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Episode 28
Taylor Swift
War.
Accusations and bans flew across the forums she visited. The fan group she was part of was also in turmoil, as they were currently under attack by the vegans and PETA people. Their target was Jack Routh.
Murderer. Killer. Cheater.
Gifs on loop were constantly posted about him killing various animals without hesitation. She was deleting them as fast as she could, thanks to the moderator privileges she possessed. A chat box popped up on her lower left screen. It was the admin, CutieBlair, the one that invited her to the moderator group after seeing how active she was. She was a bit famous in forums for posting rare candid pictures of Jack. To her amusement, her fellow mods speculated that she was part of her own staff. Technically, they were correct in a way.
[Hang in there SwiftyLady. This should die out soon. We're going to block new memberships for the next 72 hours.]
She replied with a thumbs up emoji and continued deleting threads as soon as they popped up. Bear Grylls's show was a massive hit, and she was sure the producers of that TV series did not expect the amount of viewers they had.
Fan sites and discussion boards appeared everywhere, discussing and analyzing almost every moment in the entire 7 days. Of course, her close friend Jack was featured prominently in the debates.
Some called him selfish, while others admired his resourcefulness. It was a clean split, but almost all agreed that the song he sang on that iconic sunset was amazing. She had read an article that showed how travel to Hawaii had significantly increased, and she knew the show and her friend was the reason.
"Are you done with that?" Selena asked. Her friend was by the door to her master suite, wearing a conservative swimsuit. "I want to snorkel."
They were anchored a few miles off the coast of Oahu, just by the edge of the protected coral reefs. The yacht she chartered was amazing, and she wondered if she should buy one for herself. No photographers could properly take their pictures, and they had privacy. She still had some doubts, since they ate up a lot of money in maintenance, salaries and other costs that only billionaires could properly afford them.
If she bought one, she could use it for a month out an entire year, but she would still need to pay the remaining eleven months of the salaries of the personnel that would crew it plus their bonus. For now she'd rather just charter one for a couple of weeks.
"Nearly finished." She replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. Ban. Ban. Delete. Delete.
"Sheesh." Selena looked over her shoulder. "That's still happening? What was Jack supposed to do? Starve to death?"
"He's being attacked by PETA. They're invading the fan group website." She replied.
"Come on. They're just trolls." Selena complained. "You promised we'd swim today."
"Fine." The other mods were online anyway, and she did her part. It will also be nice to come back to L.A. with a tan.
Jack Routh
It was just as he expected. The international law enforcement conference had nearly two thousand participants. There was a grand opening ceremony, a few speeches from various chiefs of police and then they were organized into smaller clusters to better share their experience and knowledge. They were then assigned a smaller function room where he endured an hour of other officers proudly sharing their accomplishments.
He could tell more than a few were bored in his group, but there were some who really took it seriously. After their first snack break, he did not return to his assigned room and wandered around the other mini conventions.
There was a small tech fair and he wandered around the booths, watching with interest at some of the inventions displayed at the venue. Most were about robotics or programming. There was even an Elmo doll that insulted him with admittedly funny racist jokes.
He made his way outside the convention complex and was surprised to see Zoe standing there.
"I figured you wouldn't last until longer than the first snack break." His wife replied. "You want to go around and explore?"
Zoe was really the best. His wife really knew his tendencies, and even arranged for a rental bike for the day. The warm sun on his skin, Zoe hugging him from behind on a Triumph, it was perfect. They had breakfast on a local restaurant and decided to head to the other side of the island.
"We really haven't dated much before we got together." Zoe replied as they shared another shaved ice dessert by the beach. It seems like his wife took a liking to the taste of the unique concoction that included ice cream and pieces of mango.
"And with other jobs and schedule, it's become rare to have spontaneous dates like this." His wife continued speaking. She was right. They had too much on their plate for the moment. He vowed to maximize his time in Hawaii with his wife. He promised to himself that wouldn't step foot inside that law enforcement conference for the remainder of their stay.
Oahu was big. Los Angeles and its surrounding cities could comfortably fit inside it with room to spare. They had lunch near a pier and he left to grab a couple of water bottles from a nearby convenience store and returned to his wife to find her talking to a middle aged man.
"Hi honey." He called out once he reached their table. The man gave them a friendly smile and handed him a flyer. He looked it over and noted the colorful paper advertising remote island tours.
"He's offering us to take a tour of the smaller island a few miles from the coast." Zoe shared. "What do you think?"
"It's a bird sanctuary. If you're tired of the crowds of tourists" The man replied. "I'm Felipe by the way."
"Zoe." His wife shook the man's hand. "This is my husband, Jack."
It did sound like a good deal, though he noticed how the man's gaze lingered on his wife whenever he talked to her. She wore a loose white top with shorts under her bikini, showing off some skin and her curves and he could sort of understand why he was looking. The prospect of being left alone on an island for half a day with only his wife for company reminded him of his fantasies.
Thirty minutes later and with last minute supplies in Zoe's tote bag, they were climbing into Felipe's small boat.
"You made a good call heading here." Their guide told them as the boat skipped along the waves. "The other side is jam packed with tourists."
"Almost every restaurant by the shore had a line in it." Zoe replied.
He looked ahead as the island loomed ahead. In the middle a big hill rose out of the forest, with grass mostly growing on top of its crest while trees and thick vegetation surrounded the base. It was so thick that it ended up near the edge of the beach, quite similar to the island he spent a week on for a TV show.
"So just this island?" Felipe asked them as he slowed the boat down. He could see how their guide skillfully traced a path to avoid the hidden rocks and reefs surrounding the island so that they could get closer. "You don't want to visit the other one?"
He watched as they finally reached the point where he could see the area was shallow enough that they could easily walk to the beach.
"We'll be fine here." Zoe replied. In a smooth move, his wife easily hopped off the boat and landed on waist deep water. He followed after her, holding her bag that had all their things they needed to keep dry.
"I'll pick you up in six hours." Felipe promised with a grin. "Have fun."
They waded to the shore and watched for a few moments as the boat slowly turned around and it soon headed back to the sea.
