Ok, for those of you who follow my stories, yes. I will finish Nalowale Kane. But, after watching last night's episode, this popped into my head. Kind of like The Final Experiment, this is an AU version of 4x08. Again, I've changed some things so use your imagination just a teensy bit. I promise it's good…or at least I think so.
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Background Info: So we know Danny was in Jersey visiting his folks. On his way home, he changes flights in Los Angeles, and gets on Flight 408. See where I'm going with this?
Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii
"That is flight 408 out of Los Angeles. Three hundred-five passengers, eight crew, and two pilots." Steve's heart skipped a beat. That was Danny's flight. He listened in horror as the innocent looking boy before him calmly explained the history of GPS systems. Then, Ian locked eyes with and, with a small smile, said "I have control of flight 408. If you don't do exactly what I say, I'll drop it in the ocean." Steve could feel his control slipping, cold sweat forming on his brow, but he kept his mask in place. Ian didn't know yet that Danny was on that flight and he was not about to give him more leverage. The moment he and Grover were out of sight however, Steve all but lost it. He kicked a trash can and nervously ran his hand through his hair.
"I think we should wait him out, see if we can find-...McGarrett what the hell?" Grover asked, seeing the leader who was always confident and in control show fear.
"No. No games. These are people's lives." Steve said quietly. Grover studied the Commander whom he had once regarded as enemy and saw for the first time the man behind the bravado.
"McGarrett…who's on that flight?" Steve closed his eyes and leaned over a chair.
"Danny. He has my partner. I don't think he knows it." Now Grover could see something else he had missed about McGarrett in his anger. Something that should have been blatantly obvious moments after he had met the pair. Now he could see that the leader of Five-0 wasn't the reckless cowboy who had no regard for innocent lives. He was a brave protector who would do anything for his the ones he loved. Grover took a breath and viewed the distraught man before him through a different lens.
"Ok, we do it your way. I think you're right this kid is unpredictable and likes to be in control." Steve looked up.
"Thank you." Grover nodded as Chin's car screeched to a halt in front of them.
"Steve! TSA just lost contact with-"
"Danny's flight, I know. Ian's controlling it right now. He says he'll crash it in the Pacific if he's not on a flight to Pago Pago in thirty minutes." Steve said, the stress evident in his voice.
"And there's no way to contact anyone on that flight." Chin trailed off, finally grasping the gravity of the situation. While his shoulders slumped, Steve's grew taught.
"Chin, that's it! Ian's probably using some sort of a jammer to block the signals, right?"
"Yeah…" Chin answered, not yet seeing Steve's point.
"Where you goin' with this, McGarrett?" Grover asked.
"Chin, do you remember when Fong asked to update our phones with some new technology he learned about at that conference a couple months ago?" Chin nodded. "One of the features was that they're now hardened to jammers. We can probably get in touch with him!" Steve yelled excitedly, already pulling out his phone. He hit his number one speed dial and prayed for his partner to pick up.
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In Flight, 35000 miles above the Pacific Ocean, 1279 miles from Oahu
Danny Williams had a bad feeling. He had flown from Los Angeles to Hawaii many times before. This far into the flight, the attendants always announced that they'd be reaching their destination within a half hour. Now, all he could see on their faces was anxiety. He couldn't seem to concentrate on the book in his hands, so he shut it. Taking a deep breath and telling himself that everything was alright, he tried to relax. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. That was strange. All of the other passengers had complained that they no longer had any service, even off of the plane's wi-fi. He frowned, then pulled it from his pocket. He was greeted by his partner's playful scowl. He always got a laugh at Steve's contact picture. Grace sure did love makeup.
"Yes, Steven." Danny answered, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. The other passengers shot envious looks at him that clearly asked who his carrier was.
"Danny! Thank God, Chin I got him. The call went through." Danny furrowed his brows.
"Steve, what's wrong?"
"Danny, are you okay? Is anyone hurt?"
"No, we're all fine, Steve. But what the hell is going on?"
