I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
NOTES: Happy 4th to all in the US! Have a safe and happy weekend!
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O
It was the noise which woke him. Discordant sound. And at first, he couldn't tell where it was coming from until he realized he was hearing it all through the communications link. A white rush of static which should have been words. But the words were rendered unintelligible by either his own aching head or too many voices speaking at once.
Loud, soft, broken. A jumbled mix of nothing. Danny didn't understand and yet it didn't actually matter because the tone of all of it was angry ... dangerous.
"St ... Steve?" Danny croaked dryly, eyes closed and trembling when he got no answer. He was alone. Franklin Ray had taken him as promised.
Franklin Ray. The snake. Danny groaned deeply in his throat, eyes wedged as tightly closed as humanly possible, praying that none of it had truly happened. The snake. He wanted it to be a lie but he was forced to remember everything when the pressure around his arm shifted in an unnatural way. A ripple undulated uncomfortably from wrist to elbow and he nearly gagged in fear as there was a momentary disruption to the blood supply of his hand.
He literally wanted to curl up and die. Besides hurting inside and out, there was a very real snake tucked up around him and, trapped where he lay, Danny simply didn't know what to do.
But a loud scuffle, followed by the sound of a heavy thud resonating from overhead, shook him from head to toe. He not only felt it, he heard the stereophonic echo through both his free ear and the one subjected to the comm link. Danny's shuddered reaction was instantly an annoyance to the semi-somnolent python though and his attention shifted quickly as he tried to quiet his spastic muscle tremors. It moved and tightened its grip on his arm, but a moment later happily quieted once more. Breathing carefully and stifling his desperate need to cough, Danny still failed at hiding a moan riddled with fear.
He couldn't do this. He couldn't cope. Yet, he had to.
Something big had fallen or been dropped to the floor. As he listened, the sounds of too many voices increased in intensity and Danny knew what that thud had been - certainly it hadn't been something - it was more like someone had fallen... someone like Steve.
The voices were forever in his ear and yet he still couldn't understand a single word being said, so he sought to single out tone and timbre. Almost shaking in relief when he won that not so small battle, Danny finally heard the muffled sound of Steve's voice. The pitch was far away and faint. But Steve's voice was there - rising and falling along with the others.
Refusing to open his eyes as he focused on that one bit of sanity which thrummed occasionally into his ear, Danny's shaking fingers began to methodically rub the shard of glass he'd managed to retrieve. He didn't know what he'd do yet once he got free, but if he succeeded, he'd worry about that next step then. Brow furrowed in pain and concentration, he thumbed the sharp edges of the glass to find that special side. With utmost care and working blindly, Danny began to stubbornly slice at the zip ties encircling his wrists again.
He stopped and started often, sweat making his fingers slip and further mangling the skin of his left palm. His fear spiked every time the python shifted in objection to his movements, his imagination working in spades against him, only one special sound in his ear spurring him on to continue. Impeded by the pressure encasing his left arm, Danny thought he'd fail regardless. There was a terrible negative devil on his shoulder shouting at him with each short swipe of the jagged glass.
Danny was justifiably terrified. He doubted himself and pushed on anyway, his surprised gasp audible when scarcely a minute later, there was a snick and his right hand parted from his left. He had more to do. He had so much more to conquer and all of it seemed insurmountable. The zip ties around his ankles had to be next, but even the tiniest shifting of his knees left him breathless and panting in agony ... and then freezing in fear as the reptile lifted her head from where it had been resting.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Danny whimpered under his breath knowing now, that in this terrible reality, it wasn't his ankles but the snake which had to come next. Too afraid to touch it, his brain supplied the only remaining answer - the warmth of the blanket had to go. And with that, just maybe the snake would follow.
Steeling himself for the reptile's pending reaction, Danny dug the fingers of his right hand into the blanket and began to tug it from his shoulders. He winced in fear as each fold of material created a corresponding reaction in the rippling muscles wrapped around his arm or draped over his hip. Soon every part of the snake's long length seemed to be in motion and Danny was nearly hyperventilating once more.
"Please," he moaned brokenly as the coils tightened warningly around his left arm. There was little doubt that the snake completely disapproved of the loss of its protective, dark nest as its entire upper body began to writhe nearest his shoulders. Even with his eyes still wedged tightly shut, Danny could sense the anger growing.
