Impatient to get the reunion of the boys? Or the light at the end of a tunnel for Steve? Well, then this chapter is for you.

I hope you won't mind another one being up so soon. I got really impatient and didn't resist posting it early. Enjoy.

Just as the last thought of his son being in good hands after his death crossed his mind, there was a loud clattering sound above the incessant pattering of water beating down onto his skin and tiles.

At first, Steve thought it was a gunshot, but it could equally have been a hard object – a baton or a metal bar – smashing against something – a wall? Steve felt the pressure on his throat release just slightly.

Then a voice.

"Get off him! All of you."

Steve didn't place the voice. He couldn't see the man speaking either, but his presence was enough for the prisoners to freeze.

Savage straightened up and suddenly all Steve could see of him were his legs. A second later, the blade was removed and the weight was taken from Steve's back. Then his limbs were released.

He grimaced in pain and moved onto his side. He spotted a guard he hadn't seen before at the entrance to the room. He was flanked by at least half a dozen other guards, most armed with batons, but three aiming weapons into the showers that looked similar to grenade launchers, with short and unusually wide barrels. Steve could only assume the weapons were loaded with rubber bullets to incapacitate rather than kill.

Maybe not everyone in this country, in this jail, was corrupt, after all. Thankfully, it seemed there were also good guards. Or just the least bad ones.

Savage and his men were standing tall, glaring at the small army of prison guards with hands at the ready, as though they still believed this was a fight they could win. For now, it was a stand-off, but Steve didn't want it to stay that way.

The stalemate had gone on too long, Steve decided, and he would take matters into his own hands. Brimming with rage, he leaped to his feet and lurched toward Savage. He never got as far as the boss though. One of the inmates was quick to react to the threat. Quick enough to save his boss, that is, but not quick enough to save himself. Steve took him down barely breaking stride. A knee, an elbow, and a fist later, the guy was crumpling to the floor, blood streaming from his face.

After that, chaos erupted. Two of the other prisoners descended on Steve, the rest onto the armed guards. Nearly a dozen men were brawling inside the showers as water splashed and blood sprayed. Weapons were fired. Batons crashed down. Bones were broken, tiles and fixtures too as bodies were slammed into walls and to the floor.

Steve was right in the thick of it, fending off the prisoners who came his way. His eyes though never fully left Savage who had stepped back from the fight, a look somewhere between anger and shock on his weathered face.

Steve despatched the men that came his way until there was just one more inmate left. Savage. Only at that point though did Steve realize that Savage was armed, his right fist squeezed around the handle of a switchblade.

Savage smiled at Steve and burst forward.

Steve was ready, adrenaline surging through his veins as he fended off the attack and launching his own.

Not long after that, the noise of shooting and grunting and thumping and shouting and pained cries died down. The only sound that remained was the constant rush of water.

Savage was on his knees, Steve holding him steady, the knife fell on the floor far from their reach.

In front of Steve, the other seven inmates were out of action on the wet, blood-filled floor. So too were two guards. Another one stood at the front of those who remained on their feet, his clothes soaked through and dripping, his weapon trained at Steve and Savage.

"That's enough," he said. "Get down."

Aided by the guard's warning, Steve reluctantly let go of the big man, letting him drop into the bloody water. Then he put his hands up behind his head and sunk down to his knees as the guards rushed forward.

Danny would swear he could feel his heart flip-flopping inside his chest. All the exhaustion suddenly vanished and sleep was the last thing on his mind.

"Wh…what happened?" he stuttered. "Is he all right?"

Adam confirmed with a slight nod, but a frown didn't disappear from his face. "For now."

Sensing a 'but' in the air, Danny remained quiet, waiting for more information.

"But I don't know how long that's going to be the case."

"Why? Tell me what you know," Danny demanded. He stepped aside to let Adam in and turned back to him as soon as the door was closed.

"Duke has a friend in there, a guard," Adam started. "He asked him to check on Steve, to see how he was doing. And it's a good thing he did that because if he didn't, Steve would be already dead."

Nausea crept up Danny's throat with as much as a thought of that.

"He was on his backshift and wanted to check on Steve, but found the cell empty. He found it weird, as nothing was scheduled for him. He found him in the showers. Steve, the two guards from his unit, and seven inmates."

Adam ignored Danny's widening eyes and kept talking.

"They had Steve pinned down with a knife on his neck," Adam said, shaking his head. "They were just about to slit his throat, Danny. And they would do that hadn't Duke's friend stopped them."

