Chapter 3

It took only a short time for them to pack up and load their bikes onto the bike rack on Nehele's jeep cherokee. The green vehicle was a 2001 with none of the bells and whistles, but Nahele loved it and kept it maintained with all his sixteen year old skill. They drove with the windows down and Myah felt her spirits lift along with the fresh air.

J was waiting in his driveway when they reached his house, a pack on his back and his own bike ready to load. Myah climbed into the backseat, unbothered by letting J ride shotgun. She didn't care to join in if the conversation turned to sports, although her knowledge and even interest in football and surfing had increased exponentially since moving in with Steve.

"You have your helmet?" J asked her over his shoulder.

"Yes, tutu." Myah answered, using the Hawaiian term for grandpa.

"Nice." he made a face at her. "I'm just trying to look out for you, girl."

"Right."

"Cut him some slack, Myah." Nahele spoke up, the corner of his mouth tugging into a grin. "He's sensitive because he's got to protect what few brain cells he has left."

"Wow. Really?" J shot Nahele a pained glance.

Nahele shrugged, still smiling. "If you didn't crash head first into something every time we bike…"

"Maybe if you actually reached a respectable speed, you'd understand…"

Rolling her eyes, Myah leaned back and listened to them banter. "You texted dad, right Nehele?"

"Yep." he gave her a confident chin up as he turned up the music. The fresh air and anticipation of an adventure seemed to have lifted his mood as well.

It took a while to reach the trailhead the boys wanted, but once there, Myah happily took a deep breath, enjoying the breeze. She buckled on her helmet and made sure her backpack was secure.

"This trail's pretty straight forward." Nahele said, reaching over and giving her helmet a quick adjustment. "Even if we get ahead of you, you shouldn't get lost and most places that are steep have easier ways to get down too."

"I'll be okay." Myah said. She didn't want them to regret taking her along and wasn't afraid of being on her own as long as they had their phones.

The first stretch of the trail was fairly flat and Myah didn't have trouble keeping up with the boys. The wind felt amazing and she felt her confidence increasing. Before long however, the trail turned into a maze of winding hills with varying levels of steepness, and Myah was forced to slow down. On some of the more difficult hills, the boys called out instructions to her about how to best navigate the terrain. It didn't take long before she was soaked with sweat and covered in dust from the trail. It was a challenge that she would never have even attempted before moving to Hawaii, and Myah briefly marveled at being capable of more things than she'd ever thought possible. She really owed that to Steve and sighed softly, wishing he was with them. Although he'd take the hills and jumps with the same gumption as the boys, he'd always circle back to stay close to her, acting as her buddy.

Myah frowned, her imagination taking her on the unwelcome path of imagining Catherine as Steve's buddy instead. Making a face at the thought, she took a turn too quickly and her bike slid onto its side. Her arm and thigh burned upon impact, but Myah knew as soon as she stopped that she was not injured. Her fall had taken her off the path and, confident that she was not in the way should another biker come around the turn, she rested in her seated position and helped herself to some water.

The foliage was dense around her as Myah took in her surroundings and she squinted when she caught sight of the flash of something hot pink in the distance.

"You okay? You wipe out?" Nahele called out, as he and J came into view, having circled back to her.

"I'm fine." Myah stood up slowly, wincing. "My leg's going to be all banged up at the party tonight. Hey, do you guys see that pink thing? Does the trail go down there?"

J shook his head and motioned in the opposite direction.

Nahele squinted down the hill. "It looks like a hat."

J frowned. "Should we check it out?"

"Someone could be lost." Nahele said.

Myah hadn't thought of that and immediately nodded. "We definitely should. I know dad says not to leave the trail… but it's not far, right?

"Nah… let's tuck out bikes behind that shrub." J indicated a mass of overgrowth partway down the hill.

It was slow going, making their way down the hill, even just to the shrubbery where they carefully tucked their bikes. The teens stepped carefully, trying to navigate the difficult terrain as Steve had taught them, but they all found themselves snatching at tree trunks and occasionally each other to avoid tumbling head over heels.

