Chapter 65

Colonel Frank Burns was transferred out of the camp via bus and on his way to Tokyo and then to be transferred state side for his recovery. Major Houlihann was ever so graceful as she said goodbye to her old lover. She smiled as he requested she come see him and told him flatly not on his life. The officers stood and waved goodbye to the bus that carried Frank away.

Radar was up and moving. He emerged from the recovery ward wearing slippers and a robe over white pajamas and his arm in a sling. He was afraid he would miss saying goodbye to Sam and the crew of Airwolf.

Hawkeye spied the boy. "You, young lad!" he jested. "You should be in bed."

"I'm fine, Captain Pierce. Did I miss it? Did Sam and Colonel Santini's crew leave in Airwolf?" he asked concerned.

He assured, "They are in the mess tent. We were just giving Frank a bon voyage party." He then placed a hand on the Corporal's good shoulder. The officers then walked Radar to the tent.

BJ opened the door for him, "This way, young man."

As Radar walked into the tent Dom spied him. He cheered, "Hey! It's Radar!"

Caitlin and Sam both rose from their seats to go hug him. They adored him much like a baby brother.

"So glad you are okay." Caitlin stated as she wrapped her arms around him.

Sam grinned, "You are up and moving already!" She too held him tight for a moment.

He blushed, "Gosh! I was afraid you left and I didn't get to say goodbye."

Caitlin assured him, "We wouldn't leave without seeing you first, Radar."

"Golly," he blushed feeling overwhelmed by the affection from the two women.

Klinger came marching up to the group wearing a long, white wedding gown. Though he was given a hint about his future he was still bucking for that section eight.

Colonel Potter looked upon the man and admitted, "That one might just get you that section eight, Klinger."

He gave a salute, "Thank you, sir." He then looked upon the crew of Airwolf. "Can I go with you?" he asked hopeful.

String tried to not laugh as he gave a small chuckle, "You want to come with us to the future?"

"I want a ride in that chopper and to see the future." he agreed.

Charles rolled his eyes, "We all want a ride in that chopper, Corporal."

Hawkeye stated, "I don't! I rode in it once already. That was enough for me."

Father Mulcahy admitted, "I wouldn't mind another ride in Airwolf."

Radar soured, "I wish I could remember what the ride was like. I only remember seeing Captain Pierce and feeling like I was on a roller coaster for a minute."

"That's what it felt like." Hawkeye agreed. "I don't like roller coasters."

Sam stated, "That was the G force. That's the best part! You are pushed into your seat, can barely breathe, hoping you don't pass out."

"I'll pass." Hawkeye insisted.

Sherman confessed, "I always like a good rollercoaster ride." He offered a handshake to Dom, "I'm not sure if I will ever see you again after you get back home. I'm glad I got this chance to see you again, Dom."

"Me too." he shook his hand. He looked to his crew, "I guess we should be getting home then."

Caitlin agreed, "I think it's time."

String looked upon his father. "I guess this goodbye, Dad."

Major John Hawke then wrapped his arms around him and whispered, "I am so proud of you. I promise, I will be there when you get back."

"I hope so." he croaked unsure. He released his father and wiped the tear away. "When you see mom, tell her I love her."

"I will." he assured him. "Goodbye, son."

"Goodbye Dad." he replied suppressing his sadness.

Short Time Later

Airwolf was airborne once more as they left the MASH 4077th behind. Dom was in the engineer's station with String and Caitlin at the helm. Sam sat beside him on the jump seat with the computer for the warp drive on her lap.

Dam asked, "Did you give all the MRE's to Captain Pierce?"

She nodded, "The whole case."

Dom stated, "That will be a nice treat from what they normally get. You bring that ration that I gave you, Sam?"

"In my pocket." she nodded. "I don't want to open it. It's mint! Brand new. It's a collectable."

Dom laughed, "I never thought those old things would be considered collectable."

String admitted, "Me neither. Now remember, Sam. When you enter the warp you have think about going home if these nanites are what pushed us back here."

"I got it." she agreed. "Home!"

Dom grinned, "There is no place like home, there is no place like home." He hinted towards the line from the Wizard of Oz.

She closed her eyes and focused on the word, "Bring us home." She then looked upon the computer, "Warp drive engages in three, two, one…" she engaged the engine. "There is no place like home." she repeated what Dom stated prior.

