Chapter 24

Sam had paid for the store purchase using the app on her phone. She noticed that Caitlin also picked out two pink flannel shirts and she didn't think much of it. They climbed in the truck after existing the store.

String settled into the passenger's seat. He mentioned, "Now I can see why you never looked at the money you brought with you. I didn't see a single person in line ahead of us use cash. Everyone used a card or their phone like you did."

She smiled, "See! I'm not a dum-dum." She referred to the candy he gave her when she made the mistake.

Caitlin drew the two shirts out of her bag. She stated excited, "Look what I found, Sam! Nice pink flannels. I like the style of these ones."

Dom stated, "They had a lot more ladies clothing in that sporting good place than I would have thought."

Caitlin held one of the shirts up to the front seat. "And I got one for you too, Sam."

Sam gasped, "I appreciate that but you know I don't like pink."

She grinned nodding, "And we can match at school since our cover is that we're sisters."

She turned in the seat and accused, "You're trolling me."

None understood the accusation.

"Trolling?" asked String.

"It's when you go online and shit post." she huffed. "Teasing me!" she explained.

Catlin soothed, "I'm teasing you but in a good way. You do look good in pink and we can match. Girls like to wear matching outfits."

Sam rebutted, "No we don't and we're not twins."

She shoved the shirt to Sam, "I'm Aunt Cait and you will wear the shirt that I bought you."

Dom stated, "We all bought it for you, Sam. We put that cash from that coin in your bank account."

String had to agree, "We did buy you the shirt and you got extra money in your account now. You should be grateful."

She took the shirt and smiled pleasantly, "You're right! You all did chip in and bought me this shirt." She then grabbed her phone, "Wait here while I go exchange it for the purple one." She left the keys in the truck as she slid out the door and went back into the store with the pink flannel shirt in hand.

The trio traded glances. Dom laughed, "I had no idea she had that much spunk. She always does whatever you tell her to do."

Caitlin had to laugh, "Her parents did shelter her. Trolling! I have got to learn these new terms."

String suggested, "We should get her pink more often."

Dom asked, "Just to see her reaction?"

He nodded, "Yup."

Caitlin giggled, "Now that would be….trolling."

In short time Sam had returned to the truck with a bag and a different shirt. She handed it to Caitlin, "Purple!" she informed.

Caitlin looked inside the bag and there was same style shirt but in purple. She knew Sam liked the color purple and disliked pink with a passion.

String asked his niece, "Better now?"

"Yes!" she agreed and placed the truck in drive.

Minutes into the drive and Dom recognized the road to Sinjin's house. In short time they arrived in the newly built community.

Caitlin stated, "The houses do get bigger."

"I see that." String agree. He spied a few new builds and wondered, "I wonder how much the houses are going for now?"

"That house is 750 thousand." she told him.

He gasped, "Three quarters of a million dollars!"

"Some are a million. It's California. A shack is a million bucks here." she complained. "Mom and dad could sell the old airfield, have a ton of money but then there would be no place for my engine."

Caitlin stated, "We need that airfield. You need that airfield. We can used the gold prices. Buy a coin at 3 hundred and sell it here for 18 hundred. Like we did today."

Dom stated, "Or win the lotto. We have the means to do that."

"We have to keep financing low key." String reminded them. "The firm would finance it but not even Michael will trust them with your engine, Sam."

"You mean Michael who wears all white?" she clarified.

"Yes," he confirmed, "Archangel."

She wondered, "So…do you guys get secret code names too?"

They traded glances rather amused.

String stated, "It's not like the movies, Sam. This is real life, not double O seven."

She suggested, "Maybe we can give ourselves code names for the project?"

Amused String asked, "What code names would you pick for us?"

Sam pondered, "You would be…Hawkeye…Cait…the Black Widow…Dom…Jarvis…"

String asked, "Where do you come up with this?"

"Marvel." she confessed. "The Avengers."

Amused Caitlin asked, "And your code name, Sam?"

"I don't know." she admitted.

String suggested, "Pink! Your code name is Pink."

She rolled her eyes, "Then people will think I'm the singer, Pink." She then accused, "You chose that because I don't like pink."

"Yup!" he grinned at her.

