Chapter 6

"Grrrrrr….. grrrrrrrrr...!" – Zeus and Apollo

.

"Katsumoto, it's Rick."

"All right, what's Magnum done now?" the HPD detective asked drily as he walked towards his desk and sat down.

"What makes you think…?" Rick started, momentarily offended on Thomas' behalf by the other man's opening line before he remembered that it was a completely valid question. "Never mind, don't answer that. Listen, we think Beck has Thomas."

"Say that again?" Katsumoto sat up straighter in his chair. "Where are you?"

"Your witness' house. TC's here, too. Higgy tracked both Thomas' phone and the Ferrari here when TM didn't answer her calls."

"My witness–? You mean Aiona Kealoha? What were you two doing there?"

"What do you think?" Rick snapped, the unspoken Thomas is in trouble hanging in the air between them. He took a breath, his frustration once more under control, and continued, "We found Tommy's phone under the couch, with an unsent text to Jules that said Beck here. It looks like they trashed the place looking for the flash drive but fortunately, they didn't find it."

"What flash drive?"

"I thought Thomas called you…"

"I just got out of a taskforce debrief – no calls since I went in," Katsumoto frowned as he searched around his desk, feeling all at sea with the entire conversation. "Wait, here's a message from Magnum that says he's on his way to the Kealoha house and that he may have something for me. What's he talking about?"

"According to Jules, the files on this drive may help put Beck away but you'll need his laptop to access them as they're heavily encrypted," Rick explained. "Since we're on the subject, she also mentioned that HPD had eyes on the guy."

"We did. I just learnt that it was pulled two hours ago when Beck found out about it and sicced his high-priced lawyer on the department."

"That's just great," Rick muttered darkly. "What 'bout his phone? Can you trace it?"

"Yes, but it won't do us any good. Records show that it hasn't been active since he got released."

"Fantastic… this just keeps getting better and better," the bar owner griped, under his breath. "Jules' back at Robin's Nest trying to access a satellite so that she can backtrack the data to the time she thinks Thomas was taken."

"Okay, I'm… going to pretend you didn't tell me that," Katsumoto said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just do me a favour and stay put, both of you. And don't touch anything! I'm on my way to you now."

~O~O~O~

Thomas! What are you doing? Get up… get up now!

With Nuzo's urgent voice urging him on in his head, Magnum struggled to his feet, chest heaving, and searched clumsily through the men's pockets until he found a phone. He unlocked it, and then half ran, half staggered on rubbery legs down the corridor, stopping only to pick up the gun that he'd kicked away earlier in the fight. Ignoring his pounding head and the sharp white-hot pain at his side, he made his way unsteadily towards what he hoped was the exit.

That's it, man. Keep going. Keep moving. Stay alive.

One arm wrapped protectively around his throbbing ribs, Magnum turned left at the corner and almost cried out in relief at the sight of a flight of stairs that lead to the ground floor. Keeping an eye out for Beck's men, he headed towards metal staircase and shakily made his way down the steps.

"Search the place. I want him found! Now!"

He'd just reached ground level when Beck's enraged voice rang out and he knew that his escape had been discovered. Swallowing a frustrated groan when he spotted men running towards the only exit he could see, Magnum abruptly changed direction, making his way instead towards the other side of the building. Crouched low, he slipped behind one of the many haphazard piles of broken shelves, pallet racks, and tables.

Swiping the blood away from his swollen eye, he cursed under his breath when he peered out from his hiding place and saw that more men had gathered around the doorway. He considered his options and knew that he would be seen the moment he made a run for it. There were too many of Beck's men around for him to get away, and getting caught right now would not bode well for him, especially if Beck was looking to tie up loose ends.

Time to call it in, Tommy.

Shaky and nauseous from the pain and exhaustion and hoping that he would have enough time before they caught up with him, Magnum pulled out the phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

~O~O~O~

"Jules, anything?" Rick asked the moment he and TC walked through the door of her office, Katsumoto right at their heels.

Higgins looked up from her laptop, brows furrowed. "Not much, I'm afraid. I found the car Magnum was forced into but the rest of the satellite image only showed where it went until the underpass. There's also the possibility that they could have changed cars during that time – and I have no way of verifying that or tracking them until I can gain access to another satellite."

His mind still on what Juliet had just shared with them, Rick absently answered his phone when it rang, "Hello?"

