Peter is wounded in the line of duty, but he cannot be operated on, because his life signs are fluctuating. Caine finds out that Peter's soul is being held in the Bardo, an in-between realm of memories, including those of Caine abandoning Peter.

Caine is poisoned by some assailants with a toxin that affects his chi, his life force. According to the Ancient, Caine will die, unless his spirit and his chi can be reunited.