Airwolf Legacy

Chapter Nineteen

Dominic had kept Airwolf’s engines running but kept an eye on the audio the whole time. He had heard everything that Hawke had said. For once, Hawke had listened to Dominic’s wise words, thankfully.

Hawke got back into Airwolf and put on his helmet and typed in the longitude and latitude. Dominic noted the new coordinates.

“So back to Dubawi then?” Dominic queried.

“Yup.” Hawke replied, his mind already closed to anyone. His revenge on Bryon would be savage. He kept going over the medical report on Kristien and what had happened to her in the twenty hours that Bryon had had her. Silently Hawke made a private pact with God.

Ten miles from the coordinates the EDCC radar blipped into action.

“String, what manoeuvres are they on again?” Dominic queried now deeply worried.

“Sayid just said that Bryon practises every weekend.” Hawke replied.

“Oh.” Dominic said. “Well, starting from anti aircraft guns to tanks and hey they have a nuclear missile.”

Hawke turned round to look at Dominic. “What?”

“I don’t think they are practising.” Dominic said. “Who practises with a nuke?”

“You think they are expecting us?” Hawke queried.

“Well let’s see, we have six heat seekers at twelve o clock!” Dominic spat. “So YES I know they are expecting us. Two are 2 miles and closing”

“Damn it.” Hawke muttered under his breath. One of Airwolf’s main strengths was stealth, with that blown out of the water Hawke would have to rely on his skills as a combat pilot. “Get the Turbo’s ready.”

“Turbo’s.” Dominic pressed the lever and gave Hawke the turbo’s. Hawke guided Airwolf towards the missiles and counted the seconds under his breath. “Sunbursts now.” Hawke did not have time to think about the six missiles that were trying to plot their demise. He was, however impressed with the defence tactics being used. Two lead heat seekers, followed by four was normally foolproof and designed so you kept your attention on the first two and by the time you despatched those, the other four would be igniting your tail pipe.

Dominic released two sunbursts as Hawke pulled Airwolf into a power climb pressing the turbo’s. The two of the heat seekers went directly to the sunbursts causing two massive explosions in the night sky. The area lit up making night into day with a huge orange glow with similar heat intensity as the mid day sun.
“Sidewinder Dom.” Hawke kept counting to himself under his breath.

“You got it.” Dominic replied after selecting the missile for Hawke. Dominic was always amazed at how Hawke could deal with such difficult combat situations and with such ease.

Bryon and Major Nahood stood watching their radar scopes and looked through their night vision binoculars. They had seen Airwolf tackle the first two heat seekers with ease. Major Nahood tried to reason with Bryon explaining that the helicopter that came to take Kristien back was not to be taken on lightly. With one missile the Palace had been flattened. Bryon ignored the Major, insulting him by calling him a coward. Wisely, the Major dropped the topic and prepared for Airwolf’s return. He would send up the Air Force to deal with this, SAM missile sites would be useless against a foe of this magnitude.

Hawke targeted the burning debris below using the TADS and launched the sidewinder at the same time that the four heat seekers made their entrance. Hawke pressed the turbo’s and pulled the cyclic and collective up. Airwolf headed up in the night sky. The four heat seekers went directly to the new heat source of the new explosion. Four explosions joined in the two fireballs and the sky completely lit up. The ground shook below.

Bryon’s troops watched the explosions. His soldiers all cheered at the explosions.

Bryon stood admiring the fireball. “See Major, that’s how to deal with one of those super choppers from America.”

Major Nahood watched the explosions not convinced that letting off half their arsenal at one target was the best way to use the ordnance but when his Commander was in charge there was little he could say or do. Sure the explosions were big enough and the follow on explosions would probably be Airwolf’s arsenal exploding. Major Nahood sent two Private’s in a jeep across the desert to make sure that the helicopter had been despatched. He was not about to start the cheer leading pyramid, not yet.

“If this is the helicopter that Khadaffi had and the American pilot that took it from him, then we will need our Air Force to despatch it.” Major Nahood replied putting down his night vision binoculars.

“Airwolf belongs to the FIRM.” Byron scoffed. “The Americans have received their warning. Archangel would not dare to defy me again.”

Major Nahood looked at Bryon directly. “Archangel wouldn’t, but what about the pilot?”

