AN: Thanks so much to everyone who continues to follow this story and share feedback! I appreciate each one of you and I hope that you enjoy reading these updates as much as I enjoy writing them. This week, Chin and Kono prepare for a dangerous mission with help from an old friend, Danny has a choice, and Steve decides to start fighting back. Enjoy!

The time leading up to this moment was the very definition of exhausting. Down two people, the remaining members of Five-0 had been running around finalizing arrangements. They called in favors, commandeered the appropriate vessels, gathered equipment, strategized and re-strategized until they felt like they'd ridden one too many times on a Tilt-A-Whirl.

But they'd done it. Somehow, someway. Now, all they needed to do was finalize cover stories before disappearing into the setting sun to save their colleagues or die trying.

Of course, that was the very moment the Governor decided to waltz through their door.

Thankfully, they had nothing incriminating out in the open - whether up on the screens or scattered across the table. Still, Kono found herself frantically scanning the area to ensure that nothing suspicious was lying anywhere in sight.

Chin took the lead, heading Jameson off at the pass. "Governor," he intoned politely, his posture intentionally relaxed. "What can I do for you?"

"Where's Steve?"

"Still not here. He's meeting with a contact about a potential lead on Danny's location. I'll tell him to give you a call when I see him."

"Just like the other times you've done that, huh? Funny how I still haven't gotten a call."

Jameson's suspicion was written all over her face, no longer willing to be held at bay by turning a blind eye on Five-0's dealings. This newfound interest in their operation couldn't come at a worse time.

"You know Steve, ma'am," Kono said with confidence she didn't feel, standing firm under that assessing gaze. "He's so focused on finding Danny that nothing else matters. We could tell him 'til we're blue in the face to call you and it wouldn't matter. He's not gonna do anything until he finds his partner."

Nice, cuz, came the mental nudge from her cousin.

Though the Governor continued frowning, she evidently bought the lie. After all, she'd seen the leaders of Five-0 together bickering like an old married couple. No one doubted the genuine affection between the two - a brotherly bond forged by fire.

Stance relaxing slightly, she folded her arms. "Where are we with Detective Williams' potential whereabouts?" She frowned at the screen, which held a photo of one of the yachts Kingsley used to host clients or transport kids. "I thought the current theory was that Vivoldi's men took him as leverage, but this doesn't look like something in Vivoldi's assets."

"We're working from a different angle," Chin stepped in smoothly. "Vivoldi was working with a different organization to distribute his drugs. The child we rescued during the raid confirmed the theory. We're hoping they're holding Danny at that location."

"No stone left unturned, I see." Studying the visible photos, Jameson pursed her lips. "And this child, where is she?"

"A safe location. We're keeping it very quiet after the recent ambushes."

Once again, Kono marveled at her cousin's ability to remain collected in the face of such a dicey situation. Feeling sweat trickle down her back, she schooled her expression into one mimicking Chin's placid face.

After a long pause, the Governor nodded. "Excellent work, all of you. Five-0 has my backing to do whatever necessary to bring down this organization and find Detective Williams. Such horrid deeds cannot go unpunished on my islands."

"We completely agree," Kono answered, carefully swallowing the dark rage threatening to choke her. "We'll do what needs to be done, don't worry."

If we're not too late.

Two people - even powerful elites - against an army weren't great odds. They needed to stack the deck in their favor as much as possible. Unfortunately, Governor Jameson wasn't the source of their advantage - not now, anyway. What they were about to do wasn't exactly… well, legal.

But it was entirely necessary, so they were throwing legality out the window.

A shadow in the doorway behind the monologuing Governor caught her attention, and she subtly motioned the figure back when the Governor looked away. No need for her to catch sight of one of their less-than-orthodox assets.

"... that you have this well in hand," Jameson finished, straightening her jacket. "I wish you all the luck, and please pass my support along to Commander McGarrett. I want to meet with him for a full debrief when all this is cleaned up. Understood?"

