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Releasing a deep breath Steve ran his hands down his face, half in concentration half in frustration.
They'd received a case of a taken-hostage scenario this morning, Steve having received the call via the HPD from Duke after finishing his every day morning swim before calling in the rest of his team, a small young family had been taken hostage in their own home and threatened to transfer money into the attacker's personal account in the Caymans to avoid trancing the money directly to them, the two parents being duct taped to chairs in their living room while their young daughter watched on in horror before fleeing the scene.
After having saved the parents and taken down the men behind the home abduction, Steve and his team were in the process of searching for the little girl who must be terrified beyond belief. However, that action is much easier said than done as they've been searching for a good six hours with zero results, now Steve was just frustrated.
Where would I go if I were that young after witnessing my parents being beaten black and blue?
It was the question that everyone was asking themselves, Danny going so far as to talk with Rachel and putting it in less terms to Grace in order to try and pitch in as many options and potential routes as possible.
Sighing when he heard his phone chirping from above where he had placed his head on his desk, trying in an attempt to tap into some younger part of himself to see where he would head if said scenario happened to him.
"McGarrett" picking up the call without glancing at the ID of the caller, Steve's head shot up so fast his vision tilted to the side slightly at Duke's next words.
"Commander, we've found the girl up on one of the hiking trails but we can't get to her" the older man's voice was audibly frustrated, the man having children himself and not liking the cases in which young innocent children were included in.
"Where is she?" shoving his form from his chair, rounding the side of his desk and pushing through the door to his office and nodding to his team before heading out to the Camaro, Danny tossing him the keys as they all made their way to their vehicles.
…
"A couple found her and rung it in 'bout half hour ago, we can't get an armed evac in there since it'll just make it even worse than it already is for her. Nobody's trained with this level of danger in store, they'll be risking their necks and lives if they're not experienced enough. The vegetation is too vast to repel down from the top too, it has to be free climbed but I don't think she's going to be able to hold on for any longer" Duke passed all notes over to the Hawaii Five-0 task force as the team walked alongside with the Sergeant, all their eyes zoned in on the young girl clinging hold of the branch with her entire body, her form shaking with the tears and fear running rampant.
"Got'cha" Steve responded before heading back to the Camaro for his pack he always thought to bring wherever he went in case of emergencies. He'd climbed these cliffs a thousand times over, climbed even worse terrains in the Navy whilst training, he had this, along with the training he's been putting himself through ever since he returned to his home island to stay in good physical shape.
"Oh no, no, no you don't you psycho! Are you even thinking about this properly right now? Are you actually trying to break your neck because one fall from that height could put your SEAL arse down for life, there's no coming back from that Steve!" Danny raged, fury building up visibly on his face as Steve went about securing a harness to his figure before attaching a smaller harness but securing it so it wouldn't aggravate him whilst climbing.
"There's no other choice here Danno" responding without even so much as a glimpse in Danny's direction, Steve rolled his eyes at his partner's pathetic attempt to mask his concern with anger.
"Don't Danno me you son of a bitch! I'm trying to avoid having to ring the ambulance when my partner ends up seemingly pushing his life over the edge. I don't want to watch them zip up the black bag over your dead body!" as the words left his mouth, Steve exhaled in frustration before clasping hold of his partner's shoulder.
"Danny! There is no other choice here, I'm the only one experienced enough to free climb up there and get her back to her parents. You're forgetting that I've been trained far more harshly that this, I'll be fine. What if it was Grace up there?"
"Don't you dare bring my daughter into this McGarrett!" knowing he's skimmed his partner's nerve with the topic of his daughter, Steve raced on to finish.
"If I don't do this right now, that little girl up there could potentially fall and die, she'd have no hope at survival and you know that as well as I do. I have to Danny" turning to close the boot, Steve walked past Danny and towards the bottom of the cliff face where the HPD have stationed the safety barriers, the rest of his team watching on in concern for their friends and teammate.
"Isn't there another way that doesn't involve you risking your neck and life in the doing? May I be the one to remind you of what happened a couple years ago during that first year I met you and how you ended up breaking your arm!?"
"Wish me luck Danno" Steve remarked before beginning his climb up the rocky terrain of the cliff before him, his instincts kicking in to guide his limbs to provide him with a secure footing, passing off the sound of his partner ranting behind him about kicking some sense into him when he gets his arse back down to safe earth again.
…
Watching his partner's every move, Danny couldn't help the flinch as Steve's footing faltered, the SEAL clambering to get back the security beneath his feet before continuing up.
Peeking beside him at the rest of his team, Danny hunched himself forward against the material of the safety barrier round the bottom of the Cliffside, his body literally vibrating with the tension of having to watch his friend scale the side of a cliff where he could fall at any given moment.
Blocking out the murmurs of the men of the HPD uniform further down the hiking trail, Danny's eyes never left the form of McGarrett, which means he had a full unobstructed view of when his partner sped up the pace of his climb when the girl above him slips in her hold of the branch before scrambling to grasp hold of a solid-enough part of the vegetation, struggling in the action, a cry of terror escaping her in the process, startling the entire department and H50 team.
