'Can I take the blindfold off now?'

Hawke jerked at the question. A memory of the same question, another time and a certain redheaded pilot leaped to his mind. He ruthlessly suppressed it as he steadied Airwolf. 'Sure.'

Jason Gifford, better known as 'Doc', removed the black strip of fabric and blinked, his brown eyes adjusting to the sight of the clouds underneath them. 'Where are we?'

'We just left California.' Dom's voice crackled over the headset.

'Guess it's too late to back out now then.' Doc folded the fabric and put it into one of the pockets in his Airwolf uniform. He pulled at it a little uncomfortable.

'There's always the eject button.' Hawke said dryly next to him. The sound of laughter at the engineer's console came over the headset.

'Funny, Hawke.' Doc leaned back. He was itching to fly the helicopter; a once in a lifetime taste the previous year had whetted his appetite but he knew that flying the machine at mach speed would take more training than the short flight he'd done with Airwolf at a crawl.

Hawke glanced across and his lips twitched at the open hunger on the other pilot's face. He knew the feeling well. Dom asked Doc a question and Hawke tuned the voices out as they began a conversation. He concentrated on the flight as he melded with the machine.

Miles and hours later they reached their destination. In stealth mode they began scans of the building and surrounding grounds verifying the information that the FIRM had provided.

'String, this place is a fortress.' Dom listed off the defensive weapons radar was identifying.

Doc cleared his throat. 'I don't suppose you guys are thinking of calling it a day then?'

Hawke's blue gaze slid across to him and Doc judged the flat coolness reflected there as a no. Hawke returned his gaze to the building below.

'We need to locate Bening.' He said.

'I'm on it.' Dom confirmed. He punched another scan into the computer and shook his head. 'Hey, String, I don't think she's the only prisoner. I'm picking up a corridor of what appear to be cells on the first floor at the back of the farmhouse.'

Hawke changed direction until they were facing the wall Dom had singled out.

Dom sighed. 'Ten cells in total, all with one single heat reading.'

'So which one is she in?' Doc wondered out loud.

Hawke's eyes narrowed at the vague outline of the building in front. 'Dom, didn't the intelligence say that the necklace Tania was wearing was made from her father's NASA medal?'

'Sure and that she always wore it.'

'Try a scan for unusual metals.'

'Scanning.'

'Bingo.' Dom tapped in instructions to get the exact location and checked for life-signs. 'She's in the first cell.'

'Guards?' Hawke asked.

'None directly outside the cells.' Dom was checking the computerized version of the blueprints. 'It looks like the old servant quarters. Only entrance is from a stairwell in the kitchen and I'm reading two life-signs there.'

Doc viewed the plans on his monitor. 'The direct way in is through the back-door.'

'There's two more guards outside that door.' Dom noted.

'They're not taking any chances are they?' Doc muttered.

'Uh-oh.'

Hawke glanced back at Dom. 'Uh-oh?'

'I'm picking up another set of visitors. It looks like two teams, one coming from the North, the other from the East.' Dom tapped away at the controls. 'Strange. One of them has American artillery, the other is Russian. KGB issue to be exact.'

'Dom, check the intelligence. Did they verify it was the KGB that grabbed Tania?' Hawke asked.

Dom rolled his eyes but punched up the information. His eyes widened. 'They didn't verify, String. It was a supposition that it was the KGB.'

'What does this all mean?' Doc asked.

'ETA on those teams reaching the farmhouse?' Hawke asked ignoring Doc's question.

'One hour for both teams.' Dom sighed.

'We've seen enough.' Hawke broke away and they swung away from the chateau.

'What's going on?' Doc asked again.

Hawke glanced over at his friend. 'We're going to have to change the plan. The KGB aren't the ones who took her.'

'Who did then?'

'My guess?' Hawke shrugged checking the landing site below in the forest. 'Probably a Balkan separatist group.'

Doc held his tongue as Hawke took Airwolf down. It was a tight clearing and the rotors barely cleared the massive oaks around them. There was a collective sigh of relief as they felt the wheels connect with the ground.

'So what's the plan?' Doc asked as they took the heavy helmets off.

'There's too much firepower protecting the farmhouse.' Hawke mused. 'They're expecting a full frontal assault.'

'Not surprising if they're expecting the KGB, huh?' Dom added.

'We need to get in and out before the KGB and the CIA get here. A quick, quiet extraction.' Hawke stowed the helmet. 'Come on. Let's get changed.'

They exited Airwolf and Dom wondered at the two men as Hawke and Doc began to change into military issue camouflage gear and holstered their weapons. The two men were about the same age, Hawke maybe had a year or two on Doc but both were very similar in build and in their matching gear it was hard to tell which was which except for Doc's hair. He wore his blond streaked mop longer than Hawke's brown crew cut.

