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Chapter 4

Chin parked next to Steve's truck and exchanged a tense look with Danny. To both of them, the presence of the vehicle spoke volumes about the reality of what they were facing. Danny looked towards the jungle foliage in front of the car. Steve was out there somewhere and undoubtedly hurt. Danny would not even entertain the darker possibility that his partner might be dead.

"Tell me again why running up and down mountain trails is better than working out in a gym," Danny groused as they got out of the car.

Chin just shook his head as he retrieved a backpack from the rear seat. He was aware that the Jersey native really wasn't looking for an answer. It was better to just let Danny vent sometimes.

"How difficult is this trail again?" Danny asked as he eyed the hard packed path that led into the trees. The mountain range rose up beyond the entrance to the trail.

"Moderate to difficult. Stick to the trail brah, you'll do fine," Chin said in amusement as he hefted the pack onto his back. "Just follow me and look for anything out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary?" Danny muttered as he followed Chin to the trail. "This whole place is out of the ordinary to me. I like concrete streets, high rises; you know…..places where I can see trouble coming. Not this jungle."

"I'm sure you do bruddah but right now you're stuck here so just go with it," Chin advised as he headed up the trail. Danny increased his pace to catch up.

For forty-five minutes they followed a trail that was level for part of the way and then began to climb steadily. They both checked the area along the beaten path for any sign that an accident occurred. The foliage remained undisturbed and the quiet of the surroundings was only broken by insect sounds, bird calls and the two men's breathing.

"Steve wouldn't leave the trail, would he?" Danny asked coming to a halt after reaching a level area in their climb.

"No, it's not advisable to go off trail," Chin replied.

"And that would stop Captain America?" Danny queried.

"Steve wouldn't leave the trail," Chin assured him as he produced a bottle of water and handed it to the blonde man. Danny accepted it gratefully and began to drink while Chin's phone rang, interrupting them.

"Hey Kono, we haven't found him yet," he reported as he answered his phone. He was very aware of how anxious his cousin was and he knew how very difficult it was for her to remain at headquarters, waiting for the news.

"I have the Army Evac unit standing by," Kono informed him. "What do you think has happened Chin?" she added worriedly.

"I don't know Cuz; we're checking the trail but haven't found anything yet. I can't help thinking Steve has run into some type of accident up here. I promise I'll call as soon as we know anything," Chin told her. "And thanks for securing the chopper, I have a feeling we'll need it."

"You just find the boss and bring him home quickly," Kono instructed and reluctantly clicked off the phone. She stared down at the smart table that displayed the layout of the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail. Like the other two members of the team, Kono knew it had to be a pretty serious accident that kept the boss from returning to his home after his hike. She continued to stare down at the table with furrowed brows.

"Where are you Boss?" she muttered.

*H 5-0*

Back on the trail, Danny and Chin resumed their trek upwards as the trail became steeper and the trees began to thin out. Nerves began to stretch tighter on the two men as there was no sign of McGarrett. He had to be along here somewhere as Chin knew because eventually the trail would end and the only way back was to retrace their steps. If Steve wasn't along here then there was one final possibility that made Chin's skin crawl. And if Steve wasn't here, then someone had incapacitated the ex-SEAL and taken him off the mountain and that would make finding him almost impossible.

Reaching one of the higher points of the trail, they paused to catch their breath and looked around. Danny whistled as he looked at the vista spread out before them.

"Wow….and to think, you practically have to have a heart attack to see this view," he panted.

"You need to get in shape Danny," Chin chuckled as he eyed the obviously fit detective. He couldn't resist teasing the man who loved to complain about everything Hawaiian. "Next time you should go out with Steve."

"Yea…cause it's obvious we can't let the man go out on his own," Danny retorted and paused as he noticed the light glinting off something in the brush just off the trail. "What the hell?" he questioned as he went to retrieve it. His stomach clenched as he picked up a damaged cell phone. "Chin, look at this."

The older man hurried to him and took the phone from Danny. He examined the shattered face of the cell grimly.

"It's Steve's," he confirmed. "It looks like a bullet did this."

"Sure does," Danny agreed and immediately went to the edge of the trail. He scanned the area below and caught his breath as his gaze stopped on the figure lying several yards down the slope. "Chin…..over here," he called, motioning him over to his side.

Chin came quickly and saw Steve McGarrett lying at the base of a tree, blood soaked and his left leg angled awkwardly.

"Steve! Hey McGarrett, can you hear us?" Danny called out, hoping for some response.

"Steve, come on…..answer us," Chin added his calls to Danny's. Quickly he shrugged out of the backpack straps and met Danny's eyes, seeing the same worry reflected there.

"This looks really, really bad," Danny said quietly. "Can you tell if he's breathing?"

"Not sure," Chin had to admit with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He pulled a rope out of the pack and began to uncoil it. "We won't know until one of us goes down to him. We have to assess his condition." He began to tie the rope end to one of the few trees nearby.

"Okay, I'm going down," Danny declared, grabbing the rope and preparing to head down the incline.

"Danny….wait," Chin ordered. He withdrew a canvas bag with a shoulder strap and emblazoned with a red cross. "You're going to need this bro."

"Thanks Chin," Danny said slipping the strap over his head and across his chest. With a tight grip on the rope, he started to cautiously back down the slope. For a moment his blue eyes met worried dark ones and he flashed a small, tight smile. "Get that rescue chopper in the air; I don't think I'm going to be able to carry the big guy up this hill."

End chapter.

So now we have to get Danny down to Steve. Thanks for reading this story.