Hawke stared at the image on the screen and felt his gut clench, bile rising in his gullet. He swallowed hard. 'Moffett.'

'That's what we think too.' Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III nodded and his senior aide and partner, Marella switched off the screen. They didn't need to look at the twisted genius anymore than they needed to.

'But you killed him.' Caitlin said. They all shared her evident confusion.

Hawke shrugged. 'I don't see how he survived. I hit him with everything in Airwolf's arsenal. The ground where he was stood was completely obliterated.'

'It's my fault.' Michael said smoothing the lapel on his white suit. His good eye looked over at the pilot regretfully. 'I decided it was too dangerous to go back and recover the body.'

'I should have checked at the time.' Hawke said. 'I could have gotten Dom to run a scan.'

'Well what's done is done,' Caitlin said, 'and there's no point either of you beating yourselves up about it.'

Hawke raised her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles accepting her comfort.

She smiled at him before turning back to their friends. 'Could it be a doppelganger?'

'Possible.' Marella said her dark eyes meeting the other woman's thoughtfully. She was dressed all in white like Michael except for the blue sling that supported one arm. She was still recovering from being shot the night Dom's killer had come after Caitlin. 'Plastic surgery techniques are advancing all the time.' She inclined her head. 'It could be an elaborate hoax to bait a trap for Airwolf.'

'The only thing we know for certain is that this is a trap.' Michael said.

Caitlin frowned. 'So we knew it's a trap. So what do we do now?'

'Nothing.' Michael said. 'You should both stay out of it. The video arrived at the Company last night and was handed to Locke as the agent in charge of the Airwolf file. The only reason I have it is that he's requesting a meeting with me. I'll handle it.'

Hawke and Caitlin looked at each other.

'I don't think so, Michael.' Hawke said.

'Hawke…' Michael began.

'This is too huge to keep pretending I'm dead. I expect Saint John will call me any minute now.'

Michael was about to argue when the satellite phone went. He sighed. 'You know that's very annoying.'

Caitlin and Marella exchanged an amused look.

Hawke raised an eyebrow and slid off the bar stool to go and answer it. 'Hi. Yeah, I've been expecting you to call. No, we'll come to the Lair.' He put the phone down and looked at Caitlin.

Caitlin sighed. 'I'll get Nicky.'

'You don't have to come.' Hawke said softly.

She glanced at him and knew that he was offering her protection for a while longer. She shook her head. 'If the truth's going to come out then it would be best if it all came out at the same time, huh?'

They flew to the Lair almost in silence. The trip seemed to take no time at all. Hawke landed the Company's helicopter softly outside the entrance and noted the jeep and the Santini Jet Ranger already present.

Hawke let his eyes stray back to the Santini helicopter. He switched the engines off.

'Why don't Marella and I go and…er…smooth the way?' Michael climbed out of the helicopter, Marella loyally following as they went to greet the Saint John who had stepped out of the Lair's entrance.

Caitlin edged to peek through the front two seats and looked at her brooding husband with concern. 'Are you OK?'

Hawke wrenched his gaze away from the Santini helicopter. He shifted restlessly in the seat and sighed. 'Too many memories.'

'We don't have to do this.'

He turned to look at her. 'I'm OK, Cait.'

'OK.' She knew better than to press it. She awkwardly reached round the seat and patted his shoulder. 'Come on. Let's get this over with.'

'Yeah.' Hawke got out and took the baby carrier from her as they walked over to the assembled and stunned group that had gathered by the entrance. He came to a halt in front of them, the rugged landscape of the Valley of the Gods behind him as the breeze gentling nudged his brown hair. His blue eyes fixed on his brother before sliding to the other three people. His gaze drifted over Rivers who seemed the least affected to Locke whose face had set in an angry frown and to Jo who looked like she'd been hit with a two by four. Hawke swallowed his guilt and glanced at Caitlin standing by his side. Michael and Marella stood silently next to them in support.

Saint John glanced across his team and sighed. He'd refused to answer questions from either Locke or Jo after his mysterious phone call and it had been a tense wait. Mike had thankfully been quietly cooperative but then the other man knew who was coming but even he looked as though he'd seen a ghost; Locke looked furious and Jo; Jo looked indescribably hurt. She ignored him and marched up to Hawke but before she could say anything Nicky's cry ripped through the tension.

