Chapter Text
The first thing you see is the the light. You had always been kept in the dark, a dark room, a dark place. Cold and dark, being surrounded by strangers, scientists, people you only got to meet in passing. People who stare at you, poke you, whisper things around you like you’re an animal they’re studying.
The next thing is the voices, shouting, it sounds almost foreign to your ears. Maybe this is it, this is the end, the horror stories they would tell you to scare you into submission were coming true.
You drag yourself across to the corner of your room. The bland square room you’ve been imprisoned in for longer than you can remember, a place you had dreamt of leaving. Now you want nothing more than to stay.
Maybe the people know who you are, know how important you are? It’s the smell next, 4 of them in total, 4 men. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck. You’ve had a lot of training when it comes to determining scent, they smell angry, focused. It doesn’t help that you know the only scent you’re putting out is fear.
You hug your legs tight, shivering, the room now lighting up more and more as doors open and close. You hear voices, gunfire, you slap your hands around your ears trying to block out the noise. It makes you jump. The scent is stronger now, they’re close, you hold your breath, and close your eyes as the door to your room is flung open.
“Price we’ve got a civilian!” a man shouts. You can’t see him through your tear filled eyes. He’s shining a light in your face, he lowers it as you try to pull yourself deeper into the corner. Another man appears, he smells different. He steps into the room bending down in front of you. The light moves from your face down your body, you can make out the features of the man in front of you. He doesn't seem angry. He’s on your level as he looks you over.
“Hello, what are you doing here?” he asks. You’re too stunned to speak. He smells kind, calm, collected. You stare at him wide eyed. What if he’s masking? What if this is all just one big test? You whisper your name. It’s all you can manage.
“What happened to your leg?” he asks, shining a light on it. You don’t know what to say. It was punishment for trying to leave. Would he believe you?
“Can you walk?” he asks. You shake your head. You probably could, you just don’t want to. He stands back up.
“Charges are set captain, Soap’s got an itchy trigger finger,” a new voice says. His scent is rough, masculine, then it’s almost like he has no scent at all. He makes you scared, nothing like the scent coming off the other two. It’s all you have to go off, determining whether you should trust them or not.
You blink tears away getting a closer look at them. One of them is wearing a skull mask, you assume he’s the one with no scent. They’re all dressed in military gear, massive weapons in their hands or swung over their backs. It makes you tense as you try to listen to their conversation.
The older one they call captain looks over at you, he looks focused, ordering people around. Calm and collected, his voice level, commanding, you watch the man with the skull mask leave.
“We’re going to get you out of here okay?” the captain says, bending down and looking directly into your eyes. You nod staring back at him as he takes a step closer to you. You squeeze your knees. He nods standing back up, you shift slightly trying to keep the weight off your ankle. The other man bends down, you flare your nostrils breathing him in. He also smells kind, warm, safe. You let him come near you as he swings his weapon over his shoulder.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” he says. You nod, believing him. He smiles, hooking one of his arms under your knees and the other arm around your back. You bring your arms around his neck, pressing your palm against the base of his skull. You feel goosebumps rise on the back of your neck. You’re surprised he’s letting you touch him like this.
You’re squished up against his vest as he carries you out the room. The smell of blood fills your nose as you see bodies on the floor. You gasp, gripping his neck and looking away as he takes you out through the lab. He takes you down corridors, up stairs, you see rooms you’ve been in before, other’s you’ve never seen.
You can hear sounds of nature, birds, then a truck. There is sunlight, you can’t remember the last time you’ve seen sunlight. It’s warm on your face and you have to squint. You feel relieved, your head is swimming with the overpowering new sensations. You can feel a breeze, it’s warm.
You can finally smell the familiar scents of alpha and beta as they fill your nose making you dizzy. Your body feels heavy as you’re put in a seat. You feel drained, sticking your head out as far as you can looking at the clouds moving across the sky. You see trees swaying in the breeze, you see birds flying in the sky, you smile watching them fly away.
You look back at the man who carried you out. Stood in front of you as he leans out the back of the truck. He’s cute, dark skin and eyes. He turns to look at you and smiles, a proper smile not like the fake smiles you’re used to. He turns round, opening a crate, pulling out a blanket. You accept it as he pulls it round your shoulders, you breathe him in, he smells kind.
