Duke Lukela rushed to Chin and Kono when he spotted them at the perimeter of the parking lot.
"How did you manage to get out?" he asked. "Are you injured, either of you?"
"We're okay,"Chin said. "Steve realized immediately what was happening; ordered me and Grover to get Kono and Jax out. Have you seen Grover or Jax?"
"No, we've not seen them or heard from them," Duke said. "We'll have to assume they're still inside."
"Which is where we should be," Kono said in frustration.
"Our first objective is containment," Duke said. "We can't get access to any of the computers, and cell and radio signals are being actively scrambled. But from what we can tell, the power outage was deliberate, and controlled. The generators didn't kick on automatically - the main power was disabled, and then the emergency generators deliberately turned on."
"Definitely inside involvement, then," Chin said, shaking his head. "It was chaotic, but I was pretty sure I saw a guard pistol whip Steve."
"We have to assume prison personnel involvement, yes," Duke confirmed. "Which is going to make our job exponentially harder."
"I was going to suggest that Kono stay on site, hook up with HPD and SWAT. You know she's the best sniper on the island," Chin said, "while I go back to the palace and pull every scrap of information I can on Declan Novak. I'll run background and cross-match on all of the prison personnel as well."
"That's exactly the help we need," Duke said, waving over another officer. "Marshall, Officer Kalakaua is a crack shot - take her along with the unit regaining control over the west wall guard tower. We first need to regain control over the yard and the exits."
Kono squeezed Chin's hand quickly and took off at a quick jog with the other officer.
"We haven't yet figured a way into the building," Duke continued, "so any information that you can give us by the time that happens will be most welcome, Kelley. We're operating blind here as far as how many people are involved inside. Look, I know you want to be here, but right now we need your expertise on that super computer of yours more than anything."
#*#*#*#*#
Something was nagging at Jax . . . something out of place, and she couldn't put her finger on it. So she studied the guards flanking her on either side, and leading her - she would swear, lousy sense of direction notwithstanding - away from the exits and toward the center of the facility.
It was the socks that tipped her off. White. NJPD, NYPD, HPD, SWAT - uniforms varied a bit but all of them required black socks to be worn with black boots or oxfords. She glanced at the other officer, the one that Grover had recognized. His name tag read "Officer Mahelona", but most importantly, his socks were black.
Whitesox - she dubbed him quickly, although she was sure his name tag read something else - also kept getting gouged under his ribs with his flashlight. Any law enforcement officer a week on the job learned to tweak their utility belt so that their gear didn't bruise them.
Whoever Whitesox was - it was very unlikely he was a guard. She mentally flipped through scenarios in which the other guard was unaware of the impostor . . . but she came up with nothing. Both of them were with Declan Novak, she was sure of it - what she wasn't at all sure of, was where she was being led, and why. Adrenaline flooded her system as she weighed her options. They were too close to try to draw on them; she could get one shot off, sure, but no way could she turn fast enough for the second. Play along? Too risky. Any minute now they could simply execute her.
She almost jumped when Whitesox spoke. "Here, we're going to take this staircase down to a floor with an exit away from the grounds," he said, holding the door open for her.
Now or never, she thought, and decided to make a break up the staircase instead, hoping to get them both behind her so she could turn and fire. She drew her Sig as she hit the landing, turned, and fired at Whitesox, who in his surprise, hadn't even drawn his weapon.
As the twin barbs of a taser wedged high on her hip, just below the protection of her vest, she realized she should have fired at Mahelona first. It was her last conscious thought before the voltage of the taser seized her muscles and she pitched forward down the stairs.
Officer Mahelona stood over the downed prisoner dressed in the guard's uniform.
"I can handle her from here," he said coolly, as he fired a shot point blank into Whitesox's chest.
#*#*#*#*#
"The first thing we have to do is get out of this cell," Steve said. "If we can convince them to move us to the infirmary, I might have something to work with; find a way out, find a way to communicate. Find a weapon."
"Okay, good luck with that," Danny said.
Steve grinned at him - that cocky, self-assured grin that usually meant Danny was about to have bullets whizzing by his head.
"What," he demanded weakly. "What are you thinking? The rest of the team may have made it out, the place is going to be crawling with HPD, SWAT, and National Guard any minute now."
