Crossing Paths
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
Chapter 7: Rescue and Escape
Sam awoke with a start and sat up immediately alert, he had actually slept and that was surprising considering his state of mind; It just showed him how physically and mentally exhausted he was; at least now the physical exhaustion was lessened.
He had been asleep for a while because when he lay down sunshine was filtering through the glass in the ambulance's rear doors and now darkness pressed against them. He glanced across at the other gurney - Joshua lay there and he was fast asleep and snoring loudly, his mouth open revealing his long canine teeth.
Logan's voice emanating from the direction of the cabin made him turn his head, "Welcome back you must have needed that sleep!" Logan said. He was twisting sideways in the passenger seat to face him.
While he had slept Max and Logan had changed places with Max taking over the driving again. Whether Logan had managed to get some rest he didn't know, but he looked fresh and alert.
"How long was I out?" Sam asked.
"Would you believe nearly seven hours? You missed a pee break and a gas stop in Laramie," Logan explained.
Rubbing at his sleepy eyes Sam pushed up off the gurney and swung his legs over the side looking out the windows but unable to see anything that would give him a clue, "Where are we?" he asked.
"About 80 miles the other side of Denver," Max answered.
"We're in Wyoming already?"
"Yeah."
They were making good time but would it be good enough? He had a bad feeling clawing at his gut the answer to his internal question was… no.
"How much further to Salina?" Sam asked, directing his question to Max his anxiety making his words sound breathless.
"About another 300 miles," Max replied. "We should be there around sunrise."
"Go faster." Sam whispered.
Max opened her mouth to say she was going as fast as was safely possible but when she caught Sam's eye in the rear-view mirror the retort died on her lips and she pressed her foot down on the accelerator.
-CP-
The headlights and the lights lining the streets guided the ambulance as it raced through the streets of Salina. The eastern horizon was now tinged with varying shades of orange, salmon, pink and purple. Sunrise was imminent when a few minutes after leaving the city limits they reached the private access road some 15 miles south east that lead to the Phoenix Foundation's supposed sanitarium. A sign that read- SMOKY VALLEY SANITARIUM PRIVATE PROPERTY NO ADMITTANCE stood beside the locked tall, wide iron gates flanking a tall stone razor-wire topped fence surrounding what had to be a huge property.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention to their presence they'd left the ambulance hidden in a thicket of trees off to the side of the road. Joshua made short work of the locks on the gates by putting pressure on the point where the gates were locked together until the lock gave and then pushing them open allowing the four of them entry. They started up the long private road in a slow jog. The buildings was quite a distance from the road; they'd covered a good half mile when the road curved to the left and another large sign this one a little more inviting than the the first loomed up in the grey predawn light this one read simply: Smoky Valley Sanitarium; 100 meters beyond the sign was a checkpoint with a small booth and a boom gate; a chain link fence that ran out of view to either side away from the checkpoint. The booth at this early hour was unmanned. They ducked under the boom gate and continued on. Another 100 meters on and the road curved back to the right and as the trees thinned out the sanitarium was at last revealed.
Even though anxiety and worry rode Sam like a jockey he had to admit the building was impressive at least 150 years old, in its day the structure must have been a beauty, but time and neglect had taken its toll and it was now nothing more than a faded jewel.
The pathed driveway they followed cut through a vast lawn dotted with large, old trees; it curved around to the bottom of the wide steps that led up into the administration block of the building, from there it then continued on around the buildings east side out of sight towards the rear. The red brick building was enormous fanning out a good 300 meters to either side of the 200 meter wide front administration block it was five stories high and running back for what appeared to be from here possibly double the total front width. The nighttime lighting that hadn't yet been turned off illuminated the impressive size of the structure.
In a crouching run the four moved from the driveway to the shelter of the trunk of one of the large trees scattered across the front lawn and crouched down behind it.
Two sentries armed with automatic rifles could be seen patrolling the buildings front perimeter.
"Why would a sanitarium need all this security and armed patrol guards?" Max pondered.
"They wouldn't," Sam replied in a whisper, not wanting his voice to carry across the open ground to the sentries.
"There doesn't appear to be any surveillance cameras though," Logan said his blue eyes searching the structure.
Joshua's head lifted to the rapidly lightening sky as he sniffed at the air.
"What's up big fella?" Max said watching him closely.
"Alec… Alec inside," Joshua replied.
"How do you know?" Sam asked.
"Can smell him," Joshua answered, sniffing again at the air.
"Oh right, yeah of course, impressive," Sam said.
"How do you wanna do this?" Logan asked.
"Well that driveway leads around to the back so there's got to be a rear entrance." Sam observed. "If we stick to the trees we can circle around back, avoid the guards and enter from the rear."
"Sounds like a plan." Max answered impressed.
"Okay let's get this rescue on the road." Logan added.
The first rays of sunlight cut through the trees casting long shadows across the lawn and bathing the top floors of the east side of the building in gold as they made their way to the rear of the large building using the trees as cover.
At the rear as Sam had predicted was an entrance. A wide concrete ramp that was a very new addition and looked out of place against the rest of the old building descended down ending in a tunnel under the building.
They took cover behind the the waist high concrete safety barrier that ran from the building outwards on either side of the ramp.
Another armed sentry stood at the bottom of the ramp.
"That guard doesn't look like he's leaving any time soon," Logan stated quietly.
"Stay here," Max whispered and started to get to her feet.
Logan grasped her by the sleeve of her jacket pulling her back down, "What are you doing?" He asked in a quiet hiss.
"I've got an idea," Max whispered.
"Here take this," Sam said quietly pulling his Glock from his waistband and clicking the safety off.
Max looked from the pistol to Sam's face and shook her head, "Thanks but I won't need it."
With that she stood and sauntered from the cover and down the ramp. Not for the first time in their short acquaintance Sam was reminded of his brother; Max like Dean could always come up with a plan when one was needed.
