Chapter 76
After a long day of training on the Galactica, Sam had just laid down to go to sleep when she heard the buzzing of her alarm clock. She reached over, grabbed the wound up clock and threw it against the wall. She sat up in bed and turned on the light as the clock slowly unwound. She rubbed her tired face. "Okay nanite dudes! I understand you sent my consciousness to the Galactica and gave me a hologram body to get around in but…ya know…I do need to actually sleep. Holy fuck! How am I supposed to get any sleep when you are projecting my mind and image onto a battlestar on the other side of the galaxy…or wherever the hell that was." she complained. "Now I got to get up and go to high school." She peeled back the covered and found she was still in her night shirt. She climbed out of bed quickly got dressed for school. She then wandered out of her bedroom into the hangar looking very tired.
Dom greeted her as he made the coffee. "Morning Sam! I see you slept like a baby last night. Not a peep out of you." He then looked upon her tired and annoyed looking face. "You did sleep last night?"
She replied a bit baffled, "I think the nanites took me to the Galactica last night. Right after I started to fall asleep, I woke up there. I looked like me but I was a hologram like the Admiral in Dr. Beckett's project. I could make myself solid and interact with the crew. I met a guy named Starbuck. He looked just like Templeton Peck. Smoked cigars and flirted with a woman named Athena. I saw the ship. The whole ship. They thought I was a cadet from another ship called the Titan. The Galactica is leading a group of civilian ships as they try to find Earth. There are these twelve worlds they call Colonies. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol. I got to know the history. I saw the Vipers and they were training me to be a fighter pilot. I saw the engine room but I didn't get a close enough look at the engine yet. The engineers were too busy to answer questions for me. Starbuck was Apollo's wingman. They were best friends. Apollo went into a collapsing wormhole. They think he is dead. They don't he's alive and living on Earth."
Dom stood a bit confused and suggested, "Maybe you just dreamed it, Sam?"
"I could have dreamed it. Or, the nanites are screwing with me again. Which one is likely?" she asked.
Dom figured "Normally, I would say it has to be a dream but after those nanites pushed us back to the Korean War…" he tailed off. "Maybe they did somehow bring you there when you were sleeping."
"I feel okay. I don't feel completely exhausted, just tired." she reported. "That tired you get when you wake up from a really intense dream. That's what it feels like."
"You think you will be okay to go to school?" he asked.
"Today's the last day before Christmas Vacation and tonight is the band contest." she informed. "I think I can get through."
"Just don't over do it." he requested. "If you need a break, then take a break." he told her concerned.
"I will." she assured and then gave him a morning hug and snuggled next to his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her and then patted her shoulder. "Hey Sam! Your grandpa and I got something for ya." He then motioned, "Here!" he went to a large box and dug out a shiny blue jacket and held it before her. "See! New jackets. Santini-Hawke Air. I got your name embroidered on this one for you."
She gave a small smile as she let Dom place the jacket on her. It was a business jacket and that made her feel special. "Thank you, Uncle Dom."
He then grabbed a red hat out of another box and plopped it on her head, "There ya go! Now you look like a real employee."
She rolled her eyes up and then stated, "You got me dressed like you."
"Would rather I go with pink?" he asked annoyed.
Her eyes grew wide, "No! This is great. Red and blue is great."
He laughed, "Wait until you see the new jackets and hats were gonna order for Airwolf for the air shows."
She gasped, "It's not pink!"
He laughed, "Of course not. A pink Airwolf. Come on, kid. We're going to order flight jackets that are the same color as the flight suits and then embroider Airwolf right on the back. You will get a jacket too with your name on it. 'Sam Hawke - Engineer/Pilot'. How does that sound, kid?"
She replied, "Least we don't have military ranks."
He laughed, "If we did you would be, Lieutenant Hawke."
She soured, "After all the crap I've been through; I would only make Lieutenant."
He had to agree, "Well yeah! You would have been busted down a rank or two for not following orders. But you would get a good conduct medal."
She stood blinking. "You mean I would have sucked in the military."
He waved the motioned off. "Not sucked! Just too independent. Come on, get some breakfast before Cait comes in."
Meanwhile
Caitlin rolled onto her back upon waking up next to Stringfellow Hawke. His arms draped over her middle as he slept peacefully in the bed. His eye fluttered open with the movement.
She let out a sigh as she glanced at the alarm clock.
"What?" he asked.
She confessed, "I miss those trips we used to take to the cabin."
He had to agree, "I miss the cabin too."
She suggested, "Maybe we can go up there for Christmas."
He figured, "My parents will want to come along with Sam, Jo and Dom. Maybe even Michael."
She squinted, "Which Michael?"
"Archangel." he reminded her.
"Oh' yeah." she nodded. "Be a full cabin then, huh."
"Yes it would be." he agreed.
Caitlin the figured, "Then old me will want to come too and bring the kitten. Then Michael and Bonnie will want to come and so will Mac and no doubt Murdock, B.A, Face and Hannibal. Then Ralph and I'm sure Tony will want to come since he has this huge crush on Sam. And the class…they come from broken homes so they will want to come. Then Dr. Beckett and his wife would want to come…" she continued.
"Cait," he whispered.
"What?" she asked.
"We do need to go to work." he reminded her.
"Back to going under cover at high school." she soured.
He nodded, "Someone has to be there with Sam and that's her cover."
"I know." she agreed. She sat up in bed and wondered aloud, "If this works and we get past that day with the bomb and you and Dom are okay…what do you think our lives will be like in the future?"
He confessed, "I haven't thought of that."
"Why?" she wondered.
"What if nothing changes?" he suggested.
