Chapter 7
Steve's location, 1:30 pm...
Danny turned the truck onto a road lined with warehouses. Glancing at the side mirrors, he saw no sign of the drug dealer's vehicle. He wiped a hand across his brow, maybe he caught a break.
A red shed came into view. This was the landmark Dr. Tric had referred to on the digital sign Danny had passed earlier. Hoping for the best, he swerved right, crashing through the gate into the warehouse yard. He slammed on the brakes, and the truck skidded to a stop. He jumped out with a quick look over his shoulder before making a beeline for the entrance. He didn't want to be in the open if the drug dealers caught up with him. That wouldn't be pretty.
Danny yanked open the door and hurried into the warehouse. He noticed a heavy chain on the inside of the door along with a deadbolt at the top. These safeguards wouldn't keep his pursuers out, but it would slow them down.
Weaving through the miscellaneous junk cluttering the warehouse, he noticed old crates on dusty shelves and several pieces of rusty equipment, but no sign of Steve. He felt his stomach twist. Had Dr. Tric played him? Was this even the end, or just a continuation of the evil doctor's experiment?
Finally, Danny came to a red door at the rear of the warehouse. He gripped the handle and turned. Locked. He banged his fist on the door. "McGarrett!"
Holding his breath, he pressed his ear against the cool metal praying Steve would answer. But no reply came. To make matters worse, Danny heard car doors slamming and men shouting outside. Time was running out.
Frantic, Danny searched for something, anything, to pry the door open. Wooden crates wouldn't help, but wait, on a shelf to his right, he spotted a hammer. He grabbed it and struck the door's handle. But no matter how hard, or how desperately he pounded, he only managed to scratch the paint and dent the metal. He fell against the door, a wave of exhaustion and hopelessness overwhelming him. He had no idea if Steve was even on the other side.
Danny brushed sweat from his face, then raised the hammer with a quivering hand and let it fall against the metal. The door opened with a haunting creak. Suspicious, he pressed his fingertips to the door and pushed it back. He clenched his jaw to hold back a sob of grief at the sight of Steve's body slumped in an improvised electric chair.
"So help me God, Tric, if he's dead…" Danny inched forward, wiping the back of his hand over his eyes to clear his vision. He knew Dr. Tric must be gone, but he refused to walk into a booby trap, especially with a gang of bloodthirsty drug dealers just outside.
The area around the chair seemed clear. Danny inched closer. Steve's eyes were closed and ringed with shadows, several days of stubble covered his face. His arms and chest were marked with burns from the electric shocks. Danny touched Steve's chaffed wrist, his skin was cold and his pulse weak.
"Hang on, buddy," Danny whispered, his voice hoarse. "I'm gonna get us out of this."
Steve lifted his head for a second before it dropped back against his chest. He let out a deep groan.
"Don't even think about giving me one of those 'I'm about to die' speeches. I'm not interested. You're gonna make it." Then he thought to add, "We both are."
Steve raised his head once more. "Go," he whispered. "Bomb."
"What?" Danny yelled. "Where?"
Steve's head slumped forward.
"Hey, McGarrett," Danny shook his friend. "Come on! Don't die on me!"
Frantic, Danny searched for anything that might resemble an explosive device. He tore open boxes, checked the beeping machines, and Steve's chair. He dropped to the floor and crawled, looking under and behind the computer equipment. Wires criss crossed along the floor, but none of them connected to anything resembling a bomb. Maybe it was hidden beneath the floor. He ran his fingers over the wood looking for grooves, or loose boards. He wondered if he was wasting his time. Was the bomb even in this room? And even if he found it, what would he do with it? He didn't know how to diffuse a bomb using just a paperclip and a roll of duct tape. He was a detective not MacGyver. And he wasn't Steve.
#~~#~~#~~#
Just outside the warehouse, 1:50 pm...
Chin and Kono screeched to a halt at the unhinged gate. Bang, bang. Several bullets hit the front fender and tire of Chin's car. Kono bailed out, taking cover behind the car. Chin followed, grabbing his shotgun.
"I counted three guys," Kono said.
"Me, too," Chin responded. "There's probably more inside."
"What should we do, Chin? HPD is still two to three minutes out."
"I don't think Danny has that long. We need to do something."
They held each other's gaze for a moment.
Chin checked his shotgun. "I'll go right."
Kono nodded.
The cousins sprang out from behind the car and fired, just as the warehouse exploded.
A/N: Well, that was an explosive chapter. I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading.
