Hawke focused on the winding, steep road ahead. The four-wheel drive the Company had given him helped but he was aware that they were in open space and there were sharp inclines either side of them that didn't provide many options for dodging an attack. He tilted his head a little. He was sure that he hadn't heard the familiar sound of Airwolf's engines since they'd left the Company holding facility but occasionally he was certain he'd heard a normal helicopter. He hadn't spotted it yet. He sighed and tried to concentrate on the next turn even as his mind wandered back to Caitlin.

He knew he'd made a huge mistake; knew it the moment he'd made it but he'd gone ahead anyway and now he was asking himself why. She was probably right about Angelica, he mused; the blonde was playing him. She probably didn't have any information about his family. So what the hell was he doing? He knew he'd agreed to protect her and he knew he felt a guilty that minutes after making that promise she'd almost been killed but again he couldn't feel too bad about it; she had tried to kill Caitlin before and she'd certainly gone along with her father's plans in the past. No, he was risking his marriage on the slim off chance that Angelica might know something about his family. They had so few leads that he couldn't afford to let the opportunity pass. But he'd hurt Caitlin and he'd hurt her badly. He had no idea how he was going to make it up to her…

'This place must be in the middle of nowhere.' Angelica said. She was handcuffed to the door; a move she had protested and which he had ignored. He was taking the chance on her skipping out. He'd risked a lot to hear her out; he'd risked his marriage.

'Are you going to talk to me at all on this journey?' Angelica asked exasperated. Hawke had only replied to some basic questions and he'd ignored her for the most part.

'No.' Hawke replied succinctly.

'It's going to be a boring trip if you don't talk to me.' Angelica said.

'Angelica, get this into your head; this isn't a pleasure trip.' Hawke said. 'And I can't concentrate on protecting you if you're constantly talking to me.'

'Fine.' Angelica said huffily. She looked over at his grave profile. 'You're upset about something.'

Hawke repressed the urge to sigh.

'Probably your wife.' Angelica surmised. 'I can't see her being too happy about heading to a cabin alone with me. She's probably worried…'

'Caitlin knows she has nothing to be worried about.' Hawke stated.

'I know you wanted me.' Angelica looked over at him and smiled seductively. 'When we were on that bed together when I said goodbye to you before my father gave you his mission, I could feel exactly how much you wanted me.'

'I was brainwashed.' Hawke muttered flushing unwillingly.

'You weren't at the hotel.' Angelica reminded him.

'At the hotel I thought you were somebody else.' Hawke said. He frowned. He thought he heard the chopper again.

'I don't know why you married her.' Angelica said. 'She's not all that pretty and she's too immature for you. She can't be a worthy partner for you. She's not your equal.'

'Shut up!' Hawke said bluntly.

'I'm just telling you what I honestly think…'

'I said shut up!' Hawke snapped. 'Someone's following us.'

'What?' Angelica looked behind them through the rear window of the car. 'I don't see anyone.' Her voice was nervous.

'That's because it's a chopper.' Hawke said.

'Isn't there supposed to be a chopper following us?' Angelica said.

'Airwolf, not an ordinary A-10 chopper.' Hawke replied sharply.

'Sterling?' Angelica huddled in her seat.

'Maybe or…' Hawke's eyes widened in realisation and he swore, hitting the steering wheel.

'What?' Angelica asked.

'Evan changed the escort.' Hawke muttered. The chopper was descending. It was coming in too close for protection or escort detail. 'Stay down!'

Angelica shifted in the seat just as a strafe of bullets hit the road in front of them.

Hawke managed to swerve avoiding the shrapnel. He sped up, taking the next turn and then the next at a dangerous speed; the shadow of the chopper visible on the road in front of him. Another joined it. Two choppers chasing them along the road. He slowed at the next turn and a missile shot past exploding on the hillside in front of them.

Angelica screamed.

Hawke ignored the distractions and drove through the debris avoiding the lumps of rock thrown clear from the explosion. Another turn; another sharp patter of ammo and Hawke had nowhere to go. The shrapnel hit the car. Hawke spun the wheel trying to avoid it and went off-road. He jammed it into neutral and turned the engine off as the vehicle slid down the mountainside. A wheel caught a boulder and the car overturned. He heard the familiar howl of Airwolf's engines above him as the car came to a halt.

'Saint John, we have a chopper lining up for another shot at the car and one circling back for us.' Jo said hitting the keyboard for the identifications.

'Give me a missile.' Saint John ordered focusing on the tangled mess of car in front of him.

'Missile loaded.' Mike confirmed.

Saint John fired at the first chopper and it exploded.

'That second chopper has got one missile off at us and its right on our tail.' Jo said.

'Not for long.' Saint John said. 'Deploy sunburst.'

'Sunburst.' Mike confirmed.

'I have something coming in fast on the scope.' Jo said.

