Okay, another long chapter. Even longer than the one before but I hope you don't mind. It was necessary to take it where I wanted it to be.

Wow, I'm so pleased by your reviews, it really brightens up my day and gives me the motivation to keep writing. Thanks a lot!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of H50.

The team reached their destination about twenty-five minutes later, much faster than expected. Danny decided to take his driving to level McGarrett, knowing each minute might mean the difference between life and death. If it was not too late already. Tani had a hard time to keep up with his driving and trying to follow him but he didn't really care at that point.

He pulled over and jumped out of his black Camaro, along with Lou and Quinn. Tani with Junior and Adam arrived just half a minute later. By that time Danny's tension radiated from every part of his body, his eyes didn't move from the big, white house in front of them. He walked to the wall and leaned forward to peer at the window. A thick curtain draped across the inside made it difficult to see within but there was no movement as far as he could tell, and it was silent inside.

Danny pointed his fingers to the back of the house, signaling Junior, Tani, and Adam to take the rear entrance and he watched them disappear behind the corner while he moved to the front door. He waited for a few seconds to make sure everyone was ready and drew his gun. Lou took a small step backward and kicked the door open. Danny quickly moved in, followed by Quinn and Lou. He felt the current of air at once. He reached for the first door to the left and grabbed the handle with his left hand as he pointed the gun, pushed the door and went in. It was a study. Empty.

He walked back into the hall and moved through the house with stealth, his gun raised in front of him all the time. Kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom. All empty. "Clear," he heard Junior from upstairs and saw him coming down the stairway with Tani and Adam behind his back. "Clear." Lou's voice.

He was about to open the last door, which he assumed lead to the basement when he heard the sound coming from upstairs. Steps. Someone was there. "Upstairs!" he yelled and sprinted in that direction, taking three steps at a time with Junior right behind him. He heard the noise again, coming out of the master bedroom and carefully stepped inside. The door of the big wooden closet was now open as well as the window. He lunged toward it and peeked outside, where he saw a woman running away from the house through the backyard.

"Hey! Five-0!" He aimed his gun but she was too far already.

Like he was reading his mind, Junior pushed Danny aside and jumped out of the window. Right. Not a problem for a SEAL. He thought, while turning around and rushing back downstairs to help. A single gunshot rang through the backyard, which made Danny pick up the pace even more. By the time he got out, Junior had their suspect pinned to the ground, holding her face in the dirt while securing her hands behind her back.

"Junes!" Tani shouted. "You're bleeding."

Danny looked closer at the young SEAL to notice his injury. The grey t-shirt he wore stained red on his left shoulder.

"It's nothing, just a scratch. The bullet just grazed me," he replied with a calm voice.

That's something Steve would say, Danny thought. Steve. His mind focused on his best friend again, he turned around and rushed back to the house, where others would be, searching the basement.

The gentle sound carried through the dark, cold room. The noise appeared distant, but it caught Steve's attention. Something woke him up a few minutes ago. There was another sound, this time it appeared closer. Hearing what he thought was a movement beyond the door, he looked in that direction. The door stayed closed and he stared at it for a couple of minutes. Maybe the sound was only another trick of his mind. Another hallucination. Throbbing in his head was almost unbearable and the drops of sweat formed on his forehead despite cold. His wrists strained against the restraints, not moving a bit. Every muscle in his body was sore and fatigued, his mind on fire. He had no idea how long has he been there, but it felt like forever.

A sound emanated from behind the door. This time he was certain. Someone was coming in. He held an unbroken gaze in that direction and waited to hear the key turn in the lock, feeling his heartbeat quickening.

"What do you mean, he is not here?" Danny barked at Lou, who emerged from the basement door.

"I'm sorry, man. No one else is here."

Danny's heart sank. There goes their hope to find Steve. A sudden rage replaced the initial sadness and disappointment.

Quinn and Adam turned around when they heard the loud bang, suggesting Danny let the frustration out by hitting the wall.

"I was sure he'll be here," Danny whispered, angrily gritting his teeth and leaning his straight arms on the wall, his head hung and eyes closed.

"We all were," Lou sighed in disappointment.

"At least we've got someone to ask a few questions now," Adam pointed in the direction of Tani, Junior, and an angry woman he held in front of him.

