AN: Glad to see that you all are getting out your torches and pitchforks to hunt down Kingsley. Trust me when I say that he falls into that fun villain category of "so good at being bad and everyone hates him." Anywho, now begins the battle for the boat! This chapter is huge, but I don't think any of you mind, right? ;) Enjoy!
Warning: violence (it's a battle, guys)
His partner was conscious, supporting himself as far upright as the restraints would allow, and no longer shook like a strung-out junkie.
That's where the good news ended.
Because whatever just happened - and Steve had no freakin' clue what'd just happened - definitely hadn't improved the situation. Somehow, things had become inexplicably worse.
Blinking, he forced himself to breathe and take in the scene once more.
Dr. McCallister lay crumpled on the floor, unnaturally pale with eyes staring at the ceiling in the blank gaze of death. A needle and a tube for blood samples lay scattered haphazardly beside her limp fingers. Aside from that, nothing was out of place - no signs of a struggle or any altercation.
No, there was only Danny - but that cruel expression didn't belong to his Danny - still mostly strapped down to the hard examination table. Free hand bunched into a fist, this version of his best friend breathed heavily as he all but sneered at the dead body. Malicious glee - utterly foreign on Danny's normally kind expression - twisted his features into a harsh mask.
And his eyes - his eyes were a startling electric blue, accented by pinprick pupils.
The image of a perp high on a fresh hit of LSD flashed through his mind in a startling parallel. It was enough to get Steve moving further into the room, hands outstretched as he tried to get a reading on a man he thought he knew.
"Easy, Danny, easy," he breathed, tone as soothing as he could manage with the adrenaline singing in his veins. "Hey, look at me. What happened? Are you alright?"
But his friend didn't answer, barely acknowledging his voice other than looking up from the limp body on the floor. The move gave Steve a better chance to study his partner, though his observations only succeeded in twisting his stomach further in knots with worry.
His skin, previously white as a sheet, still maintained its gray-ish pallor, but his cheeks were now brushed with a red that ranged somewhere between a healthy skin tone and a fever. Sweat glistened on his forehead, abnormal beads in the chilly room. Moreover, his breathing tempo was abnormally elevated.
All of it - paired with the dead body of Dr. McCallister - painted a very confusing, concerning image.
Apparently, Dr. Sterling agreed with Steve's unconscious assessment. "Something's wrong," came the hushed whisper, a hand on his elbow halting his instinctive movement forward. "When was the last time you saw him? Did he look like this?"
"I saw him earlier today," Steve answered woodenly, his mind retrieving images of his extremely unwell partner against his will. "He looked bad, Doc… worse than this, but in a different way. He was shaking, pale, barely upright, and was in a lot of pain - he looked half-dead."
"Well, I'm not entirely sure he doesn't look half-dead now." The touch on his elbow and grumpy tone served to ground the shaken SEAL, who still couldn't understand why Danny was staring through him like he wasn't in the room. "Best leave him how he is now until we can get some more facts, alright?"
Danny shifted on the table, his free hand balling into a fist as he breathed deeply. Though his legs and right arm were still restrained by canvas buckles, he made no attempt to free himself with his free hand.
Which set off a whole new host of alarms in Steve's mind.
"Drugs?" he breathed the question. "That lady's a doctor and she's been giving him a bunch of stuff to keep him going - stimulants, I think. Could that be it?"
Glaring at the fallen doctor, Sterling spat out some choice language about doctors and oath breakers. "Damn it, maybe, I don't know yet. She was about to draw blood work though, so I highly doubt she just injected him with anything. That would mess with the results."
"Uh, Steve? There are some guards walking down the hallway," came Robert's nervous, reedy warning. "What should we do?"
It took every ounce of discipline instilled in him from SEAL training to pull his attention away from Danny and toward the new threat. In a flash, he considered all his options and settled on one that left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Shut and lock the door, and stay quiet until they pass. If they stay posted in the hallway, we'll take then out."
Though Robert obviously didn't care for it either, he promptly did as Steve ordered. As desperate as Steve was to inflict pain on the people who'd committed such atrocities, he had to consider what was best for Danny at this moment. They needed time to figure out what the hell was wrong with him, and taking out two guards would garner attention sooner or later.
Fortunately, the guards passed and left the area relatively quickly, allowing all of them to breathe a sigh of relief. Danny, however, remained frozen on the table.
"Talk to him, Steve," Sterling said, pulling his backpack off his shoulders. "See if you can break through. I'm gonna check a few things on this disgraceful witch that someone named a doctor and see if I can shed any light on this."