"Dom saved your parents lives when we ended up in that MASH unit. It's gonna change. I know it is!" she cheered. She then grinned, "Can you imagine us as an old retired couple?" she asked.
String concluded, "Depends on how many cats you bring home."
"You liked the kitten too." she sounded. She grinned, "I can see us now. You and me retired! You and Sinjin owning Airwolf together and doing air shows. Me, Jo, you and Sinjin all flying Airwolf at the shows and giving autographs and tours."
"Picking cat hair off my flight suit." String added.
"Funny," she smirked.
He confessed, "I thought it was."
She sounded, "I promise you that I will not turn into the crazy old cat lady."
He smirked, "I'm holding you to that."
High School
Caitlin walked into the school with Sam as both women were dressed as teenage girls. Caitlin chatted with Sam, "You think your class is ready for the contest tonight?"
"Nope," she shook her head. "They will bomb."
"You're just a ray of sunshine." she replied amazed that Sam didn't think the class could win.
"They suck." she shrugged. "I'm sure there are other teenage bands that are way better."
"You could show a little encouragement." Caitlin suggested.
"But they know they suck too." she rebutted. "The question is which band sucks the least?"
As they walked they came across a tall blond haired boy handing out flyers. Caitlin greeted, "Hey Johnny! What ya got there?"
He replied, "Flyers for karate class. That's where I go, Cait." It was evident the boy liked Caitlin.
"Cobra Kia Karate." she read off the flyer.
"There isn't any girls in the dojo but I bet Kreese would let you in." he smiled. He hadn't found a girl he liked since his former girlfriend dumped him but he found he really liked Caitlin.
"Maybe I'll check it out." she told the boy and took the flyer to be polite.
He became shy, "I would like that, Cait."
Sam nudged her.
Caitlin stated, "Johnny, this is my sister, Sam. She's in Mr. Hinckley's class."
He looked at Sam and asked, "You mean the retard class?"
She snorted, "They are smart kids!"
"They are retards!" he rebutted. "Everyone knows that's the class for the rejects."
"You take that back." she huffed upset for he was insulting her friends.
Johnny lacked common sense. He was one of the popular kids and a champion. "Make me." he huffed at her.
Tony came up on the situation, "What's going on here, Lawrence?"
He rolled his head back, "Speaking of the rejects."
Tony found the flyer, "Handing out flyers for that psychopath, Kreese, huh?"
"He's my sensei." he defended.
Tony stated, "The dude is nuts! Come on, Johnny! Save yourself some heartache and ditch him. You know that guy will beat his students."
"He's tough." the young boy defended.
Tony huffed, "Johnny! If you follow Kreese you will lose your next tournament, lose your scholarship for cheating in your next torment, become a down on his luck drunk and end up an old construction worker. Then, when you finally get your shit back together, Kreese comes back into your life and ruins it all over again. Danny is not your enemy. Kreese is! Danny will do pretty good for himself. He's your real friend."
"LaRussso!" he huffed. "He stole Ali from me."
Tony rolled his eyes, "But neither of you end up with Ali. Let it go, Johnny. LaRusso becomes one of the top car dealers around. I do work for the guy. He pays well."
Johnny asked, "Are you high or something? Kind of early!" He figured Tony must be doing some kind of drug.
"Nope," he shook his head. "Just trying to save you some heartache. You got skills, Johnny. You can beat the shit out of anyone. Just Kreese is not your meal ticket." he warned him.
Sam snorted, "Do you know what he called the kids in our class, Tony?"
"Retards!" he figured. "That was used a lot back then, Sam."
"To those who are developmentally challenged that is not funny." she huffed.
He informed, "It's not supposed to be funny. It's supposed to be upsetting. That's why it's called 'bullying'." he remained her. "You don't react to it and ignore it. They don't get the reaction and then they stop doing it…usually. It's high school, Sam. Not Tik Tok."
She snorted, "I know the martial arts and I know how to center myself and not going bullying people. This dude!" she shook her head.
Tony defended, "He's an idiot teenager."
Johnny stood baffled, "What?"
Sam wagged her finger at him, "You owe Mr. H and his class an apology."
He laughed, "Make me." He then challenged, "You know Karate? Let's see what you can do little girl."
She looked to Tony and asked, "Can I beat his ass in a fair fight?"
He shook his head, "Hell no! He will beat your ass. You could kick his ass in a dogfight though." He told Johnny, "Her family owns an airfield and Sam is a pilot. She can't beat you at karate but she run your ass down with a plane."
Caitlin added, "I could run your ass down with a plane too, Johnny. I think Sam is right and you owe her class an apology. They are not stupid."
Johnny backed off, "Okay…I'm sorry." He handed a flyer to Sam, "In case you want to learn real karate."
"I know judo." she told him.
"See ya around." he replied and then walked away to be with his friends whom he spied coming down the hallway.
Sam huffed, "The nerve of that idiot."
Tony smirked, "Yeah! He's was always thick as a brick back in school. He and Daniel LaRusso got into it thick. They had this big tournament. Danny won and that ruined Johnny's chance to go to college. Kreese instructed him to do an illegal move. The dumb shit did it too!" He informed, "He then got back into it and opened his own Cobra Kia and Kreese showed up again. He ended up being friends with Danny. I was kind of hoping to steer him clear of Kreese."
"LaRusso…as in LaRusso Classic and Luxury Cars?" Sam asked.
"That's him." he nodded.
"Oh, the guy who sold my dad his new truck." she figured out who he was. "He gave me a bonsai tree as a some stupid give away gift. Total nerd!"
John agreed, "That's Danny! Total nerd!" He then suggested, "I'll walk you to class. See you later, Cait."
"See you two later." she smiled and then went to her locker to stow her things for the day.