Some Kind of Curse (Hawaii Five-0)

Prologue

The tension in the air, lurking around Steve and Kris McGarrett was the first thing to enter the armoured Humvee. Kris almost had to drag her twin brother and their prisoner to their getaway truck back in North Korea, as he didn't want to leave Freddy, his best friend, who sacrificed his life for them behind. Kris, who was already hotwiring the vehicle from the driver's seat begged him to get in the truck, telling Steve they would come back for Freddy and bring him home. Hell, she even promised him, and that was a very special favour for her to hand out nowadays- nothing can be for certain in the life of a soldier, but Kris was certain that they would be back for Freddy's body so he could get a proper burial at home like the hero he truly was.

Now safely at the convoy a few miles away from the tiny north Korean village they found Anton Hesse in, Steve lets his shields drop a little bit and mourn his best friend who gave his life for his and his sister's safe escape. Sitting across from her brother and next to Hesse in the small cab of their armoured Humvee, Kris bangs on the partition to tell the driver to take off, and then puts a hand on Steve's knee, trying to silently comfort him. If they weren't in front of a global terrorist right now, Kris would discuss what just happened to try and get Steve to open up and speak his mind a little bit before their debrief, where he would hold in all of his emotions and just do his job, showing nothing but strength. Deep down, Kris knows that Steve is still a scared sixteen-year-old boy who was sent off to the Naval Academy by their grieving father, who was too depressed from their mother's sudden and unexpected death to take care of his kids anymore. Thankfully, Steve and Kris got to stay together at the Academy, but their younger sister Mary, who was only 10 at the time, got sent off to Los Angeles to live with their Aunt Deb. Now, fifteen years later, Steve and Kris only really have each other to rely on, as they have been inseparable since the day they left home, which was once on the beautiful island of O'ahu. The only time they really talk to their father and sister nowadays is on birthdays and holidays when they're not deployed, which unfortunately isn't often for them. Steve and Kris take pride in their work in the Navy and Army, and that's because it was there for them both when their family couldn't be.

Steve nods at his sister, silently thanking her for her support, which causes her to retract her hand from his thigh and put it back on her gun to stay alert. Steve then reaches across the small cab of the truck and pulls the pillowcase off of Anton Hesse's head, revealing his greasy, dishevelled hair and face. If Hesse wasn't wearing a TAC vest right now, Kris is pretty sure she would have just shot him on the spot, out of pure hatred and disgust towards this man. Hesse looks around for a moment to try and figure out who grabbed him, and where he is, since he was swiped away from the village so fast that he never got to see who snatched him. When Anton recognizes the McGarrett twins, he lets out a chuckle, which causes Kris and Steve's stomachs to do a bit of a flip flop. Kris' heart rises to her throat, getting a feeling that something bad is going to go down, since Hesse almost looked happy to see her and Steve. Staying silent, Hesse looks around the truck again, and then decides to stare at the twins, looking curious about something.

Kris is the first one to speak up at his weird staring. "hey," she says loudly to him, getting his attention. "What the fuck are you looking at?" She asks him, trying to scare some of the cockiness and swagger out of him. Hesse just smiles and laughs a little bit, which definitely was not the reaction Kris was expecting. Steve leans across the truck and grabs Hesse's collar, yanking him closer to Steve's face. "she asked you a question, Anton." Steve snarls, flashing his teeth a little bit, to try and show Anton that they aren't going to take any of his bullshit right now. Steve and Kris have been tracking Anton and his older brother Victor across the world for years now and are a little mad that they have only caught one of them so far. Anton rolls his eyes and tests the zip ties on his wrists, trying to see how much room he has to play with. Steve shoots him a glare from across the truck, looking like he wants to reach across the truck and strangle the terrorist, but doesn't actually act on it. A tense silence breaks out again for the next few minutes, allowing Kris and Steve to look over Anton and analyze his every move so they are prepared for a possible attack by him; they are always on high alert and attack mode, so they are ready for whatever Anton has planned. His extraction from the village seemed a little too easy, and only a bit of a fight was put up at their escape, costing Freddy his life. Deep down, Kris has a gut feeling that there is something else at bay here with Anton, but she doesn't know what. She looks over at him, trying to read the smirk on his face and understand why he is acting so arrogant about his capture. He should be silent and terrified about being handed over to the American government, not like someone who just won the metaphorical lottery.