Nodding, Steve moved out of the way so Sterling could kneel beside McCallister's body mere inches away from his twitching, he fought the urge to touch Danny in an attempt to get through to him. Despite the voice screaming at him to reach out and comfort his best friend, an instinct deep in his gut held him back.
"D, buddy, I - -" Swallowing, he forced himself to relax. "It's me - it's Steve. We're getting outta here like I promised. Slow your breathing, huh? Can you do that? You're gonna hyperventilate."
Danny's forehead wrinkled slightly, but he remained still otherwise. His breaths continued to punch out of his mouth, rocking his whole frame.
"Can you hear me, huh? Blink once if you can."
But his friend remained impassive, his once gleeful expression smoothed out into neutrality.
"C'mon, man, you gotta work with me! Chin and Kono are here, pal. We're gonna get off this damn boat and you'll get to see Grace really soon." Nearly growling in frustration, he allowed himself the luxury of stepping forward. "Hey, D, don't do this to me, alright? Say something!"
Nothing.
"What about Grace, huh?" he tried desperately, hoping her name would break her father free of his trance. "She's waiting for you, pal! She needs you! So just - - give me a sign or something. One time offer, Danny, hear that? I'll let you talk as much as you want if you do it now, damnit!"
The bang from his fist hitting the wall earned a startled flinch from Robert and a stern glare from Sterling. "Doc, it's not working."
"Clearly," Sterling shot back dryly, rising to his feet. "I hardly think you'd punch a wall if it was."
"Well, I'm open to suggestions."
"Well, luckily for you, I'm damn good at my job and have some working theories." Sterling moved towards Danny, a frown firmly fixed on his face. "Something odd certainly happened here. This woman has no apparent COD. It's like she just… dropped dead, which doesn't make sense. I asked Danny if his whole healing process was reversible back in the hospital, and he dodged the question. Maybe this is that."
"But Danny told Kingsley it wasn't possible - even under physical duress." Spotting bruises on his friend's features and the reddening bandage peeking over his shoulder, he shook his head. "I don't think that's what happened. He's still got wounds."
Obviously seeing the same things as Steve, Kingsley shrugged. "Maybe it was some sort of defense mechanism. I won't know until I check him over."
No one could've predicted what happened next.
As soon as Sterling's hand made contact with Danny's wrist to take his pulse, the detective moved faster than Steve had ever seen him maneuver. He broke Sterling's hold easily and his now-free hand shot up to grab the doctor's arm.
"Danny!"
Steve leapt forward far too late as that malicious grin reappeared on his partner's face. Sterling's knees buckled, eyes wide even as he tried to pull away and Steve let loose a helpless cry.
"Danno, stop!"
~H50~
It was all wrong, but felt so freakin' right.
With the voices in his head silenced - though only temporarily, as he knew well - Danny was utterly overcome by the addictive rush of energy flooding his body. It hit him so hard that his body buzzed, senses overrun by the euphoria of it all.
It banished his weariness. It settled the incessant feeling of wrongness that worsened with every shock and stimulant. It muted the overwhelming pain.
He felt good. He felt strong. He felt powerful.
Why hadn't he done this sooner?
He'd forgotten the reason. All he knew was that this was the best he'd felt in an eternity - a high nothing else could quite match. His body literally thrummed with power, all stolen from the less-deserving.
He couldn't help but feel a sadistic glee at that thought. Sure, life was sacred, but that evil doctor chick had it coming. No one would regret her passing. They'd hail him as a hero for putting her down.
It'd been easy, natural even. So he shoved aside the voice screaming at him that this was all wrong in favor of higher-priority thoughts.
His vision was fuzzy, as was his hearing. That'd go away soon, he knew. While his mind was strong, it was unaccustomed to the surge of energy. Usually, he was operating on a deficit - especially recently.
Never again.
Either way, he knew there were more people in the room. Shadows moved across his blurry vision, voices static in his ears. All of this suited his purposes rather well for one simple reason.
He needed more.
It was an animalistic, desperate want that nothing could quell. Already, he could feel the high ebbing away, pain working hard to drain his stolen bounty from him. He couldn't heal himself - no, not with this. Such an action required a willing gift, not something taken by force.
Snatches of words made their way through the haze, but he ignored them in favor of working through his dilemma. These intruders might just be the solution he was looking for.
When he felt a hand gently clasp his wrist, he made his move.
Thanks to the kick he got from McCallister, it was all too easy to flip the hold and capture the limb in a rock-solid grip of his own. A joyless grin tugged at his lips, then the real attack began.
This guy's defenses were far stronger than the first lady's were, but Danny was relentless. No one could fight him - not for long. It took mere seconds for the first dredges of stolen energy to trickle into his veins even as the hubbub around him increased. Reveling in the rush of power, he doubled his efforts.
