Take Two: Chapter Seven

A/n: I am so flattered with your reviews. Thank you so much. What did you all think of tonight's episode? I thought it took on a bit too much. Speaking of taking on too much, let's see how the team is after that explosion.

Lou arrived at work earlier than usual that morning. He made a point of this. Earlier that week he had challenged Danny to a friendly wager, concerning who could arrive at work earliest. The two were notoriously late. Danny had forgotten about the bet with all the commotion with the new case, however. Lou was hoping to cash in today.

Lou walked in, poured himself a cup of coffee, and walked halfway to his office before he noticed he was completely alone.

"Did they take a break without me?" he grumbled. "Goddamn McGarrett."

"Uh, Lou? Hi." Abby popped her head out of Chin's office. "I was hoping you would know where everyone is."

"I have no damn clue." Lou said. "They mention anything to you?"

"Nothing." Abby shook her head. "I've tried calling them all this morning. No answer from anyone."

"Is that right?" Lou took a sip of coffee. "Get that nephew of Danny's up here. He may have an idea."

"Good idea."

"While you do that, I'm gonna see if we still track 5-0 vehicles. We may get a location on them, if that's the case." Lou set to work.

The details were difficult for Steve to put together in the following minutes after regaining consciousness. The blast from the explosion had propelled him backwards and onto the cement floor of the warehouse basement. He remained on the floor, unconscious, for hours. At some point, Steve must have fallen asleep. When he finally awoke, his head was pounding.

The room was still dark, although Steve assumed time had passed and it must be at least morning. He was laying on his back, and he slowly craned his neck to the side, blinking.

Kono was up. She had her gun out and was staring once more at the oil bin, which had remained stationary in the middle of the room during the apparent explosion. In fact, the basement didn't seem damaged at all. Just Steve.

He rolled onto his stomach and looked up. The staircase was gone, and there was a hole where the door had once been. Steve couldn't make anything out from the floor above them.

Steve turned his neck once more just in time to see Kono kick the oil bin.

"Hey!" Steve exclaimed with a scratchy voice. He had convinced himself there was a bomb in the bin. However, the bin fell over dully once Kono kicked it. It was empty.

"Hi, boss." Kono glanced at Steve grimly. "Looks like Michael Novak wasn't in the oil bin."

"No," Steve coughed, "but look." He was pointing to the spot where the oil bin had been. Another door on the floor.

"Oh, c'mon." Kono sighed. "We're in some sort of maze."

"Kono," Steve slowly sat up. "Where are Danny and Chin?"

"I don't know." Kono shook her head. "I can't see anything above us."

Steve sensed her worry. "Bring the bin over, Kono. I'll lift you up. I'm sure they're still on the first floor. But they could be hurt. Kono-" he glanced at her exasperatedly, standing up. She was frowning. "C'mon."

"Do you think they're up there, boss, or do you think they're down there, with Michael Novak?" Kono pointed to the newly discovered door. Steve put his hands on his hips. He had no idea. They could be anywhere.

Chin and Danny awoke at practically the same time – Chin with a soft intake of breath, and Danny with a low groan.

"Chin." Danny grunted.

"Yeah, I'm here. You okay?" Chin slowly sat up. The back of his neck was sore.

When Danny did not respond as quickly as Chin would have liked, he glanced in the dark to where he assumed Danny was. Danny was laying on his back, still, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Chin," he said again. "My feet are touching the wall, Chin."

"Yeah." Chin rubbed the back of his neck. He was leaning against a wall. "It's dark in here, but yes, I think we're in some sort of closest."

"Okay." Danny whispered. "Okay. Okay. Okay."

"Danny, are you okay?" Chin asked. "Are you hurt?"

"Where's Steve, Chin?" Danny groaned. "Where's Kono?"

"I don't know." Chin shook his head. "I don't know and I'm not sure how we got here."

"Well we had to get in here somehow." Danny responded with irritation. "There has to be a way out."

"Danny, are you hurt?" Chin was insistent.

"Oh, I'm f-f-fantastic." Danny was hyperventilating. His breath was coming out in short exhales. Chin took Danny's arm. Danny was shaking all over.

They needed to find a way out.

Eric Russo set his alarm every night before he went to sleep, but he never actually used it. Of course, it went off incessantly (an obnoxiously loud tone akin to a bullhorn) until Danny pounded on the door and yelled his name. It was Danny's irritation that usually forced Eric out of bed. This morning, however, Eric received no such call, and Eric eventually awoke to the sound of his own alarm which had been ringing for the better part of twenty minutes.

"Man, that's annoying." He muttered as he rolled off the bed and into the same outfit he had worn the night before. By the time he emerged in the kitchen, lab coat on and rubbing his face tiredly, he hardly noticed his cousin.

Grace was sitting at the kitchen table, glaring at Eric. The alarm had woken her up immediately, and she had been listening to it for as long as it had been ringing.

"Where's Danno?" She asked immediately.

"Dunno." Eric shrugged, going to the pantry and grabbing a packet of Poptarts. He stuck one in his mouth. On account of her glaring, he offered her the second Poptart, but Grace didn't move from her seat at the table.

