Rick took the turn a little too sharp and Walter took a sharp breath. The cyborg almost smiled. Rick knew the FBI agent wasn't exactly fond of him. He kept up the pursuit without a second thought. They whizzed by cars on the street as he stayed on the tail of the blue muscle car in front of him. The driver had killed a security guard in a bank heist.

Rick wasn't about to let him go, and Walter was along for the ride only because the FBI had saddled the two together. Not that either of them enjoyed the partnership.

The car ahead slowed up and Rick saw the perfect opening to use. He rolled the window down and stuck his left arm out. His eyes darted to Walter briefly. When Walter caught on his eyes darkened.

Rick didn't care, he activated the shot gun barrel and once it had fully extended he fired two shots, one for each rear tire.

The tires exploded and the car bounced. The wheels touched down creating sparks against the asphalt. The car slowed considerably and stopped. Rick slowed down too. The suspect was going to run.

The gun barrel retracted and Rick hurried out before his car fully stopped. Walter dove for the steering wheel and unbuckled trying to get to the pedals. He pulled his left leg over the center console and hit the brake.

Rick was already in pursuit of the perp who had taken to running. The man had no hope though. Rick had him caught up and cuffed within fifteen yards.

Walter came out of the car with a perturbed look on his face. He held his cell phone in one hand.

"That was Davidson." Walter said.

"What?" Rick asked. He didn't finish the sentence. A radio broadcast announcing back up arriving had reached his ears and distracted him.

"We need to get moving. Guess where to." Walter replied stopping next to him.

"Where?" Rick asked lowering his voice. He hadn't any idea where.

"Wichita Kansas." Walter replied.

Rick looked at him and froze. "W-Wichita?" He echoed quietly.

Walter smirked. It was the detective's turn to feel a little uneasy. "Yep. Tonight we leave."

Rick was quiet till the other officers arrived.

That night at the mansion Rick was still reserved. Jessica pulled him aside in the hall. "What's eating you?"

"Just thinking."

"That's not just thinking. You're worried or troubled." Jessica remarked. She knew her fiancé well enough.

"It's nothing, really." Rick tried and failed at sounding confident. One raised eyebrow from Jess made him sigh. "Davidson is sending Riggs and I on a lead to Wichita Kansas." Rick answered grudgingly.

"Your home town?" Jess continued. He nodded. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"I haven't been in Wichita since before your sister saved me." Rick replied tightly.

"And?" Jess prodded. She was starting to get the picture. "You're afraid of people recognizing you?"

"My uncle was informed that I survived and moved out of state, but I haven't contacted him since."

"Well, call him up and let him know you'll be in town. Talk to him, let him know that you're doing fine out here. And that you miss him." Jess suggested.

"Will I even have time to see him?" Rick asked.

"Come on, you can stop off for an hour or two I'm sure."

"And Walter?"

"You can ditch him easier than you think." She smirked. "He definitely isn't ready to be best buds with you. Tell him you're gonna step out for a little air."

Rick nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt nothin'."

"That's more like it, now relax. Whatever this lead is, you can handle it." She hugged him. "Just don't get yourself in too much trouble. If Alex has to come and bail you out I'm coming along. And I'll raise some hell."

Rick chuckled. Jessica placed a finger on his lips before he could reply and moved in for a kiss. Their lips met lightly before he caught on and pressed further. Their lips seemed to fuse together connecting them in a passionate seal.

A throat clearing brought them back to reality and they pulled away from each other in a hurry. Grant was standing a few feet away a knowing smile on his lips.

"Walter's waiting for you Rick." The scientist said.

"Alright. Where's Penny? I need to say goodbye." As if on cue the girl came out of the room across the hall.

"Do you have to go?" She asked. She was clutching her homemade laptop against her chest and looked up at him. Her sad green eyes tugged at him pitifully.

"You know I have to. I won't be gone long I promise." Rick replied kneeling down to her level.

"Promise you'll be safe?" She asked.

"Of course I will. With my coat on nothing can hurt me." He reminded her.

"I'll miss you Daddy." She said.

"And I'll miss you, but Jess and Aunt Alex and Uncle Grant will be here with you." He whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She slipped something into his hand.

"What's this?" He looked at it. There was a small device, it looked like a PDA.

"It's linked to my laptop. You can use it to talk to me at any time. You type in anything and it's sent to me. If you need a question answered we can find the answer and send it back. And we can talk at any time, plus I'll always know where you are." Penny explained proudly.

"I'll use it whenever I need to." Rick promised. "I'll talk to you soon, you be good."

"Bye Daddy." She released his neck.

"Bye Penny." He kissed her forehead and then turned to Jessica, "Bye, make sure she's ok."

Jess nodded. "You be careful." She warned. It was his turn to nod. She squeezed his hand as he walked down the hall.

Penny walked over to Jess and gripped her arm tightly. The two blonds watched him join the FBI agent and then the men walked out the front door.

