Caitlin O' Shannessy shielded her eyes from the fading sun as she jogged across the Tarmac towards the Santini Air hangar. Cait had spent the entire hour of the lesson, trying to convince her student that a fear of confined spaces probably wasn't conducive to getting a pilots licence in the grand scheme of things.
She lowered her hand as she caught sight Hawkes motorcycle parked in its usual spot outside the hangar, but was more troubled by the notable absence of familiar the red, white and blue jeep. Her brow furrowed as she pushed open the door and surveyed the deserted hangar.
"Guys?"
Her Texan twang echoed round the empty hangar.
"Hawke?!" She called as she walked past the downed set of tools and pushed open the door to the office.
"Dom?!"
She exited through the other door and shoved her hands against her narrow hips.
"You could've at least left a note" she grumbled to herself. Her eyes snapped up as the radio crackled to life.
"Caitlin. Come in. This is Hawke. "
Cait sprinted across the hangar and snatched up the receiver.
"Cait, do you read me?"
"I read ya Hawke" Caitlin answered, breathing a little heavily from her 50 yard dash. She peeled an errant strand of strawberry blonde hair away from her eyes and frowned. " Where are you guys?"
"Somewhere across the Pacific Ocean" came the gruff reply.
"The Pacific oc- Hawke, why?"
"It's a long story." The radio crackled with silence before Hawke spoke again "Cait, I need you do something for me"
"Sure, Hawke. Anything you need." She paused, and with a sinking heart she spoke slowly and carefully into the receiver "Is Dom with you?"
"I'm here, honey" Dom answered, confirming Caitlin's suspicions. They were on a mission.
"Are you guys alright?" Cait asked, wide eyed as her heart hammered against her chest. "You're not in any kinda trouble? If you need me to call Michael, I -" the words tumbled from her mouth, and she paused, trying to catch her breath.
Hawkes ice blue eyes betrayed the smile currently concealed by the large, heavy helmet
"We're fine"
Cait closed her eyes and placed her palm against her chest as she sighed with relief. Hawke seemed to have a habit of walking headlong into trouble. Opening her eyes, Cait spoke into the receiver.
"What do you need? "
"I need you watch Le tonight." Hawke replied, a tinge of regret lacing his every word.
"Sure, I can do that. You know I love spending time with Le. But Hawke, what about his soccer game?"
From his position inside the cockpit of Airwolf, Hawke shifted in his seat and gripped the cyclic a little tighter. His deep sigh crackled through the headset and Dom bowed his head.
"Tell Half- Pint I'm sorry. And I'll make it up to him-"
"Sure. No problem" Cait murmured, her reply barely audible as she fought to surpress her blossoming disappointment
"To both of you"
Caits breath hitched in her chest at Hawkes reply, and a small smile played across her lips
"I know you will"
There was a moment of silence, and Cait almost thought she'd lost contact, when Hawke spoke again.
"Cait? ...Thanks. For everything"
Cait warmed at his open display of gratitude.
"Anytime." She replied. "Oh and guys? Wherever it is your going...Please be careful"
"We will. Hawke out."
"Out" Cait murmured as she replaced the receiver. Deciding that worrying about them would do her no good, she grabbed her bag and keys and hurried out to her car, hoping she'd make it through the early evening Californian traffic, in time for Le's game.
AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW
"Well, I've got to hand it to Archangel. He's sure pulled out all the stops on this one" Dominic mused from the engineers console of Airwolf. "Hey, String! You really think this guy could be a mole?"
It was only when he was met with a stony silence, Dominic realised he'd been talking to himself for the entire flight.
"Earth to String!"
Hawke glanced over his shoulder at the older man, and through the open visor, Dom could see Hawke's familiar, perpetual scowl.
"I heard you the first time, Dom" Hawke responded gruffly as he turned his attention back to the sky.
"Ok, out with it" Dom demanded, a frown creasing his brow.
"Out with what?"
"Whatever it is that's got you so antsy"
"Antsy? That's not a word"
"Don't change the subject" Dom admonished.
Hawkes scowl slowly faded, and was replaced by the impassive mask he usually wore.
A sigh crackled through the headset
"It's nothing"
" Well it's obviously something ...Is it Cait? Have you upset her?" Dominic frowned, fully aware of Hawkes propensity to bicker with the red headed pilot.
"No" Hawke bit out defensively. He glanced over his shoulder and shifted uneasily in his seat.
"Why? Did she say something?"
"No" Dom replied cheerily "but you might as well tell me and get it over with."
Hawke scowled and turned his eyes back to the sky.
"I was thinking about Le's soccer game"
"It couldn't be helped, String" Dom replied softly. "Le knows that. He's a pretty smart kid."
