Hi! Wow it's been a long time since we've written anything! Unfortunately, I have no excuse. Between work and watching our little boy grow and change (as well as changing a few thousand diapers), we just haven't found the time to sit down and write anything up until now. Now approaching four months old, Ben is becoming quite the handsome little guy! He has already stolen the hearts of both Mitch's and my family as well as those of our friends and co-workers. I have yet to meet anyone capable of resisting his charms. He's also become quite talkative, if you count babbling and gurgling. I'll take it over crying any day!
So, onto the story! As I said, it's been some time since we've written and Mitch and I may be a touch out of practice, so we apologize in advance for any spelling mistake, grammar errors, or random lines of "The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round" thrown in.
Summary: He stared in shock after his friend. What the hell had just happened? With fear in his heart, he took off in pursuit of his partner. As always, takes place about season two-ish. Ya know, the golden era of Hawaii Five-0. This story was written in response to a suggestion from MaylaMurdoch.
"Okay, we need to split up." Steve began in a hushed voice. "Chin, you and Kono circle around the building and cover the exits. I'll go right. Danny, head left. Radios on. If you see these guys, do not engage them. Call for backup right away. I don't know what this new chemical is, but the lab says it's similar to 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, a psychoactive chemical agent. Hasler's men were likely exposed to it when the canister exploded so you can expect them to be unpredictable."
"What about us? Won't we be exposed?" Kono asked. Steve shook his head.
"Not if we're careful. It's not aerosolized, so we don't have to worry about inhalation. So long as you keep your gloves on and avoid touching anything directly with your skin, you should be fine." Steve paused for a moment, looking at each of his teammates in turn. "Everyone clear on the plan?" After a chorus of assent, he nodded. "Alright. Let's do this."
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Danny crept silently down the hall, gun drawn. His sharp ears straining into the silence, piercing eyes scanning vigilantly. If their intel was correct, there was a total of six men unaccounted for. Six large, armed, mentally unstable men.
A flicker of a shadow from an office up ahead caught his attention. Aware that speaking would give away his position, Danny simply tapped his earpiece twice to alert his team. As he drew closer, he became aware of the fact that due to the immensity of the building, back up wouldn't arrive for at least ten minutes. That was the last thought he had before the door to the office burst open and Danny found himself pinned to the ground.
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Steve heard Danny's signal and immediately abandoned his own search. Chin and Kono had already contacted him, saying that they'd caught five of the men fleeing out the back. That left one more. Steve ran as fast as he could.
"Danny, I'm on way." Steve said into the microphone. A minute passed with no response. "Danny, do you copy?" Nothing. Steve ran faster. Ten minutes later, he found himself in a long hallway with offices on both sides. Near the end of it, the glass front of an office lay in shards on the floor. A small splattering of crimson flecked the wall.
"Danny, what's you twenty?" Steve tried again, then paused. A faint sound to his left echoed him. "Danny?" he tried again. This time he found the source of the sound. Danny's comm device lay partially smashed on the floor next by the open door of another office. Cautiously, Steve entered the room. Instead of Danny, he found the last of Hasler's men, unconscious in the corner, bleeding from a cut to his temple. Careful not to touch him directly, Steve cuffed the man to a filing cabinet and left the room, locking the door behind him.
"Danny? Danny, it's Steve. I got the guy." Steve called out experimentally. Still, only silence. Following the trail of broken glass and blood down the hall, Steve found himself at the stairwell. A logical Danny would have gone down, a better chance of outrunning a pursuer. The blood trail, however led up. Stowing his gun, Steve took the stairs two at a time. His heart sank with every floor, as he realized that Danny wasn't stopping. He was going to the roof. If Steve's suspicions about Danny being exposed to the chemical were correct, then that was the last place he should be. The idea of a drugged, injured Danny on the roof with a gun terrified Steve.
Steve knew he was nearing the top now. As he rounded another corner, a boot smashed into his chest, propelling him backward into the wall. Dazedly, he looked up to see the retreating form of a small, blond haired man. Shaking his head clear, Steve climbed to his feet, wincing as he did so. He stared in shock after his friend. What the hell had just happened? With fear in his heart, he took off in pursuit of his partner.