"Like I said, we'll be sure to pass that along." Ever the diplomat, Chin's relief at her apparent exit remained carefully hidden behind his polite veneer. "Anything else we can do for you, ma'am?"

"Find Danny and bring these scumbags down." With a soft smile, she turned on her heel and left. "Keep me in the loop, Inspector Kelly."

Twin sighs of relief echoed across the bullpen when the Governor disappeared into the hallway. Still, Kono gave it an extra minute before she called, "You're good! She's gone!"

A dry chuckle preceded the entrance of a very welcome face. "I see that the most powerful woman on the island - the source of your long leash, might I add - isn't privy to our suicidal plan. This keeps getting better and better."

"You're more than welcome to back out, Doc," Chin pointed out. "No one would blame you."

But Sterling only smirked, setting his two large duffel bags gently on the floor. "What, are you kidding? I haven't been this excited in years. Good Lord, I've missed the feeling of adrenaline coursing through my veins."

"Sounds like you didn't run this by your wife first."

"Oh no, I may be joining this insane quest but even I'm not that suicidal. She'd kill me, bring me back to life, and kill me again over and over again if I kept this from her." Smiling fondly, Sterling fiddled with the gold band on his left ring finger. "She understood and was 100% on board. In fact, she said our doors are open as a temporary stash place if needed."

"Wow." Kono's jaw dropped. "Brah, your wife sounds incredible."

"That, Officer Kalakau, is one of the few constants in this inconsistent world. Although," he added absently, "she'll definitely murder the pair of you if I don't come back in 'the same condition that I left.' So, fair warning. She'd get away with it too given all those true crime documentaries she watches."

"Duly noted." Chin hoisted one of the duffels onto a nearby table, motioning for Kono to do the same with the other. "You get everything?"

Expression darkening, the doctor nodded. "The whole kit and kaboodal. I could probably perform minor surgery if needed, but let's not test that if we don't have to, alright?"

Unzipping a bag, Kono's eyes widened at the contents. "You're not kidding," she said, admiration growing for the resourceful doctor. "Where'd you get all this stuff?"

Sterling's eyes twinkled, hands shoved in his pockets as he rocked back and forth. "You'd be surprised what you can find for sale on the internet. Plus, I know most of the suppliers for the hospital. Between free samples and a huge personal med kit, I can cover most of my bases."

"And the rest of it?" Emerging from the exploration of his own bag, Chin raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I signed it out for a home visit and a field exercise. If anyone looks too closely, I might need your Governor friend to pass me some of that immunity and means bullcrap you all love to showboat."

"Knowing us," Kono interjected, "I'm pretty sure we'll need every ounce of that 'bullcrap' if something goes sideways."

"Well, I'm certainly hoping your propensity for getting into trouble took a vacation just this once." Smirking broadly, the doctor straightened and turned toward the monitors. "I'm off the evening shift and you got me until it's time to go, so what else do you need from me?"

Normally, Chin and Kono wouldn't dream of allowing a civilian - even an accomplished one like ex-Captain B.T. Sterling - of taking the risk of helping them in this mission. However, they were completely out of options. And now, with a never-ending mission prep list and rapidly disappearing time, utilizing the good doctor seemed nothing short of true wisdom.

"Do you know the shave ice stand on the beach in Waikiki?" Chin asked carefully. "It's run by a guy named Kamekona."

Nodding slowly, Sterling's expression was the definition of confused. "Yeah. What, you need dessert before you conduct an illegal raid in the middle of the ocean?"

"Something like that." Sharing a smirk with her cousin, she handed the doctor a slip of paper. "Go to the stand and order this, then show him this note. Kamekona will handle the rest. Do yourself a favor and bring plenty of cash with you."

"And definitely do not look into any of the boxes he gives you," Chin added absently. "Try not to speed on the way back either. You'd never talk your way out of a prison cell once the cops pop those lids."

"I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this." Though Sterling's quick acceptance of the note inKono's hand belied his dry comment of regret. "Here I was thinkin' that McGarrett and Williams were the crazy ones."