Her hips swayed provocatively as she walked, half way down the ramp the guard saw her and lifted his weapon aiming it in her direction. Then he smiled his eyes roaming her small shapely figure and the weapon dropped to point at the ground.
"Hey there sweetheart where'd you come from?" The guard said a note of pleasant surprise in his voice. "How'd you get in here?"
Sam couldn't see Max's face from where he was but he knew she was smiling, her dark eyes flashing, pouty full lips would be pushed out invitingly, "Can you help me I think I'm lost."
"I'd say so, but I can help you any way you want," the man said leering down at her as she stopped in front of him. "What do you need?"
Max stepped closer, "I need you to-"
The guard didn't know what hit him. A fraction of a second later he was disarmed and on the ground unconscious after a well-placed elbow to the face.
"Go to sleep." Max finished.
Max scooped up the fallen guard's rifle and beckoned them to come down the ramp once close enough she held the weapon out to Logan who took it wordlessly. There was a lowered steel roller door about twenty meters further along the tunnel blocking them from proceeding past that point.
The four moved swiftly along the tunnel and up to the roller door. The large door was electronic, opening via a panel to one side.
"Needs a key-card and a code," Logan said glancing back down the tunnel to the fallen guard.
Pushing the Glock back into his waistband Sam stepped forward next to Logan, "I can bypass it."
Sam was no stranger to these types of security coded locks he'd opened many in his time taking the small flick knife both he and Dean carried from his pocket he used it to lever the cover off the panel and then he pulled out the wires from inside; he examined the wires for a moment then cut two and stripped the ends crossed the wires and twisted the ends back together a moment later the roller door began to lift noisily upwards.
"I gather that's not the first time you've done that," Logan said with a strained smile.
"I've been picking locks since I was twelve." Sam answered, closing the knife and putting it back in his pocket.
They ducked under the slowly rising roller door into what appeared to be the buildings parking area there was a van and several other vehicles parked in marked bays. Another roller door that must lead into the heart of the building flanked the other side of the parking area. Sam took care of the lock on that one faster than the previous one.
A large area that must have once been the old building's basement opened up on the door's other side.
Joshua sensing Alec's nearness leaned down towards the ground and sniffed a path across the basement floor to a dimly lit hallway; Sam, Max and Logan followed closely.
"Alec near," he said as he straightened to his very impressive height.
The dimly lit hallway led to an ancient decrepit looking open freight elevator that went up onto the main floors of the building or down to a sub-basement level.
"Joshua… which way from here, up or down?" Max asked.
Joshua was once again sniffing at the air, "Down, Alec down."
"Okay down it is." Logan said.
The elevator was as old as it looked and noisy it slowly groaned and jerked its way down to the floor below.
There was only one way to go on the lower floor; which made things easier. To the right of the elevator was a long, wide hallway with doors spaced along both sides it was completely the opposite of the one above them; bright, white clinical it had the feeling of being a laboratory and brand new. It reminded Max of the first nine years of her life in Manticore.
"Alec, Alec not far," Joshua said quietly.
Soundlessly they moved into the hallway. The electronic swish of a door opening had them plastering themselves against the wall. A woman in a white lab coat carrying a clipboard emerged from the second door on the right she turned away from them and moved further down the passage before entering a room further along the corridor.
The doors were all numbered and windowless.
"Alec!" Joshua said bending again he moved along the hallway from one side to the other he sniffed at the walls; Sam his pistol out and pointed at the floor, Max and Logan trailed behind the big man past the first two rooms on either side of the hallway. Joshua came to a stop at the third door on the left he pressed his nose to the crack where the door met the wall and sniffed before he straightened and looked at Max.
"Alec here." He said quietly.
"You're sure?" Max asked in a whisper.
Joshua nodded, "Alec here." He repeated.
Sam moved to one side of the door and Logan to the other lifting the stolen weapon.
Joshua stood back and Max took his place at the door, she glanced from Sam to Logan and back to Sam her voice still in a low whisper, "Sam you and Logan go and find Dean, Joshua and I will get Alec, meet you back outside."
Sam nodded and he and Logan moved stealthily along the hallway.
-CP-
"You ready big fella'?"
Joshua nodded his shaggy head and Max punched the button that opened the door.
The door opened with a swish and they stepped through into the room beyond. The room was as clinical and sterile as the corridor outside and it seemed to be full of people. The only woman in the room was punching buttons on the console of a machine that seemed to be attached via some conduits and wires snaking from it to whoever was on the tilted table dominating the center of the room. The two males were concentrating on the trembling body strapped down on the table.
"Increase the flow rate of the Cephalix by 10 cc's." The taller of the room's two male occupants said his voice heavy with a European accent.
As Max and Joshua began to step stealthily across the room the woman turned from the console catching sight of the pair she took in a breathe of surprise and to perhaps to say something but before one word passed her lips Max blurred across the remaining small space separating her from the woman landing a well-placed punch to the woman's face sending her to the floor. Seeing the intruders the short, heavy, sweaty man made a break for the door but came up short against the huge chest of Joshua who had stepped into his path. He looked up at the dog man his eyes wide, his Adam's apple bobbing making his multiple chins wobble comically, beads of perspiration rolling down his ruddy face. Joshua curled up one side of his lip growling menacingly down into the man's face. He sank to the floor in a dead faint.
At the first sign of the intruders the tall thin foreigner had turned partially towards them before stepping closer to the table; he dropped a hand protectively to the trembling thigh of who Max realized was Alec on the table. Something about the gesture had Max's anger escalating. "Get your bony hands off him," she ground out in anger.
The man looked defiant, "I will not. He is mine." He said.
Max shook her head, "No he's not."
In a flash of movement Max blurred at the man and despite the height difference hit him forcefully with a forearm to his skeletal cheek causing his head to whip back with the impact; he stumbled away his grip on Alec broken his long lean body colliding with a tray of medical instruments sending the tray and the contents to the floor with a noisy metallic clatter the man came to rest amidst the instruments and lay still.