“Thank you,” you say. It doesn’t feel like enough, you want to thank him for everything, the blanket, the rescue. These people are clearly not involved with the professor or the other people you’ve met. It was rare but you would see people who you assume were military. They were always introduced as ‘general this’ or ‘major that.’ They always wore nice blue and black suits with lots of shiny badges. You used to ask about them when you were younger. As you got older you stopped caring.
You look out of the back of the van with him, you can see it now for the first time. It's like an underground bunker. It’s such a small opening you almost can’t believe how large the structure is underneath, and you hadn’t even seen all of it. The captain from earlier walks out being followed by two other men, the guy with the scary skull mask and the 4th person. He’s dragging what looks like a wire. They all step up to the back of the truck before the guy with the wire presses a button. There’s a few seconds of silence then a rumbling beneath the earth, sounds of distant explosions as the ground shifts.
It only lasts a few seconds then you see the entrance to the bunker collapse on itself.
That’s it, it’s gone, the place you’ve been trapped in for most of your life destroyed in a matter of minutes. The captain turns and looks at you, you meet his eye line flaring your nostrils to breathe him in.
He smells like an alpha now, his scent is overwhelming. You hold your breath to stop it from overpowering you. When you breathe again you can smell another alpha. You look at the group of men trying to figure out who the other one is. It has to be the guy in the mask, they all turn to look at you.
The masked man’s eyes dig into you. He’s the other alpha, his scent hits you like a slap to your face, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as black spots appear in your vision. You can’t breathe with how thick the air feels, it’s a bombarding of sensations. You try to blink the spots away but it doesn’t help then everything goes black.
——————————
“You weren't joking,” Laswell says as she makes it to the med-bay, walking up to Price.
“Who is she?” Price asks, watching you through the glass window as medics fuss around you.
“They were working on a project called the Omega Initiative, I always assumed it was a chemical weapon of some kind. Reading back over the documents though, I believe she is the omega they’re referring to.” She explains.
“What, she’s a weapon? Specially trained or something?” Gaz asks, coming up to look through the window too.
“More than that. I would need some time to go over the intel again, especially the new data you’ve bought for me. I can let you know the moment I know more,” Laswell says, turning to the room exit. Price nods, his eyes still glued to you in the bed.
“Do any of you feel any different?” she asks before she steps out of the room. Price turns to look at her frowning.
“I could use a nap,” Soap says, stretching. Laswell just hums.
“What is it?” Price asks. She shakes her head looking at him.
“Probably nothing. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know anything,” she says leaving down the hallway. Price turns back to look through the window watching your chest rise and fall. The medics finished their fussing standing back talking to the nurses.
“Soap, LT, go get some rest. Gaz help Laswell,” Price says.
“Sure you don’t want to debrief?” Ghost asks.
“Later,” Price says. There’s something about you he can’t shake. “I’ll find you when Laswell knows more.” His hand goes up to rub the back of his neck, it’s almost like it itches. He feels different. Maybe he should get checked by medical, he could have inhaled something in the lab.
He pushes the thought away, he doesn’t want to leave your sight. It’s more than just needing to know who you are. He doesn’t want to be away from you. He would be in the room with you if it wasn’t for the doctors kicking them all out. Instead, he stands there watching, waiting.
...
“John?” Price’s head snaps to see Laswell walking in. He looks back into the room he thought he’d only been staring in for a few minutes if that. The room is dark now that the doctors have gone.
“Have you been here this whole time?” she asks, Gaz walking up behind her. Price looks confused. His legs and arms are stiff, the back of his head pounding. He feels dizzy, heading over to the chairs, and sitting down. Laswell sits next to him opening a laptop. Price keeps rubbing the back of his neck, it feels raw, itching but at the same time not itchy.
“Are you sure you feel okay? It’s been 4 hours,” Laswell says. Price looks up at Gaz standing in the doorway. Why won’t he come in, he smells different. He looks just as confused as Price.
“Something's different,” Price says. Laswell squints looking between them both.
“Are you sure you didn’t get exposed to anything in that lab?” Laswell asks. John thinks back to the place. He doesn’t remember anything out of the ordinary. They definitely didn’t break anything. The scientists weren’t wearing protective clothing or gas masks. And then there was you, locked in a room in the far end of the lab. They could have easily missed you, then you would have been killed when the place blew.
“Why, what did you find?” Price asks. Laswell sighs, pulling a file up on her laptop. It’s you, or looks like a younger version of you. She flicks to another document.
