AN: Wow, I'm really spoiling you guys with two stories in one week! I guess I'm just in the holiday spirit. ;) This chapter is a brief lull in the action, but it certainly builds to a fun climax. Also, I'm not a doctor and am definitely making up all the stuff regarding elite's side effects. Thank you all for reading and your encouragement! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

No one grasped the definition of controlled chaos until they visited the ER during a busy shift. Between the cacophony of noise, hordes of patients and medical personnel alike, and highly-stressful procedures taking place, it was a minor miracle that the doctors and nurses managed to get anything done at all.

Unfortunately for those stuck in the waiting room anticipating news regarding their injured loved ones, the chaos led to a lack of updates.

As someone intimately familiar with hospitals, Steve knew a thing or two about working the system to his advantage. He fully intended to utilize those skills now as the ambulance pulled up to the doors of an overflowing triage area.

After all, this was his best friend's entire life at stake - and not just physically either.

An elite's life was often one of healthy paranoia. If news of their abilities fell into the wrong hands, terrible consequences were sure to follow. Though bound by HIPPA, certain doctors sometimes breached their oath out of either hatred or profit; elites went for quite a bit on the black market.

One friend of Steve's in the Navy - a fire pureblood - made the mistake of revealing his powers to a doctor who was questioning the odd burns on his palms. That was the last time Steve ever saw the man.

So, yeah, he was more than a little protective of Danny - especially since Danny couldn't protect himself at the moment. This instinct overruled the bitterness and no small amount of hurt churning in his gut.

Why did he lie to me?

Judging from the expressions on Chin and Kono's faces before he'd hopped in the ambulance with Danny, the fourth member of their team was going to have quite a bit of explaining to do when he woke up.

One look at Danny's pale, slack face deterred the urge to wring his neck, so he shoved his hurt down deep to examine at a later point. Regardless of what powers he'd kept hidden, the detective was certainly paying the price of those abilities now. Moreover, he'd used them to correct Steve's blunder in shooting a damn child - the guilt of which still gnawed away at him.

Then that child tried to protect Danny against a group of people with guns with nothing more than a stiletto.

It was all too much to think about, he realized as he jogged behind Danny's gurney. One glare was more than enough to deter a nurse trying to prevent him from entering the ER bay. Jaw clenched, he watched as medical personnel swarmed his partner and begin the process of stripping him and attaching vitals leads all over his body.

The buzzing of his phone was more than enough to break his brooding. "Talk to me, Chin."

"I did some checking. Our best bet is a Dr. B.T. Sterling, a former medical Captain in the Air Force. He's a trauma specialist with certifications as cardiothoracic surgeon and a specialty in elite-related injuries. From everything I've seen, the guy's good and trustworthy."

"You do a thorough background check?"

"It's running now, but nothing has come up so far. It'll take a little longer since I'm trying to cover who requested it. I don't want anyone checking our files and putting two and two together."

"I don't think we have that kind of time to wait for it to finish. I'll request him now." Running a hand through his already-mussed hair, Steve blew out a deep breath. "Any other updates?"

"Both Vilvoldi and the guard are locked up in rendition at the Palace. Duke's there overseeing the whole thing. Kono's keeping an eye on the kid, who's still unconscious. From what I could tell, Kono's a little dehydrated and could use a break, but she'll hold up for now."

"Get here as soon as you can, alright?"

Chin hummed in agreement. "As soon as all the loose ends are tied down, I'll be right over." A pause, then, "Hang in there, Steve. Danny'll be fine."

God bless the unending calm that Chin seemed to possess.

"He won't be by the time I'm done with him."

"Hey." Now, Chin's tone was chastising. "I don't like it either. I wish he would've trusted us, but can you really blame him for this? He was only protecting himself, and with those abilities, I understand why."

Yeah, he wasn't in the mood for this conversation at all. "Call me when you get here."

Shoving his phone in his pocket before Chin could push further, he turned his full attention to the controlled chaos surrounding his friend. The doctor and nurses had already stripped Danny and were buzzing around the bed urgently. Yet none of them lifted a finger to help the one obvious problem. Danny was violently shaking - practically convulsing on the hard ER bed - and all they'd done was pull a thin sheet up to his waist.

