I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: Okay - what you've all been waiting for .. but wow, 4 whole chapters sans whump? OMG! and we survived it, didn't we? ;-) thank you for sticking with this plus the amazing reviews. Continued thanks to the help and support of CinderH, JazzieG, Wenwalke and Synbou.
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Chapter Five
"The other pedal." Danny's teeth clacked together painfully once as Steve swerved to miss a downed tree. He settled on intentionally gritting them not only to avoid accidentally biting his tongue, but also as a weapon against the escalating levels of stress as he clutched the passenger side dashboard of his car. His car, thank you very much. A beautiful car that he rarely had the chance to actually drive unless it were the weekend or if he was on his own personal time. In the presence of his crazed partner, the Camaro suddenly ceased to be his personal property and it was often driven with a reckless abandon.
Such as in that very moment. He tried his patient, much more reasonable "Grace inside voice" but it still insisted on including a subtle note reflective of his steadily rising tension. "Slow down, Steven."
Danny reflexively closed his eyes and offered up a silent prayer to the island god that likely wanted his perfectly styled New Jersey head on a platter anyway. Ergo, the reason for ever having met Steve McGarrett in the first place.
"Damned cannibal." He blinked in surprise at the unintentional mumble and immediately apologized to the same god if he, she or it was deigning to actually listen. It was obviously already quite angry and he didn't need to antagonize it more .. just in case.
"The one in the middle. It usually works - if you'd just give it a try." He tore his eyes from the van they were chasing to better communicate his demand. "Steven! Slower. Unnecessary risks. We're going to hydroplane!"
"Cool!" The evil grin and happy word thrown his way in return made Danny gasp as they skidded in the thick layer of muck around a sharper corner on the badly flooded road leading towards the National Park. Danny was sure he would see the rear of his own car pass them by very soon. Either that, or he would never eat lunch again .. at least in this lifetime.
"What?" There was a sly chuckle and Danny's head whipped around as he realized what Steve had said in reply. His indignant voice echoed in the small cabin of his car. "What! Did you just say cool?"
It was pouring and they could barely see ahead of them and the lack of a real road was grating heavily on Danny's unexpectedly frayed nerves. His formerly shiny silver Camaro was a mud-streaked brown bullet catapulting down a slippery slope. Even with the heavy rains and windshield wipers going full tilt, they could hardly see out the windows in any direction.
"What's the matter. Don't trust me, Danno?" Danny glared at his partner who was undoubtedly having a grand time at his expense. Their eyes met and Steve had the gall to laugh as Danny squinted angrily at him. "By the way, you're doing it again, buddy."
"Eyes! Eyes on the road!" His hand flew off the dashboard for a spare second as Danny pointed towards the flooded road they were racing down. "For your information, I have Grace tonight. I'd like to actually have her and enjoy spending quality time with my daughter. Unscathed!"
His eyes widened as the driver of the van they were pursuing suddenly slammed on his brakes as it flew through a deep pond of water. Already losing control, the large van did exactly what Danny had so cautioned Steve about. Hydroplaning on a sheet of water, it lost all hope of traction in the spongy mud as it careened wildly to the right. Its tires spun hopelessly to churn up mud and water. Sluicing sheets of run-off and debris were sent up the hood of the Camaro and then layered the windshield completely. Through the rapidly churning wipers, Danny watched as the bumper came extremely close to the Camaro's low headlamp on the passenger side.
"Watch out!" Danny wheezed in surprise as the van appeared in his lap and then seemed to effortlessly elevate before rocking treacherously on only three tires. There was a terrifying few seconds where it hung on its side threatening to flip over before miraculously righting itself and skidding sideways.
"Got it! Hang on!" As if he'd been born to spin the Camaro into a tight 180 degree turn, Steve skillfully avoided the van's rear bumper as they too slid through part of the flooded out road.
