Danny and Kono stumbled into the woods, bullets whizzing past. Danny skidded to a stop, "Whoa!"

Kono glanced behind her, the house just visible through the tree line. She saw movement headed their way. "Danny, we have to go!"

"Have you seen this?"

"Ohhhhh." Kono took a half step back as she looked where Danny was pointing. The woods suddenly dropped away. "What are we gonna do?"

"C'mon," Danny gently pulled their joined wrists. "This way. There's a path... Keep your head down."

Kono ducked her head as more shots were fired from the road. "You're a help."

It was slow going as Danny led Kono along the barely-there path at the edge of the drop off. He entwined the fingers of his left hand with Kono's right and tried to keep them as close to each other as possible. He still clutched the knife in his other hand.

"Danny," Kono squeezed his hand after a couple of minutes. "Danny, hey, stop a minute."

"We have to keep going. They're behind us."

"No, no, we need a minute," Kono insisted. "I don't think they followed us."

"Kono..."

"No, Danny, stop!" She pulled gently on their joined hands. "Let me look at you."

"I'm fine. We have to keep moving."

Kono hesitated but didn't protest further.

The rain started gently as they continued to creep their way along the ridgeline, path narrowing as they went along. Thunder crashed and the tempo of the raindrops intensified; it was coming down in sheets, making it impossible to see. Danny leaned against a tree. "I can't see a damn thing."

""Then we'll wait. They won't have any better luck if they're still back there. Besides, you could use a break."

Danny thought about protesting, but the fire in his side and gulping breaths told him it would be futile.

"You doin' okay, brah? How's your side?"

Danny shrugged. "It's felt better."

The conversation stalled as the rain increased, drowning out any sound but its own. The sky was dark but with a faint glimmer of sunshine as often happened on the islands. After what seemed like an eternity which was, in actuality, not even five minutes, the rain decreased and more sunshine was able to pierce the canopy above the Five-0 duo.

Kono brushed her soaked hair off her face. She squeezed Danny's hand and leaned in, "I think..."

Danny would never know what she thought as the ground beneath her feet slid away and carried her over the ridgeline. He barely registered the sudden tug on his manacled hand as he was carried down with her. He wasn't sure which way was up as he slid down the slope, feet scrabbling in the mud to find some sort of purchase to stop, or at least slow, their descent. Whether or not it worked he had no idea as his body glanced off a small tree and unconsciousness claimed him.

…

Steve jumped when his phone rang; he'd been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he'd forgotten they were going to call to tell him where to make the exchange. It was not a surprise to him when the caller told him to come to the same place as before and hung up.

"Well?" Lou said.

"We're to take them to the same place I picked you guys up."

Chin spoke up, "What about Kono and Danny?"

"Earlier he said he'd release them after we gave him Baker and Castro."

"Do we believe him?" Lou asked.

Steve glanced up to the rear view mirror at his team. "Not for a second."

Nothing else was said for several minutes.

"Commander, you there?"

Steve had almost forgotten his ear piece with Robertson on the other end.

"Yeah, Al. What's up?"

"Are you almost here? No one moved on my end so I've just been watching. They haven't made any calls or done anything but sit in the car and wait."

"We're a couple minutes away. Sit tight."

"Sergeant Lukela is on his way, but he'll be at least five minutes. He's bringing some backup."

"Great. We're just around the corner. Be ready for anything."

"I'll follow your lead, Sir."

Steve glanced in the rear view mirror as he pulled to a stop in almost the same spot as before. "We take every opportunity to get out of this and trust that Kono and Danny have done the same."

"Let's do this." Lou nodded.

"Get Baker and Castro out, but stand by the van and let's see how this goes." Steve instructed.

"I'm in the bushes on your left, sir. Backup is one minute out and coming in silent. I told them to approach from behind that building on your right."

"Commander, so nice of you to join us again."

Steve was happy to see that the leader shut his car door as he got out. The driver remained in the car but the man in the back got out and stood shoulder to shoulder with his boss. Steve figured he could take the two of them out while Robertson got the driver. If all worked the way he pictured it in his head.

"Send over Baker and Castro."

"What about my team?"

I'll text you their address after we drive away."

"Not good enough." Steve wanted so badly to grab the gun from his waistband and end this, but it was too risky until they could find out where the others were being held. "I'm not giving you Baker and Castro until I talk to either Detective Williams or Officer Kalakaua."

"Fine." The leader grabbed the phone offered to him by the man at his shoulder.

"On speaker."

Steve took three cautious steps forward with his hands half raised as the phone began ringing. By the third ring, his hands were lower and by the time voicemail kicked in, his hands were on his hips, right hand surreptitiously lifting his shirt to get to the waistband.

"Try again, and you better hope your people answer and haven't done anything to my team."

"Relax, Commander." The leader's voice held a hint of hesitation. "I'm sure they'll answer this time."

"They'd better." Steve's voice was ice cold though he could feel himself getting hotter and hotter the more the phone rang. He was sure it was going to go to voicemail again when he heard a voice over the speaker.

"I'm sorry, Damian..."

"Where's Jack?"

"He's... uh... he's incapacitated."

"Incapacitated? How did that happen?"

"I don't really know. I found him in the prisoners' room. The two Five-0 officers are gone..."

Before anyone else could react, Steve had closed the gap, pulled the gun out of his waistband and held it at Damian's face. A shot rang out.

"It's me, Commander. It's me." Steve heard Robertson's voice in his earpiece and to his right simultaneously. "The driver had a gun."

"Take care of him, Al."

"Yes, sir."

Steve heard Roberston open the driver's door and pull him out of the vehicle, ordering him onto the ground. There were other noises now from all sides. He recognized Duke's voice, and it sounded like he had half of HPD with him. Steve never took his eyes off Damian. "Hand me your phone."

"Good luck." Damian sneered.

Steve grabbed the phone and knew before he looked, that the call had been disconnected. He held it out to Duke, also knowing he would be there."Get this to Jerry and see if he can pull something off it."

"What's the matter, Commander? Things not going well today?"

Steve couldn't help himself. He punched Damian, satisfied to hear cartilage crunch.

"Steve?" Grover put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Lou." Steve motioned to the nearest HPD officer. "Get him in cuffs and get him out of my sight."

"You're not going to question him?" Chin asked.

"He won't tell us anything." Steve's gaze, and gun, shifted to the henchman who'd been standing by Damian. "But he will."

Two minutes later, they were speeding away, sirens blaring, with four HPD cars keeping pace.

Happy Friday!