'You do know we're breaking a direct order.' Marella commented bringing in the helicopter to land in front of the Santini chopper in front of the cabin. She was dressed in her usual all-white flight suit. She removed the headset and her nimble fingers soon rearranged her short dark hair back into perfect order.
'It's never stopped us before.' Michael said unruffled. He was in the casual version of his all-white uniform; white pants, white sweater, white jacket. His wire-frame glasses with the black eye-patch completed the outfit which was also accessorised by a much needed rosewood cane.
'We've never been without a division to back us up before.' Marella said wryly. Michael's organisation had been disbanded with the Company take-over of the FIRM; they were still getting used to their new status.
Michael hid a smile as he looked over at the Hawaiian agent with more than a little fondness. He'd held out for two things in his negotiating with the new bosses; control of the new Airwolf project and that Marella remained with him. She was much more to him than just his senior aide and he was pleased their personal relationship was progressing with the blessing of his ten year old daughter. 'We'll be OK, Marella.'
'I know, Michael.' The dark eyes that smiled back at him were filled with a trust and a faith that humbled him.
Michael couldn't stop himself leaning across the cockpit and kissing her.
She was smiling when he raised his head. 'We should go in before Hawke comes looking for us.'
He smiled in agreement and led the way out of the helicopter and across the small clearing to the cabin.
It was after dinner when the group were sat in comfortable familiarity in the living area in front of a crackling fire that Michael cleared his throat and turned the subject to business.
'I have news,' he begun.
They all turned to look at him expectantly.
'My division no longer exists. I have been relieved of all responsibility in regard to the existing Airwolf file.' Michael said. He noticed the absence of surprise; they had all expected what had come to pass.
'And your new project?' Hawke asked from his seat on the hearthstone.
'Full control,' Michael confirmed, 'but we're under orders to cease contact with you whilst you have the original Airwolf.' This time he could see the flickers of surprise on Dom's and Caitlin's faces; Hawke remained stubbornly unaffected.
'You're taking a risk being here.' Hawke commented dryly and raised his wine glass.
Michael pointed his cane at him. 'You've been a bad influence on me.'
They all smiled.
'What does that order mean for our involvement with your project?' Caitlin asked.
Michael shrugged. 'As far as I'm concerned you're all still involved.'
Hawke glanced up at Caitlin and she nodded. Michael and Marella watched the exchange with curiosity.
'We have a favour to ask.' Hawke admitted and gestured at his wife. 'We'd like Cait to start working full time on the project.' He met Michael's gaze.
'I won't be working at the air service any longer or as part of the Airwolf crew.' Caitlin said. 'Doctor's orders.'
'And we need to take her off the radar.' Hawke added.
Michael took a deep breath. He had seen for himself the devastation that Horn had inflicted on the couple and knew Hawke was asking him to do more than give Caitlin something to do; he was asking Michael to protect her. The spy didn't hesitate. 'Consider it done.' He said.
Hawke's tension eased a little as Michael held his gaze for a heartbeat; Michael had understood.
'Great.' Caitlin said brightly, ignoring the serious and intent look the guys had shared. 'When do I start?'
'As soon as you want.' Marella said. 'It'll be great to have you on board.' She smiled at the younger woman; they'd become good friends.
'How far along are you now?' Caitlin asked eagerly.
'The frame and the shell are complete. The major hardware is installed and we're tweaking the programming.' Marella said. 'We may need to make a decision fairly shortly on whether we want to transfer the artificial intelligence from the original or leave her where she is.'
Hawke shook his head. 'It's probably best to leave it for now. I'd like to have the advantage over whatever the Company is going to throw at us at least for the short term.'
'Makes sense.' Michael said.
'Plus,' Hawke added, 'it might be better for all of us for them to believe you're complying with your orders.'
Michael's good eye twinkled. 'Maybe.'
'Let's leave things to settle until then.' Hawke suggested.
Michael sighed trying not to acknowledge Marella's pleading look to agree with Hawke as he considered the pilot's plan. Hawke was a good strategist and an intuitive one. Michael slowly nodded. 'I guess we can do this so Caitlin comes in to work on the project every day without any other contact.' He brushed a finger over his moustache. 'It definitely looks like they are going to continue the deal we made about your brother, at least in terms of appearances.'
