Caitlin closed the folder and set it aside on the finished pile. Their early discovery of the letter and the news of additional siblings for Hawke and Saint John had renewed their energy and they had dived into the rest of the documentation with enthusiasm. Another hour later and they were all looking like the last of that enthusiasm was hanging by a fine thread, Caitlin mused with amusement.
'Who wants to take a break?' She asked.
'Me.' Angelina replied loudly.
'Me too.' Marella said smiling at the young girl.
'Me three.' Jo said pushing her folder away. 'My eyes are blurring.'
'How about a walk?' Caitlin suggested. 'Tet and Brownie need exercise.'
'Can we go to the hide?' Angelina asked excitedly.
'Sure.' Caitlin readily agreed. The old wildlife observation hide was a favourite with Angelina. It was far enough for a good walk but close enough not to make the walk too long.
'You want me to stay and look after Nicky?' Marella asked as she got to her feet and stretched.
Caitlin shook her head. 'I'll bundle him up and take him with us. I have this new carry thing I've been meaning to try out.'
It took them a while to get organised but before too long they were all wrapped in appropriate outdoor gear with a sleeping Nicky placed in a contraption that fastened around Caitlin's shoulders and hung the baby suspended in the material onto her chest. She placed her hands under his bottom for more support. Marella carried a small backpack with some baby items in case they were needed. They left the cabin and crossed the clearing towards the trail into the surrounding forest. A noise had Caitlin looking back with a frown and she recognised the sound of an engine.
'Is that a chopper?' Jo asked her own pretty features creasing in confusion.
'Yeah.' Caitlin murmured. Some instinct had her giving the signal to lower themselves and they all followed the instruction automatically; Angelina taking her lead from the adults. The dogs seemed to pick up on the tension and sat awaiting instructions. They were all crouched in the undergrowth of the forest; they were hidden but had a good view of the clearing.
'What's wrong?' asked Marella in a low voice.
'I'm not sure.' Caitlin admitted. 'But I'm not expecting visitors.'
The chopper swung into view and landed in the clearing in front of them. All of them instinctively ducked down.
Caitlin peeked out. Four men dressed in black jumped out and ran towards the cabin. Her blue-green eyes darkened at the sight of the weapons they held.
'They're wearing the same outfits as those guys who took us hostage at the Lair.' Jo noted.
'Yeah.' Caitlin agreed. She turned to the others even as her hands began unfastening the baby carrier in preparation of handing Nicky over. 'Y'all head to the hide. It'll provide you with shelter and it is a good place to hide out. I'll join you as soon as I can.' She helped Marella into the carrier swiftly.
'What about you?' Marella asked as she held Nicky to her firmly.
'I'll stay and find out as much as I can.' Caitlin said.
'I'll stay with you.' Jo said.
'No.' Caitlin shook her head. 'You're the only one of us besides me who can fly Airwolf.' She checked her watch. 'If I don't get to you guys in an hour, you'll have to come up with a rescue plan.'
Jo looked unhappy but nodded her head.
Angelina threw herself into Caitlin's arms for a hug.
Caitlin squeezed her reassuringly. 'You need to be a brave girl for Marella, Angelina.' She whispered.
Angelina nodded, her blue eyes wide with fear as she remembered another time when troops had entered her home; her aunt who had raised her had been killed in front of her and she couldn't bear to think the same thing would happen to Caitlin. Her Uncle String had rescued her back then and she clung to the hope he would rescue them again as Marella took her hand and led her away.
Caitlin couldn't spare the time to watch them leave. Her hand went to the small of her back and her gun. She thanked whatever whimsy had decided to propel her to pick it up as she had gotten ready to leave on the walk. She checked the chambers were loaded and replaced it back in the waistband of her jeans. She inched forward to get a better view of the clearing.
Two men came out of the cabin and walked back over to the chopper. They opened the back passenger door and another man alighted. He reached back and held a hand out. A feminine hand was placed it in and Caitlin's eyes widened as a slim attractive blonde descended from the chopper. Her lips firmed in recognition.
Angelica Horn.
Caitlin's eyes hardened. The Hawkes had a history with the Horns. Hawke had been the first to get taken hostage by Angelica's father, the late John Bradford Horn. Horn had brainwashed Hawke who had been tricked into the trap by Angelica. Luckily, Caitlin had managed to use a controversial serum to reverse the brainwashing and they had all escaped. The last encounter had been worse; Horn had briefly convinced Hawke he had seen Caitlin die in order to kidnap her. He had intended to obtain her baby for himself. Hawke had seen through the ruse and come after her. That encounter had ended with Horn's death; Angelica had disappeared into the woodwork.
