And now, back at the ranch...
Chapter 3
Saturday, 0900 HST; 1500 hours, AST (Atlantic Standard Time Zone)
Danny pushed open the glass door to the 5-0 offices at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and immediately glanced toward the office at the end of the hall, although he knew it would be empty. Steve's office was as dark as it had been when Danny had left on Friday afternoon.
You had better be behaving yourself, wherever you are, he thought to himself.
Chin Ho walked in the office immediately after Danny, two files in one hand and a box of Liliha Bakery Coco Puffs in the other.
"Mornin', Brah," he called to Williams, holding up the box.
"Chin! It's Saturday. Why are you here?"
"I've been doing some research and wanted to come in and check some things out. Have a coco puff."
"Let's get the coffee going," Danny said. "Where's Kono when we need her?" he asked with a grin.
"You're walking on thin ice today, aren't you?" Chin asked.
"Hey! She's not here," Danny replied with a wider grin, only then noticing Chin's eye movements pointing behind him.
"She's behind me, isn't she?" Danny asked with a groan.
"Yes, she is," Kono answered. "And she heard you. Hope you enjoy making the coffee today. And I expect mine to be hand-delivered, Detective!"
"Working on your ninja moves, aren't you? Very impressive."
"Nice try, Brah. Make the coffee. Wiki wiki." She grabbed the pastry box. "I'll hold the coco puffs hostage until you bring me a cup."
"Now that's just playing dirty," Danny complained while inserting the coffee into the machine.
"And make sure you put the pot underneath the spout," she reminded him. "Remember the last time?"
"I do remember. And that is why you are much better at this than I am."
"I called her in, by the way," Chin told him. "Was going to call you if you weren't here. But I knew it wasn't your weekend with Grace and since Steve is out of town, I thought you might show up."
"So, you're saying I'm predictable?" Danny asked.
"If the loafer fits…" Chin grinned at him. "Come here," he nodded toward the bullpen area of the office. "I saw something while surfing the web last night," Chin said, moving toward the smart table in the center of the room.
"What's that?" Danny asked, making sure the coffee began dripping before he followed him. Not trusting him, Kono checked the pot herself before following the guys to the computer.
"Let me pull it up, but I thought this was interesting." He navigated to the site he needed and threw the article up on the screens above them. "Yesterday, when we were searching for possible places Steve could be heading, I saw that the president of Guyana left office the day after his inauguration. Didn't think much about it at the time, but look at this."
He highlighted a portion of the article.
"Rumors abound in Guyana, but there has been no comment from any governmental agency. President and Mrs. Sanchez left for an undisclosed location immediately after his impulsive resignation on Wednesday. At the time, their four year old daughter, Aliyana was not seen with them. Since then, there is speculation that Aliyana has been kidnapped, which prompted the president's immediate resignation.
Upon Sanchez's departure, former President Ochoa immediately reclaimed the office, stating Sanchez' inability to govern his people was apparent. Followers of Sanchez took to the streets in protest and were quickly arrested by the state police. Ochoa called in the Army to help dissipate the growing numbers of protesters who were chanting for Sanchez's return.
We are unable to confirm the validity of this report, but the rumor in Georgetown, Guyana, is that the child has been kidnapped and was then subsequently killed by her kidnappers. There is no concrete evidence of the fact and no verified statements by the current president, or President Sanchez.
After they had read the article, Chin continued, "I keep trying to think why the Navy would call Steve back into service when they have, what, eight full SEAL teams at all times? It doesn't make sense unless Steve was the most qualified person for the position. I know for a fact that the boss has been in Guyana before."
"How'd you pull that piece of information out of him?" Danny asked. "Torture?"
Chin grinned. "No, we were fishing one morning and he mentioned 'sea bob'. Said it was some of the best seafood he had ever eaten. He mentioned the trawlers hauling it in every morning and since I hadn't heard of 'sea bob', I was curious and googled it. Turns out it is native to the Atlantic off the north shore of South America – Guyana and Suriname. I'm going on the assumption he wasn't in South America on vacation."
"I'm guessing that would be a safe assumption," Danny agreed with a nod.
"It's an interesting idea," Kono said. "Would he be looking for the people who killed a little girl?"
"I'd hate to see them when he found them," Danny mumbled, thinking what he would do if he were in that situation.
"I'm going to continue to dig, just out of curiosity," Chin informed them. "And I'll follow the story. Try to find out where Sanchez and his wife are. That may shed some light on why the child isn't with them."
Danny nodded. "Keep us posted. Now, I'm getting coffee," he said, glaring at Kono, while plucking a coco puff from the bag, "and then we need to go over Aukai's confession. I assume those were the files you brought in."
"They were," Chin replied. "Picked them up from HPD first thing. Let's see what we've got."
"Hopefully this case will be finished before the boss gets back in town," Kono said. "At least he'll know we've been working."
"What do you mean, Rookie? We always work," Danny assured her while popping another coco puff in his mouth and then licking his fingers.
Saturday evening
1830 hours GYT (Guyana Time Zone)
They dropped line into the jungle, a couple miles from the original point of contact on the beach. The chopper had disappeared before the birds had even stopped their chatter. McGarrett silently signaled his men and they began their trek toward the beach, their black clothing and faces blending in with the shadows. Not far from their destination, Steve stopped and signaled them with two clicks on their radios.
Grayson silently reached his side and they listened to the conversation near them.
"There's no chopper," the presumed kidnapper yelled into his phone, searching the horizon over the ocean while pacing back and forth. "I don't like this. Where is it?" He listened once again and then argued, "No. He called immediately after they left the airstrip. They should have been here in less than an hour, max." He listened again and then replied, "Yeah, well that's what worries me."
