Magnum moved as fast as he could, the pain in his side and head forgotten as he raced for the back wall of the barn. He could hear Katsumoto right behind him, feel the other man's hand on his back, pushing him to move even faster.
The sound of the car was closer now, and Magnum forced himself to find the energy for one last burst of speed. He skidded to a halt a few seconds later, his momentum almost slamming his face into the wall. Katsumoto slid to a stop next to him, turning immediately to look behind them, eyes going wide.
Magnum spun around to look for what had drawn that reaction from his friend, only to see the car slam into the door of the barn.
The whole building seemed to vibrate for a long, tense moment. Then the timbers over the door creaked and started to shift. Magnum pressed himself and Katsumoto back against the wall as the first plank came crashing down onto the black car, crushing the roof.
He looked up at the planks above them, trying to calculate how long they had before the rest of the building became dangerously unstable. He was no expert, but he figured that they had no more than a minute, maybe two. His gaze roved over the inside of the building, hoping to see another exit that he'd somehow missed earlier. But the walls were as bare of escape hatches now, as they had been the first time he'd looked.
A ripple seemed to run through the remains of the structure, almost like a gentle wave coming up onto the beach. Then planks and timbers started to fall from the front of the building, gathering speed as more supports collapsed.
A creaking noise above Magnum's head had him glancing up, then shoving Katsumoto towards the corner. Planks started to fall from the loft floor. Magnum wrapped his arms over his head for cover, ignoring the stab of pain that the movement caused due to his broken rib. He turned to brace himself in front of Katsumoto, then found himself on the floor.
He fought to drag air into his lungs, pushing himself to his knees and trying to struggle upright. He felt a piece of plank slide off his shoulders and back. A new pain blossomed in his right side, but he ignored it. He took one stumbling step towards Katsumoto, but didn't make it in time to stop another plank from landing heavily on the detective's left shoulder.
Katsumoto cried out, voice pained, then reached out with his right hand to drag Magnum towards him. The investigator let his friend pull him, sure that the other man had a good reason. Another plank hitting the ground he'd just been standing on confirmed that thought.
Together, Magnum and Katsumoto huddled into the corner, closed their eyes and hoped to survive the rest of the collapse.
Long minutes later, the rumbling and crashing sounds stopped. Magnum dared to open his eyes and found the air too full of dust to be able to assess their situation. He breathed in and immediately coughed heavily, the dust filling his airways. His side ached brutally, and a moment's self-diagnosis forced him to admit that he now had another broken rib.
Another hacking cough caught his attention and he turned his head to see Katsumoto next to him, covered in dust.
The other man was blinking furiously, and slowly focussed his eyes on Magnum. He tried to move, only to bite his lip his lip hard enough to turn what would have been a cry of pain into a whimper.
Magnum took a closer look at his friend, and noted the lopsided look to his shoulders. He recalled the plank hitting the other man during the collapse.
"Gordon. Don't move." He kept his tone even, getting the words out slowly as he coughed up more dust. "Best guess, you've got a dislocated shoulder."
"Figured as much." The words were pained, and Magnum watched as the detective managed to ease his right arm around to support his left and immobilise the shoulder.
As the dust cleared, Magnum took a moment to look around them. He glanced up, and a shudder ran through him. Directly above them hung the remains of the loft area of the barn. Jagged wooden spears threatened to fall on them if they made any sudden movements.
"I think we're stuck here. We're not going to be able to dig our way out." Magnum breathed the words out, careful not to move, arm pressed to his side again. "And moving at all is a bad idea."
"You don't say." Katsumoto's sounded grimly amused. "You okay? You look really pale."
"I'm fine." Magnum managed to keep the pain from his voice.
"Of course you are." Katsumoto shot back, disbelief clear in his tone. "That wood landing on you broke another rib, didn't it?"
"I'm okay." Magnum tried to lighten the mood, but could only managed a tired half-smile. "Nothing to be done, anyway."
