I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: New Poll on the Profile too for you to please check out - it looks like Ponch is getting his pup. Now - is it a girl or a boy? This chapter tweaked to be more correct on the position Kono would be in for a valid operation to remove her kidneys (either front or on the side). Originally, I had her fully prone and this was not right at all.
Chapter 11
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*
The three convened together on the warehouse location based on the GPS signal emanating from Kono's car. Parking up top on a secondary road, they decided to approach on foot going 'cross-country' as Steve called it. By then, Steve was also blandly cataloging what Danny was wearing realizing it would have been funny at any other time. Then of course, there was the interesting half-secret of Danny meeting Kono for another surfing lesson.
Multi-tasking, Steve nearly smiled as he continued to check his own gear. Starting at Danny's feet, he was wearing worn sneakers and then white and dark green board shorts. His tac-vest was a completely out of place piece of wardrobe over a plain white -t shirt. With no place for his badge, Danny had the gold emblem tucked into a chest flap.
A subtle smile finally did cross Steve's lips as Danny pulled his weapon and in all seriousness, checked his clip and made sure he had at least two spare. The attire was mismatched but was testament to the haste and concern they each felt as they desperately tried to understand what had happened and why to Kono. Then the fact that Danny had planned to go surfing with their youngest friend still managed to tug at Steve's humor even more.
"Ready?" Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously and then paused to stare at Steve's peculiar smile. Far from comfortable in his skin, he had a strong inkling as to what was driving the amused look and pursed his lips in annoyance. "What? What are you looking at?"
"Nothing, Danno. We're ready." Shaking his head at the oddity of Steve's brief expression which was contrary to the serious nature of his tone, Danny slid down the short embankment from the road first followed by Steve with Chin just a bit off to to their left.
Steve had spoken specifically to Sergeant Duke Lukela to stress the need for a concise, concerted effort for back-up. They all had a very bad feeling with Doctor Dread foremost in their minds. Blaming it on the nature of their highest priority case, each was thinking but refused to say what lurked so closely to the surface as they approached the warehouse. It made no sense though. They couldn't figure out what Kono might have done or how she might have so accidentally crossed the path of this dangerous killer.
From the front, Chin carefully looked through the first window he had access to. He saw the flash of red and then adjusted his view enough to see his cousin's roof mounted surfboard.
"Visual confirmed on the car." He whispered to Steve and Danny. On the far side, Steve was doing the same and then quickly ducking back down with a short wave to Danny.
"I see him." Steve muttered. "One, and he's armed."
The younger man had his weapon resting on top of and angled lazily on the roof of Kono's car. But he was all over the inside of it while Doctor Parker began preparations for his gruesome task. At first repulsed by the concept of working in conjunction with the illegal organ trade, the subsequent wealth easily made up for the connection. Plus, he didn't have to do more than abduct the occasional lone or homeless person, or even drive a car if the occasion presented itself. After ten months, he'd gotten used to it now and even more accepting of his growing bank account.
His latest task was to keep an eye on the incarcerated doctor housed in the makeshift cell on the basement level. A once or twice a day visit to make sure the nearly unresponsive man had water and maybe a bit of food was an easy job. He didn't understand Doctor Parker's hesitation on what to do with their captive, but it wasn't his place to question and frankly, he didn't care. The only things he was required to do was provide water, food, lock the door and wait for further instructions. It was enough and now he had a bonus which totally captivated his attention.
He left the older and obviously more cold-hearted driver to the other tasks Parker required. He had been with Parker for a long time anyway and they seemed to have their own easy way of working together. The young man didn't know for how long, but they certainly knew each other well.
The driver was trusted to ready the medical coolers and even to scrub in to take and package the delicate organs. He would skillfully protect and box them, and then move each cooler to the large refrigeration units until the exchanges were made with any number of overseas buyers. In fact, the driver was with Parker now in the operating room while they readied the newest prize. At the end, he was solely responsible in making the remains disappear; a task he seemed to like being creative with.
But this time, the younger man had the best of both worlds as he caressed the door frame and slid behind into the driver's seat to comfortably fist the steering wheel. Parker's pretty red gift was a generous one and he couldn't be happier.
On the opposite side of the rambling main floor, Danny tested the handle on a small side door. Pleased to find it open, he whispered his success and waited for Steve to catch up. Easing in silently, they took up opposing sides while Chin murmured his similar accomplishment tangent to their location. Spread out, they began a methodical nearly cohesive sweep from left to right where the cars were parked.
"Wait. What is all this?" Danny whispered in confusion. The stacks of boxes nearest him were marked with medical insignias and cautionary warnings. Taking the time to read a delivery label, he muttered in surprise over the link.
"Medical Mission Free Clinic. It's the address to the clinic and in Parker's name." He hushed the information over the comm link for Steve and Chin, and the three considered the find.
"Ponch was right, then. This could be Parker's stash or some other volunteer or employee's theft and they house it all here before it hits the streets." Steve voiced softly. Moving around a corner he surveyed the other side of the large main warehouse floor. He was opposite from where Kono's car was parked but another vehicle was now in view.