Not being able to pause or rid himself of the urge to do something to help, Danny began pacing back and forth, again and again to try and divert the unwanted attention basing itself on the image of his partner, the man who'd become somewhat of a brother to him, get smashed in the head and sent falling to the ledge where the dead man laid dead.
He'd felt so helpless as he watched such a strong man experience another fret of vulnerability in that moment as he scraped to halt with his head dangling over the edge of the cliff.
Interlocking his fingers with either hand, he rested both hands on the nape of his neck, tilting his head back to rest against his limbs before yelling up at the SEAL.
The vibrating tension coursing through his system worsened further as he watched his teammate pause at the point where most would turn back and return to safety once more but oh no, not Steven McGarrett, being normal apparently is for pussies anyway.
Steve glanced around at where he was, taking in his positioning and the terrain available, the footholds in the rocky Cliffside on offer before freaking leaping like bloody Spiderman to the lip of the overhang that was like a Steve and a half worth of size, his body swinging from the leftover momentum of his leaping action, decidedly using said momentum to hoist his entire body further up the overhang and moving on towards the girl.
The gasps and cursing from the HPD and Hawaii Five-0 rose in volume and vastness, more and more people murmuring at the acts of the out-of-his-mind leader of the taskforce. Chin, Kono and Lou waiting beside themselves and praying to every God they know that Steve will be okay.
"Will you be goddamn careful!? I'd prefer my partner to be in an entire piece if you don't mind!"
Remind him that if Steve gets his arse back down from that cliff to kick him where it'll hurt and give him something to remember whenever he wants to risk his life again.
…
Ignoring the murmuring and cursing coming from below his current positioning, Steve focused on all his training and experience he'd gone through as he neared the overhang.
This factor of the cliff was the part that most men at the bottom alongside his team were unable to get past, the vegetation surrounding them certainly not giving any aspect of help either.
Pausing in his movements, Steve took in every option he hand on hand before making his next move on the matter of the overhang. Knowing it'd take more energy and strength to take the easy way out regarding getting past the overhang, the action of relying on his upper body strength and leaving his legs dangling and tasked with aiding his forward movement, Steve wondered how much shit he was going to have to endure when he achieved his task and got back down from this cliff with the girl and had to face the wrath of his partner for what he was planning on doing.
It was unnecessary to take the longer way to get up so he decided to take the option on offer.
The jump itself he was physically able to do, the risk in it being something that his training officers always berated him for as it was a risk on his own life when his concentration had to be on the matter at hand at the top of the obstacle he was scaling. However, it was the fact that he had no idea what the rock stability was like at the lip of the overhang but sometimes the risk is what makes it easier for the soul. If he jumped, it wouldn't use as much of his energy and strength as going about actually climbing the overhang itself would do, so saving him much needed time to get up to the girl who probably just wanted her mummy and daddy and wanted it to all be over.
Oh, he was so going to here hell for this.
Fear isn't what people always crack it up to be. In some instances, granted, it does keep you safe from potential injury but most times it's the factor that prevents you from doing something that may aid you or the task at hand. In most of his cases, Steve's never been one to feel the fear of an action, like Danny down there, he'd always managed to rein it in and get on with what he's supposed to be doing.
Adrenaline pumping him entire bloodstream with the much needed strength to continue and finish his task, Steve pushed further as he closed the distance between him and the young girl of about five, who was looking at him with such raw fear and vulnerability it was like nails hitting him with every passing second.
"Hiya sweetie, are you okay?" positioning himself in a stable spot so he could get this last part done and over with as quickly as he could, Steve reached down for the smaller harness before glancing back over the little girl still clung onto the branch for dear life. "My name's Steve, I'm here to make sure to make it safely back to your parents, okay? Can you tell me your name?" distracting her from the distance between them and the ground, realising how high it must seem to her from all the way up at this position, Steve moved even more rapidly with his movements to get the harness undone and on her as fast as possible.
"Wendy….S-Steve, I'm s-scared"
"I know you are honey, but I'm not going to let you fall okay. Trust me, now I need to put this harness on you so I can attach you to me so I don't lose you" at her confirming nod, Steve used one hand to ensure the harness was on her and was working properly before bringing himself closer and attaching the carabiner that still resided on his belay loop to her belay loop, locking it in nice and tight before planning his method of attack. "Now what I need you to do is to wrap both your arms and legs around my chest nice and tight and hold on, think you can do that? I'm not going to let you fall okay, and this harness will stop anything bad from happening on the way down" explaining it fully to the five year old that was looking up at him with her big brown doe eyes, so she would understand, Steve moved down to show Wendy what was properly in store for the way back down.
Taking a deep breath at the feeling of her petite limbs firmly around him and the harness holding her to him, Steve began moving, feeling Wendy lock herself against him even more, and her head taking up residence in his shoulder.
Hesitating before taking any movements back towards the ground, Steve took in the route in which he used to get up to his current position, taking in the memory of the overhang.
He didn't want to risk it, want to risk Wendy's life like that.
