A special acknowledgment goes to all the writers on this site whose stories inspired me to tackle my first H50 fanfic. You are my muse.
Set sometime during Season 2
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Danny drove to the Iolani Palace in his Camaro. He headed inside to meet with Chin and Kono.
"Don't tell me we have another case already?"
"M'fraid so, brah," Chin replied.
"This the fourth one in a row!" Danny groused.
"Violence doesn't take a break, Danny," Kono said.
"I know, but it could stretch it out a bit. Give us time to catch our breath. What is it this time?"
"It seems we have a pyromaniac loose on the island. In the past two weeks, five suspicious fires were set, all to prominent businesses in Waikiki and Honolulu."
"Wait, shouldn't one of us be in on this conversation?" Danny asked looking around to spot his missing partner. "Where's Steve?"
"He just called. Said he'd be running a little late."
"Super SEAL? Late? There's a catch here. Did he say why?"
"No," Chin offered with a shrug.
"Well how did he sound like?" Danny was curious.
"As usual, although I could tell he was stifling a yawn as he spoke."
"Oh I see," Danny said with a broad goofy grin. "Isn't the Enterprise at dock this week?"
"You mean he was with Catherine?" Danny wicked grin was explanation enough. "I doubt that's the reason."
Danny crossed his arms against his chest and pursed his lips into a thin line."Why else would he be late and tired?"
"Why don't we ask him now," Kono said as she caught a glimpse of Steve walking into the briefing room. He was seen hiding a yawn.
"Sorry gang I'm late," Steve apologized. He had dark circles under his eyes that he tried hard to keep open.
Danny turned to Steve with an impish grin. "What happened?"
"Well if you must know I -well-I."
"Go on."
"I overslept." Steve blurted out with a slight embarrassment.
"You overslept?" Danny teased with an incredulous expression etched on his face.
"Yes, Danny - I overslept" Steve replied annoyingly.
"You mean no morning jog or swim?"
"Well obviously I skipped those today."
"Uh-uh" Danny needled. He was determined to get to the truth. "So Catherine dropped by for a visit, didn't she?" Danny said with a smirk plastered on his face.
"No, Cath has been deployed to the Red Sea. Her ship is-what are you grinning about?"
"Nothing." Danny held his hands up in the air.
"Danny, you know damn well I wouldn't let my relationship with Catherine interfere with work." Danny wasn't convinced "I had trouble sleeping last night because of a killer headache that just wouldn't go away despite taking two Tylenol," Steve further explained to his incredulous partner.
"You okay now?" Kono queried.
"It's still lingering but the pounding has lessened a bit," Steve said as he rubbed his temple distractedly and shooting Danny a murderous glare. "Chin what have we got?"
"The fire department answered five calls in the past two weeks in what they believe to be arson. All were major businesses located in Waikiki and Honolulu." Chin showed five pictures of the blazing infernos on the giant screens.
"Any link between them?" Steve asked. He was seen squinting his eyes at the screen as though his vision was a bit fuzzy.
"So far nothing. HPD started their own investigation but are baffled as to what could be the motive."
"No clues, no leads, no witnesses?" Danny asked.
Chin shook his head negatively.
"Are we looking at a professional job or just some punk kid looking for a cheap thrill?"Steve asked.
"According to the ATF guys who combed each of the sites, the fires were apparently ignited from the inside using an explosive device and not an inflammable agent set outside. Whoever did it wanted the entire building ablaze before the fire brigade got there, as though he didn't want to leave any evidence behind. And all were ignited sometime between midnight and one in the morning."
"I'm guessing no one was in those buildings at those hours?" Kono asked.
"Fortunately not, which leads us to believe that it's not the arsonist's intent to kill anyone. He may have a grudge against the manager of those businesses."
"Perhaps a former disgruntled employee?" Danny surmised. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of his partner whose face was scrunched up. He wanted to ask if Steve was okay, but refrained from doing so to avoid attracting attention to his obvious pain.
"They suspected as much so HPD asked for the employee roster of each company. No two names are alike."
"There has to be a reason," Steve said, trying to suppress the dull, deep throbbing in his skull with a scalp massage.
