Five in the morning arrived cold and dark. Caine took care to be quiet while getting dressed. Kissing Mary Margaret softly, he whispered good-bye so that she would not awaken but later would remember.

Caine waited by the door for Kermit to arrive. Ever punctual, the ex-mercenary pulled up at precisely the correct time. They exchanged brief greetings and then by unspoken agreement the trip to the airport proceeded in silence.

When they pulled up to the departure gate, Kermit finally spoke. "Caine, I'm getting very uneasy about this. There is something very strange happening. It's a feeling I'm getting that's...well, it's almost tangible. Do you feel it, too?"

For a long moment Caine said nothing as he struggled for words. At last the priest looked at Kermit and the cop took off his sunglasses. The detective's eyes widened as if stunned by something he saw in Caine's eyes.

"I have been living with this terrible feeling for three days," Caine whispered hoarsely. "It has become very powerful, but has not yet peaked. I believe it soon will...perhaps this morning."

"Caine, I can't imagine what it's like to live with this...ability. Peter told me about the Earthquake last year, and that you knew it was coming..." Kermit paused and shook his head. He seemed unsure about what to say next. He continued with, "Hell, I don't know if what you have is a gift or a curse. When I get back to the office I'll do whatever I can to help. Contact me when you get home."

~~~

Caine waited in line, went through customs and had no problems with the one small bag slung over his back. He walked to the boarding area and sat down next to a small family -- parents and two children. The littlest child, a boy about two years old, busily knocked over chairs and picked them up again. His sister looked about six years old. She sat twirling her curly blonde hair but her lips trembled. Caine noticed her green eyes dart nervously around the room, peek at Caine and try to smile.

"What is your name?" the priest asked gently.

"Ashley," she answered.

"Ashley is a very pretty name. Why is someone with such a pretty name so sad?"

"I'm sad because my little kitty-cat, Carrot, has to fly to Paris all alone. She--she's in a cage in the belly of the plane...and she is all alone."

"Yes, that is reason to be sad." Caine agreed sympathetically.

Ashley's eyes widened. "It is? My mommy and daddy keep saying don't be silly and Carrot will be fine."

"It is not silly to be sad. But your mommy and daddy are correct. Carrot will be fine." Caine leaned closer, and as if revealing a secret, continued very softly. "Kitties are very special animals. They know how to spend time alone and not be lonely."

"They do?" Ashley asked, surprise in her voice.

"Yes," Caine nodded his head with authority. "Your kitty will take a long nap, and when she does, she will have the most wonderful dreams. About you, Ashley, and how you both will play when she is free again."

"She will? Honest?"

Caine made a cross over his heart. "Honest," he answered gravely.

They started announcing the boarding of the plane, and Ashley's mother called for her. Before she went to her mommy, Ashley smiled and waved goodbye to Kwai Chang Caine.

Looking around the crowded plane, Caine guessed it was over-booked. Finally, all the bags were stowed, passengers seated and seat belts locked.

The Shaolin closed his eyes and reflected on all that had happened. Separating into two men, one good and one evil had been a terrifying ordeal - something no human should have to endure. Keeping himself distant from people who loved him was wrong, too. Remnants of his vision returned, * What is greater than good....Love. * Somewhere in his search for truth and inner peace, the priest lost sight of that simple fact.

His thoughts then returned to Peter; his love for his son had grown even stronger. Suddenly, an intensely urgent feeling overwhelmed Caine, but he had no clear reason why.

The Shaolin had no choice: he had to wait. It was seven thirty in the morning and due to a last minute hold-up the flight had been delayed for over an hour. A burst of static blasting from an intercom startled nearly everyone.

"Attention all passengers. The plane is scheduled to take-off momentarily. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this delay.

Passengers shifted in their seats uncomfortably. Caine sat, eyes closed, meditating, and was able to hear the whispered conversation between two flight attendants standing several rows away.

"I wonder what on earth was so important that they held up the flight?"

"Some emergency package. It had to be on this flight, too. Who knows why."

Some emergency package...had to be on this flight...

Caine cleared his mind of all remaining thoughts and the rest of his answer came in an alarming vision: the package contained a bomb. He could clearly read the digital display of twenty-five minutes and forty-two seconds. Caine knew that was all the time he had to prevent a catastrophe. In his mind, he could see the bomb, and understood it had been locked securely in a steel case. He knew there was no time to disarm it.

Caine had to act quickly. He stood and walked to the nearest flight attendant, a young man whose nametag read Ray. Lightly touching the man's arm, Caine sensed distrust and hostility. Precious seconds ticked by.

Caine scanned the plane. He saw another flight attendant, a young woman. When he touched her shoulder Caine felt a warm, stable current of energy, and knew she'd be the one to help him. Her nametag read Jeanette.

"Excuse me, Jeanette," Caine said, and placed his hands on her arms, turning her to face him. She looked into his eyes, squinted, and asked, "Can I help you with something, sir?"

"My name is Caine. It is important that you listen to me and that you trust me." The priest brushed her cheek with his thumb. "We have no time, and are in terrible danger." He felt her suspicion, so he focused with all his strength. "I am a priest, Jeanette. I speak the truth. Will you help me?"

Caine felt a shiver run through her body, and knew that nothing like this had ever happened to her. Caine held his breath, and when he felt her begin to trust him, he let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't know why I should--ah, forget it." Jeanette touched his arm. "My friends call me Jet. What do you want me to do?"

"Jet, we must get everyone off the plane. There is a bomb aboard that will explode in less than twenty-five minutes." Jet's face grew pale. "Your Captain must have all the fuel offloaded. Your job will be to conduct an orderly exit." Caine grasped her shoulders. "We must remain calm, Jet. I will talk to your Captain. You begin the exit." The priest smiled and squeezed her hand. "You care very much for all you passengers. You can do this and save them, Jet."

Jet nodded. "I understand, Caine. Let's go."

