'Well?'

Michael adjusted his glasses at Hawke's terse question and met the pilot's hard blue stare with one of his own.

Hawke gestured impatiently. 'Did Karen find something?'

'Yes but it's not what you think.' Michael leaned back in his white leather chair and gestured at all three of the Airwolf crew to take a seat. He nodded at Marella to bring up the details on the computer monitor that filled one of his office walls. 'I have a mission for you.'

Hawke subsided unhappily into a chair. 'A mission?'

'Karen reviewed the logs of the July incident.' Michael confirmed and sighed at the knowing look Hawke gave him. 'She found something interesting.'

'About Airwolf?' Dom asked rolling his sleeves up.

'About the explosion that caused Airwolf's systems to go haywire.' Michael corrected him.

'What about it?' Hawke asked slumping back, his interest waning since it had been established that Airwolf wasn't the subject.

Michael gestured at Marella.

The Hawaiian woman cleared her throat. 'As we know, on the night in question, Airwolf was assisting with entrapping John Castle and his security advisor, Jackson Shaw who were trying an insurance scam where they would claim four of the five jade artefacts they had supposedly recovered had been destroyed or stolen by a terrorist group when in fact they had only ever recovered one of the jade artefacts in question.'

Hawke tensed. Until that night, he'd considered Shaw a friend having worked with the former FIRM operative. 'We know all this, Marella.' He pointed out.

Marella glared at him and clicked a button. 'This is the film from Airwolf's video surveillance the night of the incident in question.'

An ordinary chopper flying in the night sky with the city lights of LA reflecting off the cockpit appeared on the computer monitor. A missile streamed into view and hit the chopper; it exploded in a ball of fire and smoke. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the burning cockpit; the film shook and filled with white static.

Marella rewound the tape and froze the image at the point where the bright light had appeared. 'This was a secondary explosion that caused Airwolf's systems to go haywire.'

Michael gestured at the screen. 'At the time we figured that this was an electro-magnetic type of bomb that Shaw had acquired and had set off in the split second as your missile hit.'

'Where's this going?' Hawke asked impatiently.

Michael glared at him. 'Karen was reviewing the logs and she realised that Airwolf had performed a usual scan of the helicopter for weapons…' he paused, 'apart from the chain guns he'd fitted, Shaw had no other weapons on board.'

'So are you saying…' Dom gestured as he searched for a suitable deduction and threw his hands up, 'what are you saying?'

'Karen established in the logs that the only other foreign item Airwolf identified within the cockpit was the artefact Shaw had; the Incan jade figure of a wolf.' Marella said. 'She also discovered Airwolf had automatically calculated the ignition point of the explosion and that it matched with where Airwolf had located the jade during her initial scan.'

'You think the secondary explosion was caused by the artefact blowing up?' Caitlin surmised her voice rising with surprise. 'I wouldn't have thought jade would have that kind of explosive property especially to affect electronic systems.'

'It doesn't.' Michael agreed.

'We reviewed the report from the independent laboratory where Castle had the jade wolf independently verified. It makes for some interesting reading.' Marella said. 'They established that the jade was the surround to an oblong piece of rock about this big,' she measured a length of about three inches with her fingers, 'the lab was unable to determine more about the rock because Castle took back the artefact.'

'So it was this rock that caused the explosion?' Dom said doubtfully.

'That's our conclusion.' Michael said.

'So what does this have to do with an Airwolf mission?' Hawke asked.

'The legend around the artefacts claims that there are five in total.' Michael said. 'Castle and Shaw only found one; the wolf.' His good eye met Hawke's. 'We need you to find the other four.'

Hawke scowled and ignored Caitlin's hopeful expression; she loved South American mythology and he knew the mission would appeal to her. 'I'm not Indiana Jones, Michael.'

'If each of the artefacts is set up in a similar way then potentially there are four objects out there that are capable of being exploded and causing massive disruption to electronic systems.' Michael stabbed a finger at Hawke. 'I don't need to tell you what could happen if they fell into the wrong hands.'

'These artefacts have been lost for thousands of years, Michael.' Hawke pointed out. 'Don't you think they're pretty safe?'

'I agree.' Dom said. 'I think we should leave them where they are. Besides, how are we supposed to even find them?'

'Airwolf has sophisticated surveillance technology not usually available to your average treasure hunter.' Michael said.

