Steve looked down over Oahu as the plane slowly gained altitude. He picked up the file from WitSec and began to read what they had on Cordoba. His mind drifted…to Chin…..to Danny. God he hoped he was doing the right thing.

Back at the hospital the Doctor finally entered the waiting room, "Kelly family?"
Danny and Kono took hold of each others' hands as they moved towards the Doctor, "Yes, that's us Doctor"
After shaking the anxious duo's hand and introducing himself, Doctor Ikaea Matasino smiled as he delivered the news, "Mr. Kelly is going to be fine"

Danny placed an arm around Kono, pulling her close as she said softly, "Oh thank God…thank God"
The Doctor explained, "Most of the damage was arterial and that's what took the most time to stitch. The bullet nicked the trachea and that had allowed blood to enter his lungs. Performing the tracheostomy on site saved his life. Were you the one who performed such skilled work Mr. Williams?"

"No, that would be our boss Doctor Matasino, he's an ex-Navy SEAL"
"Well that explains a lot, SEALS are very skilled with field medicine. I hope I get a chance to meet him. Now, Mr. Kelly will be in the ICU until tomorrow morning then he'll be moved to his own room"
Danny asked, "How long will he be laid up Doc?"
"He'll be our guest for at least a few days. He lost a lot of blood and I expect him to sleep a lot the first two to three days but then we should see improvement"
Kono spoke softly, "Thank you so much Doctor. Can I see him tonight?"
"I can let one of you see him. I'll send the Nurse to get you once he's settled in the ICU"

After shaking hands and exchanging thanks again, the Doctor excused himself and Danny pulled Kono into a warm embrace.
She whimpered slightly as she was overwhelmed with relief. Danny spoke to her reassuringly, "He's going to be fine Kono. You heard the Doctor, he's going to be fine"

"I know, I know…I'm relieved about Chin….but I'm scared for Steve…" She pulled from Danny's grasp and placed her hands on his face, "I'll stay with Chin, Danny…..go find him. Please find him"
Danny kissed her forehead, "I'll find him. You call me if anything changes or you need me"
"I will"

Danny turned and left the hospital. He figured he had about an hour left of daylight…..'God Steve, where are you?' He entered Chin's truck and as he dialed Governor Denning he drove from the parking lot.

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Steve continued to read through the file on Cordoba. From the research the CIA had done, Sebastian Cordoba had arrived in Washington two weeks ago along with five others from Columbia. Three of the men were related to Cordoba, Pedro Ocinco was the twenty one year old son of Felipe Ocinco and two were Cordoba's son's Daniel and Mateo. The other two men were the ones that Steve would have to worry about the most….Bruno Alvarez and Roberto Moreno. These two were henchmen for the organization. According to Columbian Police reports those two men alone were responsible for hundreds of deaths.

He had received a text from Governor Denning a short time ago letting him know that Chin had made it through surgery and that he was expected to recover fully. He grinned and then placing his seat back he closed his eyes as he thought through his plan. As much as he worried about Chin, Kono and Danny right now he had to put them out of his head. It was game time and he needed to focus.

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Danny's first stop was 5-0 Headquarters. His heart sank as he pulled in and parked next to Steve's truck.
According to Duke, the Camero was at McGarrett's house. Danny looked into the vehicles windows, noting that nothing appeared to be out of place. He raced up into the office, hoping and praying that he would find his partner sitting behind his desk. As he bolted up the stairs two at a time he quietly said over and over again, "Be there Steve…please be there"

But of course…..he was not. Danny grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler in Steve's office and sat at his desk.
As he slammed the water he tried to think…..and his frustration grew. Steve would NEVER have left the hospital with Chin's life hanging in the balance, not unless he HAD to. His gut hurt, and his head throbbed. He was worried, truly worried about Steve and he didn't know where to even start looking for him.

His eyes scoured Steve's desk looking for something, ANYTHING that would give him a clue but he saw nothing out of place. He again tried his partner's cell phone, with no success.