Myah had about a third of the way to go when the ground she stepped on proved unstable and she gasped as for the second time that day she tumbled forward and started hurtling towards what looked like a very unforgiving ridge of sharp rocks. She tried to grasp onto a nearby root or anything to slow her descent but nothing held. Nahele was farther ahead and at the last minute threw himself forward underneath Myah and she slammed into his side. His heavier weight slowed them and he was able to turn them away from the rocks.

Myah laid against him for a minute as she tried to catch her breath. "Thanks." she finally said softly. He just smiled and gave her helmet a playful thump.

J had managed to reach the bottom of the hill first and he scrambled over and held out his hands. "Come on. I'll catch you, girl."

Nahele kept a tight grip on her forearm as she raised to a crouch and tried to find any semblance of grace as she scrambled down. There was none to be found however, and she ended up getting bear hugged in order to keep to her feet. J did not seem to notice her cheeks turning as red as his hair for which she was extremely thankful. Myah stepped to the side and watched as J broke Nahele's slide as well, though it was a much more masculine version of a bear hug.

Out of breath from the rough descent, the three sat and quickly took the opportunity to pour water down their throats.

"So that was a little rougher than it looked." J said, slapping Nahele on the shoulder.

Nahele nodded, recapping his water. "Might have underestimated it just a little."

"Getting back up is going to be really hard." Myah said, crinkling her nose.

J grunted and Nahele gave her a little shove from the side. "We're not worrying about that yet, panda bear."

"Panda bear?" Myah grumbled, allowing them to pull her to her feet. "What are you talking about?"

J smiled and pointed at her face. Considering how filthy both boys were, Myah had assumed she was also covered in dirt, but of course it would be her luck for the grime to have coated her face in as embarrassing a way as possible. She rubbed her forearm across her cheek but considering how dirty her arm was, knew her action was fruitless.

"Here I'll give you a spit bath." Nahele said teasingly, and actually made motion to spit on his finger.

"Eew, no, do not touch me." Myah pushed him away from her."

"It's okay." J readjusted his pack. "I love panda bears. All fuzzy and squishable." He turned to take in the view with Nahele.

Great, Myah thought briefly. The cutest boy she knew had just all but called her fuzzy and squishable. That's exactly what I'm going for.

Their descent had taken them somewhat sideways from where they had left the trail and the boys were refocused on locating the pink item that had attracted them in the first place.

"Myah! Mark the trail where we came down!" Nahele called over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't call that a trail." Myah muttered, carefully selecting some large stones to make a prominent breadcrumb for their return climb. "Or at least it wasn't before we slid down it." She felt a wave of guilt as the markings of their slide were easily clear to her from the bottom of the hill. A major reason Steve instructed them not to stray from the marked trails was for safety in order to avoid losing their way. The other was to avoid disturbing the landscape and sometimes delicate foliage of the island. Steve was adamant that they take care of the land as best they could, and now looking up the steep slope, Myah knew they had created quite a disturbance. Deciding there was nothing she could do about it now, she quickly finished her trail marker and rejoined the boys. Nahele was holding a hot pink sun hat.

"That's weird," Myah said, noting that no other signs of life were in the area. "You're sure the trail doesn't come down here?"

"Not the biking trail." Nahele pursed his lips. "But there is an old trail that's chained off that could have led this way. Trail's completely grown over so I never thought about it. But Uncle Joe said there's an old bunker around here. We could be close to that."

Myah felt a slight chill at his words. "That hat's pretty clean. Like it hasn't been here long."

Nahele nodded, his eyes narrowed. "I think we should try to find the bunker. Just to make sure nobody stumbled down there accidentally." He looked at J and Myah briefly marveled at how much the two of them reminded her of Steve and Uncle Danny in their relationship.