Dirty water and mud covered the windshield for a second time and for a startling moment, not even the wipers could keep up with the dizzying volume of debris that completely obscured their view of the now stopped van. It was undeniably a much more graceful halt. But the evasive manuever cracked Danny's skull into the passenger door frame and dazed, he was slow to follow Steve out of the car to take offensive positions to secure the two men they were pursuing. At nearly the same time, Chin and Kono also pulled up to surround the vehicle from the rear.
Blinking the pained tears and rain from his eyes, Danny shook his head to clear the haze as he lurched from his car with his gun at the ready. In seconds, he was soaked to the skin from the heavy monsoon-like rains and up to his ankles in cold, muddy run-off.
Since he had tried to run, Steve already had the driver on the ground and easily subdued. That fact allowed Danny to focus on the passenger who was splayed seemingly unconscious across the dashboard. There was a spiderweb of cracked glass where the man's head had connected with the windshield. The jagged splinters disappeared and then re-appeared as the wipers continued to do their job. Edging around to the passenger door, his attention was suddenly drawn to the unexpected movement in the shadowed recesses of the van.
"Out now! Hands where I can see them!" He had to bellow over the sounds of the rain and distant thunder. He registered too, that Chin and Kono had taken tactical positions to cover the rear doors as he positively saw the dark shape again through the sheets of rain. The third man was armed and not going to comply .. Danny could feel the hair on his neck rising as the almost too faint gleam of a muzzle was aimed directly at him through the van's windshield.
"Kono! There's another ..!" But his warning came much too late as a spate of bullets broke through the damaged glass and continued to erratically hit the deepening pond of water he was wading in. The shooter evidently didn't care about the welfare of his companion as shards of glass riddled the unconscious man draped across the van's dashboard.
Danny stumbled backwards and then tried to dive away but slipped in the mud just as he felt the stunningly solid thuds hit his chest. The force of the rounds only assisted his now rapid descent while his gasp of shock and sudden pain rendered him speechless. It all oddly coincided with an equally stunned shout from Steve and even more gunfire, but he was out of the fight before he could put two and two together.
His brain got stuck in that vaguely singular thought as he fell onto his back: two. This had all begun at the apartment building when both he and Steve were sure there was only two men. The one inside and the van's driver who had sat idling a van in the back of the dank alley.
Little Kasey had not been there. They had parked in front on the curb, running into the building and grimacing together about the musty smells made worse by excessively wet weather. The hallways were damp and close as they jogged up the stairs not even asking the superintendent for help. There had been a moment of true hope when Steve noticed the partially opened door which was dashed as an aged elderly man peeked out from across the hallway.
What little teeth he had were yellowed and his skin was pock-marked and pitted as he waved them over to whisper. "She's not here. But she was."
"The little girl? Do you know where she went?" Steve asked with distinct relief. Just knowing she had been there that morning was a momentary boost to offer some satisfaction. Late again, but at least their guess had been initially correct.
"She left." The man nodded and then shrugged. His voice was sadly apologetic but then more firm as he pointed to his neighbor's door. "I didn't mean to scare her .. but she left; hours ago now. HE has been here about twenty minutes and has been trashing the place."
The old man eyed their badges before nodding once more and sneaking back inside the safety of his own rank apartment. The double locks clicked into place behind them as they readied themselves to enter Joanna's where they heard what sounded like a chair being pulled roughly across the floor. The old man had done his good deed and he didn't need to borrow trouble. So instead of finding Kasey, he and Steve found one man ransacking Joanna Pearce's apartment. He had heard them coming though and had fled down the fire escape to meet the van's driver in the alley.
Two. One plus one equalled two. Not three, and certainly not four as more fire erupted from the rear of the van.
Two. Two men. The bland thought settled in his mind as Danny fell in slow motion onto his back. He landed completely in the deep puddle with a rattled gagging cough as any remaining air was pushed from his lungs. At first the only sounds were the falling rain and his own harsh breaths as the cold water immediately seeped into his clothing and the pounding rain fell into his eyes to blind him. It was a terribly disorienting experience and it inhibited his ability to get his act together.
