Chapter 12
"…The Storm"
Early Saturday morning, Danny, Chin and Kono stood outside a back entrance to the hospital. They waited for Keller to be brought out. Moments earlier, before entering the building, Lynch had informed them to keep their "eyes peeled" for suspicious activity. He had also added, with his sarcastic humor, to shoot first and ask questions later if they ran into any trouble. The three hoped their association with Lynch would end today.
The Five-0 members would not say it aloud, but it was somewhat unsettling that Steve would not be with them on this assignment. They were not afraid, it was just the fact that an integral part of their team was missing.
Danny leaned against Chin's car with his arms crossed wondering how Steve was doing. Kono adjusted her bullet proof vest and tied back her hair. Chin, for the third time, made sure his gun was properly loaded and ready to go if necessary.
"Hey, guys," Chin said, "look who's coming."
As if on cue, the three squared their shoulders and turned to face the small procession coming toward them. Lynch looked annoyed, which was understandable, with the way Paul Keller was babbling on. Upon reaching the SUV, Lynch could tolerate no more of the rogue agent's nonsensical verbiage.
"Will you shut up!" he exclaimed, grabbing Keller by the arm.
"Hey, take it easy," Keller said weakly, "I'm an injured man."
"Really?" Lynch pulled open the back passenger door. "Let me assist your frail body into the vehicle. Watch your head." He smirked as he banged Keller's head against the door frame. "Don't forget to buckle up. Oh, I forgot you can't, your hands are tied up at the moment. Barnes," he said to the young red headed agent, "secure him and keep an eye on him for a few minutes. You can do that, right?"
"Yes, sir," Barnes replied, eager to please his boss.
Lynch paused for a moment by T.J., his right hand man. "Keep an eye on the rookie. You know what happened last time."
T.J. nodded in response as he adjusted his sunglasses.
Satisfied that Keller was secure, Lynch sauntered over to the Five-0 members. "I'm a little disappointed you guys aren't wearing your superhero costumes," he commented. Turning his gaze on Kono, he smiled, "You would have looked great in satin tights…fighting for my rights."
Chin took a step forward. He was not going to let anyone take advantage of his cousin, verbally or otherwise.
"Hey, hey, hey," Danny said, grabbing Chin's arm to keep him from doing something rash.
Unfazed by Lynch's words, Kono stepped forward and stood within inches of him. "You have such an amazing way with women," she said. "I remember those comments you made to Alex Reilly when we rescued her from the warehouse."
Lynch wondered what part of him was about to be hammered by this beautiful but feisty woman. "I don't recall any," he lied.
Kono chuckled. "Oh, you don't? I was certain you would remember because it's pretty obvious, at least to me, that she means a lot to you." Their eyes met. "Ooh, how do you think my boss would feel about that?"
The elfish grin playing about Kono's lips unnerved Lynch. He cleared his throat and backed away from her. "We need to get moving."
Kono smiled in triumph as she watched Lynch walk away. Danny and Chin exchanged a look of amazement.
"Are you saying Lynch is…" Danny trailed off.
"With Alex Reilly?" Chin wondered.
"Hopelessly," Kono replied.
"Wow," Danny said. "Don't tell Steve."
T.J. came up to them carrying an MP7. He was a tall, well muscled man and unlike Lynch he was dressed more for combat then a dinner date. "You discovered his weakness," he smirked.
"If you keep your eyes open you see a lot," Kono said.
"About keeping your eyes open, I would strongly suggest you three do just that," T.J. informed them. "Agent Lynch's comment about keeping your eyes peeled was not entirely a joke."
The cousins shot each other a concerned look as Danny voiced their thoughts. "Something bad is going to happen, isn't it?"
"Not necessarily," T.J. replied, "but we've picked up some chatter and it's possible that Keller's associates may try to make things difficult for us."
"Ergo the nice weapon you have there," Danny commented.
"Just stick to the plan and everything should work out fine."
Danny turned to Chin. "In other words, you might want to trade your car in for a tank. Remember the Camaro."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
The Five-0 members were driving in the third of four vehicles in the convoy. They kept a close watch on their surroundings as the miles slowly clicked by. The airport was not that far away, but with the obscure route they were taking, the distance was greater. This added to the amount of nervous energy pulsating through the car.
