Sammy's Notes: This fic is in response to a prompt submitted by Elaine, one of the contest winners in our first McRoll in the REAL World contest. I sincerely hope it meets her expectations. I'll publish the prompt at the end of the second chapter.
This fic started off as a single chapter but when I ran it past my friend Sandy she pointed out that it felt a bit unfinished. And she was right. So it went from 20 pages to 40 pages and became a two chapter fic. Chapter 2 is complete and will be posted tomorrow.
Thanks as always to Mari (the best writing partner ever) and ilna for making this whole experience so AWESOME! You girls are THE BEST!
And thanks so much to each and every one of you for reading, for the great reviews, and for your support of The REAL World. It is very much appreciated.
A Cohesive Team
Five-0 Headquarters
Thursday
5:00 p.m.
The Five-0 team was assembled in Steve's office late on a Thursday afternoon. Steve was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair comfortably, fingers laced behind his head. Danny and Chin were sitting on the couch and Catherine and Kono stood just inside the door, leaning against the glass wall in a relaxed manner. They had just wrapped a murder case and with all of paperwork finally complete the conversation now turned to the weekend.
A friend of Chin's from the police academy had made the decision to leave the force and follow his dream of opening an adventure training/team building facility on the big island. He had poured his heart and soul into the project, not to mention his entire life savings, and thought that having the Five-0 team members complete the program during a preview weekend would be exactly the kind of good PR he needed to get his new business off on the right foot.
When Chin presented the idea to the rest of the team they all agreed immediately.
Except for Danny.
"Come on. It'll be a fun," Steve cajoled his partner.
Danny looked dubious. "I doubt that."
"Kono and Cath are excited about going." Steve smiled at the women and they both nodded in agreement. Steve turned to the other occupant of the couch. "Chin wants to do it."
"I have plans," Danny countered stubbornly.
"I've told you before," Steve sighed, "sitting home watching a movie does not count as 'plans'. Besides, the fresh air will do you good."
"It'll be a challenge. I've never known you to shy away from a challenge." Chin tried his best to push Danny's buttons.
"What's next … double dog dare?" Danny rolled his eyes at Chin.
Catherine and Kono watched with amusement as Steve and Chin refused to give up. They were determined that this would be an everyone or no one activity and since they both wanted to go, they were doggedly trying to tag team Danny until he relented.
"Come on," Steve wheedled. "Grace is away for the weekend. What else are you gonna do?"
"I don't know … I can think of a lot of things," Danny exhaled heavily. "Clean the garage, re-grout the tile in the bathroom, organize the kitchen cabinets."
"You wouldn't know how to re-grout tile," Steve smirked. "And I've seen your kitchen cabinets. They're already organized."
"Come on," Chin said. "We'll fly over tomorrow night and be back by dinner time on Sunday."
Kono decided to step in and help close the deal so they could all go home. "Look at the brochure. It's gonna be a blast," she said as she held up the glossy pamphlet featuring surfing, kayaking, hiking and zip lining among other fun looking activities. "You're gonna be sorry if you miss out."
"What could we possibly need this for?" Danny argued. "What is this weekend gonna teach us about each other that we don't already know? Our team works fine together. We don't need any … building. " Danny made air quotes when he said 'building'. "Besides, outdoor adventures never work out very well for us. Do I need to enumerate the many times … "
"No, you don't." Steve cut him off with a grin. "But that's all out of our systems now."
"Look, Brah, it's a favor for a friend. You can understand that right?"
Chin could sense Danny's resolve weakening so he switched to an argument he knew would hold the most weight.
Danny was nothing if not 100% loyal to his friends.
"Yes … that particular part of your argument I can … in fact … understand."
"It'll be fun. You'll be helping out my buddy, we'll get some valuable team building experience, and you'll have a completion certificate to prove you conquered the great outdoors," Chin teased. "I'll even get it framed for you."
"Fine." Danny finally gave in. "But if this weekend turns out to be as bad as all the others you will never ask me to go on any sort of adventure again."
"Deal," Steve and Chin said in unison.
"Absolutely nothing will go wrong," Chin said confidently.
Kono leaned in closer to Catherine and whispered "Famous last words" and the women shared a laugh then turned and headed out of the office.
Hawaiian Outdoor Adventures
Saturday morning
6:00 a.m.
As the Five-0 team gathered at the kick-off point to review their morning activities schedule they were approached by a well-built man who appeared to be in his early 40s wearing khaki shorts and a name badge that identified him as Scott Marshall, Program Director.
As soon as Chin spotted the man he smiled and extended his hand. "Good to see you again, Scott."
"Good to see you again, Chin. Thanks so much for coming. All of you. I appreciate it."
"Let me introduce you to the team," Chin smiled. "Steve McGarrett." Steve extended his hand and said "Thanks for having us."
