Prologue
My mother is still alive. Steve McGarrett was in shock. He'd almost dropped the phone when he'd received the call from the chief of police in Tokyo. Steve hadn't been told much, only that their suspicions had been confirmed and that his mother's location was in Wo Fat's recently discovered underground hideout. Although he knew it could be a false alarm, he knew he couldn't chance it. He'd called a friend of his with access to a private plane. Less than an hour later, he was on a plane, bound for Tokyo.
Steve left notes for Danny and Chrissy. No, he hadn't particularly liked doing it, but he couldn't think of a better option at the time. It was the middle of the night, for God's sake. He would call them as soon as possible and explain everything then. Well, mostly everything.
During the flight, Steve could barely sit still. If everything went as planned, he would be seeing his mother for the first time in twenty years. He'd thought she was dead. However, about a month ago, the night after Chrissy's brother, Adam, left, he'd begun receiving information from the Tokyo police department indicating that his mother could still be alive. He'd been in disbelief at first, but slowly the idea began to sink in. Because of Chrissy's full plate, he hadn't told her about Tokyo, which he knew was another big mistake. So, on top of dealing with her being angry about the note and leaving without a word except that, he would have to admit he'd been keeping all of this from her. Man, was he looking forward to going home.
Trying to push that out of his mind, Steve's nerves settled in. Questions raged through his mind like a wildfire. Would his mom still be the woman who raised him until he was fifteen years old? How would she react to seeing him? More importantly, would she know who he was? God only knew if Wo Fat fed her drugs or knocked her around until she forgot who she was. The man had been ruthless, killing whoever got in his path. Steve's entire family had been ruined by Wo Fat. Now, there appeared to be something good coming out of it.
Steve leaned back in his seat and tried to fall asleep. He couldn't, though. Between the anticipation of seeing his mother for the first time in two decades and the regret of not telling the woman he loved and trusted most about something that could affect the rest of their lives, his mind was unable to relax. He wasn't sure what to expect from his mother and knew all too well what to expect from his girlfriend. The whole situation was just stressful, and the stress preoccupied his mind for the rest of the flight.
Nearly sixteen sleepless hours later, Steve stood behind several Japanese police officers as they tried to smash the door to Wo Fat's underground tunnel. His stomach was in knots. He was sure that the conditions in this state-of-the-art tunnel would be less than unlivable. Wo Fat had been a cruel, ruthless man who tortured and killed people who got in his way even in the slightest regard. Steve's entire family became a target simply because John McGarrett did a little too much digging. Thank God all of that was over and it was possible to move on.
Slowly, the pristine silver metal began to cave under the arduous blows of multiple sledgehammers. From there, it didn't take long for the entire door to fall in. The police officers tossed their sledgehammers aside and climbed into the tunnel. Steve followed, even though he really wasn't supposed to.
Steve's assumptions about the hideout had been right on. They were less than inhumane. An indescribable stench filled the air. There was very little lighting, so several flashlights illuminated a path. Steve wasn't quite sure what dripped off his boots or crunched under his feet, but he didn't really want to know. He was sickened by what he saw, smelled, and felt. This appeared to be a place to house animals.
A soft sob caught the group's attention. It came from straight ahead. Quickening their paces and aiming their flashlights, they moved forward. At what appeared to be the end of the tunnel, they saw a sight that made them want to cheer and vomit slightly at the same time.
It was Steve's mother. An older, frailer version of Doris McGarrett.
Thanks for reading. Just an FYI: I will only be posting chapters every other day so that I can focus on making the chapters the best I can for you guys and I'm not constantly cramming to get them done. Happy reading and see you on Wednesday.
P.S.: Enjoy the premiere tonight!