Chapter 75
Sam felt rather put out as Steve escorted Apollo to Area 51 and refused her request to come along. He treated her much like a kid and that irritated the young inventor. All of the Airwolf's crew was told to stay behind and no one else was allowed to see inside the not-so-top secret base.
Instead, the crew of Airwolf had to start taking the chopper apart to walk it back to the year 2022 piece by piece through the wormhole as Sinjin had air shows coming up and needed his chopper back. String wasn't about to trust the nanites to get Airwolf to its proper time and thus opted for the only course he had left which was to walk it there himself one part at a time.
With the aid of young MacGyver, Captain Murdock and young Tony Villicana, they were able to get the bird into pieces and bring each part to the future through the wormhole and begin to reassemble on the other side.
With all available hands they managed to get Airwolf back and reassembled in time for the next air show.
It was nearly summer in 2022 and the weather was much warmer. Upon completing the task to get Airwolf home, Sinjin hosted a cookout for the men and women who made the task possible. He set up picnic tables outside the hangar and started the grill.
Sam cocked her head as she noticed it was not the usual gas grill her father normally would use but an old charcoal grill that he dug out from the back of the hangar instead. She came up to him sporting shorts and a white tank top and spied the rows of burgers and hot dogs cooking on the grill.
"Didn't bring your gas grill, Dad?" she asked.
"Can't find propane." he told her. "Shortages are getting worse."
"Oh!" she nodded understanding.
He grinned, "Dom made this old grill out of an old barrel."
"I see that." she noted the grill was made from a steel barrel cut in half.
Sinjin told her, "Good to have you back home. You've been spending a lot of time on the other end of that wormhole lately."
She had to agree, "I have. I feel like it's been forever since I've seen my own bedroom."
He grinned, "It's still pink."
She rolled her eyes. "Thanks Dad."
"Stuff is almost ready." he told her.
She stated, "I'll go get the plates." She left her father's side and walked over to the table and gathered two large plates for the burgers and hot dogs. She came back and then helped Sinjin load up the food.
Sinjin called out while walking with a large plate of food, "It's ready!" He came to the table with Sam in tow as they set up the picnic.
Sam sat with her back to the hangar as everyone gathered around to enjoy the food. She did not see her mother, Jo emerge from the hangar behind her carrying a cake with lit candles. Suddenly, Jo started to sing a familiar song.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you." Jo began.
The rest joined in as well.
"Happy Birthday dear, Samantha. Happy Birthday to you." they sang as Jo placed the cake before the blushing young woman.
Sam gasped, "Today is my birthday!"
Jo asked, "You lost track of the day?"
"I did!" she nodded.
Sinjin stated, "Make a wish, Sammy."
She had no idea what to even wish and simply blew out the candles.
Caitlin sat beside her and asked, "What did you wish for, Sam?"
"I didn't." she confessed.
Caitlin suggested, "Nothing can top having your friends and family here for your birthday."
"That," she nodded and then whispered, "and with the nanites doing weird shit to me, I am honestly afraid to make a wish."
Caitlin conceded, "That too."
Soon, Jo began to remove the candle and cut the cake for the group. She handed it off to String, "Cut this up for me." She then whispered, "I'm going to get Sam's present."
String through nothing much of the task and began to cut the cake. He found cake in the future had not changed a bit and he figured he would enjoy a small piece himself.
He glanced up as Jo then emerged from the hangar once more carry something furry in her arms. He cocked an eyebrow as she laid a small white and brown kitten in Sam's arms.
Jo stated, "I know you lost your cat so Dad and I decided to get you another kitty."
Caitlin melted over the kitten, "Oh, she's so cute."
Jo informed, "Older you picked her out."
"I did!" she grinned.
Sam didn't expect a small kitten to be placed in her arms. She found a smile creeping across her face.
Jo asked, "What are you going to name her, Sam?"
She stated, "Fluffer nutter."
Caitlin asked, "Because she's brown and white."
"Yup!" she nodded.
Jo handed Caitlin a gift box, "You got Sam this and asked that I give it to you so you can give it to Sam." She then paused, "Did that make any sense?"
