So pleased people are enjoying this! Loved the reviews so much :) :)

No one getting anywhere near guessing the inspiration though and all the borrowed elements were introduced in the first two chapters. Maybe not surprising as it was a long time ago and I think it's only been released on DVD in Australia for some reason. I can't see it on the net either.

Another clue then.. It's UK, I thought it was 80's but I just looked it up and this ep was actually 1991. And..the series was a long running cop show, gritty in the early years but tragically transformed into a soap opera in the mid 90's (at which point I stopped watching). UK people have to know it from that...? Any UK people out there...?

LIFE IS BUT A GAME OF CHANCE

CHAPTER 3

Steve barked out orders in every direction, having automatically assumed control of the operation to find Dobbs and Danny. The side road where Danny's car had been found was sealed off for recording and forensic examination, as was the alleyway where the attacks had taken place. A temporary command centre had been set up just outside the crime scene tape, within sight of the Camaro. Command and control trucks and police cruisers were parked as far as the eye could see.

Now search teams were moving in every direction, in vehicles, on foot and in choppers overhead. The hunt was on for the men, for witnesses, for any material evidence of the route they had taken. HPD units had been dispatched to find all of Dobbs' know associates, to search their houses, their vehicles, their lock-ups. The man himself seemed to be homeless. They could find no record of a home address at all.

Lou, Chin and Kono, fully suited up in TAC gear, stood a short distance back from Steve, motionless in the hubbub of activity, awaiting his instructions. The man's domination of the situation was absolute, his intensity electric, every command obeyed instantly and without question. He was a focal point in the surrounding blur of noise; men shouting, police dogs barking, engines and sirens, rotor blades whirring overhead.

But the rest of the Five-0 team watched their leader's every move closely, periodically exchanging concerned glances. He was white as a sheet, his pallor exaggerating the deep shadows below his eyes so he looked plain sick. The icy demeanor he was exuding may have seemed fearsome to some, but his team knew him too well. The apparent coldness was simply a façade bourn of decades of training and a lifetime of repressing his emotions. He was an organisational machine, for sure, but he wasn't detached and he was far from cold. He was exhausted and in pain and angry and stubborn and just plain scared. The man was running on adrenaline alone, terrified for the safety of his best friend and simply not willing to entrust his welfare to anyone else.

They all knew the crash had to be coming.

As the last search party marched away, his instructions still ringing in their ears, Steve turned and leant heavily against a car, suddenly unbearably light-headed.

Kono stepped forwards and laid a hesitant hand on his back, half-expecting an explosion. She opened her mouth to speak, to plead with him to take a break, but was interrupted by a sudden ruckus from beyond the crime scene tape, from near to the Camaro.

A dog had started barking, focused and intense. His handler yelled over to them. "We've got something! We might have a trail!"

And then they were off, Steve shaking off his weak moment in a heart-beat. He shrugged off his sling, ducked under the tape, and sprinted hard on the heels of the dog handler and his German Shepherd.

The dog had picked up a track, for sure. Whether or not it might relate to Danny or their perp remained to be seen, the science of dog-tracking being frustratingly imprecise. But as they ran, the dog, head down, was sticking to side routes and alleyways. The trail had been left by someone who was avoiding busy places, avoiding people. Maybe someone who knew the area and someone who had something to hide. It felt right.

But they couldn't have covered more than a quarter of a mile when Hawaii took the opportunity to remind them why it's so green and why it's so lush. It started to rain. A few big, heavy drops quickly give way to a torrential downpour. The dog's headlong rush ground to a halt and he walked great circles at the end of his leash, panting, long tongue lolling, sniffing hard. He stopped, then turned and looked up at his handler.

The cop shook his head. "Sorry, Commander. He's lost it."

Steve didn't reply. The dog handler turned back to his animal, encouraging him to try, leading him around in larger circles, further from the Five-0 team.

Steve, breathing hard, put his hands on his head, grimacing as he moved his injured arm, but moving it nonetheless. He paced around in short circles, his dizzying movements echoing those of the dog. His team eyed him with concern.

A few long moments later, Steve finally raised his eyes. He met Chin's piercing gaze and opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out. He staggered, nearly went down, but managed to brace himself against a wall in the nick of time, back hard against it, head leant back into the brickwork. He gasped for breath through gritted teeth, eyes tight shut.

The team were at his side instantly.

"Boss! Take it easy!" Kono exclaimed, gripping his arm tightly.

Chin moved to his other side, ready to support him if he fell.

Lou stood in front of him. Never one to beat around the bush, he clamped a big hand on Steve's shoulder and addressed him in a low voice. "Steve, c'mon man, this is crazy. You need to stand down. You know you can let us handle this."