J nodded, his eyes sparking with excitement. "I'd like to see the bunker. We should at least figure out if it's down here, make that trek worthwhile."

Myah glanced at her watch. "It's only 11, so I guess we have plenty of time. I don't think we get cell service down here though." She tapped the screen and confirmed the lack of bars. "GPS still works of course." A little adventure with Sam Grover the past Halloween had inspired Steve to gift Myah a simple smart watch. He'd informed her that wearing it was not optional and having felt quite the guilt for the line she'd stepped over at the time, Myah had been faithfully strapping it on every day since.

Their hike seemed relatively easy after the hill they had just navigated and there seemed to be only one way to go along the tree line and so Nahele and J alternated between leading the way, with Myah slightly behind. The area was overgrown and if they hadn't felt the gravel they wouldn't have known they'd stumbled upon what had clearly once been a road. The boys' excitement seemed to build as the road served as confirmation that they were likely close to the abandoned bunker.

Myah tried to share in their excitement but found herself more focused on the hat she was still clutching. It had just seemed an odd place to find something so far off the beaten path, and she was trying not to let her imagination run away with her regarding how it had gotten there.

The only sounds to be heard at that point were those of nature, namely the wind and birds and when they rounded the corner and found a tall chain link fence, it was almost startling. Pressing their faces against the fence, the concrete door of the bunker could clearly be seen some distance back.

"Here's the gate." J said softly. He motioned to a rusty padlock holding an even rustier chain that wrapped several times around the fence to keep the door closed. He looked at Myah. "I don't think anybody's been here recently. That hat must have just blown away from a hiker or something."

"Yeah, I guess." Myah said, shrugging. She tucked it into her backpack. No need to litter and disturb the area more than they already had. She heard a noise and turned to see Nahele testing out the fence.

"Are you going to climb it?" she asked incredulously.

He shrugged but the glint in his eye told Myah the answer to her question.

"Why?"

"We've come this far… might as well check it out. I'll make sure it'll hold. You spot Myah." he instructed J, and then almost seemingly effortlessly, he scaled the fence, jumping down to the other side.

Myah wasn't nearly as excited about the prospect of climbing, but quickly decided she didn't want to give J the awkward view of her backside any longer than was necessary. She gave her pack to J who tossed it easily over, and then carefully climbed the fence. She actually managed the movement with more proficiency than she would have imagined, but her tight grip exacerbated a scrape on her wrist that she had acquired when falling off her bike and she winced when she landed on solid ground.

"Your watch is rubbing on the scrape." Nahele stated the obvious, having seen her wince. "Take it off."

Myah obeyed, carefully buckling the strap around her backpack strap. The sleepy abandoned area held just the slightest edge of creepiness and it was enough to make her heart beat just a little faster and to ensure that she stayed as close as possible to at least one of the boys. There was a huge sign on the door of the mine that matched the one on the gate. Warning! Keep Out!

Nahele paused at the door and again made eye contact with J. Myah rolled her eyes slightly at their silent communication. Being left out would have bothered her more if the adrenaline of the adventure wasn't already kicking her nerves into high gear.

Nahele reached forward and grasped the handle of the latch and prepared to heft it into position. They were all surprised when it lifted with relative ease. The door itself required more of a push, but with both boys pushing it shifted open with a groan. It was completely dark inside. Myah felt a chill run down her spine.

Her expression must have given her away because Nahele said, "We don't have to go in."

"We don't?" J asked incredulously. He then got a look at Myah's face. "Are you scared, Myah? I won't let anything… I'll protect you."

"I'm not scared." Myah protested, her pride flaring but at the same time touched by his statement. "I just… uh… really have to pee first."

"You sure?" Nahele asked.

She nodded. She wasn't sure of course. It wasn't that she was afraid exactly. She wasn't claustrophobic and she actually really liked exploring, even if the area was one marked with a giant Keep Out sign. It was more of a gut feeling that something was wrong with the area. She was the only one who seemed to feel this however, and she couldn't imagine that she would have better insight into a situation than either of the guys. "I'm good. I'll just take care of business and then maybe take a look around outside before I come in. You guys won't go far right?"

