Chapter 29

"Mission of Revenge?"

Danny's revelation that Wo Fat murdered Annie presented more questions than they could answer. The one that caused them the most concern was their mission, and the actual reason for it. Their discovery that Annie was Hamilton's daughter made Steve and Danny suspect they had been caught up in the man's mission of revenge.

Steve yanked at the short chain attached to his ankle, he hoped the rust had weakened the links enough to allow him to break the chain. "I knew there was something off about this whole thing. He's probably not even gonna clear my name." He turned to Nate. "Did you know about this?"

Nate stared blankly at the wall. "No. He lied to me."

Steve watched as that realization settled on his brother. "He lied to all of us," Steve assured him.

"But why didn't Hamilton just shoot Wo Fat himself?" Danny wondered.

Steve rubbed a hand over his mouth. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense."

"I'll tell you what doesn't make sense." Danny fumed. "Hamilton not thinking it was relevant for us to know Wo Fat killed Annie."

"Very interesting theory, gentlemen," Wo Fat said, stepping into the room. "But you're lacking any real evidence."

"I sincerely doubt Keller's interested in evidence," Danny said. "He's a desperate man. He'll probably believe anything at this point."

Wo Fat pulled out a gun. "Then I'm afraid your time here is over."

"You're going to shoot us?" Danny scoffed.

"I had no choice."

"That's what you're gonna tell Keller?" Steve challenged. "He's not gonna be very happy about that, especially since you didn't give him the name he wanted."

Wo Fat's face remained expressionless. "You were shot while trying to escape."

"Oh, yeah," Danny snorted. "That's convenient."

Wo Fat aimed the gun at Danny, his finger pressed against the trigger. "And you will be the first to go."

Danny swallowed. So this was how his life would end, in a decaying concrete structure far from his loved ones. At that moment, Grace's smiling face flashed in his mind, and her adorable giggle echoed around him. Danny held onto the memory as he stood suspended in time, waiting for the microsecond a bullet would pierce his body. Then a nudge to his side, a tug on his left leg, and a name caused Danny to warp back. He watched Wo Fat hesitate then turn his attention to Nate.

"What did you say?" Wo Fat demanded.

Steve and Danny looked at Nate, both wondering what he meant.

Nate lifted his head. "You heard me."

Wo Fat exhaled, calming the quiver on his face. Then he pointed his gun at Nate. "You die first."

"Then you'll be left to wonder who else knows."

"If you harm her..."

Nate leaned forward, somehow finding a hidden reserve of strength. "I'm clearly not in a position to harm her, but if I were you I wouldn't stay here much longer. You might not make it to her in time."

Wo Fat kept his finger on the trigger, hatred sizzled in his eyes. Finally, he backed away and left the room.

Steve and Danny stared at the door then shifted their attention to Nate. Danny voiced their thought. "Who the hell is Julia?"

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

The motorcycle zipping down the road in front of the McGarrett house didn't wake Alex, neither did the neighbor's cat yowling at the moon. She had been awake since 12:30 AM tossing and turning on what she considered a comfortable bed.

Her fears concerning Steve had forced their way out of the hiding place she had stuffed them into, and were now parading through her mind threatening to make themselves a reality. She checked the clock, it read 3:16. Alex rubbed her eyes with her palms, exhaling a long frustrated breath, then sliding out of bed, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

She put the tea kettle on the stove and pulled out the box of Sweet Dreams tea. Alex turned to the window and looked out into the charcoal gray of early morning; mulling over her loss of sleep and the reason for it. The kettle began to whistle and Alex poured the steaming water into her blue mug, covering the tea bag nestled at the bottom. Grabbing a chocolate chip cookie, she headed into the living room.

Alex sat in an armchair facing the front window, the light from the moon slipped in through the curtains. She tried to envision Steve sitting on the couch, but his image never fully materialized. Panic threatened to overcome her good sense as she imagined hearing of his death, his memorial service, and her future without him. How would she survive the hours ahead until news arrived of his safety, or worse, his death. Alex almost cried aloud, but a movement on the stairs caught her attention.

"So," yawned Mary. "Are there any cookies left, or did you eat them all?"

Alex cleared her throat. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Not really, I couldn't sleep. That stupid cat made so much noise I had to shut my windows."

Alex replied. "The cookies are on the counter, help yourself."

Mary returned with a glass of milk and several cookies, one of them sticking out of her mouth. She set the glass on a small table next to the chair where she chose to sit.

"These are great," Mary mumbled through a mouthful of cookie. "Are these like homemade?"

Alex nodded. They sat for several minutes munching and thinking until Mary broke the silence.

