CHAPTER 15

Thursday afternoon, warehouse district Honolulu:

The team piled into the Camaro because it was arguably the faster vehicle. They followed the directions on Kono's phone. It was taking them to the nearby warehouse district. The fact that Steve was close by revitalised the team. Danny continued to channel Steve as he drove while Chin and Kono just went along for the ride.

Chin was on the phone with Agent Kipton, informing him of a potential location for Steve and Fuentes. The FBI was going to meet them at the location. A few minutes later, they arrived in front of a relatively well-kept warehouse. Climbing out of the Camaro, they surveyed the area critically, listening and watching for any movement. There were no vehicles nearby, but the tire treads imprinted in the soft sand suggested recent vehicular activity.

"Why do bad guys always have ridiculous hideouts?" Danny asked no one in particular as he gazed at the warehouse in front of them.

"Maybe they've read too many comic books?" Chin suggested.

"Kono?" Danny asked, turning to face Kono.

"The phone hasn't moved. We are in the right place," she said confidently.

Chin took the lead and approached the front of the warehouse. They crouched down next to the door. Danny and Chin on one side, Kono on the other. Chin counted down on his fingers and they entered simultaneously, guns raised and fanned out around what appeared to be the main floor of the warehouse. It was empty.

There was a door at the back of the room. They moved in that direction, following Chin. Chin stopped in the middle, pointing to a small patch of blood on the floor. It was fresh. Without testing it, the knew it had to be Steve's. Ignoring it for now, Danny indicated they should continue clearing the place.

They moved through the doorway into the next room, which was large. It was filled from floor to ceiling with large shelving units. Most of the shelves were empty, while some contained cardboard boxes in poor condition. They moved through this room to the back, finding yet another door. Opening this door revealed another room, similar to the one they had just left.

Danny was starting to feel claustrophobic. He hoped the next room they went into was not like the last two. Taking deep breaths, he continued through the room until they reached another door. This door revealed a large hallway. Danny sighed in relief. Together, they moved through the corridor until they found yet another door.

Opening it revealed the room in which Steve was likely held. The room, unlike the rest of the warehouse, was in poor condition. There was a small table in the corner, with a few chairs haphazardly placed around it. In the centre of the room were two chairs. Chin knelt down and picked up something off the floor.

Holding up the remains of a zip tie, Chin said, "Steve was here."

Over by the door, Kono was inspecting something else. "I think this is where Steve fought Fuentes."

Danny and Chin walked over to see what Kono was looking at. There were scuff marks in the dust on the wooden floor and a few smears of blood. Evidently, a struggle had taken place.

Danny sighed resignedly as he looked around the room. It was evident that even though Steve had managed to escape, he had probably been recaptured. He doubted Fuentes was take too kindly to being bested by the SEAL twice. He didn't want to think about what could be happening to his partner right now.

"Did we find the phone?" Danny asked, looking around as though expecting it to magically appear.

"No. I didn't see it," Chin said.

Kono checked her phone. "The signal is still transmitting, so it's still here. We just need to find it."

"Okay, if I were a SuperSEAL, and I had just taken out a drug lord and I was looking for a way out of this place, which way would I go?" Danny pondered out loud.

"Probably to the closest exit," Chin said, pointing at the door they had come through.

They walked back down the hallway, looking for the phone as they went. They went out the same way they came in, not surprised when they didn't find the phone. The complex was huge. The phone could be anywhere. They split up, searching the individual aisles between the shelves.

"Remember Steve said something about making a wrong turn?" Chin said from the far right side.

"Yeah?" Danny responded, raising his voice so Chin could hear him.

Danny and Kono made their way over to where Chin was. There was another room, this one much smaller than the rest of the warehouse. It appeared to be a break room of some kind. It had a small kitchenette and a small, broken couch.

"I think Steve encountered some of Fuentes' men in here. He turned around, ditched the phone somewhere along here, then turned towards the main floor," Chin summarised.

"Let's get hunting," Kono said, eager to find something, anything to lead them to their boss.

They searched though the aisles closest to the break room. After five minutes, Kono called out, indicating she had found it. The phone was still on, but running low on battery. Picking it up with gloved hands, Kono scrolled through the phone, hoping for some information to be stored on it. The only thing of use was in the contacts list. The only number on there was Danny's, labelled 'D. Williams'.