"Hey!" he called, elbowing his way to stand beside the side of the bed. "Page Dr. B.T. Sterling and have him come down here to evaluate Detective Williams now."

Real civil, McGarrett, Danny's voice chided him in his head. Is this how you make friends and influence people, you schmuck?

The young ER doctor, who wasn't a day over 26, sputtered angrily. "Commander MCGarrett, this is highly irregular - -"

"I don't care." Scooping up his friend's hand, he rubbed the freezing appendage in a futile attempt to ease the shaking. "You haven't done a damn thing to help my partner. He's practically convulsing, for crying out loud, and you're just running around aimlessly!"

Though the harried doctor bristled, he was smart enough to recognize a losing battle when he saw one - especially with the infamous Five-0 crew. Throwing his arms up, he stalked out of the room with brisk orders to the nurses to continue monitoring Danny's vitals. A few moments later, he returned and nodded curtly. "Dr. Sterling is in and he's on his way. In the meantime, I'm going to start a line of warmed IV fluids to stabilize his blood pressure."

Nodding, Steve watched the doctor like a hawk as he went about performing the task. One nurse tried to get him to move away from the bed, but he refused to relinquish his position by Danny's side holding his hand. After setting the IV, the doctor also placed an oxygen mask over Danny's nose and mouth.

Moments later, another man in a white lab coat strode into the ER bay. Hands stuffed in his pockets, his intelligent, piercing gaze quickly scanned the room and paused on Danny before resting on the other doctor. "Dr. Hansen, good to see you. What've we got?"

"Detective Daniel Williams, male, 34. He was found unresponsive and has remained so despite efforts to wake him. Pulse is slow and steady at 53 bpm, which is about 12 below his typical resting heart rate. O2 levels were 92.5% when he was brought in and have increased to 99% on full oxygen. Overall, his stats are lower than we'd like, including his bp and temp. He also has a superficial contusion to his cheek, but it's nothing concerning."

Only now did Steve notice the purpling bruise from Chin's fist on Danny's face, the vibrant hue standing out against the pale skin. In his mind's eye, he saw Danny grumbling as he pressed an ice pack against his cheek.

How did everything escalate so quickly?

Tilting his head, Sterling scanned Danny before frowning. "No trauma, no breathing or heart issues… why am I here, Jon?"

All the younger doctor needed to do was point in Steve's direction.

Swallowing hard as Dr. Sterling's intense gaze bored into him, Steve unconsciously straightened. "Dr. Sterling, I'm Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett."

"I know who you are. Leader of Five-0, bane of criminals and medical staff alike." Raising an eyebrow, a sardonic smile quirked at the corner of the doctor's lips. "I mean, it says your name and rank right there on your vest. Not very subtle, are you?"

Well, that was… unexpected.

Ignoring Steve's deer-in-the-headlights expression, Sterling turned to the remaining medical personnel in the room. "Jon, I can take care of this, thanks. Sally, can you get me a copy of Detective Williams' file? And Jordan, bring a blanket from the warmer for our patient. We might as well keep him comfortable until we can figure out what's happening."

They immediately dispersed, leaving the intrepid doctor and the Navy SEAL alone. Tsking softly, the doctor pulled the sheet up to Danny's shoulders and scanned the readings from the monitors. Then, with a poker face that would rival Danny's, Sterling met Steve's gaze head-on.

"Well, this should be interesting. Care to tell me why you requested me by name for this? I might be getting on the old side, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember wrangling your infamous team."

Steve would hardly classify the guy as 'old' - maybe late forties judging by the appearance of a few silver strands amidst the sea of brown hair. Average height, he bore a toned build that the athlete in Steve instantly respected. Moreover, the ever-present glint of humor on his face was something he instantly liked.

In other words, his instincts screamed at him to trust the doctor with one of the most important things in his life.

Clearing his throat, he adopted a tone he hoped was diplomatic. "Thanks for coming - -"

"You didn't exactly give me a choice."

"- - but the situation is complicated. We ran a quick check and determined that you were the best person to help Danny."

"You ran background on me? Seriously?"

A withering glare from Steve had Sterling raising his hands in mock surrender.

Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts before plunging ahead. "I needed to be sure you'd be discreet. Whatever's going on with Danny has something to do with his… abilities, and our search showed that you were the best person to help."