Max felt Joshua's close proximity as she turned towards the table; both getting their first real look at Alec since entering the room and the sight had them staring in horror.
Alec was clad only in tight black bike shorts, his bare chest glistened with a coating of perspiration. His muscular frame was taut and strained against the straps holding him in place; he was racked by constant tremors. A catheter inserted into the back of his hand was attached to a bag of yellow fluid bold, black lettering emblazoned across it hanging from an IV stand. His face and head were mostly hidden by a pair of large goggles and ear phones that were connected to the machine the woman had been monitoring.
Max moved closer to the trembling X5 her hands hovering above his straining body, unsure where to touch him. "Why did they do this?" Joshua asked from next to her, his voice loaded with emotion.
Max's dark eyes darting from the IV line to the electrodes and wires leading to the various machines that tethered Alec's quivering body, "Gotta get all this stuff off him, help me," she said as she moved passed Joshua and around to the other side of the table.
Joshua began to undo the straps securing his arms and legs while Max gently pulled the IV and then the catheter from where it buried deep along the vein from the back of Alec's hand blood blossomed from the puncture for a moment but Max dismissed it; Alec had bigger problems than a tiny amount of blood loss, like whatever was in that IV and what that machine was doing to his brain. Finished with the IV she quickly moved from Alec's side around the top of the table to the console examining it for a moment before punching the buttons and flipping the switches to off, the electronic hum from the machine began to dissipate as it shut down.
Joshua had finished undoing the restraints, he exchanged a concerned look with Max as Alec's body continued to shudder. Max reached out and lifted the earphones away from Alec's ears and then moved onto the tight-fitting goggles; as gently as she could she pried the large goggles away. There was one more restraint around Alec's forehead, his eyes were being held open with metal clamps, the pupils blown wide with barely any green of his irises showing and whatever he saw it wasn't them they held no recognition of her or Joshua; moving rapidly like he was in the throes of rem sleep, his long dark lashes were clumped together with sweat, it gathered across his pale face fat droplets joining together to run in rivulets across his skin and into his damp hair. His teeth were gritted hard and if it hadn't been for the rubber mouth guard there was no doubt they would have shattered.
Throwing the goggles to the floor Max gently removed the clamps from his lids, they went the same way as the goggles; Alec's eyes remained open as if they had forgotten the natural reaction of closing, continuing to dart unseeing. Max found the mouth guard was harder to remove as Alec's teeth were still clamped tightly into the rubber; cupping Alec's jaw and applying gentle but firm pressure she pushed down enough to release the rubber piece.
Laying her hand against Alec's tense sweaty cheek; Max could feel the heat of his flushed, feverish skin. It was much hotter than the normal temperature a transgenic ran; the muscles under her hand jumped, bunched and quivered.
"Alec… Alec it's me Max, can you hear me? Alec?" He gave no sign of having heard her. A few moments later she felt the muscles give a fraction his jaw slackened a little and his lids relaxed, closing slightly but not fully; it could have been that on some level he was aware of her presence or the more plausible reason being that the machine was no longer affecting his brain and the drugs had stopped flowing into his bloodstream; whichever was the case she was grateful.
Max undid the last strap around his forehead and glanced up again from Alec's taut form at Joshua standing beside her; he reached out his big paw like hand and smoothed Alec's damp hair away from his forehead. "Medium fella' be alright now, we'll take care of you." He said his voice gentle.
"Let's get him out of here." Max said.
Gently as if Alec was fragile and made of porcelain Joshua slid one arm under his shoulders and another under his knees and easily lifted him from the angled table into his arms. Moving to the door with Joshua close behind; Max pressed the door opening button and peeked out into the corridor, there was no one in sight no Sam and Logan. She beckoned Joshua onward and the trio quickly made their way back towards the elevator.
The unconscious guard was stirring when they reached the bottom of the ramp. As yet unaware of their approach he staggered to his feet rubbing at his jaw, he then looked up seeing the petite brunette that had blind-sided him followed a few steps behind by a huge, freaky dog man carrying Kovar's current lab-rat in his muscled arms. The girl ignored him passing him bye.
He took an involuntary step backwards with a gasp of surprised fright as Joshua slowed his steps turning his head towards the groggy, stunned man; leaning forward getting in the man's space and curling his lip back revealing his canines before he growled menacingly and then barked, the man jerked back with a startled cry his eyes widening before he stumbled back away from the big dog-man catching his foot on the lip of the ramp he lost his footing and fell backwards the back of his head colliding with the concrete barrier beside the ramp his eyes closed and once again he lay still.
At the top of the ramp Max was surveying the rear grounds for any immediate threats when Joshua joined her.
Max turned back to look down the ramp hoping to see Logan and Sam emerging from the bowels of the building, but the entry was empty, except for the fallen guard.
"Come on Logan," Max implored. "Come on.
"Logan and Sam coming soon." Joshua said with certainty.
Max looked up at him, at Alec's trembling body cradled in his arms. "Joshua you stay here and wait for Logan, I'm going to the bus, bring it closer."
Joshua shook his shaggy head, "Okay but Max be careful."
"I will."
A moment later she was gone blurring away down the side of the building towards the front and the road where they had left the ambulance.
-CP-
They found Dean in the very last room along the corridor.
All the other rooms except one other were empty. The second last door the same one the woman had entered before was set up as some kind of laboratory there were 4 white coated occupants all of which were hard at work intent on analyzing the contents of test tubes and blood samples and peering at slides under microscopes so much so they failed to see Sam and Logan at the open door.
Quietly, they backed out of the doorway moving on to the last one.
Sam faced the door and lifted his Glock.
Logan brought the rifle up in one hand and lowering the other to hover over the button that opened the door, "Ready?" he asked quietly.
Sam gave to curt nod and Logan pushed the button.
The door swished open Sam's eyes skipped over the three other people in the room going straight to his brother; he blinked rapidly to clear his suddenly hazy eyesight trying to take in the sight of the near naked figure before him.
