OK, I know I'm probably torturing you with the question: "Where the hell is Steve?" but I promise that this is the last chapter without him.

I'd like to thank you once again for the reviews, follows and favs. It's nice to know someone actually enjoys reading what I write.


Adama bowed to Allah, kneeling on the prayer mat inside his small home built of mud brick. He went through his usual ritual, reciting the prayer words he knew by heart.

When he finished, he offered up a silent prayer of his own. But Adama was losing faith. Things were changing for the worse. His country was dying. People were dying or disappearing. He'd tried to do his best to help, but he was just one man in a small network of similar-minded friends.

Adama stood and felt the hopelessness wash over him once again. He thought of the women arriving at the medical center – raped, beaten, mutilated by the rebels. He thought of the children, missing, stolen. He thought of the men – murdered so they couldn't fight back and mess with Khalfani's plan to take over the country.

Life was painful. He didn't realize then just how painful it could be. Forty minutes later, after his door burst open and two members of the secret police came for him, after they'd blindfolded him and taken him to an unknown location, after he'd been forced into a chair, his arms and legs tied to it with thick rope, he realized true pain.

Adama trembled behind the blindfold of material that scratched his skin. He breathed heavily through his mouth, trying to quell the fear burning inside the pit of his stomach.

There was no warning when the first blow struck him on the side of his head. A fist hit hard enough to knock him onto his side, the chair clattering on the floor beneath him, banging his shoulder against rough concrete. There was barely any time before he was hoisted up again and another blow hit him, this time from behind. Adama's head flew forward onto his chest.

"No! Please, no! I haven't done anything." He struggled against the rope. The next strike sent pain erupting through his spine between his shoulder blades, like a firework against his skin, as his captors used a whip. Adama whimpered, but the whip rained down on his body, the crack against skin followed by Adama's shrieking cry of pain. But no one would ever hear him down there.

The officers whipped Adama until he was almost too far gone he couldn't cry out anymore. Then Khalfani nodded at them to stop. Adama's head lolled against his chest, his body soaked with sweat and blood.

Khalfani ripped off the blindfold, then leaned against the concrete wall opposite and crossed his arms casually over his chest. He watched Adama blink rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the searing white light from the spotlight above his head, glaring down at him. "Where is Steve McGarrett?" Khalfani asked.

"I…I don't know what you mean. He died…in a plane crash."

Khalfani clicked his teeth with his tongue. "Unfortunately not. And you are trying my patience. Where did you take McGarrett? We know he was not on that plane before it took off. It could only have been you that helped him."

Adama thought back to that day. "I don't…understand what you mean. I took him to the airport. As far as I knew he was on that plane. I am being honest."

"Did he give you what he took?"

Adama shook his head. "He didn't give me anything. I don't know what you're talking about. Really, I have no idea."

"But you were friends."

"Not friends. Colleagues," he lied. "I helped set up the medical center."

"Yes. I know all about you." Khalfani stepped away from the wall and walked closer to Adama. "I know about your little group," he hissed.

Adama let out a small whimper. "I have no group. I am just one man."

Khalfani picked up a pair of pliers from a table in the corner of the room. He stopped in front of Adama and attached the pliers to his right nipple, clenching down hard and twisting.

Adama let out a loud scream.

Khalfani bent over so his face was inches from Adama's. "If you tell me the truth, I will let you go. If you don't…well…I will rip off bits and pieces of you, one by one."

Salty tears streamed down Adama's cheeks as he fought the sickening wave of hurt. He could tell Khalfani everything he knew. He could betray a trust, a good friend, the children, and his country, but he knew he was a dead man anyway. It was only a matter of time. He was utterly helpless and alone, and no one would come to his rescue. He just hoped he could endure the pain before they killed him.

"I don't know anything!" Adama cried out. "I took him to the airport, and then I came home. I didn't see him again. I didn't know he wasn't on the plane. This is the truth."

"And what about his sister, his friends, hmmm? Do they know where he is? Have they been hiding him all this time?"

"I don't…I don't know any of them. I don't know what happened. He…must…he must've got on the plane."

