Note: I am very appreciative of all the reviews I have received. I was really worried about that last chapter, and the reviews really helped. So thank you!
Note #2: Continuing on in flashbacks here. A big thanks once again to sockie1000, who really helped me fine-tune this chapter as it went through several revisions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of its characters.
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Chapter Ten
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Steve sat with his head propped against his right hand, elbow on his desk, reviewing some paperwork that Danny had just handed him. It had been a slow week and the team had taken the opportunity to catch up on some older cases while also enjoying some additional time off. Steve hated to do paperwork, and he stifled a yawn as he flipped through the pages, not really giving the report the full attention it probably deserved.
He looked at his watch. It was nearly 3:00 p.m. He was hoping that he would have heard back from Chin by now.
Setting Danny's files aside, Steve opened the bottom drawer in his desk to pull out his own pile of paperwork. He had looked at these files at least a dozen times over the past several months, each time hoping to gain new insight on Wo Fat and what he was up to. The lack of information regarding his whereabouts was unnerving to Steve. And while Five-0 had taken on several new cases recently, Steve always went back to these files… his drive to find Wo Fat occupying much of his waking thoughts.
Steve was reading through some old communications between Wo Fat and Sang Min when his door burst open. He looked up to see Kono standing in his doorway, her phone in her right hand and a concerned look on her face.
"I just got off the phone with HPD," Kono said, breathless. "They just received a call from Chin's cell phone."
Steve furrowed his brow, confused. "Kono, what…?"
"He's in trouble."
Steve stood up immediately, grabbing his phone and following Kono out the door. Danny was in his office and Steve motioned for him to follow them out. He pulled up Chin's number on his phone and hit send. The call went directly to voicemail. He cursed.
"What's up?" Danny asked after catching up.
Steve ran down the stairs two at a time, jogging out of the door and into the parking lot. "HPD got a call about Chin. He needs some backup," Steve told Danny as he reached the Camaro, yanking open the driver's side door and getting in. Kono slipped in the back and Danny dropped into the passenger seat.
Taking directions from Kono, Steve sped through traffic towards Chin, his brain trying to process what could have happened. If Chin needed help, why didn't he call Steve? Or Danny or Kono? What were they going to find when they got to Chin's location?
The trip was filled with dreadful silence, each of them fearing the worst. Once they reached their destination, Steve banked the car through an open gate into a massive parking lot. Danny was opening the door and jumping out of the car before Steve even had it parked, Kono not far behind him. Steve climbed out quickly, looking around for Chin, before shutting the door behind him.
Steve saw Danny and Kono already speaking with Sergeant Lukela and he ran over to join them.
"…not been able to find it," Duke finished speaking as Steve and Kono approached. He nodded briefly to Steve before turning to Kono, his eyes giving away the answer to the question Steve had yet to ask.
"Duke, where's Chin?"
Sergeant Lukela frowned before his eyes darted over to the area immediately in front of the center building. It was difficult to see from here, but Steve could just make out two officers kneeling over a body on the ground. His heart sank.
"Chin," he heard Kono say softly beside him. "Chin!"
Kono sprinted off toward the central building, Danny and Steve hot on her heels. He caught up to her, trying to grab her arms, desperately wanting to slow her down to save her from the pain and sorrow he knew was coming. But she slipped through his grasp and kept running, only coming to a stop when she had reached the two officers.
Steve stopped a few steps behind, his legs unwilling to carry him there any faster. His feet felt heavy as he walked forward, finally stopping above the still form of his friend.
Chin lay on his back, his head to the side, eyes closed. He could have been asleep, if it wasn't for the massive amount of blood soaking his shirt and pooling onto the pavement below him. Steve noticed a large gash on Chin's forehead as well. His right arm was extended slightly away from his body, as though he was reaching for something.
Steve's eyes burned with emotion and he swallowed hard, trying desperately to push down the rage and sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. He needed to be strong. Right now, he needed to be strong for Kono. For Danny. And for Chin.
"Nooo!" Kono yelled, sobbing over Chin's body.
Danny came up behind Steve, meeting his eyes only briefly before kneeling next to Kono. Steve watched as Danny tried to pull Kono away from Chin's body, but she resisted, pulling away from him, her sobs growing more violent. Danny kept trying, finally managing to yank her up into a tight hug. She fought a moment more, but Danny held tight, not giving her any room to move. Steve's heart broke as he saw her finally sag in Danny's arms, her hands grasping onto the front of his shirt and her face buried into his shoulder.
Danny looked up at Steve and the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. Steve held his gaze for a moment, then jerked his head slightly to the left, motioning for Danny to take Kono out of the area. Danny nodded and then repositioned his arms so he and Kono could walk away together. Steve waited until they were out of sight before he turned back to the scene. Kneeling down, he took one final look at Chin's face.
"I'm sorry, Chin," he silently told his friend.
