Airwolf Legacy

Chapter Fourteen

Kristien awoke laid on a bed with silk sheets as her eyes focused she realised she had been transported to an Arab state. The Arab gold and white marble walls gave it away but so did the heat. Kristien lifted up her hands and saw the small bruise on her arm where she had been injected with some kind of drug to knock her out whilst they brought her to the Arab country. She also ached and had several fresh bruises where Carsten had done his protection job and put himself in between her and the on coming bullet, knocking her to the floor. Kristien was surprised that she wasn’t restrained. As everyone did they underestimated the amount of drug to give Kristien, with her very strong mind she could usually overcome most things to do with mind control. She placed the pillows down the bed and pulled the silk sheet over, making it look as if there was still someone sleeping.
Kristien got up and looked around the room. She was looking for an escape route. She opened the bedroom door ajar and peeked through the gap. No soldiers were guarding her. Quietly she made her way along the marble corridor. Suddenly she heard two men talking French. They were guards and coming her way. They were discussing Kristien’s arrival and the fact that Bryon would be taking control of her at long last. Kristien dived into a room and closed the door, her ear pressed hard against the door, hoping to hear more of Bryon’s plans for her. Whatever the plans were, they could not be good. As the Arab Guards passed the door and went back to guarding the empty bedroom that Kristien had just left. Kristien’s eyes were diverted to the desk. There was a computer. She quickly wandered over to it and typed a few things.
The keyboard was in Arabic and Kristien sat down and easily deciphered the password protection. The computer was hooked up to the mainframe. Her eyes lit up like a child’s in a candy store as she found all Dubawi’s military information, launch codes, weapons, troop locations, associates both legal and otherwise. Kristien’s mind was like a sponge, absorbing all this new information. The more the screens flashed the quicker Kristien read and memorised the information. Kristien was enjoying this, translating Arabic into English. She hadn’t had this much fun since starting on the Airwolf Project ten years previous. Kristien also contacted Airwolf direct with longitude and latitude not that they really needed that as she was sure her GPS locator was working and she would be extracted out of Dubawi quite quickly.
Kristien’s eyes were diverted to the door handle. With lightning efficiency she deleted all the history that she had done and returned the computer to the original screen requesting a password. Bryon stood with the two Arab guards behind him looking at Kristien.
“So there you are little one.” Bryon had called her that when she visited when she was eight years old. It was as if he could not call her by her own name.
“It had to be you didn’t it.” Kristien sat back into the deep leather chair. “Not content are you unless you are hassling me. Why can’t you leave me alone?”
“Your place is here, at my side.” Bryon told her instructing the two guards to stand outside the office door. The two guards left the room closing the door behind then. Bryon came over to the desk and sat on the edge.
“Our Mother had other ideas about that.” Kristien reminded him about the fact that their mother somehow induced early labour and gave birth to Kristien on a State Visit to America. Alfred picked Kristien up as a 6 week premature 2 days old baby and returned to England with her to raise her at the family ancestral home.
“Arh, but you see she was wrong, very wrong.” Bryon told her. “She went against our Father’s wishes.”
Kristien mockingly, laughed out loud.
“What are you finding so funny?” Bryon questioned her.
“Come on, you know as well as I that our Mother had two girls before me, each both not surviving. If I had been born here I believe the same fate would have happened to me.” Kristien replied. “You would have loved that now wouldn’t you?”
“A brother would have been preferable, yes but you see, how you have been educated, now that’s an asset.” Bryon explained. “I ought to have you here designing Dubawi’s new weapons system.” Bryon told her and walked closer to her. “Or maybe you can design me that monster helicopter I keep hearing about.”
“And what makes you think I will help you?” Kristien replied with total disgust.
Bryon snapped his fingers and the side door opened and in walked a seven year old child escorted by an Arab woman in traditional Arab dress. She was very beautiful and the gold that adorned her was real. She did not look up and Bryon snapped his fingers and she retreated walking backwards back into the side room.
“This is Zafar, the next in line to the throne.” Bryon placed his hands on the young boys shoulders.
The young boy looked like a young Stringfellow. No mistake this was her baby that was ripped from her during the kidnapping. Kristien looked at the young boy, he was so sweet, so innocent. Kristien so desperately wanted to know for sure that this child that stood in front of her was hers.
“I will leave you two to get acquainted.” Bryon left Zafar and Kristien together and he stepped out of the room.
Kristien looked at Zafar and she smiled and she picked up a pen and wrote a mathematical formula on the paper in front of her. Zafar looked puzzled but then walked round and looked at the formula with interest. He looked at Kristien and a small smile appeared on his face, he was curious by Kristien. Kristien watched Zafar as he looked at the formula. Kristien smiled and stood up and left Zafar and followed Bryon out. Zafar watched her intently but concentrated on the formula in front of him.
Out in the corridor the two guards looked at Kristien and she looked up the passage and saw Bryon pacing up and down.
Bryon turned, his full Arab clothes billowing with the movement. “That was quick. No maternal feelings then yet?”
“That’s cheap even coming from you.” Kristien was so cross at using a child as a pawn, she was not going to have any part of that. “You are sick.”
Bryon face had turned to livid rage, the same rage that Kristien had deep inside but had learned to control. The two guards instantly grabbed Kristien’s arms behind her back and Bryon strode over to her, Kristien used the guards and leant back on them releasing a kick to Bryon’s stomach. He fell to the floor struggling to breathe. The two guards knew that they had failed to restrain her.
“You will pay for that.” Bryon was clutching his stomach. He stood up and with all the rage boiling up inside he recoiled his left fist and unleashed the rage with a right hook on to her right cheek. Kristien fell dazed but in the strong grip of the guards she could not fall to her knees. She stood quietly awaiting the next lack of concentration from her captors, she could taste blood and her cheek felt like it was on fire.
“Amenez-la à ma pièce et retenez-la. Veillez-vous pour l'injecter avec la bonne quantité de drogues cette fois..” Bryon instructed them the take Kristien to his room and to restraint her and drug her again with the right amount.

