Chapter 2

Dom's first night in the future was complimented by a morning breakfast that consisted of eggs, toast, bacon and real butter along with a hot cup of coffee. He sat down at the table with a plate of food waiting for him cooked by his niece, Jo. He wore the same clothing from the day before of jeans and a white polo style shirt.

He grinned, "Real eggs and butter." He grabbed his fork, "Cait keeps trying to put me on a diet."

Jo asked, "Was she trying to put you on margarine and egg whites?" She took a seat at the table wearing blue jeans and a red and white flannel shirt.

He nodded as he dug into the heavenly food.

She mentioned, "I remember that fad back in the 80's. Turns out real butter is better for you than margarine after all."

"I know!" he agreed. "Taste better too."

Sam wandered into the kitchen next wearing women's tan cargo pants and a red sweat shirt. Her hair was a mess and she looked tired for she didn't sleep much at all as she was up all night trying to figure out what went wrong with her experimental engine. She plopped down at the table looking disgusted with herself.

Jo asked, "Did you get any sleep?"

She shook her head, "Couldn't! My mind is just running amuck trying to figure out what went wrong."

"You will figure it out." her mother assured. "Have something to eat."

Sam looked over at Dom's plate and then glanced to her mother who was eating her own breakfast. "Did you make me any eggs?"

"You can make it yourself." she replied.

Sam's shoulder's slunk. "I'll grab Mickey D's on the way to the hangar."

Dom asked, "McDonald's?"

She nodded.

"Your mom's cooking was better than that." he bragged enjoying his food.

"I know but she won't spoil me like you." she complained.

Jo rolled her eyes.

Sinjin walked into the kitchen next. "Morning! How did you sleep, Dom?" He wore jeans and a white t-shirt under a green flannel.

"Like a baby." he replied for he found the bed very comfortable.

"Good." he replied soundly. He noticed his daughter's droopy eyes. "You sleep at all?"

She shook her head. "Thinking about what went wrong too much."

"It will come to you." he figured. "I'll drive you to the hangar. Dom can stay here with your mom."

"You got any money, Dad?" she asked.

"Mickey D's?" he asked knowing.

She nodded.

"Alright," he agreed. "Least the coffee is good."

Dom asked, "What am I going to do here all day?"

"Don't you want to see Cait?" Sinjin asked. "I told her what happened last night. She's flying in today just to see you."

He agreed, "I would like to see Cait."

Sinjin asked Jo, "Can you pick her up at the airport?"

"I can." she agreed.

"Great!" he cheered.

Sam rose to her feet, "Come on, Dad. Take me to the hangar. I have to find a way to fix this."

He motioned, "Alright!"

Hangar

Sinjin stepped into the hangar after his daughter. His eyes settled on the burnt out engine on the table. "Looks bad." he mentioned.

She walked over to the table and gave a heavy sigh, "It is."

He stood beside her and mentioned softly, "Listen…if you can't fix it, it's okay for Dom to stay here with us."

"I know what this is, Dad. You and mom don't want to let him go back because he will die." she figured.

"If I could go back and prevent it, I would." he confessed.

She gave a sigh, "I'm not sure I even can fix this." She walked to a desk that was next to the table and turned on her laptop computer that was connected by wires to the engine. She felt tired and stressed, unsure what damage she had done. "Odd," she mentioned looking at the screen.

Sinjin came to her side, "What?"

"Energy spike." she stated. "But it's constant. Thing is, it's not coming from the engine."

"Where is it coming from?" he wondered.

"I'm not sure." she replied. She grabbed a small meter from the desk drawer and then stood up. She began to walk around the area. The meter jumped in the area that Dom stood. "It's coming from this area here. This is where Dom came through."

"So, what does all that mean?" Sinjin asked.

"Means there is a…die hold…right here." she figured. "It's a fixed point in space and time. To send Dom back, he would need to stand where he was when he came." she figured. She stood pondering the implications. "Question is, once I send him back can I close it?"

"What happens if you can't close it?" Sinjin wondered.

She shrugged, "I'm not sure. In theory if it stays open it would be a fixed space in time. At the very least transmission should be able to get through. Like a whole in space…like a wormhole." she explained.

"Transmission?" he father pondered the implications.

She asked, "What?"

"Well, if we send Dom back with enough information he can change things." he figured.

She replied, "But wouldn't that upset the timeline? I mean, granted this has never done before and I'm no expert but if he changes things than that could affect things here."

