Chapter 36

Steve gave thanks for the brisk efficiency of the U.S. Navy as he settled down into the cargo seats of the military transport. It was barely 4 hours since he had touched down in the Gulfstream and he was already on his way back to Pearl Harbor. SEAL Team 9 were being debriefed at Fleet Activities Yokasuka and would remain in Tokyo for a few days of R and R before shipping out on their next mission. Agent Hirsch was being cared for in the military hospital and they had contacted an experienced psychologist with high-level security clearance who was already being briefed so that he could start to help the man through what would be a slow and painful recovery period.

The Gulfstream's crew had been handed over to the Organized Crime Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, who had been very interested to know what the two men could tell them about the Yakuza's illicit flights in the luxury jet. As expected, the plane's transponder had been interfered with to hide the true nature of its journeys. There had been some discussion about what to do with Wo Fat's body and it was decided that it should be held at the mortuary at the U.S. Naval Base for the time being.

Steve couldn't care less, all that mattered was that he had custody of Freddie's remains and had requested that they were placed into a proper military transportation coffin, which was in turn draped with the American flag. He would be Commander Hart's official military escort for his final journey home. The personnel at the base provided him with the camo green Navy Working Uniform, known as NWU Type III. Steve dressed in his uniform after he had showered and shaved. It didn't have his name badge, but at least he was appropriately dressed for his solemn task. He also had the Champ toolbox in his possession, but really didn't know what to do with it now that much of what his father had been investigating was known to him. He decided to stash it back in his garage, for all he knew there might be evidence in it from other cases and he could need it again one day. Once the plane reached its cruising altitude Steve finally slept - comforted by the fact that his friend was close by, even if only in spirit.

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As the hulking C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane made its stately progress high above the ocean with the sleeping man, the situation rooms back at JBPHH and Five-0 HQ were buzzing with activity, even though it was very late. Chin had hopped on his motorcycle and travelled back to the Palace to re-join his teammates, as he could be of more use to them there at this stage of the operation. The photographs of Wo Fat's fake prisoner transportation had been securely sent to the Task Force as soon as SEAL Team 9 had landed in Japan.

Kono had called Greer via secure video link and forwarded the photos to the CIA agent. Gabrielle had examined the pictures and declared them just what she needed to pique the interest of Daiyu Mei. After the two ladies had discussed the next phase of the operation she thanked Kono and ended the communication. The rookie turned to Chin and Danny as they walked over to join her at the surface table, "Wow, she's great. If anyone can reel in the fiancée, it's her! I can see why Steve suggested her for this mission." The two men agreed, she certainly appeared to be a very capable agent. They had been given permission to share the identity of the CIA mole with Gabrielle, as it was considered to be mission-critical intel ahead of her contact with Daiyu Mei.

Greer had not been able to hide her shock, which had quickly turned to anger. Both she and her colleagues, Miller and Hennessy, had been sent into dangerous situations on the direct orders of the man. How many of their missions had been compromised - potentially making any of them vulnerable to capture, torture or death? She thought back to her latest assignment, in which she had been forced to leave her safe house in a hurry. She had only just got out of there in time and put it down to bad luck, but maybe Jonathan Kray had sold her out to the highest bidder?

Chin took in the tired faces in front of him and ordered the team to go home and get some sleep. He already knew that Steve was on his way back to Pearl Harbor and was due to land just after 10 a.m. the next morning, in the meantime the best thing that they could do is get some sleep and make sure that they were all well-rested before the second phase of the mission was put into motion.

Back in China, Gabrielle had recovered from the initial shock. She settled down at the hotel bar, nursing her drink. She didn't want to have more than one as she had a big day ahead of her tomorrow and would need to have her wits about her. She ignored the admiring looks she was getting from a couple of the single men in the bar. She wasn't in the mood for company and while she was thinking along those lines she wondered what to do about Tom Hennessey. He had been flirting with her the last couple of times that they had seen each other and she accepted that she was entirely to blame. She had started it during that dinner in Shanghai when she was trying to make Steve pay her some attention. Tom was a good guy, but he didn't pique her interest. This then made her question what did pique her interest, she got to wondering just how much money Jonathan Kray had made from his nefarious side-deals. She was willing to bet that he had set himself up to have a very comfortable retirement indeed. Would that be something that she could also look forward to if she spent the rest of her career inching up the ladder in tiny increments and playing by the rules? That was assuming that she didn't suffer a career-ending injury first, something that was all too common in her line of work. Her disgust of Kray then turned on herself as she berated herself for even thinking like that, but those very first seeds had been sown in her mind. With just the right set of conditions then it was inevitable that they would flourish and grow.

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After being awake for nearly 30 hours straight, Harry had snatched a few hours sleep during the latter stages of the operation and had missed the Team's successful withdrawal from North Korea. He cornered his Dad in private - normally he made a special effort to not draw attention to the fact that Captain Brown was his father, not wanting anyone to think that he had achieved his current rank because of nepotism. But today his need to know that Steve was okay overruled his normal caution. Eddie checked that no one was paying them any attention and then spoke to the worried man, "It's okay, Son. Steve provided Joe with a brief sitrep when he landed at USFAY. The mission was a success. Wo Fat and his men are all dead and his compound destroyed, same for Dark Sun and Ji-Woon - no casualties or even injuries to SEAL Team 9. Steve recovered the body of Commander Hart and is on military transport back to Pearl as we speak." Harry's shoulders dropped in relief as he let go of his nervous tension, he had been more on edge than he realized,

"Oh, thank God . . . wait, he's got Freddie with him?" Harry's mind was racing, "Is anyone making arrangements for their arrival? Have you informed the family yet? Commander Hart's body should be received with the care and dignity that he deserves. What about the funeral – is that being planned?" Eddie smiled fondly, his son had a big heart,

"Calm down, you'll meet yourself coming back at this rate. Yes to all of the above questions. I thought you might want to be part of the welcoming committee, along with Lt. Rollins." Harry looked pleased,

"Catherine's going to be on the tarmac?"

Eddie replied, "Yes she is and so are you. You look wrecked, go and grab a few more hours of sleep before you fall down and then get yourself to the Hickam flightline before wheels down at about ten hundred hours. Our boys got a ride home in a C-17."