Sighing, he forced himself to look away from Chin's face and assess the situation. Two gunshot wounds to the chest. A nasty gash on the forehead. Chin must have been standing when he was hit and fallen forward to the ground. Steve glanced up toward the building's main entrance. They were about twenty paces away. By the angle of Chin's body, he had to have been exiting the office.
But at what point did he phone for back-up? Before or after he was shot?
Steve looked around, trying to find Chin's phone. He didn't see it lying on the ground anywhere. Wondering if Chin dropped it closer to the building, Steve scanned the ground, but was still unable to locate Chin's phone. He lingered a few more minutes, mentally taking note of anything he thought would help them figure out what happened. Finally, he made his way back toward the perimeter, passing medical personnel on the way. He turned to see them approaching Chin's body, but he looked away quickly, not wanting to see any more.
He walked, not necessarily knowing where he was going. He could hear new sirens approaching now as additional HPD officers entered the office complex, but Steve paid them no mind. The adrenaline rush he had begun experiencing the minute Kono walked into his office was quickly crashing, only to be replaced by exhaustion. He walked, hoping to find Danny and Kono someplace… suddenly feeling the need to be with them. To grieve with them the loss of their friend.
Their ohana.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Sergeant Lukela standing there, a saddened expression on his face. In his hand, he held a phone.
Chin's phone.
Duke leaned in close to Steve's ear, talking quickly. "We found this in a clump of bushes by the entrance of the eastern building," he said, handing the phone over. "Is it Mr. Kelly's phone?"
Steve nodded. He was about to ask how it got in the bushes when the phone rang. Steve looked down at it, surprised. Glancing at the call screen, "UNKNOWN NUMBER" flashed brightly out at him. He didn't hesitate.
"Hello?"
"Commander McGarrett," the voice said.
Steve's head popped up, immediately scanning the area for the man he knew was on the other end of the phone call.
"Wo Fat, you son of a bitch…"
"Come now, Commander. Such harsh words are unnecessary."
Steve felt his pulse race, wanting to scream every profanity into the phone that he knew. He looked up at Duke, who was eyeing him with a confused expression. Steve mouthed a silent "Find Danny" to him, and he nodded, jogging off to hopefully find Steve's partner.
"Have you learned nothing from the past, Commander? This all could have been avoided."
"Bullshit," Steve spat out, unable to fully reign in his anger. "You want a piece of me? Huh? Then you come face me, you coward."
There was silence on the other end, and Steve pulled the phone away from his ear to be sure the line was still active. Satisfied that Wo Fat was still listening, he put the phone back to his ear and continued.
"You killed a good man today. That is something that I will never forget, you hear me? I will find you. And when I do-"
"Commander, please. Threats do not become you." He paused and Steve breathed heavily through his clenched teeth. "Do not be mistaken, Commander. Mr. Kelly was a demonstration. Why don't you get some rest. You look tired."
Steve's breath hitched. Wo Fat was here? He spun around, scanning the immediate area. The lot was beginning to fill with squad cars and other HPD personnel. There were other office buildings located in the area, but Wo Fat had to be close.
"I will be in touch soon."
"No, wait!" Steve shouted, but it was too late. He could hear the faint click indicating that the call had been disconnected.
He looked at the phone a moment, resisting the urge to chuck it across the parking lot. Instead, he put it in his pocket and turned to look back at the scene. In the foreground was an ambulance, and Steve watched as a stretcher was being loaded inside. He closed his eyes, fighting the raw emotions that had begun to surface again. He didn't even hear Danny approach him… just felt a hand on his shoulder in silent support. Steve set his jaw and opened his eyes.
"Danny, Wo Fat is here."
Danny dropped his hand. "What?"
"He's here. I just got a phone call from him…. on Chin's phone. He said…" Steve was unable to continue, his anger boiling to the surface. He started walking toward the Camaro, a renewed determination giving his adrenaline a quick boost. "I want a thorough search of all of these offices. Have Kono coordinate with HPD personnel that is already here. I'll take point on-"
"Whoah whoah whoah," Danny hollered, quickly stepping in front of Steve just as he had opened the trunk of the Camaro, pulling out his spare weapon and extra clips of ammunition.
"First of all, Kono is in no position to do anything at the moment. And neither are you. None of us are in the right state of mind to go guns blazing into these buildings. Secondly," Danny continued, and Steve felt a tug on his arm as his partner pulled his focus away from the car, forcing him to look at Danny, "we don't go barging into these buildings without a little intel, you got that? We don't know what Chin stumbled on in there. There could be a dozen armed guys in there, okay? We don't just go in without making a plan first! Third, Wo Fat may not even be here."
"Danny, he could see me. He told me I looked tired," Steve said, his voice cracking slightly. "He's here."
Steve pulled away from Danny and strode directly over to Sergeant Lukela.
