Chapter 17
"The Plan"
Steve woke with a start. Something had hit his chest. He glanced down at a little hand, which was connected to an arm that led to Natalie. She was sleeping next to him on the bed. This seemed to be a habit of hers. She also seemed to be making a habit of taking up most of the bed. Steve wondered if Alex put up with this behavior.
The pale yellow light coming in through the windows told him it was morning. He placed a hand over his eyes. What's today? Oh, yeah…Sunday. Sunday… He drifted off to sleep again.
Minutes later, he opened his eyes. He attempted to rub the weariness from them, but the effort was futile. His late nights of thinking were prohibiting him from some much needed sleep. He gently lifted Natalie's arm and laid it on the mattress as he rolled off the bed. He decided a swim would be a good way to clear his mind and get his day off to a good start.
The instant his feet hit the water Steve began to feel revived. At first, he focused all his attention on the mechanics of his stroke; the powerful kicking of his legs, the arching of his arms and the slicing of his hands through the water. Then after several minutes, the things that had been weighing him down began to crawl back into his mind. Alex's absence. Natalie's behavior. Keller's escape. And Nate.
He was frustrated with how his conversation with Nate went the previous night. He had set out to get some answers and ended up with nothing but his brother wanting him to back off a bit. What really irritated Steve was the way Nate had changed the direction of the conversation with such ease that he hadn't even known it was happening until Nate said goodnight.
Why can't he give me a straight answer? Steve's arms and legs beat the water as he tried to dispel his frustration. He soon felt his ears throbbing and his muscles burning from the exertion of his swim. He stopped. Trying to calm his racing heart, he breathed deeply. He looked back along the shore and saw his house in the distance; he swam farther than he realized. He needed to get back. Gathering his strength, he turned and began to swim toward home.
A short time later, Steve walked in the backdoor of the house, a wet towel draped over his bare shoulder. The aroma of something cooking greeted him. It reminded him of chocolate chip cookies, which he thought was an odd breakfast. He heard some chattering and giggling coming from the kitchen and decided to see what was happening in there.
He entered the kitchen just as Natalie was saying, "And daddy told her again that he didn't need her number because- good morning daddy!"
"What's going on?" Steve asked.
"We're making pancakes. With lots of chocolate chips."
Steve looked over Nate's shoulder at the griddle filled with pancakes. "Dessert for breakfast?"
"It's not dessert," Natalie insisted, picking up the silverware. "It's a breakfast food. Mommy makes them all the time."
Steve smirked. That didn't surprise him.
"I have to put this silverware on the table," she said.
"Don't forget the napkins," Nate reminded her as she left the kitchen.
Steve leaned against the counter. "So you're making breakfast?"
"Yeah." Nate paused. "It's my way of saying sorry for what happened yesterday."
Steve nodded his head. He didn't know how else to respond to his brother.
Nate flipped a pancake. "Do you want chocolate chips in yours?
"I'm not really hungry."
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He wasn't fine, but that was his default answer. It usually ended what could become a discussion about his thoughts and feelings. He definitely didn't want to share those with Nate right now.
"I dropped this fork," Natalie said, coming back into the kitchen. "I need another one."
Nate tossed the last of the pancakes onto the plate. "And we're ready to eat."
Natalie selected a fork from the drawer. "I'll put this on the table. Daddy, you should put on some dry clothes. You don't want to miss this breakfast."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Kono dragged her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Keller's a ghost."
"We've been through this before," Danny said, rubbing his forehead. "And can I ask why we're here at HQ wasting our time? I feel like we're running into one dead end after another."
"Dead ends would suggest we actually had leads," Chin corrected him.
Danny exhaled. "We have to be missing something."
"Sleep," Kono complained, wiping the surface table clear of the information they had been examining.
Danny and Chin exchanged a look. Kono had been irritable since she had arrived two hours earlier. Chin put a hand on her shoulder. "Cuz, if you need to get some sleep, go ahead. We'll be okay."
Kono rolled her eyes. "I don't need sleep, Chin. Let's just find the SOB and be done with it." She frowned at her two co-workers before marching toward her office.
Danny raised his eyebrows. "Oh, boy, what's eating her? I don't think it's a lack of sleep."
"You're right," Chin agreed. "I think we both know it's not a what but a who."
Danny affirmed that with a nod of his head. "For Kono's sake I hope it doesn't take Nate too long before he figures out she likes him." His phone rang. "Yikes, the governor's calling." He held the phone out. "You wanna answer it, Chin?"
Chin held up his hands. "She's calling for you not me."
