The first sensation that Jordan remembered having was that her head hurt. Followed by her throat and ribs. Then there was the stringent smell that she'd only ever encountered in hospitals mixed with the faint scent of gun oil. There were cops in the room.

"I'm okay. Really I am." She said as she slowly opened her eyes, and wished she hadn't. "Don't suppose we could dim the lights a bit." Strangely it was only then that she noticed that someone was holding her hand. She knew it had to be Richard. She couldn't imagine that anyone else would want to at the moment.

"Of course." The nurse said. She turned off the light over Jordan's bed before putting the BP cuff around her arm. "I bet you're going to want a couple of Tylenol too."

"Definitely." She said opening her eyes. She looked up at the nurse and it was all she could do not to react to the snake pendant she wore around her neck. They were everywhere. "Thank you."

The nurse finished taking her vitals and left the room.

Jordan looked at the others in the room. "Oh come on." She said raggedly. "Why the long faces? I lived didn't I."

"You did." Captain Ryan said. "Barely. I know, I know I approved the operation. I know I agreed that you could pull security back. But that was cutting it close."

"I know." Jordan said "But it's over. He's never going to kill another woman."

"He almost killed you," Richard said.

"Yeah I know, but thanks to you he didn't." She squeezed his hand.

"And in case you haven't guessed that cat is out of the bag too," Ryan said indicating the hand-holding.

"Okay… so what's the verdict? Does one of us have to leave the precinct or homicide?"

Ryan scowled, "I ought to say yes. But no. It just means that I'll have to switch you two out with different partners." Truth be told he was glad they were together. Members should stick with members. It made life easier at the end of the day. They still shouldn't be out in the field together. It was a bad plan on multiple levels.

"Thank you, Captain." She said.

"In the meantime, you're both on leave. It was a good shoot, but you still need the downtime, Richard."

Cavenaugh nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Well, now that I know you are going to be alright," Michael Gray said, "I'm going to head down the road to Bayview."

"Have a nice trip," Jordan said.

Peter looked at the scroll. "This almost looks like Chinese." He said "I mean I can almost read some of this but not…"

"The written languages are related," Caine said. "Some words to this day have similar pronunciations."

"And they have both evolved so much that neither of them is exactly what it was when this was written. This was written in the 15th century." Ken said. "I can translate it for you. I grew up learning from scrolls like this. We didn't have many but there were enough."

Peter frowned. "I'd rather you taught me how to say it in Japanese." He said. "Too many ways to screw it up if I paraphrase it in a different language."

"You're probably right," Ken said. "Let's do both. That way you know roughly what you're saying when you say it in 15th-century Japanese."

Once Peter and Ken started work, Noriko rested her hand on Caine's arm and motioned for him to join her. She led the way out into the landscaped garden.

"You look concerned." He said.

"I am." She said "There are things that Peter said while you were gone that have me very concerned. I feel a little guilty for sharing these things with you but I believe that it is important that you know."

Caine frowned. "Sometimes confidences must be broken. If you believe that this is the case now, then do not feel guilty. Please tell me."

"He does not plan to come through this alive and wishes for you not to be there to witness his death." She said, "I believe that he will try to deter you by any means possible."

"I have feared that he might have doubts about the outcome," Caine said. "I will speak with him soon. I hope to … clear his mind of such nihilistic fears."

"He says that he is merely accepting that death is possible. But he does not accept that life is also possible."

"While he was their captive he felt completely helpless. He had resigned himself to a life of slavery to their avatar." Caine said. "They had threatened to kill everyone he loves if he did not obey. I suspect he is more worried about what will happen to me if I am there than what will happen to himself when he destroys their artifact."

"Are they truly so powerful?" Noriko asked. "Peter is quite formidable. Not that he sees that."

"They are." Caine said "Their martial art is brutal and designed to kill. The woman who is their leader is wealthy and powerful. She is now the mayor of Bayview and it is thought that she got the position through assassination, terrorism, and manipulation. Their cells are always large in numbers."

