Chapter Six
The severity of the storm made travel through the city's flooded streets slow for TJ and Caine. It had taken them an hour just to get to Lo Si's apartment. TJ strummed his fingers on the steering wheel in frustration. Hell, they could have walked to there faster, but then they'd be even more cold, wet and miserable.
TJ glanced over at the Shaolin priest. "Caine, can I ask what exactly we are going for? Is it really worth leaving Peter and Jody at the precinct while the supernatural forces there gain even more strength?" he asked tentatively.
TJ hadn't meant to challenge Peter's father with his question, he was just looking for verification that they were doing the right thing – he didn't want to lose Peter or Jody just because they weren't there at some crucial moment.
Caine smiled at TJ. "You are a good man to care so much about your friends. Yes, I believe the risk of leaving them is well worth the value we gain by gathering the proper materials to finally put an end to the spirit activity at the precinct. What I seek is an ancient tool that is in Master Lo Si's possession. It will help focus and amplify my own abilities to communicate with those spirits. Its presence is vital to our success."
TJ nodded, his anxiety level dropping considerably with Kwai Chang's reassuring words.
TJ licked his lips. "Then you've dealt with situations like this before?" he asked as he kept his eyes on the hazardous road.
"Situations like this? No, I have not."
TJ felt shaken by Caine's honesty as he glanced back at him. He was surprised to see Kwai Chang still smiling at him before the man added, "Have faith, Thomas Jefferson, we have good odds of guiding these spirits back to their proper path."
TJ was hesitant before he said, "I – I wish there was more I could have done to help. I've dealt with pure evil before. I should have been able to help – "
Caine placed a kind hand upon Kincaid's forearm to stop him, "You helped my son through a difficult time last night. You sensed the presence of those spirits almost immediately upon your arrival at the precinct. You most certainly have a gift. Realize your strengths to allow those gifts to grow. We will each do our part today to accomplish what we need to do."
TJ smiled gratefully and nodded as he drove, then the two men dropped into an extended silence. Caine was apparently lost in thought and TJ wasn't about to disturb Caine's concentration at this point – lives depended upon Caine's focus.
They finally arrived at Lo Si's apartment. Soon, Caine had gathered the last of the items he said he needed when he suddenly cried out and sagged a little. TJ was beside him in an instant, along with Lo Si, and helped to steady him. Caine pushed him away after a moment and looked at Lo Si with concern.
"Master, I must hurry, things are progressing faster than I anticipated. A third unsettled spirit has manifested itself at the precinct. Peter and his friends are in great danger," Caine said breathlessly.
"Yes, I agree, and I will accompany you. You will need assistance," Lo Si said firmly, trying to mask the hoarseness of his cold-ravaged voice.
"No, Master, the weather is not safe for a man ailing with illness as yourself. Stay. I will have assistance." Kwai Chang smiled as he glanced toward TJ still hovering at his elbow. "We must leave now."
"Very well, Kwai Chang Caine, but I will be with you in spirit." Caine bowed before Lo Si before leaving with TJ. TJ carried everything except an odd-sized brass dish. Given the way Caine clutched it tightly, it was very important to him.
"We must hurry," Caine said to TJ as they descended the stairs to the entrance to Lo Si's building and walked out into the storm.
oOoOoOoOo
The paramedics had arrived at the precinct, but left with only the unconscious construction worker. Peter, Jody, and Kermit had all refused treatment. Karen watched them closely. They were up with blankets tightly wrapped around their shoulders for an additional layer of warmth.
Though no one had made any direct orders, Skalany stayed with Jody while Blake was with Peter and Frank watched over Kermit. Karen figured as a burly ex-marine, Frank might have the best chance of standing against the ex-merc in a head-to-head battle. None of the three victims were happy to have baby-sitters, but they understood their necessity.
Without warning, Peter stood and started yelling at Jody, but in reality it was Joseph yelling at Abigail. Mary Margaret uttered a quick "uh-oh" before Abigail yelled back at him.
Joseph feigned to his left as Blake went to clamp a calming hand on Joseph's shoulder, then easily flipped a surprised Blake over the desk behind him. Three long strides and Joseph was almost to Abigail's side. Skalany tried to block his access. With little more than a second thought, Joseph backhanded Skalany across another desk.
