CHAPTER 18
The FIRM Long Ranger landed at Santini Air just outside the hangar, and two climbed out, picking the lock and gaining entry to the hangar.
"Get the door opened," Apollo barked as he walked closer to the sleek black helicopter. "Looks like they did a real job on it," he idly commented. "The tail rotor is all messed up and it looks like brimstone has been raining down on it."
"What if it doesn't fly?"
"What?"
"It looks liked it has sustained a considerable amount of damage, what if we can't get it into the air?"
"Then we find a different way to get it up. They got it this far. I didn't give up my job, risk getting imprisoned for life or getting killed to quite now; I have a deal with the Libyans who are quite distraught over loosing it the first time, and I wouldn't want to disappoint them, or especially miss out on the large sum of money they're offering in exchange."
\A/
Wishing he had Airwolf's speed, String piloted the helicopter toward the familiar Santini Air hangar, only hoping and praying they made it in time. Airwolf in the wrong hands - he didn't even want to think of the possibilities. Moffet had wreaked plenty of havoc in the short time he had had it, killing many innocent people, obliterating Red Star, and blowing up and American destroyer. With more time and money at their disposal, Airwolf could be used to cause boundless destruction to nearly anywhere.
"They won't be able to get far though, right? I mean, Airwolf is damaged and bingo on fuel."
"Hopefully," Hawke replied. "They'll have to use turbos since the tail rotor is toast, which would put them into critical fuel consumption, but at mach it won't take long to get far either, assuming they can control her at that speed."
"And if they can't…."
"Let's just get there before they take off, okay?"
Lexa scowled back. "That was the plan, but we need a backup when it doesn't work."
"There is no backup. We stop them, they get away, or they crash and take Airwolf out with them, that's all the possibilities there are."
"What if they have someone ready to refuel them once they get to a certain point?" Lexa demanded.
"That falls under they get away. You're the agent, you deal in facts; what's suddenly with all the what if's?"
"As and uncover field agent, it is also my job to figure out how things will happen before they do so I can already have a counter move in play," Lexa rebutted. "Why do you always have to have something to argue with me about?"
"You know why."
"That was five years ago, Hawke!"
"And seven months. It doesn't matter how long ago it was; it happened, that remains the same."
"And I suppose you still believe it's my fault, the one and only thing that isn't somehow your fault."
"Isn't it? You blew my cover, then to save yourself and 'complete the mission' you sent half the Russian army after me."
"You made it out alive didn't you? You obviously continued working for the FIRM, for that MIA brother of yours if anything I'm sure. That's where your loyalties lie, Hawke, and that's fine, but don't risk someone else's life for your obsession."
"I covered my trail," he retorted defensively. "And that was my last mission as an agent for the FIRM. It look weeks to get over the injuries I got from your escape plan - I was shot, nearly drown, then passed out from exhaustion in the middle of nowhere and it took another two days just to find someone friendly to help me. I was so sure that was going to be it…"
"You were thirty, if even that, young and able. And FIRM missions must not have scared you off too much considering you're working for them again."
"This is different."
"How so? You aren't gone as long at a time and now you involve your family and a military helicopter you're holding hostage. It's no different, String."
\A/
Pulling the hatch open, Maria climbed in next to her boss one they had pushed Airwolf out onto the tarmac.
"I need you to keep an eye on the temperature," he directed. "Also be ready to being up any of the weapons if we need them because I'd be surprised if they didn't send someone after us."
\A/
By the ground Caitlin, Dom and Marella took a car, hoping to catch them if the others were delayed by the air traffic controller. Pressing harder down on the peddle, Marella directed them through late rush hour traffic with amazing maneuverability for a limo.
Skidding around the corner, the white limousine pulled into the airfield and down the way towards the hangar.
\A/
Climbing out of the helicopter even as the rotors slowed, gun in hand, Hawke loped toward the hangar with Lexa right behind, catching up as the drugs started to wear off.
In the distance they could see a man and woman climb inside Airwolf's cockpit and the howl of life that flooded through it as the systems were brought online. Picking up speed with every painful step, Hawke closed in on the distance between them, straining every muscle in his body for what looked to be a vain effort. In mere seconds they could take off, and he would just barely miss them, but miss them all the same.
Lexa stared, watching Hawke who was now in a full out run going after the helicopter she knew would already be long gone by the time for he reached it, but couldn't help but show a bit of admiration. Maybe she had gotten it wrong. He sure showed enough loyalty and devotion now. He must know as well as she he wouldn't make it, but he still refused to give in.