'You had the baby?' Jo asked and immediately felt foolish; it was obvious that Caitlin wasn't pregnant and the baby carrier had been a big clue.

Hawke's amusement gleamed for a moment in the blue depths of his eyes and he offered his arm to his old childhood friend. 'Come on. Let's get inside and I'll introduce you.' She accepted his hand and they walked into the Lair, Caitlin following them.

Saint John briefly acknowledged Michael and wondered why he'd come with them. 'Archangel.'

'Saint John.' Michael smoothed his moustache. He gestured at the entrance. 'After you.'

Saint John thrust away his irritation and followed after his brother.

'Archangel.' Locke didn't offer his hand.

'Locke.' Michael returned evenly. His gaze shifted to the young pilot next to the agent. 'You must be Major Rivers.'

'Mike.' Mike held out his hand and was pleased when the spy took it. Oddball, he thought taking in the all-white outfit, cane and eye-patch. His green eyes shifted happily to the more attractive sight of the woman standing next to Archangel. 'And you are?'

'Marella.' She shook his hand solemnly.

'Nice to meet you.' Mike said smoothly.

Michael's good eye met Marella's in amusement at the way Rivers was trying to charm her. She winked back at him. She'd only had eyes for Michael for a long while.

Locke refrained from rolling his eyes at Rivers. 'Shall we?' He jerked his head at the inside of the cave.

It only took a few minutes for them to gather around Airwolf.

'I can't believe you're alive.' Jo blurted out finally letting go of Hawke and stepping back to hug herself tightly. Her eyes flickered angrily to Saint John. 'I can't believe you didn't tell me.'

'Don't blame him, Jo.' Hawke said leaning against the nose of the helicopter. 'It's my fault.'

'Our fault.' Caitlin corrected. 'We're real sorry, Jo. We just needed some time alone.'

'You're supposed to be dead.' Mike blurted out. He'd investigated Caitlin having spotted her in photos at Dominic Santini's just after they'd found Airwolf. According to the official records she was listed as dead.

'You're both supposed to be dead.' Locke stated angrily. 'You're certainly looking better than the last time I saw you, Hawke.'

'Months of rehabilitation will do that for you.' Hawke replied caustically. He shifted impatiently. 'Look, we got the video.'

'Before we get into that,' Locke sat forward, 'I want to know exactly what the hell has been going on?'

Hawke shrugged again and kept silent. Locke waited for Hawke to say something and was disconcerted to find that the man just continued to regard him with a steady blue gaze. He shifted position and wondered how two brothers could be so different. He'd come to know Saint John well in the last few months. The man was easy-going, easy to talk to and friendly. His brother on the other hand was taciturn, difficult to read and as prickly as a porcupine.

Saint John cleared his throat as the silence became prolonged. 'Jason,' he said, 'this isn't a big conspiracy.'

'Really.' Locke's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

'Really.' Jo confirmed.

Caitlin sighed. 'Mr Locke, all any of us have tried to do is to protect the people we love.'

'I don't believe we've been formally introduced. You're Caitlin O'Shaunessy?' Mike asked.

'Actually it's Caitlin Hawke.' She showed him her wedding ring and turned to meet Locke's glower. 'And if you'd bothered to take notice of Hawke's ring, perhaps you might have known about me sooner.'

Hawke hid a smile at Locke's abashed expression.

Locke flushed. 'The marriage isn't in the file.' He turned an accusing stare on Michael who shrugged unconcerned.

'And you're listed as dead.' Mike said confused.

'Caitlin's death was faked during a kidnap attempt.' Marella answered. 'When she was rescued nobody thought to change the records. When the explosion happened, it seemed serendipitous that she would be considered off the radar by whoever was targeting the team particularly as she was pregnant.'

'But you knew about Caitlin when we met.' Locke's dark eyes flashed angrily at Jo.

'Yes I knew but I didn't know you back then.' Jo said. 'My uncle was dead, String was lying injured and Caitlin was pregnant. My priority was protecting them from anyone who might harm them and that included you.'

'Even after I helped you rescue Saint John?' Locke said.

'I thought about telling you but I knew Caitlin planned to disappear when Saint John got back and so I just thought there wasn't any point.' Jo said defensively.