'As much as I hate to say it,' said Caitlin trying to hide her disappointment, 'the guys are right. From the report of Castle's expedition he followed the main clue to the artefacts but it led to just the wolf. The clues he said led them to the others were made up. We have nothing to go on.'

'Actually we have more than you think.' Michael nodded again at Marella.

She punched another button and the photo of a grave appeared complete with skeleton. 'In the original expedition Castle found this grave of a disbeliever buried close to the temple where the jade wolf was discovered.'

'Castle dismissed the grave as not being important but a couple of the men took photos.' Michael passed a folder to Hawke who handed it to Caitlin.

She took it eagerly and stared at the photos of the grave with a morbid fascination. 'There's a picture on the wall of the grave.' She said.

'We think they buried him alive and he scratched the painting using his own blood.' Michael said.

Dom pulled a disgusted face. 'Nice.'

'We also think it could be a clue to where another one of the artefacts is buried.' Michael continued ignoring Dom.

'Michael,' Caitlin said peering at the photo, 'you can't even make out what this picture is.'

'That's why you need to go to the grave itself.' Michael said. 'Take the search from there.'

'And then what?' Hawke asked. 'Apart from Cait, we're not exactly knowledgeable about these things.'

'And I'm hardly an expert.' Caitlin admitted.

'Which is why I've requested Professor Simon Armitage join us. He's waiting outside.' Michael said smoothly. 'He can accompany you and provide you with the expertise you need to find the artefacts.'

'Simon Armitage?' Caitlin's face lit up. 'He's one of the world's leading experts on South American mythology. I've read all his books.'

Hawke squelched the bubble of jealousy at the open adoration in Caitlin's voice; for all he knew the guy was in his sixties with a beer gut.

'Why don't you show the professor in, Marella?' Michael suggested.

The Airwolf crew turned to face the office door as Marella walked over and ushered in the waiting man.

Hawke frowned; Armitage was a dark-haired man in his early forties with a tanned, lined face and dark green eyes that shone with intelligence. He was slim built and the hand that shook Hawke's had quite a grip. He was dressed casually; khaki trousers, a cotton shirt and a battered leather jacket that looked like it had seen better days.

'I'm very pleased to meet you.' The English accent took Hawke by surprise.

'Likewise.' Hawke muttered.

'It's a real pleasure to meet you.' Caitlin said offering her hand. 'I'm a big fan.'

'Really?' Armitage looked delighted taking her hand in both of his. 'And here I thought it was just my students who bought my books.' He winked at her. 'And then only because I have it as required reading.'

Dom chuckled and Armitage finally relinquished Caitlin's hand to shake the older pilot's. 'You must be Mr Santini. Archangel described you perfectly.'

'Oh?' Dom sent a questioning look to Michael who avoided his eyes.

'Shall we move on?' The spy said smoothly. 'Professor Armitage has agreed to provide the expertise you need to carry out your mission in exchange for being able to study the artefacts once they are recovered. He's aware of the potential explosive elements we may find within the artefacts and the reason why we would want to recover them.' He looked at Hawke. 'I think that covers your concerns?'

Hawke nodded slowly. 'OK, Michael. We'll go take a look but if we can't find them quickly, I'm not spending weeks in the middle of a South American jungle.'

'Fair enough.' Michael concurred.

Hawke turned to Armitage. 'How quickly can you leave?'

'Whenever you're ready.' Armitage said.

Hawke sighed and glanced back at Michael. 'We'll pick up at the usual spot in two hours and we'll need a fuel pick-up.'

Michael nodded. 'Marella will drive the professor out there and make the arrangements.'

Hawke stood up and there was a flurry of goodbyes before they headed out. It was a hectic two hours as they gathered supplies, did a full pre-flight check and organised leaving Santini Air in the capable hands of Dom's niece, Jo. They just made the two hour rendezvous and picked up an awestruck Armitage. They stowed the books and baggage he'd brought as he changed into an Airwolf uniform before climbing aboard. They were soon back in the air and flying at mach speed.

'This is incredible,' the professor babbled, 'I mean Archangel explained but still…this is incredible.' He was sat on the jump seat next to Dom.

Hawke and Caitlin were sat in the front. They would take turns at flying Airwolf on the long journey to their first destination; the abandoned grave.

'How fast did you say she could go?' asked Armitage.

'Almost mach two,' Dom said cheerily, 'but that's pushing her to the limits.'