"So… is this where you build a hut?" Zoe teased. "And then sing a song?"
"Funny." He slapped Zoe's butt, causing his wife to laugh and run ahead of him. He watched as Zoe slowly took off her top and shorts and he smiled in admiration at the sight of his wife in one of the tiny bikinis he picked for her. Her body was perfect, and he was happy that she picked the one that was basically just a mesh, as it basically revealed every part of his wife's assets. Those hard nipples poking out of the net top were begging to be sucked.
His heart skipped a beat when Zoe flashed him a dazzling smile and then turned around to look for a spot to dump their belongings. Her glorious toned ass was fully exposed, with only a thin white string disappearing down her buttocks. It was the only thing indicating she was wearing any bottoms at all.
She was magnificent.
"Coming?" Zoe asked him, looking over her shoulder and snapping him out of his daze.
Steve McGarrett
He shuffled the reports and tapped his fingers on his desk and read them once again. There had to be a connection.
Three cases, all within the past few months of Hawaii's summer season of May to October revealing multiple homicides. All were mostly tourists, their bodies decomposed, naked and bloated and washed up on the beach.
"It's getting worse." Danny stared at the report on the latest victims. Reports from the investigators showed the latest victims were tortured. They had puncture wounds in their torsos, and the coroner explained the damage was done by arrows. They were shot by arrows.
"It will be a matter of time before they find a new victim." He replied. They had zero leads, and only one case where they had the victims identified because of a missing report filed by their families and the tattoos they found on the bodies matched the descriptions and pictures provided by the parents. Alice Ford and Courtney Willis.
They were from San Francisco, classmates in university. They flew in three weeks ago for term break and stayed at one of the budget friendly hotels that dotted the island.
There was a knock to his office and the door opened. Kono arrived, looking grim as she tossed a folder on his desk.
"I think we may have found something." The former surfer turned cop stated. "We got CCTV footage of the girls talking to a man, two days before their parents reported their disappearance."
He opened the folder and stared at the grainy image of the two talking to a man. Other printed pictures showed they were exchanging money and… drugs.
"Where is this?" He asked.
"Waimanalo." Kono replied. "They were buying joints."
Figures. Though medical marijuana was legalized with dispensaries opening up all over the city, recreational use still was still illegal.
"We need to find that dealer." He replied. He had a feeling he was the key that would solve these murders.
Jack Routh
He wanted to sing that song, Hannah Montana's Best of both worlds.
It certainly applied to his wife's white mesh bikini. She really rocked out the show with that outfit. She was both clothed and naked at the same time and he wanted to personally thank the designers of Wicked Weasel. As soon as they found a nice shaded spot he was already kissing his wife.
Sex in the sand wasn't as erotic and pleasurable as the media portrayed it was on screen. It was so uncomfortable that they had to rinse the sand that got into their private bits in the water. He then made love to his wife on the rocks, and then took her in the jungle, her ass bent over a fallen log. Zoe's thin blanket was not large enough for the two of them to lie on the beach and have sex on it.
They had just finished eating their snacks when he saw the frown in Zoe's face.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"There's no signal in my phone." Zoe replied. "Can you check yours?"
He took out his own phone from the tote bag and pressed the button. Zero bars for signal.
"Same here." He replied. "Strange, we're not too far from Oahu, just a couple of miles. There should still be some reception."
"It will be dark soon." Zoe shared. "I was hoping to message Felipe to fetch us at sunset, so we can watch the view from here then dinner at the hotel."
He stood up and headed to the rocks so that he could have a better vantage point. There were no boats in the area as far as he could see, only the land mass of Oahu on the horizon. Something was not right.
A glint of reflected sunlight caught his attention and he turned to see another boat heading their way. This boat was larger but it had come from the smaller island that they were originally supposed to head to as part of the tour package. He waited for a few more moments and saw that the boat was filled with men… and they were armed with some sort of weapons. He crouched lower on the rocks and waited for a few more minutes.
There. He could clearly see the rifles they were carrying and were those hunting bows? They certainly had no business heading here, since the island was a wildlife sanctuary. That could only mean one thing. Those men were coming for them.
He immediately jumped off the rocks and headed to his wife.
"Gather your things." He called out as he started cleaning their tracks on the sand with a fallen palm.
"What's wrong?" Zoe asked. To her credit she started packing up their blanket and belongings. She must have heard the urgent tone in his voice.
"A boat is approaching." He explained. "Bigger, full of armed men. I think I saw a few carrying hunting bows."
"Poachers?" Zoe asked.
"I doubt it." He replied. "Poachers wouldn't come in a large group filled with armed men. If they want to capture the endangered birds, they would have brought nets instead of bows and guns. We're in trouble."
Zoe gave him a firm nod. "What do we do?"
Satisfied with his work in erasing their tracks, he tossed the palm leaf back to the bushes.
"We hide deeper into the island."
They must have waited for more than twenty minutes in the dense jungle, staying low as the sound of the motor grew louder and louder. He watched through the leaves as the boat finally reached the area where their guide had originally dropped them off. They seemed to be familiar with the island and its surrounding waters, since they knew how to avoid the hidden reefs that could damage their craft.
He counted the men, eight in total as they waded back to the shore. A few helped the boat and its pilot turn it around, and with the roar of the engine it started heading back the way it came from. They were looking up and down the beach, as if they were searching for something… or someone.
"…are you sure? I was told it would be a husband and wife this time…" His ears picked up the men walking along the beach.
"Maybe they cancelled?"
"Damn! I was looking forward for some fun!"
"That fucker told us the woman was really pretty too. That she has a nice ass and tits. We could have had some fun with her."
"I guess the hunts' off. Pity."
They were set up. He exchanged a look with his wife and saw her with her fists clenched. He didn't have to guess what plans they have for Zoe.
"Let's get to camp and stay here. Might as well check on the crops."
He waited until they were out of sight and moved from his cover. He was thinking of strategies to eliminate any threat to his wife, but first they needed to establish a base of operations.
"Let's head deeper into the jungle." He looked at Zoe.
