-------------Two Days Later-------------

2:37pm
101st Precinct

Cole and Malcolm stood at the entrance. Malcolm said, "I'll wait here for you."

Cole nodded. "Okay, I'll be back soon."

*************************************************

Detective Peter Caine sat at his desk, writing a report.

Desk Sgt. Broderick hollered to him. "Hey, Pete! Someone's here to see you."

Peter asked, "Yeah, who?"

A small boy walked up to him. He's wearing a white shirt with a blue tie, and a red 'oxford' jacket. He carried a knapsack over his shoulder. He had a white streak in his hair.

Peter asked, "And who are you?"

The boy replied, "Cole Sear. Can we talk in private? It's personal."

Peter shrugged. "Don't worry, nothing's too personal here."

"It's about your grandmother. I saw her."

"Wait-"

"-Su Ling."

"But she's DEAD."

"Exactly."

Peter looked at him, sizing him up. "O-kayyy...." He got up and gently grabbed his arm. "Come with me, please." Peter led him to a hallway. He said in a serious tone, "Look, kid..I don't know what you want. Death is NOTHING to joke about! I'm very busy today, I'm up to my ass in paperwork. So why don't you tell me what you really want?"

"Sir, I AM serious. You may not believe it, but I see ghosts."

"You do?"

"Yes!"

Ghosts? Caine can see apparitions sometimes. Maybe this kid had a point. He decided to hear him out. "Well...maybe it's not that hard to believe. My father can see things, too."

"But..Malcolm said he died in the temple-"

"I thought he did, but we found each other after 15 years. Wait, that name, Malcolm. Is it..Malcolm Crowe?"

"Yes. He's some kind of doctor."

"Right, a child psychologist..you know him personally?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I remember him from the Braniff orphanage. He really helped me figure things out..life, where I was going, choices..haven't heard his name in a while."

"So, what I said before..I was serious. I saw Su Ling. She's still here because she was killed by assassins..some group of cult members, who were also Communist. Do you know about any secret sect they were
in?"

"Yes, Sing Wah. They're our mortal enemies."

"Who? Sing Wah..Cole said something about Ling's killers. Is it them?"

"Sing Wah? Yes."

Cole said, "From what I've heard Su Ling say about them, they're very mean."

Peter said, "'Mean' isn't an accurate description. They..well, I'll just say their as old as Shaolin, they kill by ripping people's throats out, and you
never want to meet them."

"Oh. Well, Ling said she could move on if she met Matthew again, but he died-"

"-in the Himalayas?"

"Yes."

"Oh, he's alive. His and my father's deaths are exagerrated. We saw him last year in the St. Adele village, in France."

"She wanted to see him one more time."

"Maybe she can. Come with me, I'll take you and Malcolm to my father's shop."

Cole and Peter were now outside. Peter saw Malcolm standing by the doors. "Malcolm Crowe?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. Are you..Peter?"

Peter shook his hand. "Yes."

Malcolm smiled. "Well, you seem to have done well. I hear you're a detective?"

"Yes, I also met my father again. We each thought the other had perished in the temple fire.."

"Yes, you mentioned that in our meetings before. Who did you say did it?"

"Oh, a renegade Shaolin priest, Master Dao...Tan..he became a powerful crimelord in Chinatown, after he bombed our temple."

"What happened to him?"

"He fought my father in a Shaolin combat-ritual, to the death. Tan lost."

"I see. Well, I hope Cole never meets him."

"I don't think that'll happen, his evil was vanquished when he was defeated. Say, did anyone ever tell you that you look like that action-movie actor? I think it was in 'Last Boy Scout' or the 'Die Hard'
series."

Crowe laughed. "Sure, I hear it all the time."

"Well, I'll take you to meet my father now."

********************************************************

Peter was driving in his blue Stealth.

Malcolm sat next to him, on the passenger side. Cole was in the back seat. Malcolm asked, "So, Peter..how did you meet your father again, after all these years? If you don't mind my asking."

Peter answered, "No problem. I met him two years ago. Actually, it was by accident. I was working undercover as a hitman for Tan. He was like a phantom, he had connections everywhere, he had a lot of power over over Chinatown. The entire community was in fear. No one could make a case against him."

"Did your undercover operation work out?"

"Not really. He had an informant. Marilyn Blake, one of the Mayor's aides from City Hall. She squealed on me. Well, Tan tried to have the Ancient killed--you'll see him later--by bombing his shop. My father saved him, they were holed up in a hospital. I recognized the 'mysterious stranger' as my father. We teamed up and fought against Tan, when he failed to have the
Mayor assassinated. But he fled to another city."

"Then he came back? Is that when he fought Caine in that ritual?"

"Yes."

"How's the reunion going with your father?"

"It's..alright. I'm still learning. Sometimes, I don't understand him. Well, there's a few things that he does, things that can't be explained, that defy the
laws of nature-"

Cole interrupted, "Like seeing ghosts?"

Peter laughed, "Yeah, like that. Anyway, you learn not to ask 'why', you just get used to it after awhile. But if I could choose one person on this
planet that I'd feel safest with on a stakeout, it's *him*."

Cole said, "So he's a, uh..Shaolin priest? I heard about those people in kung fu magazines."

"Yeah. Even better. He's a Shambhala Master."

Malcolm looked over at him. "Huh? What's a Shambhala Master?"

Peter answered, "Well, it's a long story. Okay.. there's this legend about a place in the mountains of Tibet. A kingdom on the top of the world, in the
clouds."