The blonde was dressed in the same black uniform as the men. Her platinum hair was blowing briskly in the breeze as she walked over to the cabin. She might have known Angelica would turn up like the proverbial bad penny, Caitlin thought in disgust. Like father, like daughter.
She reviewed her position; she wasn't close enough to hear anything and she needed to understand what their plans were if she was going to formulate a plan. She was going to have to take the risk of moving closer. She scampered around the clearing. She checked for guards. The pilot of the chopper was still in the cockpit noting down readings from a post-flight check on a clipboard. She absently approved of his good piloting as she dived around the back of the cabin. None of the doors were locked in the cabin and she carefully entered through the back into the extension with the spare bedrooms. She padded down the corridor and opened the door to the living area a crack.
'…empty. We figure they've gone for a walk, ma'am.'
Caitlin watched as the four men stood in a line reporting to Angelica who was looking at the pictures on the mantel. There was no evidence that the woman was paying attention and the lead soldier obviously thought so too; he sighed in exasperation.
'If we move the chopper, we can ambush them here.' He said slightly impatiently. 'They'll come back from the walk and enter the cabin without suspicion.'
It was a good plan, Caitlin thought, and one that might have worked. She was just pleased the timing of the walk had been so judicious; they had a chance to get out of this.
'Have we heard from the Alpha team?' Angelica asked off-handedly as though she was disinterested in the answer.
'Yes, ma'am. They've pinpointed the location of the crashed helicopter with Hawke and his group. They are moving in on their position.' The soldier replied.
'I'd like Hawke brought here.' Angelica said turning around to face her team abruptly.
'That's not in line with the boss's orders, ma'am.' The lead soldier said defiantly.
'My husband put me in charge of this op.' Angelica snapped.
'Then let's call him.' The soldier responded. 'Because I'm going to need his verification of that before we proceed.'
'Fine.' Angelica flounced into an easy chair. 'Tell the chopper to move out of sight. We wait.'
The lead soldier's shoulders dropped a little, with relief, Caitlin surmised, and he turned to give the orders to his men. Caitlin quietly shut the door and retreated to the back door in case she had to make a sudden exit.
OK, she considered, this was bad. Hawke and the guys had obviously never made it to the fishing trip; their helicopter had crashed. She closed her eyes briefly. There was no better pilot than Hawke, she reminded herself as she tried to stay calm. If anyone could crash land a helicopter safely, it would be him. She had to stay positive. Caitlin opened her eyes determinedly. She had to get the situation at the cabin under control – and most importantly get Angelica Horn out of her house – get to Airwolf and rescue Hawke. It was a plan. She just had to figure out how to do it.
The men were planning to ambush them when they returned from a walk. They could use that. No doubt they would take hiding positions until everyone was inside the cabin. Caitlin nodded her head. It was a start. She slipped out of the back door. She ran to the hide-out in the woods as fast as she could and Jo opened the entrance to it quickly.
'What's going on?' Marella asked.
'Horn.' Caitlin gasped breathlessly.
Marella's dark eyes widened. 'That's not possible. I watched his burial personally. He's dead.'
Caitlin shook her head. 'Not Horn, Horn.' She said regaining her breath as she slumped onto the thin wooden bench that acted as seating in the hide. She waved a hand. 'Angelica.'
'The daughter?' Marella asked.
'They've concluded we went for a walk and they're waiting to ambush us at the cabin when we return.' Caitlin stated quickly.
'Great.' Marella said.
'There's more bad news.' Caitlin said. She took a deep breath. 'I think they made the guys' helicopter crash somehow. They're moving in on their position to secure them too.'
'Are they alright?' Jo asked worriedly.
'I think so.' Caitlin said darting a look at Angelina. She didn't want to worry the eleven year old unnecessarily. She attempted a reassuring smile. 'You know Hawke. He's the best there is.'
'So what do we do?' Jo asked.
Caitlin's lips firmed. 'We get ourselves out of this and go rescue the guys.'
'Damn right.' Marella said.
'You got my vote.' Jo said.
Caitlin nodded. 'I think I have a plan.' She bit her lip nervously. 'It's going to need two of us to walk up to the cabin as though we're unaware of what's going on.'
