H50 Fic: Mahalo part 11 of 15
Huaka'i (Journey)
Chapter 11
Disclaimers and spoilers as before.
**
Everything is in place, the coastguard will be there in support and they have the 4 ships they know they need to look for. The Governor has also arranged HPD support if needed from the island. It's a race against time though, Chin knows this. Which is why he's beginning to resent the amount of time it's taking Joe White to make the 15 minute journey to the port. It's 45 minutes since Kono spoke to him and they ran out of patience 15 minutes ago.
He's about to say to Kono that they should abandon the attempt to speak to him and just get on with the task at hand when he sees a cab pull up and Joe jump out of it, a backpack resting on one shoulder. He looks around him looking for Chin and Kono and once he spots Chin, he does a small wave and runs to them.
Just as Kono's about to open her mouth, Joe speaks 'I have a feeling what you want to talk to me about and I know that I owe you all an explanation, there'll be time I promise to tell you all you need to know' he pauses as if trying to work out what he should be saying now 'Thing is our priority is Steve and getting to him, and I have a feeling if he is with Wo Fat that he needs to hear it too which means you'll probably be in the vicinity, I also know you're probably wondering now whether you can trust me and that's a good question' He takes a deep breath. 'I can't answer that, only you both know but I promise I only have one goal today and that's to save Steve, after that I don't care what happens'.
Kono's biting her lip as if in deep thought, her gaze at Joe is intense but at no point does his eye contact dip. She looks to her left at Chin who meets her eyes and raises her eyebrows in question. There's a very brief imperceptible nod between them and Kono nods this time more emphatically.
'I think Steve trusts you, and under the circumstances we have to go with what we've got, rest assured however, you do anything that puts him under threat, I'll drop kick you into the ocean and feed you to the sharks'. She's smiling as she says this but Joe's in no doubt she will.
There's a brief pause and silence before Chin breaks it up 'Come on guys, we need to go get our man'.
And they move.
**
The torture has been going on for well over an hour when it finally stops. Wo Fat removes the tape from his eyes which he'd used to keep his eyes open while he held the blow torch perilously close to them and there's a bizarre but sickening moment as he touches Steve's face with his hand and lightly touches his shoulder. Perhaps he's hallucinated this. He hears rather than sees Wo Fat leave. Steve's eyes are now red raw and the pain and discomfort from them are doing battle with all of his other injuries. As he's removed from the chair by one of the men who is working for Wo Fat and left to stand on his own, his legs support for all of a couple of seconds and he crashes to the floor in a heap. The pain brought on by this movement is massive and he lets out a small whimper. He's never before wished that he could die and he's not quite at that stage, but the very fact that he's thinking of it at all as a possibility is terrifying for him.
As he struggles to move into the corner, the man laughs and starts slapping his face, he can't move away fast enough and he feels completely humiliated at being some kind of figure of fun and amusement for these men. He thinks of when he'll be able to laugh at them. For the first time that day, he smiles to himself or at least tries to before the pain of moving his lips and any part of his body causes him to give up and lose consciousness.
**
It's hard to say now what hurts most, his leg or his head. So to take his mind off it, his ribs have begun to hurt like a bitch. And it doesn't just take him by surprise, the first sign of trouble began shortly after he'd finished his call with Chin. Rachel has been supportive but she can't even begin to understand the worry he's going through. Well okay, she probably could given their daughter had been in hospital just hours before, but this worry was like a nagging and dull ache. Or at least had begun like one before it had escalated into an actual excruciating pain.
He'd gone to cough after a piece of ice had gone down the wrong way and the pain he'd suffered had taken his breath away, almost literally. When he felt he couldn't move or take another breath, his panic levels had arisen and he'd fumbled around for the call button for the nurses but in his panic had lost it so with the room beginning to fade away in his panic and black patches in his eyes again for the second time in hours, he frantically knocked the water bottle and the glass next to it onto the floor, hoping it would be enough to alert the nurse team, he went back to the job of attempting to breathe again.
