Well, here we are with the penultimate chapter. I've used a bit of licence here, because I think Steve would have offered Colby, Don and Charlie a place to stay at the house. After all, it's pretty big, and most friends will put you up during a visit. There's also the more serious reason that I outlined in last chapter's writer note, and which you'll find out about in this one.

There's a quick reference to 1.08 Belief, since the events in that episode tie in with the discovery that Steve makes in this chapter. So please read on, and let me know what you think!

Calculated Risk - Chapter Nine

Know Thine Enemy

Having the house full of guests, Steve dryly reflected, had its good points and bad. On the plus side, it took away its haunting silence. Brought life back into once empty rooms. But he also had to feed them all – and one guest in particular was determined to make the most of it.

Not that he minded. Not really. A healthily hungry Danny Williams was always a good sign. After living on jello and - the horror - healthy hospital food for the last two days, he was clearly making up for lost time. He'd demolished two slices of pizza already and, to Steve's amusement, now did the same to a third.

The other recuperating patient, too, was destroying his slice as he'd once done to his Army rations, causing both Steve and Don to trade amused glances, and shake their heads in fond relief as they headed into the kitchen for fresh supplies.

"I hope you realize, Steve, those two will eat you out of house and home," Don told him, pulling another carton of juice from the refrigerator.

"Don't worry, Don, I'll find a way to make Danny pay for it," Steve grinned, piling baskets of pretzels, peanuts and dips onto a tray with the skill of a wannabe waiter, and laughing out loud at the 'I bet you will' chuckle that followed him back to the den.

There were more serious reasons, though, for turning the house into this unlikely bed and board. For one thing, it kept his team, not to mention Colby, Don and Charlie, safe from further attack. It also ensured that he could plot their next move without the risk of tipping off the man behind it. Because that's what they were facing now. A disturbing twist to an already complex investigation.

While Danny and Colby recovered from their ordeal, Steve and Don had kept working the case, giving every lead they found to Charlie, until his analysis came up with an unsettling conclusion.

'Everything in this data points to the same thing. Steve, you have an information leak. A mole.'

After the attack that had almost cost Danny and Colby their lives, Steve wasn't taking any chances, especially when Chin checked their office for bugs, and found listening devices in all of their phones.

That had done it for Steve, who'd left the Palace straight after, his face like a thundercloud, and bought them all disposable cells. Then he'd come home, with Chin and Don, and they'd swept the house from top to bottom – only calling the rest of the team in when they were positive that every room was clean and clear.

Fearing that even armed guards could be compromised, they'd then driven back to the hospital – collecting a startled Danny and Colby from their room with flak jackets on, and guns at the ready.

Now they were back at this new base of operations – even if Danny still found it hard to believe why.

"We were bugged? You're saying someone in HPD is on Noshimuri's payroll?" he said at last, staring at Steve, then Charlie, clearly upset as memories of that still painfully personal case returned.

Was that what the whizkid was saying? The mole in HPD was still there? Had Meca died for nothing?

"No, Charlie, we had a mole," he went on, trying hard to keep the fury of his thoughts out of his voice, but not quite managing it. "We found him, and put him out of commission, when Meca was… during another case."

"Yes, I – I know. Steve told me that while you and Colby were in the hospital," Charlie agreed, offering him a sympathetic smile, before glancing up at Steve - encouraged by a 'go ahead' nod to take a deep breath and stick to his guns.

"And I am so sorry about what happened to your partner. What happened to him was truly horrible, but my analysis is still conclusive. Everything you do is being leaked to Noshimuri."

"And remember, Danny, that Mary was kidnapped, and the box was stolen after she called HPD about dad's investigation," Steve reminded him, hoping that his partner's outburst, however understandable, hadn't dented Charlie's confidence. "That's why I asked Chin to personally find the two guards that I posted to your hospital room. I needed people away from HPD that he knew, and that I could trust to keep you and Colby safe."

It was a lot to take in, especially when you'd been kidnapped, beaten to a pulp, and dumped on a booby-trapped boat. Danny had winced too, still feeling the effects of bruised ribs and thankfully shortlived tachycardia. So it was a relief, to everyone, when his eyes cleared, regaining their focus as he finally nodded – an apologetic glance towards Charlie met with a warm smile that sealed another unlikely friendship.

Steve knew those friendships would be more valuable than ever now, to fight a still deadly threat. Danny knew it too, just as he knew that threat now included a once unthinkable betrayal.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked quietly, glancing around six now equally serious faces – his eyes finally settling on Steve, in a look that shared the same suspicions, and the same fears that a seemingly supportive friend had been betraying them. "I mean, the Governor set this task force up, Steve. And we both saw her meeting with him."

"Yeah, I know, Danny. Aside from the people in this room, I don't know who to trust any more," Steve agreed, rubbing kinks of tension from the back of his neck while he considered a once unthinkable thought.

Could the woman who'd asked him, so insistently, to head up this team really be their enemy?

He didn't want to believe it, and yet… no, the evidence against her was just too strong to ignore. He couldn't let personal feelings put six lives at risk. He'd almost lost two of them already.

Steve could feel their eyes on him now. Danny and Colby sat watching him, waiting for his decision. His partners. His friends. His brothers in arms. Two of the bravest people that he'd ever known, and whose commitment to him lifted a crushing weight from his shoulders. It didn't matter what level this fight would go up to. Where he led, he knew Danny and Colby would follow.

That same unity was on every face now, as Steve studied each of them in silent gratitude. Then, releasing a breath he'd not even realized he'd been holding, he gave them their orders.

"If she's behind this, Danny, if she has any part in threatening this team… we take her down."