~~~

Wondering if she would ever work for an airline again, Jet walked to the front of the plane and activated the intercom. She thought a moment, and then switched off the line that transmitted to the cockpit.

"Attention all passengers. Due to mechanical difficulties, we must exit the plane. We must exit immediately and promptly to avoid unnecessary... fume inhalation. Please listen carefully to my directions."

* Fume inhalation? * It was the best she could do off the top of her head -- and it worked, implying just enough danger to get everyone moving quickly.

~~~

Caine reached the cockpit and encountered the jittery flight attendant, Ray. Apparently Jet's instructions had not reached first class.

"Sorry, sir," Ray said. "You must find your seat immediately. We are preparing for lift off." Caine chose a tactic and affected a western drawl.

"Well, sonny boy, I'm little ole Jet's Uncle Kwai. She promised me I could see the cockpit." Caine chuckled and firmly swung Ray out of the way. "It'll just be a quickie, so-to-speak." Laughing again, Caine stepped inside the cockpit and shut the door quickly.

The co-pilot swung around. He was Chinese. "Master Caine! What are you doing here?"

Unbelievably, Caine recognized the co-pilot. The young man's name was Kenny; he had grown up in Chinatown and had family ties to the Ancient. Caine silently gave thanks for his good fortune.

"Kenny, we are in grave danger. There is a bomb on this aircraft, and it will explode in less than thirty minutes. There is no time to disarm it. Jet is ushering the passengers off the plane. You must call your maintenance team to offload as much fuel as possible."

The pilot laughed harshly. "What kind of crazy story is this? Ken, is this a practical joke?"

Kenny turned to the pilot. "Captain Kirk, we must do as he says. Please, trust me. Trust him."

Caine thought to himself, Captain Kirk? Is this truly possible? He knew all about the famous crew of the Starship Enterprise when Peter, comparing Caine to Mr. Spock, had explained it to him. The priest watched as Kirk looked at him long and hard. Finally, the captain switched on his radio and spoke to flight control, issuing the orders.

Caine suddenly sensed the presence of Ray, and he realized the man had been lurking outside the door, listening to the entire conversation. Ray ran away and proceeded to exit the plane from the door closest to the cockpit. A passenger in first class yelled, "Hey! Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm getting the hell off this plane! There's a bomb!"

