Wow, thanks for all the reviews and follows! Really, really appreciate the support :)
KAIMONI*
CHAPTER 2
Steve McGarrett gazed out of the plane window, steely-faced, slate blue eyes absently watching the bleak, mountainous landscape passing below him as his mind looped endlessly over the latest situation.
It should never have happened. Danny had been on vacation, for goodness sake, and on vacation thousands of miles from any of the multitude of bad guys who might want to wreak revenge on the dogged detective for his role in ensuring they spent a good chunk of their lives behind bars. Provided he remembered to look both ways before he crossed the road, he should have been safe.
But Danny was Danny and one theft and one disappearance later he was involved in a distant investigation and then he was gone.
It had all started a few weeks earlier when Danny had stomped grumpily into Steve's office and thrown a leaflet onto the desk in front of him before launching into a classic Williams rant.
"So Grace wants to go on this dig." He began. "You know, like archaeology?" He mimed digging a hole. "And she wants me to take her. We'll be camping. I am going camping, Steven. And not here, not even in the US at all. I am going camping in Scotland. And not even on the mainland, oh no, that would be way too easy- camping on another freaking island! Because, apparently, I just can't get enough of island living." Danny's volume had increased incrementally, his hands moving emphatically, back-up to his voice.
"Did you know it's cold in Scotland? And wet? Not quite as wet as this pineapple infested hellhole admittedly but still. I'm going camping in the cold. And digging. In dirt. And not only that, Steven, not only that but I am paying for the pleasure of doing these things. Paying a lot of money. Can you believe it?"
Steve had flicked casually through the leaflet while Danny did his thing, waiting patiently for him to run out of steam. They had been partners for years and best friends for almost as long. Steve knew he had two options; he could press Danny's buttons and escalate the situation for a bit of entertainment, or wait for him to finish and try the calming, supportive approach.
When the subject matter was Gracie, he generally went for the latter option. Danny's daughter was not a matter to tease the man about. Between custody battles and kidnappings, Danny was understandably sensitive when it came to the little girl who meant the whole world to him. Not that she was so little any more- she was almost as tall as her father!
He looked up when Danny paused for air and cut in.
"Yeah Danny, I hear ya. But…sounds like Gracie really wants to do it, right? She's been talking about archaeology for a while, ever since that Indiana Jones marathon we had, remember?"
Steve clocked Danny's mouth opening again, no doubt preparing to apportion blame for that seemingly innocent activity. He held up a hand to stop him. "Which I'm pretty sure was your idea, as I remember it." Danny's mouth shut again. Steve nodded sharply and went on. "And going on a dig, visiting another country, that's educational- that's good, right?"
Danny had nodded reluctantly.
"Plus, you get to spend time with her, right? Just the two of you? That's priceless, right?"
Another nod, and the start of a smile, quickly suppressed.
"So suck it up, Danno!" he had waved the leaflet at Danny. "This is a great opportunity. Scotland's a beautiful country and the dig at Ness of Brodgar is a really high profile excavation- I've actually been reading the publications on it as they come out."
Danny had rolled his eyes.
Steve had ignored him. "They're calling the site a 'Neolithic Cathedral'. It's this huge building that's like 5000 years old… The detail they've been finding out about prehistoric diet from isotope analysis of human bone found there is quiet incredible. And they've been recovering all these awesome artefacts- there's even an online blog….." Steve tailed off, narrowing his eyes, realising Danny was on the cusp of snarking at him for being a nerd. He changed tack. "Plus the woman running the dig is not only a world-renowned expert….. she's pretty cute, Danno…..you might even enjoy yourself, buddy."
Steve smiled faintly at the memory. Danny had snatched back the leaflet and wandered off muttering something about how no way was he going near another version of Gabby…. but he'd been looking at the brochure with renewed interest.
And as it turned out Danny had enjoyed himself. He and Steve had spoken a few times over the phone during the two weeks he and Grace had spent on Orkney. The cluster of islands that made up Orkney were located just off the north coast of Scotland and Danny and Grace's dig was on the biggest island, Orkney mainland. Small in population but big on historical sites and friendly people, the place had sucked them in and Danny's enthusiasm had ramped up slowly from zero to gushing.
He'd been told he was a natural at excavation and he had a good eye. "Turns out archaeology is a lot like detective work." He had said, voice filled with smug pride. "They actually appreciate my skills here, Steven. AND no one's shot at me. Not even once. You realise people don't even lock their doors here? People are actually nice to each other. You would hate it, babe, your ninja skills would be entirely redundant and no way would you get to shoot people on a regular basis."
Steve smiled at the memory of the light-hearted banter. Danny had sounded happy. He pulled out his phone, flicking to the photo Danny had sent him three days earlier of he and Grace proudly holding up chunks of 5000 year old Neolithic pottery they had found on the dig, the geometric decorations impressed into the clay as clear as the day they were made. The matching, beaming smiles brought a weak echo of one to Steve's lips. Steve had texted him back, teasing him about becoming a nerd too.
But then things had gone unexpectedly, abruptly downhill. That girl had disappeared from the dig- a young student, barely out of her teens. The local police were searching, of course, but Danny had said some artefact had disappeared at the same time and word on the site was that she had stolen it. Danny hadn't been convinced. He had told Steve he was going to do some poking around of his own.
Then, just a few hours later, had come the desperate phone call from Gracie, young voice wavering with emotion.
"Uncle Steve, Danno's gone. They…they can't find him."
And now, three planes rides later, Steve found himself flying from Edinburgh bound for Orkney. The cluster of windswept islands were one of the few places on the planet he had never before set foot.
This was what they did, he and Danny. Danny had been to North Korea and Afghanistan to bring Steve home. Steve went to Columbia for Danny. Coming home without him, albeit out of necessity to ensure his 'legitimate' release was secured, had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. He shivered involuntarily as he remembered the condition his friend had been in when he had picked him up from the airport. Prison life had not been kind to him.
No way was he coming back without him this time.
Steve watched as the Scottish mainland gave way to sea, then almost immediately to the close grouping of tiny, low-lying islands. The sun suddenly came out and the islands seemed to glow green, the beaches white and the sea azure, startling him with their unexpected similarity to his home.
There were more than 70 islands in the archipelago and his eyes scanned the endless coastlines, the vast, cold sea. He drew a deep breath, trying to shake off an unexpected feeling of helplessness and fear. His mission had barely started- positive determination was the only viable mindset. He couldn't let himself think he might not succeed.
"Where are you, buddy?" he murmured quietly.
NOTES
* KAIMONI- Hawaiian for 'demon'.
The dig at Ness of Brodgar is real (as is the online blog) and many people of all ages travel from the US every year to take part...hopefully not too much of a leap...BUT it is most definitely not being run by a cute woman- that bit is total fiction :)