Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me on this journey. I truly hope others are enjoying this but I do this for my own fun and hope that if I'm enjoying it, others will to. I honestly thought I would most likely never finish this story but enough people kept putting it as a 'follow or favorite' or leaving messages telling me to continue it. So I did. I just hope I haven't disappointed those that wanted more.
I'd love to hear from people as to what they think of the story, good or bad. Ideas are always welcome or just general questions or chit chat. Conversations make the creative blood run faster ;)
There will be a few more chapters in this 'story' to continue to build up backstory for characters that have been 'absent' for twenty some years or to put people in place for the future. But once we're all on the 'same page' then we'll be off onto another 'book', so to speak. That's when the true adventures will begin and perhaps a bit of trouble. Dun dun dunnnnn...
So on with the show...
Chapter 14
"Do you know how hard it was to get that antiquated piece of junk started?" asked MacGyver as he drove Red and Sam to the warehouse where the truck and trailer had been stashed.
The late afternoon sun was weak as it reflected off of the traffic around them. Red was lost in thought as she stared out the window, not truly paying any attention to the scenery around her.
Sam leaned forward between the seats and gently gripped her shoulder, "You ok?" his voice was soft in her ear.
"Hmmm?" she said, seeming to come back to herself, blinking. Turning her head, she stared at Sam for a moment before looking back at MacGyver in the drivers seat. "What did you say?"
Mac sighed a little, "I asked if you knew how hard it was to get that truck started?"
Red smirked, "I'm sure I have a pretty good idea if it's anything like the few old pieces I've been working to restore up at the BoneYard lately. Why do you think I called my supplier of military surplus parts ahead of time?"
The breath from Sam's chuckle tickled her ear as he gave her shoulder another squeeze, "Let's just say that according to dad, it was one of the more taxing challenges he's had in awhile." Leaning in even closer to Red's ear, he mock whispered, "And he loved every minute of it."
A sly smile spread across her face as she looked over at Mac. "Good. It's about time he had a difficult challenge to put that aging brain to use. Can't let that gray matter continue to turn to Jell-o just because he's gotten lazy sitting behind a desk."
"Hey! I'll have you know…," responded Mac in a huff. He was about to say more when Sam spoke up.
"We're here."
The look on Red's face went from jovial teasing to strained alertness in less than a second. Her eyes scanned the area as they drove down the dock past several warehouses until they came to one that looked like any other except for newer doors. The security system seemed a bit outdated but if she knew Mac, it was now state of the art. She had seen a few other warehouses with similar systems and hoped it would blend in with the rest.
As they pulled up next to the building, her eyes continued to search the area for any possible lurkers or evidence that something was out of place. Mac made a move to get out of the Jeep but her hand on his leg stilled him. "Stay. I know this sounds weird, but I want some time alone with it. I want to be the one to take her out of the trailer and see it fully for the first time in twenty some years."
Mac flashed Sam a look of concern over his shoulder before looking back at her. "You sure?"
She nodded and reaching up to the hand on her shoulder, gave Sam's hand a squeeze. Opening the Jeep door, she stepped out into the cool air coming in off the ocean. Making her way to the side door, she swiped a keycard and entered the code given to her by MacGyver.
Upon entering the warehouse, the darkened interior was broken only by what little light followed her in through the doorway. She let the door shut securely behind her, dropping her into complete darkness before her hand slid along the wall to find the first of several light switches. As she flipped the first two, the hum of sodium lights let her know it would take a few moments for the interior to light.
As the dark began to slowly turn to gray, the shadow of the old truck and the Soviet trailer started to take shape. The grayness gave way to brighter light, revealing the colors of green and silver of the transport. Slowly, Red made her way over to the sole items on the entire warehouse floor, her hand reaching out to run along the framework as she walked around it. Finally, the sodium lights had warmed up to full power and she went to the back of the trailer, opening it to reveal its contents.
