CHAPTER 33
The world around him blinked in and out. The colours swirled together, causing his stomach to roll on a sickly tide. His mouth was impossibly dry as he tried to swallow down the bile that threatened to make an appearance.
Steve barely had the energy to breathe. His ribs were damaged and the heroin in his system had slowed his breathing. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open, to stay alert.
This was how it had happened last time. This was how Nazeef stopped him from fighting back, from protecting Johnston when it counted.
Soon, the drug would wear off and the pain would return with a vengeance, taking his breath away. Distantly, he could feel the bones in his wrist grate against each other as he swung limply from the ceiling. For the moment, he couldn't feel the pain. But that didn't mean he enjoyed the feeling.
He hated the numb feeling taking over his body. It wasn't even a feeling; more of a sensation. Logically, he knew that was just the drugs, but he couldn't help wondering if his body had become detached from his head.
The pain that had been muted by the drugs was slowly coming back to the forefront. Steve almost welcomed the pain as it ran rampant through his body, causing him to gasp audibly.
"Back with me, I see," Nazeef's voice sounded like it was muffled, the words blurring together.
Steve didn't have the energy to even open his mouth to respond. Without warning, Nazeef swung a bat and hit his already compromised ribs. Steve tried to lean forward, but the ropes held him still. The pain in wrist was reawakened by the movement, causing the bile that Steve had been holding down to suddenly come up.
Nazeef stood back and turned his nose up at the putrid smell of the vomit. Steve only regretted that he hadn't aimed for the man's shoes.
"I can make the pain go away," Nazeef said, circling Steve with another syringe in his hand. "Just tell me who told you about my compound."
"Go…to…hell," Steve panted.
The pain was all consuming. His eyes fluttered closed of their own accord. Steve couldn't muster up the energy to open them again. He heard the sound of the bat hitting his flesh, but disassociated himself from the pain.
He could hold on. Just a little longer.
Just a little longer until…what?
Until rescue?
No one was coming; Nazeef had made sure of that. No one knew where he was. He would die here. That was okay as long as the boy was safe.
Safe.
Steve felt a pinch in his arm and knew the pain was about to leave again. As much as he hated that, he knew it would be over soon.
"Are we seriously doing this?" Danny hissed as he trudged through the undergrowth of the forest.
Kono rolled her eyes as she moved forward. "For the hundredth time Danny, yes."
"I would feel more comfortable with back up," Danny muttered.
"We can't call HPD. We don't if there are others working for Nazeef. You know we can't take the risk," Kono reminded him.
"It doesn't mean I have to like it," Danny whispered. "Why couldn't we have just sent Kupahu out here?"
"You know why, Danny," Kono said, her tone suggesting she was starting to get annoyed. "We need him to decrypt the drive so we can use it to bring down Nazeef's network."
"We could have Toast do that," Danny moaned.
Kono held up her hand to signal they should stop. They ducked behind a tree and peeked through the foliage at an old wooden cabin. Kono glanced at her watch. It was only five minutes until Kupahu was supposed to deliver the drive to the cabin.
The adrenaline coursed through Kono's body. She was nervous. Their plan was good, but every plan had the potential to fail, no matter how prepared one may be.
A moment later, four heavily armed men stormed from the cabin and climbed into the four wheel drive parked next to the cabin. Kono let out a sigh of relief as she watched the men drive away from the cabin. That meant there were fewer of Nazeef's men to deal with.
By now, Nazeef would have realised that Kupahu had been compromised and sent some men to take care of the problem. She just hoped Tillman was up to the job, but given how he had handled the Fuentes situation, she felt confident that he could protect their new informant.
"Chin, are you in position?" Danny asked over the earpieces.
Lucky for them, Tillman's storage unit had everything they could possibly need for infiltrating a hostile situation, including communication equipment.
"In position," Chin said from his position behind the cabin. "I think this is definitely the place. I had to sidestep a few booby traps. Watch your step."
"Copy that," Danny said as he looked over to Kono, who was watching the cabin through some high-powered binoculars.
It felt weird not having the usual backup, but they couldn't risk alerting Nazeef to the fact they were still alive. However, they were lacking a certain Steve-ness. The plan was something that Steve would normally come up with; rushing into a situation without backup. Except this time it was because they had no other choice.