"Danny Williams." Chin continued. "Thanks for coming Detective Williams," Scott said sincerely.
"Don't mention it," Danny grumbled.
"Catherine Rollins."
Catherine smiled and extended her hand. "This is a great looking facility you have here."
"Thank you," Scott said proudly.
"And you've met my cousin Kono Kalakaua."
"Nice to see you again, Kono."
"Nice to see you too, Scott. I'm really looking forward to this."
"I appreciate you all giving up your weekend to help me out. I've set you up on the advanced program. This weekend is the final test for my staff. We've booked our first paying customers in for two weeks from now so I wanted to put everyone through their paces and make sure we're ready to open the doors."
"Sounds good," Steve said.
"You'll be starting off the morning zip lining with Kelani," Scott indicated the pretty young woman of about thirty coming towards them holding a clipboard and wearing a bright smile. "She'll explain the task to you whenever you're ready to get started."
"I think we're ready," Chin said as the others nodded in agreement.
"Kelani, I'll leave them in your capable hands," Scott smiled as he took a few steps back.
"Great," the young woman smiled. "Well as Scott said my name is Kelani and I'll be working with you through the zip lining portion of the program. The purpose of this exercise is to improve communication and listening skills, increase motivation, and enhance cooperation and trust amongst team members. So are we ready to go?" she said eagerly.
"Absolutely. Let's do this," the team all said in unison.
Saturday morning
9:00 a.m.
"Ok, you guys did really great work on the zip lining," Kelani smiled sincerely. "So now I'm going to give you back to Scott for the next exercise."
"Thanks, Kelani," they all said as she gave them a small wave then turned to walk away, happy that she had successfully completed the first real trial run of the event she would be leading once the facility opened to actual paying customers.
"I'm glad to see the zip lining went well," Scott said as he faced the group. "Our next exercise is going to be shelter building. We want you to work together using the items here," he indicated a pile that included several tarps, assorted pieces of wood, an axe, and some rope, to build yourselves a shelter that would protect you from the elements if for some reason you were forced to make an overnight stay in the forest."
"This should be a piece of cake," Danny grinned. "Those two," he indicated Steve and Catherine, "do this kind of thing all the time… just for fun."
Steve and Catherine smiled and nodded while Scott continued.
"The object of this task is to learn how to achieve objectives, how to effectively deal with change, and to encourage out of the box thinking. So are we ready to go?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Danny said as the team gathered in front of the pile of supplies to formulate a plan.
Saturday morning
11:00 a.m.
After a busy morning of zip lining and fort building, the team's final assignment of the sunrise session was a group hike through the woods and into town. The goal was to work together and make a plan to complete the two mile trip in less than an hour. The objective, as Scott had explained to them, was finding the fastest way out of the thick forest and onto one of the trails that lead directly to town. The point of the exercise was to improve decision making and strategy, encourage innovation and constructive feedback, and promote self-confidence and self-awareness.
Once they reached town they would have an hour to grab some lunch before meeting for the afternoon session which was to kick off with kayaking.
"The north ridge is going to end up being quicker," Steve said as he stood in front of the recently constructed fort and surveyed the landscape.
"No way. We should cut a path down the west edge of the ridge. It's more of a straight line and it'll get us to town faster," Kono contended.
"If we take the north route we'll get out of the forest faster and then it's an easy hike down the trail to town," Steve pointed out.
"That sounds logical to me," Chin nodded. "I say we go north."
Kono crossed her arms and dug in her heels. "If we go west we can stay close to the water where the overgrowth is light. It's a direct line down the hill and when we get to the bottom we're practically in town. Piece of cake."
"I agree with Kono," Catherine said as she surveyed both options, "west is a better idea."
"Whose side are you on," Danny teased. "Shouldn't you be taking Steve's side?"
"I'm taking my stomach's side," Catherine shrugged. "I'm hungry and I want to take the fastest route. I don't want to be stuck kayaking with no lunch because we got back to town too late."
"We're wasting time standing here," Kono said impatiently. "We need to make a decision."
"Ok then what do you say we split up." Steve's competitive side was coming out. "You guys go west, we'll go north, and whoever gets to town last buys lunch."
"I hate to be the one to point this out … especially since I didn't want to come on this weekend to begin with … " Danny said, "but this is supposed to be a team building exercise. Splitting into two groups … wouldn't that be the exact opposite of team building?"
"We don't need to build our team." Steve sloughed off his partner's concerns. "We're cohesive enough."
"Clearly," Danny said sarcastically as Chin laughed.
"This is just a friendly wager between teammates." Steve turned towards Catherine and Kono. "What do you say?"
"I say I hope you brought your wallet because I've worked up an appetite," Kono said as she and Catherine turned and headed off towards the west path.
Catherine called over her shoulder. "See you in town. We'll be there waiting when you arrive."
Saturday morning
11:30 a.m.