Through the sounds of the storm and the almost crippling pain, it took him too long to make out the continuing exchange of gunfire. It seemed as if it were happening far away as it reached his ears as if from in a tunnel. Obviously, that two-man assumption was all wrong as a third joined in the brief exchange of fire with his team. And then it got worse as the rear double doors simultaneously sprung open to send both Chin and Kono scattering for cover from yet a fourth shooter.
As unanticipated chaos erupted around him, Danny floundered on his back gasping and vainly tried to roll over to regain his feet to join the battle. However, the inability to drag in a decent lungful of air corrupted that idea in seconds. His weak attempt grayed his vision and he wound up falling back into the puddle with his mouth gaped open as he tried to suck in oxygen and get past the hammer-like pain spreading across his chest. Danny grimaced and pulled helplessly at the straps on his vest. He was suddenly too tired to loosen the wet buckles with equally wet fingers that felt like they couldn't quite cooperate anyway. He opened his mouth, but his sarcastic whisper never made it past his lips and he only managed to hook the fingers of one hand under a buckle near his stomach.
"Never assume." Plus that damned island god did hate him after all even after he had apologized. "Damn cannibal."
"Danny!" Steve hollered his name as the semi-automatic fractured the glass in the van. With Danny out of the car and both Chin and Kono offering cover, he had taken his time ensuring the driver was secure. The sudden rapid report of a powerful weapon had surprised him. But not like seeing his partner stagger backwards and then fall limply with a subtle splash into the washed out road. He cursed as a fourth occupant appeared and both Chin and Kono were forced to dive away from the shooter in the rear. But both were up and returning fire almost immediately from the safety of their own vehicle.
He got his chance to take down Danny's attacker as a bullet tore through his right arm and he nearly dropped his weapon from the hot spike of pain. The third man had moved up to the front of the van and was making moves to take the driver's seat. The truck sputtered and died continually as the man stupidy flooded the engine in an attempt to restart it.
"Oh no you don't!" Steve growled in a fury as he realized the van would roll directly over the top of Danny if the man succeeded.
And then Steve never hesitated as he forced his injured arm up and used both hands to steady and pull the trigger as many times as humanly possible. His bullets shattered glass and pinged metal as he literally walked forward aiming directly into the man's faceless body. He fired continually even as another hail of bullets flew past him into the sky. Still Steve kept walking until the body jerked and fell partially out the broken driver's side window. Blood poured down the outside of the door to drip and mix with the mud in the road. His fingers knew what to do next before his brain as they thumbed out the empty cartridge and automatically sent a new one home.
Danny knew the bullets hadn't gone through to his skin, but at such close range the pain was incredible and his eyes fought to stay open as he struggled to take in each small breath. His legs scrabbled in the water as he tried to again roll over to get up but he was forced to stop as the effort took even more oxygen from his lungs. He never realized that he had closed his eyes until a strong hand circled his wrist to untangle his fingers from the front of his vest.
"Danny. Hang on, buddy." Steve was at his side and pulling quickly at the vest closures to help him breathe easier and then unbuttoning his shirt heedless of the pounding rain or the blood running freely down his right arm.
"Chin. Kono .. not two." He groaned as a poorly stifled cough sent a blossom of pain through his left lung. It was enough to make him try to curl into himself.
"They're both fine, Danny. Fights over. The good guys won." Over his shoulder, Steve shouted back to Chin and Kono for help while keeping one hand sturdily on his friend's shoulder so he would remain flat.
"Hey! We need an ambulance! Now!"
Turning back, Steve gently palpitated the two dark purple and red bruises on Danny's wet chest. One was high near his clavicle but he was most concerned about the one just off center of Danny's sternum and frighteningly close to his heart. The fact that he was breathing erratically did little to reassure him as Chin knelt down, too.
Only slightly respectful of injuries, Chin had pulled the one unconscious man off the dashboard of the van to cuff him securely. With one now dead at Steve's hands, Kono was guarding the remaining three that were all trussed firmly in the mud.
"They're on the way." Danny's eyes were closed against the rain but his mouth was half open as he harshly drew in each short raspy breath. Following his meaningful look, Chin saw what Steve seemed to be so concerned about almost immediately. The concussive force of the one bullet seemed to have clipped Danny's sternum. The purpling bruise was already expanding threateningly across his chest towards his heart.