They were all silent for a moment. They had discovered the Company was removing information about Saint John from the intelligence network and feared it was so the Company could claim plausible deniability; Michael believed they knew more about the fate of Hawke's brother than they claimed. It was just as well that they had already discovered a great deal about his brother's fate, Hawke mused; Saint John had been rescued from the Vietcong by a Special Forces unit he had gone on to join. When they had disbanded, he had left the army and joined an intelligence agency doing similar deep covert incursions into enemy territory in Southeast Asia. Michael was convinced the intelligence agency was the Company.
'So if you're not in charge of the Airwolf file,' Caitlin asked, 'do you know who's taking it over?'
'A Company operative called Jason Locke.' Marella answered. 'He has a solid reputation.'
'We still don't have full access to the Company's mainframe but what information we have and from my meeting with him, I get the impression he's very much a Company man.' Michael said.
'He generally keeps to the rules of the game, prefers to take minimal risks and importantly for the Company, he follows orders.' Marella expanded on Michael's comment.
Michael smiled and pointed at Hawke. 'He's going to find working with you frustrating.'
'Gee thanks.' Hawke said with a laugh.
Dom laughed. 'It sounds like this guy is a bit of a…a goody two-shoes, huh?'
'He's a bit of a stuffed shirt…' Michael ignored Dom's hoot knowing the older pilot had called him worse in the past, 'but he's also got a reputation for being a good man. He seemed sympathetic when I explained the situation with your brother.'
Marella frowned. 'But ultimately he's going to put the interests of the Company first.'
'How much did you tell him?' Hawke asked.
'The basics.' Michael tapped his cane against the chair. 'The agreement parameters that he looks for your brother, you fly missions. That we have information that Saint John was working for the Company or another intelligence agency after Vietnam. That he's missing still.' He paused. 'He thinks I'm going on assignment to the Far East. He doesn't have clearance for the new Airwolf project.'
'He doesn't know you're building a new one?' Dom's eyebrows rose.
'He has no need to know.' Michael commented.
'We'll pretend we don't know anything.' Hawke assured him.
Dom laughed. 'It'd be the truth.'
Michael looked at his empty wine glass and sighed. 'We'd better head back.'
The others walked Michael and Marella out to the porch and there were a flurry of farewell hugs.
Michael shook Hawke's hand solemnly. It might be the last time they would see each other for a while. 'Take care, Hawke.'
Hawke nodded. 'You too, Michael.' His gaze flickered to his wife.
Michael squeezed his hand again before releasing it. 'I'll look after her, you have my word.'
Hawke gave a brief smile. Caitlin's arms slipped around him and Hawke's arms went around her whilst they watched the white chopper take to the night sky with mixed emotions.
Dom sighed. 'Everything's changing, huh?'
Hawke slapped Dom's shoulder. 'Want to go take the Lady for a spin?'
Dom's eyes widened with surprised pleasure. He'd checked in on the machine over the previous couple of weeks but it had been a while since they'd flown her for sheer fun. 'Sure.' He pulled his baseball cap on his head. 'What are we waiting for?'
Hawke looked at Caitlin inquiringly and she smiled indulgently.
'Why don't you guys go ahead?' She said and patted her tummy. 'Baby and I are having an early night.'
Hawke leaned over and dropped a kiss on her lips. His eyes acknowledged that she was letting him go and have some much needed alone time with Dom as the older pilot gave her a hug goodbye.
It didn't take them long to fly to the Lair. Dom halted as they entered and Hawke dealt with the security system. The cave was situated in the heart of the Valley of the Gods with a narrow funnel to the sky above. The majority of the cave was in its original state; dusty floor and natural rock formation but one side had a man-made steel platform with a yellow railing taking up space. It had a bank of consoles with a sophisticated communications and security system that was tied into the portable generator that stood out of sight behind one of the rocks. Lockers were located to the side of the platform along with spare armaments and equipment. But it was the centre of the cave that drew the eye and specifically the black and white helicopter that resided there.
The lamps Michael had installed lit Airwolf in a circle of white light. The silhouette of the deadly shape was flung onto the rocky walls of the cave like a twisted prehistoric drawing. Armour gleamed at them; the rotors glinted.
Dom beamed at the sight of her. 'Now if that doesn't warm your heart, I don't know what will.'