Steve, Chin and Danny watched the girls head off then turned and started toward the north ridge. They had only walked about half a mile when they came upon a clearing where they saw two trailers surrounded by a chain link fence, a series of small to medium out buildings and several outdoor heating units, which judging from the smoke emitting from them were all currently operational. The property was littered with vehicles, several of which were up on blocks, as well as stacks of empty wooden pallets and piles of 55-gallon drums.
"Did Scott say anything about people living out here?" Steve asked as he eyed the compound warily.
"No, as a matter of fact he told me that the reason he picked this piece of property was because there were no neighbors for miles so he wouldn't have to worry about complaints," Chin said.
"Then what do you suppose is going on here?" Steve was immediately suspicious.
"Judging by looks of those heating units they're cooking big batches of something," Danny observed. "I'm guessing it's not pineapple cider."
"I'd bet you're right," Steve said as they approached the compound. There was no movement outside but they could hear noise inside the far trailer.
"There are an awful lot of cameras for such isolated property," Chin said warily, pointing to several units installed on the outside of the various buildings.
"And apparently they have something that it takes several large dogs to protect," Danny said as two large Doberman Pinscher's came around the corner barking and snarling viciously. They reached the fence that surrounded the trailers and began to jump and lunge toward the strangers.
Steve, Danny and Chin pulled their service weapons and started towards the trailer. They knew that whoever was inside would have been warned of their arrival by the clamoring of the dogs so they had lost the element of surprise.
They proceeded slowly toward the fence, moving in unison, careful to keep cover behind the many broken down vehicles that littered the property. They had their eyes on the dogs, on the various out buildings where someone could be hiding, and on the door of the occupied trailer and for that reason they didn't see the well camouflaged trip wire until it was too late.
The explosion it triggered knocked all three men off their feet and sent them flying backward. Steve, who had been closest to the bomb itself, ended up lying motionless beside a pile of rusty 55 gallon drums. Danny and Chin found themselves sprawled up against a small barn-like structure several yards to his left. They staggered to their feet, stunned, while out of the corners of their eyes they saw Steve struggling to stand as well.
Just then three men, one of about fifty and two who appeared considerably younger, rushed out of the trailer with automatic weapons pointed at them.
"Drop your weapons," the older man ordered. When Danny and Chin didn't comply immediately he screamed louder. "Now, or I'll blow your heads off where you stand. Throw down your phones too."
They hesitated for another moment then, realizing they were severely out-gunned, put down their weapons, still fighting hard to get their bearings.
The ringing in their ears was making it hard both to hear and to concentrate.
"Phones too I said," the man yelled.
Danny and Chin complied.
"Ikaika, get their guns. Nainoa, kick those phones out of the way," the older man directed the two younger ones.
"Who are you?" Ikaika, a man who appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties, unkempt looking and with extremely dilated pupils, asked as he moved towards them.
"Five-0," Danny said, grasping for his badge.
"Cops?! I told you someone in town was gonna snitch, Dad," Nainoa growled angrily. Like the other men he looked as though he hadn't bathed or slept in days. The scabs along his jawline indicated he was not only a meth producer but also a fairly heavy user. "What do we do now?"
"Shut up, Nainoa. I need time to think," the older man, who Danny now realized was the father of the other two, spat out as he began to pace nervously.
"Listen I didn't sign up for killing no cops," Nainoa said heatedly.
"I said SHUT UP. I need some time to think," the older man yelled. "Put them in the garage until I figure out what to do next."
As the young men began to herd the Five-0 team towards the garage Danny and Chin saw Steve stumble, struggle to stay upright and then finally collapse to the ground. They rushed to where he was laying, partially obscured by several rusty barrels, and knelt beside him. Immediately they saw a substantial amount of blood on his left leg and noted that his face and arms were covered with small puncture wounds.
"Did that bomb have shrapnel in it?" Chin asked angrily.
"I have a right to protect what's mine," the older man yelled back. "You were trespassing. Your friend got what he deserved."
"We need to get him to a hospital," Danny said as he checked Steve's pulse and was relieved to find it was relatively strong.
"Well that isn't going to happen right now. So throw me his gun and phone and get in the garage or I'll kill you all without another thought."
Danny and Chin exchanged a glance and an unspoken understanding passed between them. What they needed was time to regroup and formulate a plan of action. To that end, they did as they were told. Then they lifted Steve up, draping his arms across their shoulders, and headed towards the garage. Ikaika opened the door and after the team members got inside slammed it closed and secured it with a large metal pole.
They dragged Steve to the far corner of the room where a small amount of light was leaking in through the vents then lowered him carefully down to the dirt floor. Their immediate concern was that he was bleeding heavily from the left knee. Danny took off his shirt, wrapped it around Steve's leg then secured it with his belt, hoping that the extra pressure would help stop the bleeding. As he pulled the makeshift bandage tight Steve struggled back to consciousness.