'There wasn't any point.' Locke repeated. His dark eyes pinned Saint John next. 'Is that your excuse?'

'No. I didn't trust you back then, Jason.' Saint John admitted. 'I didn't trust anybody especially when I found out that whoever killed Dom could be after my brother who was in no condition to take care of himself and his pregnant wife. Like Jo, my priority was protecting them.' He sighed. 'I was going to discuss coming clean about everything with String today when I got your call.'

Locke looked at him in disbelief.

'He was, Jason.' Mike said jumping into support Saint John.

Locke's eyebrows shot up. 'You knew?'

Hawke looked questioningly at his brother who avoided his gaze.

'I…er…' Mike looked helplessly at Saint John.

'Mike worked out it was String flying against Yahara.' Saint John explained. He glanced at Hawke. 'We only had the conversation last night.'

Hawke lifted a hand in acceptance. The issue was moot now anyway.

'I take it there aren't any further secrets?' Locke asked bitingly.

'Actually there is one.' Jo said ignoring the small shake of Caitlin's head. 'It wasn't me flying Airwolf the day you found her; it was Caitlin.'

Locke and Mike both stared at the redhead. 'Guilty.' She admitted reluctantly.

'It's just completely unacceptable…' Locke began.

'Get over it, Locke.' Hawke snapped defending his wife.

'You are out of order, Hawke.' Locke started forward.

Hawke didn't even move. 'If you'd helped me that day I met with you Locke, we might not have needed the subterfuge. You brought it on yourself.' His face was impassive, the blue eyes cool but the anger in his tone had Locke subsiding. It was a question that had haunted the agent over the last few months; if he hadn't followed orders that day with Hawke in his office…if he'd helped the pilot perhaps the tragedy of Santini's death might have been averted.

'So that's it?' Locke checked. 'No more secrets?'

'No others you have clearance for.' Michael said stepping in before anyone else could answer. 'Now, shall we move on to what actually precipitated this meeting?'

Locke glanced at the others in his team. They were all looking at Archangel with the same realisation that there were more secrets but they obviously didn't know anymore than he did. He relaxed a little. 'You've seen the video?'

'Yeah.' Hawke folded his arms.

'Could it be Moffett?' Locke asked.

Hawke and Michael exchanged an unhappy look.

'Maybe.' The spy acknowledged.

'You didn't check to see if he was dead?' Locke asked Hawke.

Hawke gestured. 'I fired half a dozen missiles at him at point blank range. I don't see how he could have survived.'

'You shot the man with missiles?' Locke was incredulous.

Hawke shrugged. 'Half of the sand dune was obliterated and I didn't see the need to run a check.'

'The whole area may have been too hot to get an accurate reading even if you had.' Caitlin said. 'A scan would probably have been useless.'

'And no,' Michael jumped in before Locke could ask the next question, 'I didn't send a team to check or recover the body either. After we took back Airwolf, the whole region was too sensitive.'

'Well, thank you for your honesty.' Locke waved at the Lair entrance. 'We can take it from here.'

'Actually,' Michael repressed the urge to sigh. 'I spoke with the director on our way here; he's approved transfer of the mission and all members of the Airwolf team including you,' he pointed at the agent, 'to me for the duration.'

Locke glared at him. 'I want verification.'

'Marella, please take Mr Locke out to the helicopter so he can make the necessary calls.' Michael figured that Locke would want privacy.

The agents didn't break eye contact until Locke left.

'You didn't have to do that.' Saint John said angrily. 'Locke's capable of running this mission.'

Hawke sighed when Michael didn't respond. 'It wasn't Michael's idea, Saint John.'

Saint John was perplexed until he realised that Archangel must be responding to orders. That was going to be gutting for Locke, he thought, particularly on top of realising his whole team had kept secrets from him for the last few months. From the looks on Mike's and Jo's faces they were thinking the same thing. He sighed heavily. They all turned back to see Locke re-entering with Marella; Locke looked as though he was chewing on a bee.

'Everything's in order.' Locke noted.

'The Company's orders are specific. If it is Moffett, they want him recovered if possible; if not, dead.' Michael nodded at Marella.

'The hospital has been identified as a private clinic in Russia specifically Siberia. It's a remote area but actually very close to Alaska, over the Bering straits.' She explained.

