Olelo ho'ike

by SueQ

After an informant is found dead, McGarrett and Danno race against time to find the killer, and uncover one man's sinister plot that could cost the lives of thousands.

'Olelo ho'ike

Part One

"No! There's not enough room!"

"I can make it!"

"No way! Slow down!"

"Relax, you could fit a tank through there."

"Maybe, if it was freakin' G.I. Joe's toy tank!_No! No!"

One hand on the dash, the other curled in a death grip around the handle of the door beside him, Danny winced as the Camaro got closer and closer to the narrow gap between the battered pick-up ahead of them, and a shiny new Honda travelling in the opposite direction.

"Ah Shit!" He screamed, as they thundered between the two cars.

Once they'd squeezed through, he spun in his seat to gape out of the rear window.

"Told you." Steve said, finally easing his foot off the accelerator as they approached the corner.

Danny looked over at him. "Shut up!"

"Well I did."

"Just shut up," He sat back, pulling at the knot in his tie. "Watch the road."

"I am watching the road." Steve retorted.

"You're a maniac, McGarrett. You know that? A maniac. You have a total disregard for my vehicle, and for my safety."

About to deny it, Steve raised his hand off the steering wheel and gave Danny a quick sideways glance.

"Two hands on the wheel! Two hands, and watch the road, will ya._ You, have two speeds," Danny spat, as he held two fingers up. "Asleep, and warp._ It's a body, Steven! When they say, 'Hey guys, come take a look at this body that's washed up', they mean a dead body. You get that, right? You understand that a dead body means it's not going anywhere, because, a dead body is not about to get up and walk away. And even if it did, even if we have somehow managed to wake up this morning to find ourselves in the midst of an apocalyptic zombie nightmare, there are uniforms on scene. Armed men and women, who would shoot it's sorry zombie ass before it had the chance to start sucking peoples brains out. So where the hell is the need to drive so fast, eh? Where is the emergency? I'll tell you where, Nowhere! Because there isn't one. Therefore, there is no need for you to drive at the speed of freakin' light._No need."

Steve pulled in behind a marked cruiser and the ME's van, then killed the engine. The two of them sat for a while, then Steve turned to face his partner. "Finished?" Danny's mouth was still tight, but he gave a sharp nod. "Good," Steve slipped his sunglasses on, then shoved at the car door. "Then let's go check out this zombie before it walks away."

"Ha, ha! That's funny." Danny threw at him. He watched Steve stride over to one of the uniforms. "I could plead self defence." He grumbled, as he shoved angrily at his own door. "Or post traumatic stress."

They caught sight of the Assistant Medical Examiner, Halia Halama, as they made their way across the sand. Crouched beside the body, she was talking into a hand-held recorder.

"...further evidence of post-mortem damage to eyes, nose, and mouth; both upper and lower labium are missing on the right, and," She reached into a bag beside her, fishing out a pair of tweezers as she continued to talk. "There's significant damage to the lower left labium._ Alan," Her assistant looked up from carefully attaching a plastic bag around the victim's feet. "Another evidence bag, please._Gentlemen." She acknowledged their arrival without looking up.

"Where's Dr Max?" Steve asked, looking away to scan the crowd gathered behind the police tape as the tweezers disappeared into what was left of the mouth.

"On the mainland, giving a lecture on insect larvae."

"Fun." Danny said, his eyes fixed firmly on the top of Halia's head. He hated floaters. Floaters were the worst.

Halia paused to peer up at him. "More fun than this, Detective Williams?"

His eyes flicked briefly towards the the bloated body laid out on the sand. "Anything would be more fun than this." He grimaced. "You have a positive ID?"

Intent on her task with the tweezers, Halia nodded in the direction of the victim's hand. "Inside the right wrist." Slipping his shades down, Steve crouched to take a closer look. "I had Alan run a shot of it through the database. Hard to believe, looking at her now, but she was a pretty girl, wasn't she?"

Both Steve and Danny mumbled, "Yeah."

"Anyhow, your team popped up as an interested party."

"It's her." Steve said, indicating for Danny to take a look at the tattoo. "Alpha and Omega, interlinked."

"Aha! Got it!" The ME exclaimed, wiggling the tweezers a few times. Something hard made a clacking sound as it hit the victim's teeth on the way out. "Well that's new." She held the tweezers up. "Gentlemen, meet, Achatinella Lila, otherwise known as, The Oahu Tree Snail."

"A tree snail? How the hell does a tree snail find it's way into her mouth when she was in the water?" Danny asked.

"Well, I'm no detective, Detective," She smiled at him, as she dropped the snail into the evidence bag Alan held out. "But, my guess would be, either it crawled in, or, it was put there by someone before she entered the water."

Steve frowned. "So you don't think the COD is drowning?"

"Until I get her back to the lab, ..."

"Yeah, I know, you can't be a hundred percent." Steve said, frustration evident in his tone.

"You didn't let me finish, Commander McGarrett." She carefully turned the victim's head to the side.

"Shit!" Danny hissed.

"Obviously, she's been in the water long enough for the fish to have been nibbling, but, whatever made contact with poor Dara's head, hit her with enough force to cause a depressed fracture. See this bruising to the temple," She pointed to some mottled marks, barely visible beneath the unnaturally white skin. "It shows her heart was still pumping at the time she was struck, but she would have had massive haemorrhaging, and I mean massive. In all likelihood, she was dead soon after she hit the ground. I'll be surprised if I find any water in her lungs when I get her back to the lab."

"Thanks." Steve put his sunglasses on and turned to leave. "Let's go."

"Where?" Danny asked, his hands out in question.

"To pick him up!"

"Hang on! For what?" He caught up with Steve and grabbed his arm. "Just wait. We don't have enough to bring him in."

"So we'll drop by, ask him a few questions." Steve shrugged.

Danny recognised the look in Steve's eye. "No." He said with a firm shake of his head. "Lukas Sarrazin is not the kind of guy you hang off a building, or threaten a confession out of. He's clever, and so are his many lawyers._ If we want it to stick, we need evidence."

Dara's bloated corpse was evidence enough for Steve. Angry bile burned his throat as he watched Halia and Alan finish processing the body.

Even though Dara had approached them, he'd been the one to insist they use her, despite Danny's reservations. He was responsible for this.

"He did it, Danny. He found out she knew about the weapons and that she was talking to us, and he did this."

Danny nodded. "But we have to prove it. At the moment we have nothing, except what Dara overheard." Steve gestured to the body. "I know, but unless we have hard evidence; a fingerprint on a murder weapon, a splash of blood on an item of his clothing, or a credible witness who saw him commit the murder, those clever lawyers of his will have him out in a few hours."

Halia and Alan rolled the body onto a plastic sheet and began wrapping it. A week ago she'd been full of confidence as she'd jumped out of his car. He'd reminded her to be careful, to not take any risks. She'd stuck her head back in through the window, popped her gum loudly, then smiled as she said, "You worry too much, brah. I'm just the maid, they don't even notice I'm there." He frowned, as he watched her legs disappear beneath the opaque plastic. She had, he realised, been wearing the same jeans and t-shirt the last time he'd seen her alive.

He wanted this guy more than ever now. His eyes met Danny's and he saw the same emotion boiling. How were they going to prove it? Suddenly, an idea occurred. "The snail!" He said, then made his way back to the body. "That tree snail, it's endangered, right?"

"On the list since 1981." Halia nodded.

"And they're only found in a few places on the island now?"

"Yeah, but don't ask me where. There are around fourteen species of Achatinella left, all populating specific areas. I can never remember which lives where."

"Thanks." He started back up the beach, pulling his cell out. "We need to find out where this Lila snail is found on the island."

