Steve McGarrett sat in his cell in Halawa Correctional Facility wondering how he was going to Houdini his way out of the mess that had been carefully created especially with him in mind. His sister had once called him a ninja, but it was going to take more skills than he possessed to get out from under the frame job that had put him there.
These people were powerful, and much more creative than he'd given them credit for. He hadn't seen her as a part of the problem, not since she'd given him the immunity and means to run the Five-O Task Force, still it was sinking in – slowly.
And so he sat, trying not to think of the betrayal but instead of a way to expose the corruption – except there wasn't a lot he could do from a two by eight cell. He had to rely on the people he surrounded himself with – the people he trusted – to know him well enough to know that he simply wasn't possible of what he was being accused of. Still, they'd need proof, without it he was as good as dead.
He'd put half the inmates behind the bars that would become his home and he didn't relish coming face to face with any of them. One on one he could undoubtedly kill them with his bare hands, but solidarity would more than likely bring them together against their one enemy on the inside – him. He didn't fancy his chances against a prison filled with revenge, but he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.
Her. She was at the core of it all. His dad's murder, his sisters kidnapping and now his incarceration. He didn't see that one coming. She'd blindsided him – and he didn't mind admitting she had him fooled. He genuinely thought she was on his side, that she would enforce his crack down on the crimes of men like Wo Fat, not aid them for personal gain. He guessed he was wrong. It just proved that he could truly trust no one, like his father's recording had claimed.
The thought's whirled around his head like a freight train, pushing him from one extreme to the other. How hadn't he seen all the signs that she was corrupt? Why was it so easy for him to trust her without any doubt?
He closed his eyes and tried to shake the thoughts loose, but he focused on it, like the worst parts of high school that haunted you when you finally graduated. He was powerless to make this problem go away, powerless to change it and powerless to clear his name. Powerless, it was the worst feeling in the world. He'd felt it once before when he was in Pohang, transporting Anton Hesse, when Victor had killed his father – only this time it was his own life at risk. He couldn't do anything then, and he couldn't do anything now.
Still he sat, looking up at the surrounding concrete blocks that kept him in. Silence circled him, the hour of the night saw to that. But he could hear them, inmates and officer's alike waiting for the dawn when he'd be thrust into their way of living. A prisoner – punished for a crime he didn't commit.
His thought's turned to Kono. Taking that money from the police lock up to save her cousin's life had put her in prison too. He had put her there. It had all been his idea. Take the money to get a face to face with the man that had put a bomb around Chin's neck, save the officers life and then take down Hesse before he could get away with the money. He should've known Victor wasn't in it for the money. He wanted revenge for the death of his brother – and he couldn't blame him, because he wanted the same for his father's.
She wasn't cut out for prison. Sure, Kono could hold her own, but she was a good cop and she shouldn't have been held accountable for taking that money – even though he knew she'd do it again if it meant saving Chin Ho.
He found himself smiling ironically at the idea of the man he'd come to call his friend, despite him being the one who had captured him and brought him to this place. He'd gladly taken his badge back, after his name had been cleared and he had to believe that was a good thing. Chin was a good man. He was doing the right thing taking him into custody, and he hoped he knew him well enough to know he wasn't capable of the things he was charged for doing.
Out of nowhere he thought of the only family he had left in the world, Mary, and he sighed. She would undeniably fly back to the island if she heard about his arrest and start a campaign to free him, which would get her noticed and possibly put her life in danger again. He had to make sure that didn't happen. By rights he should get a phone call, and he'd use it to tell her to stay put, that she had to sit this one out and wait for him to deal with it himself. But he knew Mary, she was a crusader, and she wouldn't heed his warning. She'd be straight on a flight and demand his release to anyone who would give her an audience. He loved her, but sometimes his kid sister just didn't know how to stay out of things that could get her killed.
Then there was Danny. He knew he wouldn't rest until he was released. The two had become close friends since the day they'd met, despite his partner fighting against it. They were the perfect partnership. Danny grounded him when he was ready to fly of the handle and vice versa. He knew the New Jersey born man was going to fight until his last breath until he cleared his name and that gave him comfort; knowing there was at least one person on the outside in his corner with a certain amount of means to clear his name.
His mind jumped back to the Governor's office, where he'd been arrested. One minute he'd been standing in front of her with his gun drawn demanding a confession and the next he was getting up off the floor, looking at her dead body slumped in her chair. He could see the blood that stained her white blouse as plain as the chains around his ankles. But he knew he hadn't pulled the trigger. That wasn't the reason he went there. He wanted her confession; he wanted to expose her for the lying, manipulative bitch she was, instead he'd incriminated himself further. He was innocent, but how was he going to prove that from a jail cell? It would all start tomorrow. For tonight he needed to rest. He would need all of his strength in the morning. Tomorrow it would all begin.