He'd aimed for nonchalance, but admitted to himself that Katsumoto had a point. He really wasn't feeling good. He concentrated on the pain for a moment, running a mental check and assuring himself that he actually was fine. Sure, everything hurt, but nothing truly dangerous. Not yet, at least. And it wasn't like he hadn't survived worse.
Another creaking groan was the only warning they got before another section of the loft floor gave way, crashing down around them in a cloud of dust and wooden shards.
Magnum forced his eyes open again, grit in the air making him blink repeatedly. He was still trying to focus his attention when a shard of agony shot through his left arm. He bit off a pained cry, cutting the sound to a whimper, before clamping his mouth shut to contain any further sounds.
A crashing noise behind him had his heart beating faster, the urge to escape and run drowning out everything else, ignoring all reason.
"Magnum." A voice repeated his name again. Then, "Thomas, it's me. Gordon."
Gordon. Katsumoto. The day's events resolved themselves again and he remembered where he was, and why.
But the pain in his arm didn't go away. Looking down, he realised that Katsumoto was clinging to his arm, fingers digging in with the strength of the grip. The detective had obviously used that grip to drag Magnum closer to the corner.
"You still with me?" The question was quiet. "That last beam nearly got you."
Magnum risked a glance over his shoulder to see the shattered remains of the wooden support beam, shuddering at the thought of that landing on him.
He clenched his teeth as another wave of pain surged in his arm, but his gasp had Katsumoto giving him a searching look, even as the other man released his grip on Magnum's arm.
"What's wrong?"
"Get it out. Please." Magnum gasped the words out, fingers clenching spasmodically against the pain.
"Get what out? Where?" Katsumoto's tone was urgent.
"My arm. Something in there." Magnum looked down again, and found the place that Katsumoto had been gripping earlier was now covered in a slick of blood.
He saw Katsumoto look down and watched the colour drain from his friend's face at the sight of Magnum's blood on his fingers. Magnum had seen his blood on his friends' hands before, and he'd managed to get through those times. But that had been a war; blood and injuries were part of the package.
But this … this wasn't a war zone, and he'd never seen his blood on Katsumoto's hands. It wasn't a sight he wanted to see again. From Gordon's expression, the detective wasn't keen on this situation repeating itself any time soon, either.
He brushed his arm against his shirt, movement awkward, trying to get a look at what lay behind the blood. Thankfully, the bleeding seemed sluggish, suggesting that the injury might not be life-threatening. Just painful.
Katsumoto reached out one-handed, fingers gentle now as he turned Magnum's arm slightly. His eyes intent, he peered at the injury before looking up to meet Magnum's eyes.
"I think it's a nail."
"Seriously? A nail?" Magnum couldn't believe something so small could cause that much pain.
"Yeah. One of those long ones. Bent, rusty, really old." Katsumoto agreed.
"Well, pull it out." Magnum braced himself for the spike of pain that would cause.
"No." The word was definite. "I think we should leave it alone."
"I need it out." Magnum breathed the words out. "It feels like … like I've been stabbed."
"I guess you have been, in a way." Katsumoto's rejoinder was dry, an undertone of humour buried in concern.
Magnum had to snort a laugh at that, hearing Katsumoto join him. That was a really bad joke. The kind of joke he'd usually make. Sometimes, bad jokes were better than the reality facing you. This felt like one of those times.
"Jokes aside, though, it feels like I'm still being stabbed." Magnum shifted the arm again. "I need it out."
"I get it." Katsumoto admitted. "But it'll probably make things worse if I do pull it out. I know it's not what you want to hear, but we really should leave it alone. Let an expert get it out. For now, just try not to move your arm too much."
"You're probably right." Magnum got the words out slowly, trying to control his breathing at the same time. Control the air, control the pain. An old lesson, but then again, experience had been an unforgiving teacher. Some lessons you never forgot. Even though he'd learned them in a different lifetime, in a place he only visited now in nightmares.
"You admitted I'm right." Katsumoto laughed. "I'll make a note of it."
Magnum rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer.