"It makes sense." Caitlin assured. She took the kitten from Sam's arms and then handed her the gift.
Sam cocked an eyebrow and stated, "It better not be more pink clothes."
She laughed, "Just open it."
Sam opened the box and found supplies for the new kitten. She pulled out a pink collar, pink feeding bowl and pink cat toys. She looked to Caitlin, "You are still trolling me."
"The kitten is a girl!" she rebutted. "I'm sure it was not on purpose."
Jo told her, "Oh' yes it was. We went to Petco and you stated that you were getting nothing but pink supplies and toys for the kitten."
Caitlin stated, "Tell older me to stop doing that."
Jo replied, "I will but I'm not sure she will listen to you."
String noticed how much Caitlin was caressing the kitten and petting the creature. She was kissing the top of her little furry head holding her close under her chin. He debated if it was a result of someone who just loved animals or something more. Caitlin loved kids and he figured she would like to have her own someday.
Sam asked, "Who will be taking care of Fluffy? I'm kind of busy."
"Older Cait." Jo informed.
Caitlin grinned, "I get the kitty when I'm old."
Sam figured, "She's actually Cait's cat."
She grinned, "We can share."
String chuckled upon the sight. For a moment his world was at peace.
1984
They returned with Sam to 1984 after the picnic. The day was done and night had fallen. Sam settled into bed wearing her night shirt as always. She turned off the light after setting the alarm as she was to return to high school for her cover. She snuggled under the covers and figured perhaps she could get a sound night's sleep after all. She started to drift off to sleep in peaceful bliss.
Suddenly, she felt wide awake. She found a soft light seemed to be coming through her eyes as she preferred to sleep in total darkness. She sighed and wondered if perhaps Dom installed a night light in her room without telling her. She opened her eyes to go turn off whatever night light was disturbing her and found she was not in her room.
She sat up and looked around. The room was painted brown with gold trim and soft yellow lighting coming from pockets in the wall. She found she was on some kind of bed with a pillow that was shaped more like a tube. The floor was covered in red carpeting. The style reminded her of the pictures she once saw in an old 70's magazine.
She looked down at herself and found she was no longer wearing her night gown but rather a dark brown jacket with light brown trousers. She had on knee high leather boots that buckled on the side. She noticed the golden buckles on the jacket and then found a patch on the arm. She recognized it as the jacket that Captain Apollo had. She stood up wondering where she was and how she got there.
"Okay little nanites dudes. What did you do to me this time?" she asked. She walked over to the door and attempted to open it but found her hand went right through. She then realized, "I'm a hologram." She gasped, "The nanites are projecting me onto the Galactica like they projected Al into the MASH 4077th." She looked at her hands, "Okay little friends, make me solid." She then reached up and found she could touch the door and it felt solid to her.
Suddenly the door opened before her much to her surprise. A blond haired man stood at the doorway. Her eyes grew wide as the man looked just like Lieutenant Templeton "Face" Peck from the mercenary team her father hired to guard the wormhole.
"Face!" she gasped.
He cocked his head slightly, "It's Captain Starbuck. I got promoted." he informed. He held an old clipboard with a pencil in hand. He stated, "Now you will be given the rank of Lieutenant once you complete training, Cadet…" he glanced up at her, "What's your name?"
"Sam." she replied and bit confused.
"Cadet Sam…from which ship?" he asked as he made a note.
"Um…" she had no idea how to even answer much less what he was even speaking about. She thought of a famous vessel that sank after hitting an ice berg. "The Titan…" she didn't get to finish when Starbuck gave a nod.
"The Titan." he wrote down. "Have you had ship orientation yet, Cadet Sam?" He then admitted, "Sam is an unusual name."
"So is Starbuck." she told him.
He gave a smirk as he instantly liked her. "So it is."
"I have not had orientation." she stated. "I literally just got here."
He offered, "I'll show you around then." He wasn't sure what it was about her that was so intriguing but he found she was simply fascinating to him.
"Sounds good, Captain." she stated.
He led her out the room, "This will be your quarters, Cadet." He motioned as they stepped into the hallway. She looked back at the door as it slid closed. On the white wall beside the golden painted door was a number that at first she could not read. Then suddenly the nanites translated the writing for her. "C-3..." she read.