His head moved from side to side jerkily and his arms reached out in every direction trying to assess his surroundings.
"Steve! Steve!" Danny said, trying to grab Steve's hands. "What are you doing? You need to hold still."
"Danny?" Steve asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm right here."
"Where?" Steve's hands reached out.
"Right here." Danny grabbed his partner's hands.
"Where's Chin?"
"Right here." Chin answered from his position on Steve's other side.
"Are you both ok?"
"We're fine. What's going on?"
"We've got a problem," Steve finally settled down and took a deep breath, "I can't see."
Town Square
11:50 a.m.
Catherine and Kono approached the quintessentially Hawaiian town square warily, hoping not to see Steve, Danny and Chin waiting there for them with huge smirks on their faces. The women had found their way quickly out of the forest and then speedily traversed the short trail from their exit point to town so they were optimistic the path down the west side of the ridge had been the correct choice.
Still, they couldn't be sure.
Their eyes quickly scanned the benches and areas under the shade of the trees where locals were gathered enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon talking to neighbors.
There was no sign of any of their teammates.
"Yes," Kono smiled. "We beat them. I knew we would."
"Awesome," Catherine agreed as they high-fived in celebration.
"Now at least I won't have to listen to Danny and Chin go on for the next week about how they were right." Kono happily took a seat on one of the benches in the center of the square as Catherine remained standing and did a few cool down stretches. "I'll bet you're glad you won't have to listen to Steve gloat."
"Oh Steve doesn't gloat," Catherine said honestly.
"Really?" Kono asked skeptically.
"Really," Catherine assured her. "Have you ever heard him gloat?"
"No," Kono searched her memory, "but then again I can't remember ever competing against him directly like this."
"Steve is super competitive but he's not a sore loser. As long as the competition is fair and no one cheats he can accept losing," Catherine shrugged.
"Huh."
"Of course he'll try to drag us all back out there after kayaking and make us give him a chance at a do over," Catherine laughed.
"I think I'd rather listen to Chin and Danny gloat," Kono laughed.
Catherine pulled out her phone. "I'm gonna text them and let them know we're here waiting for them."
Five minutes later she still hadn't received a reply. "Should I text them again?"
"No, they're probably pouting," Kono smiled.
"Maybe their phones have no service." Catherine wasn't exactly worried, still it was unusual for Steve not to respond to her text unless he was in the middle of a case.
"Well if that's true they probably haven't even made it out of the forest yet."
"We're gonna be lucky if we get time for lunch." Catherine's stomach produced a well-timed growl and both women smiled.
"No, they're gonna be lucky if they get time for lunch," Kono said. "Text them and tell them we'll meet them in the coffee shop. And just because they don't have time to eat doesn't mean they get out of paying for our lunches."
Akana Compound
12:15 p.m.
Steve sat with his back against the wall in the corner of the dark, dusty barn feeling pretty much useless as Danny and Chin searched every inch of the dirt floor building for either something they could use as a weapon or a way they could get out.
Unfortunately, they found neither.
The "garage" was essentially empty except for a stack of fifty or so cardboard boxes sitting in the middle of the floor and multiple garbage bags full of empty cold medicine containers.
The building was well constructed, even without a foundation, and the steel walls didn't appear to have any exploitable weak spots. They were secured with exterior anchor bolts which helped the structure stand up well to wind and weather and also made it virtually impossible to break out of. There no windows and the only light available filtered in through multiple louvered air vents which were far too small for a person to fit through.
If there was any hope it was that the door was not fastened securely. Chin and Danny counted to three then threw their full body weights, shoulders first, against the door.
It didn't budge.
"It feels like they parked a tank out there," Danny said, rubbing his shoulder.
"There's no way we're getting that open," Chin confirmed.
"Anything we could use to pry it?" Steve asked.
"Nothing," Danny answered disgustedly. "There are no tools of any kind in this whole place. Frankly I think them calling it a garage is a bit of a misnomer."
Steve smiled. "Well make sure you tell them that when they come back out here."
Danny began to pace around the perimeter of the small building. "There are no potential weapons. Nothing … not one thing … we can use to get ourselves out of here."
"Unless you can find a use for several pallets of small plastic zip lock bags," Chin said as he tore open one of the cardboard boxes.
"Well I guess now we know for sure what they're cooking with those heaters," Steve said.
"Enough meth to cover the island." Danny started to get wound up. "Which means they have something to protect. Which means we better be ready when they come back out here because I don't think they're gonna be inclined to just let us go."
Steve nodded in agreement.
"I'm serious," Danny ranted on, "we're sitting ducks out here. We have absolutely nothing to protect ourselves with except our fists which probably aren't going to hold up very long when they come out here with automatic weapons."
"Kono and Catherine have to be wondering where we are by now," Chin speculated. "They'll come back up here looking for us."