Khalfani stood upright. "Nothing will jeopardize my takeover of this country. Nothing will jeopardize the business interests of my country. You have one final chance to tell me. And if you do, I will treat you well. I will make sure you are rewarded. If not, you will disappear." He grinned. "It is your choice. Everything is up to you."

But Adama knew that choices were an illusion. "I don't know anything," he repeated quietly.

"Then you have made your choice."


Danny stared into space as he sat in his office, thinking, wondering, hoping, waiting for Adama to call him back after numerous unsuccessful calls. He had a rough night and his brain was working overtime the whole time. His eyes blinked as he fought the exhaustion.

It was almost time to pick up Mary and Joan from the airport. But what was he going to tell her? He had no idea what was going on himself. He needed to find out if there was something tangible that could prove Steve wasn't dead. Even though his heart already accepted he was alive, his head was resisting the idea. There was still the possibility this was some kind of joke someone was playing. And even if not, he had no idea how to find him or what kind of trouble he was in.

Danny's world tilted and shook as he picked up the photo again and stared at it, his fingertips tracing his face. Then when he'd realized something. If Steve was alive, he needed some money to live on. He put the photo down and peeked out of his office, to see where everyone is. No one seemed to be by the smart table. Good. Lou knew but Danny didn't want risk involving the rest of the team just yet. Steve warned him not to tell anyone.

He headed to the smart table and started typing. It took him a few minutes to pull Steve's financials. Although he was pretty sure Steve wouldn't use any of those accounts if he didn't want to be found. But he had to try.

He scrolled month by month, day by day to see anything unusual. Nothing out of the ordinary. When he'd gone back ten months, to just before Steve died, something made him peer closer to the screen. Made him blink to refocus his eyes.

Dated two days before he was due to fly home, there was an entry that read Cloudbox $99. Except for the flight tickets, it was the only payment that Steve had made during his whole time in Africa.

Cloudbox? Danny had no idea what that was. He opened another tab and typed it in the search bar. A website with the same name came up as the first hit. He clicked on it and it took him to the home page. He scanned the website and found the About us section. It said Cloudbox was a technology company that built powerful tools for personal and business needs. He kept reading until he figured out it was actually a file hosting service that offered cloud storage and file synchronization.

"What are you doing? You need some help?"

Danny heard a female voice behind his back and stiffened. He turned around and found himself facing Tani.

"Um… actually, no, thanks. It's nothing important," he lied.

The look in Tani's eyes softened as she approached him and looked up at him, worry written all over her face. "Danny, I saw you going through Steve's financials just a minute ago. Don't do this to yourself."

Danny fixed his gaze on the floor, unsure of what to say. He wanted to tell them. He wanted to scream it into the world. But not yet. Not until he was sure it was safe for them and for Steve.

He glanced over his watch. "You know what?" he said. "Why don't you guys go home? We're almost done anyway and if anything pops up I'll give you a call."

"Danny-"

"It's not a request," he stepped in. He really didn't want to sound harsh but if that's what it took to be alone and focus on finding his best friend, then be it.

He watched Tani's facial features hardened as she stabbed her eyes into his in surprise. "Okay," she said. "But you don't have to push us away, you know that, right? We all miss him. We're in this together and I think you should let someone in. It would be easier."

"Please. I need some alone time."

Tani nodded, frowning, and walked into the office where the rest of the team had been chatting. Danny watched as all the eyes turned toward him when Tani spoke to them. After a minute that took them to understand their boss had actually kicked them all out of the HQ, they said their goodbyes and left.

Except for Lou. He walked straight to the smart table, knowing what all this was about. "Do you really think it was him who'd sent it?"

"I'm not sure. But if it was him, if he is in trouble, I can't just stand aside, Lou. I need to find him and then kick his ass for putting us through all that."

That little attempt of being Danny's usual self again had put a slight grin on Lou's face. "All right then, where do we start looking?"

Danny's head whipped to the side, meeting Lou's gaze. "You don't have to-"

"Oh come on, drop it! You know I want to find him as much as you do. And if you're right, if your boy is alive, we can't leave him hanging. We owe him that much."

