Chapter 30

Stringfellow Hawke placed the book that Sam lent him to read in Dom's desk drawer. He wasn't sure how much he would like Harry Potter but agreed to at least read one book and give Sam his opinion for she was a huge fan of the series. He noticed the book was well worn and his niece had read it many times. Luckily, Jo and Sinjin's relationship was not altered by the timeline shift and thus his niece and brother still had a home in the future. He then stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him.

Sporting a red flannel shirt and tan cargo pants, String made his way across the hangar to greet the teens who were to arrive at any moment with band equipment. He figured he could help the teenagers with the band and thus keep them safely away from the wormhole.

A black convertible classic mustang pulled up the hangar first. It was Tony as he drove himself to the hangar that Saturday morning. He parked the car outside and waited for his friends. A large guitar case was seen sticking up in the back seat.

String stood at the door and looked on. He leaned against the frame as he looked upon the car. He figured Michael Knight would like the classic car as well as Sam for both shared an interest in older vehicles.

Tony climbed out of the car. He sported a leather jacket over a black t-shirt with jeans and work boots. He looked like a biker to String's estimation. Tony reached for the case. He asked, "Is Sam here?" he looked about for he did not see her.

"Will be here soon." he assured. "You're Tony?"

"Tony Villicana." he greeted with a handshake. "Mr. Hawke. I recognize you from school. You're that new math teacher."

"I'm substituting." he told him.

Tony asked, "You any relation to Sam?"

"Why you ask?" he wondered.

He mentioned, "You have the same nose."

He smiled, "I'm her uncle."

"Really!" he replied surprised. "I guess I should have figured that with the same nose and all. You must be her sister's uncle too." He winced as he listened to his idiotic statement. "I mean…Cait…Sam's sister. She's hot." he then winced again as String merely looked upon the boy.

"I'm not Cait's uncle." he replied.

He stood baffled, "You're not." He pondered, "Are they half sisters then?"

He just smiled and didn't reply. He spied Ralph Hinkley's station wagon pull onto the field next as he offered a ride to the field for the remaining class. Rhonda rode up front with the two boys in the back. He pulled up along Tony's mustang and parked the vehicle. The passengers soon climbed out.

Rhonda glared at Tony, "Nice of you to pick me up this morning?"

"I had to run parts for the garage." he replied. "Mr. H. said he could bring you and he did."

She rolled her eyes not enthused as she and her boyfriend seemed to having some relationship issues. She went to the back of the station wagon to help retrieve the equipment for the band. She looked around, "Isn't Sam here? This was her idea."

Tony rebutted, "It wasn't her idea. She got permission for us to use the hangar for practice."

Ralph greeted, "Morning String. Thank you for letting the class use the hangar. I will make sure they stay in the designated area." he assured.

"Morning Ralph." he gave a nod.

Ralph asked, "Where is Sam?" He didn't see her.

He replied, "She's getting cinnamon rolls and muffins at Penara Bread."

Ralph paused for he knew the only way for her to get those items from that establishment was to go to the future. He gapped for a minute. "Is that a good idea?" he wondered.

He shrugged, "Probably not."

He heard a voice from behind call in the hangar, "We're back!" Sam called out as she, Dom and Caitlin had returned from the trip to the future. They brought bags of baked goods with them.

Caitlin kept her voice low and mentioned, "Yup…get wormhole to the future and we just use it to go buy stuff."

Dom assured, "Better than using it rule the world or something like that." He found he liked the baked good of the future.

Sam smirked, "Just think what Amazon would do with a wormhole."

Caitlin's mind conjured up what the tech giant would do with a wormhole and sheer abused that would occur. She shivered, "That's a scary thought."

The class made their way into the hangar. Tony greeted with a smile, "Sam! Cait!" He then added, "I didn't see you two back here." He figured he must have missed them walking in through a back door of the hangar.

Dom held up a bag of baked good, "We just got back." He motioned towards a man door to the side, "Lots of doors in a hangar." He made up a cover. He then went to a nearby table to set up the refreshments.

Caitlin nodded, "We just got back."

Tony's eyes lingered on Sam. He thought about asking her to the prom but then remembered he had a girlfriend as Rhonda's voice broke his thought.

Rhonda went to the table and spied the goodies. She smiled, "Cinnamon rolls. My favorite."

Dom asked the pretty girl, "You like cinnamon rolls?"