"He will need more help, not less."

"Whether he wishes it or not," Caine said firmly. Peter was an intelligent, capable man, but he was also ruled by his emotions. Especially where the cult was concerned. It worried Caine a great deal. He looked back toward the house. He could see his son and Kenjiro bent over the scroll, studying it character by character. "He cannot face this alone if he is to survive."

Russell stared at the plate on the table before him and frowned. "Don't you have a city to run?" He said blandly. The last time he'd been brought up to eat at the table with the big kids he'd gotten his hand broken. Okay, sure, that had been his fault. He'd been warned. The only thing that meant he'd behave any more today than he had the last time (How long ago had that been? A day? A week? He just didn't know anymore) was the fact that he was right-handed and his right hand was the one in a cast.

"I thought you might like the company for breakfast today." She said with a saccharine sweet tone.

"I like the company better in my cell," Russell said.

She shook her head "He always prefers the smart asses." Miranda said. "I have never understood that." Every single host Nag had chosen in her memory had been a difficult pain in the ass.

"Okay." He said in a drawn-out tone. He started to eat, focusing on his food, trying to ignore Miranda as much as possible. The woman was mental. Now she was talking about him as if he wasn't there. And what Smart Ass was he supposed to be preferring anyway?

Tyler Beckett chuckled. He could see the misunderstanding as plain as day and it amused the hell out of him. "What do we have on the agenda for today?" He asked as he dished up hash browns and eggs.

"We need to meet with the clean-up committee for the bomb site," Miranda said. "And then we need to meet with the city council about a fundraiser to fund the clean up."

"Is Commissioner Blaisdell going to be invited to this meeting of the city Counsel?" He asked.

"Commissioner?" Russell asked.

"Oh that's right, you were working for him," Miranda said.

"No. I'm a witness that Captain Blaisdell put in a safe house to protect."

"Well, that worked a treat," Tyler said and laughed at the glare he got in return. "Seems protecting people is not one of the Commissioner's strong suits. He couldn't even manage to keep a hospital room secure. I hear he's paying for the funeral though."

Russell was instantly to his feet.

"Sit down," Miranda said, her tone was strident, more powerful than either man was accustomed to coming from her. Nagaina had apparently decided to join in the conversation. "Unless you wish to lose the use of the other hand as well."

Russell sat down reluctantly. "You told me Max was alright." He turned his gaze to Miranda once more.

"He was… at the time." She said with a shrug. "And for the time being so is Paul Blaisdell."

"The Captain can take care of himself." Russell picked at his food, having lost his appetite. He and Max were mercenaries. Death was the job. You either killed or you died. No one hired mercenaries to organize bake sales. It was expected. Still, Max had been his friend.

"He's the commissioner now," Tyler said. "One of the first things Miranda did as mayor was offer him the job. Smart man that he is, he took her up on it. Guess he knew which way the wind was blowing."

Russell pushed his plate away from him, having lost all interest in food.

It was too easy. It always was in the beginning. You had to break them before you could remake them. Cage would be a more suitable host for Nag than Peter Caine. It didn't matter what Miranda wanted. If he had his way she wouldn't be around long after Nag was in his new host. Tyler almost always got his way.

Paul turned on the radio to listen to the news while he ate his breakfast. He'd never been one to listen to the radio or watch television while eating. He'd always eaten meals with the family and now that he did everything in silence, he just couldn't eat his meals that way too.

He wasn't listening to the announcer at first. Traffic reports bored him to tears even when he was starting out as a patrolman decades previous, and he had no interest in listening to political pundits. Certainly not when they were talking about local politics. They all seemed to have nothing but praise for Miranda Gray and that just led to indigestion. It all became just so much background noise for noise's sake. He nearly missed when the announcer began to report news from New River City.