The nurses station was busy at that time of night and there would have been no way they'd have heard the noise as loud as it seemed in Danny's room. It was just sheer luck that meant that Nurse Tucker had been passing by on her way to look in on another patient. She'd thought nothing of it initially but her training had taught her not to overlook any signs of trouble, large or small so she pushed the door open gently and quietly in an attempt to not wake him should he be asleep.
As soon as she opened the door it became clear there was a problem, Mr Williams appeared to be having trouble breathing and as she approached the bed, she had a fair idea of what was going on. Broken rib or ribs apparently. She'd seen enough of this kind of event after a car smash to know that it could show itself immediately but on occasion, later.
Pressing the call button, she holds his left hand 'Mr Williams, if you can hear me, we're going to get you fixed okay, I just need you to concentrate on breathing okay, just take some slow breaths. I promise you'll be okay so please try not to panic'.
Reaching behind the bed, she pulls the mask over and presses some buttons and lifts the mask onto his face. 'You should start to feel better soon' she says as a colleague moves fast into the room. She speaks softly but quickly 'I was walking by the room, heard a sound like a crash' gesturing towards the broken glass. 'I think he has a broken rib or ribs, and possible pneumothorax you need to call Dr Peabody, we need a chest xray quickly in case it is'.
Her colleague nods and runs out the room to page Dr Peabody while Claudia Tucker continues to softly reassure Danny that he'll be okay. Meanwhile Danny is aware of activity finally in the area and the possibility of help, he can hear a woman's voice but isn't really aware of what's going on, he feels something move over his face and almost immediately, he feels a little better but so groggy and tired, in his mind and in the confusion, he's frantically telling himself not to sleep, the team need his help, his body doesn't listen and he fades to unconsciousness.
**
The conditions are good on the sea and it's actually a very good thing as the boat is anything but modern and every roll of a wave feels like they're about to be swept away. Kono loves the sea and is used to waves but even she begins to feel queasy.
The Skipper of the Makemake is Darryl Johnstone, originally from Kentucky, he'd joined the US Navy years before but had grown tired of conflict and the need to respect his superiors so had set up a fishing business in Hawaii. He'd not looked back since, at least until he discovered the joys of the drink. Now it had been a good 6 months since he'd fished in this boat, so he'd grasped his old buddy Kamekona's opportunity with both hands. A chance to Skipper again, and with a bit of added excitement thrown in.
On his boat were just three other people and yet from what he'd heard this mission was loaded and fraught with danger, he therefore hadn't been surprised when 3 boats from the US coastguard had begun to tail them, at a distance but within a minute of them if required.
He's been given locations for the 4 boats, 3 of which are in fairly close proximity to each other so having monitored the boats for the last hour or so and them showing no signs of moving fast, they head for the isolated boat.
The boat is 5 minutes away. He looks at the 3 people on his. They've been preparing for what's ahead quietly and purposefully since they set off. They've barely spoken and seem intent and full of concentration on what's ahead. The woman speaks to both men suddenly and they check their guns once, before passing them to each other to be checked. Apparently, nothing is to be left to chance.
The final task is to each put on a vest. 'Skip' the woman says. 'You may want to take this, they won't give up easy'. She hands him the spare vest and the magnitude of what's to come becomes ever clearer. He nods gratefully and slips the vest on quickly, allowing her to zip up the Velcro where it's needed. He thanks her and she moves back to the 2 men's side.
'Officer Kelly' comes the voice over the ship radio. It's the Captain of the USCGC Walnut, Captain Murray. 'We make that the first vessel is approximately 8 nautical miles over, we should be seeing it shortly'.
Chin looks over to Kono and Joe who are listening in. They nod. 'Copy that, we're ready to go as agreed'.
'We'll be right behind ya, god speed guys, go get him back'. Chin thanks Captain Murray and they move.