Bryon looked at Major Nahood. “The pilot?”

Major Nahood ignored Bryon’s gaze on him. “Yes, I believe your sister called him her husband.”

“We need to leave, now.” Bryon shouted running to one of his tanks. He was not going to stay around to hear if Airwolf had finally been brought down.

Airwolf hovered at thirty five thousand feet in full stealth mode. Back at Airwolf’s EDCC Dominic was watching the army below on the monitors. They were separating out. Dominic then noticed one of the other screens.

“That was close.” Hawke admitted.

“Hey String, look at this.” Dominic patched it through to the pilots screen at the front. “What do you reckon it is?”

“Kristie.” String replied looking at all the information that was coming up. “When I gave that laptop to Kristien after Bryon had taken her, she wrote everything down, everything she heard and saw.”

“What did he do spill his guts to her?” Dominic watched as the screens told Hawke and Dominic what they needed to know about their enemy, tactical, weapons systems, locations of munitions sites, manoeuvres, and nuclear codes.

“I guess they thought they had done enough to kill her.” Hawke replied. “They obviously underestimated Kristien totally. She obviously had time to sit at a computer and memorised everything.”

Airwolf automatically installed all the new information and sprang into action with the scene playing out below. An overlay of Kristien’s clicked onto the video readout and tank number five now became a target.

“You see that?” Dominic said.

“Yeah, Bryon is in that one.” Hawke replied noting all the distances that Airwolf’s scopes displayed. God this would be wholesale slaughter with all of this information. For every counter move the troops would do, Airwolf would know exactly what to do next.

“You ready with everything?” Hawke questioned Dominic.

“Oh with cherries on top baby, we’re ready.” Dominic replied.

“Good.” Hawke replied. “This bastard is going down.”

Hawke guided Airwolf down hitting mach 1.5. They were coming up on the dispersing tanks. Hawke lowered his visor and the TADS system came on.

“Hellfires Dom.” Hawke requested.

Dominic pressed the hellfire button. “Hellfires.”

Hawke, with sure fire accuracy took out the first four tanks with ease, leaving the fifth and last to deal with later. He went further back to where the troops had waited to go after the anti aircraft guns and missiles. Two of the anti aircraft trucks had parked side by side with the drivers all talking through the cab windows of the trucks.

“Bullpup.” Hawke requested.

Dominic pressed the button. “Bullpup.”

Hawke counted off the seconds and came up on to the two parked anti aircraft trucks. By the time the drivers heard the mach one helicopter it was already too late. Hawke had released the bullpup and it was already on it’s one way ticket to the trucks. The drivers did not have time to get out of the cabs. The explosion of the two trucks was immense, both trucks were carrying twenty surface to air missiles each. All the missiles ignited sending a massive explosion one mile up into the air. The shockwave hit the back of Airwolf and tossed her around like a rag doll. Hawke held and wrestled for control of Airwolf.

“Where’s the nuke?” Hawke shouted fighting Airwolf for control.

“String that shock wave has knocked out all the sensor’s here.” Dominic replied lamely.

“Damn it.” Hawke muttered under his breath.

Now in control of Airwolf, Hawke did a hammerhead stall and headed back to where the tanks were. In the distance you could see the burning remains of the tanks. Hawke pressed the turbo’s and went over to them. There were several people out of the last tank. Hawke put on the spot light and lit up the area. Hawke pressed the chain guns and the soldiers that were trying to shoot back at Airwolf with their Uzi’s fell down dead.

Hawke flew Airwolf back to the last tank and hovered. He pressed the external speaker.

“This is your early morning wake up alarm, so you had best get out of the tank or meet your maker in there.” Hawke told the occupant of the tank.

Nothing happened.

Hawke let off the chain guns again, this time just missing the tank either side.

“You are trying my patience.” Hawke replied.

Out of the tank climbed Bryon. Hawke instantly recognised him from one of the files Archangel had given him a while back.

“Step forward.” Hawke requested.

Bryon below walked closer to Airwolf. Hawke again let of the chain guns this time aiming directly at the tank. A small explosion inside the tank occurred sending Bryon to the floor. Good, Hawke thought, hope that bloody hurt.