"Don't know what you're implying, brah," came her innocent retort. "For the record, Steve and Danny are a million times worse than we could ever be."

"Oh yeah? I'm beginning to think anyone related to Five-0 is insane, and I'm pretty sure it's contagious." Waving a hand over his shoulder, his grumpy words were completely at odds with his cheerfully sarcastic demeanor. "If I get arrested, you guys better bail me out or your next hospital stay will get an extra three days tacked onto it!"

He strode out the door before either cousin could rebuttal, his pleased chuckle fading as the door closed behind him. The lighthearted atmosphere that had temporarily made itself at home in the bullpen followed him out, leaving behind only the grim anticipation of a dangerous mission.

Running through the checklist in her head, Kono focused on quashing the jumpiness that'd plagued her all day. Kamekona was providing an array of unregistered - and definitely illegal - weapons. He hadn't asked any questions when they'd asked, only nodded seriously and asked for 24 hours to get them together. Whatever debt the big man owed Chin, it was bound to be paid off in full after this.

Based on the brief explanation the shave ice king had given, they would have an abundance of every conceivable type of firepower. Steve would be proud.

But nothing was considered 'overboard' for this particular mission, not with the stakes this high. They'd assembled the combined forces of their ohana with requests that paired with the unspoken plea to ask no questions.

Kono had been tasked with calling in favors from the still-faceless legend named Lieutenant Catherine Rollins. She lived up to her reputation and then some, providing them with a hidden link to military satellites and disguising their unofficial use of the technology with enough red tape to sink the aircraft carrier she resided on.

All it took were the words "Steve's in trouble" from the rookie cop for Catherine to offer her extensive and vital aid. The genuine fear in her slightly wavering voice - carefully hidden but incredibly potent - told Kono everything she needed to know.

Catherine Rollins would move heaven and earth for Steve McGarrett, no matter the consequences and no questions asked.

"You'll bring him back safe, right?" the lieutenant had asked, the phone failing to hide the tremble in her voice. "I mean, I know you can't promise that and you can't tell me what he's involved in…"

"We'll do our best," Kono had fiercely vowed, wholehearted belief behind every syllable. "And our best is pretty damn good."

"Of course it is. You work with Steve McGarrett, and he wouldn't accept anything less."

Keeping her in the dark had been an unfortunate necessity - plausible deniability and all that. However, they also wanted to keep Steve and Danny's gifts under wraps; that was their news to tell, not the cousins'. Catherine accepted the few details Kono could provide with stalwart composure.

Chin was in the process of pulling up those satellite feeds when his phone rang, signaling yet another vital part of the plan coming to fruition.

"Toast," he answered the phone, turning on speaker phone so she could hear what the hacker said. "How's it coming?"

"Hey, brah - I mean, Officer Kelly - I got your drive right here. It took an extra joint and the whole bag of lollipops, but I got it to follow the specs you asked for." Both cousins rolled their eyes at the involuntary confession, but refrained from commenting. "And I threw in an extra algorithm that'll help your cause."

"Okay, why don't you walk me through it? I don't want any surprises when I activate it."

A key to the operation's long term success was hacking into Kingsley's files, downloading the information as evidence, then wiping the drives to both protect the captive children and prevent anyone from replicating the trafficker's network. Since they didn't have a warrant for the info, they couldn't use it in court. However, it would provide them with leads toward admissible evidence.

Plus, they could always whip out the immunity and means card if needed. It was awfully handy.

Despite Chin's computer expertise, even he was unable to put together something that could accomplish everything in the limited time they had. Plus, they hadn't been able to find a remote tunnel into the network. They would have to plug directly into the source and thus required an independently coded worm.

Thankfully, Danny had introduced them to the perfect hacker for the job back at the inception of Five-0.

