Airwolf Rule The World

Boxing Day



The morning of the Secret Service Boxing Day Hunt had finally arrived. All the horses and everyone in red and black coats were in front of the main house. Alfred and household staff were serving everyone the stirrup cup. Kristien although giving birth the day before decided she was going. Tradition was tradition. After all it wasn’t every day you could run a hunt to mow the secret service down. Most years Kristien took joy in galloping with the hounds hunting down various agents who some how volunteered their services to outwit all of the people on horseback and the hungry hounds. This year with all the abduction and Carsten taking a bullet for her and the crap with Sayid and then the cloned Archangel, Kristien was very thankful that they were around. Besides she should have still been pregnant so that was a good an excuse as any.



Kristien mounted up a huge seventeen hander Irish Draught hunter stallion, named ‘DG’. He stood still whilst Kristien made the necessary adjustments to herself and then her Game Keeper who was also the Whipper in, blew the hunting horn.



“Right we have ten agents out there with an hours start.” Kristien shouted to everyone. “Let’s go get ‘em.” Kristien started to trot off with DG. The pack of hounds all started to woof and galloped off in pursuit of Kristien and the main Hunt staff in red coats.



The sounds of over one hundred horses hooves on the gravel in front of the Elizabethan house was an amazing sound and the sights of the hunting scene in the snow on the estate was straight out of a Victorian Christmas Card.



Hawke cradled Metteo protectively who was wrapped warmly in a blanket on the steps of the main house. He was quite surprised that Kristien was riding but she had already gone out first thing and galloped one of her racehorses as a practise. She had expressed enough breast milk into bottles for her mornings absence and gave strict instructions on how to give it.



It was early afternoon and Hawke was walking around the main house taking in the artwork with Metteo. Metteo was looking intently at the paintings. Hawke had hoped the walk around the huge house would send Metteo to sleep, but it hadn’t so far. Kristien had come back from the Boxing Day Hunt quite tired and had fallen asleep on the large sofa in front of the fire. Both Hawke and Alfred agreed to leave her sleeping and placed a blanket over her and went off to the Boxing Day Christmas meal.



Hawke had just checked Kristien again when he looked through the windows and saw the FIRMs White limousine make its way up the drive. Hawke walked to the main door and met Alfred. Hawke walked through the main door and held Metteo close to him.







He watched as Archangel got out, limping quite badly and had his arm in a sling. He acknowledged Hawke and then Marella stepped out and her hand was helping out a small child. Hawke watched as the child straightened his clothes and looked up. Hawke thought his knees were going to buckle underneath him as he saw the spitting image of himself when he was a child walking up the steps. Hawke remembered the photograph that Kristien showed him of their child that was ripped from Kristien when she was seven months pregnant. Hawke looked down at Metteo and how tiny he was although now just over thirty six hours old Hawke was sure Metteo had already grown.



Archangel limped slowly up the steps and saw Hawke holding a baby. Archangel could not quite believe that there was a baby. Archangel stood in front of Hawke, he felt awkward over what had happened. His double had been responsible for Kristien’s kidnapping amongst other things. Archangel’s debriefing took weeks and so did his healing. He was not a young man anymore.



“Hello Hawke, I can see you have been busy in my er, absence.” Archangel announced. “This is Prince Zafar, your son.”



Hawke’s heart was beating so fast he thought it would burst through his chest. He had always hoped that one day he would meet his son that was ripped from Kristien when she was kidnapped.



Zafar walked up to Hawke and held out his right hand in order to shake it. Hawke looked at the formal greeting and held out his right hand and shook Zafar’s. Zafar looked at Hawke and then at Metteo, his eyes were diverted to the top of the steps where Kristien stood, having been woken by Hawke’s emotional state. Zafar walked past Hawke, having recognised Kristien from before in Dubawi and walked towards her. He put his hand into his blazer pocket and withdrew a folded paper and held it out towards Kristien.



“No one can tell me if this formula is correct.” Zafar admitted to her clearly frustrated with that fact.



Kristien dropped to her knees to be at Zafar’s level. She took the folded paper from him and opened it carefully. It was the formula that Kristien left Zafar on meeting him the first time in Dubawi. Zafar watched Kristien look over the formula workings out. Kristien smiled at Zafar. “Why do you think this is to the power of nine?” She queried him.



Zafar frowned at Kristien and instantly looked back at the formula with her. He had struggled to get this far with the formula and he wasn’t about to give up. He was checking it over and he looked at Kristien. “What else could it be?” Zafar asked her.



Kristien smiled and handed back the paper to Zafar. “Look at the line above, it’s half completed, you need to expand.” Kristien encouraged him. “Maybe you can work in the Library to finish it?”