"He didn't come home last night."

"Yeah, so?" Eric shrugged, moth full. "He's a busy dude."

"I'm worried."

"He's just doing his job, little G." Eric chewed.

"Well, you're late for your job."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're so cranky in the morning." He grabbed the car keys. "Gotta run, little G. See ya!"

Kono allowed Steve to grab her by the waist as he helped her back down the dark hole and off of the oil bin. She was frowning.

"The door to the outside is locked from the inside." She reported once she was back on the ground. "There's no way out."

"Any sign of Danny or Chin?" Steve asked hopefully.

"No."

"Shit." Steve cursed. He rubbed the back of his neck. His head was feeling better, but he was worried for his team members. He told himself to focus. "How did the place look?"

"Most of the boxes had been burned in the explosion. Some were still burning. There was nothing really to look at." Kono shrugged.

"Okay, but you said the door was locked, so Chin and Danny could still be in the building."

"Unless they somehow escaped from the time after the explosion to when we woke up. The explosive was on the door to this basement." Kono was thinking aloud. "It must have been timed. After Chin opened it…that's when the timer started. But the explosion was small enough that the effects may not have reached Chin and Danny, from where they were. Theoretically, they could have had time-"

"They wouldn't have left us." Steve shook his head.

"Well, there's one place we haven't checked yet." Kono said. She pointed her flashlight at the door on the floor. "They could be in there."

Danny fainted in the middle of a rambling speech about the New York Mets. They had long before determined there was no way out of the closet, or wherever they stuck. Chin had nearly dislocated his shoulder trying to break through the wall. After that, Chin attempted to get access on his cell phone, but there was no internet or service. There was no way to contact anyone. Chin felt even more miserable knowing Danny's claustrophobia relentless and refused to grow accustomed to the closet.

Chin had his head against the wall, trying to think and wishing he could see what was in front of him through a light bigger than a flashlight when Danny awoke with a sharp intake of breath. Danny coughed and adjusted slightly, his leg brushing against Chin's leg. For a brief moment, Danny seemed to not know where he was, but his bumping into Chin brought everything back. He was still in a very confined space. Danny's breath caught in his throat once more. He rolled onto his side and his eyes squeezed shut.

Reassuringly, Chin reached out a hand and squeezed Danny's shoulder. Danny jolted. He had forgotten Chin was next to him. He was shaking his head.

"It doesn't make sense." Danny said shakily. He began to laugh nervously, and he couldn't stop laughing for a few seconds. Chin knew nothing was funny. Danny was in shock. He was still hyperventilating.

"Try to breathe, Danny." Chin said calmly. "What doesn't make sense?"

"J-J-Joel Novak." Danny said with staggered breaths. He forced himself to sit up and lean against the wall. The movement made him dizzy. He took a moment to steady his shocked mind. "Chin, tell me about him."

Chin shrugged. "He called me in the middle of the night to tell me his little brother had been taken. He asked us to keep it off the record-"

"But he called you. He didn't want cops involved, but he called you." Danny started to laugh again, clutching his stomach. Danny's laughter died away slowly, when Chin realized what he thought was laughter was gulping breath. "I swear, Chin," Danny's voice was suddenly desperate, "if I don't get out of here soon I'm going to die."

"You're not going to die. Your mind's tricking you." Chin assured his team member. "Danny, keep talking about the case. What do you mean about Joel?"

"Why would he not follow up on this lead, huh? Why would he not go with us, or meet us? If he knew his brother could be here? If he was so worried about his brother to call you, but then wouldn't follow up? What does that mean, huh? Steve said 'don't come' and so Joel said 'okay, no problem?'" Danny shook his head. He wrung his hands together. "And all the similarities to Mattie. Chin. Mattie just keeps coming up. I just don't think…I don't think his calling you was an accident."

Chin sighed. He was beginning to think he had made a mistake. "You're saying this could all be some sort of trap by the Colombian cartel."

Danny's breathing was still erratic. Chin could hardly see him, but he knew Danny was suffering.

"If this is all…have we thought that this could all be a ploy? Think about it." Danny licked his dry lips. "The details are nearly all the same. Who knows, maybe Kono and Steve found Michael, in the warehouse, where we supposedly still are. Maybe I'm wrong, huh? Maybe I'm wrong and I'm just thinking all of this up because I'm going insane in this hole and I can't breathe and I feel like Steve McGarett is sitting on my chest." Danny laughed again, once again a mixed between a desperate attempt at humor and a breathing strategy. "B-b-but I don't think…I don't think I'm wrong. Chin, think about it. A case involving the Colombian cartel that finds its way to 5-0 only months after my b-b-brother is killed by the same group, and even less than that than when you and I were taken and thrown in prisons because I killed Marco Reyes."

"You think there could still be retaliation?"

"I thought it was all settled." Danny's voice was growing far away again. "J-Joel Novak…doesn't…make…sense. Chin, I think J-Joel…I think-" Danny found it more difficult to speak, and to form a clear thought. "Chin-" he started, reaching out lethargically for his teammate, but before Chin could discern what was wrong, Danny had slipped into unconsciousness once more.