The courtroom was packed with the public, newspaper and TV reporters. The trial of Pete Atupo was finally coming to a close. Steve McGarrett and his team of Hawaii Five-0 had spent over a year gathering the evidence needed to gain a conviction for the murder of Sally Fong, a well-known singer to the Islands. In the months before her murder, Sally Fong had given concerts all over the mainland before coming back to the Islands. Ms. Fong's popularity, as a native islander making it big, had made this trial special to the people of the Islands.

This had been a long and difficult trial. Both lawyers asked for several extensions so they could further their investigations. John Manicote, the prosecutor, had the problem of disappearing witnesses during the trial. This problem had caused him to redirect his questioning frequently. If it hadn't been for Steve McGarrett and his crack unit, Five-0, the case would have been thrown out several times.

"Has the jury reached a decision, Mr. Hashimoto?" Judge Ischito asked the foreman.

All eyes turned to the foreman as he rose. Mr. Hashimoto faced Judge Ischito as he answered, "Yes, your Honor, we have."

Turning to the defendant, "Very well. Mr. Atupo, will you please stand and face the jury," instructed Judge Ischito.

Pete Atupo and his lawyer, James Fairaday, stood up and faced the foreman and the other eleven members of the jury. Fairaday had done his best with this case. Now, all the work he had done was coming to an end. Of course, if the verdict was guilty, there would be appeals.

"Mr. Hashimoto, please read the verdict," the judge instructed.

McGarrett turned slightly in his chair, placing his left hand on Manicote's arm. Manicote turned slightly, holding his hand up to McGarrett to stop him from saying anything yet. They both looked at the jury foreman, eager to hear the expected verdict.

Mr. Hashimoto looked directly at Atupo as he said, "In the charge of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, Mr. Pete Atupo guilty."

The courtroom erupted with excitement. Newspaper reporters rushed out of the courtroom to call in the verdict. All the cameras were turned towards Pete Atupo and his lawyer. Unseen by all, but Atupo, two men left the building with the mass of newspaper reporters. These two men, though, were not reporters. They didn't stop at a phone to report the findings of the jury, no, they left the courthouse and walked across the street and got into their car and left.

Rapping the gavel on the dais, Judge Ischito told the courtroom to come to order. As soon as the noise had died down, the judge continued. "Mr. Pete Atupo, you have been found guilty of murder in the first degree in the case of Sally Fong. You will be remanded in custody without bail until fifteenth of next month. At that time, you will be returned to this courtroom for sentencing. Officer Hokoana, you will escort Mr. Atupo back to his jail cell to await the sentencing."

Once the bailiff had removed Mr. Atupo, McGarrett turned to Manicote to shake his hand. "Congratulations John, you were able to prove conclusively Atupo had murdered Ms. Fong."

"Yes, Steve, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without your informant helping out like he did. Have you been able to find him since he disappeared?"

Sighing, and shaking his head, "No, not yet. We're working on it. Danno got a tip he might be hiding in a shack somewhere in the North Shore area."

"Let's hope he's OK," Manicote expressed.

Stopping just outside the courtroom Manicote turned to McGarrett, "You probably should have brought him in for his own protection. Or at least until the trial was over. Let's hope he's OK now."

*****

As soon as they left the courtroom, the two men headed across the Palace grounds to an awaiting car. The driver opened the door for Mickey Kohn and Paul Martinez. Martinez placed a call from the car phone to an another man waiting near a shack on the North Shore. "He was found guilty. You know what to do."

"Yeah. I'll take care of it. We've found where he's been hiding. He's going to pay for what he did to Atupo," the person on the other end said.

"George, take us to the house," Mr. Martinez told the driver.

"Yes, sir," replied the driver as he pulled onto the Pali Highway.

*****

McGarrett stopped at the Jenny's desk, after returning to the Iolani Place, before entering his office, "Has Danny made it back from the North Shore area?"

"Not yet, boss. Chin Ho's back though. Right now he's down at Che's office. He said he had more information about the movements of Atupo's group since the trial."

"OK, when he gets back have him come in with his report." McGarrett entered his office and walked through to the lanai. How many more people will be hurt before we completely put an end to this bunch of killers? Even from behind bars, Atupo has been able to rule his people. Their rain of terror on the Islands hadn't stopped yet, McGarrett thought to himself.

Twenty minutes later Chin Ho Kelly opened the door to McGarrett's office, fining his boss out on the lanai. "Boss, Jenny said you were back. A guilty verdict right?" asked Chin Ho as he walked into the office. Closing the door behind him, he sat down in one of the white chairs in front of McGarrett's desk. 

Chin Ho Kelly had been with the unit from the very beginning. His respect for his boss had been earned from the start. When the unit was first formed, it had only been McGarrett and himself. Chin Ho had just picked up his new boss from the airport, when HPD had informed them about a murdered sailor. Chin Ho had been amazed at the tenacity McGarrett shown during the course of the investigation. It was almost, to Chin Ho, as if McGarrett had the ability to hear what the criminal was thinking before they thought it.

Still standing on the lanai, McGarrett turned towards the oriental detective, "Yeah, Chin, he was found guilty. Now we just have to wait until the fifteenth of next month for his sentencing. Jenny said you had some information on the rest of his men?"

"Yeah, they're acting as if Atupo is still out and free. Somehow, he's able to send instructions to his men. Word is, he's put a contract out on the informant. Big money, Steve."

"Dan had a tip his informant was hidden somewhere in the North Shore area. He took Duke and two HPD units with him, for back up, in case there was any problems," McGarrett informed him. He was looking through the case folder on Atupo. Atupo still had a large active group of criminals still out there. The unit was still having to work overtime on this case to break up this bunch. Dan's informant had provided them with enough leads to put Atupo away for life. Now McGarrett hoped he would provide them with the names and places of the rest of the gang, so Five-0 could put an end Atupo's troupe forever.

"You think maybe they might run into trouble trying to find him then?" Chin Ho asked.

"I hope not Chin, but with Atupo's group you can never tell." McGarrett turned around once again to look out at the palace grounds.

*****

Dan Williams and Duke Lukela led the group to the hut. Duke took two of the HPD officers with him to the back of the shack to prevent anyone from leaving unnoticed. Dan, flanked by the other two HPD officers, approached the shack from the front.

Knocking loudly and repeatedly, Dan was anxious. He hadn't heard from his informant in several days. "John, John Itas, are you in there?" Dan shouted at the door.

There was no sound or movement coming from within the shack. Trying the door, Dan found the door unlocked. Pulling out his gun, Dan stepped inside, once again calling out, "John, are you in here?"

Dan motioned to the other officers to follow him into the shack. Dan went towards the bedroom in the back while the other officers checked the rest of the place. The door to the bedroom was barely opened when the he tried to push it open more. Something was resting against it making the door hard to open. Dan pushed harder and was finally able to move it enough to allow him to enter.

There, Dan stopped cold. He saw the lower portion of the body of his informant, the upper part partly obscured by a blanket from the bed. There was blood all over the room and around the body. Carefully, he removed the blanket to confirm the identity of the body. He almost threw up as the blanket was completely removed from the head area. As the blanket was removed, the head rolled out of the tangle of the blanket and ended up bouncing to a stop next to the wall.

"Oh my God," choked Dan.

Officer Dale Holmes, a young rookie, was right behind the detective. He saw Dan having to catch himself to keep from fainting. Rushing past Dan into the room, the first thing he saw was the head of Itas. The rookie didn't have the same control over his stomach like Dan had and abruptly threw up.

Duke came into the shack, through the back, just in time to see Officer Holmes comes staggering out of the room. He then sees Dan, who is standing there grasping the doorframe trying to keep from fainting. Duke glances back again to the rookie HPD officer. He sees how green Officer Holmes' face has become. Going over to Dan, Duke doesn't say anything. He puts his hand on his shoulder for a moment before starting into the room.

"No Duke, don't! He's dead. He's been," Dan said as he grabbed Duke's arm preventing him from entering the room, "decapitated."