"C deck, room 3." he stated. "Of course you found it on your own." He motioned, "This way."
She requested, "Can I see the engine room?" It was if her dreams came true and she found herself on a deep space vessel with a working warp drive engine.
"Let's start with the Vipers since you are going to be a pilot." he told her.
"Sounds good." she agreed.
As Starbuck lead Sam through the very large battlestar they chatted. He asked, "What's your Colony?"
She replied, "Gemenon." She simply used her birth sign to choose a colony.
"The twins." he nodded. "So…what made you decide to join up?"
She excused, "I was just kind of pulled here."
"I suppose we all get that calling." he had to agree. They came across another door, "And this is the officer's club. We do allow cadets." he assured and motioned as the door slid open.
She followed him inside and found a bar like atmosphere with tables and chairs. She noticed a display case in the corner and a familiar face framed on the wall. She walked over to the case and noticed the wall was full of faces of men and women who had fallen in the ongoing war. She found Apollo's photo amongst many.
Starbuck came to her side, "This is the wall of the fallen. Many good friends ended up on this wall." he sighed.
She pointed, "Apollo."
"He was my best friend." he confessed. "I was his wingman. He died chasing a Clyon into a collapsing wormhole. He thought the wormhole could lead to Earth. That was two cycles ago."
She asked, "What if he was right?"
"If that wormhole did lead to Earth than all I can do is pray to the Lords of Kobol that he survived it and is living happily with the 13th colony." he explained feeling a bit sad.
She suggested, "Maybe he is!"
"Do you know the odds of surviving a collapsing wormhole?" he asked.
"Depends on how fast he was going." she concluded. "If he was going fast enough he would escape the collapse but he would be going so fast he wouldn't escape the gravitational pull of Earth coupled with the position of the moon. He would be drawn in and crash real hard." she concluded what happened.
"Moon?" he asked. "We don't even know where Earth is much less how many moons it has."
"It has one." she informed.
He laughed, "Let me guess. You are one of the experts on all things Earth. You read everything you could find on it. Every legend, every tale, every poem."
She asked, "Would you believe me if I said I'm actually from Earth?"
He let out a laugh, "Better lay off the mead." He motioned, "Come on!" He led her back out the door and into the hallway.
Sam followed down a few more corridors and then they stepped onto the catwalk above one of the Viper bays. For the first time she got a good look at the craft. "Kind of like Star Wars here." she mentioned to herself.
"Star Wars?" he asked unsure what she spoke of.
"Another galactic myth." she smirked. "It happened in another galaxy, far, far away and long, long ago."
"You're a little nuts." he told her outright. "I like that!" he mentioned.
She then proclaimed joking, "I'm a Jedi."
He squinted concerned, "You can do magic?"
"You heard of the Jedi?" she gasped.
"They were the wizards of Kobol." he informed. "Legend says they could wield nano magic."
"Nano magic?" she puckered and wondered if George Lucas as channeling something more and not just his imagination when he wrote the story.
"Jedi, Wizard, Sorcerers, Peacekeepers…all the same." he told her.
She asked wide-eyed, "Are light sabers real too?"
"I don't know what that is." he told her.
She explained, "Swords made of lasers that can cut someone in half."
He shrugged, "The Colonial Fleet never had anything like that."
Her shoulder's slunk, "Damn. I really wanted a light saber when I was a kid. That and a magic wand."
He replied, "I grew up in an orphanage. When I was a kid, I just wanted my parents back."
She grew sad, "I'm so sorry."
He sighed, "It is what it is." He motioned for her to follow, "This way." He led her down the stairs to the bay below and to a Viper.
"This is your Viper, Cadet Sam." he placed his hand on the side of the craft. "I'll be your instructor but you can also ask, Boomer, Jolly or Athena for help. They will help you."
Sam couldn't help but asked, "Does anyone here have surnames?"
"What?" he asked unsure what she meant.
"Never mind." she waved it off.
"Now pay attention. This Viper is all that stands between you and the Clyons." he began.