This is the end. Thank you so, so much to everyone who has kept reading all summer. I never expected it to take so long but it has. It's been wonderful to get all of your reviews.
I can't wait to see tomorrow night's premiere!
"How is this my life?" Danny Williams asked.
Beside him, Kono Kalakula tried not to let him hear her sigh. That would only rile him up more. It didn't matter because Danny was already off and ranting. Kono shifted on the warehouse roof, settling into a more comfortable position.
"In New Jersey, a stakeout involves spending a night sitting in your car until your ass falls asleep, drinking cold coffee, and discussing the Devils' chances next season with your partner. In Hawaii, it apparently means taking a seaplane out over the bottomless black ocean, then landing on said ocean so that we can JUMP OUT INTO A TINY RAFT."
"That was pretty cool," Kono agreed.
"That was - ? No, it was NOT cool," now Danny's hands were cutting through the air in front of him, "That was CRAZY. It was the sort of crazy thing that Navy SEALs do – which of course explains everything – not the sort of thing that police officers do."
He fell silent for a moment as he watched Kono finish positioning their final camera. After using the rafts to land on a pier with access to Noshimuri's warehouses, they had quickly picked a neighboring building from which they could watch and wait for Wo Fat to arrive. Crosby and two of his men, Brian Jaggar and Kayo Hosoi, were setting up cameras on the far side of their target.
They had chosen this building for their base because the roof had a decent sized storage shed that they could use for their equipment. Chin was in there now, setting up the computers they would use to watch the camera feeds.
Steve, meanwhile, had slunk off – ALONE – into the predawn darkness to take a closer look at Wo Fat's set-up. He had been dressed in almost the same black ninja gear that he had been wearing the night Jameson was murdered. The fact that they were all dressed in similar outfits didn't stop Danny's stomach from twisting in knots as he watched him disappear into the night.
There were so many things wrong with letting Steve go off without him. Danny desperately wanted to explain each and every one of them to his partner, but he couldn't because Steve was somewhere out in the gloom – ALONE.
Danny was so busy imagining all the dangers that a solo McGarrett could bring upon himself that he failed to notice the black form that slipped over the edge of the roof behind him.
Steve sat silently for a moment, watching Danny, who was practically vibrating with pent up words. He exchanged an amused look with Kono over Danny head.
"If the cameras are all in place, why don't we join everyone else inside?"
At the sound of Steve's voice Danny jumped, letting out a little yelp and turning to glare at Kono, "A little warning would be nice."
Kono smiled sweetly as she headed back to the shed to see if Chin needed any help.
The dark cameo make-up on Steve's face made his smirk more pronounced than usual, "Are you just going to sit around while the rest of us catch the bad guys?"
Danny followed him towards the shed, muttering under his breath about what sort of goes idiot off by himself without any kind of back-up. If he took the opportunity to give Steve a quick once over to make sure there were no obvious new bleeding wounds or other injuries, that was no one's business but his own.
Inside, Crosby's group had returned. Everyone watched as the four laptops began to cycle through the camera feeds.
"It's not ideal," Chin told them, "We've got 8 cameras and only 4 computers. We may miss something."
"We'll make it work," Steve assured him, "Are communications up?"
Chin nodded, "I've established a connection to SWAT. Once the sun rises, they'll move in with their boats. They'll blend in with the other fishing boats that go out in the morning. They'll be 15 to 30 minutes out when we call them. We also have a link to Five-0 Headquarters. The Governor is there, waiting to talk to us when we're ready."
"Go ahead and put the call through," Steve instructed.
"Not yet," Crosby countered, "Give us a report on your surveillance first."
The two men shifted so that they were facing each other.
"The Governor's on speaker," Chin announced, blithely ignoring the glare Crosby directed at him.
"Can everyone hear me?" Page's voice came through clearly.
"Yes, sir," McGarrett and Crosby answered simultaneously.
Near the back of the shed, Danny and Kono exchanged an uneasy look. This could get ugly very fast.
Apparently, the tension transmitted through the speakers because the Governor paused before continuing, as if he was choosing his words carefully, "Darren, yesterday we discussed the fact that Commander McGarrett and his team are much more familiar with the Wo Fat case. They have the lead on this."