"Don't tell me, they do an app for that." Danny said.

Steve brought the phone to his ear. "Who needs an app, when you've got... Chin, ...Yeah, it was Dara. Listen, the ME found something." He explained about the snail. "See if you can find out where...Oh, right," he smiled. "And that's the only place?...Great. Run a check, see if Sarrazin has property anywhere near there. We're going to head out that way." He slipped the phone back in his pocket, then looked at Danny "What?_ It's a small island, Danny, he's lived here all his life."

"But it's a snail, Steve. He's acquainted with where an endangered snail lives. You don't find it at all strange, perhaps even a little sad, that you just say the name of a snail, and he's able to tell you where to find it?"

Frowning, Steve shook his head. "Not really." He started back towards the car.

"No, of course it wouldn't." Danny muttered. "So, where are we heading to anyway?"

"Waianae."

They had to stop when they reached the boardwalk, so Danny could empty the sand out of his shoes. "What? You want I should carry a pair of sandals?" He grumbled, when he caught the amused look on Steve's face.

"Boots, Danny." Steve pointed at his own feet.

"I don't like boots."

"You don't like boots?"

"If I was hiking, I'd like boots. If I was trudging through the fucking jungle, hunting down guerrillas, I'd like boots. Right now, funnily enough, I'm doing neither of those things. So, I like to wear shoes. Smart, sensible shoes, that not only go with the rest of my attire, but also make me appear to be exactly what I am, a detective, instead of Rambo."

"You wouldn't get sand..."

"Gimme the keys." Cut off mid-sentence, Steve stared at him. "Gimme the keys, I'm driving." Danny repeated, holding his hand out.

A slow smile lifted the corners of Steve's mouth as he reached into his pocket for the keys. "You know the way to Waianae?"

"Yes, I know the way." Danny said, snatching the keys up. "I was on this god-forsaken island for six months before you came, and I never got lost, not once._ Do I know the way?_ Get in the car."

Steve's phone rang just as Danny started the engine and pulled away from the beach. "It's Chin." he said, checking the display. He put it on speaker. "Go ahead, Chin."

"I couldn't find any property in Waianae registered to either Lukas Sarrazin, or his wife, so I checked the surrounding areas, still nothing, but her maiden name rang a bell. A while back, there was some trouble at one of the bars in Wahiawa, the owner's name is Jake Namuo. It's the same as the wife's maiden name. So I dug a little, and it turns out, they're cousins."

"Good work. Send me the address."

"Already done. Also, you might be interested to know, this bar, it's a favourite watering hole for soldiers from Schofield Barracks."

"Coincidence?" Danny said, glancing over at Steve.

"I doubt it._Chin, you and Kono contact a couple of your CI's, see if they've heard anything. Danny and I will have a talk with this Jake."

"You want me to break the news to Dara's family?" Chin asked.

Steve sighed. "No. Her only relative is her Grandmother with dementia. She's in a care home. I'll visit her when we've finished here."

"It wasn't your fault, Brah."

Steve nodded stiffly then rang off. He checked the address Chin had sent. "Wilikina Drive, Wahiawa."

Danny glanced over at him, "You aren't responsible for what happened."

"No?"

"No. All you asked her to do was keep her ears open, then let you know what she heard."

"You were the one who tried to talk me out of using her."

"Yeah, but given the time restraint and the fact we weren't able to get any information on Sarrazin, you were right. She was already in place, and she was willing to do it."

"Say that again."

"What? She was willing to do it?"

"No, the bit about me being right." Danny swore, and Steve laughed.

He settled back in his seat with a smile, his mind returning to the case, and the information Chin had given them.

"What are you thinking?" Danny asked, as they drove along.

"I'm thinking this might not be about guns."

"Explosives?"

Steve shook his head.

"What then?"

"What do we know about Sarrazin?"

"Businessman, regular church goer, made a fortune selling a telecommunications firm shortly before he relocated here from Texas. Met his wife two years ago, they have no children. He has no arrests, here, or on the mainland. Nothing. He's squeaky clean."

"Exactly, we haven't been able to find anything on him."

"He's got to be up to something, otherwise Dara wouldn't be dead."

"You know, some people say that the real threat to America isn't from the likes of the Taliban and extremist Islamists, it comes from within our own borders."

"What do you mean?"

"From what Dara overheard, we've been investigating this as though Sarrazin was about to sell weapons to some foreign extremist, but what if it's not foreigners he's working with?"

"You mean domestic terrorism."

Steve nodded. "It would explain why we're not hearing anything from the agencies that monitor the threats from outside America."

Danny had to agree. Steve had touched base with all his contacts in the military and called in several favours, but there'd been nothing. They'd even entertained the idea that Dara was spinning them a line. But then she'd gone missing.

"Okay, so it's a, what, another Oklahoma thing?"

"Worse." Steve said. "Schofield is a centre for chemical and biological defence testing."

Danny swung the car off the road sharply and turned to face Steve. "They what?"

Part Two

"It's all carefully controlled, Danny." Steve said with a sigh.

"You're telling me that right now, on this island; an island that's what, 600 square miles, they run tests with weapons of mass destruction!_Dear God! And here was I thinking all I had to worry about was keeping Grace safe from criminals and lowlifes, now you're telling me..."

"Danny! Breathe, okay. It's not like they have huge stockpiles of the stuff sitting in warehouses. They do small, carefully controlled experiments in a carefully controlled environment, so they can test our country's defence against attack."

Sitting back in his seat, Danny took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. "And you think that's what Sarrazin's after? This is about germs, not guns?"

"Well, technically most of the stuff they work with ..."

"Stop!" Danny put his hand up. "Please, I'm begging you. I want to be able to sleep at night, so just keep it simple and answer the question." Steve pursed his lips then gave a slow nod of his head. "Right. Now what brings you to that conclusion?"

"Gut feeling."

A couple of passing cars honked their horns as the two men continued to stare at each other. Finally, Danny broke eye contact to start the car. "Let's see what this Jake has to say." He said, as he pulled back onto the road.

It was true that Steve usually had good instincts, but Danny hoped he was off base on this. Guns were bad enough, but at least you can see them; and with guns survival came down to shooting first. How do you defend yourself, and the people you love, from something you can't see? A colourless, odourless, invisible threat, that can wipe out thousands before you even know it's been released, and tens of thousands within hours.

Standing outside the bar, Steve peered through the window then checked the picture Chin had sent them of Jake Namuo. "That's him."

Danny had a look inside. Jake was wiping down tables at the far end of the room, while a couple of old timers sat at the bar watching the news report on the wide-screen.

"Looks like a runner." Danny muttered.

"You think?" Steve said, peering through the window again.

He gave a nod, then said, "Gut feeling."

"Count to sixty before you go in." Steve grinned, then walked off.

"Why? Where are you going?" Danny called after him. "Great!" He muttered, as he watched his partner disappear around the side of the building. "Tag, your it, Danny"

The old timer's eyes never left the sports report as Danny pushed open the door and stepped into the blessed cool of the air-conditioned bar.

"With you in a sec, Bruddah." Jake said, finishing off one of the tables.

"Jake Namou?" Danny asked.

Jake looked up and froze. "Yeah?"

Still watching the other two occupants from the corner of his eye, Danny pointed to the badge on his belt.

It took half a second for Jake to drop his eyes, recognise what he was looking at, then bolt for the door to the kitchen. The sound of steel pans and crockery crashing to the floor told Danny that he'd run into the wall that was Steve McGarrett.

