The rod slid back and forth through the barrel of the gun, cleaning it and removing the residue from the recently fired bullets. Taking a soft cloth, he put a few drops of Hoppe's oil on it and ran it through the barrel as his thoughts traveled back to another time.

He was once again sitting at the kitchen table next to his grandfather as his grandmother cooked dinner. "He would still be alive now. The North Koreans were holding him prisoner and offered an exchange but were refused." He watched his grandfather carefully. The aging man looked into a distance the younger man couldn't see, his voice soft but filled with sorrow, regret and a burning anger. "I was told later that there was an officer in Naval Intelligence who refused to deal, and it was his fault. McGarrett. They said his name was McGarrett. My son meant nothing to him. All he had to do was free one lousy North Korean prisoner and my son would be sitting here now." He looked at the boy who watched him intently, hanging on every word of the story he had heard so many times. "McGarrett is the reason your father never came home. After the prisoner exchange was refused, he was taken out and shot, but this McGarrett may as well have pulled the trigger himself."

Looking down the barrel of the gun, he placed his thumb at the far end, allowing the light to shine down the barrel of the gun and reflect off his thumbnail, a quick and easy way to see if the gun was clean. No residue. Nothing left. Just like McGarrett when he had taken him completely by surprise only hours ago. He wished his grandfather could have seen the look of total shock on McGarrett's face as he pointed the Uzi at him and pulled the trigger. Now the world was just like his gun; clean and free of the dirty residue that was Steve McGarrett.

It was sheer luck that he had even found this man, this arrogant dictator who had proven once again that life meant nothing to him. On a whim he had decided to visit Hawaii, and no sooner had he gotten off the plane then he picked up a paper, and there it was, headline news: ONE DEAD AS BANK ROBBERS CAPTURED. The story told about Steve McGarrett, the head of the state's elite investigative unit, Hawaii Five-O. The bank robbers had hostages but McGarrett, true to form, had steadfastly refused to deal, resulting in the death of one of the hostages before the robbers had been captured. Yeah, McGarrett was still callously playing God with other people's lives, but luckily he had put an end to that, by putting an end to Steve McGarrett.

He'd have to get a newspaper. He had no doubt that McGarrett had made the headlines one last time, and he was going to take a copy home to show his grandfather, or at least take it to the grave. Maybe now that his father had been avenged, his grandfather could rest in peace.

H50H50H50

McGarrett paused in his pacing and glanced impatiently up at the clock again – 10.34pm, Danno had been in surgery for over five hours and nobody seemed able to update him on the condition of his youngest detective. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face before he turned and began to pace again as he demanded, "Okay gentlemen, lets go over what we have!"

"Not much, Steve," Chin began, unfazed by his boss's brash command, "Danny was working in your office when the gunman entered at approximately 5pm. We believe that he must have taken Danny by surprise Danny's gun was still in his holster. There was ten shots fired, three striking Danny, two in the stomach and one in the arm, as he tried to stand, the others were embedded in the wall behind your desk. Che believes the gunman was standing at the door when the shots were fired. No one saw the gunman enter but a witness who heard the shots also said he heard the gunman yell that he had shot you but by the time he got to the office the gunman had fled. No one saw him leave."

McGarrett frowned as he turned and glared at his two detectives, "The newspaper report claims the gunman was wearing a mask, so someone must have seen him!"

"Danny wasn't able to give us much of a description, Steve." Ben answered softly as he stared down at his hands, still seeing the blood that had covered them as he tried to stem the bleeding. "I had been downstairs in the lab and had run back to the office after hearing the shots fired. Danny was still conscious. All he was able to tell me was the guy was tall and thin and was wearing a mask." Ben swallowed hard and looked back up at his boss. "And that the guy thought he was you. He wanted me to warn you."

"Where was Jenny?" Steve asked, aware that the secretary often stayed after the other office staff left for the day.