~~~

Caine watched helplessly from the cockpit door as the word spread quickly and panic set in. Jet's orderly exit quickly turned into a riot. The potential for trampled people grew by the second. A deep voice boomed from the intercom.

"This is Captain Richard Kirk. Do not panic! There is sufficient time to exit safely, but only if everyone remains calm. Please follow the flight attendant's instructions and no one will be hurt. Thank you."

Relief flooded Caine when Kirk's authoritative voice did the trick, instilling enough calm for the exit to progress in state of restrained hysteria. Once back in the cockpit, Kirk turned to look at Caine who looked back at him with one raised eyebrow.

"This is not the Enterprise," Kirk snapped. "I am not James T. Kirk and I can't beam everyone out of here." Caine tried to hide his disappointment; he had hoped to tell Peter he had met the famous Captain Kirk.

"A special team is meeting us at an unused landing strip," Kirk continued. "They can de-fuel the plane there, then drive us off. How much time do we have left?"

"Sixteen minutes, twenty seconds," Caine replied.

"I'm not going to ask you how you know that."

Caine nodded. "That is wise."

Jet popped her head in the cockpit. "Everyone is off this bird, JT, flight attendants included."

"Good work, Jet. Now get yourself off. You too, Caine."

Jet left but Caine did not move. "I am staying with you."

Kirk quickly taxied the plane to the unused airstrip. The fuel cars were ready to siphon the fuel out of the plane. As soon as the jet arrived, the crew quickly went to work. Kirk and Kenny shut all the systems down and then Kirk ordered his co-pilot to disembark the aircraft.

"How much time remaining, Caine?" Kirk asked.

"Three minutes, fifty-five seconds."

"Most of the fuel is gone. Let's get out of here. Caine? Did you hear me?"

Caine stood motionless, staring blankly ahead. In his mind's eye, he could see the little girl standing with her family.

Ashley's face was wet with tears as she clung to her mother's side. "Where is Carrot? Will she be okay?"

"I don't know, honey." Her mother kissed Ashley's cheek, and soothed, "I'll try to find out as soon as I can."

"Go," said Caine. "There is a life on this plane."

"A life?" asked Kirk. "What are you talking about?"

"It is not...a human life, but it is nonetheless a living creature."

"You're not making any sense!" Kirk snapped. "Quit the cryptic mumbo- jumbo crap and leave the plane with us. Now!"

Caine paused, then, "Yes, of course. You are right." The priest laid a hand on Kirk's shoulder and ushered the captain ahead. As soon as Kirk went safely through the door the Shaolin slammed it shut and locked it. Caine had three minutes to get the cat.

~~~

Kermit arrived at the precinct at about seven fifteen. Head kept down, he walked into his office and flung his coat on the chair. Things are damn strange. The detective powered up his PC and started sniffing around.

Starting from scratch, he returned to the files where he found Laura's picture. Kermit couldn't find them but that was not unusual -- the job had been completed. Next, he retraced the search he had made to find the source of the job. Although he probably wouldn't find anything, he wanted to be thorough. While he waited for the information, he thought,* We still know absolutely nothing about who's behind all this. * Leaving the search to execute, he exited his office to find a cup of coffee.

Kermit saw Mary Margaret standing by the coffeepot, stirring her coffee. She turned around, still looking down at her cup. When she looked up, Kermit was shocked to see how pale and tired she appeared. He knew she had tied one on the night before but she'd done that before and been all right.

Meeting his eyes, she said, "Good morning, Kermit. Should I start thanking you now? I know I'll owe you the rest of my life."

Kermit half smiled. He walked over to her and loosely draped his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go hide out in my home away from home."

While Kermit escorted her into his office he glared around the office, forcing anyone watching to look away. Kermit shut the door and turned around to face her. "Skalany, ix-nay the 'I owe you' routine. You owe me nothing. I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done for me. Love makes you do crazy things, how well I know that."

"No matter what you say, I owe you. But thanks, Kermit." Flinging her arms around him, she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Kermit grinned and returned the hug. "Okay! Enough already," he protested. Then his eyes shifted to the PC monitor.

"Holy Toledo!" He shouted, wrenching free from the embrace. His trained eyes scanned a screen full of addresses linked to the request for the fake photo.