"Let's do that." His wife replied. He could still see the tension on her frame, with her jaws clenched, her movements stiff. Her eyes were sharp when they met his gaze. He made a pair of walking sticks by breaking a long branch of a tree. It was rough, but it was all they had.
Zoe remained silent during their trek, and he could tell the danger had severely affected her. They reached a suitable clearing and he breathed a sigh of relief when he found a clump of bamboo by a shallow pond.
He was trying to figure out the best way to break one of the bamboo sticks when Zoe finally spoke.
"Here, maybe this will be useful."
He turned to her and smiled at the army swiss knife she had on her hand.
"I could kiss you right now." He declared.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Zoe replied with a raised eyebrow.
He laughed and pulled his wife close to his body and gave her a long but gentle kiss. Zoe responded, and he felt her relax as his arms wrapped around her back.
"I'll keep you safe." He promised.
"I'm not some princess that's useless." His wife replied. "What's the plan?"
"Establish a base first, then recon." He replied. "We need intel. They said they have a camp and crops. I'm assuming they have an illegal marijuana plantation here on the island."
"They might also be the reason we're not getting any signal with our phones." Zoe suggested. "They probably have a jammer that covers this island."
"And with them mentioning something about a hunt…"
"Those hunting bows you spotted mean they were supposed to hunt us for sport." Zoe finished for him. "Trapped on an island, unable to call for help, like prey. Those monsters, how many victims have they had before us?"
They soon got to work. He missed the knife he had on the show, but he wouldn't complain with using the swiss knife's small saw attachment. It was slower, but he could work around it. Two hours later they had a very rough triangle hut, and a couple of sharp spears. They ate the food they brought from the convenience store as they threw ideas at each other about the best possible alternatives for escaping the island.
"We could swim." He suggested. "It's only a couple of miles."
"Not with this current." Zoe replied. "Besides, there's a risk that they will spot us, if their camp is on that hill. And then there's the sharks."
"So we scout their camp, take out their jammer and call for help." He summarized.
"And stay alive." His wife added.
Zoe removed her wrap and crouched by the small pond. He watched as she started covering her skin with mud. "We move tonight."
(part 2/2)
Zoe Andersen Routh
She had frozen up earlier when she heard the conversation between those men that just arrived. Unbidden, old memories she thought she had forgotten flashed across her mind and she took deep breaths to try and calm down.
If it weren't for her husband… if he hadn't spotted the boat before they had seen them… she looked at Jack, putting on mud and clay on his face, copying her actions. He looked calm, but she could see the look on his eyes. He was out for blood.
She remembered the time he lost control, many months before during that VIP ride along. How he lost
She couldn't blame him, they didn't need to discuss what they would do to her, and now her protective, dangerous man was preparing to defend her. Knowing he was there, right beside her and watching over her was the primary reason she was so composed right now. She wasn't alone.
They could do this.
They have been inching closer to the hill. She followed Jack, as he stalked through the jungle like a hunter. Quiet, deadly, with eyes alert. She meanwhile, struggled to follow his lead and he made it look so easy. For such a big man, he was extremely light footed and moved like a whisper when he wanted to.
Her thin wrap caught on another branch and she grimaced and gave another tug. Annoyed, she took it off and wrapped it around her waist like a belt. It was ruined anyway, and the most she could use it in its state was for bandages.
Ten more minutes and they reached the hill. She nodded as Jack gave hand signals with ease, like he was an LT leading a platoon through patrol. They crouched low on the ground and moved up to the peak of the hill.
She wondered why Jack picked this route, since it was the steepest section, but she kept her complaints to herself. They had to crawl on their bellies through the grass just to get enough traction until finally, they reached the crest.
What she saw surprised her.
She was glad Jack chose this path, since from this vantage point she could see nearly everything below, and more importantly, it gave them a good cover.
The hill was shaped like a crescent, and within it was a fairly large camp. She could see camouflage nets covering the structures below and only because of their position that they could see the men underneath it. They had tents, a few wooden structures and even a guard tower in the center where the camo nets were tied from to spread out like an umbrella. They had even decorated their little camp with colorful flags.
Jack tapped her on the shoulder, and indicated that they should follow the crest. She gave a quick nod and they moved once more. With a keen eye she watched as her husband traveled through the path, sticking to the shadows. She could hear the men's laughter as they gathered around a large campfire where it looked like they were roasting meat.
"…and the bitch was crying you know? She kept begging for her life."
"Yeah. She had stamina though, took on all of us all night and still managed to run that far."
"Still a good hunt thought." One of the men leaned to one of the low hanging flags and took a big sniff. "Her cunt smelled great!"
She widened her eyes in horror as a chill ran down her spine. Those were not flags. They were bikinis, tied in a way like they were trophies.
She shared a grim look with her husband as they continued to listen and observe. Jack once again tapped her shoulder and pointed to the tower. She followed his direction and spotted what looked like an antenna with wires and electronic devices attached to it, with solar panels wired up to the rig. They were smart enough to place their most essential equipment at the center of their camp difficult to reach and sabotage.
They retraced their original route and thirty minutes later they stumbled back to their camp.
"What the fuck was that? Those… bastards!" She seethed as she walked up and down the mall clearing, trying to control the rage within her.
"Zoe." Jack called out to her. She stopped pacing and stared at her husband.
"We'll make them pay."
"Damn right we will." She gave a firm nod. They will avenge those girls. In a way, she was glad they were the ones that were targeted by this group.
Jack started digging in the earth with hi improvised wooden tools and she leaned closer, wondering what her husband was up to.
"We need fire, but I don't want it to be seen." Jack explained.
Once Jack dug a hole around a two foot wide and a foot deep, she narrowed her eyes as he started to dig to the side of the pit. She held the question at the back of her tongue and simply observed what he was doing. Soon the hole to the side breached the surface.
"This is a Dakota fire pit." Jack explained to her as he rolled up dry leave and crushed them with his hands.
Right, she remembered that in the Military survival manual. It provided fire but left a minimal smoke trail, useful when trying to conceal their position. Why did Jack know about it?