"Listen to me. Your flight's been hacked. The pilots are no longer in control of the plane." Danny's heart sank as his worst fears were confirmed. "We have the person responsible, but he refuses to return control of the plane until we get him out of the country. All communications are being jammed, but Fong installed that software a while back so that it doesn't affect your phone. Danny, I don't think the pilot even knows." Danny ran a hand through his hair.
"Okay, I'm gonna go have a chat with the attendants. I'll call you back." Danny hung up and quickly walked over to one of the attendants. Pulling out his badge, he took her aside where the other passengers wouldn't hear them.
"Ma'am, I'm Detective Williams with Five-0. I've just been informed that the plane is no longer being controlled by the pilots. The GPS has probably been hacked. I need to speak with the pilot right now." The woman nodded, but before she could lead him to the cockpit, a pager at her waist beeped.
"Oh God!" she ran to the cockpit door and began to bang on it. "Jeff? Jeff! Sam? Can you hear me? Please!" No answer. Danny took her by the shoulders, quickly reading her nametag.
"Lea, I need you to tell me what's going on."
"The pager lets us know if there's an issue with the plane. The cabin lost pressure. When that happens, the doors seal automatically. They're suffocating!" she cried. "The cabin can only lose pressure if something major like the windscreen is broken, or if someone manually messes with the controls. Detective, I know Jeff and Sam. They have families and would never do that!" Danny's heart sped up. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Steve.
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Honolulu international Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii
Before the first ring had finished, Steve had already answered the call.
"Danny, what's going on?"
"The pilot and co-pilot are dead. Whoever your hacker is just found a way to make the cockpit lose pressure. They just suffocated. We still have pressure in the main part, but your guy could change that any minute. He can control a lot more than the GPS." Steve felt sick.
"Okay, Danny, listen to me." Steve told him that Catherine was on her way to the computer that was the source of the hacking and that she could disable it. "When she does, I'm gonna take control of the plane and bring it back to Hawaii. Luckily, this is a newer plane so I can even land it all from a computer. It'll be bumpy, but I can do this safely." Before Danny could answer, Steve heard a few short beeps on the other end. Danny swore.
"Steve, the attendants' pagers just told us that we're almost out of fuel. If we're gonna make it back to Hawaii, you need to get control of this plane now." Danny disconnected and Steve ran back inside. Seeing Ian's smug look, he hit him again, then checked his pockets. In the front of the kid's sweatshirt was a small remote of some sort that Steve guessed he had used to hack the cockpit. Ian just laughed.
"You should really be getting me on that flight, Commander, because even if you get control of the plane back, if you don't do it soon, 408 is going to run out of fuel and it will be all your fault. Three hundred and fifteen lives. Are you a betting man, Commander McGarrett? Because I personally do not like those odds." He smirked.
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In Flight, 35000 miles above the Pacific Ocean, 1285 miles from Oahu
Danny hung up and tried to put on a calm expression. When he felt it was good enough, he turned to face the terrified passengers. He couldn't keep them in the dark anymore.
"Okay, everybody I am Detective Williams with Five-0 in Hawaii. I need you all to listen to me very carefully. This plane has been remotely hijacked. The pilot and the co-pilot are dead. The person responsible is in custody, but until we crack the encryption on his computer, we are not in control of this flight. My partner, Commander McGarrett, is very close to regaining control of this plane and he can fly this thing to Honolulu from his computer. However, it will be a bumpy flight and an even bumpier landing. Unfortunately, there is also a strong possibility that we will run out of fuel before we reach the island." They all gasped and some began to cry. "Hey, this is not a death sentence, you hear? We can survive this. Right now, I need you all, even the attendants to secure your seat belts. In the even that we do run out of fuel, we will be parachuting into the ocean. Under your seats, you'll all find a parachute. I want you to hold on to that. If this plane starts to go down, form a line, go to the back of the plane. The attendants will lead you. Then I want you to join hands with the person next to you. Jump out, count to ten, then pull the cord. I know this is hard and that you're scared." Danny said, stepping up as the only leader aboard the plane. "Hey, I'm scared too. I got a little girl to get home to. But I know we can do this. We've got the best team in the world working on getting us home safely." Danny smiled. The passengers seemed to draw some much needed comfort from his speech. Suddenly, the plane jerked and Danny phone began to ring.