Standing there for a moment trying to grasp what Dan had said, "I'll have Kimo call Steve at the office. Then we'll need to get Che Fong and Doc Bergman over here and have them go over the place. Are you sure you're OK Danny?"

Dan's face had turned green. He looked like he was going to throw up any moment. "They cut his head off Duke. What type of animal could do a thing like that?"

"It's got to be some of Atupo's boys, Danny. Here, you had better sit down before you pass out," Duke said as he guided Dan to the tattered and torn couch. Officer Holmes had left the shack and was now sitting with his head in his hands on the steps. Every so often Duke could see him hunch over a little more as if he was throwing up again. Hard way to get seasoned, Duke thought to himself.

Duke turned to Officer Kimo Ramos, "Kimo, get Che Fong and Doc out here. Then call Steve and ask him to meet us here too." Kimo had been the second HPD officer to come into the shack with Dan. He had been with HPD over fifteen years and was the senior partner with the rookie Officer Holmes.

"Right Duke." Kimo didn't want to go near the room. He had heard what was said about the body. It was turning his stomach just thinking about it.

A crowd was now forming around the crime scene. Duke knew he had to keep them out of the area until the lab had a chance to go over the place. Duke instructed the other two officers to secure the area. "Carl, secure this area and keep the spectators out. Mike, I need you to start asking around the area. See if you can find anyone who might have seen or heard anything going on here."

*****

About an hour later they heard the screech of tires as the large black Mercury braked hard to a stop. McGarrett found Holmes sitting on the steps of the shack as he walked up to the shack. The young rookie looked shaken to him. Getting his experience the hard way, he thought as he passed the rookie. Entering the room, he found Dan sitting down on a ratty looking couch. Dan looked very ill to him. Walking over he put his hand on Dan's shoulder. "Danno, you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm OK." Dan was sitting on the edge of the couch. He was leaning forward with his head in his hand, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Kimo said they had cut the head off, is that right?" he questioned his second in command.

Dan looked at his boss for a moment. Gathering what strength he could, he stood up. "It's the most gruesome thing I've ever seen, Steve. At first, when I finally got in the room, all I saw was the lower part of his body. A blanket was covering the upper part, the head and shoulder areas. It was when I pulled off the blanket, that the head rolled out."

McGarrett watched his friend as he related what he saw. Dan was turning very pale again. He didn't think Dan would get sick but he was really close to it.

"OK, why don't you get out of here and get some fresh air. I'll have Doc, Che Fong and the lab boys go over this place when they get here." McGarrett then guided his friend out of the shack. At the steps, Dan looked at Holmes. Officer Holmes was still greenish but was recovering fast. The three of them walked over to the cars.

While they waited for the lab crew, McGarrett went back into the shack to see the evidence himself. Grimacing at what he saw, McGarrett scanned the room. Under the bed he found a short bloody samurai knife. Using his handkerchief, he carefully picked up the knife between the blooded tip and the handle. McGarrett was sure this was the murder weapon. He looked around some more for anything else that would help them find the killer or killers.

John Itas was a large man. McGarrett knew it would take more then a single person to have overcome the victim. The way the body was positioned and the fact the arms had not been tied behind the body indicated two other people had to have held Itas so that a third person could have been able to cut the head off. Itas had been forced to kneel also because the blood spray on the walls weren't very high, as it would have been if he had been standing.

Che Fong and the lab crew soon arrived. Stepping into the room, Che surveyed the scene. "Hi Steve, what do we have here?"

"One dead body with its head cut off. It looks like this is the murder weapon," he said holding up the short samurai knife. McGarrett slipped the knife carefully into the plastic evidence bag offered by Che. Nodding his head towards the room where the body was, "Find me some more evidence, Che, I need all the clues you can find here. I'll be back at the office."

Doc Bergman arrived moments later. As he stepped into the shack Steve told him, "Even I could tell you what killed this one Doc."

Smiling back at the boss of Hawaii Five-0, Doc quickly looked into the room. "It looks like maybe you could on this one, Steve. I'll let you know my findings."

Glancing once more at the murdered man's body, McGarrett turned and left the shack. Once out side he looks around the area for any other type of clues. The sand around the shack held many tracks, but was too soft. None of the prints were clear enough to be able to determine as to who made them or when.

Duke walked up to McGarrett, "We've asked around Steve, but no one heard or saw anything."

Huffing to himself, "Naturally. Well, keep trying Duke. We need some sort of lead. Right now we have nothing, just a body." McGarrett then walked back over to the cars.

"You two OK now?" he asked the young detective and the rookie HPD officer. Each of them looked like they felt better, not so green around the gills anymore.

"Yeah, Steve. I just wasn't prepared for such a sight," Dan told him. He didn't feel like he was going to lose his stomach anymore. But he knew that if someone offered him something to eat right then he'd get sick.

Officer Dale Holmes merely nodded his head to indicate he was feeling better also. He was still slightly green.

"Duke, finish up here, then meet us back at the office with your report." McGarrett looked over at the rookie. "Have someone run Officer Holmes here back to the office too," he instructed Duke. The young officer was bent over the car with his head lowered. Given enough time, McGarrett knew the rookie cop would learn how to handle seeing such a sight. Fortunately, this type of thing didn't come around very often.

"Right Steve. I'll take care of things here," Duke told his boss while escorting Holmes over to one of the other cars.

*****

After finishing his report, Dan went into Steve's office. McGarrett watched him closely as he was handed the report. Dan's face was still pale. His eyes still showed the horror he had witnessed earlier.

"Why don't you call it a day, Danno. You're bushed," McGarrett told him.

Dan just stood there looking at the report. He didn't say anything. He couldn't get the memory of the head rolling out of the blanket out of his mind.

Putting down the report, McGarrett got up and went around his desk and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll get these animals Danno. It's only a matter of time before we get a lead on them."

As they walked out of his office Dan said dejectedly, "Yeah, Steve, yeah, just a matter of time."

Dan then walked out of the office.

*****

'Why is my head lying there away from me? I can see it. I know it's mine. Why isn't it on my body? The pain, I shouldn't be feeling any pain if my head isn't on my body. Why? What's happening? I must be dead. My god, I am dead. Help! My head is lying there on the floor just in front of me. Help me!' Dan woke up. His body was dripping in sweat. Sitting up in bed, he realized he was in his own bedroom. It's only a dream, he told himself. He sat there, his heart beating fast and he was out of breath.

Getting up, Dan walked into the kitchen where he poured a glass of cold water. Going out onto the lanai, he sat down in one of the chairs. There he remained until the rising sun lit the morning sky.

Jenny noticed Dan as he came into the office. She could tell he apparently hadn't slept very well. Smiling at him as he went to his cubical, she got up and poured him a cup of coffee. "Bad night Danny?"

"You could call it that. I had a disturbing dream last night. A real bad one." Yawning, Dan accepted the coffee from Jenny. Dan got the file he had started on the John Itas murder case. He was looking over the paperwork when McGarrett called him to come to his office for a briefing.

McGarrett looked up at Dan as he entered into the office. He saw how tired his friend looked. He knew the feelings his young friend was experiencing. He would make a point of being there for Dan, if he wanted. But McGarrett knew only Dan could teach himself to be immune to any reactions after seeing such a sight.

Dan sat down in one of the white chairs facing McGarrett's desk. McGarrett was looking over a file on the case. In a plastic evidence bag, lay the knife found at the site. Putting down the file, McGarrett picked up the bag. Looking up at his young friend, McGarrett began to fill Dan in. "Che found us some prints in the shack and the knife." Handing the bag to Dan, he continued, "We now have the identity of two sets of the prints found in the shack. Makua Linkoa and one Sammy Kwan were there. Their prints overlap Itas's in several places. I've had an APB put out on both of them. There was also a set from a third person, whose identity is, as yet, unknown. Their prints were the only one's found on the knife," McGarrett informed him.

Dan perked up when he heard about the leads. "Any leads to the third person?"