Sterling was certainly quick, Steve gave him that. The doctor's confusion vanished behind the soft veneer of understanding. Approaching the ER bed, he picked up Danny's wrist and manually took his pulse before turning to the monitors. When the nurse came in with the file and blanket a second later, he wasted no time laying it over Danny's shaking body.

It took a moment, but the violent trembling soon reduced to the occasional shiver. Danny, however, remained stubbornly unconscious.

"Oxygen, fluids, core temp…" Reaching for Danny's chart, he scanned it while muttering under his breath. All the while, Steve shifted anxiously, hoping he hadn't just made a life-altering mistake.

Eventually, Sterling set the chart down. "The report says that the origin of his unresponsiveness is unknown and that he was found unconscious. I'm guessing there's more to the story than this lets on…?"

Still, Steve hesitated.

"Look, you brought me in to help your teammate for a reason. I can't do that if I don't have all the information. You have my word that nothing will leave this room."

Please don't hate me, Danno.

With one final look at his unconscious partner, he began recounting everything from the warehouse.

~H50~

When Steve emerged from the double doors of the ER treatment area, Chin leapt to his feet. "How is he?"

"Still unconscious." Ah, so that explained the SEAL's patented 'aneurysm face,' as Danny called it. "Dr. Sterling is running some tests and moving him to a private room. He said that Danny should be fine though when he finally wakes up. There's no discernible trauma causing this, so there shouldn't be any problems once he's awake."

"So he knows?"

A grim nod was the only answer Chin got.

"Does he have any theories?"

"Not here, Chin." We don't know who might be listening.

Clearly, his boss was in hyper-protective mode - not that Chin blamed him. Danny's little bombshell shook them all and his prolonged unresponsiveness only heightened that anxiety. This case had become more than they'd bargained for, and he couldn't help but feel that they might be in over their heads.

The frantic whisper of the guard before he was shoved in the back of a police car seemed to get more and more accurate with every passing minute.

"Kono's still with the kid. Apparently, she's awake and climbing up the walls with multiple demands to see Danny. Kono said that she's about ready to sit on her to keep her in the room."

"Ballsy kid."

Smiling in spite of the serious situation, Chin couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, she's got some backbone, that one. Anybody threatening a Navy SEAL with nothing more than a knife needs to be gutsy."

Steve rolled his eyes at that. "Do we have an ID yet?"

"Kono's working on it - the kid isn't exactly forthcoming. We're working with a limited window here since she's technically wanted for questioning for the murder this morning, but being treated here should delay that process at least. But we've got other problems right now, boss."

Already shaking his head, Steve's posture shifted to a stance that screamed defensiveness. "I'm not leaving Danny, alright? He's unconscious in a hospital full of people who probably want to pawn him off for a fast buck! I have to watch his back!"

"Does anyone else know?"

"Well, no, but - -"

"And did the doctor give any indication that he would do something like that?"

Expression darkening, Steve shook his head sharply. "No, but forgive me if I don't take people at their word."

Okay, he couldn't really fault the logic there.

"Look, Steve," he tried again, voice dropping to a near-whisper, "we have a job to do, a damn important one. Kono's here and she can keep an eye on things until we get back. But this case is turning into something far bigger than we thought, and we need to get on top of it."

Steve was wavering, he could sense it. Time to bring out the big guns.

"Y'know, Danny would hate it if we sacrificed an opportunity to end this because of him."

Hiding a small smile, he watched as Steve visibly deflated and nodded once in acquiesce. After he quickly texted Kono about their whereabouts, he motioned for the SEAL to follow him out of the hospital.

The stars blinked against the black curtain of the night sky, the sole observers to the disgraced detective and former Navy SEAL climbing into the black SUV. For once, Steve didn't say a word about riding shotgun, his thoughts still back in that ER bay with his best friend. The weight of all his worries visibly bore against his strong shoulder, with guilt only adding to that burden.

That was the thing about the McGarrett men, Chin had learned. They were strong, courageous, leaders, and loyal to the end, but those traits came at a high price. Strength bred stubbornness, courage gave way to recklessness, leadership fell to an incessant need to control every situation.

And loyalty toted an undying fear of losing all they held dear.