“Project Omega, or the Omega Initiative. It is a weapon, but not like you think. It was used primarily in World War 2 by the Soviets as a way to make the enemy go.. feral. Some kind of chemical bomb they would drop on enemies forcing them to revert to an animistic state. Causes disorientation, aggression, forces the enemy to attack itself.” Laswell stops, to see if Price is following. He nods.
“The project fell apart and was scrapped. When the war was over the whole thing was destroyed and hidden. Somehow during the Cold War, America got their hands on the documents and the remainder of the formula. A scientist called Professor Victor Hale continued the experiments underground, literally. He perfected the formula and created her,” Laswell continues nodding at the window into the room.
“What do you mean created?” Price asks.
“She was a normal person, but when she was young she was exposed to the chemical which has changed the way her body functions. She’s still human, but her body functions differently,” she says. Price still looks confused and she flicks through to some reports.
“I don’t really know how to explain this. She is what they call an omega, her body, hormone function and menstrual cycles function more like an animal. I haven’t had much time to wrap my head around it but it seems like they were studying her, trying to perfect the formula. They got pretty close, that's what they were working on in the bunker.” She closes the laptop lid.
“The scientist who came forward, the one who told us the location of the base is being flown out here. She’s a specialist doctor according to these files and she’s willing to talk. She will definitely be able to give us more answers,” Laswell says.
“Do you think we’ve been exposed?” Price asks.
“I don’t know, do you feel any different?” Laswell asks. He shakes his head, physically he feels fine. There’s just something he can’t quite put his finger on.
“Where’s the professor now?” Price asks.
“No idea. We assume he’s on the run, hiding, since you didn't see him at the bunker. There is also the possibility he was hidden there somewhere within the compound and went down with it,” Laswell says.
“Think she could have answers?” Price asks, turning to look into your room.
“Maybe but we should wait until she’s awake. They didn’t treat her well John, we don’t know how she’ll react,” Laswell says, stepping up.
“Let me know the moment the doctor gets here,” Price says as Laswell walks out the room with Gaz following her. There was something different about him, Price could feel it, he would need to talk to him later.
“I will, in the meantime you should get some rest,” she calls back. Price walks up to the window again. He can’t leave you.
——————————
When you open your eyes it's bright. You’re in a room with a window, you can see the sun. For a second you don’t think it’s real, but it is, you can see movement outside. The only time you would see anything like the outside world was the mural painted on the wall of the bedroom. You would only ever be in that room when you were in heat. It makes you feel sad. You swallow the lump away. That room was a horrible place, filled with pain and suffering.
You look down. You’re in a hospital bed, your leg has been bandaged up and you’re connected to an IV line, you turn to look up, it just looks like fluids. The opening of a door makes your head snap over. It’s the captain from yesterday, and a new person, a woman.
He smells like an alpha now, his scent strong, commanding. It makes you nervous. He walks over and stands at the end of the bed. The woman comes over and sits down in a chair next to you. She doesn’t smell of anything. You look at the man again, definitely army, he’s wearing a green shirt with camo sleeves. He’s handsome, looks younger in this light, he has kind eyes. He saved you, he could have left you behind, you’re no one to him. You turn to look over at the woman.
“I’m Kate,” she says, introducing herself. You just stare at her not knowing what to do. Your eyes flick back to him, like you need to wait for his permission to talk. His scent is heavy in the room, you can tell he doesn’t know how to control it. It’s overwhelming.
“You’ve been exposed to the chemical too,” you say, looking at him, your voice shaking. He looks confused for a second.
“You smell like an alpha,” you explain. He comes round from the end of the bed, you freeze automatically, trying not to taint the air with your fear. You know alphas are the worst at picking up on scents but he’s clearly new and you don’t know how he would react.
You drop your shoulders baring your neck for him, you watch his nostrils flare when he gets close to you. You know he can smell you now, your omega scent on full display just like you’ve been taught. He could reject you right now. If you don’t smell right or look right, that could be it. You try really hard to keep still waiting until he’s finished.
“You smell, like strawberries,” he says, pulling away from you.
“You smell like an alpha,” you say again, you don’t know how to describe it. He moves back round to the end of the bed.
“So you can tell by smell?” Kate asks. You nod.
“Omegas are the best at it, and I’ve been trained,” you say rubbing your hand on the back of your neck.
“What else have you been trained to do?” she asks. You shrug.
