I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: I will be in NYC all day tomorrow - medical follow up necessary - hopefully just a minor discussion. SOOOO - extra chapter today and next posting will be on Wednesday. Thank you for the continued wonderful reviews! Of course my thanks to CinderH for yet another re-beta request.
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*
Chapter Seven
Frustrated, Tom Usher ran his fingers through his hair. He was getting nowhere with the three boys who were holding the doctor and Five-0 Commander hostage. His initial synopsis had been somewhat accepted by the two newly arrived Five-0 officers, but now he had issues with them. With the missing child secured and the clinic's owner on site, Usher was firmly center of attention. After verbally witnessing an argument between two of the boys firsthand, things were clearly unraveling inside the building. However, he had at least received his demanded proof of life in an image texted to his own police issued cell phone. But the picture had sent the board-shorted blonde Detective into a near apoplectic fit.
"Does Horner know who he has in there?" Newly worried about Steve's status and the boys' escalation, Kono was in his face as Danny triple-checked the time. "What was their argument about?"
"I couldn't specifically make it out, but Horner seems to be furious with one of the other two. Tempers are frayed and they weren't cohesive in the first place." Usher at least derived those facts from the general tone. "And no .. from what I can continually confirm, they do not have a clue who Commander McGarrett is and we're planning to keep it that way." The negotiator confirmed.
"Time's almost up though and in reality, we are no closer in getting them out!" Danny tapped his watch angrily. "This is completely unacceptable."
"Detective, I'm doing my best!" The fact that he was a trained negotiator was the only reason his voice remained even-toned. Near where they stood, another group of officers held the bag containing the Lopez take as required in the initial demands. As Steve had guessed, the bag was rigged with a transmitter and contained other false product to thwart Stumps Horner's overall plans. But other problems were stifling in their complexity as Usher attempted to negotiate the hostage release and meet Horner's newest demands for a boat to leave Oahu.
"They are not exactly receptive to anything I've had to say in the last fifteen minutes. We can't agree on their safe transport out of here." Usher explained. "Their infighting only exacerbates this situation."
Now, once the two Five-0 team mates had seen the bloody picture of their Commander, all hell had broken loose behind police lines. It only became worse as they were informed that the original two-hour block of time had greatly dwindled. The flurry of activity was manic as the Detective's arms waved in Usher's face and he was forced to take a few steps backwards into a police car.
Hovering nearby, a worried Doctor Jazz Mitchell watched the front door to his clinic behind police lines. He moved forward quickly when Danny gestured his way. "What room is this and where is it in the clinic?"
Taking the offered cell phone and examining the image, Jazz clearly saw what so upset the Detective. Looking more closely though beyond even the protective fury in Ramirez's face, Jazz easily identified the smaller of their two supply closets. "Ponch just organized two supply closets for us. New doors, locks and of course .. no windows. One way in and out." With the past history of how the clinic had been so badly run, supplies and drugs were kept strictly under lock and key. Ramirez had zero tolerance for the clinic's prior mismanagement or the variety of thefts and disorganization that had run rampant.
"This is the smallest room." Jazz explained. "From the rear, go through the employee kitchen and break area. It's down the hall beyond our offices, then bear to the right. This room is the second to the last door, also on the right."
"So it's well back from the reception area?" Kono asked to confirm that fact. It was actually a safe location for their friends, all things considered. "What's near it?"
"Two more exam rooms. We don't use them all that much." The young doctor shrugged helplessly. "They're stocked with basic medical supplies; nothing special and neither has a window."
"This is good." Kono exclaimed as new ideas were presented to them. "We have more options .. this is at least something to work with."
"Agreed." Nodding his thanks, Danny clapped his hand to Jazz's back. They were all stressed as they fought to bring the standoff to a healthy close but turning to Usher again, Danny's face instantly clouded. The man was on the phone again; this time, Horner had called out to speak to Usher and the man looked less than pleased.