"Danno, stop!"
That voice, that name broke through the fog of his heist and stopped him in his tracks. Forcing himself to think, damnit!, Danny dispelled the haze in his mind and connected the dots with agonized lethargy.
It took every ounce of self-control he had left to uncurl his fingers from the energy source thrumming beneath his skin. The voices began their chorus of catcalls, but he found the strength to ignore them in favor of brushing away his blurry vision.
Because Danno was him, and the only people who called him that were Grace and…
"Steve?"
His tone was desperate, pleading for an anchor in this turbulence that swirled around him. So much conflicting data as memories and pain flooded back while the buzz of his stolen energy continued to merrily flow through his veins. If Kingsley knew, if this was somehow a trick - -
A warm, calloused hand clasped his fearlessly and his breathing instantly eased.
"Yeah," his friend's voice sounded brokenly relieved, near tears, but still comfortingly familiar, "yeah, Danno. It's me, buddy. How 'bout you open your eyes and see for yourself?"
He didn't even remember closing them, but he obediently blinked them open. It took a few seconds for him to focus enough on the blob above the bed to recognize it. "What - what're you doin' here?"
Steve looked away for a moment, throat bobbing up and down. "Told you I wasn't gonna leave you here, right? We've got our ticket outta here and you have a daughter waiting for you at home, pal."
Grace. The thought of his little girl reminded him of all young kids stuffed into crates like animals, and he risked a nervous question. "The kids?"
"They're being freed as we speak. We're taking everyone with us."
Hope swelled in his chest, but the memory of all that transpired a mere minute ago wiped it away in an instant. Jaw working, it took precious seconds to voice the question. "Steve, who - who did I just - -?"
"Dr. Sterling. You remember him, right? From the ER?"
Danny nodded, trying to look over the edge of the table but Steve held him down. "Is he - -"
"He's fine, buddy. I think so anyway."
"Oh, don't mind me," came the snarky, dry tone of the doctor. "This tile is actually incredibly comfortable."
Steve moved away slightly, clearly intending to help the doctor up, but Danny tightened his grip on his partner's hand. "Don't let go," he pleaded. "Please."
Bless Steve's carefully hidden, golden heart, for he nodded instantly and squeezed Danny's hand in reassurance. "Not goin' anywhere, Danno. Just take some deep breaths for me, alright? Slow it down."
Danny nodded, sucking in a shuddering gasp that made his chest ache. It was only after Steve commented that he noticed his heart pounding against his ribcage and his lungs heaving like he'd just run a 100 meter dash.
Steve waited until Danny calmed slightly before glancing down at the floor. "Doc, you good?"
"Feels like I just pulled two all-nighters with no caffeine, but I'm just peachy otherwise." The doctor rose with a groan, using the table to lean against tiredly. "That's a hell of a punch you pack, Detective. Glad you stopped before I ended up like the last doctor who touched you."
Danny winced, carefully taking stock of the energy reserve he'd taken from McCallister. "She's dead, isn't she?"
"Yeah." Steve rubbed his wrist gently, then motioned to someone behind him. "But don't worry about that, alright? Just take it easy and focus on me. Robbie here is gonna take off those restraints so we can get out of here and Doc's gonna patch you up for the road. In the meantime, you mind telling me what the hell just happened?"
Swallowing hard, Danny concentrated on Steve just as he had asked, letting his friend anchor him as he recounted the entire tale. The seizure, the darkness, the unrelenting voices. He didn't share why those voices were so prevalent - Steve could read through the lines. Then, he recounted McCallister's appearance and how he snapped, which Steve quickly dismissed as self-defense.
In the background, Sterling took readings and examined his injuries, and Steve squeezed his hand every time he flinched. It didn't hurt necessarily, but touch hadn't been associated with anything friendly recently - especially from doctors.
Plus, each contact made him acutely aware of the energy flowing a mere thought away from being his own. Temptation was a potent foe.
He was sitting up now, restraints removed by the nerdy-looking kid who now hovered by the door. As Sterling fluttered busily around him, Steve stood stubbornly before him with his hand still tightly holding Danny's and the other hand on his bicep to steady him.
"So why didn't you heal yourself?" Steve asked, concern evident in his eyes as his gaze flitted down to Danny's wounded foot and scanned his battered torso. "If you took her energy - -"
"Doesn't work like that." Too weary of it all to elaborate further, Danny put it in very simple terms. "What I took is enough to keep me on my feet and numb the pain for now. It's… addictive. I can't - - I can't stop once I've started. I just want more and more because when it wears off… well, it's not pretty, Steve."
