April 9th
Lo Si entered the boarding house. He did not look forward to the reception he thought he might receive from Peter, but he was not going to shirk away from it either. He had done what he had done for their protection. It had sadly not been enough.
He entered to the smell of breakfast cooking, and old friends talking, he smiled a little, and continued further inside, looking for Kwai Chang Caine. He wished to speak to him about the remedy for Peter's qi as well as the prophecy regarding the Harbingers. Master Khan directed him to the back yard.
He stepped out onto the grass and was quickly lifted up off his feet into a hug by Peter.
"They told me you were dead." Peter said "I have never been so glad to see you in my life." He said as he eased the old man back onto the ground.
"Even knowing that I am old Ping Hai?" He asked "And that I lied to you about your father?"
"Even so." Peter said sincerely. "So which is it? Ping Hai or Lo Si?"
The Ancient shrugged "Currently it is Lo Si." He said "Then it was Ping Hai…it is often the way of things."
"Where have you been?" Kwai Chang Caine asked, as they joined him by the koi pond.
"I went to find ingredients." He said.
"For what?" Peter asked.
"Something to keep the creature in your mind from devouring your qi. It will not take it from your mind, but it will keep it from harming you while it is there. If you trust me to give it to you."
"Yeah, yeah of course I trust you. I was angry at first.. Well both times I found out… First at Ping Hai when I found Dad and then at you for being Ping Hai… but it's okay. When I thought you were dead I realized it wasn't important." He said "So ahm… what's this thing to keep Nag from chewing on me?"
"It is a paste made of herbs that has been dried in the right size for a daily dose."
"This is going to taste terrible isn't it?" Peter said, wrinkling his nose.
"I do not know. I have not tasted it." He said "But if it tastes good you can mix it into a tea."
"Okay." He said and took a breath, "Well however bad it tastes it has to be better than stale peanut butter sandwiches. So now is as good a time as any." He said.
"Stale Peanut butter sandwiches?" Caine asked as Lo Si sat down to take the pouch out of his satchel.
"It's what they fed me when I was in the dark. Breakfast lunch and dinner. I didn't like them after the orphanage, but I really hate them now. I'm surprised I haven't developed an allergy to cheap peanut butter. I don't think I could even face a peanut butter cookie anymore."
"Not even peanut butter cookies?" Caine asked, smiling a little. It sounded minor, a nuisance. But it was a common way to demoralize prisoners. Keep them from taking pleasure even in filling their stomachs.
"No peanut butter cookies, no Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, I don't even want non ground peanuts. No chicken satay with peanut sauce. Nothing. If it even looks like a peanut I don't want it."
Lo Si took his hand and placed one of the squares in it. "Lucky for you this has no peanuts."
Peter looked at it a moment then put it in his mouth and chewed it. He made a face. "Well I've had worse." He said.
"Still better than peanut butter sandwiches?" Lo Si asked.
"Oh yeah. I think I'll be swallowing it with water, though. Definitely not going to be making a tea out of it though." He looked between Lo Si and his father. "And you two want to talk so I am going to head back inside." He said and turned around to leave.
"What else have you learned, Lo Si, that you could not say in front of my son?"
"There is a prophesy about the Harbingers."
"Should Peter not know about this?"
"I trust Peter. I do not trust the thing in his head. I do not know if it sees and hears what he hears. It is possible that he is to be the one to destroy the artifact, and shatter the cult. But they say that it is not time for that prophesy to come to fruition."
"They who?" Caine asked, frowning.
"The great prophesies, those that have the potential to change the world, are protected and looked over by a Shamballa Master. I spoke with the man who watches over that prophesy."
"And are you the guardian of a prophesy?" He asked. "The one involving the last of the line of Kwai Chang? My Son."
Lo Si nodded "Yes."
"Is that the real reason you tried to obfuscate Peter's existence?"
"It is one of the reasons. Tan was foremost on my mind at the time. He was a boy, it was possible that he would not be the last of the line of Kwai Chang. It is still possible that he may not be the last. At one time you were the last as was your father and his father. We do not know the moment prophesy will one day come to be, only when it is or is not."
"And will this other Shamballa master seek to manipulate my son for this prophesy?"
"Not if he half as wise as I believe him to be." He said. No they would not wish to attempt to manipulate Peter while his father watched over him. "We must keep Peter out of the harbingers hands, no matter the cost. It is, I believe, specifically him, not potentially him to put an end to the threat of the harbingers. But I do not know how."