"I was right," Danny said, turning to the men at the bar. "He's a runner." They both stared back at him. "Bar's closing, gentlemen." One of them glanced down at his half full glass. "Take it with you. Go." More crashing sounds came from the kitchen, followed by a scream. "You hear that? Seriously," Danny opened the door and gestured for them to leave. "This won't be pretty. Go!" They slid off their seats, grabbed their glasses and headed for the door. "That's it. Thanks for your custom. You have a nice day now." He said, as the door shut behind them. He locked it then strode towards the back of the bar, his steps growing quicker as another high pitched squeal rang out.

"Steven, please, try to remember," he said, as he pushed the door open. "A suspect can't answer questions if you cut his tongue out."

From the top of the worktop he was sitting on, Jake's eyes went wide, and he started to struggle as Steve jerked his other hand up to join the one that was already cuffed to the steel handle of the kitchen cabinet above his head.

Danny looked around at the mess of broken glass and china, then caught sight of the vicious looking Yanagi ba knife embedded in the worktop close to Jake's crotch. "Oooh!" He winced. "That could have been nasty."

"Please, I haven't done anything!"

"Then why run?" Steve said, closing the cuff tightly around his wrist.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Danny looked at Steve. "He doesn't know."

Steve pulled out his phone and found the picture of Dara. Holding it up, he asked. "Recognise her?" Jake's eyes darted everywhere but at the picture, so Steve scrolled through till he found a close up of her face post-mortem, then he grabbed him by the hair and pushed the phone in front of him. "Recognise her now?" He snarled. "She's why you ran, isn't she?"

Danny tapped him on the shoulder and waved him aside. "See the problem is, Jake, you ran, and that indicates guilt. Then you attacked my partner here." He pointed to the cuts on Steve's cheek and arm. "That's assaulting an officer. What did he use?" Steve looked down at the knife. "Oh, with a deadly weapon, no less." Jake started to open his mouth, but Danny put his hand up. "Now, you can tell us what you know, then we call for a couple of officers to take you in while we go about our business. Or, you can play dumb, which will no doubt piss my partner off even more, then you get to ride with me and him back to the station so we can go through the same questions there." Jake's gaze swung between the two of them. "Bare in mind, Jake, I'm new to the island, right?"

Steve nodded. "And it's his car."

"It is, it's my car, so I'll be driving, while you get to sit in the back with my partner here. I might take a wrong turn, by accident."

"Because he's so new."

"Right, because I'm so new, and I'm still finding my way about._ It could be a very long ride, Jake."

Eyeing Steve, Jake shrank back against the wall. The thought of being stuck in an enclosed space with him obviously did the trick. "I didn't kill her." He stuttered. "I swear. I just got rid of the body." He jumped as Steve's hand shot out and grabbed the knife up from the worktop.

"Hey." Danny slapped Jake on the cheek. "Don't look at him. Look at me."

With obvious difficulty, Jake managed to tear his gaze from Steve's cold smile.

"Good. Now tell me."

"I got a call from my cousin's husband."

"Lukas Sarrazin?" Steve asked. Jake nodded. "When?"

"Last Tuesday. Says he needs a favour. Tells me to meet him on the Kolekole Rd and bring my van. I owe him, he gave me a loan so I could buy this place. So I go." He went quiet.

"And." Steve urged.

"And when I get there he takes me up the trail. We walk for about twenty minutes, then climb the fence, and start heading down one of the gully's. I got nervous, 'cause I knew we were on DOD land."

Danny and Steve shared a quick glance. "Go on." Danny said.

"She was just laying there. At first, I thought she was a climber, that maybe she'd fallen, you know, off one of the trails higher up, but then I see how she's not wearing climbing boots, and she's half under one of the bushes, and I knew." His eyes filled with tears. "Lukas said he'd forget about what I owed him if I helped him get rid of the body."

"You didn't think to ask what had happened." Steve growled.

His lip quivering, Jake shook his head. "I thought maybe he'd been playing around with her behind my cousin's back and something had gone wrong. That maybe he'd killed her by accident or something. I don't know. I just did what he asked me to do. I swear, Brah, I didn't kill her."

"So you and Lukas bring the body to the van" Danny said. Jake nodded. "Then what?"

"I've got a boat, so he tells me to take her out to sea and dump her."

"And it was just you and Lukas up there? You didn't see anyone else?" Steve asked.

Jake shook his head again.

Danny and Steve stepped away. "What do you think?" Danny asked.

"Location fits with the snail that Halia found in her mouth. Could have crawled in there while she was under the bush." He turned to Jake. "Does Lukas hang out here often?"

"He comes in once or twice a week."

"Who does he talk to?"

"Everyone."

"In particular, Jake?" Danny sighed. "Who does he talk to regularly?"

"Me," Jake's eyes went wide as Steve stepped forward. "There is one guy." He added, quickly. "I think he works at the base."

"Military?" Steve asked.

"No, hair's to long."

"Name?"

Jake shrugged

Danny waved his hand in a circle. "Height, hair colour, age, tattoos, or any other distinguishing marks, Jake."

"I don't know, all you haole's look alike to me." Steve took another step towards him. "He's got sandy hair. Young, maybe late twenties. Geeky sort, you know"

Steve pulled out his phone. "Call in and get him picked up. I'll call Chin, he can get mugshots of all civilian males working on the base, then he can show them to Jake when he gets there."

"My arms are getting sore, can't you...?"

"No!" said Steve and Danny.

While they waited for the squad car to arrive, they continued to question Jake. He told them that he'd taken his boat out at Kapa'akai Point, then dumped Dara's body off, hoping the the sharks would take care of it. When Steve glared at him, then brought up a map on his phone, he was more than happy to show them exactly where he'd met Lucas on the Kolekole Pass; even informing them that they'd taken the Kalena Trail to pick up the body, without being prompted.

They handed Jake over to two uniformed officers, with instructions to take him to their headquarters so he could look at the mugshots, then they headed for the car.

"I want to see where the body was." Steve said, settling himself in the passenger seat.

Danny gave a wry grin as he started the car. "You just want to go hiking."

"You can wait in the car."

"And let you go in alone? What happened to, "You're my back-up, Danny"?"

"I'm just saying," Steve shrugged. "If you think it would be too much for..."

"Let's just do this." Danny grumbled, as he pulled out into the traffic.

It didn't take them long to find the spot Jake had described. Steve's phone rang just as Danny parked the car. While he talked to Kono about putting surveillance on Sarrazin, Danny released the catch on the trunk, then went round to the back of the car.

When Steve finished his call and joined him, he was surprised to find Danny putting on a pair of hiking boots.

Crossing his arms, he grinned as he watched him tie the laces.

"Do not say a word." Danny said, without looking up.

"I wasn't going to."

"This is not the first time I've had to hike, okay."

Seeing how worn the boots where, that much was clear to Steve.

"In fact, I did a fair bit when I was in the Scouts."

"You were in the Scouts?" Now that did surprise Steve.

"For a while." Danny nodded. "Dad made me and Matt join, said it was good for us to get out of the city occasionally." He lowered his foot from the bumper, then looked at Steve. "I hated it."

Steve threw his had back and laughed.

"Seriously. I mean, we lived in New Jersey, for chris'sake! When was I ever going to need to know how to build a fire, or construct an outdoor shelter?"

"I bet you gave the Scout leader a hard time." Steve said. "Come on, let's go."

Twenty minutes later, they found the wire fence that ran alongside the trail. Climbing it they made their way down the gully to the spot where Jake said the body had lain.

"This is where she fell." Steve pointed to a dark spot in the dirt where a throng of insects were crawling over each other. "Halia was right, she hit the ground soon after she was hit, and she lost a lot of blood."

Danny looked around, while Steve checked beneath the bushes.

