Saugus detention center

This article is about the prison itself. For the surrounding property, see Saugus Wildlife Preserve. For the power grid sector, see 26-GG.

"Someone knows we're here..."

— Jack Bauer, "Day 1: 6:00pm-7:00pm"

The Saugus detention center was a top-secret Department of Defense Class 3 detention facility located at 21911 Kipling Avenue in Saugus, California, part of the Mobile Underground Detention and Detainment network. The facility was raided by Andre Drazen and a team of Serbian ex-military soldiers in order to rescue Andre's father, Victor Drazen, during Day 1.

History

Construction

A plan of the facility

The prison was part of the Captivity Management Program's Mobile Underground Detention and Detainment system, a network of twenty-seven secret holding facilities throughout the United States. Each prison was built into the foundations of Nike antiaircraft missile sites in rural areas, constructed during the Cold War by Strategic Air Command and later abandoned. (Findings at CTU)

To conceal the prison's existence, a 10-acre tract surrounding the entrance was purchased by the Fish and Game Department and repurposed as the Saugus Wildlife Preserve, something of a misnomer as in truth the land had no water sources and could not support much animal life. The facility was powered by a transformer on site, while a helicopter patrol made regular flyovers for surveillance. ("Day 1: 6:00pm-7:00pm")

Day 1: Drazen raid

As with every prisoner in the MUDD system, Victor Drazen was transferred to a different facility on a random schedule every few weeks. At 7:20pm on Day 1, he was scheduled to arrive at the detention center in Saugus, noted in his NSA file by the address of the surrounding wildlife preserve, 21911 Kipling. This file was leaked to Alexis Drazen by an unidentified mole, codenamed Dagger, within the American intelligence community. Alexis bribed a Pacific Electric technician, Alan Morgan, to shut off the power to the prison at 7:20 so that he and Andre Drazen could attack while the transfer occurred and rescue their father. (Findings at CTU)

The plan went awry when Alexis was stabbed by Elizabeth Nash during an operation to plant a tracking device on him. Jack Bauer attended a meeting with Morgan in his place, learning about the arrangement with Alexis before Morgan was accidentally killed by sniper Teddy Hanlin. Soon after, Senator David Palmer called to report that he had found the missing file and the inexplicable address at the end. Jack decided to head to the wildlife preserve to find out what the Drazens were after, accompanied by George Mason. ("Day 1: 4:00pm-5:00pm", "Day 1: 5:00pm-6:00pm", "Day 1: 6:00pm-7:00pm")

A helicopter flies over the prison

Around this time, Andre Drazen and a crew of ex-Serbian military exiles led by Harris set up camp in a hidden bunker within sight of the entrance. They planned to attack at 7:20 when Alan Morgan shut off the lights, killing the guards and rescuing Victor.

After exploring the park for some time, George grew frustrated and decided to return to CTU Los Angeles. Minutes later, Jack discovered the stairwell leading to the prison's entrance, where he was suddenly attacked and imprisoned by some of the prison guards. After waking up in a cell, Jack met the facility's warden, Mark DeSalvo, and warned him that the Drazens were planning an attack on the prison at 7:20. DeSalvo confirmed that a prisoner was scheduled to arrive at that exact time. With no time to call for reinforcements, Jack and DeSalvo outfitted and armed the prison's maintenance staff so that when the hand-off took place, the facility would appear more secure than it actually was.

The prisoner arrives

At 7:20, a helicopter arrived carrying Victor Drazen. Jack, DeSalvo and the other six prison staff emerged with guns at the ready to receive him. When the power didn't shut off as planned, Drazen and Harris were forced to call off the raid and retreat to the bunker. Instead, they made plans to destroy the prison's power transformer with C-5 and enter through the front.

Jack tried to convince DeSalvo to give him access to the prisoner, but when it was denied he discovered the prison's surveillance center. He cycled through the different rooms, finally discovering that the identity of the prisoner was Victor Drazen, the man he believed he had killed in Operation Nightfall two years before.

Jack holds Drazen hostage as Andre attacks

After a brief interrogation in the holding cell, DeSalvo gave Jack permission to move Drazen before the commandos outside could attack. The men at the facility were kitted out again, and convened in the north corridor. However, during transit, the power to the facility was cut and the lights went out. ("Day 1: 7:00pm-8:00pm")

After losing contact with Ray and Lawrence, two of the facility's guards, the remaining men listened as the front door was blown in. After several more explosions, Andre and Harris' men entered the corridor and killed the remaining employees of the facility, releasing Victor and keeping Jack as hostage. On Victor's orders, the mercenaries collapsed the corridor behind them and started drilling through the wall. They kept Jack in the corridor while negotiating with CTU over the phone.

The flood egress

George Mason authorized a CTU field team led by Agent Drake to raid the facility and rescue Jack. When they arrived, the team found the prison staff dead, and discovered that the Drazens had mined the hole they had drilled into the corridor wall. They set to work disarming it, but were unable to finish before the Drazens made it outside through a flood egress. Outside, Victor prepared to kill Jack, but stopped when Jack told him that his son Alexis was still alive, hospitalized after his stabbing by Elizabeth Nash. Victor decided to keep Jack as a hostage, and drove away with Andre and his men in their waiting vans. ("Day 1: 8:00pm-9:00pm")

Employees

The prison's staff, minus Lawrence

In total, the facility was staffed by a crew of seven: Warden DeSalvo, three guards, a maintenance man, and two technicians. Ray and Lawrence were among the support staff. ("Day 1: 7:00pm-8:00pm")

Prisoners

In addition to Victor Drazen, a number of high-value prisoners were kept in the MUDD system, including Japanese bioterrorist Ichiro Nakada, Real IRA member Liam O'Shea, and terror suspect Abdullah Al-Adel, any or all of whom were probably transferred to the Saugus location at some point. (Findings at CTU)

See also

• Saugus Wildlife Preserve
• Mobile Underground Detention and Detainment
• Captivity Management Program