So, I've been working on this little fic for a while now, ever since I posted my last H50 one shot Haole. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, you're all amazing! You made me feel right at home in this new 'verse that I just cannot get enough of. I was hoping to have this finished before the season finale, but alas, I have two jobs at the moment and not a lot of down time. How about those last few episodes, though, huh? Fantastic!

Now, this story is finished but I had no beta of my own. Thus all mistakes are my own and I apologize in advance for them. There'll be about six or seven chapters in all and I'll try and have a new chapter up every couple of days. Like I said, I have very little down time right now so update duration may vary. I hope you all enjoy it as I had a lot of fun in writing it!

Warning: Post 2.11 Pahele, so it will contain details from the show up to that point. Also, here be swearing! They're adults; it's a common practice.

Disclaimer: I do not, in any uncertain terms, lay claim to Hawaii Five-0 or its characters. I don't even own shares within CBS. All I am guilty of is enjoying sexy men running around with guns, shooting perps and blowing shit up with grenades. I write for the sole purpose of pleasure, not profit.

If anyone were to ask Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett just two years ago what one term he would use to describe himself, he would say without a doubt that he was self aware. He knew who he was as a person, as a man and where he thought he fit into the 'grand scheme of things'. He was first and foremost a soldier; forged in Annapolis, folded in Naval Intelligence, sharpened in his BUD's class and polished with the SEAL's into the razor sharp weapon his country expected him to be. He was powerful in both mind and muscle, someone who could think on his feet when the job demanded it of him and strong enough to finish what he started. Complete the mission at any cost, leave no man behind, Semper Fi. It was these traits that had allowed him to transition so well into the cop he now was when the governor had created his special task force, even as he realized how much paperwork went into being a police officer. He was also grateful for his training during Hell Week that taught him the importance of endurance and patience, though he still gruelled over the challenge of the latter on a daily basis; it helped him deal with the man that was his partner, at least to a certain extent. When it came to Detective Danny Williams, both were a prerequisite.

Before his father had been murdered he had always figured, and been aware of the fact, that he would no doubt spend the remainder of his life in the service. Two Irish arms dealers and a bullet later, he couldn't imagine himself without his Five-0 teammates. It was odd how one moment in your life could send your entire being into a tailspin. First it had been his mother's death that triggered his path in life with military, shaping him into the man he was. Then with the killing of his father he had gone from a commanding officer in the United States Navy SEAL's to the head of a specialized task force with the Honolulu Police Department and the state of Hawaii. Strange how things worked out sometimes whether you wanted them to or not.

Now if you asked him how he would describe himself, he didn't know if he could honestly answer the question. During his time back on the islands, his views of himself and the world had either come into question or had been flipped on its head. Yes, he was still conscious of himself on a physical and mental level, but he was no longer in the service, no longer a SEAL, no longer a man who could turn to his father for advice. And he no longer felt so horribly alone in the world. His teammates with the SEAL's had been close with one another, as all teams do that enter the fray of battle: with no one but the men on your six there watching your back, you better damn well trust them. With Five-0, there was such a closeness and a connection that went deeper than just being a team, they were family. They were Ohana, and he did not use that term lightly.

Kono Kalakaua had him rethinking his views on strength. When he had first laid eyes on her, he had had his doubts. A rookie with no experience, and someone so physically small he worried she would break if anyone got too close. Her huge reservoir of emotional strength, as well as her killer roundhouse, continued to prove him wrong every day. He also envied no one who got on her bad side.

Chin Ho Kelly was a monk in bulletproof Kevlar; cool, calm and collected. He could see why his father had liked the man so much. Not one to speak much, every word from his lips was calculated and measured in order to help with the situation, whether it was a viable plan of attack, or a quip to brighten an otherwise dark moment. The man would have made a good soldier; he was good at what he did and took orders without question. At the same time, Steve hoped he never experienced the service; with someone who kept most things so close to the vest, active duty would probably emotionally kill him.