Soon on the horizon the vessel, Ray of Sunshine, appears. If you were to ask Chin at that moment if the thinks that this is the boat holding McGarrett, he'd say 'wait and see' but in his heart he know it's not . They carry on though, willing himself to be wrong.
It's a quiet approach but one that they know full well that if the vessel is holding Wo Fat and McGarrett will be noticed quickly so time and stealth is of the essence. Johnstone turns off the engines a safe distance away and silently wishes the men and woman luck. They leave the boat on a small rubber boat which it takes Joe 5 minutes to get them to the edge of the Ray of Sunshine. They nod at one another and as arranged Chin clicks the button on his walkie talkie twice and they move as one onto the boat.
The boat is completely silent, and they move through the deck quickly and efficiently, as Kono moves forward, she approaches the bow of the ship and where the captain should be. She hears breathing, it appears to be just one person but she's careful and as she gently turns the handle, there's a shout and at the same time she yells 'H50 put down your weapons and put your hands where I can see them'.
The man is asleep and at the rude awakening the coffee on his lap goes everywhere and he lets out a curse and a mild shriek at the sight of some crazy woman with a gun. 'What the freaking hell you talking about lady, I ain't got no guns, I ain't got nuttin' on this boat, why do ya think I'm asleep crazy bitch'.
She shouts Chin's and Joe but doesn't lower her gun. 'What's your name and why haven't you registered with the Coastguard'.
He pales slightly. 'My name's Joshua Amato, I didn't register cos I don't have a permit here, okay, now please let me go and I promise I'll sail right away'. He pleads not quite believing the fuss created by not having a permit.
From a distance, Kono hears Joe firstly shouting 'Clear' followed by Chin and she sighs, putting her gun away.
Chin and Joe enter the small room and both shake their heads. They leave quickly, no longer interested and whether he has 10 permits or none at all, they leave with Kono issuing a brief warning to be away from these waters quick.
They're frustrated but Chin knows it was too good to hope this would be THE boat, so they get back onto the Makemake and set off again.
It takes another hour to establish that the Renazzio and the Fisherman are both what they claim to be, and again they're sent packing and told to get a permit or else.
This leaves 2 vessels, both of which are within 3 minutes of one another. It's crossed Chin's mind briefly before but it's more relevant now so he calls Chin and Kono to the front of the ship where he radios the other vessels.
'This is Officer Kelly, let's just say that Wo Fat wanted a distraction, some back up. He'd choose another boat, right?' Kono's eyes widen as do Joe's but Joe's expression quickly turns to one of agreement. 'If it's true, we have to assume there are hostiles on both boats and that if we pick the wrong one first, Steve will die by the time we get a chance to move to the second boat, and that's assuming the second boat isn't out of our waters by then'.
Captain Murray''s voice comes over. 'I read you loud and clear and I concur, we'll go with your instinct Kelly, it's proven right so far'.
Chin speaks briefly over the radio and confirms he'll speak again shortly. 'What do we think guys' he says to his companions.
'There are 2 boats right?' Joe says 'One is bigger than the other, I think he would think that we'd assume that he'd be in the smaller boat, a little less obvious, well I think he thought that and they're in the bigger boat'.
Chin nods briefly and looks across at Kono. They know the implications if they get it wrong.
He pulls the radio out again and they agree. It's five minutes away. They move.
**
On the Moonraker, it's quiet and Wo Fat is deep in discussion with the Captain of the ship, the plans for the next days are to move quietly with no sign of hurry but to progress nevertheless. The progress they're making so far is tiring and debilitating for all concerned but the entire crew suffer it gladly, the reward is beyond measure. Meanwhile Wo Fat is growing tired again of the games he believes McGarrett appears to be insistent on playing. He has good plans for him the next hours. It will be his last chance.
**
Steve is dreaming again. But this time, he dreams of his Ohana, and they're smiling and he hears the words disbelieving but at the same time he'll cling onto any old hope he can 'We're coming for you' say the words. In his sleep he smiles, he believes them.
