Kermit Griffin sat at the computer with the two Chan brothers putting together a composite of the man who had attacked the Shaolin priest. One of the people responsible for Peter's kidnapping. Paul Blaisdell stood in the doorway, watching the process.
Eventually, they nodded in agreement "Yes, that is the man who attacked Master Khan."
"Thank you," Paul said "I'll have an officer take you back to Chinatown." He couldn't take his eyes off of the composite. The man that hurt his son. Miranda Gray's rabid dog. He drew in a deep breath and stepped back, motioning for a patrolman. "Take these gentlemen where they need to go."
Skalany joined Blaisdell and Kermit and closed the door behind her. "So this is the guy that started this mess." She said. "Peter says he's the one that initially kidnapped him. Edward Kline. He's sniffing around Chinatown looking for someone to tell him where Peter is. I guess he figured he'd just send a message instead."
"Will the priest be alright?"
"Caine says he will. I guess he knows." She shrugged.
"And Peter?" He asked.
"Is panicking." Mary Margaret said, "Thinks this is his fault."
"Then we need to get him out of this town before he does something stupid as only Peter Caine can do," Kermit said.
"Only this time his usual antics won't save the day." Paul said, "How close are you to getting those identities sorted out?"
"The only thing left to do is to create the hard copy. Which I can't do from here."
"Fine, you have the rest of the day off. It's amazing how fast a migraine can kick in when you stare at one of those things all day."
"You got it." He said and got up from his desk. "I'll meet you there tonight."
Paul nodded. He hated this. He hated not being able to protect Peter from any of this. He hated that he couldn't just round up all of these Harbingers and lock them up for good. He hated that his family was scattered and he was about to make it even more so.
"Are you going to be okay, Sir?" Skalany asked.
"No, detective, I don't think that I will. Not until this is over."
"We'll find a way to put an end to this." She said.
"No, Ultimately I think that will be Peter and his father. But not while it's fresh, not while he's hurting." He said "But I do believe we can remove Miranda Gray's pawns off the board one at a time. Starting with Edward Kline."
Peter sat watching Master Khan sleep. He watched his breathing, as though he were afraid it would stop. Khan was a piece of his childhood. An important piece. Other than his father he'd been Peter's favorite teacher.
"He will be alright," Caine said quietly.
"This time," Peter said.
"Peter-"
"I know, Dad, I know." He said, "I can't give myself to the bad guys because then they win and this is for nothing." He looked over at his father. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I would not expect you to like not being able to fight this evil head-on."
"Why is it you go into battle with dark forces, fully expecting never to come back and it's supposed to be something I just accept but you can't give me the same acceptance? Can you explain that to me? And please don't tell me it's about some prophecy."
"Because you are my son and I have lost you before. I will not lose you again." He said. "Because you are not prepared for this kind of evil. You throw yourself at the darkness every day you go to work, but it is a different enemy and different training."
"So you're saying because I'm not Shaolin I'm not worthy to fight this battle?"
Caine sighed in frustration. "No." He said firmly. "I am saying that you are not prepared to walk into the snake's den and lay them low. Yet." He emphasized the last word. "You will fight them and you will win my son, but not now. Not today. You are worthy of this and so much more. You are also worthy of more than to be a sacrificial lamb to their power."
"How do I prepare for this battle, Pop, can you tell me that?"
"By stepping away from the guilt and shame you feel. You cannot face them and win while they control your emotions. I would like for you to finish your training but that is not a demand I can make of you. It has to be something you seek because you wish to seek it not as a means to an end, not because of family tradition. This is not a battle that can be won fighting fire with fire. If you meet her on her terms you will lose. You must make her meet you on your terms. Whatever those might be. But first, you must heal, my son. You must be whole, you must be you completely and utterly."
"I don't know how to do that."
"I know. I do not think it will happen while you are in the same city as the artifact or Miranda Gray."
"Itchy feet time," Peter said and sighed. "You know I haven't walked more than a few miles at a time. I run five miles a day or used to before all of this, but that's not the same as walking from sun up to sun down."
"It is no different than walking across the room. " Caine said with a shrug.
"No way I can talk you into taking my car?" he asked with a smirk.
"I do not think it would be wise to meditate while driving. I understand it could lead to accidents."