When he spun around to grab Abigail, she was gone, on her way toward Kermit's office. Kermit's door was sitting ajar, but it flew open right before Abigail breached its threshold. Zebidiah greeted Abigail as she ran into his open arms. He took a closer look at the young woman, taking special note of the dark bruises on her face and her trembling fear, then glared at Joseph with an unearthly rage.
"I will kill him for this!" Zebidiah bellowed.
Upon seeing Zebidiah's reaction, Abigail backed away from him as if in sudden fear. She put a hand in Joseph's direction and screamed, "Be careful, Joseph!"
Zebidiah started toward Joseph, who was already on his way to meet him. The two possessed men met in the middle of the room and the moment they made physical contact, the windows throughout the room shattered in an explosion of flying glass.
Karen and the others rushed forward, intent on separating the two men, but it wasn't until Zebidiah managed to get a vice-like grip around Joseph's neck and began to choke him that they were able to approach. Unfortunately, they couldn't break his hold and Joseph's face was turning from deep red to dark purple.
Karen finally pulled out her service revolver and slugged Kermit across one temple with only a little regret. 'Sorry about this, Kermit, but you'll thank me for not letting you kill Peter when you wake up.'
She gasped when she saw her strong blow had no effective on Zebidiah's rage.
oOoOoOoOo
Kwai Chang and TJ came rushing in, despite the heavy load they carried in their arms. Every moment counted now. Setting down the brass dish, Kwai Chang stretched out both hands and cried, "CEASE THIS NOW!"
To everyone's amazement, the spirits heeded his words and vacated the bodies of their victims. There was a momentary sigh of relief in the room before Kwai Chang sensed a roiling tension in the air – a lingering energy from the battling spirits' ugly confrontation.
Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on unseen dangers. People were hurt this time, just how seriously was yet to be seen. A quick survey of the area showed that despite all the broken glass littering the floor, people's hair, and clothing, there were very few individuals with more than just superficial cuts and scratches. It was indeed a miracle.
Kwai Chang knelt at his son's side. Peter was coughing violently, trying desperately to get air into his lungs, but he wasn't succeeding very much. Kwai Chang swallowed hard when he saw the very visible set of marks bruising Peter's neck. He reached into his satchel and pulled out some herbs. He quickly placed them under Peter's tongue, then waved his outstretched hands slowly over his son's body again to discern the full extent of Peter's injuries.
When he was done, Caine concentrated for another moment, then he began to transfer some of his chi into Peter's body to speed his recovery. Within moments, Peter was breathing better. That, in turn, allowed the others a sigh of relief.
Peter's eyelids fluttered open and he smiled gratefully at Kwai Chang. He placed a hand on Kwai Chang's shoulder, letting it linger there before it slipped away and fell back to the ground as Peter's eyes closed again in exhausted relief.
Kwai Chang glanced at Kermit and he was relieved to see Kermit was beginning to regain consciousness, too. Kermit blinked and looked around in confusion before his gaze settled on Peter's new injuries, then his expression tightened.
Blake moved closer to Kermit, squatting down beside Kermit and smiled. "Glad to see you back with the living... "
"I do all this?" Kermit asked weakly as he waved a limp hard towards the injured and the mess in the room.
Anyone else in the room might have incorrectly assumed Kermit had been joking with another one of his sarcastic remarks, but Blake simply replied, "No, I think we can safely say this was a group effort."
That seemed to appease Kermit for a moment before he rubbed his fingers across his bruised temple and muttered, "Just what the hell does that mean?"
"It means take another minute to rest up before I drop the latest developments on you," Blake said softly as he patted Kermit on the shoulder.
oOoOoOoOo
Of course, Peter refused to be seen by the paramedics. Peter was nothing if not stubborn. At least, he was breathing better, though Kwai Chang thought Peter's voice still sounded a lot like the jazz great, Louie Armstrong, with a bad case of laryngitis.
Peter was slumped at his desk, his head resting on his arms, and Kwai Chang took the opportunity to gather the discarded possessions he and TJ had brought with them from Lo Si's apartment.
