I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: I got to meet Fifilla yesterday in person because she was vacationing in NYC! what a nice lunch we had and Fifilla is as wonderful as her stories!

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Chapter 9

Ponch drove like a mad man through the city streets and out towards Kualoa. The red dot on his brother's smart phone guided him and within a short time, he was on a secondary road crossing over to a rutted and terribly maintained tertiary until he was barely on a road at all. Driving through what seemed like a large field, he mentally swore to himself that he would never argue with the man about what Rebecca needed or didn't need ever again. Obviously, Mikey knew much more than the old fool doctor that he'd become.

Hitting a deep rut and nearly losing control of the steering wheel, it was then that he realized his terrible error. Slamming on the brakes, he skidded a decent distance in the hard dirt before stopping on the narrow path. He was breathing hard as he finally noticed where he was and wondering exactly what he thought he was doing. Strangling the steering wheel in his truck in utter frustration and self-recrimination, he took a real note of his surroundings which included nothing more than jungle, wild animals and a sky that was becoming darker and more threatening with every passing second.

Ponch's eyes flew to the red dot and he read the mapping feature which declared him a mere mile or so from his desired destination. It called to him but he wasn't stupid .. distracted and single-minded, even bull-headed .. at least never quite this stupid. Though once more in just under two minutes, Ponch felt as if he was borderline on that assessment.

Disgusted with himself, he threw his big truck into reverse and backed down the way he had come. He backed all the way down until the path engaged the near equally poor tertiary road. With an arm tossed over the seat, a rather furious expression and his head turned over his shoulder, he continued on backwards until he could park more wisely out of sight.

In a mood about what he'd almost done, Ponch pulled a backpack from the rear and double-checked his available medical supplies. A rain slicker followed based on the pending storm and then he only paused to triple check the full clip he had loaded in his pistol. Two separate spare clips lay within reach in zippered breast pockets, as well as a flashlight and decently sized sheathed knife. Studying the path from which he'd so hastily returned, Ponch decided on a lateral bushwhacked trail through the jungle to follow the guiding signal as mapped out on Mike's smart phone.

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Nine persons eventually encircled the house from the darkness of the jungle. All had night-vision goggles and each was well-armed and highly trained. Each registered the change in weather and then promptly ignored it. They had a job to do to bring one of their own home, as well as an innocent little girl.

As luck would have it, Steve and Kono were closest to the small shed where Danny had been held. Chin and two of the SWAT team were directly opposite the compound and well hidden in the trees as they eyed two criminals by the van. The two were loud, overly happy and smoking heavily as they joked about something no one could actually hear. However, their general jubilant tone irked not only Chin but the two SWAT team members who sensed the coming fight.

Before announcing their arrival, Steve and the SWAT leader had naturally agreed to case the property first in an attempt to locate the detective and little girl, as well as to correctly number their adversaries. Word was coming back from Chin and the other paired men that Grace's initial frightened information was about right; four had merely become five.

"Perfect." Steve noted under his breath. He was inordinately pleased as counts of no more than those five individuals were reconfirmed from various hidden points. Cautiously moving forward, he skirted the shed with Kono low behind him. The persistent breeze had become a stronger wind and the rustling of leaves and branches covered any odd noise they might have made. From the side of the shed, they both could just see the two men who were laughing and finishing their cigarettes outside the old Ford van. Still able to use the parental application, it was obvious that they were literally sitting on top of the red dot.

"Kono." Motioning for her to stay close, Steve was on his knees when he used the tip of his knife to edge the door open. He already knew things had changed when he saw the broken latch which was barely keeping the door from swinging and banging open in the wind. A quick glance once and then twice showed him the interior was indeed empty, so he entered with Kono still following to cover his back. Gently closing the door again, they put their backs against the wall to survey the small space.

"He got out." Steve whispered as he dropped completely to his knees by the broken chair and damp earth. Removing his goggles, he used a small penlight to better see the darkly stained ground and the blood left on the snipped ties and broken pieces of wood.

