Chapter 5

Stringfellow Hawke sat at the table with a camera mounted on a tripod and aimed directly at him. He sipped his coffee as Archangel conducted the interview. Caitlin sat off to the side just out of view of the camera and listened as Marella ran the equipment.

Archangel began, "The current date is May 4th 1983. It is now ten in the morning. I am interviewing Stringfellow Hawke who I believe has successfully sent his intact mind from a future date to the past. This would be classified under Project Farscape."

String gasped, "Farscape!"

Archangel asked, "You heard of the project?"

"No," he shook his head, "It's the only half way decent television show you guys ever came up with was named that." Needless to say String did eventually find a TV show that he liked.

Caitlin asked, "What was the show about?"

He explained, "A test pilot/genius inventor was trying to test an orbiter when he slipped streamed to another galaxy and met this hot little cop who…" he looked upon the amused faces, "never mind."

Caitlin smirked, "Did the hot little cop look like me?"

He shook his head, "No, she this long black hair. I know it wasn't realistic in anyways but I liked the actress."

Marella admitted, "I surprised you even watched television."

"I don't normally. I found it on Netflix." he stated.

"On what?" Marella asked.

"It's an internet provider that streams movies, TV shows, concerts, documentaries online to your computer." he told her.

Archangel asked, "And you watch it for?"

"To see what my followers on Youtube are talking about." he told him. "The kids have their own culture going and if you don't know what they are talking about you can get confused and have misunderstandings."

"I see," he gave a nod. "Now, I'm going to do this interview year by year. I will say a year and you tell me if anything significant happens."

"I'll try." he agreed.

"What happens this year?" he asked.

"Hmm," he pondered. "I went on a bunch of missions with Airwolf."

"How about on a general scale," he stated, "Such as major events that we can compare to this recording in the future. I need major events for validation purposes."

String pondered, "Nothing big comes to mind. Regan was shot!"

"That was two years ago," he told him.

"Eighty-three?" he pondered and pondered. "Is that the year the space shuttle blew up?" he strained to recall.

His eyes grew wide, "We lose a shuttle?"

"Two shuttles," he nodded "The Challenger and the Columbia. Challenger was in eighty-six I think."

He gulped, "We lose two space shuttles?"

He nodded, "Yup."

"This is the kind of thing we need for validation. Major events no one could see coming. Any others?" he asked.

He replied, "Plenty."

"Can you tell me about them?" he asked.

"On September 11th in 2001 the Twin Towers will be destroyed in a terrorist attack." he told him.

Concerned Archangel asked, "Can we stop it?"

He smirked, "My question is why the hell you didn't?"

"I'm not sure I follow, Hawke?" he stated.

"It never should have happened!" was he would say. "Let's see…Major events that stick out. The Pope dies and we get two new ones. The first resigns in some sort of cover up and the second is more favored. Princess Diana is killed in a car after she leaves Charlie. John F Kennedy Jr. dies in a plane crash that is also questionable. We get into a massive war in the Middle East that leads to the downfall of both Hussein and Gaddafi and then turns into the next Nam. But I can't think of anything that will happen right away." He then pondered, "Iran-Contra Affair. I think that might be in the next year or two."

"Iran-Contra Affair is what?" he wondered.

"Political scandal." he replied. "Involves drug and gun running. Right up the Firm's alley."

"I see," he gave a nod. "How about events on a personal level? What can you remember?" he asked.

String replied, "I get my brother back but I lose Dom."

"How do you lose Dom?" he asked.

"In a year Dom will be killed in an explosion that will also injure me. I can't fly after that. Dom's niece, Jo finds out about Airwolf and is recruited to help find my brother who the Firm has found and never told us. They kept it from both of us, Michael. You were assigned to the Middle East, Marella was given a new position and Caitlin left for another job offer. My brother was rescued and flew Airwolf for a year then the project was shut down. He and Jo got married. The injury I sustained eventually leads to my hip deteriorating and I am scheduled to have surgery to replace the hip in a week. I also got arthritis and the doctor thinks that was also related to the injury. My immune system went nuts from an infection that came on a few months later. I never fully recovered from it."