"Nothing yet, but we'll find him also, Danno." Looking at his friend, he could see just how tired Dan was. "You OK? You don't look like you've got a good nights sleep." he asked.

Shaking his head, Dan slumped down in one of the chairs. "No, I didn't. I had a nightmare last night. I kept seeing me as the one who lost his head, if you know what I mean."

McGarrett was concerned when he saw that the killing was bothering his friend more then he was letting on. "You want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No, I'll deal with it." Dan said looking totally worn out.

McGarrett was still watching his friend when his phone rang. "McGarrett. Yeah! Where? Right. No, just keep them in sight. We'll be there soon."

"Come on Danno, they have located two of our bad boys," McGarrett said as he grabbed his jacket and ran for the door.

Dan followed closely behind. He barely got in the car when McGarrett hit the gas. McGarrett drove through the traffic barely missing other cars in his rush to get to where the killers were last seen. Gripping the door, Dan wondering which was more terrifying, riding with McGarrett to a scene or seeing the head. He came to the conclusion they were both tied.

McGarrett pulled up to the backside of an old apartment complex in the low-income area of city. There he came to a squealing stop. In one fluid movement, almost before the car had come to a complete stop, McGarrett got out and ran over to Duke. Dan was a bit slower in getting out of the car, but was right behind his boss.

Duke Lukela had already positioned HPD officers in strategic positions around the building. "They're in there, Steve, in a third floor apartment at the corner of the building," Duke said as he pointed toward the apartment. "I've got men covering the back, sides and front. Figured you wanted to get these guys yourself," Duke told McGarrett.

"Good work Duke. Danno, you take the back, take two HPD officers with you. Give me to the count of ten then come through the door low. Duke, make sure the other officers know I want these two alive and watch the crossfire if there's any shooting. Chin, Duke, you'll come with me," McGarrett said as he took out his gun and moved towards the front of the apartment complex.

"Right Steve. Carl! Mark! You'll come with me," Dan told them as he got his gun out. Then he and the two HPD officers, who had been at the shack where the body had been found, took off for the back. Reaching the back of the apartment, Dan, holding his gun pointed up at the ready, flattened himself up against the wall. The two HPD officers did the same.

Counting to ten to give McGarrett time to get into place, Dan knocked hard on the door before he kicked it in. Rushing in he ducked low, at the same time as he heard McGarrett yell out, "Linkoa, Kwan, this is Five-0! Open up!" McGarrett kicked in the door and rushed into the apartment.

The two men were taken totally by surprise and didn't have time to react. Both Linkoa and Kwan were just getting up when they were grabbed. Pushed to the wall and held in restraint, they were searched and handcuffed. McGarrett found only a gun on Linkoa. Dan didn't find any weapons on Kwan but he did find a shirt splattered with blood. "Steve, look," he said as he took the shirt out of Kwan's chair.

McGarrett turned and looked at what Dan had in his hand. McGarrett turned to Kwan tightening his fists to control his temper, "Whose blood's on the shirt Kwan? Did you do the job or did you hold Itas while your other partner did the cutting?"

"I've never seen that shirt before. You planted it in the chair. You can't prove I did anything," said Kwan defiantly. He feared the other, as of yet, uncaught partner more then he did the Five-0 chief. He knew he'd better not say anything if he wanted to live. Atupo had ears everywhere and whatever he told this cop it would get back to Atupo and he wouldn't be alive for very much longer if he did.

Seething, McGarrett pushed Kwan towards Duke, "Book them, suspicion of murder and concealed weapons."

"Right Steve." Duke then nodded to the two HPD officers, Carl and Mark, who took custody of the prisoners.

McGarrett took another look at the shirt. "Danno, now we need the third and last killer." McGarrett looked at his second in command. Dan's face was once again turning a bit green as he looked at the bloody shirt.

"You don't think either of them," Danno asked his boss, "were the one who used the knife then?"

"I have a feeling they were the ones who held Itas. And I've got a gut feeling that this third person is the cutter. Let's get Che over here and go over this place. Maybe they can provide us with some more information," McGarrett said, as he once again had to guide Dan Williams to the car.

*****

'His headless body jumped as McGarrett crashed into the room. Danno! Danno! You're dead, Danno! I can't be dead, he argued back. Yes, you are Danno, McGarrett tells him. NO!!!!!!' Once again he wakes with a start. Dripping with sweat, Dan got out of bed and walks to the door of the lanai. There he sat in the coolness of another early morning until the trembling stops.

Finally feeling like he was once more in control, Dan noticed that it was almost time to get ready for work. Showering didn't seem to refresh him any.

Kono was the first to see how tired Dan looked as he arrived at the office. "Another late night date Danny?" teased Kono.

"No, I had another restless night again. Can't get that head out of my thoughts," he said shivering.

When McGarrett arrived, he told Dan and the others to come to his office. "Che has been able to determine that the blood found on the shirt belongs to Itas. He was also able to get some really good prints off that knife. I've had a copy of the prints sent off to INS for identification. So far, neither Linkoa nor Kwan has told us anything. They seem to be more afraid of Atupo then spending time in prison." During the meeting Dan kept yawning. After about the fifth yawn McGarrett asked him, "Are we keeping you up too late at night?"

Chin and Kono both chuckled.

"No, just didn't get a good night's rest," Dan told them.

"What, another nightmare?" McGarrett asked him. He was realizing the killing was bothering his friend more than normal.

"Yeah, you could call it that." His eyes were starting to show the strain of lack of sleep, becoming blood shot and deep set in his face.

"Maybe you need to take the day off to rest. If you're that tired you could make some mistakes and we can't afford any on this case," McGarrett reminded him.

"I'll be OK, Steve. I just need a good night's sleep with no dreams."

"Take the day off then and get some rest. Maybe you should see if Doc has anything that could help you sleep?" McGarrett told him. He didn't like how this was affecting his friend.

Yawning again, "I think I'll take you up on that offer. Maybe that's the way a person here can get a day off, by having nightmares every night," teased Dan as he yawned again.

Almost rising to Dan's bait, McGarrett smiled. "Take off, Danno. Get some rest. We'll manage today without you. See you tomorrow."

"Hey, Boss, if I have nightmares too, can I get a day off?" teased Kono.

"Don't bet on it," replied McGarrett smiling at the big Hawaiian, "and don't think I won't be watching to make sure you're not napping at your desk either."

Dan and Chin Ho both laughed as McGarrett teased back, smiling and laughing having caught Kono in his baited joke.

Kono went to answer but then smiled after he realized he had been set up again. 

*****

Doc Bergman's office was located in the morgue. Dan hated coming here. This was were the headless body of Itas was being held until relatives could decide on the burial details. Walking up to the door, Dan knocked before entering. "Hi, Doc."

"Danny! Hi! What can I do for you?"

"I came to see you hoping you'd have something that would help me get a good night's sleep. I've had bad nightmares each night so far since we found Itas's body," Dan said as he looked past the doctor through the doorway into the other room. There was an exam table that had a body on it ready for examination. A sheet covered the body at the moment and Dan couldn't tell if it was Itas or not.

Doc Bergman noticed Dan's glance, "No, that's not him Danny. It's another case I'm working on at the moment. You're having trouble sleeping because of it, right?"

"Yeah, for two nights now. I've woken up from each dream in a sweat, heart racing. The works! Steve thought maybe I should ask you for something to help stop these nightmares."

"I've got a mild sleeping pill that should work for you," Doc said as he walked over to his dispensary cabinet. Opening the cabinet, he removed a small bottle of pills. Shaking out four of the pills, he put them into an envelope and handed them to the young detective. "Be sure you don't have any alcoholic beverages when you take one of these. You should only need one. They should work on relaxing you within thirty minutes of taking one of them. Let me know if they don't do the job."

"Thanks Doc," Dan said as he put the envelope into his jacket pocket. "Let's hope this does the job. I need the rest." Dan then left for his apartment.

