Judgment Calls
Characters: Archangel, Zeus, OC
Category: gen Warning: none
Challenge: # 7 Complicated Situation Word Count: 442
"Are you saying a civilian contractor has stolen a classified, multi-million dollar, state of the art combat helicopter and no one has any clues where it is?" The iron-gray hair and deep lines on the man's face gave away his age; his eyes and voice could easily pass for far younger. He had earned his seat on the tribunal through merit, unlike several of his colleagues.
"Actually, I've long suspected Archangel to know where Hawke hides Airwolf and to supply him with both ammunition and fuel in exchange for Hawke taking Airwolf on missions regardless of that knowledge," Zeus told the tribunal smugly, convinced he would finally get to see the renegade director punished for his transgressions.
"Is that true?"
"It's a complicated situation, sir," Archangel acknowledged calmly. He placed a thick folder on the table. "These are the simulation test scores for the top helicopter pilots in ALL branches of the US military, after three weeks training with the Airwolf sim." A graph appeared on the overhead projector. "Here are Stringfellow Hawke's sim results before training, after two days training, and after the full three-week course." One by one, new lines were added to the graph. The rogue director grinned briefly at the quiet surprise that filled the room. "As you can see, not a single candidate has even begun to come close to Hawke's original results, much less the ones after his training began. In fact, several of the top candidates are convinced that the simulation is a pipe dream for an impossible Spaceship, belonging to NASA engineers. Until such time as we have another prospective pilot for Airwolf, I have decided it's judicious to leave her in Hawke's hands. He has acquiesced to every mission put before him and he is still the only pilot who can fly her." He did not say that this kept the prototype from being damaged by unqualified pilots as well as kept her out of Zeus' hands. It did not need to be said, even if it was the primary objective at this point in Archangel's career. He was not placing that kind of firepower in the unethical man's control.
"Is he a security risk?" Another tribunal member asked.
"Yes!" Zeus replied.
"No," the head of the tribunal silenced Zeus, startling everyone in the room. He stood. "Stringfellow Hawke is not a security risk. If he were, this tribunal would have been unnecessary. At this time, we'll leave matters as they are." Before anyone could ask him his reasoning, he was striding out of the room. A complicated situation did not begin to describe the tangled mess involving both Hawke brothers and Airwolf.