Alfred walked forward. “Master Zafar, if you would follow me please I am sure we can find you a quiet place to work.”



Hawke watched Alfred take Zafar off into the huge house. Kristien stood up and walked over to Hawke who stood speechless, rooted to the spot. Archangel and Marella stood next to Hawke and looked at Kristien.



“Don’t tell me they have got you back to work already?” Kristien noted the speed at which the FIRM seemed to move.



“The FIRM were quite happy for Archangel to have extended sick leave, but ….” Marella was cut off.



“Thank you Marella.” Archangel interjected. “I thought bringing Zafar home to you took priority.”



The roaring fireplace had huge flames from the logs that were on it, throwing out massive heat for the vast room. Archangel sat resting his leg out on the chaise lounge whilst Marella sat bolt upright next to her Boss.



Kristien was laid out resting in Hawke’s arms. Carsten stood behind Hawke and Kristien still not sure if this was the real Archangel. He would never be caught out like that again.



“So when did you work out I had disappeared?” Archangel asked tentatively. Archangel had been fully briefed by Marella on everything that had happened in his absence. Part of him was sickened by the events that had unfolded since he and Zafar had been taken.



The room had an uncomfortable silence in it, only the fire crackling could be heard.



Carsten broke the silence. “You have to remember, the clone was bloody perfect in everyway, he passed all the security checks…..”



“After we rescued Kristien near to death.” Dominic stopped the tap dancing around Kristien’s brutal beating and rape. “We kept you away from her, or rather the clone.”



Hawke looked down at Kristien in his arms. Although he felt disgust and anger at what had happened, he did not have any images thrown to the forefront of his mind.



“Well why did you not alert anyone?” Archangel queried, puzzled as to why it had taken such a long time for anyone to realise that he had been taken, along with Zafar.



“And tell them what exactly?” Hawke spat. “Some bastard has taken over the FIRM and got people hurt and nearly killed, where’s the news in that?” Hawke stood up and walked out of the room.



Everyone fell silent, stunned by Hawke’s outburst and dramatic exit. Dominic looked over at Kristien who had already risen to her feet. Kristien looked over at Archangel. “Thank you for bringing Zafar to us.” Kristien spoke quietly and left the room.



Archangel knew something was very wrong with Hawke and Kristien. He could not work out what exactly but he would be questioning Marella further over the events that he had missed.



Hawke marched into the library clearly frustrated with Archangel’s visit. He knew deep down that Archangel wanted to apologise for the havoc and chaos that was caused whilst he was imprisoned by the Arab Extremist group. They had worked very hard in setting up the rouse and wanted their Archangel to assassinate Kristien but to also gain control of Airwolf.



Zafar watched intently as Hawke paced the library like a caged lion desperate to escape. Hawke stopped as he realised he was not alone. He spun around and looked over at Zafar. Instantly his frustration melted away on seeing his eldest son.



“You are cross with yourself.” Zafar watched Hawke carefully. Hawke walked over to where Zafar was sitting working on the formula that Kristien had given him months before in Dubawi. Hawke sat down next to Zafar and looked at the small boy.



“Yeah, I am.” Hawke admitted as he exhaled as he spoke and looked down at Zafar’s workings out on the paper. “You worked it out yet?” Hawke pointed at the paper diverting Zafar from his emotions.



“I have expanded the formula.” Zafar continued and then looked directly at Hawke. “You are my Father aren’t you and the lady who wrote this is my Mother?”



Hawke nodded silently and smiled at Zafar. “Yeah, you were taken from us and for a long time we didn’t know where you were.” Hawke gave Zafar the abridged version of events.



Kristien walked in quietly holding Metteo, both Hawke and Zafar looked up. Kristien walked over to the large oak table and sat the other side of Zafar.



“Is that my Brother?” Zafar asked Hawke.



“Yeah, this is Metteo, your baby brother.” Hawke replied fighting the tears of immense happiness he was feeling over speaking finally to his son and now introducing him to their latest edition to their growing family.



“Did you give me my name?” Zafar asked Hawke and he knew that his question would not be answered. Zafar turned to Kristien and looked at her.



“We wanted to call you Bastian after your great grandfather here.” Kristien replied remembering the tender moment between her and Hawke when she announced their baby’s name at the cabin.



“Bastian.” Zafar repeated it. “I like that name, it is more suited to me now I am home. Please can I be called that?”



Hawke felt a lump in his throat as slowly the boy that was sat next to him became his son. “You can have anything you want.” Hawke promised his son.



Bastian looked at Kristien and he pushed the paper in front of her. Kristien only glanced at it but knew it was correct. Bastian watched her intently. Kristien noted she was being observed closely.