Kwai Chang felt an ominous presence and he glanced at TJ, whose gaze was already darting around the area with apprehension. TJ cleared his voice and asked, "Something's wrong – "
The oppressive tension in the area was so strong, the very air seemed hard to breathe and was rapidly turning frigid. Kwai Chang knew they were due for another ghostly visit. He called out in warning, despite the futility he felt in his heart, "No, spirits, you must not do this. I am not your enemy. Please, listen, I am here to help – "
The suffocating pressure that had been building in the air around them suddenly manifested itself and the ensuing explosion rocked the building. Kwai Chang managed to push TJ away before the ceiling above them gave way, trapping Kwai Chang under its extensive rubble.
oOoOoOoOo
Karen was the first to notice the absence of Jody and Peter as the work crews struggled to find a way to move the rubble away from Caine without making his situation worse. Karen worried where the two had gone. She had no doubt they'd left as Joseph and Abigail. Someone would have to track them down and watch over them.
"Chief, you handle this. I've got to find Powell and Caine."
Strenlich turned slightly towards her and nodded, then went back to freeing Kwai Chang from the rubble that had him buried. Grabbing Skalany, Simms gestured for her to follow her down to the basement.
"Why are we going down there?" Skalany asked after a moment.
"Call it a sixth sense, women's intuition, or a cop's gut instinct, but this is my best guess where they went," she said as they entered the stairwell leading to the basement.
oOoOoOoOo
While Strenlich, Blake, and the others were involved in trying to extricate Caine from the rubble, Kermit slowly sat up. His right temple throbbed. He sensed someone at his side and looked over to see Kincaid. "Just sit tight, Kermit," Kincaid said softly as he tried to push back down, but Kermit wouldn't budge.
Suddenly, the rubble shifted, alarming the rescuers for Caine's safety. Kermit went to get up and again Kincaid tried to hold him back. Kermit held one hand to his battered temple and yelled, "Damn, Kincaid! If you won't let me help, then you better get over there to help them before I shoot you to get you out of my way!"
Looking at the others struggling, Kincaid glanced at Kermit one more time before he nodded his head. "Okay, Kermit, I'll go help them, but you gotta promise to stay put."
"Get the hell out of my face and go!" Kermit swore as Kincaid ran to help the others.
As Kermit forced himself to his knees, he felt a strange dizziness come over him, like a fogging of his thoughts, then everything faded away.
oOoOoOoOo
With a lot of help, Frank, Blake and TJ were finally able to free Caine. As Frank removed the last section of ceiling covering a semiconscious priest, Frank repeated an earlier question, "What the hell would cause the ceiling overhead to cave in like it did?"
No one answered, because there wasn't a good answer for it, or at least an easily acceptable answer. TJ knelt beside Kwai Chang as the man blinked a few times in confusion, then TJ could see the change as the priest began to orient himself.
"Where is Kermit?" Caine asked hoarsely and shook his head to clear his vision.
"Kermit?" Strenlich asked, glancing around.
TJ clenched his fists. "Son of a – he's gone!" he bellowed angrily. Damn it, Strenlich had asked him to stay with Kermit and he had let himself get distracted – the reason why, no matter how good, wasn't acceptable.
TJ felt a weak hand on his forearm and glanced down to see the understanding eyes of Kwai Chang. He said, "It was not your fault, Thomas Jefferson. It was inevitable. Please, help me up. I must find them, or else I fear something terrible will happen."
Strenlich shook his head. "There's no way I'm going to let you up until you are checked out by the paramedics. They should be here any minute."
Caine only looked at TJ expectantly. TJ glanced at Strenlich. "Chief, he's right. Trust me, he's gotta find Peter, Jody, and Kermit before this escalates into murder."
With a deep sigh, Strenlich gestured for TJ to put a hand under Caine while he did the same. Together, they helped him to his feet. Caine swayed for a moment as he brought his fingers to his forehead.
"Zebidiah Bixler has sensed in me a potential threat – a threat to what he sees as his second chance at life, so he sought to kill me. Please, help me, we must hurry or we may lose Peter, Kermit, and Jody forever."
TJ and Strenlich helped Caine make his way down to the steep stairs of the basement and TJ prayed they would get there in time to make a difference.
oOoOoOoOo
Chapter 6