Dean was clad only in his blood-stained under shorts; he was strapped face down on a table angled so he was bent forward his back and spine pulled taut, his arms pulled out and away from each side of his body.
Of the three other men in the room, one man stood back as if observing. Unlike the other two who were in white lab coats he was dressed in street clothes, small and nondescript and although facing side on to him and Logan Sam could see a pleased smile curving his thin lips as he observed the torment being inflicted up on his brother.
The white coated occupants standing over Dean both had on latex gloves, one was checking IV lines that led from the inside of Dean's arms to the half full blood collection bags attached below the table; the other was pulling back the plunger of the biggest hypodermic Sam had ever seen; the hypodermic that was inserted into the middle of Dean's spine the man was extracting what could only be spinal fluid, there were three other of the same type of syringes filled, capped and lined up next to two already full blood collection bags on a steel rolling tray beside the table.
"Sam?" His name whispered in Logan's voice jolted Sam out of his frozen stupper and into action. He stepped forward into the room the Glock trained on the man closest to him a barely suppressed fury coloring his words.
"Stop what you're doing and get away from him!"
Three pairs of eyes turned towards him, the two white coats froze, the plain clothed man's head had whipped around at the command.
"Who the hell are you?" he queried his eyes skimming them, "and how did you get in here?" a frown of annoyance creased his forehead.
"I'm the person who's going to blow your brains out if you don't move away… NOW!" Sam's tone made it obvious he meant every word.
The white coats raised their hands skywards and hastily stepped back and away from the table and the frighteningly still figure lying prone upon it until their backs contacted the wall behind them.
The small man stepped into Sam's path in defiance of Sam's angry and imposing presence.
"You heard him," Logan said waving him back with the barrel of the rifle.
The man looked from Logan and the end of the rifle now pointed at his head back to Sam and albeit reluctantly he acquiesced stepping back to stand in front of the other two men.
"Logan?" Sam said, hoping he would pick up on Sam's immediate need to go to his brother.
"I got this." Logan answered, fully aware of Sam's urgency. He stepped closer and shifted the rifle in his grip to cover all three men.
Sam moved up beside the table tucking his gun into his waistband and pushing aside the rolling tray holding the syringes and bags of blood, "Dean, hey Dean," he whispered, hands hovering over his brother's broad, muscled back almost afraid to touch him. The sickly sweet smell of infection, sickness and stale sweat hit Sam's nostrils as he leaned over his brother. Dean's skin glistened with perspiration, cuts and massive bruising marred the pale flesh all along Dean's back and torso; all along his spine were bruised entry points from the spinal fluid extraction all weeping blood. The left side of his face his jaw, cheekbone and temple that could be seen where it met the donut shaped headrest were also discolored with dark bruising, cuts and reddened angry looking swelling that stood out in stark relief against the almost translucent, freckled, paleness of the little remaining unmarked skin. Reaching out tentatively Sam pressed the pads of two fingers to Dean's throat; his brother's skin was clammy and cold, so cold Sam almost pulled his hand away in shocked reaction to the ice cold burn. It took a few moments before he felt the rapid, weak flutter of Dean's heartbeat against his fingertips. Pushing the odorous smell to the back of his mind, Sam gently squeezed Dean's shoulder leaning closer to Dean's face.
"It's Sam, I'm here Dean, I'm going to get you out of here, its okay, and you're going to be okay." Sam said in a low soothing voice as he undid the strap holding Dean's head firmly against the headrest; he then gently turned his face towards him cupping his chin in his hand, looking for some sign his brother was aware and still there. Dean's lips were blue and the right side of his face was almost as battered and bruised as the left.
Even though Sam's main focus was on his brother he heard Logan telling the man in street clothes to tie up the other two.
"Dean?" Sam ventured softly, looking into Dean's face searching, hoping for some reaction to his presence. Dean's long, dark lashes lay against the bruised, pale skin under his eyes the left eye was swollen and discolored.
When there was no response Sam's anger once more surfaced he looked up at the white-coated men in the process of being tied up with unrolled gauze bandage Logan must have acquired from somewhere in the room. Sam clenched his hands against the frustrated rage that made him want to wrap them around their throats and squeeze until they ceased to breathe.
Turning back to his brother Sam moved down to Dean's lower back and as gently as he could extracted the large syringe from where it was lodged in between the vertebra throwing it away in disgust; he took two pieces of gauze from the tray before pulling the first IV needle from his arm, pressing one of the pads against the blood that erupted out from the puncture wound; when he was satisfied the blood had slowed to an acceptable level he repeated the process with the other IV. He then moved on to the straps freeing Dean from the remaining leather bindings.
Sam hesitated at that point unsure of the best way to lift Dean. He looked to Logan for help.
"Logan can you help me lift him?"
Two of the three men were seated against the wall tied with their hands behind their backs, feet tied together at the ankles and gagged with more gauze bandages; Logan had tied the third in the same fashion. He pulled the knot at the back of the gag tight grabbed the man by his tied hands, spun him around and pushed him down to floor beside the white coats. Scooping the rifle up from the floor he crossed to stand on the other side of Dean dropping the rifle onto another rolling cart of instruments on the far side of the table, his blue eyes skimmed Dean's exposed flesh, "Someone really worked him over," he said his brows drawing together in a frown. "And that smell, it's-"
"Infection." Sam finished.
Logan nodded, mirroring Sam's actions he grasped Dean's arm just below his shoulder being careful to avoid the bloody wound left behind from the needle.
Between them they lifted Dean up and back away from the table, each jammed a shoulder into one of his armpits and draped an arm around the back of their necks and across their shoulders grasping him at the wrists to support his motionless, sagging form; blood from the open puncture marks on Dean's arms smearing the collars and the shoulders of their jackets.
Logan again picked up the rifle in his free hand as they turned and started moving towards the door.