"I hope they don't come alone," Steve said worriedly. "I don't want them stumbling across this place like we did and … those guys are on alert now. If Cath and Kono come in here and don't know what's going on …"
Chin glanced at his watch. "It's been a little over an hour. No calls or texts. They have to know something is wrong."
"I hope so," Danny shook his head. "Because I have a feeling these guys aren't gonna wait all day to make their next move."
Town Square Coffee Shop
12:30 p.m.
Catherine and Kono sat in the small coffee shop on the town square, at a table right in front so they could watch out the window for Steve, Danny and Chin to arrive. They split a plate of chicken and pineapple sliders and some Hawaiian slaw. They finished lunch and had been nursing their iced teas for ten minutes and there was still no sign of the boys.
"Where could they possibly be?" Catherine asked as she looked at her watch again, her agitation giving way to full-blown worry. "They should be here by now. Even if the north trail was longer, like we thought, they should have made it back a while ago. We're supposed to be kayaking in half an hour."
With each passing minute the feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was very wrong grew stronger.
"Your friends still not here?" the waitress, a woman of close to 70, whose name tag identified her as Noalani, asked as she brought over a refill for their tea.
"No," Kono said distractedly, checking her phone again for messages. "Still no sign of them."
"Maybe they got lost," the older woman offered helpfully.
"I doubt it," Catherine said. "They went up across the north part of the ridge. How clear is the trail in that area?"
"Out beyond the camp?" Noalani asked nervously.
"Yeah, why."
Something in the woman's tone made both Catherine and Kono immediately suspicious. They turned their full attention to the older woman who was now anxiously fidgeting with her order pad and refusing to meet their gaze.
"Um … no reason … really," Noalani stammered.
"What are you not telling us?" Catherine demanded.
"Look I don't want no problems, with those guys or with the cops."
"What guys?" Kono asked.
Noalani hesitated.
"Listen," Kono removed her badge from her waistband and slapped it on the table, "the only way you're gonna have any problems with us is if you don't start talking and tell us what's going on up on the north ridge."
Noalani sighed and lowered her voice. "Rumor has it that Kekoa Akana and his sons are running a meth lab out there."
"Who is Kekoa Akana?" Kono prodded.
"His family has been trouble on the island for as long as anyone can remember. He got out of jail a month or so ago and word is he and his sons restarted their meth business up on the north ridge."
"Where exactly? "Catherine asked. "Draw us a map."
Noalani made no move to comply with Catherine's request.
"I can have the DEA here within the hour," Catherine growled, "and I'll make sure everyone in town knows they're here based on your tip."
Noalani glared but soon acquiesced and made a quick sketch on the first empty guest check in her order pad. She tore it out, along with the check for lunch, and slapped it on the table in front of Catherine. "You didn't hear it from me."
"Let's go," Catherine said as she threw a few bills on the table, grabbed the hastily drawn map, and headed out the door.
Town Square
12:40 p.m.
As Catherine and Kono exited the coffee shop they ran into Scott who was making his way towards the beach where the kayaking was set to take place.
"You guys ready for a fun afternoon," he asked with a smile as he approached them.
"Not yet," Catherine said worriedly. "The guys aren't back from their hike."
"What do you mean? Weren't you all together?" Scott asked.
"No," Kono explained. "We had a small disagreement about which route would be fastest so we split up. Last ones back to town bought lunch for the winners."
Scott looked at them with amusement. "You realize that the point of the exercise was to work together as a group." Scott had heard many stories from Chin about the unconventional way the Five-0 team operated so he couldn't say he was completely surprised they put their own spin on the whole team building experience.
"Yes, we get the point of the exercise," Catherine said distractedly. "We just altered it a little. Made it a friendly competition. But the fact is Steve, Danny and Chin haven't made it back yet and we think something might be wrong."
"Have you tried calling or texting them?" Scott pulled out his phone to see if he had received any messages from the men.
"Yes. Repeatedly. No answer," Catherine said.
"Well the service is spotty in the woods," Scott pointed out. He didn't want to worry unnecessarily but the fact that the men had not only not returned but also not contacted anyone did send up a red flag.
"They should be out of the woods by now," Kono said. "And even if one of them got injured in some way the others should have called."
"Maybe it just slipped their mind … " Scott started.
"No," Catherine cut him off. "Steve understands the importance of staying in contact better than anyone. He would never forget to call. Especially if something unexpected happened."
"Plus, the waitress in the coffee shop just told us about a rumor there's a meth lab operating up on the north ridge," Kono said.
"A meth lab? No way. I had this land closely surveyed before I bought it. If there was a meth lab I would have known," Scott insisted.
"Apparently it's a recent development. Someone named Kekoa Akana just got out of prison and he and his sons might have set up shop up there."