Holding her breath for a moment, she stared at the black and white beast still crouched inside the silver trailer. Even under this bright light, it still seemed to menace the darkened interior, as if waiting to be given life, to be set free once more.
Exhaling, she moved forward with the purpose of waking the wolf in sheep's clothing from its long slumber.
"Do you think we've given her enough time?" asked Mac, looking at his watch.
Sam looked up from the book he was reading in the passenger seat he'd moved to after Red had vacated it. "She's had less than an hour dad. Give her another ten minutes. It's not like she's going to fly off in it. From what she told me, the rotors were removed to fit it into the trailer. Besides, it's sat for twenty some years. It'll need a complete overhaul before its even flight worthy."
MacGyver sighed softly. "I can't help worry that she's going to get in over her head with this, dragging you right along with her."
Closing his book, Sam chuckled. "This coming from the man who rode on the back of a horse who's saddle was hooked to rope suspended from a helicopter."
The stunned look on his fathers face caused Sam to laugh out loud. "What? You don't think me hanging around the Foundation wouldn't get people telling stories on you?" He chuckled again and then smiled. "Look, she's a grown woman. She's got a level head on her shoulders. We've both been around her long enough to know she's not going to try and open a can of worms with people who could make us all disappear."
"I just don't want to see either of you hurt, or worse. I still have nightmares from seeing her as messed up as she was after her crash a few years ago. What scares me is knowing that if I hadn't acted when I did, she probably wouldn't be alive today." Mac ran a hand through his hair and sighed with a touch of frustration.
Sam reached across the seat and took his dad by the shoulder, "Listen, I'll do my best to keep an eye on her and help her make the best decisions possible. But I can't make any guarantees they'll always be the right ones."
Mac grunted and nodded, reaching over to mock-punch Sam in the chin. "Come on. I'm tired of waiting. I want to see this mysterious super chopper."
After managing to get Airwolf out of the trailer, it sat under the harsh lights, exposing every flaw and speck of dust possible on its aged surface. A little polishing would remove all traces of the last twenty years, but for now, the Lady was in a bit of distress. Two of her three tires were flat from rotten rubber, causing her to list to the left. Without the rotors attached, the once menacing beast that had lurked inside the trailer seemed almost helpless or perhaps wounded somehow.
Standing just inside the open pilots door, Red stared at the seat her father had once occupied to fly Airwolf. In her hands she held several sheets of hand written notes, instructions to Hank on how to disarm the Lady as well as how to remove fluids and prep Airwolf for long term storage. Most of it was standard procedure for any helicopter but there were a few other instructions on shutting down the systems properly and removing batteries that weren't standard on any other model. Other than the journals she'd found, this was the only other thing she'd seen in Stringfellow Hawke's handwriting.
A low whistle of amazement sounded from the doorway caused her to spin around, the instructions quickly folded up and shoved into her jacket pocket as her body tensed, preparing to fight or flee. Upon seeing MacGyver and Sam locking the door and moving towards her, she visibly relaxed and exhaled in a gust. It was obvious by MacGyvers worried expression that he hadn't missed her response to their entrance.
"Now that's one hell of a piece of work," said Sam, his voice echoing a bit in the empty warehouse. He walked around the other side of the chopper, looking it over.
MacGyver came up to her and glanced inside before looking back down at her. She looked up at him, gray eyes meeting brown. Nothing was said between them but it was as if Mac could sense her thoughts. He knew how hard it had been on her not knowing who her real parents were. He could only imagine what it was like to suddenly find puzzle pieces to create a picture of a man with whom she yearned to meet face to face but never could.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "Had a chance to look under the hood yet?" he asked, trying to get her mind focused on other things.
Sam came around the nose section and made his way over towards them as she shook her head, taking in a slow breath to collect herself. "No. Tires obviously need to be replaced. I haven't had a chance to see if the rotors are out of true. Thankfully the armaments have all been removed and if the instructions that were left behind were followed, the fluids have been drained and systems prepped for proper storage."