"HPD has put additional patrol cars in the streets at night hoping to catch this wacko before he strikes again.
"First thing on the agenda is to go speak to the managers of each of those businesses, see if they can provide us with clues as to why the arsonist has targeted them," Steve suggested
"HPD officers have already talked with them and didn't get anything that can help us make headway in this case," Chin informed.
"Perhaps we should seek out the employees. Maybe they can provide us with valuable information. Who knows? They might have seen or heard something suspicious than can help us piece the puzzle together," Danny offered as an alternative.
"Danny's right," Steve agreed "We should try interrogating the executive assistants or any high-ranking employees in the companies. If an explosive device was the cause, then someone must have had access to the offices to plant it. Could have been an inside job or someone acting in connivance with the arsonist."
"But what happens if we speak to that very person? He or she will surely lead us astray and will tip the guy to lay low until we stop snooping around." Danny infered.
"Then we'll know we have our guy and we'll be able to narrow down the list of suspects working with the arsonist," Steve concluded with a small facial twitch. "Chin, can you get us the employee registry of those businesses?"
"Sure. It'll take a few minutes."
"Good. I'll be back." Steve excused himself to go to the men's room.
Concerned, Danny followed him and waited by the door for his partner to finish his business.
"You sure you're okay?" Danny asked Steve when he exited the little boys' room.
"Yeah I'm fine. Danno. I was just answering nature's call."
"I'm not talking about that."
"It's just a headache! Haven't you ever had one yourself?"
"Yes, but they usually go away after a few hours. You've been having quite a few lately, haven't you?"
"No more than usual," Steve equivocated. Danny wasn't duped and kept staring at his partner. "Quit looking at me like that. I'm telling you I'm fine!"
"When was the last time you had a complete check-up?"
"This is ridiculous!" Steve huffed out and strode up to his office with Danny close on his heels." I can't believe we're actually having an argument about a simple headache! This is a new low for you, D."
"I'm just concerned about you, that's all. I've seen you run yourself ragged in those last three cases we've had."
"And you haven't? You've worked as relentlessly as I have on those cases, brah. You're saying I can't handle the stress but you can?"
"Difference between you and me is that I take breaks to unwind to let out the steam. You don't. The wheels are turning twenty-four-seven."
"Why do you think I go on early morning jogs and swims? It's to relieve some of the tension."
"Didn't you say you skipped a few in the past weeks?" Danny countered
"Some," Steve replied somewhat embarrassed. "Look I appreciate your solicitude but really-I'm fine."
"Ok if you say so," Danny humored but was nevertheless not convinced.
"I say so."
"There it is," Chin announced as he entered the boss's office with a sheet of paper that he handed over to Steve "a list of all high-level employees in the businesses that were destroyed with their addresses. How do you want to play it?"
"Danny and I will take the first three companies while you and Kono handle the last two."
"Got it."
Steve and Danny made their way out the door and to the parking lot toward the Camaro.
"Toss me your keys" Steve asked with his hand held out.
"Sorry. Today I'm driving."
"Why?"
"Why he asked?" Danny quipped. "Because you're in no shape to drive, that's why."
"No, not that headache argument again?" Steve ran a hand across his face in exasperation.
"Humor me, babe. You can catch a few Zs while I drive us to our first address on the list, which according to my calculations is about fifteen minutes away."
"Danny!" Steve griped. He tried to pry the keys out of Danny's grasp but his stubborn partner was relentless. "Danny for God's sake!"
"Sit and shut up!" Danny's eyes brimmed with a steely tenacity.
Steve attempted to challenge that glare but his pounding headache made him forfeit the fight. He obediently but begrudgingly sat in the passenger seat, slamming the door shut. He then rested his elbow on the door frame and looked away from his partner.
"You can sulk all you want but you'll later thank me for it."
"I strongly doubt that," Steve retorted with a firm pout.
"Why are you so upset about me driving my OWN car?"
"It's not that it's-well you drive too slowly."
"Oh I'm sorry if a hundred-and-fifty miles per hour is not fast enough for you, babe."
Steve snorted out a guffaw. "Since when have you put your foot to the pedal that far?"
"Look, I've driven some high-speed chases before."