Danny nodded, then turned his attention back to the screen. "Two days before the crash he'd paid for this cloud storage. I'd say we need to get in to see what's in there."

"You know, Junior would crack that open in a couple of minutes," Lou suggested.

Danny shook his head wildly. "No. It might be dangerous, Lou. I don't know what's going on yet."

Lou nodded, frowning at the login section of the website.

Danny typed in Steve's email address and tried the password he could've used. A box reading invalid email or password popped up. He tried another password but the result was the same. He kept trying, typing in more combinations of emails and passwords, but it still wouldn't let him in.

He exhaled loudly and that's when an idea came up. He knew one of Steve's email passwords. He could try and retrieve the password if Steve had used that email address. His fingers danced across the keyboard. He retrieved the password and logged in to Steve's email.

When he logged in, page upon page of spam and unopened emails flooded the screen. Ten month's worth of correspondence. He ignored them all and clicked the link in the newest email from Cloudbox.

"Huh, who would say it could be that easy," Lou commented.

Danny set up a new password and logged in. It brought him to Steve's home page. He clicked on files, but there was nothing there.

He frowned at the screen. "Why would he set up a cloud storage site, two days before he'd left Africa, but not added anything on it."

"Or maybe he added something and then deleted it?" Lou said.

Danny stared at the screen, chewing on his lower lip until he tasted blood. Then he picked up his phone and dialed Adama's number again. It rang with no reply, but it gave him another idea.

Phone records. It wasn't hard to dig those up. In a few minutes, he and Lou were scrolling the pages of Steve's calls during his trip.

Danny examined the calls, most of which were made to him and two mobile numbers that he double-checked belonged to Adama and Pete. A third number was listed and he'd called it six times that month. It belonged to Sabrina. The last time Steve had called it was the day before he was due to fly home. Just after that, the last call he ever made, was at two-eighteen pm - another call to Adama which lasted fifty-one seconds.

But that must've been wrong. There was an error somewhere. Danny stiffened, which didn't go unnoticed by his older colleague.

"What is it? You see something?"

Danny didn't answer and turned on his heel, running into his office and ignoring Lou's calls. He went straight to his desk and opened up a drawer. He found what he'd been looking for - Steve's death certificate given to him by Narumbean government, and the letter he'd originally received from them about the crash. He read through it again as he walked back to the smart table, where Lou stood with his brows drawn together.

He read through it again…

Dear Detective Williams,

It is with regret that I must inform you of the death of Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett to a plane crash on 15th June 2019. The light aircraft, departing at 2.10 pm, was traveling to the capital with two other passengers and pilot when all contact was lost with the plane one hour into the flight. It is believed to have suffered engine failure from a bird strike, causing the plane to go down in dense bushland in the central area of the country, which, unfortunately at present, is controlled by a rebel militia. Therefore, it is considered highly unsafe to attempt to investigate, locate the wreckage, and recover the bodies for repatriation. The plane was flying at an altitude of 8000 feet and we are certain there were no survivors.

We will shortly be issuing a death certificate in absentia. If you, or a chosen representative, would like to visit us to take ownership of the certificate or speak with me, you are most welcome to do so. Alternatively, I can arrange for the certificate to be posted.

We would like to thank Steve McGarrett for his help to our country in this time of civil unrest.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Our condolences and thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Kind regards,

Khalfani Iwu

Head of Police

Interior Ministry

Danny's jaw dropped.

"Danny? What do you see?" Lou asked, trying to understand his behavior.

"He wasn't on the plane."

"What?"

"The plane took off at two-ten pm," he explained. "His last call was at two-eighteen pm. There is no way he would've been calling from the air. Not unless the time of the flight's take-off was wrong."

"Or the entry on the bill," Lou added.

Danny starred at the letter. It didn't make sense. The only thing he could think of was that Steve hadn't been on that plane.

There was a contact number on the letter. Danny dialed and paced as he waited for the call to be picked up and put it on speaker. A woman answered, speaking in a language he didn't understand.

"Hi. Do you speak English?" Danny asked.