"Danny told her that she could have the afternoon off for a dentist appointment." Chin told the boss quietly. "Ben had gone down to the lab and I had just left the office to get the Doc's report on the Mason murder. Danny was the only one left in the office working on reports. He wanted to get them out of the way before he left to pick you up at the airport." Chin paused and shook his head before he spoke again, "The gunman couldn't have picked a better time, Bruddah. He must have been watching."

"Yeah," McGarrett agreed with Chin's theory, "Waiting until he thought 'I' was alone and not expecting any trouble and then wham!"

"He used the element of surprise." Chin continued with the theory, "Making the hit right in your office where you would least expect it."

"Trying to make it look like a professional hit!" Steve continued.

"But he made one mistake," Ben interrupted angrily, "he didn't know what you looked liked and took out Danny instead!"

McGarrett glanced at his new Polynesian detective, he knew that Ben had known Danno before joining the team but this was the first time he realized just how close the friendship was. "Easy Ben, easy!" he soothed, attempting to cool the detective's rage, "I promise that he won't get away with it. We will find him!"

"You better believe we'll find him!" Ben agreed, barely able to contain his anger at the atrocity that had occurred in their own office.

Chin glanced worriedly at McGarrett, concerned at the reactions of the younger detective but before McGarrett could speak or calm the younger man down any more, the waiting room door slowly opened as Doc stepped inside. The physician looked drained and exhausted as he tugged the surgical cap from his head but he smiled tiredly at the three men anxiously watching his every move.

"Doc?" McGarrett asked nervously as he stepped towards the Coroner/official and trusted physician to the Five O team, "How is he?"

"He's weak and going to be sore for a while but barring any unforeseen complications he's going to make it!" Doc grinned as he heard the collective sighs of relief from the three other men in the room.

The lead detective rubbed his hand through his dark hair as his eyes met the smiles of the other detectives. "That's great news, Doc!"

"But that doesn't mean that Danny is going to be up and out of bed and out of here in a day or two! He is still an extremely ill young man." Bergman warned sternly. "The bullets have done a lot of damage that's going to take him some time to recover from."

McGarrett's smile faded as trepidation crept up his spine, "What kind of damage?"

Doc nodded towards the seats and waited until the three detectives had settled before he eased himself down on a seat opposite them as he began to explain, "As you already know, Danny was hit three times. One bullet hit him in the upper arm and passed through, luckily it missed the bone and arteries. It should heal quickly without too many problems. The second bullet struck Danny in the left side of the abdomen and lodged in the liver, causing some heavy bleeding. Although it caused some damage and did nick the portal vein, we were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage." Doc paused and looked down at his hands, almost as if preparing himself to break some disturbing news.

"And the third bullet?" Steve asked anxiously, prodding the older man to continue.

Doc looked up and sighed, "The third bullet caused the most damage Steve," Doc began quietly, "It hit his spleen and cause massive hemorrhaging. We had no choice, we had to remove it."

"Oh God!" Steve murmured. "So how bad is it? I mean what happens if he doesn't have a spleen?"

"Steve, if anyone had to lose a major organ, the spleen is the best one to lose," Doc answered quietly, "He can survive quite well without it. The spleen helps to filter dead and dying blood cells from the blood and it helps the immune system. He's going to have to be extra vigilante with colds and infections in the future but the loss of the spleen shouldn't affect his career or his life dramatically. "

"Thank God, " Ben breathed out quietly as Doc continued.

"I have him listed on the critical list at the moment and intend to keep him closely monitored in ICU for at least twenty-four hours, just until we finish transfusing him and he stabilizes a little more but I see no reason why tomorrow night he shouldn't be well enough to be upgraded to serious but stable and be moved to a private room."

McGarrett nodded, "Can I see him?"

"Can I stop you?" Doc grinned as he rose from his chair and glanced down at his watch, "They should have him settled by now but don't expect him to be awake until at least tomorrow. That boy has had a hard night Steve, he's lost a lot of blood and his body needs to rest so it can start to recover."

"I know, Doc," Steve said quietly, "Just for a few minutes."

