CHAPTER 2
Caitlin woke early, planning to fixing coffee and intending to enjoy breakfast with her husband this morning before heading up to the hangar later, but things were not at all going to be going according to plan.
She pulled her robe around her and tying the belt around her waist. Instead of heading downstairs for the warm sent of coffee, String's doing undoubtedly, and into Chance's bedroom where the three year old was fussing. Gathering the young child into her arms, she lifted him up and carried him downstairs.
It soon became very evident that her plans for an early breakfast with String wasn't happening; he was already gone. Did they have and early film shoot she had forgotten about? She didn't remember anything being said about one, but maybe it was something last minute, or something she had missed.
\A/
Unfolding the note Hawke had left on his desk, Dominic read the message that had been hastily scribbled down and left on his desk.
A frown furrowing his brow, he reread the note, and hoped what he was thinking it said wasn't what it really meant.
Iranians have Michael, possible brainwashing/ torture for information on FIRM secret files. Instructed to keep from happening at all costs. I
That would definitely explain him not showing up to work this morning and the concerned look on Caitlin's face when she found out he wasn't already here. What it didn't explain was why he would be so stupid as to go alone, especially after the recent events that had caused him to forget practically everything. Only recently had he gotten most everything back and he still didn't remember anything from about three days before the explosion until he woke up nearly four weeks later.
Half hidden from sight, he spotted a piece of scrap paper with various notes scrawled all over it. Much of the handwriting was illegible, but he did manage to decipher something about testing a new weapons system in the middle east.
Surely the FIRM wouldn't have sent him on his own against the latest tactical weapons in a foreign country. He knew that they could be pretty ruthless, but if String didn't come back in one pieceā¦. They'd need their own tactical weapons system to keep him from getting at them.
He still couldn't believe they would do that. in general, the committee was ungrateful for all Hawke did for them. Was it all that much too ask that he get a little backup while he was rescuing their man? Evidently they thought so.
If he had left as early as Caitlin said, then he would be well out of the area he could reach by radio, so there was no chance of getting him to turn back now.
"Dom?" Caitlin asked, seeing the disgruntled look on his face after he read the note. "Is everything alright?"
"I sure hope so."
"What'd you mean hope so?"
"String went after Michael who is being held prisoner in Iran."
"Have there been any demands? A trade? Airwolf for Michael - something like that?"
He shook his head, "at least not yet."
"At least he has a better chance if they don't know he's coming."
"That's true." He didn't have the heart to tell her they had an all new weapons system just waiting to be tested on him and Airwolf. Besides, he didn't have proof the two were related, maybe it was only rumor. Or maybe he just didn't want to admit the odds, he thought downheartedly.
"It may not have been very smart, but he'll be ok," Caitlin said with a false enthusiasm. He probably would, usually did, but they would both feel better if someone was there to back him up.
Saint John joined them in the hangar, only now arriving due to traffic problems coming back from dropping Le off at school.
"Sorry I'm late; the traffic was crazy. Honestly I never knew there were so many cars in Van Nuys. Hey, where's String? I've been meaning to talk to him about something."
"He's not here," Cait replied.
"Why not? He can't use the traffic excuse coming up from the cabin, and you're already here."
"He was gone before I was up - some mission in Iran to save Michael."
"Without backup?" His tone was incredulous. "Please tell me there was some plan in this hair-brained idea."
"We hope so," Dominic said, " but none of us even knew 'til he had already been gone a while. He'd be way past where we could reach him by radio and we don't know anymore specifics than somewhere in Iran Michael is being held captive and that he is supposed to take care of things before Michael gets the chance to give some valuable information away. Now you know everything we know."
"Do they know he's coming?"
"Can't say for sure. Never said anything about a trade or demands, but there is a lot he didn't say, or at least I hope so. If he is going in there as blind as we are now, things aren't looking too bright."
No, he refused to believe his brother would do something that crazy without a plan. It may not necessarily be something the rest of them would guess, or maybe even like, but he had to have something in mind.
"There's no way of reaching him?"
"None that we have."
Why, String, why? Dom wondered. Why would you go alone? That weapons system - did he maybe think that making sure the enemy didn't get anything from Michael 'at all costs' may include his life as part of the cost? Better for him to die than many? He hoped not.
Little as he knew about this mission, he had a really bad feeling about it. Something was wrong, it just didn't quite make sense. String wasn't suicidal, he'd come up with a plan, wouldn't he?