'Yeah.' Hawke agreed quietly coming to stand beside him.
'You know I think she's missed us, String.' Dom took a few steps into the circle and patted Airwolf's flank.
Hawke rolled his eyes. 'She's still only a machine, Dom.'
'Aw, don't you listen to him baby.' Dom murmured as he stroked the helicopter.
The hiss of hydraulics brought a smile to both their faces.
They changed into the lilac uniforms quickly and performed a full pre-flight check on Airwolf before they took their places.
Hawke pressed the start buttons and heard the engines fire and the rotors rhythmic thud with satisfaction. His hand gripped the stick and he felt it; that special something between him and the machine; a piece of a jigsaw clicking into place in his soul. He could swear Airwolf was as eager as he was to take to the sky.
'Dom?'
'Looking good back here, kid.'
'Then, let's go.' Hawke grasped the cyclic and took her up. They hovered in the night sky over the Lair's funnel. 'Turbos.'
'Turbos.'
They shot forward. For a long while they enjoyed the flight; the exhilaration of the speed and dark, low flying over the rocky terrain. Finally, Hawke turned them homewards.
'I'm going to miss this.' Dom said.
Hawke glanced back at him briefly confused. 'What?'
'When we finally get round to handing her back.' Dom explained with a gap-toothed smile. He gestured at the console. 'I'm going to miss being able to do this.'
'Me too.' Hawke said. 'Although by the sound of it, I don't think the Company are going to come after us for her any time soon.'
'You think Michael's right and they know where Saint John is?' Dom asked.
'Maybe.' Hawke said. 'I know one thing.'
'What?'
'He's got to be somewhere and somebody knows something.' Hawke muttered.
'It's a shame Cait's going to miss out on flying her for a while.' Dom commented.
Hawke sighed. 'Yeah but at least she's safe.'
'You really think it's necessary for her to hide away in Michael's project?'
'Yeah.' Hawke replied. 'We made it way too easy for Horn, Dom. I'm not making the same mistake twice.'
'Hmmm.' Dom shook his head and tapped an instruction into the computer. 'It's just as well Jo's back otherwise we'd be a pilot down.'
Hawke ignored the subtle hint.
Dom shifted impatiently. 'Are you going to ask her to help us with Airwolf?'
Hawke sighed. 'I don't know, Dom.'
'It wasn't her fault Marin told Horn about the baby, String.'
'I know that.' Hawke fired back. 'I'm still just worried about her connection to the Company, that's all.'
'Is it?' Dom pressed. 'Because you keep saying you got that cleared up but then you don't seem to want to let go of it.'
'OK so maybe what happened with Marin hasn't helped me trust her any.' Hawke admitted.
'Aha.'
'But,' Hawke stressed, 'I know that wasn't her fault.' He fidgeted for a moment. 'I want to believe in her, Dom, I really do.'
'Then give her a chance.' Dom said.
Hawke sighed. 'I wouldn't have thought you would have wanted to get her involved.' He pointed out. 'It's pretty dangerous.'
'I guess having Cait around has kinda altered my view. She's saved my life a few times.' Dom admitted with a laugh. 'And I'm not suggesting we have the same set up as we had with Cait. I think we should just train her like we intended with Cait; just as a back up for one of us.' He paused. 'I'm not getting any younger, kid.'
Hawke was silent for a while as he considered the other man's words. 'OK. She gets a chance.'
'That's great, String…'
'If,' Hawke interrupted, 'she wants it after hearing everything that's involved.'
Dom inclined his head. He hadn't considered his niece might refuse. 'So when do we ask her?'
'Let's wait a couple of days and see what happens with this guy Locke.' Hawke suggested. His eyes caught on the familiar rock formations ahead. 'We're approaching the Lair.'
'We're clear.' Dom confirmed.
Hawke slowly descended down the funnel and back into Airwolf's resting place. He removed his helmet and turned to the back of the cockpit.
Dom grinned back at him. 'I've missed that. You, me and our Lady.'
'Me too.'
They shared a look that encompassed a lot; the camaraderie of the flight, their bond, the love that underscored their relationship.
'Come on,' Dom said, 'we'd better get you home before Caitlin starts worrying.'
Hawke nodded and climbed out, thinking it was likely that the two of them would be worrying about each other for a while.