Danny gave the man a split second to recompose himself before insisting he speak up. Still, one certain thing was obvious. "What do you have for us? It doesn't look good."
"Nothing, really. Horner hung up. Again." Usher announced to the small, huddled group in complete exasperation. "I'm losing them. Horner wants a motor boat at the downtown marina .. unimpeded." They all were aware of that, so there was suddenly more based solely on his newly unsettled demeanor.
"And now ..." The negotiator sucked in a breath of air, only to let it out in a loud torrent as he finished. "Now, on top of that, he wants the media here. He wants to be televised. He's grandstanding."
The latest demand actually rendered both Five-0 officers momentarily speechless as they locked eyes with each other. The mumbled disgusted words from Sergeant Lukela were the only sounds breaking the silence as everyone simply stopped everything they were doing. Danny's face changed a multitude of times before his lips adopted a steady, thin stubborn line.
"Get Horner back on the line and keep him busy. Say anything to keep him distracted and talking! Tell him he gets his boat at whatever marina he wants and the damned media. Whatever you do, keep him distracted and buy me more time." Fairly in the man's very space, Danny was ensuring his tac-vest was secure and that his weapon was locked and loaded for action. Taking one more look at the texted image, his jaw tightened in anger as he catalogued what he could ascertain. Trying to ignore the slouched seated position and partially opened eyes on his partner, he slightly relaxed when he recognized the remnants of boxed supplies left on the floor next to the doctor. Steve at least had the luxury of some emergency aid.
"Steve's right!" Still, unable to take that last look without seeing the blood stained bandage on Steve's side, Danny exploded anew as Kono grabbed his arm to try and prevent a tirade that had every indication of becoming physical. With a speed denying his age, Sergeant Duke Lukela inserted himself next to a stunned Usher.
Stopped by his peers only inches from the negotiator, Danny tugged needlessly at his tac-vest. "Just .. get them back on the line. Do it."
"About what?" Kono asked with a certain look aimed at Lukela who could only roll his eyes in a worried frustration. But Danny was stalking away hugging the tree line to hide himself from the prying eyes inside the clinic. On his heels, Kono jogged along to catch up.
"Danny? What is Steve right about and what are we doing?" She whispered as they took a chance to round on Steve's truck from its far side and he quietly opened the passenger door. Danny glowered at the leftovers from a hasty take-out lunch and barely acknowledged the binoculars left in their case on the front seat. Four HPD officers were stationed at the rear in case someone tried to use the back door. Two crept closer to offer quiet support and await orders, but they softly chuckled as they listened to the Detective's explanation.
"Let's get this over with." He muttered disgustedly under his breath before speaking more directly to Kono who was nearly treading on his heels.
"Flash bangs. Two hours are almost up and enough is enough. There just a bunch of damned kids!" Danny ground out as he pried open the glove box with a small penknife kept in the side of the door. He turned around with the two small canisters which Steve kept stowed there when Kono remained silent. Face to face though with a broad smile and two shining fun-filled eyes, Danny smirked at her gleeful expression.
"I should have known better." Danny laughed softly as her interest immediately piqued. "But if you tell him any of this, I'll get you back!"
"Which part? That you said he was right, used flash bangs from his truck, or think you can get me back, brah?" Kono remarked slyly with a friendly shoulder bump.
"All of the above!" Danny grinned briefly before getting serious once more. From the bed of the pickup, he cautiously and very quietly retrieved the tire iron. "Now. Let's get these stupid kids in custody."
It was an odd scene with the two half-surfers/half-officers instructing the four fully uniformed HPD men on their next steps to provide backup. Both were still in their beachwear with only a white cover-up added under Kono's own tack-vest and Danny still in sandy board shorts. Sandaled and sneakered, they finalized their points of entrance.
"They're camped in the front reception area for the most part." Danny pointed to the side window of the main area and then to the rear door.
"I'm putting the first one through that window to possibly flush one to you here. The angle will also get part of the hallway back to the offices and examination rooms. I expect at least a second to use the front door. It's a fifty-fifty shot on where the third decides to go."
