Hawke rolled his shoulders and tried to ignore the itch that had settled there. He really didn't like this mission, he mused, as he peered through the binoculars from his position in the dense bushes at the edge of the complex at the perimeter guards. The last of the night was clinging to the Russian sky in the early morning but there was enough light cast from the artificial lamps the Russians had set up as part of their security system to illuminate the patrols, artillery and other general obstacles between them and the Russian Airwolf. He checked his watch. He wanted this mission done already.

'What are you thinking?' Mike asked his voice barely above a whisper.

Hawke glanced at the other man. He was his only companion; Caitlin was back with Airwolf in a safe location about a mile into the forest. He frowned and pointed at the fence. 'Electrified.'

'Yeah and have you seen the gate beyond that?' Mike shook his head. 'It's computerised.'

'Not to mention the two guards, automatic weapons, one dog.' Hawke noted. His eyes narrowed on the perimeter towers. 'Cannons at every compass point with two guards, one watching inside the fence, one watching outside.'

'Anti-aircraft guns on the roof of each building. I'm counting three.'

'Four.' Hawke motioned at the far building. 'There's one there.'

'You can't possibly see that far.' Mike said accusingly.

Hawke shrugged. 'You sure about that?' He teased.

Mike's eyes narrowed on the other pilot. He had only been working with the original Airwolf team for a few weeks and he was never quite sure when Hawke was teasing him and when he was being serious; he was a difficult man to read. 'No, I'm not falling for that one. Even you can't see that far.'

Hawke's lips twitched. 'Every building in this section that we can see has an anti-aircraft gun. We should assume that one does too.'

'Right.' Mike accepted Hawke's explanation readily.

Hawke sobered as he considered their options.

'Do you have a plan?' Mike asked lowering his binoculars.

'Do you?' shot back Hawke.

Mike hesitated for a moment wondering if the question was a test. Hawke and Caitlin had ostensibly been training him for the past few weeks, something he'd found a little bizarre at first given he'd been flying Airwolf missions for the better part of a year before he joined their team but he had come to realise with only a few lessons that he had a lot to learn.

Flying with Hawke was incredible; the pilot had a natural ability in the air and combined with Airwolf…Mike considered himself lucky just to be in the same cockpit. Caitlin was actually the better teacher; more patient and understanding than Hawke with mistakes, not that he'd tell Hawke that. As the silence stretched on, Mike rapidly concluded that it didn't truly matter if Hawke was testing him or whether it was a commander asking for input; he was still waiting for an answer either way.

'One man on the ground digs a hole under the fence,' Mike began, 'Airwolf creates a diversion taking out any guns or artillery that could hit the guy on the way from the fence to the gate; allows the man time to get under the fence and through the first perimeter.' He gestured. 'Airwolf overrides the computerised gate; the man on the ground may have to deal with the guards himself. Airwolf continues to take out targets that would eliminate the man before he reaches the Russian Airwolf. Once in the air, both machines can deal with the rest of the artillery.'

'If the Russian bird is loaded.' Hawke pointed out.

'Otherwise Airwolf provides cover.' Mike concluded.

Hawke frowned as he turned the idea over in his head. 'Risky. The man on the ground could get shot or taken out at any time despite the air cover.'

'True.' Mike said. 'But if they get taken out, Airwolf can still destroy the other bird and leave.'

'So who's the man on the ground?' Hawke asked wryly.

Mike shrugged. 'I'll do it.'

'You'll do it?' Hawke asked sceptically.

'Sure. You and Caitlin have a kid to consider. Anyway, the two of you are a better combination in Airwolf for the diversion and air cover and besides, if I get captured rather than killed, I know the least about Airwolf if tortured.'

Hawke softened at Mike's reasons to be the man on the ground. 'You've thought about this a lot.' He realised.

'It has occurred to me before this mission.' Mike admitted.

'Hmmm.' Hawke raised the binoculars again and frowned. The patrol was every ten minutes like clockwork. 'It's not a bad plan.'

'Thank you.'

'But not every plan needs to involve you getting shot.' Hawke pointed out.

'I'm relieved to hear it.' Mike quipped. 'So you have a plan?'

'Yeah.' Hawke lowered the binoculars. 'I have a plan.'

'You want to share?' Mike asked impatiently.

'I need to check a few things with Caitlin and Airwolf.' Hawke said. 'If they pan out, we do my plan; if they don't, then we'll go with you as the sacrificial lamb.'

'Can we not use the word sacrificial?' Mike pleaded as Hawke signalled for them to scurry backwards out of sight to begin the journey back to Airwolf.

'Would you prefer suicidal?' Hawke commented.

'Heroic?' Mike suggested.

Hawke's eyebrow quirked upward.

'What?' Mike demanded.

They set a punishing pace back to the helicopter and climbed aboard relieved to be back in the relative safety of her cockpit.

'How did it go?' Caitlin asked interested as they both turned round to face her from their seats in the front.

'About as bad as we thought.' Hawke replied. 'Mike has a plan that involves him getting shot.'

'Well, there's more to it than that.' Mike said defensively.

'I hope so or this mission is going to over real quick.' Caitlin said. She looked over at her husband. 'You have a plan?'

'Michael said short range communications were still possible, right?' Hawke checked.

'Right.' Caitlin confirmed. 'I'm hearing radio chatter so it's true.'

'OK.' Hawke took a breath. 'Airwolf, can you hack into the Russian communication system?'

Yes.