Steve shook his head. "Declan specifically said that I should be asking where the rest of my team is. That tells me he has reason to think they didn't get out. I'm not going to sit here, trapped and unarmed and wait for him to decide what to do."
"Okay," Danny sighed. "Tell me what you want me to do."
Steve looked fondly at his partner; he was so predictable. All bluster and argument but when it came down to it, all Steve had to do was say the word and Danny was up for whatever challenge they faced.
"I need you to be unconscious and on the verge of bleeding out altogether," Steve said.
"I can do that," Danny wheezed.
"I'm gonna need to take off the second bandage, though," Steve said apologetically. "I promise, I'll be able to get the bleeding stopped if it starts again, but we gotta make the guards scared shitless."
Danny nodded and started pulling at the bandage.
"Let me, Danno," Steve said, as he carefully started unrolling the strips of sheet holding the wadded sheeting in place. "I'm sorry, Danny, this is the best I can think of."
Danny patted Steve's bruised jaw gently. "I trust you, partner."
Steve stowed the second, less bloody bandage carefully under the mattress where it couldn't be seen, then went and pounded frantically on the door.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Come on, my partner's bleeding to death! You gotta get us to a medic, get some help in here!"
"No way," came a curt response from the other side of the door. It wasn't Declan's voice, but with Steve's ear pressed against the door, he could just make out what sounded like Declan, maybe further down the hall. Maybe trying to work out a deal of some sort.
"Come on, you know your boss is going to use us for leverage for something; that's the only reason we're not dead. Anything happens to my partner, and I won't be inclined to let you push me around. The only reason I care about my life is to protect my team. Ask your boss, he knows it's true," Steve shouted.
There was a long pause, then Declan himself responded.
"Commander McGarrett," he said, in a bored tone. "Why should I let you make any demands? You're in no position of authority here."
Steve read the situation and changed tactics slightly.
"Declan, my partner is in bad shape. He's lost consciousness. Now, I'm pretty sure you gave your people instructions were not to fatally wound anyone on my team, because if you have a prayer of getting out of here alive, you need all the leverage you can get. I'm sure Williams is worth much more to you alive than dead," Steve said. "Besides, you know I'm not lying. You've seen me take a lot of abuse for the sake of my team before. You know I won't try anything if it would put my team in further danger."
Danny studied Steve carefully. What did he mean, Declan had seen him take abuse for the sake of his team? Danny didn't bother to ask - it was probably classified.
"And if anything happens to anyone on my team, you know I won't hesitate to see how many of you I can take down, because at that point I will have nothing to lose," Steve continued in a flat, emotionless voice. "I'll start with you." He paused. "You've seen a little of what I'm capable of, Declan. You and I both know that my priority being placed on Detective Williams' safety is the only reason you're still standing right this minute. At least let me get him to the infirmary, see what I can do to patch him up."
There was a long pause, and Steve could hear low conversation.
"Okay," Declan said. "We'll move you to the infirmary. Stand clear of the door, hold your hands out in front of you. Twitch, and Detective Williams is dead."
"Agreed," Steve said. "Hurry, he's bleeding and unconscious and I can't get the bleeding to stop without some supplies." He nodded to Danny, who gingerly moved until he was flat on the floor, and closed his eyes.
"I've got you, Danny," Steve said quietly.
The door opened and Steve was immediately cuffed, two semi-automatic rifles aimed at him the whole time. Declan kept his weapon trained on Danny, and Steve had to quell a flash of absolute and utter panic. He was gambling with Danny's life.
Two prisoners drug Danny unceremoniously around the corner while the guard - Steve caught his nametag this time: Officer Hale - and Declan marched Steve along behind. It was a blessedly short distance to the infirmary, and Steve took careful note of how many gates were standing open - at some point, no doubt, those gates would slam close, for better or for worse. Steve hoped for any kind of signal from the guard that would indicate he was an unwilling participant, but his sneer didn't leave much room for that possibility. He briefly considered faking a stumble and taking out Declan and the guard; but it left Danny too vulnerable and he couldn't risk it.
Danny let out a low moan, which Steve was reasonably sure wasn't just good acting.
"Come on, watch it," Steve growled.