In the flash they entered the warp field. Upon emerging Dom reported, "I got satellite, String. We did it!" he cheered.

"Location?" String asked.

"We're in California, not far from the airfield. We're home!" he reported.

As they slowed and came closer to the highway below Caitlin noticed the cars looked too familiar. She expected to see cars from Sam's time. "Dom! What year is it?"

He reported, "1984. We're home!"

String winced, "We were supposed to go back to 2022 and come back by wormhole, Dom."

"Close enough." he shrugged.

Sam figured, "I can use the wormhole to get back home."

"Not really." Caitlin winced. "How will Sinjin fly Airwolf in his shows if his Airwolf is in 1984. And then there is Airwolf in the lair. How do we get this Airwolf to 2022?"

Dom and Sam both traded glances.

Sam miffed, "Ah' shit! Dad is gonna kill me."

String gave a heavy sigh, "We will have to enter another warp to get the bird to the right year. But first we have to land. We need fuel." He brought the bird down before the hangar. "We can refuel here and then try again later."

Upon landing they emerged from the bird. Caitlin looked about and noticed, "The sign is different."

String read the business name. "Santini-Hawke Air." He blinked, "Just like dad said." He then spied an older man emerge from the hangar wearing a shinny blue jacket and red hat similar to Dom's. He knew the face, it was his father, John Hawke. "Dad!" he called as his heart raced.

"String!" John came closer. "I see you made it back home."

"You're alive!" he wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. He sucked back the tears that swelled in his eyes.

John assured, "I'm fine! I never got the boat. Your mother and I are fine, String."

"Mom is alive too?" he cried.

"Of course she is." he patted his back. He looked to Dom, "Welcome home old fart."

"You're a sight for sore eyes." he told him, let out a laugh and then hugged his friend. He too was overwhelmed with emotions.

John looked to Caitlin, "Caity!" He gave her a welcoming hug home much like she was his daughter. He then looked to Sam and approached her arms open wide. "Sammy!" he grabbed her and hugged her tight.

Sam stood and figured, "I got my grandparents back."

"Of course you got us." he agreed. He then looked at Airwolf, "I thought she was in the lair?"

"She is!" String told him. "We emerged from warp in 1984 instead of 2022. We were supposed to go further to the future, drop off Airwolf to Sinjin and then come back by wormhole."

He puckered, "So we have two birds now?"

"I think Sinjin wants her back in her right time." he figured.

"The air shows." he nodded. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed, "Sinjin…they came back but in 1984." He placed it on speaker phone.

Sinjin stated, "I'm glad they are okay. How do we get Airwolf back to 2022?"

String stated, "We have to do another warp. That orb did something to Sam. They gave her nanites. We don't know all the commands or how they work yet."

"The only way to get my Airwolf back to 2022 is to use the warp engine and those nanites that aliens gave Sam. Great! You sure it won't fit in the wormhole? How about we just push her through?" Sinjin suggested.

Sam shook her head, "It would destroy the fuselage."

Caitlin suggested, "We just put her in storage and in the future, Sinjin can take her out."

Sam agreed, "We could do that but the time he gets the chopper out, the engine will need rebuilding, it would have been sitting a long time."

Sinjin stated, "I'm not rebuilding a perfectly good engine. Don't do that! We can figure out a way to get her back in her own time. We got a little while for the next air show."

Sam suggested, "You might have to cancel the next show."

"I can't! Airwolf is the headliner." he proclaimed.

Dom figured, "So…in the mean time we have two choppers. One with a warp drive engine and one without."

Sinjin complained, "I never should have let you put that engine in Airwolf."

"I needed a test vehicle." she rebutted.

He miffed, "Use your mom's car. You use it for everything else."

"The A Team took her car." she huffed. "And…where are they anyways?"

"Murdock and B.A. are here with me. Hannibal and Face went to meet with Elon Musk." he reported.

"What?" she gasped.

He reported, "He's interested in buying your engine."

"What?" she asked again.

He suggested, "Maybe it's time you sell it."

"We don't have a handle on it." she rebutted.

Sinjin agreed, "Exactly! Sell it and then we can get our lives back to normal. These things take time, honey. Once we get String and Dom past that certain day and get Airwolf back home you can sell it for a ton of money and we can go back to doing air shows with Airwolf."

"I'll have to think about that, Dad!" she huffed annoyed.