"Where exactly?" Scott asked. He'd spent a lot of time covering the various courses and trails that comprised his facility and had never seen anything out of the ordinary, let alone a meth lab. But for the several weeks or so he'd been focused primarily on the sales and advertising end of the business and if he was honest with himself, he would have to admit it had been well over a month since he'd walked the north trail. He knew there were a few old abandoned farms up there that could possibly be useful if someone was looking for a remote location to run a drug operation.
Catherine pulled out the map and showed him the area Noalani had indicated on her map.
"We need to stop by the sheriff's office," Scott said determinedly. "If there's something going on up there we need to find out now."
Akana Compound
Garage
12:50 p.m.
"There's probably no chance this is part of the program right?" Steve asked sarcastically.
Chin chuckled "I can see it now. Corporate wanks have to deal with running into a meth lab out in the jungle. They need to work together to formulate a plan to save themselves and take down the local drug operation at the same time."
"Your accountant will never complain about tax season again after he's had to fend off two snarling Dobermans and a trio of armed tweekers," Steve continued.
"Your interns will never complain about being asked to do menial tasks once they've spent some time staring down the barrel of a high powered rifle with a very shaky finger on the trigger," Chin added.
"You realize there's something legitimately wrong with the two of you," Danny cut in. "We're sitting here with no weapons, no means of protection of any kind, waiting for some well-armed drug dealers to decide what their next move is, and you two are making jokes."
"We're not making jokes," Steve turned towards the sound of Danny's voice. "We're relaxing our minds. Since we have no weapons available we're going to have to get ourselves out of this with our wits."
"Oh great," Danny continued his pacing. "We're doomed."
"Danny," Steve said, suddenly serious. "I'm not making light of this. I realize what we're facing."
"And do you have a plan in mind?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. You and Chin have to make a break for the woods. If you can get there and get some cover you can make your way back to town and get help."
"And leave you here?" Danny asked incredulously.
"It's the only option. I'll just slow you down."
"Forget it."
"Danny, listen … "
"No you listen," Danny said with finality. "Come up with a different plan."
Sheriff's Office
1:00 p.m.
Scott, Catherine and Kono strode purposefully into the sheriff's office and were met by a young, baby faced deputy standing behind the desk sorting through some faxes that had just come in.
"Hi, my name is Scott Marshall. I own the new executive training center in town. This is Catherine Rollins and Kono Kalakaua; they're with Five-0."
"I'm Deputy Okala. How can I help you? The young man asked amiably.
"We wanted to know if you have any information about a meth lab operating up on the north ridge," Scott asked.
As Scott spoke a man of about sixty opened the office door behind the deputy and stepped out. He was of medium height, well built, with the look of a man who had spent a lifetime in the sun. He eyed the newcomers warily.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with my deputy. I'm Sheriff Kailikea. I wasn't notified Five-0 was investigating anything in the area."
"We're not," Kono said. "We're actually here for a weekend program at Hawaiian Outdoor Adventures. But three members of our party are late returning from a hike up on the north ridge and we have reason to believe they may have run into a meth making operation up there."
"Who told you there was a meth lab on the north ridge," the sheriff scoffed.
"It doesn't matter who told us. Is it true?" Kono asked pointedly.
"Of course it's not true. If there was a meth lab in the area I'd know it. That's just some local gossip."
As the sheriff talked Catherine had her eyes trained on the young deputy who looked as though he had something to say but was reticent to do so in front of his boss.
"You're sure," Scott asked.
"Positive. Look you're new around here. I've lived here all my life. Gossip in this town travels fast whether there's a shred of truth to it or not. People on the island don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. I don't know what happened to your friends. Inexperienced hikers get lost all the time. Give them a few hours, they'll find their way out."
Kono started to protest but Catherine caught her eye and gave her a silent stand down sign. "We appreciate your help, Sheriff. You're probably right."
Scott looked at the women, his brow creased with confusion.
"Look I've got a meeting to get to," the sheriff said somewhat dismissively. "If your friends still haven't turned up by the time I get back we'll take a run up there and look for them."
"Thanks, we appreciate that," Catherine said, fighting to sound sincere. "Would it be possible for us to leave their descriptions with the deputy just in case anything comes in?"
"If that would make you feel better," the sheriff huffed. "but mark my words they'll be back any minute."
"Thanks." Catherine forced a smile.
As soon as the sheriff was out the door she turned to the young deputy. "What is it you were afraid to say in front of your boss?"
"What?" The young man couldn't hold Catherine's determined gaze.
"I could tell you wanted to disagree with him. Is there something we should be worried about? Are our friends in danger?"
The young deputy looked nervously toward the front door.
"If you know something and you don't tell it, and something happens to our friends, who are law enforcement officers…" Kono said ominously.
"Fine. I've gotten several complaints about Kekoa Akana and his sons running a meth operation out on the north ridge in the last few weeks. But every time I suggest going out to take a look the sheriff shuts me down."
