Fic: Malasada's H5Obigbang chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Miss Hawai’i
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“If I answer, you let me fix him,” Danny demanded, his eyes firmly fixed on Steve. Even on the ground and gasping the man managed a stubborn shake of his head at Danny, which he ignored.
“Were you aware that cyanide actually halts the bodies cells ability to use oxygen?” Marcel informed him casually and Danny glowered. He didn’t care what it did, he just wanted it to stop. “In low doses it can take weeks, years even, before its victim falls into a coma and passes away. In acute doses, much like the one your friend there has been exposed to, it can be a matter of hours or minutes. His body could start seizing at any moment, his heart could decide to give up seconds after,” he looked to the doctor who nodded in stoic confirmation. Danny heard what wasn’t being said: answer the questions now and we might let you fix your friend. His own breathing was too rapid, panic flooding his veins as Steve began truly struggling for every gasp, no longer able to pay any attention to his surroundings or protect himself.
“Yes,” Danny hissed, barely registering the sick-cold feeling that flooded his veins at the admission, his attention on something more important than childhood traumas and long held beliefs of darkness “I can fix myself.”
“How?” the doctor leaned forth eagerly and Danny snapped.
“How the hell should I know! Do I look like someone who has all the answers? I just do, okay! I just put my hands out and instinct does all the work! It works pretty much the same as when I heal people but in reverse! You’re turning me into a broken record here; I don’t know what else to tell you because I DON’T KNOW! Christ!” He wanted to tear his hair out, no, he wanted to tear their hair out and stuff it up their self-involved greedy black holes! “I don’t know!” Steve began to convulse on the floor, his eyes rolling back and hands pulling so sharply at the cyanide laced cuffs that his skin was slicing open, exposing himself to more of the poison. It was enough.
“Please,” Danny gave Marcel what he wanted to hear and forced himself to meet the man’s deeply self-satisfied gaze. Marcel lifted an eyebrow expectantly. “Please” Danny begged immediately, too desperate to care about his pride and Marcel leaned forward in his chair, the proprietary gleam in his eyes deeply disturbing.
“If you fail to continue to co-operate with me Mr. Williams,” his accent rolling over his tongue, “the next time I will slit his wrists and make you watch until every last drop of blood has fled from his veins before I cut his limbs from his still warm body and mail it too your friends. His head will go to your daughter.”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt her,” Danny growled, fury and dread nearly choking off his words.
“I am not a monster Daniel,” his eyes were cold and ruthless, the flopping of Steve’s still twitching limbs echoing his words. “I will not physically harm her, but I am not above a little emotional terrorism to keep you inline.”
“I’ll behave,” Danny ground out between his teeth and after another too long moment Marcel nodded and the strap that had pinned him so tightly to the chair disappeared. He fell forward, knees smashing hard into the carpeted flooring and he rolled Steve’s now slack body onto his back. Shit shit shit!
“Get those cuffs offa him!” he snarled, the familiar gathering of heat and energy pooling down his arms and he pushed it into Steve without a moments hesitation, seeking out the starved cells and flooding his body with the release of locked up oxygen. He ruthlessly targeted his heart, lungs and brain until he felt some kind of internal harmony click back into place and moved on to the rest of the severely damaged organs. He was pushing so hard to fix everything he felt like he was almost beating Steve’s body back into working condition. It was possibly the most ruthless healing he’d ever done, but Steve had stopped breathing by the time he got his hands on him and he’d never tried to revive someone this far gone.
When nothing sang inside Danny telling him he needed to keep healing he opened eyes he hadn’t realized he’d closed and waited for Steve to wake up. Steve didn’t move. He didn’t twitch, he didn’t blink. His chest didn’t rise.
Danny growled under his breath as he realized that while he had healed everything that was wrong with Steve’s body his heart had stopped and hearts were freaking stupid muscles that sometimes needed help remembering how to work properly.
“This is such bullshit!” He slammed a fist down on Steve’s chest in panicked anger before leaning over, tilting Steve’s head back and puffing two furious breaths into his mouth before starting heavy chest compressions. It only took four thrusts for his partners heart to remember how to beat on its own and Steve gasped in a deep, ragged breath as he came back from the dead. He rolled back onto his side, curling slightly around Danny’s knees as he caught his breath.
“Easy, easy now, you’re okay,” Danny placed a firm hand on his shoulder, healing the newly damaged skin and thankful he hadn’t cracked any ribs, before glaring darkly at Marcel over the table.
Marcel was just finishing up one of those almond cookies he tended to stockpile in all his little meeting areas and Danny realized bitterly that their aroma must have masked the cyanide’s scent. Marcel rubbed his fingers together to dispel the last crumbs and met Danny’s glare with a satisfied one of his own. He pushed up from his chair and looked to the doctor.
“I understand you would like to perform a base medical assessment of Mr. McGarrett Doctor?”
“I would, and perhaps a few more scans of Mr. Williams are in order. I am curious as to whether or not his brain chemistry is altered by the close proximity of a loved one.”
“Very well,” the dark haired man gave his consent, “When you are finished we should see if Mr. Williams will be up to demonstrating his self-healing skills. As we have not had chance to see these yet I am certain they may go a long way in understanding how he works.”
