A/N: You are going to hate me by the end of this…
Chapter 21: Catch My Breath
Retaliatory gun fire started almost as soon as the helicopter entered the compound's air space. With night vision it was easy enough for the SEALs to see where their back-up was on the ground, as they moved in, but the flashes of light made the night vision malfunction as flashes of white, bright, light screwed up the field of vision.
The pilots of the helicopters were given the go ahead to use the on board weapons just until the ground crew moved in and took out the majority of the hostiles.
"Things look to be under control on the ground." A commanding voice came over the communications system which was the signal for the SEALs to drop in - literally.
Ropes fell to the ground as the helicopter lowered without touching down and soon three teams of eight men each dropped right into the battle zone and just before the helicopters were able to retreat to safety in a near by field.
"From here, I want you to take as many of these hostiles alive as you can. We need them for questioning." Steve ordered and then signaled for two of the SEAL teams to follow him into the hanger while the third joined the ground crew to clear the tents and the bunker.
5-0
Toast jumped again as the sound of a door being kicked in at one side of the house was echoed almost immediately on the other side.
"Stay steady, Toast." Catherine ordered. "Check in, what's going on out there?"
"We got drawn away by two other men. They are in custody now. More are on you. We're coming back around." Was the frantic response from the men on the farm.
"This is private property!" Toast shouted and fired his weapon sending one intruder to the ground and startling the second as two more came into Catherine's line of sight - surrounding the unlikely pair. "I should have stayed in the office." Toast added as he trembled slightly in the aftermath of having shot someone.
"Five-O, lower your weapons!" Catherine ordered to the men who outnumbered her.
"You're not Five-O," One of the advancing hostiles laughed wickedly. "Now drop your weapons and we might have mercy on you."
"I don't think so!" Toast stated defiantly, "and as far as your concerned, we are Five-O and you are outnumbered." he added as the HPD SWAT back-up burst through the doors and caught the three men in their scopes.
"Five-O isn't just the task-force, it's the whole community." Toast said as the weapons of the hostiles hit the floor in defeat.
"Well done, Charles." Catherine said with a smile as the men were removed from the farm house. "Now come on, we have to get back to our posts."
"Right," Toast nodded and followed Catherine back to the kitchen, "mind if I keep the vest on, just for my own peace of mine?"
"Not at all, in fact, I think I'm gonna keep mine on too."
"We should have stayed in the office." Toast huffed and sat down again.
"I agree."
5-0
Danny moved slowly into position along the second floor walk way. To his right - the shoulder he kept pressed against the walls - were several doors with space between them, six apartments in total. To his left was a rod-iron railing and then a drop of what Danny was guessing was a good sixteen feet before you would hit the sidewalk and the shrubberies that lined the complex and divided the pedestrian foot path from the parking lot.
Chin walked with his back to Danny and Kono took up the rear. The three of them looked out of place still dressed in their full riding gear and spotting bullet proof vests with weapons of combat caliber.
They arrived quickly at the corner apartment. There was another set of stairs that appeared on the other side of the building - giving access to the corner apartment from two directions. On these stairs three SWAT members along with a man in full combat gear and carrying a battering-ram moved in to back-up the three Five-Os and to cover the second escape route.
Behind Kono, more SWAT members cleared the apartments along the second story and moved the civilians out of the complex to avoid unnecessary injuries. They then covered the Five-Os once more and Danny gave the go ahead to move in.
"Doctor Davies, come to the door. Five-O." Danny announced as he and his team made their move. "You are wanted by police. Come to the door and surrender or we're coming in."
When no one answered and Danny received the affirmative that the heat signatures inside the apartment were moving toward the back bedroom, Danny motioned to have the door broken down.
The team rushed into the apartment when the door gave way and moved quickly and cautiously until they found Davies, one of his lackeys and a beaten, bloody, older woman - she was being held up and held at gun point before the two men.
"I knew you were coming. I knew it all along!" Davies stated as he paced behind his hired goon who held a '45 caliber hand gun to the side of the weeping woman's face.
"I know you know this woman, Detective. I know you've seen her before - arrested her before - but you see, I'm not as forgiving as you are. She's out on parole when she should have died for her crimes - died because her husband kidnapped children and held them hostage. He killed one of them didn't he? That's how you found them. He killed one of them to make room for a younger, new, girl, and this woman was his accomplice. She should have died too, but instead she went to jail and served a lesser sentence because she pleaded that she was afraid of her husband, that she was a victim as well, or at least what you people believed. Now she's facing a different kind of court - a court that is truly that of the people. We have taken justice into our own hands. Maybe I'll have pity if she gets me out of this alive. Maybe I'd sooner see her dead and I'd like to see the look on your face as you try to save her. Maybe I'll do that before I suffer through your broken and unjust justice system." Davies ranted.
