Chapter 2
Doris leaped into a helicopter just as Kalani reached the rooftop. She attempted to reach the ascending aircraft, the velocity of ascension made the leap to grasp the landing skids impossible.
"Damn it," she cursed. Raking her fingers through her hair, she fought through the potential panic attack she knew was brewing on the front consciousness of her mind.
She had no bearing of where she was, as she whirled around the rooftop, all she could see was nightfall and city lights. With no distinguishable landmarks it was going to be a little harder to verify her exact location. Thank goodness Steve had made astronomy an integral part of her upbringing.
"If you ever get lost, the stars will help your way home," Steve said on one of their many camp outs.
"Dad, that's boring," Kalani had protested at first. To the untrained eye all stars looked like just stars. As Steve pointed out the clusters of stars, the formations started becoming clearer.
Looking towards the sky again, she started discerning between the constellations and their position in the sky. She noted the Pisces constellation and its position in the sky toward the Polaris, giving herself a virtual pat on the back and then groaned.
She wasn't in the States like she had hoped. She was somewhere in Asia. Giving herself a mental inventory. She knew that her captors stripped her of all identification and means of communication. This meant she had to wait until daylight to get a better idea of her surroundings. But she knew that the men she rendered unconscious would come to, see she had escaped and come after her. She had to get away from this building and fast. She noticed a nearby rooftop and smirked. Perfecto!
Having been militant trained before being commissioned had its perks. Camp was always tiresome. The other campers always gave resistance when they realized Kalani was yet again present. She was always on the top of the achievement lists. Agility was always her best physical course during the physical trials. Hopping rooftops was her favorite. There was nothing like the thrilling adrenaline she felt during the live simulation course the camp had. She didn't think at the time she would ever use the skill after all she had only been a child.
"Oh great it's McGarrett," a snark comment made it's way to Kalani's ears. "Can't she just get a clue, she's no better than the rest of us."
Kalani knew that voice all too well. It came from her crush Damon White. He was her father's former CO Perry White's grandson. They both came from Hawaii. They went to separate schools but competed against each other in intramural sports.
He was the only person she knew who could cause her to be distracted enough to make only minor mistakes with her tasks at hand.
"What's the matter White? Afraid that a girl is going to get the MVP trophy for the fifth year in a row," she asked him in Mandarin knowing he wouldn't know what she was saying.
"Kalani how many times have I told you to speak English in front of everyone," the fitness instructor scolded. The instructor knew from her file that she usually only reverted back to Mandarin when she was angered.
"Someone thinks she's Chinese," Damon taunted her in front of their peers. She knew he was trying to act cool but it stung just enough for her to want to show off and teach him a lesson.
She hopped the ten roof obstacle course like she was Cat Woman and finished in under three minutes, making all her peers angry at her or laugh at her for being a "freak" as they normally taunted her. She didn't let them know how much their taunts affected her. She'd wait until shower time to let the hurtful words show. In the meantime she ran the course ten more times before the session ended for the day.
Walking to the rooftop ledge she gauged the distant between buildings, and the distance she needed for propulsion for her height and weight. "Well this just got interesting," she muttered to herself. She advanced to the rooftop door turned and went into a sprint towards the roof ledge, she didn't stop she used the lip as a boost to make her get away.
The NCIS: LA team landed at Coronado to be greeted by Steve, Kono, and Chin Ho. Sam walked up to Steve and gave his friend a man hug.
"We don't have time to waste so let's get to it," G. Callum said after pleasantries were over with. "Do you have anymore leads?"
Steve and Chin were silent and Kono spoke up, "A bounty hunter transport departed around forty five minutes after Kalani disappeared. The problem is there is no flight record for the vehicle."
"Is that usual," Deeks asked. He knew that according to Federal Regulations, if you were air bound you filed a log and cleared Air Traffic Control before take of.
"In Hawaii it is usual," Chin answered. "However there are hundreds of bounty transports a day. That transport could have been a decoy."
"I can make a call to Air Traffic Control and see if they saw any unauthorized flights," Kenzi Blye offered.
"I already tried that avenue," Danny sighed as he approached his team and their guests. Gracie trailed behind him still clearly shaken by her cousin's disappearance.
"This is Danny Williams and his daughter Grace," Steve introduced. "They were also on the scene when Kalani was abducted."
"A helicopter arrived out of nowhere in the middle of the ocean about ten hours after the transport left Hawaii airspace." Grace supplied. "Ten hours would make them be in..."
"Asian airspace," Callum finished. "We don't exactly have a pleasant report with their airspace authority. You said the helicopter showed up in mid flight?"
Danny nodded, "Over North Korean airspace."
"Shit," Steve exploded. He looked at his team and they all had knowing looks. Wo Fat used North Korea as a safe haven. Americans didn't go to North Korea and come out alive.
"What are we missing here," Kenzi asked not understanding the silent communication.
Seeing that her counterparts were not going to be forthcoming, Kono volunteered to explain, "An enemy of the State used to use North Korea as his go to hide out knowing that Americans are persona non gratis. Problem is he is in a maximum security prison on death row."
Sam looked at Steve and back to his team. "Steve isn't allowed anywhere near North Korea due to recent rogue missions. We're also hard pressed to get clearance to get transport."
"Even if we did get to North Korea. It would be days, she could be ..." Kenzi stated leaving her train of thought incomplete deliberately.
"No my niece is more valuable alive then dead," Kono argued. "North Korea would probably be just a lay over for these people. You as well as we do, know that North Koreans are only interested in nuclear weapons. She's a chameleon perfect for espionage and intelligence."
"I'll call Director Vance and see if he can get eyes in the sky over North Korea and see if anything out of the ordinary took place over the borders." Kenzi offered and walked away from the group on her intended mission.
"Don't bother. Whoever took Kalani, isn't going to use the same vehicle twice. They took a van, a plane, a boat and helicopter. They would probably have gone by animal transport. North Korea doesn't allow satellite in their airspace," Steve supplied. "There are farmers everywhere and they go between borders all of the time."
"Meaning, she could be in China, Russia, Mongolia or South Korea," Callum caught on. "That is millions of square miles to cover. If she were to escape in any of these countries would she be able to get around?"
Kono nodded, "She is well versed in three of those four languages. She also has well known aliases in three of those countries."
"Once Kalani stepped foot in China, Russia or South Korea, she could go into any one of the many safe houses, she set up, she can grab funds and identification needed to get home," Steve supplied.
There was a long pregnant pause between NCIS and Five 0. Everyone looked at each other and a silent communication was asked and answered between all present.
What would happen if Kalani found herself in Mongolia? She was screwed and would have to rely on her survival skills.
"Do we think she escaped her captors," Callum asked.
Steve nodded knowing his daughter's tenacity for fighting, survival and always completing her mission. She'd set up shelter in the jungles and rig explosives to deflect attention.
"My Goddaughter is a SEAL," Sam supplied. "She will do everything to her knowledge to evade capture again. She'll bring strife and discord to Mongolia guerrillas. Then slip away like the GHOST she was trained to be."