"Yes, sir," Crosby's voice was even but the flush on his checks gave away his embarrassment.
Being neither vindictive nor petty, Steve immediately covered the awkwardness, "We've established a command center. There are surveillance cameras in place. The building has a front entrance, the loading dock entrance, and a side door that faces this building. Now we wait for Wo Fat."
"Have you seen anyone in the warehouse? Are the weapons there? Is there any activity currently?" Page asked, his marine background evident in his no-nonsense questions.
"There appear to be about 6 men inside. They were napping and playing cards. Wo Fat is not here yet. I was about to see a few crates but the warehouse appears mostly empty. They have 2 dozen empty palettes ready to be loaded." Danny and the rest of the team were getting a glimpse at Active Duty SEAL.
"Remember, McGarrett," Page's voice was stern, "Wo Fat is injured. He may not show up in person. I understand your personal motivations, but this could potentially be a massive cache of weapons. If you have the opportunity to seize those weapons that is your primary objective."
"Yes, sir," the rigid set of Steve's shoulders made Chin wonder if the younger man really had an intension of obeying that order.
"Detective Inouye and Lt. Rollins are set up here at 5-0 with Chief Makaha. Inouye is available to do any research you need done. Rollins is monitoring satellite images of the area. Makaha has his men out all over Honolulu, just in case we're wrong about this. They'll let you know immediately if they find anything. I have to go back to my office but Makaha will keep me up to date," Page closed the connection.
Everyone settled in to watch the camera feeds and wait. Danny wondered idly how hot it would get in a wooden storage shed on a warehouse roof once the sun rose.
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It turned out that the shed got very, very hot.
"Why didn't we pack fans?" Danny asked.
Kono waited a beat to see if someone else would answer him. When no did, she sighed, "We could only carry so much stuff. Remember when you were complaining about how heavy everything was?"
Danny was indignant, "I wasn't complaining. I was complaining a legitimate concern for how much weight we were piling into flimsy, SINKABLE rafts."
Knowing that his partner just needed to blow off steam after being cooped up all morning, Steve tuned the conversation out. He concentrated on reviewing the list of weapons that had been delivered so far.
The deliveries had come in trucks, disguised as fruit. Fortunately, Steve had been able to plant a camera on the loading dock the night before. Also fortunate, Wo Fat's men were leaving the dock door open. Steve figured the warehouse was hot, they liked the breeze coming off the water, and there was enough privacy that they felt safe. It was still sloppy. Steve almost commented on it before remembering Danny's feelings about the heat. He decided to stay quiet.
The lackeys were opening the boxes to inspect the contents, offering their hidden camera an excellent view of various automatic weapons, ammunition, grenades, and even a rocket launcher. Jagger was estimating quantities from the size of the boxes.
"Inouye just sent over the info on the trucks," Chin reported. "He ran the plates we gave him. There are a couple of shell companies involved, but he traced them to Noshimura. And get this," he paused to make sure he had everyone's attention, "The plates from that last truck link back to a company registered in Pat Jameson's name."
"Makes sense," Danny mused, "You're Wo Fat. You make sure there's dirt out there to find on Jameson so you can use it to keep her in line."
"This makes the case against Jameson stronger, but none of it links back to Wo Fat," Hosoi pointed out, "If we don't catch him red handed, it'll be hard to make a case against him."
"We'll get him," Steve's voice was the coldest any of his friends had ever heard it.
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It was close to an hour later that they heard the soft ping that signaled an in-coming call from HQ. Chin listened quietly for a minute before passing the headset to Steve.
Catherine's soft voice came over clearly, "Hey Sailor, I just spotted something." She was patched into several military satellites, using them to monitor Kauai. The Governor had used every connection he had to make it happen. "There's a small cargo ship headed your way. Inouye and I have followed its rather complicated ownership trail back to a company owned by Wo Fat."
Steve could feel his heart start to race, "This is the connection we need! How far out is the ship?"
"Maybe an hour at its current speed."
As Steve relayed the news to the rest of his team, Danny perked up, "Not much longer to wait then. We'll have to move in before they load the ship."
Danny glanced over at Steve, expecting his partner, who under most circumstances had the same tolerance for waiting as your average toddler, to be full agreement. The pensive look on Steve's face surprised him. A moment later he wanted to slap himself for being so obtuse.