The female python had been warm and mostly comfortable. Quiet and sleepy. Grievously disturbed as her sad little nest began to evaporate, she fought to recover warmth and found it woefully limited.
"Please," Danny mouthed as he tugged harder, balling the fabric away from his hips and then the rest of his body. It got stuck in places, then refused to budge in others. "Come on ... come on ... please," he begged himself and then even the snake when it slithered alarmingly over his chest. Desperate as the flick of a tongue caressed his bicep, Danny continued on, his own breathing suddenly much too loud and raspy.
Winded by his efforts and feeling faint, Danny didn't think he could do any more. He was barely able to do his level best in ignoring the snake's increasing agitation as he finally pushed the blanket as far away as possible. But he needed to as a faint snap-click echoed through to his one ear. He lost the timbre of Steve's voice almost instantly and felt his stomach plummet down to his toes.
He had to do more ... he had to get out.
Panting and shivering from a sorry mixture of pain and fright, Danny forced his eyes partly opened, appalled to see the rise of the serpent's head virtually hovering over his own.
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O
Franklin Ray sat back comfortably in his chair as Steve was dragged, hands brutally cuffed behind the small of his back, up from the depths of the old den between Harrison and the braver of the other two men. The third trailed the small entourage, his distaste for what was still to come, blatantly showing in his expression. With a small chuffed sound of disgust as he re-evaluated a certain choice in hired men, Ray glanced over to Panit to see if the Asian had noticed. But as seemed his usual stance, Panit's face was impassive and virtually unreadable. With a glimmer of remorse, Ray found himself wishing it were Riku by his side.
"Why don't you watch the front, Louis," Ray ordered when the third stopped just shy of needing to be too close to the tanks. Based on nerves alone, he'd be of no help with what would come next and Ray simply couldn't afford the risk he'd bring along with him. Anyone on edge and as nervous as Louis Small would create a situation - cause an accident - which Ray would have to manage. That risk was unnecessary when he had other, steadier options under his employ. With a glance towards the reliable Frank Harrison, Ray wished he had a hundred like that man instead.
"I doubt we'll have any trouble; but to be sure, keep an eye on the perimeter," Ray repeated to Louis. His impatience was palpable now that he had McGarrett. Ray was more than ready to put an end to what he'd come to do.
"Yeah, sure," Louis replied with no small amount of relief. "No problem ... I'll keep an eye on the outside." He knew he'd annoyed Ray, but was helpless to tamp down his own trepidation over the reptiles. Nervous and fidgety, he had zero interest in being near the snakes from the very beginning, even if the next steps Ray had planned out had nothing to do with him per se. Given leave, he disappeared without word of apology.
"What the hell's ... going on?" Steve managed to get out over a leaden tongue. The man behind the Tazer was clearly enjoying himself. Steve knew that the lithium power magazine could supply over fifty 30-second hits and it felt as if he planned to get his money's worth.
Hardly able to focus on the hazy silhouette behind the desk, Steve squeezed his eyes closed against the bright light of the study and the wave of dizziness he was experiencing. With an effort, he focused on listening to a short exchange before trying to take another limited stock of his surroundings. Even bleary-eyed, he immediately began to count heads and maximize his options for escape. It was a chore though. His chest was tight and, quivering muscles aside, it was taking him some time to regain his full mental equilibrium. His fourth, fifth or even sixth tasing within such a short span of time was genuinely wreaking havoc on his senses. Still, Steve tried to put up a fight and resist as Frank Harrison tried to force him to his knees. Their scuffle was impressive despite Steve's handicaps and another threat of being tased. Just before going down, Steve gave Harrison a need to parry against a few of his own well placed kicks.
"Get the fuck down!" Harrison shouted when one booted foot connected solidly with his thigh bone. He yelped in pain and then cursed loudly as his leg nearly gave out. His reaction was swift though and timed to the millisecond of his peer sending another discharge of the taser into Steve's body.
Unable to protect himself, Steve went down to his knees like a felled tree. The resulting crash was loud in the sparse room, the shock of bone to hardwood floor, sending a solid repercussion through to his hips.
"Cross 'em. Do it," Harrison snarled as he kicked Steve's shins repeatedly, forcing him to finally wrap one ankle over the other. "Cross 'em!" Steve rocked in place off balance, dazed and aching, but his unfocused gaze still murderous when he lifted his head towards where Ray was sitting.