"Rick…"

"Thomas!" Rick exhaled at the familiar voice, relief colouring his tone. Quickly tapping to hands-free mode, he showed the others the unknown number on the screen. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Not sure – think it's… one of his warehouses. Got away but… they're searching the place," Magnum replied, speaking so softly that the others could barely hear him. It didn't go unnoticed that he skipped Rick's first question. "Listen, don't call… HPD. Beck has… someone on the inside..."

"Tommy?" Rick prompted when the PI trailed off. He looked up at Higgins but she was already tapping away on her laptop with grim concentration. Beside her, Katsumoto's expression was stonier than usual and Rick wasn't sure how much of it was due to the knowledge of a mole inside HPD or Thomas' current predicament.

"Still here…"

"Higgy, can you trace the number?" TC asked worriedly when the weak answer ended with a cough, followed by a barely suppressed groan of pain. The line went silent again, save for the occasional sounds of rapid, shallow breathing.

"I almost got it," Higgins responded, her eyes fixed on her screen as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "I just need a few more minutes."

"They're coming…" Magnum's hoarse, muffled whisper came over the line and his friends exchanged worried glances when they heard him draw another shuddering breath. "I have a plan… but you're not going to like it…"

~O~O~O~

He could hear the sound of approaching footsteps and voices and knew that he had only minutes, if not seconds, before they found him. Ignoring his friends' protests on the other side of the line after he'd given them a quick rundown of his plan, Magnum forced himself to his feet and had just enough time to shove the phone into a slot at the top of one of the pallet racks before the shelf he was hiding behind fell over with a crash.

"Hey, fellas," he said amicably, hands held up in a placating manner as two of Beck's men advanced upon him. Black spots were beginning to dance at the peripherals of his vision and it took all the strength he had to remain upright. "Long time no see…"

~O~O~O~

"You know what?" Rick grumbled, his phone gripped tightly in one hand, as Higgins expertly manoeuvred the Range Rover through traffic. They were following Katsumoto's car as he sped ahead of them, sirens blaring. After the sound of things falling over and Thomas' light greeting, all they heard from the open line was what sounded like a scuffle before everything went quiet. "I'm going to kill him when we get him back safely. Or maybe chip the guy. Or both."

Briefly, Juliet met his eyes through the rear-view mirror in mute agreement before she turned her concentration back to the road before her.

At the front passenger side, TC reined in his worry with some effort as he turned to look at his friend in the backseat. "You'll have to get in line, brother. This crazy plan of his better work."

~O~O~O~

"Since you asked… so nicely…" Magnum wheezed from the floor, winded by a hard punch. Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried focusing past the haze of agony surrounding him. "I'll take you to… the flash drive."

After being relieved of the gun, he was dragged, none too gently, and forced to his knees in front of the businessman. He then endured a few minutes of Cutler's vicious interrogative techniques before breaking his silence. He just hoped he'd stalled enough to give his friends the head start they needed.

"I knew you'd eventually see it my way," Beck sneered. "Where is it?"

Magnum paused a moment, but it was long enough for Cutler to give him another hard kick to his abdomen, and he curled into himself with a low moan, coughing weakly.

"Where is it?" Beck demanded again, his voice rising in anger and irritation.

"It's at… the Kealoha house."

"He's lying!" Cutler spat out, furious. "We've searched the place, twice. There's nothing there."

"You missed… a spot… or three," Thomas couldn't help but snark back despite his defenseless position on the ground. He flinched when Cutler drew back his leg, arms instinctively shielding his head against another kick.

"Enough!" Beck roared before his man could complete the action. He knelt down and glowered at the PI. "You've wasted enough of my time. You'd better not be jerking us around or you're going to be begging to die by the time we're done with you." Standing up, he indicated with a jerk of his head. "Get him to the car."

~O~O~O~

For the third time that day, Magnum found himself on the ground, trying his best not to pass out from the agonising pain. He'd stumbled and lost his balance earlier when Cutler had pushed him roughly ahead of him into Aiona Kealoha's house. With his hands bound tightly behind him, there wasn't any way he could have stopped his descent and the hard fall took his breath away, along with whatever remained of his strength.

Amid the buzzing in his ears and blinding pain, Thomas thought he heard Katsumoto's voice yelling above the distant sound of approaching sirens. That's good, he thought hazily, as the world around him dimmed. At least that part of the plan worked...

He would have loved to see his friends help the HPD detective take down Beck and his men but after the fall, everything had faded into sheer agony, making it hard to breathe, let alone concentrate on what was happening around him. Against his will, his eyes fluttered closed.