Hawke pulled a paper blueprint of the farmhouse and its grounds from his jacket pocket and unfolded it. He spread it out on the ground and beamed a small torch at it.

'We'll go in over the wall here.' He stabbed a finger at the paper and Doc nodded. 'There's a small window on this side, the patrols we saw pass it every fifteen minutes, that should be enough time for us to use it as an access. Once we're in the house, we'll make our way to the kitchen, take out the guards. I'll cover whilst you go up to the cells and get Tania.'

'Why me?' Doc hissed.

'She could need medical attention.' Hawke explained.

'Oh.'

'We'll go out the same way and rendezvous back here in ninety minutes.'

'Airwolf could provide a distraction and pick you up.' Dom began.

'No, Dom. It's too risky.' Hawke held the other man's disgruntled gaze. 'If this is a trap, we minimise the Lady's exposure. You're get-away vehicle only.' He turned to Doc. 'You ready?'

Doc nodded.

'Dom.' Hawke gave the older man a hug.

'You be careful.' Dom drew back and looked at Doc. 'Look after him for me eh Doc?'

Doc patted Dom's shoulder and taking a deep breath, he followed Hawke into the trees. They jogged at a steady pace before hitting the wall. A tree provided a ladder up to the top and they dropped over to the other side easily.

They skirted the grounds and settled at the back of a leafy bush that gave them good cover and a view of the window they would use for entry. Hawke checked his watch and gave the count on the fingers of one hand to Doc. As he clenched his fist, the patrol came around the corner. They held their breath as the guards made a cursory check of the nearby grounds and skirted close to where they were hiding. It was a tense moment and as the guards disappeared, both men expelled a relieved breath.

Hawke sketched an instruction with his hands and Doc nodded. He covered Hawke whilst he ran to the window and carefully broke into the small window. Hawke gave the signal for Doc to join him, covering him in return. Hawke held the window open and checked for the guards as Doc squeezed through. He climbed through after Doc into a small corridor. They silently padded their way to the kitchen. They added silencers to the pistols they carried before Hawke gave Doc a countdown and they burst through the inner door in a coordinated movement with one high, one low. Hawke shot his gun as he dived to the floor in one smooth motion. One guard staggered and fell. The second guard whirled to aim his gun at Hawke and Doc downed him with two quick shots. Doc ran for the door to the stairwell and Hawke took position by the kitchen window.

His eyes scanned the darkness beyond to the two guards stationed outside. He checked his watch and glanced behind him. 'Come on, Doc.' He clutched his gun a little tighter. Footsteps behind him had him whirling around. Doc was leading two women; a heavily bruised Tania Bening and an equally abused younger woman.

Hawke raised his eyebrows at the other man.

Doc shook his head, he was breathing heavily. 'I'll explain later. We should get going.'

Hawke frowned but he motioned for Doc to lead the way out as he covered their exit. Doc went through the window first and helped the two women through before leading them to the bush. Hawke shut the window behind him and ran to join the others. He skidded on the soft grass throwing himself behind the leafy foliage as the guards reappeared. The guards made their usual cursory checks before moving on and as soon as they were out of sight, Hawke had the small group moving to the wall. They helped boost the women over the other side.

He laid a finger against his lips when Tania looked as though she was about to speak and gestured for them to start the walk back through the forest. Doc led the way and he kept up a punishing pace.

'Please.' Tania gasped after they had been walking for a while. 'I have to stop.'

Doc glanced back at Hawke who nodded and indicated for them all to lower their bodies. Tania and the other woman slumped onto the ground and Doc handed them a water bottle.

'Take small sips.' He advised before skirting them to crouch next to Hawke. 'How do you think we're doing?'

Before Hawke could respond the sound of an explosion rent the air. All four of them hit the ground.

'We're out of time.' Hawke said checking his watch. 'That was one of those teams hitting the farmhouse. They're going to discover she's missing any minute. We have to move.'

They continued on through the forest, the sound of gunfire behind them pushing them onward. Tania and the young woman stumbled into the clearing and froze at the sight of Airwolf.

'What is this?' Tania demanded.

Hawke's eyes slid over her. The forty-year old woman was dirty and battered but her cultured voice was controlled not panicked and her hazel eyes shone with an ingrained arrogance. 'Your ride.' He snapped. He turned away and left Doc to help the women into the cockpit. He didn't bother stripping off the camouflage gear; he could feel in his bones that there was no time left. They needed to leave and they needed to leave now.

Dom had the engines started and the systems coming online as Hawke settled into his seat and placed the heavy helmet over his head. He had never found a comfortable position for the headgear but he had come to respect its abilities. He barely waited for Doc to close the passenger door before he took the helicopter up. The rapid ascent had all three guest passengers clinging to the consoles in front of them.

'Dom, give me a rundown.' Hawke ordered.