"Jeez," Danny mumbled, running his hand through his mouth in frustration. To imagine he was so close to losing his best friend…

"This guy, Lee, he suggested to transfer Steve to the mainland to keep him safe until the trial," Adam continued. "But it got rejected right out of hand. I'm sure that's because someone wants it this way." He paused, letting the information sink in. "And I'm pretty sure they'll try it again."

"We need to do something," Danny said, trying to calm his heartbeat. "He can't stay there. We need to get him out."

"We do."

"We need to find Roederer. Without him, we have nothing if the Governor won't listen."

"Did you hear from Cath?"

Danny shook his head. "Not yet. But I was thinking maybe we could ask Kono and Chin for help too. I'm sure they're busy, but they've got the access to the information, right?"

"I'll give Kono a call straight away, but we don't know how long it's going to take to find him, Danny. And even if we do, then what? Huh? What if he won't tell us anything? What if he's not even our guy? How that's going to help Steve?"

"I don't know, okay?" Danny snapped. "But he's our only option right now."

"No, it's not."

Danny squinted his eyes in question. "What do you mean it's not? You have a better idea?"

"Actually, I might have one," Adam said. "But you're not gonna like it."

"I'm all ears."

Not saying a word, Adam sucked in a breath, then pursed his lips together and leaned his head slightly to the side.

Then it hit him.

"You're not trying to suggest breaking him out, are you?" he asked, hoping he was wrong.

"Unless you can do it another way?"

"Yes!" Danny raised his voice, eyes wide in disbelief. "Yes, I can. We can. We will figure this all out and clear Steve's name."

"Might be too late for him by then."

"Are you out of your mind?" Danny snapped, no longer able to keep the emotions at bay. "We do that and we might as well be cell buddies with Steve! How that's going to be any help, huh?"

"I told you you're not gonna like it," Adam said with a shrug.

Danny stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck, searching for any hint of this over-the-roof crazy idea to be a bad joke. But Adam's face had never been more serious.

"No," he said after a while. "Absolutely, no. No way. We are NOT breaking Steve out of prison, you hear me?"

"He shouldn't be in there," Adam said. "You know that. Just like you know that he's going to die in there unless we get him out. Fast."

"No."

"You know I'm right, Danny."

Maybe he was. But a prison break? Hell, it was downright crazy to even consider, let alone participate. On the other side, it was Steve's life they were talking about.

"We get him out and worry about the rest later, okay? I'm sure we'll figure this out but it'll be easier if we don't have to worry about Steve's life every minute of the day."

Danny didn't waiver, though. "No," he repeated, his voice now calmer. "Could you please let that stupid idea go and call Kono and Chin, please?"

"Danny…"

"Just… please."

Adam bit his lower lip and exhaled loudly. "Okay," he said. "Yeah. I'll call them and keep you posted."

"Thanks."

Without saying goodbye, Adam turned and walked away, shutting the door quietly behind him, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts once again.

It took a few moments for Danny to take his gaze off the closed door. He shook his head back to clarity and snorted loudly.

What a ridiculous idea.

Or… was it, really?

The night had been terrible.

The worst one since Steve's arrest, riddled with anger, fear, and worry.

Danny suspected it was Adam's idea that had robbed him of sleep tonight. Or, to be more precise, the fact that the man had been right about the danger Steve was in. About the fact they could lose him anytime if they didn't act fast.

But just for a moment, Danny would allow himself to push all those thoughts aside and focus solely on one single thing. Seeing his best friend after a week.

The visiting room was functional. It was the communal space where the inmates were brought to meet with their visitors. Danny would have preferred somewhere private, but they would have to make do with what they had been given. He was grateful that he had been able to make it this far after all.

He glanced around the room at the other inmates: they were male, tough, and bore the bleakness of their situations across dead-eyed and expressionless faces. Many of them had prison ink on their exposed skin, their arms, legs, and faces decorated with crude tattoos. The inmates were distinguished by their orange jumpsuits.

Danny looked at his watch. He had been here for ten minutes. He turned to the door, wondering whether he should go and speak to the guards, hoping they wouldn't change their mind. It was visiting hours, so they didn't really have an excuse anymore, but Danny was sure they could come up with one easily.

Then the main set of double doors opened and a man was brought inside. He was marked out as an inmate by the same uniform as the others, and Danny almost disregarded him. The front of his neck was bandaged up. His face was bruised and marked by cuts that had been clotted with dried blood. One eye had been forced shut by a socket that was swollen and blackened. He walked with a limp, hunched over with an arm pressed to his side as if to protect damaged ribs.

Danny looked away, and then, as he noticed the man being led his way, he looked again and his heart dropped.