He hung up the phone and told his partner, "Chavez didn't have a good feel from the leader of this team. Said he looked and sounded like a hard ass."
"That's what we were told the last time," the second kidnapper replied, laughing. "And that turned out in our favor." He continued to walk the beach, carrying a surface-to-air launcher in preparation for meeting the chopper.
"Yeah, well, I don't like it, so stay alert. Have the boys check the back perimeter once again."
Grayson glanced at McGarrett and caught the nearly imperceptible smile on his face at the 'hard ass' comment. The SEAL team moved away and regrouped.
"Count?" McGarrett asked.
"I got six," Ensign Jackson whispered.
"Same here," Vega agreed.
"Good call on the change on drop zone, McGarrett," Grayson whispered. "Did you get a load of that surface-to-air missile?"
"Yes. Did you also hear him mention Chavez? Granted that's a popular name in this country, but I don't believe in coincidences. Unfortunately, it looks as though a person from our own embassy is mixed up in this."
"Looks like," the lieutenant agreed.
"OK, men, you know what to do. In and out. Make it quick and quiet." McGarrett pointed toward the beach and announced, "He's mine."
The four perimeter guards were soon efficiently eliminated before McGarrett and Grayson moved toward the beach. Grayson immediately took out the guard who was carrying the missile launcher, leaving only the one who had been on the phone. Steve moved up behind him and put him in a choke hold before incapacitating him on the ground. The last thing the man heard was a low voice growling in his ear, "I'm that hard ass. Pleased to meet you."
Vega and Jackson patrolled the area while McGarrett and Grayson were retrieving weapons, phones and arsenal from the soldiers, deciding what to keep and what to throw into the ocean. Grayson checked behind a shack near the beach and came around the corner after making a gruesome discovery.
"Commander?
Steve looked up and nodded for him to continue.
He took a deep breath. "I've got two bodies, Sir. They're ours."
McGarrett quickly followed him into the thick foliage and saw the bodies of two SEALS, both killed by headshots. He squatted down beside them, sighed deeply, and ran his hand over his mouth. "Once we ensure the perimeter is secure, we'll bury them for safe keeping," he told the lieutenant. He glanced up at Grayson and added, "Inform the others."
Steve stared at the two long after the lieutenant had left. One looked to be no more than a kid, although he knew otherwise. While he didn't recognize either of them, that fact didn't matter. They were forged together as part of the same team. "We'll make it right," he promised them, another sigh escaping as he stood. "You have my word."
~~~H50~~~
The SEAL team worked quickly; enemy weapons were disassembled and thrown into the ocean and all communication devices were kept, in hopes of monitoring the enemy. They were on a rigid time schedule; Steve knew they needed to get away from the beach and under cover very quickly. When the patrol didn't check in by phone or radio, someone would come looking.
The bodies of the guards were weighted and dragged out as far as they could into the water. They would return to shore, but McGarrett was counting on the fact that it wouldn't be tonight or tomorrow.
Once clean up was completed, the team stopped and buried their own men in shallow graves. Later, the bodies would be retrieved for a proper burial. No one would be left behind. Words were not spoken over the graves; none were necessary. Each member of the team knew this was a part of the life they had signed on for. Certainly one of the worst parts, but honoring a comrade was indeed a privilege. They saluted the two graves and then blended back into the shadows of the jungle, making base camp near the bank of the Demerara River.
There, they ate cold MRE's and planned their strategy for the next day.
McGarrett outlined their next move. "The compound is approximately eleven clicks from the beach, on the opposite side of the river." He passed around the map for them to see. "Looks as if the river widens before we get there, but then narrows again just past the house. Two of us will go in from the front and two will take the back. Vega, you're the munitions expert. You and Jackson take the rear, set the charges and cross back over the river to give us cover if we need it. Grayson, you and I will go in the front, sweep the house and set interior charges if necessary."
"Sir," Jackson commented. "We still have two SEALs unaccounted for. Do you think they are detained at the compound?"
Steve rubbed his hand over his mouth and nodded. "Possibly. Hopefully. I don't think they are out here someplace on their own or they would have buried their team members. But if they are alive and Ochoa and his men have them, they won't be in good shape, especially not after this length of time."
"I agree," Grayson added. "And the way the brush was broken on the path away from the beach, it looks like something heavy had been dragged through there. I'm counting on it being two SEALs.
"Let's hope. Now, to be clear," Steve reiterated, "these men have murdered at least two SEALs and have also killed an innocent child. This is going to be 'hit and forget'. We're going in, doing as much damage as possible, and then we're getting the hell out of there. Any questions?"
He looked at each man individually, each giving him a negative reply.
"Good." Steve checked his watch. "It's 2100. We'll take three hour shifts; two up and two down. Vega and Jackson, your call; do you want first or second watch?"
They glanced at each other and shrugged. "We'll patrol first if that's OK."
"OK with you, Grayson?"
The lieutenant nodded. "I'm from the U.P. Been camping on the lakes all my life and can sleep anytime, anywhere. Not a problem, Sir."
"Lieutenant, I have no clue what the 'UP' is," Steve replied.
"Not the 'UP', Sir, the U.P. - Upper Peninsula in Michigan. No better place on God's green earth!"
"I'm from Hawaii, so we can debate that another time," McGarrett replied with a grin. "Wake us at midnight, men," he told Vega and Jackson. "We move out at 0300. Sunrise should be around 0530 and if we're lucky we can be at the compound around that time. Hopefully we can get to them before they are all up and moving. And one thing, guys…"
Three voices chorused in "Yes, Sir?"
"Lose the 'sir'. Got it?"
He grinned at his men, threw his pack against a tree and settled down against it. "See you in three."
~~~H50~~~