The SEAL looked over Danny's shoulder at Dr. Sterling, who's fingers flitted over the deep slice in his back. "Don't look at me like that," he grumped. "This is new territory for me too, but I'm guessing he'll go through some sort of withdrawal coupled with an onset of the original side effects."
"How are his wounds? Is he okay to move?"
"He obviously needs stitches, but we don't have time for that now." Sighing, Dr. Sterling rebandaged the knife cut on his back. "His vitals are all over the place, but he'll be alright for now. Whatever he did repressed his pain response, so we gotta keep an eye on him. If he overdoes it, he's gonna be in a world of hurt when he crashes. Am I warm, Danny?"
Shrugging uncomfortably, Danny quickly changed the topic. "Then we'd better hurry, right? So how are we getting out of here? I'd much rather address all this when I'm not stuck on Kingsley's ship of nightmares."
Right on cue, the walkie clipped to Steve's belt quietly crackled in a distinct pattern. With a wide grin, Steve used his free hand to grab it. "That'd be our backup with an answer."
"Thought I was your backup."
"Yeah, well, this time we needed the whole cavalry, pal." Pressing the talk button, he raised the walkie to his lips. "Talk to me, Chin."
"Steve, did you find him?"
At the sound of his friend's warm, familiar voice, Danny felt the first real smile crease his face as relief bubbled in his gut. Based on the matching grin on Steve's face - one he'd almost describe as giddy - Steve felt those same turbulent emotions as he did. "Wanna answer that one for yourself, D?"
Suddenly needing to clear his throat to rid it of the lump suddenly blocking it, Danny nodded. "Chin, I'm - - I'm here. Are you and Kono okay?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Chin's voice, normally level and calm, dripped with utter relief. Danny got the feeling that the older detective wasn't going to let him out of his sight for quite some time after this debacle ended. "We're fine - more worried about you than anything. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, brah."
"Likewise, buddy. Didn't think you'd make this party."
Chin snorted, dismissing the insinuation. "Nah, we wouldn't miss this. Just sit tight, alright? We'll get you home in no time."
Eyes welling up, Danny couldn't voice an answer to that. One thing was certain: he didn't deserve his team, but damn it all if he didn't love them.
Sensing Danny's tremulous emotions, Steve went straight back to business. "How's it look?"
"Tenuous at best. This process is taking longer than I thought. Kono's team is mowing through guards without problems, but I think things are about to get interesting."
"Did I just hear him call a situation interesting?" Sterling groaned. "Why do I get the feeling that your version of 'interesting' actually means 'likely chance of all of us getting killed'?"
"Well, you're not far off, Doc. We've got several boats full of Kingsley's men incoming. There's about to be a full-scale battle on our hands."
"We're on our way." Thumbing off the walkie, Steve's commander persona slipped long enough to shoot Danny an assessing glance. "You ready, Danny?"
Though his tone was light, Danny easily read the unspoken message beneath it all. Flexing his fingers, he finally allowed all of the hopelessness, fear, anger, and sorrow he'd been fighting over the past week to swell to the surface. The memory of his conversation with Steve in Kamekona's storeroom pinged in the forefront of his mind - a scene from a lifetime ago yet only yesterday. All that rage he felt back then paled in comparison to the raw fury fueling him right now.
Adrenaline and stolen energy sang in his veins, and with all those guards out there, there'd be ample opportunity to take more. As soon as the thought entered his mind, he shoved it out again and focused on Steve's face.
"Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this all week." Grinning fiercely, he issued a challenge to his ever competitive best friend. "Just try to keep up, SuperSEAL."
~H50~
Chin prided himself on knowing his way around a computer. He learned the cheat codes for Mario Kart as soon as he got his hands on the game, though he didn't need them to be the undisputed champion among his remaining few friends and family members who risked spending time with him. Thanks to the Smart Table, his knowledge paired with cutting edge tech allowed him to surveil, hack, and compile data with ease.
Unfortunately, the drive Toast had cooked up exceeded even his wide span of expertise.
Granted, Chin had to admire the sheer ingenuity of the device. It did everything Chin hoped it would. All he had to do was bypass the initial password, insert the drive, upload the program, and key in the commands Toast jotted down on a notecard. Kayla and Luke, both finished eliminating the guards, watched over his shoulder with unabashed curiosity.
"Uh, what do all those flashing symbols mean?" Luke had asked shyly, standing on his tiptoes to get a view of the monitor.
"Imagine that this computer is a castle with really thick walls, okay?" Chin waited until both kids nodded with wide-eyed understanding. "Those flashing symbols are a sequence that breaks down the wall. It's kind of like my battering ram."