H50H50H50

"No! NO! NO!" The angry shout escaped his lips as he screwed up the newspaper and threw it at the wall. "No! They're lying!" He screamed at the empty room, kicking the small coffee table over in rage. "It was McGarrett I hit not his Second-In-Command! It was McGarrett! I know it was cause he was in his office!"

The words in the paper once again played across his mind, 'Doctors are tonight battling to save the life of Hawaii Five- O's Second –In-Command Detective Danny Williams after a gunman entered the offices of the elite State Police Unit. "It can't be! His name was on the door, I saw it!" He suddenly laughed bitterly, "Probably another one of McGarrett's tricks. They wouldn't announce that the oh-so-famous detective had been killed so easily in his own office!" He whispered to himself as he ran a hand through his greasy, unkempt hair, "After all he is supposedly the best thing since sliced bread. Well, now they will know just what he really was! Their gunna find out just how evil he was!"

Satisfied he was onto their lying tricks, he settled back down onto the sofa, leaning forward to press the one switch of his small T.V., relaxing as the black and white picture flickered onto the screen as he grabbed the wadded up newspaper and shook it out so he could once again read the headline: FIVE-O DETECTIVE CRITICAL AFTER PALACE SHOOTING. "It was you McGarrett! I KNOW it was you!" Then he looked at the headline again as though suddenly realizing what it said. "Critical! You're supposed to be dead!"

The quiet voice on the TV screen caught his attention as he heard the announcer mention his nemesis name and he glanced back up at the screen, frowning as the picture of a dark haired man stared back at him, "McGarrett was not on the islands when the attack on his Second-In-command happened in the Hawaii Five O offices late this afternoon." A second photo flashed up on the screen and he recognized the man who he had shot immediately as the announcer continued to talk, "Detective Danny Williams remains in a critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery this evening. We will bring you more on this dramatic shooting as details become available."

"DAMN IT!" He screamed at the TV. How could this be? The name on the heavy wooden door was McGarrett. Why was this Williams guy in there? It was a simple mistake anybody could have made it. "But it's not gonna get you off the hook McGarrett. I know who you are now, and you're gonna pay for what you've done. You're going to pay!"

H50H50H50

Ben Kokoa's breath caught in his throat, almost choking him as he saw the motionless body of his close friend and colleague in the ICU bed. Danny was almost as pale as the white sheets; only the steady rise and fall of his chest and the steady beep of the heart monitor beside the bed reassured the shocked detective that Danny was still in the world of the living. Even from the doorway, he could see the stark white dressings that covered most of the young man's abdomen peeking out above the folded sheet. The two drips that snaked down from the stand that hung above the bed and disappeared beneath the small dressing on the back of Danny's left hand, the various tubes and wires that were connected to him or emerged from under the sheet confirmed to the Samoan detective just how sick his young friend was. Ben hesitated, unable to bring himself any closer as McGarrett brushed past and hurried to the side of the bed. He watched in astonishment as his normally aloof boss placed a hand lightly on the injured man's shoulder and began to whisper to him.

"You're going to be fine, Aikane, Doc says you're good for a full recovery, " McGarrett told his unconscious detective softly.

Glancing toward the door, a small nod from his boss made it clear to Ben that it was okay to approach the bed.

Feeling a bit awkward, Ben stood silently behind his boss, not wanting to interrupt as McGarrett returned his attention back to the still man in the bed, unable to stop staring at the too pale face and the stark white bandages that covered the top part of Danny's right arm and peeked out from beneath the sheet that covered him. He swallowed hard forcing the image of Danny lying on the office floor bleeding from his mind as his fingers lightly touched Danny's shoulder. "I Olelo-pa'a Hana io Loa'a nana Eha 'oe, Danny," he whispered, ignoring the questioning look from his boss as he straightened up and stepped away from the edge of the bed. Turning to look at his boss, he announced quietly. "I think I'll head back to the office, Steve, I want to finish going through your files and start to check out the alibis of the scum who have threatened you." Casting a quick glance back at Danny before looking back at Steve, he asked, "Have there been any threats made against you lately that we may not be aware of?"