"What about for fire?" She asked.
Rather than answering her question, Jack used the bamboo and broke it in half. He then started rubbing the end of the narrow stick to the base of the lower one and added some tinder he had made previously.
"Will that work?" She asked. She knew about the bow drill, and rubbing sticks together, but she had never seen this technique before.
"Watch." Jack started rubbing the stick to the large bamboo on the floor, secured by his foot. Its curved shape allowed the stick rubbing up and down its length to move faster without slipping. Her eyes widened as she started to see faint swirls of smoke from the contact and then… thicker smoke appeared in the tinder.
Her husband quickly stopped rubbing and added more tinder, carefully blowing at the clump of dried leaves and smaller pieces of wood. Like magic flame ignited and he carefully started adding larger pieces to feed the flame.
She watched in awe as she saw first-hand what she observed on the TV, her husband's amazing bushcraft skills. Jack finally lowered the bamboo piece that contained the flame into the pit. He then added larger and larger pieces of wood, enough for the flames to be strong enough to be stable but small enough that it barely gave off any light to their surroundings.
"Good job." She gave him a peck on the cheek. They huddled for warmth and ate the remainder of their purchases they bought from the convenience store. It was good thing she picked up more than enough for the two of them, knowing Jack's appetite.
"We're going to hit them when they're asleep at 0200." Jack stated. "You can stay here if…"
"No." She shook her head. "I'll go with you."
He started drawing a rough map on the ground with a stick. She was impressed at his memory, the drawings were fairly accurate.
"We attack from here." Jack pointed to the wooden storage shed. "Light a fire here to cause a distraction, and then we take their weapons."
"This is our exit point, and then we lead them to the jungle." Jack traced his stick from the camp to the crest of the hill as he explained his plan. "We take them out one by one."
"Zoe, these men aren't human anymore." Her husband added. "Like Rosalind, they gave up their humanity. So I'll treat them like mad beasts that needs to be put down."
Jack was talking about not holding back and that meant all that powerful, explosive strength will finally be unleashed. She knew out of everyone how truly strong her husband was. How he easily controlled her body like she was a child whenever she made love to him, and she was considered tall and strong for her gender. How skilled he was when they sparred.
This… this wasn't what a police officer would do, but she could see the look in his eyes. He wasn't asking for permission. She hesitated, but the she remembered the trophies… those bikinis fluttering in the wind, tied like flags in a rope. They must have tortured and killed half a dozen women, for sport.
"I understand." She replied. Rabid dogs should be put down, and they were fighting for their lives. Lethal force was required.
Jack then started making more weapons. She watched as he made sharp bamboo sticks and put the pointed edges at the flame for a time and then repeating the process. One thing bothered her though, and she wanted to clear things up before they proceeded with their risky plan.
"Jack... can you tell me about your past?" She asked. She couldn't hold it in anymore, she had to know. This was the perfect time, she decided. She would bare it all, and hope her husband would do the same before they risk their lives in an operation with only primitive tools and a good chance of being killed, or worse.
Her husband paused in his work and then once more continued. His face, highlighted by the fire had a frown.
"Your real past." She clarified. "All these skills you have. Your knowledge of languages, weapons systems, unarmed combat. You're not just talented, you're experienced."
She read the reports from both Jessica Cortez and Hondo. Their assessment of Routh was extremely high, and Hondo continuously made comments that Jack had to have received training from somewhere, and that he fought like a man with a decade of experience under his belt.
"Can you… tell me about your parents?" She asked.
Jack clenched his hands and she watched his face carefully.
"I… I have lapses in memory." Her husband finally admitted. "College was fine… but my earlier memories … they're hazy."
Jack Routh
Zoe deserved an honest answer.
He was getting dizzy. The more he tried to think of this… his… body's past, the more the headache grew. When he arrived in this world, he thought it was a simple reincarnation, and didn't question the near monotonous life of this… Jack Routh.
He was too distracted, adapting and utilizing the traits and memories of the three characters he had absorbed that he forgot about this one.
He tried to remember, memories from college at UCLA. He was a working student, mostly for the front office after classes and on weekends. High School was just a haze, fog obstructing everything.
But then there were those dreams he got in New York. Was that connected to his past?
"I don't remember my parent's faces." He continued speaking. "I have some glimpses, when I was younger, but they came from my nightmares I started receiving in New York."
"Can… can you tell me about them?" Zoe asked.
"I was chained to a bed, in some hospital." He tried to recall as best as he could of those glimpses, not hearing the soft gasp from Zoe. "They were injecting me with many things, and making eat these pills I'm not familiar with. Green and blue pills."
He felt Zoe intertwine her fingers with his, trying to comfort him. It helped a little.
"That's it… it was all a blur of that… but I saw one of the men in white coats speaking. I can make out the words." He confided.
"What is it?" His wife asked.
"Project Outcome." He replied. "That's the best of the past I can tell you. I'm sorry if that's all I can give, it looks like I'm broken… "
"You're not broken." Zoe replied quickly. She looked mad as she glared at him. "Look at me, Jack."
He did, and he could see her glistening eyes like she was about to cry. "I may have an idea of what happened to you, but I would need to reach out to my old contacts at the Pentagon. I love you, no matter your past. That wouldn't change, you hear me?"
"I love you too." He replied. Unable to resist he leaned closer and kissed those lips.
There was a lightness that he felt in his chest after their talk. At least now Zoe would help him in discovering the truth about his past.
"I have to tell you something as well, about my past. Something I'm not proud of."
"What is it?" He asked.
"You remember my ex-husband, Gerard?"
"Yes. What about him?" He remembered the vindictive wretch that attempted to set him up just to get back at Zoe.
"When we were married, he did things to me." His wife whispered. "I thought that was what a wife was supposed to do you know? Obey? That's what my step mother told me."
"Our honeymoon, we went to a cruise ship." Zoe continued speaking. Seeing how her lips trembled, he momentarily abandoned his task of sharpening the spears and instead sat beside his wife and put an arm over her shoulder. He did not like what he was hearing and feared what it would lead to.