The forest was deadly silent. The large off-road vehicle had left long ago and there was no movement from inside the cabin. Fear suddenly gripped Danny's heart. What if the silence meant that Steve was already dead? What if they were waiting outside while his partner bled to death?
Danny suddenly jumped up and ran towards the house before Kono could stop him. He didn't need to look behind him to know that Kono was following closely behind him, always watching his back.
Danny's eyes roamed the area, waiting for some of Nazeef's men to pop out of the forest and attack them. He wasn't prepared for the sound of a gunshot which shattered the silence and caused birds to flee from the treetops.
Danny leaned his body against the wall closest to the door and listened. He could hear movement inside and muffled voices. He couldn't tell if one of the voices was Steve's. The voices became angrier and louder the longer Danny listened.
If Steve was still alive, there wasn't time to come up with a plan. No one was prepared to wait any longer, especially Danny. Danny broke down the door and entered, knowing Chin and Kono were right behind him. He saw a pair of feet in a doorway to the right and approached carefully, afraid to find his friend dead.
What he saw instead shocked him to the core.
"Steve!"
Steve's head hung limply on his chest as he focused on getting enough air into his lungs. He knew it would be easier if he could just lift his head but he couldn't get it to move. Instead, he focused his energy on twisting his wrists in the loosening ropes above his head.
At some point after the last injection, he had started to experience withdrawal symptoms. His body trembled uncontrollably, which had actually worked in his favour. The ropes were becoming looser the more his body shook.
The sound of muffled voices on the other side of the door told Steve he didn't have much longer. Even though he couldn't make out what was being said, the angry tone suggested it was time to make a move.
Steve knew that Nazeef was going to kill him; that was a fact. Steve vowed to make sure he would take the man with him to the grave. He knew he couldn't do that if he was still trussed up like a turkey. So, he rubbed his wrists raw trying to loosen the ropes enough to slip out of them. It was an exhausting feat, but he was determined. He would, at the very least, die a free man.
Suddenly, his right hand slipped free of the ropes, followed by his left. His body hit the floor with a loud thud. Steve took a moment to dial back the pain in his right hand before he attacked the ropes holding his feet to the floor. The heroin was wearing off again and Steve wasn't sure if that was a good thing anymore.
Finally free, Steve laid his aching body on the floor as he tried to get in as much oxygen as possible. He wondered why nobody had come in given the noise he had been making trying to get free. He wasn't going to complain about the reprieve from his captor.
The sound of a door opening and slamming shut echoed loudly in the hot room. Steve looked up, expecting to see Nazeef standing in front of him. Instead, the locked door remained closed. An engine revving told Steve that at least one of Nazeef's men were leaving.
That left two options: either Nazeef had left with his men, leaving Steve behind or something had Nazeef spooked enough to divide his forces. Steve hoped it was the latter. Either way, Steve knew he had to move. The time for rest was over.
Carefully, Steve rolled his body to the left and used his left arm to push himself up off the floor. After spending a moment to catch his breath, he brought himself up to his feet. The small movement that ordinarily required little energy had left him winded.
Finally standing, albeit very wobbly, on his own two feet, Steve started to make his way to the door. Before he reached it, however, the door swung open and a familiar figure entered the room. The man looked at Steve in shock.
"How did you…?" Vice Admiral Walker said, his mouth gaping open.
"You look…better than the…last…time I saw…you," Steve rasped.
Walker stood in front of Steve. The right side of his head was covered in white gauze that was stained red. His dark coloured hair was matted on that side, presumably with dried blood. His right arm was in a makeshift sling. Steve smiled at the injured man, pleased to see the injuries the crash had inflicted on him.
"No thanks to you," Walker growled.
Steve felt a wave of dizziness come out of nowhere. He locked his knees and tried to remain upright as the world tilted around him. He blinked furiously as his vision turned grey. As soon as he got his bearings again, he saw Walker charging at him.
Steve stepped to the side, but tripped clumsily over his own feet. He rolled to try and prevent landing on his abused right wrist. He managed to get back up, but stumbled as he tried to maintain the upright position. By the time the world stopped spinning, any move Steve might have made was void.