Observing what the cliff was like above him, Steve mentally mapped out his route before moving.
Reaching into his back pocket, undoing the clasp in the process, he retrieved his phone, calling down to Danny.
"Is there a reason why you're not moving anywhere? Or are you just deciding to hang out for a while?!" meeting the sound of his partner's more than pissed off voice the moment he picked up, the corners of his mouth tugged up slightly before settling in for business.
"I'm changing tactics Danny, I'm not risking anything with Wendy and that overhang. It's too dangerous free climbing, so I'm thinking about continuing upwards. There's a good set of vegetation leading into the forest then onto a hiking trail. It's a much safer option than attempting to trace my steps back down again" glancing both up towards the vegetation in question then down at his partner and teammates, Steve comforted Wendy when she whimpered when a gust of wind filtered thought her messy hair.
"Already sounding like a much more approved plan than heading back down again. We'll meet you two at the top then, just please be careful McGarrett…and I'm not just talking about the girl, I mean it Steve"
"I know Danno, I know. Meet you at the top" with that said, Steve replaced his phone back in his pocket, refastening the clasp, and began moving up the cliff, his moves slow and steady to not startle Wendy at all.
…
At least it wasn't as far as it would've been to get back down using the same way he climbed to get to Wendy in the first place.
This is what he kept telling himself over and over again as he led point of the group of people heading up to meet Steve at the top, along the section of the hiking trail with Wendy firmly secured to his chest.
Was it just him or was there something about the image of a young child in the arms of the dangerous SEAL that oozed raw strength?
The medics already had their bags at ready in case anything was needed, the main component being the shock blanket Danny knew they were going to wrap round the girl's shoulders the moment she was safe on solid ground.
As they all settled, it seemed as the seconds ticked into minutes hours had passed in the span of a mere five minutes.
Resuming the non-stop pacing movement, Danny couldn't seem to keep still, the fear of his partner falling from a greater height than the last being an almost permanent fixture in his mind, a corner he couldn't navigate as bad scenarios began plaguing his mind, each one being worse than the last.
Almost as though his heart had ceased action when the sound of leaves crunching beneath boots broadcasted through the air, silencing them all as they waited for a visual on the shoot-first-ask-questions-later Commander that he swore, he was going to kill when he got his hands on him next.
Moments passed him by at the speed of light as the figure of his partner emerged from the depths of the forest, Wendy held tight in his arms, the harness still present on her body untangled from Steve's as the Lt. Commander strode through the remaining shrubbery and towards the medics.
Not being able to find a reason for his sudden inability to even so much as move, Danny only barely managed the ability to watch Steve as he transferred Wendy from his arms to the medics before making his way over to Danny, who finally managed to break free from the seeming trance and move towards the crazy man and take him up in a hug that left him scrabbling for a hold on the material of his shirt.
"I'm alright Danno, I'm good" whispering into his clothing as Danny clutched hold of him, Steve returning the gesture as the remnants of the waves of adrenaline he was riding broke and headed for the shoreline, leaving his body tired from the excursion.
"You're alright…you're alright" murmuring more to himself than anyone else, Danny's anger hit him full force as he pushed McGarrett away from him. "Now, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Does the word life even mean anything to you anymore with that leap of faith you pulled off?"
"Danny, I told you I'd be fine and I am. I'm not dead or critically injured so I don't see what the problem is, and before you say a word it made more sense to go through with the jump than trying to get over the lip of that overhang, which by the way would've taken more energy and strength and away from the time I had to get to her" taking the blonde man by the shoulders so he couldn't move away from him, Steve looked straight into his eyes.
"Don't bring logic or strategy into this McGarrett! I hate it when you're right" crossing his arms before turning and heading towards the rest of the team, Steve chuckled before heading after him, going back to Wendy to check up on her once more before they could return her to her parents.
…
So as it turned out, the HPD wasn't the only ones who were enamoured by Steve's feats of danger in order to save the little girl, Danny being the opposite of a cheerleader throughout the climb, as a team of the News filming the entire escapade, irritating Steve further by asking for an interview or why he risked his life in such ways when he just wanted to complete the case and return the young family's daughter back where she belongs.
Well at least it'd be something to remember further on in his life.
Grace had even commented on it, saying that she had told her entire class that he's her 'Brave Super SEAL Uncle' and she's proud of him, making Steve's heart warm in his chest and smirk over at Danno who was scowling at the TV replaying the climb on repeat.
No matter what, Danny always flinched when Steve slipped and still glared at him or gave him a certain I-still-hate-you when they watched Steve leap to the lip of the overhang.
Danny spent days trying relentlessly to make Steve promise him never to do anything that stupid again in his life, he didn't care he was trained in the harsh elements of the Navy and whatnot, he didn't want to get the phone call hearing his partner's dead after risking his life unnecessarily.
Steve never liked making promises he knew he wouldn't keep.
It ended up Steve once more risking his life after diving off a cliff in the midst of a shoot-out to actually survive the experience, going up against six trained shooters with limited amount of ammo not something he was going to attempt.
Danny ended up avoiding and ignoring him for a week following the events.