"Then he introduced me to his friends on board. He called it swinging." Zoe gave a bitter laugh. "I had no clue. I was a dumb clueless girl eager to please her step mother."
Fuck. He took a deep breath as his mind instantly filled with horrific images.
"I know what swinging is now. That wasn't swinging. That was rape." His wife started to cry. His strong, police captain broke down in front of him. He hugged her tighter and he felt her desperately grab hold of his arms, her nails digging into his skin.
"I hated it. Hated it." Zoe continued speaking. He wanted her to stop, but he knew she had to let this out of her system. "What's worse, I thought it was okay after it happened. I deluded myself to believe it was Gerard's kink or some sick shit that I would get used to."
"At thought it was an orgy. There were other women there in our large fancy cabin, but then Gerard blindfolded me and tied me up on our bed. They… they took pictures. I realized when someone took off the blindfold that I was the only woman left."
"It took Pam hearing what happened to me and her horrified reaction that made me realize that what had happened to me was wrong, so wrong." Zoe whispered. "I was just a stupid, stupid clueless girl."
He wanted to find Gerard right now. If he only knew, he would have done something more permanent to Zoe's ex-husband at that beach.
"I tried to tell my step mother Melissa." Zoe spat the name angrily. "She wouldn't hear of it. With help from Pam and Reese I filed for divorce and changed my legal name. I didn't want to be part of that family any longer, and you know the rest."
He did. His girl fought back, enlisted in one of the toughest military branch in the country and made a new life for herself.
"I'm so proud of you." He whispered to her ear. His Zoe had real strength within her.
"You're not disgusted with me?" She asked. He guided her face so that she could see his, uncaring of the snot and tears that was on his chest. There was some mucus under her nose and tears stained her cheeks. He had never seen her so beautiful before.
"Why would I be?" He asked with a small smile. "And you know how I feel about strong women."
Zoe glanced at his shorts and let out a laugh as she spotted the tent forming at his crotch.
"That took real strength to come back from that." He told her. "I've never been attracted to you more than this moment."
His wife wiped her face and giggled. She seemed to stare at his face for a moment and then leaned closer so that she could kiss him.
Once the kiss ended, he once again so the playful and teasing expression on Zoe's face.
"How about we take care of that?" His wife offered. She slowly stood up and removed the torn wrap she had covered her body, revealing the bikini underneath.
He smiled and started to remove his shorts. If they were going to go against a group of armed men, he might as well relax first and show his wife how much he loved her.
Lucy Chen
Her vacation was not turning out as she expected. Rachel and Tim holed up in their room as soon as they arrived at the hotel. She felt lonely inside her room and was eager for company. They were in Hawaii! The group chats were inactive, and it was clear to her everyone wanted to rest after the flight.
She had lunch with John and Grace, but it was clear to her that she was the third wheel on the table. The two acted like love struck teenagers on their first date, and it was getting weird. The two barely kept their eyes from each other, even when they were talking to the waiter.
By late afternoon, she was able to catch up to the group of Angela and Rachel and joined them for dinner with their partners. Again, it was Sister Lucy Chen reborn again as the two couples mostly held hands the entire time. They weren't rude, and gave her plenty of attention, but she was starting to feel awkward about being the only one without a partner.
It was also there that she spotted Jack and the captain, sharing what looked like a delicious dessert.
The highlight of the night was the video of Jack and Zoe in the slingshot ride. Too bad she couldn't get a copy, but she had never seen someone use that technique in a slingshot ride before to avoid passing out or panicking.
It was insane to see the absolute focus on Jack's face as he stared at the captain' chest as it bounced up and down. He even wore a smile, as if he was completely unaffected by the ride itself while his wife screamed.
The captain quickly left after that, dragging her confused husband with her, and it was left to Angela to explain to Tim and Wesley what had happened. She couldn't understand what Tim whispered to Wesley as they were walking to a nearby restaurant, and wondered why they called Jack a man of culture. Shouldn't it be the opposite?
She hoped their second day would be better. It wasn't.
It took her until lunch time to realize all her friends have stopped attending the afternoon sessions of the conference. She recognized a few faces in the dining hall, but no one she was particularly close to.
Unfortunately for her, she had promised the group moderator of their cluster that she would share her own experiences as a rookie patrol officer so she couldn't bail out until 3pm. By then, she was sick and tired of her friends treating their vacation as honeymoon trips and decided to explore on her own.
The crowds of tourists weren't helping either. She couldn't go to any place without a line, even the vending machines. She took a page out of Jack's book and decided to rent a scooter and travel around, hoping to escape the touristy places. She didn't need friends to enjoy her well deserved vacation. She found a relatively empty coffee shop and decided to have a cold drink.
"You alone by yourself?" Two guys, her age wearing colorful board shorts and the typical floral polo shirts approached her.
"I am." She smiled and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"That's not right." The tall blonde shook his head. "I'm Matt. He's Greg."
"Hello Matt, Greg." She greeted the two. They looked to be around her age, or younger. They seem harmless enough, but she would keep her guard up. "Want to join me for coffee?"
"Absolutely." Matt grinned. She pressed her lips together to hide the smile on her face as Matt mock whispered to Greg.
"Told you local girls are cuter."
"I'm not a local." She replied. "Where are you two from?"
"Sacramento. Sorry, you looked like you're a local." Greg replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Where are you from?" Matt asked.
"L.A." She replied. They were a bit awkward, but that only eased her suspicion a bit.
"Sweet!" The blonde replied. "Do you see famous celebrities every day?"
Their chat over coffee was interrupted by a middle aged man who approached their table with what looked like flyers in his hands. "Hi! Are you looking for private tours of the nearby islands? They're worth it, since it will be away from the crowd."
"Nah…" Matt shook his head. "We're on a budget. Sorry man."
"That's alright." The man replied. "How about something for recreation?"
She raised an eyebrow at that. Was this a local dealer?
Before she or her two new acquaintances could reply, the place erupted as two men and a woman armed with handguns suddenly moved from different corners of the café and converged on the man offering drugs.
"Police!"
"Hands above your head! Above your head!"
