Disclaimer: No, Hawaii 5-0 doesn't belong to me. It does to CBS.
A/N: Thank you everyone for your support. I wish to thank Marie Thea for beta reading this story and for her wonderful suggestions. Any mistake left in the text was made by me as I added a few things.
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TAKEN
2: Taking Action
Once back at the Palace, Danny had reclaimed the Camaro and had driven off immediately. Steve had tried to distract himself with the writing of his case report ever since, failing miserably. The latest argument he had had with his partner kept on creeping back on his mind. Because of it, his friend had not trusted him with his worry and it bothered Steve.
The ring of his cell phone brought him out of his musing. Looking up at the caller's ID, he did not recognize the name. "Steve McGarrett," he greeted.
"Lieutenant-Commander, this is Agent Frances Delduka with USFA," a woman, Steve judged to be in her late forties, introduced herself. "I understand you're Danny Williams' partner."
"What can I do for you, Agent Delduka?" Steve asked, wondering why a Federal agent from the US Fire Administration was contacting him. As far as he knew, he had not put anything on fire lately. If he had, Danny would have had pointed it out numerous times by now, he thought wryly.
"We've been trying to reach Danny for the last fifteen minutes. I know he would take my call. Do you know where he is?"
"Possibly at the airport," Steve replied. "His plane leaves for San Francisco in less than half an hour."
"He's not on that plane. In fact, according to the airport authorities, he hasn't even gone through security yet. Lieutenant-Commander, you have to find Danny and you have to do it ASAP. I believe Gesner might be in Hawaii already. We assume he might have found Danny's location by going through Allison's personal belongings when he broke into her apartment."
Steve had risen from behind his desk and was at the center of 5-0's war room before she was done talking. Chin and Kono joined him, clearly alerted by his tense demeanor. "Gesner?" he repeated the unfamiliar name.
"Darren Gesner, the serial arsonist responsible for the burns Danny and Allison sustained when they were kids," she elaborated, obviously expecting him to understand. When Steve did not respond, she drew in a sharp breath. "Oh for crying out loud! Danny didn't mention anything? That actually surprises me—or maybe it shouldn't," she recanted, frustrated.
"Burn injuries?" Steve forced out.
"I'm afraid we don't have time for a history lesson," Delduka avoided the issue. "Darren Gesner is going after all of his prior victims, including the Williams. He rigged a mechanism that simulated a gas leak in Allison's building that would have killed her in a few hours if Danny hadn't insisted she learn how to recognize the smells of various accelerants. Gesner is not only a spree arsonist, but a serial killer. He has already killed two people and seriously injured a third. He's an opportunist who enjoys setting people on fire with whatever accelerant he has on hand."
Steve cursed under his breath. "Agent Delduka, stay on the line," he told her before turning to the remaining members of his team. "Danny might be in serious trouble. We need to find him fast."
Not wasting anytime, Chin and Kono moved back to their respective desks, ready to execute his orders.
"Chin, look up an arsonist under the name of Darren Gesner. He's believed to be here in Hawii looking for Danny. The guy has got to be stop."
"We're sending you what we have on him as we speak," Delduka told him. "The Williams' case happened in 1986."
Steve passed that information along to Chin before turning to Kono. "Put HPD on alert. We're looking for the Camaro. Danny was heading for the airport. He hasn't made it there, yet. I want on team on Grace and Rachel, just to be safe. I'm going to Danny's apartment."
McGarrett," Delduka said on a more personal tone. "Danny suffered enough at the hands of this maniac. Please, make sure he's all right and that he knows that we're looking after Allie and Patrick. Nothing will happen to them."
"We'll make sure of it. Stay in touch," he added before disconnecting the call.
"That's when he got the scars, isn't it?" whispered Kono, face pale.
Scars? Danny really had burn scars on his body? No, it was not possible. He would know, right? Danny would have told him. "You knew about that?" he asked her, unexpectedly feeling hurt for not being told.
"Not from Danny, from Grace. She told me in confidence—said it was why Danny never takes his shirt off when he goes to the beach. The burns…they cover his back and part of his legs, she said."
Worry, anger, pain, and sadness all crashed over Steve at once. Steve dealt with all these emotions the way he knew best: turning them into determination. "Kono, call me if you have anything."
"Kono, the info on Gesner is on the main screen," Chin informed her as picked up the key of his motorcycle and rose. "You're not leaving without backup," he told Steve. "Danny would have my head. I'll be right behind you."
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A/N: When I wondered about the reason why Danny wasn't going swimming, I remembered, too vividly, a case that I came across. It made this story plausible. Keep reading to find out what happens next!
(Dec. 2010)