Lou furrowed his eyebrow, looking at their suspect. "Who the hell is she?" he asked.

"I don't know," Quinn said. "Definitely not Esther Bennett."

Danny tried to play a good cop and a bad cop game with Lou for hours but they didn't manage to get a word from their suspect. They've been trying for hours but didn't even get her name. Nothing. And the frustration inside the room was growing amongst the team. Tani and Junior stayed in Bennett's house, hoping to find something useful and they haven't returned yet. Now surrounded around the smart table, the rest of the team tried to ID Jane Doe in their custody.

Danny couldn't just stand around, he was pacing the room, brushing his fingers over his hair and trying to push aside all the dark thoughts of his mind. Steve could be anywhere by now. It's been over twenty-six hours since he was gone and they had nothing but a woman who refused to speak. It was hard to push away the picture of his best friend laying in the puddle of blood, still and pale. "Damn it, Steven! You and your stupid ideas!" he cursed, just for himself. He refused to give up though, refused to rest until he finds him. With a new wave of determination, he turned around and headed out of the room without a word.

"Danny, where are you going?" Adam asked and all the eyes turned to him.

"Downstairs," he answered. "I'll try to talk to her again. I can't just stand around."

Lou joined him and followed Danny down the corridor. They dropped down three flights of stairs and hung a left towards the interrogation room. Confusion reigned as soon as they opened the door.

A woman in a casual red shirt and jeans shorts leaned forward on the chair she was cuffed to, her arms and legs appeared to be in spasm. The semi-conscious woman convulsed violently, eyes tightly shut, straining every muscle. She coughed involuntarily, yellow bile spewing from her mouth.

"Geez!" Danny exclaimed.

"I'm calling the ambulance," Lou said as he quickly dialed the number on his phone.

Minutes passed, that seemed like hours. By the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late. The woman hasn't been breathing for at least four minutes. The only person that might know something was dead and they had no idea why.

Returning back to others, Danny took a few deep breaths to calm down. He wondered if Tani and Junior were able to find something in Bennett's house.

As if reading his mind, both of them appeared at the doorway, quickly making their way to the rest of the team, eager expression on their faces.

"What did you find out?" he asked.

"I think we have a problem, Sir."

"You mean bigger than Steve being kidnapped, possibly dead?" There. He said it out loud. But he regretted that immediately, as the grave silence swallowed the room for a moment. Saying his doubts out loud made the possibility of Steve not coming back more real and a big lump formed in his throat with the realization. He can't lose his best friend.

"Danny they had a chance to kill him in the bank, but they didn't. It means they need him alive," Adam interrupted the silence.

Junior exchanged a look with Tani before he took a deep breath and turned to the rest of the team. "Adam is right. And we think we know why they took him," he said.

Judging by the expression of Junior's face and urgency in his voice, it couldn't be good. Danny encouraged him to go on, listening carefully.

"We found a flash drive hidden in the air conditioning. We managed to access it and found several maps of Oahu on it. It would be all right, but then we found several extremely detailed maps of the Koolau Mountains and what's more important - its underground."

"So what?" Danny asked, noticing the confused looks of his co-workers. "What's in there?"

"Have you ever heard about Red Hill?" Tani asked.

Quinn's eyes widened. "The underground fuel storage tanks. Its existence was extremely classified for five decades, a huge secret protected by the Navy."

Danny rolled his eyes, he hated hearing the word 'classified'. Especially if it stood between him and finding his partner alive.

"That's true, it's existence is declassified now, although not a lot of people know about it," Junior explained.

"All right, so could you please explain to us, not ex-Navy guys, why are you so concerned about it and what it has to do with our group of bank robbers? In English, please," Danny said.

"Okay, it all began in 1938, when Hitler's army marched into the land of Czechoslovakia, Japan was a year into a full scale of the invasion of China. The world was in turmoil. America, geographically isolated, protected by two great oceans was unprepared for an attack," Junior started.

Flapping his arms in the air, Danny rolled his eyes. "So it's a history lesson now?"

Looks of his team members fixed on him, silently asking him to calm down and focus. But how could he? Every minute counted now, the frustration was eating him alive. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Go on."