“See I knew you could do this.” Kristien congratulated Bastian on working out the mathematical formula.



Bastian smiled and looked at Metteo. “Please can I hold my baby brother?”



Kristien placed Metteo into Bastian’s arms. Hawke stood up and went behind Bastian and Kristien and he put his arms around them, holding his family safely.



It was late in the evening and the house was quiet apart from a few Secret Service Agents walking the hallways, patrolling as always. Kristien wandered down to the kitchen and took out two cartons of Chocolate Ice Cream from the freezer. She wandered into the lounge where the fire was still roaring. She was about to sit down at the main computer when a shadowy figure caught her eye. It was Archangel laid out watching the flames dance in the fire.



“Michael?” Kristien spoke quietly in case he was asleep.



“Oh sorry Kristien, if you need the room I’ll..” Archangel readied himself to start to move.



“No, it’s fine but I expected you to have retired for the night.” Kristien wandered over to the fire and sat opposite Archangel. She loaded a spoonful of ice cream and started to eat.



“Well that’s nutritional.” Archangel noted Kristien’s choice of ‘food’ for the evening. Kristien offered the second carton to Archangel and he gratefully received it. “Thanks.”



“Yeah, I know, my appetite still hasn’t returned.” Kristien replied. “I am getting tired of it, I feel I will need to strap lead weights to me soon to stop me being blown away in the wind.”



Archangel smiled at Kristien’s humour. “I thought you looked a little….skinny.” He told her and he too started to eat the ice cream.



“Well you don’t look so hot yourself.” Kristien told him. “I would think you should be still on sick leave.”



“Well, you know how it is.” Archangel continued to eat the ice cream. “This is quite good!” Archangel raised his spoon. “How’s Bastian settling in?”



“String is with him now.” Kristien explained making short work of the ice cream. “The questions are starting to come from him, obviously, there is a lot we need to cover, seven years is a very long time in a child’s life.”



“I tried to help as much as I could, when the extremists put us together.” Archangel admitted quietly. “If it’s any consolation I don’t think they were going to harm Bastian, just to keep him for a bargaining tool.”



“In exchange for Airwolf.” Kristien placed down her empty carton, satisfied. “You would think after six years they would drop the need for getting their hands on it.”



“Is it really six years since Hawke took Airwolf?” Archangel shook his head in disbelief wanting to know where all the years had gone, he looked over at Kristien. “They will never give up trying to get their hands on it, and the fact you have kept upgrading it, well, they will never drop it.” Archangel continued to finish off his ice cream. “Whilst we are on the subject, I have seen eye witness reports of a huge stealth jet doing MACH 7 and firing off lasers, don’t suppose you have any idea about what that’s about.”



Kristien formed a small smile on her face.



“So it’s finished then?” Archangel said rhetorically. “Well that’s great news, when are you ready to hand it over?”



“It needs testing, then you can have it.” Kristien told him.



“So the field test wasn’t enough?” Archangel queried remembering the sketchy reports.



“She’s totally untested Michael in every environment, so give me six months and then you can have it. You have all the blue prints.” Kristien reminded him.



“Six months?” Archangel said with some disbelief.



“I have a family now, Michael, that takes precedence so forget giving me any deadlines.” Kristien replied getting quite pissed off. “I have been somewhat busy lately, what with healing and staying pregnant, I can only have so many plates in the air you know at one time!” Kristien sighed heavily. “And now I left with running a country that hates me, and me it and to top it all I am still expected to hop into planes or Airwolf at any moments notice, and of course repair the bloody things when they break.” Kristien stood up and was about to leave. “You know I can just remember a time that I didn’t have these intrusions, maybe I should develop a time machine and go back to the time the Airwolf Project came across my desk and instead of agreeing to it I toss it on the bloody fire.”



Archangel knew he had touched a nerve and regretted it. “I am so sorry Kristien, I didn’t mean to demand, I just hoped that the MIG 45 could be ready to hand over, you know to show the FIRM that I am still useful.”



Kristien paused at the doorway. “Show them the blue prints, but keep hold of them and tell the FIRM they can have it in June, not before.” Kristien said already working out her time schedule for the next six months. “And Michael, you don’t need to prove your worth to anyone, least of all the FIRM.”



“Thanks Kristien.” Archangel replied and looked over to her. “Kristien, is there anything I can do for you?” He asked concerned that he had opened up a wound that he never knew she had.



“Yeah, leave me alone to build the time machine.” Kristien left Archangel to ponder over her revelation.



From the shadows of the hallway, Hawke stood listening, motionless and devoid of any emotion.