McGarrett shook his head as he looked at Ben. "No, also check any threats Danno may have received and place a guard on Danno's door. I don't want anyone not authorized getting anywhere near him!"

"Steve, don't you think you should have a guard too? I mean the guy is after you. Danny just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." Ben insisted. He saw his boss bristle at the suggestion but refused to back down as McGarrett spun angrily towards him.

"I can look after myself!" McGarrett growled, the mere thought of having a shadow was suffocating, "Let's use our manpower catching the man responsible for this rather than waste it guarding me!"

"But Boss..." Chin interrupted unfazed by McGarrett's reaction, "Ben's right! This was a hit against you, Danny was hit by mistake."

Standing his ground, Ben hoped he could get his boss to see reason as he added, "Steve, this guy is brazen! It takes a lot of nerve to come into the Palace and open fire, so he obviously wants you pretty bad." Hesitating, he continued more gently, "You need to have someone with you watching your back." He glanced towards Danny before he added quietly, "And I know Danny would rest better if he knows we have you covered."

That was one point McGarrett knew he couldn't argue with, but he was not going to waste valuable manpower when he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. "Lets get Danno covered first," he answered softly, deciding to dodge the issue for now. "I'm going to stay here for a while so the one guard will be enough protection for both of us.

Chin glanced at Ben and shrugged, knowing their boss's "guard" would go no further than the hospital room door but for now the compromise was better than nothing.

"Okay Steve," Ben reluctantly conceded as he turned and walked briskly from the room, angry that the Boss was willing to risk his life after such a callous and brazen attempt rather than accept protection.

Chin watched the Samoan detective leave the room before he turned back towards McGarrett as McGarrett asked softly, "I Olelo-pa'a Hana io Loa'a nana Eha 'oe?"

The Chinese detective frowned as he thought about the Hawaiian words Ben had spoken to Danny. He shrugged apologetically to his boss as he answered tentatively, "I think he promised to find whoever did this, Steve, but I'm not sure."

McGarrett nodded as he used his foot to snag the chair behind him and pulled it closer before he sat down. Looking back over his shoulder towards the door that Ben had just left through, he ordered softly, "Keep an eye on him Chin and keep me updated."

"Done, Boss!" Chin answered as he turned and left the room hurrying to catch up with his partner.

Returning his attention back to the man in the bed, Steve reached through the bed rails and lightly squeezed Danny's hand as he whispered, "If Ben and Chin are right and this was a hit against me, I'm so sorry that you got caught in the middle, Aikane, " McGarrett squeezed the hand tighter as he blinked back the tears that threatened to fall as he echoed Ben's Hawaiian promise, "We WILL find whoever did this, Danno, I promise, and until we do you will have a guard protecting you. So I want you to just rest and concentrate on getting better."

H50H50H50

"Pa'akikî!" Ben muttered angrily as the two men stepped into the elevator, "I've never met anyone more pupule or pa'akiki in all my life! Can't he get it through his hard head that he was the intended hit not Danny?" Chin remained silent as Ben stabbed the button to take them to the ground floor as the younger detective continued to vent. "Damn it, Chin, he wants Danny fully protected and ignores the protection himself!"

Chin watched as the numbers counted down, "You know how Steve is and he's not gonna change."

"If we can't work with him maybe we should work around him," Ben muttered as the doors slid open and the men walked out.

"Watch what you do, Bruddah," Chin warned as they walked across the hospital foyer and outside into the darkness, "The boss can be pretty hard-headed, especially when it comes to protection for himself, and I wouldn't recommend going around him." Reaching the parked sedan, Chin opened the door and slid behind the wheel. He waited until Ben climbed into the passengers seat and had closed the door before he looked at his colleague and added with a small smile, "Besides we both know the only person who might get away with doing that is Danny."