"Why," Scott asked.
"He tells me the same thing he just told you. That it's just local gossip. I've only had this job for three months but that's enough time to know that if I go against what the sheriff wants I won't have it much longer. My wife is six months pregnant. I have to do what he says," the young man said earnestly.
"Look I can appreciate the tough spot you're in but we don't have time to get involved in small town politics. We're going out there right now," Catherine said. "With or without his help. Or yours."
"How long ago were your friends due back?" the deputy asked.
"Over an hour ago," Catherine answered.
The young deputy took only a split second to decide. As much as he needed his job he would never be able to live with himself if he didn't help when people might be in trouble. He knew he should have followed up on the complaints as soon as they came in regardless of what the sheriff said. There was nothing he could do now about past mistakes but he could make sure he did the right thing going forward. "I'm coming with you." He walked to the weapons cabinet and grabbed several extra rifles. "We can take my patrol car."
North Ridge
1:20 p.m.
Deputy Okala pulled the cruiser to a stop along the side of the access road and cut the engine. "If the Akanas are set up where I think they are we should be able to spot them from just over that rise."
He got out of the car, opened the back door so Kono could get out, and moved towards the rear of the vehicle as Scott got out of the passenger's side and opened the door for Catherine.
The young deputy popped the trunk and began removing weapons.
"Can you handle one of these?" he asked Scott who had moved back to stand beside him and was surveying the contents of the trunk.
"I was on the force for 20 years," he assured Deputy Okala. "I'll be fine."
Catherine and Kono grabbed an extra weapon each and the four of them scrambled up a small hill and walked a short distance through heavy brush till they reached an overlook.
"That must be the place," Catherine said as she looked down the hill towards a small cluster of buildings. She took immediate note of the smoke pouring out of multiple boilers.
"Sure looks like it," Scott agreed. "I toured those buildings with my real estate agent when I first looked at the property, and at least two or three more times when we were laying out the route. They were deserted. We talked about converting them into employee lodging but with everything going on leading up to the opening we just haven't gotten around to it yet."
"When was the last time you were out here?" Deputy Okala asked.
"Had to be six weeks ago," Scott said.
Kono pulled out a pair of binoculars she'd taken from the trunk of the deputy's car and looked down the hill toward the compound.
"Any sign of the guys?" Catherine asked.
"No."
"Anything unusual at all?" Scott asked.
"Nothing." Kono lowered the binoculars. "Whatever's going on there is going on inside."
"If Chin, Steve and Danny were taking the trail along the north ridge they'd have run right into this place," Scott pointed out. "Do you see any signs of a confrontation?"
"Hard to say," Kono said. "The property is a mess."
"Well there's only one way to find out exactly what's going on. We need to get on to that property. We're gonna have to walk in from here though so they don't hear us coming," Deputy Okala said. "Once we get in closer we'll have to find some way to draw them out."
"We can handle that," Catherine shared a knowing look with Kono as she checked to make sure her weapons both had adequate ammo.
"These people might be dangerous," Scott reminded her.
"That's ok," Catherine said as she shared a look with Kono. "So are we."
Akana Compound
1:40 p.m.
Twenty minutes later they had made their way to the edge of the woods just beyond the compound. They took cover behind some heavy brush about twenty feet from the closest of the compound's out buildings and about seventy five yards from the farthest trailer.
"You ready?" Kono asked as she checked the safety and then tucked her service weapon in the waistband of her pants at the small of her back and covered it with her shirt.
"Yep. You?" Catherine answered as she did the same.
"We need to know how many of them there are and what we're dealing with," Deputy Okala reminded them. "As far as I've heard it's just Akana and his sons but you never know."
"They probably want to keep the operation as small as possible," Scott pointed out. "Keeps the profit margin high and keeps the help from sampling the merchandise."
"Kono and I will go in and draw them out," Catherine said. "We'll get them headed this way. You guys be ready for the take down."
"How are you gonna do that?"
"They're men right," Catherine rolled her eyes. "Just be ready when we head back in this direction."
"Will do," Scott said as both he and Deputy Okala double checked their weapons.
"Let's go find the boys," Kono said.
Catherine nodded in return and they headed off towards the compound.
"What's going on," Steve asked impatiently. Not being able to see was driving him crazy and setting him on edge. The three men had spent the last two hours trying every way they could think of to get out of the garage to no avail. The vents were too small for a person to fit through, there were no windows and the door was secured tightly from the outside.
"Someone else is here," Chin said as he tried to peer out the tiny vent. "I can't really see who … oh my God."
"What?" Steve and Danny asked in unison.
"It's Kono and Catherine." Chin whispered. He bent one of the vent pieces down to get a better look.
"What are they saying?" Steve asked. "Does it seem like they know what they're dealing with?"
"I can't tell," Chin said.