"You said that was TC's chopper." Katsumoto went on. "So we just need to sit tight here for a bit longer. They'll get us out of here."
"As long as the rest of this place doesn't come down on our heads." Magnum agreed, holding his breath when another groan of over-stressed wood filled the air.
"True." Katsumoto's voice stayed calm, although Magnum was sure there was a note of tension buried in the depths.
"Okay. So we'll just sit very still and wait."
"Yeah." Katsumoto agreed.
"And hope they've got a plan to get us out of here."
"They're your friends, Magnum."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"They know you." Katsumoto grinned then. "And knowing you, they've probably come prepared for just about anything you might get into."
"I'm not sure they could have anticipated this." Magnum shared the grin and tipped his head to indicate their surroundings.
An ominous creak preceded the fall of another piece of jagged wood, and Magnum's grin slid from his face.
He had every faith in his friends, but even faith, hopes and willpower weren't going to be enough to keep this building upright.
MPI-MPI-MPI
Rick jumped to one side as he lowered the rifle, watching as the front left tyre on the Mercedes disintegrated into spinning strips of scrap rubber. The car pulled to the left and he hoped it would slam into one of the nearby trees.
Moments later, he swore vividly as the car swerved sharply to the right. He could see Stevens pulling frantically on the steering wheel. He stared for a moment, hoping that his instincts about how this was going to end were wrong.
But he was disappointed, as the trajectory of the car forced him to leap quickly to the side to avoid being a new hood ornament. Then a sickening crunch sounded as the Mercedes slammed into the rickety doors of the barn.
He watched in horror as the timbers over the door fell on the car. Then, slowly at first, and then with increasing speed, the rest of the building swayed slightly and started to fold in on itself.
"Oh, no." He heard Juliet's quiet words behind him, filled with the same horror he was feeling.
"That's what I was afraid of." Rick muttered. "That's why I aimed for the left tyre."
"To force the car away from the barn." Higgins agreed. "But clearly, Nick Stevens is nothing but trouble."
Rick nodded, eyes fixed on the building. A cloud of dust was billowing around the collapsed remains of the structure, cutting the visibility to just a few feet. As the dust gradually settled, the heap of rubble became clearer. A few smaller puffs of dust rose here and there, but from what he could make out, it looked as though the worst of the collapse was over.
He took a step forward, oddly comforted by knowing that Higgins was right behind him, watching his back while he put all his attention on the situation in front of him. Aside from the groaning creaks of stressed wood, nothing else moved.
Rick slung his rifle across his back, and moved to pick up the bag he'd dropped when he jumped from TC's helicopter. He slung the strap over his shoulder and headed towards the car. As soon as he reached the vehicle and got a look through the remains of the window and roof, he quickly dug into one of the outside pockets on the bag.
Less than a minute later, he'd used a knife to puncture the airbag, and reached in to fasten both of the driver's hands to the steering wheel with a pair of zip ties.
He heard a faint snort at his side and turned his head to see Higgins watching him, amusement in her eyes. She tipped her head to one side, a question on her face.
"It's Thomas." Rick shrugged. "It pays to be prepared."
"True." Higgins nodded, then looked at the mountainous heap of wood in front of them. "So, prepared for this situation?"
"I have to say," Rick admitted, "that this is a bit extreme. Even for Thomas."
"So, collapsed buildings isn't something he's done before?"
"Actually, no." Rick smiled at the thought that there was a dangerous situation that Magnum hadn't already experienced.
Running footsteps had Rick and Higgins swinging around to face a new threat, only to see TC heading directly towards them. TC had left the helicopter settled directly in front of the gate, effectively locking everyone inside the plantation.
The big man slid to a halt, shock filling his face as he stared at the building. "Man, would you look at that!"
"I'd rather not." Rick shot back. "But Thomas and Katsumoto are somewhere under that lot, so …"
"So, let's get started." Higgins cut in, taking a step towards the rubble and reaching for a piece of wood. She pulled it out and tossed it to one side.
"Any idea where they were?" TC asked.