That fear ran so much deeper in Steve than it ever did in John McGarrett. The SEAL had already lost far too many people from far too young an age. It made him wary to let anyone in and utterly terrified of those he gave a piece of his heart to vanishing with it.

Danny was one of those people.

Chin was under no illusions. He and Steve were close friends, but the SEAL's relationship with the feisty Jersey transplant ran so much deeper - a brotherhood most people spent their entire lives looking for and never finding. Yet, these two broken, bitter souls found each other and slowly built the other back up.

This sudden revelation coupled with Danny's collapse must've shaken Steve to his core.

"You alright?" he hesitantly asked, never one to run away from a challenge.

"Fine."

Wow, earth-shattering response.

"So did this Dr. Sterling have any theories?"

Steve turned from looking out the window at the passing streetlights, appearing to weigh his answer carefully. Eventually, Chin's patience won out.

"He thinks Danny's got high levels of the Energy Dimensional type in his makeup." Shaking his head in disbelief, the SEAL stared out the front windshield. "There's no way to tell, obviously, but he said that he'd bet on Danny having as close to pureblood power levels as an Energy Dimensional as you can get as a mixed elite."

The only visible sign of Chin's surprise was a single raised eyebrow. Elites with Energy traits were hard to find, especially since energy itself proved to be a rather stubborn element. Unlike other facets of the universe, it stuck rigidly to its laws of creation. Not even the most powerful Energy pureblood could create energy or destroy it. They simply… relocated it - an act that took a tremendous amount of control and energy on their part as well.

As a result, Energy elites rarely manifested and almost never showed themselves.

Well, the silver makes sense now, he thought.

"It explains a lot," he hedged, thinking back to how Danny managed to get the stack of papers to fall on the floor in a demonstration of his 'abilities.' He must've been manipulating the potential energy lingering in the stack, forcing it to shift to kinetic. "My grandfather always said that elites with Soul traits in their makeup need one hell of a power source, and that would definitely suffice."

Steve stiffened at that. "We don't know that he has any Soul traits, Chin."

"Yeah, but it seems likely, don't you think? I mean - -"

"No, Chin. If he does…" Glancing over, Chin watched Steve's adams apple bob up and down.

"If he does, then we'll protect him - whether he likes it or not. That's what ohana does."

The SEAL nodded absently, still gazing unseeingly out the front windshield. Stopping at a red light, Chin allowed himself to fully face the SEAL. "But that's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

In the glowing red of the stoplight, he watched as Steve's jaw clenched before he choked out a soul-wrenching question. "Why didn't he tell us, Chin?"

It was a question plaguing his own mind, though he doubted he took it as personally as Steve did. Danny's abstinence from sharing, no matter how good the reason, hurt like a knife to the stomach. Still, Steve needed some sort of explanation, and Chin's assumptions would have to be placeholders until Danny could explain himself.

"Probably for the reason you just said. He was just protecting himself."

"From us?" Steve shook his head, scoffing, "He knows that we'd never hurt him."

Carefully, Chin nodded slightly. "Right, but fear isn't always rational. Elites learn pretty early in life to keep their abilities a secret. Old habits are hard to break, especially survival instincts - you know that. And after his time at HPD, it's understandable why he lacked any trust in colleagues. If he's as powerful and as rare as we think, it makes complete sense for him to keep it under wraps - even lie if needed."

They fell silent, cruising through the mostly empty streets characteristic of the late hour. Deep in thought, Chin remembered the little white pill Danny handed him that afternoon - the miracle medicine that banished his elite-based migraine almost instantaneously.

Only now, he knew it wasn't the pill that had supernatural abilities. How many other times had Danny subtly taken care of their aches and pains without any of them noticing?

And how many times had he hidden the adverse side effects, sacrificing himself despite his obvious fear of discovery?

But as they pulled into the parking lot of the Palace, it was Steve who summed it up perfectly, interrupting the silence with a quiet, heartbroken statement.

"I trusted him, Chin. I just wish he had trusted me."

~H50~

The call came in far later than expected, late enough that he briefly considered initiating contact himself.

Now, as he heard the news, he was glad for his prevailing patience. However, that proved to be the only bright spot he could find in this mess of an evening. Well, that and the fact that he had a few useful people on his payroll.