Bryon came round to find he had been tied up. Blood was congealed around a small head wound that occurred when he was thrown face down into the desert rock from the force of the explosion from the tank. Hawke sat with a camp fire between him and Bryon. Dominic had a side panel open on Airwolf repairing the sensors and scanners. Hawke tipped away the last of the coffee. “Good you’re awake.”

Hawke stood up and stepped over the fire and planted a right hook square onto Bryon’s jaw sending Bryon flat out on the floor, blood pouring from his mouth. Bryon pushing himself up and spat out a mouthful of blood containing at least one tooth.

“Well we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Hawke told Bryon.

“What do you want?” Bryon demanded to know. “Money?”

Hawke this time gave Bryon a left hook, less powerful but just as affective. Byron defiantly sat back up.

“I want to know the order in which you beat Kristien.” Hawke told him as he inspected his knuckles.

Byron looked up and realised that this was the man he had been told about. The man that owned the Cabin where he had sent an assault team to retrieve Kristien and to bring her back to Dubawi to ensure that she did as she was told. Bryon looked Hawke up and down, so this was the pilot of Airwolf.

“Do you honestly think you can get away with this?” Bryon spat at Hawke. “I have friend’s in very powerful places.”

“Do you honestly think you can get away with rape?” Hawke’s voice was barely holding back the anger that he was feeling. All he wanted to do was to get out his revolver and shoot Byron dead, but that would be too simple, to easy to die like that, without suffering. “Dom?” Hawke shouted over to Dominic.

Dominic ambled over wiping his hands on a rag. “Yeah?” He looked down at Bryon and despised him immediately.

“Bryon here says he has friends in very high places.” Hawke repeated.

“Oh? I don’t see them about here do you?” Dominic replied. “So these high powered friends, who are they?”

“The President of the USA.” Bryon sat smugly, blood trickling from both sides of his mouth.

“Best we call Archangel then and get him to call the President to tell him we have caught the son of a bitch and does he want him dropped into the Mediterranean.” Hawke continued to look at his knuckles and then looked at Bryon. There was not enough blood yet. Hawke remembered Kristien’s blood soaked body. The medical report commented on how hard she had fought back.

“You know Archangel?” Bryon questioned.

“Know? We’re practically family.” Dominic told him. “See that.” Dominic pointed to Airwolf. “That’s his, we borrow it on weekends you know.”

Hawke looked at Bryon. “We know you ordered the attack on the US Aircraft Carriers.”

Bryon ignored the accusation, no one could trace anything to him, ever. He always had deniability.

“We ready?” Hawke asked Dominic.

“All set String.” Dominic said and left Hawke to do a little more revenge.

“You’re Stringfellow Hawke?” Bryon said rhetorically. Bryon looked Hawke up and down. Bryon was six years older than Hawke. Bryon knew nothing about Hawke. Even when he had pumped Kristien full of drugs, and beat her within an inch of her life, she still didn’t say one word about her life or the man that she shared it with. The more defiant Kristien was the more he beat her. And now, stood in front of him, probably was the man that was going to kill him. He was going to have to think fast to try to get out of this.

“I am your judge, jury and executioner.” Hawke told him picking up Bryon’s knife and looked at it in the dawns early light. He walked over to Bryon and undid his restraints and left a knife next to him. “Get up you bastard.”

Bryon slowly stood up. He was much taller than Hawke and more muscular. He stood ready to take on Hawke and lunged at him. Hawke avoided the lunge and plunged his knife into Bryon’s right bicep. Bryon groaned in agony and blood poured out of his arm. The knife had managed to hit vein straight away. Hawke’s mind instantly went back to the horrific picture burned into his memory of Kristien’s blooded body when he picked her up. Bryon’s breathing was rapid and strong and the blood raced around his body. Large droplets of blood fell colouring the sand below a deep crimson.

“Kristien is a woman and will never be allowed to rule Dubawi.” Bryon reminded him of their strict ways.

“Don’t you get it? Kristien has never wanted to rule anything, never has and never will.” Hawke told him angrily. “All she has ever wanted is to be left alone.”

“Your children can claim the throne.” Bryon replied.

“That’s up to them now isn’t it.” Hawke replied thinking of Kristien’s current pregnancy. Somehow she was going to have this baby, he had already promised her that. “Besides you already have our first born now don’t you.”