Lori Weston, their newest addition, had also had Steve in doubt even though the decision was essentially out of his hands. She hadn`t been on the team, or in Hawaii, for very long but she brought with her a plethora of experience from Homeland Security as well as the FBI that had so far been a great asset to the group. She was a good fit and connected with everyone nearly instantly. Caring, passionate and good at what she did, he now hoped she stayed for the foreseeable future to make his team truly Five-0.

Then, last but certainly not least – and he`d never let you forget it -, there was his partner. Probably the exact opposite of Chin, the man was a hurricane with an East Coast accent. Whereas Chin was quiet and calm, Danny was loud and hot tempered. Steve had once told his partner it was typical Small Man syndrome. His partner had replied back to simply shut up and stop worrying about it. One to always express his opinions, all the bravado and show did little to hide the fact that Danny probably had one of the biggest hearts Steve had ever come across. When it came to those he cared about, there was nothing the man wouldn't do to help or make them happy. Though he'd never admit it he was a sensitive soul, and anyone he told otherwise would immediately see the lie for what it was when Danny was with his daughter.

Steve smiled as he thought about his team, paying little attention to the trail he was currently jogging along. He had run this area so often he could probably traverse it in his sleep. Turn left, leap the deceptively small pothole, duck the palm fronds, remember the fallen tree a mile further ahead…Deeper into the heart of Oahu, the jungle pressed in on him from all sides and made for one of the best trails on the island. The calls of Myna birds and the hiss of insects had almost a calming effect which Steve had hoped for, especially after the last month. The betrayal and kidnapping in North Korea, the death of Jenna Kaye, Wo Fat's escape, then compounded with the hostage situation last week with those private school kids…there were a lot of memories he'd sooner just forget, even if it made him a stronger person.

As the toppled palm came into sight, lying mournfully across the path, he jumped it easily. Smiling despite the memories plaguing his mind, he followed the trail through a thick strand of trees before a brilliant blaze of sunlight hit his face. It was here that he paused, staring out over the magnificent view the clearing allowed. Overlooking the city of Honolulu, the ridge offered hands down the best view of the ocean. Even with the early Saturday morning hour, he could tell the day was going to be absolutely beautiful and with the sun still behind the mountains he regretted not bringing his camera. The pinks and orange of the sunrise were painting the island in bright tones and highlights, and he thanked his lucky stars he had been blessed to live in paradise. Standing there, looking off into the horizon, he felt immeasurably small. It always helped ground him…allowed him to remember he was only one man and somehow, somehow it helped lift just a little of the weight that seemed constantly on his shoulders.

So busy admiring the spectacular view he nearly missed the soft trill of his cell phone. Still relatively close to the city, the trail offered another perk that Steve enjoyed: uninterrupted cell service. Unzipping his pocket, he fished out the device and answered without glancing at the caller ID. "McGarrett"

"You sound like you've been huffing paint thinner. The hell have you been up to?"

Steve grinned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just ran twelve miles. What's your excuse?"

"You're hilarious, I hope you know that." Danny quipped, sounding exhausted. "Well, Usain, we just got handed a case so if you could kindly climb down off of whatever mountain you currently find yourself on and come to the office, that would be great."

"Usain Bolt is a sprinter, Danny."

"He still has to run to get where he wants, Steven!" McGarrett could almost see Danny's hands waving about. "Also, right about now I couldn't give two shits. Can you just get here, please? And I swear to God, if you come in smelling like death warmed over, you are not sitting in my car!"

"Then who's going to drive it?"

"My God. Call the stations! We have a comedian on our hands!"

Steve hoped no one was within arms reach of his partner, knowing the amount of hand waving that had to be happening across the line. He was sure he heard Kono laughing in the background. "Hey, I'm just saying…"

"Well stop saying before you have a stroke. Just get here pronto!"

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way."

Pushing the glass double doors inward, Steve entered Five-0 headquarters twenty minutes later. Showered and clean cut – preferably to avoid Danny's bitching for the remainder of the day – he walked to where the rest of his team stood, all crowded together around the smart table and its integrated computer system. Clasping his hands together, the others looked to him as he positioned himself beside his partner. "So, what do we have?"