A/N: Makemake means Desire.
Chapter 11
Disclaimers and spoilers as before.
**
Everything is in place, the coastguard will be there in support and they have the 4 ships they know they need to look for. The Governor has also arranged HPD support if needed from the island. It's a race against time though, Chin knows this. Which is why he's beginning to resent the amount of time it's taking Joe White to make the 15 minute journey to the port. It's 45 minutes since Kono spoke to him and they ran out of patience 15 minutes ago.
He's about to say to Kono that they should abandon the attempt to speak to him and just get on with the task at hand when he sees a cab pull up and Joe jump out of it, a backpack resting on one shoulder. He looks around him looking for Chin and Kono and once he spots Chin, he does a small wave and runs to them.
Just as Kono's about to open her mouth, Joe speaks 'I have a feeling what you want to talk to me about and I know that I owe you all an explanation, there'll be time I promise to tell you all you need to know' he pauses as if trying to work out what he should be saying now 'Thing is our priority is Steve and getting to him, and I have a feeling if he is with Wo Fat that he needs to hear it too which means you'll probably be in the vicinity, I also know you're probably wondering now whether you can trust me and that's a good question' He takes a deep breath. 'I can't answer that, only you both know but I promise I only have one goal today and that's to save Steve, after that I don't care what happens'.
Kono's biting her lip as if in deep thought, her gaze at Joe is intense but at no point does his eye contact dip. She looks to her left at Chin who meets her eyes and raises her eyebrows in question. There's a very brief imperceptible nod between them and Kono nods this time more emphatically.
'I think Steve trusts you, and under the circumstances we have to go with what we've got, rest assured however, you do anything that puts him under threat, I'll drop kick you into the ocean and feed you to the sharks'. She's smiling as she says this but Joe's in no doubt she will.
There's a brief pause and silence before Chin breaks it up 'Come on guys, we need to go get our man'.
And they move.
**
The torture has been going on for well over an hour when it finally stops. Wo Fat removes the tape from his eyes which he'd used to keep his eyes open while he held the blow torch perilously close to them and there's a bizarre but sickening moment as he touches Steve's face with his hand and lightly touches his shoulder. Perhaps he's hallucinated this. He hears rather than sees Wo Fat leave. Steve's eyes are now red raw and the pain and discomfort from them are doing battle with all of his other injuries. As he's removed from the chair by one of the men who is working for Wo Fat and left to stand on his own, his legs support for all of a couple of seconds and he crashes to the floor in a heap. The pain brought on by this movement is massive and he lets out a small whimper. He's never before wished that he could die and he's not quite at that stage, but the very fact that he's thinking of it at all as a possibility is terrifying for him.
As he struggles to move into the corner, the man laughs and starts slapping his face, he can't move away fast enough and he feels completely humiliated at being some kind of figure of fun and amusement for these men. He thinks of when he'll be able to laugh at them. For the first time that day, he smiles to himself or at least tries to before the pain of moving his lips and any part of his body causes him to give up and lose consciousness.
**
It's hard to say now what hurts most, his leg or his head. So to take his mind off it, his ribs have begun to hurt like a bitch. And it doesn't just take him by surprise, the first sign of trouble began shortly after he'd finished his call with Chin. Rachel has been supportive but she can't even begin to understand the worry he's going through. Well okay, she probably could given their daughter had been in hospital just hours before, but this worry was like a nagging and dull ache. Or at least had begun like one before it had escalated into an actual excruciating pain.
He'd gone to cough after a piece of ice had gone down the wrong way and the pain he'd suffered had taken his breath away, almost literally. When he felt he couldn't move or take another breath, his panic levels had arisen and he'd fumbled around for the call button for the nurses but in his panic had lost it so with the room beginning to fade away in his panic and black patches in his eyes again for the second time in hours, he frantically knocked the water bottle and the glass next to it onto the floor, hoping it would be enough to alert the nurse team, he went back to the job of attempting to breathe again.
