XXVII - Principles

"Where're you headed now?" Casio asked. He and Kamon stood alone in the elevator.

"To my room," Kamon answered. "If the reporters don't see me for a couple of hours, they may think I've retired for the evening. I must not be followed tonight!"

A moment passed in silence. The elevator came to a stop on their residence floor. The door slid open. Casio put his hand on the "DOOR OPEN" button and held it there. "Goodbye, Hawk." Casio's face was an unreadable mask.

"What?" Kamon was puzzled and a bit surprised. "Aren't you coming?"

"No. I have things to do." There was no sarcasm in Casio's voice. Neither was it serious. It was simply flat, as obscure as the expression on his face.

"Like what?" Kamon asked.

"Things! I'll see you."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know. It might be a while."

"Then I might not see you before I go?" Kamon asked.

"Maybe not."

"Well, I'd like to say good-bye then." Kamon had been caught off guard. He had expected a quiet moment just before he left in which he would be able to say farewell to Casio. A flurry of emotions was coursing through Kamon. Casio had been his friend since childhood. There was a very real possibility he might never see him again. "I appreciate all your help. I've always viewed our friendship as invaluable. I'll miss you."

"I'm not gonna do that!" Casio snapped.

"Do what?"

"Get all mushy like I'm never gonna see you again!"

"Okay." Kamon nodded reluctantly. He stepped off the elevator.

Casio took his hand off the "DOOR OPEN" button. "The good women always win, Hawk. It's the only kind of movie I go to." The door began to close. "I'll miss you, too."

Kamon was left alone in the hallway.

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Casio topped the steps leading to Ingraham Memorial Temple Prison. The western horizon was painted red and pink. It was dusk. He approached the guard's station.

The guard on duty was Remore. "Is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Casio answered, a bit out of breath. "You can install an escalator on this hill. I'm exhausted!"

"We don't get many visitors..", she peered at the man to make certain she recognized him, "...Councilman."

"I can understand why," Casio remarked. "I'm here to see the condemned prisoner named Jasmine."

The official order had come down early in the day. Jasmine was allowed visitors. But no one had dared to come. Visiting a prisoner, convicted of both heathenism and blasphemy, was unheard of. "Are you sure, Councilman?"

"What?! Are you my father?!" Casio groused. "Do you think I climbed all the way up here because I had nothing better to do?! Of course, I'm sure!"

"Very well," Remore nodded. "I did not mean to offend you, Councilman."

"I'm not easily offended," Casio replied. "But I'm a little out of sorts today. I don't mean to be. Just tell me what I have to do to get in."

"Step inside here and I'll get a retinal scan," Remore instructed. "Then I'll get someone to escort you to the Chambers Building."

Twenty minutes later, Casio stood outside Block Seven. Security guard Pattis stood before a monitor. A quick retinal scan was taken. She punched in some codes and the steel barred door opened.

Casio stepped in. Pattis closed the door behind him. "When you are ready to leave, Councilman, step to the wall to your right and push that button. It sets off a buzzer at my station. I'll know you're done and I'll come for you."

Casio nodded. "Okay."

"As for Jasmine," Pattis explained, "you'll have to look for her. She is in one of the seven rooms."

"Thanks. Kind of hard to see in here, isn't it?" Casio commented on the dimly lit interior. "Is this your contribution to energy conservation?"

"No, sir," Pattis answered. "The lights here are always dim. Block Seven is designed to give the condemned prisoner a suitable setting in which to contemplate the worthless existence of her physical body."

Casio frowned. "Yeah. Certainly not a place to throw a party in."

Pattis left, her boots clicking on the hard floor.

Casio walked inward. The lighting grew even poorer. "Yo! Jasmine!" he shouted. "It's Casio! I'm not going to search all seven of these rooms! Where are you?!"

A woman stepped out of one of the back rooms. Casio squinted. He couldn't clearly see her face, but it had to be Jasmine.

"Hello, Casio," Jasmine spoke pleasantly. "It was nice of you to come and visit me. I'm sorry I can't offer you a place to sit. There is no furniture here."

"Yeah, real comfy, isn't it," he remarked dryly. "You wanna talk out here in the hallway or step into that room of yours?"

"There really isn't much difference," Jasmine answered.

Casio frowned. "I'd prefer a room to a hallway."

"Then by all means," Jasmine said pleasantly, "please step in here."