Kono offered everyone a piece of gum, more than once. Danny finally took one to make her feel better and to keep his mouth busy, so he would not comment on Chin's erratic driving. It was at least erratic in Danny's opinion. Unfortunately, the gum did not work.
"Do you remember that line from Star Wars," Danny asked Chin, "you know the one where Han Solo said to Chewbacca, 'fly casual'?"
"Are you going somewhere with this?" Chin replied, glancing at Danny.
"Yeah, could you drive casually?"
"Drive casually?" Chin wondered. "Steve isn't here so you're picking on my driving?"
"I'm not picking, I'm just making a suggestion," Danny said. Kono snorted and he turned around to face her. "Would you like to add to this conversation?"
She held up her hands. "No, thanks. I'll let you two work it out."
Satisfied, Danny nodded his head. "See, Chin, you're doing it."
"Doing what?" Chin asked.
"That." Danny motioned to Chin's foot. "You drive like you can't decide if you should go fast or slow."
"What?"
"You accelerate and then back off and accelerate again and back off," Danny explained. "See, you just did it again."
With narrowed eyes, Chin looked over at his blonde haired co-pilot. "Do you want to drive?"
Danny shook his head and placed a hand on his chest. "I just wanted to point out that this type of driving isn't good for your gas mileage."
Chin smiled. "You miss McGarrett, don't you?"
Danny did not know why Chin assumed he missed Steve. "What does that have to do with anything? Can't a guy make a simple observation?"
Kono patted Danny's shoulder. "It's okay, we all miss him."
In the vehicle in front of them, Lynch was thinking he had not missed Paul Keller at all. The ex-agent had not stopped talking since their departure from the hospital. Keller seemed to take great pleasure in telling the rookie agent, Barnes, stories about Lynch when he first joined the agency.
"…he was a snotty nosed kid who thought he knew it all and I got stuck with him," Keller complained. "Isn't that right J.J.?"
"Shut up!" Lynch shouted as he twisted in the front passenger seat to look back at Keller. "I don't want to hear anymore of your BS."
"J.J., these stories need to be passed on to the next generation. They're priceless."
"Enough already, you moron! And stop calling me J.J.!"
"Moron?" Keller clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Sticks and stones, J.J."
Lynch glanced over at T.J., who was driving; even he was amused with this conversation. That irritated Lynch all the more. "I would love nothing more than to shoot you right now, Keller."
"What's stopping you?"
Lynch turned away and faced the road. "For starters, the three people in the car behind us," he muttered.
Keller leaned forward a little and smiled. "Well, why don't you shoot them, too?"
There were many people Lynch wanted to shoot, but honestly, the three Five-0 members were not on his list. Keller was number one. Lynch wished someone else would put a bullet in him because killing your ex-boss was nasty business and those in upper management found it distasteful. Although, he knew some of them would not mind if Keller met with an accident at his hands.
He was distracted from his musings, when he noticed the lead vehicle in their convoy enter the intersection too far ahead of them.
"T.J., we're falling behind, speed up," he ordered. "We're supposed to keep it tight." He was just about to add something else when a dark blur slammed into the side of the lead vehicle, pushing it sideways through the intersection. The screeching of the twisting metal was sickening as the two vehicles became one. Before the agents had time to process what had just transpired, the force of an explosion rocked their SUV.
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Steve listened to the waves roll onto the shore. The rhythm soothed the dull ache in his head. He winced as a bird chattered outside his bedroom window. He wondered what time it was, but he did not bother to check. He calculated it must be at least seven forty-five. Normally, he would have gone for a swim, had a shower and eaten breakfast by this time, but not today. He knew he would have to get himself out of bed and face the day, but it could wait just a little longer.
He heard a soft sigh and the sound of paper, like a page in a book being turned. Natalie sat on the bed reading. She had found her way into his room about an hour and a half ago and had not disturbed him, except to give him a good morning kiss on the cheek. Steve was glad she could amuse herself, but pretending to be asleep made him feel he was neglecting her.
Sleep had eluded him most of the night, even though Natalie had actually slept. Off and on he found himself standing at her bedroom door hoping she would wake up, so he could focus on her instead of his troubled thoughts.