"I figured it would be something like that. Can I think about it?" He asked. He'd been thinking it might be the best thing to do since he'd been rescued. But he also knew that part of that was because he was still terrified. He wanted to run as far away from Miranda as he could get. Hell, he was pretty sure Nag felt the same way. He hated running from a fight. He had never done so willingly in his entire life. He wasn't going to start now. No matter what his emotions were. He needed to be sure that he was going for the right reasons or he'd just turn around and take a bus back to Bayview and screw things up.
"Of course, My Son. I would have it no other way." He said. "Let us leave Master Khan to sleep in peace. I do not think keeping vigil will aid his healing, or allow you to contemplate our course without this looming over your head."
Peter nodded and drew in a deep breath. "You're right. You're usually right. I'm just… feeling like a danger to everyone I touch." He followed his father out of the room.
"That is something I have felt before. As well as the guilt you carry."
Again Peter nodded "I'm going to go to my room to think. I can't decide by committee no matter how much I value your words." He sighed "I'm not going to sneak out of the bedroom window. I promise."
Caine nodded. "Very well. I will bring your dinner up later then. There is lentil soup cooking."
"Thanks, Pop." He said and walked down the corridor to his room.
Paul Blaisdell kept track of the news while he was at work. It was the only reason there was a small television in his office. He turned it on for the noon news and almost wished he hadn't.
Olivia Parker walked around the wreckage of the bomb site, and Paul was impressed that she didn't trip and fall because she did so in a dress and 3-inch heels.
"Rescue attempts have been long abandoned, as it became certain that no one who remained could be alive. Clean-up has begun, and it is a slow, painstaking process. Unfortunately, it is also a highly expensive process. An expense that a city nearly bankrupted by mismanagement and corruption cannot afford." She said continuing to walk while looking directly into the camera. "Gray industries have donated manpower and resources to the process, just as they have every step of the way since the building first crumbled. Ms. Gray is unavailable for comment at this time, but this reporter has heard from the city council that she has added her name to the ballot in the upcoming Mayoral election along with Lauren Goldwyn and Evan Sharp. "
Blaisdell turned off the television. "Damn it." He said. "This was all a setup from the start. Where the hell did she plan on putting my son in the middle of all of this?" He had an idea and it made his stomach churn. "Can't get him out of this town fast enough."
Peter knew what he had to do. It wasn't really what he wanted. He had hoped that once he was free of the tower he'd be truly free and could take his life back. That was what he wanted. It was what he would always want. But it wasn't possible now. If he stayed he would endanger everyone he cared about. If he turned himself in to Miranda he'd be her slave for the rest of his life and he'd still endanger everyone he cared about. He'd leave on his own, leave his father here to band together with the other priests to fight the cult, but not only did he think his father would find him before he even made it to the city limits, but he also had no idea how to be a vagabond. He hadn't even contemplated it since he was 13 and in the orphanage. It wasn't a question of what he wanted or why he wanted it. It was the only option available to him that would not destroy his entire world.
How on earth was he going to tell Paul?
He took out some note paper to write to his mother. He'd been intending to do so since he'd been rescued but he hadn't been in the right headspace to do much of anything. His world had been shrunk from an entire city to one small dark room and then to a larger, albeit gilded, cage. And now that he was free it was a much less gilded, happier cage. One of his own making. He wasn't trapped. He stayed within the confines of the property and out of sight to keep that freedom and he thought to protect those around him. Boy that had failed spectacularly.
Mom (and I guess you girls too if I have to)
I'm sorry that I worried you all. I'm not going to lie and say it was all some sort of picnic and I'm an ass for not telling everyone I was gone on vacation. I'm also not going to go into all the gory details with anyone, ever. I'm in one piece. I don't even have any new scars. I promise. I'm alright. You can ask Paul. He's seen me.
But here's the thing. The people that took me, want me back and they're not afraid to hurt people I care about to make that point. They've already hurt one of the priests that rescued me. So please, I need you to all be as careful as you can be. Be careful of strangers. And you girls be on the lookout for signet rings with a coiled snake set in onyx. It's their symbol and they all seem to have it either on a ring or the ladies wear pendants. Please be careful. It would destroy me if anything happened to any of you.
My father and I are leaving Bayview. I won't be able to be in touch again. It won't be safe for any of us if I do. I know I'm still that angry snot-nosed brat as far as all of you are concerned and in some ways, you're not wrong, but I need you to trust me, and trust my father, that we'll put things right eventually. We won't stop until we do and then we can come home.