They entered the room from which Jasmine had stepped. It was barren, four block walls. A dim bulb cast the only light from the ceiling.

Casio shook his head. "I prefer a room to a dungeon."

"This is the best I have to offer," Jasmine apologized.

"Yeah, I know," Casio said, somewhat irritably. "This is fine."

"Well, Casio. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Well, no offense, but I didn't come just to see how you were doing."

"I thought as much," Jasmine said with a smile.

"We need to talk about the big guy," Casio said. "He's planning a rescue mission."

"You may tell Kamon for me," Jasmine said, "that I appreciate most dearly his concern, but I do not wish assistance. Neither do I wish to see him get into trouble."

"Yeah, well, you may as well tell me to go talk to that wall over there, because it'll do about as much good!! Don't you get it?! The man loves you! A lot! Look around you, lady. You've been thrown into a Rarian rat hole and the Delphi has ordered the end of your existence! Hawk's not gonna let that execution take place!"

Jasmine shook her head. "I cannot allow Kamon to intercede on my behalf. If he comes for me, I will refuse to go with him. You must tell him this."

"It's too late for that!" Casio exclaimed. "The trigger's been pulled; the hammer is falling! You cannot step off the hovercraft, simply because you think it's gone too high!"

Jasmine did not respond. She simply stood in silence.

After a moment, Casio resumed. "I don't know what ending you have in mind for this story of yours, but I'll guarantee you one thing -- Kamon is going to do a major rewrite, so you better inform your director and camera crew!"

Still, Jasmine did not speak.

"Are you listening to me?!" Casio asked with some frustration.

"Yes," Jasmine finally replied. She rubbed her temple with her hand. "I am listening."

"Finally!" Casio expressed his thought. "You look a little worried!"

"I can't let this happen, Casio," a worried Jasmine explained. "Kamon must not interfere. He must not get into trouble."

"You're a little late with these thoughts!" Casio charged. "How could you have not anticipated the obvious?! You spent two weeks with the guy! Couldn't you pick up the vibes coming from him?! I thought that's what you were good at! You'd have to not want to know!....." Casio stopped abrubtly. It was all suddenly revealed to him. "Holy cow!! That's it, isn't it?! You knew but you didn't want to know! You're in love with him and you allowed yourself to be blinded to the consequences! A detail person like you -- this is mind boggling!"

"You must stop Kamon," Jasmine said. "Tell him I will be fine. I know what I'm doing."

"I can't stop him!" Casio fairly shouted. "You can't stop him! Nobody can! Whatever you had planned, all bets are off now! Maybe you thought events would move too fast, that Hawk could be kept out of it, but you were wrong! He's the random element and he's on the loose! Ready, willing, and able to destroy your carefully crafted experiment!"

Casio breathed in deeply and exhaled. Jasmine was silent.

"Look," Casio resumed, calming himself considerably. "I try not to be serious much of the time. It helps me to preserve my sanity in an otherwise crazy world. But I'm being dead serious with you now. Kamon is the only truly close friend I have in this world. I can't tell you all the things he's done for me, deeds I can never repay. I'd sure hate to see anything happen to him. The point being this -- if this thing ever comes down to a fight to the finish, you'll be the last one left standing. He'll see to that. I guarantee it. So, if you don't look out for him -- no one will. He won't do it himself. He won't. I think you're about to find out just how much it takes to stop one determined mountain man. Why don't you think about that? You may find that your principles need to be a little flexible in order to keep the peace."

Casio stopped and stared into the face of Jasmine. He really had nothing more to say. He had not gotten much of a reaction from her thus far. He no longer expected one. He had to believe she cared enough to help Kamon when the time came. Whoever she was, whatever she was, it did not matter at the moment. Kamon would be with her soon. That was the only thing he could be sure of.

Casio looked down at the floor and slapped his arms against his sides in resignation. "Well, I said my say. I'll be going."

Casio started to walk out.

"Casio?" Jasmine's voice stopped him.

"Yeah?"

"I'll take care of him," Jamsine said.

Were her eyes moist? Casio couldn't be sure in the dim light. "That'll be hard," he informed her in a very sober tone.

Casio left the dank room and headed to the front of Block Seven. He pushed the buzzer. A security guard soon arrived to let him out.

Meanwhile, Jasmine stood silently in the gloom. She swallowed hard. A tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away.

END OF CHAPTER