"I've got a possible murder weapon." Danny said, bending over a piece of wood at his feet. "There's blood, and what looks like hair on the end."

"Take a picture then bag the end, we'll take it back with us." Sunlight caught on something beneath a dense outcrop of ferns that were growing from one of the larger trees. Crouching, Steve reached out and pushed them aside. "This is where Sarrazin hid her while he went back to meet Jake." Danny looked up from bagging the piece of wood. "It's her necklace. It must have got caught up when he rolled her under." Steve held the ferns back with his leg so he could photograph it with his phone, before using an evidence bag to carefully pick up the silver, alpha and omega medallion, and it's broken chain.

"I asked her about that once." Danny said. Steve looked over at him. "You know, the tattoo and the necklace."

"What she say?"

"After her mum's overdose, she went off the rails a bit. Started taking drugs, staying out, partying. She was only fifteen, and the grandmother was obviously starting to show the first signs of the Alzheimers. Anyway when she was seventeen, she came home after partying hearty one weekend, to find her grandmother frantic. She kept calling Dara by her mother's name, and saying she was going to lose her daughter if she kept it up. Dara realised she was heading the same way her mother did. She straightened up her act, got a job, and went back to school. She knew she was going to have to be responsible for her grandmother and for herself. She said the alpha and omega thing was her reminder, that her future was in her hands. That the buck stopped with her, first and last."

"Tough girl." Steve said, looking at the chain.

"Yeah, she had a backbone."

"How the hell did she end up dying up here?" Steve sighed, sticking the evidence bag in his pocket.

"Maybe Sarrazin came up here to meet with someone, and she followed him up here."

"In what? She didn't have a car that day. I know because I dropped her off at the bus after I'd met with her.

Danny shrugged. "We won't know until we question him."

Steve looked out towards Wahiawa. In the far distance, he could just make out the outbuildings on the edge of Schofield Barracks. "Sarrazin's working with someone down there." He turned back to Danny. "If we pick him up too soon, who's to say his contact won't go ahead with whatever they've got planned?"

Danny agreed. "Considering we don't even know what it is they're planning, or how many others are involved."

"Right. At the moment, Kono's got eyes on Sarrazin, so he's not going anywhere, and Chin should be showing the mugshots to Jake, so we should have an ID on the guy from the bar pretty soon."

"And you want to head for the barracks."

"Yeah."

"Okay." Danny started to follow Steve back up to the fence. "We can't just walk on in there and start asking questions." He stopped in his tracks. "You know someone, don't you?"

Steve smiled. "More like, I know someone, who knows someone, who might be able to smooth the way for us."

When they were on the other side of the fence and making their way back down the trail, Steve pulled out his phone, checked for a signal, then tapped the screen once before putting it to his ear.

"Hey Sailor."

Steve grinned at the familiar greeting. "Hey yourself."

Danny heard the change in Steve's voice, and shook his head; understanding now exactly who that someone was.

"What can I do for you?"

"There's a long list of things you could do for me," Catherine laughed in his ear. "But we'll have to talk about that later, I'm on a case right now."

"And you need my help?"

"Is your cousin still stationed with the 8th at Schofield?"

"He is. Why?"

"Who's his CO?"

"Um...Colonel Brennan."

"I need to get in to speak to Brennan, without going through hoops. Do you think John could fix that?"

"Let me get this straight, you want me to call my cousin, and ask him to arrange an immediate meet with the CO of the military police, but you're not going to tell me, or him, what it's about?"

"Yeah, that's about it."

"The things I do for you." Catherine sighed.

Lowering his voice, Steve murmured, "Think of a few things I could do for you, and I'll pay you back this weekend."

"You're on, Sailor. I'll call you back."

Steve rang off then put the phone away. Behind him, Danny coughed a few times, and started waving his hand in front of his face. "You okay?" He asked, frowning at him.

"Yeah." Danny coughed again. "Just choking on the cloud of pheromones."

Part Three

Catherine called back as they approached the car.

"John will meet you at the gate on Kunia Rd, then escort you to the MPs Station."

"He can get us in to see Col. Brennan?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, Catherine. See you Friday night?"

"Your place, 1900 hours. I'll bring the beer, you bring the steaks."

"You've got a date, Lt. Rollins." They said their goodbyes, but as Steve went to put his phone away it started to ring again. "Chin." He said, as he climbed in beside Danny. "Tell me you have an ID, Brah."

"There are over three thousand civilian personnel at Schofield. I've narrowed it down to a few hundred matching the description he gave, but Jake's still looking."

"If you think he's messing..."

"I'll gently remind him how unhappy that would make you." Chin laughed, then added. "The reason I called is, Kono's been trying to reach you."

"We were out of signal range for a while. What is it?"

"Sarrazin's on the move."

Steve looked at Danny. "Where?"

"Left his place, accompanied by his wife, twenty minutes ago. They're having lunch at the yacht club. Without membership Kono would have to flash her badge to get in. She didn't want to alert them."

"Smart move." Steve said.

"She's a smart lady." Steve smiled at the pride in Chin's voice. "They're at a window table, so she has eyes on them from the car park."

"Are they alone?"

"So far."

"Okay. Tell her to keep watch for now. If anyone else joins them, get their picture and run it for an ID. We're heading out to Schofield. And, Chin, as soon as Jake makes that ID, send it to me."

"You got a feeling, Brah?"

"Yeah, we've managed to keep Dara's name out of the press, but you know this island."

"It's hard to keep a secret for long."

"Right. He's got to know the body of a female washed up."

"As soon as Jake makes the ID, I'll get it to you."

"You think he's going to be spooked into doing something?" Danny asked, as Steve slipped his phone away.

"Maybe."

Lost in their own thoughts, the two fell silent until they made the turn onto Kunia. "Looks like our man." Danny said, nodding at the tall man standing a few yards outside the gates to the barracks. He pulled up and Steve wound his window down.

"McGarrett?"

Steve held his badge up. "Yeah."

"John Rollins."

"Good to meet you, Captain Rollins. Thanks for doing this."

Resting his arm on the top of the car, Rollins bent and took a look inside. "I trust my cousin, McGarrett, but, I don't know you."

"Fair enough."

"I'm about to bypass protocol and take you in to see a Colonel of the United States Army."

"And you want to know why."

Cptn. Rollins raised his brows.

"We have reason to believe that someone from Schofield is helping a suspect in a case we're working on." Steve said, hoping Chin could get them the ID before they went in to see the Colonel.

"Define helping."

"Best case scenario, Captain, he's selling guns or explosives. Worst case, he's helping him to obtain chemical or biological agents in order to mount an attack." Steve watched Rollins absorb the information. "You want to get in now?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Danny couldn't help grinning at how quick Rollins moved to get in the back. Reaching between the two seats he held his hand out. "Danny Williams, Detective, HPD." He smiled.

"John Rollins. Captain, United States Army." They shook hands. "Turn left when you get through the gates. The MP Station is 300 yards on the left."

They had to show their ID when they entered the Station, but with Rollins leading the way, the three of them marched through the building straight to the Colonel's office. Steve sent up a silent prayer of thanks when his phone started to vibrate as they strode down one of the long corridors. He read the message that accompanied the picture, then smiled as he showed it to Danny, who blew out a relieved breath.

After knocking once, Rollins opened the Colonel's door. "Lt Commander McGarrett, and Detective Williams, Ma'am." He introduced them, stepping aside so they could enter.

"Thank you, John." They heard the click of the door shutting behind them, then Colonel Cindy Brennan looked up from a file on her desk, and smiled. "Gentlemen, out of respect for Captain Rollins, I'm going to give you two minutes to convince me of the reason for your visit."

