A/N: Now I've started writing I just can't seem to stop. Thanks for your ongoing support Phoebe. So here goes. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.
Buster
Chapter One
Navigating the house in it's current state of disrepair was precarious in itself without the added danger posed by the gang of armed mercenaries Five-0 was about to engage. The local fire department had warned them against entering the building at such a late hour. Structural damage had already caused the partial collapse of the western end of the building. Danny had also been very vocal in his calls to delay until morning, but Steve had insisted they couldn't wait. Danny was convinced it was his partner's desire to undertake a SEAL-like mission that swayed his decision to go ahead. Such ops he was sure the Navy man missed.
Danny now found himself stalking a downstairs hallway with his over-exuberant partner. Chin, Kono, and Lou had taken to the upper floor of the two story, monster of a house. It's imposing front entrance opened up to miles of hallways and numerous rooms. Now a decaying shell of its former self, the monstrosity could easily be nudged toward ruin by even the slightest breeze let alone a possible fire fight.
HPD and SWAT monitored the house from the perimeter of the sizeable estate. Using infrared cameras to pinpoint their targets' location. The gang of men were split between the upper and lower floors at the eastern end of the structure. Seven men in total, six armed guards and one head honcho. Emanuel Ford headed a lucrative crime business, involving the selling of young girls to a number of nefarious villains. Five-0's ongoing investigation had forced the man to go to ground. Then a sloppy act of violence had uncovered his whereabouts.
A condemned convalescent home towered ominously over the crumbling house. An hour earlier two dozen girls, all in their late teens to mid twenties, had been rescued from inside it's decaying walls.
Five-0 entered through the main entrance door. The sun was going down and with no electricity to light the interior, visibility was poor. The mercenaries were thought to have been using a generator, but the power was soon killed once the stand off began.
Danny could hear the boards under his feet creek and groan. A warm breeze blew through the broken windows, and the trees could be heard rustling outside. He felt like he was in the middle of a creepy horror movie, certain that at any moment a zombie's hand would reach out and grab him, yanking him back into a room and eating him alive. He took a deep breath and shook himself to stop his mind from wandering.
"You do realize this place is falling down around us as I speak." Danny tried hard to keep his voice low.
"We'll be fine. Stop worrying." Steve paused at the entrance to a room, taking a quick look before moving forward.
"Fine he says. Local fire service warned us not to enter. Imminent collapse. They were the chief's exact words." When Steve didn't give a response he continued. "Due for demolition in two weeks. Something else the chief said."
Danny came to an abrupt stop when a piece of ceiling board dropped to the floor mere centimeters in front of him.
"Crap, that nearly hit me Steven."
Steve looked over his shoulder with a pinched expression, before continuing further into the building. "Next time I'm with Lou."
"He's welcome to you." Danny rolled his eyes. "If it was so safe, we wouldn't be in here alone. We would have that other thing you are so adverse to - back up."
"Like I told you before, you are the back up." Steve held up his hand bringing their conversation and progress to a halt. He signalled Danny to go left before moving right himself.
Danny walked into a large room. The only window was overgrown with foliage, which blocked the light except for fleeting pools of dancing shadows. It was impossible to see anything clearly. He pulled out his flashlight. Turning it on, he shone the beam around the area. From the broken table and scattered chairs, he guessed it was once a dining room. He could just make out a doorway in the far wall and tentatively moved toward it. He had almost reached the opening, when he heard movement behind him. He swung around, his heart pounding hard and fast in his chest. He scanned the area, weapon aimed, ready for someone to strike. When he saw the reason for the noise, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack." Danny lowered his gun. "You shouldn't be in here."
Before Danny could take another step, a large timber beam came crashing down from above his position. A glancing blow to the side of his temple sent him careening to the ground. He clambered onto his knees, placing both hands on the floor in front of him, trying to steady himself. Momentarily winded, he swallowed hard when bile rose in his throat. He registered the gun still held in his hand. In his peripheral vision he could see part of a wall off to his side falling. Billowing clouds of dust enveloped him, making him cough. It all happened too fast. He was stuck in place, dazed by the crack on the head. Everything went in and out of focus like a funhouse that was collapsing on top of him.
The once silent house came to life like someone hit the volume switch. Gunfire, voices, the sharp crack of a pistol, the thud of falling bodies and someone calling his name all blended together in a riot of noise. He struggled to distinguish one sound from another. A sudden feeling of weightlessness pulled him from his stupor. Limbs flailing, he grabbed for anything to stop his downward spiral.
Danny, along with debris from the ceiling above and the floor he stood on moments before, crashed down onto the basement's concrete slab. He felt bone shattering on impact, a searing pain ran along his legs, and through his body. Engulfed by a wave of nausea, the acrid taste of vomit filled his mouth. He choked uncontrollably in a desperate fight to breathe, to stay alive. The burning sensation at the back of his throat screamed at his sluggish brain to change position. Pulling himself onto his side he spewed his last meal. His stomach clenching painfully as he continued to retch, gulping in air mixed with dust, dirt, and debris. Hot tears ran down his cheeks.