"Steve! What the hell is going on?"
"We've got control of the plane again, buddy. But the fuel's low. I'm gonna take you as close as I can, but you're gonna have to jump."
"Okay, we can do that. You tell me when." Leaving the line open, Danny faced the passengers once more.
"My partner is in control of the plane, but we're not going to make it all the way back. He's going to take us as close as possible, then we're gonna jump just like I told you, okay? I need everyone to start making their way to the back of the plane. When I yell 'go', start jumping." Although they were terrified, the crowd before him formed an orderly line and efficiently moved to back. The plane jerked again, harder this time and began to descend.
"Steve, please tell that you are just crappy at flying and nothing's wrong."
"The hacker must've damaged the receivers on the plane. I can't control it very well. Danny, is there any way you can get into the cockpit?" Danny looked around and saw some emergency tools mounted on the wall next to an oxygen mask.
"Yeah, hold on." He quickly broke into the cockpit and donned the mask. Gently pushing away the two dead men with frost on their skin, Danny made his way into the freezing room.
"Steve," Danny said into the phone, his voice muffled by the mask. "I need you to walk me through this. How do I fly a plane?" Danny listened carefully as Steve explained some basic controls.
"Alright, you're doing great, Danno. Now see the control yoke? Pull back on that until the plane levels out and just keep it moving steady. Once you've done that-" Abruptly, the call disconnected. Danny swore when he saw that his battery had run out. Calling on all of the knowledge of flying he had learned over the past few years of being Steve's partner, saw that the GPS was back on. Typing in a course Honolulu, he prayed it would work. He smiled as he felt the plane change direction and fly towards the hazy mass of land. For ten minutes, he kept the plane steady, then it began to shudder as the fuel ran out. As the plane descended towards the ocean mere miles off shore of Oahu, Danny yelled "GO!" He kept the plane as steady as he could, trying to buy the passengers some more time, but he knew he couldn't keep it up indefinitely. When he heard the last couple jump, he released the controls and ran to the back of the plane. Sending a quick prayer skyward, he jumped out, and pulled the cord.
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On the road, Honolulu, Hawaii
Steve drove like a madman to the shore, while Grover next to him called the Coast Guard. He knew there had to be a logical explanation for the call cutting out, but it did nothing to ease his fears. Once at the marina, he waited for the helicopter to pick them up so they could assist with the rescue. Steve's worries about Danny were interrupted as a loud roaring filled the air. Covering his ears and looking up, Steve saw Flight 408 careening towards the ocean. Pairs of people kept leaping from the plane. Then one final person jumped out. Steve would recognize the small man anywhere. Danny. To Steve's trained eye, he could tell that Danny was much too low to jump safely. He watched as the man pulled the cord on his chute, but nothing happened. Both Danny and the plane fell in an uncontrolled descent towards the water below them.
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Pacific Ocean, 1 mile off the coast of Oahu
Danny pulled the cord, but no billowing canvas emerged from the pack. He watched in panic as the water rushed up to meet him. He thought of Kono, and how he hoped she would come soon, safely. Of Chin and how he wished nothing more than for the man who had suffered so much to find happiness. Of Steve and how he had come to love the bull headed Commander as a brother. And of Grace, his sweet, beautiful, innocent monkey. His last thought before he hit the water and his world went black was of how truly blessed he was.