"No." Nahele shook his head and pulled his headlight from his pack. He didn't place it on his head however, instead letting it dangle around his neck. Myah followed suit. J had a small flashlight in his hand with a strap that he carefully looped around his wrist.

"Okay." Nahele said, giving her a little wave. "Make sure you bury it." He made an effort to speak seriously, but the little boy grin gave him away.

"Nahele, eww." Myah said, mortified.

J gave her a little bow. "Farting is such sweet sorrow."

"Okay, both of you, please go and leave me in peace."

"Don't you mean leave you in pee…"

Myah whirled away from the boys, trying to maintain her disgusted expression, but laughing in spite of herself. She was almost thankful to them for lightening the mood, but couldn't help but notice the emptiness once again when alone. She really did have to go to the bathroom and even though the solitude was uncomfortable she felt extremely vulnerable and took care of business as quickly as possible.

She had just re-adjusted her clothing, when another chill ran down her spine and simultaneously there came the crunch of a footstep. Her first thought was that Nahele and J had already abandoned their exploration, and she was about to call out when she caught a glimpse of a faded Hawaiian shirt from outside the fence. There was nowhere to hide. Myah held her breath and stayed crouched down, watching as the man awkwardly used a large pair of wire cutters to slice through the fence. Myah glanced at the watch still strapped to her backpack. No signal. She looked back at the man. He was pushing through the hole he'd made, loudly grunting as he did so.

Myah's heart started to pound when the man's shirt strained around his fleshy middle and revealed a glimpse of a pistol tucked into his waistband. The man let out a growl and Myah realized he'd seen the open door. Her heart sank when he awkwardly drew the pistol and holding it with both hands started swinging it around and his eyes landed on her. Her breath caught as they both froze in place. There was no way out behind her and there was no time to scramble back over the fence. Myah slowly lifted a hand in surrender and with the other swiped screens on her watch and pressed the panic button. She couldn't make a call but the button would alert Steve and every member of the team, as well as the police department as to her location.

"Hey I'm sorry. I just had to pee."

"Git over here!" the man yelled harshly.

Myah slowly stood, deliberately leaving her backpack on the ground. She had nothing to use a weapon and was trapped by the high fence all around her. Nahele and J were inside and she was terrified of them strolling back outside and getting shot. She desperately tried to think what Steve would do, but was realistic about her ability to disarm a man three times her size who looked nervous enough to shoot anything that moved.

She slowly walked towards the bunker entrance, trying to keep as much distance between herself and the man as she could. "Please don't shoot." she said, as loudly as she dared, while trying to keep her voice calm. "Please don't hurt me." She willed her voice to carry enough that the boys would be alerted that something was wrong.

"Shut up!" The man continued to wave the gun at her and Myah's throat went dry at the sight of his clearly itchy trigger finger. He pulled a walkie talkie off his belt and awkwardly switched it on. He grunted and began blathering on in a mixture of native Hawaiian and something else. Myah had picked up quite a bit of pidgin in her time on the island, but he was speaking too quickly and with such a heavy accent, she struggled to follow.

"Git inside!" He tucked the radio back onto his belt and began to move towards her.

Still wanting to keep her distance, Myah did the only thing she could think of and suddenly quickened her pace to step inside the bunker. She then turned and pushed with all her might to close the door behind her. The boom of a pistol at close range rang out and she knew it had hit the steel door. "Nahele!" she cried out, her voice echoing in the bunker.

"I'm here." Her brother was already next to her, throwing his weight back to keep the door shut. "Pull that latch!" There was just enough light from his headlamp that Myah could see the heavy latch that could be pulled down to keep the doors shut. She grabbed it and with a creak it slammed into place. Even with Nahele's headlamp the darkness was startling. Myah quickly flipped her own light on, thankful she had put it on prior to leaving her backpack.