Danny hurried to reassure Steve, "I'm sure Wo Fat will want to be here to oversee things personally."
"He might be on the ship," Kono added.
Crosby shook his head, "According to Inouye and Rollins, the ship is arriving from Asia. We know that Wo Fat's been in Honolulu. He's not on board." He continued grimly, "We have to accept that Wo Fat probably won't be here. He's hurt – badly I think. Hell, he could be dead," Crosby waved a hand to forestall Steve's protest, "I don't think he is either, but he could be. We cannot allow this cache to disappear. Once that ship gets here, we have to call in SWAT and make our move."
Steve's teammates silently held their breath, waiting for their leader's response.
"You're right," Steve admitted slowly, "Our primary objective is the shipment." He checked the time, "We have 50 minutes before the cargo ship docks. Then we call SWAT and move in, whether Wo Fat's here or not."
The next 35 minutes passed in tense silence. Yet another truck with cases of guns – side arms this time – arrived. Watching Wo Fat's men unload them, Steve ran through the mental list he had composed of the possible plans the Chinese crime lord could have for this arsenal. Each was more horrific than the one before. There was no question – they could not let these crates slip through their fingers. Still, to let Wo Fat escape made his stomach roll.
"Black Cadillac sedan approaching," Chin reported. He pointed to one of the computer screens where a black car was coming to a stop by the loading dock.
Three men got out. They were all wearing expensive suits that were well tailored enough to hide the tell-tale handgun bulges – unless you were looking for them. These were well paid bodyguards, a higher class of henchmen than the men unloading the trucks.
Two of the bodyguards took up positions by the car's rear passenger door. Once the third man had scanned the area from the loading dock, he signaled an all clear. The car door opened and Wo Fat emerged. He entered the warehouse moving with the careful, slow movements of someone in pain.
Danny rubbed his hands together gleefully, "There's our criminal, we have the weapons, and the ship is arriving. Call in SWAT and let's go."
Steve nodded to Chin, who picked up the radio to signal SWAT. Everyone began gathering gear. It was time to move into position.
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"Wo Fat's on site," Catherine reported to Inouye and Makaha, "They're signaling for SWAT now. It's almost over."
"Damn, I wish I was there," Inouye told her.
Cat nodded her agreement. She looked over, expecting Makaha to third the sentiment only to find him heading out the door. "Chief is everything okay?" she asked.
He paused in the doorway, "I'm going to brief the Governor in person. He'll want to know right away."
Something about his tone, or maybe his eyes, made Catherine uneasy, but Inouye's voice distracted her before she could figure it out.
"I think we might have a problem." He had put on an earpiece which allowed him to monitor the radio transmissions from the other island.
Catherine's head snapped around, "What's wrong?"
"SWAT isn't responding. I don't know if they're receiving the signal. Chin's still trying to contact them."
Putting on her own earpiece, Catherine also listened to Chin trying to get a response from SWAT. She and Inouye exchanged worried looks. Were they going to lose Wo Fat over an equipment failure?
"Does Makaha have another way to contact his men?" Catherine asked.
"I don't know," Inouye reached for the phone, "Why didn't he just call the Governor? I'll try and get him back here ASAP."
Before he could finish dialing, the radio crackled to life with SWAT's pre-arranged confirmation signal. Catherine let a soft sigh of relief escape. It looked like things were back on track.
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Steve and Danny were crouched down behind a stack of old palettes, watching Wo Fat's men begin to lead their cases of illegal arms on to the newly arrived cargo ship. Their target was at the end of pier, with water on two sides. Everyone was in position on the two land sides, waiting for SWAT and their boats to secure the ocean access.
"SWAT should be here by now, right?" Danny asked.
"They're giving us time to get in position," Steve told him.
Danny looked skeptical but kept his mouth shut.
Steve very quietly contacted Chin over the earpiece radios they all wore, "Any sign of SWAT?"
"Nothing yet," Chin sounded as tense as Steve felt.
Danny leaned in close so that his voice wouldn't carry, "Just assuming that for some reason SWAT doesn't come, what the hell are we going to do?"
Steve considered his options. Including Crosby and his men, there were seven of them. Wo Fat had five men in the warehouse, three bodyguards, and at least a six man crew on the ship.