"New River City has been plagued by a serial killer who targeted professional women in the upper east side for the past year. Sean David Bellamy, age 32, attacked his final victim, Homicide detective Jordan McGuire. He entered the woman's apartment in the early morning hours, with the intent to kill. Bellamy was shot and killed by Detective Richard Cavenaugh bringing an end to the 14-victim killing spree. Detective McGuire is being cared for at St. Joseph's Hospital. She is said to make a full recovery."

Paul's blood ran cold. He reached for his phone and dialed Kermit's number. "Did you hear the news?"

"I did," Kermit said. "Do you believe that it was a serial killer or do you think it was the cult?"

"I don't know. It just strikes me as interesting timing after she confides in Richard Cavenaugh that she's there to investigate the cult."

"Interesting is one way to put it. What do you want to do?"

"I want to go make sure Jordan's alright. A lot of people have died when they were said to be making a full recovery."

"By everyone you mean Max Larkin."

Paul sighed "Yes, I suppose I do mean Max Larkin."

"I'm going to ask Skalany to call the hospital over there and find out what condition she's in. We'll take it from there." Kermit figured everyone was pulling stand in stand-in Peter where Blaisdell was concerned. Especially those injured or worse killed in the line of duty,

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?"

"The day Peter disappeared," Kermit said.

Peter looked at the tree and took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess it's time to do this." He said. He anticipated hitting the ground at least once in this exercise.

"Remember you need to recite something while going up the tree," Noriko said. She was not going to be climbing up after Peter. She would leave that to Ken and Kwai Chang.

Peter nodded and started reciting the lyrics to a Led Zepplin song for a few seconds before moving toward the tree.

Ken moved between him and the tree and Caine was at his back instantly. "You have no time to build up your courage. You have to start your move before you start the incantation. You can't let them know what you're up to. You're supposed to be spiritually broken and possessed by their pet snake god. Use that element of surprise."

Peter nodded and stepped back to what he estimated to be the distance he'd have to be standing from the base of the statue. He drew a deep breath and ran to the tree. He started his recitation of the song lyrics the moment he laid his hands on the tree.

Caine was after him in a heartbeat, they had gotten no more than six feet up the tree when he grasped Peter by the belt and pulled him off the tree letting him fall to the ground.

Ken moved in blocking his ability to get to the tree, but this time Peter didn't let him stop him. Ken was surprised when he was grabbed and thrown to the ground. "Now that's more like it." He said with a grin and rolled to his feet going after Peter again.

Noriko thought they looked like overgrown children at play as they struggled to climb the tree. There were times that Peter nearly made it to the desired height, knocking the other two to the ground, more often however he was the one hitting the ground.

He rose to his feet the last time and held his hands up to indicate that he needed to take a break. His hands were shaking and he was having a hard time drawing in a breath. Hiheartbeatat rushed in his ears.

Caine pressed his fingers against the pulse point in Peter's neck and nodded a little to himself. "I want you to slow your heartbeat and respiration."

He nodded "Yeah, yeah." He said breathlessly "I'm working on it."

"Peter." He said firmly. "Slow your heartbeat. You know how to do this."

Again Peter nodded. He was frustrated and angry with himself. He wasn't getting up fast enough, he was being stopped too easily to suit him. Especially as he knew that they were taking it easy on him. Sure they were doing everything to stop him but they weren't being brutal the way the cult would be when they learned of his 'betrayal'. But his father was right, he could slow his heartbeat, bring his breathing down. He did so slower than he liked but he did it. He straightened up and let his head tilt back for a moment. "Okay… I guess we do this again."

"After lunch." Caine said. "And when we begin again, I want you to slow your heartbeat and respiration before we begin. You will have time to do this. The ritual as I saw… as your great grandfather saw it there was a pause after the combat where the priest asks Nagaina if the victor is her chosen. She said yes and then the artifact transferred Nag into his host."

Peter nodded "Alright. I can do that. And once Nag takes residence in the box then I start for the snake statue and begin the recitation."

"It will serve you well to start the fight with your heartbeat and breathing under control, and to maintain it through the trial by combat."