"Maybe a broken rib? Steve breathed out the question and then absently rubbed at the bloody wound on his own upper arm which looked even worse as rain water mixed in to aggravate the ruddy wetness that dripped down to his wrist. He fisted his fingers over and over again to dispel the numbing sensation in his wrist and fingers.
"I'm not sure." Chin muttered as he wiped the dripping water from his face. He uselessly tried to shield Danny's eyes from the downpour and then glanced at Steve's arm.
"You too?" he asked the question as he turned to investigate the freely bleeding injury. It was high through his bicep and obviously painful as Steve made another fist. "Steve, it's through. Doesn't look too bad, but you'll need to have it looked at."
The softly murmured words made Danny peel his eyes open and he blearily tried to focus first on Chin and then sluggishly followed the man's hand to where it was wrapped around his partner's upper arm.
"Figures." The attempt at sarcasm failed as he closed his eyes. Danny couldn't hide the wince as he coughed heavily. The shared expressions changed quickly to concern for both wounded men as Steve sank to his knees in the mud to raise Danny's head out of the water. The adrenalin was wearing off and a general sense of confusion was now setting in due to the much too rapid change of events.
At the apartment, Steve and Danny had found one man teetering on the sill of the open window in Kasey's small bedroom with one foot on the fire escape. It was obvious that he had been at the apartment for a while based upon the state of disarray. Kitchen drawers were pulled out entirely and trashed on the floor. The cushions from the sofa were ripped apart, as were both mattresses. Old chunks of knifed up foam and pieces of torn fabric littered the floors.
Kasey's tiny suitcase was torn apart and what looked like a small ballerina lay cracked in half next to half of a child's jewelry box. Portions of the old wood floor were also torn up in the kitchen and hallway as if secret treasure might have been stowed under a squeaky or loose board. The chair they had heard being dragged across the floor was under the ceiling vent in the child's bedroom. The dirt-encrusted ceiling vents were obviously his next order of business since he hadn't found what he'd come looking for amongst their belonging. But he had gone out the fire escape and slid much too easily down the rickety metal ladder to meet a van one alley over. The driver was skilled and he had used the bad weather and the lack of police availability to his advantage. He had gotten much further than anticipated and they had almost lost him twice.
That same man had been in the passenger seat of the van and he was now lying unconscious in front of Kono's feet. The lesson for that day was that there had been four total suspects in the van and not the originally presumed two.
Of those man, one was now deceased and the remaining three lay on the muddy ground ready for processing. In the distance, sirens could be heard getting closer as HPD support and the desperately needed ambulance came closer. But everything was taking much longer than usual as weather related road closures, accidents and panicked phone calls stretched police and emergency services resources.
With nothing to do but wait as the closest available units drove closer on the muddy secondary road, Chin ran back to the car to retrieve the emergency first aid supplies. He elevated Danny's legs and spread a plastic emergency sheet gently across his chest after fixing an oxygen mask over his face leading to the small portable tank. Heedless of the mud and water, Steve had knelt behind him to gently lift Danny's head to rest on his knees. The water was deep and nearly covering the back of his head up to his ears. He muttered his thanks while briefly tossing his hand in the air.
"Better." He wheezed as he closed his eyes again. Steve also held a portion of the sheet up like a small tent to protect his partner's face from the falling deluge. Kneeling next to him, Chin packed Steve's bullet wound and wrapped it tightly.
"Danny?" Steve glanced worriedly at Chin as Danny's eyes slid shut. Whether from the cold water or shock, he was beginning to tremble badly and had become quite pale regardless of the supplemental oxygen. He looked in askance at Chin who was back to steadily monitoring Danny's respiration and pulse. The firm set to his jaw and the fact that he was more stoically quiet than usual communicated similar concerns.
They were both relieved when the huffed words reached their ears. "M'fine. Just .. need .. a minute."
