Chapter Four
Things aren't always what they seem...
The last, pale rays of the late afternoon California sun streamed across Van Nuys Airport, basking the Santini Air hangar in a warm, yellowish glow.
Dominic Santini grunted and shifted position above the Jet Ranger as he fought to loosen a stubborn bolt. The stunt earlier in the day had gone more or less to plan, and they were using their free time to catch up with some much needed maintenance on the Jet Ranger.
His mind wandered to the scene he'd witnessed that morning between String and Cait, and his heart warmed. Cait had been helping out a lot with Le, and had been a fixture at the cabin almost every other day.
String even seemed to enjoy having her around, which ,for someone that spent their life running from people, was progress in itself. String deserved to be happy, and Dom was resolute in the thought that Cait was the one that could make him happy. Whether he liked it or not, Hawke needed her, and maybe now with his failing health, it was time for a shove in the right direction. Pushing his impending Doctors appointment to the back of his mind, Dom cleared his throat.
"Pretty evening"
"W-hat?" Hawke grunted from his position beaneath the belly of the ranger.
"I said-" Dom continued, raising his voice. "Ah, never mind. Would ya get out here!"
Almost instantly, Hawke rolled out on the trolley from underneath the chopper, a wrench clasped firmly in his hand.
"What is it Dom?!" He growled, glaring up at his mentor who leaned over the tail. "I'm trying to get this hunk of junk fixed before sundown!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I keepin' you from something?" Dom asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Nothin' you need worry about" Hawke muttered, turning his attention back to the job in hand. He rolled back under the ranger as his thoughts drifted back to the red headed pilot. She was due back any minute with her latest student
"That so." Dom mused, raising his eyebrows. Choosing his words carefully, he pushed with all of his weight against the bolt.
"It wouldn't be a weekend at the cabin with a certain red head, huh?"
Underneath the ranger, Hawke paused and carefully considered his response. If he denied it, it would only serve to make Dom ten times worse with his misplaced matchmaking.
"Maybe" he replied irritably, thumping the wrench against the fuel line.
Doms eyes glittered with mirth
"A date?"
Hawke dropped the wrench to the floor with a clatter, and pushed himself out from beneath the Ranger.
"No." Hawke scowled, still flat on his back "definitely NOT a date "
Dom folded his arms across the tail and nodded, the corners of his lips curling into a grin
"If you say so. But I gotta say, you kids've been spending an awful lotta time together lately" Dom continued, working his way down the ladder. "Hell, I was only at the cabin the other day and she was doing your laundry..." A bark of laughter came from the bottom of the ladder as Hawkes icy blue eyes flashed dangerously.
"What's your point, Dom?"
Dom paused at the bottom of the ladder.
"All I'm saying is, you won't find a better lady than Cait. " mused Dom as he reached into the tool box "Maybe you need to open up those eyes of yours"
Hawke sighed heavily as his gaze dropped to the oily rag he was using to wipe his hands.
"Let it go, Dom-"
His tone was almost pleading "She's just a kid"
Hawke sighed heavily and tossed the rag on the floor.
Doms head snapped up at the pilots reply, his hand hovering above the tool box. His expression suddenly darkened as his anger bubbled to the surface.
Dominic Santinis ' grey, bushy eyebrows practically covered his eyes as he frowned at his friend.
"Now, listen here, String, and you listen good" Dom roared, waving a coupling wrench menacingly. Hawke averted his eyes away from the older man, and jabbed at the floor with his screwdriver.
"Caitlin is no kid. Ah, hell! Even you should know that by now, even with that hard head of yours!"
The pilots voice boomed around the hangar, and Hawke suddenly found a spot of grease on the floor very appealing.
Doms gaze softened as he saw Strings own inner battle over his feelings for Cait. He was more transparent than he realised. Dom sighed, wishing he could bash the couples heads together, and make them see what was right in front of them.
"All I'm saying is kid, I'm not gonna be around forever-"
Strings gaze snapped up at Dom's seemingly trivial comment, as his worry slowly began to resurface
"And you can't spend your entire life holed up at that mountain of yours!"
"I know it" Hawke agreed with a resigned sigh
"...String?"
Hawke met Doms gaze, his eyes pleading with Dom not to push this any further. He'd deal with it in his own time, in his own way. Dom opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly from outside the hangar, a sound teased the edge of Hawkes sensitive hearing.
"We've got company"
Raising an eyebrow, Dom followed String to the entrance of the hangar, just as the familiar white limo rounded the corner and came to a stop outside.
"I tell you, kid-" Dom thought aloud, shaking his head. "I still don't know how you do that"
Hawke glanced across at Dom as the drivers door opened, and the long, white-clad legs of Archangels latest beautiful, blonde aide, swept gracefully out of the car.
Dom leaned towards String as she rounded the front of the limo and whistled approvingly through his teeth,
"Where'd Archangel find that one, huh?"
They exchanged a smile as Michael, dressed immaculately as usual in his white three piece suit, exited the limo and limped heavily towards the men.