"Got it." Kono nodded firmly. One officer would back her up directly, while another offered Danny the same. Crouching down, he indicated his intended line to the corner of the clinic.
"I'm using that side window. We use the fact that Doc and Steve are well back from the main area to our advantage. We get our people out in one whole piece." Danny added as he got moving. It wasn't entirely Usher's fault that things had gone so badly, but Danny had more than enough when he saw his partner's pain-filled face.
HPD had gotten a fair facsimile of the heroin together in a rigged bag, but then Usher had entirely lost any of the slim camaraderie he had with Stumps Horner after asking that at least one hostage be released. From the picture and confirmed by Doctor Mitchell, it was apparent that the two men were safely sitting in one of the storage rooms. It was good news that would keep them out of harms way. But Danny wanted it over .. now.
"Duke, have your men watch the front. You'll get at least one out of this." Relaying the command, Danny inched up under the side window staying as low has humanly possible. He could hear the argumentative voices as Usher did his best to keep Horner occupied. Listening closely, he heard a second boy shouting over that of Stumps Horner's angry retorts. Another three-way disagreement was in full swing and Danny nodded to the HPD officers stationed across from him in the underbrush.
"We have two arguing in the front office. Nothing on the third. Keep Horner talking." Danny whispered into his comm link.
Lining up the two canisters so they'd be in easy reach, Danny made sure he was on secure ground. Once he was ready, he reached out to Kono one additional time.
"How are you doing, Kono?" Danny whispered. "Ready?"
"Always ready." Kono replied confidently. "We're good when you are. No visual on a target though." Using the windowless far side of the building, she and her HPD officer had traversed rapidly down the rambling back-side of the building. Circumspect glances through the occasional window yielded distressingly little activity inside. They now each flanked the rear door as they waited for his signal which would be the final report of the second flash bang once triggered.
"On two." He muttered with a grin. The windows were low and hefting the tire iron, Danny then virtually did two things simultaneously. His first solid blow took out the glass pane in the window and with barely time to close his eyes from shards of glass, he dropped the iron in the dirt. Using both hands, Danny triggered the first flash bang and flung it violently through the window before crouching down with his fingers plugging his ears. The booming report was instant and then Danny was up again readying the second which almost needlessly followed the first.
After that, Danny hurriedly used the tire iron to clear the rim of glass to hoist himself through the window and over the ledge to shouts from Duke's front unit where a shell-shocked and reeling Stumps Horner was taken into custody. Satisfied with the initial reports, Danny registered those successful words as he clambered over the prone body of the second boy.
"Got number two." Danny broadcasted while kicking the boys handgun off to the side as his HPD officer followed on his heels through the ruined window. Barely conscious, Duckie lay there limply while his hands were cuffed behind his back.
"No one came our way." Meeting Kono midway down the hallway from where she'd entered the rear, she shrugged worriedly. "Where's the third?"
"Duke, maintain the perimeter; the third is still at large." Growling in anger, Danny, Kono and now her HPD backup officer began clearing rooms as they edged down the hallway. Inadvertently opening Ponch's office door to clear it, the brindle blur nearly bowled Kono over as she shouted out her shock warning.
"Don't shoot! It's a dog .. it's Doc's dog!" She yelled to the officers in the vicinity, as well as to those over her comm link outside to protect young Koa who was clearly upset and confused by the noise and chaos. Running the wrong way, Koa bypassed Danny who was on his way towards the first of the examination rooms. The supply room was close and both he and Kono were anxious, but before rescuing their friends, he wanted the third boy completely in hand.
"Damnit, Koa!" Danny hissed. "Come! Stay!"
Missing the dog by a hairs breadth, he had to let her go as she barreled frenetically down the hallway and then into an exam room door. Her momentum slammed the door wide open with a resounding crash where it rebounded off the far wall to close in upon itself. There was the briefest moments of silence before the screaming began.
~ to be continued ~