"Damn it!" Danny yelled, his voice echoing off the walls in the empty warehouse.

They were so close. They had almost got Steve back. Now, not only had they failed to rescue Steve, but they had lost their only way to contact Fuentes.

Thursday afternoon, Five-0 Headquarters:

They exited the warehouse, their shoulders slumped in defeat. They were surprised to find a large group of people, all in tactical gear, ready to storm the building they had just come out of. Agent Kipton came forward, but he knew from the solemn looks on their faces that they hadn't found what they were looking for.

"Did you find McGarrett?" Kipton asked.

All they had to do was shake their heads. Kipton motioned for everyone to stand down.

"Any sign of Fuentes?" Kipton continued questioning.

"No, just this phone," Kono said, holding up the device for Kipton to see.

"Is that…?" Kipton said.

"Our only link to Fuentes? Yes, it was," Danny said before he walked away from the group to sit on the ground near the Camaro.

Their rescue attempt had failed. The team was beyond exhausted. The constant adrenaline surges, followed by the dumps, were wearing them down. Every time they got close to finding an answer, it was taken away so quickly.

There was less than fourteen hours until the deadline. Fourteen hours until Steve was sold like a slab of meat in a market. They had lost their only method of communication with Fuentes and they had no valuable players.

"Why don't you all head back to the Palace? We'll clean up here and meet you there later," Kipton said, looking in the direction Danny had wandered.

Chin and Kono nodded in reply, not able to voice their thanks. They went over to where Danny was sitting and sat down next to him. Just sitting felt so good on their fatigued bodies.

Kono leaned her head back against the cool metal of the car. She sat in silence as she turned the phone over in her hands. "Perhaps we can trace where the phone has been in the last twenty-four hours?"

"How will that help us find where Steve is now?" Danny asked, not looking up from the patch of dirt he was staring at.

"Perhaps Fuentes has already been wherever he has taken Steve this time. If we search all the places he has been, we may find Steve, or a lead that takes us to Steve," Kono explained.

They knew they were grasping at straws. It was a burner phone, impossible to trace. Well, almost. If they could get some information from it, it was better than nothing. The alternative was to wait for Fuentes to contact Danny again. That was, if he contacted Danny.

"Okay, let's go," Chin said, dragging himself off the floor before holding out his hand to drag his teammates up.

The drive back to headquarters was again silent. No one wanted to voice what they were really thinking. That Steve was gone forever, possibly dead already. Arriving at the Palace, they trudged up the steps back to the office. The sombre expressions on their faces stopped anyone from asking what had happened. Just by looking at them, everyone could tell the mission was a failure.

Entering the bullpen, they shed their tactical gear and went about getting some coffee. Chin went to the break room to see if there was any food in the fridge while Danny prepared the coffee. Kono got to work analysing the phone.

Two hours later, they were no closer to a lead. Fuentes had not called. They had nothing. Kipton had arrived an hour earlier. His suggestion for everyone to get some rest had been volubly argued against. In the end, Chin and Kono had conceded, dragging their tired bodies to the couches in their respective offices. Danny, however, persevered, and continued to work. At least, he tried.

Eventually, Danny found himself more leaning against the smart table, sifting through page after page of information. Agent Kipton was next to him, doing similar. Danny's eyes began to droop. He told himself he would only allow them to close for a minute. He just needed a quick recharge. Then he could get back to trying to find his friend.

A beeping sound brought him from his momentary slumber. His eyes opened quickly and began searching for what was making the noise. He realised, belatedly, it was his email notifying him of a new message. Danny quickly opened the email, realising it was from Charlie Fong at the crime lab. Opening the attached document, the faces of four of the men that were at the house where Grace and Steve were held greeted him. All men were of Columbian descent.

"Who are these guys?" Kipton asked, making Danny jump. Danny had forgotten the other man was there.

"These are some of Fuentes' men from the house. We were hoping…hell, I don't know. That maybe identifying these guys would help us find Fuentes. I don't see how that's going to happen. We have less than twelve hours to find the man. It's not enough time."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Follow the lead. What have you got to lose?" Kipton said.