"Yeah"
"And besides, Caitlin's there" Dom continued, smiling slightly at Hawkes understated agreement. "You'll make it up to them"
"I made that kid a promise, Dom" Hawke replied, his blue eyes glazing over "and I gotta find some way of keeping it"
Dom nodded
"You will"
Hawke retreated into silence as they flew the rest of the way to Pennsylvania. If he was honest, it wasn't just his broken promise that was bothering him. He had no idea what he would've done without Caits help these last few weeks, and her willingness to step in when he couldn't be around, like attending Le's karate tournament last week, and his soccer game this afternoon, and had done it all without a single complaint. He had to find someway of paying her back, letting her know he appreciated everything she'd done for him and Le. He thought back to the first time he'd met her, saving her from Bogards goons in Pope County, Texas. He'd fallen instantly in- like with her.. He admired her feistiness, her dermination to do what was right, and she could certainly handle herself, accomplished in hand to hand, and had saved his life on more than one ocassion.
When she'd showed up at Santini Air, instead of pushing her away like he did to everyone he loved, or might love, he drew her deeper into his circle, even training her in Airwolf.
'That was to get Michael out of East Berlin ' he'd told himself over and over. He and Dom had both been injured in a stunt, and were forced to bring Cait onto the team in order to get him out. She'd slipped easily into his life, like she'd always been there, and wormed her way past the defences he'd spent years building around his fragile heart.
'Maybe she'd settle for dinner and a weekend at the cabin'
Hawke thought to himself as he adjusted Airwolfs course.
Dominic's voice through the headset roused Hawke from his thoughts
"We're coming up on the warehouse now, String"
"Raise our IR suppressant" Hawke barked almost robotically. "Run a scan for any signs of life down there"
"Scanning"
Dominic studied the matrix scanner as Hawke brought Airwolf in a full circle around the warehouse.
"Nothing down there, String. It's deserted"
A feeling of unease suddenly washed over Hawke as he pulled on the cyclic and Airwolf rose magestically above the trees.
His sixth sense for danger had saved his life more than once, and this was no exception. He had the distinct feeling they were flying straight into an ambush, and there was no option but to play it all out.
"I don't buy it" Hawke muttered "Lets set this thing down in those trees over there. I'm going in on foot."
AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW
Hawke tightened his grip on his gun as he peered around the stack of upturned crates that littered one corner of the warehouse. The sense of unease still hadn't dissipated, and he narrowed his eyes, trying to make out any signs of movement, any shapes, shadows, hidden within the murky darkness.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as his gaze alighted on the far corner of the warehouse. Gripping his gun with both hands, and training it in the direction of his gaze, Hawke crouched down low and stealthily ran across to what had caught his attention.
His stomach swooped as he looked down at the two bodies splayed out on the floor, arms and legs tangled as if they'd been dumped there. He knew instantly they were dead, they'd been shot cleanly through the forehead. Icy blue eyes stared down into cold, flint grey , his eyes were open but unseeing. Hawke lowered his gun and hung his head as he realised this was two thirds of Michaels tactical assault team. They'd arrived too late. His stomach churned at the thought that this could be Dominic or Caitlin... Next time, he could be too late to save them... He quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He had a job to do.
"Well, their troubles are over" he thought to himself, as he gently closed the dead agents eyes for the last time.
A covered heap, laying face down in the far corner caught Hawkes eye, and he was over in a flash, grabbing a handful of Kevlar vest and hauling the prone agent a few inches off the floor.
Laura's brother.
"Dammit!" Hawke cursed, lowering the dead agent back to the floor. He swiped his mouth with the sleeve of his Airwolf uniform and surveyed the devastating loss of life in front of him. Whatever they'd discovered, it had ultimately cost them their lives. Whoever was responsible for the death of these men, Hawke would make them pay. That was one promise he could keep.
"String!"
From the safety of Airwolf, nestled within the trees, Dominic's voice thundered through the warehouse
"You've got company! Five bandits entering the warehouse back entrance! They came from nowhere! Get outta there, String! And make it snappy!"
No sooner had Dom finished, a shot rang out from the back of the warehouse. Hawke ducked as the bullet zinged past, mere inches from his temple. Hawke hit the floor and rolled behind a tower of packing crates, scrabbling with his feet to press his back up against the plastic that covered the crates.
Slowly he peered round, listening for any sound that would give away their location. Suddenly, he caught a flash of movement, he aimed his gun and fired,revelling in the satisfying thud that followed.
Hawke crept out from his hiding place, and made his way down the aisle, his sharp eyes darting into every corner and crevace that a man could possibly hide.
Suddenly , Hawke dived behind a metal shelving unit just as a crack sounded from somewhere to his right. The bullet hit the metal he was using as cover and riccoched harmlessly away. Hawke's jaw tensed as a small sound teased the edge of his hearing and he whirled around, ducking a flailing fist and punching his own into the iron stomach of the burly guy that had attempted to to sneak up unawares.
It barely had any effect.. The guy groaned, and Hawke was rewarded with a right hook to the side of his jaw. Stunned, Hawke staggered backwards, his body slamming into the cold, hard metal of the unit. Ignoring the pain rippling through his side, Hawke quickly regained his feet as the guy approached, and using all of the strength he still possessed, Hawke jumped and delivered a roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him barreling backwards into the wall. He wasn't quick enough to recover as Hawke slammed the handle of his gun onto the back of the guys head , killing him instantly.