The nurses station was busy at that time of night and there would have been no way they'd have heard the noise as loud as it seemed in Danny's room. It was just sheer luck that meant that Nurse Tucker had been passing by on her way to look in on another patient. She'd thought nothing of it initially but her training had taught her not to overlook any signs of trouble, large or small so she pushed the door open gently and quietly in an attempt to not wake him should he be asleep.
As soon as she opened the door it became clear there was a problem, Mr Williams appeared to be having trouble breathing and as she approached the bed, she had a fair idea of what was going on. Broken rib or ribs apparently. She'd seen enough of this kind of event after a car smash to know that it could show itself immediately but on occasion, later.
Pressing the call button, she holds his left hand 'Mr Williams, if you can hear me, we're going to get you fixed okay, I just need you to concentrate on breathing okay, just take some slow breaths. I promise you'll be okay so please try not to panic'.
Reaching behind the bed, she pulls the mask over and presses some buttons and lifts the mask onto his face. 'You should start to feel better soon' she says as a colleague moves fast into the room. She speaks softly but quickly 'I was walking by the room, heard a sound like a crash' gesturing towards the broken glass. 'I think he has a broken rib or ribs, and possible pneumothorax you need to call Dr Peabody, we need a chest xray quickly in case it is'.
Her colleague nods and runs out the room to page Dr Peabody while Claudia Tucker continues to softly reassure Danny that he'll be okay. Meanwhile Danny is aware of activity finally in the area and the possibility of help, he can hear a woman's voice but isn't really aware of what's going on, he feels something move over his face and almost immediately, he feels a little better but so groggy and tired, in his mind and in the confusion, he's frantically telling himself not to sleep, the team need his help, his body doesn't listen and he fades to unconsciousness.
**
The conditions are good on the sea and it's actually a very good thing as the boat is anything but modern and every roll of a wave feels like they're about to be swept away. Kono loves the sea and is used to waves but even she begins to feel queasy.
The Skipper of the Makemake is Darryl Johnstone, originally from Kentucky, he'd joined the US Navy years before but had grown tired of conflict and the need to respect his superiors so had set up a fishing business in Hawaii. He'd not looked back since, at least until he discovered the joys of the drink. Now it had been a good 6 months since he'd fished in this boat, so he'd grasped his old buddy Kamekona's opportunity with both hands. A chance to Skipper again, and with a bit of added excitement thrown in.
On his boat were just three other people and yet from what he'd heard this mission was loaded and fraught with danger, he therefore hadn't been surprised when 3 boats from the US coastguard had begun to tail them, at a distance but within a minute of them if required.
He's been given locations for the 4 boats, 3 of which are in fairly close proximity to each other so having monitored the boats for the last hour or so and them showing no signs of moving fast, they head for the isolated boat.
The boat is 5 minutes away. He looks at the 3 people on his. They've been preparing for what's ahead quietly and purposefully since they set off. They've barely spoken and seem intent and full of concentration on what's ahead. The woman speaks to both men suddenly and they check their guns once, before passing them to each other to be checked. Apparently, nothing is to be left to chance.
The final task is to each put on a vest. 'Skip' the woman says. 'You may want to take this, they won't give up easy'. She hands him the spare vest and the magnitude of what's to come becomes ever clearer. He nods gratefully and slips the vest on quickly, allowing her to zip up the Velcro where it's needed. He thanks her and she moves back to the 2 men's side.
'Officer Kelly' comes the voice over the ship radio. It's the Captain of the USCGC Walnut, Captain Murray. 'We make that the first vessel is approximately 8 nautical miles over, we should be seeing it shortly'.
Chin looks over to Kono and Joe who are listening in. They nod. 'Copy that, we're ready to go as agreed'.
'We'll be right behind ya, god speed guys, go get him back'. Chin thanks Captain Murray and they move.