*****

Once Dan was back at his apartment, he tried to rest as best he could. Several times he tried to take catnaps, but to no avail. Finally he decided to go to bed. Taking one of the pills given to him, Dan slipped between the covers expecting to get a good nights rest.

'Danno, I've failed you! Danno, you're dead! Dead! His head was being held in McGarrett's hands. No, I can't be dead Steve. I'm talking to you, I know I can't be dead. I'm sorry my friend but I know you're dead. Your body is in the morgue and I have your head here in my hands. No, Danno, you're dead! Dead, my friend.' 

Waking again Dan found himself in another sweat. Shivering, he got out of bed and walked into the kitchen where he got a large glass of cool water. This he took with him as he went out onto the lanai once again, where he sat looking out at the late night stars. Finally feeling like he had control of the fear that had overcome him, Dan walked back in. Dan sat in his chair next to the phone and dialed Doc Bergman at home. The doctor had told him to call him if the first pill hadn't worked. Doc instructed Dan to go ahead and take the second pill. He would inform McGarrett that Dan might be late getting into the office that morning. After hanging up the phone, Dan took the second pill. Instead of going to bed, Dan stretched out on his couch. Soon his eyelids became heavy and he slipped into a very light sleep.

As the sun made its appearance that morning, Dan was already back at the office. Dan had been able to get some sleep on the couch but not the needed deep sleep his body craved. When McGarrett entered the office, he found his friend dozing in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk. "What your bed's not comfortable enough for you?" teased McGarrett.

Startled, Dan withdrew his feet from the desk and stretched for a moment before covering his mouth when he yawned. "No, nothing like that. I just came in early."

"OK, well, don't let me catch you napping again," teased McGarrett.

During the course of the day, they had been unable to obtain any new leads on the case. None of their snitches were able to give them any new leads either. This went on for the next three days and every night Dan's nightmares returned, in spite of the sleeping pills from Doc Bergman. These sleep-interrupted nights were starting to tell on the detective. He started to have trouble concentrating and Steve noted his friend's cheerful attitude was absent. McGarrett was concerned for his young friend.

It was later that day when Dan had had an accident in his Mustang that he made an appointment with Dr. Herrera, the department's psychologist. Kono had followed him to Tumi's repair shop to have the damage fixed. McGarrett was walking down the steps of the Iolani Palace as they pulled up. "How bad was the damage to your Mustang?" McGarrett asked as he walked up to them.

"Not as bad as Danny thought," Kono replied before Dan could say anything, "Tumi said he should be able to have it fixed within a few days."

"He pretty sure he can get all the parts without having to have any sent over from the mainland. Shouldn't cost me too much either," Dan told him. Gathering his things out of Kono's car, he noticed that he had forgotten to leave the car keys with the Mustang. "Oops, I guess I'll need to get these over to Tumi so he can move the car."

Kono had just straightened up again from reaching in his car, he threw a wallet towards Dan before saying, "That's not the only thing you've forgot, here you can't be driving around without this either."

Catching the wallet, Dan blushed. "I guess I'm more tired then I thought. Seems like I'm forgetting things now."

"Those pills Doc gave you hasn't helped?" McGarrett asked him. Dan had told him about the pills Doc Bergman had given him to help him get some sleep.

"Not really Steve, I'm still having the nightmares."

"Maybe it's time to talk with Dr. Herrera about this," McGarrett suggested. Dr. Deloris Herrera was one of the counselors used by the units when someone had an emotional issue to deal with; such as in a case like they were presently on.

"I'm ahead of you, Steve. I've already made an appointment with her for this afternoon. When Doc's pills didn't work, I figured it was time for something else. Officer Holmes has already been to see her you know," Dan stated. He knew the young rookie was still having trouble with dealing with what he had seen. He had even taken an extended sick leave because of it.

"A sight like that is a hard to get use to. These type still bother me on occasions," McGarrett told his young friend.

Kono hadn't said anything during the conversation. He had seen the pictures from the scene. He was glad he hadn't been the one to find the informant.

*****

That night Dan's nightmare returned, he was once again dripping in sweat and shaking in fear. He met the sunrise, again that morning, dozing in his chair at the office. This time McGarrett didn't say anything when he found his friend. McGarrett was worried about the lack of sleep the young detective was experiencing, even with medication and counseling his friend was still being plagued by the nightmares.

After meeting with McGarrett on the case, Dan thought he'd go back to the shack. Maybe they missed something. He wanted to make sure they hadn't over looked anything.

Parking his car near the shack, Dan got out. While walking towards the shack, he saw another person coming from that direction. Cautiously, he followed the person. What he saw made his stop dead in his tracks.

How could he be free? He's suppose to be in jail awaiting sentencing, Dan thought to himself. The man was walking towards a corvette when Dan called out, "Atupo, halt!"

The man turned towards the voice and then bolted. Dan took off after him. The man was heavy and floundered in the sand as he ran. Dan, being more in shape, was able to tackle him quickly in the sand. The man twisted around and threw a punch, which landed on Dan's left cheek knocking him back. Recovering quickly, he grabbed the man's arm and twisting it behind his back as the man came around for another punch. With the arm twisted behind him, Dan forced the man onto his belly. Straddling him, Dan got the handcuffs on the fugitive. Just as soon as Dan had him handcuffed, the man quit fighting. Reaching down, he grabbed his gun, which had fallen out of its holster during the fight. What Dan didn't notice was his keys to his Mustang, which had also fallen out of the pocket.

Escorting his prisoner back to his car, Dan called for assistance. When the HPD unit arrived, he turned his prisoner over to them and told them take him in. Rubbing his sore cheek, Dan walked back to the shack and the surrounding area. Dan was looking for anything that would give them a lead on the case. Inside the house he saw a loose board on the floor. Going over to the board, Dan lifted it and found a package of white powder. Opening the package just a little at a corner, Dan took a fingertip and pressed it onto the powder. He then touched the powder to the tip of his tongue. Quickly spitting out the powder. Heroin, he thought to himself.

Not finding anything else, Dan prepared to leave. As he walked back to his car, he found a set of keys. Quickly fishing his own pockets, he couldn't find the keys to his Mustang. Picking up the keys, Dan put them into his coat pocket without giving them a closer look.

Smiling to himself, Dan walked back to his car. Once there he sat down in his car, thinking back to that day almost one week before. Yawning, Dan thought to himself, God, I've got to get some sleep soon. I just wish these dreams would stop. 

*****

McGarrett heard the commotion in the outer office. Coming out of his office, he saw Dan nursing his sore cheek. "What happened?" he asked, as he looked closer to the swelling and bruise that was starting to appear on the cheek. "I thought you were going to go to check out the shack again? Now I see you've been in a fight. Who won?" teased McGarrett.

"You'll never guess what I've found," Dan said while holding an ice bag that Jenny had given him to the growing bruised cheek. Dan had a Cheshire cat grin on his face. Before Dan had came back to the office, he found out, through fingerprints, just whom this guy was that nailed his cheek.

"OK, give. What have you found out young Sherlock?" McGarrett jumping to Dan's bait.

"Atupo has a twin."

"A twin?" Chin Ho asked.. He had just returned to the office and was on his way to his cubical when he saw Jenny hand him the ice bag. Chin Ho came over to see what had happened.

"Yeah, a twin. Only he was raised by another family and under a different last name. I'm not sure how they found out about each other yet, but they apparently did. His name is Paul Martinez now and he was raised in Los Angeles, California. I'm not sure how long he's been on the Islands but he's carrying two driver's license, a duplicate license of his brother's here in Hawaii and his real one from California."

"Boy, that must have been a shock to see him and thinking that it was Atupo. You say that once you had him down he quit fighting you?" Chin Ho asked.

"Yeah, it was as if all the fight was taken out of him when the cuffs were slapped on him. One thing though, his prints didn't match any we've found so far. So I've only been able to charge him for assault and carrying a phony ID," indicating the duplicate driver's license. "I'm also having California check them out also. I've got a feeling this guy has a record somewhere, we've just to dig a little deeper.