"Hand her over and drop your weapon. You are surrounded. There is no way out of this except through us." Danny said calmly and seemingly unaffected by the mad man's rant.
"You know, from what I understand, your task-force is made of up felons and riffraff. A woman and a man who steal money from their own brothers and sisters at arms, and a murderer of the Governor of Hawaii - and many other innocent people in the name of freedom. Tell me, where is Commander McGarrett, I half expected him here. I have a special demise planned for that murderer. He's nothing more than a legalized war machine - trained and programmed to kill without asking questions. Have you been taking lessons from that man, Detective Williams? I know he's sent his SEALs and his friends in to ransack my compound by storming in without regards for human life. And you, you let these people near your daughter? What kind of a father are you? You are meant to protect that little girl and yet you have guns and bad people around you all the time. Tisk, tisk, Detective, you're no better than the rest of us." Davies said with a twisted grin that dripped with insanity and wickedness.
"This is your last warning. Put down the weapon, put your hands where I can see them, and hand over the woman. She needs medical attention." Danny ordered and this time there was prickle of emotion at the edge of his voice.
"Or what? You'll shoot us where we stand? Medical attention? Her injuries won't kill her for some time. I'm a doctor, you see, I know how to fix these kinds of things. I know how to inflict these kinds of things and I'll do it in such a way that she will suffer for her crimes for a good long while before she dies of her injuries. That's what she deserves." Davies explained as he grabbed a hand full of the woman's hair - from behind her - and held a scalpel to her throat. "How fast can you react?" he asked and droplets, like rubies, started to roll down the woman's neck. "A flick of my wrist and she's dead, or an inch to the left and she bleeds out slowly and terrifyingly as you rush about trying to save her. Mercy or Justice? Punishment or Pleasure? What will it be Detective Williams?"
Danny reacted at the same time that Kono did, and before anyone in the room could respond to the mad man's ranting, they were in motion.
One trigger pull and Kono shot Davies in the leg - sending him to the ground writhing in pain - while Danny fired the weapon out of the second man's hands, and Chin rushed forward to tackle the now wounded lackey. Danny jumped in and rushed forward to catch the woman who seemed to crumple when she was released, and Kono simply towered over the now screaming doctor.
Wrapping both of his hands around the woman's bleeding neck, Danny stopped the bleeding and tried desperately to calm the woman down as SWAT rushed in around them and pulled both Doctor Davies and his lackey out of the room and into custody.
"Get me the paramedics!" Danny yelled as he felt the warm blood oozing out between his fingers.
5-0
"You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Snelling, everything is under control." A uniformed police officer stated after having knocked on the farm house door. "We just wanted to let you know that three men were captured on your property tonight. You and your family are safe inside the house and members of HPD and the reservists will be staying on until the business with Five-O is wrapped up. It would be best if you stayed in tonight."
"Thank you for the heads up, we have no plans to go out tonight." George stated with a smile as he watched the apprehended men being loaded into the back of an armored vehicle.
"We hope that this unfortunate event doesn't spoil your evening with the family, sir," the officer stated with a tip of his hat and he moved off again to complete his duties.
"I know that was supposed to be reassuring, but I can hardly catch my breath." Molly Snelling stated as her husband closed and locked the door again.
"It will all be all right Molly. We just have to get through tonight."
5-0
Steve was the first to breach the entrance of the hanger. He moved right as the second man moved left and from there the two teams divided. The hanger was dark, and jam-packed with stuff - everything it seemed, from farm equipment to additional supplies and weapons. In a flash of a memory, the scene reminded Steve of something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Most unnerving of all, however, was just how many places there were to hide amongst the rows of things.
From outside the yells of the Navy men, the odd sound of gun fire and the cries of the falling hostiles could be heard. Inside the hanger, however, it was as quiet as a tomb.
Twice - with the help of the night vision equipment - Steve and his men managed to get the jump on the hostiles hiding among the stacks of equipment, but they had only moved through half of the hanger when they stumbled onto more people and the stolen farm wagon.
"Don't come any closer." Some one yelled and was immediately silenced by a single shot.
"We are a human shield!" Another person yelled and was silenced as well.
"We have taken the compound and all of your accomplices. Surrender now, and walk out of here alive!" Steve shouted.
"You'll have to kills us all." Another voice, angry and vengeful, shouted from somewhere onboard the wagon.
Using the night vision, Steve was able to assess the scenario before him.
Along the wagons benches and posts - the posts that held up the canopy to cover the wagon - Steve could see that there were people, unprotected and restrained, and behind them, in the middle of the wagon and free of restraints were more men in full tactical gear and carrying large weapons.
The wagon shook and moved as people cried but the men with guns put the hostages between them and the Navy SEALs.
"If you want us, you'll have to kill all of us." A low voice growled again and then opened fired on the advancing SEALs.