"Yes. This is Khalfani Iwu's assistant. How can I help you?"

"Hello. My name is Danny Williams. Is it possible to speak with Mr. Iwu?"

"Please hold the line while I see if he is free."

Some waiting and then finally he heard the voice of the police officer. "Hello, Detective Williams. This is Khalfani Iwu speaking." His voice was soft and friendly.

Danny met the head of police himself ten months ago when he'd gone to Africa to retrieve Steve's death certificate. Khalfani seemed to be an intelligent man and he was really friendly. He'd shown Danny all he wanted to see, answered all his questions. But Danny wasn't sure if he remembered him by name.

"I'm not sure if you remember me, Mr. Iwu. We've met ten months ago when-"

"Yes, of course, I remember. Once again, I'm very sorry for your loss. What can I do for you?"

"Thank you. I've just been wondering whether you managed to locate the plane yet? Or if you have any new information? I know you said before the area it went down in was occupied by rebels, but has there been any change in that situation?"

"I'm sorry, but the plane has never been located. As I explained to you before, the rebel factions operating in that area make it impossible to facilitate any kind of search for the wreckage. I do not expect the situation to change in the near future."

"Right." Danny rubbed his forehead, throbbing with tension. Maybe he was heading off on some ridiculous, wild-goose chase, but he desperately wanted to believe Steve was really alive. "Okay. Thank you for your time."

"You're most welcome. And if anything changes, I will, of course, inform you."

They said their goodbyes and Danny looked back at Lou.

"Do you believe him?" Lou asked.

"I don't know. I mean, he's the head of police in there. He might know more than he's telling me."

Danny picked up his phone and tried Adama again. Still no answer. If anyone would know something, it must be him, the last person Steve had called.

He cupped his hand to his mouth as he stared at the words on the phone bill again, getting more and more confused. Steve had called Sabrina the last day before his flight, but her words rang in his head from their previous conversation. She'd said she'd last spoken to Steve his second week in, but that wasn't right.

Was it an error on her part? Or had she just lied to him? And did she know more than she'd told him?


Khalfani Iwu dialed the number in Zurich and waited for it to connect.

"Hello," Simon Dietrich answered.

"We have a problem," Khalfani spoke softly into the phone.

"What kind of problem?"

Khalfani swallowed. He didn't get nervous often, but he was now. He hesitated for a moment, then answered.

"Why am I only hearing about this McGarrett now?"

"I thought it had been dealt with sufficiently."

"You assured me you could handle operations out there. And now you're telling me this… when we're in the middle of something I've spent months building up to?"

"It's not just you who has been working hard for months. I can handle things. But we need extra help brought in Someone in Hawaii."

"How much does his family know?"

"I'm not sure about his sister. But there is someone else who I'm worried about more than her."

"Who?"

"Detective Danny Williams. He used to work with McGarrett. Now he's the head of a special taskforce in Hawaii. He seems suspicious, asking a lot of questions. This is why I need your help. I think we should send some people to find out what he knows and who he's talking to."

The line went silent for a moment before Dietrich said, "I'll get my people on it. This cannot get out. Not now. Not ever."

"Okay."

"Keep me updated," Dietrich snapped.

"You too."

Khalfani hung up and called for his maid. The only way to get rid of the growing anger was to hurt someone.


Danny asked Lou to pick up Mary and Joan from the airport while he headed to Sabrina's office for answers to his questions. This was a conversation they needed to have in person. If she was hiding something from him, or lying, then it would be easier for Danny to tell face-to-face.

Emotionally drained but spurred on by a need to find answers he drove to Sabrina's office. He got past by receptionist, who let him in without much persuading. She indicated on the sofa and told him to wait.

But he couldn't sit. He was too fired up, too on the edge. Instead, he paced the hall like a caged tiger, thinking about what could've happened to his friend out there. What was so bad he had to hide for ten months? Hide even from him? His stomach twisted and he felt sick.

Sabrina calling him name brought him back to reality. "Danny? Are you okay?" She rested her hand on his shoulder, her forehead bunched with what looked like concern.