When a white box with a prompt appeared, he winked and pressed "Ok" to activate a progress bar. "And my battering ram just won. Now we wait while it invades the castle, right?"
According to Toast, this first sequence was the data backup - something that would take a fairly long time with absolutely nothing he could do to speed it along. Therefore, he made the best use of his time that he could. He sent Kayla on a few patrols to ensure their position was secure, then had Luke gather supplies all in one place and scout out nearby fallback positions.
While they did that, he became the eye in the sky for the other two teams. In the end, he'd spotted the boats cutting through Kono's manufactured fog toward them a split second before Kono asking about it. They quickly figured out a strategy from there.
When he heard Danny's voice over the handheld radio, he nearly dropped to his knees in relief. This whole operation had been a tremendous gamble and the darkest corner of his mind wondered if they'd even find his friends on this boat at all. Now, he had both of them back in one piece.
Well, he thought so anyway. Steve's voice had a slight edge to it - a concern that directly related to his best friend and partner. That coupled with the odd readings on his elite view signaled that all was not quite right with their haole. Still, the recognizable voice - strong and steady - gave him hope.
Glancing over at the progress bar, Chin bit back a groan. They were just below halfway done with the download and time was firmly against them. The incoming boats nearly reached the cargo ship now and they were nowhere close to ready.
He risked another dip into the Elite Detector portion of his makeup. It was getting harder and harder to distinguish individuals in the flood of colors of all the freed elites. In all his life, he'd never seen this many active elites in one place - not to mention all of the residual signatures left behind. It was turning into a technicolor mess.
Yet Kono's signature - familiar and stunningly strong - was unmistakable. It made its way in the lead of the pack along the lower deck with more bunches joining the crowd with every step. Every once in awhile, a few signatures would flare as they undoubtedly incapacitated their captors.
They were making good headway, but those incoming guards from Kingsley's yacht would certainly impede that progress.
Meanwhile, Danny's flickering signal traversed slowly across the tower toward the control room where he now resided. Not a bad move, but Kono's team would need reinforcements more than he did.
Damn it all, they needed to coordinate before this all went straight to hell.
Despite the growing headache already poking at his mind, he found the link to Kono and reached for her mind. Cuz, they're nearly here. We need a plan.
Working on it, came the terse reply. But if we don't free these kids, they'll be used as leverage. I can't let that happen.
I know, I know, but you'll all get caught if we keep this up. Thinking quickly, he proposed a plan. The tower will be our base. I'll have my team and Steve's team clear out all the guards. Pick a strategic point and set up an ambush with the older kids, but send everyone younger than 15 back to me. They don't need to be forced to fight, and they can work to free the rest while we hold them off.
A brief hesitation, then, Alight, Chin. How much time do you need before you can trigger phase two?
Chin checked the progress bar, growling quietly when he saw that it hadn't progressed nearly as far as he would've liked. A lot. Make sure you take out those chip activators or it'll be you against an army. And don't overdo it, okay? You gotta measure your strength and use your gift wisely.
Kono's cheeky reply brought a small smile to his face. Yes, Dad.
Breaking the link, he winced as his head twinged in warning. "Kayla, Luke, new plan."
He quickly designated Kayla as a runner between the groups who would usher the younger kids to safety and scout. With enhanced eyesight and strength, Luke would gain a separate vantage point and relay information to the other teams. He'd found another set of radios in the room, which he distributed to his team.
As they scampered off with a final warning to be careful, he tapped the talk button of the walkie in a distinct signal. Within a few moments, he heard Steve's slightly breathless voice. "Yeah, Chin?"
"Those boats are nearly here and Kono's gonna need reinforcements. The tower's gonna be our base, so can you guys clear it, lock it down, then go help her?"
"Already started. We're picking up some strays as we go, too. Kingsley keeps the powerful elites here locked in stronger cells. Most of them are pretty messed up though - drugged to the gills. Sterling has his hands full."
"Is there a secure room we can use to hide the injured and too-young elites?"
Steve paused and Chin could practically hear the gears turning in his head. "Yeah, I can think of one. I'll leave Sterling there with the vulnerable ones, and we'll take the rest to clear the tower and back Kono up."
"Make sure it's big, brah. Kono's gonna send more. I got a runner headed your way with some earpieces. Hold your position until she drops them off, then tell her the location of the stash room."
"Copy." Steve's voice was hard, fully lapsing into his 'mission' tone. "What about our exit?"
"Working on it as we speak." Eying the progress bar, he silently cheered as it leapt ahead further. "I'll keep you updated."
"Be careful, Chin. McGarrett out."
Pushing aside his exhaustion and pounding noggin, Chin continued to track the progress of everyone until the computer quietly dinged.
