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"Oh, come on, cuz, you can't tell me you've never had a celebrity crush," Kono chuckled, glancing toward her older cousin with a teasing grin. Chin gave her a sidelong look, his expression as calm as ever.
"I don't waste my time on that kind of thing," he said smoothly. Kono shook her head in amusement, the wind tugging at her hair as she struggled to tie it back into a ponytail.
"You're such a buzzkill. Let me guess—your dream date is probably someone sensible, like a librarian or—oh, I know—a botanist."
Chin's lips twitched into a subtle smirk, but he didn't take the bait. Kono laughed and finally managed to secure her hair. They'd made a quick pit stop earlier at her place to get changed.
She now wore some more convenient clothes, washed-out jeans and a simple top, with the badge and her weapon clipped to her belt she looked again much more like her usual kick-ass self.
She smiled as she recalled the compliments thrown her way when she'd walked in to the office earlier. Danny always had a way of making her feel good about herself, right from the first day she'd met him on the beach. The memory coupled together with the friendly teasing of her cousin had her feeling joyful despite being called in to work and having her date with Adam cut short.
She finished tying up her hair just as they pulled up to the unassuming house in the middle of the street.
The first lead they'd followed at the Mililani warehouse had been a bust, at least on the surface. The warehouse appeared abandoned, with no obvious signs of stolen electronics or illegal activity. But a search of the office had turned up a crumpled delivery receipt from a rental company tied to the trucks Steve and Danny were investigating. The address on the receipt led them to their current location: an unassuming house in the middle of a quiet residential street.
"This doesn't scream 'major theft ring,'" Kono muttered as Chin pulled the car to a stop.
"Exactly why it's worth checking out," Chin replied, shutting off the engine.
Kono stepped out of the car, her sharp eyes scanning the street. The house didn't have much curb appeal—peeling paint, an overgrown lawn, and a broken-down mailbox. It was the kind of place that wouldn't draw attention, making it the perfect spot for someone looking to stay under the radar.
Looking towards the house she was considering the approach her and her cousin would take in questioning whoever might be inside. The sound of Chin's phone ringing pulled her from her thoughts and she heard him greeting Danny as he was coming around the car to her side of the street. The mention of Danny again brought a smile to her face.
Chin's suddenly alarmed demeanor however quickly wiped it from her face and she listened in as Chin switched over to speaker.
"Chin, listen," she heard Danny's unsteady voice and her heart quickened. She remained riveted while Danny quickly outlined their messy situation to his teammates.
Kono reached for her phone, jumping in to action to call in for HPD assistance. With a determined look, Chin and Kono climbed back into the car, the quiet residential street forgotten as their focus turned to the urgent rescue ahead.
"I think I might be able to free us, but Steve is still unconscious and except for his jackknife we are totally unarmed," Danny breathlessly finished his explanations.
"We'll be there as soon as possible and Kono has already called HPD for backup," Chin quickly assured his friend while he started up the car.
"Hurry up," Danny begged but then he paused. "I think they're coming back," he whispered. Kono's stomach tightened, and she saw the same concern reflected in Chin's face. "I need to hang up, I'll try to call again,"
The call ended, leaving a heavy silence between Chin and Kono.
Kono watched Chin grip the steering wheel tightly, weaving through the dense traffic with urgency. The siren wailed, scattering pedestrians and cars alike as they raced towards the airport.
Kono stared out the window, jaw clenched, her mind already on the scene they were speeding towards.
"We're almost there," Chin called out, his voice tight with anticipation. Kono nodded, her gaze flickering back to her cousin before returning to the road ahead. Every second felt like an eternity as they inched closer to the airport. Knowing Danny desperately needed them. She was hoping and praying that he could take care of himself and Steve, but also fearing what that might take.
Replaying the last brief urgent phone call in her mind...
She had hated admitting to Danny that they were close yet still so far away. She'd asked if he was OK, he hadn't answered but she knew he wasn't. She'd heard it in his voice, in the desperation laced with pain. He was trying to mask it but she picked up on it instantly. Then, "I'll do whatever it takes..." his last words before they were cut off again.
Those words relentlessly rattled around her brain. 'I'll do whatever it takes', What would it take? Would it be too much? What would they find? Were they okay? They had to be ok right?
She again turned to hoping that they'd reach their friends in time.
They pulled into the airport, arriving first but closely followed by a barrage of HPD blue. Chin slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the asphalt.
Kono leapt out of the car, quickly grabbing their gear from the trunk and sprinted towards the storage area. Red and blue lights danced off the metal buildings, casting an eerie glow over the scene. Every desire urged her to rush in but years of training caused her to instinctively slow down as they reached the door to assess the situation.
Two simultaneous but distinctive gunshots rang out, spurring them into action. Instinct once again took over, this time to catapult her forward and they burst through the door, weapons drawn, senses on high alert.