"Not really." Rick said. "I'm hoping they saw the car coming and headed for the back wall."
"In which case," Higgins let go of the next plank, "we should be concentrating our efforts elsewhere."
"Yeah" Rick nodded. "Best guess is they would be somewhere over there." He pointed about thirty feet away from them and slightly to the right. "Don't you think, TC?"
TC looked at the mess in front of them and Rick could see how he was comparing the current layout to the one they'd seen from the air. TC stared for another moment, then nodded.
"Yeah. But try about three feet further to the right."
Rick started off immediately, skirting around the worst of the collapse and heading to the closest spot of open ground near where they hoped to find their friends. Pausing for a long moment, he raised one hand to ask Higgins and TC for silence. He tilted his head to one side and let his hearing range widely.
He picked up a faint sound, and took a half step closer, straining himself to the limit. Another faint sound offered hope, and then he caught the whisper of words. He listened intently, the rest of the world simply disappearing. The words resolved themselves in his head, and the rush of relief was so strong, he had to force himself to stay standing.
"They're alive!" A grin spread across his face and he turned to look at Higgins and TC, seeing the same instant joy fill their eyes.
Rick eyed the remains of the barn, considering the jigsaw of broken pieces of wood. The section he was looking at had once been the corner of the building, and that probably explained why some of the planks were still firmly planted in the ground and holding up a small part of the roof. But one rash move could bring the whole lot down.
"See that?" Rick pointed at one long plank, which seemed to be resting across a large section of the collapsed structure.
"Yeah, brother." TC answered. "Looks like that one beam is holding everything else in place."
"I agree." Higgins offered. "But isn't that where you heard them?"
"Right." Rick sighed. "Trust Thomas to make this as difficult as possible."
TC took a few steps forward, head turning left to right as he looked at the scene. He pointed to the side of the beam and Rick moved closer.
"What do you see, TC?"
"See that pile there? Bet you we could clear that out without moving that beam."
Rick stared for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay. But let's be quick about it. And no sudden movements."
Rick started pulling a broken plank towards himself, watching as Higgins and TC did the same. They made steady progress for a few minutes, and he was gratified to see that the work they were doing didn't seem to be making the ruin any more unstable than it already was.
"Rick!" Juliet's exclamation was quiet. "Over here. I'm sure I saw something."
Rick leaned across and settled his gaze on the spot Higgins had indicated. A second later, he saw a flash of red and white.
"Red and white?"
"Yes, indeed. Magnum was wearing a shirt in those colours today."
Then Rick snorted with laughter, waving off concern from TC and Higgins. "Just heard Katsumoto tell Thomas that because we're his friends, we're probably prepared for anything."
"He's not wrong." Higgins smiled.
"I don't know." TC offered. "Not sure anyone's prepared for this."
Rick just laughed again. "That's what Thomas just said."
Then he turned to face the spot where the faint sounds were coming from, and raised his voice.
"Thomas. Katsumoto." He waited a moment, then carried on. "We're working on getting you out, okay. Just stay still."
"Okay." The one word, spoken in two voices at the same moment, eased a tension Rick had been unwilling to admit existed inside him.
Another few minutes of digging and pulling, and Rick saw two dust-covered faces looking up at him.
Then he saw the blood and bruises on the faces of both his friends, and felt his rage slowly start to build. The next time he went to Clyde's range, he'd have a few new faces to add to his list of imaginary targets.
"And for your information, Thomas, yes. We do know you, and we are prepared for almost anything." Rick let his amusement show. "But this is a new one, even for you."
"Hey, this isn't my fault." Magnum managed to sound both amused and offended.
"In this case, we have to admit that you may actually have a point." Higgins offered the comment while heaving another chunk of wood from the mess surrounding her.
TC grabbed the end of the largest piece of wood still blocking the corner where Magnum and Katsumoto were huddled. Rick joined him and together they pulled it free of the pile. An ominous creak sounded loudly and Rick froze. When the building settled again, he reached a hand out.