"HPD! Drop your weapon and step away from Thomas Magnum! Now!" Katsumoto commanded, gun in hand, as he appeared from the behind the door where he and the rest of his team had been lying in wait. "Don't make me ask again!"

"Tommy!" Rick cried out when he caught sight of the still figure on the floor. Slinging his gun behind him, he knelt down beside his bloodied, semi-conscious brother. The activity around him, including the arrest of Beck and his men, all faded into the background as he focused solely on the injured man.

TC and Juliet appeared beside him and the pilot stated worriedly, "He's burning up."

"Ambulance's two minutes out," Katsumoto announced as he joined them. "Where's all the blood coming from?"

"Mostly from his side. Looks like his stiches are torn – I wouldn't be surprised if the wound's infected," Higgins replied without looking up. She gently rolled Magnum onto his back once Rick freed his hands, her heart clenching at the faint sounds of pain the movement caused.

Thomas blinked slowly as he stared up at them, eyes unfocused.

"His weakened immune system is probably not helping," Rick muttered. "Hey, hey, stay with me, man…" he murmured encouragingly, trying to keep his friend conscious. "That's it, bud… keep those eyes open."

A low whimper escaped him as gentle hands cut away the ziptie and rolled him onto his back. He looked uncomprehendingly at the blurry figures above him, hardly hearing what the man closest to him was saying past the roar in his ears. But the sound of the words being said was familiar and comforting despite the panicked desperation behind them, and Magnum instinctively knew he was safe. His eyes drifted shut once more and this time, he allowed the waiting darkness to carry him away.

"Thomas!" Rick let out a strangled cry when Magnum's eyes closed and he went limp just as the EMTs came through the door. Putting his hand on his best friend's chest, Rick heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the slight rise and fall of it. That's it, TM. Breathe, just keep breathing…

~O~O~O~

"How is he?" was the first question out of Katsumoto's mouth when he met up with them in the hospital later that night.

"We don't know yet," TC answered. He looked tired and worried; they all did – it had been an extremely long and stressful day. "No word since they wheeled him away almost three hours ago."

"Family of Thomas Magnum?"

"That's us," Rick answered as he jumped up from his seat to stand before the doctor, followed closely by the others.

"I'm Dr Pearson," the physician paused, seeing the faint lines of stress on the faces before him. Glad that he was delivering some good news, he continued, "Mr Magnum lost quite a lot of blood and is badly dehydrated. On top of that, he suffered a mild concussion, five broken ribs, along with multiple abrasions and contusions. The wound on his side is showing signs of infection, so we're putting him on some antibiotics to fight it off, which should help reduce his fever. Once we have that under control, he should recover a lot faster. That said, he's doing surprisingly well, given what I was told he went though."

"Are you sure, Doc?" TC asked in disbelief. "He was in pretty bad shape when we got to him earlier."

"The severe dehydration and blood loss he suffered is likely exacerbated by exhaustion from lack of proper nutrition and sleep. He's going be extremely tired and sore for the next week or so, but he's young and in good shape. He should be fine once he gets enough rest," Dr Pearson reassured the worried group.

"Can we see him?" Rick asked after a moment.

Dr Pearson hesitated before nodding slowly. "He's sedated at the moment, but yes, for a short while."

"Thanks, Doc."

~O~O~O~

Despite his doctor's optimistic assurances, Magnum spent almost a week in the hospital before he was allowed to leave. His blood loss, coupled with the infection he'd picked up due to his compromised immune system, left him extremely weak and nauseous, and for the first half of his stay, he spent most of the time sleeping, though it wasn't always restful. The first two days, delirious from fever, he dreamt of the people he'd lost and was disorientated enough to believe that he was a prisoner of war once more. More than once, he thought he was back in the hole again. In solitary. Alone. While his friends suffered and died because he wasn't there to protect them.

"That's it, TM… just breathe. All of us made it out, remember?" TC whispered, feeling Thomas' heart racing wildly beneath his hand. He heaved a deep sigh when the fevered man gradually settled down, drifting back to sleep once more. "We're okay... we're all okay."

Rick and TC were always there to pull him back each time the nightmares struck but then his eyes would close in exhaustion and the cycle would repeat itself. As his fever rose, he dreamt of Nuzo instead, and how he couldn't prevent the death of the man who had saved his life.