"It's Mitchell's Jeep Cherokee." He stopped in his tracks as an odd thought crossed his mind. They had checked all the hospitals and come up empty on finding Kono. She was not at her home and no one had seen her. They had done everything except check the lowly clinic which was feasibly in a close proximity to the beach where Kono had been surfing.
"Stop." The sudden insight had Steve making an odd demand. "Fall back. Chin, come to us."
"What? What's wrong?" Danny hissed in confusion, already reacting to the demand to retreat back to where he and Steve had first entered the warehouse.
Once the three were side by side and near the door, Steve explained his concerns and then hastily contacted Sergeant Duke Lukela who was en route to the warehouse. Demanding that at last two HPD officers visit the clinic, he explained his reasoning to both Chin and Danny.
"Mitchell's Jeep is here. I guarantee that Kono went to the clinic to get checked out." Steve was positive now as Chin also warmed to the idea. "She would have wanted to get checked out by Ponch if he were there. It was an excuse to visit him, see the clinic first-hand, and talk about Jasper Mitchell."
"You're right." Danny finished the statement in complete agreement. Kono and Chin were the only two that had not actually gotten directly involved visiting the clinic or conducting interviews. "She wanted to see the place for herself. She didn't meet Alan Parker yet and was still actively investigating him. Makes complete sense."
The troubled sound from Chin proved he was like-minded about that point. His cousin had walked in on something related to the drug thefts and unprepared, had been abducted. Ponch's suspicions about the goings on at the clinic were correct and now they had a hostage situation to contend with.
"Mitchell, too." It brought them full circle about Doctor Jasper Mitchell's disappearance and Chin blew out a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. "Now Kono was taken there. She must have walked in on this drug activity and got in over her head, much the same as Mitchell."
The doctor had been missing for nearly four full days by that time and Steve inwardly flinched. They needed to act quickly and manage their approach the right way since they didn't know who or how many perpetrators they were dealing with.
"Assume two hostages. HPD is five minutes out and I don't want to wait. So, we go in again and even more methodically. Clear this place carefully, room by room and inch by inch. Get a headcount on what we're up against and more intel. Keep an eye out for Mitchell because with any luck, he's still alive and here too."
Orchestrating a neat plan, the three re-entered the warehouse with a much different focus and intensity. Chin's first conquest would be the man inside his cousin's red car. Danny would be near and clearing rooms along his left to offer support while Steve edged in along the right-hand wall.
"Nice car, isn't it. But you seem more like a Jeep-man to me. Or maybe you're still undecided?" Chin drawled nastily as the kid in front of him froze with his hands still hugging the steering wheel. A gun was firmly pressed into the side of his head and he was suddenly barely breathing as the smile melted from his face. Reaching up, Chin easily pocketed the weapon carelessly left on the roof.
"Perfect position, too. Keep it and don't move a muscle or you will regret more than what you've already done." Using the same steering wheel for security, the cuffs were on the young man before he could think.
"How many are here? Where's the girl?"
"Two including Parker. That other doctor is locked up downstairs." The kid was no hero and stunned into responding quickly with perhaps more information than Doctor Parker would have approved of. He blurted a shocking amount of detail with his own assumption that the authorities had discovered the elaborate organ trade and not merely a drug ring.
"He's operating on her now. But I don't have anything to do with that .. that's Parker's gig." The kid was babbling and at first, Chin let him until the words sunk in. "He's got some buyers at the last minute, but .." He yelped as the gun gouged his flesh and Chin interrupted his frightened squalling.
"Parker's here? Operating?" Feeling sucker-punched, Chin pressed the muzzle of his weapon threateningly into the kid's temple. "Explain that for me. In complete detail and don't leave a single thing out."
Cuffed to the car, the kid was clenching the steering wheel in a whole new way. Afraid to move, he tried to offer something about their captives that might calm the cop but he only made it worse. "Parker didn't touch that other doctor at least not yet. He's alive and okay. But .. but, well he liked the girl an awful lot. And he's operating on her now .. he, uh .. he just started a few minutes ago. I've just been hanging out here by the car."
"Operating. Steve, this is bad." Chin breathed out into the comm link. "Steve, Parker's here and he's Dread. He's got Mitchell locked up somewhere but Kono, too… and he's going to cut her. He's doing it now!"
The dual sets of cursing supported the sense of urgency which suddenly escalated amongst all of them. "Where are they, Chin? This place is huge." Steve demanded as he eyed a series of doors along his side of the warehouse. Two were obviously commercial refrigeration units and one was a freezer but he couldn't afford to make a mistake.
"Where. Where are they?" The sharp blow of metal to skin caught the kid unaware and he gasped as stars brightened and then filled his vision. He felt the slow drip of blood as his cheek opened under the hard smack but wisely didn't complain. Completely in over his head, he babbled and tried to point with cuffed hands towards the opposite corner of the warehouse.
"Far side. Third .. third door. Operating .. room. They're both in there." For due measure, Chin lobbed another stressed blow into the kid's head as he relayed the information about the two other men to his team-mates. He jogged away without looking back as the kid sagged dazedly in the seat.