'Incredible.' Armitage murmured. He sat back to peek over Dom's shoulder at the computer monitor which was tracking their progress down the Pacific coastline. He peppered Dom with questions for most of the journey and Hawke quietly thanked God that Armitage seemed to realise that he wouldn't have had the patience Dom was exhibiting.

Dom cleared his throat and checked the coordinates. 'We're almost there, String.'

Hawke eased up on the speed. 'Prepare to reengage rotors.'

'Rotors reengaged.' Dom confirmed.

Hawke hovered over the small clearing in front of the abandoned temple and scowled. There was jungle in every direction. He lowered Airwolf carefully. They all took a moment to remove their helmets and stretch.

'Wow.' Caitlin's eyes widened at the complicated pyramid structure in front of them with a large statue of a wolf guarding the entrance.

'Indeed.' Armitage leaned on the back of her seat and gestured over her shoulder through the windscreen. 'At one time all that stone would have been covered with gold and jewels. There would have been golden statues of the Gods by the door and…'

'We should make camp for the night.' Hawke said interrupting Armitage's flow.

'Well,' Armitage grinned seemingly oblivious to Hawke's annoyance at him, 'we still have some daylight left perhaps I could go and find the grave.'

'In the morning, professor.' Hawke said firmly. He pointed at the sky which was just visible beyond the tree canopy. 'Night's closing in and it has a tendency to be real quick in these places.'

'You're right, of course.' Armitage said. 'I'm just so excited.'

Hawke was barely able to suppress the urge to roll his eyes and settled for climbing out of Airwolf instead.

Armitage was an experienced camper and Hawke was impressed with how quickly the other man helped him set up hammocks, which they covered with mosquito nets, to the nearby trees as Dom and Caitlin built a campfire and started cooking a meal. They all settled around the fire after their makeshift dinner.

'Professor Armitage…' Caitlin began.

'I've told you; it's Simon,' insisted the professor.

'Simon,' Caitlin corrected, 'why don't you tell us the story of how the five artefacts were made? It may help provide us with some clues.'

'An excellent suggestion.' Armitage beamed and Hawke didn't bother to hide his rolling eyes. Caitlin poked her husband in the ribs as Armitage began the tale…

One day, the Incan God Urcaguary created six fearsome warriors to help protect his valuable collection of precious metals and jewels. He made the warriors strong and tall, imbued them with an intelligence that would match any thief and planted the art of war within their minds so they would be able to defend his treasures well. He also gave them a special gift; a chimera himself of a serpent and a deer, Urcaguary, gave the warriors the ability to transform into different animal creatures.

Eons passed and the warriors became dissatisfied with simply guarding Urcaguary's wealth. They pleaded with him to be allowed to leave the underground chambers and go out into the world. Urcaguary had become very fond of the warriors and agreed to speak with the Sun God Inti to see what could be done.

Inti finally decided after much cajoling from Urcaguary that the warriors could leave the underground if they swore to help protect the Incan people from the demons Supay, the god of the underworld, would sometimes send to menace them.

The warriors soon agreed and eagerly set about their new duty. There were many stories told of each individual warrior; their skill and prowess. Time passed and the warriors became restless. One moonlit evening they gathered together in human form. It was just after a particularly hard campaign against Supay's forces and there were many exchanges of stories about their tough and difficult battles. Eventually silence fell on the group until the warrior known as Cat stood and stretched out her long golden limbs.

'It seems to me,' Cat began, 'that we're fighting the wrong battles.'

'What do you mean?' asked Falcon, his brown eyes meeting hers.

'Well as soon as we eliminate some of Supay's demons, he simply sends more so…'

'So you think we should get rid of Supay.' Bear concluded. He folded his huge arms and pondered the idea thoughtfully.

'The suggestion has merit.' Dragon said.

Serpent's beady eyes gleamed. 'But how?'

'We will have to hunt as a pack.' Wolf said getting to her feet and shaking back her long white hair. 'Only together will we have the strength to defeat Supay and it may well mean our own destruction.'

'Surely this would be an honourable death.' Bear proclaimed. 'We can do this and the world will no longer be ravaged by Supay's evil.'

'Are we all agreed then?' Cat asked.

'Agreed,' said Falcon and the others soon followed.

They made their plan that very night and determined to rest in the heat of the day to carry out that plan as soon as darkness fell again.

But as the others slept, Serpent slipped away and betrayed their plan to Supay in return for being granted the status of Supay's supreme warrior. He returned to join the others as they woke oblivious to his betrayal.