"We need to move and we need to do it now," he finally decided, "SWAT isn't coming. We can't let Wo Fat have these weapons. If we wait any longer, he may decide to cut his losses and leave with what's already loaded."
"So help me, McGarrett, if you blow-up this warehouse I AM NOT doing the paperwork," Danny mumbled, gathering himself t run forward at Steve's signal.
The next few minutes were a blur of chaos, gunfire, and adrenaline. Using the truck as cover, Steve and Danny were able to make it onto the loading dock and just inside the building, finding shelter behind the wooden crates.
"Report!" Steve barked into the radio once the gunfire had dwindled to sporadic.
"I have four men pinned down on the ship," Kono reported, "I wounded at least one, possibly two." It had been her assignment to take up a position on top of the some large cargo containers next to the pier.
"We've found cover in the office just inside the front door," Crosby radioed, "We surprised three of the guys from the warehouse and one from the ship. Two are down, possibly dead, and one is across from us, behind some boxes."
"We're on the dockside of the warehouse," Chin broke in, "There's a good sized powerboat tied up out here. It may be part of an escape plan. Does anyone have eyes on Wo Fat?"
"Negative," Steve replied, "Danny and I took down two of his bodyguards and the other warehouse worker. We're behind some boxes. I don't have much line of sight but we're not taking any fire."
"We're not taking any fire because we're sitting behind boxes of explosives!" Danny pointed out, "Now use all the Super SEAL training my tax dollars paid for and figure out how to get us out of here."
To Danny's alarm, Steve began to study the boxes in front of them thoughtfully, "What do you think is in these? This one looks like the rocket launcher."
Fortunately for Danny's sanity, the sounds of sirens became faintly audibly, growing louder rapidly, "Hey, back-up is almost here and you haven't even fired a rocket yet."
Steve was just about the give a suitably indignant reply when he was suddenly cut off by several gunshots from the far side of the warehouse, followed by a frantic "Office down!" from Chin.
Both Steve and Danny sprang out from behind the crates and raced towards their teammate. Shots rang out from the front of the warehouse but Crosby and Hosoi quickly covered them. They found Chin kneeling beside Jagger, applying pressure to a wound in his side.
At the edge of the dock, Wo Fat's remaining bodyguard was helping his injured boss into the powerboat. Danny was vaguely aware that several police cars had arrived, spilling cops onto the scene. He fired a shot, hitting the bodyguard as he was trying to untie the boat. Unfortunately, it only grazed him. Danny was lining up another shot when he suddenly realized that the cops were pointing their weapons at him.
"Drop your guns and put your hands behind your head!" a nervous looking young officer shouted.
Steve ignored them, running towards the boat, intending to jump aboard before it could pull away. He was in mid-air, halfway between the boat and the dock when a shot fired by one of the police hit him, throwing him to the side and into the water.
Danny stared, frozen, as Steve vanished beneath the surface and Wo Fat sped away.
"Stand down! They're the Governor's taskforce!" yelled an older police office, probably their Captain. He emerged from the warehouse with Crosby.
It snapped Danny out of his trance. He started to run to the edge of the dock when another figure flew past him. It was Kono, shedding pieces of body armor as she went. Danny barely had time to register her presence before she dove into the water.
Time seemed to stand still as Danny held his breath, willing his teammates to reappear. Then suddenly there they were. Kono helping to support a coughing and choking Steve until Danny and Crosby were able to help them both out of the water.
A short time later, Danny hovered around the back of an ambulance as Steve was being treated. Jagger had already been transported.
"Your certain he doesn't need to go to the hospital, too?" Danny asked the EMT, "He just got out of the hospital for being blown-up. I don't think he's 100%."
Steve waved the medic away irritably, "I'm fine Danny. The bullet just knocked the breath out me. I didn't even need Kono's help. I already had the vest off and was on my way to the surface."
Danny was skeptical. He also noted the grimace that ghosted across Steve's face when he stood up, although it was gone so quickly that anyone less familiar with the ways of Steve McGarrett would have missed it.
The EMT shrugged as he began to gather his things. Danny knew that he would never succeed in getting Steve to rest right now but he did resolve to watch his partner carefully for any ill effects.