“Not a machine,” Danny growled, unknowingly clutching Steve’s shoulder harder and barely containing a flinch when Steve’s hand suddenly rested atop his own, squeezing in reassurance. A moment later the crazy SEAL pushed to a kneeling position beside him. Danny didn’t bother visually checking him over to make sure he was okay, every internal sense he had was telling him that physically Steve was just fine.
“We’re all machines Mr. Williams, some of us just happen to be of higher caliber,” Marcel cheerfully moved past them but stopped by the door held open by Will and looked back. He coolly studied Steve a moment, unfazed by the heaviness of both their angry stares, and pursed his lips briefly.
“Now, Mr. McGarrett, perhaps the real experiments will begin.”
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Steve felt refreshed and chock-full of energy. Considering the mind-numbing pain he had been in only moments before, the terror of his lungs seizing up and his body refusing to work, he was practically on cloud nine. He did his best to hide this of course, pulling himself to his knees beside Danny and no further as they waited for Marcel to get over himself and leave the room already. The three guards and the doctor were left looming and Steve quickly assessed that he could probably take them all out without much difficulty, so long as they didn’t get him with their coveted tasers. The Doctor was looking so gleeful he was practically bouncing on the spot as he studied Danny and Steve and it didn’t take a highly trained lieutenant commander to notice that he safely kept the table between them.
Beside him Danny shifted, his shoulders drooping a little and Steve leaned over slightly to nudge him with his own. Danny spared him a tight smile before dropping miserable eyes to the detailed patterning beneath their knees.
The crackle static of a radio burst into the near silent room and Danny jerked in surprise as the tallest of the guards barked into it, his previously blank façade melting briefly into irritation before he looked at the doctor pointedly. Smidt looked even more irritated before sighing and leaving the room with a huff.
“Back to your room,” the tallest of the guards, Will, ordered sharply. He had just finished peeling off rubber gloves and tossing them into a bag after the handcuffs that Steve was no longer wearing.
“Thought we were going to the doctor’s office,” Danny said warily and the guard actually bit off a sharp laugh, shking his head.
“You were, but now an idiot from the deck crew has managed to break a leg. Maybe you will see him later, maybe not. Up,” he gestured with the ever-present taser and Steve was not keen on getting another taste of it so soon. He could take out the guys in the room, sure, but it was still too early and if he jumped the gun here they might not get a second chance to get off the ship. Or at least he wouldn’t get off alive and he wouldn’t do that to Danny. He began to stand slowly under the watchful eye of the three guards and stopped half way when all Danny did was get one foot flat on the ground before stopping and resting his arms on the raised knee.
Steve dropped back down to his side, gripping an arm to steady the wobbling that wasn’t helped by the slow ebb of highs and lows of the ship on rougher waters. He looked Danny over intently, taking in the pallid skin and clenching hands.
“What’s up Danno?” he asked softly and Danny snorted, shaking his head ruefully and sending a half-hearted look of irritation his way.
“You think pulling your ass back from the brink of death is easy?” he closed his eyes on a little huff and shook his head. “I just need a minute to catch my breath.”
“We’re moving now Williams,” Will narrowed his beady dark eyes at him and Steve didn’t miss the way he shifted forward half a step, his hand twitching like he wanted to reach out. “Even if I must drag you.” Danny stiffened instantly and Steve shifted into full protective mode, getting his body between Danny and the guard that loomed over them from the not so long distance away.
“I’ve got him,” he snarled, his one hand never leaving his friend and the other ready to get in the way if the guy got too close. Will clearly didn’t like that, his gaze sharpening in displeasure before he pulled his lips in an expectant line and gestured at Steve to get a move on with his electric gun. Steve turned back to Danny and looked him over, trying to figure out the best way to do this.
“If you try to throw me over your shoulder or pick me up like a bride on her wedding night then so help me I will hit you so hard you’ll think you switched time zones.” The threat didn’t sound nearly as intimidating as it normally might and Steve suspected that that was because Danny looked like he barely had the energy to swat a fly let alone Steve.
“And undo all your hard work?”
“I’ll undo your hard head,” he muttered but didn’t resist when Steve drew his arm over his shoulders and slowly helped Danny stand before giving the guards a haughty ‘Well? Where too?’ look that used to drive his superiors up the wall. The walk back to the room/cell was awkward, Danny having little energy to help more than dragging his feet forward and Steve having to hunch over the whole time to accommodate their differences in height.
They didn’t chain Steve to the bed this time, closing and bolting the door before Steve had even made it across the small space to Danny’s cot and slowly sitting him down. He eyed him with worry. The guards hadn’t seemed concerned about the state of their boss’s prized possession but that didn’t alleviate Steve’s churning gut.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he ordered softly, crouching down in front of Danny and grasping his knees to get his attention. “Tell me why I have the energy to go ten rounds with Ali while you’re practically falling over. I was the one who was dying, not you.”