"We," Kono paused to toss a group of photos onto the two screens next to the Commander, "have two bodies, found this morning at the docks by a crane operator. He had clocked in early to get ahead of the weekend rush of shipping crates and literally stumbled over our two vic's; they had been left next to a shipment awaiting delivery, left in the open like someone was trying to leave a message."

"While you were on your way, we were able to put ID's to both the victims." Chin interjected, tapping a few keys before two more photos – mug shots - appeared next to the others on screen. "Peter Ikeda, 32, and Dai Kawano, 29. The two of them have been transferred to the ME's office, and Max is working on figuring out the cause of death as we speak but in my opinion it's fairly obvious."

Steve nodded absentmindedly, still looking the photos over. The two men looked like locals, but with the higher percentage of foreign immigrants on the islands, it was always difficult to say for sure. The names, on the other hand, were very familiar and he studied the men at length hoping something would pop. Ikeda was a large man…had been anyway. Easily three hundred pounds, the he wore an impressive shiner to his left eye in his photograph, his long stringy hair doing nothing to improve his overall appearance. The other man, Kawano, was the exact opposite in practically every way. Nearly skeletal thin, with sunken eyes and thin mouth, the man looked like death. His black hair was cut very short with spiral-like designs etched into it near the temples. He spared only a glance towards the pictures of the men at the docks; Max would give him a more detailed series of events than the photos would. He did note, though, the extreme amount of blood around the victims in the crime scene pictures, which would no doubt be thanks to the gaping wounds in each mans chest. It was as though their hearts had exploded, tattered skin and bone forced out from the bodies. The dark red gore of blood and torn organs was difficult to look at, but he'd seen worse in the field.

His musing was interrupted as Danny gave a tremendous sneeze. Turning to the blonde, he raised a brow as the shorter man shook his head, looking dazed. "You should go grab a glass of water because I'm pretty sure you just dehydrated yourself."

"Shut up." Danny sniffed, reaching into his pocket to produce a Kleenex. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are brah." Chin grinned, sounding skeptical.

Rolling his eyes, the Danny blew his nose. "I think Grace just gave me her cold is all. It's fine, I`m good, let`s move on shall we?"

"Right..." Steve stated, sounding very unconvinced, but turned back to the photos. "These guys seem familiar. What else do we have on them?"

"They should seem familiar." McGarrett could hear the frustration in Chin's voice and he frowned. "These two were, supposedly, Hiro Noshimuri's top two scumbags on the island. Essentially the Yakuza's right and left hands here in Hawaii."

"HPD suspected these two for years as being under the Oyabun but they were too good at what they did." Danny chimed in. "They covered their tracks extremely well and was never actually seen with Hiro, opting instead to use burn phones to communicate. With no links connecting them with Hiro, or any of the crimes they committed, they walked scot free and Noshimuri was able to pretty much rule the Yakuza here without police interference." The man sighed, obviously sharing in chins dissatisfaction. "If it wasn't for your father's investigation and the clues he left for you, we may have never known Hiro was even connected to the Yakuza at all."

"And that's why we think someone's sending a message." Steve nodded, remembering now. This had happened back during his days as a SEAL, when the Yakuza was barely a blip on the radar in contest with the other bastards he helped put away. Their names had come up on his father's tape recorder and he had completely overlooked them once names such as Noshimuri's, the governor's and Wo Fat came into the equation. "These guys are huge players and taking them out would definitely mean whoever did this isn't too worried about their wellbeing. The Yakuza is going to be out for blood, and lots of it."

"While we've been dealing with these…last few cases," Chin chose his words carefully, "the HPD has reported an increase in violence between the Yakuza and the Samoans. While we were in North Korea, a couple Samoan enforcers were taken out."

"Our best guess? This was a gang hit, retribution by the Samoans." Lori shrugged, finally speaking up.

Steve looked pointedly at each of his team members in turn. He still marveled at how well the team had come together and meshed. They were all incredibly intelligent in their own way and together it was a sight to behold. He couldn't have asked for anyone better. "And you did all this within the twenty minutes it took me to get here?"