He hadn't even recognized him at first.

"Jesus, Steve," he said.

Steve's lips curled into something that was probably supposed to be a smile, and he lowered himself gingerly down onto the hard wooden seat. "Good to see you, buddy," he said.

Danny fought the urge to lean forward, wrap his friend into an embrace, and keep him there so no one could ever hurt him again. His throat dried up as he tried to speak, and no words came out.

"Danno? You good?"

"Am I good?" Danny managed. "I'm fantastic. Never better."

Steve's gaze dropped, and his smile faded too. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Why would you say that, huh? What are you sorry for?"

"For worrying you like this," Steve said. "But I'm fine, really."

Danny pouted. "Right. Fine. You don't look fine to me, Steve."

Steve ignored his concern. "Are the kids safe?" he asked, lowering his voice. "How is Jamba doing?"

Danny nodded. "They're with Rachel," he said, following the suit and decreasing the volume. "Jamba misses you a lot. But he's a brave little guy. Hanging in there."

It was impossible to miss how Steve's eyes darkened with sadness. "Tell him I love him, please. That it's gonna be all right."

Danny nodded again, uncertain where did all the words go. There had been so many things he had wanted to talk about to his friend in the past week, yet none of those came to him at the moment. All he could think was of how bad of a condition Steve was in, and that a bandage on his neck confirmed Adam's words.

"You sure you're okay?" Steve repeated, worry lining his banged up face.

"Yeah," Danny lied. "Can we speak safely?"

Steve didn't say anything, but it was enough of an answer for Danny. He would just have to keep his voice down and let the other conversations be louder than theirs.

"Steve, what happened?" he asked, half-expecting his friend to lie.

Steve didn't disappoint him. "I thought Odell told you." He stretched out his shoulders, exhaling painfully from the effort. "We've been drinking, and…"

"Stop right there," Danny interrupted. "You have never been a good liar, Steve. I, for a fact, know that you haven't been drinking."

"Why do you think so?"

Danny made sure to keep his voice low, barely audible. "HPD tested your blood before FBI took over. There was no trace of alcohol in it."

Steve didn't reply again, standing his ground.

"Look, I get it, okay?" Danny said. "I know why you'd say such a thing. Someone threatened you? To us?"

Steve just pursed his lips tighter together, his eyes scanning for the nearest guard. It was evident he was afraid to say anything out loud.

"We're all fine, okay? Don't worry about us," Danny assured him. "But I need you to tell me the truth, Steve. Was it the Swiss guy?"

"Danny…"

"Do not Danny me, Steve. Please, let me help you."

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted with a loud shout of one of the guards.

"One minute, time to say goodbye," he announced without a hint of compassion in his voice.

Steve glanced meaningfully at Danny. He waited until the guard who had approached their table from behind had continued upon his way.

"You're not going to be able to take many more beatings like that," Danny said. His eyes landed on Steve's throat and stayed there for a few moments. "And I know about yesterday."

"I know," Steve said. "But I think I've bought myself a little time. They've put me in solitary until they can work out what to do with me."

"Yeah, because it obviously worked really well," Danny snarled. "And what about when they put you back in circulation again? Huh?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know yet."

Danny sucked his teeth. "Steve…" he started.

"Time's up," The guard yelled, interrupting him.

Steve's expression was wry once again. He reached across the table and took Danny by the hand.

"Hey!" a guard shouted.

Steve squeezed Danny's hand. "I need you to promise me something," he said. "Please, if something happens to me…"

"Hey! No touching!"

Steve let go.

Danny shook his head wildly, sensing where this was going. "No, no, no. You'll make it," he said. "I'll make sure of it."

"Danno, listen to me…"

"You stay in one piece," Danny said. "Just a little bit longer, okay? I'll get you out, buddy. Can you do that for me?"

Danny watched the guard walk over Steve and yank him up by the arm, ignoring his friend's pained groan, and his hands curled into fists. "Steve?"

"I'll try," Steve said as he's been nudged forward, toward the line at the doorway so he could be searched before taken back to the cell. "I'll try."

Danny found his hands trembling even a few minutes later as he climbed into the Camaro in the car park. Shaken by Steve's condition, as well as his friend's unfinished plea, Danny dialed a number on his cell phone. It was an unconscious movement, as if his body didn't listen to his brain anymore. It only rang twice before the call got answered.

"Adam?" he said, his voice a mere whisper. "We'll do it. We'll break Steve out."

*to be continued*

Okay, no more surprise updates. You're gonna have to wait till the next week for another one.

Let me know what you think if you find a moment. It would mean a lot.