Their plan was simple; as humans were spotted easily by Supay, they would change into their animal selves and sneak into Supay's underworld by way of a tunnel. Once inside Supay's chamber they would change back into human form and attack as one. They made excellent progress but came upon two identical chambers.

'Which one is Supay's?' growled Cat.

'This one,' hissed Serpent, 'I can taste his essence on my tongue.' Serpent hurriedly slid into the chamber and the others had no choice but to follow him. As soon as they passed the doorway a strange green glow surrounded them. They struggled in their animal forms against Supay's magic and seeing Serpent slither from the chamber, they realised what had happened but were helpless to do anything. In moments all the five remaining warriors were encased in jade and Supay added to their humiliation by reducing them to the size of ornaments and displaying them in his great hall.

Urcaguary was furious when he heard what had happened to his warriors and pleaded with Inti to do something. The Sun God called forth Supay and ordered him to bring the figurines of the warriors and the traitor Serpent.

'Supay,' Inti proclaimed, 'I cannot break the spell you cast to bind the warriors but I can alter it.' He raised his golden staff and pointed at the warrior figurines. A golden glow encased them. 'I decree that from this day the figurines will be taken forth individually and kept hidden amongst the Sun temples in this world.' His staff moved to Serpent. 'I also decree the one known as Serpent will from this day only exist in his animal form and shall no longer be able to exist as a human. His strength will be distributed equally amongst the five others. For on the day that the figurines are brought together, the spell will be broken and their spirits will pour forth and have the strength needed to destroy the underworld.'

A bright white light hit Serpent and when it had dissipated, only the long coiled length of a hissing serpent was left on the ground and the warrior figurines had disappeared.

Supay realised that unless he acted quickly, someone else would find the figurines and he would be destroyed. So he sent serpent out to search for the figurines whilst he spread stories amongst the people that on the day the figurines were found, the earth would shake and the sky would fall. Eventually, Supay's serpent became lost in the jungle and people no longer tried to find the warriors believing Supay's poison that the world would end. Urcaguary. though, always believed that one day the right person would find the figurines and unite the warriors to finally defeat Supay…

'Of course, eventually time passed and their existence was believed to be nothing but a myth,' concluded Armitage, 'until John Castle found the wolf. When he said he'd found all five we couldn't believe it.' He gestured. 'I was at the opening of the museum that night for the show. I was so eager to see all five. It was heartbreaking to learn Castle was a criminal and only had the one…and that you blew that up.'

'Sorry.' Hawke said insincerely.

'It was a damn shame but still…' Armitage took a gulp of his coffee, 'I guess you had no choice.'

'Do you think the jade figurines do contain some kind of other element?' Caitlin asked.

Armitage nodded. 'It makes sense to me.' He waved his hand vaguely at her. 'If you take the view that myths have a fundamental core of truth. Supposing that an explosive element was created and used for many years to deter an evil person, X, from gaining control but then X gains control of the element and decides to hide it in jade; he knows where it is and can use it but no one else does.'

'But then someone else finds out and steals the jade from X, hiding it from him.' Caitlin continued.

'Perhaps leaving instructions on how the element can be used to destroy X once and for all if all five pieces of the element are brought together. And so X sends someone off to find it before anyone else only they get lost in the jungle and people scared of the element's explosive power decide they won't search for it either.' Armitage ended with a flourish.

'It makes you wonder doesn't it?' said Dom. 'All those people decided not to search for it because they feared it and here we are searching for it anyway.' He shook his head. 'It kinda makes you wonder if we're doing the right thing.'

'Progress, Dominic.' Armitage said smiling, creasing his well-worn face. 'Progress.'

'Well we can progress more tomorrow.' Hawke said. 'We should get some sleep.'

'Now that's a good idea.' Dom said laughing. 'I'll take the first watch.'

Hawke nodded in agreement and stood up. He offered his hand to Caitlin who took it and rose to her feet. Hawke felt a moment's satisfaction at Armitage's surprise as he led Caitlin away from the fire to the double hammock he'd put up for them.

The night passed slowly. No one slept well with the strange noise of the jungle around them and it was with relief that they rose at dawn and had a quick breakfast. Hawke, Caitlin and Armitage set out to explore the ruins leaving Dom to look after Airwolf.