The harsh reality that Keller was leaving Hawaii, without standing trial, was eating at him. Then there was the fact that Alex was not coming back tomorrow and for a whole week she would be in the same vicinity as Keller. He would be unable to protect her if Keller somehow gained his freedom and went after her. That thought made him sick. However, amidst all these clamoring thoughts he could not ignore the voice in the back of his mind nagging him about Nate.
He heard Natalie close her book and toss it aside. The bed shook slightly as she rolled over and slid off the mattress. He heard the sound of her pattering feet as she left the room and walked down the stairs.
He listened intently. Something scraped across the floor. A cabinet door slammed; then another. He strained to hear, trying to get a clue as to what she was doing. Silence.
He thought he should get up and see what she was up to, when he heard her slow footsteps coming up the stairs. He could not understand why she was climbing the stairs in such a deliberate manner; she always ran up them.
He heard a clink on the nightstand and felt the mattress compress as she settled back onto the bed. She fluffed the pillow and sighed. A few moments later, he heard a crunching sound. He imagined she was eating cereal without milk because he did not hear a spoon scrape against the bowl.
I should be up making her breakfast, he thought. Well, at least she's learning survival skills. He consoled himself with that.
On the other side of the bed, Natalie munched her cereal while conducting an orchestra with her feet. She wanted her daddy to get up because she was anxious to spend the day with him.
She turned to look at him and waved her hand in front of his closed eyes. Then taking her thumb and forefinger she inched them toward his nose, but stopped, thinking he might not like to have his nose pinched.
Her patience disappeared.
"Daddy," she finally said, "why are you pretending to be asleep?" Steve did not respond. Poking his shoulder, she spoke again, "I know you're not sleeping."
He opened his eyes slightly. "How do you know I'm not?"
"Because you just answered me," she smiled. "And you breathe different when you're asleep."
"Do I?"
"Yes. So are you going to answer my question?"
"What question?"
"Why are you pretending to be asleep?"
He rubbed a hand over his face. "I wasn't ready to get up."
Natalie popped several pieces of cereal in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "The sun is out. We could go swimming or I could get you some cereal. It's not the kind mommy buys, but it's still good." None of these things seemed to excite him. She placed the bowl of cereal on the bed and put her hand against his forehead. "Are you sick?"
"No, sweetheart."
"Well, then what's wrong?"
He tried to think how he could put it simply. "I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself."
Natalie patted his shoulder and smiled. "It's alright, mommy will be back soon and then everything will be okay."
Steve thought about her comment for a moment. No one person could make everything okay, but he knew it would help to have Alex back. He grinned. It would actually help a lot.
He raised himself up on his elbow. "So, I should get up?"
"Yes."
Steve cringed; Natalie's reply sounded a little too much like Mary when she was a teenager. He shook that thought away. "Last one out of bed has to make it." He threw his pillow at Natalie and sprang off the bed.
In her haste to jump off the bed, she spilled the cereal. She stood with her hand over her mouth. "Whoops."
"That is why we don't eat in bed," Steve told her. "After you pick that up, don't forget to make the bed."
* * * * * H50 * * * * *
"Whoa!" Lynch yelled, pressing his feet against the floor.
T. J. turned the wheel sharply to the left in an effort to avoid the semi that had plowed into the lead car. If the two agents had survived the collision they were certainly dead now because the vehicles had exploded.
"It seems my rescue party has arrived," Keller said. "And with style."
"Shut the hell up!" Lynch snapped. "T.J. get us out of here."
T.J. did not have a chance to reply before something punched through the back window and a white cloud began filling the vehicle. Their eyes and throats burned as they struggled to open the car doors.
Lynch gasped for fresh air. He heard the others coughing as they exited the contaminated vehicle. A wave of confusion hit them as bright flashes of light and what sounded like fireworks exploded around them. Disoriented, they stumbled to the ground, temporarily blinded. Lynch blinked rapidly trying to clear his vision, but the combination of the tear gas and the flashbangs rendered him helpless.
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
The deafening sound of an explosion erupted in the ears of the Five-0 team. Chin's quick reaction saved them from colliding into the rear of the SUV in front of them. He maneuvered his car into the entrance of a business and skidded to a stop.
"Is everyone okay?" Chin asked.
"My head had a date with the door, but I'm fine," Danny replied, rubbing the sore spot.
"I'm good," Kono added.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Chin stated.
"You have a bad feeling?" Danny quipped.
At that moment, something crashed through the back window of the vehicle.