Much to her surprise, his hand clutched the handle just as they were about to take off down the runway, the sudden whoosh of air startling the escaping committee member and distracting him from the task at hand.
Grabbing a handful of shirt and pulling with all the strength he had left, he dragged the man out of his seat and out onto the tarmac even as the co-pilot hit the turbos and decided to take her own chances.
Scrambling up into the pilot's seat as they gained speed, the door closing behind him, Hawke was now met squarely with the barrel of his own Walther PPK side arm.
\A/
Screeching to an abrupt stop, Marella in the lead, the trio ran up to where Lexa, still alone on the runway, stood staring off into the now darkening sky.
"They're gone."
"Hawke?" Marella asked.
"Gone too."
"What?"
"They're both in Airwolf, he's going to have to take her out fast though or they're both dead."
"He's inside Airwolf?" Dom asked.
She nodded silently, moving forward to apprehend Apollo before he totally regained consciousness.
\A/
"You want to fly, Hawke?" Maria scoffed.
"I'd love to. I'm not big on passengers though, especially you white-clad spies."
"Loose the sarcasm or you'll be loosing a lot more," she warned, releasing the safety on the gun.
"Where would you like to go with the five minutes worth of fuel we have left?"
"Keep straight ahead until I tell you otherwise, and don't try any of your heroics, it'll only get you dead."
"Yes 'mam."
Hawke continued their course straight ahead but gaining altitude as they went. The second the agent let herself get distracted for the briefest second though he sent them straight up vertically.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Going up," Hawke supplied the obvious.
"Well take it back down, now!" she ordered, reaching for the stick in front of her, but he wouldn't budge.
She slapped him, landing a firm backhand across his cheek then slamming his head back into the bulletproof glass window.
The stress, injuries, and lack of sleep for the last two day was really catching up with him now, he thought grimly as he tried to assimilate the many blurred images around him into one. His vision had just started to clear again when she repeated the maneuver, almost knocking him out cold. The fuzzy figures before him continued to swim in a massive muddle, but he fought back blindly hoping he could wrestle control back.
In the back, an alarm sounded, critical fuel level undoubtedly.
"The agent sent them downward into a dizzying death spiral in search for land before they were completely out of fuel. Hawke fought it back up.
"You idiot, you'll be killed if we don't reach land before we run out of fuel.
"So will you," he retorted. "And to think, you had so much potential."
"I do have potential. When I deliver Airwolf, I'll be quite popular in Libya, and now thanks to you I don't even have to share the fame and wealth."
"You won't make it in Libya. Not even Moffet managed to keep that one going very long."
"Moffet was stupid. He had the intelligence, but he lacked common sense, let his own twisted desires get in the way. I won't make the same mistake," she said as she forced the stick back down again.
"You want to go down? Fine, we'll go down," Hawke agreed, pushing it further and further down, the engine stalling out and rotors spinning unsteadily trying to catch thicker air.
\A/
Michael arrived at the scene, astonished by Marella's call. Apollo and Maria trying to steal Airwolf? He just couldn't believe it. Apollo had been a committee member as far back as he could remember, and Maria he had personally picked himself. Yet, Apollo was handcuffed and Maria and Airwolf were gone.
"Where's Hawke?"
"He's with Maria."
"Why? I can't believe he would turn. I just can't."
"He's trying to stop her, but didn't make it before she lifted off."
"There," Caitlin said, pointing upward at what was only a tiny speck in the sky descending rapidly upon them.
\A/
Seventy thousand feet, sixty thousand, fifty thousand…
Hawke wrestled with the cyclic, collective, and maintaining consciousness. He resituated the helmet on his head, activating the oxygen system and returning to the task at hand - not crashing into the upcoming ground.
Beside him the now passed out Maria lay limply in the sear, something that sounded absolutely wonderful to him right now. Unfortunately, it would be a sleep he'd never wake from. Fate might treat him that way anyway though, he thought darkly as the ground continued to rush up and they continued to fall at an increasing terrifying pace. Punching the start button for the engine again in desperation, he used the last bit of strength he had to pull out as they descended the last few thousand feet.
\A/
"He's coming down too fast, far too fast…"
With an earsplitting shriek, the sleek black helicopter sliced through the air, nose too far down and still way beyond an appropriate speed. Disappearing just behind the mountainside with a tremendous boom, orange flames mushrooming high into the sky where Airwolf had just been.
"Oh my-"
Caitlin silently gazed ahead, wide eyed and about to cry, hoping that some how, any way, he had survived, but with a crash like that…
"String…" she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh String…"