The professor led the way to the abandoned grave and gave an exclamation of delight when he saw the dug out ruin. 'Wonderful.' He knelt down beside the grave and peered into it. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a brush which he began flicking over the skeleton and ground.

Caitlin began to take pictures with the camera. She zoomed in on the bloody pictograph on the side of the grave that had been the reason for Michael sending them. She stared at it for a while trying to make out what the scrawl meant. She sighed. 'You know I can't work out what that picture is even when I'm stood right in front of it.'

'That's because it's meaningless.' Armitage said off-handedly. 'This on the other hand…' He reached into the grave and held his discovery aloft; it was a doll.

'What is that?' Hawke asked.

'An Ekkeko doll, if I'm not mistaken.' Armitage said. 'The Incans used to make dolls in the likeness of the God Ekkeko and hide miniature versions of their desires inside so they would receive them. They also made great hiding places.' He examined the clay doll carefully before he smashed it on the ground having determined there was no other way to open it. He carefully lifted away the shards of pottery and smiled at the parchment left. He rolled it out and gestured for Caitlin to take a photo.

'And this,' Armitage said with a smile, 'is a map.' He pointed at the rough sketch that covered the ancient parchment and the Spanish writing. 'It looks our disbeliever may well have been a Spaniard. The bones would tell us.'

'A Spaniard with an Ekkeko doll?' Caitlin asked sceptically.

Armitage shrugged. 'Like I said they made great hiding places.' He pulled out a clear plastic folder and carefully placed the parchment inside. It was still visible but out of the elements that might have destroyed it. 'Look, here's where we are.' He pointed a finger at the map excitedly. 'We're at the Southern most position but according to this, one of the others is holding the centre position and the other figurines are in a compass formation around it all equidistant to the centre.' His face fell. 'But there's no indication of what that distance is.'

Caitlin smiled. 'We can fly due North in Airwolf though and search for ruins along that line. We should find the centre that way…'

'And once we find the centre we can work out the distance to the other locations.' Hawke concluded. 'Works for me.'

'Brilliant idea.' Armitage beamed at Caitlin.

Hawke scowled. 'Come on. Let's get back to Airwolf.'

They filled Dom in and were careful to make sure they had eradicated all signs of the camp before they lifted off. They flew at was a relative snail's pace for the helicopter carefully keeping to the due North course and utilising every scan available to them through Airwolf's surveillance system. They put down twice at possible ruins. It took time for them to explore and ascertain that neither held the artefact they were looking for.

Caitlin collapsed next to Hawke in the open Airwolf doorway and massaged her calf with her hand.

'Cramp?' Hawke asked.

'Yeah.' Caitlin sighed as Hawke handed her the water bottle and slid his hand down her leg and took over; his fingers kneading the knot from the tensed muscle. 'Thanks.' She said taking a gulp of water.

He straightened and tapped the tip of her nose which was turning pink despite the precautions she'd taken. 'You need more sun cream.'

She sighed. 'I need a rest. I feel like I've been walking through ruins all day.'

'That's because you have.' Dom pointed out with a laugh.

'We should set up camp.' Hawke said gesturing at the sky. 'We're unlikely to be able to search any more ruins today.'

Caitlin stood up and stretched. 'I'll go collect some firewood.'

Hawke pushed her back down to sit. 'I'll collect the firewood; you rest.' He picked up the sun cream and threw it at her. She caught it one-handed. 'And put some sun cream on.'

She stuck her tongue out at him but once he was out of sight did as he had ordered. Dom chuckled at the couple's interaction but stopped as Caitlin glared at him.

'So,' began Dom, 'is this trip living up to your dream of searching for hidden treasures?'

'Honestly, Dom, no.' Caitlin admitted. 'I guess the romance is wearing thin with the heat and the insects,' she slapped at her arm, 'and the sunburn.' She sighed. 'I'm praying we find the centre location tomorrow, find the rest of the artefacts and go home.'

'I know what you mean, honey.' Dom said sympathetically. 'I'm getting too old for this kind of adventure.'

Hawke put the stack of wood down and looked up.

'What?' Dom asked.

'It's another chopper.' Hawke said. 'High altitude.'

Dom shrugged. 'Well, unless they've got surveillance equipment of their own, they won't see us with the trees and the camouflage net.'

'I think it was with us at the last set of ruins.' Hawke said.

'Oh?' Dom looked up. 'You want me to go run some scans.'