Ray watched in total satisfaction as only his men's firm grips kept the Commander somewhat upright as he wavered, hardly able to balance on his knees. After almost two years of waiting, the time had come and he was finally going to have his comeuppance.
"Commander McGarrett," Ray purred nastily. "So nice to see you. Again."
"Ray," Steve pushed out though clenched teeth. He paused when he saw the small array of glass tanks. Two were occupied with snakes. The third was empty and Steve inwardly flinched knowing where that third currently was and its role in terrifying his partner. With an effort, he forced his voice to adopt an even keel. "Can't say the same. Where's my partner? Did you leave him down there with that thing?"
"What do you think?" Ray scoffed. "Of course. They're quite happily keeping each other company. And what does it matter? Detective Williams is done ... finished ... his part in my plans is over. Now, it's all about you and me, and what you did to my children."
"Your children?" Steve reiterated, his voice deadly in its monotone. "Fine. That's fine, Ray. You got me ... I'm here. Now, let my partner go and let's do this the right way. Just me and you."
Steve's heart clenched in silence when Franklin Ray's mouth broke into a wide, incredulous smile. The change in demeanor was startling and Steve couldn't help the sharp intake of breath. He suddenly didn't know how long he'd been away from Danny. All of a sudden, he really didn't know anything.
"Let him go? But, he's dead, Commander. Or, at least ... nearly dead," Ray stated calmly, his eyes raking almost viciously over McGarrett's face, drinking in the expressive look of shock, horror and grief. "Nearly ... because, he soon will be. There's no help for either one of you."
With that announcement, Ray turned his laptop screen so the Five-0 Commander could see the former den - and proof of his claim. Nothing else was said as the man stared in numb silence at the dim image, stunned at the sight of his partner.
"What the hell have you done?" Steve whispered. "What did you do?"
"I did precisely what I set out to do," Ray replied with a sneer. "Scare him to death." The smile was gone now, the hatred back on full display as he stood up from behind his desk. "You should know by now that I always complete what I set out to do. It may take time and perhaps a healthy bit of ingenuity, but I always get what I want in the end."
"Do you," Steve murmured distractedly. He was sick inside as he continued to stare at Danny's image. Shown from above, he could see the blanket covered body and the outline of what was likely the snake hiding underneath. Only Danny's head was really visible, but it was turned away and Steve could only see the lighter shock of blonde hair, mussed and slick with sweat. For all intents, Ray was right - his partner was dead.
"I'm done talking to you," Ray said as he slammed the laptop closed. "This is about retribution for what you took from me. Retribution for what you ordered done to my children! Once I take care of you ... then I'm done. Life will go on ... my life will be restored and have purpose again."
"You're completely insane," Steve snarled when his view of Danny was terminated. His eyes snapped up, meeting Ray's purposeful expression. Steve was fighting his heart against his head after seeing the lifeless shape. There was still some hope though and he forged on, allowing his anger to fully take over.
"You'll never be done. You're a liar. You'll never be done because you can't help it," Steve said in a fury. Behind his back, his hands were tightly fisted and aching for action. "And as for value, Ray? You're a sociopath ... a murderer. You claim what you do is science ... to heal and to save ... but you're nothing more than a killer. You have no purpose ... none at all."
Steve heaved in a big breath of air, knowing he'd be tased again soon. Knowing that Ray was going to kill him much the same as his other victims - as Danny had just been left alone to die in a dank, dark basement.
But this time, rather than Ray, Steve sought out the snake handler to stare directly into his face. The ripple of shock was unmistakable as attention turned the Asian's way.
"You just possibly killed an innocent man. Just now ... you killed him," Steve stated accusingly. "You're responsible. Did you ever think of that?" His voice fell to a lower octave, the emotion making each word a struggle. He glanced once towards Ray before settling back on the uneasy handler.
"My partner ... Danny had nothing to do with this. Absolutely nothing. He was a victim before ... and he's a victim now."
"Harrison. Pick a tank," Ray interrupted fiercely. "I don't care which ... both are lethal." He moved quickly from behind his desk to stand almost protectively in front of the now very startled Panit while glaring down at Steve. "Let's finish this."
~ to be continued ~