In a sing-song lilt that clearly signaled just how much weed Toast had smoked, the hacker began his disjointed explanation. "Alright, I simplified the user end for you, but you'll still need some complex activation commands for a few parts. Basically, you're gonna plug it into a USB port on the target PC and follow the prompts. It'll let you bypass any encryption so long as it's not super high grade. Upon activation, it'll take over the entire system and begin mining data. Once it's done, your drive will have a local clone of the server, every file ever in existence on the hard drive, and an autofill password key generated from history and keystrokes."

"So we'll have every piece of data the computer ever interacted with?" Chin jotted down a few notes. "Will it be easy to unravel later or will I need to apply a sorting algorithm?"

"Shouldn't be too bad to sort. I added a feature where it flags key documents based on keywords and click rate. That should help."

"Okay, then what?"

"Then you better do everything you need to from the host computer. Like, if you need to send out a signal or email yourself data, do it then before you follow the next prompt. 'Cause that's the sequence that wipes the drive plus any other computer or cloud server it finds linked." The pride in Toast's tone was completely unbridled. "By the end, you'll be holding the only copy of the computer's drive in the palm of your hand. Impressive, right?"

"I'll let you know after I use it," Chin answered drily. "So it downloads, then wipes. Anything else?"

"Well, yeah. I added a command that sends specific or all documents to a remote server - like a cloud or an email server. It requires, like, a specific sequence of prompts, but I'll give you a list of keystrokes when I pass the USB off to you."

"Will we be able to use the computer at all during this process?" Kono chimed in.

"After you bypass encryption, yeah. But you can't during the download process or wipe process. Oh, and I should probably mention that you don't want to leave the computer while this is happening. The worm locks people out of the network, but someone can still find the source computer and remove the drive."

"What happens if they do that?"

"You're screwed."

"Ah, got it." Chin rolled his eyes and scribbled down another note. "How long will this whole process take?"

She practically heard Toast's wince. "See, that's a bit, uh, problematic. It's gonna be like 20 - 30 minutes at least for a computer like what you described. But I don't know for sure."

Problematic indeed. That was the definition of risky on a sensitive mission like this. One of them would be tied to a computer for a significant chunk of time while the other faced off against an army alone.

"We'll manage," Chin intoned calmly, like he was discussing his favorite food truck running out of shrimp and not the lives of their friends hanging in the balance. "Thanks for this, bruddah. You got anything else we should know?"

The young hacker sighed nervously, his words coming out stilted and all right angles. "Okay, like, I don't wanna tell you guys stuff you already know or anything, but this worm is very illegal. Like, you could get in major trouble if you use it. And then I'll be screwed 'cause I, y'know, made it."

"Get to the point, Toast."

Pausing, Toast's following words sounded more grounded than she'd ever heard him. "Guess I just wanna make sure you know what you're doing. 'Cause if you're asking me for this, then you're probably desperate and desperate people make stupid choices."

Smiling slightly at the rambling expression of concern, Chin's voice softened. "I won't lie to you, Toast, it's a bad situation. If we had other options, then we wouldn't have asked you for this. So, mahalo. I know this was a big ask."

"What, are you kidding? This was fun - I mean, I haven't gotten to code anything like this in years."

"I don't suppose we have to tell you to keep this quiet, do we?"

"Won't say a word. I got mad respect for you guys and I owe Jersey big time, so I guess, like, be careful."

"After this, Danny might owe you." Allowing the hope that this nightmare might end soon to take a firmer foothold in her chest, Kono listened as Chin wrapped up the conversation. "I'll be at the drop in an hour."

"Shoots, brah."

As her cousin hung up the phone, Kono ran through the mental checklist of all that needed to happen before the op for the millionth time. Despite the unrelenting sense of overwhelming stress from the unending list of tasks, they'd managed to accomplish much of it. They had the satellite feeds to give them a location, they had medical supplies thanks to Sterling, they had means for transport, and they would soon have weapons and the drive.

It was enough to trigger butterflies in her stomach, worse than the ones that flared up before her first professional surfing competition. Because this wasn't about some trophy or title - this was life or death, freedom or enslavement. The anticipation of such a mission was absolute agony.