"Ma'am, this will only take one." Steve held his phone up with the picture of their suspect. "This is Kevin Bannister, a civilian bio-chemist working in one of the research labs here. We have information that he has been meeting with a man we have reason to believe is planning a terrorist attack, either here, or on the mainland."

Leaning back in her chair, Col. Brennan regarded Steve and Danny carefully through steady blue eyes. Steve held her gaze, while Danny bit back the urge to say, "It's true, honest it is."

Eventually, Brennan called out, "John." The door swung open instantly. "What was the man's name?" Steve told her. "Get me everything we have on Kevin Bannister. I want to know where and what he's been working on, and find out exactly what he's doing right now. Gentlemen," The Colonel pointed to a couple of chairs. "Take a seat and start at the beginning."

Steve had just finished telling the Colonel about the case, when Capt. Rollins reappeared and handed her the file he was carrying. "Kevin Bannister, age 31, graduated Washington State with a master's degree in biochemical science. Worked as a research assistant for a private foundation in Houston, Texas, for three years, before coming to work here eighteen months ago."

"Doing what?" Danny asked.

Rollins waited for a nod from the Colonel before answering. "He's been working on improving the pre-treatments and antidotes to several organophosphorus nerve agents. Someone is already checking to see if there's anything missing."

"And his location at this moment?" The Colonel asked.

"Video surveillance has Bannister entering the lab in Area 3 at 0850 this morning, where he logged on at his terminal at 0853. He logged out again half an hour ago. Cameras picked him up leaving the lab, then exiting the building."

Danny looked at Steve. "What's the bet he's not going for lunch."

Steve pushed himself out of the chair. "Ma'am, we..."

"Stand at ease, Commander McGarrett, I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you." The corner of Steve's mouth twitched, and he decided he liked Colonel Cindy Brennan. "I'm willing to let your team run with this, but, given the potential threat, I'm going to insist Captain Rollins accompanies you."

Brennan could have insisted they hand the investigation over to her; actually, Steve had been preparing himself for just that since putting the call in to Catherine, even though, for Dara's sake, he wanted to be the one to take Sarrazin down. He owed Dara that much. Rollins tagging along was therefore a small price to pay.

"We'd appreciate the help." he said.

"Good." Brennan stood, then reached for the phone on her desk. "I'll have a team on stand-by, and I want regular updates."

Effectively dismissed, the three men left the office.

"Bannister's apartment is on the outskirts of the barracks." John said when they were back at the car. "I'll take my vehicle, you follow."

Danny watched him walk away. "Should I salute?"

"We don't have any choice, Danny." Steve said, walking round to the driver's side of Danny's car. Just as he reached for the handle on the door, he frowned.

Danny waited till he looked at him over the roof of the car, then smiled, "It's okay, Steven," He threw him the keys. "I know you're still in charge."

When they pulled up just out of sight of Bannister's ground floor apartment, Danny went to get out of the car, but Steve caught hold of his arm, and said, "Wait."

They sat, watching, as Rollins looked in the direction of the apartment several times while he appeared to speak to someone on the phone. Eventually, he rang off, then waited a few more moments before climbing out and making his way to the back of the car.

"Why does he look worried?" Danny said. When no reply came, he looked over at Steve. "Oh, see," He pointed at Steve's face. "Now I'm worried." Ignoring him, Steve shoved at his door. "Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?" He muttered, as he too climbed out.

"He's there. His car's in the parking lot." Rollins said, when they joined him at the back of his car. "Five vials of VX are missing. Schofield is now on lock down; no-one in and no-one out, until they're recovered."

"Shit!" Steve hissed.

"Exactly." Rollins turned and handed something to Steve.

"Whoo, stop." Danny looked down at the mask Steve held. "Civilian here, remember. One, what the hell is VX, and two, how dangerous is it?"

John glanced at Steve, who nodded for him to explain.

"VX is a nerve agent. It resembles motor oil but it's odourless and tasteless." John pulled a vest from the car and began putting it on. "If enough of it is absorbed through the skin, or inhaled as a vapour, it will result in rapid death from paralysis."

"How much is enough?" Danny asked. Again Steve and John shared a look. "How much?"

"Each vial contains one millilitre, around a quarter of a teaspoon. Depending on the disbursal method used, one millilitre has the potential to kill hundreds." John passed Steve what looked to Danny to be some kind of large torch with a handle. "In short, Detective, VX is one of the most lethal chemical weapons ever synthesized."

"Great! I knew I wasn't going to like it." Danny said, throwing his hands up in the air. He pointed at the masks. "What are you doing here? And what the hell is that?"

"This?" Steve held up the large green torch like thing. "It's an ICAM."

"Silly me, of course it is._What the hell is an ICAM!"

"A chemical agent monitor."

"A chemical agent monitor?" Steve nodded. "Come here. Now, come." Danny grabbed Steve's arm and pulled him aside. "Are you insane? Did they do something to you? Experiment on you or something? There are people trained to do this, Steven. People with the right sort of protective gear. Have your 'brother in insanity' here call the Colonel."

"There isn't time, Danny. How long do you think it will take for news of the lock down to reach Sarrazin?" Steve raised an eyebrow in question. "What if he's already got the vials, and he runs? Or even worse, what if he's already made some kind of weapon? We don't know his target, or even his motive."

He was right, Danny realised, they had nothing. They couldn't even begin to try and work out what Sarrazin's target would be.

Steve held up the ICAM. "This, the masks, their just a precaution. Look around," He waved at the people on the pavement outside Bannister's apartment, and the group of ladies chatting in the parking lot. "If there was any danger, it's likely they'd already be dead." Reluctantly, Danny nodded. "Captain Rollins and I will go in. You hang back until I give the all clear." He turned to head back to the car.

"And if you don't give the all clear." Danny asked.

"Hold your breath, and run." Steve grinned at him.

"You enjoy this, don't you. You secretly enjoy it. This is your sick idea of fun."

Danny watched from the corner, as first Steve, then Rollins, hunkered down to pass beneath the window of Bannister's apartment. Like Danny, both men had their weapons drawn, and Steve held the ICAM in his left hand. While they took up position outside the door, Danny checked the parking lot to make sure the women had moved out of harms way. He swung his gaze back just as Rollins kicked at the door and it caved in.

Steve disappeared inside first, and despite the masks muffling their voices, Danny could clearly identify his partner, as he shouted, "Get down! Get down! Now! On the ground!"

Then Rollins shouted, "Let me see you hands!"

Danny held his breath, his tension mounting in the silence that followed. Finally, Steve stuck his head out of the door. "All clear."

Inside the apartment, Rollins stood guard over Bannister, who was in a chair with his hands cuffed behind him.

Danny took one look at the smirk the man wore and turned to Steve. "You know how I'm usually good cop to your bad cop?_ Well, I won't say a word if you want to stick electrodes to this joker's eyelids to get him to talk!" Bannister sniggered. "He's laughing! See that!" He moved forward. "I'm not joking. He likes to do things like that. See, the Governor gave him, what was it she called it?"

"Full immunity and means." Steve said.

"Right, immunity and means. To him that translates as, do what you have to, just get the job done. Now me, I'm a civilised person, I normally try to reason with him, right." Steve nodded. "Sometimes it works, and sometimes, he hangs people off buildings, or pulls crazy stunts with a hand grenade. But this time, I'm not going to say anything." He pointed to the wall beside the door. "I'm going to stand over there, and let him do whatever he wants to do. Have at him." Danny said, as he stepped away.

Steve waited till Danny was leaning against the wall, then he looked at Bannister. "Where are the vials?"

Silence.

Rollins kicked at the back of the chair. "He asked you a question."