Steve's eyes snapped open. He rounded on Lou, all his frustrations suddenly and entirely undeservedly directed on his hapless team-mate. "So what, Lou?" he spat, "You think I should go home, put my feet up, maybe get some sleep? How the hell am I meant to do that? Danny is my partner and I'm meant to have his back. If you think I'm gonna do that, you don't know me at all."

Lou shook his head and let out a long-suffering sigh. He gripped Steve's shoulder even harder, trying to calm his friend down. "OK, Jeez, easy man, I know, I know. But right now, our attention is on you, we're following you about, waiting for you to go down because you might be some crazy-ass SEAL but you are not up to this. I get that you're crazy worried about Danny. We all are. But you've got to trust us with this, let us take the lead. None of us expect you to go home but at least, I don't know, go sit in a squad car, you can still search- we'll get someone to drive you about. Please."

Steve was silent. His gaze shifted to Kono, who nodded in silent agreement, expressive eyes filled with concern. He turned to look at Chin.

Chin held his gaze. He took a step forwards then turned to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lou. "He's right, Steve. Take a step back, please!"

Steve looked from one face to the next, an illogical feeling of betrayal rearing its ugly head. Then he finally saw the fear, the concern, in his friends' eyes.

He sagged in defeat.

….

Danny lay propped against the wall of the corridor, legs out in front of him, gulping for air and trying desperately not to vomit. His fingers clawed convulsively at the material of his slacks as he fought to regain control. Sucking in a breath that was perilously close to a sob, he forced himself to look down at his handiwork. He'd managed to create a pressure bandage from a rolled up section of his shirt and the duct tape. The process had left him white, shaky and drained, but it looked like it was doing the job. It still hurt like hell, but blood was no longer flowing down his body. Steve would definitely be impressed.

He shivered, cold in his blood-soaked wife-beater and slacks, then hoped like hell he wasn't going into shock. It was a distinct possibility. He knew he should lie down, elevate his feet, get the blood flowing to his vitals to try to stave it off. The thought made him smile a little because he knew in reality he had to do exactly the opposite- get to his feet, somehow avoid that maniac Dobbs and get the hell out of there, get help.

He would never, ever admit it to the man, but he really, really wished Steve was with him. Hopefully he'd be out looking- he'd have been pissed then worried when Danny didn't show at the café. HPD should be well aware of the accident by now anyway and the news would rapidly filter through. But they would have no idea where to look. Danny had to have pursued Dobbs for well over a mile and they hadn't passed a single person.

He had to assume he was on his own.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to think.

Going back to the exit the way he came was the sensible option. He knew the going was relatively safe, knew the door to the outside world would open. But then there was Dobbs to consider. Danny had no idea what the guy's intentions were. Maybe he'd just bolted. Maybe he was still in the building, nursing his head and waiting for another crack at him. Going out the way he came in would be the obvious thing to do- so Dobbs could be lying in wait.

What was the alternative? Dropping out of a third floor window? Again, he wasn't Steve, he didn't bounce when he fell then land on his feet, looking heroically disheveled and entirely unflustered. Yeah, that would have to be Plan B. Maybe Plan C. Then he remembered there was a second door on the ground floor, at the opposite end of the building to where he was, of course. It could be tricky to open if it had been shut for years but at least he would be marginally less likely to encounter Dobbs. He'd give it a go.

Mind made up, he allowed himself to take a moment, to lean his head back against the wall. He shivered. He really, really wanted to lie down and go to sleep. Maybe he could. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe he'd miraculously wake up again in a nice, clean, bright hospital, superSEAL hovering over him with some version of aneurism face or other in place, ready to lecture him about the power of positive thinking.

Steve would probably have shot Dobbs clean off the top of the building in the process of rescuing Danny, or maybe he'd have tied a grenade round his neck. He'd do something like that, for sure, animal that he was. Although Dobbs was totally asking for it, all things considered. Yeah, Danny would be good with the application of some classic SEAL methods on this occasion. He would even say 'thanks' to Steve. That might just earn him one of those elusive goofy grins that always brightened up his day just a touch. That right there was another thing he'd never admit to Steve, of course, no way. It was true though. His friend had been dealt so many crappy hands in life it was always good to see a genuine smile on his face.

And then Gracie would bounce in to see him in his nice clean hospital room, all warm and affectionate and just beautiful. How did she get so beautiful? It never ceased to amaze him that he and Rachel had created something so perfect. Maybe she'd have made him a card. She was so thoughtful. Grown up now, too.

Danny smiled softly as his thoughts drifted aimlessly along. His eyes fluttered shut and he slumped further down the wall.

So, please let me know what you thought AND any ideas on the series/ep this is a tribute to...?