Adam had already reached the other end of the tunnel and was swimming towards the shore when Bran jumped down and started swimming. The tube had been a tight crawl and dirty, but not a major obstacle. Adam was a strong man, and soon, he reached the end of the tube and dropped into the water.
Samuel soon followed, knowing that Bran was also coming fast. The men swam quickly and silently to shore, running for the shelter of the forest where they would turn into wolves. Then, they would set off at nightfall to find out where they were.
Bran got his marrok power working when he got through the tube and told the men in his mind. " We wait for night, easier to escape, but if it gets tight, meaning it looks like our escape has been spotted, then we'll make a run for it and fast, but there's a good dense forest over there, and we'd better climb a tree to safety to keep an eye on things."
Bran didn't give the men any room to negotiate. He decided how to do this now. They had to escape now, and he had to be firm lest Adam just try to think of some way to get Mimi off the ship.
Adam got to shore first and cursed because the boat had no name or identification, but it would be traceable once they found out what country they were in. The boat was white, with no representation or identification number, and Adam knew it wasn't legal, but these guys obviously knew what they were doing, so they got hold of this boat and kept it anonymous. Maybe they would put a name on it when they were always in port, but even where the boat was docked wasn't an official port.
Adam knew that this was a very secret operation they were going on and would require more than just a couple of mad scientists behind it. But who? Is this some kind of secret government operation or a side business of some terrorist organization?
They ran silently into the forest, climbing up a tall oak tree under the shelter of a leafy canopy to watch what was happening on board. The boat was stationary for a while and then started moving again when three men got off. One of the men was blond, quite young-looking, and clearly a scientist. All three men carried briefcases and got into a large black SUV, which drove off. The car had no license plates, so it was of no use.
Apparently, their escape had not been detected as the boat started moving soon after the men got off. After the boat had gone a reasonable distance, the men came down from the tree and began to change into their wolf form. It was slow going as they were in no hurry, and the time on the ship had also eaten away at their strength.
Eventually, three wolves sat in the woods. One small, grey one. This was Bran. Bran had a habit of keeping a low profile, and his wolf was small, harmless-looking. Adam did not doubt that Bran could take a more convincing wolf form. Adam was a large blue-black wolf with dark paws and a muzzle, and his body was slightly lighter. Samuel was all white, with blue eyes, and he, too, was huge.
Men had control over their wolves, but wolves were their own creatures, and if ever men or man's control failed so that the wolf took over, well, the wolf is a beast and will not follow man's norms or customs. The wolf is a straightforward creature and does not hesitate to kill, but that does not mean that the wolves of men were mad killer wolves, no they were just beasts with their own instincts and ways of doing things. The werewolf's life was to keep the two, man and wolf, in harmony, in balance, and able to function.
The men waited for the evening in their wolf form and then silently took off running through the dense forest. On the way, they caught rabbits and a small game, maybe a deer, but nothing large as they didn't want to leave any tracks. They were in a warm country somewhere. Bran said they were in Europe but didn't immediately know which country.
They stayed in the shelter of the forest in case they were searched, and they also didn't want to reveal themselves. That there were three werewolves on the move. The European wolves were not under Marrok; he had sometimes negotiated and cooperated with them, but relations had been polite, and he did not want to challenge any of the local alphas and reveal their existence here.
Bran was suspicious of his existence occasionally, which had kept him safe and alive through the centuries. Sometimes, it was just better to stay hidden than expose himself immediately.
They ran for two days before arriving in a small village and then turned back into humans in the forest shelter. They had their clothes with them and put them on, staying to wait when Bran went to scout. He went into the village and listened for a while.
The people spoke Portuguese. He recognized the dialect, entered the shop, and wandered around for a while. He found out exactly where they were and then returned to Adam and Samuel. He knew the local alpha; he wasn't a fan of his, but he had connections with other people, and it would be better if Brutus, the local alpha, didn't find out they were here. He didn't want to go into a long negotiation about what he could offer Brutus for his help and decided to stay hidden.
Bran said to the men when he returned.
"We are in Portugal. I haven't been able to contact anyone yet because I'm so far away, but we need money and a phone. The local alpha is a pretty damn strict guy, and I'm not about to go and talk and negotiate and answer a thousand questions, so I'm not going to make it known that we're here. "
Samuel said: "That's not a problem. I have friends in Portugal, and as soon as we find out where we are, I know who we can ask for help from. I've been on quite a few gigs here with Doctors Without Borders, on the supernatural side, too, so yes, I can get us help quickly. "
Samuel had been a doctor in Europe several times and had contacts. Samuel was a couple of thousand years old and had been a doctor most of his life. He really wanted to help, but then he had his bad times too when he wasn't a healer but a killer or even an abuser, a rapist; he remembered a few incidents, but it was a long time ago, and he had deeply regretted them.