'They've suggested a team go in, locate Moffett and get him out.' Michael said.

'They do realise this is probably a trap to get Airwolf.' Caitlin said folding her arms and frowning.

'Not even probably.' Hawke concurred.

'We know that.' Marella said.

'However the Company are less convinced.' Michael rotated the cane under his hand; the only obvious sign of his unease. 'They've had a doctor review the tape and they believe Moffett is a cripple incapable of actually doing anything.'

'Marella?' Hawke wanted a second opinion.

'The equipment in the room on the video suggests a physical disability.' Marella admitted cautiously.

'But Moffett could have planted it.' Caitlin said.

'Yes,' Marella agreed, 'and there's certainly no indication that his mental functions have been impaired in any way.'

'Even if this is a trap we can't leave Moffett with the Russians.' Michael said. 'If he is mentally able then it is possible that he's assisting them with designing another Airwolf or worse something that could destroy our Airwolf.'

'It might not even be Moffett.' Caitlin pointed out exasperated. 'Is anyone even considering that?'

Michael looked at her. 'We have to proceed on the assumption that it is.'

Hawke sighed. 'If it is Moffett I don't like the idea of him getting anywhere near Airwolf, Michael, even as a passenger on a ride back here.'

'Neither do I,' Michael said, 'which is why I want you flying her.'

'Now wait just a minute,' Locke interrupted. He'd been listening and watching the exchange with fascination along with the rest of his own team. He gestured at the pilot, 'Hawke is not a member of the Airwolf crew any longer.'

'And whilst I'm not denying my brother is a great pilot, we are capable of handling this mission.' Saint John said; his were hackles raised at the way Archangel had summarily taken over. Mike had also tensed beside him; his ego was also feeling a little bruised despite his admiration for Hawke's flying abilities.

'Hawke,' Michael said firmly, 'knows Moffett. He's also the only person Moffett ever truly felt threatened by. Hawke will be commanding this mission.' He sighed and held a hand up before the counter-arguments could start. 'There is another reason.' He gestured at Marella.

'The clinic is well defended.' Marella said. 'They have a regular guard patrol on the ground and anti-aircraft guns and missiles for air defence including the Thor system.'

'Thor?' Saint John asked. It wasn't a system he was familiar with.

'It's a system which fires four missiles with heat-seeking and radar targeting capability simultaneously to different altitude points. Even if you avoid the high altitude ones, you get hit at low altitude. It operates on randomly selected constantly changing frequencies so you can't jam them.' Mike explained. 'No aircraft can get through the Thor defence.'

'Airwolf can.' Hawke said.

Mike laughed. 'Great theory…'

'It's not theory.' Michael said.

Mike looked from the spy to the original Airwolf pilot. 'You have to be kidding me. You've gone up against the Thor system?'

Hawke nodded.

'That wasn't in the file either.' Locke complained.

Michael shrugged. 'It wasn't an official mission.'

'You had the self-destruct.' Locke said searching for a plausible explanation.

Michael shook his head and smiled. He pointed at Hawke. 'I had him.'

Hawke looked deeply uncomfortable at the flattery and at being the focus of everyone's attention. Caitlin hid a smile.

'And that's the second reason why he will be flying.' Michael concluded. His gaze remained on the pilot. 'There's the matter of the engineer.'

Hawke and Caitlin exchanged a silent look of alarm.

'No way, Michael.' Hawke said firmly.

'You need an experienced engineer.' Michael insisted.

'I said no way, Michael.'

'What?' asked Locke bemused.

Saint John nodded. 'You want to tell us what he means?'

Hawke folded his arms and glared at Michael. 'Caitlin isn't going.'

Saint John's mouth fell open at the idea.

'I'm not letting Moffett anywhere near her.' Hawke continued.

'I agree with him, Michael.' Caitlin said. 'Besides, I had a baby two weeks ago. I'm not exactly fit and I can't leave Nicky.'

Michael sighed. 'I know this is a difficult decision for the two of you but going up against Thor is challenging under any circumstances. I don't like the odds of even Hawke going up against it with a full crew complement weighing Airwolf down and an inexperienced engineer, do you?'

Hawke rocked back on his heels and his furious gaze caught his wife's upset eyes.