"Must be all that snow you get in Jersey that's slowing you down."
"Hey! Don't bash New Jersey, okay?" Danny resented Steve's cheap shot at his native town.
"Why not? You do it to Hawaii all the time," Steve challenged.
Danny heaved out an annoyed sigh. "You want to do this?"
"Yeah, better hurry. The way you're driving we won't get there before Christmas."
"Oh, you are so witty, babe. You're hilarious. You simply crack me up," Danny spoke with a crushing cynicism.
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Steve was growing impatient and frustrated with each failed attempt at retrieving some sort of clue or lead as to the arsonist's whereabouts. Although he knew that the case wouldn't be solved in a day he nevertheless had a hard time controlling his emotions.
By the time they reached the house of the third person on the list, Steve's headache was hammering out of his skull, making him more irascible then when they first left headquarters. Whenever Danny tried to smooth things over, he was rewarded with a severe tongue-lashing that would take him aback.
Once the interrogation over, they walked back to the car.
"You were way out of line in there," Danny scolded and took a seat behind the wheel.
"I can tell she's hiding something." Steve said in a surly mood. He bitterly took his place in the passenger seat.
"You don't know that!" Danny argued. "The poor thing, you scared her half to death when you raised your voice to her."
"She was stalling, trying to concoct a quick one to evade the questions. I needed her to know we were onto her game."
"Listen to yourself! You've already branded her a suspect without any proof whatsoever. May I remind you that we're only interrogating the people who might, may I emphasize the might, have seen or heard something suspicious."
"Danny, if they are in on it, they won't willingly expose themselves."
"Oh and threatening them will do that?"
"I wasn't threatening her!" Steve defended.
"Yes you were! I've never seen you act like that before, especially with a woman."
Steve pinched the bridge of his nose with an elbow resting against the door frame.
"You have to take care of that headache, pal."
"This conversation IS giving me a headache," Steve grunted.
"Did you hit your head recently, other than the concussion you had three months ago?"
"No Danny," Steve puffed out in annoyance.
"Perhaps it's that post-concussion syndrome the doctor was telling us about. I'd have it checked out if I were you."
"Well you're not me. Now stop pestering me and drive."
Danny was nevertheless worried that something was going on inside his partner's thick skull. His behavior had been erratic and his reasoning somewhat irrational in the past few days. The dark circles under his eyes and sullen mood were clear evidence of a lack of sleep.
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Back at HQ, Danny and Steve met with Chin and Kono who had better luck than our two friends.
"Her name is Betty McElroy. She was working in the accounting department of that last building that went up in flames. Says she remembers a man who was there for a job interview. He was upset that the manager wouldn't consider his application in spite of his qualifications."
"What's wrong with that?" Danny asked.
"Says he was really miffed and started hurling profanities at the manager until he was finally escorted out by security."
"Did he threaten the man in any way?" Steve asked.
"No, just a lot of cursing."
"He's probably having a string of bad luck with job interviews," Danny surmised.
"It might help if he reined in his temper," Kono said.
"Still we can't go around suspecting people of wanting to blow up buildings just because they were denied a job."
"No but it's worth following that lead. Let's widen the list of employees of those businesses, see if anyone remembers seeing the same man in and around the office. Chin, do you have a description?"
"Yeah, about five foot ten, hundred and seventy pounds. Muscular. Light brown hair. That's all she was able to remember about him."
"No discernible marks like a tattoo or a scar?" Steve asked.
"She didn't say."
"That doesn't narrow it down," Danny remarked.
"Perhaps the manager can help us fill in the blanks and narrow our search. He must still have that man's resume?" Steve queried.
"I presume," Chin said.
"Get a copy of it and ask all the other managers if they happened to have interviewed the same candidate for a job opening."
"I'll get right on it."
"Okay, now that our friend Chin over there is taking care of business, you and I will take a little trip. Come on," Danny said to Steve. He clasped his arm and pulled him out of the briefing room.
"Danny, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
"Home."
"Be serious."
"I am. I want you to take the rest of the day off napping."
Steve angrily wrenched his arm free of Danny's grip. "Would you just let it go already!"
"Really boss, you look like you could use a long rest," Kono agreed.
