Hey, guys! This is my first H5O fic, making it my first McDanno fic too! I'm super excited about this! This first chapter is really short (compared to what I usually write), but that's just to get things started.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING: I am in desperate need of a beta for this fic. I've had this idea for a while, and I really want to write it out into a fantastic story. But I seriously need someone to help me along the way. You don't have to be a good write (I'm sure not), but I just need someone to critique me and suggest things for the plot as I go. I'll have to let you know where I'm taking it, so you'd get a sneak peek! uwu
If you're interested, you can message me or leave a review and I'll message you first! Seriously guys, I could really use a partner in crime!
Enjoy!
"Alright, we're dealing with a high risk target here. This group has been on the move for months now and they know how to run."
Steve McGarrett talked as he donned his bulletproof vest, his team following suit. The hot Hawaiian sun was making itself known today, and the air, unnaturally still, didn't offer much reassurance. The whole team could feel its effects, but it didn't slow them down.
They stood gathered two blocks from their target warehouse. The HPD had sent back up to assist them in their raid. Steve addressed the group as he snapped the last buckle on his vest.
"We've been on them for two weeks now. Sources have led us to that warehouse, two blocks down. We've scanned the perimeter and found three exits, two on the north side and one on the west. My team will take the two north, HPD will take the west."
Kono jumped in. "These men are heavily armed and trained soldiers. We can't afford to underestimate them."
"Lieutenant Tran is our most valuable target, and we can't let him go. Once you have eyes on him, don't take them off." Steve added, cocking his gun and looking at Kono and Chin.
"You two will take the far left entrance, Danny's with me on the right." He now addressed the group. "We don't have much time. We go in, secure the targets, and take them in."
"You make it sound so simple." Danny said, waving his hand out. "Like ordering a stack of pancakes at Waffle House."
"I thought they specialized in waffles." Chin piped up, smiling.
"Yeah, well. You get my point. We don't need to debate breakfast foods here." Danny said, rolling his shoulders as he prepared for the raid.
Steve ignored his partners' banter with an eyeroll, before waving his arm for the group to follow his lead. He kept his gun low as they moved down the sidewalk, keeping close to the buildings. They'd decided ahead of time that coming from this direction would give them an advantage, and hopefully they wouldn't see them coming. Danny followed close behind Steve, with the rest of his team and HPD splitting up as they neared the warehouse.
"Alright, Danny. Cover me."
"I gotcha, babe." Danny answered, lifting his gun as he pulled open the door.
Two weeks earlier
"You have got to stop throwing it around like it's nothing." Danny huffed, eyes wide as he took in the smirking SEAL standing across the table from him. "You're gonna get the whole state of Hawaii calling me that by the end of the year. I can't be known as Danno. Sounds like a name from a really cheesy cop show."
"Well…" Steve started, crossing his arms as his smile spread even wider.
Danny held up a hand. "No, I'm going to stop you there. I don't need another reason to want to quit today."
Steve laughed just as Kono walked into the room, looking between the two of them before laying a manilla folder down on the table.
"I hate to interrupt, but I finally got the files on those soldiers from the governor. Looks like some pretty heavy stuff we're dealing with."
Steve reached for the folder and pulled out a couple of sheets, Danny doing the same.
"A band of rogue soldiers. Kinda sounds like Robin Hood and his merry band." Danny said, looking up at Steve. "And it looks like they've been on the run for months now. Why are we just now hearing about it?"
"Governor says they just got to Hawaii a few days ago. They lost track of them for a while, but sources have put them here on Oahu."
"What sources?" Steve asked.
"Couple of soldiers with loose connections." Chin said as he walked into the room, holding up his cellphone. "Just got off the phone with one of them, Kevin Tran. Says he knew one of them well, almost like brothers, until he was found dealing drugs in camp. He was discharged the next day, and Kevin never heard from him again."
"That is until a couple of days ago, right?" Steve asked.
"That's right. The soldier, Ryan Carmichael, contacted Kevin when he landed in Hawaii. Says he had a job for him, if he was interested. Seems like he's the leader of this merry band."
"And let me guess, Kevin wasn't too interested." Danny jumped in.
"Not after he heard what those soldiers do. Some are wanted for a string of robberies on the mainland. Ryan? He's wanted for a recent murder in New York."
"Who's?" Danny asked.
"His entire family."
Danny tensed, before relaxing his shoulders and rubbing a hand through his hair. "Can't wait to get this son of a bitch."