Kono systematically yet quickly made her way through the labyrinth of boxes and crates. She heard the shouts of HPD all around, she herself calling out identifying herself as being with Five-O. Hoping to dissuade any perps from taking any further action and hoping that they weren't too late.
But all her hope deflated as she came around the next set of boxes.
The scene that greeted her was a tableau of chaos and violence. A body lay motionless nearby, a gun lay near his lifeless hand. She glanced briefly to the left of the expired man, to see her boss lying unconscious.
Noting that Chin was moving to check on Steve, Kono allowed her priority to remain focused forward. Her eyes trailed down the crimson streak marring the crates, to what had really captured her attention. A figure lay slumped against the crates, blood pooling beneath him. Her heart lurched in her chest as she recognized Danny's familiar frame. His blood-stained shirt a stark contrast against the grimy crates.
Kono's stomach churned with a sickening mix of fear and anger as she assessed the extent of Danny's injuries. She was slightly startled when he turned to look at her and murmered something inaudible.
"We need some help over here" she yelled out, her voice choked with emotion as Danny waved off her concern for him, instead attempting to direct her attention towards Steve.
"We know, it's ok, their checking him out now he's fine" Chin swooped in with the timely update.
"Good... that's goo..." his words trailed off. Kono watched Danny give in to the pull of darkness having now been assured of Steve's safety. With hands trembling she reached in to apply pressure to Danny's wounds, hating the cry of pain that her actions elicited. But knowing it was necessary to help her dying friend.
"Hey, hey, hey hey, shhh it's OK, It'll be ok" Danny tried to assure her. But she knew better. His blood continued to seep through her fingers and he was trying to convince her that all would be ok.
Tears stung her eyes, her mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions. The sight of her friend lying battered and broken filled Kono with a profound sense of helplessness and despair.
"I need help over here!" She yelled out again. And then she watched as he slipped into unconsciousness. His chest ceased to rise and fall, tears began to stream down her face
"No no no no. Hang in there Danny" she whispered hoarsely, tears streaming down her face. Chin, who'd been applying pressure to Danny's other wounds moved to check for a pulse. Sharing a knowing glance with his cousin when he found none.
"No" Kono yelled out this time "no" she said again as she moved in to start chest compressions, her slick hands adding to the tapestry of blood stains on Danny's shirt. She was frantic to not let this be reality.
Kono moved back from Danny when the EMT's hurried to his side. She watched wide eyed as they quickly cut his shirt open revealing a mottled array of bruising. Unfazed, one paramedic hastily placed gel pads on Danny's body while the other forced oxygen into his starved lungs waiting for the defibrillator to charge.
"He's in V-Fib, charged to two hundred. Clear!"
Kono jolted, as though the voltage had coursed through her body. Her brain fought to comprehend the reality of what she was witnessing. Danny's body stiffened and his hands jerked, and then fell limp again.
She felt a squeeze on her arm and looked up to see Chin offering her support. She took it, gratefully burying her face in his shoulder. She heard the EMT call out again.
"Still V-Fib, charging to three hundred. Clear!" She couldn't stop from looking even though it tore at her heart. Again, Danny's body stiffened and then went limp. Kono held her breath.
"Come on, Danny," she murmured. "Come on..."
"I'm getting a normal sinus rhythm, fast, but steady," the EMT reported and what felt like a huge weighted sigh was released from the two cousins.
Within moments, Danny was hooked up to a monitor and IV to try and counter the blood loss. The EMT's quickly took stock of the injuries they were dealing with, listing them off as they went. Kono tried to absorb it and piece together what had happened. She felt overwhelmed by the gravity of what Danny must have gone through. "What.. how?.." her brain struggled to come up with answers as to how the day had turned so terribly wrong.
She was pulled from her thoughts as Danny was strapped to a gurney and moving. The paramedics moving along side with well practiced ease but also a strong undercurrent of urgency. Chin nudged her. "You go... go with him. I'll stay here and try to sort this all out"
She gratefully accepted Chin's proposal and practically leapt out of her trance in order to catch up and follow along.
Chin's steely gaze followed the harried group out the door. It was clear to see that Kono was the one that needed to go with Danny but it didn't make staying behind any easier.
Worry weighed heavily on him but he also knew that someone had to stay behind. Steve would wake soon and he would want, no scratch that he would need answers. He watched as Steve was also brought out by a second set of EMTs, a little less hurriedly than his partner had been.
Chin cared deeply for both men. Danny and Steve had given him the break he needed, without them he'd be nothing. Chin had never discussed it with him but he knew how adamantly Danny had been one of his biggest defenders against the HPD in those early years of his tenure with Five-O. He'd never shared just how grateful he was for that support.
With a deep sigh he turned in to the building and set to work.
To Be Continued
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