She nodded, "Love cinnamon rolls. I also like the pecan rolls. I've never heard of this place before. Where is it?"

Dom assured, "It's a trip to get there." He noticed some similarities between Sam and Rhonda. He figured if Tony was dating Rhonda then he likely fancied Sam as well for the two shared the same taste.

"Penara Bread Company." she read off the label. "I will have to keep an eye out for that. The rolls looks great."

String stated, "Alright kids." He called for the class. He walked over to a far corner of the hangar, "You can practice in this corner. No place else and the office of off limits." He started to lay down the rules. "You don't touch anything and you don't go playing around. This is a running airfield. Not some basement or garage. Understand!" he looked at their young faces.

Karl assured, "We won't be messing around."

Tony assured, "We won't be any trouble. We know this is a working airfield and you got lots of planes and helicopters. We can see that! We will set up the band equipment and stay out of your way."

"Good!" he gave a hard nod.

Jose noticed some instrument cases already sitting in the corner with some folding chairs. He asked, "Who's instruments are those?"

String gave a knowing half smile. He walked over to his cello case, and opened it. He retrieved the instrument and a chair to sit upon. He took his seat and readied the cello. He began to play with the bow gliding over the strings of the cello. It gave off a rich, deep melody.

Rhonda's eyes settled on the handsome man playing the cello like a professional. She liked Mr. Hinkley but found Stringfellow Hawke to be far more intriguing. She gazed upon him as he caught her attention with the music.

Sam decided to join her uncle in the concert. She too took a chair and opened her guitar case. She readied the instrument on her lap and then joined in the melody.

String smiled at her as they played together. He found he relished in the role of uncle and wanted to make sure he would be there for her as a child and not be the absent estranged uncle he seemed destine to become. He would push her away in the future and she would travel through time to change that. He had to change his future. Pushing those he loved away out of fear had only hurt himself and saved no one. He glanced up and noticed Dom was smiling from ear-to-ear as they played together. Caitlin had a look upon them as if she saw a couple of cute puppies in a pet store. Ralph smiled for he had no idea Sam nor String could play so well. He noticed Tony was gazing upon Sam with a look of desire. He then found Rhonda giving him the same look. He suddenly paused as he wondered if he was now the target of a teenage crush.

Sam was oblivious to Tony gaze upon her. She cheered to her uncle, "We are awesome! We should play a bar."

"No!" he barked.

She asked, "Carnegie Hall then?"

"Closer." he agreed. He stood up and decided to put the cello away before Rhonda became an issue for the man.

Karl stated, "You two are really good! Wish I could play that good."

"Practice and you will." String told him.

Ralph re-enforced the lesson. "You don't just sit down and play a cello like that instantly, Karl. It took years of practice for String to get that good."

Rhonda asked, "String! Mr. Hawke's first name is String?"

"My full name is Stringfellow Hawke." he informed.

She noted, "That's an unusual name."

"I had unusual parents." he gave a slight smirk.

Sam had to agree, "They named his brother Saint John." She shook her head without much thought.

String gave her a displeased look.

Tony pondered, "Saint John and Stringfellow. Kind of cool names." He then gazed upon Sam, "Samantha Santini is a cool name."

Dom chuckled, "I thought so too."

Ralph stated, "Okay class. Let's set up the band equipment here." He tried to keep the class on track and away from other areas of the hangar.

The class complied and began to move the equipment into place. As they worked Ralph spoke to Dom.

"I really want to thank you for letting the kids use the hangar. I know this is a big risk for you." Ralph stated to the man.

Dom assured, "I like to help kids."

String had put the cello away and then walked over to Dom. He casually mentioned, "I've been meaning to ask you, Dom. I asked the school and they liked the idea. The school wants to invite you to come in for an assembly and tell your story about being a fighter pilot in World War Two."

Dom pondered, "I don't know, String. I would be talking about dog fighting and shooting other pilots out of the sky. Not sure the kids are up for that."

Tony and his class over heard the conversation. Tony stood up after placing a case down. "We would be up for that. Tell us about dog fighting, Mr. Santini."

Rhonda smirked, "And if Sam can really fly a plane?" She looked to her assumed competition.

Dom stated, "Sam can fly! She can fly a two engine plane and a chopper. She's licensed to fly both. Heck, she even flies in air shows…" he puckered as the information cross his lips for he figured he said too much.

Karl grinned, "Air shows! Cool, we can go and see Sam fly."