"Prophesy is often clouded. It hints at truth with deceptive phrases. If it comes to pass then the prophesy is fulfilled and if it does not it was simply not it's time. I will protect my son and keep him safe. If he is the one to end them then nothing anyone does or does not do will prevent it. He asks about wandering. I am considering taking him away from here until he is stronger."
"I think that would be wise indeed."
"When he is ready, we will go."
Edward Kline did as he was told. He was mostly loyal to the cult and specifically Nagaina, but not necessarily Miranda Gray. She was losing her objectivity where Peter Caine was concerned. Underneath all that beauty and brilliance (As far as he was concerned anyway) there was a woman just like any other and that woman was falling for a pair of soulful eyes.
Edward Kline had been sent to Nagaina by Dianna Reese when the previous Nag had been killed. Reese was a member of the inner council. One of the five that oversaw the running of the order under Nagaina. Nag was nothing more than brute force, mate and protector of Nagaina who sat at the godhead of the order. He was a god, but he was nothing but Nagaina's slave at the end of the day.
He should be at Miranda's side as her bodyguard until Nag had human form again but no, here he was walking in Chinatown trying to scare a Shaolin wanna-be out of hiding so she could get her hands on him again instead of choosing a more appropriate candidate. If he had the chance he'd kill the son of a bitch and call it a day. He'd tried twice already. Somehow he managed to survive.
He was uncharacteristically heavy-handed as he went. He showed Peter's picture around and asked if anyone had seen him. He didn't think anyone would tell him anything, but he knew that it would get back to the Shaolin who protected Peter. He was just beating the rushes. Nothing more. He didn't even bother hiding that he was one of the 'bad guys.
He spotted someone at one of the markets. He was dressed in street clothes but he had the characteristic shaved head, and people deferred to him slightly. Shaolin. Perfect. He made a point of approaching the man behind the counter as the priest came near.
"Have you seen this man? Do you know him?" He asked showing the photo to the man. "Peter Caine, do you know him." Kline could just about see the man's ears perk up.
"I know Peter and his father but I have not seen him in a long time." The clerk said, "I'm sorry I cannot help you." He turned his attention to the priest. "What can I do for you today M-ma- Mr. Khan." It was hard not to call the priest by his rightful title.
" Three pounds of lentils," He began, then handed the list over to the clerk "Might be easier if I just hand this to you." He made a point of ignoring Kline. He was certain that the man had made him for a priest. "Can I ask you to hold these things for me? I have other shopping to do. I will come back for them later."
"Certainly." He said, worriedly.
Khan left the building and continued across the street to the vegetable stand. Kline followed and began asking the same questions about Peter.
"I have no time for questions. You need to go." The shopkeeper said and proceeded to help another customer.
Kline persisted, but only because the Shaolin was there.
"It's important that I find this man. I've been hired to find him. He was taken from his rightful place. Tell me have you seen this man?"
"You need to go." The shopkeeper again said, and two of his sons stepped from the back room armed with a mop and broom.
Khan smiled faintly. They had been his students at the gym. They could do more with a mop and broom than most people could do with a baseball bat.
"You heard our father. Get out of here."
Kline left. His target was now the priest. So he waited outside. He heard Khan request that they hold his purchases there as well. The man expected trouble. Good. That was the whole point of him being in Chinatown. Beat the rushes and eventually, the quail will fly.
Khan left the shop and started to walk away from the merchant district and away from those people he protected. As anticipated Kline followed. And as anticipated he attacked. Master Khan turned and retaliated. He knew some of the moves that were used against him. But he had only been practicing with Peter for a few days.
"I see Petey has been talking out of school. Bad little meat suit." He said as he increased his game. He was not allowed to do any real harm to Peter in their fights. He would have been flayed alive if he had. But here he didn't need to hold back. This was a Shaolin priest. He could kill this one if he wanted to.
Not that Master Khan was making it easy on him. He was a seasoned warrior, trained in all forms of Kung Fu, and with what Peter had been teaching them he could anticipate some of Kline's moves. Particularly the deadly ones. Still the brute force of it all, the savage intent began to prevail and Master Khan eventually fell to the ground, battered and bleeding.
Kline, who had not come out unscathed, knelt on one knee beside him. "I could kill you now. Just one more Shaolin notch on my proverbial gun. But I need you to carry a message to Peter Caine."
Master Khan coughed, and blood came up. "Never."
Kline laughed "You are the message. I will work my way through every last one of you until he comes back. Once I'm through with all of you, I'll start on every cop he has ever met including that pompous, sanctimonious foster father of his." He looked over his shoulder. "Ah here come the delivery boys." He said spying the Chan brothers coming their way. "Gotta run."