Danny was roughly dropped just inside the door to the infirmary, curling weakly onto his side, his arm pressed against his wound. His alarming pallor and the fresh blood now soaking his bandage meant that Steve didn't have to pretend to be frantic over his partner's condition.
"Uncuff me," he said, holding his hands out to Declan. "Please."
Declan seemed pleased with having put Steve at such a disadvantage, and smiled malevolently as he nodded for the guard to undo the cuffs while he held his gun pointed squarely at Steve's head. Just before the door slammed closed, Steve saw Declan's hand move smoothly over an iPad, and heard the locks engage on the door. Declan was obviously still in control of the building, then.
Steve couldn't worry about that at the moment, not with Danny bleeding.
"Danny, hey," Steve said, kneeling next to him. "Hang on, I've got you." Steve maneuvered him as carefully as possible onto the nearest gurney and began frantically searching for supplies.
The rush of prisoners had already picked the infirmary clean of drugs and anything that could be used as a weapon, but there were boxes of gauze, and a few rolls of surgical tape. That, along with the packets of QuickClot combat gauze that had thankfully been left in his pocket, would have to suffice.
Danny cracked an eye open. "Did it work?" he mumbled.
"Yeah, we're in the infirmary, Danny," Steve said quietly, pulling Danny's shirt back open and carefully removing the bloody bandages. Fresh blood was seeping rapidly from the jagged wound, and Steve pressed a handful of gauze against it.
"Can you hold pressure, Danny?" he asked, and Danny nodded, pressing his hand to replace Steve's. "Okay," Steve continued, ripping open three packets. "On the count of three, you're going to pull the gauze back and I'm going to press this gauze down first and then apply more pressure, okay?"
Danny nodded again, and Steve counted down.
"Sorry, buddy," Steve murmured as Danny grunted in pain at the pressure.
"You and Jax buy stock in that stuff?" Danny panted.
"We keep a box in the laundry room, when we get our cargo pants out of the dryer, we make sure at least one pocket is full of it," Steve replied absently.
Danny opened both eyes and looked incredulously at Steve. "You're serious," he said. "Domestic bliss. Laundry night with Steve and Jax, filling pockets with military grade medical supplies."
Steve grinned down at Danny. "Come on, Danny, you know you love us. Besides, this stuff is arguably saving your life here, so I wouldn't complain."
"Not complaining," Danny agreed. "Is it working?"
"Yeah," Steve said, his shoulders sagging with relief. "I'm sorry, Danny, it was the best way I could think to get us out of that cell."
"Well, come on then, SuperSEAL, let's see what we can do from here," Danny said, starting to sit up.
Steve pushed him down firmly. "Are you out of your mind? Hold still, you're going to start bleeding again."
"What, just sit here and do nothing?" Danny huffed.
"Sit there and actively avoid bleeding," Steve retorted. "Better yet, sit there, avoid bleeding, and keep both eyes and ears on that door while I see if I can find a computer or any means of communication. Or something that will explode."
"What, no grenades in your pocket today?"
"I had a couple flash-bangs but they took them."
"Unbelievable."
Steve flashed Danny a grin as he started to quickly and quietly go through the drawers and cabinets. The prisoners had taken all of the obvious implements that could be used as weapons . . . but Steve was a SEAL. He didn't need the obvious.
#*#*#*#*#
Chin stood in front of the plasma screen in the central room of Five-O headquarters.
"That's great news, Duke," Chin said, relieved to hear that for the most part, the prisoners had been subdued and brought back into order by HPD and the National Guard unit. "Has anyone managed to get access into the protective custody wing?"
"No, sorry, Chin, not yet, but they're working on it. They've got the K9 unit checking for explosives, to be sure it isn't rigged," Duke answered. "We have a handful of prisoners unaccounted for: they could have managed to slip off the grounds, or they could be with Declan. We've got roadblocks and K9 units already on the ground. We've got a half dozen or so prisoners on their way to Kings Hospital; your Officer Kalakaua is as good of a shot with non-lethal weapons as she is with her sniper rifle. Rubber bullets may not kill but there are a lot of cracked ribs to be patched up."
Chin smiled. He was glad that Kono had been able to contribute as he had promised, even though he knew she would be frantic to get to the rest of the team.