“I just do what I was told to do,” you reply looking down.
“And what were you told to do?” she presses. You swallow feeling heat rush to your cheeks.
“My role is to do as my alpha tells me, and breed with him, eventually.” You don’t know why you feel embarrassed. It’s true though, it’s your only ‘mission.’ The professor was going to be your alpha, claim you during your next heat. He’s dead now, and you’re happy he’s dead. He was horrible to you. If he had claimed you, you would have been bound to him forever.
“That’s what they were working on?” Kate asks. You shrug. You don’t know, you weren't always told much.
“Do you have an alpha?” She asks.
“The professor, he was going to be my alpha, but I guess not now.” You look at the man at the end of the bed. Would you let him claim you? It’s not like you'll have a choice, at least these people seem nice enough. They did rescue you, you don’t feel any connection with him yet.
“What happened to your leg?” the man asks. You realize you haven’t even learnt his name.
“They broke it, I tried to run away,” you say, digging your nails into your palm.
“Did they do that a lot?” he asks, his voice low sending shivers up your spine. You can almost taste the anger in the air. It’s a scary thing, an alpha’s anger, especially for an omega.
“It’s okay, my bones heal quickly, wounds too. You’ll be the same,” you say, trying to put him at ease. It doesn’t seem to work.
“Is there a cure for this?” he asks, looking over at Kate. She looks at you. You shake your head, if there was a cure you knew nothing about it.
“What about the scientist, think she’ll have answers?” He asks, crossing his arms.
“Possibly. Depends how much she’ll talk,” she says.
“She’ll talk,” the man replies. You’re picking up on another scent, beta, and another alpha. You see through the window three men walk in. It’s the guy with the mask again who makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
He stands at the back of the room with his arms crossed. The other two are very clearly betas, the way they balance the energy in the room, even putting the alpha at ease without realising it. The man at the end of the bed turns to them as he explains some of the situation.
“Gaz told us some of it but I’m still confused,” the tanned guy with the mohawk says.
“I think we all are.” The alpha turns around again looking at you, his brow creased like he’s thinking.
“Soap, go stand next to her.”
The tanned man slowly comes over to you, you look over at the end of the bed. He gives you a quick nod. You swallow your nerves, baring your neck for him. It’s instinct, as soon as the smell of your omega hits his nose, he’ll bare his neck to you too. The smell of beta fills the air. It’s not as overpowering as the alpha, more mellow, like the smell of clean sheets. When he’s done he steps back, and you smile at him. He seems nice.
“Johnny,” he says, introducing himself. You nod at him looking over at the end of the bed.
“Beta,” you say. Johnny shrugs, walking back over to stand with the others.
“Gaz.” He gestures for the other man to go over. This feels more normal, it feels like the days when the professor would bring volunteers in to smell you. Sometimes they would pass out. It always made you exhausted, scenting betas over and over for hours. You found out later they were all killed.
Gaz walks over to you and you stretch your neck out. Another beta. He smells good, stronger than Johnny. You’re happy for anything other than the overpowering scent of alpha that’s been filling the room since he walked in.
“You smell like strawberries,” he says. You nod, turning to the end of the bed.
“Beta.”
“LT.” You know before he gets over to you he’s an alpha, you feel nervous. He’s big, his presence makes you want to hide under the covers. You relax your shoulders anyway, sticking your neck out as much as you can. You think he’s going to move the mask but he doesn’t. You close your eyes pushing down the fear and letting him breathe you in.
He smells like an alpha, there’s just something darker about him, it makes the breath catch in your throat. You swallow hard trying to get it to go away praying for it to be over soon. It happens like a flash, the scent of anger and jealousy filling the room. The looming presence next to you suddenly vanishes.
“John!” You hear Kate shout. You yelp covering the back of your neck as you see two people wrestling on the floor.
Oh shit, this is all your fault. You knew this was a bad idea, you should have said something. The two betas are dragging them apart. It’s not their fault, it’s natural instincts.
“I’m sorry,” you say, pulling your sheets up your chest. You want to hide under them.
“What the hell has gotten into you both!” Kate says as they’re held back from each other.
“It’s just instinct,” you say, trying to keep your voice level. “Two alpha’s and an unclaimed omega.” You watch as they start to calm down, the betas let them go, their hands reaching round to rub their necks.
“What the hell does that mean?” The man with the mask growls. It must be so confusing for them, this is your world and you don’t even know it that well.