"Are you ok?" Nahele tucked her tightly under one arm and Myah finally felt like she could breathe again. They could still hear the muffled sounds of angry yelling outside.

"Yeah. That was scary though. He was waving his gun around like an idiot. I was so afraid you and J were going to step out and startle him and get shot…" Myah shook her head, trying to forget the terrifying image. Steve's voice sounded in her head. If it didn't happen, don't worry about it. You're in the here and now. "Where is J?"

"Back here. Careful. There's an entry to a lava tube back here."

"Oh wow."

Nahele kept a tight grip on her upper arm as they carefully navigated their way through the tunnel. Boxes and barrels were stacked on either side and Myah gaped at the open hole as they passed.

"Why's he all the way back here?"

Nahele glanced down at her. "We found a girl. She was locked in a cage. J's getting her unlocked."

The news was shocking and at the same time it wasn't. After her run in with the angry man with the gun outside the bunker, it made sense there'd be something horrific inside. They found J kneeling on the ground inside a small alcove. He was furiously working on unscrewing the hinges on what looked like a large dog crate or cage. Myah's lips parted in shock to see a girl, a teenage girl, huddled inside.

"Oh my gosh." Myah quickly knelt down. She started to reach her hand through the cage wall, but without missing a beat, J slapped her hand away. Realizing that he probably didn't want it to collapse on her arm she didn't complain.

"What's your name? Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Ralena." the girl shivered. "I don't know. I don't even know how long I've been here."

"Myah, hold the roof so it doesn't collapse on her." J instructed briskly. He was all business and Myah saw that Nahele had left them and gone back to the main entrance. Lookout duty, she realized.

When they'd pulled the cage apart, J used his multi-tool to cut through the duct tape binding Ralena's wrists and ankles.

Myah couldn't imagine the cruelty of not only putting the girl in a cage but restraining her as well. She briefly traded glances with J and knew he shared her sentiment. The anger in his flashing eyes was barely contained. Ralena moaned.

"I don't know if I can walk." she whimpered. "I can barely feel my hands and feet."

Myah immediately started rubbing her feet. "J do you have a candy bar or anything in your bag? She's probably in shock and we need to get her blood sugar up." Myah was no savant but she'd listened to enough survival stories from Steve and Uncle Joe that she felt somewhat confident in what steps to take to care for the girl.

J dug through his backpack and handed her a Three Musketeers bar. Myah carefully supported Ralena from the back and gently encouraged her to take a bite. Nahele reappeared and he and J quickly conversed.

"There's got to be another way out." Nahele said. "Dad says bunkers always have at least two entrances. Myah can take Ralena and head that way to find it. There's at least two guys outside the door now. We'll take care of them J."

"Whoa what?" Myah asked. "They have guns, Nahele."

"Exactly. That's why we need to take care of them while we know where they are. Not sniping us as we get out the other side."

Myah gaped at him and then looked at J, although why she expected anything other than support for her brother's plan, she didn't know.

J was nodding in approval. "Can you stand?" he asked Ralena.

She whimpered and shrugged.

"We'll help you up." J said. He slid an arm underneath her arm pit and stood as though she weighed nothing.

"Come on." Nahele said to Myah. "Just like when we do sandbag or fireman's carry with dad."

There was no room for discussion of any other plan. "Okay." She gave her brother a meaningful look.

"Don't worry, little sister." Nahele had the nerve to smile.

Myah rolled her eyes and taking a deep breath, squatted and carefully lifted Ralene over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. She'd never thought she'd be thankful for the sandbag that Steve insisted she haul around, but here they were. Her headlamp was a good one, but it seemed very small in the pitch black. Myah took small steps, wary about stumbling into another hole or even possibly an explosive of sorts leftover from the war.