Miranda smiled at the men who sat in her office. City Councilmen. "What can I do for you gentlemen, " she asked.
"As you know the Mayor has been arrested, and the deputy mayor is dead." Councilman Harris stated.
"Yes, I know. Terrible business." Miranda said.
"Because of this, we are calling a special election to fill the position of mayor. Now Lauren Goldwyn was already planning to run, and Evan Sharp has tossed his hat into the ring. But we would like for you to run. We feel that you have a good head on your shoulders, especially in a crisis. You have the goodwill of the people of Bayview and thus a better than a good chance of winning."
"I don't know what to say, Mr. Harris." She said.
"Say yes, and please, call me Mark."
Mary Margaret was seated outside with Peter and his father, enjoying the early spring weather on her day off.
Peter was amused that she and his father were holding hands. They looked like a couple of teenagers, trying to avoid PDA but unable to keep from touching. It was sweet really, but a little odd since she wasn't that much older than Peter was and she'd been his partner at work.
"You do look a lot better." Mary Margaret Skalany said.
Peter laughed and it sounded natural. "I'm surprised you noticed I'm here the way you and my father are making eyes at each other." He teased "But yeah I do feel better. I blame Lo Si and his herbs."
"Making eyes?" Caine repeated and laughed as well, then frowned hearing a commotion within the house. "Excuse me." He said and got to his feet to go inside.
Peter and Skalany followed.
The Chan brothers carried Master Khan inside and to the kitchen where the table was being cleared quickly for the priest to be lain upon.
"What has happened?" Caine asked as he began to examine Khan's injuries.
"A man was asking questions about Peter in the shops, when Master Khan left we thought maybe the man followed him and our father sent us out after him. We left within moments and when we found him the man was kneeling over him and Master Khan was like this."
"Let me guess," Peter said. "Tall, a little taller than me, blond hair, brown eyes, muscular but lean. Kinda moves like a weasel, and speaks with an accent. Either Ozzie or New Zealand sounding." He didn't take his eyes off the fallen priest.
"Yes… that is him. How did you know?"
"Edward Kline. He's the one that drugged me and tossed me into the backseat of my car." He said, he looked to Mary Margaret. "Make this report without my name in it. We don't know where else the snakes are slithering these days. But you might be able to put at least one of the sons of bitches behind bars for something."
"I'll talk to Blaisdell and see how he wants to handle it. The anonymous source I mean." She looked to the Chan brothers. "Would either of you like to make an official report out of this since I don't think Master Khan is going to be able to make it down to the station?"
"Sure. No problem."
"Thank you," Caine said as he and one of the other priests began to examine the unconscious Master Khan. "And thank you for bringing him home."
"I'll drive you guys in." Mary said, "I'll be back later to check on him and you ."
Once they were gone, Peter who stood out of the way, handing his father whatever he asked for, said "This is my fault."
"No, it is not," Caine said as he worked.
"How is it not my fault? The son of a bitch wasn't out for a casual stroll through Chinatown. He's out there looking for me. This is a message."
"If you panic now you will undo everything we have done." Caine said "You will doom yourself to a life of darkness and slavery. Is that what you want?"
"What am I supposed to do, Pop? Just stand around and let her hurt the people I care about?"
"No. But neither should you give them what she wants. If they have you they become even more powerful than they are now."
"How do you figure that?" he asked.
"Because then they have both of their avatars on the physical plain. They have the last of the line of Kwai Chang which endangers all of Shaolin, they will have access to your memories, even those things that you do not actively remember. Do you truly believe that they will not continue to strike against every Shaolin they see just because you give yourself over to them? Has she not proven herself a liar in her promises to you?"
"I hear what you are saying, Pop-"
"When will you stop simply hearing my words and begin to understand them, Peter?" He looked at his son. "This is not a philosophical debate. This is war and it has been raging since before the first Indian monk traveled to China to share the teachings of Buddha. You do not win a war by giving the enemy what it seeks. You know this."
"Then what do I do? Can you tell me that? What the hell do I do?"
Caine and Master Hsiao held Khan in an upright position so that they could bandage his broken ribs.
"I do not know what we must do, yet. But I know that you must not panic or give in to desperation. No matter how strong the feelings are, no matter how logical it may sound to you to sacrifice yourself. It will not help. Is it not enough that you deny them the ability to bring Nag to the physical plane? "
"I don't know, anymore, Pop. I don't know."
"Then ask Master Khan when he wakens."