Danny pulled out his crash kit. He had about two hours before everyone was meeting at the airfield and he used the time wisely. The ten thousand in Euros in the kit might come in handy if they needed to buy weapons (not that he knew how much guns were going for on the black market in South Korea, but having some cash would help) so he distributed the money throughout his clothing. Steve's cargo pants had nothing on number of inside pockets his current attire had; he could picture Steve's goofy grin. Pulling out Grace's passport, he took a minute to gaze at her picture. All he'd told her earlier was that he needed to help Steve. She'd given him the biggest hug and an extra to give to Uncle Steve when they got there. Sometimes he wondered if Grace was really an old women masquerading as a nine year old.
Turk's contacts didn't run into the darker criminal element, which right at this point, he was beginning to reconsider his stance on that matter. If McGarrett was going to continue throwing himself at these creeps, maybe it would be wise to find some 'more trustworthy' arms dealers just so Turk would have access to some intel. Too late for today's adventure though. It was time to go save Super SEAL's ass and get back in once piece.
They landed at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtack, secured transport and made it the forty miles to Seoul without incident. The hard part started once they hit the larger city. Seoul didn't look any different than the last time he was here. Funny, most places changed with time, but if there were any changes to the capital city, they were indiscernible. Course, it could be that his nerves were stretched so tight that a pink elephant in a tutu, standing in the middle of a runway wouldn't have phased him.
Every possible scenario had been considered during the flight. Not a single idea was chucked away without being throughly examined. Danny has always appreciated Steve's focus and skill set (not that he'd admit it out loud) but seeing those same intense traits in multiple men, he was really glad that they were along. If they even stood a smidgen of a chance of rescuing Steve, these men would be the reason.
The money Danny brought with him came in handy in procuring and stashing a getaway vehicle.
Joe snuck up behind him. "Right now, I'm not going to ask how you came by such a stash of Euros at such short notice, but when we get back to Hawaii, I'm looking forward to a very detailed story."
"Sure thing, Joe. Right after you come clean to Steve with all you know," Danny replied giving nothing away.
He was grateful for all the experience the group held and for Joe's contact for the party goods. Okay, maybe not so grateful for the helicopter from the 70's. It was time to finally admit it, he was never, ever going to enjoy flying in those deathtraps, no matter who was piloting. He gladly jumped to the ground to follow the spontaneous team into the jungles of North Korea.
If one ignored the fact that one was in North Korea, one could pretend that they were taking down criminals in the heart of Hawaii. Just another day on the job. Only Steve's beaten and batter body dispelled the delusion. Danny took the first real deep breath he'd taken since Jenna's frantic phone call when he lifted the flap of truck, laying eyes on his best friend.
Their departure went as smoothly as it could. Steve needed more medical attention than was available in the middle of nowhere, but the group agreed that getting out of Korea was a priority. Their lives depended upon it. Danny volunteered to drive the mini-van they'd purchased and stashed outside of Seoul. He would claim it was the rigorous study of a Google map, rather than previous knowledge, that led to the shortcuts on their return journey. That is if anyone asked. An unlikely event as the rescuers and rescued were too tired and too cramped to put forth the effort. Danny had the absurd vision of the group dressed like a clowns getting out of a clown car. Thank God, there wouldn't be pictures.
As much as he gives Steve shit about the military, Danny silently admitted he will never again make fun of the brotherhood bond between service men. The crew of their flight home didn't bat an eye over the extra passenger. Instead they fixed a suspended cot and brought out their med kit. Soon Steve was cleaned up a bit and comfortably floating on a morphine induced cloud. Of course the stubborn dumb ass tried to refuse any meds, despite the coercing of the team. It took Kono's threat of crying and Danny's promise to tell Grace what an idiot he was being to get him to agree. Danny took his second deep breath of the day.
Waiting in hospitals was never Danny's strong suit, but he wasn't going home until he knew for sure Steve was okay. Just before everyone got tired of his pacing, he excused himself to make a phone call. "Hey Virg, I know we don't normally leave voicemails, but I wanted to let you know that we made it back from Korea. Steve's pretty beat up. They tortured him. Tortured, him! The sick bastards. We're home. Oh, yeah, I'm officially done with Korea, both of them. I'm done."
Virgil listened to his twin's voicemail five times before he responded in kind. "Hey Danny, thanks for the update. I'm really glad you all made it okay. No one will ask you to go back to either of them." He hung up the phone with a sigh, a satisfied smile curving up the ends of his cheesy mustache. Turk Malloy had been completely replaced.