“Energy transfer,” Danny opened tired blue eyes and looked so done in Steve nearly jumped up and went to get a hold of the guards attention. To hell with the plan; he’d take out the guards and they could escape on the lifeboat until Chin and Kono came to find them. It had to be better than staying here another hour. He refrained, turning over his friends answer in his head for a long silent moment, watching Danny force himself to remain awake, before coming to a conclusion.
“Then transfer some of it back to yourself,” he shrugged, because it was clearly the obvious answer. Danny’s eyes snapped open wide with a look of such raw horror Steve almost apologized for suggesting it on the spot.
“No, no way, that is not happening,” he hissed and on a normal day he would have been up and pacing, arms thrown wide as he yelled at Steve for being all kinds of idiot.
“Why not?” He pushed carefully and Danny looked away to stare at his knees where Steve was clasping them. He didn’t answer. Steve wasn’t used to being the only one to fill the silence. “If you’re capable of controlling the breaking and rebuilding of chemical bonds on a cellular level than you have to have an incredible control over not just the energy within you but the energy around you,” Danny shifted in clear agitation and Steve frowned. It made sense. It was also what Marcel had been asking about earlier.
“I don’t do that Steve, ever, okay? So just leave it alone.”
“Don’t and can’t aren’t the same. What you’re telling me is that it’s basically okay to give so much of your own bioenergy to whomever needs it but borrowing some from others when you clearly need it is not?” Danny glared and looked away, shifty and tired and suddenly Steve thought he understood the problem. He dropped his voice a little lower, hoping the audio recorder couldn’t pick up such a quiet conversation. “It’s okay Danny, you have my consent. You’re not going to take anything from me that I’m not willing to give.”
“I said leave it alone!” Danny forcefully pushed Steve’s hands away and shifted back on the bed until his back hit the wall, glaring fiercely and shoving his disheveled hair out of his face. Steve watched him for a long moment, noting how even after that outburst Danny’s eyelids started drooping in a call for rest.
“Fine,” Steve agreed but it didn’t stop a snitty glare directed at Steve, clearly hearing the ‘for now’ in his capitulation, even if he was clearly passing out where he leaned. Steve glared at him. “Would you just lie down already and sleep? You’re a shitty conversationalist when you’re tired.” After a moment Danny flopped over to lay down and Steve manhandled him into what looked like a slightly more comfortable position before sitting back to guard him in the silent, empty room. He eyed the uncontrolled flopping hair. “You need a haircut,” he said softly to lighten the mood.
“You don’t touch the hair,” he cracked an eye open briefly to cut him an evil eye.
“Really badly. Just buzz it all off, it’ll be cooling.”
“I can make all the hair fall off your body with a touch. Don’t mess with me McGarrett.” He closed the eye and threw his arm up to partially hug his head. Steve grinned, turning away to watch the door again and pondered the idle threat. Yes, he could see Danny doing just that.
Steve wasn’t a stupid man. When he woke up after being shot, drenched in his own blood with only two barely visible scars he understood what it meant. Well, he didn’t understand it, but he’d been around the world enough, he’d heard a lot of stories and myths and he understood that not every story was pulled from thin air and that some things, no matter how unimaginable, happened. He’d seen and experienced enough in his life, and now at Danny’s hands, to understand that the how didn’t matter.
He also understood that if Danny could give of himself to somehow save life, and if he could use those around him to heal himself (despite his clear despair at the idea that Steve would get to the bottom of one day), then it stood to reason he could also take life just as easily. With a touch.
Marcel was still trapped in his greedy fascination with Danny, stuck in the mindset of money and his quest to learn the trick of immortality. Steve saw this just like he knew Danny saw this. Just like he saw that Marcel had not yet given thought to the fact that Danny was not just a man who was only a threat when he used his brains and fists; he hadn’t realized Danny could be the most dangerous person on the entire ship.
He suspected Danny was too good of a person to ever loose himself that way, he didn’t think his skills came with built in detachment and that while Danny might not feel the pain of the person he was helping he could feel them. He suspected that if this was the case then the last thing a man like Danny would ever want to do is feel a person die under his hands. He knew that while Danny didn’t understand the how’s of his existence he did understand his limits. It was probably one of the only reasons Marcel was still alive.
“Sorry,” Danny mumbled after some time, sounding sleepy and still hiding under his arm. Steve watched him intently while he could get away with it. “Touchy subject.”
“I get it,” Steve forgave, because he believed he could understand Danny’s reluctance to help himself with his ability even if he didn’t like it. His unhappiness must have been apparent in his voice because Danny snorted while shifting into a more comfortable position on the hard mattress.
“You don’t,” he countered, which was fair enough on certain levels, “maybe when we’re out of here I’ll explain it to you,” he began to slur the last words and Steve futzed around with the blanket Danny was lying on enough to half drape it over him. “Tell you ‘bout mum n dad-” he trailed off and his breaths finally evened into sleep. Steve swallowed heavily and then perched on the bed to sit and face the door, guarding his partner.
“I’ll be there,” when you’re ready, he finished the promise silently. It would need to be enough.
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Kono stepped into the hangar bay after Moko and closed the door behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer interior lighting as she looked around. She instantly saw the bird Moko was already standing beside, a hand patting her black nose affectionately as he awaited Kono’s approval. She gave it with an appreciative smile and her responded with a similar one around his fruity smelling cigar.