"In Hawaii, the navy planters spread great concern over the adequacy and security of fuel oil storage of Pearl Harbor. The fuel for the entire Pacific fleet was stored in large tanks, scattered throughout the base, highly visible and susceptible to attack. So it was decided to build the underground fuel storage tanks before a catastrophic attack could cripple the Pacific fleet so they started to build one in 1940 and finished it three years later," Junior explained.

"Is it still working?" Lou asked.

Quinn exchanged looks with Junior. "It is, and it's still an extremely important national strategic asset," she said.

"Let me guess. It's under the Koolau Mountains."

"Yes, it's located in the cavities mined into a basalt ridge on the southwest flank of the Koolau Mountains. That place is massive," Junior continued. "At least three and a half miles of pipes drag all the way from Red Hill to the waterfront."

Quinn joined in the explanation. "He is right, that place is huge. There are twenty vertical tanks, they are all connected by tunnels. Each tank is about two hundred fifty ft. high and hundred ft. in diameter. You could easily fit Aloha Tower inside," she said.

"Just so you can imagine it better, the typical gas station stores around fifteen thousand gallons of fuel. One of these tanks can store over twelve million gallons," Junior added.

A few seconds of thoughtful silence, interrupted only by their breathing followed before Adam joined the conversation. "So is it used to fuel the ships in Pearl Harbor?" he asked.

Junior shook his head, the look of urgency still on his face. "Not only that. It's used to refuel ships, aircraft, and vehicles for training, deployment and emergency. Since built, it has supported a multitude of important missions."

"Guys, thanks to Red Hill we're able to deploy any time, anywhere in the world without notice," Quinn said. "Its location makes it the gateway to Pacific and it's critical to support military mobilizations."

"Wait a minute," Danny interrupted them. "Are you trying to tell us that this Red Hill facility might be the target of our suspects?"

"I think we have been looking at this from the wrong angle. It's not just about revenge. This thing might be bigger than we thought," Junior answered.

"Look, it's essential to our nation's defenders. It's not only supporting the United States but all our partners and allies. If something happens to it, the consequences could be devastating," Quinn said.

"It would leave us vulnerable to attack," added Junior.

"But isn't that place heavily guarded by the Navy?" Lou asked. "I think they realize the importance of security."

"It is. And I would say it's impossible for a civilian to get in unless they get an invite," Quinn said, locking her gaze with Junior, who nodded slightly.

"Steve," Danny whispered after a while. Steve was in the Navy. He could get in. That's why they need him.

"He would rather die than do anything which could jeopardize the national security," Lou said.

"Yeah, we know that," Danny muttered, his voice shaking. "But how long before they realize it, cut their loses, kill him and find someone else?" This thing was just getting worse with every new information they had.

The door slammed open and hit the wall with a loud bang. A sound that sent a wave of pain through Steve's head. With his parched lips slightly opened he glanced around at four armed men who entered the room. His defiant gaze met Aaron's eyes.

"I think it's time to talk," Aaron grinned.

"What do you want?" Steve asked, whispering.

Aaron crossed his arms in front of his chest, not hiding the satisfaction of Steve's weak voice, catching a glimpse of agonized look in his eyes. "Well my sister just wants her revenge and a toy to play with," he said, "But I'm a kind of a man who sees the bigger picture. Red Hill. Have you ever heard about it?"

Steve stiffened. He knew exactly what Red Hill is, it just caught him off guard. Why would bank robbers like the Bennett siblings be interested in the military facility?

"I asked something," Aaron reminded. Quiet was Steve's response once again.

Before he could even realize it, Aaron's fist landed on his face, sending a sharp pain through his skull, blurring out his vision for a moment. A coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. He spat it on the floor, remaining silent.

"I've told you I don't like to repeat myself. So talk to me, because I won't ask nicely next time," Aaron threatened.

Steve looked up at him, trying to focus on his face. "Of course I've heard about it. Its existence has been declassified almost thirty years ago anyway."

Aaron smiled in satisfaction and straightened himself before he continued. "True, yet a lot of people don't know about it. But we do. You do. And unfortunately they don't really like visitors in there but we've got you to get us in."

Steve's eyes popped out and a big lump got stuck in his throat. "Are you out of your mind?" he barked. "Even if I wanted to, how the hell do you think I could get you into a heavily guarded place like that?"

"We've got the very skilled crew ready. They'll take care of most of the security problems, but we need you to help us with that. Give us some inside information we need and then help us to get in so we can do the job."