He nodded, "That's the idea. We could get String back."

"What?" she cocked her head.

He explained, "Your uncle and I were both in Vietnam together. He was a chopper pilot and medic and so was I. I got left behind and String was the pilot. He never forgave himself. He kept Airwolf from the CIA to force them to find me. If he had not done that, I would have died in that camp. Your uncle helped design Airwolf and few pilots can fly it in mach one. You, young lady, are the only other pilot than me that can fly it without a computer to assist in transitioning from rotors to jet engine. Even your mom still has a little trouble. The only upgrade I allowed was that computer assist to help your mom out when flying it." He continued, "You are more like String than you realize. You remind me so much of him at times. I know you never got a chance to really know him. I always regretted that because I know String adored you. He wanted you in his life but he just could not deal with the pain killers, the surgeries, his failing health. But he adored you. I want you to know that. Dom…my god…you brought Dom back to us. We have a chance to save his life and String's. We owe it to them, Sam. They did so much to make our life possible."

"So, you want to use this to change the past." she figured.

"Yes." he confirmed. "I want my brother back. The way he used to be. We have a chance to help String and Dom for once. They did so much for the country and now, we can pay that back. I don't want NASA or any feds involved. This is family! This is our mission. Our family mission."

"What do you want me to do, Dad?" she asked.

"Fix the engine, use that wormhole and fix the past." he figured.

She winced, "How?"

He pondered, "You take Dom back. You go back with him and you help Dom fix things. Me and mom can communicate with your directly from here…through the wormhole. We can communicate with a radio or cell phones even." His mind began to come up with a plan, "We send you and Dom back with dates and a cover. String won't know you. I'm still a POW. Jo is working. Dom can help keep your cover. Say, you're his…" he pondered for a good cover.

"I'm already his niece." she reminded him.

"Daughter." he countered.

She gasped, "Are you serious? I don't look anything like him."

He countered, "You look like a Santini. You are a Santini. String will be suspicious of you. You will be an outsider. He knows all of Dom's relatives. You will have to be a surprise relative. Like an illegitimate kid or something."

"Seriously?" she asked not amused. "He's could pass as my grandpa."

"And if he survived he would have been your grandpa and not just your great uncle." her father confirmed. "Dom would have been playing Grandpa Dom to you."

"I was born in 2000." she reminded him.

"He still got a good 20 years at least on him. He could easily make to his 90's if just given a chance. He would been right there…Grandpa Dom." he insisted. His mind churned, "Back when I was in Nam, Dom was a bit of a player. He had loads of girlfriends. If we send you back to 1984 and say you were born in 1968..." he pondered the dates.

"That would make me 16!" she huffed.

"Perfect cover!" he snapped. "Dom's illegitimate 16 year old daughter comes to live with him after her mom…Um…" he thought harder.

"Died?" she asked.

He winced, "No, Jo doesn't die."

She huffed, "Mom wouldn't be my mother if send me to 1984, Dad."

"I know." he rebutted. "Let's say she kicked you out and sent you to live with your father…Dom…" he pondered how inconceivable the cover story sounded.

"That's stupid, Dad." she huffed.

"Got a better cover story?" he asked.

She admitted, "No."

He continued, "We send you back with Dom. He tells String and Cait you are his daughter from his wild days in 68 and…" he turned slightly as a mischievous grin crept across his face, "You will have to go to high school…"

She huffed, "No way in hell!"

"You could pass as 16 and to make the cover story work….you would have to be a 16 year old kid who just got sent to live with her estranged father." he figured.

"I never went to high school. I was privately tutored." she reminded him.

"I know…it's because you were so advanced." he agreed. "Just think…now you get a chance to maybe go to high school and be a normal kid and make friends."

"Are you serious?" she gasped.

He admitted, "I always wanted you to have a chance at having normal friends and living a normal life. Just, dumb yourself down a bit to keep your cover." he suggested.

"This idea of yours, Dad…is insane." she proclaimed.

He admitted, "I know it is! But this is a once in a lifetime chance to change things for the better. Of course it's insane. The fact that Dom, who died in 1986 is eating breakfast at my table this morning is insane."

"That's two years." she told him.

"About a year and a half." he corrected. "I will give you the exact dates. Sam," He placed his hands on her shoulders, "I wouldn't ask just anyone to do this. You are a Hawke and a Santini. If anyone can fix what went wrong, it's you."

"I just wanted to go into space." she reminded him.

"You will do far more." he assured her.