"We might need to work on that…" Peter said hesitantly. It was one thing to slow it all down during meditation, it was another to maintain it during a fight.

"Then that is what we will do," Caine said. He waited as Ken and his sister went inside before resting his hand on his son's shoulder. "We must talk."

Peter turned to look at him. "You've got that tone." He said. "That worried father tone."

Caine shrugged. "I am a worried father. Noriko told me of your concerns."

Peter sighed in frustration. "I should have known better than to say anything."

"It was good that you did so. Otherwise, we might not have this conversation."

"I don't see that as a good thing," Peter said. "Look, I know you want to be there but I don't want you there. It's that simple."

"It is not that simple." Caine countered. "Our paths are intertwined, my son. I will be there. You will not face this alone." His tone was firm, as was his expression. "That is not what worries me. I am concerned that you are so ready to accept death."

Peter shrugged out from under his father's hand and walked back toward the tree. "Are you telling me that you have never faced an enemy and accepted death as a possibility?"

"Of course I have. But you have accepted it as a certainty. That is different."

"Semantics, Pop, nothing but semantics."

"It is not."

"What do you want me to say? I know I'm going to come through it with my mind, body, and soul intact. I can't say that. There is no way I can guarantee that I come out alive."

"But there is a way you can guarantee your death," Caine said sharply. "And that is by choosing that as the only path."

"There's a bend in the river and it's coming hard and fast. Don't you see that? I'm fast approaching the next part of my journey."

"Just because you cannot see the future does not mean that it does not exist."

Peter shook his head. "I know that. No matter what the future exists. I just don't think I'll be Peter Caine when I round that bend."

"You have a destiny here, now. That destiny does not include dying at the hands of the Harbingers."

"If you are talking about that nonsense of the last of the line of Kwai Chang going back to help the first temple… it doesn't say that I am the last in the bloodline. If I'm gone it could be you. Or maybe one of those younger women you are understandably attracted to has given me a little brother and I'm not actually the last. Hell, I could have a kid out there if I'm honest. Being careful doesn't always cut it. Look I guess the point is that no one knows what their destiny is. You can't use that to make me suddenly bulletproof."

"And you cannot use a bend in the river to prove that you are destined to die."

"One of us is going to be proven wrong sooner rather than later," Peter said.

Caine shrugged. " I have grieved your passing once. I have no wish to do so again."

"Don't you think I feel the same way?" Peter asked.

Caine pulled his son into a tight hug. "Then we shall have to make certain neither of us dies."

Mary-Margaret hung up the phone and headed to Kermit Griffin's office, followed by Jody Powell. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. "Okay, so I called the hospital and they put me through to her room. She's doing alright. They told her she should be able to go home tomorrow."

Kermit leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Good. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with Blaisdell if she was badly hurt. Was she able to tell you anything about it?"

"She has a few bruises, and she was nearly strangled to death but her partner burst in and shot Bellamy. She said the only blood on her was his. They're just keeping her overnight for observation because it took so long for her to regain consciousness." Mary-Margaret said.

"How long is she going to be over in New River City?" Jody asked.

"Don't know. If the Captain… sorry… the Commissioner had his way she'd be back here five minutes ago. We're playing it by ear for now." Kermit said.

Skalany flinched when someone knocked on Kermit's door. She turned around and opened it.

Karen Simms looked inside "Is this a private party or can anyone join."

"Just talking about a former member of the precinct that was injured last night over in New River City," Kermit said.

"The detective that was almost killed by a serial killer? She was one of ours?"

"Oh Yeah," Kermit said. "She worked vice here though."

"Guess we should send her flowers or something from the precinct," Karen said. She knew who Jordan was. Paul had filled her in on his unsanctioned investigation into another city's police force. The woman was still one of their own, even if another city was paying her salary.

"I think that is a great idea," Jody said. "It couldn't hurt to have them delivered in person either."

"I like the way you think." Skalany said.

Karen rolled her eyes. "Then I guess you'd better be about it."