"Why, good morning Michael" Dom greeted with a sweet smile.
"Dominic, Hawke. I hope I haven't come at a bad time ?"
The sour look on Hawkes face told him he'd done just that.
"Make it quick, Michael" Hawke bit out as he turned and stalked back into the hangar, his mind, for the time being, completely elsewhere. Watching the sullen pilots retreating form, Michael glanced across at Dom and raised his eyebrow quizzically. Dom shrugged a shoulder, indicating to the white clad spy he had no idea the reason behind Hawkes' sudden inhospitable mood.
"Fine. I don't have the time for pleasantries, anyway" Michael replied, as he and Dom followed Hawke inside. "I'll get to the point"
"Huh. That'll be a first" Dom muttered under his breath.
Ignoring the comment, Michael took a Manila folder bearing the FIRMs logo from his aide and handed it Hawke, only to be met with a pair of coverall clad legs as he rolled back underneath the belly of the Jet Ranger.
Michael gritted his teeth in an attempt to stifle his growing annoyance. Even at the best of times, Hawke could be difficult, but it was apparent today, he'd surpassed even himself.
"At oh three hundred yesterday, a small ,tactical assault team infiltrated the largest drugs smuggling operation and extortion racket this side of the East Coast" Michael began, directing the briefing towards Dom. A loud bang emanated from underneath the jet ranger as Hawke threw a hammer back in the tool box.
Oblivious to the disturbance, Dom leafed through the pages of the file and stopped as he came to a grainy, black and white photograph. He studied the two men in the photo, who appeared to be shaking hands.
"Hey-" Dom jabbed his finger at the older man in the photo. "Isn't he that industrialist guy I saw on the news?" He asked, looking up at Michael.
Michael nodded
"Sam Cullen" Michael confirmed "a hard nosed, self made millionaire, and a real piece of work"
He tapped his cane on the floor thoughtfully as Dom snapped the file closed.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are the FIRM interested in a run of the mill extortion racket?"
"The FIRM had recently-" Michael broke off as a loud clanging echoed round the hangar, and as he stared down at the source of the noise, a small frown creased the spy's brow. Hawke hammered the wrench hard against the belly of the Jet Ranger, seemingly oblivious to the proceedings above.
"RECENTLY RECEIVED INTELLIGENCE THAT CULLEN WAS SELLING ASSAULT WEAPONS TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER" Michael continued, raising his voice above the noise.
"Oh?" Dom raised his eyebrows, sensing there was more to this than Michael was letting on.
"Three nights ago, a weapon and ammunition developed by the FIRM , was stolen from a highly classified, government installation-" Michael sighed inwardly with relief as the banging finally stopped and he was able to return his voice back to a normal volume
" By someone within Cullens organisation that was providing information to the FIRM-"
A bark of laughter stopped Michael short.
"You guys sure have a problem holding onto highly classified equipment!"
Michael adjusted his wire rimmed glasses.
"Indeed" he commented wryly.
"So these guys you sent in after him-"
"Three men. " Michael indicated on his fingers "they never checked in"
"And you want us.." Dom began, gesturing at Hawke "to go in and...and find out what happened?"
"Exactly"
"Ah, I dunno, Michael" Dom replied, waving his hand at the spy. "If this weapon is as top secret as you say it is, then why-"
"Didn't I use Airwolf?" Michael finished as he raised his eyebrows.
The question hung starkly in the air between the two men, and with his interest piqued, Hawke slowly rolled out from beneath the Jet Ranger.
"The weapon was still in the developmental stage, and had yet to be tested to its full capability" he explained, his gaze alighting on Hawke. "I didn't want to put Airwolf at risk unless ABSOLUTELY necessary"
"At risk from what?"
Hawke spoke for the first time since Michael had begun the briefing. The gruff tone had Michael shifting awkwardly on the spot, and he rubbed his temple with the silver handle of his cane, as he considered his answer.
Hawke pushed himself to his feet and glanced over at Dom whose dark expression had him turning back to the spy. Dom folded his arms resolutely across his chest.
"You sure as hell better level with me, Michael, or I'm walking straight-"
"Alright, alright"
Archangel straightened his posture and squared his shoulders, preparing for the onslaught he knew was about to come his way.
"The F-400, the largest calibre rifle ever built" Michael explained as Hawke and Dom exchanged a glance."It takes a .950 caliber round, 2400 grains and is propelled by 240 grains of powder, and was developed exclusively for the military"
"Impressive" Dom mused "but still no match for The Lady"
Michael held his breath
"The rounds are armour piercing-"
Dominic unfurled his arms and stared open mouthed at Hawke
"Even up against the Lady?" Hawke asked, snatching up the file from the bench and rapidly scanning the contents
"I don't care to find out- but I'm out of options, gentlemen"
Hawke closed the file and glared at the spy.
"And you want us to do what, exactly? "Hawke asked "Apart from dodge bullets that may, or may not blow us straight to hell, looking for some mole that's jumped froggy on you-"
"And if you can, find out what he knows and bring him in for questioning!"