Chin saw Steve up and hurried over, "Still no idea on why SWAT didn't come. Catherine found their boats. They're on their way back to Oahu but they're not responding to any calls."
Steve shook his head, "That makes no sense. Flying, we'll beat them back. We'll just have to be at the dock to ask them what's going on."
"Why did the locals show up, guns blazing like that?" Danny wanted to know.
"They got a tip," Kono reported, joining them, "Some called in and said that a group of eco-terrorists who have issues with the fertilizers used on the fruit were planning to attack the warehouse workers. They were even given our general descriptions."
"Can we trace the call, or learn anything from it?" Steve asked.
"Maybe," Chin told him, "I'll have Fong start on it right away, but it will probably be awhile before he has anything."
Steve nodded, "Has anyone reported to the Governor?"
"I brought Catherine and Inouye up to speed while you were being treated," Danny replied, "They'll brief the Governor."
"What did Makaha have to say about his SWAT team taking off?" Chin's tone was tinged with sarcasm.
Danny shrugged, "He wasn't there. He went over to the Governor's office."
Crosby and Hosoi joined them.
"How's Jagger doing?" Steve asked softly. This was his op and one of the men under his command had been injured. That weighed on him. It didn't make him feel any better that his concern was mingled with a tiny bit of relief that it wasn't Danny, Chin, or Kono in the hospital.
"The doctors are cautiously optimistic. Now that they have the bleeding under control, the damage doesn't seem as bad as they first feared," Hosoi reported.
"The Governor has a private jet waiting to fly us back to Oahu," Crosby gestured towards a pair of SUV's parked nearby, "We should get going. The sooner we can co-ordinate the manhunt for Wo Fat, the sooner we'll catch him."
As they all headed for their transportation, Crosby clasped Steve's shoulder, "I know how much you wanted Wo Fat, but we were able to seize the entire arms shipment. We've done good work today."
"Yes we have," Steve agreed, "Now let's go do some more."
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The short flight was almost over when Chin sat down next to Steve, "Brah, we may have a problem."
"What is it?" Something in Chin's quiet tone told Steve that this was serious.
"I tried to contact HQ to give them our ETA and see if they had any leads on Wo Fat," Chin paused, concerned with how Steve would react to his next piece of news, "No one's answering. I can't contact Inouye. Or Catherine."
"Maybe they're working a hot lead and can't answer right now?" Danny suggested from Steve's other side, "It doesn't have to mean anything bad."
"I think it might," Kono told him. In the plane's small cabin, she had been able to follow the conversation while making phone calls, "I contacted the Governor's office. I wanted to see if he knew what was going on at HQ. They told me that he hasn't been there at all today."
"Then where is he?" Steve asked.
The team exchanged helpless looks, forced into unaccustomed inaction until the flight was over.
A short time later, a soft bump signaled that they had landed. Steve was at the door, opening it while the plane was still rolling to a stop. The second the stairs were extended, he as sprinting across the runway towards the cars Crosby had arranged to have waiting for them. The rest of his team was only a step behind.
"Should we have HPD meet us there?" Danny asked, hanging on for dear life as Steve careened through the streets of Honolulu.
"No, we're only a few minutes out," Steve jumped the curb to go around a car on curve, tossing Kono and Chin around in the backseat, "Besides, I'm really tired of not being able to trust the people who are supposed to be on our side."
They screeched to a skidding stop in front of the Palace. Crosby and Hosoi pulling up in the other car a minute later. Danny was secretly a little impressed that Crosby had been able to keep up with Steve in the city traffic.
The all charged for the building, guns drawn. Steve and his team flew past the startled security guards.
"Has anyone seen or heard anything unusual from the Five-0 offices?" Crosby demanded.
The guards shook their heads mutely. Crosby cursed under his breath and followed the others up the stairs.
Just outside the Five-0 doors, Steve brought everyone to a halt, "Danny – with me. We'll take the offices to the right. Chin and Kono – take the offices to the left. Crosby, Hosoi – take the back hallway. On my mark – GO!"
Silent and efficient, they streamed though the double doors. They were all experienced enough to recognize the empty stillness but they still fanned out to their assigned areas.