"Well," Kono scratched her cheek, "it wasn`t all us. HPD was going to take the case until they found out who these guys actually were. Then they handed it off to us. Because of that, we have only bits and pieces of evidence that they`ve collected thus far and that's not saying much."

"Either way, you guys are awesome. Good work."

"What's this? Feeling generous with the praise?" Danny gestured his way, smirking. "Keep it coming, babe. After working with you so long I need to jack up my self esteem."

The group gave a collective laugh, and didn't that just feel amazing. In Korea, a small nagging voice in the back of Steve's mind had kept him thinking he'd never see his ohana again. He'd never thought they'd come in, guns blazing they way they had; it was fucking North Korea!

Steve Danny a friendly but pointed glare. "I am not that bad."

"Define bad for me would you? Cause I'd really enjoy learning what you consider the term entails. Bad as in never following police procedure, bad as in blowing up pawn shops with grenades, bad as in your complete disregard for Miranda rights – or any rights, really - or bad as in the fact that you have no sense of personal property such as commandeering my car when you have a perfectly functional Silverado outside?"

"…you done?"

"I'm never done!"

"It's better on gas. It's a big truck."

"So you'd rather waste my gas careening all over the island when you know I can barely pay rent with all my other bills?"

"I'll pay you back."

"Says the guy who 'forgets' his wallet every time we hit the bar."

"Boys!" Lori yelled, effectively cutting Steve's retort off. She motioned towards the screens. "Case, remember?"

About to Steven's cell phone gave a buzzing ring. Placing it on the table, he hit answer and placed it on speaker, noting the caller ID. "Hey Max. What's the word?"

"Well," the medical examiner paused, "I have good news and…strange news. Which would you prefer I start with?"

Everyone shared a mutual look of confusion before Steven said, "Let`s start with the good news. Knowing you, strange could be a number of things."

"Very well." Dr. Bergman paused again, and the team could hear the distinct rustle of papers being shuffled about. "The good news is that I have established the cause of death, which did not take long at all as you can imagine. Both men died from a single gunshot wound center mass to the back from a large caliber bullet, a .50 caliber to be exact. Each had been struck in the spine, killing them instantly. The damage to their chests is merely the exit wounds."

"The same caliber as your typical standard issue sniper rifle. That's a huge round to be using inside the city, though…not very discreet." Steve commented.

"Overkill." Danny muttered beside him.

"Indeed, Commander." Max went on. "I`ve already sent both bullets off to forensics. I also estimate the time of death to be between ten and eleven o`clock last night."

Everyone held a tentative breath, waiting for the ME to continue, but the line remained quiet.

"Max?" Lori questioned, shooting Steve a raised brow. "What`s the strange news?"

"Well, when I was at the crime scene earlier I noted the vast amounts of blood in the area. It was perplexing at first but I didn`t question it further until after my initial assessment of the two victims."

"What did you find?" Danny sounded morbidly curious.

"As you must already know, a typical male adult has a blood volume of approximately between 4.7 and 5 liters. With the extensive amount of damage done to both their bodies, there is little doubt that they would have bled out quickly. Even so, the volume of blood on scene was much more than expected. There were also layers to it that I could spot, the lower layer plasma already beginning to separate and coagulate. The other seemed newer, more fresh if you will."

"What are you saying Max?" Steve didn`t like where this was going.

"I`m saying the amount of blood at the crime scene is indicative of three victims, not two. There had to have been three bodies Commander, not the two on scene."

"Wait a moment." Chin shook his head. "Why kill three people but only leave two of the bodies behind, let alone take one with them? That makes no sense, and certainly isn't the Samoans style."

"As I said, Lieutenant, very strange. I have no doubt that you will all figure this out."

"Thanks Max. Call us if you get anything else!" Steve said, ending the call before turning to the others. "So, what are we thinking? Lori, as a profile, what`s your opinion on this?"