“She’s beautiful,” Kono walked right up to the helicopter, placing the case she was carrying by her feet and eyeing the sleek dark shape, noting the worn paint job and dismissing it in the same breath.
“An AS 350 AStar,” he introduced with a proud pat and swung open the back door. “Bought her off of some Canadian’s last month and I haven’t had the chance to paint her up all shiny new yet. She seats a maximum five people and cruises at 135 nautical miles an hour with enough fuel in her to keep us in the air for about three and a half hours before we hit the emergency reserve. Of course the lighter we keep her the further she’ll go,” he eyed the case beside her and she smiled playfully.
“A girl needs her luggage Moko,” she kept just enough iron in her voice to make it clear the case was coming. His grin turned a little sharper but no les friendly.
“That’s what my sister says whenever she comes to visit. Chin coming in for this lesson?”
“He’ll be here when we take off in a few hours, he had some last minute details to take care of.”
“Then it’s on you,” he turned serious and she nodded. He puckered his lips a moment before nodding to himself and nodded to a large, plastic, red gasoline canister sitting by the skid. “Grab that and haul it over here would you?” She didn’t hesitate, eager to learn everything she needed to in this pressed timeframe and grabbed the container. It wasn’t light but she wasn’t weak and when she placed it with an easy thunk where he indicated he visibly relaxed a little. If that was the difficult part of her test then this shouldn’t be a problem.
“There is not going to be anything easy about refueling this bird when we land on that boat,” he grabbed at the second large gas can and put it beside the first. “Forecast says it’s not going to be too windy but the clouds are rolling in and that always plays with thermal layering and wind conditions, not to mention they’re far enough from the island that the waves are going to be moving the ship in a decidedly non-friendly way. Short translation: it could very possibly be a bitch to land but at least the cloud cover’ll keep us clear from the overhead camera’s.” Being hidden from the satellites was the one thing on there side for this mission.
“Hot refueling!” He clapped his hands together, and then grabbed something that looked like a large hand made funnel type thing from the back seat of the aircraft. “Big big no no according to pretty much every safety standard ever written about fueling birds, but since we’re doing what will hopefully be the fastest snatch and grab in my history we are going to ignore these well-meaning standards and fill up this puppies gas tank while the engine is still hot and bothered. No worries, people do it all the time and make it out alive. This crash course is so that you don’t accidentally kill us all while we’re evading these bad guys you’re after; who will probably be shooting at us.
“You’re also going to need to look out for some serious downwash from the rotors. This is a lot to teach you in a few hours but you need to know it so if you don’t understand something you ask. Got it?” The guys was intense when he got down to business; a complete flip from his usual lackadaisical persona and suddenly she felt a hell of a lot better about what could be one of the stupidest things she had ever done in her life. If this wasn’t so damn important she would be enjoying the shit out of it.
“I copy brah, loud and clear. Show me what I need to do to so she can carry us home,” it was the right thing to say and he launched into the crash course in helicopter feeding without further hesitation.It was going to get dark very soon and then in a mere four hours they were going to get their partners back.
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He woke up sharply, flinging his hands out to grasp the thin sheets of his cot, giving him the impression of steadiness. His stomach rolled and he swallowed thickly, forcing his rising stomach contents back where they belonged with disgusted stubbornness before pushing up to lean against the cool wall. He moved slowly, his body aching all over from so many reasons he couldn’t even bother to feel indignant about it anymore. He just wanted the pain to freaking leave him alone.
He blinked slowly and looked around the bright room, realizing that it must have been the lights turning on that startled him out of the apparently deep sleep he’d been languishing in.
Steve wasn’t there.
He forced the flood of icy panic down sharply and tried to remain calm. He checked the room again, slower this time, but there was still no sign of his partner.
For a brief moment he entertained the notion that he was beginning to crack, that Steve had never been there in the first place and he’d fabricated the entire night as a scarily unhinged way of dealing with his current predicament. But no, he was built sterner than that; Marcel had hurt him in more ways than he wanted to think on but he was not ready to break yet. Plus every time he shifted his shoulder reminded him that only a short while ago it had connected with the wall that was Steve and damn near broken itself on the man.
So Steve was here, he just wasn’t in the room. Neither scenario was all that appealing as Danny would rather Steve were no where near this mess. Steve might want to play knight in shining Kevlar but Danny just wanted him out of Marcel’s reach, preferably taking care of his daughter until Danny managed his own escape. Steve’s not being in the room with him meant that Danny had literally slept through him being taken away. The unease and guilt this caused stabbed at him sharply and he had to take a few deep breaths indifference to throwing himself at the door in a screaming fit of rage. It hadn’t done anything for him in the past and he’d never been a big fan of punishing his body for no beneficial reason.
With no windows and no clock he had no idea of the time. Steve could have been gone for minutes and the door shutting had been what awoke Danny. Or he could have been gone for an entire day. Not knowing ramped up his worry. He knew first hand what Marcel was capable of.
The sharp sound of the doors locks pulling back told him he’d probably know soon enough.
