8
Surviving the Kai
Author's note: The show's good, not great, but Scotty Caan has captured my imagination, and admittedly, AO'L and DDK aren't hard on the eyes either. This story will be 4-6 chapters, I think. I have it in my head that Danny and Kona are going to have a thing for each other.
Chapter 1
Danny clung to the starboard side with all of his might. McGarrett was pushing the boat to the limit, and he could hear the strain in the motor. Wind whipped at him relentlessly. Water flew up from the waves, but that wasn't the moisture that worried him. A tropical storm was bearing down on the islands. The sky was dark and threatening, and the clouds hung so low, he felt like he could reach them with his arms, but that, of course, meant letting go of the side of the boat.
He squinted his eyes through the spray, and focused on Chin at the front of the boat sending off rounds with an automatic rifle. The speedboat ahead of them returned shots. Steve stayed at the helm, never ducking. Kono sat across from him, and occasionally, he caught her eye. She was overwhelmed by the gunfire and he didn't blame her. The first few times he'd been caught in a shootout, he'd barely found the courage to shoot back. His own weapon was holstered because his seasickness had left him virtually useless. His weakness tore at him especially when Chin and Steve were up there risking everything.
The boat ahead was carrying enough explosives to drop half of Oahu in the drink. A tropical storm wasn't going to slow them down nor were the bullets whizzing by his ear. These terrorists had the capacity and the will to kill thousands, and 5-0 was the only thing standing in their way.
McGarrett looked back at him and shouted. "I'm getting closer, Danny. Think, you and Chin can board the boat if I get alongside?"
It shouldn't have been a question, but it was clear Steve wondered if his second in command would be able to pry himself from the boat when necessary.
Danny met his eyes and glared at him. "Damn straight, I'm ready, McGarrett! You just get me there!"
He pulled his weapon and prayed that he wouldn't accidentally shoot himself in the turbulence. He heard a crack, and saw the helmsman crumple in front of the boat's control. Chin scored a direct hit. Danny's admiration for the Hawaiian man's cool grew with every week.
McGarrett took the opportunity to swing up alongside the boat, and a window of opportunity to board the boat opened for only a few seconds. Knowing better than to think it through, Williams leapt across. One of the terrorists grabbed the helm and swung the boat away from McGarrett. Chin couldn't make that window, and clung to the side as the boat swung away from him. Danny didn't notice. He gunned down the man in front of him before the man could react. Other terrorists took defensive positions, and in that moment, Danny realized that he needed cover himself. He dived behind a stack of crates. It was only when he leaned up against the crates did he realize that these were the crates that were carrying the explosives. A man might freeze or panic, aware that his chances of surviving this situation were slight at best, but Danny Williams was a fighter. There would be no time for regrets or thoughts of Grace. All of his energy went to survival. He peeked over the top of the boxes, and several bullets whizzed past his head. He dropped and let out a deep breath. There was no vantage point for him to respond. He heard shots behind him. He looked off the bow, and spotted McGarrett and company gunning their way off the bow, doing the best to cover him. The clouds were low and thick, and it was getting hard to see more than 10 feet in front of him. He took the opportunity to leap up again and look for a target. The foggy form of the helmsman came into his sights. He fired several round and the man crumpled. As he fell, the dying man grabbed for the wheel. The boat turned sharply, launching Danny into the air. Danny struggled to grab anything, but found nothing until he hit the water hard.
…
"Danny's overboard!" yelled Chin.
McGarrett didn't slow. Instead, he turned to Kona who was already gathering up life jackets and a survival kit. "You got it?"
Kona slung two jackets over her shoulder and reached for a survival kit.
"Stay on this mark! We'll be back in a few minutes."
Kona barely nodded as she dived cleanly into the turbulent water.
Chin pulled himself over to the helm. "We need to abort. It's going to be hell finding those two in this fog."
Steve shook his head. "400 lbs. of explosives, Chin! If they land in this storm, we'll never find them. Can't let 'em go."
The hijacker boat pulled out of its spin and took off again. Steve gritted his teeth and rammed the accelerator forward. Chin grabbed onto the railing.
"When we get close enough, Chin, you hit those explosives. Got me?"
Chin whistled. "Big explosion, Boss. Environmental disaster. You're gonna' piss off the Governor. Plus, there ain't no way we're getting out of the way in time."
"Do it, Chin!"
Chin shouldered the rifle and sighted the boat ahead. Immediately, a sheet of hard rain hit them. Chin braced himself against the railing and squinted into the wind and the rain.