When Bannister still didn't answer, Steve clenched his jaw and gave a sharp nod, then disappeared into the bathroom.

They heard the shower start and Danny said, "See, I warned you, he's not very patient."

Steve reappeared and grabbed the back of the chair. Bannister let out a yelp as he started to pull it back towards the bathroom.

"Immunity and means, Kevin." Danny shouted. "He's not bluffing."

There was a thud, and Bannister cried out, as Steve tipped the chair back so his head lay in the shower stall. Then Steve grabbed the shower attachment. "Last chance. Where are the vials?" When Bannister still refused to say anything, he held his nose and shoved the head of the shower in his mouth.

Choking on the water, Bannister started to struggle. Steve pulled the shower out. "Where are they?"

Through a fit of coughing, Bannister managed to croak, "Sarrazin."

"Sarrazin has them?" The man nodded. "Where?"

Bannister shook his head and Steve sprayed his face with the shower. "No!" He spat, twisting his head from side to side. "On his boat, in the marina."

Steve switched the shower off then jerked the chair upright. "What does he plan to do with them?"

"The fountain." Bannister looked at Steve. "At the Hilton."

"He plans to put it in the fountain?" Danny said from the bathroom door. Turning to look at John Rollins, he asked. "How bad would that be?"

"Casualties would depend on wind direction, but it's an efficient dispersal method." Rollins looked at Steve. "Anyone in the vicinity of the fountain would be at risk. The VX would be carried on the water droplets from the spray to their skin."

"Call Kono." Steve said to Danny as he pulled Bannister out of the chair. "Find out what Sarrazin's doing."

Part Four

Steve handed Bannister over to John Rollins, then called Chin. "Chin, according to Bannister, Sarrazin has a boat at the marina."

"Nothing showed up under his name. Wait, I'll check under the wife's name."

"Sarrazin and his wife haven't moved, and the only visitor they've had at their table is the waiter." Danny said.

"If either of them leave the clubhouse she's to follow them, but at a distance."

Danny relayed the message, then slipped his phone away and took Bannister from Rollins so the Captain could brief the Colonel. "I told Kono, back-up's on it's way."

Steve nodded, just as Chin said, "Here it is, docked at Ala Wai Harbour, the Red Robbin. Spelt with two b's."

"The Red Robbin?" Steve repeated. "Head down there, but you and Kono stay out of sight until we get there."

"Wait! What was that?" Danny pointed at Bannister. "He smiled._ You said the name, and he smiled."

"Hang on, Chin." Steve glared at Bannister. "You have something you want to share?"

Grinning at Danny, Bannister ignored the question.

"Something about the name?" Danny asked, narrowing his eyes. "Or is it the boat?"

"There's a Jackson Robbins listed as the father on Sarrazin's birth certificate." Chin said. "Let's see if NCIC has anything on him."

"Jackson Robbins." Steve watched Bannister's grin waiver.

"I think we have a winner." Danny said.

"Okay, here we go," Steve put the phone on speaker. "Jackson 'Red' Robbins, also called, the Reverend Robbins. Founder and self-proclaimed leader of, The Church of Divine Providence. Arrested, July 1979, on an assortment of charges, ranging from fraud, firearms, statutory rape, and multiple counts of child abuse. FBI, ATF, and local law enforcement officers, raided a compound in Waxahachie, Texas, in early hours. They arrested twenty other people along with the Reverend; eleven men and nine women. An assortment of drugs, weapons and explosives were seized. Social Services took sixteen minors into care. It seems that, Robbins himself never made it to trial; someone slit the guy's throat in the prison yard. There were numerous casualties, and six adults, and one child, were killed during the raid. Here's something interesting, one of those adults was called, Isa Sarrazin."

"His mother?" Steve asked.

"Looks like it. Oh, and one of the women they arrested, Donna Mae Myers, well, she was pregnant with Robbins kid at the time."

"Thanks." Watching Bannister carefully, Steve did a quick calculation. "Change of plan, Chin, stay put till I call." Then he rang off, and said, "Donna Mae Myers."

"Oh, and we're two for two!" Danny clapped.

"That's the connection. You and Lucas Sarrazin share the same father." Steve took a step closer. "Who came looking for who, uh? Did you find big brother, or did he find you?"

"Neither!" Bannister snapped. "We ended up at the same prayer meeting in Texas."

"A prayer meeting?" Danny sneered. "Let me guess, divine intervention, right?"

"Divine Providence." Bannister spat back at him.

"Divine Providence? God wants you to do this?" Throwing his arms out, Danny shook his head. "Can you believe this guy?"

Watching Bannister closely, Steve didn't answer.

"There's a unit on route to pick him up." John Rollins said. "HPD are ready to start evacuating the area around The Hilton, and the Colonel has mobilised an ERT with full decontamination equipment. They'll meet us on Holomoana."

"Call it off." Steve said.

Both Rollins and Danny froze. "What?"

"Call off the evacuation."

"Steve..."

"The hotel isn't the target." Steve smiled at Bannister. "You know how I know? You gave it up too easy."

"Wait a minute. Wait just a second here." Danny shoved Bannister back into the chair, ordering Rollins to, "Watch him." Then he pulled Steve aside, and said, "He gave it up too easy? You had him sucking on a shower head, Steven! What happened to, "under fear of death," and all that?"

"Doesn't apply." Steve said, shaking his head. "This guy doesn't care._ He doesn't care that he's been caught, and he doesn't care if he dies." He could see that Danny wasn't so sure. "Someone tipped him off that we were coming for him, right, that's why he left work, yet he didn't run. Look around."

Sweeping his eyes around the apartment, Danny saw the coffee mug sitting next to a half eaten sandwich on the table beside the easy chair in the living area. He'd been so worked up when he'd first walked in, he hadn't even notice the television in the corner was switched on with the sound muted. He looked at Steve.

"He was waiting for us, Danny." Steve said. "It's all been about buying his brother some time. Think about it, first he says that Sarrazin has the vials, then he tells us they're on the boat, then he misdirects us again, by saying the hotel's the target. If that's true, why waste the time it would take retrieving the vials from the boat and getting to the Hilton? Why would he do that? Why would they be at the marina, if the hotel's the target? They could have gone to one of the restaurants at the hotel? Because he wants us chasing our tails." He walked over to the chair and leaned forward. "Your first answer was the only honest one. Your brother has the vials with him, doesn't he?"

Bannister kept his gaze straight ahead and didn't answer him.

"We're wasting time here." Rollins held his phone up. "Do I call the evac off?"

A couple of armed MPs appeared at the door.

"Do it." Steve said, roughly pulling Bannister from the chair and handing him over to the men. "He won't tell us anymore."

While Danny finished briefing the two MPs about their prisoner, Steve put another call in to Chin. "Find out all you can about that raid in Texas. See if you can get hold of whoever was in charge that day."

"It was over thirty years ago, Brah." Chin said.

"Try."

Danny watched him end the call, then shove the phone in the leg pocket of his cargo pants. "Here we go again." he sighed, leaning his arm on the roof of the car. "I know that look."

"What look?"

"That one."

"What one?"

"That one. The one that usually ends up with me, running, and jumping, and dodging bullets."

"You're a cop, Danny, doesn't that sort of thing go with the job?"

"Before I met you? Not as much as you'd think." Danny jerked the car door open. "Since I met you? So often, I've been reviewing my life insurance cover. Let's go."

As they passed Rollins' vehicle, Steve stopped the car. "You following us?" he asked, through the open window.

His mouth tight, Rollins nodded. "I'm to rendezvous with the ERT. Assist them and HPD to set up a safe perimeter around the marina, then take charge of the vials once they're recovered." He turned to face them. "The actual recovery is up to you and your team." He shook his head then smiled at Steve. "I can see why they call you, Smooth Dawg, McGarrett."