'Yeah.' Hawke nodded. 'Let's cover the bases.'

'Sure thing.' Dom hurried into Airwolf and started scanning the chopper. He frowned. 'It's a little souped up but nothing special, String. It's moving away now.'

'Let's keep a scan going.' Hawke said. 'I want to know if it comes back.'

Dom nodded. 'I'll set it up.'

The second night in the jungle passed just as uneasily as the first and they were all grumpy as they set off early the next morning; even Armitage's enthusiasm seemed dampened.

'I have something.' Dom said. 'It looks like the ruins of a temple and…the scan is picking up the presence of jade.'

'Let's hope this is it.' Armitage said a gleam of renewed hope in his eyes.

'Let's.' Hawke agreed tersely.

They landed and organised with practised efficiency; Dom staying with Airwolf whilst the others went exploring.

The temple was a simple structure but the ornate carvings around the entrance were beautifully hewn into the rock and depicted a bear.

'Looks promising.' Armitage said. He switched on his torch and walked through the dark entrance. Hawke followed him with Caitlin bringing up the rear. Both shone their torches around the structure. It was a simple square room with a shrine built in at the far end. Armitage headed for it, held the torch in his teeth and went to shift the top off a carved stone chest.

'Wait.' Hawke said. 'What if there's a booby trap?'

Armitage smiled and took the torch from his mouth to reply. 'You've been watching too many Indiana Jones movies, Hawke.' He gave a grunt and tried to push the top. Hawke handed Caitlin his own torch and helped him. There was a grinding sound as the lid gave way and moved to let them into the chest. All of them gagged at the smell that sprang up from its confines. Armitage held a handkerchief to his nose and peered inside. He lifted out a beautifully carved wooden box and opened it; the jade figure of the snarling bear looked up at them.

'Magnificent.' Armitage said in a hushed whisper.

'It certainly is.' Caitlin smiled happily. Suddenly the bugs, the sweat and the endless walking seemed worth it.

'Come on. Let's get going.' Hawke said.

They hurried back to Airwolf where Dom exclaimed over the bear before stowing it carefully by the console.

'Now, I've worked out the distance from here to the location where the wolf was found and Airwolf has marked a spot due North, due East and due West for us.'

'Great.' Hawke swiped a hand over his brow from the doorway. 'We can use the turbos.' His head lifted, tilted to the sky almost of its own accord.

Dom saw his movement and quickly ran a scan. 'They're back.' He noted grimly.

'Who?' asked Armitage.

'That's what I'd like to know.' Hawke growled. 'Apart from Archangel and Marella, we're supposed to be the only ones who know we're out here.'

'Are you accusing me of something?' Armitage asked a picture of affronted dignity.

'Who did you tell?' Hawke demanded.

Armitage looked from Hawke to Dom and then to Caitlin for support and found none. All three of the Airwolf team looked back at him expectantly for an answer.

'Well, I told no one,' he began flustered, 'Archangel was quite specific and I…' Realisation drifted across his face.

'Who?' Hawke asked seeing the truth with Armitage's evident dismay.

'My colleague, Doctor Livingstone.'

'Doctor Livingstone?'

'Yes,' Armitage gestured, 'that's really his name. When the request came in from Archangel's office, I initially assumed that it wanted one of us in my department and not me specifically so I consulted with Howard about which of us should go…I decided to come myself in the end although Howard was very keen' he sighed. 'It was only when I got to the US that I realised Archangel had been expecting me all along. But I would never have thought Howard capable of coming after me like this.'

'Some people will do for money, fame, power.' Hawke said quietly.

'I guess you're right. The serpent is everywhere.' Armitage proclaimed dramatically before he slumped into the Airwolf doorway. 'So what now?'

'They're not going to be able to keep up with us when we hit mach speed.' Hawke noted. 'So whichever direction we go in next, they'll have to pick one of the other locations and try to set a trap for us.'

'So after the next location, we could be walking into a trap?' Armitage seemed outraged at the idea.

'Yep.' Hawke said. He patted Armitage's arm and couldn't help grinning. 'Exciting isn't it?'

It didn't take them long to pick up the second jade artefact, the Dragon, and head to the third. Their ground scans didn't pick up any movement and there was no sign of the chopper. The recovery of the Falcon figurine was relatively easy and they stopped to rest before heading to their last location and the last figurine of the Cat; due North.

Everyone was tense as they hovered over the final ruins.