Caitlin smiled at her monitor. 'Airwolf says yes.'

'Can you use that to transfer yourself to the Russian ship, Airwolf?' Hawke asked.

Yes.

Caitlin confirmed the answer and her eyes widened in realisation of where Hawke was going with his plan. 'You want the AI to steal the other ship?'

Hawke tilted his head in acknowledgement that she'd worked it out. 'It's a thought.'

'A good one.' Caitlin said.

I can execute.

'Airwolf says she can do it.' Caitlin said. 'As long as we maintain a communication link with her she should be able to utilise the ship's systems and initiate flight herself.'

'Isn't there a risk if we lose the communication link of losing the AI completely?' Mike asked concerned.

'That is the risk.' Caitlin answered.

Hawke sighed. 'If we try a ground assault, it's very likely one of us is going to end up dead. The only alternative to Mike's plan is for us to go with Airwolf and drop a pilot next to the Russian bird. With the amount of firepower they have around that place, that's just as suicidal.'

I am prepared to take the risk.

'Airwolf says she's prepared to take the risk.' Caitlin said with a sigh.

'OK. Let's do it.' Hawke said.

Initiating link with Russian telecomm system.

'Now what?' Mike asked.

'Now we wait for Airwolf to do her stuff.' Hawke said firmly.

An hour later, Airwolf had accessed the local Russian telecommunication system and had identified the access number into her Russian counterpart.

Connection established.

Hawke nodded at Caitlin and Mike. 'Time for the diversion.'

They all put on the heavy football style helmets and Hawke powered up the helicopter.

'Caitlin?'

'Systems ready.' Caitlin confirmed.

'Weapons deployed.' Mike added, hitting the last of his buttons as the thud of the cannons under the helicopter clicking into position sounded dully in the cockpit.

'We're going in low so we should be off their radar.' Hawke said. His hand grasped the cyclic and he rose up slow and steady to hover just above the tree-tops.

'Airwolf, initiate engines on your ship.' Hawke ordered.

Confirmed. Engines started.

'Good. As soon as you're ready, take off.'

Confirmed.

'Turbos.' Caitlin said.

Hawke fired the turbos and they shot forward. They could see the chaos Airwolf's self-initiation had caused on the ground.

'Sequential missiles ready.' Mike confirmed.

Hawke slid the visor down and targeted the anti-aircraft guns; four missiles shot out from the cannons.

'Targets eliminated.' Mike said. He held his breath as Hawke angled Airwolf downwards into the smoke. The rotors whipped it into a screen that masked the Russian bird ascending into the air.

'Turbos.' Hawke ordered.

Caitlin confirmed it and Hawke hit the button that had them flying forward in perfect synchronisation with the Russian bird.

'Hawke,' Caitlin read the monitor to check Airwolf's statement, 'Airwolf is confirming copying her required programming to the Russian ship. She'll disconnect from the Russian telecomm system and initiate a ship to ship link for communication only.'

Her husband didn't reply; his attention was on his flying.

'We have MIGs.' Mike said.

'Three.' Caitlin confirmed. 'Approaching on an attack vector.'

Hawke dived to the ground; the Russian Airwolf followed them.

'They're not shaking loose.' Caitlin said calmly. 'We have two heat-seekers.'

'Deploying sunbursts.' Mike said.

'Airwolf has confirmed transfer is complete to the other ship; she has established a new ship to ship link.' Caitlin remarked. 'Her weapons are deployed.'

'Airwolf,' Hawke cleared his throat, 'attack pattern alpha.'

Caitlin's eyes widened. 'She is breaking off left.'

Hawke went right. Both Airwolf helicopters ascended rapidly; they came up behind two of the MIGs and fired simultaneously. The MIGs exploded.

'The third MIG is retreating.' Caitlin said.

Hawke dived back down; Airwolf followed him in the Russian ship and eventually pulled up alongside them.

'Good work, Airwolf.' Hawke radioed across.

Mission successful.

'Yes. Let's not get too cocky until we're home and safe.' Hawke said dryly reading the monitor.

Mike craned his head to get a good view of the helicopter flying alongside them. He took in the angled nose; the dull black armour and the glimpse of her white underbelly. 'My God. She looks exactly like this ship.'

Hawke spared a quick glance and shifted in his seat. 'There's a difference.'

'How can you tell?' Mike asked.

'She's not the same.' Hawke muttered.

'Well, I can't tell the difference.' Mike said a little defensively. 'Shouldn't we set down and one of us take over flying her?'

Hawke glanced over at the helicopter flying beside them. 'Nah. Airwolf's got it under control.' She might not be the same as the ship he flew – he could tell the difference in the way the clouds and shadows played over her subtle angles – but while the AI flew her, she was definitely Airwolf.

'Is that a good idea?' Mike asked.

'What's the matter, Mike?' Hawke replied. 'You worried she's going to start shooting at us.'

'Well, now that you mention it.' Mike said cheerily.

'I trust her and she's earned it.' Hawke said firmly, unaware of how his words pleased the Airwolf AI flying beside him. He was relieved when Caitlin diverted Mike's attention asking for a rundown on the remaining armament. His blue eyes slipped back to the other ship momentarily before he focused back on his own flying. He trusted Airwolf, he mused, but he couldn't help but think something else was going to go wrong. Deep in his gut, he still had a bad feeling. He sighed inwardly. They'd be home soon and the mission would be over; he was probably worrying over nothing. He hoped.