"What are they doing?" Steve asked, his voice tinged with worry. He had no doubt that Catherine could take care of herself under most circumstances but if she stumbled on this place accidentally, as they had, and she and Kono were unaware of what was going on, they might find themselves in a situation beyond their control.
"Right now they're … " Chin strained to hear any of what was being said. "I can't really tell. But whatever it is those guys are eating it up."
"I don't know," Catherine giggled as she shifted her weight from leg to leg and twirled her finger in her hair. "The ATV is really stuck. I have no idea how we got it in there so tight."
"We tried really hard to get it out," Kono sighed. "But it's in there pretty good."
There were two men standing in front of them, one about 50 and the other in his early 20s by Catherine's estimate. They both wore holstered side arms but had not drawn their weapons when they saw the women approach.
"Sounds like you pretty ladies need some assistance," the older one said, hitching up his pants.
Both men leered at Catherine and Kono with unmasked desire in their eyes.
"Definitely," Catherine smiled coyly, "but I think it might take more than just the two of you to get it out. It's a really big machine. Is there anyone else here who could help?"
"My brother is inside," the younger man said eagerly. "You think it's gonna take all three of us to do the job?"
"It just might," Kono said suggestively.
"Nainoa!" the older man yelled. "Get out here."
"What do you want?" Nainoa stumbled out of the door, squinting his eyes against the sunlight.
"These pretty ladies got their ATV stuck in the mud. They need some help getting it out."
"Really?" Nainoa swaggered towards Catherine and Kono.
"Yes," Catherine smiled through gritted teeth. "It's just back there a little bit." She pointed over her shoulder towards the edge of the woods where Scott and Deputy Okala were hidden.
"Well I'm sure we can help you out," the man stood close enough Catherine could smell his putrid breath. "But we're gonna need something in return."
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Catherine promised. "In fact, we'll make sure you get exactly what you have coming."
Catherine and Kono turned to head toward the woods then froze.
Coming directly up the driveway towards them was the sheriff's car.
"There's a car pulling in," Chin said as he strained to see further down the dirt drive that lead to the compound.
"Who is it?" Steve asked anxiously.
"Oh thank God, it's the sheriff." Chin breathed a sigh of relief. "Catherine and Kono must have called in the cavalry before they came in themselves."
"Force out one of those vents and let's make sure they know we're in here," Danny said as he stood up and moved towards Chin.
Suddenly Chin tensed up. "Wait, something's wrong."
"What, what's wrong?" Steve asked, instantly on alert.
The cruiser came to stop and the sheriff jumped out. "What's going on here?"
"We're about to help these pretty ladies get their ATV out of the mud," Nainoa smirked.
"You idiots. These women are cops!"
Any remaining questions about whether Sheriff Kailikea was involved in the illegal operation or simply turning a blind eye were answered in a heartbeat.
The three men immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at Catherine and Kono.
As soon as they saw the sheriff's car approaching Deputy Okala and Scott Marshall knew there was going to be trouble. They took advantage of the momentary diversion to creep out of the woods and take cover behind the nearest out building. They stayed as low as possible and worked their way along the sides of the buildings until they were no more than ten feet away from the assembled group. As soon as they heard the sheriff reveal the truth about Catherine and Kono they looked at each other.
"Consider yourself deputized." Okala said to Scott.
"Okay," Scott nodded. "Let's go."
"Are you sure they're cops?" Kekoa Akana asked.
"They were in my office not an hour ago asking about three friends who went missing up here on the ridge. They identified themselves as being from Five-0."
"They must be looking for those guys from earlier," Nainoa said angrily. "What the hell do we do now?"
Kekoa caught the sheriff's eye and nodded his head slightly toward the garage, indicating the location of the missing men.
"If you're smart you'll give up before this gets any worse for you," Catherine said.
"That's not going to happen," Kekoa Akana growled at her.
"What are we gonna do?" Ikaika started to panic.
"You gotta clean up this mess you've made and get out of here. And I mean right now," Sheriff Kailikea demanded. "Head to the mainland and lay low for a while." He looked at Kekoa who nodded in agreement.
"What are you saying?" Nainoa asked.
"I'm saying take these two out into the forest, deep enough that their bodies won't be found, and kill them," the sheriff ordered. "Then come back and take care of the three men. Then get out of town till I tell you it's safe to come back."
Kekoa Akana turned to his sons. "You heard the man. You two take care of the cops. I'll close down the batches we have in progress and throw our stuff in the truck. I wanna be out of here in less than an hour."
Ikaika Akana looked at his brother and said, "Let's do this."
"Move," Nainoa yelled at Catherine and Kono. "Into the woods."
Catherine and Kono glanced at each other then towards the spot in the woods where they knew Scott Marshall and Deputy Okala had been waiting.
Two seconds later the entire compound erupted in gunfire.
TBC
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