'What is it?' Saint John asked trying to shake the chopper on their tail.

'The computer is identifying as a chopper but it's flying mach speed.' Jo said shocked.

Airwolf rocked suddenly with the chatter of gunfire and Saint John pulled back on the stick.

'The chopper has fired another missile.' Jo said. 'It's going back to the car.'

Saint John executed a hammerhead stall and fired another missile at the one headed for them. It was a direct hit.

'Saint John, that chopper's fired another missile at the vehicle.' Jo said panicked. 'We're going to be too late.'

They all watched in horror as the missile headed straight for the car.

A blur of black shot across their view between the missile and Hawke's wreck of a car.

'What the hell was that?' Mike asked awed.

'That's what I'd like to know.' Saint John said.

'Whatever it is, it's acquired the missile.' Jo informed them crisply.

Saint John wasn't listening; he was too busy positioning Airwolf over the car protecting his brother from another attack. He looked up to see the chopper that had fired on them fleeing with the other black helicopter in pursuit; the missile in pursuit of it. There was a burst of speed from the black helicopter and two missiles flew out from it to impact the chopper in front. The pilot of the black helicopter didn't wait but pulled back, shooting upwards into the sky; the missile following it went straight into the burning debris below.

'Nice.' Mike said impressed.

'Yeah.' Saint John said. 'But are they friend or foe?'

The black helicopter descended and hovered in front of them. Two Airwolfs side by side in the air.

'Wow,' exclaimed Mike as the crew of the original ship took in the sleek lines and improved aerodynamics of its successor.

'Saint John?' Caitlin radioed over to the original Airwolf. 'You guys OK?'

'Caitlin?' Saint John's incredulity rang across the transmission.

'We need to get Hawke out of that car now.' Caitlin said ignoring Saint John's surprise. 'Our scanners are showing massive damage to the engine. We don't have a winch installed yet.'

'We do.' Saint John said. 'You stay airborne and watch our six.'

'Agreed.' Caitlin radioed back.

Caitlin watched as Airwolf landed close to the edge of the road. Mike helped tie a rope attached to a winch under the helicopter around Saint John.

Saint John began his descent moving swiftly but steadily. 'Hang on, little brother, hang on.' He muttered under his breath.

Hawke stretched across the front of the car to the unconscious woman in the passenger seat and undid the cuff. He pulled Angelica upright and for the first time saw the bloody patch on her side.

'Angelica.' He cupped her chin in his hand and brought her face around to his.

Her blue eyes opened to stare at him, unfocused and glassy. 'Hawke.'

'That's right.' Hawke said. 'I'm going to get you out of here.' He knew they only had moments. The engine was already beginning to smoke and he could smell petrol.

'No, no.' Angelica pushed at him weakly. 'Listen to me.' She coughed and specks of blood appeared on her pale lips, 'Matt was having Val track your sister down. He thinks she's called Sarah Hardy. That's all I have.'

He looked at her sadly. 'Angelica…'

'Go.' She said. 'You…I don't have anything else. I never did.' Her hand stroked down his rough cheek. 'I just wanted…to spend time…with you. I did love you…' her hand fell away and she gave a short gasp. The light went out of her eyes and Hawke closed them gently. He set her back in the seat and kicked his door until it gave way an opened.

Hawke climbed out and began to haul himself up the slope, his hands grabbing onto any handhold they could find as his feet slipped and slid on the dusty ground. He propelled himself upwards knowing he had moments before the car exploded. He reached up and suddenly found his ripped hand in a solid grip. He looked up and saw his brother looking back at him.

Saint John yanked him up and tugged on the rope. 'Hold on.'

Hawke didn't argue; he tightened his grip on Saint John's arm as the rope inched back dragging them upwards.

The sound of the explosion behind them stunned them and Saint John threw Hawke to the ground, covering his younger brother with his own body as the heat of the blast swept over them.

'You OK?' Hawke asked worriedly.

'I'm good.' Saint John said rolling off him to the side. 'You?'

'I'm OK.' Hawke said.

'Come on.' Saint John said offering his hand again. 'Let's get out of here.'

It was another five minutes before they were safely to the road. Hawke sat down on the ground and accepted the bottle of water Mike gave to him. He looked up at the helicopter still in the air.

'So that's what you've been doing?' Saint John asked waving at it.

'Yeah.' Hawke answered. He staggered to his feet. 'I've got to speak to my wife.' He'd barely taken a step toward the cockpit when he heard the unmistakable sound of the new Airwolf leaving.

Jo stuck her head out of the Airwolf doorway. 'Caitlin said the scope is clear and she'll see you at home.'

Hawke looked over his shoulder at the departing helicopter.

'Looks like we're your ride, buddy.' Mike said cheerfully.

'Yeah.' Hawke said as he watched his wife fly away.