Bryon again lunged for Hawke and missed. Hawke again planted a left hook to Bryon’s blooded face and when Bryon dropped to his knees Hawke managed to plant another left fist into Bryon’s diaphragm, winding him instantly.

“You will never find him.” Bryon taunted Hawke. “And killing me will make sure that he suffers the same.” Hawke was quick, he didn’t even allow Bryon to get up from all fours. Instead he kicked him over so he was flat on is back, Hawke raised the knife above him and was going to plunge it deep into Bryon’s chest but at the last minute and planted it in Bryon’s left thigh, pulling it down making a good six inch laceration. Bryon screamed out in agony.

“I am doing everything that you did to Kristien, to you.” Hawke told him wiping the knife clean on Bryon’s right combat pants leg. “Where would you like me to start? From when you first kidnapped her?”

Bryon could not answer. He was struggling to deal with the immense pain that he was feeling from the deep laceration from his leg. Hawke stood up disgusted with Bryon. God he just wanted to kill him. Maybe if he just got into Airwolf and unleashed the arsenal on him, but it did not seem fitting in this case. There was no honour in what he was doing. Bryon was no match for Hawke on this fight. Hawke was like a man possessed. Possessed with the images of Kristien’s blooded body.

“String we got company coming.” Dominic shouted over to Hawke.

Hawke stood up and with blinding quickness swung and kicked Bryon in the head sending him deep into unconsciousness. “Wait here.” He got out a pair of handcuffs and dragged Bryon’s unconscious body back to the burning tank. He attached one of the cuffs to the hot metal and the other to Bryon’s left arm. The smell of burning flesh instantly hit the air as Bryon’s left arm came into contact with the burning metal. Hawke walked away and then reached for his side weapon, stood and aimed at Bryon, his finger curled around the trigger. Hawke’s emotions were running in turmoil. He wanted to much to pull the trigger to finish this endless assault upon Kristien burned into his mind. The graphic photos and the detailed descriptions that the Doctor gave on how they were caused, coupled with the fact that Hawke felt every single blow to Kristien’s body, the pain she endured, he shared. He wished he could have taken it all, he would have given anything to trade places with her. His finger remained curled on the trigger, he could almost feel himself taking Bryon’s life. He aimed high and pulled the trigger, the bullet entered Bryons right shoulder and shattered the scapula.

“String, we gotta go.” Dominic shouted at Hawke.

Hawke looked back at Airwolf. Fine, he would finish this later.

Hawke got into Airwolf and pressed TURB START ONE. He looked down at the scopes.

“What we got?” Hawke asked Dominic whilst glancing over the instruments jumping into life. He pressed TURB START TWO.

“We got four MIG 29’s coming our way, armed with sidewinders.” Dominic replied. “Not sure where they originated from.”

“Does it matter?” Hawke muttered pulling back on the cyclic and collective. “No one is on our side.”

“You getting anywhere with Kristien’s brother?” Dominic asked looking at the scene of Bryon handcuffed to the tank. He was surprised to see Bryon still alive. He half expected Hawke to have killed him by now, that’s why he stepped out of the way, to allow Hawke to do what he saw fit. Dominic was not going to get in his way, not on this.

“Nah.” Hawke said under his breath. “He is never going to leave Kristie alone and now he is threatening our son that he has somewhere.”

“That’s not good.” Dominic said remembering back to happier times when Kristien was pregnant at the cabin six years previous. What he would give to have a time machine handy. “So what are you gonna do? I thought you were gonna kill him, and yeah I know he does deserve it.”

“I know he does but he is threatening our son.” Hawke exhaled with frustration. “Let’s deal with these first and then we will think about gift wrapping and delivering somewhere.” Hawke replied truthfully. “Maybe if Carsten is well enough he would like to have five minutes with Bryon also.” Hawke started to piece a plan together.

The four MIGS flew in formation. They were on a search and destroy for Airwolf that had somehow penetrated its’ borders. Major Nahood gave his very last orders before being blown up by Airwolf’s deadly arsenal to capture Bryon. Airwolf took off and Hawke pulled Airwolf up into a power climb. Airwolf was still in combat mode from the attack on Bryon’s troops. Dominic looked over the scopes.