'Dom?' Hawke peered out of the windscreen but couldn't get past the canopy of trees.

'They're down there alright.' Dom said grimly. 'Six of them; two in the temple and four outside. The chopper's parked over the next ridge.'

'What do we do?' Armitage asked fretfully.

'We're going to go in by stealth.' Hawke said. 'Dom, you drop me, Cait and Armitage as normal but we're going to loudly state you and I need to get back in the air to radio our progress.'

'When in actuality you'll stay on the ground hidden and I'll be standing by?' Dom checked.

'Exactly.' Hawke turned to Caitlin. 'You and Armitage head to the temple as normal. I'll circle around and take out the four on the outside of the temple. I think they'll want us inside with the jade before making a move.'

'You expect me to walk into that temple knowing there are men there waiting to…to…' Armitage stuttered.

'Caitlin will be with you.' Hawke's eyes slid to his wife. 'She's a crack shot and a karate expert. She'll protect you until I've eliminated the rest of the men and can join you.'

Caitlin smiled at his confidence in her and knew it had taken a lot for Hawke to let go of his fear of losing her and trust that she would be OK.

Hawke sighed. 'Once we have the jade and the men prisoner, we'll call in Airwolf and take off.'

With the plan outlined, Hawke wasted no time in setting Airwolf down, using the monitor to pick a spot where they would provide the least visibility to the men waiting on the ground. He checked his gun even as Caitlin checked hers.

'Ready?' He asked.

'Ready.'

They climbed out and Armitage followed them.

'Hey, String!' Dom's yell could be clearly heard over the abandoned ruins. 'We'd better go check in with Archangel.'

'Sure, Dom.' Hawke replied. He nodded at Armitage and Caitlin. 'You get the jade; we'll be back in two minutes.' His hand caught Caitlin's and squeezed it. 'Good luck.' He whispered before he ducked under Airwolf and scurried into the undergrowth.

Caitlin patted a sweating Armitage on the arm as Airwolf took off. 'Come on.'

They walked unhurriedly but without seeming to dawdle over to the temple.

Armitage swallowed hard at the dark entrance. He gestured. 'Ladies first.'

Caitlin took out her gun and her torch. She moved cautiously into the dark chamber using her police training to swing the gun and torch effectively from side to side. The chamber was vast. Dust and dirt had settled over the once beautiful mosaic floor but the grandeur of the room could be seen in the large cat statues that adorned every wall. The men could be hiding anywhere, thought Caitlin as Armitage nervously followed her.

'There.' Caitlin motioned with her torch at an alcove in the far wall. She covered Armitage as he examined the nook carefully and gently pressed down on the statue there. A grinding sound could be heard beneath their feet and they both took a hasty step backwards as the floor parted to reveal a spiral stairway going down into the earth. They looked at each other.

'I'll go; you stay here.' Armitage said.

'Good plan.' Caitlin said. She held her breath as he disappeared slowly down the steps. Every sound; every rustle within the chamber startled her and her nerves were stretched by the time Armitage reappeared. He was carrying the jade figurine in his arms.

Caitlin breathed out sharply; now all they needed to do was get out of the temple safely. 'Let's go.' She said.

They were walking out slowly when the merest whisper of a sound behind her had Caitlin spinning. She blocked the blow with her forearm and kicked out at her attacker.

'Run!' She yelled at Armitage who started to comply when a man stepped out of the shadows by the doorway and aimed a gun at him.

Caitlin slammed her gun into the face of the man who was attacking her and he went down in a heap.

'Stop!' The gruff English voice had her spinning back to the entrance.

She was panting as she took in Armitage's raised hands; the jade at his feet and the short, squat man who was holding a gun on him.

'Howard.' Armitage shook his head. 'How could you?'

Howard ignored him and gestured at Caitlin. 'Drop the gun and join us over here.'

Caitlin reluctantly complied. She wondered briefly where Hawke was; worried if his dealing with the other guards hadn't gone to plan but dragged her attention back to Howard; she needed to stay focused on keeping herself and Armitage alive. 'Doctor Livingstone, I presume?' She quipped to hide her nerves.

Howard scowled.

'So now what?' She asked Howard deciding to swiftly move on.

'Simon, pick up the jade.' Howard ordered. 'Both of you into the clearing.'

They followed his instructions.

'Now what?' Caitlin demanded.

Howard glanced around and frowned.

