Palahē (Crushed)

Follow on from "Ina Paha" (Season 5, Episode 7) – Spoilers for those who haven't yet seen this episode.

Kono clutch her automatic weapon, braced to take on any resistance as Danny and Chin took the full weight of Steve's exhausted body. Lou continued to scope behind them, as the group navigated the rabbit warren of corridors lined with industrial equipment.

Those left in the building stepped aside peacefully, their expressions showing their own surprise as to what had been happening in the bowels of the building. They stood, stunned.

Kono broke through the external doors, the setting sun illuminated her face. The warm air was a stark contrast to the shivering temperatures Steve had been in for the past several of hours. She lowered her gun, holding back their exit as the guys filtered through. As they passed she studied Steve's state, her expression filled with concern. His reaction to his father inside had worried her. She had never seen him break down like that before. His childlike and vulnerable reaction as Danny reminded him that his father had been dead for 4 years, he held it back as much as he could but the reality was way too much for him to take. She wondered he'd ever been that way when his father had died? Or was this the only time he'd let his emotions take over?

Adam had been holding his glare on the door from the black SUV, his sense of relief was unequivocal as he saw Kono break free, followed by the others including Steve. He felt a sense of pride that he had played a part in helping them achieve this moment. Kono glanced at him, through the glass of the windscreen, and nodded gently with a soothing smile of gratitude. Though his heart still paced as he waited to learn the fate of Wo Fat.

Danny hadn't heard the distant chorus of sirens, another wave of HPD, on approach until they were screeching to a halt in front of them. His only focus was on Steve's breathing whilst whispering words of reassurance.

Duke hopped out of his cruiser and waved the Ambulance through urgently before heading over to the team.

"Duke, you got a couple of bodies in there. Wo Fat being one." Grover nodded. "Make sure you hog tie that bastard and place him in a secure transport to the morgue. The guys like a cockroach, always coming back when you think he's gone."

"Copy that, I'll get my guys to secure the building." Duke nodded.

The EMT's pulled out the gurney just as Danny and Chin made it to them with Steve, helping his depleted body down gently as the EMT's went about their immediate business of treating him.

Grover put his hand on Danny's shoulder in comfort, but right now he was too shaken about how close they'd come to losing Steve that nothing could quell his distress.

"You ride with him, we'll square everything up here and come in when we are done." Chin whispered to Danny. "Just keep us up to date."

Danny nodded. The EMT's pushed the gurney back in the Ambulance, Danny followed. One of the officers hopped out and closed the doors as soon as Danny sat down. Within seconds it was speeding away.

Kono turned to Adam, she walked over, nestling her head against his shoulder prompting him to wrap his arms protectively around her. There was nothing he could say that could make this situation any better.

"Wo Fat… he's dead." She whispered.

Adam felt the warm rush of relief wash over him, closing his eyes and squeezing her tightly. Wo Fat was one of the last players in the fight to secure his own freedom. And that with Kono. More importantly to Adam, he had finally answered for the deaths of his father, for Steve's and for the countless others he'd killed in cold blood. A part of him was sorry it hadn't been at his hand, but in reality he knew that Wo Fat had gone on far too long, had far too many second lives, it didn't matter who shut him down just as long as he was finished. Unable to physically hurt anyone else again though the mental scars would live out a lifetime.

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Steve sat upright on the gurney as the female EMT attended to the lacerations on his head and monitored his vitals. Danny sat in a seat toward the rear of the ambulance.

"The Marquee?" Steve asked with urgency.

Danny chocked a cough with disbelief and shook his head. "Your car is fine. HPD have it at their lock up."

Steve rested his head back, sighing as he finally started to relax. "I'm fine. I don't need all this." He said softly to the EMT.

"Standard protocol." The girl smiled. "You know what it's like when you got a job to do? Right?"

"Yeah, so shut up and let her do that job, would you?" Danny snapped.

She dabbed the blood away from the laceration on his forehead running into his hairline to get a better view of the injury. "You know what did this?"

Steve cleared his throat. "Bullet."

She raised her eyebrows. "I got to say, that's impressive. Either the other person was a bad shot or you have epic reflexes."

"Oh the other person wasn't a bad shot." Danny answered. "This guy is a ninja with a thousand lives."

Steve closed his eyes and shook his head with Danny's analysis.

"And you are surly at the end of those thousand lives. Just remember that." Danny pushed.

"Danny." Steve growled.