Danny stared at Kipton like he had suddenly grown another head. "What have I got to lose!" he yelled.

The yell startled Chin and Kono from their sleep. They came over to see what was going on.

"I'll tell you what I have to lose! I could lose my best friend. For some reason he makes this hellhole more tolerable! If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do. Thanks to my brother, my ex-wife will probably contest the custody agreement again so I see even less of my daughter. The only reason I can see her now is because of Steve McGarrett. The man who is currently missing and in the hands of a mad man! That's what I have to lose, Kipton!"

Chin stepped between the two men. "Hey, Danny. Calm down."

Realising he had been gripping Kipton's shirt with his fists, Danny relaxed and slumped in Chin's arms. "Um…sorry," he muttered.

"No apologies necessary. I understand," Kipton said as he straightened his shirt.

"No…I shouldn't have…" Danny veered off as the sound of his phone ringing distracted him.

Checking the caller ID, he saw it was a blocked number. His instinct told him it was Fuentes.

"Kono, trace this," he said tiredly before answering the phone. He was starting to get fed up with it all.

"Williams," he answered.

"Detective Williams. It's been a while since we last chatted. Good to see you still care about your partner, answering the phone so quickly."

"What do you want Fuentes?" Danny growled.

"I'm sure by now you have discovered my temporary base of operations, thanks to Commander McGarrett. As we all know, he is no longer there. Although I do not wish him any harm, if he tries anything like that again, I will not be so courteous," Fuentes said sinisterly.

"He was never one to listen very well, particularly about police procedure. Maybe I can talk some sense into him," Danny said, hoping to speak to Steve, to know if he's okay.

"I'm sure you could, Detective. However, I think he understands his position much better now. Now, to business. The deal is still on. You have until seven o'clock tomorrow morning to deliver your brother to the warehouse, or the alternative happens. You should know the auction is up to six and a half million dollars. It's really quite impressive. At this rate, he might be of more worth to me than you brother. I suggest you get moving…" Fuentes said as he hung up.

Danny clenched his fists so hard that the phone in his hand started to creak under the pressure. Realising what he was doing, he gently placed the phone on the smart table before re-clenching his fists.

"That idiot…stupid…Neanderthal animal. What the hell was he thinking, huh?" Danny asked no one in particular. "Of course he just had to go all SuperSEAL on their asses. Never thought of the consequences. Or maybe he just doesn't care and wants to get himself killed!"

Chin, Kono and Agent Kipton remained silent as Danny ranted.

"I mean, should we bother trying to rescue him? At this rate, he'll be dead before we even get there. What the hell?"

"He did what he had to do, Danny. He's a trained SEAL, remember. He knows what to do in these situations. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing. He took an opportunity to help us find him," Chin reasoned.

"Yeah, and look where that got us," Danny said before looking to Kono. "Kono?"

Kono shook her head. "No good, Danny. Sorry," she said sympathetically. She needed Fuentes to stay on the line a lot longer than that in order to get a trace.

"Not your fault, Kono. Fuentes isn't going to make it that easy for us," Danny said.

"Okay, so it sounds like McGarrett hasn't been hurt any worse. He was certainly in a good enough condition to take on Fuentes and try to escape. That plays in his favour. We still have just under twelve hours until the deadline. We have identified these four men from the house, so maybe we can a common hang out for all of them," Kipton said.

"The fact that Fuentes wants to do the trade at the warehouse suggests they are still on the island and close by," Chin added.

"That's good news," Kono said, smiling.

"None of this matters if we can't find Matt!" Danny growled. "We can't make the trade without him. Unless Steve pulls a successful escape before tomorrow morning, we have no chance of pulling off a rescue. We don't have anything to go off."

"Well, then we focus all of our efforts on finding Matt," Kono suggested.

"But Matt's in the wind. Even if we do find him, he was on the mainland last I checked. How are we going to get him here in time?" Danny used desperately.

"Maybe I can help with that?" said a familiar voice from the entrance to Five-0.

All four people in the room turned around simultaneously to face the newcomer. The look of surprised was mirrored in each of their faces.

That was the last person they expected to see.