It's not easy to be a strong, dominant werewolf, and then some women refused. Well, he'd been drinking at the time, been depressed, and it was these past screw-ups that drove him to still be a doctor, to help, to save, and the more medicine developed the more he could do, help, save, and that again almost made him feel like a human being or at least some creature with a soul.
Samuel went to talk to the locals and was soon directed to a house where a big bearded man with black hair came out and rushed to hug Samuel. Samuel had rescued the man's twin daughters when they were children, and Sergio, which was the man's name, was more than willing to help.
Sergio said " Samuel, I will help you in any way I can, whatever you need. Come on, come inside, let's eat, and then we'll see how I can help you. Did you know Samuel that I am now a grandfather? Many times over. My daughters have had many children and they both have good husbands. They are happy and it is thanks to you that they are alive. "
Sergio led the men into the house. Sergio's wife, Carmen, was kind enough to set the table. The food was tasty, lamb stew with vegetables, and the men ate and drank, chatting with them. Adam knew he had to be patient and not rush the host's hospitality, so he ate and talked with the men.
But he was already thinking about Mimi's rescue plan. He had military contacts he could use here, too. He'd get her off that ship, take her to Chicago, get the best doctors, and help her get better.
After the meal, Bran went to make a phone call and arrange a flight back to America. It was very simple, in fact. One phone call to Charles, who set up Bran's private plane to fly to Portugal. They would soon be home. Adam tried to think of how to save Mimi. He listed his contacts in his head and tried to think of the best plan. He theorized things out loud to Samuel as he considered various plans.
Bran said to Samuel as he took him aside. " I feel like you need to talk to Adam about Mimi's situation, about there being no hope; I know it's a tough conversation, and Adam will react violently, but it's no use Hauptmann tuning up the entire fleet to look for the ship and knowing Mimi's fate...."
Samuel nodded and said quietly, " I don't think Mimi will last much longer either; soon, some infection will strike, or they will kill Mimi by just wearing her out; better tell Adam what the actual situation is. I know we all would have wanted to save Mimi and give her a good life, but when life isn't fair."
Finally, Samuel took Adam outside to sit on the swing and explained how Mimi wouldn't last long, and that they wouldn't be able to save Mimi. Mimi would die pretty soon.
" Adam, Mimi was too weak and won't last much longer. You can't save her, and I'm afraid she will die or is already dead soon. I'm sorry, but they just drove Mimi too weak. I wish Mimi never woke up again because she has no immune defense whatsoever, she has no spare energy, no resources, and it's only a matter of time before some pathogen takes over. Then Mimi would have to suffer for days, maybe even a week, before her resilient body gives in and she dies. I'm so fucking sorry and furious, but these are the facts, and as a doctor, I know when someone is dying."
Adam was silent. He felt like he was going to explode. What Samuel told him was how Mimi would die slowly and painfully. He had seen death in his time and good deaths and then bad, painful deaths. Mimi didn't deserve her fate, but Samuel was right; several days had passed, and Mimi might have died. The rage and the powerless ball of pain were building up inside him.
He said, "Okay, I understand. It's just life, and not everyone can be saved all the time. Why is it always the innocent who suffer, but yes I?..."
Adam got up from the swing and walked away.
They drank their coffees still at Sergio's, showered, and chatted. After eight hours, they drove to a private airport, a few hours' drive to where Charles would land. Samuel thanked Sergio, and the men boarded the plane.
Adam was completely silent throughout the flight, and when they finally arrived, Adam took one car and drove off before anyone could talk to him. He was determined to do something about this. But first, he drove to Chicago, to his house; he took a bottle of booze and drank for five days.
Then he ordered everything pink and girly and made a one-room downstairs in shades of pink and peach. From robes to towels, he ordered everything. Mimi's room. It was the kind of wish room, a room that represented the hope that Mimi would be alive and they'd meet someday, but Adam shut the door to the room, then got out, into his car, and went off to carry out his next plan.
Bran and Samuel told the vampires about Mimi's condition and prognosis. The vampires were silent for a moment, thanked them for the news and then they, too, left. Someone would have to pay.
Adam called the vampires a week later and told them what he was going to do. The vampires were in on the plan, and it was going to get pretty rough, but somehow, they had to get unloaded. Nick cursed to himself; if he had been on the ship with Mimi, he would have turned this vampire, but Adam had told him that Mimi had been too weak to turn into a werewolf. But now they had a mission, and it would help this burning rage that seemed to burn in Adam's chest all the time.