"I'm sure Steve's okay," she said. "I know that may sound ridiculous, but I just know he's okay."

Alex set aside her tea. "I'm sure he is. "

Mary looked to her right for a moment, considering a thought. "So, how's my baby brother? Have you seen him?"

Alex stared at the younger woman trying to determine who Mary meant, until a man's face popped into her mind.

"Oh, you mean Nate. He's fine."

"What does he do?"

"Works with cars, I think."

"Like a mechanic? Or a salesman?"

"Maybe both, maybe more." Alex responded.

"He use to help our dad work on that old car in the garage. He seemed to enjoy that." She paused. "Where is Nate? I've been afraid to ask because, well, we weren't really close, and I thought since he hasn't shown up that maybe he doesn't want to see me. Is he still on the Island?"

Alex didn't reply.

"Oh, I get it. I was always such a jerk to him I don't blame him for not wanting to see me. I just thought since he called me...but what an idiot I am, I never called him back to tell him I was coming here so why would he wait around?"

"I don't actually know where he is, but he's with Steve."

"Oh, that's great. Way to go, Steve!" Mary exclaimed. "What idiot let's his little brother get involved in crap like that? Nate doesn't know what he's doing, he's gonna get himself killed."

"Steve never would have let Nate go if he didn't have the necessary skills to survive."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I think cars are just a hobby for Nate."

Mary's eyes moistened. "What is wrong with this family? Why can't we have normal jobs, lead normal lives; like getting together for family holiday dinners and birthday parties. It's like we're cursed, or something. You and Natalie are probably the only normal thing Steve has had in a long time."

Alex raised an eyebrow. Mary had no idea how far from normal Alex really was.

"Your family isn't cursed, Mary. They see injustice, and they want to do something about it. More people should be like that."

"Who said the McGarretts had to save the world?" Mary fumed. "Where's it gonna end? All I wanted was to come to Hawaii and surprise Steve, and help with the wedding. But instead, I get slammed with the news that my brother supposedly killed the governor, and now, not only is he off hunting down the real killer, but Nate's gone with..." Mary's voice trailed off. She remained silent for several moments before she regained her composure. "I don't want to be the only McGarrett left on the planet." she sputtered. "I need my brothers."

Hearing the desperation in Mary's voice, Alex turned away. She wanted to tell her everything would be fine. Yet, how could she when she wanted someone to reassure her Steve was still alive. She needed to feel his arms around her and hear the sound of his voice in her ear. The need was so intense she had to blink back the tears. Mary and Natalie needed her to be positive and strong, so for their sake she would hold herself together.

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Danny felt as if the gap between his question and the answer he waited for would never end. "Who is Julia?"

Nate leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. "That's a long story."

Steve crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, we've got nothin' else to do."

"Julia is a woman who was caught in a tragic situation and rescued by the man who put her there," Nate responded.

"What does that even mean?" Danny asked.

"Wo Fat has his hand in a lot of illegal activities, including human trafficking. Julia worked in a small orphanage in China, teaching and taking care of the children. Some of Wo Fat's men targeted the orphanage, kidnapping many of the young girls, as well as some of the women that worked there. Julia was one of them. And for reasons only he knows, Wo Fat spared her."

"We know he's not some humanitarian, so what was the point of that?" Danny asked. "And how is it relevant to our situation right now?"

"I know where Julia is, and Wo Fat will do anything to keep her safe."

"So he has some sort of sick attachment to her?"

"It's more than that."

"Nate, just get to the point," Steve demanded.

Gunfire exploded, and men's shouts filtered through the door. Steve jumped to his feet, but the chains bound to his ankles prevented further movement.

"Thank God," Danny breathed. "Chin and Kono found us."

The abrupt end to the commotion caused the men to strain for any clue as to what had just transpired. Five minutes passed, then ten, before the door burst open and Keller, sporting a nasty gash on his forehead, entered the room followed by Quinn.

"What happened out there?" Steve asked.

They both ignored the question as Quinn moved forward to grab Nate, but Steve blocked his way.

"Leave him alone," Steve ordered.

Keller pointed his gun at Danny. "Step aside, McGarrett, unless you want your detective friend to have a matching bullet in his other leg."

"You're not touching them."

Keller's eyes flashed. "I don't have time for this." He whacked the side of Steve's head with the handle of his gun.

Steve stumbled to the ground, clutching the side of head. He watched as Quinn stabbed Nate in his upper thigh with a syringe.

"Hey, hey," Danny yelled. "What are you doing to him?"

"Shut up!" Keller snapped. "Quinn, grab the kid and let's go."

Steve pushed himself to his knees. "Where are you going?"

"To find Julia!"