"She's really calling for Steve," Danny corrected him, "but the idiot's not talking to her right now." Then painting on a big smile, he answered, "Good morning, Governor. How are you?" He paused. "No, he's at home today." He ran a hand through his hair. "We're following up on some leads. I will certainly let you know if there are any developments." He nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am, whatever it takes. He looked toward Steve's office. "I'm sure he'll be in tomorrow, bright and early." He grimaced. "No, Governor, I wasn't being facetious." He put a hand over his eyes. "Okay, goodbye." He ended the call. "Chin, next time I'm giving you the phone."
"What did she say?"
"The same thing she said yesterday. First, she asked where McGarrett was. Then she reminded me again that this case is our top priority and that Alex's mother is her dear friend, so we need to do whatever it takes to find Keller." He threw his hands in the air, which almost sent his phone flying across the room. "What does she think we're doing here, having a weenie roast?"
Chin raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean a luau?"
"That's irrelevant, Chin!"
"I've got something relevant," Kono said, coming out of her office.
Both men turned expectantly. "You found something?"
"No, but I have a plan to get something. You remember Jonathan Quinn, Keller's right hand?" Both men nodded. "He must have some idea where Keller would hide out."
Danny clapped his hands together. "Yes, that's possible, but have you tried getting information out of that guy? He'd rather swim with the sharks than talk with the SEAL."
"Well, I have this crazy idea how we might get him to talk."
Danny ran a hand over his face. "It's illegal, isn't it?"
She smiled. "More of a gray area, besides the governor has been telling us to do 'whatever it takes.'"
Chin nodded. "We're listening."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
It was early evening and Steve was on a mission. It was time to do laundry. Nate and Natalie were downstairs playing Battleship, while Steve gathered the dirty clothes. He dumped out Natalie's hamper into his and smiled at all the color that exploded from it. The bright orange, red and purple hues of Natalie's clothes made a stark contrast to his blacks, khakis and blues. The only item that was similar in color was her black Batman shirt. He held it up in front of him. She's so little, he thought. Then he shook his head and tossed it into the pile.
Picking up the hamper, Steve noticed Natalie's red flip flops on the floor just outside Nate's doorway. He stared down at them trying to figure out why there was an action figure sitting on top of each one. Then he looked inside Nate's room and spotted two more figures. Stepping into the room, he spied several more action figures, Lego structures and Matchbox cars scattered over the floor. He imagined this was how Nate and Natalie had spent the hour and a half when he was trying to have a nap.
Steve's gaze shifted to a small photo album on the floor and he bent down to retrieve it. The front said Natalie. He flipped through the pages looking at various pictures of Natalie with other people. He realized he was in more than half of them. Caught up in the memories from years past, he sank onto Nate's bed. As he did, his foot hit an object, causing it to rattle.
He looked down at the floor, but he saw nothing. Leaning forward, he pulled up the bedspread. Still nothing. He wasn't sure why he was so curious, but he got down on his hands and knees and peered under the bed. Resting beside a storage bin he found a small orange bottle on its side. It appeared to be a medicine bottle without a label. Steve's brow furrowed as he retrieved it. He estimated there were almost a dozen pills left in the bottle. He wondered what they were for and why the label had been removed.
Steve wasn't going to ask his brother about it because he probably wouldn't get a straight answer. He didn't want to probe into Nate's private life, but there were too many secrets and odd behaviors for Steve to let his questions go unanswered for much longer. He decided to take the bottle and see what would happen next.
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
It was half past eight on Monday morning, and Steve was in his office looking through traffic cam footage of Keller's escape. He studied it for only a short time before giving up and leaning back in his chair. His gaze wandered over to Natalie who sat on the couch coloring while she waited to be taken to school.
Steve had been concerned about her going to school because Keller was still somewhere on the island, but he didn't want to disrupt her life any further. When Kono offered to accompany Natalie to school, he had been relieved. After running it by the principal, she had suggested Kono pose as an assistant teacher. It seemed to be a good plan and Natalie liked the idea, so they went ahead with it.
Movement in the main room caught his attention and he noticed the rest of his team standing around the surface table conspiring about something. He didn't have much time to wonder what they were doing before Kono came in to get Natalie.
"Hey, Natty," Kono smiled. "You ready to go?"
Natalie glanced at Steve before looking back at Kono. "Yes." She hurried over to Steve to give him a hug and a kiss. "You'll be okay while I'm gone, Daddy?"
He smiled. "I've got Danny to look out for me, remember?"
She nodded and hugged him once more before taking Kono's hand and leaving the office. Steve followed, watching the two leave headquarters. He stared at the door feeling a hint of apprehension creep over him. He trusted Kono, but whenever Natalie was out of his sight he felt a loss of control, and he hated that.
