Chapter 99
The sun shined bright on the Las Vegas strip. Water fountains shimmered in the sunlight along with the chrome from the cars that lined the streets. In a back alley, just off the main strip a man walked to a side office door. He blended in well. He wore off the rack clothing consisting of tan trousers with a black button down shirt and a brown twill jacket that was well worn and from the previous decade. His dark brown hair had a slight curl but remained neatly in place. He had a square jaw and was well shaven. He opened the side door of the building and walked inside.
Upon entering the side door office his deep brown eyes scanned the area for any signs of trouble. He spied a thin, balding man sitting behind a desk while smoking a cigar. His clothing was more dated with a light tan suit and an open collar white button down shirt.
Jim Rockford gave a heavy sigh upon seeing the old mafia boss from his days in prison. "What did you want to see me about, Paul?" he asked him.
The man held up a VHS tape. He asked, "Have you seen this tape, Jim? It's going around."
"I can't say I have see any home videos lately." he admitted.
Paul stood up and went to the television and player in the corner of his office. He turned the equipment on and slid the tape into the player. He instructed, "Just watch."
Jim Rockford watched as the documentary of Airwolf played out before him. He cocked his head as he listened to the words that was spoken by Sam on the tape. He found himself taken in by the mysterious tape. He slid down into a chair by the desk and watched as the tape played out.
Once the tape was finished playing Paul turned the player off. He went back to his desk and took a seat across from his old cell mate. He asked, "What do you make of that, Jim?"
He sat perplexed, "I'm not sure what to make of that."
Paul smirked, "There is more." He reached into his desk and removed a dollar bill and a quarter. He placed the money on the table before his old friend.
Jim picked the money up and started to look it over. He found the dates were from the future. He sat thinking of the mystery before him.
Paul smiled, "Rumor has it the FBI and California's finest are investigating the money."
"The dates are off and the design is different." Jim noted.
"I want to hire you, Jim. To investigate this." he motioned.
He blinked, "Investigate it? This is crazy. I do cold cases. Not…whatever this is."
Paul cheered, "It is a cold case. From what I have been told the FBI closed the case. The girl on the tape. She's been spotted in L.A. The bird, that too has been spotted. By both military and civilian pilots. Pilots have reported seeing it do mach one."
"The girl said it was a top secret chopper." Jim recalled.
"The girl said it was a top secret chopper back in the 80's, Jim. Back in the 80's! What does that mean?" he pressed.
"I have no idea." he shrugged.
Paul insisted, "It mean time travel, Jim. All the bosses have seen this tape. If that girl is here and from the future. Think about it." he insisted.
Jim balked, "Do you know how crazy this sounds, Paul?"
"I want you to find the girl and find out if she really is from the future. And if she is, how is she traveling through time." Paul told him.
Jim huffed, "I outta get up and walk out right now. This is insane."
"Why haven't you?" Paul smirked.
"Rent is due." he confessed he needed the money.
"I will pay you double your going rate." Paul stated.
"Double?" he became intrigued. "Plus expenses."
"Plus expenses." he agreed.
Jim asked, "What if it turns out this is just some kind of hoax?"
Paul sat back in the chair. "That's what I am hiring you to find out."
"You got a deal." he agreed to take the case.
Meanwhile
Sam tossed her bag in the back of the pickup truck that belonged to the airfield. She looked a bit disappointed but understood why String nixed the idea of flying Airwolf to Vegas to elope. Instead, he opted to drive.
Caitlin placed a duffle bag in the bed of the truck as well. She looked to Sam. "It's my wedding. Why do you look so gloomy?"
"It would have been so cool to fly Airwolf to Vegas for a wedding." she admitted.
"It would have." she agreed. "But, Airwolf is not public yet and String doesn't want to attract attention too soon."
"Bummer." Sam miffed.
String and Dom then emerged from the hangar carrying bags of clothing to change into for the wedding. They soon piled the duffle bags in the back of the truck as well. Dom was giddy as he grinned at Sam.
"Hop in, kid." Dom told his great niece.
She complained "I'm not really a kid." she stated as she climbed into the truck and slid across the large bench seat.
Dom climbed in after her and closed the passenger's side door. He glanced out at the driver's side where Caitlin stood with String. He watched from inside the cab.
String asked, "You sure about this, Cait?"
She paused and then gave a smile, "I'm sure if you are."
"This will change things for us in the future." he insisted.
She confessed, "Hope you are there with me."
He stepped closer and looked her in the eyes, "I will be." He then leaned in for a kiss. As his lips met hers he heard the horn of the truck sound. Annoyed he looked up at Sam and Dom sitting the truck.