"I'm just saying. One day you're not going to be so fortunate." He continued.

Steve sighed.

"You want me to sedate him?" The EMT said quietly to Steve with a smirk.

"You can do that?" he asked.

"If it's in the best interests of your health I think I might be able to get away with it."

"I don't get why you even think this is an appropriate time for merry conversation, Steve." Danny pushed. "You just went up against Wo Fat. You do get how lucky you were, right?"

"So, does that mean you're retracting the ninja statement now?" Steve replied, happy to antagonise Danny if it kept him away from asking hard questions that he wasn't ready to discuss out loud.

"Really? You want to be a massive jerk right now?" Danny shrugged.

"You know what? Just give me the sedative. He'll still keep bitching at me but I'll be in a happy place." Steve said to the EMT.

She grinned as she pushed a cannula in his arm.

"What did he want, Steve? What happened?" Danny asked.

Steve hesitated, glancing at the young woman before looking back to his friend. His face hardened. "Danny, I'm really tired and I'm not ready to have this conversation right now. Okay?"

Danny paused, nodding eventually. He could see that Steve was exhausted, his eyes were heavy and his speech was slower than usual. But he also knew that he was deliberately holding back. His resistance could be because of two, or both, reasons. First, because there was a third party with them or second, because he was not interested in discussing the fine details with anyone. Ever.

"Just relax, enjoy the ride, okay?" The EMT said as he rested his head back again and closed his eyes.

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Chin, Kono and Lou walked down the corridor to where Danny was sitting outside a room. It was several hours after the rescue had gone down.

"Danny…" Kono whispered as she approached.

"How's he going?" Chin asked.

Danny stood up and sighed, pushing his hands into his pockets. "He's ok. Better than ok, considering…" he shrugged.

Kono sighed with relief.

"Good news." Chin nodded.

"He's pushed for the doctors to release him. They're just finishing the paperwork." Danny nodded.

Kono nodded. "HPD checked the house, just in case there were any surprises there. All clear."

"Good. Thanks." Danny nodded.

"Has he said anything? About what went down?" Chin answered.

"Nope. And I got to be honest with you, Chin. I don't think he will."

Kono sighed. "Well that might not be possible."

"What do you mean?" Danny frowned.

"There's a whole legion of people who want to talk to Steve. FBI, CIA, HPD… they want to know what happened. The governor wants a full report."

"Fantastic." Danny muttered sarcastically.

"What I don't get is why now?" Lou shrugged. "These two guys have been playing cat and mouse for years, from what you've all told me there's been a whole catalogue of opportunities for either of them to sink a bullet into each other, but they didn't." He continued. "What changed to make it finally happen today?"

Chin glanced at Danny. "All Steve ever wanted was answers… I got the feeling that it was all that was keeping Wo Fat alive, and there had to be a reason Wo Fat wanted Steve alive."

"So you think Steve got his answers?" Danny asked.

"I think that it's safe to assume that they both got enough to pull the trigger on each other." Chin nodded.

"HPD found some video clips from Steve's childhood that were projected on a wall in a secured, sound proof and air tight room. They also found vents hooked up to a gas delivery system, which they believe was being used to keep Steve incapacitated." Kono added. "Tell you the truth, Danny… between that, the torture and the sedation they gave him… none of us have any idea how he was strong enough or coherent enough to take down Wo Fat the way he did."

"Yeah, well… that's Steve, right?" Danny sighed.

Chin nodded.

"Listen. Do me a favour. Don't mention the debrief to him right now. I'll talk to him about it in the morning." Danny asked softly.

"Of course." Kono nodded.

"You got it." Grover answered.

The door to the room opened and Steve cautiously exited, clutching his ribs with one hand and clutching a pile of papers in the other.

"Hey boss." Kono smiled softly. "It's good to see you."

"You're really getting out of here?" Chin asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Steve nodded encouragingly before he paused. "Listen, I just wanted to thank you for coming in for me." He said to the group.

"Adam was the key to finding you." Chin nodded. "He got the location intel."

Kono smiled gently, proud that Chin was recognizing Adam's contribution.

Steve looked to Kono. "Does Adam know? About Wo Fat?" he asked.

"Yeah, he was there when we got you."

"Tell him thank you, and that I'm sorry." Steve whispered.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Kono frowned.

Steve paused. "I know how much Adam wanted to finish this himself."