Kristien allowed the guards to take her to Bryon’s bedroom. Once inside only one guard held her whilst the other one picked up the restraints from the wall, the restraints had sharp inners to prevent the captive from struggling too much. Kristien threw her head back forcefully, knocking the guard behind her to the floor. By the time the other guard had worked out what was happening, Kristien’s foot had kicked him down. Kristien got up and was about to run to the door to make her escape when Bryon stood holding a loaded gun on her.

“I was hoping you were going to do that.” Bryon watched as the two guards slowly got up. “I said restrain her.” He shouted at them.

The two guards got up and took Kristien by the arms and put on the restraints on her forcefully. The restraints cut into her wrists instantly. Blood trickled down her hands. One guard grabbed a syringe and the other guard held Kristien. The guard did not check how much he was giving, he just loaded up the syringe and they stuck the syringe deep into Kristien’s arm. Whatever they gave her worked fast and Kristien fell to the floor, before she slipped into unconsciousness she heard two gunshots. Bryon shot dead both the guards that had failed to perform their duty.

Hawke was flying Airwolf across the Mediterranean Sea at Mach One. Dominic remained as quiet as much as he could at the EDCC. The scene of devastation that they had left in France where six of Kristien’s personal bodyguards had been killed. Carsten had done his job and took a bullet that had Kristien’s name on. Carsten had told Hawke of who had taken Kristien before he became unconscious and was taken to the FIRM’s hospital in France.

The scramblers sounded in Airwolf.

“It’s Mr Clean with our fuel I hope.” Dominic said pressing a couple of buttons and checked the fuel gauge again.

“Michael we are low on fuel. You sorted out the refuelling plane.” Hawke demanded counting down the mile between him and Kristien.

“Hello to you two too.” Archangel appeared on the screen.

“Don’t you fuck with me Michael, not over Kristien.” Hawke snapped back.

“Coordinates coming across gentlemen.” Archangel spoke sternly, he didn’t want a fight but at the same time he wanted to maintain some control over Hawke, even if the control was imaginary.

“Hey, that’s an aircraft carrier.” Dominic replied once he had checked the longitude and latitude against the radar.

