Disclaimer: like before, do not own anything and anybody.

"Ow…" was his first thought when his consciousness started to come back. And then all rushed back. The smell of gasoline, the heat and the pressure. His eyes popped open. "Steve!?" he heard Tani to his right. She run over to him.

"Hey Boss. You good?" She was closer to the back, so she run out of the back door and the explosion didn't reach he, really. She just got knocked over and was slightly dazed.

"Yeah. Fine." Responded McGarrett and looked over to Jay, when he groaned.

"Steve?!" he looked up, to see Danny and Lou running over to them.

"We're ok." Tani said to him. Grover kneeled next to Jay, just when he started getting up.

"Hey there… maybe you should stay down for a moment…?" Halstead resigned to half-sitting, leaning on his elbows with a sigh.

"Hey!" exclaimed Williams. "You're the guy from the hotel. Steve said you're kinda interesting" he grinned at that, then he sobered up "Who are you?"

"Eh… I wanted to help…" Jay said.

"That wasn't the question kid." the big black cop scolded him.

*sigh* "I am Detective Jay Halstead. Chicago PD, Intelligence Unit." he looked up at them and gave a shy smile "That was supposed to be vacation…" he added.

"Well… Hell of a vacation" said Steve getting up. Lou helped Jay to do the same. "You know what… You saved our lives and you wanna help. How about you come with us and we'll see from there, what to do with you…?"

Jay grinned "Deal."

"Woah…" Danny stopped them "Hospital, maybe? Just to be on the safe side…"

"I'm fine" Steve and Jay responded in unison. At that all the others just rolled their eyes. Fortunately Steve allowed Danny to drive and he didn't fight much. Lou and Tani, after making sure other investigators knew what was up, drove to the Palace too.

"Sooo…" started MacGarrett walking in to the main room of HQ with Danny and Jay in tow. "Are you bored…?"

Jay smiled "Well… I did spend last week being on vacation" he air quoted the last part. "but yeah… kinda bored already"

"OK"… *sigh*"I am two man short, 'cause they decided to use some of theirs vacation days and the case seems crazy, and you did save our lives, aaand I like you, so…" he went into his office, picked up a spare badge from his desk drawer and came out. "Here… it's yours"

Jay stared at the badge for a second and then put it on his waist band. "Thank you… for the trust" he said.

Steve smiled at him and nodded.

"Kainalu's men also found only traces of gasoline" said Quinn walking in "… new guy?"

"Temporarily. Jay Halstead" he extended his hand to her.

She shook it "Nice to meet you" she looked at Danny and he just winked and smiled. "Sooo… Anyway, it looks it's the same person?"

"I saw him." said the youngest detective in a room. Just then Grover and Tani entered and joined them around the smart-table.

"Enough for a portrait?" Danny asked Jay.

"Nope. But I'll know him when I see him. Although… he had a… military aura, of sorts." To their blank looks he continued "I mean, even though slim, he looked to be very… capable"

"Like… me?" wandered Steve.

"Kind of"

"Ok…" said Lou "So we gotta find which case out of all the cases the judge and the dead detective worked toghether involved someone from military…"

"Yep…" said Steve with a sigh.

And they started another round of research. Jay perched on Commander's sofa at first, but started wandering from one office to the other, working mostly at Grover's.

They have been doing research for two days, when…

"Got something!" yelled Jay, currently standing at the computer table. All the others quickly came out of their offices.

"So…" Halstead started looking around "our military guy, was not a military guy 10 years ago."

"How do you know?" asked Quinn.

"Well… First of all, the guy I saw seemed young, second I found a robbery case…" he pulled data on the screens with swipe on the smart-table "… and there was three suspects"

"I know this one…" Danny pointed at a brown eyed blond "he's some reach kid, right?"

"Yup. Connor Avery, son of CEO of Avery Avionics." supplied Jay.

"Ok. What about the case?" asked Lou.

Jay pulled some more files on the screens. "Guy on the left, Marc 'Akamu, was sentenced for the robbery, even though DNA test were inconclusive"

"Let me guess…" Steve started musing "He didn't do it and one of the others is killing everybody who could connect him to the crime…"

"But why?" wondered Danny "it was just a robbery. And why now?"

"Marc 'Akamu is being released. Aaaand…" he looked at all of them with a cocked eyebrow "Avery was in military, after he finished college with faculty in chemistry"

"Seems like our guy…" said Steve "but I don't really see a motive"

"Well… He is reach." noticed Tani "so maybe he just doesn't want to lose daddies money over some stupid whim from the past."

"Possible…" agreed Grover "We need to repeat DNA tests."

"You mean use magic on them so they show us something" sarcastically added Danny.

"Ask Eric to work with Noelani…" said Steve with a thoughtful expression "If anybody can make it work, it's them."

"Got it"anwered Detective Williams.

Bzzzzz… Steve phone vibrated in his pocket.

"McGarrett… Yes. On it" he hung up "Guys… Marc 'Akamu was released yesterday apparently, and he was just found dead…"