"I`m still thinking this is a gang hit. I`ve seen other cases of gang warfare taking strange turns such as this. Either they needed their victims for another reason, such as a ransom or maybe organ collection for the black market, which we`ve seen in other cases. I heard of a case once with the FBI where a businessman was killed by a local gang and the body was kept. They would use things like hair and fingers as proof of life, and the family bought it and paid a hefty ransom for the man's return. Once they had the money, the body was dumped on his family`s front porch."

"That`s just sick." Kono grimaced.

Lori gave a small shrug. "Looking at the photo`s, it looks like all three victims met their end at the docks. Sniper took them out and then the third body, whoever it was, was taken once all threats to the killer were neutralized."

"But look at the pictures." Danny put in his two cents. "Two bodies, a huge amount of blood, but there isn`t any blood trails leading away from the scene. All we have is a massive pool. If the victim had recently died, which we can assume they were, even without the heart beating blood still would have been exiting the wound thanks to gravity, especially with wounds like that."

"Danny's right." Chin agreed. "There would have been some type of trail, and there`s no way someone could have made it near the bodies without stepping foot into that mess."

"A body doesn`t just disappear." Steve announced, waving at the pictures. "What we need more information. Kono, I want you to head down to the CSU and see where Fong is at analyzing any blood samples that HPD may have collected. Maybe we can get a match for mystery victim number three."

With a nod, the young native whisked herself through the headquarters double doors and towards the parking lot as Steve turned back to the others.

"Lori and Chin, I want you both here and searching for anyone who has ties to the Yakuza, even if it seems irrelevant, and running those names against those of missing persons. Even though it hasn`t been twenty four hours since the killings, we don`t know if this person was being held prior to death. Also look into the members themselves. Even though they're members of a gang doesn't mean they don't have families. Seeing as the other two victims were big name members, there has to be a connection there somewhere." Clapping his partner on the shoulder, he said, "Danny, you`re with me."

With brief nods, Chin and Lori set to work with the smart table as Danny followed his partner towards the Palace`s exit. "And what are we doing again?"

"We`re going down to the crime scene. Like I said before, a body just doesn`t vanish. There`s got to be some clue that the others missed and we`re going to find it."

"Always the optimist. Love it."

The sun shone brilliantly through the windshield and Danny had to squint as the glare off the back window of the Camry ahead of them nearly blinded him. He couldn`t really come to care too much though; it was a small price to pay for keeping his mouth shut on this particular ride. He was certain that if he said anything, even a single word, that it would somehow jinx the good fortune that found Steve driving at the posted speed limit.

Of course Steve always found a way to break or otherwise ruin his good intentions.

"You`re pretty quiet there, Danno. Sure you`re feeling alright?"

Danny sighed, figuring they were close enough to their destination to dare open his mouth. "I`m fine, thank you. It`s not like I`ve never had a cold before." And just to prove his point, his nose gave a harsh twinge and he sneezed into his forearm.

Steve cringed. "If I knew you were sick I wouldn`t have bothered with the shower. At least getting kicked from the Camaro would have been better for my health."

"And mine." Danny glared at the man, who was once again driving his car. "Seeing as how you`re usually driving around like this is a Formula One car."

"The victims are dead already and we have no solid leads. No reason for speeding."

"No reason?" He gaped at Steve. "When has that ever stopped you? The reason you shouldn`t ever speed is the fact that I do all my best work while alive!"

Turning on the left signal light, Steve pulled the vehicle into the Port of Honolulu, easing the silver car softly over the speed bumps and flashing his badge at the port authorities at the check stop. "You know I always think safety first."

"Right…Says the guy who used a hand grenade to blow up a pawn shop."

"And you complain too much." Steve stated, spotting the yellow crime scene tape up ahead and placed the vehicle into park a short distance away. "Can you live long enough to figure out this case?"

"With you, I make no promises." Finally unable to contain the tickle at the back of his throat, Danny coughed harshly as he stepped out of his car into the sweltering heat. At that moment in time, he had never been so happy he had decided to start foregoing the ties as he popped another button open on his shirt. It didn`t help as there was no breeze to mention, the waves of heat coming off the concrete causing the yellow tape to waver in his vision. At least he hoped it was only the heat. He wasn`t about to tell Steve that his head was also pounding.