'Diversion, right?' Marella asked.
'Right.' Caitlin agreed. 'I figure they'll wait until we're all in the cabin before they make a move. So if only two of us return…'
'Like an advance party.' Jo added.
'They'll stay hidden.' Caitlin continued. 'There isn't very much room for them to hide without getting discovered so I think they'll split up. I can take as many as I can out and…'
'And all of us can deal with the rest.' Marella said. She turned the idea over in her head. 'It's risky.'
'It's our only shot.' Jo argued.
'What about their helicopter?' Marella asked.
Caitlin sighed. 'That is a problem.' She bit her lip. 'I have an idea but I don't know whether it will work.' She crossed to the far side of the hide and unearthed the emergency radio Hawke had stored.
'What are you doing?' Jo asked curious.
'Let's just say I'm trying something.' Caitlin said. She switched the dial to Airwolf's emergency frequency.
'If you radio out the pilot in that chopper might...'
'Over hear. I know.' Caitlin said. 'That's why I'm sending the message for help to Airwolf in Morse code.' She was hoping that Airwolf's artificial intelligence would pick up the message and come to help them. The intelligence was a secret though that the old Airwolf team had chosen not to share with the new Airwolf team. Indeed, Caitlin had ensured the intelligence was transferred to a new version of the helicopter before the original Airwolf had been handed over to Locke. It still visited its old ship and had the ability to transfer seamlessly between the two machines. Caitlin just hoped her message would work.
'You think the computer will translate the Morse code like it did when you and Hawke crashed over White Sands.' Jo realised remembering; it had been her first flight in Airwolf.
'I hope so.' Caitlin said vaguely.
'But then what?' Jo asked. 'I mean…'
'I'm instructing her to notify a computer programmer on the project we work on.' Caitlin covered. 'Hopefully, they'll alert the authorities and send help.'
Marella stayed silent. She knew what Caitlin was attempting.
'That's a big if.' Jo pointed out.
'Like you say, it's our only shot.' Caitlin said as she repeated the message before switching the machine off.
'What about me?' Angelina said. 'What do I do?'
Caitlin got up and moved to crouch in front of the frightened but determined little girl. 'You're going to have a real important job.' She said. 'I'm going to need you to look after Nicky and keep him safe. OK?'
Angelina nodded.
Caitlin rubbed her hands. 'Good girl.'
'When do we go?'
'I'll take Angelina and Nicky now.' Caitlin said. 'I'll hide them in the back of the cabin and take up a position. Give me thirty minutes and then make your entrance into the clearing.'
'Got it.' Jo said checking her watch.
'Let's do it.' Marella said.
It didn't seem to take long before Caitlin sneaked Angelina and Nicky back into the cabin. She hid them in the closet in the second bedroom in the extension. It was the furthest from the living area and she doubted whether the men would hide that far back. She crept back up to the living room door and looked out.
Angelica Horn was sat in an easy chair, her impatience clear with the drumming of her bright red nails on the arm.
Two soldiers kept a look-out at the front windows; one was checking out the documentation they had left on the table and the lead guy was obviously keeping watch on Angelica.
Suddenly their radio crackled into action. 'Team Beta come in.'
'This is team beta.' The lead soldier answered.
'We have secured the crash site. Copy.' Caitlin's eyes closed briefly again in worry.
'Copy that, Alpha. We are holding position.'
'Hey, Thorn, I've got something.' One of the soldiers at the front window said interrupting the radio discussion.
'Alpha. We require radio silence. Over.'
'Over. Good luck. Out.'
Thorn looked at his men questioningly.
'Two of the women with the dogs, sir.' The young soldier responded.
'OK. Places.' The lead soldier said. 'Wait for my signal.'
Caitlin skipped back to the far bedroom and took a position by the door. As she suspected Angelica and one of the men hid in the first bedroom. She waited until the corridor was clear before she sneaked back to the main living area.
She figured Thorn would take the best position behind the bar – it gave him cover but allowed him to hear everything without being visible. She drew her gun and approached silently. She ducked and crawled around the bar to the opening, keeping her eyes open for the other two soldiers; she figured they had to be upstairs. She peeked around the corner. Thorn was crouched with his back to her. She moved swiftly and whacked the butt of her gun over the base of his head. He went down with a dull thud.
