A/N: As with my other story, I am trying to get these back logged chapters all posted so that I can have access to all of my already written materials when I am in Toronto. I plan to only take my iPhone with me, but if I have time to write, or the inspiration can be found in the chaos I'll do what I can. Until things clear up, however, I'm afraid my stories will all be on hold. Sorry. I will be posting chapter 19 of this story at the same time so that you guys aren't left with another cliffy. Chapter 19 kinda settles things down for a little while so I hope you like it too.

Enjoy

Chapter 18: Quiet

Kono, Chin and Lori stood together, just holding each other, as they watched the ambulance drive away. Max had moved to the casket and, without touching it, was examining it for evidence. It was all he could think of to do in his nervous and agitated stated. Commander Gutches took charge of the scene and the SEALs stood around with their weapons still drawn as they waited. Moments passed like hours as they all waited for the investigators to arrive at the scene and held onto an eerie feeling that they were still being watched. They had called in the crime scene as soon as the container came out of the ground but with all the sand inside and the jungle all around them, everyone present knew that there would be little to find without the proper equipment. It was time to leave the investigation to the professionals.

The scene was clean and it was quiet, and yet the air was electrically charged. Like some odd power had been released from the box the moment Danny had taken that first breath of fresh air. All of around them was the evidence of the crimes that had been committed thus far and the end of their investigation of two days, but what was absent was any direction. McMahon was still out there and the nervous, fearfully, energy that a man as crazy and malicious as that was still out there roaming free, or possibly even still watching their every move. The fearful feeling had taken a hold of every person that stood in the quiet of the darkening forest reserve. It was like a prickling at the back of their necks, and the uneasiness settled in.

"What should we do now?" Lori whispered and yet her voice sounded loud in the silence that had fallen.

"We have to make this guy pay for what he did to Danny, to all of us." Kono stated passionately.

"How are we going to do that?" Chin asked.

"I'm not sure," Kono sighed.

"Maybe Steve will know," Max sighed.

"Or Danny," Lori added.

5-0

Radio contact with the navel intelligence and Toast never ended. They had heard the whole ordeal and continued to hear what went on as Steve road along in the ambulance. The name of the hospital was relayed back to the Five-Os that were left behind in the field and then all lines went dead because they were no longer needed, but Toast never stopped working.

"It's over Toast, they found Danny," Catherine stated to the frantically typing hacker. "What else could you possibly find out there in the void that will help them now?" she asked.

"It's not over until we make that connection and catch that son of a bitch that tried to drown my friend!" Toast stated forcefully and returned his hawk like stare to his computer screen. "If I can isolate the residual signal, I may be able to follow it back to its origins and give Five-O a place to start looking again. Or I may be able to see the void in the signals and trace that. It was a tangled web of virtual information, now one strand of that is missing; I'm going to locate that strand."

"You can do that?" Catherine asked in shock.

"Oh yes, I am that good," Toast stated as he unwrapped another lollipop and jammed it into his mouth. "All information is in patterns. I just need to find the pattern that is missing and isolated it. I may be able to reactive it, in so much, that I might be able to trace it. I can't give up and you can't either. You have all the higher level access, and I need that right now."

"You're right," Catherine stated, "Back to work," She ordered to the two other men that were with her as she focused all her attention at the computer before her and the databases and secret satellites she could access. "What am I looking for Toast?"

"Anything out of the ordinary."

5-0

Back in Ewa the investigators started to arrive. Charlie had been picked up by his partner Ruby only moments after the call had come in from the field and he arrived with the crews to see the true extent of the ordeal his friends had gone through. Huge spot lights were set up and white tents that reflected the light back down onto the areas that had been cordoned off as the crime scene with yellow tape illuminated the whole area; brighter then it have ever been even in the sunshine. For the first time since they arrived the remaining Five-Os got a glimpse of what they had done, and saw in the light the damage that they may have caused to the crime scene. Sand and machinery tracks, the giant hole and the crumpled and mangled mess of the electronics were scattered everywhere, and right before them, in the middle of it all, laid the casket still full of water and eerily white as the lights caught the brightness of its interior.

"That is just sickening," Lori stated and had to turn her face away to stem the awful feeling that had come over her.

"And to think our Danny was trapped in that," Kono sighed as tears filled her eyes again.

"McMahon will not get away with this," Chin vowed.

"You guys should go to the hospital," Charlie stated after the initial shock of seeing the scene wore off, and as the navy SEALs continued to patrol the perimeter of the crime scene. "We can carry on here without you. Go and check on Danny. You guys need to be together after what you've been through. You'll know what to do, once you have been resorted to full team capacity." Charlie added and headed for the shipping container that was calling out to him.

"I'll drive," Max smiled, "Thankfully they don't need me on the scene tonight." He added and headed for the awaiting Camaro.

"What if McMahon comes here?" Kono whispered to Chin as they followed Max.

"I think he's more likely to go after Danny and Steve at the hospital." Chin answered honestly.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lori stated and ran after Max, "We have to get to them."