Download complete. Initiate erase commands?
He minimized the window and got to work, pulling out a small notebook from his back pocket. This was the challenging part, he knew - the part most likely to get him caught or locked out of the system. Still, it needed to be done for the overall plan to work.
And oh Lord, how they needed it to work.
With painstaking care, he used Toast's keyword algorithm and his own handwritten data to complete the task. No stone went unturned, not on his watch.
See, this was about so much more than rescuing Steve and Danny - more than even rescuing the captured young elites. No, this was about ruthlessly crushing Kingsley's vast empire for good so that no man could dare resurrect it. This was about giving innocent children the chance at normalcy, the chance to truly heal from their ordeal without needing to look over their shoulder for the boogeyman. This was about protecting his own team, ensuring that some things not meant to be found would remain lost.
There was nothing that Chin Ho Kelly wouldn't do for his ohana, no sword he wouldn't fall on to protect them. The sanctity of the law meant little compared to that weighty alternative.
Soon, but not nearly quickly enough for his taste, he'd compiled exactly what he needed in separate folders. Then, with a few keystrokes (he WAS still great with computers after all), he followed every step written down in the tiny little notebook until only one action remained.
Deep breath.
Click.
Fingers flying, he reopened the previous dialogue box and hit 'Ok'. Then, he removed the original USB drive with Toast's code and the all-important evidence and tucked it in his shirt pocket beneath his vest.
Finally, it was all coming together, even as men poured onto the deck of the ship and headed straight for the tower.
Picking up his shotgun, he glanced at the new progress bar one more time before mumbling the time-worn phrase of a weary soul dragged into yet another firefight.
"Here we go."
~H50~
Sometimes Kono forgot that she was still a rookie.
It always struck her as odd when she made that realization. After all, Danny and Chin both jokingly called her 'rookie' on a daily basis. When there was a task no one on her team wanted to do, they all called seniority and made her do it. "Gotta earn your stripes, rookie," Danny would say, a snarky, fond smile quirking at his lips. "How else are you supposed to learn?"
But then she'd go out to eat with her academy friends, and the reminder slammed into her like a twelve-foot wave. They'd be talking about beats, tickets, annoying sergeants, and the sucking up they needed to do to get a recommendation to move up in rank. Meanwhile, she solved cases and often led the charge in high stakes situations.
Yeah, she was a rookie, but she was never really treated like one. It was a gift she often took for granted.
Sometimes, though, her rookie status all but slapped her upside the head. She'd yet to become accustomed to the horrors that cops witness on a daily basis. Her innocence would perish doing this job, Chin warned, and it wouldn't be a painless death. She continued to be shocked by the broken world she lived in and wondered why the hell Steve McGarrett thought it was a good idea to bring her - a green-as-grass rookie - onto his elite team.
And in those moments, she wondered what possessed her to accept the offer.
Tonight, she felt both of these things simultaneously. Experience and innocence collided in a cacophony of chaos.
Leading a team of elites on a covert op to overthrow their oppressors was straight out of most cop's wildest fantasies. However, opening shipping containers to find terrified, enslaved children stuffed inside immediately stole that glamor and thrust horror and rage down her throat. It took all of her self control to push both of these things aside and focus on the mission ahead.
Thanks to a few mental scans of some of the downed guards (the few still alive, anyway), Jason found the perfect ambush spot on the upper deck. This was something Kono insisted on. The space and openness was their advantage, as was the easy access to the ocean.
Yeah, she couldn't wait for the moment she finally got to let loose. She'd remained fairly conservative thus far, relying on her training and various weaponry to eliminate threats. Chin's warning was valid, she knew, and prevalent. Getting knocked out early would put the rest of her team at a severe disadvantage.
Scanning their position with practiced eyes, she nodded once in satisfaction. It was a natural chokepoint, one that the incoming guards had to walk through if they wanted to reach the lower decks. It offered the ambushers several escape routes and several attack points - above, in front, and from the right side. The left side had a row of crates before a railing and nothing but blue ocean below.
Perfect.
Meanwhile, Jason proved to be an absolute godsend. The guy was only a few years younger than her - a fact that terrified her if she thought about it for long - and was clearly the de facto leader of the young elites. He calmed and comforted the frightened ones, using his gifts liberally with no regard for the side effects. When they were attacked, he was the first to charge ahead, swinging his fists like a man possessed.
Though he had every right to be as scared as the rest of them, he instead tightened his bootstraps and inspired the others to rise against their oppressors. It was amazing to watch.
Currently, he was sorting their rather large merry band into categories. The youngest would be taken back to safety in the tower by Kayla, who delivered an in-ear radio transmitter to Kono so she could stay in touch with her team. The 14 years olds would fall back with James and work on freeing those left behind. Meanwhile, those 15 or older prepared for the ambush, though no one was required to fight.