"Who's the car registered to?" asked McGarrett, looking at the report Dan had turned in so far.

"Some man by the name of Sergio Hernandez. He lives at 928 Ala Wai Blvd, Waikiki. There's a police report saying it was stolen about 2 months ago. Duke's checking his story out more for me," Dan said with a yawn. "Excuse me. That fight wore me out."

"I don't think the fight did that to you, Danno," McGarrett said eyeing his friend. McGarrett was teasing him again, but he was beginning to become very concerned for his friend. Lack of sleep was starting to make him to become less athletic. He should have been able to defend himself better, McGarrett thought. He was worried Dan would be come seriously hurt in a chase or another fight because of lack of the needed sleep. Not that this job couldn't make you have many sleepless nights, but those sleepless nights were not sleep interrupted by nightmares that woke you with fear.

"You don't have to say anything Steve. I get your point," Dan agreed with his boss. Yawning again, "God I'm bushed."

"You said you found some heroin there also," asked Chin Ho.

"What's it been now, a week and you're still having those nightmares. Doc Bergman gave you something to take for them, hasn't he?" Chin Ho questioned the sleepy detective.

"Yeah, Doc gave him some pills, but they don't seem to be working very well," McGarrett interjected.

"What he needs is some of Mama Pupua's tea," Kono mentioned. He had just walked in as Dan was explaining about the stolen car. Mama Pupua was an elderly Hawaiian woman who used herbs for healing and for tonics. Reportedly she also made a tea that could knock you out if you drank enough of it.

"No I don't Kono! I've had one of her brews before when you brought it to me for a headache. Yuck, it tasted horrible. No thank you. I'll find another way to get some sleep, thank you," Dan told his Hawaiian friend.

"Don't forget Danno, you've got to pick up your car from Tumi. He called and left a message with Jenny saying it was ready for you to pick it up or he could deliver it for you if you wanted," McGarrett reminded him.

"That was quick. I guess I'd better call him and have him deliver it. I'm not exactly in a position to pick it up. As you know, I can only drive one car at a time and if I fall asleep at the wheel of the department car, you can get me a new car like yours, Steve," teased the tired and yawning detective.

"Not a chance, I'll have them issue you a bicycle if you wreck your department car," McGarrett countered and then smiled knowing his friend had just baited him into the joke.

*****

That's when Dan woke up again. This time he was so scared that it caused him to throw up. Finally getting a hold of himself, he called Dr. Herrera. She had given him her home phone number so he could call her in the middle of the night if he needed. Dan couldn't understand why he was being plagued night after night with these nightmares. Each dream was starting, it seemed, where the dream had left off the night before. After talking with her for about an hour, he decided to take a shower and go to the office early once again.

Dan's temper had become extremely short. Little things set him off, things that he never would have been bothered with before. McGarrett wasn't in the office when Dan lost his temper with Jenny and threw his cup at the wall because there wasn't any coffee. Kono and Chin Ho both jumped him for this outburst. Almost getting into a fistfight with them, Dan instead chose to leave for his apartment. When McGarrett returned to the office he noticed Jenny was upset and had been crying.

After hearing what had happened, McGarrett jumped into his car and drove to his friend's apartment. He didn't know exactly what he was going to say, but he was determined to put a stop to these nightmares, which, he was positive, were the cause of these problems.

Knocking on Dan's door, McGarrett was shocked at the physical condition he saw Dan exhibiting. Normally well kept and clean, Dan hadn't shaved yet that day. It looked as if he had slept in his clothes and there was a haggard look in his eyes.

"Danno…."

"I'm sorry, Steve. I'm just so tired of not being able to sleep. I'm taking myself off all my cases. I can't think. I jumped on Jenny's case because of some stupid coffee. I got this bruise because I didn't see the punch coming. I damaged my car because I wasn't able to concentrate. I'm a danger to everyone right now. I'm taking some time off. Maybe I'll have Doc check me into the hospital or something. Maybe he can give me something even stronger to make me sleep. I just know I can't continue like this," he told McGarrett.

McGarrett stood there looking at a man slowly being destroyed by lack of sleep and the rest that sleep brought to the human body. Walking over to the couch, McGarrett sat down. "OK, if that's what's it going to take. Maybe Doc does have something for you. Maybe a hospital stay is what is needed. But you do need some help my friend." McGarrett said softly. He was worried. These nightmares were destroying his friend. He sat there looking at his friend. He would support his friend through all of this if only there was a way to stop his nightmares.

"Danno, I want you to come with me. We're going to see Doc Bergman," McGarrett said as he got up.

McGarrett took Dan to the hospital. There, Doc Bergman examined Dan once again. Having finished his examination, Doc Bergman had Dan stay in the examination room while he went back to his office. Going into the hall he saw McGarrett waiting for him. Stopping for a moment before continuing down the hall to meet the head of Five-0, Doc Bergman was trying to figure the best way to handle both of these men. These two can be so difficult to handle sometimes. When one gets hurt the other will worry themselves almost to death until the other is better, Doc thought to himself.

"Steve, come into my office for a moment, will you?" Doctor Bergman requested. He then turned and went to his office. Once there he went to his desk where he sat down. He was looking at Dan's medical file as Steve entered the room. "All I can find with Danny is extreme exhaustion. But it's bothering me that the medicine I've given him earlier hasn't appeared to work. Danny is still having the nightmares and they seem to be intensifying according to what he has told me."

"You told me when you brought him in, that you've caught him napping at his desk. And it didn't seem to you that he was being bothered by the dreams. I have an idea on how to treat him and I need you to help me. I need you to take him back to your place. I'll need someone, preferably a close friend, to stay with him during the duration of the medication I'm going to give him."

"You don't think he needs hospitalization then? You have something even stronger in mind." McGarrett was worried now that something even more serious was happening to Dan. What will become of Dan if they can't stop the dreams from coming? He remembered back to when he was a POW and his captors had tried to break him by depriving him of sleep. If it didn't break his spirit then it could kill him by causing his body to shut down.

"Yes, but I need you there for him. And to help me watch him while he's on this medication. I'm hoping a good night's sleep will stop the cycle of these dreams. Why this killing is bothering him, more then the others he's seen, is unknown right now, but it is." Doctor Bergman was concerned not only about the lack of sleep but in the personality change that was starting to happen to the youngest member of the team.

*****

McGarrett drove Dan back to his apartment. Within an hour Doc Bergman knocked on the door to his apartment. Doc had chosen McGarrett 's place thinking maybe if Dan was in an slightly unfamiliar place it would allow Dan's subconscious to draw on the strange surroundings instead of allowing his mind to be drawn onto the nightmare once again. He was even more convinced this would work when McGarrett relayed to the Doctor how he had caught Dan sleeping in the office without apparently having any nightmares as he slept.

Doctor Bergman had called Kono Kalakaua, who was also close to Dan, to assist McGarrett and him with this treatment. Kono had just arrived himself when Doc drove up. As the two of them took the elevator up to McGarrett 's apartment, Doctor Bergman explained to Kono the part he was to play in this treatment. Should Dan have another nightmare, in spite of the drug, then they would try to get him to act out the dream while still dreaming it. This would require more then two people to do safely. Dan was sitting on the couch when they walked into the apartment.

"Danny, this drug that I'm going to give you is what we give to people who've had similar sleeping problems, you know, reoccurring nightmares and such. Steve has informed me that he has seen you napping at your desk and apparently these naps aren't interrupted by the nightmares," Doc explained. His first concern was letting Dan's body recoup, he'd then work on the emotional problem that was very evidently eating at the detective.

"If what I expect happens, you should be getting about 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Once you've had this rest, we can work out what's at the root of this problem that's causing these disturbing nightmares."

Jumping up quickly Dan took menacing steps toward the doctor. "You think then I've have a emotional problem, just because of these nightmares!" yelled Dan. Dan went to take a another step towards the doctor with his right fist ready to throw a punch towards him. Just as he took the step, McGarrett grabbed his arm and spun him around to face him.