"Any word at all on Officer Nolan and Captain Grover?" Chin asked, although he knew that Duke would have let him know immediately.
"No, I'm sorry, Chin," came the reply. "We have to assume they are inside; however, that doesn't mean that Declan has them. They could have found cover."
"How many guards unaccounted for?" Chin asked. "Because I think I have ID'd the guard who I saw take Steve down. Has Officer Mahelona checked in?"
"No, in fact, he and Officer Hale are unaccounted for. We have put their pictures out for all personnel; we have to assume they are either injured, being held hostage, or collaborating with Declan Novak," Duke said.
"Okay, I'm going to keep digging on Declan Novak," Chin said. "There's not much to go on; he's only been at Halawa for three weeks. It's hard to believe he put together an operation like this in that time. Too hard to believe."
"You're saying his arrest was deliberate," Duke said.
"Exactly. This was painstakingly set up. And no demands have been made of local or even state law enforcement," Chin added.
Duke whistled. "How far up the chain do you think he's trying to go? FBI, CIA?"
"I have no idea, but far enough up that I feel a little over my head," Chin said. "I'll keep digging, see what I can find. There's one other alternative - one that I really don't want to think about," Chin added.
"That is?"
"That he's not making demands anywhere on the chain; because this isn't about leverage, it's about revenge. It's personal. We have to consider the possibility that Declan Novak isn't holding hostages, and isn't making demands, because he has no intention of leaving Halawa alive," Chin said grimly.
#*#*#*#*#
Grover was halfway to the office wing when he was intercepted by a harsh whisper.
"Grover," came the hissed call, from behind the library door. Grover whirled, his weapon in hand.
"Hey, man, don't shoot." The voice sounded familiar . . .
"Sang Min?" Grover hissed, pointing his gun around the edge of the door.
"Man, get that gun outta my face," Sang Min whined. "I've looking for you everywhere. Where's McGarrett's pretty little redhead? Why isn't she with you?"
"McGarrett wanted Nolan and Kalakaua out of the building; two officers escorted Nolan out, said Declan was headed for these offices," Grover said. "What the hell are you doing sneaking around here?" he demanded.
"Trying to find Five-O," Sang Min said, "before you all get lined up and shot. Novak is crazy, man; he's set this whole thing up to get revenge against McGarrett. Why did you let the little ginger out of your sight? McGarrett going to kill you himself, man."
Grover had a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He shoved his gun against Sang Min's chest.
"Tell me everything you know, right the hell now," he growled.
"I convinced Novak to cut me in on the deal, man. He thinks I'm gonna help round up the Five-O, hand them over. He wasn't expecting the team to split up like that, when the shit hit the fan. It's messed up his plans," Sang Min explained. "But I never planned to cooperate; I figured, hey, Novak put money in an account for me. I play Novak, help Five-O; maybe the feds let me keep the money, give it to my family. My wife and kid, man."
Grover shook his head. As implausible as it sounded, he knew that Sang Min had cooperated with Five-O more than once. And providing for his family . . . it was motive enough to try to double cross someone like Declan Novak.
"So Novak - what, isn't going to make a deal? Isn't making ransom demands?" Grover said.
"No, man. He wanted all the Five-O team in one place. Said he wanted to make Steve pay for something that happened in Afghanistan; no better way to do that than to hurt his team," Sang Min said.
"Officer Mahelona," Grover said. "Tell me."
"He's in on it, dude," Sang Min said. "Please tell me you did not . . . oh, shit, McGarrett is gonna kill you for sure."
"I'm not worried about myself at the moment," Grover snapped.
"Oh, Mahelona won't hurt the little SWAT hottie," Sang Min said. "Or the hot surfer cousin, either. Only Declan is supposed to hurt them. One of his guys got eager, shivved Williams. Declan was super mad, man. It's all gotta go according to his plan. But we gotta hurry. Your people have everything all zen out there in the yard, they're trying to get into the wing now. Declan plans to be done with McGarrett and go down in a blaze of glory when that happens."
"And the prisoners and guard working with Declan?" Grover demanded.
"We slip out. Declan provides a distraction. The guards, man, Mahelona and Hale, gonna round us up, escort us to HPD for questioning. Then they follow an escape route, we all disappear," Sang Min said.