Will was there, a lone guard, and when he didn’t bother with any restraining devices Danny understood that if he was going to make things difficult they would take it out on Steve. He’d more than proven to them that he wouldn’t let them hurt the guy that had become closer to him over the last year than his own brother. Well, adopted brother, but Danny wasn’t one to limit the concept of family with blood.
Will laid his usual proprietary paw on Danny’s shoulder as he went to move out the door. Danny wanted to throw it off, but he was afraid his usual reaction might make the man more eager to hurt Steve if given the chance. Besides, Will generally let go once he was within the presence of his boss, lest he be seen manhandling the boss’s property with too much enthusiasm. Danny still tensed up tighter than Chin when an unsuitable came poking around Kono.
He was disoriented all over again when they passed by the windows and he saw that it was black outside, the ship cast in eerie glow from the lamps spread across her decks. The cranes loomed like metal dinosaurs, the heavy containers colours washed out in the distance. He frowned and cast a look at his guard, uneasy at the close scrutiny he was under.
“It’s not still early morning?” he demanded more than asked and Will pursed unimpressed lips.
“It’s night,” was his short response, which was more than he usually got before the hand at the base of his neck squeezed vice-like and he was forced to stop. He dropped his shoulder a bit and tested the grip, wondering if it was worth pulling away when Will shoved his back against the window. He couldn’t help the grunt that escaped as it jarred all the tiny, inflamed wounds on his torso and he glared up at the towering man. Will clearly liked being in charge of Danny if the pleased glint in his eyes were anything to go by. Danny didn’t move as the man stared at him a long moment. What was with the people and the staring on this damn boat?
“The man who failed at stealing you back,” he started and Danny nearly snorted at that, because he was pretty sure Steve hadn’t really tried yet, “he means a lot to you.”
“Not really,” Danny instantly denied, knowing the lie was as easy to read as Clinton’s denial of ever having an affair. Will slid his thumb down from Danny’s shoulder, right over one of the staple wounds, and pressed. Danny jerked back, his movement halted by the solid glass behind him, and glared fiercely at the unimpressed guard.
“Things are not going to be easy for him here. Mr. Marcel does not like the hold he has over you,” he announced casually, like betraying his employers feelings was not the big deal Danny would have personally believed.
“Marcel’s a fruitcake,” Danny refuted, and sucked in a sharp breath when Will pressed harder, apparently not caring for the disrespect to his boss.
“I can make things easier on your friend, for a price.”
For a moment Danny’s mind boggled. Will rarely said more than one or two words at a time to him and the proposition came out of left field as far as he was concerned. Then he narrowed his eyes in disgust.
“I’m not for sale.”
“Your services are.”
“You’re not my type,” he snapped viciously and Will pressed in close, stinking of stale smoke mixed with the salty scent that clung to people at sea.
“If you want your friend to stay in one piece,” Will said quietly with his heavy accent, “then you will use your abilities for my betterment when I ask.”
“You sure your boss won’t mind? I mean, I’m sure if he was okay with it he would have already ordered me to fix up that chronic bronchitis you have going for you, or maybe have me take care of that bald spot on the back of your big head,” Danny sneered, trying not to gag as the smoke smell mingled with his near constant low-level seasickness. After a moment of staring down at Danny with his beady little eyes Will smiled coldly and pulled back, his hand remaining clamped in place.
“We’ll see what you have to say in a weeks time hm? When your friend begins to resent ever having met you.”
The intended dig hit home and Danny just managed to avoid flinching in reaction before Will started directing him down the corridor again, towards the now familiar stairwell. The echo of their heavy steps filled the late night silence for long moments before Danny was stopped again, outside the tiny mess hall he was usually forced to eat in.
“Are you going to find you’re appetite tonight or will food be wasted on you again?” Will grunted and Danny tossed him a cutting look.
“Are you going to find your soul tonight or is it already too corrupted?” he parroted back. Will’s eyes flashed in irritation, which Danny applauded himself for bringing out, before bypassing the mess hall altogether and taking Danny to another familiar room with cushy wingbacked chairs and a polished round coffee table.
The unfamiliar thing in the room was Steve.
Steve sitting tall in a heavy looking metal chair, cuffs looped through the thick round spindles and locking his hands behind him. He was still dressed in the same standard outfit he had been wearing when Danny had last seen him, the only difference was that this time he was certain the dark material hid a few additional blood stains down the front.
“Jesus McGarrett, are you trying to permanently disfigure yourself?” he barked the moment Steve’s eyes met his. His nose was bleeding and he had a split lip (again), his one cheek was redder then the other, his eyes were at that half-mast state that he adopted when he was exhausted (or hungover, had a headache, or forgot his sunglasses), but the moment their eyes met Steve’s brightened with such deep relief Danny nearly forgot what he was going to say. “You’re not going to win any Miss Hawai’i contests if you keep looking like you lost a few rounds to Tyson.”
“I wouldn’t have lost,” he instantly denied, always protecting his manly pride, before raising his ridiculous eyebrow. “Miss me sleeping beauty?” his grin probably revealed more than he intended but it eased a bit of Danny’s worry.