Still holding tightly onto the arm, McGarrett softly but firmly spoke to his friend, "Danno, we're trying to help you. You've got to let us help you help yourself. If you continue not getting any sleep you're going to end up with a mental break down or worse…it will kill you. Danno, the human body wasn't made to go without any sleep. That's a tactic that was used by the enemy to break someone, remember. We're not the enemy, but the nightmares are. You've got to let us help you fight the nightmares."

"Danno, no one here is your enemy. We're here to help you. You asked for this help remember. You told Dr. Herrera that you can't take much more of this, that you would rather just die then to go any longer without sleep. Isn't that what you said?" McGarrett had switched from holding onto the arm to holding onto Dan's shoulders forcing him to face his friend.

The four men then settled into McGarrett's living room to discuss what was to take place. While Doctor Bergman prepared the drug to be used, McGarrett and Kono re-arranged the spare bedroom and got the bed ready for Dan. Doctor Bergman followed Dan into the room after Dan had had a chance to change his clothes.

Once Dan was settled into the bed, the doctor inserted an IV needle into Dan's arm. He was also going to be giving Dan some fluids to help with the dehydration, which Dan was suffering from. Then slowly, he injected the drug into the IV drip. Slowly Dan's eyelids became heavier and heavier and then closed. The doctor checked Dan's heart rate and blood pressure before standing up. Dan Williams was now in a very deep sleep for the first time in nine days.

McGarrett was the first to take the watch over his friend. He pulled a chair up next to the bed so he could be near Dan should he need him. The next ten hours or so were going to be very long for them.

Dan had been asleep some four hours when the phone rang in the living room. Kono answered the phone and told the person on the other end to hold on while he went to get McGarrett. "Boss, you're wanted on the phone. Chin Ho has a possible lead on the third person and wants to know if you want to be there when they go?"

McGarrett looked at Dan for a moment and then got up and walked to the living room. Doctor Bergman walked into the bedroom to continue the watch over the sleeping detective while Steve walked over to the phone. Chin Ho briefed McGarrett on the information they had uncovered. Hanging up the phone, McGarrett walked back into the bedroom. He wanted Dan to come out of this thing a whole man and he wanted to be there for him if he was needed. Their friendship was strong and he knew he needed to attend to business as well. Unsure yet as to what to do, McGarrett leaned on the doorframe looking at the sleeping detective.

"Boss, I'll watch over Danny. He'll be OK." Kono knew his boss was torn between duty and friendship. The big Hawaiian would love to go with his boss, but he knew that his friend needed him also.

"Doc, would it be OK now to leave? Is he past the danger part now?" asked a very worried and tired McGarrett.

"If you could catch the final killer that might help us when he finally does wake up. That would be a start at the closure of this problem he has," the doctor advised him. "Kono and I should be able to handle him now if he gives us any problems."

Satisfied Dan was going to be in good hands and that he was not needed at the moment, McGarrett dashed out of his apartment and down to his car. Rushing back to the Iolani Palace to meet up with Chin Ho and Duke for a briefing before going out to the address where this third killer was suppose to have been last seen.

*****

About one hour after McGarrett had left, Dan had started once again to have another nightmare. He had become very restless, tossing and turning in the bed. Doctor Bergman came in to check his blood pressure and listen to his heart. He was alarmed at how fast Dan's heart was racing. "Kono, come in here please," the doctor called out.

Rushing into the room, Kono came in, glancing at the tossing detective. Kono went over to the bed to help hold Dan down. Kono was surprised at how strong Dan was. "Hey, what's the matter with him Doc?" he asked the doctor, "Why is he tossing like this?" About then Dan had gotten one of his arms free. Now Dan was trying to throw a punch at the two people holding him down. Grabbing his arm, Kono had to use both hands to hold onto the flaying arm. Kono then leaned across the prone body of his friend to use his body weight to help control Dan's movements.

"Ughh, hold on to him for a moment Kono. I've got to get another shot ready for him." Moving quickly over to the supplies he brought, the doctor prepared another syringe. "I don't want to have to give him too much, but we need to stop this attack. Hold him, Kono!"

Dan was now twisting even more violently as Kono held him down as best he could. "Look out Doc!" he said as Dan got one of his feet freed of the bindings. "Hurry will you, I can't hold onto him much more. Dam! I didn't know he was this strong. Oomph!!!" Kono said as he got tossed off the bed with one of Dan's violent movements. Quickly regaining his feet, Kono once again grappled with his friend.

"Hold him for a moment. Quick grab him!" Doc said urgently as Dan gave another violent thrust with his arm again. "Grab onto that arm again, Kono. I've got to get a vein. Careful! Watch it!" Dan had almost thrown himself now off the bed. "Dam! He's pulled the IV out. Good, good, yeah! Hold the arm out like that. Yeah! Good, good! There!" Finally, the doctor was able to insert the needle into the struggling arm. Slowly, but as quick as he could, the doctor injected some more of the drug. Slowly the movements stopped. Finally, Dan was still. Doctor Bergman then checked the blood pressure and heart rate of the, once again, comatose man.

Slowly, Kono rose from the prone position he had to take to control Dan. Kono stood back while the doctor gave Dan the once over. "He should slip back into sleep again now." Doc looked at Kono for a moment. "Surprised at the strength he had?" Doc asked him smiling.

"Yeah! Wow! Where did he get that kind of strength if he's knocked out?" Kono asked. He stood back, rubbing his rump. When Dan tossed him off, he had landed hard on the floor. "He's going to be OK now? What happened? Did he have another dream or something?"

"It's from the nightmare he's having. I was afraid he might have another one as he was sleeping. I didn't want to put him too deep if I didn't have to, but this showed me that the problem is deeper then even I thought," Doc shook his head as he put the syringe away.

"I see why you wanted two of us here, just in case this happened. Now I know what it feels like to get thrown off a bucking horse. Wow! I thought I was going to go flying when he threw me off him like he did," Kono said as he still rubbed his seat.

Doctor Bergman smiled at Kono's comment. "It would have been easier to control him if we had had Steve here with us, but we managed. At least Dan's asleep again. Come on out to the living room Kono, he's not going to come out of this injection for awhile," Doc said as he put his hand on Kono's shoulder and led the way to the other room. They left the door to the bedroom open just in case there was any noise made by the sleeping man.

"Want a drink or something, the Boss should have something in here," Kono asked the doctor as he went into the small kitchen of the apartment. Looking in the refrigerator, Kono located a pitcher of tea, "He's got some tea here. Want a glass?"

"Sounds good."

Kono poured two glasses of the tea and brought them into the living room. Handing the doctor one of the glasses, Kono then sat down on the couch. "I sure hope Steve catches that third killer. Just what Danny needs for when he wakes up."

*****

McGarrett slid his car into its parking spot when he arrived at the Iolani Palace. Taking two steps at a time, he raced up the stairs towards his office. Coming into the office he saw Chin Ho was on the phone and Duke standing just outside the cubical.

"What do we have Duke?" he asked the graying detective.

Duke knew, only the imminent capture of the third killer would have been the only thing that could have pulled Steve from Dan's side. "Chin's getting the latest information right now. He's pretty sure this is the third guy we're looking for. His informant…"

"Yeah, good Tommy. No, don't go over there any more. We'll handle it from here. Thanks Tommy. You did good this time, friend," Chin Ho said as he got off the phone with his informant. "Steve, it's our man alright. Tommy Swan says he heard this guy bragging, down at Charlie's Bar, about how easy it was to slice a man's head off, if you had the right kind of knife. Seems this guy likes to carve things up with knives. Tommy said this guy said he had a samurai knife, and that he used it to do some cutting about one week ago. Tommy also told me he did a double take when he saw this guy. He told me I wouldn't believe who this guy looks like."

"Yeah, well, who did Tommy say this guy looks like?" McGarrett asked the grinning oriental detective.