Walker stood in front of him, a smug smile on his face, and a gun pointed at Steve's chest. Standing just behind Walker was the man that had made his life miserable. Qari Nazeef stood confidently behind his minion.
Steve glared at Nazeef, his eyes conveying the raw hatred raging inside him.
"I am impressed by your resolve, McGarrett," Nazeef said. "A lesser man would have given up by now."
Steve just concentrated on breathing. It shouldn't be that hard to get some air into his lungs. He felt like he had just run a marathon. Twice.
"Why do you continue to fight? Can't you see there is nothing left for you?" Nazeef said.
Steve's thoughts turned to the young boy he had liberated from this man.
-Flashback-
Ari giggled in delight as Steve spun him around, high in the air. The carefree laughter coming from the boy broke his heart. Steve suspected it had been a while since the boy felt safe enough to enjoy simple laughter and joy.
Reluctantly, Steve placed the boy on the ground as the team reached the edge of the compound. Steve knelt down and stared into the enormous brown eyes.
"Ari. I want to say thank you for your help," Steve said with a huge smile.
"Will it help you fight the bad guys?" the boy asked with all the innocence a young child could convey.
They had been warned during training to never trust anyone, even the children, in foreign countries. More often than not, the children were used as scouts or for intelligence gathering. It was always risky but Steve knew in his gut that he could trust this child. There was something about him, something that made Steve want to protect him from everything horrible in the world.
"Yes, it will." Steve suddenly grew serious. "Your father is one of those bad guys. Do you understand?"
Ari thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes. I know."
"You know that means we might have to hurt him?" Steve said seriously.
Ari looked up at Steve with a brave expression. "If it means we can live freely and not have to worry about being killed every day, then I am okay with that."
In the distance, they could hear the voices of Nazeef's men searching the compound. Steve knew he didn't have much more time with the boy. He gave Ari a quick hug.
"We will be back," Steve promised. "I promise that you and I will see each other again. I promise your father will never hurt you again."
Ari nodded, and hugged Steve back with all the strength he had. Which was a lot.
Steve ruffled the boy's hair and stood up. Steve turned away and walked with his team back to the extraction point. He looked back one last time to see the boy wipe away his tears and square his shoulders before returning to his own personal hell.
Steve vowed to make sure the boy would never have to pretend to be something he is not ever again. He would make sure he got to live his life without fear. Steve wiped his damp eyes before turning back to his team and walking away from the compound.
-End flashback-
"I…could…say the same…about…you," Steve panted. "Why are…you so…fixated…on this one person?"
"It must be known that no one crosses me and lives!" Nazeef exclaimed.
"Even…if…that…person was…your son?" Steve asked, playing his last and only card.
Nazeef's eyes widened. "My sons are dead! Your men saw to that!"
"Maybe…that's what we wanted you…to…believe," Steve explained.
"What? Why would…? How could…?" Nazeef stuttered.
"And now, you will never…get to know…why," Steve finished.
This was it!
Steve had spent the last few minutes getting a plan together. He knew he only had one shot, literally, to make this work. With Nazeef distracted by his recent reveal, Steve concentrated on Walker. The man had one arm out of commission and the other was occupied with a gun. Walker was also distracted by his boss' reaction to the news, which played in Steve's favour.
Gathering the last of his remaining strength, Steve inhaled as deeply as he could and grabbed Walker's outstretched arm with his left arm. Steve spun his body to the right, dragging Walker's left arm over his own right shoulder, holding him immobile in a strangle hold. Steve pried the gun from his hand and pointed it at Nazeef.
Nazeef looked at Steve in shock, but also understanding. "I never should have underestimated you, McGarrett."
"You're…right, you shouldn't have. This time…I won't miss," Steve said quietly.
"I will see my sons again," Nazeef said with a peaceful smile.
Steve grinned, his teeth stained with blood. "No…you…won't."
Steve pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet forced its way through Nazeef's skull, leaving a gory trail of blood and brain matter on the wall behind him. Steve watched in slow motion as the man's body fell to the floor and landed with a dull thud. The shocked expression remained on Nazeef's face, even in death. As soon as Nazeef took his last breath, Steve felt a mountain of strain being released from his shoulders.
