Adam called Damon. "I have a clue. There's a medical facility in Illinois. Supposedly, a car like yours was seen there just a couple of months ago. "
Adam gave him the address. He was beyond worried and hoped for the best. In what shape Mimi would be, physically pretty fucked up but mentally. That was another problem.
Damon said, "Fine, this needs a little planning. We need a little information; it's no good just rushing in there and not taking many people; me and Magnum can probably get this done and get Mimi out of there."
Damon nodded to Magnum and said: "We'll need weapons."
Magnum said: " I can find them in the truck, but we need to get a general idea of the place and the guards first. A basic layout wouldn't hurt either."
Damon nodded.
Adam said over the phone, "I'll let Reddington know and see what he finds. I'll make it clear: this is a pack job. Are you sure you don't need me? "
Damon replied, " No, we need to do this quickly, efficiently, and lethally. So, I would think you wouldn't want to be caught on any security camera killing people for no good reason. You just keep your werewolf reputation intact. My reputation can handle this, and this is actually something I do. It will not damage my reputation. On the contrary, give it a good boost. This is right up my alley."
Adam replied, "Well, if you are sure, I will let you know when I have called Reddington and see what he can come up with."
Adam called Reddington and asked for his help. Again, he didn't get as much information through official channels as he needed to, if only because Bran had denied it. After all, a werewolf's reputation was everything, and it wasn't fit to tarnish. And then Bran had made Adam more or less a werewolf role model for the people, a celebrity werewolf who saved entire cities in his day and was well known in the military.
Adam sighed and wondered if there would ever come a time when he wouldn't feel so damn powerless and helpless and could act and do so much without worrying about his reputation. He didn't know. When he would be strong enough to get out under Bran.
Reddington had promised to deliver the information directly to Magnum and would just have to wait again while the others did this job, Adam wondered how free it had been in the old days when Bran had taken them off his own hands and they had been their own pack without the protection or power of Marrok.
But then Bran had taken them back, and sometimes Adam felt it was slavery more than protection, but he let it go for now. Bran was not demanding anything unreasonable of him so far, and Adam was a patient man. A tolerant man. He was wolf, and this was just pack life. He knew Bran was stronger than him and kind of pack leader, marrok. So he obeyed.
After a couple of hours, Reddington had already given Magnum some information about the facility and sent a floor plan, and Magnum printed it out. Damon had access to a few satellites, and a couple of them were equipped with thermal cameras. So they could see roughly how many people were there and where Mimi might be.
The satellite images revealed a large facility with 12 floors. Layer upon layer of satellite revealed victims and patients lying in beds, and strangely, they all seemed to be somewhat cold. Damon had at first thought the victims were dead, but then he saw movement.
They were alive but hypothermic almost when occasionally you'd see a researcher who was obviously warmer than the victims lying in bed. Then there was also the crematorium and as they were watching the satellite image, they'd take victims there from time to time.
It was a terrible place, and Magnum and Damon wanted to do it, but they had to gather enough information and get a proper plan so they could do it properly. They sent Adam the link to the satellite, and he felt his rage boiling. He remembered the facilities he had destroyed with Nick and Elias; this was nothing new.
There were dozens of victims at the facility. And Damon was now wondering how to save the victims.
And Adam said, "Be prepared not to be saved. If I'm interpreting correctly, a lot of those people are in pretty damn terrible shape, and once the threshold is crossed, even vampire blood won't help, even if the victims are alive. I have seen it to myself and many times."
Damon replied, "Good to know. I'm prepared, and I can end them painlessly if that's what it takes."
Adam hung up the phone and looked at the satellite feed, wondering which of the victims was Mimi. Wondering what condition Mimi would be in and how long and difficult recovery she would face once again. When will Mimi get a chance for a decent, comfortable life where the main thing is not weight and rest? Eating or gigging and killing, but spending time with the pack, doing something fun.
Magnum collected weapons and took Damon to choose which one he would use. Damon was very precise and chose a few large caliber pistols that would have enough killing power with a single bullet.
They planned and considered all the possibilities, from the armor of the guards to Mimi's condition and when that was the biggest problem. If Mimi had thrown a tantrum, Damon didn't know if he could calm Mimi down. She would be extremly dangerous creature and he hoped he could get her under control.
Would Mimi remember all the time that he sold Mimi into that institution, and would she even forgive him for it even though Damon himself still didn't remember anything? They would need a car to transport Mimi, and Damon saw no other option but to borrow a transport car from Bran—a car with a super-strong cage welded to the back and used to transport injured werewolves.
Adam supplied them with explosives, and the idea was to destroy the entire building, see what could be done to the victims, and then act. They would start on the first floor and suspected that Mimi was somewhere on the top three floors and there weren't many victims.
