I Did it My Way

Steve got a photo to Kamekona, but the big man hadn't seen him before. He swore to ask around and did, getting nothing. Steve tried with other contacts, as did Chin, but they got nowhere fast. Steve also checked in on Danny at the beginning and end of each day. His partner was still in ICU, still on a vent (for the time being), but there was no damage to his spine and the tests looked promising. The swelling in his brain had gone down enough that Danny wasn't in as gread a danger from it anymore, but he hadn't shown any signs of waking, not once. It had the doctors concerned but not overly-at the moment. All they could tell Steve was wait and see.

Wait and see if Danny wakes up, wait and see if they ever find the perps. Wait and see if Steve ever got the answers he needed about his mother's murder. Wait and see if his father would live half a world and one phone connection away.

It seemed that was the story of Steve's life-wait and see-and Steve was tired of it. There were some things he had to wait for (Danny to wake up, answers about his mom), but there was at least one thing he didn't have to wait for.

In the SEALs, Steve had often operated without knowing the exact location of his target and still found it. So finding someone on the island who knew about nearly every criminal activity happening or had happened recently? Not a problem. In fact, Steve found it was quite easy once he talked to (threatened, Danny would say) a few people to get a name: Tristian Ikes. Finding him, though, was proving to be a little harder but Steve loved a good challenge.

The guy Steve was interrigating now ("This is not an interrigation, Steven, not a proper one. We've been over and over and over this you over sized neanderthal!") was being just a little difficult, keeping his mouth shut even as his eyes got wider every second. Without Danny for the good cop, bad cop give and take, the effect wasn't quite the same. Then again, without Danny there wasn't anyone there to keep him away from the really good ("Bad, they are really bad!") ideas.

Steve had the guy, Loki, strapped to one of the walls in his crappy apartment. While Loki stood there spread eagle and sweating, Steve sharpened the small array of knives strapped to his hip, speaking casually as he did so.

"You know, I really could use the practice so I should thank you for that."

Steve lightly ran a thumb over the blade and, satisfied that it was sharp enough, tested the balance. Done with that, he placed it in the belt with the others, then went to the coffee table, looking at various papers before picking one. He drew something on it with his pen, tilted his head to one side like an artist considering a masterpiece, then held it up so Loki could see.

"And if I'm going to practice, might as well use this, right?" He stuck a piece of tape to the top of the page. Steve held it up over Loki's chest, above his heart, thinking. "No, you know what," he remarked to himself. He moved the bullseye lower until it was over Loki's groin. "Better."

Steve moved back to his former postition, deliberated again, moved back farther. He pulled a knife, lifted it up and down with an almost casual air.

"Last chance," he offered.

Loki's eyes glared at him and some muffled sounds came from the gagged mouth. Steve shrugged.

Without another word and what appeared to be no time to aim, Steve let the knife fly through the air. It plunked into the wood between Loki's spread left arm and his side. The criminal screamed through the gag and thrashed.

"If you move it'll be worse," warned Steve before he let another knife go. It landed above his shoulder, near the neck. In a conversational tone, like he'd heard Danny use before, Steve said, "You know, my right eye isn't so good as my left. Hurt it during a mission. So," he trailed off. He closed is left eye. While the thrashing, squirming, and screaming got worse, Steve threw the next blade.

It landed next to Loki's knee and Steve nodded in satisfaction. "Getting closer. Sure you want to keep going?"

Loki looked nearly willing, but his hesitation lasted long enough for Steve to throw again. This time, he took tremendous care to take aim. The knife plunged between Loki's spread legs, just below his groin, and close enough to the inside of his thigh to cut. The man thunked his head against the wall, tears falling. He gave Steve a look that said enough to let the SEAL pull the gag down.

Thirty minutes later, Steve was heading out again.

Black-Angel-001: had to have a little steve style interrigation thrown in lol