Unlike the two boys in her table, she didn't duck down, and merely observed as these undercover officers made an arrest. Most of the guests in the café quickly left, but she remained, curious to see how they operated.
"What am I under arrest for?" The man struggled as he was cuffed behind his back.
"Homicide." One of the officers replied in a grim tone. "We don't have time Felipe, if that's your real name. Where did you take them?"
"I don't know what you mean!" The man protested.
The woman with the officers opened a folder, showing a printed picture captured from a cctv of the same man talking to… Jack and the captain. Her eyes widened in shock.
"That's you." The female police officer stated angrily. "You're not getting out, so you better tell us!"
"That's my captain!" She blurted out. Immediately she felt multiple eyes on her.
"I'm a cop." She proclaimed. "LAPD. We're here for a police conference. That's my captain, and her husband, another police officer."
She watched as the three individuals shared worried looks.
"You need to come with us." The female cop waved at her and she quickly left her table after she gathered her things.
Steve McGarrett
A police captain and a celebrity cop.
He watched from behind the one-way mirror as their suspect remained uncooperative as Danny continued to interrogate him. His earlier expression of fear had transformed to a smug look when he learned who his victims were.
"You'll be too late." Felipe, real name Karl Wong declared with a leer. "Poor pretty captain. She'll have loads of fun."
He heard a snort and turned to Officer Lucy Chen. That was an odd reaction for someone whose captain and fellow rookie were in danger.
"What is it?" He couldn't help but ask.
"He doesn't know the captain and Jack." Chen declared with confidence. "They're not just police officers. Captain Zoe is a former Major, Marine Corps. And Jack… he's a force of nature. He's D-squad, under Sergeant Hondo of Metro. Wong doesn't know what kind of monster he poked."
Now that changed things. He of course knew of Hondo's D-Squad. Street was there, and last he remembered talking to Jim, his fellow seal told him that his current unit operated nearly like he was back in Special Ops but now operating under a different set of rules.
One was a marine, and the other SWAT. He knew those types, they fight back and survive. Now he just needed to find them. It was frustrating to wait for the man to eventually crack. Hopefully the rest of his team would find clues to their latest victim's locations.
The door opened and Kono quickly entered, followed by agent Weston. He was surprised to learn that the DHS agent knew of Routh, and he was being considered heavily for recruitment. Not only that, Lori revealed that both Homeland Security and the FBI were maneuvering against each other to have him recruited in their organizations.
"Please tell me you have something." He didn't want such high profile individuals to die under his watch.
"Karl's a sick bastard." Kono declared. "He offers private tours of the island wildlife sanctuaries to unsuspecting tourists."
"DHS are analyzing data for missing persons for the last three years." Lori Weston added. "It does not look good. He might have more victims than we suspected. Possibly dozens. This man's a monster."
"He also has films in his boat house… he records them." Kono looked like she might throw up with how pale her face was.
He quickly retrieved a map of the islands and stared at the two nearest wildlife sanctuary islands near O'ahu. Two were by Waimanalo bay. He decided to head to the largest island first.
"Can I come?" Lucy Chen asked.
On one hand, she was not deputized to operate outside her state, but on the other, she would be a welcome presence to the two victims. "Fine, but you'll just be an observer. Take my back up piece just in case."
"Get the fastest boat you have." He ordered. Kona quickly ran out the door.
He tapped his knuckle on the window. Danny stopped questioning the bored looking suspect and left the interrogation room.
"They got something? Danny asked.
"They did. Come on, we're taking a boat this time." He replied.
Jack Routh
The camp was quiet. The fire had died down, and only a single bulb from a battery illuminated the immediate surroundings.
Only two men were outside, they were finishing the last of the beer cans left inside their cooler. With the way they were drinking, he knew it was only a matter of time…
"Gonna take a piss." One of the men yawned.
The man shuffled to the rocks, just right where he was waiting. Men liked to piss in shadowed corners, and the stench of piss gave away that this area was their usual area to pee. He waited until the man was happily pissing and moved.
He covered the man's mouth with his left hand and smashed the side of his head to the rocks. The armed man instantly crumpled to the ground, and he could see the bleeding in the man's temple.
One down.
Looking for weapons, he was able to find a sharp knife about the length of his hand tucked on the man's waist. With a weapon in hand, he waved to Zoe to stay low. If they succeeded, they would just need to hide in the jungle and wait for the law enforcement units.
The remaining guard let out a loud belch and he crept up behind his target and locked him in a choke hold. The man started to struggle and kicked his feet on panic. A twist and he snapped his neck, either leaving him paralyzed or dead, either way he was no longer a threat.
He grabbed the hunting bow and the quiver and ran to the tower, and started to climb the ladder of the forty foot structure. They needed to get that jammer down.
"Hey Rick? Wake up."
He stopped climbing, and pressed his body closer to the pole. He knew he was caught in a vulnerable position, an easy target for these men.
"Damn it Rick! Where the fuck is Jake?"
"What's the racket?"
"Fuck I can't sleep with all the yelling!"
He heard more voices inside the camp. He knew any minute now he could be seen.
"Hey!"
His heart leapt when he heard Zoe shout. He turned his head and saw his wife at the crest of the hill. God no.
"Oh look! Karl was right!"
"Oh yeah I'd love some of that!"
"Party's on boys!"
"Do you see what she was wearing? Damn!"
The men quickly gathered their weapons and headed to her direction hooting and yelling like animals. His wife quickly disappeared and he knew what she exposed her location to save him. With renewed effort he reached the top of the tower and started to pull out the wires and threw the equipment on the wooden floor and crushed them with his foot. He ripped the antenna and broke it in two for good measure.
He needed to act fast, Zoe was in danger.
Reuben Gil
Two of his guys rushed ahead, eager for some pussy and ass. He shook his head and kept at a regular walking pace. Why bother? Their prey was trapped in the island.
Karl scored again, and this time he wasn't exaggerating on their latest trophy. The woman was pretty, and she had that tight body and that damn bikini that showed everything. Who knew they made bikinis like that? That would be the centerpiece of his collection. Who knows, he might keep her alive for a few weeks.