He avoided the question. "Can I talk to you?"

She studied him for a moment. "Sure. Come this way." She walked him into a small conference room and sat at the head of the table. "What can I do for you? I'm afraid I haven't heard anymore about the plane," she said quickly, as she was pre-empting any blame Danny might lay at her feet.

Danny sat opposite her. "I spoke to Pete, and I've been trying to speak with Adama, but I can't get hold of him."

She tilted her head slightly, with a look of concentration. "Sometimes the signal is not great in there."

"When I talked to you over the phone, you said you last spoke to Steve during the second week of his stay. Was that right?"

"I think so." Her gaze roamed Danny's face.

"Well, I've just been going through his phone records, and it shows that you spoke with him the day before he was… before he disappeared. Can you tell me what it was about?"

Her reaction was subtle, but Danny was certain. He'd been doing his job for long enough to recognize when someone was lying to him. She hardly missed a beat before she said, "Well, it would have been hospital-related. I can't remember exactly what we spoke about, it was ten months ago."

"Right." Danny carried on scanning her face. "How did he seem?"

"From what I remember, he was fine."

Danny looked at her hand and saw the almost unnoticeable tremor in it. He looked back to her face, straight into her eyes. "Were you two-"

"Of course not. We were just old friends."

He continued staring into her eyes. Something was off about what she was telling him, he was certain of it.

She broke eye contact first, looking away, standing up. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you any further, and I'm…" she glanced at her watch, "expecting an important conference call in five minutes."

"Of course," Danny rose too.

She headed toward the door, throwing the next words over her shoulder. "Like I said on the phone, if I find out any more about the plane, I'll let you know. I'd like him to be home just like you'd like that."

"Yes," Danny said, not really listening anymore, trying instead to work out exactly what she could be hiding and why.

He got back into his car and just sat there for a moment. Sabrina was definitely lying about something. Considering Steve's phone call to Adama after the plane had taken off, it seemed most likely Steve hadn't been on that plane when it went down. Danny still couldn't work out why he hadn't contacted him until now, though. How could he have let him think he was dead? Go through the interminable grief and guilt for the last ten months? There had to be a good reason.

Danny stared into the distance, not really seeing anything. In his mind, he was visualizing Steve, the way he smiled. How he always gave people his attention when they talked, like they were the most interesting thing in the world - that rare quality of really being able to listen. How he was always passionate about always wanting to help people. So much it had drained him.

He blinked back the tears threatening to form and then his phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and saw the foreign country code on the screen and answered the phone.

"You need to stop. You are in danger. They'll come after you and everybody you love, even your dog if you don't stop. Don't trust Khalfani Iwu." The voice was muffled, the line crackling, but the accent was clearly foreign.

"Who are you?" Danny was talking to thin air. Whoever it was had abruptly ended the call.

As Danny looked up, he spotted a man in the car parked across the street. For a second, his gaze locked on Danny's before he turned his head in the other direction so he could no longer see his face.

Was he watching him? Danny reached for his gun and opened the door, intending on confronting the man. But as soon as he got out of the car, the man sped away. Danny took a mental note of the plates, but deep inside he knew it's either fake or stolen.

He returned to the car, his stomach cramping with the need for food, but he ignored it. All he could think about the warning. It just confirmed what he'd thought. Steve must've got mixed up in something dangerous again.

Danny grabbed his phone and hit redial, hoping to speak to whoever had called earlier to warn him off. The number rang and rang, and just when he was about to hang up a voice answered in French. "Bonjour. Hotel d'Alleves."

The voice sounded different to whomever had called earlier. Danny knew it wouldn't be a good idea to alert whoever was on the other end of the line. He hung up, heading back to the HQ to find out more about this hotel, his brain on fire.

Someone was watching him and people were lying to him. Everything pointed to one conclusion only - Steve was alive. Danny was getting too close to finding the truth and someone didn't like that.

*to be continued*


I promised Steve will finally show up in the next chapter. Will there be a happy reunion? Keep reading to find out :)

And of course, I'd be really happy if you found a moment to review. It makes my day and keeps me writing.