"Will you all stop badgering me!" Steve seethed. "I have a headache! It will pass. Now quit harping on about it!" On that acrid tone, Steve turned to head to the men's room.
"Maybe we should cut him some slack," Chin advised his teammate. "It's obvious we're smothering him."
"You're not worried?" Danny asked.
"Steve can take care of himself. He's been through worse."
Despite Chin's reassurance that the SEAL had indeed experienced worse than a simple headache, Danny's sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach nevertheless wouldn't relent.
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By late afternoon Steve's headache grew into a full-blown migraine. No amount of medication could quell the unbearable ache hammering in his skull. He opted to just lie in his bed unmoving, eyes closed and waited for it to pass. The slightest movement caused dizziness and nausea. He silently thanked Danny for insisting to drive him home before the day's end.
He was finally finding a lull in the sea of pain when his iPhone rang. Slowly he opened his eyes and keeping his head straight, reached for the cell on the nightstand. The caller-ID showed no name.
"McGarrett," he answered with gritted teeth so not to jostle his head.
"Steve McGarrett?"
"That's right."
"Sorry to bother you, sir. I'm Officer Greg Callahan from the Los Angeles Police Department. Are you the brother of Mary Ann McGarrett?"
Steve sprung up in bed at the name, squishing his eyes shut and hissing at the excruciating pain. "I am. What's wrong? Is she hurt?" the brotherly concern was evident in his voice.
"She was arrested for DUI."
"What?"
"This is the second offence this week. The first arrest she was charged with a misdemeanour but this time she caused an accident. She is formally charged with a felony DUI."
Steve held his head with one hand as he slid his legs on the edge of the mattress into a sitting position. "Was anyone killed?"
"Fortunately no. Only minor injuries."
"Where is she now?"
"She's presently serving jail time. We suspended her driver's licence and there's a fine. I wouldn't have bothered you, sir, seeing how you live in Hawaii, but she said she had no relative in California."
"That's right. I'm the only family she has. Listen I can post bail and vouch for her until her trial."
"You'll need to speak to the attorney assigned to her case."
"All right, give me his coordinates and I'll get in touch with him." Ever so slowly Steve grabbed a pen and pencil and jogged down the information. "Thank you officer. May I speak with my sister?"
"I would prefer you speak with her attorney first."
"All right. Thank you officer." He hung up and took a deep breath to inhibit the dull throbbing pain in his head before dialing the lawyer's number.
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Mary's attorney agreed to allow her to travel to Hawaii pending her trial in exchange for Steve's guarantee that he will meet her at the airport upon her arrival and vouch for her whereabouts.
Between his splitting headache and his concern for his sister, Steve found it hard to sleep that night.
The morning brought on a powerful wave of nauseas. The sun filtering through his bedroom window was like an axe chopping his skull in two. He kept the blinds down while trying to get his bearings and later went out for his routine jog and swim, hoping they would clear his head and alleviate the pain but to no avail. He had to resign to curtailing his morning activities.
He then notified Danny that he would be at work in early afternoon only for reason that he had to meet his sister at the airport.
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When Mary appeared at the gateway, both sister and brother's gaze met and they stood there, just staring into each other's eyes.
"Are you going to scold me?" Mary asked pungently. She attacked first as she was a bit apprehensive at Steve's reaction to her misconduct from the look on his face.
Instead he opted for the caring approach. He simply held out his arms and enlaced her in a brotherly hug. "I should but I'm not. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay considering." She pulled back and saw a tear escaping the corner of her brother's eye "Steve, are you all right?"
"I'm just concerned about you, that's all. Why did you do it, Mare, huh? Everything was going so well lately. Why the relapse?"
"It's a long story."
"I have time." He picked up her suitcase and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, we'll go some place and talk."
As they walked out of the airport terminal, Mary couldn't help but feel there was something wrong with Steve. Not that he would have tore her apart for what she'd done, but this exceedingly compassionate bearing was somewhat alien to his character.
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During lunch, Mary explained the reasons for her DUI.