"Hold onto your hat Steve, Tommy said he looks exactly like Pete Atupo. A dead ringer, Steve, even down to the movements." Chin Ho was smiling with a gleam in his eye at finding this last bit of information on the killer.

"A triplet?" McGarrett said in amazement.

"Does this guy have a name?"

"Yeah, Tommy said his name is Sergio Hernandez. It seems there were three boys born to the Atupo family instead of two and since the family was so poor they farmed out two of the boys to a cousin and an uncle to be raised. That's why they have different last names," Chin Ho filled him in.

"How come they didn't know about each other?" Duke asked. "If they were given to a cousin and an uncle wouldn't they have kept in touch?"

"Tommy told me that one of his friends knew the families. He said the families apparently had a fight right after the boys were split up. They had the fight because of the split up. None of them kept in touch due to the bad feelings between themselves. From what I can find out, the Atupo family was the bad side of the family. The others did what they could not to have to come into contact with them. This included throwing away any mail they might have received from anyone in the Atupo family. Somehow the boys found out about each other and took up from where their father had left off before he died. Now we know how they were able to still operate the gang. There were three brothers in charge not one, like we thought," Chin Ho informed them.

"That would explain the different last names," Duke said.

*****

The wipers on McGarrett 's car were really working hard to keep pace with the raindrops coming down. The weather all week had been on again and off again rain, so typical with Hawaii's weather. Today's storm though was gaining strength and the wind was approaching fifty miles per hour and threatening to get even stronger.

The road they were on was wet and slick, making some of the sharp turns difficult and down right dangerous to be driving at the speed McGarrett was going. Chin Ho had to hold on tight. Several of the skids had Chin Ho wondering if they were going to make it in one piece. Between holding on to the door handle in the car, Chin Ho also had to keep an eye out for the road they were looking for.

"There it is, Steve, just up there. Tommy said the place is just off the road here," Chin Ho reminded his boss.

The rear of the car almost swung around as McGarrett turned the car onto the side road. There he slid to a stop just out of sight of the house. Duke and the other four HPD units, who were a little further back, pulled in behind him. Getting out of the car, McGarrett went to the trunk. He removed the bullhorn and a rifle, which he handed to Duke. Duke handed the rifle to one of the HPD officer who was a sharp shooter. He instructed him to find a vantage point to get a clean shot, if one was going to be needed. McGarrett wasn't going to take any chances that this killer was going to get away. Duke then directed the rest of the HPD officers to carefully encircle the house. McGarrett had Duke and Officer Holmes, the same officer who was with Dan when they found the body, go to the back of the house.

Before Officer Holmes took off with Duke, he approached McGarrett, "Mr. McGarrett, thanks for letting me finish this case. I've heard Dan Williams is still having problems with the nightmares. I did for a while, but Doc Bergman and Dr. Herrera helped me out. I'm not bothered anymore by the memory of what I saw. I just hope Mr. Williams gets over it soon. He's too good of a cop to be lost because of these nightmares."

"Thank you, Holmes. I'm glad to hear you made it through all right. It was a gruesome sight to see that's for sure. I'm sure Dan will make it too. We're working on it with him, we're working on it. I'll let him know you're thinking about him," McGarrett said sincerely.

Officer Holmes and Duke then worked their way to the back of the building. Duke radioed McGarrett they and the others were in position. Chin Ho followed McGarrett to the front of the building. McGarrett radioed the sharp shooter to make sure he was in position. Getting an affirmative answer back, McGarrett then raised the bullhorn.

"Sergio Hernandez, this is Steve McGarrett from Hawaii Five-0. Come out with your hands on your head," he yelled into the bullhorn.

A shot whizzed past McGarrett 's head. He ducked just in time feeling the burning of the ozone as the slug went past. Chin Ho returned fire causing the wood on the door to the house to be shattered by the impact of the bullets. Hernandez had to duck this time. McGarrett then moved into another spot closer to the house while Hernandez was distracted.

"Hernandez, this is your last chance. Throw out your gun and come out with your hands on your head. I guarantee safe passage out of here if you do as I've told you," McGarrett told him again. There was no movement in the house. Raising the bullhorn once again, McGarrett started to order Hernandez out, when his radio buzzed him.

"Steve!" Duke said on the radio, "There's no back door here or on the side of the house, just small windows, to small for a man to get out of. If we're to take him, it's going to have to be through the door in the front."

"OK, Duke. Work yourself back to the front with Chin and me. Bring Officer Holmes with you. Have the others fill in behind you just in case. Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way," McGarrett told him.

"Kimo," McGarrett said into the radio.

"Yes, Steve."

"Kimo, it looks like the front is going to be the only way in. No doors in the back and the windows are too small for a man to go through. Can you relocate yourself to cover the door?" McGarrett asked the sharp shooter.

"No problem. I'm already in a better position, right past your left shoulder in the rocks," the sharp shooter relied.

Carefully looking over his left shoulder McGarrett caught the signal from Kimo that he was ready. Looking back at the house, "Sergio, you can't escape. Give it up. We don't want to hurt you if we don't have to," McGarrett once again said through the bullhorn.

"If you want me, you're going to have to come and get me McGarrett," Hernandez yelled out the broken window. "Come on in, I've got a surprise for you when you do."

McGarrett turned towards Chin Ho, "Chin, I need you to keep him pinned down while I get up along side the house. Give me about ten seconds. Officer Holmes, you want to go with me?"

"Sure, after what I saw in that shack, I'm ready for this, sir," grinned the rookie officer.

Looking at the young officer, McGarrett gave a light grin thinking to himself, You're learning fast my friend. You'll be OK. "Good, let's go."

With a nod from McGarrett, Chin Ho and Duke opened fired on the house. While the two detectives kept Hernandez pinned down, McGarrett and Officer Holmes ran towards the house.

Sergio had to duck to avoid the flying lead. The thin walls of the house didn't offer much cover as it failed stop the slugs as they broke through. One of them hitting the gun he held causing him to drop his weapon as he dove for better cover. Going over to the couch he pulled out a short samurai knife and dashed to one of the bedrooms. There he flattened himself against the wall waiting to strike anyone down when they came through the door.

McGarrett motioned to the rookie to kick the splintered door in. With one well placed kick the door fell from its hinges onto the floor, the dust from the floor being kicked up enough to give the two men a slight cover as they entered the house. Officer Holmes rushed in low to the right as McGarrett rushed in low to the left. Both had their guns ready. Seeing no one in the room, McGarrett motioned the officer to check out the kitchen are on the right.

McGarrett started to check out the two bedrooms on the left. Turning the doorknob to one of the rooms, he found it unlocked and quickly opened the door. Empty! McGarrett then moved cautiously towards the bedroom in the back. The door opened opposite of what the first bedroom had. The doorknob was tried and he pushed the door open. McGarrett saw the shadow of a form as he jumped back from the door.

Sergio had heard them as they came into the house. He could hear one of them as they worked their way towards the bedroom. He held the knife over his head, intending to bring it down onto the person as they entered the room. The doorknob jingled then the door was pushed open. Trying to take the advantage of surprise, Sergio quickly sliced through the air, seeking the person he though would be coming through the door when it was opened.

*****

Doctor Bergman was standing next to the bed, feeling for a pulse in Dan's arm. Kono stood at the end of the bed, ready to hold his friend down again if it was needed. Dan slowly opened his eyes. Pushing their hands off him, he sat up on his elbow trying to get out of bed. "I'm OK, Doc. But I had another dream. Steve was in danger. We need to go help him, Kono."

"Hold on Dan, let me check you out first. Then you and Kono can chase after Steve," demanded the doctor. He listened to Dan's heart. It wasn't beating fast like it was a short time ago. Satisfied Dan was OK, the doctor let Dan get out of bed.

Dan barely held still long enough for the doctor to finish before jumping off the bed and quickly getting dressed. He followed Kono down to the car. "Hurry Kono. Steve's in trouble. I can feel it."

"Right," Kono said jumping into the driver's side. Kono wasn't as reckless as his boss, but when he's in a hurry he still made his passengers grab onto something to keep from being flung around in the car. "What did you do, take driving lessons from Steve?" Dan teased but was serious when he asked Kono.