They pulled into the driveway and emerged from the vehicle. Sam led them inside as she unlocked the front door. String got a good look inside his brother's home. He spied the large flat screen TV that Dom told him about prior. He noticed the kitchen had new appliances that seemed to have some computer applications by the digital screens.

Sam led them to a recreation room in the back of the home on the first floor.

String found a pool table, dart board, a mini bar and a large gun safe. He also found the shelves were lined with trophies. He walked up to the shelf with the trophies that was also dotted with a few framed photos. He found photos of Jo, Sinjin and Sam as a child. He read the trophies that all belonged to Sam. She won many science fair trophies and medals. As he went along the shelf the pictures aged and the trophies changed from science fairs to sporting trophies. He picked up a trophy from six years prior. "Competition shooting!" he read off. "Samantha Hawke, first place." He looked to his niece.

She was busing opening the gun safe. She nodded, "Dad had me in a young shooting club. I would shoot air guns and twenty two long rifle." She opened removed the handguns and ammunition that her father requested. She opened a case and placed in her father's and her mother's side arms. She grabbed the holsters as well. She secured the case.

Dom was busy looking in the safe. He found his sidearm along with String's. "Your dad has mine and String's sidearm's. We carry these on missions."

String stated, "So that's where will end up." He looked to another wall full of pictures. He found a picture of himself, sitting in a wheelchair with a pitiful look upon his face. It was most disturbing to see.

Caitlin also spied the photo. She grasped his hand and promised, "We are going to change that. I promise."

"Hope so." he confessed.

In the back of the safe Dom found Sam's pink BB gun that she received as a child. He pulled it out, "A pink BB gun!"

Caitlin looked upon the air gun, "That's so cute."

Sam grasped the gun from Dom's hand and then placed it in Caitlin's hand. "It's all yours." she told her. She turned and retrieved the 38 special snub revolver that her father instructed her to carry. She found a concealing holster and then placed the holster with a revolver inside her waistband. She then grabbed an extra box of ammunition for the revolver and locked the safe.

In the far corner String spied a drum set and a number of musical instruments. He cocked his head as he found his cello sitting in the corner. He went to the instrument and took a seat on the stool next to it. He grabbed the bow and began to play a few notes. He found it was well tuned. He played a few more notes.

Sam smiled and went to the drums and sat on the seat. Dom thought for sure she was going to whack a drum and disturb String's moment. Instead, she turned to another case laying on the floor behind the drums. She retrieved a second cello, the one she owned for lessons. She began to play with her uncle as she sat behind the drums in the corner. They played a melody for a few minutes and then String stopped. He looked to her, "You have my cello?"

"I inherited it from you. You left it to me in your will." she informed. "Your cello has such a smooth, rich sound. It's way better than student model I got. So, I play yours when I have time." she explained.

String suggested, "Bring your student cello back with us. We can play together at the cabin."

Dom asked, "Why not bring yours cello, String? She just said it sounds better than her student one."

"It would be the same cello." he replied. "Can we do that? Two copies of the same cello?"

She figured, "Why not?" She took her student instrument out of the case and then grasped the cello she inherited. She placed it in the case and closed it. She then lifted the instrument to take back to 1984 to be played the next trip to the cabin.

String figured, "This would make a good test for matter and time travel."

Dom smirked, "To make sure one doesn't melt?"

He nodded, "Yup."

Caitlin's eyes lit up, "That was so awesome hearing you two play together like that."

Sam couldn't leave without hitting those drums. She sat back down and Dom knew what was about to come. "We should start a rock band, Uncle String!" she called and then started a drum solo. In a minute she was done making the loud noise.

String soured, "Drums are not your thing, kid. You didn't hold the beat."

"Really?" she asked.

He walked over and motioned, "Move!"

She stood up and he took a seat behind the drums. He started with the large base drum and foot pedal. After he started the beat and he added a snare drum, then finished it with a thimble. He placed the drum sticks down and stated, "Don't over do it. Gentle." he rose to his feet as he just showed Sam that he could play far better than she could.

She gasped, "Damn! You would have made an awesome drum teacher."

Caitlin stood beside herself, "I don't know you could play drums, String."

He nodded, "I can play five instruments. I prefer the cello. It belonged to my mother."

Sam grinned, "Me too! I'll grab my guitar."

String asked looking around, "What guitar?"

