Fall Into Me

..XI..

Three days later, the institute loomed ahead of them. Minerva hadn't a clue how that building had been cleared to house mentally ill people. Several upper windows were smashed, parts of the brick work was crumbling away and there was a murder of crows covering the roof. The Dodge was first in line, two blacked out vans following behind. Arthur and Frankie were in them, along with with a team that Arthur had sourced for her.

They'd tried to make Minerva stay at home, but she told them it was impossible, she had to be there. And she did, because no one but her could get Mona out of that building. Armed with knowledge from Diana and her own research, Minerva swung the Dodge into a parking spot as the two vans disappeared to a back entrance.

Getting out, Minerva left the Dodge running, knowing it would move faster if the engine stayed warm. Making sure she had the gun attached to her hip, she headed up the crumbling steps, glancing up towards the camera, the red light winking out as she did. Good. That meant Diana and Sabran were in the system and could feed information to the team at the back. The team didn't need to be there; Minerva could retrieve Mona on her own, but she wasn't just there for a retrieval.

Inside, it smelt of mould and dust, a few comfy chairs scattered out like a waiting room, a receptionist desk in the far corner. Two high security doors led to different areas. The woman at the desk did a double take when she saw Minerva, clearly surprised that someone was there at all.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"You have a patient here; Mona Edevane. I'm here to take her home," Minerva kept her initial tone pleasant, though this was as nice as she was going to be. The receptionist froze at the name, then started to type quickly onto the computer in front of her.

"A doctor will be here in a minute, ma'am, if you'd like to take a seat."

"No, I'm fine here," Minerva replied as she inspected the place. It was difficult to keep her outwards appearance calm and collected when inside she was shaking. Every nerve in her body was alight, every muscle tense and waiting to strike. A door beeped and the right one opened, revealing an exhausted looking woman.

"Lady Edevane, I assume?" The doctor said. Her name badge read Helena Atë, the name making Minerva's eyes narrow, the initials lining up with what Diana had decoded. "Cara tells me you're here to see Mona."

"Wrong," Minerva took a deadly step forward, and Helena's brown eyes widened slightly as she recognised that Minerva was a predator, and she was going to get what she wanted no matter what. "I'm here to take Mona home, whether you help me or not."

"Do you have permission?" Helena winced as she said it.

"Permission?" Minerva hissed, a little laugh breaking through her, "I am her wife. I do not need permission."

"You need permission from her sponsor to get her out."

"No, I don't. I am Mona's nearest living relative. I do not need permission from some backwards, ignorant, old cunt to take her home."

Helena winced again and said softly, "you're not, I'm afraid. Mona's mother is at the top of her list. And I'd need proof of your marriage."

"Mona's mother is dead," Minerva said, watching Helena's eyes widen in shock. "Mona's mother died during childbirth," she fished out a folded up piece of paper from her pocket. Part of her preparation had been to get solid DNA proof that Iona and Mona were not related in any way, shape, or form. Minerva had sent off strands of Mona, Esmé and Atlas's hair to a DNA analyst that owed her a favour. The results were cast iron; Esme and Mona shared only one biological parent, which they'd proven was Atlas and not Iona.

Minerva also pulled out a copy of their marriage certificate and handed it over. "If you need any other proof, look us up on Google," she said it spitefully, even though the press hammering them for interviews and following them everywhere may have actually proven useful for once. "And anyway, unless stated otherwise, I am at the top of Mona's list by default, no? Then it's any child we have, then it's her parents."