"Didn't Karl say she had a husband?" One of his men, Jay asked.
"Exactly. Guess where she's running to." He grinned.
"Poor guy." Jay sniggered. "Let's keep him alive then, make him watch."
"You're sick." He replied. "Wait, that's a good idea."
He didn't bother with the two drunks left in the camp. It was their fault anyway, and as punishment they'd get to have their turn last with the girl for being late. The couple must have been exploring the other side of the island when they arrived, and it was just their luck that the clueless woman stumbled into their camp. It was getting boring, and he needed the thrill of the hunt and the entertainment that followed.
He had just reached the base of the Gil when he heard a loud pained scream up ahead. Was that Mark?
"I swear if you twisted your ankle or some bullshit…" He pushed past his men and headed towards the screams.
He reached Mark and he stepped back at the grisly sight. Mark was crying, trying to move, but at a glance he knew he was already dead. It looked like he fell into a pit and his body and thigh impaled by wooden spikes.
"Help…" Mark gurgled.
Son of a bitch! He took a deep breath and swung his rifle from his back. Their prey had set up traps for them. He wondered if it was the husband's work.
"Leave him." He ordered and shot his own man in the head.
"That bitch!" Jay growled.
"This isn't an ordinary hunt, boys. They're prepared. Look out for traps." He ordered. "Single file, spread out."
"I'm going to fuck her cunt until she bleeds." Jay promised with a snarl. He knew Mark was Jay's buddy, and he was the one that recruited him to their gang.
"You'll get your revenge soon." He told his second in command.
Their prey was quick, he had to admit that, but she left tracks in the bush that his experienced eyes could easily track. Depressions on the soil, broken twigs, he could determine how long the branch was broken based on how fresh the smell of sap was.
They turned to a bend and he scowled as Jonas, their lead scout had vanished.
"I told you there might be traps, Jonas!" He thundered. "There might be traps!"
"Jonas?" He called out. No one answered back and he couldn't see any sign of his lead scout. His foot hit something solid, and he looked down. He found Jonas, staring at him with his throat slit open.
He finally realized what was happening, they were the ones being hunted. He started issuing orders when he fell back to the ground feeling like a donkey hit him in the chest. He looked down and saw an arrow shaft sticking out of his chest.
It was getting harder to breath and he grit his teeth and started firing his rifle into the bushes in frustration.
"Boss!"
"Fuck!"
Some stupid ass tried to lift him up, but that only made it worse as he felt a blinding hot pain shoot up his chest.
"Go… fuckin kill… that guy!" He rasped. Dumb fucks, they were just standing around him, looking clueless. He wasn't surprised as an arrow struck Jay in the neck. Whoever was hunting them was smart. He used the girl as a distraction and then he took out two of their men, then him, and finally Jay, his second in command. Whoever that guy that was stalking them wanted them disorganized, leaderless and confused.
"Fuck." He gurgled as he started choking in his own blood.
Zoe Andersen Routh
It was a risk she would not hesitate to do all over again, despite knowing what awaited her if she was caught. Jack needed her help.
She ignored the excited hooting and yelling of the men as they ran after her. She had put up a good distance between them, and thanks to moving down this route a few times, she knew when to increase her pace and where to be careful. They did prepare a trap after all.
She dived through the thick bushes, ignoring the scratches on her skin and kept low, her belly to the ground and waited. She heard a curse, then the sound of someone falling to the ground. The horrific screams followed after, but she only felt satisfaction that their trap worked.
Got you.
As predicted, they converged on their fallen member, and she flinched as she heard the gunshot. She was not surprised that they would easily shoot one of their own men.
Their leader started giving orders, and she watched as they spread out, walking more cautiously this time. They turned to a bend, and even she was surprised as a shadow from a nearby tree turned out to be her husband.
Jack was brutal and efficient as he swiftly killed the lead man with a quick slash to the throat. It was over in a few seconds. He didn't even allow him to fall as he slowly guided him to the ground and pulled him towards the bushes. This was the first time she was seeing her man unleashed, no longer shackled by the chains of his duties as a police officer.
The group hunting her stopped when they noticed their lead scout was missing. She wondered if Jack planned all of this ahead, allowing the feet of the dead man to just stick out of the bushes. The men found the body, causing them to stop in place.
She couldn't find Jack, but she heard the arrow as it hit the leader in the chest. The impact was so strong that the man fell to the ground.
"Boss!"
"Fuck! Boss!
Jack even targeted the leader first, a decapitation strike. The man was frustrated and randomly started shooting, but at that angle she was sure he wouldn't be able to hit anyone. Another arrow came, this time hitting another man in the neck.
He just crumpled like a doll with its strings cut.
"I'm getting the fuck out of here!"
The remaining two started to run back to the direction of their camp. She didn't move, until a large shape emerged from the bushes quite close to her. She watched as he took the rifle from the leader. She knew he was going to chase after them and stood up from her cover. She couldn't allow her husband to do all the work.
Jack spotted her and immediately ran to her side. He patted her all over, checking for injuries. "Thanks for saving me back there."
"You were a sitting duck. I couldn't allow them to look at your direction." She took a look at her husband, checking him for injuries. He looked fine, other than a few scratches in his arms and legs.
She wanted to hug and kiss him, but she knew this was not over. There were still the two men remaining running back towards their camp. As much as she wanted to finish them off, she knew she couldn't.
"Jack." She turned to her husband after she secured her own weapon, a Glock. "You know we can't finish them off."
He remained silent, still looking at the direction of the camp. He then took a deep breath and exhaled, and she watched as the deadly killer transformed back to the police officer.
"You're right." Jack replied. "They might be able to provide information about their victims."
She gave a nod of approval, and finally relented and gave him a peck on the lips. "Let's head back to our camp and call the authorities. They can round those two up."
Steve McGarrett
He was expecting the worst, hoping for the best, but he was not prepared for the news as his team reached the wildlife sanctuary island.
The missing captain called 911, and dispatch rerouted the call to his own phone.
"Say again?"