"Instructions?" asked Sam, curious at her response.
Pulling the paper back out of her pocket, she unfolded it carefully and held it up for Mac and Sam to inspect.
Sam gave a silent 'Oh,' and moved a little closer to peek inside the open cockpit. "So what are you planning to do now?"
MacGyver moved toward the back of the trailer then climbed inside to investigate several items against the back wall. Red gingerly leaned her upper torso into Airwolf's cockpit, trying to find the release for the front hood. Looking over the controls and components, she soon found it and leaned in farther to pull it, hearing the 'clunk' of the mechanism letting go. As she stepped back and righted herself, she looked over towards Sam. "Right now, I want to get a good look at the guts of the main machine. A chopper is a chopper, is a chopper. No matter what tech its' got on board, the base component is still that of a chopper. I need to assess what's still good as far as belts, hoses, connectors and wires. Those are most of the standard things that can go bad with extended age and storage. Then I need to see if the rotors are true. After that, it's a matter of finding the right kind of replacement parts for the chopper itself to see if she's even flight worthy. If I can't make her operational as a helicopter, then it's probably a lost cause to consider going any further with it."
Mac stepped back out of the trailer with three batteries in hand and nodded, "Good plan. I can start by seeing if these batteries that were left in there are any good or will even hold a charge."
Sam smiled at Red, "Just tell me what you need me to do."
With the lift to the corner of her mouth and a slightly raised eyebrow, Red reached into the backpack she'd set on the floor and pulled out a notepad and pencil. Handing them to Sam, she grinned this time. "You can be my secretary and take notes."
As Red flew the older Stars and Stripes chopper up along the valley towards the cabin, the sun beginning to set, she let out a tired sigh. Twenty-four hours later and she was exhausted, having only caught a few hours of sleep on Mac's couch before heading back to the hanger. Here it was, Friday night, and all she could think about was getting a hot shower. She felt like she'd been crawling around in a grease pit and then rolled in a dust bin. Her plans didn't go beyond shower and bed.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" she mumbled into the headset.
"With what?" came Sam's immediate response. "Your special projects or your special, special project?"
The moment they'd arrived at the hanger that afternoon, Rachelle had been all over her with notes, questions, concerns and more with their new contract and issues popping up with equipment, calls from customers and parts companies. She'd had to switch gears and get herself back in the mindset of the business. It was obvious that she was going to have to hire Rachelle someone to help her with day to day business in the office.
"All of it," she responded. "Apparently I've hit on something within the film industry and I'm not sure if I've got the manpower or staff to keep up with demand. It takes time to find and train stunt pilots. It takes trial and error to find good mechanics that will stick with you. And now I need to make sure that I've got cameramen who aren't afraid of flying and hanging out of open doors forty to a hundred feet or more in the air. But now I think I need to find mechanics to help work on the old military equipment I'm buying and refurbishing as well as the planes and choppers. I can't do it all."
Sam began to chuckle softly and finally let out a hearty laugh.
"What's so funny?" came a gruff voice over the headset.
"You!" he replied, trying to breath through the laughter. "No offense sweetheart, but I've never heard you whine in the entire time I've known you until just now. It was actually kind of cute."
Red blinked and looked at Sam in the growing darkness. "I wasn't whining! I don't whine."
The cabin came into view as Sam broke into another fit of laughter, "If you say so."
"Quiet," growled Red in a low voice, her head turned away, staring in the direction of the cabin.
Sam chuckled, "Oh don't be that…."
"Sam. Be quiet! Someone's at the cabin," said Red in clipped, commanding tone. Her eyes were intent on the smoke coming out of the chimney and the faint glow of firelight emanating from the front windows.
Sam inhaled sharply as his head turned to follow her gaze. "If I'd known we were to expect company, I would have stopped to pick up a pie or something," he quipped as Red landed the chopper on the dock. It was too late to turn back since the noise of the props had already announced their arrival.
TBC -