His face became a dark, brooding mask as he mentally calculated the size of the stain and what seemed to be ample enough blood loss. A broom handle lay diagonally across the space near a table and Steve realized that had been used to create the mess of miscellaneous tools and odd items spilled across the ground.

"He was here and he just got out." Steve confirmed as he checked the shine of the blood with a gloved finger. It was relatively fresh and he stared worriedly at Kono. "He was just here … and he must be close."

Despite the stains, the cocky grin on Kono's face lit her features even in the dark and she nodded in approval. Happily she whispered the news to the rest of the large team with caution to be on the watch for the injured detective. A discarded pair of gardener's pruners lay near a few of the broken bonds and Steve grinned as he held them up for Kono.

"Green thumb." Steve gently joked and Kono's grin deepened. But then she found the blood-streaked blue medical gloves closer to her in the corner by the door and she shook her head in confusion.

"What does this mean?" She whispered tossing them to land near Steve's knee. "What did they do? Weird."

He grimaced and shrugged because he doubted any sort of medical intervention on his partner's behalf. Unless of course, Hicks or someone was worried about keeping Danny alive … just long enough. The realization pulled at Steve's chest and he pushed the bad feeling back down. Danny had escaped and that was more than a good sign; the fact that he had gotten out under his own inventive steam was definitely good enough. So far.

"House then?" She whispered in a low, hushed tone. Steve instantly knew what she meant and he agreed. Danny had likely gone to the house to find Rebecca. It certainly indicated that she was there inside and his partner hoped to rescue her alone. But Steve was undeniably worried by the image sent to them all and then the volume of blood he was seeing gracing the hard dirt of the shed. The gloves added a perplexing but ominous clue to Danny's real potential injuries and to the damage which Hicks and his accomplices had inflicted.

Steve knew that his partner was badly injured and attempting a rescue which he would need to do, but likely couldn't entirely succeed with in his condition. If Becca wasn't there, then the second option was that Danny had simply gone into the jungle to save himself. Again, Steve doubted how far Danny might get based on his injuries.

Either way, they all needed to end the standoff, so Steve whispered commands to his team but he was interrupted by one of the SWAT leads. "We have movement. Just below the tree line and approaching the van. One man … big guy."

Soft confirmations were sent amongst the team that it wasn't one of their assembled own. "Chin, you're closest." Steve didn't need to finish his command as the Asian readied his shot-gun and crept in the identified direction with a SWAT team member backing him up. The rest of the team held their ground and waited watching with night-vision goggles where they could, two forms approaching the new arrival.

"Son of a bitch. What are you doing here?" No one was used to hearing Chin swear so adamantly and the anger-laced words added an odd layer to the short sentence. There was a long moment of silence as they all waited and held position.

Chin's shotgun was leveled directly at Doctor Ramirez's broad chest. Out of breath and emotional, the big doctor didn't even raise his hands to protect himself as a second weapon was aimed at his head. Removing his goggles and dropping the shot gun, Chin waved the SWAT officer to do the same.

"How did you get here?" Chin knew the answer before Ponch held out Mike's smart phone. The glowing red dot was unmistakable and Chin shook his head in disgust. "Doc, you can't be here."

"If you think I'm leaving, you're crazy." It was then that Chin saw the small pistol in the doctor's other hand. They glared at each other and Chin had no choice. "Besides, you might need me. Becca or Danny might need me."

Narrowing his eyes because he was still angry and now worried about the doctor's presence, Chin Ho raised his hand to negate part of the angry comments. "That may be, but there isn't a single man here that isn't trained in some sort of triage, Doc."

Ponch set his lips firmly and stood his ground. So close now, he had no intention of leaving. None at all. "I"m staying for the duration." A few drops of cold rain started to fall as the skies darkened to almost meet the challenge of his words and Chin sighed. In his ear, Steve had enough of the long wait and all the officers each heard his impatient demand.

"Report." Steve breathed out still holding position in the shed with Kono. "Chin?"

