Chapter Seven: The Truth Shall Set You Free

It had been a few days since Cait had been back. Roan was becoming a regular at the hanger. Mostly she would stop by about the time that String would head home. Cait had a hunch that her timing was planned. Some nights String would ask her to go home with him others he would just ask her to dinner. Cait didn't know what to think of this relationship. Something did not seem right to her. She had heard Dom talk about Roan when they first met her at the air show. She was aware that String had been attracted to her and had even asked her to come and work for Dom. But somehow she felt this was not about love. Maybe Dom was right, Strings relationships were nothing more than a distraction.

"Morning Cait" Dom said as he walked into the office."What's our day lookin like today?"

"Hey Dom, I have three students coming in for flight lessons, String and St John are doing the stunt for the studio and you were going to finish the repairs on the jet ranger.

String and St. John walked into the office together. "What no coffee Cait?" String said as he lifted the empty pot.

Cait looked up from her desk but did not answer nor did she get up to make the coffee like she normally would have done. String put the pot down deciding he did not want coffee bad enough to make it himself. He and Cait had hardly spoken to each other since she returned. It bothered String that she was barley speaking to him. He did not know why since he had been purposely pushing her away. Now that she was keeping it professional he found it irritating. He wondered if this is how they all felt when he gave them the silent treatment. If it was then he was sorry because it was infuriating to be dismissed this way.

Just then a familiar white limo pulled up. Dom rolled his eyes, "What could he want this early in the morning?"

"Good morning all. I'm glad I caught you all here. Michael said as he looked around making sure no one else was in the hanger. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course you do Michael, why else would you be here?" Dom replied.

"Dom, it's not a mission. Actually I think you might like what I am going to request of you. The firm is having a sort of formal gathering next Friday night. And Hawke, before you say no and walk off please hear what I have to say."

"Yeah, I'm listening but make it fast. We have work to do." Hawke said.

"I was going to ask you all to attend. There are going to be a lot of influential people there. Many of which make decisions about budgets and what projects get funded, including Airwolf. The committee tends to over look the Airwolf project because it is not visible to them."

"So you think if all of us come to this Firm party it will influence their decisions?" Hawke asked not really looking for an answer.

"Hawke, the committee didn't have to let you keep Airwolf once St. John was found. That was the deal you had with the firm." Michael answered pointing a finger in Hawkes chest.

String looked down at Michael's finger on his chest. Michael realizing how close he was coming to getting punched took a step back.

"St. John wasn't found by the committee Michael he came back on his own, without any help from the committee. And I did try and return the Lady which they declined. So don't go acting like they left her with me out of the goodness of their hearts. They did it because they needed me, hell they need all of us." String said waving his hand around everyone in the office.

"Ok Hawke, I'll give you that much. But answer me this. Where do you think the fuel comes from to fly her and the parts and money for repairs. I suppose you think I have an endless supply of free fuel lying around somewhere?"

Cait seeing Michael was not going to get anywhere with String stepped in. "String, he has a point. I know you hate playing the political games but sometimes we have to do things we don't like so we can do the things we think are right. Michael is not the enemy here. He is only asking for one night."

String hearing what Cait had to say softened his stance. "OK, we'll be there."

"Thank you Hawke, this means a lot to me. I want to show the committee that I have a vital group of people working for me. Since we have added St. John as an operative I feel it's time he was introduced around. Also, this is a formal affair so Dom I hope you have appropriate attire?"

"Why you" Dom said with a glare. "I can dress with the best of them."

Michael turned to walk away but stopped turning to String. "One more thing Hawke, I know you have been seeing Roan Carver. Since she already knows about the Lady there's no reason she can't come as your date if you like."

Before String could answer he saw Roan walking up behind Michael.

"Date for what?" Roan asked.

"Hawke will fill you in." Michael said as he walked away. "See you all Friday night."

Cait not being comfortable with Roan in the same room got up to leave. "Dom I need to do my preflight check."

"I'll help you out sweetheart." Dom said as he left with her.

St. John not wanting to be the only one left standing there got up to leave as well. "String I'll meet you in the car. We need to be at the shoot in an hour."

"Your brother doesn't like me does he?" Roan asked when St. John was gone.

"I wouldn't know about that. I don't discuss my personal life with my brother."

"So what's this about a date you are supposed to ask me about?"

"It's a formal dinner at the Firm. I think it will be a bit boring for you." String answered hoping she would agree.

"Formal, it sounds like a reason to buy a new dress. "I except." She replied before String could say anything else.

String got up to leave. " I need to get going. I have a long drive to the shoot. I don't know how late I'll be so I'll see you tomorrow." With that he headed out to the car and St. John.

"Wait" She said running after him. They were standing outside by now in front of the plane that Cait was checking. Seeing that Cait had a full view of them she pulled String in a tight hug and kissed him hard on the lips. "I'll miss you to" she said as they parted.

