A/B: Because so many people wanted to desperately know how I was going to bring the team back together, I've decided to give another update so soon after the previous one. I hope this satisfies the need. More to come very soon! Thank you everyone for commenting and keep them coming! It's been so entertaining to read all the comments on McMahon!
Chapter 10: Sailor
Back in Max's lab with Steve's cell disassembled and Toast staring at computer codes that flew across the screen at him, Kono and Lori spread out their files as Chin, Steve and Max secured their suspect in the empty autopsy bay.
"The only way in or out of here is through this office, right Max?" Steve asked.
"Well no," Max sighed, "The bodies very rarely pass through my office. They arrived via the service elevator and are loaded into the large cooling unit that is shared by all of the medical examiners in this lab. But the freezer locked from this side so there is really no way to get into this room unless you come in through my office." Max explained.
"So the suspect is secure in here?" Steve asked and motioned to the lady they had zip tied to the heaviest piece of equipment in the room.
"I assure you that she is. You can keep and eye on her from my office, but she should be completely secure." Max confirmed.
"Alright we need to think." Steve stated as he, Max and Chin exited the autopsy bay and locked the door behind them. "How are we going to find this guy?" he asked the group as he came out and looked around at the familiar, yet unfamiliar, space and the eyes of all his coworkers and friends.
"He's good, man." Toast stated as he stared at his computer scene and typed all while carrying on a conversation.
"But you're better right?" Steve asked.
"I managed to get you all of the surveillance from the police precinct even while their experts are trying to figure out how someone was able to hack their system in the first place. It's not that hard you morons!" Toast yelled at his computer screen and the images of frantic officers and the decontamination crews played out right before his eyes.
"Toast, what did you find?" Steve interrupted the young man's entertainment and handed the tweaked out hacker another lollipop.
"This," Toast stated, with his mouth full, as he rewound the video and played back the whole video, from several different cameras, of McMahon's confrontation with Jeremy.
"If he can get into HPD, who's to say he wont get in here?" Kono sighed as all four Five-Os turned to check on their suspect.
She was still zip tied to the heavy iron wash basin.
"We aren't going to stay here for very long. We only need a plan of attack and then we're going to move on and keep covering our tracks." Steve explained.
"But where are we going to go?" Lori asked.
"Where ever we can," Chin stated, "we have to keep moving."
"Ok we need a plan. We know Danny is buried. We know he's somewhere up in Ewa and we know that McMahon has access to almost everything, and he's an evil genius. Where is our loop hole? How are we going to get ahead of this guy?" Steve asked as he began to pace the length of Max's office.
Silence fell again as everyone racked their brains. Charlie and Max scanned the files to give a new perspective on the evidence that was piling up, and yet, that still didn't make any sense to anyone. There had to be something in all of the clues and the folly that McMahon had put them through.
"Wait, why would Danny call you Sailor?" Kono asked.
"He wouldn't," Steve sighed, "he'd purposely call me soldier to get me riled up; like he doesn't know the difference between the army and the navy."
"But he did call you Sailor. When he was telling you to not play McMahon's games, he gave you a direct order and ended it with Sailor."
"How is that relevant?" Lori asked, "Nothing we have so far has led us anywhere near the sea."
"Not the sea, the navy!" Steve stated, "Toast, can you hack the naval intelligence databases?" Steve asked.
"Are you kidding, I don't want the black opps helicopters coming after me! You would have to be a moron and truly loco to actually think you could get past all their security and not get caught!" Toast stated as he threw his arms up, "don't even ask me to try, I have a record. I'd be shot on the spot!"
"The monitors on the military software are so sensitive that even if someone logs onto the public sites we know about it," Steve smirked. "McMahon would be a fool to even attempt getting his hands on that kind of access and there are no back doors."
"But you can," Chin stated.
"Not just naval intelligence, they have all kinds of sonar and radar." Kono stated. "Danny was cluing you in without actually coming out and telling you to get your girlfriend on the line."
"Danny, you are brilliant!" Chin stated and rushed around to look at Toast's computer screen, "every electronic device needs some kind of power, or puts off some kind of a traceable signal. McMahon knows this and to keep us guessing he's got more signals then we can clear, but Catherine and your buddies at Naval Intelligence should be able to pin point the location where Danny is buried by the number of signals that are being given off by the electronics that are monitoring him."
"Whoa you are talking so far out of my realm that we're in orbit!" Toast stated as he pulled his eyes away from the computer screen and looked at Chin.
"Exactly, above and beyond the grid!" Steve smirked.
"But you can't call, he's monitoring your phone and you'd give everything away if you did try to call anyone," Max stated frantically.
"I don't need to call; I can just go to the base." Steve smiled. "I have a plan." He added and everyone stopped to stare. "Chin, you and I, and our suspect, are going to visit some of my old friends and find us a secured location for our interrogation." Steve explained. "Kono, you, Lori, Max and Toast are heading back to HQ. Toast, I want you to see if you can't jail break our hostage system. If you can't be on the grid we'll go above and below it."
"Why am I going?" Max asked in confusion.
"Because Warp 9 isn't a police vehicle, so therefore, it's not on the grid." Steve stated.
"That's very true commander!" Max smiled.
"Drive that car like you've never driven it before," Steve smiled.
"No Max, do not take driving advice from Steve!" Chin and Kono stated together.
"Alright, that's enough, my driving isn't that bad!" Steve stated, "Let's do this." He added and just as quickly as the idea had hit, the troops were mobilized.