I've missed you since the first day I was taken and I will miss you all until I can see you again. Just hang in there and be safe. I can't do this if you're not.
I love you all,
Peter.
He folded the letter but didn't have an envelope. He'd ask his father to post it for him. It was better if he didn't know the address anyway. Just in case.
He searched through his closet and found his backpack, the one he used for hiking. He had to wonder if his father had put that there knowing what was going to happen or just hoping to take him fishing.
He put it on the bed along with two changes of clothes, many pairs of socks, and his usual hiking gear. A knife, a small first aid kit, and a sewing kit from a hotel that he kept just in case something ripped. He figured his father could tell him what else to add or what to take away.
He heard the door downstairs open and close and loud voices. The priests were all soft-spoken. It had to be someone coming to see him. And since there was no sound of fighting he assumed that it was company he would like to see.
And say goodbye to.
He headed down the stairs, and gave his father a sad smile, before turning to his foster father. He couldn't tell you which one he loved more.
"Now, Peter I want you to hear me out before you say no." Paul began.
"Why don't we take this conversation outside," Peter said quietly. "Ahm, Pop, I've laid some things out on the bed upstairs. Can you take a look at it and tell me what I need to add?"
"Ah…" Caine said, understanding what his son was saying. "I will do so."
Peter led Paul out to the backyard. "What was it you wanted to say?" he asked, a lump in his throat.
"I have the feeling there's something you want to say to me." Paul could tell that it wasn't something that was making his son happy.
"I… you first," Peter said. "Really, you first."
"Alright. Kermit is making a new identity for you and your father. You know the kind of work he does. No one is going to know it's fake. You just have to keep to the back story, and everything will be alright even if you get picked up by the police. As long as you don't get fingerprinted." He had found the best way to deal with Peter was to lay out everything and then drop the final detail rather than starting with the end result and working backward. He had a better chance of getting him to hear it all that way.
"Have you been talking to my father?" Peter asked, laughing quietly at the irony of it. " Because this sounds like it's leading to the same thing that I wanted to talk to you about. Me leaving town."
"No, I haven't been talking to your father, not about this anyway. Kermit and I have been working on it as a last-ditch contingency plan." He said. "It's not something I want."
"Me either. But nothing about this situation is something I want. I know I've been wanting some one-on-one time with my Pop, but this isn't how I wanted to go about it. So what made the last ditch contingency plan necessary?"
"Miranda Gray has put her name in for the mayoral election and with everything she has been doing publicly, she will win it. Without her in the game, I would have put money on Lauren Goldwyn but not now. If she gets that sort of power there is no way that you'll be safe in this town."
"After the attack on Master Khan my father had a similar thought. I think it's more to keep me from doing something stupid than anything else. But who knows? Maybe I'll learn something."
"I'm going to make sure you have access to funds when you need it."
"Paul… Dad… no. I can't do that. Not just that it might be traced back to you, but you can't afford to fund my escape across the country."
"The hell I can't," Paul said "I've got money put back from my side job just for this sort of thing. Kermit is handling setting it up. You'll have money to use if you need it. If you don't well then it sits there till you do."
"I wrote a letter to Mom and the girls. I'll give it to you to send. I don't want to know where they are, just in case. I don't want to risk anyone finding them because of me. I won't be able to be in contact often. Not even sure how to manage it without putting you at risk."
"You forget who you're talking to Son. Kermit and I will have a covert communication set up before you leave. He'll likely have it done by the time he gets here."
"I hate this," Peter said.
"So do I," Paul said
"But if everyone has the same idea at the same time, chances are it's the right course of action." He said, "no matter how much it hurts."
"It will be alright, Son. I don't know how long it will take but we'll handle things here. You just stay safe."
Peter nodded and looked back toward the house as Caine came out. "It seems Paul has the same idea we do."
"Ah." He said "You are certain? This is what you wish?"
"No, but I am certain it's the right thing to do."
"Kermit is going to drive you two to the next town over and put you on a bus to a random location. Start your wandering from there. No one will know where you're headed or even that you've left town until you're long gone." He said and pulled Peter into a hug. "I'm going to miss you, boy." His voice cracked.
"I'm going to miss you too."