"Okay, Thomas. Grab on and I'll pull you free."
"Watch out for his ribs." Katsumoto's urgent voice caught Rick's attention. "At least one's broken, though I'm guessing it's actually two."
"The ribs again?" TC's voice was resigned. "Are you going for frequent flyer miles, brother?"
"It's not like I planned it." Magnum laughed, but the sound cut off sharply as he raised his arms for Rick to lift him from the rubble. The gasp of pain cut straight through Rick, but he kept his face calm.
"That's what happens when you let people kick you to make a point." Katsumoto's comment was pointed, and Rick turned to Magnum.
"How many times are we going to have this discussion?" The words were driven by anger, he knew, but also by worry and fear.
"Hey, it was him or me." Magnum tipped his head towards Katsumoto, and Rick just sighed. There was no reasoning with Magnum if that was his justification for his actions. And to be honest, Rick knew that he would probably have done the same thing if he'd been in Magnum's position.
Rick stepped back, steadying Magnum as he guided his friend away from the wreck of the building. He saw TC stepping into his spot, already reaching in to help lift Katsumoto up.
"Hey, TC, watch out." Magnum's words floated back over Rick's shoulder. "He's got a dislocated shoulder."
"I'm okay." Katsumoto's voice was strong and just a little annoyed.
"Sure you are." TC agreed, completely ignoring the detective's expression as he used his strength to ease the other man's path from the wreckage. Rick just laughed, knowing that there was no way Katsumoto was going to get anything past TC.
When all five of them were beyond the radius of the collapsed barn, Rick paused for a moment to take stock.
Katsumoto was supporting his left arm, eyes tight against the pain. There was a bruise on the side of his face and Rick judged that the man was nursing a minor concussion, at the very least.
Magnum was hugging his right arm tight against his side, standing slightly hunched to ease the muscles over the broken ribs. Blood had dried on the side of his face, and Rick would bet good money that Thomas was concussed as well. But the biggest concern was the still-wet blood on Magnum's left arm.
He reached out and gently tipped that arm towards him.
"I think it's a nail." Katsumoto spoke quietly, and Rick quickly spotted the offending article, buried deep in Magnum's forearm.
"You're right."
"Should we be looking for anyone else?" Juliet's question carried an academic tone, suggesting that she was only asking because she felt obliged. "Rick's already dealt with the gent in the car, but was there anyone else in the barn?"
"One man." Magnum nodded. "Katsumoto had chained him to the wall, about fifteen feet from where we were."
Rick looked around, spotted the most likely area and pointed to it. "About there?"
"Probably." Magnum confirmed.
"I think he's beyond help." Katsumoto said, tone cold.
"You know him?" Rick asked, wondering about the lack of feeling in the police detective's voice.
"No. But we're both familiar with his work." Katsumoto tipped his head towards Magnum, then met Rick's gaze firmly.
"Okay, then." Rick shrugged. "We'll leave his rescue to the fire department."
"Whenever they get here." TC added, voice expressionless.
Higgins simply turned her back on the building, and offered Rick a tiny smile. She tipped her head towards the building down the hill, where TC's chopper waited.
"Shall we?"
Rick nodded and they all set off down the slope.
MPI-MPI-MPI
Their progress seemed slow, but in just a few minutes, they'd made it to the helicopter. Higgins immediately reached into the chopper and pulled out her laptop and phone. Within seconds, she'd alerted the necessary authorities, given them directions to the plantation, and hung up.
She turned to see Rick guiding Thomas and Katsumoto towards a pile of shipping pallets near the entrance, ignoring both men when they tried to argue. As she watched, Rick pushed Thomas to sit down on the pallets. She headed over, knowing that Magnum wasn't going to obey.
Once, back when they'd first met, she'd have seen his lack of obedience and concern for himself as character flaws. But she'd learned a great deal about her partner since then. He could obey orders, and suggestions, and with a good grace too. But only if those orders complied with his own complicated moral code and view of the world.
Katsumoto was injured. Katsumoto had been set up. Magnum considered Katsumoto a friend, possibly even closer than that. 'Ohana.