Myah held tightly to Ralena's thigh. The girl had started off clinging to her, but had gone limp and if not for an occasional sob, Myah would have thought she had passed out. Carrying a sandbag was not enjoyable but carrying a person was much harder. Walking into what was essentially a cave and an area that no human had inhabited in years went against everything in Myah, but she focused on the girl on her back and on what Nahele had told her to do. She also thought of the panic button she'd pushed on her watch outside and prayed that the signal would get through.

The sound of a commotion behind her suddenly echoed through the bunker and Myah flinched. There were shouts and the sound of scuffling and then a scream. The sound chilled Myah to the bone and it took a moment for her brain to process that the scream had not belonged to either of the boys.

Myah hesitated, unsure if she should continue on. Ralena moaned on her back and with new determination, she adjusted her hold on the girl and continued on. She suddenly caught a flash of metal ahead of her and lifting her head to take a more careful look, realized that she had reached a door that was hopefully the other exit. "Ralena we're almost there." she grunted. "It's going to be okay. I'm going to set you down so I can open the door." She said a quick prayer that she'd be able to open it from the inside. Ralena clung to her as she set her carefully down.

"Damn, you're strong." the girl said softly.

Myah flushed slightly at the compliment. "All adrenaline."

Suddenly the door was yanked open and Myah flinched at the light that poured in, temporarily blinded.

"Get down on the ground! Put your hands on your head!"

Instinct caused Myah to obey and she dropped to the ground, her eyes wide, as several police officers poured into the cave, guns drawn.

"Myah!"

Kono Kalakaua was suddenly next to her and Myah could not hide her relief. "Kono!"

Kono cupped her face. "Are you hurt, sweetie?"

"No, no I'm good. Ralena might be though."

Kono quickly turned her attention to the other girl who was full on sobbing at this point. The officer laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and quickly spoke into a radio, before asking, "Are Nahele and J here?"

Myah nodded. "There were two guys back that way. At least one of them had a gun. I don't know what's happened though. I heard one of them scream."

Kono spoke into her radio again and then said, "Help me get Ralena out of here."

They linked arms under Ralena's shoulders and slowly helped her move towards the door. Noting the ease in which Kono had said her name, Myah glanced over at the dark haired woman. "You know her name? You were looking for her?"

"Yeah. We knew she'd been kidnapped and tracked her location to vaguely this area." Kono shot Myah a quick smile. "When I got your emergency alert, we knew to converge on the bunker."

"You didn't think I'd just fallen off my bike?"

Kono's mouth quirked. "Nope. If you're going to explore a bunker, you don't do it on a bike."

"Touche."

It was a whirlwind of activity when they reached the outside of the bunker. Myah took the bottle of water from Kono and offered sips of water to Ralena. When Nahele and J exited the bunker themselves, Myah let out a huge sigh of relief. If she hadn't been supporting Ralena, she would have thrown herself at Nahele.

"Are you guys ok?"

"Of course, we are, no worries." Nahele crouched down next to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Better, now that Kono's here."

Two medics appeared with a stretcher and Myah stepped out of their way so they could attend to Ralena.

"She say anything?" Nahele asked, motioning to the girl being rapidly loaded onto the stretcher.

"No. I think she's still in shock. What happened to you guys? I heard a scream." Myah shivered at the all too recent memory.

"That was that dirtbag with the gun falling down the lava tube." J said, stepping in closer.

"Oh my gosh."

Nahele nodded. "He's still alive though. They're pulling him up now. We tackled the other guy and knocked him out."

"You tackled him!"

"We do play football." J said.

"I don't get why you didn't just leave them outside the bunker."

"We had to make sure you and Ralena had a clear shot." Nahele said, a little defensively. "We didn't know the cops were going to show up."

"Yeah, we do occasionally do our job." Danny Williams broke into the conversation.

Myah was immensely relieved to see him but immediately felt the weight of his disapproval.

"Seriously, whatever happened to video games and baseball? What is wrong with you guys?"

"Just trying to explore a little history, Uncle Danny." Nahele said.