The storm had gotten stronger by the time Kono and Dan got to the house. As Kono brought the car to a stop, they both saw McGarrett and Officer Holmes going in through the front door. Jumping from the car they raced toward Duke. Duke was surprised to see Dan coming towards him. Quickly he appraised Dan and Kono of what was going down.

"Stay here with Duke, Kono. If we yell for you, come in quickly. I'm going in to help Steve."

Running to the door he stayed low as he entered. Officer Holmes hearing a noise in the front room came out with his gun ready. Dan and Holmes saw each other and gave the high sign. Officer Holmes gave Dan the thumb up sign to indicate everything was OK in the area and then pointed towards the bedrooms where McGarrett had gone.

*****

As soon as McGarrett saw the shadow move, he jumped back out of the doorway. When the knife flashed through the area where his arm would have been, McGarrett rushed into the room grabbing the arm that held the knife. Sergio hit McGarrett's right wrist with his left-hand knocking McGarrett's gun out of his hand. McGarrett swung at Sergio trying to hit him in the ribs but his blow was deflected by Sergio's free hand.

Neither men paid any attention to the wind which had picked up in intensity. The wind had become extremely strong, strong enough to make the house creak and rattle some. Both men had now grabbed the knife with both hands and were bent over towards the middle of the room. McGarrett was able to shove Sergio back some, That put McGarrett in an unbalanced stance.

Sergio saw his opening and wrestled free of McGarrett's grip. Once again, he swung the knife at McGarrett. The swing missed McGarrett and left Sergio with his side and back facing McGarrett. McGarrett was able to get in a hit into Sergio's ribs with his fist finally.

Sergio, doubled over from the blow, was able to straighten up to try to slash at McGarrett once again. But his hand didn't have a good grip on the handle of the knife this time and the force of the swing was so hard, the knife flew from his hand and lodged on one of beams of the ceiling. Sergio was momentarily surprised by the loss of his weapon. This left him frozen for a moment. McGarrett saw his opening and hit Sergio with all his might, knocking Sergio to the floor with enough force to knock the air out of him.

It was at that time, the wind hit the house so hard it rattled the entire building. The knife had been stuck into the beam by only the extreme tip. When the beam it was stuck in, was shaken by the wind, the knife came loose and fell. McGarrett didn't have time to grab Sergio before the knife struck the fallen killer. The blade of the samurai knife was so sharp, that combined with the speed of it falling, that when it struck the neck of Sergio, it sliced completely through like a hot knife in butter.

McGarrett instinctively jumped back, slipping and falling back with his arms raised to cover his head. When McGarrett had finally got back to his feet, he saw the body of the killer. Grimacing at the site of the headless body, he turned to leave the room, only to find Dan Williams and Officer Dale Holmes blocking his way.

*****

McGarrett had his hand on Dan's shoulder as they walked out of the house. Neither of them felt the wind or the rain the storm had brought. Officer Holmes had gone over to the waiting cars. Neither he nor Dan had been bothered this time at the sight of the headless body.

Duke and Kono ran up to them, both were drenched from having stayed in their positions around the house. McGarrett shook his head indicated it was over as they walked over to the cars.

"Duke, call the coroner's office and have the lab and Che come over too. Post an officer outside the house until they get here. No one, I repeat, no one is to go in there until the coroner and the lab are finished," McGarrett said as he looked at Dan and Officer Holmes. "You two OK with this?" he asked as he nodded back to the house.

Dan looked over at Officer Holmes. They both smiled back at McGarrett. "Yeah, Steve. I think we both have learned how to handle this now. How about you? You saw it happen."

"I'm OK with it. How about you Holmes?"

"Doing OK, Mr. McGarrett. Doing OK. Not that this is something I'd like to see every day, mind you," smiled the young officer.

*****

The next morning found McGarrett finishing up his paperwork. He had come in early, as normal, trying to get the day's work in order. Jenny had come in shortly after he had arrived. She had made a pot of coffee already. McGarrett had supplied her with some Kona coffee as a special treat. When the coffee was ready, she brought him a cup.

Looking at the secretary, McGarrett smiled. She always worried extra when one of the team was hurt or sick. "Thanks Jenny," he said when she handed him the cup. "Umm, good. I told Danny to come in late. When he gets here have him come in."

"OK, boss. Dan's all right now, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, the Doc says he's fine now. No more dreams."

"Good. I'll let him know you want to see him when he comes in," she said as she left, closing the door behind her.

McGarrett was looking over a file on a new case when there was a knock at his door. Looking up from the file he replied, "Come in."

Dan Williams and Officer Dale Holmes walked in together. They both walked over to the chairs in front of McGarrett 's desk and sat down. McGarrett put the file down and looked at both men. They've both come through this in good shape. It's a hard lesson to learn, but in this job you get to see death come to people in many forms. Some just meet death in a more violent manner then others, but no death is easy to see, thought McGarrett.

"Jenny said you wanted to see me. Look who's with me."

"Hi, Mr. McGarrett. Mr. Williams asked me to come back to the office with him. We just got back from the North Shore."

"Your nightmares have ended then, Danno? I see in Doc's report, you told him you had a good nights sleep last night, with no interruptions."

"Yeah, that last nightmare was trying to tell me you were in danger. When I woke up from Doc's concoction, he was getting ready to give me another shot. I hear I gave Kono a good tossing," the young detective said. "I did sleep like a rock last night, Steve. No dreams of any sort. Thanks for telling me to come in late today, Steve. I was going to come in at my normal time, but I even slept past my alarm this morning, I didn't wake up until Dale knocked on my door." grinned Dan. He looked like he still was tired but quickly recovering. It should only be a matter of time before he was rested and back to face the fast pace the department demanded.

"Good Danno, good." Turning to the young rookie, McGarrett saw how much the officer had matured since he had seen the first body. "Your Captain tells me you're back to your regular routine now. You've been assigned to patrol our fair streets with another seasoned officer, Officer Kahona."

"Yes sir. I've even asked him if there would be a way to become a detective, Mr. McGarrett. It may be a difficult position, but I'm starting to find it an interesting department. I know I'll always remember both bodies, but I'm sure I can deal with the feelings now. Although I do hope I never have to see one again," the young officer replied.

McGarrett smiled at the officer thinking, you're learning, my friend, you're learning. Yes, it is hard to see such a sight but you can learn how to deal with the sight just like you're finding out.

"Boy was I surprised, Steve, to find there were three brothers instead of two, like we thought. Funny thing happened though, Steve. When I went to start my car yesterday, it wouldn't start. I couldn't figure it out. Then this morning, I remembered what you kept telling me in one of my dreams. 'Check the keys' you kept saying. So I did. That's when I found out they weren't my keys. I had found Sergio's keys. Sergio had given them to Paul to go get the heroin. I thought they were mine to my Mustang. So when I picked them up, I just put them in my pocket without giving them any thought. You know, we wouldn't have known about Sergio, if Paul hadn't gone back to the shack to get the heroin. In my fight with Paul, we both lost our keys. Holmes and I just got back from the shack, where we found my keys in the sand where I had fallen," Dan had told him.

"Sergio dead, both of the other brothers are in jail for good and it looks like we cleaned out that gang, Mr. McGarrett," Officer Holmes commented.

"Yeah, it looks like it," McGarrett said smiling to himself. This guy is going to be a good cop. Maybe I'll ask for his help in the future. Who knows, he might even someday work for Five-0, McGarrett thought to himself.

All of a sudden Dan gave a big yawn.

"You still tired Danno? Or are you trying to get more sick leave so you can sleep in more. Kind of getting use to doing that are you?" teased McGarrett with a big grin.

Dan's eyebrows shot up as if he were going to respond to McGarrett's bait when he finally realized his friend was teasing him again. He started to laugh as his face broke into a grin. McGarrett and Officer Holmes joined him laughing at the joke.

Pau