Following his – in Danny`s opinion – legally insane partner down to the crime scene, he nearly gagged as the powerful stench of copper hit his nose. Ducking under the tape, he neared the shipping containers where they had found the victims. The crime scene photos hadn`t done the gruesome scene justice; the blood pool was gigantic! Careful not to step in anything or disturb possible evidence, he knelt next to the morbid display. He felt Steve just behind him as he pulled out a spare Kleenex and covered his mouth and nose.

"Well, this is certainly a lot of blood." Danny decided to go for blunt and obvious.

"More than just two people could have possibly left. Max was right, there has to be a third victim." Steve sighed over his shoulder, walking a few steps away to investigate the ground.

As his partner knelt to look at something, Danny turned to join him as he felt the man tense. "What do you have?"

"A bullet groove…" Steve pointed in the concrete near the corner of one crate. There, etched into the concrete, was a very distinct elongated chip in the pier. "This makes no sense either. If the guy was good enough to hit each victim directly in the spinal cord, then he wouldn`t have missed this badly."

"And neither victim had a bullet escape their bodies. Even if our third vic was thin, it wouldn`t have mattered seeing as Kawano was deathly skinny and the bullet still didn`t exit him." Danny finished, on the same wavelength. Looking closely at the seemingly innocent mark, he noted the white color of the scraping ridging the chip. "It`s fresh too…still discolored, too white."

Lining himself up with the ridging, Danny turned in a 180 to look directly behind him. Raising a hand to shield to sun from his eyes, he looked about the pier in the direction the bullet had to have come from. The only thing in that direction was…

"A crane." Danny muttered, looking at the towering structure. What unsettled him more, though, was that it was parallel to a port, one used for international crater ships. If there had been a ship in dock there last night, the shot could have easily come from it as well. Their shooter may have just sailed away, and they`d never know it.

"What was that?" Steve questioned, still looking at the new evidence.

"The direction of the bullet." Danny pointed, and Steve observed the crane. The detective watched as his partners face paled ever so slightly, no doubt thinking the same thing that had him on edge as well.

"Let`s go-"

Danny sneezed again, this time following it up with a few hacking coughs, effectively cutting off anything his partner had been trying to say. Getting the hint though, he started walking towards the crane as he blew his nose, trying to ignore Steve`s worried glance.

"For the last time, Steven, I am fine. Let it go."

"Now who sounds like they`ve huffed paint thinner? You`re getting worse, Daniel." Steve threw back his sarcasm.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"What are you, seven? And must you argue with me about everything?"

A uniformed officer still on scene threw them both a look as they passed. "Danny, it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to figure out you`re not feeling good. Let me guess, headache too?"

"No."

"You squinted when you said that. Obvious lie."

"It`s freaking bright out!" Danny gestured wildly at the sky. "You see that big ass ball in the sky that is the sun? Seeing we are closer to the equator than I was back in Newark, we are thus closer to it. Thus it is bright, and sometimes, bright sucks!"

Steve sighed as they got closer to the crane. "Whatever you say, Danno." He paused a moment before giving Danny a hurt look. "And why didn`t you tell me Gracie was sick? I could have come to help."

"That's very kind of you, Steve, but being the amazing doting father I am I was able to nurse my little girl back to perfect health all by myself before Rachel even knew she was ill. And what does that tell you about where her parenting skills have gone?" Danny coughed again, feeling instantly guilty at having said that about his ex. Danny had picked Grace up from school last Friday and she hadn`t shown signs of feeling under the weather until that night. Rachel wouldn`t have had any idea. He knew he got relatively irritable when he was sick, so he blamed the cold. "If I must now suffer so she can be well, then so be it."

"That`s very noble, but any more of that nasty sounding cough, or if you so much as sniff in my general direction, I`m sending you home. I refuse to suffer with you."