"Do not get smart with me right now, young man."

Nahele flushed. He and Danny had grown close over the past few months with Danny having taken it upon himself to educate the teenager about baseball, specifically the history of the New York Mets. Myah knew that a reprimand from the detective would sting Nahele almost as much as it would coming from Steve.

J seemed to immediately pick up on this as well. "It's my fault, Detective Williams. It was my idea to go inside. You know Nahele's smarter than that."

"Yeah, what I know is that you've been calling me Danny for months now, and reverting back to Detective Williams is a sure sign you're guilty." Danny now included J in his glare.

Myah could see the bravado failing quickly in both boys and she felt her heart twist. "Uncle Danny?"

"What, MJ?"

Tentatively she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thanks for coming. I knew you'd come." She felt the detective relax a little and his arm tightened around her.

"Of course I came. I'll always come. Nahele, get in here!" He motioned with his other arm and pulled Nahele into the hug. "Jameson! Now!"

"Jameson?" Myah asked, feeling squished in the middle of the awkward and yet very welcome group hug. "I always forget that's your name."

J shrugged. "No one ever calls me that."

"Well, when I'm tempted to paddle all of you on the spot, you're getting your full name." Danny growled.

With that statement, Myah thought it best not to point out that he had used the initials nickname he'd given her.

"Young lady, I believe this belongs to you." Chin Ho Kelly exited the bunker at that moment and held up Myah's backpack.

"Thank you."

Chin shook his head at her and then gave her a quick side hug and kiss on the head. "I'm glad you're alright. I'm going to need you all to come back to the station to give statements about what happened. How'd you even get down here? That's a rough hike."

"We left our bikes back a ways." Nahele said, giving a vague motion in the direction. "We can get them and meet you at the station."

Chin shook his head. "I think you'd better just come with me and we'll get you a ride in the squad car."

"We can't leave our bikes." J protested.

"And my car." Nahele added.

Danny sighed. "I'll hike back with you. Even though that sounds like as much fun as a toothache, I'm not letting the three of you out of my sight. We'll meet you at the station, Chin."

"Copy." Chin held up a hand, stopping Nahele before he could speak. "No argument, Nahele. This was an incredibly dangerous situation."

Myah caught a glimpse of Lou Grover in the distance, which accounted for the majority of 5-0's members. "Uncle Chin, where's dad? Is he at the station?" She didn't miss the glance Chin and Danny shared.

"He and Catherine are on Kaho'olawe." Chin said. "They were following up on a lead and took a chopper out this morning. We're trying to get a hold of them. They'll be here soon."

"Oh, okay."

Steve always alerted them if he was going to leave the island, but Myah supposed his text must have come in while they were out of cell range. It wasn't until they had made the hike that had Danny cursing like a sailor, retrieved their bikes and were on their way to the police station that she decided to check her phone. There were several messages from Sam and Grace, as well as a message from a family friend named Ellie, but nothing from Steve. Even if it was out of character, not to mention against his own rules, for him not to have messaged them, it was nothing to worry about, Myah told herself. Regardless she was hit with an ache that wrapped around her very core and she suddenly wished more than anything that she was safe in Steve's arms. She desperately wanted to feel him crush her against his chest and tell her that it was going to be okay and that she was safe. It was silly as she was surrounded by three other people that loved her, but none of those people were Steve. Myah curled up into a ball and a small tear escaped down her cheek. It wasn't cold but she still shivered.

J was riding in the backseat with her and he reached over to place a hand onto her shoulder. "Myah. Myah, it's okay." he said softly.

"I know. I just want Dad."

H50 H50 H50

Author's note: Hey 5-0 fam, hope you're having a great week. I'm gearing up for sister in law's wedding but I'll try to find time to write, as you guys are simply the best, and I love that you love this family too. This chapter is loosely based on components from S2 E12 Alaheo Pau'ole as well as S8 E20 He Lokomalika'i Ka Manu O Kaiona.