"Duke, we have a suspect on location, potentially hiding out in one of these buildings. I need a dozen men to do a thorough search of these offices. " Steve ordered, pointing at each of the three buildings around them. "I'll head into the middle building there, and Danny here will lead a team into…"
"Steven, stop and think about what you are saying," Danny began. Steve recognized Danny's tone – the one he reserved for occasions he thought Steve was about to do something stupid – but Steve was not ready for another lecture on protocol.
"I know what I am saying, Danny!" Steve shouted angrily, glaring down at his partner. " I'm going in there to find Wo Fat. You can either come with me, or stay out of my way."
Steve spun around and ran directly toward the main entrance of the central building. Behind him he heard Danny starting to coordinate a search of the other two buildings with HPD officers. Steve didn't mean to be so harsh on Danny… he understood where he was coming from. But now was not the time for second-guesses and hesitations. Not when Chin's killer could still be here. Not when Steve had a chance to catch Wo Fat.
Pulling out his gun, he waited as three officers approached him and they entered the building together, performing a sweep of the lobby rather quickly. Satisfied there was nothing of interest here, he began moving quietly down a corridor leading to the back of the building, empty cubicles lining both sides of the hall, the three officers trailing behind him. Making his way to the end, Steve motioned for the other officers to head to the right as he turned left, going forward but still scanning behind him for any hidden threats. He approached a door at the end of this corridor. He put his hand on the handle when the ground shook.
In the distance he could hear the roar of a thunderous explosion. Then another, this one closer. A third explosion rocked him hard and he flew backwards, the door he had just been about to open bursting away from its hinges. He hit the ground hard, covering his head with his arms. The steel door barely missed his body as it cart wheeled down the hallway. The ceiling above him began to splinter, pieces of plaster and glass beginning to rain down on top of him. He pushed himself up to his feet, rubbing dust and debris out of his eyes and face.
The corridors were quickly filling with black smoke and Steve was finding it increasingly difficult to see and breathe. He turned in a circle, trying to locate the other officers and to find the way out. Coughing, he picked a direction and ran. Squinting through the fog of ash and smoke, he was relieved to see a second hallway up ahead… the one that would lead him to the front of the building. He stopped, looking down the hall that the three officers had gone, but he couldn't see a thing.
Steve kept going, forcing his legs to keep moving forward. He didn't go far until the smoke lifted slightly and he saw the three men. Two were standing upright, carrying the third man between them, his arms draped across both their shoulders. Crouching low, he continued until he reached them. He lifted the third man over his back and motioned for the other men to follow.
The smoke was thick and toxic and Steve could feel the ashes burning his throat. What felt like an eternity later, he made it to the reception area. The two double glass doors were shattered and Steve ran up to them, carefully stepping over the framing to get outside. Taking deep gulps of fresh air, he ran a few more paces before stopping, bending at the waist to slide the unconscious officer to the ground. The other two officers joined him, each of them panting and coughing, attempting to expel the smoke that invaded their lungs.
Finally his coughing subsided and he stood straight. He couldn't believe what he saw.
The three buildings, each at least eight stories tall, were completely engulfed in flames. Several officers appeared to be mounting a search and rescue attempt into the buildings, but the sheer size of the blazes were preventing them from doing anything.
Many officers were on the ground, suffering from varying degrees of cuts and burns. Steve began to panic as he thought of Danny and Kono. Where were they?
He ran off toward a group of officers, seeing Duke standing among them. His face was covered with cuts and scrapes, the blood standing out against the dark soot smeared across his features.
"Duke, are you hurt?" Steve asked.
He shook his head. "I'm fine. What happened?"
"I don't know," Steve replied, though he was pretty sure he did.
Steve had been taken advantage of once before…. been a pawn in someone else's game…. and he swore to himself then that he would never let it happen again. But in his blind rage and narrow-focused attempt at finding Wo Fat, he had just led a dozen good men into an unknown and potentially dangerous situation. And it had once again ended in disaster.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see men shouting and waving. Steve ran over to them to find Danny seated on the ground, his left arm draped limply across his stomach. His hair was covered in gray ash and his shirt was singed on one sleeve.
"Danny! Danny, are you okay?"
Danny coughed, but nodded. "'m fine."
Steve crouched down next to his partner, putting a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure?" Steve asked, noticing that Danny had yet to move his left arm.
"I said I'm fine!" Danny growled before another coughing fit took over.
"Where's Kono?"
Danny looked over to his Camaro, still parked safely near the entrance of the office park, appearing to be unscathed from the explosions. Steve saw that Kono was seated inside of the car, her head in her hands.
"I told her to stay put," Danny stated, his features softening as he looked out to his car. It didn't last long, though, as he turned to look Steve in the face. "You-" he snarled, pulling his right arm up and pointing at Steve's chest. "You and I are going to have a long talk later."
Steve stood back up as a feeling of unmistakable fear and dread of the unknown began to seep into his body. What had happened today could not be allowed to happen again. Looking at Danny, and thinking of Kono, Steve knew that he had to put an end to this.
Once and for all.