"It's in my room!" she informed and led them out of the recreation room. They followed her upstairs to her bedroom. She opened the door and much to their surprise they found every inch of the walls were covered in posters of every kind. She had movie poster, rock posters, and posters from the air shows. The rest of her room was rather tidy and clean.

Caitlin peeked behind one of the posters and found a pink wall. She mentioned, "I guess you really don't like pink."

"Nope," she agreed as she put the guitar in the case.

String, Dom and Caitlin then spied a poster with a graphic of Airwolf displayed against a blue back ground. Across the top of the poster was the name Airwolf in bold letters. On the bottom was a small paragraph.

String read the words, "Airwolf! A top secret attack helicopter that saved the world during the 80's." He made a face, "Who wrote that?"

Sam replied, "Dad! That was last year's poster." She went to her closet, "I got a few extra." She dug out the remaining posters and also removed a matching t-shirt. She replied, "Dad is doing up a new design for summer."

String figured, "I think I should help." His brother's design was less than appealing for Stringfellow Hawke.

Short Time Later

As they rode in the truck back to the hangar Sam's cell phone got a notice for a new text. She pressed a button and the vehicles internal system displayed the message on the console screen as a voice read off the text over the speakers.

"Message. From Dad. Get some take out on way. We are all hungry. Me, your mom, Michael and Bonnie." the female sounding voice came over the speaker.

Sam stated, "Dad wants take out. What should we get?" she asked.

String warned, "Do not say McDonald's."

Dom suggested, "We can get a pizza. That should feed everyone."

String didn't seem enthused.

Caitlin suggested, "Mexican!"

He still was not enthused.

Sam pulled onto a local strip of fast food restaurants. Her eyes landed on the closest establishment. "How about KFC?"

Dom peered out from the back, "Is that Kentucky Fried Chicken?"

She nodded, "Yup!" She headed for the drive thru.

String shook his head, "As bad as McDonald's."

Caitlin cheered, "I wouldn't mind some friend chicken and some coleslaw."

"And a biscuit." Dom added.

Sam pulled up to the menu.

Caitlin and Dom both looked on from the back. Caitlin gasped, "Look at the menu options. Holy!"

Dom grinned, "We have to try all that someday."

String's head rolled back as he could not believe he was about to be served fried chicken. So far he was not impressed with the fast food of the future.

A voice came over the speaker. "Welcome to KFC. Would you like to try our new Beyond Chicken?"

String asked, "What is that?"

The voice replied, "It's plant based."

"Okay!" he figured he would give it a try.

Sam added, "We need a family meal deal. Sides of mashed potatoes and coleslaw."

"Would you like that original, extra crispy or baked chicken?" the voice asked.

She looked to her companions.

Dom suggested, "Extra crispy sounds good. Let's try that."

"Extra crispy." she ordered.

"Any dessert?" the voice asked.

Sam nodded, "One lemon and one chocolate bunt cake. Large size."

"Anything to drink?" the voice asked.

She replied, "Lemonade and tea…family size."

Dom stated, "Hey look…they even have pot pies, String."

String looked back at Dom and accused, "You would be here every day trying something new."

He admitted, "I would." he patted his large belly.

"Please pull around." the voice instructed.

They watched as Sam once again used her phone to pay for the food, gather the items and then continue on their way to the hangar.

Dom sat with a grin on his face holding the big bucket of chicken as the aroma filled his nostrils. "Boy, this smells just like it does in our time."

"Great," String rolled his eyes not impressed.

He teased his friend, "You got your vegetarian chicken."

He cocked an eyebrow, "And?"

Dom stated, "If you are going to go to Kentucky Fried Chicken, get real chicken."

Sam laughed, "I love you, Uncle Dom. We think alike."

He replied, "I love you too, Great Niece of mine."

Caitlin confessed, "I am curious what those fake chicken nuggets taste like."

String asked, "It's nuggets?" he rolled his eyes for so far the future was a fast food nightmare for the man.

Sam laughed, "I saw a bunch of reviews on Youtube and apparently they are like a deep fried eraser."

String soured, "Deep fried eraser?"

"You might like the Impossible Whopper. I heard good reviews on that one." she suggested.

"Whopper? Is that Burger King?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Next time we go there." he demanded.