"Do we have a list of the other soldiers?" Steve asked, looking through the folder.
"Not an official one, but I can cross reference the ones discharged from Ryan's unit with the criminal database." Kono said, already bringing up a screen on the computer.
"Alright, we get those names, talk to Kevin a little more, and we get more info on their whereabouts." Steve said, turning away to go to his office. "Chin, call Kevin back, get him to come here. Tell him we got a couple of questions to ask. And Danno?"
Danny sighed, turning around to face his partner. "Yes, Steven?"
Steve grinned back at Danny. "Keep being you, beautiful."
Present Day
"On your left!" Danny shouted over the sound of gunfire. Steve heard his partner and swung his elbow back into the face of the man coming up behind him. He knocked him to the ground with a grunt, and he was on top of him a second later.
"Don't move!" He jerked one of the guy's arms back and handcuffed him. "Now stay." Steve growled, before leaving him there to help Danny.
"I got a couple of runners." Kono said over the mic. "Chin and I are taking them down."
"Copy that." Steve replied, shooting off a few rounds at the back of the warehouse, where a couple of soldiers were hiding behind heavy machinery and shooting in their direction. Steve crouched behind a stack of crates, Danny across from him.
"Hey, hey!" Danny shouted, getting up to run after one that was attempting to run out the way they'd come in. Steve covered him as Danny tackled the guy. The two men struggled, the soldier landing a few punches, but Danny finally got the upperhand and knocked him unconscious.
"Do you see him?" He asked, looking back at Steve. HPD and the rest of the soldiers were firing back at each other a couple of yards away, the sound of bullets hitting metal ringing throughout the warehouse. Steve and Danny were on a side hallway now, hidden from the chaos.
"Not yet." Steve replied, frustration evident in his voice. Danny knew this was a bit more personal for Steve than to the rest of them. This guy had promised to protect his country, and he'd gone and taken the lives of his own family. It didn't sit well with any of them, but especially not for Steve.
"We'll find hi-"
"Carmichael!" Steve shouted, cutting Danny off. Just as Steve had turned around, he'd seen a man running up a flight of stairs, heading to the roof. His profile matched that of Lieutenant Ryan Carmichael's, and Steve would bet money on his ID.
"I gotcha." Danny told Steve, waving for him to go after him. Steve nodded, before turning to run. He heard Danny's gunfire as he dashed across the large, open room. His gun at the ready, Steve ascended the steps after Carmichael, firing off a round but missing, the bullet ricocheting off the metal railing.
Carmichael shoved open the door to the roof and disappeared into the blinding light. Steve wasn't far behind him, his heart pounding as he stepped out into the blazing sun.
"Nowhere else to run, Ryan." Steve used his first name, hoping to get some ground on him. Carmichael laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess you're right, Steve." The SEAL straightened at the use of his first name. "Nowhere to run, but everywhere to fall."
Carmichael dropped his gun on the ground, walking towards the edge of the two story building. He stepped up onto the edge, looking back at Steve with a grin.
"Don't do it, Ryan." Steve said, lowering his gun and holstering it. He walked slowly to the gun on the ground and kicked it away from Carmichael, holding up his hands. "You don't need to jump, just step down."
Carmichael barked a laugh. "And why should I do that?"
Steve stared at the Lieutenant, hard eyes boring into him. "Because you're a soldier, Carmichael. You're strong."
Carmichael's face dropped at this, and Steve thought he saw a flicker of emotion in his expression. But it changed back to one of amusement a second later, and he laughed again.
"Was, Steve. I was a soldier. Not anymore."
"Once a soldier, always a soldier. No matter what you've done, you can end it now. Just step down and we can work things out." Steve promised, and god, he wanted to believe it. This man had murdered his family in cold blood, Steve couldn't ignore that. But he also couldn't let him end his life. Not like this.
"I, uh…" Carmichael dropped his face again, and this time it didn't waver. Steve hoped he was getting somewhere, and took another step forward.
"I'm sorry." He said, and Steve saw tears on the six foot soldier, his brow pulled tight as he swallowed hard. Then he turned around and put one foot out into thin air.
"No!" Steve ran forward, uselessly reaching out a hand to grab onto nothing. He thought it would end there, that Carmichael would fall and Steve would look down and see his body strewn across the pavement and the whole thing would be over. But as he reached the edge of the building and was uselessly leaning over to try and grab onto Carmichael, a loud shot rang out.
And Steve was falling and then knew nothing.