"We eliminated six of the eight men hunting us." Captain Andersen's voice came clear through the speakers. His team plus their observer remained quiet, listening in to the report.
"Their camp is located on the other side of the hill, hidden with camo nets. They even have a jammer in place, and that is why we were unable to call for aid when we were lured to this location."
"So you took out the jammer?" He asked. How the hell did they do that?
"Affirmative. We're on route now to the beach. ETA 2 minutes, Andersen out."
The call cut off. If he hadn't been briefed by their observer, he would be positive the woman he was speaking with came from the military.
"Up ahead." Donny called out.
They heard movement from the bushes and he watched as a couple emerged. They looked… wow. He was sure he wasn't the only one that was drawn to the woman who despite the torn wrap she was wearing revealed a risqué bathing suit he only saw worn in private resorts.
That was the woman she was speaking with?
"Babe." He heard Donny mutter under his breath. He had to nod in agreement.
"That's Sugar. Wow Laulau" Kono breathed out, speaking the last part in Pidgin.
He turned to her, and unlike the men, she was focused on the large man accompanying the police captain. He had to urge to puff his chest out as the woman's husband, just in his shorts and shirtless joined their group. He looked closer and realized the man had used his shirt to create bandages that were now wrapped on him and his wife.
Immediately medics converged on the two and started treating their injuries.
"Who is in charge here?" Andersen asked. He had to admire her demeanor and ability to speak with authority in her voice despite being practically naked. She seemed unfazed and was all business.
"Commander Steve McGarrett, Hawaii 5-0 Task Force." He stepped forward and introduced himself. "I was the one you were speaking with earlier."
"Commander, there are still two men out there." Andersen reported. "They're still armed and dangerous."
"Understood." He was amazed at their claim of taking out six armed men.
"There's also another man that dropped off the eight men here, but his boat took him back to the smaller island." Routh added. "I don't know if there are more men in there, and they might also have a hidden camp."
"Right." He immediately started coordinating with his task force and the police to monitor the second island.
"Officer Chen, what are you doing here?" Andersen asked.
"I asked to come, when I heard you were in trouble…"
He decided to help the poor rookie, since she was helpful in their investigation. "She was approached by the same man that offered you a tour. He's under interrogation as of this moment."
"Good." Andersen nodded. "Do you still need us to lead you to their camp?"
"No need, I'll have airborne assets on route." He replied. That damn RIMPAC exercise had fucked things up, clogging the heliports. There were far too many foreign captains and admirals who wanted to fly to the islands and have lunch in O'ahu.
The investigation lasted until noon. They had set up temporary tents as more and more investigators arrived on scene. The two remaining men surrendered as their airborne asset swooped in from above, while they were surrounded by his task force from the ridge.
What he saw in the camp… it sickened him. He couldn't believe this was happening in his backyard. The illegal marijuana plantation was normal, but the victims… they deserved better.
When investigation began, it was nice to have witnesses/victims who were fellow law enforcement officers. He didn't even have to ask that they stay. They volunteered to remain on the island so that they could help as much as possible with the case. It was a big one, and he had been on the phone with the Governor as he gave regular updates.
He remembered as Routh led them to the bodies of the four remaining men. He had seen a lot of fucked up things serving his country. Afghanistan, North Korea, hell even black ops. His trained eyes could see how Routh ambushed the four men while his wife served as the distraction. Jack Routh was deadly with a bow.
This was some serious Rambo stuff, seeing the bodies either impaled with bamboo spears, throat slashed or hit by an arrow. The way Routh explained his tactics calmly made him wonder if the big man also served in JSOC. He didn't even bat an eye as he watched the bodies were photographed and bagged for evidence.
He could see that there was no remorse in Jack Routh's eyes, only satisfaction. He only saw the anger later when they recovered the other victim's clothes. The sick bastards had collected them and displayed them as flags over their camp like some trophies to be proud of.
It was overall a clear cut case of self defense, even the detectives that took the two officer's statements were satisfied with the paperwork. He was thankful for the two LAPD Officers. They had managed to stop the gang of serial killers and rapists from terrorizing the islands and gave closure to those missing men and women. He hated to say it, but he was glad it was the resourceful husband and wife team that got kidnapped and not some helpless malihini.
"Ready to head back?" He asked the two. Jack had devoured the sandwiches he asked to be brought to him for lunch. Captain Andersen was on the phone with what he assumed to be the sergeant or LT after she gave her own statement.
"Boats are here." He added.
"Thanks Commander." Jack replied. "But we have someone picking us up."
"What do you mean?" Andersen asked, looking at her husband.
"Turns out I have some friends in the area." Jack shared. "And they offered to pick us up. They should be here soon."
"And they have their own boat too?" He asked.
"No, but they do have that." The big man pointed to the horizon.
He followed where he was pointing at and squinted against the sun. It wasn't a boat in the distance, but a massive yacht heading towards them. Sleek, silver with four decks. Heck it was nearly the size of an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer!
"Flying Fox." He read the name written on its side.
"That's our ride?" Andersen gave her husband a look.
"Yup."
"Let me guess. It's Taylor Swift isn't it?" Andersen sighed.
"How did you know?" Jack asked.
"Only she could afford to charter ships like that." His wife replied.
"It turns out she's in Hawaii too." Jack shared. "She even offered to pick us up since her yacht is in the area."
Wait what? Taylor Swift? Who were these two? He better ask Kono, she seemed to recognize Jack. The female officer wasted no time during lunch to ask for his signature and a selfie.
"See you later Commander." Jack Routh gave him a quick handshake. "If you're in L.A., look me up."
"Same here. Again, thank you." He replied. He'll be sure to do that if he ever had business in Los Angeles. He had a feeling this wasn't the last time he would cross paths with Jack Routh.
A/N: As promised, here is my surprise update to celebrate a milestone: we reached 300k words! Thank you for reading, and for those that supported me through ko-fi and Patreon, you guys are amazing. I mean seriously. I'm blown away by your kindness.
I can only respond to that by increasing my upload rate while maintaining the quality that I hope you all enjoyed so far. Cheers!