~~~

Kwai Change Caine found the cat by sheer determination. First, he had found the empty carrier. No one had noticed that the cage had not been locked; the little orange cat had escaped. Having two minutes to find the cat and get out, Caine had been close to despair when he sensed something at his feet. It was Carrot.

"There you are, precious little life." Caine scooped up the soft kitty. "Now we must both get out before we are blown to bits." He managed to find a cargo hold door and force it open. He dropped to the ground with the kitty in one hand. He had less than thirty seconds left to get away from the plane. Shielding the cat the best he could, he ran away from the plane.

~~~

Captain Richard Kirk saw Caine run away from the aircraft. Turning to Ken, he said, "He has less than 30 seconds to get away from...." The plane exploded. The force of the blast knocked Caine in the air, and he hit the ground hard.

~~~

"Where did these links come from?" Kermit's faced the computer in his office and his fingers clicked furiously on both the mouse and the keyboard. "This is incredible. There was nothing linked to that file before. Damn!"

His eyes scanned the data as quickly as they could. "Skalany, look at this with me. I don't believe what I'm seeing." Skalany had already been peering over the detective's shoulder. Now she pulled a chair over so she could look closely. "Isn't that Peter's initials, and his ID for the system?"

"You bet your sweet bippy it is. Someone has taken great pains to create a trail to trace back to Peter Caine. It appears as if he put in the request for the picture, and manufactured illegal cash withdrawals. Someone has gone to a lot of work here. Wait a minute, what's all this nonsense?" Fingers flying, Kermit ripped the sunglasses off his face, peering at the screen as if he could mentally will the data to appear faster.

"Kermit, what is all this information about plastic explosives? Are you hitting the wrong keys?"

Kermit glared at her. "Of course I'm not hitting the wrong keys!" he barked. "This is as bad as it gets."

Mary Margaret squinted, her face drawn and confused. She asked, "Kermit, are you telling me Peter has built a bomb?"

"Of course not! Think, Skalany! Peter is being framed. Someone wants it to look like Peter had that picture made and built a bomb. What would they have Peter do with a bomb?" Kermit and Skalany stared at each other.

"The plane," Mary Margaret whispered.

Kermit looked at his watch. It was almost eight. "Caine's plane should be in the air by now." They both shot out of their chairs, knocking them over.

"Skalany," Kermit barked, "Call Peter. I'll call the airport."

When he finally answered the phone, Peter Caine's voice sounded groggy. Skalany had barely said hello when Peter launched into a description of a dream he had -- about an alarm clock that wouldn't stop ringing.

Skalany cut him off. "Peter, you have got to meet me at the airport right away. Your father may be in trouble."

"Wait a minute," said Peter. "It's like I can't stop this dream. I'm still seeing it, some kind of timer. It's counting down, and it looks like there's twenty minutes. Does this have anything to do with my father?"

Skalany paused. "It might. Hold on, Peter."

She turned just as Kermit's door flew open. Kermit looked up from his cell phone. Karen Simms stood in the doorway. Jody stood behind Simms. The captain's face looked grim. "A bomb has just exploded -- in a jet at the international airport. The plane was on the ground. There is no word yet on casualties. Mary Margaret, the flight had been scheduled to Paris. That's all we know so far."

Kermit watched all the color drain from Mary Margaret's face.

"I'll pull some strings and see what else I can find out," the Captain said gently.

Simms left the office but Jody stayed. "I guess the evil can no longer hide and is making itself apparent."

Skalany and Kermit both turned and stared at her. Skalany forced herself to focus.

"Kermit," Skalany said, "Peter is having a...vision. Of a timer counting down."