"Easy, buddy," Rick said a low, soothing voice as Thomas whimpered in his sleep, shifting around restlessly in the hospital bed. His heart ached each time the injured man called out brokenly for the brother they'd lost. Gently, he wiped away a single tear that ran down his friend's bruised face. "I've got you."

Higgins was often at his bedside but she wasn't able to do much because Magnum, in his fevered state, only responded to two voices, and neither of them was hers. So she dropped by and brought coffee and food for the two men whose voices reached the severely ill man through his fever and pain, and kept vigil beside his bedside, taking turns with Kumu, and on occasion, Katsumoto and Shammy, while Rick and TC took their much needed rest between shifts.

"Oh, and Aiona got discharged two days ago. She's doing much better and is ready to testify against Beck," Juliet murmured, brushing aside an errant lock of hair from Thomas' all-too-warm forehead. He'd dropped off not too long ago and she was content to just watch him sleep. "HPD reopened her brother's case. She finally got the answers and closure she needed after one of Beck's men confessed to his murder."

His fever broke on his fourth day in the hospital, and for the first time since he was brought in, Thomas slept deeply and did so for most of the day. Once Dr Pearson confirmed that the PI was well on his way to recovery, Juliet banished Rick and TC from the hospital, sending them home with instructions to not step foot into the building until they too, had gotten enough rest to remove the dark circles from under their eyes.

Both men tried to do as they were told but it wasn't long before they were back in the hospital room once more. This time, however, they were elated to find Thomas alert and lucid, though easily tired. Since he kept falling asleep mid-conversation and they had to repeat it all over again when he woke up, his friends agreed that it would be best to wait until he was better before they talked about what happened.

By the next day, Magnum was already hounding his doctor, and anyone else he could find in scrubs, for a discharge. Higgins had updated him about Aiona during one of the rare times he'd managed to stay awake, and once he knew that everyone he cared about was safe and that Beck was no longer a threat, he was content to just rest, trusting that his friends would fill him in on the rest when he was ready. So he slept, healed, and did all he could to leave the hospital. To his credit, Dr Pearson lasted a full day before he finally gave in to Magnum's incessant request, and the expression on the PI's face when he was told that he could go home made him smile.

~O~O~O~

Like the last time he slept outside in the living hall of the main house, it was the sound of deep growling that woke him up. The difference was, it was the middle of the afternoon, and he was currently in his own living room – so how on earth did they get in? Magnum sat up, barely breathing, and grimaced as the stitches on his tender side pulled painfully. He resisted the urge to slap an open palm against his face – why was he asking such an obviously dumb question? He must be more concussed that he thought.

He kept a watchful eye on the guard dogs as he got to his feet but froze when they started growling again the moment he moved. Holding his breath, he slowly sat back down.

"Higgins…" he called out once the growling stopped, his voice rising when there was no sign of the majordomo. "Higgins!"

"Zeus, Apollo!" Juliet was suddenly there, and he heaved a sigh a relief when they obediently went over to where she stood and sat down beside her.

He waved an agitated hand at the dogs. "Please tell me why the hounds of hell are here… in my living room?"

"The lads? They're just trying to keep you safe," she answered brightly.

He gawked at her. "Say that again?"

"Since I have an urgent errand to run, Zeus and Apollo will be keeping you company until I get back."

"What! Higgy… I'm not a child that needs watching. Besides, I'm fine."

Higgins crossed her arms. "I beg to differ, Magnum. You're worse than a wayward child. In a span of a week, you've managed to land yourself in the hospital twice. And don't get me started on the numerous times I had to track you or the Ferrari."

His eyes narrowed. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"I must admit, this situation is definitely a plus," she acknowledged, biting back a smile.

"In my defense, getting kidnapped wasn't part of the plan," he said mulishly, his eyes still on the dogs. He scowled when they took a few steps nearer to him and laid down, their heads on their paws.

Higgins tried but she was finding it increasingly hard to control her laughter at the expression of dismay that crossed Magnum's face each time the dogs moved a little closer to where he sat. Making her way to the front door, she quickly schooled her features and said as sternly as she could, "Regardless, that happened and the lads here will make sure you stay put, at least until you're properly healed."

"Oh, c'mon!" Thomas exclaimed, looking up just in time to see Juliet slip through the door, closing it behind her. "Higgy! Where are you going? Hey! You forgot your hellhounds… Higgins…!"

.

Drjscully, Guest, Lhaven: Thanks for staying with me and for reviewing Chapter 5. As always, your reviews made my day. Final chapter coming up.