Author's Note: OK, it's not entirely finished, but I think I've linked up all the clues, so I can start posting. Today was hell at work, so I need some review love.
In "Hot Pursuit," you can expect lots of heat and lots of pursuit. It features mostly the original four and my usual basic theme: Steve saves Danny, Danny saves Steve.
Set during Season 3 sometime after Episode 10, the Aloha Girls episode.

Hot Pursuit

Chapter 1: Hot Pursuit

Lights flashing, siren howling, Honolulu Fire Department Engine 68 roared along the highway. It's bull-like blaring horn chasing cars from its path. Pacing the emergency vehicle were two Honolulu Police cars and a silver Camaro with red and blue lights flashing in its grille.

But the police cars were not escorting the fire engine. Oh, no.

"What kind of dimwit steals a fire engine?" Detective Danny Williams yelled at his partner, Steve McGarrett, the driver of the silver Camaro and the head of Five-0, the governor's special crime-fighting task force.

"I'm going to get ahead of them and cut them off," Steve said with determination.

"No! Don't you realize what that is?"

"It's a fire truck," Steve said, with an unsaid "duh!" heavy in his tone of voice.

"A fire truck? It's a custom-made, combination pumper-ladder with 700 gallons of water storage built by 4 Guys Inc., of Pennsylvania. It cost more than $600,000, not counting onboard equipment such as the Jaws of Life that we're going to need if you try to cut off a 14-ton fire engine!"

Steve would have stared at Danny with his mouth agape, if he hadn't been driving the Camaro in hot pursuit of a stolen fire engine.

"When did you become such an expert in fire trucks?"

"My father."

"Right, the retired firefighter," Steve remembered.

"Semi-retired. He's working in procurement for a small town that's trying to raise money to buy a new engine. I've learned more about fire engines than I ever intended, but you don't need to be an expert to see that this one is new. It's expensive. And it's a lot bigger than my car!"

Steve's phone rang. Before Steve could take his hands off the wheel, Danny snatched the phone and turned it to speaker. Even with the volume full blast, they could hardly make out Chin's voice — what with the roar of multiple engines, the wail of multiple sirens and the deep-throated bellowing horn of Engine 68.

"Chin, I hope you've got some idea how to stop this thing," Steve yelled. "Danny's all worried about scratching its paint."

"McGarrett!" yelled a familiar voice that wasn't Chin Ho Kelly. "If you so much as dent a fender on our new baby I'll leave you stuck in the next hole I find you in!"

Firefighter Engineer Mickey Harnett had — literally — pulled Steve out of a pit of murky death, not to mention unearthing Danny after an avalanche of sand.

"Where'd you come from?" Danny asked.

"Someone's got to drive the engine back," Chin answered, calmly reclaiming his phone. Then he instructed, "Force him left on Aroma Drive, Steve."

"Toward the dump?" Danny asked.

"Landfill, please," Kono Kalakaua replied in as snooty a voice she could manage, while shouting at Chin's phone and piloting her red Cruze on a route that paralleled the Camaro's. "Our cousins call it a landfill."

"Landfill it is," Steve agreed. He didn't know what Chin had in mind, but he trusted his colleague.

The Camaro and the two police cars surged forward, crowding the fire engine toward the side of the road. The engine moved away from them, taking the sweeping turn up to the landfill. There was one side-road, but a red Cruze blocked the way and the fire engine continued up the hill. Two heavily loaded trash trucks drove shoulder to shoulder up the road, preventing anyone from passing. A stationary roadblock might have caused the fire engine to swerve off the road, but the rolling roadblock slowed, forcing the fire truck to slow, also. The trash haulers halted and two hefty Hawaiian drivers climbed out. Facing the halted fire engine with arms crossed.

The teenage car thieves leaped out, poised to flee on foot.

"Don't. Just, don't," Danny warned.

The boys looked around and saw four uniformed police officers and two plainclothes detectives pointing guns in their direction. A red Cruze pulled up adding to their opponents with two more officers and an angry firefighter. Giggling gleefully, the teens raised their hands.

"It was totally worth it," said the brown-haired white teen. "Best joy ride ever!"

"How many lives was your joy ride worth?" Harnett growled, his Texas background showing in his voice when he was stressed. He pushed past the now handcuffed youths to check over the HFD's newest engine.

Two inches taller than McGarrett, Michael "Mick" Harnett was built like a superhero with a square jaw and steady brown eyes. He was not overly muscled, but was solid and powerful without an ounce of excess fat. He had an undeniable air of authority that was utterly reassuring when you were in trouble — as Danny and Steve knew from personal experience. He was tall and rangy and looked like what you imagined a Texan should look like. He even had a hint of the accent, though he'd only lived there for a few years while his father was stationed at Fort Hood.

At the moment, Harnett was beside himself with anger and relief, as he walked all around Engine 68. The fireman hadn't had a chance to admire the new engine before it was stolen. The manufacturer's representative drove it up to the station. Before the crew could assemble, two teenagers passing by spotted the keys in the ignition and took off with the multimillion-dollar machine. The only glimpse Harnett had gotten was the back end of the big yellow truck fishtailing around the corner. He patted it in relief, seeing it was unharmed.

"Aw, we didn't hurt anyone," scoffed the black-haired Asian youth.

"How many people are at risk if this engine isn't available to answer a call?" Harnett said.

The youth's smart-aleck answer was interrupted by a call over the engine's still active radio. It was a fire at Manoa Elementary School. Everyone tensed. The Asian youth went whiter than his Caucasian companion. "Manoa! My aunt works at Manoa Elementary."

"That's the third elementary school this week," Danny said grimly.

The first fire had been more smoke than anything, giving the students an unexpected three days off while clean up took place. The second caused serious damage, giving the students a serious fright and closing an entire wing of the school. When both fires were found to be arson, the governor sent Five-0 to investigate.

They had been on their way to consult with the arson squad, when they were detoured by the stolen fire engine. At first they thought it might relate to the arson fires, but now that didn't seem likely.

Everyone had tensed in anger and a need to rush to rescue children at Manoa — everyone but Danny. "At least this time school's out," the detective said.

The Five-0 team relaxed. Trust Daddy Danny to know the school schedule, even if his daughter went to private school.

"Are you sure?" Harnett asked.

"It's a teacher training day," Danny answered with certainty. "Teachers are there, but no kids." As if to confirm, the HFD radio reported that the school was closed, but the fire was well involved. The whole school was threatened. A second alarm went out.

"McGarrett! We need this engine back," Harnett practically begged.

"I'm coming with you!" Steve announced. He gave the others a quick grin. "Got to keep an eye on the evidence," he said, patting the engine's gleaming yellow flank.

"You just want to ride the fire engine, boss," Kono said jealously.

Chin took her car keys out of her hand and tipped his head toward the engine. "Someone's got to keep an eye on McGarrett," the lieutenant said.

Kono grinned, then remembered this was serious. People might be in danger. But still, she was going to ride to the rescue in a fire engine! She leaped in the back seat.

"You want to go, too?" Chin asked Danny.

"Nah," said the firefighter's son. "Been there, done that. Besides, this way I get to drive my own car."

To be continued

A/N: Fire engine specs are based on an article from a newspaper website tricities dot com about Bristol, Tenn., getting a new engine. Any resemblance to any actual HFD engine is purely accidental.

Harnett made his first appearance in my story "Charades" and appeared most recently in "Stormy Weather." At that time he drove a rescue truck, but he's since been promoted to engineer and drives the big fire engine.