"Doc's here." There was even a long pregnant pause of which after only Kono and Steve seemed to understand what Chin was saying. "Doc's here; armed and refusing to leave."

"What!" Steve's honest reaction was hissed back over the air-waves.

"Commander?" Higgins, the SWAT leader was confused and softly questioning the situation from his vantage at the rear of the property where he was watching the three house-bound perpetrators.

"What's this about? Who's Doc?" The soft whispers were irritating, causing delay, and Steve pursed his lips in disgust before briefly hanging his head in the dark.

"It's Rebecca Ramirez's Uncle. He's a physician at Tripler." The audible aggrieved sigh ricocheted through all their communications devices and a few men grinned but most were understandably more neutral to annoyed on hearing the information. Whoever the new arrival was, it only gave them another civilian to watch out for.

"Keep him near you, Chin. But make it very clear that he's to stay out of this." Kono was one of those grinning widely and so much so, Steve had to smile ruefully, though he ran an aggravated hand through his hair. The urge Kono had to be happy faded just as quickly when Steve motioned to the house. "Let's go. Up top."

Unbeknownst to Steve or Kono, they were following a similar track as their injured friend through the edge of the trees and underbrush. It put both he and Kono near the bedrooms and the one window where Danny had so recently been to retrieve Becca. Soon six had taken up positions around the home, while Chin and three others monitored the two still conversing and smoking by the van. Only a very perturbed Doctor Ramirez had been forced to hide well back behind Chin's position with an enraged, hushed warning that had made the doctor's ears turn scarlet.

"Ready." Steve confirmed as the odor of cooking food reached him, but he and the SWAT leader's intention to engage was abruptly delayed when a light suddenly went on in the bedroom nearest Steve's location. There was a murmur from Steve to wait and hold positions. Then the strong one-worded command was nearly drowned out by a shout of alarm from the house.

"She's gone! The kid's not here .. she's gone, boss!" Other startled shouts resounded inside the house which immediately had the two men by the van reacting. It was all Steve and the SWAT leader required to simultaneously demand action. Their combined action may have been momentarily delayed, but the frantically shouted words from inside the house provided Steve and Kono with even more information indicating that Danny had indeed gotten the child out of harms' way.

"Five-0! Down .. down now - hands up!" Cognizant of Chin's strident voice, no shots were fired at first near the van but then the situation changed entirely. The tell-tale sound of Chin's shotgun was heard once .. and then twice. Following that, a rapid volley was sharply exchanged with the three inside the house.

"Damn it." Steve growled out as they took offensive positions and descended on the main structure with loudly shouted demands that were only met with additional gunfire. Lights were quickly turned off in every room but the felons didn't entirely realize that their perceived attackers were well prepared with night-vision goggles and fire power that rivaled, if not surpassed, their own stores.

In just a few seconds, the combined team took on a well-defined orchestrated attack against both house and van. It lasted longer than the large team wanted even though the two by the van were soon incapacitated by Chin's small group. Both men were injured and duly brought under control leaving the main house as the primary target.

Easily viewing the site through his goggles, Higgins watched the figures of Kono and Steve creep stealthily out from the tree line to peer through the window where Danny had once retrieved Becca. The open design of the main living area allowed a decent view, and Higgins was pleased to be able to provide cover. Higgins had his men continue firing to keep the three remaining criminals at the far end nearer the kitchen and living space as Steve hoisted himself first up and through the window with Kono following. He lost sight of the two Five-0 officers then but was confident of their safety as they softly cleared that end of the house with constant chatter.

"Steve." Once they had made it into the bedroom, Kono turned around to spy the long bloody streaks on the window sill and then smeared on the floor. The bed was rumpled and dirty, again marked with similar smudges. She ran her finger over the marred wood on the sill to feel the splintered gouges where Danny had used the screwdrivers to force the window open.

"He broke in and got her out." Steve nodded. His face was severe when he saw the sick array of toys and the new dress, but his eyes showed his true concern which only worsened when he caught sight of the handcuff still attached to the bed frame. Striding over, he frowned at the doll until he saw the two pins laying on the comforter cover. The severity changed immediately to a pleased soft chuckle as Steve picked up the collectible doll and the petticoats fell to the floor.

