boy please listen to me ... it's suicide staying here, as soon as Sloane finds out that we switched the bodies ...'

'He's not going to live that long.' Dean took a shuddering breath clung to Rose a second longer and then strode out of the room, without looking back his soldier mantle firmly fixed on his shoulders.

'Eighteen, twenty-six I want the two of you to return to where we found the subject I want you to check to make sure that it didn't have anything there ... it killed itself I want to know how.'

'Yes Sir.'

'Twenty-five I want you to go and report to Mr Sloane subject twenty-two committed suicide after escaping from the medical unit.' Dean's voice cold and filled with steel as he ordered the trainees to comply unwittingly with the cover up. 'Return to level three and wait for me for debriefing.'

'Yes Sir.' The three young people said in unison as they hurried to do their team-leader's bidding, blindly following orders as they were conditioned to do. Dean took a deep breath and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket when he felt it vibrate. Slipping back into Sam's room he took the call that would set everything in motion, once and for all.

TBC