"You are voluntarily giving up an escape plan to help Five-O?" Grover said, pressing his gun into Sang Min's chest again.
"Hey, hey, watch it, you crazy - yes, I decide, I'll take my chances with Five-O. McGarrett may be crazy but he's not suicidal. You put in a good word, see if my wife and kid get that money, yeah?" Sang Min insisted.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Grover said. "We've gotta stop Declan Novak. What about Chin and Kono?"
"I ain't seen them, man. They musta got out," Sang Min said. "Or maybe they took cover. Or maybe they've been caught by now. I don't know."
"Okay, Steve and Danny?" Grover asked.
"Declan had them locked up in a protective custody cell," Sang Min said. "Williams is hurt bad, though. McGarrett got them to put them in the infirmary."
"How are you so well-informed, if you're out roaming around?" Grover demanded.
"Radio, man," Sang Min said, shaking his head as if Grover were a bit daft. "Novak is blocking all the cell and radio signals, but we got our own." Grover made a grab for the radio, but Sang Min pulled it away.
"You crazy? He gotta believe I'm out here looking for Five-O and coming up empty," Sang Min said.
As if on cue, the radio crackled with a burst of static.
"You found them yet?"
"No, man," Sang MIn said into the radio, holding up a hand to indicate silence from Grover. "No sign anywhere. They musta got out."
"Okay, return to the infirmary hallway."
"No way," Sang Min said, "I haven't checked the offices, the laundry . . . they could be hiding."
"Okay. Watch your back. Mahelona and Corey still aren't back with the girl; and Hale and Stamos haven't led Captain Grover back to us."
#*#*#*#*#
Declan Novak was an angry, angry man. This team he had so carefully assembled had turned out to be incompetent at every turn.
"What about Kelly? Kalakaua? Grover?" he hissed into his radio.
Officer Mahelona shrugged and nudged Jax with his foot. He had a cool million waiting in an account and a one way ticket to the Maldives. All he had to do was be in the driver's seat of the prisoner transport when the time came, and he was home free. He really, really didn't care what else happened.
"No sign of them," he said boredly. "Look, I got Nolan, which was my responsibility. Where do you want her?"
Declan growled in frustration. Nothing was going according to plan. He only had half of the team; the other half could have managed to get out of the building, or they could be closing in on him. Sang Min was wandering the halls uselessly - probably going to get himself shot, not that Declan really cared. Hale and Stamos were supposed to have led Grover right into a trap, and they had apparently not coordinated well enough with Mahelona and Corey. Speaking of . . .
"You and Corey bring her to me," Declan demanded.
"Yeah, about that," Mahelona said. "Corey didn't make it. She figured it out, somehow, bolted and got a couple shots off."
"He - what? You imbeciles. I told you not to be fooled. You saw Dillon Rivera, remember? She put him in the hospital for weeks. You underestimated her, didn't you," Declan ranted.
"Novak. I've got the girl under control, don't worry. Corey was an amateur, I told you," Mahelona said.
"She better be alive when you get her here," Declan warned.
Mahelona shrugged again, although there was no one to see him. He nudged Jax again, roughly, with the toe of his boot, and was rewarded with a low groan. "More or less," he said. He shut off the radio and proceeded to carefully collect all of Jax's weapons. He pulled off her vest and tossed it on the bottom step, then casually slung her over his shoulder and headed off toward the infirmary.
#*#*#*#*#
"You catch all that?" Sang Min said to Grover, as he put the radio back in the waistband of his prison uniform.
"Yeah," Grover said. "So, we gotta avoid Hale and Stamos, and try to intercept Mahelona, who has Jax, who's apparently injured. As usual. Trouble magnet, I knew it when I hired her . . . I knew it when Steve partnered me with her. But did I use common sense? No . . . "
"Hey," Sang Min interrupted Grover's muttered rant. "You gonna give me my piece back, or what?"
Grover sighed. "I am. Lord help me, but I'm handing you a gun."
Sang Min smiled and smacked Grover on the arm. "Now we're a team, yeah?"
"Unbalanced. You people are all unbalanced."