"You're right." She nodded. "Except it's us that should be thanking you. Left much longer Wo Fat and Adam's paths would have crossed, worst case scenario is that Adam would have wound up dead. Best case, he'd be looking at a murder charge." She paused. "Adam doesn't care how he was shut down, just as long as he was."

Steve nodded gently as he lowered his head.

"Okay, let's get you home." Lou nodded as he rested his hand on Steve's back.

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It was mid morning, Steve was sitting quietly on the couch glaring at a picture of his family. His eyes burning into his mother's face. He couldn't help but feel that her smile was fake. He'd questioned her integrity so many times since he'd found out she was alive, wanted so much to believe that marrying his father, having kids, it was not all part of a sick and twisted cover.

After Wo Fat's revelation he found it impossible to believe their family had been formed from a genuine place. Nothing explained her actions other than for her own selfish reasons. A cloak, only made by convenience to protect herself and yet shrewdly placing three innocent and unknowing lives into such danger. He was angry. Angry because clearly she had betrayed his father, led him to his death whilst he diligently tried to see justice for her murder. Not only that, he was killed by a man she had protected and continued to protect.

His stomach churned with the sickening thoughts. She'd had fooled them all. She was a good liar, an excellent manipulator and he could never ever trust or forgive her again.

He was snapped from his thoughts by the glass doors opening, Danny stepped through and closed them behind him. Steve gripped the photo in his hand. "Hey."

"Hey, how you feeling?"

"Better, after some sleep." Steve nodded.

Danny noticed the picture in his hand and stepped over to the coffee table, perching himself on it. "Thinking about your dad?"

Steve's eyes floated up to him before looking back down at the picture. No he was having murderous thoughts about his mother but he didn't think that was appropriate to say out loud, even to Danny. Still he needed to offer something. "I wish he was here." He whispered.

Danny nodded gently as he looked down.

"For a while there… yesterday… I really did believe he'd made it." He said softly. "That he'd lived, and that things were different." He sighed. "It was nice, but… it also made me realise that without his death, I would never have gotten the family I have now. He'd still be living here, I'd still be in the SEAL's, living a sad and lonely existence with a couple of thousand miles between us."

"Everything happens for a reason, isn't that what they say?" Danny shrugged.

Steve paused before nodding. "Yeah." He whispered. There was a respectful silence between them for a moment until Steve straightened. "What's going on?"

Danny exhaled nervously. "So listen, you need to be debriefed."

"Yeah, I wrote a statement last night. I was going to drop it into the precinct when I went to pick up the Marquee." Steve answered.

"No. Steve." He swallowed the lump in the back of his throat. "There's a whole list of people wanting to get a recorded statement. Extends far beyond HPD."

"A verbal statement?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's a big deal."

Steve's eyes drifted down. "What if I say no?"

"I'm fairly certain that some of these groups will make your life a misery. You don't need that." He shook his head. "I spoke to the governor this morning. He's happy for the CIA to run with the debrief, all other agencies submit their questions, and a recording handed out when you've finished. It means it will all be done in one, and you're not repeating answers over and over."

"What kind of things do they want to know?"

"Everything…" Danny whispered cautiously. "They want to know everything about yesterday."

Steve sighed, throwing the picture on the coffee table before resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward with his hands rubbing his eyes.

"The governor made a deal, he was concerned that the CIA would omit certain information, so he wanted to have someone included who was on his payroll. He said a cop, anyone from HPD. I told him that I didn't think you'd be comfortable with that. I thought you would need to trust the person… so I lined up Ellie to sit with you."

"Ellie?" Steve frowned. "Why Ellie?"

"Well she's the DA, she's a friend, and I know she will be sensitive with whatever you have to say."

"No." Steve shook his head, his eyes widened. "No way."

"Steve, I know you don't want to do this, but it's got to be someone."

"Right." Steve nodded. "And if it's going to be anyone, it's going to be you."

"Me?" Danny choked.

"You got some place better to be?" Steve growled.

"No." he answered with genuine shock. "No. I just assumed I'd be the last person you'd want listening to personal information. Given your track record of sharing."

"You are the only person I'd want in there." Steve answered.

Danny raised his eyebrows, still in a state of shock. "Okay…" he said cautiously. Surly there was some kind of catch. The only person? He knew he was the only person Steve did his hardest to remain mysterious with.

"What I have to say, it's nothing that I wouldn't have told you." Steve continued. "So I want you there."

"Okay." Danny nodded. "You got it."

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