A gentle touch against her arm startled her from her thoughts, drawing her attention to Chin's calm gaze. It didn't take a genius to recognize that he knew exactly what she was thinking. He was damn perceptive, not to mention his occasional mind-reading trick.

"I'll go pick this up from Toast. In the meantime, I want you to take careful inventory of our supplies and add anything you think we might need. Have Dr. Sterling help when he gets back."

Kono nodded and swallowed, trying to force herself to focus on the task at hand. "Then what?"

"We'll power nap, eat, and hydrate - just like you used to do the night before your surfing competitions." Smiling, he nudged her once more. "Remember what I used to tell you when you'd get jumpy?"

The old adage popped into her head before she even needed to think about it. "You're as prepared as you'll ever be. Trust in your training and give yourself the right tools to execute."

"Exactly. The same thing applies here. We're both running on fumes and pacing in the bullpen for the next few hours will do nobody any good."

It was sound advice, even though everything in her being revolted against the idea. She should be out doing something! Napping on the couch in her office felt too much like betraying her hurting, missing teammates.

But she nodded anyway, setting her shoulders with a stubbornness that got her through a thousand competitions. "You remember the other thing you told me before my meets?"

A savage gleam took up residence in Chin's dark eyes. "Give 'em hell," he growled in a low, even, frightening tone. "And I intend to."

As he strode out the door, agreement with his proclamation all but sang in Kono's bones. So do I.

~H50~

He'd seized again, or he thought he had anyway. Somewhere down the line, a significant chunk of time went missing from his mind. The last thing he remembered was being poked and prodded within an inch of his life, the doctor callously bandaging the wounds on his back and foot before running more 'tests'. But now, he was alone in the room - which was doused in stifling darkness.

That coupled with the dirty gym sock taste blanketing his tongue was more than enough indication as to the source of the gap in his memory.

They hadn't even unbuckled the canvas restraints. Jerks.

Danny was in a bad way and he knew it. The pain from wounds and post-power pushback was more than enough to cripple even the strongest man, which Danny definitely wasn't. With liquid fire replacing his organs and a swarm of hornets buzzing in his muscles, he laid tied to the uncomfortable examination room and desperately sought rest he knew he'd never find.

In an effort to curb his latest prize, Kingsley nearly destroyed it. Part of Danny - the miserable cynic who'd seen too much in a relatively short existence - wished he hadn't stopped just short of the brink. Death, even a painful one, surely topped the miserable life of someone else's slave.

But the other parts of him - the pieces that truly mattered - vehemently protested that malicious surrender. Grace needed him, damn it, and he couldn't bear the thought of forcing his beautiful daughter to live the rest of her life without him there to support her. It was more than enough reason to continue fighting, and he clung to it with both hands.

No, he'd get out of this - him and Steve both. He'd done it before.

As soon as that thought entered his mind, he instantly regretted it. That time was truly the darkest in his life, one that he dared not think about even in his strongest moments. That was probably unhealthy, but he found himself not caring much. He double-dared anyone to endure that hell and come out with healthy coping mechanisms.

Despite his best efforts to block the dark memories, they invaded his mind with ferocious glee. Jeering men, people hitting him when he didn't obey, and healing faceless people until he collapsed then repeating the cycle all over again. It'd made him feel wrong, dirty.

Kinda like now.

But that wasn't the worst of it. It never was. The worst part was what came next.

The police never figured out how ten-year-old Daniel Williams escaped the clutches of his kidnappers a month after his disappearance, appearing at a random precinct sobbing his eyes out and collapsing shortly thereafter. Nor did they understand why those same kidnappers were all found dead from unknown causes in a seedy warehouse in the red light district of the city.

All they had was a traumatized little boy too sick to tell them much of anything. And so the case had officially been closed with very little real information ever uncovered.

Only Danny knew what happened. Back then, it'd been instinct. Now, it was entirely the opposite, and as the voices made their ugly reappearance, he knew what happened next.

Take it.

C'mon, you know you want to.

It'd be easy. Effortless.