Malcolm gasped in recognition. "Right, Shambhala. I've heard references to it from the cultures of Asian beliefs. I think I saw something about it on Discovery Channel. It's supposed to be a place of light and peace? Kind of like Heaven for Oriental mystics. But I heard it was just a legend. A myth."

Peter said, "I used to think that. Until I went there myself. My father was summoned by their monks to fight a great evil. Since he won, he was promoted to Shambhala Master. Now, his skills and mystical powers
are increased."

Malcolm appeared to understand. "Oh. I see."

Cole asked Peter, "Do you two fight bad guys all the time? I mean, your dad's a kung fu master. I bet he knows how to kick anyone's butt."

Peter replied, "Yes, he can. But kung-fu isn't all about fighting. We CAN fight, we usually prefer not to. We use it only to help people. But to answer your question: No, we don't fight *all* the time--well, okay, most of the time. For example, we had to wipe the floor with a Chi'Ru Master. Shadow Assassin. They're known for killing people with their thoughts."

Cole said, "What? Their *thoughts*? They sound scary."

Peter nodded. "Hell, yeah. You have no idea *how* scary. They are like smoke and shadows. No one can defend against them, if you fight them..you die. Unless you're a Shaolin priest like my father."

Malcolm said, "Well, death is often a serious subject. People who do the killing..they used to have a conscience, but it was somehow buried into their
subconscious. Maybe that's what happened to Damon."

Peter said, "Yes, maybe. Death is always a part of life. Like pain. I mean, I'm a cop. I see it every day. On the streets. In people's homes. Wait..
Malcolm? I read in the paper that someone broke into a home of a famous psychiatrist, someone who won an award from the Mayor. Was that you?"

Malcolm grimaced. "Yes. My house. A former patient broke in, shot me. Then himself. I'll *always* remember. I failed him."

Peter suddenly felt a chill in the car. He turned the heater on. Even though he turned it up higher, it was still cold. He mumbled, "Damn. Why is it so cold in here all of a sudden? It's almost June..oh, well." He said to Malcolm, "I'm sure you did all you could. Maybe if you help a patient like him, he'll move on to his afterlife also."

Malcolm sighed, thinking of Cole. "Yes, you could be right."

Peter didn't feel the cold air anymore. He switched the heater off. He looked ahead at the high-level brick building. "Okay, guys, we're here. Let's see if he's home." He pulled into the lot and turned off the
ignition.

3:05pm
Caine's Apothecary

Caine and Lo Si were mixing herbs. Then, they heard footsteps from the corridor outside.

A familiar voice asked, "Pop? Are you here.."

Caine answered, "Yes, my son."

Peter entered with Malcolm and Cole. "These are two friends of mine. Malcolm Crowe is a counselor for children.."

Caine bowed. "Ah..Dr. Crowe. Peter told me of you. I thank you for helping him on his path.."

Malcolm bowed in return.

Peter gestured at Cole. "This is Cole. He's..well, special. He can..well, you may believe it, he..can-"

Caine looked at Cole, making eye contact. "Yes, Peter, I know. He has the ability to see what others cannot. His spirit soars above normal planes. Cole, you sense the presence of the deceased..and you are here on a mission to help one of them."

Cole looked at Malcolm in curious amazement. "How did.."

Peter shook his head. "Don't ask. Look, you get used to it after awhile; it's a Shaolin thing. And Caine's friend here is a priest also--er, I mean, a Shambhala Master, like my dad. His name is Lo Si. But everyone in the Chinese community calls him The Ancient."

Lo Si bowed cheerfully. "I, uh..perhaps because I am..so old?"

Cole said to Caine, "Su Ling talked to me. She wants to see Matthew."

Caine gasped. "Ahh..yes. She was murdered by Sing Wah. My father could not save her."

Lo Si said to Cole, "So..we must help you to reunite with Matthew Caine. That she may..move on. And go to her eternal destiny, into the Oneness, the..Great Beyond. To be at one with the Tao."

Cole answered, "Yes. Whenever I help these ghosts, they go away. I think they go to the Other Side. To wherever that destination is."

Peter interjected, "At least they aren't caught in between worlds."

Cole was confused. "Huh? What do you mean by 'between worlds'?"

Peter said, "It's a realm between life and death, somewhere in the middle."

Lo Si explained, "Yes. The Bardo. It is a twilight world, a place where lost souls, those that were abandoned or just simply lost...they go there, until
they are pulled into Eternal Darkness, to the Void."

Peter said, "Yeah, it looks like a bar. A nightclub. Not a good place to be, that I know from experience. So does my father. Okay, Pop. Are we ready to meet my grandfather?"

Caine said, "Yes, my son. We must go now."

Malcolm didn't know how they would do this. "But Mr. Caine, we got a little problem. France is a long way from here. I don't think we have enough money to get on an airline flight. The only way I know of is by ship, but that's even more expensive. Besides, it's Saturday. Cole has to be back in school on Monday morning. It'll take a few DAYS to reach Matt, if not
a *week*."

Caine smiled. "Perhaps not." He opened his sack, took out a book, laying it on the counter.

Malcolm took a closer look at it. It was thin. On the cover was a yellow circle surrounded by rays of sunlight. "What is that?"

Caine answered, "The Book of Shambhala. It can take us... where we need to go." He opened it and the pages glowed with an intense white light, brightening the room. "I call upon my brethren in Shambhala..grant me
passage to St. Adele in France, to the location of my father, Matthew Caine. Myself, my son, Lo Si, and two dear friends. Malcolm Crowe and Cole Sear..this I ask in humility, aid us in our quest.." The light had expanded, surrounding them..they all quickly disappeared, going into the book. The light was gone and the book closed.