Listing those simple facts gave Higgins a very clear idea of what Magnum would do next. Even being right wasn't enough to stop her speaking her mind, though.
"Magnum." The word was sharp as a blade, and had his head spinning towards her. "Just do as you're told, for once in your life."
"I'm fine." The words were a refrain from a song she'd long since tired of hearing.
"You're not." She reached out and laid one hand on his left shoulder, exerting just enough pressure to make it clear that she wasn't letting go until he sat down again. He pressed against her hand for a long moment, then eventually sagged back onto the pallet, letting it take his weight.
She turned to see Rick and Katsumoto watching, both trying hard not to laugh out loud. She couldn't stop her smile, which grew wider when she heard Magnum muttering quietly about how he'd never figured his friends would turn on him like this.
"Need a hand?" She offered to Rick.
"Sure." Rick was running sure hands over Katsumoto's shoulder, feeling gently around the joint. "Dig me out a roll of bandage, please."
Higgins dipped into Rick's medical kit, impressed in spite of herself at how well-stocked it was. He could probably treat half a platoon with the contents, and have stores left over. It raised her idea of being prepared by at least a few notches.
"I'm impressed." She tipped her head towards the bag as she handed the bandage to Rick.
"I was a Boy Scout." Rick chuckled as he took the bandage.
"You were never." TC's laughed. "They're only half as prepared as you."
"Well, they've never met Thomas."
Higgins laughed, her amusement increasing at the exasperated expression forming on Magnum's face.
"Rick, I'm insulted." Magnum protested. "I'm not that bad."
"Keep telling yourself that." Rick tossed the comment at Magnum, quickly finishing up his job of immobilising Katsumoto's shoulder. "That should hold you until TC gets you to the hospital."
"Thank you." Katsumoto tipped his head, an old-fashioned acknowledgement. Higgins wondered for a moment what his parents were like; Katsumoto had very modern views on equality and obviously saw her as an equal, yet he could still act in ways reminiscent of a well-bred gentleman. He was both easy to understand and a complete enigma. The only thing she was sure of, was that they were lucky that they were on the same side of the law as Katsumoto.
"I could pop it back in myself," Rick shrugged, "but it'll hurt less if they do it. They've got the good drugs, after all."
"Appreciate that." Katsumoto nodded again.
"Not much I can do about the headache." Rick apologised. "I'd give you painkillers for it, but you know what the docs at the emergency room are like."
Katsumoto nodded and let his eyes fall shut, resting his weight on the pallets.
"Now you." Rick focussed his attention on Magnum. Higgins saw the almost imperceptible flinch of Magnum's eyes, and realised that he was hurting far more than he was willing to admit. Stubborn didn't need a definition in the dictionary, merely a photograph of Magnum's face.
She noticed Rick used a gentle touch to tip Magnum's head up, and watched the intense focus with which Rick examined Magnum's eyes.
"Concussion for you as well, definitely." Rick ran a gentle finger along the side of Magnum's face, eyes following the trail of blood up the side of his friend's face. Higgins caught the tiniest twitch of her partner's eyelids, and wondered if Rick had seen it too.
"Hurts, I see." Rick kept his tone bland and Higgins bit back a chuckle. Magnum turned a hard glare on her, and she let herself laugh, hearing TC's smothered chuckle behind her.
"Not much I can do about it, though." Rick sighed. "Same reason I gave Katsumoto; you know what the docs are like."
"Yeah, I know." Magnum sighed the words out. "But it's okay. I'm fine, I swear."
Higgins ignored that comment, appreciating the fact that Rick and TC did exactly the same. Rick held out a hand to Magnum, fingers almost touching Magnum's left arm. The tableau held for a long moment, then Magnum shifted slowly, offering the limb up for examination.
Rick leaned in, giving the injury a thorough perusal.
Higgins looked away for a moment, hands back in Rick's medical kit, sifting through the contents. She lifted out a shorter length of bandage and put it in Rick's hand, just as he turned towards her.