'I'm reading several explosions, small arms fire.' Dom said. 'It looks like World War Three down there.' He viewed his scanner. 'String, that American team is caught right in the middle of it.'

Hawke sighed and adjusted their position, heading towards the farmhouse.

'What are you doing?' Tania asked leaning forward from her place by Dom.

Hawke glanced back but didn't answer.

'You're going to help them?' She asked. 'Are you crazy?'

'Ma'am, you're going to have to sit down.' Dom insisted politely as she shifted forward again.

'Don't you people get it?' Tania snapped. 'They're here to kill me.'

'Full combat mode.' Hawke ordered.

'Full combat mode.' Dom confirmed.

Hawke took Airwolf in low barely clearing the wall of the farmhouse. The men fighting in the grounds heard her before they glimpsed the gleam of her belly. The ground and air shook as the chain guns sounded over the lawn and took out an anti-aircraft gun; the blast covered Airwolf's banshee shriek as she circled. The guards turned away from the American team and made for the helicopter; they were coming from everywhere; a spotlight came on. Hawke took out one sniper and then another; bullets ricocheted off the door and the windshield.

'The American team are clear, String.'

Hawke barely acknowledged Dom's words. He targeted an approaching jeep and took it out with a missile as he took them higher. Another set of anti-aircraft guns on the roof were dispatched the same way. He swung the Lady around and hit the turbos, going to mach speed.

'We have MIGs on an intercept course.' Dom said. 'Four. I'm jamming their communications and increasing our radar suppression.'

Hawke took her lower; they were barely skimming the tree-tops. Doc swallowed hard. In the back, the younger woman started to sob and Tania wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her.

'They're still pursuing, String.' Dom said evenly. 'They got one off at us. Heat-seeker.'

'Sunburst.' Hawke instructed.

'Sunburst.' Dom's eyes widened. 'It didn't take the sunburst. Evade.'

Hawke banked sharply and fired a missile at an approaching ridge. The missile exploded in front of them and he dived through the flames, climbing sharply out of range. The missile chasing them slammed into the ridge under them.

Hawke fired off another missile at a chasing MIG before diving back to come at another from behind. Doc clutched his seat as Airwolf slammed into a dive back to low altitude as one of the remaining Russian pilots shot another missile at them.

Dom deployed the chaff at Hawke's muttered instruction. Hawke didn't stop to acknowledge the missile's destruction but climbed and took out the third MIG in mid-manoeuvre. The fourth turned tail and ran. Hawke shot it down coldly. He dived back to the floor.

Doc let out the breath he'd been holding and tore his glance away from the ground zipping past and glanced at Hawke. 'My outrunning you last year was sheer luck, wasn't it?'

Dom gave a shout of laughter from the back.

Hawke didn't take his eyes off the ground. 'You'd better check on them.'

Doc slipped his helmet off and eased into the back. It was a tight fit. Tania was curled up around the younger woman, rocking her. He took out the medical bag he had stowed earlier. 'I'm going to check you both out.'

'We're fine.' Tania insisted.

'Why don't you let me be the judge of that?' Doc murmured. Tania frowned but grudgingly submitted to the examination as he checked her vitals. He frowned at the evidence of bruises on her wrists and ankles, around her neck and cheek. She was wearing a thin shirt and ripped pants. He offered her a blanket and she gratefully wrapped it around her shoulders.

Doc reached for the younger woman and she flinched away. 'Easy.'

'It's OK, Simone.' Tania reassured her.

'Simone. That's a pretty name.' Doc said as he checked her pulse. 'We never got introduced. Most people call me Doc.' He smiled and was relieved to see her smile back.

'I'm sorry.' Simone said in heavily accented English.

'Hey, no problem.' Doc said. 'You've had a tough time. No need to apologise.'

Tania looked over Doc's shoulder to Hawke. 'Look, I need to speak to someone in the CIA.'

'Lady you're in no position to be giving orders.' Hawke pointed out.

'It's a matter of life and death.' Tania argued. She shifted forward trying to see more than the implacable profile of the helmet.

Hawke glanced back. 'It always is.'

'You don't understand.' Tania snapped. 'They were forcing me to break a NATO code.' She sighed. 'It was about Airforce One.'

'String…' Dom cautioned him.

'Disengage turbos, reengage rotor system.' Hawke said.

'Ah hell.' The older man muttered under his breath as Hawke pulled Airwolf to a full stop.

'Hold her, Doc.' Hawke instructed.

Doc slipped his hands over the controls and steadied the hovering aircraft as Hawke turned to face Tania.

'You got my attention.' Hawke said.

'The President is due to visit Russia on a secret trip to finalise the details of a new treaty around nuclear disarmament.' Tania explained. 'The code this group got hold of included all the security details for the President's routes, timings, locations, everything.'