"Do the job?" Steve scoffed, wondering what this 'job' is supposed to mean. "You think that they'll let me in and share classified information with me just because I used to be in the Navy? It doesn't work like that."

"You're a smart man, Commander," Aaron continued. "You will find a way."

"That's not gonna happen."

Aaron's grin stretched all over his face as he reached to the pocket of his jeans, pulling his cell phone out. "Oh, you will do anything I ask you to," he snarled. "Do you need some motivation, perhaps?" he asked while looking for something on the phone before turning the screen to Steve. "My sister told me about this partner of yours, detective Williams. It seems you're close. And he's got cute kids, hasn't he? It would be a shame if something happened to this lovely family."

Heart pounding against his ribs, Steve glanced to the screen as Aaron swiped his finger to show him several very recent photos of him and Danny, pictures of Danny with Charlie on the playground, Grace on the stairway in front of her mother's house, Five-0 team at Kamekona's shrimp truck. He didn't even realize he was holding the breath for a moment.

"You know," Aaron continued, his eyes gleaming in contentment. "It's been extremely easy to get these pictures. I know their routine, I know how to get to them. Even Rachel is a pretty woman, we had a nice little talk this morning on the playground. And little Charlie seems to be a good boy, so think twice before you say anything."

"You son of a bitch!" Steve jerked helplessly against the handcuffs, clenching his jaw. "Touch them and I'll kill you." Anger rose up inside him as he found out how close Aaron actually got to the closest thing to family Steve had. So close that he was actually surprised Aaron hadn't tried to bring them in to get what he wanted from him. Yet.

Aaron shook his head. "You're in no position to do that. So what do you think? Is that enough of a motivation?"

"I know what would be the consequences of compromising such a place, I can't do that," Steve answered, gritting his teeth. "You chose the wrong guy to turn against his country."

Aaron's calm face turned and he curled his lips into a frown. "Well, of course, we could choose someone else. But you really pissed my sister off when you locked her up in the jail, you know? And I believe you will do what you have to do to protect the ones you love."

Ignoring his threat, Steve drew a few slow, steady breaths, thinking what to do but his mind was blurred as much as his vision. Stupid drugs! "So robbing banks isn't enough anymore, huh?" he asked. "Terrorism is a big step up for you."

"Robbing banks is too much effort for too little money," Aaron explained. "It's not what it used to be."

As Steve remained silent, while trying to absorb the unexpected demand of his captors, Aaron continued. "Look, there is no need to die for this. If you help us, maybe… just maybe we can discuss your future."

Steve's lips curled into a weak, mocking smile as his gaze met Aaron's. "In that case, you can put a bullet into my head right now because there is no way I'd do anything for you."

The answer drew an angry response, as he expected. Aaron cracked his knuckles, lunged forward and whacked his fist into Steve's stomach. "I won't make it that easy for you," he snarled.

Steve bowed his head and exhaled deeply. He knew Aaron hadn't put all into it, but the blow was still enough to send Steve's head into a spin.

"Go to hell," Steve said through jolted breaths.

Another punch was thrown into Steve's chest. His heart felt like it was about to explode and the blow took out his breath. Just when he finally managed to draw some air into his lungs again, Aaron's right hook landed on his head. It caught Steve on the ear and sent a ringing noise coursing through his brain. His head filled with pain and confusion.

"Been there," Aaron said. "Devil didn't like me so he sent me here."

"Then I'll send you back."

Aaron flew at Steve again in a blur. The sound of knuckles against Steve's temple was like a tray of ice being cracked.

Steve whipped left, the chair swayed and almost tipped onto the side. A quiet groan escaped his dry throat. He sagged, still bound to the chair, fresh blood running down his face. He tried to ignore the sharp pain and locked his reluctant gaze with Aaron's. "You can do this all day long, I won't help you." Aaron hammered away again and again at defenseless Steve's cheek and jaw. Steve straightened himself to sit upright, spitting blood on the floor, ignoring it's disgusting, coppery taste.

He braced himself for another strike as Aaron swung his arm in the air, but his fist stopped in the middle of the movement when the female voice came from behind him. "Aaron, what the hell are you doing?" Esther barked. "I told you I will take care of it, didn't I? He is mine. You'll bruise that pretty face."