"Steven, is it possible for you to direct your attention over here?" Danny gestured toward where he and Chin stood.
Steve drew his thoughts away from Natalie. Turning, he gave Danny and Chin a questioning look. "What are you guys up to?"
"We have a plan," Danny stated.
Steve folded his arms. "Does this plan involve finding Keller?"
"It has the potential to," Chin remarked.
"But it's illegal," Danny whispered. Steve looked at him in surprise. Danny held up his hand. "It was Kono's idea, and the governor has already given us the green light."
"You asked the governor?"
Danny clasped his hands together. "Steve, this is an intricate, well-thought out plan, not just one of your spur of the moment ideas that involves hanging someone off a roof or breaking a guy's fingers."
Steve frowned at Danny before asking, "So Kono came up with this plan?"
Chin nodded, and Danny laid a hand over his eyes. "Yes, apparently you are a bad influence on her."
"What's the plan?"
Danny glanced around the office as if he expected someone to be eavesdropping. "Well, you remember Jonathan Quinn?"
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Jonathan Quinn's ten days in Halawa Correctional Facility bordered on tedium. His activities consisted of breakfast, lunch, dinner, exercise and ways to better himself. Unfortunately, after Keller's escape his activities had been cut to breakfast, lunch and dinner. The warden was keeping him isolated as much as possible, which Quinn didn't mind.
Today, however, he was allowed a trip to the library. He found the best thing to occupy his time was reading. That way he could keep to himself and stay out of the daily politics of prison life. He was escorted to the library by a guard named Carlson, who stationed himself inside the door upon their arrival.
Quinn glanced down at his shackled ankles. "Do you think you can take these restraints off while I'm here?"
"No chance. The warden says they stay on." Carlson cleared his throat. "You've got fifteen minutes."
Quinn ignored the man and turned to scan the shelves. He noted Carlson had an irritating way of clearing his throat every minute or so. He could probably calculate his allotted time in the library by the number of hacking sounds the guard made.
He was almost to the end of one row when he heard the door open and close, then the lights went out. Quinn's right eye began to twitch the way it did when something was wrong. He glanced back and from the small shaft of light coming through the door's window he could tell Carlson was gone. His eyes shifted around the room. There were too many places for someone to hide in the darkened space. He took a step backward. The clinking metal reminded him of his shackled feet. He needed the security of a wall behind him, so whoever was there would have to attack him head on.
Quinn pressed against the concrete wall at the back of the library, focusing all his attention on the presence he felt in the room. Beads of sweat slipped down his face. Then he heard a noise to his left, but the attack came from his right.
Quinn's right arm blocked the rock-like fist that flew at his face. He countered with a quick punch to the masked attacker's gut, which gave him only seconds to shift his position before the man came at him again. He blocked several punch and kick combinations, but others hit their mark, and he could feel his battered flesh beginning to bruise and swell. The shackles prohibited him from solidifying his stance and the force of a kick to his chest knocked him against the wall.
In his unstable position, he was just able to dodge another attack. The man's fist hit the wall and Quinn used the painful distraction to thrust his elbow into the assailant's ribs and shuffle toward the exit.
Quinn had been in many tight spots before, but never when his feet were bound. He couldn't move quickly, but his mind was working fast. He had already noted that the man wasn't in prison garb and his fighting style suggested he was a trained professional. Quinn knew he needed some sort of weapon or he would be done for. The only implements available were the books on the shelves. He knew they weren't going to impede the man's mission, but perhaps it would stall the man long enough for him to escape.
He began throwing books at his attacker, who was now charging at him with a renewed vengeance. The man knocked away the objects and lunged forward, which caused Quinn to take a couple quick steps backward. That was his downfall.
Quinn lay on the floor, dazed from hitting his head. A weight crushed against his chest and a vise like grip constricted his throat. Air, his mind screamed as he struggled to remove the hands from their strangle hold. He heard a whooshing sound explode in his ears as he felt a cold numbness creep over his body. And then, nothing.
A/N: Finally! It's been so long since I've posted and I apologize profusely. October was crazy and November was as well since I participated in National Novel Writing Month. I hope this chapter was enjoyable. I had a hard time working out some of the details, which is another reason it took me so long. I'd probably still be here editing and revising if my mom wasn't urging me to post it. :D And a big thanks to those who kept asking if I was continuing.
On another note, for those of you who like Star Wars and The Avengers, I'm co-authoring a crossover with Shakespeare's Lemonade, and we recently posted the first chapter. It's called Cold Revenge and it's published under our joint penname "Shakespeare's Fury". I know, how clever. :D