Sam yelled, "Can you hurry it up? We don't have all day."
He rolled his eyes annoyed.
Caitlin grinned and then climbed into the truck next. She slid over on the large seat and sat right beside Sam. She looked at her future niece. "I can't wait until you are a baby and me and String are baby sitting you."
Amused Sam asked, "Why?"
"If you think I'm trolling you with the color pink now just wait until I'm your aunt." she warned.
Sam rolled her head back annoyed.
String climbed into the truck next. He closed the door and started the engine. He looked over at his passengers. "Everyone ready?"
Dom cheered, "All set."
Caitlin steadied herself, drew a deep breath and then gave a firm nod. "I'm ready to do this."
Sam blinked and then realized, "I have to go pee."
It was an omen statement for String. For a brief moment he could see himself in the future, loading up the car to go on a trip with Caitlin and a child version of Sam and his niece claiming she needed to go pee as they were to disembark.
Caitlin asked, "Why didn't you go before?"
"I did!" she stated. "I have to go again."
"Lay off the coffee." Caitlin told her as Dom opened the door and climbed out.
"I will be right back." she promised and slipped out of the truck and then made a fast walk for the side door of the hangar.
Caitlin sat beside String waiting in the truck. She glance at him. "When she's little, let's not let her drink coffee in the future."
"Obviously." he agreed.
Meanwhile
Sam slipped back into the hangar and went right to the rest room to relieve herself. Upon finishing she emerged to find a much older version of Stringfellow Hawke standing near the wormhole in the hangar. She paused and got a good look at him. His short hair was still brown, not a gray hair in sight. His face reflected an older man sporting a mustache above the lip. He wore tan cargo pants and a red and white flannel shirt.
"Surprised to see me, kid?" he asked her.
"I'm glad to see you." she confessed. "You came through the wormhole, didn't you?"
"I did." he confessed.
"You make it past the bombing?" she asked.
He nodded, "We prevented it from happening. Dom lived to be 95 years old."
"I thought that would not change until we got past the day of the bombing." she countered.
He stated, "You changed the timeline so much it never happened. You are on a new timeline. You don't have to worry about the bombing anymore."
She smiled, "That's good to know. So…why are you here? Why not wait for my next trip back home?"
"I'm here to save your life, Sam. With Colonel Austin, we help the Galactica take out the two base stars and get the ship to Earth." he started. "But the Clyons are dug in deep. We have been infiltrated by the Cylons on every level. They have their own time travel tech, far beyond what your wormhole can do. They took a page right out of that stupid Terminator movie. They sent a…Cylon created…Terminator back to 1985. Thing looks human but is a machine."
Her shoulders slunk, "Does it look like Arnold too?"
He shook his head, "The other guy."
"The liquid metal dude?!" she gasped.
He corrected, "No! It looks like the actor who played the good guy in the first movie. Michael…whatever his last name is."
"He looks like the good guy from the movie?" she cranked her head bewildered.
"It's out for you, Sam. You are it's primary target." he warned. "Be careful in Vegas. You will fine it there." He then walked over to the pegboard on the wall the held the company keys. He reached up and grasped a set of keys for a jeep.
"Where are you going?" she asked him.
Older String replied, "To give some vital info to Colonel Austin and Apollo. I'll leave after you."
She asked, "Should I tell young you that I just saw you and your are alive in my time?"
He replied, "You kind of have to. You will need young and dumb me to help neutralize that Cylon…terminator…thing."
She asked, "How do we neutralize it? I mean in the movie Arnold was pretty much unstoppable."
He hinted, "It's a computer, Sam. It's not hardened against an EMP."
She blinked, "An EMP. How the heck am I supposed to make an EMP gun? That takes a nuke."
"KITT." he suggested. "KITT can create and deploy an EMP. The car!"
"So, we need to take KITT with us?" she asked.
He agreed, "Yeah, you do. Swing by Michael's place and have him and KITT go with you to Vegas."
She asked, "Anything else I should know?"
He smirked, "The new timeline is not like the timeline you remember."
"And?" she pressed.
"Just get going. You will be late for my wedding." he shooed her away.
She complained, "Come on! Tell me what to expect when I get back."
"Go!" he ordered.
She soured, "You are just as cranky in my time as in the 80's. Aren't you?"
He smirked amused.
"I'm going." she sounded and then walked out the side door of the hangar. She got to the truck where young String stood waiting.
He asked, "What did you do? Fall in?" he asked why she took so long.
She climbed in the truck. "Just drive."