One conversation with Jason, however, had most of them clamoring to play a part in regaining their freedom. It was ironic justice, Jason had said with a smirk, that they should be the ones to topple the core of Kingsley's enterprises.
Between his knowledge of the kids' powers and her strategic planning lessons from Steve, they had a damn good setup. Though they were all mixed and low-powered - except for her - Jason tailored an attack position for each of the kids' unique abilities.
Moreover, he grouped them in such a way that made it impossible for the guards to incapacitate everyone with an electric pulse - something Chin hadn't managed to shut down. They'd quickly discovered during their mass break-out that the guard's remotes were only set to match a specific frequency of chip - primarily those they dealt with most. The only way to activate all the chips was changing the frequency after each shock.
It gave the kids more confidence, though they were still understandably skittish. Yet, crouching in the dark in her ambush position, Kono would've never known. These kids were silent, invisible, and eternally patient as they waited with none of the ticks other kids their age would show.
Then again, those "other kids" hadn't been kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured, and sold like they had.
No time for 'rookie Kono,' she berated herself. Be strong now. They need you.
As sniper breathing patterns slowed her heart rate, a quiet crackle heralded her cousin's voice over the radio. "They're coming towards you now. ETA… less than a minute."
It was time.
Eyes closed, she breathed deeply and allowed herself to finally embrace the tug of the tide flowing in her veins. The sheer power of the waves sang beneath her feet, waiting for her request. Waiting to be unleashed.
The ocean was a symphony, and she stood alone before it as each one of its instruments tuned to her pitch.
Always remember, Kono Kalakaua, that you do not rule the water. The waves, they have a mind of their own and they answer to no one. But if you approach them with humility and grace, their power flows in you.
And when you call, they will answer.
So she called with heartbreak and rage, demanding a response to the evil and injustice that dwelled too long on this ship.
And the water answered her wrath with a tidal wave, guided against its nature by her hand.
That first group of guards never stood a chance.
It was a geyser, a wand of salt water that wove between the single row of crates and silently smashed into the invaders. The only sound came from the guards' gurgled yelps as they swallowed the barrage of gallons of saltwater.
But Kono wasn't done. No, not yet. See, she'd been itching to really test her limits, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
That initial geyser quickly morphed into three spinning spheres, each containing a guard or two. All others ducked for cover as they bowled through the ranks, ejecting the drowned men onto the deck. One sphere splattered onto the deck and instantly froze, sending their adversaries skidding right into the waiting arms of furious, abused, young men and women.
"Damn," Jason murmured to her, staring at the waterlogged deck. "If you don't mind me sayin', I'm glad you're on our side."
The initial skirmish ended well for the elites, thanks in large part to Kono's impressive waterworks. Bodies lay scattered across the deck - none of them belonging to the kids - and Kono thought she spotted a few grins shared among the ranks of her little army.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it.
According to Chin, three boats had launched from the yacht. This first assault consisted of the guards from the first boat and half of the ones from the second. Meanwhile, the remaining reinforcements assembled the full might of Kingsley's hired henchmen - excluding the ones already taken down by Five-0.
Clearly, Kingsley spared no expense in his security. Chin's quick glances between tasks in his side project had them greatly outnumbered.
And, unluckily, it was impossible for them to keep their ambush secret. Stray gunshots, the occasional yell, clamoring, and other suspicious sounds signaled their precise location. Surprise was no longer on their side.
"Officer, um, this is Luke. They're coming. A lot of them," came the report from Chin's eagle-eyed scout perched on the helipad.
"Got it, Luke. Keep me updated, okay?"
Rolling her neck, Kono stubbornly pushed aside the lightheadedness and slight dizziness - the first sign of side effects. She'd have to be a bit more measured in the next attack, which would only put the kids in more danger.
"Guys, incoming!" she hissed. "If you're 18 or older, search the bodies and take any weapons you find! If you know how to use them, keep them and use them. If not, give them to me, alright? The rest of you, get into position!"
The young elites sprang into action on her orders, quietly scrambling as her serious tone took hold. New elites, recently freed by Kayla, came running from behind and were given positions by Jason, who was now wielding two handguns.
"My dad was a cop," he explained when he saw Kono's raised eyebrow. "Took me to the range all the time. Then my mom cheated on him with his partner on the force and he left, not that I blame him. Unfortunately, his creep of an ex-partner saw that as a perfect opportunity to make some extra dough and sell me to Kingsley."
"How long ago was that?" she dared to ask, knowing full well she'd hate the answer.