“What the fuck?” Hawke’s anger was starting to get the better of him. “We are not landing anywhere Michael you got it? Every minute we are down is one more minute Kristien is with that bastard.”

“You are landing, we will refuel you and you will take me with you.” Archangel requested.

“You have got to be kidding me?” Hawke spat rhetorically.

“Hawke, the committee won’t go for Airwolf attacking Dubawi. You will cause an international incident.” Archangel told him.

“So Bryon can go to France, kill six Americans and kidnap Kristien without causing an international incident then?” Hawke was so angry. “I don’t fucking believe this shit.” Hawke pressed the buttons and ended Archangel’s transmission.

Dominic remained silent during the war of words between Hawke and Archangel. Since seeing the devastating bloodied scene and knowing that Kristien had been kidnapped, Hawke had been impossible to deal with. Hawke was like a man possessed. He was prepared to fly through the most heavily fortified military command posts to get to Kristien. He did not care who got in his way. They would all meet with the same response from Hawke. Airwolf’s arsenal.

Airwolf’s radar screen blipped into action. The radar showed it was emanating from a USS Aircraft Carrier. Hawke looked across at the screen. At least it wasn’t out of his way.

“Airwolf this is the USS Theodore Roosevelt. You are cleared to land on the flight deck. Wind is 10 knots and north easterly.” The Air Officer spoke over the radio spoke. “You are 5 miles out, now handing you over to the LSO.”

“This is Airwolf, roger.” Hawke replied.

Hawke brought Airwolf in to land on the Aircraft carrier, the Landing Signal Officer dressed in white, assisting in the landing. He approached with skill and twenty feet off the flight deck he pulled the button for the landing gear to come down. Archangel stood on the flight deck, his white suit sticking out amongst the background of the steel grey of the ship and watched Airwolf come into land.

“This is a new experience, you know we have never landed on an aircraft carrier before.” Dominic told Hawke.

“Nah, done this before with Kristie.” Hawke replied remembering nine years previous when he and Kristien were testing Airwolf. The Captain of the USS Continental had a soft spot for Kristien and as such often asked them to lunch when they were on manoeuvres in the Pacific. He was used to refuelling on a ship. Thoughts of Kristien flooded Hawke’s mind but they did not replace the pain that he was feeling from Kristien. She was frightened and being hurt.

Airwolf came in and landed gently on the flight deck. Various Flight Deck attendants dressed in blue fireproof overalls ran over to Airwolf and put chocks around her wheels to stop her rolling with the motion of the ship cutting through the waves. Then the refuelling purple attendants pulled over the refuelling nozzle and started to refuel Airwolf.

“Set the stop watch Dom, we aren’t stopping for more than 10 minutes.” String told Dominic.

“Aye Aye String.” Dominic attempted to put in some light humour into the banter.

As Hawke stepped out of Airwolf and walked towards Archangel and made out he was going to walk past him. Archangel paused and Hawke abruptly turned and with lightning reflexes threw a right punch and caught Archangel firmly on the jaw sending him sprawling on the flight deck. The Navy flight deck crew all stood frozen to the spot watching the new sport on deck. Archangel laid out rubbing his sore chin looking up at Hawke, his white suit now speckled with grease and dirt from the flight deck..

“Get up damn you.” Hawke told him readying himself for another swing.

Dominic came over and stood between Hawke and the downed Archangel.

“String, save it for Bryon, you hear me.” Dominic firmly told Hawke.

Hawke put on his sunglasses and stormed back to Airwolf.

Dominic watched the younger man who was in desperate pain and turmoil since finding out Kristien had been taken again. He held out his hand to Archangel and helped him to stand again. Dominic looked at the state of Archangel.

“You best put this on, I’ve just had her valleted.” Dominic handed Archangel an Airwolf flight suit to change into. “Oh and String is taking off in eight minutes with or without you.”

Airwolf headed into Dubawi. The silence in the cockpit only broken by Airwolf’s computers. Dominic was busy at the EDCC watching every screen. Airwolf’s radar absorption was working at one hundred percent. They were invisible.