Part 1 of 4

"Oh come on Hawke," begged Caitlin. "You said you would go to this costume party when we talked about it last week. Why are you changing your mind now?"

"Sorry Cait," replied Hawke. "It's just that an old girlfriend of mine contacted me this morning. She's a stewardess and I told her to give me a call the next time she had a long layover here."

Caitlin shot him a disappointed look. "Fine," she said. "But you're missing out on a good time."

Hawke grinned. "Oh, I think I'll have a good time without going to the party."

Caitlin shook her head. "Men!" she said with a sigh.

Later that afternoon, String watched as Caitlin started to get ready. She pulled her costume out of the car and went into the back room to change. The party was a local bar that the Airwolf crew liked to frequent. It was a hangout for pilots and they knew most of the regulars there.

When Caitlin came out of the back room, Hawke nearly choked on the water he had been drinking. To his surprise, she was wearing a very short and sexy French maid costume. Her hair was pulled up and a few little strands fell to the side of her face.

Caitlin looked at his expression and laughed. "What's with you?" she asked.

"I just wasn't expecting to see you in something like that," he replied.

"Oh," she said. "I lost a bet a few weeks ago with one of the guys down at the bar and well, I ended up having to wear the costume of his choice."

Hawke shook his head. "Don't tell me it was Mike," he replied.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.
String grinned. "I think he has a crush on you," he replied. "So of course he'd make you wear something like that."

Caitlin shot him a dirty look. "I think he'd make any woman wear this," she replied. "Besides, you know he's not my type."

Hawke laughed. "Yeah, he is sort of the playboy type."

After she finished getting ready, Caitlin helped Hawke close up the hangar before she left.

"Have a good time," he told her as he walked her to the car and shut the door for her.

"I will," she replied. "See you tomorrow."

Hawke watched Caitlin drive away before he jumped into the jeep to head out and pick up his date for the evening.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After picking up his date, Hawke headed to the cabin for dinner and wine. Things were going well and he felt relaxed and was enjoying his company when an unexpected call came in.

"This had better be good Michael," Hawke said sternly. "You're interrupting an important date."

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," replied Michael. "We have reason to believe that Caitlin's been kidnapped."

"What are you talking about?" asked String. "She was going to a costume party tonight."

"One of the men up at the bar said she went outside around nine with a guy that they thought was you based on what she had told them," Michael continued. "When one of the bouncers went out to give her the keys she had dropped, they saw a van pull up. Two men got out and with the help of the other guy they pulled her in and sped off. They were able to get the license plate number."

While Michael was talking, Hawke had gotten to his feet and had begun to pace around the cabin. "What did you find out from the plate?" he asked.

Michael took deep breath before continuing. "The van is registered to a dummy company," he replied. "I have some operatives who are buried deeply undercover in the actual company that it's a cover for and well, you're not going to like this."

"What is it Michael?" asked Hawke. "Tell me!"

"It's Horn," he replied. "He's the one who has Caitlin and I suspect we'll hear from him soon. I've tried to get a message to my guys on the inside but it's not easy. We don't want them exposed."

"Damn it," said Hawke. "I'm on my way."

Within the hour, Hawke and Dom were in Michael's office waiting for some kind of update on Caitlin.

"I should have gone to that party with her," Hawke said as he slammed his fist on Michael's desk. "If I'd been there he wouldn't have gotten his hands on her."

"Aw String," said Dom. "You couldn't be with her twenty four seven. He could've snatched her almost anywhere."

Hawke sighed. "But they said she thought it was me she was heading outside with," he replied. "She had her guard down."

"Don't worry String," replied Dom. "We'll get her back."

It wasn't until the next morning that a package was delivered to Hawke at the hangar. He opened it carefully and pulled out the video tape. He called out to Dom and took a deep breath before putting it in to view.

"Well Mr. Hawke, we meet again," said Horn. "But this time things have changed. You see, I have something you want and in return you'll give me Airwolf. But, we are going to play a little game first. You will have seventy two hours from the time this is delivered to find the drop off location. I'll have one of my men give you clues along the way. The first one is in the envelope with this video. The quicker you find the locations the better. Every twenty four hours, your lady friend will be harmed in some way if you have not located the drop point at that time. If you have not found it within seventy two hours, she dies. You might ask why I'd do this if I want Airwolf so badly. Well, let's just say that this game and your pain will be as much of a reward as getting my hands on that machine. And I know in time, I'll have it."

The video panned over to Caitlin who was tied up in a chair. As the camera zoomed onto her, Hawke could see that she had several bruises on her face and her eyes were slightly red.

"Dam him!" Hawke yelled at the television. "He's going to pay for this."

Dom shook his head. "This doesn't look good," he replied. "What's the first clue?"

Hawke opened the envelope and read the note inside. "It says go to the biggest mouse trap on earth," he replied.

The two sat and thought about the clue but didn't even know how to begin to solve it. When Michael pulled up to the hangar, they showed him the video and gave him the clue.

"Disneyland," said Michael. "I bet that's where you'll get the next clue."

"You're right," said Dom. "That makes sense. Let's get going."

"What a minute Dominick," said Michael. "I have some news. One of my inside operatives said he saw Caitlin last night. They have an office near the coast. But, she was moved and he's trying to find out where."

"Was she hurt badly?" String asked but wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"He said she was hurt because she tried to get away," replied Michael. "That's all he could tell us. I'll let you know as I get more information."

"Thanks," replied Dom. "We need to get going to Disneyland. I just pray that there aren't too many more clues. Caitlin doesn't have a lot of time."

To be continued in two more parts...