"Ten years, near as I can figure."
Another piece of Kono's innocence died painfully, and she had no time to mourn its loss as the young telepath strode off to help a few telekinetic elites and metal benders move the crates back into position.
"How's it coming, Chin?" she murmured. "Things are about to light up here."
"Phase two complete, so we're on the clock now." He sounded a tad breathless - rattled even, much to Kono's dismay. "I'm jamming every comm frequency but ours - not that it'll help much. If they retake the bridge, we're screwed, so I gotta stay up here until this last part is done. Then I'll secure our exit."
"Kono, Danny and I are en-route," came Steve's brusque voice, and her relief at the hint of Danny's well-being nearly banished all weariness from the fight. "We have some reinforcements, but we're taking the long way. You're gonna have to hold 'til we get there."
"Copy that," she said, nodding at Jason's wrap it up signal. "Try not to take all day, boys. I got a date later tonight."
The brief calm before the storm was north of 'agonizing' but slightly below 'unbearable.' But when the attack came, she almost longed for the tension of the wait.
With the element of surprise gone, this wave of mercenaries came far more prepared. Puddles and bodies signaled the battle ground, and they immediately pulled out little fobs and pointed them every which way.
And kids started screaming, collapsing from their perches as electricity attacked their muscles.
"Go!" Kono roared, not bothering to hide her position. She partnered the battle cry with a thin tendril of water and used it as a whip to sweep the first group off their feet.
Roaring, the long-oppressed elites charged from all sides and met their tormentors with hardened fists and their full powers on display. The electricity still toppled kids sporadically, but the effects never lasted long as the guards switched between frequencies. Groaning, they picked themselves up and reentered the fray.
Kono couldn't keep track of everything, busy taking on as many assailants as she could with a long tendril of water in one hand and a semi-automatic handgun in the other. Occasionally, she'd spot the occasional flame from the Fire dominant mixed elites, rocks and ice from the Earth and Water mixed, and guards collapsing under the assault of young kids with enhanced abilities trained to fight for survival. Gunfire rattled, screams rose in the once-still Pacific air.
It was the sound of war, and she absolutely despised it.
Despite their best efforts, it wasn't enough. More kids were falling - not a substantial number, but each one broke Kono's heart. Apparently, Kingsley's men had given up on nonlethal means of combat. They were being separated and pushed back by the weight of numbers, experience, and fear.
She emptied her clip, giving herself some breathing room, then clambered to the top of a nearby shipping container. From her vantage point, she immediately assessed the battlefield and made a painful decision.
"Fall back!" she screamed. "Go, go, go!"
Ignoring the persistent weariness and feverish-ache beneath her skin, she tucked her gun into her holster and raised her arms once more. The ocean obeyed her request, another mammoth wave washing onto the deck to knock the guards back. Little tendrils broke off to free a few entangled kids, then they rejoined the mass of the Pacific.
She waited for there to be enough separation between the two groups before erecting a wall of ice between the guards and the kids. It would buy them a little time, nothing more. Still, it would have to be enough.
They would regroup at the secondary point and await the next assault.
Willing her knees not to buckle, she leapt down from her perch with a hail of bullets following her retreating form.
~H50~
He cursed his luck as he strode toward his boss, ignoring the growing fear coiling like a snake around his spine. Mr. Kingsley didn't like bad news and he liked the person who dared deliver it to him even less.
And this was very bad news indeed.
Walking onto the raised platform, he waited until his boss spotted him before tilting his head slightly to the side. He could practically feel the man's smoldering glare as he excused himself from the podium and asked for his guests' patience.
"Judging from the pathetically stoic look on your face, I'm going to assume everything is not taken care of on my boat, Mr. Jackson. For your sake, you better have better news than that."
The low threat had no visible effect, but that snake clinched a bit tighter. In a low, controlled voice, he described the situation. Their comms were jammed and there was a visible, massive altercation taking place on the deck between his colleagues and a horde of elites. It was an all-out revolt that they still hadn't managed to suppress.
He thought the powerful man was going to shoot him then and there, but Kingsley refrained - - barely. Instead, the trafficking lord shook his head and growled, "Fine. I'll take care of this myself. Prepare the boats."
Striding off before man could change his mind, he heard Kingsley announce the cancellation of this year's auction in light of an 'internal issue.' Guests murmured as Kingsley strode offstage, and he couldn't help but shudder.
After Mr. Kingsley dealt with this incursion, he had no doubt that some heads would roll. Judging from his furious mutters, the worst punishment would be dished out to the impertinent idiots from Five-0.
Dun-dun-duuuuuun. Hope you all enjoyed this wild ride of a chapter and thanks for reading!