"Tear gas!" Kono yelled.
They scrambled to exit the car, but it was too late to avoid the affects of the gas. Mucous drained from their noses and their eyes watered as their bodies attempted to eradicate the irritant.
The surrounding area of the vehicle was not much better. The acrid fumes of burning rubber and fuel hung in the air, gagging all those within its reach. The three struggled to breathe as they groped through the dense smoke to find each other.
"Chin, where are you?" Danny called, making his way around the front of the car.
"Over here," Chin replied.
Danny was not positive where "over here" was, but it did not sound too far away. Although, he was unsure if he could trust his ears at the moment because it sounded like he was in a bell tower. Through watery eyes, he finally made out the two forms of the cousins kneeling several feet away from the vehicle.
"Someone threw in a few smoke grenades and flashbangs along with that tear gas," Danny coughed as he joined them. "All we're missing is some-"
Gunfire broke out completing Danny's sentence. He tried to clear his vision and identify where the shots were coming from, but the smoke was too dense.
"We have to make sure Keller doesn't get away," Danny said. He knew that task was imperative. If Keller escaped it would put people they cared about in danger. However, his main concern right now was how it would affect Steve. His partner was dealing with more than his share of problems at the moment; Danny certainly did not want this added to the pile.
"I hope you have a plan," Kono said, "because driving out of here isn't an option. Someone just shot out Chin's back tires."
"I'm open to suggestions," Danny yelled.
At that moment, they could just make out a voice shouting.
Lynch was berating the rookie agent Barnes for shooting blindly into the smoke. "You could have shot one of our own! What the hell's the matter with you! Give me your weapon," Lynch screamed, snatching it from the younger man's hand.
The faint sound of sirens could be heard in the distance and Lynch knew whatever move their assailants planned to make would happen soon. He wondered what was taking the rest of his men and the Five-0 team so long to get to his position. Things were getting a little dicey in his current location and he and the three men with him needed to move. Turning to T.J., he said, "We have to-"
The rest of his words were left unspoken as a bullet caught T.J. in the chest and he slumped to the ground. Lynch surveyed the area around them. The smoke was beginning to dissipate, but it was still difficult to see at any great distance.
"T.J. are you alright?" Lynch asked, touching the man's shoulder.
T.J.'s eyes closed in response.
"Hey," Lynch hollered. "Answer me. You're fine, you're wearing a vest! Get up!"
"Armor piercing rounds," Keller stated. "I'm impressed."
"What?" Lynch said. He realized T.J.'s sleeve was now stained with blood.
"What a shame," Keller admitted, shaking his head. "I understand he had a daughter."
Lynch was well aware of that fact. He turned on the ex-agent and grabbed the front of his shirt. "If you don't shut your damn mouth I'll shut it permanently!" Then he handed the rookie back his gun. "Shoot him if he moves an inch."
Lynch knew the end was imminent and he was going to make sure Keller went out with them. He pulled out his own gun and made ready for whatever might happen next.
He realized the gunfire had ceased. That was not a good sign because the enemy had yet to get what they came for. He wiped his sweaty palm on his pant leg, while he listened to the roar of the fire as it devoured the vehicles involved in the accident.
There was a muffled cry near him and he whipped around to see Barnes hit the pavement. Moments later, Lynch himself was thrust to the ground and his gun skidded away from him.
He scrambled for his weapon as two men grabbed Keller and began pulling him away. "Not on my watch," Lynch said, retrieving his gun. From his knees, he aimed at the back of Keller's head, but he never fired his gun.
He felt a sharp pain run from his hand up into his arm as someone kicked the weapon from his grasp. Another blow followed, knocking him onto his back. From where he lay, Lynch stared up into the masked face of his executioner.
The Five-0 team had been cautiously making their way toward Lynch and his men, but their progress had been hindered by sporadic gunfire and flashbangs scattered in their path. Danny saw Keller being taken away, but it was the black hooded figure standing over Lynch that captured his attention.
The image froze in his mind. Danny winced as three shots hit their mark. Then he watched as the hooded figure vanished into the smoke leaving a dead man in his wake.
A/N: I must apologize for my delay in posting. Life has been busy lately. I hope you liked the chapter. It's always hard for me to write action chapters because I'm not an expert on that stuff. Thank you for your continued interest in this story.