Hawaii 5-0 Fanfic - Ke Kapunakane

Prologue

 Tom raised his head again, just to make sure he was still going in the right direction. He could see the outlines of Sam and Jeremy's arms as they broke the water's surface ahead of him. The lights across the bay reflected in the droplets but the lapping waves made more noise than the strokes of the swimmers.

He tried again to convince himself this was all worth it. Where had Sam come up with this insane idea? He knew well enough why Jeremy was so desperate to go along with it. That was the only reason he'd agreed to it at all.

His muscles were beginning to burn. How far had they gone? He glanced up again and noticed a long gray form across the water. They were almost there.

Sam finally slowed. Tom caught up with Jeremy and paused next to him, treading water.

Sam looked around. "This is it." His hushed voice seemed unnaturally loud. "Are you ready?"

Jeremy pushed the water droplets away from the front of his goggles. "Are you sure this guy will pay?"

"He'll pay!" Sam dropped his voice again. "Are we doing this or not?"

Tom could feel the tug of the current. "Come on, guys. The tide has turned. Let's get this thing and get out of here."

"All right." Sam took a small flashlight from his belt pocket. "Just stay close to me. I know where to go. I just need extra light." He adjusted his goggles, took a deep breath, and disappeared below the surface.

Jeremy waved his mag light and followed. Tom filled his lungs and dove. He could feel the trail of tiny bubbles coming upward from the other boys. His hand brushed against a frond of seaweed. He recoiled from the contact. A dark blob bumped into him. At first he thought it was a fish but when he pushed it away, it broke into smaller blobs and floated upward.

He could see the dim glow as Sam switched on his light. Jeremy paused by a rusted metal hole. Tom pushed hard to catch up. Sam glanced inside the hole then disappeared inside.

Tom grabbed for a rusty railing and discovered it was encrusted with tiny sharp creatures. He added his thin beam to Jeremy's. From his angle, he couldn't see much of the inside. His lungs were beginning to burn.

Sam finally emerged clutching something and pointed toward the surface. Tom glanced up. It looked a lot farther than it had seemed coming down. He felt Sam move past him. He looked back at Jeremy.

Jeremy started to rise but his mag light slipped out of his fingers. Tom focused his small beam on it. Jeremy reached for it and pointed upward. Tom nodded and let go of the railing. He pushed off, looking up at the surface that reflected the escaping bubbles seeping from his struggling lungs.

Tom broke the surface and looked around. Sam was a few feet away. He turned in the water. "Where is Jeremy?"

Sam swiveled. "He must have come up farther out. He's probably already booking for shore." He adjusted the object in his arms. "Come on! This thing is heavy. Let's get going."

Tom pirouetted in the water again. "Sam! We can't just take off."

Sam paused and turned on his back. "Will you quit worrying? He's a better swimmer than you are." He seemed to struggle with his burden. He turned again toward shore.

Tom leaned close to the water and tried to use the lights on the distant shorelines to silhouette anything on the surface. There were too many dark patches. His gut started to crunch. He found Sam's distant form. He didn't want to get left alone out here. Sam was probably right. Jeremy was a better swimmer. He always beat them at the matches. He gave up his search and struck off toward the landing where they had gone in.

In the murky water below, Jeremy's body bumped againstthe jagged metal opening. Red blobs joined the black ones in their upwardjourney. The currents swirled around, twisting his form until the metalbracelet around his wrist dislodged from the fragment that had trapped it. Thebody floated free on the current as the dim beam of the mag light faded.