"Jules, are you a mind reader now?" The grin was one he reserved for joking with his 'ohana, and she felt a weight drop off her shoulders. Rick would never be this light-hearted if something were seriously wrong with Magnum.
"Of course." She met his smile with one of her own. "I have any number of hidden talents."
TC laid a warm hand on her shoulder, and squeezed gently, a welcome reminder of how deeply they'd pulled her into their little family.
"I'll just bet you do." Rick grinned, then turned back to Magnum, quickly wrapping the injured arm. "I'm not touching that nail, Thomas. One of the docs can do it at the hospital."
Magnum lifted his head to stare at Rick, and Higgins could see the argument coming.
"No arguments, Magnum. Rick knows what he's doing." Magnum turned that wounded puppy-dog look on her and she shrugged it off. "Nice try, but no."
"At least your tetanus shots are up-to-date." Rick commented. "The amount of trouble you get into, I'm glad I keep reminders on my phone about it."
"You too?" Higgins questioned. "I thought it was just me."
The look on Magnum's face suggested that she may have revealed more than she intended with that admission, but after the way her 'ohana had cared for her after the siege at the estate, she figured it was only fair that he know how much she cared.
Maybe the shock of her actually admitting the level of her concern out loud would be enough to make Magnum do what was best for himself, just this once.
She met his gaze calmly, seeing the understanding lurking in his eyes. And while he was still thinking about what she'd said, she slid one hand into the pocket of his jeans and snagged the keys to the Ferrari.
"Hey!" The protest was more for form than anything else, and she waved the keys in front of his nose.
"You're not driving anywhere today, Magnum. And I'm not leaving Robin's car in the forest overnight."
He shrugged one shoulder, eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. Then explained exactly where she would find the car, and how to get past the fence.
She felt TC move behind her, then the tall man spoke quietly. His voice was matter-of-fact, the words lacking in any sort of hidden meaning, but the note of steel suggested compliance would be good.
"Now, if you two get yourselves settled in the chopper, I'll fly you to the hospital."
She saw Magnum and Katsumoto share a glance, and saw the moment when both men decided that discretion was the better part of valour. They both eased themselves upright and started towards the chopper, following in TC's wake.
Before they'd moved more than a few feet, Rick's voice rang out clearly.
"Hey, Katsumoto, give me your keys. I'll get your car back to Honolulu for you."
Higgins hid her amusement when Katsumoto simply stopped where he stood, traded one long-suffering glance with Magnum, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys.
"No lights, no sirens." The order was stern, but Higgins saw how it simply bounced off Rick's shell of relieved humour.
"Would I do that?" The question was filled with laughter.
"In a heartbeat." Katsumoto shot back.
"Not this time." Rick promised. "I will treat your car as if it were my own."
"Not reassuring at all." Katsumoto groaned, before simply handing over the keys.
She watched as TC settled both men in the back of the chopper, checking that they were both securely buckled in. The tall man ran through the start-up routine and the rotors began to spin slowly. Then TC raised one hand, a quick half-wave, half-salute. She lifted a hand in return, seeing Rick echo the movement.
Moments later, the chopper headed for Honolulu.
"Shall we?" She waved uphill, and Rick nodded.
Together, they trudged up the slope, past the collapsed barn, and into the trees. Ten minutes later, they made their way through the hole in the fence and walked the short distance to the Ferrari and Katsumoto's black vehicle.
Rick tipped his head to one side, then smiled.
"Emergency services are arriving."
"Good." Juliet was decisive. "Then we have absolutely no reason to stay."
"I've got lights and sirens." Rick joked, a huge grin spreading across his face.
"You promised." Higgins reminded him archly. "And you wouldn't break a promise to a friend, now would you, Rick?"
"Never, Jules." No hesitation at all. No wonder he was like the brother she'd never had. "But what a missed opportunity."
She was still laughing as she started the Ferrari, mind already ranging ahead to the hospital in Honolulu.
MPI-MPI-MPI