Sam jammed the heel of his free hand against the button and cautiously leaned out into the corridor shooting a quick glance up and down before they exited the room.
"Sam, I know a bullet wound when I see one," Logan said. Sam heard the question in the statement as they slowly made their way back towards what Sam hoped was safety and help, where they both hoped Max, Joshua and Alec were waiting. "About a week old from the look of it." Logan added as they passed the closed door of the room where Joshua had been certain Alec had been held.
Dean hung limp between them their strong shoulders supporting his weight, his bare feet dragging behind along the smooth, shiny surface of the floor. "Yeah…" Sam offered, before adding, "it was… is… a long story."
"Hey, I'm a captive audience and a good listener." Logan said encouraging Sam to continue as they staggered onward.
Sam glanced at Logan across Dean's sagging chest, "So not the time and besides you'd never believe it." Sam said wanting the man to drop it, he wasn't ready to reveal the details of how his brother had gotten the bullet wound that was now spreading poison throughout his system to a virtual stranger, even though this man had charged headlong into danger to help in an attempt to rescue him.
"I live in... post pulse Seattle... with transgenics and... genetically targeted viruses... I can believe a lot." Logan persisted, a little breathless from exertion.
Sam again looked across Dean's bowed head at the bespectacled man; Logan was looking back his intelligent blue eyes intense behind the wire-rimmed glasses, "Maybe later... when we get safely outta' here."
"Maybe?" Logan questioned, as they reached the end of the corridor and the elevator.
The elevator was up on the next floor. Sam pushed the button to bring the ancient elevator down; as it creaked and groaned its way downwards Sam had a moment to think that might be an indication that Alec, Max and Joshua had gone before them and were already out.
They made it up in the elevator, all the way along the hallway and across the old basement level without incident and were half way across the car parking lot when an alarm rang out, loud and piercing it reverberated all around them from unseen speakers, bouncing off the concrete walls making them cringe inwards away from the sound and then pick up their pace.
-CP-
Kovar was angry... no he was way past angry, he was furious.
After he'd come too on the floor and climbed to his feet his eyes had gone straight to the table. The restraining straps were hanging loose over the edge of the table and it was empty; he was gone. They had taken him, that girl and the huge dog-man had taken his prize, his property, his boy. One of his laboratory assistants was lying near the table her eyes closed, mouth a bloody mess. The other one the fat sweaty one was lying across the room, closer to the door; he was unscathed his head moving weakly eyes blinking up at the ceiling.
"No," he growled out between clenched teeth, stumbling towards the door. "No, no. NO!" His voice rising to a loud, angry shout.
Kovar stopped beside the fat man just long enough to kick out at him. "Get up you useless, fat, pig."
Reaching the door he jammed the palm of his hand against the large red alarm button, instantly the air was filled with raucous sound.
Outside in the corridor, people never having heard the alarm before, were running aimlessly in various directions, the alarm had sent them into a frenzy of activity; confused and unsure what they should do, where they should go. Kovar leaned a shoulder against the wall next to the door his eyes focused on the men rushing towards him armed and wearing security uniforms, he shouted, "Lock down the facility. NOW!"
-CP-
The alarm was still blaring as they hurried past the unconscious guard at the bottom of the ramp.
"Where's Max?" Logan said breathlessly as they staggered up the ramp towards where Joshua waited at the top, Alec cradled in his arms; Alec's head hung down over the crook of Joshua's elbow his left arm hung down dangling free, swaying as Joshua moved taking a hesitant step in their direction. Reaching the top they came to a swaying stop next to the big man, shoulders bowing knees bending from Dean's dead weight.
"She went to get our ride, bring it here," Joshua said raising his voice over the rise and fall of the alarm, his eyes on the top of Dean's head the only part of him he could see clearly. "You got Sam's brother? They hurt him too." He added.
"Yeah," Sam answered. "What did they do to Alec, he doesn't look so good?"
"People did bad things to him, bad for Alec; he's not talking, not moving." Joshua said.
Sam was puzzled by Joshua's words. Logan saw Sam's confused look, and explained, "Joshua is saying that Alec he's… he's never quiet and rarely still, always talking, always moving."
"Reminds me of someone," Sam said with a sidelong look at his brother's bowed head.
The sound of an approaching engine had them instantly alert and tense, all eyes directed towards where the noise was coming from; hoping it was Max and not more of Phoenix's men coming in response to the alarm which continued to fill the air; a moment later the ambulance rounded the side of the building, where it came to jerking stop beside them. Max jumped down from the cab sprinting around to the back and throwing the doors open as the small group covered the short distance. Her dark eyes rested on Dean as she helped Sam and Logan, Dean hanging between them up the step and into the ambulance, they turned awkwardly in the confines of the ambulance laying Dean on the thin right side gurney.
Not wasting any time Logan climbed over into the driver's seat throwing the bus into gear, looking over his shoulder as Joshua easily carried Alec up the step and into the back laying Alec down on the other side opposite Dean; Max closed the doors and ran to the passenger side door, "Go go!" she said with urgency stepping up and in pulling the door shut.
Logan pressed the accelerator down at the same time turning the wheel. With the combination of the sudden turn and acceleration Max was thrown sideways into Logan, thankful that there was no skin on skin contact; Max righted herself grasping onto the dash as the bus turned in a tight circle to face the way they had come in and without lifting his foot off the gas Logan pointed them down the side of the building along the driveway towards the front of the building and the road.
They saw no one as the bus hurtled along the beside the building then as they emerged onto the part of the driveway wrapping around the front of the building, armed guards were running, spreading out from the entrance to the building, more were spewing from the doors and down the steps onto the driveway, effectively cutting off the escape route.
"Logan, we're cut off." Max said.
Without slowing he threw over his shoulder, "Hang on and stay low, we're taking the scenic route." Jerking the steering wheel to the left he veered onto the lawn dodging and weaving a path amongst the many trees which also served to give them some cover.
