Airwolf Legacy

Chapter Eight

Hawke landed Airwolf in the hangar. Both Hawke and Dominic were in shock at the fact that over three thousand American lives had just been lost with an aircraft carrier going down. It was little consolation that they had inadvertently stopped another Aircraft Carrier from meeting the same fate in the Norwegian Basin. Dominic got out of Airwolf and stood for a moment looking at the helicopter. He affectionately patted her on the nose and walked into the hangar kitchen. Hawke sat in Airwolf with the cockpit door open, he started to think about what he had managed to divert. The USS Theodore Roosevelt was still sailing thanks to Airwolf stopping the warhead that was launched from the Russian Sub. Hawke started to think about if he hadn’t had kept Airwolf and if there was a fleet of Airwolves out there, maybe each Carrier having an Airwolf, maybe that Carrier that got sunk would still be here today, all with three thousand two hundred lives still intact. Hawke started to brood deeply, he thought back to Andi’s death and how that would affect her family. He took a deep breath in, as a deep realisation hit. Three thousand two hundred families would be affected, parents, wives, grandparents and children. Oh God the poor children.

Dominic thrust a steaming hot coffee under Hawke’s nose breaking his impending brooding. The smell of the dark liquid brought Hawke’s mind firmly back to earth.

“You look like you are in the stratosphere.” Dominic told him.

Hawke took the coffee from Dominic and smelt the aroma. “Dom, do you regret me taking Airwolf?”

“What do you mean ‘regret’?” Dominic didn’t understand the question.

“I mean, say if I had given Airwolf back to the FIRM after getting back off of Moffet, then there would be a fleet of them.” Hawke started to speculate.

“Well sure a fleet maybe, but our baby, well she’s one of a kind you know, say what’s this leading to?” Dominic took a sip of the black liquid and looked to the hangar door and hoped Kristien would appear any moment to stop the brooding.

Hawke shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno, maybe it’s time to give her back.”

“Give our baby back?” Oh no, why should we give her up, the FIRM still haven’t done their part of the deal.” Dominic reminded him. “Besides look at what we did today, our baby stopped that warhead from getting to the carrier group, now that’s something.”

“Yeah and who protected the other carrier group, huh?” String raised his voice.

“My friend, you can’t hold the world on your shoulders by yourself you know.” Dominic tried to reason with Hawke’s brooding logic. “You can’t be in two places at the same time and you can’t save everyone, as much as you want to, Him upstairs, He decides.” Dominic pointed up in towards the heavens. “Come on String, you are not responsible for this.”

“I don’t know Dom, I mean if every Carrier had an Airwolf to protect them.” Hawke started.

“Yes and on each Carrier there would be a very pretty, very shiny, very expensive piece of military hardware gathering cobwebs on the landing gear that no bugger could fly.” Kristien joined in the conversation. “I did try and tell Archangel when I first came on the Airwolf project that the infernal machine would only be able to be flown by the gifted few, so please don’t start thinking for one second that there would be fleets out there.”

“Then why is it that every agency is after Airwolf?” Hawke questioned Kristien.

“They all want Airwolf for themselves of course and develop their own fleets, none of them realising that no bugger can fly the infernal machine.” Kristien replied.

“How come no one knows that fact then?” Hawke asked.

“Same reason why Moffet managed to steal Airwolf in the first place.” Kristien looked directly at Hawke. “Archangel kept all my reports to himself, he never wanted anyone to know I was on the project.”

Hawke looked at Kristien and fondly remembered their time together on the Airwolf Project. “When did you tell him that Airwolf could only be flown by the gifted few?”

Kristien looked directly at Hawke. “The day I met you of course.” She tossed her head to one side, her hair flowing and she left them smiling and walked over to the laptops to see what the boys had been up to as well as to run a quick diagnostic.

Dominic smiled at Kristien’s comments, he also noticed that there was something different about her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but she was glowing.

“See, hear that.” Dominic nudged Hawke. “We’re the gifted few.”

Hawke looked at Dominic and smiled back. “Yeah, I know.”

“Besides.” Kristien added. “The first hot shot top gun rudder jockey that they put in the pilot’s seat will bury her deep into the first mountain they find after pressing turbo’s, which means Archangel will be on my doorstep wanting the bloody blue prints and then I would have to test the poxy thing all over again.” Kristien left the laptops and walked back over to Hawke and Dominic. “And if I am testing it then so are you.”

Hawke shut Airwolf’s door and then put his arm around Kristien and Dominic put his arm around her and all three left Airwolf bathing in the hangar lights. They were walking back up to the Lodge when Carsten ran down to meet them.

“Call yourself Protection, where were you?” Kristien joked.

“We’ve been recalled.” Carsten told her holding his blackberry out to Kristien. Kristien took the blackberry and read the Presidential Orders.

“Recalled?” Hawke asked now very concerned about Kristien’s safety with Sayid up at the main house.

“An official complaint has been received by the President from the Saudi Crown Prince regarding the Secret Service Detail protecting Princess Kristien of Dubawi.” Kristien read out. “This is because you pissed him off during the tennis.” Kristien gave Carsten back the blackberry. “So you packed then yet?”

“We’re not leaving.” Carsten firmly replied. “And it wasn’t me that buried him into the tennis court.”

“You can’t go against Presidential Orders, they will have you shot.” Hawke reminded Carsten.

“We’ve all resigned.” Carsten informed them. “They can’t do anything to us.”

“There’s something else going on here.” Kristien said.

“Like what?” Hawke asked her.

“I don’t believe in coincidences. Aircraft Carrier down, Secret Service recalled and how the hell did Dubawi get Nuclear weapons.” Kristien speculated.

“Guess we ought to call Archangel.” Hawke suggested. “We need to be one step ahead of what ever is going on here.”