“It’s me, it’s my fault,” you croak, you know you’re not helping by being upset but you can’t help it.
“Okay, just everyone calm down,” Kate says standing between them both. “We don’t really know what’s going on and we won’t really know much until Dr. Montgomery gets here. Why don’t we just stay away from her until then.”
“Dr. Piper Montgomery?” you ask frowning. Kate turns to you.
“Yes, did you know her?” she asks. You nod.
“She was my doctor. She tried to help me get out, then she vanished. I was told she was killed.” Kate comes over to the bed.
“She’ll be here tomorrow, think you could get her to explain the situation?” You nod enthusiastically, feeling calmed by the idea of seeing at least someone you know from before. And someone you trust, relief washes over you, she’s alive and she wants to help.
“I’m sorry Simon,” you hear John say. That’s his name, John. It’s the name Kate shouted at him. The other man-Simon-just huffs and storms out the room.
“Soap, go with him,” John says.
“Nice meeting you, lass,” Johnny says as he leaves the room.
“Okay, get some rest, we’ll talk more tomorrow,” Kate says as you watch her usher the other two men out the room.
——————————
No one comes back to see you for the rest of the day. The nurse brings you food, she gives you a sympathetic look. There’s something else there too though, deep in her eyes. You can almost smell it in the air. Fear. She’s scared of you, or what you are. They’re just confused.
You smile at her, trying to put her at ease but that just seems to make her face tighten up even more. You spend most of your time looking out the window watching the trees sway in the distance, the clouds move across the sky. Sometimes birds land on the lawn, they always make you smile, you watch them peck at the ground for food.
You can’t remember the last time you’ve seen another living animal that wasn’t in a cage. You think back to the rabbits and rats from the labs. You always felt sorry for them the most, spending all their lives in cages just to eventually be killed.
You remember when you were little you asked the professor if you could keep one, a fluffy white rabbit you’d seen around a lot. He let you keep it, for a few days until he killed it in front of you to see your reaction. You never asked for another one. You ignored them when you saw them in the lab.
You watch the birds fly away, you wish you could join them. When it gets dark out, the nurse comes back to check you one last time and give you some medication.
“Vitamin D,” she says. You don’t know what that means, but you take it anyway. She moves over to close the curtains.
“Wait, can you leave them open?” you ask, trying not to spook her. It’s the first time you’ve spoken a word to any of the medical staff. She lets out a little smile nodding, she fills something in on your chart then leaves the room, turning the lights low as she leaves. You turn to look back out the window, you can still see the trees lit up by the moon. It’s beautiful, it’s such a clear night too, you don’t know why it makes you sad. Maybe you’re just tired. It’s your first night of freedom, you close your eyes listening to the ambient noise of the room, the vents hissing, the distant sounds of people talking, doors opening and closing.
Your dreams are filled with nice things, for the first time in years. You dream about being outside, breathing in the fresh air. You’re by a lake. You’ve never been to one before but you’ve dreamt of them. The water is warm as you stand there the water lapping round your ankles. You feel the dirt underneath your feet, between your toes. You look out across the water watching the sun set turning the sky all different shades of pink and orange. It’s perfect. You haven’t felt perfection in a long time. You bask in the dream, the wonderful dream you don’t want to wake up from.
——————————
You can smell her before you see her, her familiar beta scent filling the air. She’s in cuffs with Kate and John following behind her. Your smile fades as she walks in the room. She looks exactly how you remember, short blonde hair, glasses, the signature red lipstick. Except she looks thin and older. Bags under her eyes, she seems tired, but she looks happy to see you, smiling as soon as your eyes meet.
“Relax omega, they just don’t trust me yet,” she says. When she makes it to the bed, John walks behind, un-cuffing her. She rubs her wrists, picking up your chart. She sits down on the bed flicking through it.
“How are you feeling?” She asks.
“Okay,” you say, not knowing what to say.
“How’s the leg?” she asks, getting up, pulling the sheets back.
“Fine,” you say. She smiles.
“I can’t do much of an exam without at least a stethoscope,” she says, turning to look at Kate and John. John nods at Kate and she leaves the room.
“Did you get claimed by Hale?” She asks lowering her voice and leaning in a little closer.
“Good.” She squeezes your thigh, her scent is comforting, her squeeze is reassuring. You smile at her. Kate comes back with a stethoscope. She does a basic physical exam, listening to your chest and you answer her generic questions.