Damon was sitting at the computer, looking at the satellite feed, always changing floors and talking low to himself, " Where are you, baby? Which one are you? How are you doing?"
Magnum came up behind Damon and brought him a cup of coffee and a bag of blood.
He said, "It doesn't help to stare and wonder. We still need the schedules of the guards and Reddington promised them in a few hours. Here. You need blood and coffee. You should eat, too."
Damon sipped the blood bag and wondered how Mimi's bloodlust was, or if the cruel experiments had weakened this vampire half again to the point where she had no bloodlust, or if they were up against a rabid beast whose bloodlust had taken over with rage. Either way, he would help and heal her when the time came. He would show that he was deeply sorry, wanted to help, and loved her very much.
He went to dinner and to bed when he heard Magnum talking to Reddington on the phone. They would act tomorrow and get Mimi out of there.
The plan was simple: it would take them no more than 45 minutes to drive, and they would leave the car near the exit. Damon would carry a bag with some medicine and supplies if needed. He would also have 15 vampires nearby. He could summon them with a sire link if the victims could be rescued.
They would see that pretty soon as they would coldly walk in the front door and kill everyone, all of them. No mercy. All samples and data would be destroyed, and the facility would be rigged with explosives. The facility would be blown up once Mimi and anyone else could be saved.
Adam had suggested staging the explosion and leaving some illegal chemicals that have a legal requirement to be stored in a place where the fire authorities would find them and start investigating, again bringing problems for the investors and others who are legally connected to the facility, it wouldn't make a huge difference in the long run, but it would send a message and make some investors back off completely.
Magnum got the information from Reddington and knew roughly how many guards there would be and what floors they would be on. He also looked at the satellite image; he watched as one of the victims moved around in the bed. This arm was free, and this one tried to disentangle itself and then was always still, apparently unconscious.
Magnum noticed the investigator come into the room and do something. Magnum wondered if the investigator noticed this one was free, but no. Magnum went to eat and showered himself, returned to look, and noticed this victim's arm was still free.
Magnum turned off the computer and wondered how cruel those investigators were. Probably, the investigator had noticed this victim's free hand. Still, the victim was so finished and harmless that it was no threat, and how hard the victim tried to wriggle free.
Magnum didn't want to watch because somehow he got so clearly such a sense of desperation, of wanting to live when there was no hope, a thing he knew. He'd seen enough of his friends die in battle in wars. He'd seen enough of them wounded and killed.
He'd been with them for the last time, seen that fierce desire to live, but the bomb, the mine, or the bullet had hit them hard enough that the desire to live just wasn't enough, and it was when his friend died or felt like dying, he knew it; it was the kind of moment that always stayed in his memory.
No plaque or fancy funeral was going to help; it would not bring his friend back, and he was tired of going to so many funerals, hearing the same words, laying a flower, and saying goodbye to those who should have lived.
Magnum went to the sofa and closed his eyes. He would sleep for a while. It was no use rushing into the institution. They had a good window to act. They had a good working plan, and they went with it.
Damon woke up, ate some more, and drank more blood. He should be completely under control, and bloodlust was one thing he couldn't have right now, so he drank so much blood that he didn't have the slightest feeling of bloodlust.
He opened the computer and looked. Magnum had been watching one of the patients and Damon watched for a moment as the patient moved. This one had hands free and was doing something, ripping out an IV and fiddling with it for a while.
The satellite didn't reveal any details, and the figure sat for a moment, then stood up and started to move. There was something familiar about it, and Damon knew it was a Mimi.
He went over to the couch and shook Magnum by the shoulder. " Hey, wake up, come on, come take a look."
Magnum jerked awake and said, "What, what is it now?"
Damon said, "The one you were looking at is Mimi, and she's just left for a move; we need to see what she's doing, and can we speed up the timetable?"
Magnum jumped up and said, "Yeah, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom and then I'll be right back. We can speed up the schedule in principle but now we'll see what the lady's up to."
Damon said, "It's ok if Mimi has a rage. She'll recognize us and might be able to control herself so we can get away."
Suddenly screen went black and there was text, "offline."
Damon cursed. The satellite was out of commission, and they had no idea what Mimi was up to.
Magnum came into the room, and Damon said, "The satellite's moved; I can't get a picture for us. Shit. This is not good and now we have to go in blind and see what she's up to and if she's still free."
Magnum grunted. The men called Adam, informed him of the situation, and went to gather the equipment. It would soon be time to act and get the job done quickly and efficiently. Damon put the word out to his vampires, they would be ready to come and get the rescues if any were found. This was going to be an interesting job.