Archangel asked, "Do you think any of that can be changed?"

"Why not?" he shrugged. "Isn't that what intelligence is all about? Getting information to change outcomes."

"It is," he agreed. "What do you think is your primary mission? Why do you think your mind sent itself back?"

"To stop the explosion that killed Dom and wounded me." Hawke stated. "It would save Dom in the short term and save me in the long run." He looked at Caitlin, "And not let Cait leave and marry that other guy."

Caitlin stated, "Because if I leave and marry that other guy I die."

"You are both killed in a chopper crash." he nodded. "You married another pilot."

Archangel summarized, "So your mission is to change the lives of those around you."

"Yes," he nodded.

"You could make things better for the world as a whole." he suggested. "You know what will happen and can change it."

He shrugged, "I'm done saving the world at the expense of everyone close to me. It doesn't matter what I do because the world will do what it wants to in the long run. I spent a lifetime trying to make a difference. It doesn't make any difference. It never has! I'm an old man now. I've paid my dues. I'm not here to help save the world. I'm here to help save Dom and Caitlin and myself in the long run."

"But you could help so many," he told him.

"People have to help themselves eventually." he replied.

"We've got a communist threat…"

String waved it off, "The USSR falls and Russia goes back to being Russia. Get over yourself, Michael. There is no real threat from them."

"The USSR falls?" he asked amazed.

"Heck, they are barley being propped up even now." he rebutted.

"That's a major world event, Hawke." he snapped. Surely his friend would tell him about the collapse of a country and Iron Curtain.

"I forgot about that for a moment." he shrugged.

Caitlin added, "He has been forgetful lately."

String grinned and proclaimed, "I'm also a miserable grump! And I don't care."

Marella cocked an eyebrow, "You seem to be enjoying this to some degree."

He admitted, "When you get older your mental filters kind of go from 'you shouldn't say that' setting to the 'let's see what happens' setting and you really don't care who you piss off."

Archangel asked, "Did you ever have that filter to begin with Hawke?"

He pondered, "I was better when I was younger. I mean, jeepers that suit is a freaking eyesore, Michael. Talk about bright. I would be afraid to eat anything wearing that. Chocolate ice cream has to be out of the question for you."

He scoffed, "I prefer vanilla ice cream anyways."

String leaned forward, "Do you like strawberry?"

"Yes!" ha gave a nod.

"You ain't eating strawberry in that." He smirked pointing at the white perfect suit.

Marella asked, "When did food become such a big part of your life?"

He snorted, "When going in for colonoscopies became routine! When you're limited on your mobility the little things become a big deal and ice cream is a big deal."

Caitlin smirked, "Along with cookies."

He nodded, "Those too." String told Archangel, "Eventually you do give up the suit and buy a ranch."

"I buy a ranch?" he asked amazed.

"You get into horses." he nodded.

Caitlin smiled, "I would love to see that."

Archangel admitted, "I'm not wearing a white suit of I'm running a ranch."

"And you're still not eating chocolate ice cream in that." String teased him.

"I don't like chocolate ice cream." he told him.

He looked at Marella, "What's your favorite ice cream?"

"Cherry vanilla." she replied.

He smiled, "Isn't there a place that has thirty six flavors of ice cream around here?"

She slowly nodded, "There is."

"Let's go!" he shot up from his seat.

"We're not done with this interview, Hawke." stated Archangel.

"I'm done and I want ice cream." he told him. He smiled devilishly as he realized he could get Archangel to do whatever he pleased for the information he held in his mind.

"Ice cream now?" he huffed.

String asked, "You ladies want ice cream? Michael is buying." he added.

Caitlin grinned, "Sure."

"Now I'm buying?!" he gasped.

"Of course you are." he told him.