You’re used to this, even sticking out your finger for her to prick it before realising she doesn’t have any of her kit. You start to think maybe this was just to comfort you, a familiar routine, it’s not like she has anyone to answer to. No reports to fill out or tests to order.
“She seems fine. Her leg is fine, you can get them to take the cast off,” Dr. Piper explains as she goes to put the folder back at the end of the bed.
“Maybe you can help us understand this a bit more,” John says. “How did we end up like her?”
“You must have been exposed to enough of the chemical in the lab before you blew it up,” she says as a matter of fact.
“It’s that simple?” John asks.
“Yes, even I’ve been exposed, not by choice. I was lucky though. Anyone who didn’t fit the professor's perfect idea would be killed.” She explains. It makes you swallow hard. You knew the professor was killing people, it broke your heart when he told you she was dead. She was someone who was kind to you, a light in the never ending darkness. Other than the professor, she was the only other constant in your life.
“You tried to help me escape,” you say. You feel her projecting a calming scent over you.
“I tried, I’m sorry I couldn’t get you out.” You lean back in the bed letting her scent relax you.
“When was your last heat?” she asks. You count in your head for a second.
“5 months ago,” you say. A pit forms in your stomach, it’s already been 5 months. She looks sympathetically at you, then looks over at John.
“Are you going to claim her?” She asks.
“What does that mean?” he asks.
“Omegas have one instinct, that is to be claimed by an alpha and eventually bred. An unclaimed omega is dangerous. She attracts other alphas to her, especially when she’s in heat. Then you won’t be able to resist her,” Piper explains as you feel heat rushing to your cheeks.
“A claimed omega will be bound to their alpha for the rest of their life. It is dangerous for alphas too. I’m sure you’ve already felt it. Like some kind of primal instinct, to protect her, mate with her,” Piper explains. You look over at John feeling embarrassed. You remember yesterday when he tackled the mysterious man to the floor. That was alpha instincts.
You don’t know how you feel about John claiming you. You know when you’re in heat, you won’t care what happens. Maybe this time will be different though, actually having someone to help you through it. It will definitely make things less painful. Your eyes move back up to find John looking at you, his arms crossed listening to Piper talk. At least he seems kind, not like the other alpha, the one who sends shivers up your spine.
“What if there are 2 alphas?” you ask.
“I don’t know, Hale would kill any other alpha he didn’t torture for study,” she says, her eyes flick between you and John.
“I would assume the alphas would fight until one came out on top, although if an alpha was to just claim you first it wouldn’t matter,” Piper says.
“How does claiming work?” John asks.
“Have you had any pain in the back of your neck?” she asks. John nods.
“When an alpha claims an omega, they will bite the omega on the back of the neck. It’s the most sensitive spot for any of you. It’s where your scent comes from, it’s how you scruff people. It’s one of the most sensitive spots on your body, especially for an omega,” she explains.
“It’s a very intimate moment, just like knotting, or scenting,” she says. You nod at John.
“Knotting? Scenting?” Kate asks.
“I don’t think you need to worry too much, a lot of things are instinctive. You will deal with them as they come up,” Piper sighs, sitting back down on the bed rubbing your thigh. Her scent is still in the air relaxing you, counteracting John’s overwhelming alpha scent.
“Is there a cure for any of this?” Kate asks.
“I don’t know, we weren’t exactly working on a cure but I would be happy to help with the medical side of things,” she says. “I’m a doctor first, specially trained to take care of the omega. That’s what Professor Hale hired and trained me for.”
“You practiced experiments on living people, murdered people, not to mention worked with Soviet spies to sell American secrets,” Kate scoffs.
“I never murdered anyone. I’m a doctor first. You’re going to want me around, especially when she goes into heat you’re going to need me,” Piper says. You can feel the anger rising in her. Even if this is just to save her own skin, she’s still the only person you really trust.
“What can you do?” John asks.
“Let me run some tests on you all, I can help you come to terms with what’s happening. But I’m an omega specialist, if you want more advanced or specific help you’re going to need to find the other specialists involved. I can give you the names of some of the people who left with me, maybe they’ll be able to help. Maybe they’ll be able to help me find a cure,” she says standing up. You can feel her scent weakening as she moves over to John, turning with her hands behind her back. John pauses for a second gripping the cuffs in his hands.
“You have to tell us everything you know.” He looks over at you. “Everything.”
