Chapter Text
The War in Vietnam was unlike any war the United States was involved in. It was not fought the ways traditional wars were fought. Children had bombs strapped to them, both sides were dressed the same, and there was a long history of fighting that spanned generations. In some ways it resembled the Civil War only taken to a much larger degree.
Stringfellow and Saint John Hawke enlisted months apart. The elder of the two, Saint John, managed to enlist because he could not stand the idea of waiting for his number to come up in the draft. Stringfellow followed on his brother's coat tails. He forged a birth certificate to chase after his brother. He went against his guardian's wishes, in part because he was lost without his brother. Dominic Santini had the hardest position of waiting for his 'sons' to come home.
By the time St. John was done with basic training; he was chosen for special ops. The training was intense, but he found himself immersed in the courses in such a way that he could block out missing his brother. He could sense his father urging him on.
Since the death of their parents, Sin Jin and String were closer than most brothers. Dominic took care of them but he could only do so much. He taught both boys to fly and how to put an engine together. Dom knew the importance of an education. He was proud of Sin Jin going into special forces out of basic because he knew that it would give him skills that he could not teach him. When he learned of String forging documents to follow in his brother's footsteps. he was outraged. He thought he had built a rapport with the boys when their parents had died. String had to have known that he would support him in whatever decisions he made. Dom liked to think that he had raised the boys in such a way that would make any man, especially his best friend, proud to be their father.
When he got home late that night to find the note, he sat in the kitchen and wept. He prayed for both of 'his' boys. He could have reported String and forced him to come back home, but what good would it do? Both he and his brother were joined at the hip. They had a kinship that was special to them. The bond was formed by the suddenness of their parents death. It gave them a connection forged in grief and grown by mutual respect and love. When he spoke with String after basic training, he told him how proud he was of his boys. He let him know that all was forgiven. He prayed for their safe return.
String found he liked the discipline of the service. He had managed to get in touch with Sin Jin and they kept tabs on each other while fighting a useless war. They didn't know the country, they were in an oppressive environment, and they didn't know who to trust. They were thousands of miles from home dropped in the middle of a war they didn't really understand. Pot and alcohol were abundant. String's major concern was his brother and getting back to the states in one piece.
It was during this time that he had met a certain man with a penchant for white. You could always spot the white silk scarf around his neck. How he managed to keep it white was something String could not understand. When Michael Coldsmith Briggs III found out that String was an excellent mechanic and pilot, he pulled a few strings and managed to get him a job to which he was more qualified. It was during those runs that he learned Michael worked for a trio of initials. Occasionally he would copilot with him and drop him off somewhere in the middle of the jungle. There was a time when he had to search for him. He was dropped off in the middle of no mans land and managed to break him and some others out of bamboo cells with nothing but a few grenades and a bayonet. It wasn't so much as a rescue of Michael, as it was a retrieval of soldiers who had been missing in action.
It was against regulations for two people of the same family to be in the same unit. Being a pilot allowed him some freedom to keep track of his older brother. Sin Jin was glad of his brother becoming a pilot. He had less of a chance of being captured. It gave him piece of mind knowing that his brother was out of harm's way. It was easier to keep track of him this way. Sin Jin briefly met the man whose codename was Archangel. He was afraid the man would use his brother to his advantage and that didn't sit well with him. However the man was better than some of the spooks who worked for the government. Things were going well, if you could say that about a war that nobody wanted, until that fateful day when one of his men tripped a wire.
There were five, including himself... He trusted that word would get out that they had been captured: sooner rather than later. Michael found out first. He knew that Sin Jin and String were brothers. Although he was not String's immediate superior, he knew he had to get word to him about his brother. What proceeded after that was nothing short of a near miracle. Stringfellow had managed to find the location of where his brother and the others were held. He absconded with a chopper and went in alone. He managed to land the chopper about two clicks from where they were being held captive. He kept thinking that if it worked once...
He didn't know they could be a different band of guerrillas than he confronted earlier. Four soldiers were in what looked like bamboo baskets. They were positioned in such a way that they were crouching at awkward angles. Their eyes were nearly swollen shut. There were no guards around. His brother was nowhere in sight. That could only mean one thing...
Every sinew in his body screamed out to take action. He NEEDED to find his brother. He squatted and watched and listened. He heard the grunts. He would recognize that sound anywhere. He felt as though he could feel each blow that struck his brother. He had to move. HE HAD TO... He heard the sound of a chopper. NOW!
The distraction of the chopper was just enough to give him the momentum to free the prisoners. His rage allowed him to open them with the hilt of his knife. He ran toward the sound of his brother's breathing. There he stood trussed up like a turkey while gun fire was coming from above. Sin Jin's captors fled while String managed to cut his bindings and put an arm around his brother. Ropes were thrown from the chopper and hands were yanking in the prisoners. String saw a familiar face. The chopper was struggling to maintain altitude. Sin Jin pushed String toward the rope. String looked back at his brother. He hesitated for a moment. The chopper managed to gain altitude with String holding onto the rope. He saw his brother wave as he got smaller and smaller. He disappeared in the distance.
He had managed to tell his brother where the chopper was hidden. That was the only way he allowed his brother to remain behind. He waited.
It was only by the saving grace of Archangel that he was not court marshalled. Taking a bird without permission and then losing that bird was not taken lightly by the powers that be. Fortunately Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, convinced his commanding officer to drop the charges and went so far as to get the secretary of state to intervene on String's behalf. Taking a chopper against orders was a capitol offense and he could have been shot.
He kept waiting for Sin Jin to fly back in, carrying a load of M.I.A.s in tow. He would not have left him otherwise. The days passed with no word. String felt a nail in the coffin with each day that passed.
When his tour was finally over, he went home to Dominic. The boy had turned into a man, but the man was broken. He was going through the motions. On any given day, he would fly to the cabin, built by his grandfather, and enjoy the solitude. He found himself drawn to quiet. Any moment he could spare was spent on improvements. He wanted it to be ready for Sin Jin's return.
The days turned into months and the U.S. involvement in Vietnam came to an end. String never gave up hope. He ended up being recruited by Michael Coldsmith Briggs III for a top secret project. It was a challenge working on the helicopter that he would come to know as Airwolf. He had security clearance. He could fly practically any aircraft and Michael was pleased with his progress.
Unfortunately Hawke did not trust Moffet, the ship's designer, and had no qualms letting everyone associated with the helicopter know exactly how he felt.
This put Michael Coldsmith Briggs III in an untenable position. He had to choose between a pilot he trusted and a man who was the only one capable of designing such a fantastic machine. His superiors gave him no choice. He was not pleased with the decision. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
Stringfellow Hawke was left with his old job and his memories. Dominic allowed him luxury of keeping to himself with just enough jobs to keep the roof over his head. Hawke was pretty much left to his own devices. The days stretched out to months. He saw the eagle in the distance. He played his cello and noticed the eagle change its flight pattern. His mind drifted to Sin Jin. He could not give up hope, but he had no place to start looking. He watched the sun set. He knew he had to find a way.