That night Penny refused to leave Jessica's side. The girl was lonely, she'd never spent a night without Rick. It was painfully obvious how much they were father and daughter. She sat for a while, she knew that until their plane landed the communication pad wouldn't work. She was calm and relaxed, it would do her no good to get upset. It wouldn't make him suddenly appear, so she waited for him to let her know that he was back on the ground.

Her father on the other hand was nervous. Airplanes were sort of annoying. With TSA requiring that he disarm himself he felt helpless. The targeting array had vanished from his vision and he wasn't receiving the tactical information on items in the dialogue box. Walter had watched Grant shut down the cyborg's weapons systems. The young man didn't understand any of it, but he knew how it felt. His gun was locked in a cabinet at the back of the plane. Both were without weapons and for them that was like being half dressed.

Rick also was without hat and coat, which meant he was unable to protect himself from any attacks. He sat rigid in his seat trying to read his western. The words weren't keeping his focus though and he looked at his traveling companion.

"So, have you ever been to Wichita?" Rick asked trying to distract himself. The question was whispered quietly, but Walter still reacted in surprise. He'd been reading a news paper.

"No." He replied tersely as he returned his eyes to the printed text.

Rick looked around casually. Everyone on the plane looked unsuspicious. There were families and couples of varying ages and stages. Business men headed home from and to conferences in crisp suits sat in eagerness.

Rick flipped a page in his book and tried starting on a new paragraph. He didn't like what he read and went back to the previous page. He read a few pages before the uneasiness in his gut worsened. The plane was soaring along smoothly. But something struck him as odd.

"Hey Walt," He whispered. The agent gave him a severe look at the name abbreviation.

"What?" He whispered back coldly.

"You get the feelin' somethin' is wrong?" Rick whispered not noticing the agent's attitude.

Walter gave him a cockeyed look and then froze. He realized what Rick meant. He felt it too like a breath on the back of his neck. "What do you think it is?" Walter asked. Now that he was aware of something strange he was willing to play nice.

"I'm not sure, I don't see nothin' suspicious, but then again I ain't got my scanner on so I wouldn't know." Rick kept his voice low.

"I'm gonna make a bathroom walk. I'll look around the back half. After I leave you head towards the front of the plane and do the same." Walter decided. He unbuckled himself, stood up, and squeezed by the other man. Rick never liked window seats. He didn't need to see the earth so far below.

Rick watched him for a few seconds and counted out a minute. At sixty seconds he stood up and walked towards the front. His eyes darted around the cabin searching for a strange bulge, an awkward posture, or maybe a pair of shifty eyes.

As he strolled slowly to the lavatory he caught the 'occupied' light above the closed door. He smiled. Standing by the lavatory and waiting for whoever was inside to leave would give him a chance to browse the faces from the front. He leaned against a corner and scanned everyone.

He caught a light shine from a far passenger who was pulling something from the jacket he was wearing.

Rick's heart beat quickened and he cursed the fact that he was on a plane. He stepped towards the man slowly, calmly, with his hands at his sides. Walter was at the tail end of the plane and Rick met his gaze. The signal was received and Walter quick stepped towards his partner.

The man in question was now standing with a knife blade in his hand. The passenger beside him froze in fear. Rick paused. Walter ducked down out of sight and crawled closer.

Rick looked the man square in the face. "Don't try to stop me." The man warned. Rick raised his hands high and the man smiled. "I'm going to take this plane." He announced. Rick feigned fear.

"Please just don't hurt anyone." Rick begged. He avoided watching Walter sneak up. The man was in the aisle now and people nearby were ducking down. Walter was almost under him now. Rick glanced at a flight attendant and then looked at the would be hijacker.

"You, come here. You're going to tell the crew what to do." The man said looking at Rick.

The detective looked at the terrorist and pointed at himself. "Me? Please don't make me do anything." Rick said. At that moment Walter shot to his feet.

The armed man was caught completely off guard and Rick charged forward. The knife slashed violently through the air once and Rick caught the blade in his hand. He wrenched the blade from the attacker's hand.

Between the two men he was nothing. They had him on the floor with his hands tied behind his back in a matter of minutes. The flight attendants and passengers stared at the two.

"Everyone, please just relax. We're trained detectives. This suspect is no longer a threat, but please stay seated and calm until we touch down." Walter announced. The Pilot came over the speakers.

"We will be making an emergency stop in Denver Colorado to bring the apprehended suspect to the airport authorities there. We apologize for the inconvenience. I would also like to thank the two detectives on board for handling the situation without causing any harm."

Rick shrugged. He'd just known something was up and reacted appropriately.

Walter looked at him with a new light in his eyes. "That was impressive." He said.

"You were the one who snuck up out of nowhere." Rick replied.

"Yea, but you were the star of the show." Walter replied. "You kept him distracted." Walter offered his hand. "I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."

Rick took his hand, "Hey, it's all good. Let's just be pals." Rick suggested. Walter nodded.