“I’ll tell you whatever you need to know, but you have to let me keep her safe,” Dr. Piper says, looking over at you smiling.
“Fine, but you have to work on a cure,” John says. Piper turns round looking at him.
“I will try, but that’s all I can promise,” she says. The scent of her sincerity fills the room. You watch John’s nostrils flare, you know he can smell it from her too. He puts the cuffs away. You smile at him.
“I know this is new to you, I’m sorry you’re involved in this. Dr. Piper knows what she’s doing. I trust her,” you say. You don’t know if it will help, but maybe it will put John at ease.
He lets out a sigh gripping Dr. Piper by the arm and pulling her out the room. Kate leaves with them too, smiling at you. You trust Dr. Piper, you trust her to help them. They need it, more than you, at least you’re used to this world.
——————————
John comes to visit you later in the evening. A doctor came in around midday to remove your cast. He murmured about how impossible it was that your break had healed so quickly. You stayed silent as he removed it and left as quick as he came in.
“I thought we could have a chat, Dr. Piper filled us in with your past,” he says. His scent isn’t as strong this time, he’s more relaxed.
“It’s not the most interesting story,” you say, forcing a smile.
“How about we go outside for some fresh air,” he suggests. You like that idea, nodding at him. You pull the sheets off you to swing your legs out of bed a little too eagerly, but he insists you go in a wheelchair. You don’t fight him, letting him have his way. He gets a nurse who unhooks you from everything and helps you into the chair throwing a blanket over you like you’ve forgotten how to walk. John waves her away as he pushes you through the medical wing out to a smoking area at the back of the building.
“Where are we?” you ask as he maneuvers you so you can look out over the field.
“It’s an army base in Wisconsin,” he says. You can see the wall stretching around the place, you’ve never been in an army base before. You’ve never really been outside before. You remember being outside as a child, before your mother died.
“It looks like it’s going to rain,” he says, sitting down on the bench next to you. You can’t remember the last time you saw rain or the last time you saw the clouds so dark and moody like they’re about to burst. It makes you smile, in a weird way it's comforting.
“You don’t sound American,” you say, looking over at him, leaning back crossing his arms.
“I’m not. Me and my team are British,” he says.
“What are you doing in America?” you ask.
“Work. Our latest job being to blow up the place we found you in,” he says.
“Why?”
“Just following orders, we stop terrorism. Your professor ended up on our radar after we got wind he was working with chemicals, and selling secrets to…some not very nice people,” he says. You look at him, the fresh breeze flowing around him pulling his alpha scent away. Now it’s just him and his kind eyes.
“I’m sorry you’re involved in this,” you say, not moving your eyes from him. You want to see his expression and see how he feels.
“It’s not your fault, in a strange way I’m glad your safe,” he says. Safe. You haven’t felt safe in years.
“It’s just cause you’re an alpha and I’m an omega,” you sigh, for a moment you really thought you could feel something. Maybe it was more than just instinct.
“Maybe it is, this is all still very new to me. Doesn't change the fact I want to see you safe.”
“You attacked another alpha, I’m already causing problems,” you say, hanging your head. You see the first fat blobs of rain hit the concrete.
“Simon? He’s over it already, we talked. It’s not a problem,” he says. Simon, remember his name. Maybe it’s not, but you can’t help but feel guilty. You sigh leaning back in the chair closing your eyes and enjoying the sound of the rain hitting the perspex overhang above your head. It feels nice being outside, the gentle breeze, the smell the rain makes as it hits the ground.
“That’s the smell,” you say, your eyes flying open leaning forward in the wheelchair.
“The rain?” he asks. You nod at him smiling.
“That’s what you smell like,” you say, reaching your hand out to feel the water land on your fingers. He smiles looking over at you.
“I heard you weren't treated so well back at the compound.” His voice is low, sincere.
“No, well, it was-”
“You don’t have to explain it,” he says, turning to face you. “Whatever happens with this, we’ll make sure you’re not in another situation like that.”
“I know—I mean, I believe you,” you say, letting a smile hang on your lips. You look back out at the rain. It’s coming down heavier now. You hold your hand out again letting the cool droplets hit your fingers. You can feel John’s eyes on you, goosebumps raising on the back of your neck. You shiver.
“Want to go inside?” he asks. You shake your head watching your hand get wet as the rain falls harder. You never want to be stuck inside again.