Sam looked to Dom, "Got anything I can fly in an air show…Dad?" At that moment she understood her tendency to verbally slip up was hereditary and from her mother's side of the family.

He nodded, "I got a P-51. Needs some work." he told her. He figured he could enroll the P-51 in a show and list Sam as the pilot and that would continue her cover. He knew he could not enroll Airwolf in an air show like her parents would in the future.

Tony asked, "What's a P-51?" He wasn't familiar with planes but knew cars very well.

"The Mustang!" Dom told him surprised the boy wasn't aware.

"There is a Mustang that flies?" he asked.

Dom nodded, "It was the pony that took down the German Luftwaffe."

"The what?" he asked.

"The German Air Force." Dom explained.

Ralph saw a learning opportunity. "I think our next class project will be about Mr. Santini's service and the P-51." He gave a smile pleased.

Caitlin grinned, "That's a wonderful idea. We can make Dom's service part of the presentation to the school." For a moment Caitlin forgot she was undercover in the school as well. She didn't see much of a point to being in the school other to protect Sam and the engine as the money mystery was solved.

Tony asked, "Isn't Mr. Santini your dad too, Cait?" He was rather confused as to the relationship between the men and women hosting their band. He found String was Sam's uncle but not Caitlin's but Caitlin and Sam were supposed to be sisters, though they didn't look all that much like sisters to him.

Caitlin recovered, "Right! Dad! Dad's presentation." She tried to hide her frustration for Dom was simply her employer.

"Okay," he shook the questions from his mind. He then went back to setting up the band equipment.

A familiar black Trans Am pulled onto the airfield next. Michael Knight came to see how things were progressing when he soon discovered the teenagers setting up band equipment in the rear of the hangar. He drove into the mouth of the hangar and emerged from the driver's side door.

Ralph's class all stopped what they were doing and became very much interested in the cool car that just arrived.

Karl cheered, "Look at the cool Trans Am."

The class then started to gather around the car.

Michael Knight looked at the teens and then spied Ralph and the crew of Airwolf. He asked, "You guys got a field trip going today or something?" He left the door open knowing the teens would be gawking inside the vehicle anyways. He also liked the watch the reactions of wow and amazement of the onlookers.

Sam stood back and watched as her classmates all started gawking at the car and the high tech dashboard. It was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. She stood rather perplexed as to her KITT was outdated and obsolete.

Jose stood wide-eyed, "Hey Mister. Can I sit in your car?"

"Just don't touch anything." Michael told him.

Jose sat down behind the wheel while Tony looked on. Jose looked up to Tony, "You ever seen anything like this?"

"No man." he shook his head amazed.

Michael let KITT draw the teens attention as he spoke to String, "So…what is going on here?" he then noticed the musical instruments in the far corner.

String explained, "There is a big talent show contest for the school and Ralph's class wants to enter. We are giving them a place to practice."

"You sure that is a good idea?" he questioned.

Dom interrupted asked, "What's the worse that can happen? They fall into a wormhole and Sinjin sends them back after getting them a pizza."

"I suppose…" he winced.

String agreed, "Timeline already changed. There is another program out there and we are still in a research and development stage. So, what's up, Michael?"

He stated, "I thought I would come and check on things here. Make sure everything is stable and get any updates from Sinjin."

String stated, "Someone stole the election. Originally, Reagan got two terms. Someone changed that."

Michael stated, "KITT thinks it was tampered with as well. I thought maybe KITT on the other end would have more info."

String stated, "After the kids are done we can go see Sinjin."

Michael agreed, "Sounds good." He then looked about. He found the teens had struck up a conversation with KITT who had employed an introduction protocol. He then spied Sam's six string guitar. He wandered over and picked up the instrument. He smiled to himself, "Haven't played in years."

Sam came over to Michael and asked, "You play?"

"Little." he admitted. He placed the strap over his shoulders and began to strum. He started to sing as he played a tune. "Where it begun. I can't begin to know it…" the sound of a deep smooth voice came across.

Sam raised an eyebrow for she had no idea he was a musician.

Caitlin came over to her side, "Mike can sing and play real good." she told her.

"I'll say." she nodded as she recognized the tune as a Neil Diamond song, Sweet Caroline.

Dom stood and spoke to String, "Looks like Michael Knight can play and sing."

"I see that." he agreed figuring Michael could help with the class as well.