Soon on the horizon the vessel, Ray of Sunshine, appears. If you were to ask Chin at that moment if the thinks that this is the boat holding McGarrett, he'd say 'wait and see' but in his heart he know it's not . They carry on though, willing himself to be wrong.
It's a quiet approach but one that they know full well that if the vessel is holding Wo Fat and McGarrett will be noticed quickly so time and stealth is of the essence. Johnstone turns off the engines a safe distance away and silently wishes the men and woman luck. They leave the boat on a small rubber boat which it takes Joe 5 minutes to get them to the edge of the Ray of Sunshine. They nod at one another and as arranged Chin clicks the button on his walkie talkie twice and they move as one onto the boat.
The boat is completely silent, and they move through the deck quickly and efficiently, as Kono moves forward, she approaches the bow of the ship and where the captain should be. She hears breathing, it appears to be just one person but she's careful and as she gently turns the handle, there's a shout and at the same time she yells 'H50 put down your weapons and put your hands where I can see them'.
The man is asleep and at the rude awakening the coffee on his lap goes everywhere and he lets out a curse and a mild shriek at the sight of some crazy woman with a gun. 'What the freaking hell you talking about lady, I ain't got no guns, I ain't got nuttin' on this boat, why do ya think I'm asleep crazy bitch'.
She shouts Chin's and Joe but doesn't lower her gun. 'What's your name and why haven't you registered with the Coastguard'.
He pales slightly. 'My name's Joshua Amato, I didn't register cos I don't have a permit here, okay, now please let me go and I promise I'll sail right away'. He pleads not quite believing the fuss created by not having a permit.
From a distance, Kono hears Joe firstly shouting 'Clear' followed by Chin and she sighs, putting her gun away.
Chin and Joe enter the small room and both shake their heads. They leave quickly, no longer interested and whether he has 10 permits or none at all, they leave with Kono issuing a brief warning to be away from these waters quick.
They're frustrated but Chin knows it was too good to hope this would be THE boat, so they get back onto the Makemake and set off again.
It takes another hour to establish that the Renazzio and the Fisherman are both what they claim to be, and again they're sent packing and told to get a permit or else.
This leaves 2 vessels, both of which are within 3 minutes of one another. It's crossed Chin's mind briefly before but it's more relevant now so he calls Chin and Kono to the front of the ship where he radios the other vessels.
'This is Officer Kelly, let's just say that Wo Fat wanted a distraction, some back up. He'd choose another boat, right?' Kono's eyes widen as do Joe's but Joe's expression quickly turns to one of agreement. 'If it's true, we have to assume there are hostiles on both boats and that if we pick the wrong one first, Steve will die by the time we get a chance to move to the second boat, and that's assuming the second boat isn't out of our waters by then'.
Captain Murray''s voice comes over. 'I read you loud and clear and I concur, we'll go with your instinct Kelly, it's proven right so far'.
Chin speaks briefly over the radio and confirms he'll speak again shortly. 'What do we think guys' he says to his companions.
'There are 2 boats right?' Joe says 'One is bigger than the other, I think he would think that we'd assume that he'd be in the smaller boat, a little less obvious, well I think he thought that and they're in the bigger boat'.
Chin nods briefly and looks across at Kono. They know the implications if they get it wrong.
He pulls the radio out again and they agree. It's five minutes away. They move.
**
On the Moonraker, it's quiet and Wo Fat is deep in discussion with the Captain of the ship, the plans for the next days are to move quietly with no sign of hurry but to progress nevertheless. The progress they're making so far is tiring and debilitating for all concerned but the entire crew suffer it gladly, the reward is beyond measure. Meanwhile Wo Fat is growing tired again of the games he believes McGarrett appears to be insistent on playing. He has good plans for him the next hours. It will be his last chance.
**
Steve is dreaming again. But this time, he dreams of his Ohana, and they're smiling and he hears the words disbelieving but at the same time he'll cling onto any old hope he can 'We're coming for you' say the words. In his sleep he smiles, he believes them.
A/N: Makemake means Desire.