Asylum

Rescue

Steve, Darcy, and Jane walked through the darkened hallways, walking steadily but trying not to make too much noise. The blond could almost hear the beating of his heart, which threatened to burst out of his chest. If anyone discovered them, all would be lost.

Before entering the treatment areas, where only hospital staff could access, Jane paused. "After you walk through that door, you're only going to move when I tell you to, okay?"

The alpha had visited some of the rooms, the ones closest to the entrance they had just crossed, but the rest of the corridors were a true maze. There were long corridors, doors without any signs and a deathly silence. Before taking a turn or entering a new hall, Jane was moving fast and looking incredibly alert; at that time she looked more like a secret agent than a nurse.

They finally reached the viewing area of an operating room. In the middle of the room, in a reclining metal chair, was Bucky. The brunette remained motionless: a series of straps held his wrists, waist, thighs and ankles firmly. His soured scent filled the entire room.

Steve's first impulse was to run down the connecting stairs to rescue the omega, but Darcy grabbed his arm and motioned for him to be quiet. Someone was approaching the operating room.

Bucky slowly turned his head towards the door, and when he felt Rumlow's presence, he began to move his arms and legs, trying to free himself. His movements were weak and slow, as if he was still under the influence of medication.

Calmly Rumlow prepared a syringe with more drugs, while Bucky asked him not to do it, to get away from him. "Let me go, please," the omega requested, terrified.

"When you're cured, we're going to be very happy and you'll know what a true alpha is," Rumlow said as he injected the substance through a catheter.

Darcy held out her arm to prevent Steve from trying anything risky, but it was too late.

The blond had run at full speed, and when Rumlow turned his head to see him, he punched him, causing a stream of blood to drip from his nose. The nurse fell to the ground and, there, Steve continued to hit him.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCHING HIM AGAIN, FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT," Steve yelled. Rumlow was trying to defend himself.

"YOU'RE DEAD," Rumlow exclaimed when he finally managed to land a punch on Steve.

Before Rumlow could continue the fight, Jane stuck a needle into his neck. Rumlow covered himself with both hands and tried to hit her, but it was too late: in a few seconds he fell to the ground and stopped moving.

As soon as he noticed that the nurse had been knocked unconscious, Steve ran to Bucky's side. Darcy was already undoing one of the straps.

"It's gonna be okay, baby," Steve whispered, and gently caressed the omega's cheek.

"Stevie...," Bucky groaned. He was still awake, although he seemed disoriented.

"I'm right here," replied the blond. "Don't be scared, I've got you."

The blond and Darcy finished undoing the straps while Jane checked Bucky's vitals. The brown-haired man didn't move and tried to keep his eyes open, although he seemed to be finding it harder and harder.

"He's going to be fine," the nurse said when she felt Steve's gaze on her face. "But he'll need medical attention, it has been a very distressing situation for him."

The blond was about to ask another question, but he was startled when Bucky's eyes closed completely. "Buck? Come on, let me see your eyes, baby," he said, cupping the omega's face with both hands.

"Easy, he's too drugged right now," Jane clarified. "I don't think he'll wake up any time soon."

"We have to go," Darcy said, a little alarmed. "I'm afraid they're going to come looking for Rumlow."

The alpha nodded silently. "I'll get you out of here baby," he whispered into Bucky's ear as he ran his fingers through his hair. Then he took off his coat and put it on the brunette.

"Steve, you should take Rumlow's coat," Jane suggested.

The blond shook his head. "I don't want Bucky to get his scent, I'd rather be cold."

"Okay. But remember you must follow my instructions. Now you must follow me, like you did a while ago," the nurse said seriously.

Jane advanced first out of the operating room. Next came Darcy, and last came Steve carrying Bucky.

From the treatment area they went to an area with isolation cells that seemed completely abandoned. Here the walls were made of stone and some were even covered with moss.

"What is this place?" Darcy said, with some hint of fear.

"The hospital is much older than it looks," Jane explained. "And, although it was done with good intentions, it was once much worse than we know."

Steve felt sadness for the poor souls who did know this place.

"Now we will leave the hospital through the tunnels."

"The... what?"

"The tunnels. There's a network of tunnels that lead into the woods," Jane said with a small smile for Darcy.

Steve was relieved that at least they weren't in the hospital facility anymore and that gave them a bit of a head start, but as soon as they entered the tunnels the terrain became uneven: there were slopes, crumbling steps and very slippery areas. He knew it wasn't a problem for him, but he was afraid of falling and hurting Bucky. While they had their adrenaline pumping, the brunette took deep, calm breaths.

It took them more than an hour to reach the forest. Although they felt tired, they kept walking to get as far away from the hospital as possible. It was still night, it was not very safe to continue moving forward but it was the best option they had.

A soft moan alerted Steve.

"Alpha...," Bucky whimpered and the blond's heart stopped.

"Jane!" Steve exclaimed as he slowly laid the brunette down on the grass.

"What's the matter?" The nurse and Darcy asked, almost in unison.

"I don't know, I think he's in pain and... he called me 'alpha'."

Jane crouched down beside the omega. As the nurse checked on him, Steve's mind began to race. Why did Bucky call him that? Maybe it was just an effect of the drugs but it felt... nice. Steve wasn't startled because hearing those words from the omega's mouth was unpleasant, but quite the opposite: it was natural. In that instant, the fact that someone else was touching Bucky caused his blood to boil, although he knew that the brunette was not in danger with Jane.

"Steve?" The nurse said, snapping him out of his reverie. "We have to hurry."

"What's wrong?" The blond asked, with a lump in his throat.

"Bucky could... have a heat at any time."