"Only Danny." He breathed out in a chuffed, happy voice when he picked up the two pins. It was obvious that his partner had used the doll to find the pins. Then, he had picked the lock on the cuff to free Rebecca. Turning to Kono his smile was oddly bright in the darkness of the room. "How does he know these things?"

Kono laughed very softly with a wry shrug. "We'll have to ask him, boss!" Tossing the doll back to the bed, Steve and Kono moved to the partially opened bedroom door. Slowly, their room to room search continued to the rear of the house where no added surprises were found.

"Steve. Report. No friendlies?" Higgins reconfirmed as he took aim at a particular form that was in his clear line of sight. The mist was about to turn to rain, but Higgins never budged or even blinked. He was validating his ability to fire at will and it was easy once Steve approved.

"We're in. Rooms are clear. Take him." Steve affirmed as he and Kono finished their tour at the far end of the house. Positioning silently on opposite sides of the final bedroom door waiting for Higgins' next move, his pointed look at Kono indicated that they would soon be organizing a rescue mission into the jungle.

Outside, the grin on Higgins' face was subtle and extremely focused. Choosing a point just to the right of his target's spine and a hair below the shoulder-blade, he fired. There was a distinct chance that he would kill the man, but also an opportunity to grievously wound. It was a very specific move as he pulled the trigger, heard the pop and saw the man whale a hand behind his back as if to wave off a bee. Then his target fell to the ground in the kitchen.

"Two." Higgins drawled as way of update. The SWAT team's counter-fire continued and only ceased when final reports sounded from Steve's new location inside. Higgins watched as one other man fell and the last dropped his weapon to back up to a far wall with his hands raised in submission. By the size and slender outline, Higgins knew Kono was in control of the final perpetrator. Only then did the fire fight completely stop and silence reign through the area.

"Secure." Kono called out as Steve thumbed the house lights back on in every room, including the exterior porch lights. She had her weapon aimed unwaveringly at the head of the last man. When the lights went on, she whipped off her night-vision goggles and her following curse rivaled that of her cousin's spouted just a few minutes earlier when he found Doctor Ramirez in the jungle.

"What?" Steve demanded as he cuffed the two injured and joined her to keep the last at bay.

"He's not dead. Nice trick." Weapon fully primed, Kono was staring at a defiant Frank Curtis whose hands were raised above his head. "Look who's here."

Bleeding from a crease in his temple and one on his shoulder, Curtis's eyes remained cold and calculating despite his now lost cause. Perplexed by the man's supposed return from the grave, Steve and Kono shared a quick glance.

There was movement behind them as Chin entered the house to offer assistance. He had left the two injured men near the van under close guard by three of the SWAT team members. The look on his face proved his surprise too at seeing the supposedly deceased mobster. Chin was about to question it when he felt a large presence physically brush passed his right shoulder to knock him slightly off-balance.

Then, he was too slow. In fact, everyone was too slow as Frank's hand dropped to a place low near his back. Near a small spare weapon he kept hidden because he would not be taken into custody again.

"Don't." Kono's warning was ignored just as a single shot echoed in the room from somewhere to their left and Frank Curtis gave out with a startled wounded gasp. He stood rocking in place before gripping a spot just above his heart where a small red dot began to spread out across his dress shirt. His eyes were actually honestly stunned for a change; then confused as he stared at Kono who hadn't moved an inch. Steve whirled around with his weapon drawn once more from Curtis to the possible new threat, and his mouth fell open in surprise.

"What!" She lowered her weapon as the criminal sagged and his weapon fell from nerveless fingers. "Who did that .. who fired?"

From her astonished face, Frank Curtis's eyes met another pair which relayed an unspoken fury. His knees were beginning to buckle and eyes were already glazing over when they tracked one final time to the small pistol Doctor Ramirez was still holding, aimed unerringly at his chest.

~ to be continued ~