“Like I’d miss hemorrhoids,” he grumbled and then glared at Will when he dug his fingers in until Danny moved in the direction he wanted. He lowered himself gingerly to the couch and resisted rubbing his sore shoulder when Will finally released him and moved to stand behind the couch. Danny didn’t miss the way Steve’s eyes darkened, or the way he tracked Will’s movement for a moment, like a giant, scary-ass panther stalking its prey, before his attention abruptly flickered back to Danny and looked him over.
“How was your day honey?” Danny spared him a faux-sunny smile and leaned carefully back in the seat. The way Steve’s arms were pulled behind him looked like it would hurt but Steve gave no indication that it bothered him at all.
“Went to the doctors,” he made like it was no big deal even as he pulled out his ‘I’m going to use these people as shark bait the next time I go deep sea fishing’ face. “Didn’t get a lollipop,” he sulked.
“As if you need the sugar, you already have enough energy to keep an entire daycare busy by yourself,” Danny looked to Johann standing off by the door and the other new guard he still didn’t have the name for hanging against the windows. The one good thing Danny would say about this room would be the large windows that took up nearly an entire wall. They didn’t look original, he figured Marcel had had them installed when he’d upgraded this working ship to his own personal luxury liner.
He missed being outside.
“Any idea what time it is?” Steve asked in lieu answering the jest and Danny shook his head.
“They took my watch too,” he leaned his head back on the couch, closing his eyes briefly. He’d apparently slept for at least fifteen hours but he still felt drained. When he opened his eyed it was to find Steve silent, once again watching him with those big worried eyes of his and Danny was almost tempted to look around and see if there was a kicked puppy in the room. “Don’t give me that look,” he ordered instead, trying for haughty and pretty sure he fell flat of the mark.
“I’m not giving you a look,” was Steve’s predicted response complete with his sour-grape face.
“You look like I just suggested that swimming was the cause of world-hunger,” he wanted to wave his arms around to make the point, but he was trying to conserve energy for whatever they were gathered in this room for. Also it would be rude seeing as Steve’s own were locked tightly behind. Plus it hurt. Steve shifted in his seat, his concern not disappearing but definitely mingling with irritation now.
“That is not the look I was giving you,” he denied.
“Then what was it? And before you answer that keep in mind that of the two of us I’m the one who can actually see your face, all blood covered and bruised as it is. Do I even want to know why you’re physically damaged again when the last time I saw you you were only damaged mentally?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Steve brushed Danny’s concern over his injuries aside, which was typical. Danny scowled at him but was stopped bit off a snide response as Marcel had just strolled in, followed closely by his pet doctor. Danny took one look at the doctor and laughed. Loudly. The doctor glowered at him through his one unswollen eye but Danny was already pulling his joy at the sight back under wraps and looked appraisingly at Steve, who was looking rather pleased with himself.
“Mr. Williams,” Marcel greeted, eyes flitting between him and Steve briefly before he made a show of taking up his favourite chair.
“Detective,” Danny bit off despite the futility of it. Marcel gazed at him for a long, hard moment before nodding his head.
“I see,” with a quick nod the unnamed guard stepped forward from his place by the window and backhanded Steve with such viciousness that his entire body rocked with the blow. Danny swore but before he could move Will’s hands were back, clamped onto his shoulders and digging his thumbs into the space between his neck and clavicle. The mild warning was painful enough. Steve pulled himself straight immediately, his eyes squinting as he regrouped and fresh blood trickled from his nose. “What was it you were saying, Mr. Williams?” Marcel waited a moment before giving a tight smile. Danny clenched his lips together as neutrally as possible, biting his cheeks to keep from lashing out and Marcel nodded with satisfaction.
Across from them Steve swirled some blood around in his mouth and leaned forward, spitting it onto the floor before adopting as relaxed a position he could while cuffed to the chair. Marcel looked like he wanted to have the guard hit him again but called for Dr. Smidt to step forward instead. The doctor shuffled, a slight limp present that told Danny Steve had gotten more than one swing in that afternoon.
“Mr. Williams, fix up Dr. Smidt if you will so we can carry on with our night.”
“Don’t do it Dan-” Steve’s words cut off with another nasty fist to his face. Danny kept his face as impassive as he could manage as Steve once again straightened in his seat, his eyes focusing in on Danny’s all earnest and rebellious, anger glittering for all to see. Marcel looked at Danny expectantly.
Danny sighed and nodded, Smidt stepping forward with unrestrained glee at getting to experience Danny’s mojo first hand. Steve said nothing from his seat and Danny didn’t look at his partner as he wrapped his hand around Smidt’s wrist and healed the son of a bitch. The dirty used feeling that normally made his stomach squirm unpleasantly when doing Marcel’s bidding felt even worse with Steve’s dark eyes glowering at him. As soon as he finished he flung the doctors hand away and leaned back in his seat, swallowing thickly. The doctors injuries had been piddly compared to Steve’s, they barely took any effort to fix, but it didn’t do anything to abate his lingering tiredness.
“That’s incredible,” Smidt was still standing there staring at him while pressing his fingers to his healed eye.
“Yeah I’m a regular miracle worker,” he agreed derisively.