Kermit let out a deep breath. He looked back at the screen and frowned. Leaning closer and clicking away, he said, "Now what in blazes is this? Am I reading this right, or am I seeing double?" He paused a moment than growled, "Skalany! Tell Peter to hold. Get your eyes over here!"

Skalany looked at the screen with Kermit, while Jody peered from behind them.

"The data is linking him to two bombs." Skalany confirmed. Kermit said it first. "We've got to get everyone in this building out of here!"

Skalany added, "We've got less than twenty minutes."

Talking rapidly into the phone, Skalany said, "Peter, this is serious. Don't go to the airport. Come to the precinct, now."

Kermit stared at her. She covered the phone with her hand. "If anything has happened to Caine, it's already a done deal. He may be able to help at the precinct, and if the worse is true, he's better off here with us." She talked to Peter, "How many minutes are left on that timer?"

Peter answered, "Nineteen minutes and thirty five seconds. Is it a bomb?"

"We think so. We've got to get everyone out. I'll meet you outside." Skalany hung up. The mass exit of the building began.

~~~

An ambulance sped over to where Caine and the cat were laying on the ground. Caine had been knocked unconscious but was beginning to wake up. Two EMTs lifted Caine to a stretcher. They couldn't loosen his grip on the kitty so they let him hold her. The cat just seemed happier in Caine's hand.

As they shut the door and took off, Caine started shaking his head back and forth. The priest tried to sit. "You just calm down, sir, and lay back."

"The… passengers?"

"Everyone's safe, sir. The plane was destroyed, of course, but no one was hurt. And the airport is undamaged, too."

Caine brought the kitty up to his chest and started petting her, calming her down. He gently felt the kitty's leg.

"What is your name?" Caine asked the young woman.

"My name is Tasha," she replied, "You need to lay there and take it easy."

"Tasha, where are you taking me?" he asked.

"We are taking you to the hospital." As if sensing a fight, the young women started, "You have a nasty bump on your head and could have a concussion. Your kitty seems to have a broken leg."

This time Caine did sit up. "You really must lay down, sir." She protested, her voice ringing with forced authority. She looked young enough to be his daughter.

Caine swung his legs over the stretcher. "We both know I'm not going to the hospital," he said gently. "If you insist on taking me there, I will not go inside. I will walk back to the airport and deliver this kitty to its owner, a little girl, six years old. She is crying for her now."

"The cat needs to go to a vet," Tasha replied. "Her leg might be broken. We can let the little girl know her kitty is safe." Tasha rose both eyebrows hopefully.

Caine laughed, which then made him wince. He reached and touched Tasha's face. "I know your heart is good. The kitty's leg is bruised, not broken, and she needs the love and attention of her owner. As for me, I will be fine. Now tell your driver to take me to the gate."

"Okay, Mister." Tasha sighed. "You have me wrapped around your finger, and you know it." She smiled at Caine and spoke to the driver. They argued a little and the driver finally made a U-turn. Caine then lost all color on his face and gasped.

"Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?" Tasha asked.

Caine shut his eyes. He saw the timer again. How can this be? The bomb had gone off. Maybe the young lady had been correct. Maybe he had hit his head too hard. The ambulance lurched to a stop.

Caine pet the kitty once more and handed her to Tasha.

"Please find the little girl who belongs to this kitty. Her name is Ashley. She is six years old with blond hair. I must go."

"Wait, Mister!" Ashley called after him, "At least tell me your name."

After Caine climbed out of the vehicle he turned and said, "My name is Caine."

"Where are you going, Mister Caine?" She asked.

"I must find my son, Peter. I fear there is another bomb."

She watched him walk away. "Wait a minute!" She hurriedly whispered something to the driver. "Sam will take you where you want to go. I'll take the kitty to Ashley, don't worry."

Caine climbed back in the van and Tasha jumped out, Carrot in hand. "Good luck, Mister Caine." Caine nodded, and she shut the doors.

"I don't know how you do it, Mister. Where to?" Sam said.

The One Hundred and First precinct."

"You got it." They were off.

Part 1   Part 2    Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7

Back to author's index      Back to Story index