'Were you expecting someone?' Hawke's gruff tone had Howard spinning towards the pilot as he slowly made his way from the tree line into the clearing. There was a bruise forming on his left cheek and his lip was split. His gun was clearly aimed at Howard.

'Drop the gun.' Howard ordered furiously. 'Or I'll kill her.' He stretched his arm out fully to aim the gun at Caitlin and she delivered a roundhouse kick to knock it out of his hands. She dived and rolled to pick it up and aim it at the pale Englishman.

Hawke breathed out deeply. She was OK. He took out the small radio and gave Dom the signal to pick them up.

'What are you going to do with me?' asked Howard miserably.

'Nothing.' Hawke said.

'You're just going to leave me here?' Howard looked at his colleague with horror. 'Simon…'

'You would have killed me, Howard. I'm not inclined to be merciful.' Armitage marched away as Airwolf landed only barely remembering to duck under the rotors.

Hawke and Caitlin followed after him.

'String, that chopper took off two seconds ago and is heading for us.' Dom said as they took their seats.

Armitage put the final jade figure down beside the other three. He sighed as they took off. 'It's such a shame the wolf was destroyed…'

Hawke sent an incredulous look over his shoulder before calling for the turbos as the chatter of gunfire on their tail sounded in the cockpit, startling Armitage into silence. Hawke hit the turbos and ascended sharply before turning around and heading back to the chopper at mach speed. He zipped past shaking the chopper badly from the force of the backwash. He repeated the manoeuvre until the chopper broke away and fled.

'Shall we go after it?' Dom asked.

'Nah.' Hawke rolled his shoulders. 'I think we scared them enough.'

'Well I have to say that was a close call…' Armitage stopped suddenly and stared at the figurines by his feet. 'What the…'

'Oh my God.' Dom murmured.

'What's the matter?' Caitlin shifted to look into the back. Her jaw fell open. The jade figurines were breaking apart. 'Hawke, we need to land.'

'If we land we're a target…' he began.

'And if we don't land we're going to blow up.' Caitlin said interrupting him.

Hawke took Airwolf down sharply and landed.

'Hand me the jade.' Caitlin ordered removing her helmet.

Armitage thrust them at her.

'I'll go.' Hawke said.

'There's no time.' Caitlin said as she staggered out the cockpit and ran away from the helicopter.

'String…' Dom called after Hawke as he followed after his wife.

Caitlin dropped to her knees and placed the vibrating figures on the ground. Hawke helped her up and he held onto her arm as they ran back to the helicopter. They shut the doors hurriedly and pulled on the helmets.

The electronic system on Airwolf suddenly shutdown and her previously lit up consoles went dark.

'What the…' Dom managed before there was a flash of bright light that had the visors slapping down on the helmets. Hawke threw himself across the cockpit to shield Caitlin with his body as Airwolf rocked with the force of the blast.

There was a deadly silence.

Hawke raised his head slowly and slid back into his own seat as he removed the helmet. Caitlin levered herself up and did the same. They both stared at the total devastation in front of them. There was a crater where Caitlin had placed the figurines that extended to a foot in front of Airwolf.

'Good God in heaven.' Caitlin muttered.

'Mamma mia.' Dom murmured.

'Good Lord.' Armitage moved to get a better view. 'Is there any sign of the figurines?'

Hawke stared at him.

They all jumped as the system suddenly powered back up; the lights reappearing, the engines starting and the rotors engaging.

'What now?' Hawke said plaintively.

'Is she meant to do that?' Armitage asked and flinched at Hawke's flinty look.

'Take your seat, professor.' Hawke said as he replaced the helmet.

'String, that chopper turned around they're coming back for us.' Dom said as the automatic identifying program skipped over his monitor.

Hawke grasped the cyclic and raised Airwolf as two missiles slammed into the ground where they had been.

'Give me a redeye.' Hawke ordered sending Airwolf into a wide arc to come back around.

'Redeye.' Dom confirmed

Hawke slid the visor down and targeted the chopper. He fired. The chopper exploded. He clicked the visor back up.

'Let's go home.' He suggested.

'I hear you.' Dom said. He started laughing. 'I can't wait to see Michael's face when we tell him what happened to his artefacts, huh?'

Armitage started to chuckle as Caitlin joined in with Dom's laughter. Hawke looked at them and allowed himself a small smile. Seeing Michael's face when he told him what had happened…it was almost going to be enough to make the trip worthwhile.