“I mean I’ve seen you work, obviously,” oh dear god the man was babbling. Danny decided then and there that he preferred him silent and moody. “But I hadn’t really thought to ask how it actually feels,” that got Danny’s attention quickly and he looked up. Smidt choose that moment to move away to his ever present bag of tricks so Danny turned to Steve instead.
“How does it feel?” He nearly wanted to curse himself stupid for asking the question aloud, and it was impossible to ignore the people watching him in the room, but this was an opportunity he really didn’t want to pass up. He’d always wondered…
“It feels warm,” the doctor explained after a moment. Danny’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and Steve’s hard look broke for a moment, turning soft and supportive like when he’d been giving Gracie her first surfing lesson. Danny scowled at him on principle, Steve rolling his eyes in response before tucking his fuzzy little decidedly not super-killing-machine emotions away for another, more appropriate, time. The fact that he showed that much sincerity in front of these asshats betrayed his exhaustion.
The guard, Asshat as Danny decided to dub him, lashed out again this time digging into Steve’s kidney’s and the SEAL grunted, curling forward slightly before straightening up. He had his robot face on now, looking stony and undisturbed. Danny was very much not undisturbed.
“What the hell was that for?” He snarled at Marcel, “we did nothing to deserve that! There was no provoking whatsoever,” Danny forcibly stopped talking when Asshat clocked Steve in the face again, this time the ring he was wearing slicing Steve’s cheek open and Danny was nearly overcome with rage, his words gathering in his throat begging to be unleashed. He bit his tongue and settled for breathing heavily through his nostrils as Marcel watched him blandly.
For a long moment there was no sound in the room but Danny’s deep breaths, the tinkle of glass on glass, and the occasional distant groan from the ship.
“It is late,” Marcel accepted the fine tumbler of amber liquid Johann stiffly passed him before moving back to the door. Danny caught a flash of a real gun holstered under his black jacket as he passed by, deciding that the lack of taser could only be a bad thing. “I have had a very long day negotiating our current shipments delivery, arranging for your next session with a very important client in Shanghai,” he paused to take a sip of his drink, the look on his face suggesting it was a very fine vintage before delicately placing it on the side table, “and deciding where to send your very, very dear partner for safekeeping once we dock.”
It felt like his entire body locked into one giant knot the instant Marcel’s words translated in his brain. They were going to send Steve away. Shit. Shit shit shit no no no this was not good! There was no where, way, or how it that would end well for Steve or Danny if they were split up. Marcel would be able to do whatever he wanted to Steve from a distance, Danny would no longer have the option of resisting even a little if he didn’t want Steve to suffer immediate, possibly irreparable harm. Everything about Marcel’s current posture and face bespoke of his absolute control.
For one dark, malicious moment Danny considered reaching out and draining every last drop of life-force out of the man, including his charred soul, until the point where Marcel would never recover. His fingers twitched and his stomach flip-flopped in sick agony the moment his mind caught up to his instinctive response to the threat.
He wouldn’t let them take Steve.
He would do whatever-
“It’s late huh?” Steve’s completely unconcerned voice grounded Danny’s dangerous thoughts and he looked to find his partner still sitting straight and relaxed in his seat, his dark eyes promising many broken bones despite his apparent attempt at being all nonchalant. Yeah, Danny was pretty sure the guy had been born without his subtle bone. Stealth he had in spades, subtlety? That gene had skipped his generation with a leap that spanned the universe. “What time is it?” There was nothing at all innocent about that question.
Marcel glanced at Steve, took another slow drink from his glass, swirling the liquid around a moment, and then went back to what was apparently his favourite hobby in the world: Danny watching.
“I do believe Mr. Williams agreed to demonstrate a new facility of his powers last night. I would very much like to see it now.”
“He didn’t agree to anything,” Steve was suddenly a lot less relaxed.
“You were rather undisposed in that moment, but I assure you we came to an understanding,” his eyes narrowed warningly at Danny. “I believe the postal service was involved at one point.” Danny felt sick.
“Danny, listen to me,” Steve sounded every bit like the commanding officer that he was. “You will not do a thing he tells you to. Under no circumstances will you give in, do you here me!” Danny ignored him, unable to look away from the knowing quirk of Marcel’s entire face.
“Doctor, if you will,” Marcel gestured with his glass at Danny and the doctor moved forward with customary fashion and reached out to undue Danny’s shirt. He sharply slapped the seeking fingers away, his lip curling wrathfully at the guy before slowly undoing them himself. There was no way in hell the doctor was going to undress him in front of the guy that had pretty much become his best-friend/brother/family. He wasn’t going to suffer that humiliation on top of all the others. When he was done he couldn’t look at Steve, but it was hard to not see him watching with sinister silence from across the large table that separated them; the large windows behind reflecting his clenched fists.
The doctor began sticking his little monitors in place, some of them pressing in overtop of the swollen punctures and tears in his skin. Removing the thick staples had been more painful then receiving them in the first place.
“I just want you to understand that my previous caveats still stand,” Danny was very proud of himself when his voice didn’t waver or crack, because it felt like a near thing once the Doctor had moved off and flipped open his laptop monitor.