#*#*#*#*#
Chin read the message in disbelief, and placed the call to Duke.
"I forget sometimes that Steve was in Naval Intelligence . . . he somehow managed to get to a computer, bypass all the signal scramblers, and get a message to me. He and Danny are locked into the infirmary. Declan Novak has control of the building, including locks that are supposed to be interior locks only - like the infirmary. Steve had to keep the message brief, but he says that Declan is seriously unstable, and that they have a history that goes back to Afghanistan," Chin explained.
"Then we've got to assume . . . "
"That this is strictly revenge, and strictly personal," Chin finished. "I'm coming that way."
#*#*#*#*#
Jax opened her eyes and regretted it. It seemed like the world was upside down. She swallowed hard, and opened just one eye, carefully.
The world was upside down.
She blinked slowly and tried to keep her breathing steady. Her entire body felt tingly and short-circuited. She continued to take inventory, trying to clear the fuzziness that seemed to have taken over her brain. A weird, flippy skippy sensation with her heart. She should know the word for that, right? Arrhythmia. Various aching body parts which she dismissed quickly, as nothing seemed especially broken, at least not in a compound fracture sort of way. A burning, searing sensation high on her hip, which was aggravated by every step. No, that couldn't be right, she wasn't walking. Someone else's steps, then, because she could see boots.
Boots. With black socks. Officer Mahelona. It came back to her so quickly that she had to carefully control her breathing. She'd made a break for it, turned, fired . . . there was no sign of the prisoner dressed as a guard, so she must have at least disabled him. Good. And this idiot, this Mahelona . . . had simply slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and now here she was, head bumping along, arms hanging . . . and there was her Taurus and her Sig, tucked carelessly into the waistband of his uniform.
No. Oh, hell no. She loved those guns, especially the Taurus. Steve had picked it out for her while waiting for her shoulder to heal. Low recoil. Perfect for this situation.
Without giving it much further thought . . . not that she seemed capable of especially high brain function, which she briefly considered as concerning, because she still wasn't sure why . . . Jax grabbed the Taurus, racked it - still loaded, thank goodness - and fired. She was pretty sure she hit a thigh, or maybe a calf, it was hard to tell from upside down, and then she was falling, and momentarily crushed under the weight of Mahelona as he writhed in agony.
"You bitch," he screamed, grabbing for his leg and his gun at the same time.
Jax clumsily tried to roll to the side, but her limbs and brain still weren't cooperating very well. She heard the safety of his gun click out of place, and thought that maybe her idea wasn't that good, after all.
#*#*#*#*#
Declan Novak stood outside the door of the infirmary.
"I have a wonderful surprise for you, Commander McGarrett," he said, in a sing-song voice.
"He's crazy," Danny hissed. "Absolutely, completely, bat-shit crazy."
Steve held up his hand in warning for Danny to be quiet. "I don't especially like surprises, " Steve said. "Thanks anyway, but I'll pass."
"Oh, you wouldn't pass this up," Declan said. "You haven't been able to pass this up from the day it arrived on the island. You've kept this all to yourself."
"No, no no no," Danny muttered. "He's got Jax. That son of a bitch."
"Well, let me guess," Steve said. "You've managed to catch Officer Nolan. How many of your men did she take out? Because I'm thinking it's taken you an awfully long time."
"Shut up," Declan snarled. "The important thing is, I have her."
"No," Steve said, his calm tone at complete odds with the panic Danny could see in his eyes. "The important thing is, you have three of the six of us. I know I put a decent hurt on two of your guys. I'm guessing from your reaction that Officer Nolan has done some damage. That leaves, what - two, three of your guys? I'm not loving your odds, Declan. Maybe you better rethink this. Make a couple calls, make a few demands for safe release."
Declan laughed. "Oh, Commander, you still don't get it, do you? I don't plan to be released. I told you. I'm here to make you suffer, to make you experience the loss that you caused me to suffer. And then, we'll all die. First your team, then you, then me. You'll hold out to the end, trying to save whoever you can. And when you realize you can't save them, you'll die trying to kill me. It's beautiful, really. Elegant."
"Declan," Steve roared, as he pounded on the door. "You better make that call, and hope that there is some agency that will offer you protection, because if you think I'm gonna stand by and let you hurt my team, you are sadly mistaken."