Steve listened as, one-by-one, each of his people called out clear. He was standing in his office (His former office? Crosby's office? He didn't have time to consider the future right now.) when something metallic clattered to the floor in the distance.
"Steve, get over here!" Chin yelled, "I found Inouye. He's been shot but he's alive and awake."
Steve and Danny hurried across the central room, towards Chin's voice. They dropped to the ground on either side of Inouye. He was awake, but barely.
"Officer down at the Palace in the Five-0 offices, send an ambulance," Kono was on her cell phone, calling for help.
"What happened? Where's Catherine?" Steve demanded, even as Danny began to access the fallen man's injuries.
"Makaha . . . Rollins tried to call Page . . . she was on hold . . . Makaha came in with a gun," Inouye was struggling to remain conscious. He clutched Steve's hand urgently, "He wanted her to send you into a trap . . . she wouldn't do it."
Steve closed his eyes, overcome by the guilt of knowing that he once again put someone he loved in danger.
"The ambulance just arrived downstairs," Kono reported, "The crew is on their way up."
Steve leaned in closer, "Where is Catherine?"
"Makaha was furious . . . shoot her . . . I tried . . . rushed him but he shot me . . . she ran over . . . slipped her GP . . ." Inouye's hand slipped from Steve's grasp as he lost the battle to stay awake.
"Chin! See if any of our GPS chips are active!" Steve ordered as he and Danny moved aside to make room for the medical personnel.
"I've got something!" Chin's tone was triumphant, "It's coming from a small cove that's part of a wildlife park."
"A cove?" Danny was alarmed, "Like part of the ocean? Do you think he's trying to leave the island?"
"We won't give him the chance," Steve swore. He sprinted back to the cars, his team once again behind him.
They suffered through another harrowing ride as Steve set what Danny was certain had to be a record for consecutive number of turns on two wheels. Steve skidded to a stop next to Makaha's SUV. The vehicle was empty but the spot offered a clear view of the cove and the submarine that was anchored there.
"Really!" Danny demanded, "Wo Fat is now the super villain escaping by submarine?"
"I have to admit that I'm a little bit impressed," Kono confessed.
Even Chin's usually unbreakable calm seemed to falter a little.
Steve had no time for surprise or awe, "Come on. We have to find a way on board."
"You're going to find to supply that," Danny told him as they advanced down the slight slope towards the beach, "Because unless I'm wrong, everything the three of us knows about submarines could fit on the head of a pin."
Steve never got reveal his daring plan for breaching the sub because, at that moment, the main hatch near the sub's nose opened to reveal a pale and panicked looking Chief Makaha. Four guns immediately sighted on him.
"If you shoot me, my associates inside will kill Lt. Rollins," Makaha's voice was shaky. Steve guessed that the aging paper-pusher had never believed that his association with Wo Fat would blow-up on him this way.
"You need to let her go," Steve commanded, his Sig never wavering.
"We will," Makaha assured him, "Once Wo Fat arrives we'll be leaving. You will not follow us. Once we're far enough away, we'll leave your pretty girlfriend in a lifeboat with a distress signal."
Danny's heart bled for his friend, "Steve, they won't let her go."
"I know," Steve's gun remained steady, "That's why they're not leaving."
Behind them, Crosby and Hosoi finally arrived. (They had not been as success at staying with Steve this time.) They joined Steve and the rest of the team.
"A submarine?" Crosby asked, "You have a plan?"
Steve nodded, "We need to pull back so that we aren't in plain sight. Then I'll slip away. The sub should have a smaller hatch on the other side. I'll be able to sneak in that way."
"No! Just no. We are NOT doing that," Danny protested, "You are not going in there alone. What if Wo Fat shows up and they drive off with you in there?"
"Danny, subs sail, they don't drive. Besides –"
Steve cut himself out abruptly when Makaha suddenly slumped to the ground. Behind him stood Catherine, welding a wrench.
"Hey, Sailor," she called, "You got a way to get me to shore, or do I have to swim?"
Danny was actually speechless, his hands waving in aborted gestures.
Kono laughed, "I like her, boss."
Steve grinned, "How'd you get out there?"
I was Chin that noticed the faint buzzing in the background, "Is that a boat?"
Everyone was immediately on alert. "Cat, you have to get out there," Steve shouted.