One more flight of stairs and Steve found himself at the slightly ajar door to the roof. Rain misted down lightly from the dark grey skies. Steve took a deep breath. With hands raised in a non-threatening manner, he stepped out onto the roof.
"Danny?" he called. He froze when he caught sight of Danny, standing on the edge of the building, gun clutched in his shaking, twitching hand. Blood dripped from a deep cut on his arm. While not life threatening, the cut was probably how the drug had entered his system.
"Whoa whoa, easy Danny. Why don't you put the gun down?" Steve suggested, hands raised in a placating manner. Danny whipped around and faced him with wild eyes.
"No! N-no…c-can't…one of them!" Danny shouted, chest heaving as though he'd just run a marathon. His skin was devoid of any color and Steve didn't miss the tremors coursing through his body.
"Hey, you know me, buddy. You know me. Steve, remember? Super SEAL, ninja…neanderthal animal? Your best friend?" Steve tried with a smile. Danny stared back at him for a moment without saying a word, then suddenly his attention was drawn by something to Steve's right. Something only he could see. Anger returned to Danny's face and he raised the gun, aiming it shakily at Steve.
"I won't let you!" Danny shouted. The gun slipped from his rain-slicked fingers, but that didn't deter him. In an uncoordinated but powerful charge, he tackled Steve to the ground and laid into him, landing punch after punch. Most of them hit the Kevlar of Steve's tactical vest, but the ones that didn't hurt like hell. Steve managed to free himself with a kick to Danny's knee. As he scrambled backward, he felt something rub his back. A moment to late, he realized that Danny had lifted his gun. In horror and disbelief, Steve watched as Danny raised the gun to his own head. Steve put his arms out.
"Danny…Danny! Hey, come on, man. You don't want to do this. Put the gun down, okay?" Danny's hand dipped and weaved up and down, but the gun stayed stubbornly pointed toward him. "Danny, listen to me. You've been drugged. Whatever you're feeling, whatever you're seeing, I promise you it's not real. I'm real. I'm here to help you, but I can't do anything until you put the gun down. This isn't you, Danno." The use of Danny's nickname seemed to trigger something and Danny let the gun slide out of his hands. Shaking harder than ever, he ran to the edge of the roof again, collapsing in a heap and curling in on himself. After throwing both his and Danny's gun's back into the building, he cautiously knelt down next to his friend.
"Danno? You alright, buddy?" He asked softly. Danny moaned softly in response, jerking violently every once in a while. Careful to keep his skin covered, Steve laid a gentle hand on Danny's back. "I gotcha, Danno. It's okay. You're gonna be just fine."
"Steve…" Danny whispered, so quietly that he almost didn't catch it.
"That's right, partner. I'm here." Beneath his hand, Steve could feel the wild pounding of Danny's heart as he drew in ragged gasps of air. "Nice and easy, Danny. In and out. Keep it slow." Steve coached. He could hear backup on the stairs, but they were still several floors down. As he sat there, he took in the bruises beginning to blossom on Danny's face, regretting that some of them had likely come from his own fist during their brief struggle. As Danny twitched and whimpered, Steve whispered soft, soothing words to him, doing his best to stop the bleeding from the cut on Danny's arm. Slowly, Danny's breathing evened out and his heart rate returned to an acceptable level. Now unconscious in Steve's arms, Danny had never looked more vulnerable. Just as Danny had done for him countless times, Steve protected him. Anyone but the trusted medic was ordered to remain inside. Steve was hell bent on preserving Danny's dignity. Just as Danny would do for him. As the ambulance took off, Steve seated next to Danny, he smiled down at his bruised partner. He may not have the legendary Danny Williams calming touch, but he was glad that he could at least provide some comfort to the man. He had learned a lot being Danny's partner. Perhaps the greatest lesson yet was that of compassion.
So…satisfactory? We hope this will tide you guys over until life calms down and we can write a bit more. Until then, we thank you for your never-ending patience! Oh, and a belated Merry Christmas, or whatever doesn't offend you! Now, off to go change yet another diaper.