….
Danny swam like a Jersey boy who'd never had a formal lesson outside the dog paddling he learned at the crowded community pool. He flailed at the waves, but the wind and rain left him breathless. Every wave took him under and when he broke surface again, the rain beat on his face. He was lucky when he was able to gulp a single breath.
Thoughts of Grace floated through his head, and Danny Williams knew he was giving up. The next time his head bobbed above the surf, he screamed, "Help!" Another wave swallowed him before he could suck in air. The strength had left his body and a calm was washing over his body. There was no reason to fight any longer. He couldn't stay on top of the waves. It made no sense to keep fighting it.
Then something tight and strong settled around his chest. Danny gasped. A shark would make this quicker, but he didn't want that kind of death. He struggled fiercely through his fatigue.
"Danny, stop it! I'm here, Danny!" The voice sounded in his ear. Something thick and orange fell over his eyes. He turned wildly, and found Kona struggling to get a life jacket around his neck.
He blinked wildly. "Is this real?"
She fastened a strap, took a breath, and submerged. He could feel her tightening straps around his torso. Then there was a tug, and he felt infinitely lighter. Kona broke water, breathing heavily. She stared at him. "You've swallowed a lot of water, my friend."
"I feel lighter."
"I dropped your pants and shoes."
Danny couldn't manage an indignant response. She put her hands squarely on his shoulders and stared into his eyes. Water slows movement, but it was still a substantial kick he felt in his solar plexus. He started coughing and water spurt out of his mouth. "Good job, Danny," she soothed. "We got to get some of that saltwater out of you."
He coughed and retched while the life jacket left him riding the top of the waves. It took a few moments for him clear saltwater from his gut. Kona tread water a few feet away. He was surprised she hadn't pulled her own jacket on, and even with the rain, he noticed the grey pallor of her skin. Danny knew shock when he saw it. Clearly, she'd expended the last of her energy. He looked around wildly for her jacket, and saw a strap of it floating away in the fog. He lunged toward and caught the strap in his hand. Then he turned and grabbed Kona around the waist and pulled her against his chest.
"Wake up, baby," he hissed at her.
Kona moaned.
"I can't do this without you."
She raised her head, then nodded and helped him fumble with the straps to the jacket.
"Put your arms around my neck."
She did and the two of them clung to one another while wind, waves, and rain thrashed at them.
"You saved my life," she muttered into his neck.
He shook his head. "You're the hero today, honey. Hands down."
…
"I got 'em in my sights," Chin shouted.
"Blow them out of the water and then hit the deck."
Chin set his jaw and poured a round into the crates on the deck ahead of them.
"Down, Chin!" Steve swung the boat wildly around, the accelerator on the floor. Chin covered his head and waited for the blow. It was another 30 seconds before a rumble could be heard through the storm. 20 seconds later a wave hit that seized the boat and dropped it at an angle. Steve slid down to the bow and started to roll off the side. He grabbed onto a railing and held on as the boat listed.
"Hang on, Boss!"
Steve stretched his neck to see Chin throw him a line. He grasped it and let Chin pull him up to the top of the boat.
"We're capsizing!"
Chin nodded. "We're going to have to bail water if we want to stay afloat."
The two of them dragged themselves over to a seat compartment and pulled out a pump. It took 30 minutes of backbreaking work before the boat level enough for them to stand again.
"Engine's flooded." Chin reported through the heavy rain.
McGarrett closed his eyes.
"We left them behind, Steve! Without a motor we can't help them, and the money's not on us making to shore in one piece either."
The storm had fully descended. They could see nothing in any direction that wasn't briefly illuminated by the streaks of lightning snaking across the sky. The waves were getting bigger.
"I activated the Mayday signal before you blew that boat…just in case."
Chin shook his head. "You really think the Coast Guard is out in this! We have to make it around the point. It's all cliff here. We'll break up on the rocks."
Steve shook his head sharply. "That takes us away from them."
Chin grabbed him by the shoulders. "We've drifted miles. We're no good to them now."
"No, we don't leave them behind!"
Chin pushed away from him. "Do you think I want to? That's my baby cousin out there. I'm sick! But we can't help them until we can help ourselves."
Steve stared into the storm.
Chin nodded. "I'm steering toward the point. We can't see a damn thing, but navigation is still working."
"What have I done?" Steve McGarrett whispered to himself in the howling wind.
…
To be continued