The Red Star complex was in chaos. Marella's office was engulfed by a number of different people all vying for her attention. Caitlin and Hawke exchanged a concerned look as Marella was pressed back against her desk. Hawke fought his way through the mass, holding onto Caitlin's hand to ensure he didn't lose her in the melee. He finally got to Marella's side.

'Hey!' Hawke's angry shout silenced everybody. 'Give the lady some space.'

Marella took a deep breath. 'Everyone, please make your way to the conference room and wait for me there. Except you, Mark.' Her dark eyes focused on her chief of security, a slim man in his thirties with blond hair and green eyes. 'You can stay and tell me what happened.' She made her way to her chair as everyone else filed out, Mark stood in front of her desk awkwardly; Hawke closed the office door and sat next to Caitlin.

'I'm sorry but I couldn't keep the news contained.' Mark began.

'I want a communications blackout in place.' Marella demanded. 'The Company can't know about this.'

Mark nodded. 'All our people have been told they're restricted to base and anyone using the phone will be fired.'

Marella sighed in relief. 'Tell me exactly what happened with Gemini.'

'Gemini?' Caitlin asked.

'Our codename for this Airwolf.' Marella explained. 'It was getting a little confusing referring to it as Airwolf.' She turned back to the security chief. 'Mark?'

He shook his head. 'I don't understand it.' He folded his arms over his chest. 'We checked Gemini first thing this morning and it was locked up tight in hangar two.'

'And?' Marella prompted impatiently.

'We went to check on it again an hour ago and it was gone.' Mark's jaw tightened. 'I have my guys reviewing the security tapes now.' He shook his head. 'I don't understand how someone sneaked it out of here.'

'It's a stealth helicopter, Mark.' Marella snapped. 'That's how someone sneaked it out.'

The security chief flushed. 'Yes, ma'am.'

'Remote activate the homing device,' Marella instructed, 'and begin the satellite sweeps. I want that helicopter found.'

'Yes, ma'am. Karen Hansen wanted to see you too as soon as you arrived.'

'Tell my aide to bring her to the office immediately.'

'Yes, ma'am.' Mark spun on his heel and marched out.

'Damn!' Marella sighed. 'I can't believe we've lost another one.'

'Homing device?' Hawke inquired.

Marella nodded. 'We placed a homing device into the machine just in case something like this ever happened along with a self-destruct. If we can find her, we can destroy her.'

'But who would steal her?' Caitlin asked. 'Who knows how to fly her?'

Marella leaned back in her chair. 'That's a very good question.'

There was a brief knock on the door and Marella called for the person to enter. She stood up as Michael swept into the office followed by Dom. Marella had called Michael before leaving the cabin and they had left Jo watching Santini Air and made their way to Red Star to meet up with the others.

'What happened?' Michael demanded.

'Someone stole Gemini between security checks. Mark is activating the homing beacon and going through the security tapes.' Marella gestured. 'I have a communications blackout in place on Red Star.'

Michael waved her back into her chair as he sat down himself. 'Damn.' He rapped his cane against the floor. 'Why the hell can't we keep hold of these damn helicopters?'

'I'm sorry, Michael…' Marella began.

Michael stabbed a finger at her. 'This is not your fault.' He frowned. 'The theft might explain the break-in at Santini Air.'

'What d'ya mean?' Dom asked. He'd taken a seat over by the window and glared at the spy.

'Someone wanted us distracted.' Michael said. 'The break-in did that.'

'Well, we're not that distracted.' Hawke said. His hard blue eyes met Dom's. 'Let's get the Lady.'

'Now you're talking.' Dom said gleefully getting to his feet.

Caitlin started to get to hers when another rush of nausea hit her. She swayed and Hawke gently pushed her back in the chair. 'You're staying here.'

There had been an argument about her coming to Red Star which she'd won but his tone had a finality that told her she wouldn't win another one. She nodded. 'Be careful.'

Hawke dropped a kiss on his wife's lips before he and Dom left. Karen Hansen came in as they went out. The thirty-something year old woman barely acknowledged them as she hurried into the room and brushed her red bob back over her shoulder. Her hazel eyes smiled a greeting at them as she sat down. She was the expert on Airwolf's computer programme.

'Tell me the self-destruct is in place.' Marella said.

'It's in place.' Karen confirmed. She shifted in her chair. 'I'm afraid I have bad news.' She swallowed hard at suddenly being the focus of all of their attention. 'Some adjustments were made to Gemini last night.'

'What adjustments?' Marella asked apprehensively.

'One of my staff realised that the educational module, the self-preservation code and Airwolf's memory file weren't loaded into Gemini.' Karen admitted. 'He thought they had been missed in the original load and uploaded them.'