Steve raised a brow.

"Colonel Cindy Brennan isn't usually that easy to impress."

"Nothing to do with charm, John." Steve grinned. "You and I both know, the Colonel had already read my service file before I walked in that room." Without giving Rollins a chance to reply, he put the car in gear and sped away.

Danny laughed. "Why do I feel like I've just watched one lion lose control of the pride to another?"

"He'll get over it."

"So, Simba, what's the plan now? If the hotel isn't the target, then what is?"

Before Steve had a chance to answer, his phone rang.

"That'll be Chin." he said, handing it to Danny, who switched it on. "Go ahead, Chin."

"I think I know what the target is, Boss, or should I say who the target is. The head of the operation in Texas was a Special Agent William Novack, and guess where he relocated on his retirement."

"Hawaii." Steve and Danny said.

"Right. After the raid, they held an enquiry, but Novack and his men were cleared of any mishandling over what went down. It seems that most of the fatalities were shot after they drew weapons on the officers and agents present, a couple of them died in the crossfire, and the autopsy on the child proved that the bullet that killed him came from one of the guns they seized that day. I called Novack's home, but there was no answer."

"Because they're at the Marina." Steve said, glancing over at Danny.

"Affirmative. According to the head waiter, Mrs Novack booked the table months ago to celebrate her husbands 70th birthday. Apparently, their two daughters, and their son, were flying in from the mainland, along with their spouses, and the Novacks' grandchildren to surprise Mr Novack."

"Shit!" Danny hissed.

"How long have we got?" Steve asked, unconsciously putting his foot on the gas.

"The table's booked for six o'clock."

Danny looked at the clock on the dash. "Less than an hour."

"I could call the restaurant, Boss, try to delay, or stop them, but if the family don't sit down at that table..."

"I know, I know, there's a good chance Sarrazin will use the VX anyway. Get over there."

"I'm already on my way out the door. What's your ETA?"

"Around twenty minutes." Steve said.

"He's driving, make that ten." Danny shouted before Chin rang off.

They lapsed into silence as they sped along, until Danny said, "Why the VX?"

Steve frowned, then glanced sideways at him.

"I mean, why go to all the trouble to get a chemical off of an army base to use as a weapon, when he could buy a gun from anywhere?"

Steve thought about. "It's not just about killing Novack. Sarrazin's been on the island for a couple of years, right. So he could have taken him out at anytime, with, like you said, a gun, but he didn't. Why, because he wants to make a statement. He wants payback for what happened. This way, he takes out the Novacks, he takes out everyone in the restaurant, and he takes out us."

Danny stared at him. "Thank you."

"What? You asked, Danny, and I answered." Steve said. He paused, then added with a grin. "Hey, look on the bright side, at least you're not going to be dodging any bullets."

"You're sick! You know that!" Danny shook his head. "The level with which you get off on this stuff is sick."

HPD already had Halamoana cordoned off when they arrived, and the Emergency Response Team were there waiting. They pulled up and John Rollins drew in behind them. He got out of his car when Steve waved him over, and they briefed him on the information Chin had given them.

"You want me to arrange some protective gear?" Rollins asked.

"No. If we go in wearing all that, it's going to cause a panic in the restaurant."

"I don't like it, McGarrett." Rollins shook his head.

"And you think I do?" Danny said turning in his seat to glare at him through Steve's open window.

"We don't have time to plan a full assault here, Rollins. If we try to evacuate, he'll use the VX. If the Novacks don't take their table, he'll use the VX. And if we go in there en-masse, he'll definitely use it."

Danny watched the two men stare each other down. Eventually Rollins gave a sharp nod of his head.

"Keep your men at a safe distance. As soon as we have the vials, we'll call you."

Rollins straightened, then gave the top of the car a bang as he walked away.

Chin was already in the car with Kono, when Steve and Danny arrived.

"The Novacks arrived fifteen minutes ago." Chin said, as the two of them climbed into the backseat.

"Staff are still getting their table ready." Kono handed Steve a pair of binoculars. "Look to the right, that's them on the sun deck having a drink."

Steve found them. The eight adults and five children were gathered around two tables, laughing and joking.

"Now take a look on the left. That's Sarrazin and his wife at the second table in the window."

Chin turned in his seat. "And the big table just behind them, that's where the Novacks will be sitting in about five minutes."

"Was Sarrazin carrying anything when he went in?" Steve asked as he passed the binoculars to Danny.

Kono shook her head. "Nothing, but his wife had one of those big designer bags."

Steve stared at the boat club. He'd already ruled out just taking Sarrazin out with a shot to the head. Not that he couldn't do it. Give him a rifle and he could put a bullet between the guy's eyes from 200 yards away. But they didn't know how deep the wife's involvement was yet. In the time it took for him to re-load and line up another shot, she could make a move.

"Okay, to be effective, he has to have constructed some sort of aerosol device, something that will spray the VX over a large area, that way the vapour hangs in the air, takes out everyone in the restaurant, and anyone entering the room to help will be affected too. It's probably no bigger than a vacuum flask, so it would fit in the wife's bag." He looked at Danny, then at Kono. "Do you have a change of clothes?"

She looked at him.

"You know...something..."

"Pretty?" Kono arched a brow.

"Yeah."

"You think I carry a wardrobe in my car when I come to work?"

Steve pulled a face.

"Okay, I have a sundress, it's just a pull on one that I use after I've been surfing sometimes." She admitted.

"It'll have to do. Put it on," He pointed at Danny. "He's taking you to dinner."

"Me?" Danny asked, as Kono climbed out of the car.

"Yes, you." Steve said, reaching over to flip Danny's tie. "I'm not dressed for the occasion."

All the men got out of the car, so Kono would have some privacy to change.

"You need to get one of the tables next to the Sarrazin's."

"I'll probably have to show my badge." Danno said, as he fitted the radio chin handed him into his ear.

Steve nodded. "Just don't tell them why. We don't want a panic."

Danny put his shield in his pocket, then took the gun off his belt and handed it to Steve. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt down, then ran his fingers through his hair a few times as he bent to check his reflection in the wing mirror of his car.

"Chin and I will follow you in, then wait out of sight of the restaurant." Steve turned to look at Kono when she re-appeared. "You ready?"

She looked up from slipping her gun into a shoulder bag, and gave him a nod as he handed her Danny's gun.

"I'm glad one of us is." Danny muttered.

"The Novacks are on the move." Chin said.

With an obviously forced cheery smile, Danny offered Kono his arm. "Shall we dear?"

"Just relax, Danny." Steve said as they walked off. "I've got your back, Brah."

The Maître d' gave them the once over as they wandered into the foyer of the restaurant.

Kono's arm through his, Danny continued to grin at him, while thinking about how much he'd like to smash the pricks supercilious face into the counter he was standing behind. He felt like saying, "Hey, I've got a tie, she's in a dress, and this is a restaurant at a boat club, not the fucking Ritz."

"Can I help you?"

Still smiling, Danny pulled his hand out of his pocket, then placed it palm down on the counter. "We'd like one of the two empty tables in the window, please." He lifted his hand enough to show the man his badge.

The Maître 'd's gaze swept from the badge to Danny and Kono several times, then he leaned forward and whispered. "What is this?

Danny rolled his eyes at Kono, before stepping closer to the counter, and quietly saying. "We don't have time to explain, so, if you could give us one of the tables in the window, that would save me from having to arrest you in front of everyone." He leaned back and smiled. "Please."

Again, the man looked from Kono to Danny a few times, then nodded his head. "Certainly, if you'd like to follow me."