At Logan's words Sam had instinctively shielded Dean's body with his own, grabbing hold of the metal rail on the side of the gurney to anchor himself, seeing out of the corner of his eye Joshua doing a similar thing with Alec. The bus changed direction like a fun park ride, veering left and right, bouncing across the rise and fall of the lawn as the sound of gun fire reached their ears, accompanied by the ping of the bullets hitting and ricocheting off his side of the bus. Sam knew ambulances were especially reinforced for the safety of the occupants. The reinforced metal was doing a damned good job of sheltering them from the gunshots but the sound of the deadly projectiles hitting the steel close to his head and shoulder made him flinch as he sprawled over Dean and tried to pull into himself making himself as small as possible.
The rollercoaster ride continued for about a thirty seconds then the bus slewed sideways tipping up to one side for a heart stopping moment before all four wheels came back in contact with the ground then it fishtailed the back sliding out as the surface under it changed when they must have left the lawn and gained what Sam realized must be the paved driveway; moments later the solid vehicle slowed only fractionally as it crashed through the closed boom gate; the gunshots tapered off and Logan again accelerated. Sam lifted his head looking down at Dean's pale face, before lifting his eyes to look through the windshield at the driveway. As they approached the gates Logan slowed to make the right turn onto the road and steered the bus onto the blacktop and away from the Smoky Valley Sanitarium towards Salina and Seattle.
-CP-
A cacophony of sound, gunfire mixed with the still blaring alarm and raised voices filled the air as Kovar ran from the front entrance of the building. The guards were running across the front driveway and onto the lawn, shouting and firing at of all things an ambulance that was moving fast away from him across the lawn, zig zagging between the trees.
He knew his boy was in there and he wanted him back in one piece, but the moronic guards were firing at the large moving vehicle. "Stop firing! I want them alive, shoot out the tires!" Kovar shouted his strident voice carrying over the noise.
Some of the guards changed aim towards the tires but the lumbering vehicle was surprisingly fast and was already too far away for an accurate shot. Kovar watched in anger as a moment later it skidded sideways tipped up onto two wheels for a moment before it slammed back down onto all four wheels the back sliding out and swerving from side to side for a moment before it gained the surface of the driveway then accelerated away around a slight bend all but disappearing behind a copse of trees and then it was lost from sight.
Kovar was breathing heavily with frustrated anger, ignoring the worried looks of the guards he turned on his heel and headed back to the doors, yanking one open he growled out loudly, "Somebody shut off that damned alarm!"
The guards found Marshall red-faced, furious and tied up with two lab assistants in the extraction room.
The alarm was still blaring when he was released; he took the elevator up to level 2. Kovar was striding towards him across the entrance foyer and Marshall could tell Kovar too was furious; the intruders had made good their escape taking his precious prize and Marshall's DNA source, Dean Winchester. Marshall was annoyed that he hadn't gotten to finish what he had started but he didn't think Winchester could survive long after all he'd taken from him.
"Sir, I don't know who they were, how they found us, or how they got in."
Marshall said as he fell into stride beside the much taller man having to almost jog to keep up with Kovar's longer legs.
"I can tell you that two of them were transgenics, one a transhuman, part dog I believe, and the girl she was definitely an X5." Kovar answered as they continued along the passage leading to the operations room.
"They came after them?" Marshall questioned as the alarm finally shut off his words sounding loud in the sudden silence that followed.
A few moments later they entered the operations room. Kovar crossed the large room to a man sitting at a consul monitoring a screen.
"Find them," Kovar ordered.
"Yes sir." The man answered, already tapping on keyboard.
-CP-
They were clear of the sanitarium and coming up on the outskirts of Salina.
"Everyone okay back there?" Logan shot over his shoulder.
"Define okay," Sam answered, on his knees with one hand braced against the chassis the other wrapped around the edge of the gurney, as the ambulance sped over the black top. "I feel like I'm in a cocktail shaker."
"Sorry about that," Logan said apologetically, his eyes lifting to the rearview mirror. "Joshua?"
"Fine Logan," Joshua said, also lifting himself up from his position across Alec.
Max left her seat and climbed over into the back, checking on Alec, he showed no sign of recovering from whatever had been done to him, he was still unresponsive, and Dean he was a mess, unconscious, battered and bruised and a nasty raw and suppurating wound in his arm just below the shoulder.
She looked from Dean's face, the image of a slightly older Alec to Sam kneeling beside him, his eyes pinned to his brother's lax, pale face, laying her small hand on his arm she squeezed gently to get his attention.
He looked up at her and even though kneeling Sam's came to just below her shoulder. "Hey Sam, how's he doin'?"
"Not great. I think he's shock." Sam said.
"Logan what are we going to do, they need medical attention and we can't take them to a hospital." Max said worriedly over her shoulder.
Logan looked thoughtful for a moment, his eyes on the road as he steered the vehicle through Salina, "this ambulance is fully stocked right?"
"I guess." Max answered.
"I've got an idea," Taking one hand off the wheel Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Call Sam Carr he might be able to tell us how to help them with the stuff we've got until we get back to Seattle."
"Good idea." Max said taking the phone from Logan's outstretched hand and scrolling through his contacts before connecting to Sam's number.
"Sam Carr," a familiar voice said after three rings.
"Sam its Max, I'm with Logan and we need your help," Max said pressing the phone tight against her ear.
-CP-
As a general rule Dr. Sam Carr ignored the ringing of his cell phone when he was at the hospital.
The hallway outside Sam's office was busy with people and hospital staff passing by going about their business; Sam had finished morning rounds and he was at his desk doing paper work and sipping on coffee when he heard his muffled ring tone and felt the vibration of his phone from the pocket of his coat; Sam was tempted to just let it go to voicemail but something told him he should take this call. Setting the paper cup down on the desk he pulled out the phone and when he saw the 'Logan Calling' in the display he hit the connect button.
"Hey Logan."
"Sam its Max, I'm with Logan and we need your help." Max's tinny voice said down the line.