Michael frowned. 'I don't see how this is relevant.'

'We think that these are the elements which have prompted Airwolf to start making independent decisions.' Karen explained. 'Airwolf's memory stores all of her experiences; her educational module uses these memories to learn and develop so her responses will be modified the next time she experiences a similar situation and her self-preservation code provides her with the opportunity to act independently if she believes her existence is threatened.'

'So you left these out of Gemini?' Caitlin checked.

Karen nodded. 'We didn't want this machine developing artificial intelligence like the original.'

'What's the problem?' Caitlin asked. 'I mean the original Airwolf has.' She rubbed her arms. 'It's just as well too. She saved my life.'

Michael sighed. 'We agreed the original Airwolf shouldn't be handed to the Company because of her intelligence, remember?'

'Oh, right.' Caitlin waved a hand. 'Ignore me.'

'Karen, I still don't see the relevance.' Michael commented.

Karen sighed and met Michael's cold stare. 'There's more.'

'What else, Karen?' Marella asked gently.

'We set up an automatic transfer of all the logs from Gemini to the central computer here every hour. It's still sending us data. The last update is worrying.'

'Worrying?' Marella pinned the other women with a concerned look. 'How?'

'There was a lot of activity within the CPU.' Karen explained. 'It seems to be cycling through the memory files and then through the educational module.' She wet her dry lips. 'I don't think Gemini was stolen, I think it activated the self-preservation code.'

'You think Gemini has developed artificial intelligence too?' Caitlin said in disbelief.

Karen shook her head. 'Not exactly. I think Gemini is simulating artificial intelligence.' She said. 'It's a subtle difference.'

'Explain.' Michael ordered tersely.

'I think Gemini is acting on pure logic. The machine is cycling through the memory files and acting on them. It initiated the self-preservation code after it reached the memory file of the original Airwolf activating the code.' Karen said. 'It's not using any other intelligence to make a determination about what action to take. It's using the memory files, the educational module and the programming to make those determinations.'

'Isn't the original Airwolf just doing the same thing?' Marella asked.

'The original Airwolf seems to have an understanding of her experiences based on more than just pure logic; that's why we think she rewrote the original self-preservation code.' Karen said.

'So?' Michael said impatiently.

'So, if Gemini is making decisions just on pure logic than those decisions may not be the same as our Airwolf.' Karen concluded.

'You'll mean Gemini will make different decisions?' Caitlin asked, her blue-green eyes giving away how much the idea disturbed her.

'So we have a stolen machine which might be operating under some kind of semi-intelligence?' There was a note of outrage in Michael's voice.

'No, sir.' Karen swallowed. 'I think Gemini left of its own accord. I don't think the helicopter was stolen.'

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Please tell me you didn't say what I think you just said.'

'I'm afraid that's what the logs are telling us.' Karen said.

'Why?' Caitlin asked. 'Why would it leave Red Star?'

'Because it doesn't think it belongs here.' Marella said. 'It thinks it belongs at the Lair.'

'It's worse than that.' Karen interrupted. 'The self-preservation code that was loaded wasn't the current code.' She saw her meaning dawn on each of their faces but said it anyway. 'It was the original code. Gemini thinks the pilot in charge should be Charles Moffett; it thinks that's where it should be; with Moffett.'

'You think it flew off in search of Moffett?' Marella slumped back in her chair and ran her hands through her dark short curls.

'Damn.' Michael spat out the swear word.

'But doesn't it realise that Moffett is dead?' Marella asked.

'I don't think the information that Moffett is dead is actually part of Airwolf's data.' Karen said.

'But Hawke blew him up.' Michael argued. 'That must be part of the memory file.'

'I don't think it understands yet that the memory is of Moffett dying.' Karen sighed.

'If Gemini is making decisions based on the belief that Moffett is its real pilot,' Caitlin began, 'then what is it likely to do?'

'Head to Libya?' Michael speculated. 'That was the last place it would believe Moffett to be.'

'And if it realises Moffett is dead?' Marella asked. 'What will do then?'

'Moffett's last mission.' Michael said pointing a finger at her. 'Airwolf has all the memories relating to the logic bomb.'

'I'll call Langley.' Marella said reaching for the phone. 'We should put the perimeter on alert too. It could decide to come back and destroy Red Star like Moffett did when he left.'

'Good point.'

'What if it focuses on who destroyed Moffett?' Caitlin asked suddenly.

'It'll target Hawke.' Karen replied.

'We need to warn Hawke and Dom.' Caitlin said. 'If they find Gemini…'

'It could destroy them.' Michael finished.