"We'd love to." Danny chirped. "After you dear." He waved for Kono to precede him.

"That was smooth. Brah." Steve whispered in his ear.

"Fuck you." Danno muttered.

The Novack family were already seated at their table when they entered the restaurant. Danny's jaw twitched when he saw one of the women pass a glass of water to a little girl who looked to be the same age as Grace. With effort, he managed to keep his expression light and his eyes off the Sarrazin's as they passed their table, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Mrs Sarrazin's big black shoulder bag on the floor just beneath the table.

"Your waiter will be with you shortly." The Maître d' said, pulling a chair out for Kono to sit.

When he left, Kono reached into her bag and handed Danny his gun under the table.

"Under the table." Kono said.

"Saw it." Danny replied, pouring water from a jug into her glass.

She thanked him as she brought the glass to her mouth. "It's between them both." She said, for Steve and Chin's benefit. "Either of them could reach it."

A waiter arrived at their table. "Would you like to order from the wine list?" he asked, handing them a menu each.

Danny heard Steve's curt, "Get rid of him", and looked up at the waiter with a smile. "Why don't you give us a few moments to decide."

When he'd gone, Kono said, "I think we've got to do this soon, boss, they're on their coffee."

"Okay. We're in position." Steve said. "Remember, we can't let them get to the bag, so if either of them reach for it, shoot to kill. When you're ready."

Kono picked up her bag, and looked at Danny. "I won't be long, Honey."

"Take your time, Sweetheart." Danny said, holding a menu with one hand, and reaching for the gun in his lap with the other.

She got up to leave, rifling through her bag as though pretending to look for something. Then, just as she passed the next table, both she and Danny pulled out their guns, pointed them at the Sarrazin's, and shouted, "Police! Don't move!"

People started screaming. Glasses and crockery smashed to the floor as people overturned tables and chairs in their attempt to escape.

Steve and Chin entered the restaurant with their weapons drawn, pointing them in the direction of the table in the window.

"Move! Get out!" Steve shouted. "Everyone, get out!"

Sarrazin went to lift his hand off the table, and Danny moved forward, screaming, "Don't! Do not fucking move, Sarrazin! I will put a bullet in your head!"

Chin kept herding the people through the door as Steve inched closer.

Escorting his frightened wife, and one of his grandchildren, William Novack slowed and looked at Chin.

"We'll explain later, Mr Novack." Chin said, keeping his eyes on the couple in the window. "Just get your family away from the Clubhouse."

"Both of you, stand up, turn around and put your palms on the window." Steve shouted.

Visibly shaken, Mrs Sarrazin looked at them. "What is this? What's...We haven't done anything!"

"You heard him." Danny waved his gun. "Up!"

She turned to her husband, and said, "Lukas?"

"Just do as he said." Kono said. "Stand up and turn around."

Slowly, Mrs Sarrazin rose and turned to face the window.

"And you, Sarrazin." Steve said.

The man continued to stare straight ahead without moving.

Steve watched his foot brush against the bag, as though he were testing it's whereabouts, then his eyes flicked down to where it lay beneath the table.

"It's over, Sarrazin. You won't get to it in time."

Sarrazin waited a beat, then turned to look at Steve. "I don't need to get to it."

"Get to what? Get to what, Lukas?" Mrs Sarrazin started to turn to face her husband.

"Keep your hands on the window." Kono shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

Steve looked down at Sarrazin's hand on the table. "No!"

"What. What's the, no?" Danny looked from Sarrazin to Steve.

Steve moved forward and grabbed Sarrazin. "How long?" The man just smiled at him. "How long?" When he realised he wasn't going to get him to talk, he threw him towards Chin, and said. "Get them out of here." Then he knelt down and pulled the bag from under the table.

"What's going on?" Danny said, as Chin secured Sarrazin's hands behind his back. He looked down at the open bag, and froze. "Why are there numbers?" The, 07:22, changed to, 07:21, then to, 07:20. "And why are they counting down?"

"Because it's a bomb, Danny." Steve carefully lifted the device out of the bag. "Go, get out of here."

Kono and Chin were already hauling the Sarrazin's out, and Danny started to follow them, but when he reached the door, he turned around. "You know how to stop it, right? I mean, you're going to do some Science Boy shit and stop it?"

"Just go." Steve said, easing the front of the device off with his knife.

Danny turned away, but after letting out a long breath, he spun back and retraced his steps. "What do you need?" He asked, sinking to his knees beside Steve.

Steve hesitated for a second, then said, "Most time bombs are as simple as a trigger, attached to an detonator, attached to an explosive. In this case, because they wouldn't want the VX to burn up in the blast, there's likely to be very little explosive."

"And that's good, right?" Danny said, as Steve lay on his front.

"I'll let you know." Using his knife, Steve gently raised the foam sheet; acting as a cushion for the five vials of VX, just enough so he could look underneath. "Okay, we have a small amount of explosive, and what looks like a blasting cap detonator wired to the timer. Cut the connection between the detonator and the timer, and the device is neutralised."

"Great. Off you go then, snip away."

"Problem."

"No. No problem." Danny shook his head. "Clock's at 04:14. so, don't say, problem. Just cut the blue wire. It's always the blue wire in the movies."

"I know which wire to cut, Danny. The problem is, I can't reach it." Steve looked up. "I can't just hack at the thing, it might set the detonator off."

"So what..."

"You're not going to like it."

"Tick tock, Steven." Danny ground out.

"Okay, okay. I need to be able to reach in enough to be able to cut the wire without disturbing the detonator. To do that I need you to hold the vials out of the way."

Danny blinked. "You want me..." The numbers on the digital clock flashed from 03:00 to 02:59. "Ah, shit!" He swore as he wiped his hands down the front of his shirt. "What do I do?" His hands shook as he reached forward.

"Steady!" Steve hissed. "Just gently take the edges of the foam, and slowly, very slowly, lift the vials up."

"How high?"

"Until I say."

With a grimace, Danny eased the vials clear of the device.

"Easy. Easy." Steve guided him. "Okay, that's enough. Now you need to hold them steady, buddy." He said, as he reached in to grasp the blue wire. "I have the wire." He slipped the knife in the gap. "Now I'm going to..."

"Please, no commentary." Danny muttered, with his eyes squeezed tight.

Steve let out a slow breath, then carefully wrapped the wire around the blade. After a quick glance at Danny, he closed his own eyes, and cut.

He wasn't sure what he'd been waiting for; a flash maybe, or a loud bang, followed by searing pain, but when none of that happened, Danny gingerly opened one eye, then the other and looked down.

"Disarmed." Steve said, pushing himself off the ground.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Danny said, looking up at the ceiling. He smiled at Steve. "Thank you."

"No worries, Brah." Steve shrugged.

"Who's worried? I wasn't worried." Danny started to lower the vials.

"No!" Steve shouted. "No, you can't put them down."

"What?"

"If you fumble, and one of those vials breaks, or if you disturb the detonator. Danny, you're holding one of the most dangerous chemicals known to man. Trust me, it's better if you just hold it steady until the ERT guys get here." Steve said.

Danny glared at him. "Call them."

"I will." Steve said. "Just relax, you'll be fine."

"Relax, you'll be fine! Just hold these deadly chemicals, Danny! Every thing is fine" He noticed Steve turn to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To help Chin and Kono with the Sarrazins."

"And you're just leaving me here?"

Steve stopped at the door and looked at him. "Well you're a bit tied up, so," He shrugged. "Someone's got to go book 'em, Danno." He grinned as he disappeared.

"Oh, you're funny." Danny shouted, then he remembered what he was holding. "Fucking comedian! I hate him!"

THE END