"Both of you get over here." It was a senseless order for they were all on their way now. Steve counted quickly, using his hands to test doors, and then his hearing to catch the stray sounds and soft conversational murmurs. Danny was in sight and coming quickly when Steve slammed the chosen door wide open.
The concept of the operating room was amazingly complete down to the gurneys, oxygen tanks, intravenous poles, and the neatly arranged trays of surgical implements and other medical supplies. Large plastic-covered commercial lights circled the operating table where Kono lay rocked onto her left side. A large soft wedge behind the small of her back kept her propped in just the right position. Her ankles were neatly restrained together for no apparent reason as was one wrist. That same arm had two intravenous lines hooked into the crook of her elbow tracing up to an IV pole with two different bags of fluids were hung.
Another sheet covered her from her lower waist and down, showing her bare torso which was smeared with red which Steve at first mis-took for blood. He thought he was too late until he realized that the masked Doctor Parker had a pair of large forceps in his hand. The forceps were closed tightly around a sizable piece of betadine-soaked gauze which the doctor was using to disinfect his surgical area.
"What the hell!" Steve was mortified as he quickly took in the obscene layout and Kono's exposed back. "Put it down and keep your hands where I can see them. Get away from her!"
A second man was nearby with one medical cooler at the ready. Two others were stacked at his feet. Also wearing a surgical mask, he was just in the shadows and outside the supposed floor of the operating window. Standing off to the side, he reacted almost immediately to the intrusion by flinging a tray of supplies directly into Steve's face as he made his demands. As Steve ducked, he followed through by heaving the cooler hard into the side of his head.
"Your .. way!" Steve shouted out to both his team-mates as the heavy container nearly knocked him off his feet. Momentarily blinded and driven off balance, Steve lost sight of Parker and then missed his hold on the second man as he bolted from the room. He recovered quickly to keep his weapon aimed directly at Parker's chest and then after hearing the furious shouts from outside, trusted that Danny or Chin would be there to corral the dangerous second.
"Do what I said. Back away and keep your hands where I can see them." Steve dashed a stray pained tear from his eye where the cooler had grazed his temple and cheekbone. He growled his demands and then cautiously approached Doctor Alan Parker who had yet to move. In fact, Steve thought the crazed man might be cheerfully smiling behind his mask.
Sensing movement behind him, Chin was soon at his shoulder with a stunned gasp. "Kono." The shock in his voice deepened Parker's smile as he watched the two officers' frightened reactions. "Is she alright?"
"She's perfect. Lovely." Almost dreamily, Parker shrugged and allowed the forceps to fall with a loud clatter. He stared at Kono's face and felt a loss for himself because he was going to lose his chance on this one. "Such lovely eyes." He said remorsefully as Steve virtually pounced on him in a fury.
Unable to help himself, Steve wrapped his fingers around the doctor's throat while ripping off the mask. Pushing backwards, he lifted up at the same time, pleased when Parker gave out with a small choked sound. "If she's hurt in any way, you won't make it out of this room alive."
"Kono?" Chin didn't know where to begin as he looked for a wound or dire injury. Shaky fingers removed the restraints on her ankles and then the one on her wrist. He was as relieved as Steve to find only the disinfectant solution and no signs of any surgical cuts. But his cousin didn't move and they had the two intravenous lines yet to contend with.
"What did you do to her?" Glancing once over his shoulder at Chin's obvious distress, Steve throttled the doctor off the ground for a second time. "What have you done? What did you give her?"
Instead of an answer, Parker began a garbled laugh through the tightening hold. Giggle actually as his face reddened from lack of oxygen, and then he gasped as his knees buckled in Steve's grasp. "What did you do, Parker?"
"Steve, I don't know what to make of this. I'm not sure what to do." Chin was beside himself as he confirmed the lack of blood, but Kono refused to awaken.
Physically sweeping the doctor off his feet, Steve plunged him into the concrete floor securing both ankles and wrists as tightly as possible. "Don't you forget what I said. It's a promise." Steve harshly warned the man. They weren't going to get anything from the lunatic though, and he joined Chin in his worried examination.
"She's breathing easy enough but she won't wake up." Chin confirmed distractedly, making sure over and over again that Kono's skin was untouched. But they were both afraid to remove the intravenous lines or even dare to move Kono from where she lay on her side without a professional's opinion.
"Hey. I need some help here." Their comm links crackled to life with Danny's rushed voice. They hadn't forgotten their team-mate, but the shock of finding Kono nearly mutilated briefly distracted them. "Need .. some help .. I lost sight of our third but I found Mitchell!"
Strangely, Chin volunteered to help Danny with a hated glance at Doctor Parker. "I'm going." Loathe to leave his cousin, his emotions were much too high as the man continued to laugh and giggle like a loon on the floor. Not trusting himself to be alone with him, Chin needed to move and do something constructive as his fists tightened in a continued rage.
"Are you sure?" Steve asked, though his friend was already nodding and moving quickly out the door.
"One minute, Danny. On my way" Chin communicated that loudly over his link and even more to Steve through one final glance who agreed with a grim smile. HPD was only a few minutes out now and with his own dislike aimed at the trussed doctor, he too understood the reason.
~ to be continued ~