'You decoded all of it?' Hawke asked.

'I only got the first location and timing. I told them I needed more time to work out the rest.'

Dom cleared his throat. 'Excuse me, but why did you give them anything?'

Tania's arm crept around the younger woman's shoulders again. 'They were threatening my daughter.'

'She's your daughter?' Hawke asked sceptically.

Tania nodded. 'I had her when I was very young – sixteen and my father…my father forced me to give her up for adoption.' She twisted the blanket in her fingers. 'Last year I decided to search for her. I haven't been able to have anymore children and I just wanted to see her…see the woman she'd grown into.'

'And you found her living in Russia?' Dom's voice was incredulous.

'My adoptive parents were Russian immigrants.' Simone said harshly. 'They returned to Russia when I was very small and they were killed in a car crash. I was thrown clear. I ended up in a Russian orphanage.'

'Why the secrecy over your visit?' Dom asked.

'My father…' Tania took a deep breath and steadied the tremor that shook her voice. 'My father is a control freak. He disapproved of my searching for Simone. And we had to be careful. Simone is in the national orchestra, if they found out she was defecting…I intended calling the CIA to explain as soon as Simone and I were safe in France.'

Dom raised his bushy eyebrows in response to the question in Hawke's blue eyes as they slid to his.

Hawke shifted to face the front again and took the controls from Doc. 'Give me turbos, Dom.'

'Look you have to believe me.' Tania insisted.

Hawke considered their options as they shot forward. He sighed. 'Dom, call Michael.'

'Michael?' Tania asked.

'Archangel.' Hawke offered instead.

'You're working for the FIRM?' Tania's voice rose in surprise.

Dom laughed. 'Not exactly, huh, String?'

The communications panel beeped and Michael's visage flickered into view.

'Hawke, do you have Ms Bening?'

'Yeah and her daughter.' Hawke said enjoying the momentary shock that briefly showed in Michael's face before he smoothed his features. 'She wants to talk to you.'

Michael listened intently as Tania explained the situation. The spy frowned into the camera. 'I'm going to need to verify this.' He said to Tania.

'I realise that.' She said.

Michael nodded. 'Hawke, I need you to divert to a base in England. Marella's transmitting the coordinates now.'

'Dammit, Michael, I'm not operating a taxi service.' Hawke bit out.

'Hawke, if Ms Bening is correct, I may need you to go back into Russia.'

'On what?' Dom asked. 'We're almost running on fumes now.'

'You can refuel in England.' Michael argued.

'String, these coordinates…the computer's identifying it as a NATO base.' Dom said his voice rising.

'You're crazy, Michael.' Hawke added.

Michael leaned forward. 'You have my word that you'll be free to leave with Airwolf.'

Hawke was silent for a beat. 'I'll take it. Airwolf out.'

The video winked out.

'Dom, plot a course.' He ordered.

'String, we can't take her onto a NATO base. We might as well gift wrap her for them.' Dom protested.

'I don't like it either.' Hawke admitted. He altered their course looping them across the French coastline. 'Lock in the coordinates and engage the auto.'

Dom rolled his eyes and gestured heavenward before he confirmed the auto pilot was engaged.

Hawke took his helmet off and rubbed his hand through the short crop of brown hair. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the effects of the earlier prolonged run and the kitchen acrobatics. He looked over at Doc. 'You okay?'

'Sure.' Doc smiled. 'But you're really going to owe me that fishing trip up on that mountain of yours.'

'Easiest deal I've ever made.' Hawke noted.

'You have a mountain?' Tania asked curious.

Hawke's eyes jerked back to hers. 'A small piece of one, that's all.'

'You know, we haven't really been introduced.' Tania pointed out. 'I know he's called Doc, and you're…'

Hawke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Tania looked appealingly at Dom sitting beside her.

Dom ignored the warning look Hawke shot him. 'Well, ma'am, his name is Stringfellow Hawke and I'm Dominic Santini. And you know Doc.'

'Stringfellow Hawke,' Tania's eyes narrowed as she began to connect to the dots, 'and Airwolf.'

Dom ducked to concentrate on the computer panel as Hawke scowled at him.

'Most of the intelligence community think you and this machine are an urban legend.' She commented.

'I'd appreciate it if you kept it that way.' Hawke muttered.

Tania nodded. 'You've saved my life and my daughter's.' Her hazel eyes met his softly. 'I promise your secret is safe with me.'

The cockpit was silent as their eyes held each other for a long moment.

Doc cleared his throat. 'So, what happens now? We'll head to this base in England…'

'I still don't like it, String.' Dom interrupted.

'And Michael will contact us with a plan.' Hawke concluded determinedly.

'Huh.' Dom adjusted their radar profile. 'That's what worries me.'

Simone giggled and the others exchanged amused smiles.