Steve felt weak with relief and felt his knees begin to buckle. He almost let himself collapse before he remembered he was holding onto Walker. Walker struggled in Steve's hold, even with both arms immobilised.
"What's your…plan now, McGarrett?" Walker spat as he tried to pull away from Steve.
To be honest, Steve hadn't thought much further than putting the bullet through Nazeef's head. He was tempted to just put another one through Walker's, but something stopped him.
"Give me one…good…reason…why I…shouldn't…kill….you right now," Steve said, his voice dangerously low.
"Because I know every other person involved from the very beginning," Walker said loudly.
"What…did…he give…you?" Steve asked.
"He gave me a way to climb the ranks. And the money didn't hurt either," Walker explained.
"Do you…have any…idea…how…many men lost their…lives…because…of you? How…many…families…were des-destroyed?" Steve whispered.
Walker chuckled slightly. "A small price to pay."
Steve pulled on Walker's arm, causing his to gasp in pain. "I understand…why Nazeef…did…what he…did, but…I don't…know…why you…did it."
Walker pulled against Steve, but Steve held on. He wanted answers. Now.
"I was a low-level analyst. When your team brought in all the intel on the Noorzai cartel, it was like a treasure chest of information. Tillman came to us, told us you had some more information. The poppy fields. Nazeef made it worth my while to tell him about the assault planned."
Steve grimaced. He wanted very desperately to snap the man's neck to stop him from talking, but that would be the easy way out. Steve wanted him to rot in maximum security for the rest of his life for the crimes he had committed.
"No one ever knew where you got that information. Especially the information about the compound. We knew you had to have a source," Walker explained before he laughed. "To think that the source was right under our noses the whole time!"
"Then, you pulled that escape trick and single-handedly took out his organisation. Impressive, I have to admit. We were sent in to clean up afterwards and gather any remaining intel Nazeef had. I discovered Nazeef's body, but he still had a heartbeat. Your bullet shattered his jaw instead of puncturing his brain."
"Years later, Nazeef came to me. He had heard rumours about a certain SEAL being sold in an auction. We spent months devising a plan. As Nazeef himself said, no one walked away from him, much less someone that took out an entire compound full of his men. Unfortunately for me, an NCIS agent became very interested in my comings and goings. He followed me to Hawaii. I couldn't risk him exposing us, so I had him dealt with."
Steve shuddered when the image of Owen Perry's mutilated body presented itself. No one deserved to die like that.
"This guy was good. He had everything on us, all conveniently location on a drive. After a bit of…questioning, he told me where he kept his information secured. I think he came to Hawaii to warn you. We couldn't let that happen now, could we?"
"So, I hired some young idiot who was keen to impress to make it look like he had killed him. I believe his first victim was Ivan Monroe? Anyway, you didn't exactly fall for it and started looking in all the wrong places, so I came in and gave you an alternative theory. I think you remember what happened next."
Steve recalled that the team had spent long days searching for two men that had disappeared. He remembered seeing their burnt corpses amongst the wreckage of the house.
"How…did…you…get them….out…of jail?" Steve asked about Trevor and Marcus.
"No one questions you when you have my rank. It wasn't hard to give the young Ensign a story and have them released. The plan worked well enough, except for Carl Rogerson. He had a conscience and a fiancee. He was supposed to eliminate your team, but he failed to do that. Twice. He got what was coming to him."
"You didn't…answer…my question. Why…did you…do…it?" Steve asked.
It was getting harder and harder to hold on to Walker. Steve could feel the energy draining from his body as each minute passed by. He couldn't do this much longer.
"It wasn't enough to be the protégée. I wanted to be the leader! I wanted it all!" Walker screamed. "And now, I have it! And you will not stand in my way!"
So, the servant became the master. Steve wondered briefly if it was actually more of a hostile takeover. That was the last thing Steve had been expecting. Nazeef's motives he understood, but Walker's? The guy was clearly insane.
A loud bang made Steve jump and loosen his hold on Walker. There, in the doorway were three figures. Steve couldn't make out their features as his vision faded. His hand dropped the gun as it grew heavy in his hand. Distantly, he felt a stabbing pain in his leg as his body fell slowly to the ground.
"Steve!" he heard.
Steve smiled at the sound of a familiar voice.
It was done.
He could let go.