"Max? Is Logan okay? Is it the virus?" Sam asked, immediately suspecting Logan and Max had accidently touched and the virus Max carried genetically targeted to Logan's DNA was once again making Logan ill, this time maybe even killing him.
"Logan's right here, I'm using his phone."
Sam realized he was on speaker when Logan answered, "Hey Sam I'm here and I'm fine, it's Alec and a… friend of ours that need help."
Sam had treated Alec for the gunshot wound he'd received in the siege and a couple of times since for various injuries usually in the early hours of the morning and usually the result of some scheme gone wrong and Sam like everyone else who's lives Alec touched had grown very fond of the young X5.
"Alec? What's that fool kid got into this time?"
As Max and Logan gave Sam the abridged account of what had led to Alec and Dean's condition, where they were and what they were travelling in Sam had stood from his desk and was pacing across his office, rubbing absently at his bald pate.
"There will be some supplies there to help them I just need to know a little more about their condition, starting with Alec."
"Okay."
"You said he is unresponsive?"
"Yeah," Max answered.
"I want you to try some things for me."
"Okay, what do I do?" Max answered.
"Pinch his skin or better still rub your knuckles hard along his breastbone," Sam said. "You'll know straight away if he feels it."
"Hang on."
Sam heard the rustle of movement on the end of phone and then silence. "Max?"
"Yeah I'm here… Sam there's nothing, no reaction."
"None at all?"
"No nothing."
"Damn, are his eyes open or closed?"
"Kind of half open."
"Lift his lids and tell me what you see… are his pupils large or small?"
"Urrr… they're huge, I can hardly see any color and he's burning up, he's much hotter than he should be even for an X5."
"You said they had him hooked up to some machine and they had him on some intravenous drug, sounds like they've interfered with his brain wave patterns… I'm guessing it's some form of brain-washing technique, sounds like at the moment he's catatonic."
"Catatonic?" Logan said, shocked.
"Sam, do you think you can help him?" Max asked emotion in her voice.
"I hope so but I need to see him, run some tests and isolate what drug they were using. What about Dean? You said his brother is there?"
"Yeah he's here, you're on speaker."
A few moments later he heard the younger man's voice, "Hello, this is Sam."
"Hey Sam my name is Sam Carr I'm a doctor and friend of Logan, Max and Alec. Sam I'm going to try and help you to help Dean but first I need to ask you some questions about his condition."
"Okay," Sam answered.
"Do you know what they did to him?"
"For a start they beat him to Hell. I think he's got some broken ribs, they also took his blood and spinal fluid and…"
When Sam didn't finish the older man prompted, "Sam you still there?"
"Yeah, he's got a… bullet wound in the flesh of his upper arm just below the shoulder," he finally answered.
"They shot him as well?"
"No it's older but it's infected. It smells… it smells really bad."
"When you say older how much older?"
"Bout a week."
"Is he alternating between sweating and shivering?"
"Yeah he is."
"Definitely infected and if it's been nearly a week it's probably spread and has entered into his blood stream, I'll have a bolus of high strength antibiotics ready for him when you arrive we'll need to get those started ASAP. How's his breathing?"
"Err shallow and rapid and he seems to be having trouble," Sam replied.
"Could be related to the infection, but the more likely cause is one of the broken ribs has punctured a lung that's why his breathing is compromised; you need to keep the ribs as stable as possible to avoid doing any more damage to his lung."
"Yeah I understand."
"Do you have any idea how much blood they took?"
"A lot… I think more than 2 of those collection bags."
"Right. They come in different sizes do you know what size they were?"
"No. Why? Is it important?"
"Very, the human body can only loose so much blood before it starts to shut down," Sam explained. "Is he conscious?"
"No."
"Does he feel cold and clammy, and is his heart racing?"
"Yeah."
"He's in hypovolemic shock which means he doesn't have enough blood going to his organs."
"Is there something we can do?"
"Ideally he needs blood, fluids and oxygen. Do you see an oxygen cylinder and mask?"
There was brief pause before Sam answered, "Yeah I see it."
"Good, place the mask over his nose and mouth and turn the oxygen on."
It was about twenty seconds before Sam heard, "Done."
"Good, good. Sam have you ever started an IV before?"
"No, never."
"That's okay; I'm going to talk you through it. Look around for IV bags labelled Saline."
It was a tense few minutes for the older man helpless on the end of the phone line as he guided Sam through the steps of inserting the IV needle, twice Sam missed the vein pocking the needle into the flesh on the back of Dean's hand before he heard Sam's triumphant cry. "Got it it's in."
"Good now make sure the saline is flowing in through the tubing, squeeze the bag so it flows in faster; the saline will help to replace some of his fluids, it's only a band aid until we can replace the lost blood volume. You should see some improvement in his condition fairly soon. Do you know Dean's blood type?"
"A positive," Sam answered without hesitation.
"Great I'll have some waiting, now elevate his legs; be careful of the ribs, keep him warm and keep the saline flowing."
"Okay, got it, thanks doc," Sam said, relief and gratitude evident in his tone.
"Glad to help… Logan?"
"Yeah Sam I'm here," Logan replied.
"How far away are you?"
"Just passed through Salina, we're about 22, 23 hours out."
"Make it as fast as safely possible I'll keep in touch to see how things are going; if either of their condition worsens or changes in any way you call me straight away. When you get back I'll meet you at the ambulance bay under the hospital."
"Thanks Sam I really appreciate this."
"No problem, glad to help."
-CP-
This was his greatest fear; not any of the spirits, creatures or monsters that he'd fought or killed over his 28 years. His worst nightmare his greatest fear was being alone. Dean had never done alone well. The darkness that shrouded him didn't scratch the surface of his fear, besides he and Sam seemed to spend most of their lives in the dark, however being alone and in the dark was something he had always dreaded. He couldn't seem to breath… whether from the fear of loneliness of being alone or the fact that his lungs and insides were on fire; the sheer intensity of it was consuming him from his core spreading rapidly outwards; it was like a living breathing thing; he writhed in agony, trying to pull away from the overwhelming white hot heat but it was impossible, there was no escape; his organs were liquefying, his blood was boiling and now his skin was beginning to blister, bubble and shrivel.