Curled on his side, he fought to regain control, so he could assess the situation. Danny heard the sound of distant voices, as the house became deathly quiet, and he slowly lost his fight to stay awake.
H50 H50 H50 H50 H50
A deafening rumble filled his ears. Steve steadied himself against the wall, as a tremor rippled under his feet, and through his body.
Steve's ear piece crackled to life. "Commander McGarrett, you need to extract your team immediately."
Without warning gunfire rang out close to where he stood. The full force of the shots hit Steve's vest, knocking him against the wall. He sucked in a deep breath, momentarily winded from the impact. Pushing back from the wall he glimpsed a silhouette ahead of him. He fired towards it, the thud of a body hitting the floor filled him with satisfaction. He moved forward in pursuit of his next target. The sound of masonry falling now replaced by the chatter of automatic weapons fire.
"Danny. Where are you?" Steve's shouted, but was answered with static.
"Command. What is Detective Williams' position?" Desperately trying to maintain his composure, he growled into his coms for assistance.
"We don't have his location, sir." Their response did not please him.
While processing that piece of information, he proceeded through another doorway. Training kicked into overdrive, and he zoned in on his next target, eliminating the threat with military precision. The burn in his chest from the hit he'd just taken spurred him forward. He knew how to use pain to his advantage.
"What do you mean you don't have it?" Steve retorted angrily, his concern for his partner growing.
"We lost the Detective's heat signature when part of the building collapsed." The same voice from the command center answered with just a bit of hesitation.
"We're clear up here." Lou shouted. "But our exit's compromised."
"Copy that. Hold your position. We have one hostile unaccounted for." Command advised.
"How the hell did we lose him?" Steve punched the wall in frustration. "I'm heading back towards Danny's position."
"Fire rescue suggest against that." An insistent voice couched.
"I'm not leaving without my partner." Steve shouted hoarsely. He stopped to catch his breath, his chest becoming tight. "Get the rest of my team out."
"Yes sir."
"Steve, don't do anything stupid." He registered Chin's voice. Realizing in his haste to find his best friend, he had neglected to check on the rest of his team.
"You guy's okay?" Steve forced the question out through gritted teeth.
Kono answered first. "We're fine boss. Chin's right, you need to be careful. The house is unstable - "
"Not to mention the armed gunman still at large." Lou interrupted Kono.
Still standing in the middle of the room in which he had first entered after splitting up from Danny, Steve's vision started to grey from a lack of oxygen. He struggled to focus. Hunched over, he watched sweat drip from his face onto to the floor.
"Fuck." The expletive escaped his lips before he could stop it.
"McGarrett. You okay?" He was only vaguely aware of the question broached by Lou.
The pain in his chest deepened as he attempted to take a deep breath before answering. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm not leaving without Danny."
"Watch your back, Steve." Chin responded unhappily.
"That's sound advice." A hard jab to the back of his head with the butt of a gun was followed by a kick to the back of his knees, dropping him to the floor.
"Commander you have a hostile - " The useless voice of a HPD officer buzzed annoyingly in his ears.
"Save it. I know." Steve interrupted. Furious, the SEAL could only blame himself for being uncharacteristically caught off guard.
H50 H50 H50 H50 H50
His wet nose sniffed along the floor, guiding him through the dark hallway. The house creaked in the quiet of the fading light. He pushed the door open with his front paw, catching the familiar scent again before moving forward. Without warning he fell, landing on his side, as the rotting timber of the stairs broke away under his weight. He yelped loudly as sharp splinters dug through his fur and into his flesh. Sitting back on his hind legs, he gave his body a shake. Dust and dirt flew into the air around him. After testing his legs, he gingerly continued down the broken stairway, stopping every so often to lick at his bloodied paws. The last few steps were gone, forcing him to jump the rest of the way. After a successful landing and another quick check of his shaky legs, he sniffed the air once again before moving further into the basement. It was cold and damp. The shadow of an old broken chair was cast on the wall in front of him by the light emanating from a flashlight, lying on the floor a few feet from where he stood.
He lowered his head to smell the cold concrete floor. Climbing over the debris from the collapsed ceiling, his tail wagged excitedly. He nudged, pushed, and then licked at the dust encrusted hand sticking out from the rubble. He scratched around in the dirt, trying to get purchase on the unstable pile. He barked loudly a couple of times, before sniffing at the matted blond hair sticking up in between pieces of timber and plasterboard. His large tongue licked at the blood streaked face, saliva dripping from the side of his mouth. He nuzzled the man's neck trying to get a response. When he heard a groan, he barked again. Standing unsteadily on the timber, looking down at the unmoving body, he clawed at the arm. When he received nothing more than a pained moan, he lay down at his side, letting out a disappointed whimper.
~ to be continued ~