“I really don’t think you’re in the position to be making threats,” Marcel, God help him, actually sounded amused.
Steve was still deadly silent in his seat.
“Now, as the doctor has informed me, in order for you to heal your own injuries you must be able to draw from the energy pool of another, much as you draw from your own reserves to help them.” There was a pause as the Doctor confirmed with a nod. “You will use Mr. McGarrett for this demonstration please.”
Danny didn’t move.
His chest felt tight, his fingers curled closed and his nails bit into his palms and he felt overcome with horror. He was shaking his head in denial before actively giving his body permission. “No,” he swallowed heavily. Marcel’s anger was fast and furious and this time Steve was left gasping to catch his breath after the force of the hits.
“Choose someone else,” Danny demanded, practically begged, and Marcel’s entire face darkened at the continued denial.
“You will demonstrate with Mr. McGarrett. As he has worked so hard to be here with you it is only fair that he receive his share of attention,” he stood and moving swiftly to stand behind Steve, grabbing his short brown hair and angling his neck back sharply. Steve’s legs stretched out in reaction, trying to help alleviate the strain and suddenly there was a large, shiny, sharp looking knife pressed tight and personal with Steve’s neck. Marcel wasn’t being overly concerned with care, the blade slicing a shallow line that was already beading with blood where it pressed.
Danny didn’t know what to do and for a moment he was stuck between two worlds: one with his fathers sad, solemn eyes ordering him to take take take and then get out of the car. Ordering Danny to leave him behind when he was too weak to drag himself after Danny; the other where Steve’s nearly closed eyes and fiercely clenched teeth were ordering him to refuse and at the same time forgiving him if he gave in. Danny was so twisted and livid with indecision that he completely missed it when Anook unexpectedly slammed into the room.
He caught up pretty quickly when Marcel’s knife lifted enough that Steve could draw a proper breath again, and Danny could allow himself to stop staring in horror. Marcel curved to glare as angrily as he ever had at her, his normally pale face darkening in displeasure.
She didn’t falter, her long, smooth strides carrying her across the room in seconds and he leaned right into Marcel’s space urgently. Danny had no idea what she was saying, but the confused alarm on Marcel’s face, quickly hidden with his generally unflappable air, was enough to tell him that something very unexpected was interrupting his evening plans. He pulled away from Steve, his knife flipping shut and retreating to the deep pockets of his charcoal dress pants. He gave one cold, assessing look at Steve before rushing the door.
“Will! Met Mij. U twee zien ze!” he snapped over his shoulder as he left the room, Will and Anook so tight on his heals they were practically piggybacking.
Danny stared after them a brief moment, relief and bewilderment welling up inside before the two guards still present pulled up closer and drew their weapons. Johann wasted no time snapping Danny’s sore wrists into cuffs that were apparently as standard for him to carry as a police officer before he stepped clear and focused intently on the door. Asshat watched Danny and Steve with cool, suspicious eyes. The doctor looked alarmed, glancing between them all with a clear uncertainty as to what was expected of him.
Steve looked scarily satisfied.
“Wait,” Danny pulled his shirt closed, ignoring how Steve’s eyes drifted briefly to his wounded chest and his satisfaction melted away into calculated anger. “This has something to do with you doesn’t it?” He directed the frivolous question at Steve, needing to speak for the sake of speaking and trying to control the sudden rush of hopeful nerves. Johann glared sharply between them, eyes narrowed harshly and Steve smirked quick and humourless in Danny’s direction.
“Sure,” he agreed with a shrug. He looked terrible, blood trailing down his face in a macabre pattern, the cut on his neck smearing around the collar of his black t-shirt. He made being tied up and beaten look like old hat. Freakin James Bond wannabe.
“Well, great,” Danny’s hands were shaking a little, which only added to the frustrating task of closing the tiny buttons with bound hands. He finished number three and paused to glare at Steve. “Would you mind letting me in on whatever it is you have planned here Steven? Maybe give me a hint as to how I should help? I’d settle for a quick monologue of how you’re going to kill all the bad guys in the room after picking your cuffs Schwarzeneggar style, should you choose that route,” he graciously (if he did think so himself) allowed, managing to draw a little more of the guards attention.
“Quiet!” Asshat ordered, stepping closer to Steve’s side and glaring cautiously between them. Steve, for his part, apparently didn’t understand the reference if his briefly confused frown could be read at face value.
“What? No,” he shook his head shortly before adopting his ‘the shits about to hit the fan and I plan to be the one flinging it’ look he generally pulled out for his more daring moments. Danny prepared to launch into action. “I don’t have anything to pick the locks with,” Steve admitted, sounding slightly put out by this before his lips curled up ever so slightly. “But you know what I can do?” Danny flicked his gaze to the glass wall behind Steve just in time to witness one hand securely grip the cuff around the other in the reflection. “I can dislocate my thumb.”
With a yank his hand slid free of the metal ring and he sprung to his feet, whipping the heavy metal chair around with the force of a vindictive SEAL who had been desperately waiting to unleash his wrath.
Asshat barely had time to see it coming.
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Chapter 16
Masterpost