He screamed out his anguish long and hard and just like that the fire was gone, it was as if it had ridden out of his body piggybacking on his agonized scream.
He panted residual heat from his throat trying desperately to draw a deep breathe but he felt like he was breathing through a straw even though the fire had ceased to burn.
Between one strangled breath and the next it all changed and in a complete turnaround freezing cold bit into him, pushing in on him, icy fingers of cold seizing his stuttering breath in his throat; a solid mass of ice forming and growing over his skin like it was alive, an icy alien being, immobilizing him in a cocoon of ice as piecing needles of cold penetrated his skin, freezing the blood in his veins that had moments ago been boiling, stifling and freezing his innards to a stop.
As his life slipped away frozen in the ice he heard it… a voice sounding far away coming from outside his ice cocoon; one word.
"Dean?"
He knew that voice. Sam… that you? He knew his question was not verbalized, not spoken aloud it was only a thought inside his head.
"Dean?" Sam's voice repeated.
He sounds so young and scared like he did when he was eleven after he'd woken from a nightmare. His little brother had only said his name but a lifetime of listening and caring told him his brother's state of mind.
"Dean?" Sam said again.
This time it sounded louder, closer, clearer carrying with it warmth and life because as the whisper of that one word rolled across his coffin of ice he felt it begin to crack and thaw.
"Dean?"
The ice was rapidly turning to liquid and running away, so much so his teeth began to chatter and he could feel his lips and body trembling and shaking uncontrollably.
Experimentally he rolled his eyes under lids that had moments ago been frozen solid.
He was aware of something over his nose and mouth forcing air down his throat and into his ice lined unresponsive lungs, but he felt like he was being smothered; if only he could take that air into his lungs and circulate oxygen through him. There was movement around and under him a gentle rocking and the vibration of an engine through his body, his body that was a mass of pain, the dull pain all along his spine a reminder of the excruciating pain that had stabbed into him before everything had faded away.
He was on the road… but it wasn't the Impala, it didn't feel right and there was no accompanying growl of the powerful engine or the familiar embrace of leather upholstery; he pulled his brows into a frown of confusion… at least it felt like he had… he couldn't be sure because his face was numb.
It must have shown and Sam must have seen the small movement because his tone had changed from worried to hopeful when next he spoke.
"Dean? Come on back to me."
He could never deny that plea.
He felt his lashes tremble and he forced his eyes open.
-CP-
Sam had been watching his brother closely, calling to him, calling him back; he could hear the child-like note and the fear lacing the one word- his brother's name and he knew when he saw the almost imperceptible movement, the ever so slight roll of Dean's eyes under his swollen lids, when his sooty black lashes shivered against the dark circles of skin under his eyes; his brother was coming back to him.
Twenty minutes had passed since the saline had been flowing into Dean's traumatized, ravaged system and as Sam Carr had predicted there had been an improvement, albeit only the small movement of his brother's eyes followed moments later by the slight drawing together of his brows.
"Dean? Come on back to me." Sam said on an exhale of trembling breath.
Dean's lashes quivered and opened just far enough for Sam to catch a tiny slit of his fever bright glittering green irises.
"There you are," Sam said relief making his words sound strained.
Dean's breathing was shallow and labored. "Sammy… can't… breathe… hurts." Dean forced out between harsh breaths, his voice muffled behind the oxygen mask.
"I know I know it's because you've got a broken rib and it's punctured your lung." Sam explained.
Dean's eyes never left Sam's face as his hand moved against the gurney then lifted towards the mask across his face.
Knowing his brother's intention was to pull the mask away Sam stilled the movement by clasping his hand over Dean's and lowering it back to the bed.
"If you think it's hard to breathe now it will be even worse if you take it off."
Dean acquiesced; Sam realized that it was only because he had no strength to try it a second time.
"Where… are… we?" Dean gasped out.
"On our way back to Seattle," Sam answered.
"From… where?"
"Salina… in Kansas.'"
Dean's eyes left Sam's face slowly scanning his surroundings before coming back to Sam, "what is… this?" He asked.
"Would you believe it's an ambulance?"
Dean's eyes widened in panic, "No… hospital."
Sam laid his hand on Dean's arm in an effort to calm him. "Dean don't worry its safe… its okay."
That seemed to alleviate Dean's anxiety he visibly relaxed, "Trust… you… Sammy."
Sam leaned forward when Dean's eyes suddenly filled with worry and his breathing stuttered in his throat, "Alec, they've got Alec!"
Sam lay a soothing hand on Dean's arm, "No they don't Alec's right here." Sam ticked his head to the side.
Dean turned his head weakly towards the other side of the ambulance. Sam saw his fevered eyes take in the still, silent figure. "What did they do to him?" Dean asked, worriedly.
"Don't know yet. But Logan and Max know someone who can help to figure it out." Sam answered, glancing across at Alec.
"Who the hell are Logan and Max?"
"They helped me find you and Alec." Sam explained.
"Sounds like one of those… comedy duo's."
"No it doesn't."
Dean ignored Sam's comment, "It's good."
Sam frowned in confusion, "What is?"
"That you've… been makin' new friends in… 2021." Dean said with a glint of his usual humor.
Sam smiled. "Yeah it is Dean, it is."
Dean's eyes once again moved around the confines of the speeding vehicle. Sam knew the moment his brother's wandering eyes saw Joshua sitting beside Alec, keeping loyal vigil over his ailing friend by the slight widening of his glittering fever bright eyes.
Still focused on the big dog man Dean observed with wry humor, "Sammy… looks like we finally got that… dog you… always… wanted?"
Sam couldn't keep the smile from his face.
Continued in Chapter 8: Sanctuary Interrupted