They deserve it. You don't have to endure this pain anymore.

No.

It'd feel good, powerful. You could save Steve and all those kids.

I can't.

Take it.

SHUT UP!

Biting his bottom lip so hard that it drew blood, Danny's breaths came out in raw, ragged gasps. Tied up and subject to the whims of evil people around him, his skin revolted at the feeling of exposure, of vulnerability. He was weak, helpless… only he wasn't.

No, there was nothing but his own will stopping him from ending all of this. That terrified him more than words could say.

Take it!

Choking back a sob, Danny twisted futilely in the restraints, which only earned a bolt of white-hot agony shooting down his back. Exhaustion and throbbing pain systematically broke down his defenses until he stood bare against the assault of a nightmare long since repressed.

And in the midst of it all stood a terrible choice.

~H50~

Kingsley made only three mistakes - small ones, granted. However, they would prove to be his undoing. Steve would make sure of it. He was about to rain down hellfire, and he was damn sure Kingsley forgot an umbrella.

The falling of small pebbles could trigger a rockslide, he knew. And he had no qualms starting one.

The first mistake was being a scumbag and a snake - that kind of stuff always came back to haunt people. If he had decided to choose a profession that didn't involve kidnapping and selling kids to the highest bidder, he wouldn't be on Steve's radar.

And that was his second mistake.

See, Brad Kingsley didn't just settle for being a criminal - no, he'd made things personal. He messed with Steve's ohana and royally pissed off a Navy SEAL and some of the most powerful elites Steve had ever seen. Moreover, he didn't seem at all shaken by the prospect of consequences for that error.

But thirdly - and most importantly - he'd underestimated Steven J. McGarrett. He'd blown off other young elites as non-threats simply because of their low power limit. And that would prove to be his undoing.

Gifts don't make a man great. Nor do powers make a man dangerous. That wholly depended on the man - or woman - who wielded them. Kingsley failed to grasp that concept.

The gravity of such an error manifested in two of Kingsley's goons shoving an unrestrained Steve McGarrett into a metal shipping container with the rest of other unskilled elites.

As the metal door slammed shut behind him, his eyes found the other six elites shoved into the tiny space. A little girl who couldn't be older than Grace sat huddled in the corner, three of his previous opponents in the ring, a scrawny kid with glasses almost as big as his face, and the touch-telepath who knocked him out with a mere thought.

This time, he held out his hand willingly and didn't shy away from the foreign presence in his mind. Can you hear me? he thought, unsure of how this all worked.

Yeah, came the instant, cautious reply reverberating in his skull.

Steve grinned, eyes gleaming in the dark. Great, 'cause I wasn't planning on sticking around and you're all coming with me.

Are you insane? The kid's eyes practically bugged out of his skull. Kingsley's got us all chipped. Trust me, I've tried to get out and it always ends the same way. Only reason he keeps us in these containers together is because we're non-threats - low level elites.

Well, he's wrong. And he's not gonna live to regret that mistake.

Oh yeah? Well, I got a thousand examples of how you're wrong. We're nothing special, alright?

Gifts aren't what make someone special, kid. It's who you are, not what you can do. Staring fiercely into the young man's eyes, Steve issued his challenge. You with me or do I gotta do this myself?

As a mixture of incredulity and hope warred on the kid's face, his fingers dug small divots in Steve's wrist. And who the hell are you?

The smile that crossed Steve's face was feral, the leer of a predator. Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the Governor's major crimes task force in Hawaii and United States Navy SEAL.Now, are you in?

Relief more powerful than a tsunami flooded the kid's features, the sentiment echoing in Steve's mind.

A Navy SEAL, huh? A hint of devilish charm laced the words, a tone that reminded him painfully of Danny. Hell yeah, McGarrett. I'm in.

Well, none of us really expected Steve to sit around and wait for rescue, did we? Poor guy is going nuts from lack of explosions. And I simply love writing Sterling, so he gets to play a role in this as well! Chaos ensues as everyone goes after Kingsley at once! Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Until next time...