"I thought you said that it would take HPD at least 24 hours to set up a sting," he growled. "So how the hell did a raid occur just as my asset attempted to take out Vivoldi?"

Officer Young appeared unfazed by his rage - whether out of stupidity or bravery, he wasn't sure. "Yeah, and I wasn't lying. The problem is Five-0. They took over the case and ran the raid, which means everything happens way faster. They don't gotta go through all the red tape that we do."

"And you didn't warn me of this because... why, exactly?"

"You think the almighty Five-0 tells us what's going on? Nah, brah, we get a phone call asking for backup and that's about it. Sometimes we don't even get that."

Based on his brief research into the Governor's task force, he grudgingly admitted to himself that it was probably true. Young was loyal - well, loyal to the massive paycheck that mysteriously appeared in an offshore account in his name - and he would've called had he known.

But had he gotten that call, he could've pulled his property and his other guy out before the place lit up.

Leaning back in his chair, he glared at the officer. "So where are they now?"

"Well, see, that's the interesting part." Young had the nerve to smirk, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Your guy got caught and is stewing in Five-0's dungeon. No way anyone gets in there unless they got a badge that says 'Five-0.' Oh, Vivoldi is definitely in the cell next to him. And the kid is in the hospital surrounded by doctors and nurses and HPD."

"What? Why is she in the hospital?"

Young's smirk only widened at the sight of his boss's ire, earning a growl. "Because she got shot by McGarrett. Twice in the back, actually - if the rumors are to be believed. She stepped into his line of fire during a standoff with Vivoldi. Except…"

Damn, he was ready to shoot this smug son of a bitch himself. "Out with it," he said very quietly, "or you might end up the same way."

"Except the kid is totally fine, not a mark on her. In fact, no one even knows she got shot but Five-0. But when we arrived on the scene, she was lying by a pool of blood near another detective - a haole named Williams, who was also unconscious."

"So? Why do I give a shit about an idiotic detective who got himself knocked out?"

Rolling his eyes, Young began talking slowly. "He wasn't knocked out otherwise I would've heard it over their channel during the raid since McGarrett is so protective of his wimp of a partner. No, think it through. The kid got shot, only she didn't - at least, there's no bullet wounds and she seems fine. Meanwhile, you got a detective who was there unconscious with no discernable reason why! Don't you get it?"

For a moment, it remained unclear. But then it clicked all at once, adrenaline thrumming through his veins as the implications finally became clear.

"Is this for real?"

"I did some checking, asked around and stuff." Young shrugged and grinned. "I dunno how, but it looks like he's exactly what you've been looking for."

"I want him. Where is he?"

"Tripler - same hospital as the kid. Last I heard, he was still unconscious."

"Who's his doctor?"

Young frowned. "I'm not sure. I'll see what I can find out, alright?"

"Do that. I want constant updates, Officer. If he so much as twitches, you tell me. Oh," he added offhandedly, dismissing the younger man, "keep me informed on my property as well."

The dirty cop's sloppy salute failed to lower his mood. Nothing could after that bombshell, not even the prospect of the girl or his guard talking to Five-0 about his operation. It was easy to uproot and move on and even easier to kill the witnesses down the line, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

After years of searching, he had finally found one. His white whale.

An elite with that kind of power… well, the possibilities were truly endless. Buyers would line up with payments beyond anything he'd received so far to own something like that. However, he wanted to keep this one for himself - maybe pimp him out occasionally for an easy payday. This one was special.

Of course, he'd have to break the man first. He was an adult, after all and a cop to boot. It wouldn't be an easy task, but he loved a challenge.

"Get me all the information you can on Five-0 and this Detective Williams," he ordered one of his guards.

As the man rushed off, he forced himself to take a deep breath. Patient, he must be patient. A mistake at this stage could cost him everything. He could wait a little longer.

After all, a few hours of careful preparation, then this Williams would be his.

Dr. B.T. Sterling is one of my characters from my previous stories. He's been a fan favorite, so I figured I would just drop him in this world rather than make up a new character. Obviously, he's being introduced as a new character, but he's the same guy which means plenty of grumpy sarcasm is yet to come. :) Thanks for reading and have a Merry Christmas!