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Jared Sparling saw the man pull the cord on his chute. He also saw that it didn't open. Seeing what was happening to the brave detective who had saved all of their lives and had a little girl to get home to, he swam as fast as he could towards him. While he was no expert on these things, he knew that a fall like that had to have injured the man, probably knocked him out too. Sparling was twenty yards away when the detective splashed down into the ocean. He swam hard until he reached him. As he had guessed, Detective Williams was unconscious. A quick examination indicated to even Sparling's untrained eye that the man had a broken arm, compound fracture that poked right through his shin, and several broken ribs to go along with a concussion. Behind him, Sparling could hear the rest of the passengers and crew approaching. Noticing that he was tiring, he removed the detective's useless parachute pack to get rid of some weight. This seemed to rouse the man. Another passenger, a young blonde woman, came over and helped Sparling support the detective.
"Detective Williams?" he asked, gently patting his cheeks. "Can you hear me, sir?" Danny groaned, but allowed his eyes to flicker open. To his right, he saw the fuzzy outline of a man, to his left, a woman. Directly above him, he saw a large black mass, blocking out the sun. Dimly, he could hear an odd thumping sound as well as voices.
"Sir, can you hear me? I need you to look at me Detective. I'm a doctor." The young woman said. With great effort, he turned his head to face her. She smiled. "Very good. That helicopter is sending down a basket for you and you'll be out of here in a few minutes, okay? Until then, I want to see how you're doing. Can you tell me your name?"
"D-danny. Ev'ryone 'kay?" he asked, his words coming out short and slurred. The woman smiled again, but Sparling chose to answer.
"You saved us all, Detective. We're all okay." He said with a smile. Danny nodded, then let his eyes drift closed.
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Coast Guard Helicopter, Above the Crash Site, 1 mile off the Coast of Oahu
Steve knew that he needed to let the rescue workers do their job, but the urge to put on the cape and save the day was overwhelming. The moment the basket was raised and Steve got his first look at Danny in a week, Steve's worry dialed up several notches. His partner lie still, an oxygen mask fixed over his face. Blood ran down his leg and Steve could see the grisly sight of bone protruding from flesh. Danny's skin was a pale grey and he could see the blue tinge to it. When Danny finally made it into the chopper, Steve immediately demanded to know what was wrong with him. As the medic worked, he told Steve all that he found.
"Damage seems to be concentrated on his left side. Arm is broken, compound fracture to the tibia, five broken ribs. All on one side. That's how he must've hit the water. Definite concussion, possible skull fracture. Looks like he's starting to go into shock. Can I get a blanket? Thanks." Steve watched helplessly as Danny was covered with the think wool blanket. Danny had to make this. After everything, he just had to.
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Hawaii Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii – Two days Later
Danny groaned as a sharp pain in his lag made itself known. Steve jerked awake instantly and ran to his brother's side. When two ice blue eyes finally found their way to Steve's, both of their faces split into wide grins.
"Hey, Danno! How ya feelin'?" Steve asked.
"Okay…Steve?"
"Yeah buddy?"
"Did they all make it 'cept the pilots?"
"Yeah. Yeah, they all made it Danny. They're all alive because of you. You're a hero man." Steve said, smiling proudly down at his best friend. "The governor's gonna put together a huge ceremony to honor you and everything." Steve smiled wider, happy that Danny was finally getting the recognition he deserved.
"S'nothin'." Danny said humbly.
"It wasn't nothing. Especially not to the three hundred and twelve people you saved. Not to mention their families. Don't you ever feel like this is nothing. You were incredible, Danny. Flying that plane like that? People with a pilot's license can barely do that."
"Well, I did have a pretty good teacher."
"Not the whole time you didn't." Danny waved his hand dismissively.
"Ahhh, once you know the basics the rest isn't that hard. Besides, I've watched enough movies to know a couple things." Danny said with a wink. Steve laughed.
"I'm really glad, you're okay man. Oh, and by the way, because of you, we didn't have to let that crazy hacker go. He's going to face charges of treason and murder among other things."
"You know, this kinda makes me glad that Grace is just as technologically challenged as her father." Steve chuckled.
"Yeah, she's always been a daddy's girl, hasn't she. But seriously Danny, I'm really glad you're okay."
"Me too partner. Me too."
The End. Bad ending, but I always think that. Anyway, just my thoughts on how last night's episode could've gone.