"Whatever you say, Commander," Declan said, laughing, as he walked away from the door. "I'll bring what's left of Officer Nolan to you when I'm done with her; let you say goodbye."
#*#*#*#*#
Duke led Chin to a door that, thanks to a bent locking mechanism, they'd managed to pry open.
"Chin, we haven't finished checking for explosives," Duke warned. The German shepherd in a K9 vest wagged his tail at Chin.
"He doesn't seem concerned about this particular door," Chin observed. "I'm going in."
"Not without me, you're not," said a familiar voice behind him.
"Kono," Chin said, "I really -"
Kono cut him off. "Don't even think it, cousin. I'm going. You wanna take point, or you want me to? That is your only choice right now."
"I'll take point, then," Chin grinned. "Let's go get our people."
They went soundlessly down the hallway, carefully clearing each door, corner, and staircase. It was tedious and slow progress, but haste would only get them shot in the back, which was no help to their team.
They'd passed in front of the library door when they heard the shots ring out, and quickened their pace a bit as they carefully and cautiously headed toward the sound.
#*#*#*#*#
"Captain?" Jax squinted up at him.
"Nolan, you scared the shit out of me," Grover grumbled. "Hold still, lemme see how bad you're hit."
"I'm hit?" Jax asked in surprise, as Grover wrapped his hand around her upper arm. "Oh, it's just a graze," she said.
Grover shook his head. "You are as bad as McGarrett. Just a graze, they say. A graze, and you're dripping, in a big puddle, all over the floor."
"That," Jax said, pointing at Mahelona, who was unmoving in a rapidly spreading pool of blood, "is not a graze."
"No, that is not," Grover said solemnly. "He was shooting at you, didn't leave me a choice."
Sang Min's radio crackled and Jax looked at him, then back to Grover.
"Long story," Grover said, "this is Sang Min, and he's helping us."
"Oh, Sang Min . . . yeah, Kono's mentioned -" Jax started.
"Ah, the spicy cop," Sang Min grinned, and Grover smacked him on the head.
"What the hell was that? I hear shooting, and Mahelona isn't answering his radio."
"It's Declan Novak on the radio," Sang Min said, looking at the radio with suspicion. "He's never been on the radio before."
"Good," Grover said. "We've got him scared."
Sang Min started to press the button, but Grover and Jax both waved frantically at him to wait.
"Hold up," Grover said. "Mahelona and Corey are finished. You said Steve had put a hurt on two prisoners. Hale and Stamos are unknown . . . we're reasonably armed. I'm liking our odds. I say we make a move before Declan does."
Grover turned suddenly at a sound behind him, raising his weapon.
"You'll really like your odds now," Kono said, grinning at him. "Although I'm not liking Jax's odds of avoiding a trip to the ER. Girl, you look axed."
"I'm good," Jax said, waving her off.
"Okay, what's the plan?" Chin said.
"Tell me what's going on!" came Declan's frantic voice over the radio.
"Fast," said Sang Min, "he's going loco, man."
"Why am I not surprised you're in the middle of this," Chin said.
Sang Min leered at Kono, who smacked him soundly. "Stop it," she said sternly.
"Let Sang Min take me to Declan," Jax said.
"Are you out of your mind?" Grover said. "You're hit, you're all black and blue from - why are you black and blue?"
"Fell down the stairs after . . . shit, no wonder . . . that asshole tazed me. No wonder I keep . . . never mind. Let Sang Min take me to Declan. I can have my backup in my boot, he'll assume I'm completely unarmed. The three of you can flank him, take him down," Jax said. "It's the best plan."
Chin, Kono, and Grover exchanged glances.
"It's crazy," Grover said.
"Risky," Chin said dubiously.
"It sounds like something Steve would do," Kono said, grinning widely and fist bumping Jax.
Sang Min picked up his radio. "The little redhead got the drop on Mahelona," he said. "He's down but I got her under control, boss."
"Hale, Stamos, return to the infirmary wing. We have to assume the other cowards got out; if not, they'll go up in flames soon enough. Sang Min, bring Office Nolan to me immediately. And Sang Min, do not make the mistake of underestimating her."
#*#*#*#*#