“You wanna tell me why we are on an intercept course?” Dominic queried.

“I am too busy for all of this.” Hawke replied. “I want Bryon to pay for what he did.”

“He will my friend, he will.” Dominic said reassuringly.

Airwolf’s scopes blipped into action, showing the four MIGs in formation, still searching for Airwolf with their radar full on.

“Dom give me Sparrows.” Hawke requested putting his visor down activating the TADS.

Dominic selected the button. “Sparrows.”

Hawke aimed and with sure fire accuracy let off two sparrows that went straight to their targets, blowing up two MIGs straight away. The other two MIGs took evasive action, still not knowing where the missiles had come from. Hawke followed one of the MIGs that was flying violently from left to right trying to avoid any target lock. Hawke smiled inwardly knowing that the MIG pilot still hadn’t turned off their radar search. Hawke let one more sparrow go and it raced to its target, blowing up the MIG instantly.

“String we’ve been targeted by the other MIG.” Dominic confirmed.

“Damn it.” Hawke had been so busy despatching the other MIGs he did not see where the last one went. “What have we got coming?”

“Nothing.” Dominic replied.

Hawke turned to face Dominic and raised the visor. “What do you mean, nothing? You said we have been targeted?”

“We have but nothing is coming.” Dominic confirmed again. “And that MIG is nowhere to be seen, it’s left the area.”

“Oh shit, I know what’s coming.” Hawke sighed remembering back to when Kristien first trained him to fly Airwolf.

“Well if it a nuclear warhead then yeah, I would choose a worse word to describe out situation.” Dominic said looking at Airwolf’s radar screen. “Aha aha, it is and its 60 miles and closing. What do you want me to do?”

“There’s not a lot we can do, there aren’t any mountains around here to divert it.” Hawke replied. “We need to know it’s frequency and then to reprogram the warhead. Kristie does this stuff all the time.” Hawke said with deep frustration.

Airwolf’s EDCC lit up like New York Times Square at Christmas time. Dominic watched as all the screen’s got to work.

“What are you doing back there?” Hawke demanded.

“I am not doing anything.” Dominic exclaimed. “It’s the Lady, she’s doing it all.”

“Kristie.” Hawke smiled looking at the pilots screen in the front. “Kristie programmed Airwolf with all of Dubawi’s nuclear codes when we brought her aboard and we gave her the laptop.”

“Well it’s twenty miles and closing still.” Dominic replied. “Airwolf’s computers still busy back here.” Dominic watched all the screens flash up with various bits of information. “You sure about this String? Kristien was in a bad way you know.”

“I am sure.” Hawke replied knowing despite Kristien’s injuries she would have typed in all the information that she had gained at Dubawi’s Palace blindfolded if she had to and still not make one error. “Kristie never makes mistakes.”

“Hey String, it’s broken off course and doing a one eighty.” Dominic looked at the scopes.

“Yeah, that’s Kristie’s work, send it back with loads of love and cherries on top.” Hawke smiled. “We had better take Airwolf up out of the way, this is gonna be one hell of an explosion.” Hawke watched the radar screen. “Hit the EMP suppressors on will you.”

“Sure thing String.” Dominic pressed the button on the EDCC.

Hawke pulled Airwolf up into a power climb and went to sixty five thousand feet in less than ten seconds. Hawke paused and hovered watching the screens on Airwolf. Down below the nuclear warhead went back to its launch base and blew up the base. The mushroomed fireball reached one mile into the air.

“Hey String, what about Bryon?” Dominic remembered that they had him chained to a tank down below.

“He’ll get a tan alright.” Hawke smirked at the thought of Bryon being radio active, now that was a good helping of vengeance. “Best we let the dust settle then go get him.” Hawke smiled deep inside, Bryon would die, eventually. A nice slow agonising death. Now that was fitting.

“What pick him up and bring him in the Lady? Won’t he be radio active?” Dominic replied.

“I said we would pick him up, I never said he could come inside the lady.” Hawke smirked knowing what he was going to do. “Find the USS Theodore Roosevelt will you. Carsten is on board. Tell him to meet us on the flight deck.”

“Sure thing String.” Dominic replied.