Hawke's chest heaved with the exertion, and as he stared down at Cullens henchman, he slipped his hand over his injured ribs, feeling the pain of every single breath he took.
"Dom! " he spluttered into the handheld coms device "Dom! Come in-"
Hawke ducked as another shot rang out, and his eyes widened as a body sailed down from the mezzanine above, landing in a crumpled heap at his feet.
Hawkes eyes snapped up to the upper level, just in time to see a flash of black disappear through a service door
Taking another painful breath, Hawke groaned
"You got to be kidding me!"
His hand still protecting his ribs, Hawke half limped over to a spiral stairwell and soon found himself on the mezzanine. He swallowed hard as he stood in the place the man had fallen. He'd had a clean shot.
Hawke turned and headed towards the open door, his fingers curling tightly around the handle of his gun.
AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW
Hawke slid through the gap in the open door and found himself in some sort of boiler room, with a myriad of pipes zigzagging up the wall and intertwining across the ceiling. Hawke held his gun firmly out in front of him and inched his way forward, stepping over a metal pipe that was raised slightly off the floor. A movement caught his eye, and his raised his gun as a figure slipped from the shadows and disappeared behind the opposite wall.
'Tricky' Hawke thought to himself. Suddenly, the figure made a run for it and Hawke got off a shot, which riccoched of a pipe on the ceiling and embedded itself in the wall. Despite the pain, Hawke broke into a run, leaping off a small platform and landing on his desired target. Hawke grunted as they landed in a heap on the floor, and in one swift movement he grabbed the guys gun and pushed himself to his feet, his own gun trained on the man that had eluded him. Their eyes met, and held, seemingly each one agreeing to the terms of war that currently presented itself.
"Woah, woah. Easy" the guy said as he slowly raised his hands.
"I'm on your side, man!"
Hawke took in his attire.. He sure didn't look like one of Cullen's men. He wore a plain black T Shirt and jeans, and it was obvious he worked out, but it was his marksmanship that had piqued Hawke's interest. He'd taken that guy out with a single shot, without drawing fire, or even being seen. That took skill. Hawke had a niggling feeling that he was more than just a FIRM mole. His green eyes were honest, and Hawke wasn't one to trust easily. Whether he liked it or not, this man had saved his life.
"Hands behind your neck!" Hawke bit out, holding his gun firmly out in front of him.
He did as he was told and chuckled to himself.
"Your file was right. You sure don't trust that easily, Stringfellow Hawke"
Dumbfounded, Hawke took a step back and tightened his grip on his gun.
"Who the hell are you?!" He demanded "and why are you trying to kill me"
A smile graced the strangers young, handsome features
"Hey, buddy. As I remember it, you were the one doin' the shooting."
Hawke raised his gun again, aiming straight for his forehead
"Last chance. Who are you?" Hawke scowled, his finger hovering over the trigger "before I send you straight to hell!"
"Ryan O'Connor.. FBI" he replied quickly. With his hands still in the air, he nodded towards his jeans pocket. Hawke crouched down and rifled through the mans pocket and found what he was looking for. Government ID. Special Agent Ryan O' Connor, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hawke tossed the black wallet at his feet and took another step back.
"What the hell do the FBI want with Cullen and his goons?"Hawke asked, growing even more confused as to whether he'd just walked into an ambush, or just traded one of his nine lives. Still on the floor, O'Connor moved, beginning to lower his hands.
" Jeez!" He exclaimed, as Hawke stance stiffened, and thrust his pistol towards the agent. Accepting he'd have to play this out on Hawkes terms, O' Connor raised his hands and rolled his eyes.
"Same as you." His green eyes narrowed as his fingers automatically curled into a fist
"I'm after the asshole that killed my best friend"
His eyes snapped up to Hawke
"Captain John Burns. " he paused. "Laura's brother"
Hawke's head swivelled over his shoulder, remembering the fallen agents back in the warehouse, and almost instantly, a comprehension slammed into him like a freight train.
Hawkes blue eyes narrowed on the young man in front of him.
"Michael sent you?"
The agents expression didn't deny or confirm the accusation, but the vision of the man sailing down from the mezzanine decided in Hawkes mind that Michael definitely had a lot of explaining to do. The unease that seemed to have taken up permanent residence, slowly began to evaporate.
"How do I know you're on the level" Hawke asked, his gun still firmly pointed at O'Connor.
O' Connor had finally run out of patience, and scrambled to his feet, indifferent as to whether Hawke shot him or not.
"Don't you think I could've taken you out back there, while you were busy playing Jackie Chan?"
Hawke lowered his gun and a cocky smile surfaced on the young mans face
"I am a pretty good shot. I never miss"
Finally, Hawke relented and stowed his gun away, allowing the beleaguered agent to stand.