"Hmmmpfff" Dom harrumphed, rolling his eyes "looking for a mole that doesn't want to be found? Piece of cake!"
Hawkes lips twisted into a grin at the jibe.
"Dammit Dominic! This isn't some stunt in a movie!" Michael spluttered, his one good eye flashing angrily. Hawke and Dom glanced at each other, slightly taken aback at the spy's uncharacteristic outburst .
"I haven't got time to verbally fence with you! This is a national priority! "
Michael glared at Hawke as he turned his back to the spy and made his way across the hangar to the coffee percolator.
"It always is" he muttered under his breath
Michael watched as Hawke poured the muddy, brown liquid into a mug and grimaced at t he sight.
"Hawke, if this weapon falls into the wrong hands, the repercussions at the FIRM would be exceptional."Michael mused thoughtfully, as Hawke perched on the edge of the bench "there'd be an investigation, and half of the committee would be up on some heavy charges!"
Hawke took a sip of his coffee and surveyed the spy over the rim of his mug.
"That's a shame"
A wry smile crossed Michaels tanned features, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth
"A top secret, highly dangerous, multi million dollar piece of military weaponry, capable of disabling Airwolf permanently, is currently in the hands of probably the most notorious crime syndicate on the East Coast, and your-" Michael indicated , pointing his cane in Hawkes direction "classification of the problem is 'shame'"
Hawke hid his widenening smile behind his mug.
"Your mastery of silence is only exceeded by your facility at understatement, and both astound me, even after all these years, Hawke " Michael said with a shake of his head.
"Why, thank you"
Hawke placed his mug on the bench and sighed
"What do you need from us, Michael?"
Laura produced a CD from the inside of her flight suit.
"Cullen owns a few small holdings in Pennsylvania under an assumed name" Laura explained.
"Perfect place to stash a stolen weapon"
Hawke commented, earning a nod off agreement from Dom
"All the information you need is on this disc which is compatible with Airwolfs computers " she explained, handing it to Hawke. "The coordinates of Cullens holdings are contained within the disc. We need to to go in and find out what happened to those men"
Hawkes eyes widened as he caught sight of the solitary tear that rolled down her cheek. She quickly swiped it away as she regained her composure
"One of them was my brother"
"And a good friend to the FIRM" Michael added, stealing Hawkes attention away from the blonde.
"CIA?"
Michael gave a brief nod
"Covert ops." He said sadly. " They were good men"
The group retreated into silence as they all pondered the enormity of the situation. Hawke bowed his head sadly as thoughts of Saint John permeated his mind and he knew all too well the pain and grief of losing a loved one. It was permanently seared across his heart. After several, long minutes, Michaels voice finally broke the sombre silence.
"I need you in the air as soon as humanly possible"
"Well, sure" Dom replied, gesturing to Hawke "just as soon as head to Le's soccer game, right, String?"
Dom raised his bushy eyebrows, fervently hoping Hawke would follow his lead.
Michael placed his hand on Hawkes shoulder and lead the pilot towards the office. They stopped short of the door, and turned to face each other.
"I can't press upon you enough the urgency of this mission, Hawke" With a heavy sigh, Hawke glanced across the hangar at Dom, feeling any last, waning hope of keeping his promise to the people he loved, vanish through his fingertips
"Fine." Hawke replied gruffly " Whatever you want, Michael"
Dom rolled his eyes and silently gestured heavenwards as Michael brushed past him and triumphantly made his way back across the hangar.
"I appreciate it. Oh and Hawke-"
The spy stopped as he and Laura reached the door and turned to face the Airwolf crew, catching the icy blast of Hawkes' gaze across the hangar.
"Come back in one piece"
A smile tugged at the corner of Hawkes' lips
"We always do, Michael"
AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW
"Come back in one piece?!" Dominic Santini bellowed, gesturing animatedly as he paced around the hangar. He finally came to a halt, and wagged his meaty finger in Hawkes' direction "I'm telling you, String, I don't like this one, little bit"
Staring out across the Tarmac through the open hangar door, watching the last, pale rays of the afternoon sun fade into the distance, Stringfellow Hawke shifted his position on the workbench and rested his arm across his knee.
"Me either, Dom." He replied, deep in thought.
"And what about Caitlin?" Dom asked, jamming his hands onto his hips. "And Le's soccer game, huh?"
Hawke glanced over his shoulder at the older man, and turned back to look out across the Tarmac, the burden of a broken promise weighing heavily on his shoulders.
"They'll understand"
"You hope" Dom scolded "it's not the first time you've let that kid down. And Cait, well she's got a heart as big as Texas."
Hawke sighed
"I'll make it up to them, Dom"
"Hmmpffff. You just make sure you do, otherwise Cait'll kick your six right into next Tuesday!"
Hawke chuckled prompting Dom to break into a wide grin
"I know she will" Hawke smiled as he pushed himself to his feet
"C'mon, Dom. Let's go get the Lady. We'll radio Cait from the air" Hawke slapped his mentor on the shoulder, and the two men walked side by side out of the hangar, closing the door behind them.