Steve closed his eyes and willed Danny to be okay through the strength of his fingers that melded to his shoulder. He had more than that requested minute already and he looked much worse, not better. Besides that, Steve tried to share his mute apology because of Grace.
He'd promised that nothing would happen and now they were both injured by an unexpected confrontation. Surprisingly, Steve felt the soft snicker through his free hand that lay on Danny's shoulder. Danny was hazily looking at him again with an almost amused expression.
"S'okay." He whispered under the mask. There was yet another cough and a sharp wheeze which made him grimace and Chin had to pull back the stray hand that absently tried to remove the oxygen mask. "Just a little achy .. can get up. Need .. to .. because I'm not missing Grace tonight."
His suggestion was flatly refused as Steve shook his head dismally and his own pain radiated into his shoulder. Even with Chin's quick doctoring, his arm felt hot, heavy and blood was still seeping through the bandages. He closed his eyes and hoped that his partner's softly whispered words were true but they weren't going to take that chance just yet. The stubborn movement of Danny's head on his knees forced his eyes open. He sighed in annoyance as Danny struggled to sit up using an elbow but Chin growled a warning and Steve joined in.
"No. Stay down, Danny." He tightened his fingers on Danny's shoulder. "Not yet."
Danny weakly rolled his eyes in aggravation as the cold water continued to seep into his back. Staying where he was didn't seem like the most comfortable of prospects especially since he had been wearing his vest. He was fine and willing to make that point to both his friends.
"Nothing's .. broken. Just sore .. so help me .. up. I have to pick up Grace .. soon." Without warning, his heels slipped back down into the mud with a soft splash. He groaned and blinked in alarm against a sharper pain which took him by surprise and he sagged back into the puddle. Steve placed his free hand on Danny's forehead as his knees came up spasmodically.
"Damn it, Daniel. What did we just tell you!"
"Uhhh." The wheeze followed and Chin squeezed his arm in an attempt to help him ride out the pain. His eyes closed again as bright spots danced to block the dizzying view of Steve's upside down face. "Bad .. idea."
"You got rattled pretty good, Danny." The quiet tone of his voice continued to prove how worried Chin was as he increased the flow of oxygen on the small portable tank. His concern made him tug the plastic sheet higher for Steve to have more material to shield the injured man's face. Sirens were approaching and they could actually see the strobe lights getting closer.
Glancing towards Kono, he nodded to acknowledge her thumbs up signal. "They're just about here. Let EMS tell us for sure."
Other than the hope of finding Kasey, they had not anticipated anyone at Joanna Pearce's apartment. Certainly not hired guns that were undoubtedly searching for something of great value. Steve's eyes snapped open in shock as they lost focus and he inhaled sharply. His fingers tightened on Danny's skin and their eyes met but Steve realized then that Danny had automatically gone there. He'd already put a few worrisome thoughts together. It had only taken Steve a few scant minutes longer to do the same for what was now becoming a very different puzzle.
Steve looked at the two conscious men under Kono's care. Each arrogantly held his gaze without apology, but only one dared to smile. The cocky move indicated that they knew Joanna Pearce very well indeed .. there was a dangerous history in play and Kasey was in imminent danger. As the ambulance and HPD support finally arrived, Steve took Chin's arm.
"I want them interrogated within an inch of their lives. Everything, Chin. Who they are .. who they work for .. what they want so damned badly from Joanna Pearce." Chin nodded in full agreement but Steve wasn't yet finished.
"Get forensics into that apartment and lock it down. Go through it with a fine tooth comb .. they didn't get whatever it was they wanted. And if it's in there - it's mine." He wanted to add "and find Kasey" but that was a given. They all naturally knew that the child was in serious danger; they would be lucky if they found the mother still alive.
Steve's face must have shown his concern as he glanced back down at Danny. His partner's eyes were closed again and his face was still pale under the oxygen mask, but he seemed to be listening.
"Consider it done." Chin's voice was just loud enough for both men to hear as the medics ran over with a stretcher and more medical supplies. "And don't worry ... we'll find her, too."
~ to be continued ~