She stopped joking around and really did jump into the water to swim the 50 yards to shore. Danny thought that Steve might head into the water himself.
"Chin, we need to the Coast Guard right now." Danny suggested, stepping forward as if getting ready to tackle Steve before he could rush the sub by himself.
Catherine was still in the water when the Makaha's unconscious body was pushed out of the sub and the door was slammed shut.
"Cat! Makaha's drowning!" Steve was running towards the water when the Police Chief's SUV exploded behind them. Parked next it, the car that Five-0 had arrived in also went up. Everyone on the beach was thrown to the ground, metal debris raining down on them.
Steve immediately struggled back to his feet, searching the water, "Cat, where are you!" He spotted her just off shore, unharmed. He did a quick check of the rest of his team, "Everyone okay?"
Chin was helping Kono and Danny up, "We're fine but the sub's leaving!"
They were all forced to watch helplessly as the submarine sailed out of the cove, picking up speed as it went. Catherine reached the shore and flew into Steve's arms. He held her tight while watching Wo Fat escape over behind her.
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Ten days later, Steve hosted a party on the beach behind his house for his team. Catherine, Rachel, Charlie, Max, and Ben were also there, along with Crosby, Hosoi, and Inouye. Jagger had been released from the hospital but hadn't been up to joining.
Steve was standing apart from everyone else, watching the waves. Danny joined him, a beer in each hand.
Steve took one of the beers, "Not water this time?"
"This is what we need right now." Danny studied his best friend's profile for a moment, "You have to forgive yourself for not catching him. It's not even your fault Makaha drowned. He made his choices."
Steve sighed, "He'll be back. He'll be back and then you'll all be in danger again."
"That's what you're worried about. Well let me tell you something. He will be back, but not for a long time because you broke him. You took his money, his power. You cost him his position in the Yakuza– because they do not tolerate this kind of spectacular failure. It will be a long, long time before Wo Fat comes back," Danny paused to drink some of his beer, "And when he does come back, you and the best team anyone has ever had will be ready for him."
Steve smiled, the tension finally draining out of him, "So you're really going to stick around in Hawaii? Raise a baby here and everything?"
Danny sighed dramatically, "While Rachel has really good job in Honolulu, so I guess that for now, for awhile at least, we'll be here."
"What about you? You have a good job here in Hawaii?" Steve was smirking in that way that said he knew something Danny didn't.
"I don't know. I used to work for this taskforce but then it got disbanded and we got replaced," Danny waved it aside, not wanted to dwell on the fact that an important chapter in his life was over, "What about you? You going back to the Navy?"
Steve shrugged, "Well Catherine gave up a lot in her career to be stationed here. I think that I'd like to see if we can work when we're both staying in one place together."
Danny smiled approvingly, "I'm glad you're sticking around. Ever consider a job with HPD? I warn you that you'll have to learn the Miranda rights."
"Tempting, but I've had other offers. The Navy asked me if I wanted to train SEALs here in Hawaii."
"So you'll be teaching other crazy people how to blow things up in bigger and better way," Danny nodded, "That'll be a good job for you, but I will miss seeing you at the office every day."
"I didn't say that I took the Navy up on their offer," Steve took a drink from his bottle, "I actually had a very interesting meeting with Governor Page yesterday. He offered me my own taskforce to fight crime here in Hawaii. We agreed that a four person team would work best. Have any ideas on who would make a good partner for me?"
Danny couldn't help the huge smile on his face, "You've never been one to listen to me, but if you're asking, I'd love the chance to be your partner again."
Steve smiled back, "I was hoping you'd say that."
"What about Crosby and his people," Danny looked back towards the house the people in question were enjoying themselves.
"Page said that Crosby and I have different styles," Steve ignored Danny's snort, "He said that he's rather be the break holding me back than the engine pushing Crosby forward. Plus, he's making Crosby Chief of Police."
"Am I the last person to know?" Danny asked suddenly.
"Crosby knows. We decided that we'd tell everyone tonight. I wanted to let you know first," Steve looked back towards the lanai pensively, "Do you think Chin and Kono will want to stick around with us?"
Danny laughed, "You wouldn't be able to stop them."
Steve smiled again, "Then let's go tell them. We'll celebrate tonight. Tomorrow there are criminals to catch."