Hawke had had to wait until Santini returned with Zhenya mid-afternoon and then another hour while the two 'comrades' rehashed their flight, their lunch at Rocky V at nearby Whitman Airport, and the different food and drinks available following The Big One in their respective countries.

Hawke was ready to head home and talk to Dominic later when Zhenya finally stood.

"Thank you for a splendid outing, Dominic Antonovich." Zhenya's face was incandescent with pleasure. "I shall remember this day throughout all of my remaining days."

Santini stood, his expression beaming his own pleasure in the day's outing. Hawke wondered exactly what they'd imbibed at lunch.

"Oh, that's nothing. Next time I'll let you try flying her a little."

Zhenya ducked his head, smiled, and headed, a little unsteadily, towards the main hangar doors.

Dominic settled back into his chair, still smiling. "For an infantryman, he took to the air like he'd been born to it. Wasn't scared a bit and he didn't get sick either, even when I tried some…." His voice trailed off and a canny expression crept over his face. "Well, never you mind. Zhenya was born to fly."

Hawke snorted, all too aware of what stunts Dominic might have tried if he felt like showing off, which he obviously had. He tried to dodge the urgent glances Caitlin was shooting his way, wanting to let Dominic bask in his pleasure for a little longer before shaking things up.

"Seems like a nice guy," Hawke said, throwing out a tentative opening.

"No 'seems' about it," Dominic responded. "If more Russians were like Zhenya, we wouldn't be going head-to-head with them on everything."

Hawke frowned, caught Caitlin's eye, and plunged in. "We got a problem, Dom."

Hawke's voice was serious enough that Santini switched mental gears immediately, his eyes narrowing to focus in on Hawke. "With Zhenya?" Santini asked in disbelief.

Hawke nodded. "Remember what you told me about why he was hanging around Van Nuys?"

Santini nodded, face set skeptically against whatever Hawke was going to say.

"Some guy told him that some other guy might know where the kid was, right? And this other guy supposedly came around here sometimes. That's what you said."

"Yeah?" Santini leaned away slightly as if he knew he wasn't going to like what Hawke said next.

"We're pretty sure that other guy is Archangel, Dom."

Hawke waited out the flurry of expressions that raced across Santini's face: surprise, disbelief, suspicion, and finally anger.

"Why, that…." Santini clenched his hands, his body vibrating with emotion. "What did he do to Zhenya's son?"

Hawke, surprised, almost laughed. Briggs and Santini had never been friends but they'd known each other for years. That he'd choose his new Russian buddy over a known relationship, however fractious, was a little surprising. Then again, Dominic had never entirely trusted Archangel, even if he held him in guarded affection.

"Probably nothing. Zhenya's been calling the Firm, trying to see Archangel. They never heard of him before."

That caught Santini off guard. "He's calling them?"

"Says he has some information."

"He's called three times in the last month," Caitlin added. "And won't meet with anyone but Michael."

Santini was rocked and Hawke felt a wave of sorrow and frustration as the older man rubbed a hand over his face, trying to hide his crestfallen expression. Caitlin moved in, put an arm around Santini.

"We don't know what it means yet, Dom, just that Zhenya is trying to contact Archangel. From what he told you, we think it may be about his son."

"And he has information?" Santini wondered aloud, sounding a little lost. "He's trying to trade something he knows for information about his son?"

Hawke nodded, relieved that Dominic was regaining perspective, arranging facts to attempt to find reason.

"We don't know for sure that Zhenya knows about our connection with the Firm," Hawke said firmly, relying upon Caitlin and Dominic to understand his implication.

Both nodded. A little color had come back into Dominic's face as he took that in.

"So, you don't think he knows about…." He jerked his head, "you know?"

Not unless you said anything, Hawke thought bleakly, wondering how best to approach the subject. Briggs would have said it just like that, putting Dominic on the spot. Hawke let his gaze wonder to Caitlin, telegraphed his dilemma with his eyes.

"And we're not going to tell him," she said with bright determination, eliciting a slow nod from Santini.

"You don't think it's coincidence?" Santini said, directing his question to Hawke.

Hawke shrugged. "Better assume it's not until we know better." He wished he could have assured Dominic, wanted to remove that unhappy expression, but nothing involving Airwolf or the Firm ever seemed to be coincidental. "Michael's back later today. Marella's doing some research. Let's see what they come up with."

He sought and found agreement in Santini's eyes, but the agreement was mired in wretchedness and Hawke was the first to look away.