Aaron shrugged, opening his mouth to answer when Esther cut him off. "He is a SEAL, you idiot, you won't get what you want by beating the crap out of him as usual," she barked, the anger in her voice rising.

Aaron straightened his posture, slowly turning around to her. "It takes too long sis, it should work by now," he answered. "Maybe you should hurry it up. Why don't you try a double dose? You can play with him when we're done."

"It takes longer because he's got the training," she said. "But eventually, it will work. You'll see. SEAL or not, he is still a human being. And he is not that young, healthy SEAL anymore. He won't resist forever."

Esther strolled to Steve, gently but firmly cupping his face and lifting it up, forcing him to look at her. "Look what you've done," she hissed at her brother. Her fingers danced on Steve's face, wiping the fresh blood off his face, inspecting the damage.

The world around Steve blurred out, intense throbbing in his head was accompanied with a loud ringing in his ears, barely recognizing what his captors talked about. His limbs felt numb and sore and his mouth filled with blood. He felt her grip on his face and wanted to break out of it but the muscles in his neck didn't cooperate, he was too weak for that. Oh, how he hated feeling so weak.

"Fine, he's all yours. But better make it work, sis! You've got two days until I meet my contact. Then we'll do it my way and invite a few guests," Aaron said, giving Steve one more look before walking out of the room, making sure his captive understands who will be on the guest list.

Esther released her grip and Steve's head fell down, dropping to his chest. "It will be all right," she soothed him. "I'm sorry about my brother, he is not very patient. But sooner or later we'll get what we want, darling. No need to fight it," she added, her bloodstained fingers lifting Steve's chin.

"You'll… never… break me," he said weakly, gasping for a little air.

"Give it time." Esther's eyes gleamed and her smile turned sharp. "I've told you already. This is a fascinating piece of science. It can be very persuasive." She showed him a syringe in her hand. "You know, it doesn't only cause pain, darling. Can you feel how it swallows all the cells in your body, one by one? Slowly making its way to the brain, taking control. It's been proven to work. Fighting only makes the pain worse. But you can stop this, just give in, don't fight it."

Steve didn't even bother to try and move his arms anymore when she injected the content of the syringe into his vein, it was hard enough not to close the eyes. He can't let her break him, no matter what. Now he knew what his captors were after and there was more than his life at stake. Much more.

"I know it hurts," Esther murmured. "All the pain of what has been done to you, all the agonies of fighting when you're so tired… wouldn't it be nice to just let it all go?"

It would be nice. It would be blissful. Steve longed to wake up to bright sunlight once again, to a new day to create new memories with his loved ones, his ohana. But he was ready to accept the fact he won't see them anymore, no matter what he did. They would kill him anyway, he knew that. He won't help them to kill thousands of innocent people. Not a chance, he'd always choose death over this.

Esther strode behind his back and stroked her fingers soothingly through his hair. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. "You deserve peace." Steve felt her warm breath on his neck. He gritted his teeth. "You've done enough, more than enough. You've earned this. It doesn't have to hurt anymore. Let go."

Steve gasped for air, barely hearing what she said. He gathered the last pieces of strength to shook his head weakly. "No…"

Danny wasn't sure whether what he decided to do was a good idea. But it was the only idea he had. Steve might hate him for it but that won't matter if they won't bring him back alive. He's been gone for almost thirty hours and they had no leads on his whereabouts. Right now, they were in a dead-end and there was also the national security at stake along with his partner's life. He looked at the screen of his phone again and released a long sigh, followed by a deep breath before he dialed the number. It rang for a while, he was already about to give up and hang up when he heard the voice on the other side. "Hello?"

"Hi Catherine, it's Danny. Uh… I hope I didn't catch you at the wrong time. I really hate to bother you but… we have a problem."

*to be continued*

I hope you didn't really think it'll be that easy to find Steve. *evil grin* I'm not done being mean to him just yet.

WooHoo, Cath is coming to help save the day. Is it going to be enough to bring Steve home?

I'd really appreciate if you took some time to let me know what you think :)

Note: The things about the Red Hill facility in this chapter are facts. It was actually my research of the information about it that led me to write this H50 story including this place :) I used my imagination and adjusted some little things to make the story more interesting though.