'You need someone who knows you and that machine inside out.' Michael pressed. 'That's Caitlin.'

'I can do it.' Saint John argued.

Michael turned to look at him. 'Tell me, how much of your time in Airwolf has been logged at the engineer's console?'

'I know how String flies…'

'And how much time have you spent with your brother in a cockpit over the last three years?' Michael shot back.

Colour flooded Saint John's cheeks.

'Michael, that's enough.' Hawke said. He looked at Caitlin. They needed to talk about the idea, preferably alone. She gestured at Marella to take the baby and walked out of the Lair. Hawke followed her. They walked out to stand side by side near the old Santini chopper.

'Could you do it?' Caitlin asked folding her arms tightly against her chest and staring out at the harsh rocky landscape. 'Could you beat Thor with an inexperienced engineer and a full crew complement?'

Hawke sighed and rocked back on his heels. 'Dom wasn't that experienced when we took on Thor.'

'But he knew your reactions better than anyone else on earth.' Caitlin pointed out turning to look at him.

Hawke nodded.

'And Airwolf was lighter?' Caitlin said.

'There was only Dom and me in the cockpit because we needed the manoeuvrability.' Hawke admitted.

'I wish Dom were here.' Caitlin said quietly.

'Me too.' Hawke reached over and took her hand, meeting her concerned blue eyes with complete understanding. 'I don't want you in the cockpit on this one.'

'I don't want to be there.' Caitlin agreed and sighed. 'But it's not a question of what we want, is it? It's a question about what's needed and I'm needed in the cockpit.'

'There has to be another way.' Hawke muttered unwilling to give in. 'Maybe the intelligence…'

'She's not exactly reliable.' Caitlin said. 'There's no way of knowing whether she'll even transfer back to the old machine for the mission or stick around to participate in it.' She chewed her lip. 'What about remote access? I could link to the Airwolf console using the main computer at Red Star.'

'Too risky.' Hawke said. 'We'd need to be in constant communication and if we lost that in the middle of the Thor run…'

They looked at each other unhappily.

'Damn.' Hawke tugged her into his arms and she cuddled into him.

'We'd better head back in and tell them we're going.' Caitlin said.

Hawke kept a firm hold on her. 'In a minute.'

Michael waited patiently for the couple to come back in and ignored the glares from Locke's Airwolf team, particularly from Saint John.

'I can't believe you're asking them to do this.' Saint John said finally, unable to keep quiet any longer. 'They've just had a baby for crying out loud.'

'Saint John,' Locke managed to wrest the pilot's attention away from his predecessor, 'as much as I hate to admit it, Archangel has a point.'

'You're agreeing with him?' Jo asked astounded.

'Tactically, yes.' Locke confirmed. 'If Hawke has beaten the Thor system before, he's the obvious choice of pilot. If he needs an experienced engineer who he's used to working with and his wife fulfils that criteria, she's the obvious choice for engineer.'

'I don't believe you.' Saint John said but before he could say anything else, the couple came back in.

Michael met Hawke's impassive expression.

'I want all the intelligence you have on the clinic both blueprints of the building, defence systems around the grounds.' Hawke said.

'You'll have it.' Michael promised.

'And I'm telling you now,' Hawke continued, 'Moffett so much as looks at Caitlin the wrong way and I won't hesitate to put a bullet in his brain.'

Michael raised an eyebrow and gestured at him. 'Just do us both a favour and check he's dead when you do.'

Hawke relaxed a little. His steady blue eyes went to the Airwolf team he was displacing. 'Saint John, which of your team has the best experience of ground extractions?'

'You're not going in yourself?' Michael asked before Hawke's brother could reply.

Hawke shook his head. 'If the clinic is well guarded, it'll need a team in Airwolf providing cover and a team on the ground to get Moffett out. Besides,' his eyes cooled, 'I want to make it appear to Moffett that everything is going to his plan and he's presumably not expecting me.'

'Myself and Mike have the most experience.' Saint John said quickly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to keep his annoyance at being reliant on his brother for a place on the mission out of his voice.

Hawke nodded. 'You two up for it?'

Saint John glanced at Mike who looked at him so eagerly it was hard not to smile. He turned back to his brother. 'Yeah. We're up for it.'

Hawke inclined his head in acknowledgment. 'Then let's get to work.'