"I was depressed because I'd just lost my job. I also broke up with a guy I'd been going out with for six months. I thought he was the one but turns out he had a girlfriend on the side and he ultimately chose her. Both occurred in the same week and-I guess you can say I lost it completely."
"Why didn't you call me instead of going on a binge?"
"You have enough on your mind without me adding to your burdens."
"You are not a burden, Mary. You're my sister. Family sticks together. We only have each other."
"Steve it's obvious we lead two opposite lives. I mostly grew up without big brother around to tag along with and as a result, I have trouble understanding you and you, me."
"I try Mare, but you won't let me in. It'd be better if you were living here in Hawaii. We could hang out more. Get better acquainted with each other."
"I thank you big brother but I know I'd only be in the way."
"Mary, don't be ridiculous!" Steve spoke up a bit too loudly. It caused him to shut his eyes in pain.
"What's the matter?" she asked. Seeing Steve rub his left temple in obvious discomfort had her concerned.
"Nothing. It's just a small headache."
"You've been out in the sun too long," she joked.
Steve offered a weak smile in return and dismissed his pain with one shake of the head.
"Or perhaps it's this conversation."
"Silly girl. Come on. Let' go home so you can settle in." he said, standing from the table. He stopped and grabbed the edge of the table as a dizzy spell seized him.
Mary went around to his side to grab his arm. "Hey! You okay?" she asked with great distress.
"Yeah. Just got up too fast."
"Uh uhn." She was skeptical as to her brother's excuse. Here he was a former rough and tough SEAL, hampered by such a trivial annoyance as a headache?
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Once she was settled in her room, Steve took Mary to the Palace to meet with the team. He took Kono aside and asked her for the favor of keeping an eye on his sister while he, Danny and Chin paid the alleged arsonist a visit.
They donned their bullet-proof vests and grabbed plenty of ammunitions before driving to the suspect's house with Duke and a few HPD officers.
When no one answered their courteous knock on the apartment door, Steve and Danny assumed positions and charged inside, gun at the ready, searching every room. Once the 'all clear' was given, they noticed newspaper clippings of the fires plastered on the bedroom walls.
"Safe to assume we have our arsonist," Danny inferred from the damaging evidence on the walls.
"Or he's one sick puppy who draws pleasure in reading about fires," Chin offered as an alternate version.
"I choose the former."
As Steve surveyed the room he caught a glimpse of a note book sitting on the bed. He opened it and began reading its content. "This confirms that he went to all those job interviews. He wrote the dates and hours down on his notebook. All check out. Is it mere coincidences that all five fires were set on the same days as the applicant's rejections?" He handed the notepad over to Danny who corroborated the evidence.
"Question is now, where is our man?" Chin asked. "Has someone tipped him off?"
"Who would do that?" Duke queried.
"Looky here!" Danny exclaimed. Steve, Chin and Duke gathered around him as he pointed down in the note pad. "He has another job interview this afternoon at three o'clock. And here's the address."
Steve glanced down at his wristwatch. "Ten minutes from now. Let's go!"
Steve led the way in a dash out the door and down to the parking lot. He took a seat behind the wheel of Danny's Camaro, starting the ignition as his partner hurried in the passenger seat, heedful to grab a firm hold of the door frame as the wheels screeched to a start and the car sprung forward.
During the wild chase, Danny kept his eyes peeled on the road. He would occasionally peek at his partner whose eyes darted wildly ahead. His knuckles white as his fingers gripped the steering wheel, nearly pulverizing it as the vials of wrath poured out. Never had he seen Steve so emotionally intent on catching an offender.
"You might want to a slow down a bit. We'll be entering a school zone ahead," Danny calmly suggested to his possessed partner. "Besides it's not like he knows we're coming after him."
"I want to get there before he ends his interview."
"And then what? Arrest him on the spot? We should have waited for him back in his apartment."
"Too risky. He might not have come back for a while."
"Steve, please," Danny begged with both feet jammed to the floor to mentally slow the speeding car down. "I'm not kidding here. Slow down, dammit! This is not a high-speed chase."
"Just let me drive okay," Steve argued forcefully. "I know what I'm doing." He turned to Danny for a slip second.
"Look out!" Danny yelled. He instinctively grabbed a hold of the dashboard in front of him -