Caitlin removed his radio and gun before she hurried over to the stairs and crept up them. She had just got to the top landing when the door from the extension opened and Angelica stalked through.
'Thorn! Why won't you respond to my…' Angelica stopped at the sight of Thorn's prone figure. 'Everybody back to the living area.' She commanded. 'Now.'
Caitlin ducked into the shadows and breathed a sigh of relief as the two soldiers who had been hiding in the master bedroom charged out without noticing her. She frowned. She could hear Jo and Marella approaching and there was no way she could warn them the plan had gone wrong.
Angelica motioned for two of the soldiers to take positions either side of the cabin door. At her signal the third soldier stood beside her in the centre of the room and aimed his weapon at the door in front of them.
The cabin door opened and Caitlin watched helplessly as Marella and Jo were both grabbed. They struggled but the men held them fast.
'Hey!' Jo yelled. 'What the hell is this?'
Caitlin knew she had to act fast. She took aim and fired her gun. The soldier by Angelica fell like a sack of potatoes to the floor as everyone else whirled to look at her.
Marella immediately acted. She thrust her elbow into the stomach of the man who held her and lashed out with a fist at his face.
Jo took the more direct approach, punching her fist straight into the groin area of the man who held her.
Caitlin's attention wasn't on them; she focused coldly on Angelica who took one look at Caitlin and ran, side-stepping the women fighting the soldiers and into the clearing.
Caitlin took the stairs two at a time and she chased out after the woman. Angelica was already half-way across the clearing when Caitlin tackled her. They went down rolling on the dirt. Caitlin could hear the dogs barking excitedly.
Angelica lashed out and caught Caitlin's jaw; the redhead fell back and Angelica was on her in a heartbeat, trying to get the gun out of her hand.
Suddenly, the sound of Angelica's chopper had them stilling abruptly and Caitlin found herself looking up into its guns.
Angelica wrenched Caitlin's handgun from her and stood over her gloating. Her grip tightened on the gun. 'I win.' The blonde said with a cold smile.
Caitlin's ears caught the faintest whisper on the air. She smiled back. 'I don't think so.' She moved swiftly into a ball on the ground as Airwolf slammed past the chopper sending it spiralling away from her and sending Angelica to the ground. Caitlin threw herself onto the other woman reaching for the gun. They rolled over the dirt and grass as they both tried to get a hold of the weapon.
In the distance, Caitlin registered the sound of guns and the fiery explosion as Airwolf took care of the attacking chopper. She felt the sting across her cheek as Angelica slapped her but Caitlin kept her focus on getting the gun.
The shot was loud.
Caitlin stilled; her breathing harsh in the sudden silence. Her blue-green eyes registered the surprise on Angelica's face and she lurched backwards away from the blonde's body. She looked down at the blood on her own shirt and clawed at the material to check she was OK panicked until she saw her intact flesh.
Marella ran out of the house clutching one of the soldier's automatic weapons. 'Caitlin.' She ran over to her friend as Airwolf landed on the clearing beside them.
'I'm OK.' Caitlin said as Marella reached her. 'The blood's hers.'
Marella stooped and checked Angelica's pulse. 'She's still alive.' She waved back at the house as Jo raced out to join them. 'I've contacted a clean-up crew.'
'Good.' Caitlin reached down and picked up her gun.
Jo slowed to a halt seeing Airwolf. Her eyes stared in astonishment. 'How?'
'I'll explain later.' Caitlin said her eyes flickering to the machine. At least the intelligence had brought the machine with armament, she mused; if the new Airwolf machine had turned up there would be even more explanations needed. 'We have to go rescue the guys. Marella…'
'I have things covered here.' Marella said. 'The soldiers are tied up and I don't think she's going anywhere.' She gestured at Angelica. 'The team from the agency should be here soon.'
'We should stay until they arrive.' Caitlin said reluctantly.
'No. The team keeping the guys hostage is probably going to call soon for an update. You should go before they realise something is wrong here.' Marella said. Her dark eyes softened. 'Go. I'll be OK. One of them tries anything and I'll shoot them all.'
She would too; Caitlin knew it. She sighed and nodded at Jo. 'Let's go rescue the guys.'
Marella watched Caitlin take the pilot's seat in Airwolf as Jo climbed in the back to the engineer's console. She moved back out of the way as Airwolf ascended. Her own worry for Michael worried at her and she pushed it away determinedly. 'Score two for the women.' She muttered under her breath.