He called Duke but unfortunately HPD had found nothing either, "Danny, it's only been a few hours. You need to stay calm, there are NO signs of foul play"
"He's missing Duke"
"Danny, we don't know that"
"Yes…..I DO KNOW that. Steve wouldn't go off with Chin in surgery, not like this….something is wrong, very wrong"
"Danny, I have an APB out on him. Everyone is looking for him but we don't even know how he is traveling? What vehicle is he using?"
"I'm sorry Duke. I know you're doing everything you can. Please let me know if anything turns up"
"You as well my friend. We'll find him"

Danny left 5-0 Headquarters and he drove. He drove endlessly, his mind swimming with horrible thoughts every time his calls rolled to voicemail. He stopped at Kamekono's house at about midnight.
"Hey Jersey, you stopping in for a beer?"
"No, umm hey have you heard anything about McGarrett?"

Kamekono stepped back allowing Danny to enter the house, "McGarrett? What about him?"
"He's disappeared, have you heard any talk at all about anyone…..anyone out to get him?"
"No brah. I hear anything like that you'd be the first to know. How long has he been missing?"
"A few hours, but something's not right?"
"Hey he's a big boy, he can take care of himself"
"I know…."
"How's Chin Ho doin?"

"Good, good….he's going to be just fine. So you keep your ears open and call me if you hear anything, anything at all okay?"
"You know I will. I love that boy too ya know"
Shaking the big man's hand Danny thanked him and them again he continued to drive. At a little after one in the morning he drove to Steve's house.

He parked next to his Camero and after glancing into the locked vehicle he made his way inside. The house was dark and horribly quiet. He hollered Steve's name several times as he went through the house, just in case the SEAL was home and sleeping. Oh how he would have loved a lecture at that moment on entering without knocking. He sighed deeply and was making his way back down the steps when his phone rang.
"Hi Kono, how's Chin? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, he's resting quietly. They've decided to keep him sedated until tomorrow afternoon. I gave them my number to call me if there are any changes. Have you had any luck?"

"No…everyone's looking for him though. I just got to his house. Duke was right, there's nothing out of place. Why don't you just head home and get some sleep. We can start fresh in the morning"
"I'm not going to able to rest either. I'm going to grab a cab, I'll be there in a bit"
"Sounds good. I could use the company"

Danny hung up and went down to check the beach, knowing he was grasping at straws.
When Kono arrived she found him back inside, searching Steve's desk. "Hey, anything?"
"No, this just isn't like him Kono"
"I know Danny"
They spent the next couple of hours searching his den and bedroom before deciding they should at least try to sleep. Kono went into the spare bedroom and Danny curled up on the couch, both unaware of the deception they would face in a few short hours. A deception that would bring them unthinkable pain and torment.

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Steve was able to sleep for a bit and once the plane landed he caught a cab taking it to the entry of the forest. He had three hours before the expected meeting. Not wanting to waste any time he first found a location a couple of hundred feet into the woods where he could hide his duffel bag. He took out a smaller bag which held the money and the one item he felt he may need, a bobby pin. Hoping it would not be found when he was searched, he placed the bobby pin deep into the back pocket of his cargo pants before burying the duffel bag inside a rotting tree and covering it with braches. He then scoped out the area, checking the types of wood and rock that surrounded him. He was pleased to also find a type of green vine that was very sturdy and would probably come in handy. Steve McGarrett then dropped to his knees and prayed as he did before any mission. But he did not pray for himself, he prayed to God that no matter what happened to him he would have the strength to endure and that he would be able to rescue Matt. And he prayed for his Ohana back in Hawaii, he prayed for Chin's health and he prayed that Danny would be able to forgive him for what he had done. He then stood, took in a deep breath and walked towards his destiny.

An hour later Steve stood and watched as four heavily armed men came towards him from the woods.

******* Much more to follow – let me know what you think ********