Danny saluted him with one finger as they entered the shadow of the container crane. The huge piece of equipment towered overhead, painted in the most god awful shade of yellow Danny had ever seen. Easily 300 feet tall, up close the machine was quite impressive and had a number of spots where a sharp shooter could roost with an excellent, unimpeded view of the shipping yard.

"What I don`t get," Danny mused, "is how the shooter knew these guys would be down here in the first place. Obviously something nefarious was going down, but if it was gang related, there would be no way the Samoans would let the Yakuza know their business. It`s how the two gangs have been able to cohabitate the island so long. I also doubt there would have been an internal gang hit, seeing as they're top lieutenants."

"I don't know, Danno. There`s too many variables in this whole thing, so let's take it one step at a time. For now," Steve pointed at the crane, "we`ll deal with the how."

"How in the hell do you even get inside that thing?"

"Let me deal with that." Steve gave the machine a once over. "I want you to cover the area around the base of the crane for shell casings. Afterwards, get a hold of the port authority and see if there were any ships docked here last night, or better yet, if they have any surveillance footage on this specific pier. I don`t think HPD got around to that before they handed the case over."

"Aye aye, Captain." Danny saluted again, this time properly just to piss him off, and got to work.

The hunt for any casings revealed nothing and after an hour and a half of fruitless searching, Danny got in touch with the head of security there at the port to ask them for the specifics. There was both good news and bad news as the man Danny spoke with, a Mr. Kinol, stated that there was ample security footage of each pier thanks to people like the Yakuza using the piers to doll out drugs and weapons to the highest bidder. The bad news was that there had indeed been a ship in that particular pier, for the last three days in fact, that had left earlier in the morning around 4:30. Kinol promised that he would have the camera footage ready by the time he and Steve were ready to leave.

Thanking the man, Danny hung up the phone…and promptly sneezed all over the touch screen.

"Mother…" Danny glared at the phone as though it were its fault he currently felt like shit in a microwave. Wiping the screen dry on his pants, he sighed audibly before punching the speed dial code for his partner. Shielding his eyes against the now-noonday sun, he tried to spot the man.

"McGarrett." Came the sharp answer.

"Hey, so I spoke with the authority. They have some good footage of the pier, which will be ready and waiting once you`re done your Spiderman routine, but there was a ship docked here earlier like we feared. One Bō Nŭwáng – "

"The Wave Queen, and you butchered that by the way."

"– which originates from China and would you let a guy finish before you cut in like that? It`s rude, Steven."

"China, huh?" his partner sounded relieved for some odd reason, but Danny figured an explanation was on the horizon. "We won`t have to worry about the ship either way. I just found scorch marks up here on the jib."

"Wait, where are you?" The blonde scanned the crane again. It took a moment to finally spot the little dark silhouette high above him. Danny waved but doubted very much that Steve could see. "I`m happy to hear that. Last time we had to deal with a Chinese freighter, you drove a car onto it."

"That was almost two years ago. You have to learn to just let things go."

"Not things concerning my health and safety, thank you."

"Speaking of health," Steve paused a moment, "I want you to go back to the crime scene and grab a couple guys from the CSU to come up here and process the area. Our killer was sloppy enough to leave to burn marks, so maybe he left us some prints too. Then what I want you to do is go home and rest."

Danny couldn`t help the groan that escaped him. "Seriously? You`re going to bench me? I am fine! I haven`t even sneezed or coughed during this entire conversation, which if I am to remember correctly, was part of the deal you came up with."

"I said if I heard anything more, yes, but I`m not talking about this conversation, Danno." Steve laughed. "Funny thing is, with no wind, sound can travel pretty far. I`ve also been watching you from up here; I know you too well, brah. You can`t hide the fact that you`re hurting from me."

"I hate you, you know that?"

"You remind me every day. Now go. I`ll give you a call tonight to see how you`re doing, and if I detect any signs of deception on your part, you`re not coming in tomorrow either."

"Yes mom." Danny growled before hanging up. Giving a few small coughs, he glared at the ocean before heading back towards the car, resisting the urge to chuck his phone into the deep water. "Fucking island."

To be continued...