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

The hour that passed brought Steve and Danny no closer to freedom. Steve continued to yank at his chains, and his voice had grown hoarse from shouting for help. Danny had long since given up, and sat resting against the wall, his eyes closed. He was too exhausted to think, or call out for help that might never come.

He had tried to ignore the noise Steve made, but his nerves were fried and the pain in his leg made his stomach queasy. He finally couldn't take it anymore. "Will you please just shut up," Danny growled.

Steve flashed a look of irritation at his friend. "Someone's gotta be out there."

"Everyone out there is dead. Hence, the reason no one has come in here telling you to shut up."

"I don't see you trying to do anything."

Danny opened his eyes briefly to look at Steve, only to wish he hadn't. His stomach lurched and he vomited. He leaned back against the wall and groaned. "There, I did something. You happy?"

"Sorry, Danny. You all right?"

"No, I am not, Steven." Danny grimaced. "I'm gonna die in the middle of nowhere. Grace will never know what happened to me. She'll grow up without a father. I'm never gonna see her again, Steve." Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm not gonna see her graduate high school, or walk her down the aisle. That's worse than the thought of dying."

Steve put his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Danny don't talk like that. We're gonna make it out of here."

"You know, I just wish I could tell Grace one last time that I love her and give her one last hug just so she doesn't forget me. I wish I had a picture to look at. All I have is this stupid little thing." Danny stared at the object between his fingers. "I'm not even sure it's hers. I don't even know why I have it."

"Wait, you've had that this whole time?"

"Yeah, it was stuck inside my shirt pocket. Is it significant?"

Steve grabbed the bobby pin from his friend's hand. Danny lunged for it.

"No," Danny wailed, his hand pushing against Steve's face as he tried to recover the pin. "That's all I have left."

Steve grabbed hold of him. "Danny, you're not thinking clearly. Listen to me, take a deep breath."

Danny hung his head and did as he was told. "This is like the ending of a bad movie. Why is it the smart one always goes crazy in the end?"

Steve smirked. "So the good looking one can save the day."

Danny snorted. "We're not out of here yet."

Steve inclined his head. "Did you hear that?"

"What? Your sanity leaving the room? I didn't hear anything."

"Steve! Danny! Nate!"

"Chin, in here!" Steve called.

"Hey, I found them," Chin yelled.

The two men heard a scraping sound then a gunshot. The door swung open as Chin and Kono came in followed by Joe.

"Thank God, you guys are alive," Chin said.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked.

Before anyone could explain, Kono gasped, "Where's Nate?"

Steve staggered to his feet with Joe's help. "Keller took him. They went after Wo Fat."

"Why would Keller do that?" Chin asked, helping Danny off the floor.

Steve stared passed Chin. "Ask him."

Chin turned to see Mr. Hamilton standing in the doorway, his cold eyes assessing the situation before him. "It wasn't necessary for you to know," Hamilton replied.

"It wasn't necessary?" Steve moved toward Mr. Hamilton. "I think knowing Annie was your daughter and that Wo Fat murdered her was necessary information. Why not just go after Wo Fat yourself?"

"Even my authority has its limits."

"That's all you're gonna say." Steve snapped. "You have five seconds to give me a better answer, or I'm gonna leave you here."

Mr. Hamilton calculated the pros and cons of providing a "better" answer. He was an expert at providing just enough truth to smooth out kinks in bad situations, but he decided this time just enough would not be sufficient, he would need to offer more to appease the commander's demands.

"Unfortunately, the C.I.A. considers Wo Fat a valuable asset and if I dared get rid of him it wouldn't be without serious repercussions to myself."

"So were you hoping one of us would shoot him?" Danny asked.

"I think you've lied to us enough, Hamilton," Joe said. "You never would have allowed Keller to lead you blindly. You knew where Wo Fat was hiding all along. That's why we were able to find this place so quickly. Think carefully before you open your mouth, or your little side project goes public."

Everyone looked at Joe, then back at Mr. Hamilton. Several moments of silence passed before he spoke "If Keller killed Wo Fat nothing would come back on me. It would all be attributed to a deal gone bad. I brought you along only because Nate asked me to help you, Commander McGarrett."

"Almost getting us killed is helping?" Steve spat. He stepped within inches of the older man. "You put my team in danger, got my partner shot, and now Keller's got Nate. If something happens to my brother that's on you." Steve shoved his finger into Mr. Hamilton's chest. "You better know where my brother is headed."

"We're wasting time," Hamilton said. "Are you done?"

Steve sent a right hook into the older man's jaw. "I'm done now." He marched out of the room, leaving more than one satisfied smirk behind him.

A/N: Slowly, but surely the end is coming. Thanks for reading!