A blue four door sedan then drove onto the field.

John stated, "Have to call you back, son. We got company." he disconnected the call and hid the phone in his pocket.

The blue car drove up to the hangar. Sam cocked her head as she recognized the older man's face behind the wheel. It was Radar! Sitting in the passenger's seat was Retried Colonel Sherman Potter. Radar emerged from the car and grinned at the crew.

"I see you made it back." he cheered. He then went to the passenger's door and helped his old commanding officer out of the car.

Colonel Potter was in his eighties but still rather spry. He only required a walking cane. He cracked a smile, "Welcome home!"

John stated, "Hawkeye, Hot Lips and Charles are all coming too. Father Mulcahy's flight comes in tomorrow. BJ said he would stop by. He lives in California."

String asked, "No Burns!"

He shook his head, "He passed away a few years back. Heart attack got him."

Caitlin and Sam came to Sherman Potter and Rader's aid. They greeted the two older men with welcoming hugs.

Caitlin grinned, "I wasn't sure if I would ever see anyone from your camp again."

Sherman stated, "You ladies were some of the best nurses the MASH 4077th ever had."

Sam asked, "No Klinger?"

"He's in Korea still." Sherman told her. "He married a Korean woman and had a family with her. I went home to Mildred and Radar when back to his farm." He looked at the man, "Married how long now?"

"Thirty years." he told him. He spoke to Sam, "I got married when I came back home. I never forgot you though." He motioned, "Or that chopper."

Sam grinned at him, "I'll never forget the MASH 4077th. You guys saved our bacon."

Sherman stated, "It was our pleasure."

As the gathered a long white limousine pulled onto the field. At first String, Dom and Caitlin all assumed it was Archangel with another assignment. Then they realized it was a different long white limo. It stopped before the hangar. The rear doors opened and out popped an older Hawkeye Pierce followed by Margaret Houlihann and one Charles Winchester the Third.

Hawkeye stated, "I told you the limo was a bit over the top for an airfield, Charles."

"I would rather we arrive in style to welcome them home." he rebutted. Charles amazingly looked younger than what he true age with only slight gray to his thinning line of hair crowning his bald head. He smiled at the crew of Airwolf, "Welcome home!" Sporting tan slacks, a white shirt and a sweater vest he approached the crew, smiling ear to ear with welcoming arms. He had gotten richer as a result of Airwolf's stay at the MASH 4077th and he knew it. He also was more than ready to invest in the engine as he brought his checkbook with him.

Margaret Houlihann also wore civilian clothing of blue pants suit with white blouse. She greeted, "There are my two favorite nurses." she grinned at Caitlin and Sam. She then gave each a welcoming hug.

Hawkeye Pierce was dressed casual in blue slacks and a white button down shirt. He had a bit more gray to his hair but in general looked rather healthy. A smirk came across his face as he looked at the crew. "You all haven't aged a bit." he told them and offered a handshake to the men. Then he had to hug the two ladies in his old usual fashion.

Dom then looked at Charles, "Had to come in a limo, huh?"

He confessed, "A Winchester travels in style." He looked to Sam, "How would you like a financial backer to your engine, young lady?"

"I already have Wilton Knight." she informed.

He dismissed, "Wilton! Such a lack of vision. Because of you and those rations I invested in packaging materials. I made millions more than I ever would have dreamed of. I want to pay some of that back to you. I want to invest in your engine."

Sam puckered in thought, "You mean because I gave Hawkeye and BJ some rations you got even richer?"

"Indeed." he agreed with a bright smile.

She rolled her eyes, "Great!"

John Hawke suggested, "You know…it would be a good idea to have more than one investor in that engine, Sammy. Might want to take him up on it. Charles is shrewd but he won't screw you over."

Hawkeye added, "Me and BJ also made investments into packaging materials. We figured you would need some help when you got back home. We're going invest too and act as an advisory board." He then shot a grin to Charles who rolled his eyes annoyed.

String stated, "I guess a civilian advisory board is better than the D.O.D. coming in and taking it."

Sam advised, "Just make sure whoever is on the board is clean and cannot be blackmailed. They will take over my little project just like they did with big tech."

John agreed, "You mean like Operation Mockingbird?"

She nodded, "Yup."

Charles eyes lit up as he retrieved his checkbook, "Now who do I make the check out too?"