As String broke apart from her he glanced Cait's way. She was now looking away. He hoped he could make eye contact with her but she appeared not to notice him.

Cait watched as Roan got in her car and drove off.

"Don't let her get to you Cait." Dom said. "I'm sorry I ever let her do that stunt. Now it looks like we will never get rid of her."

"Dom, I'm fine. If this is what String needs to make him happy then so be it. And if you don't mind I don't want to talk about Roan anymore."

"Sure kid, sure."

AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV

The first ten minutes of the drive were silent. St. John decided that if there was going to be any words between them he would have to start the conversation and drag String into it. He knew it was his fault that their relationship was broken but it had been five months now and enough was enough. "String, how much longer are you going to shut me out of your life? I mean it's been five months now. Maybe if you give me a time frame on when you might let me back in it will give me some hope to go on."

Suddenly String pulled off the road coming to a stop. St. John braced himself for another punch and wondered this time if he should start hitting back. Instead String just sat looking straight ahead. This time St. John did not see anger in his eyes in it's place was hurt.

"A time frame Sinj, that's what you want? What kind of time frame did you give me and Dom when you decided to go missing in action? Where was my hope?" By now tears were streaming down String's face. "Hope, you want hope? Like the way I was hoping they would come to me at the base and say they found you? The hope I had every time I received information on your whereabouts that turned out to be false? Then I find out that you were alive after six years of grieving and blaming myself. And the worst part is it was your decision to stay away."

By now String was shacking as he was sobbing into the steering wheel. The sight broke St. Johns heart. As much as it hurt to hear what String had to say he was relieved that he was finally opening up and they could now start the process of healing. Reaching over St. John grabbed his brother and held him tight. To St. Johns surprise String let him.

"String, I can't take back what has already been done. What I can do is be there for you now, If you are ready to listen this time I will explain things and answer any questions you have honestly. No matter how much they hurt."

"Why Sinj, why would you think I could just go on with my life thinking you were dead or captured and I was the reason?"

"Because everyone thought I was the guy that had it altogether. You weren't with me the first two years in Iraq. I was good at what I did and being in the Special Forces was a dream come true. I had a good buddy, Mike Sanders. He and I were sent out on a lot of what we called seek and find missions where we sought out small groups of terrorist. The intelligence we were getting was unreliable and we knew it. The best way to catch them off guard was at night. We did about two of these missions a week. Most of the time we didn't find anything and the nights we did we were very efficient at eliminating them. " One day Mike had arranged to get a bottle of whisky from a guy we knew that could get anything you wanted for a price. Mike and I drank most of the bottle before night fall. We were not that drunk but not fit for a mission either."

"You ended up with a mission didn't you?" String ask sensing that this story was somehow not going to end well.

"Yeah,we got a mission that night. I wish to God that we would have never touched that bottle. We didn't want to tell our superior officer that we had been drinking so neither one of us said anything. We went out to the coordinates that we were given. It didn't look right to us but we went ahead anyway. Looking back on it I know our judgment was impaired by the whiskey. To make a long story short it was an ambush. They were waiting on us. The information was leaked on purpose." St. John paused as if he were thinking about the events in his mind.

"Sinj "String said softly. "What happened to Mike?"

"I made it back and he didn't. What more is there to say?"

String now felt a flood of hurt in his heart for his brother. He knew all too well what that felt like. To be responsible for someone's death and be the one that lives. It is what he had carried around over St. John for all these years. He sat and thought back to that day. He was to go out and pick Sinj and four others up in a small town that had been overrun by terrorist He landed the chopper and was taking on heavy fire. The four men were frantically piling in." GO, go, go", they were shouting at him. He was asking where Sinj was without getting an answer. He can still see the image in his head as a man with a rocket launcher was setting up to fire on him. He hesitated as he searched around for Sinj. "String" one of the men shouted." Move it now." He had barely made it off the ground when the rocket screamed by him. Still not giving up on Sinj he turned back only to see three other rocket launchers aimed at him. He was able to out maneuver the rockets and headed back to the base. As soon as he landed he got out falling to the ground grief-stricken.

St. John broke the silence "I watched you leave that day. I know you did everything you could. If you would not have pulled out when you did then you and every man on board would have been killed."

"So what happened after I flew off?" String did not want to hear this part. His not discussing this with St. John when he came home had more to do with not wanting to hear what happened to him then String being angry.

"I was taken prisoner. They held me for three months. Then I escaped." Seeing the look in Strings eyes he knew he wanted to know if they tortured him. He quickly spoke up. "Honest to God String, other than a few beatings they didn't do anything to me and that's the truth.

"So that doesn't explain where you have been. Why didn't you come back or at least get word to me?" String asked as he searched St. Johns face for answers.

St. John was silent. Here was the part that he dreaded the most telling String. How could he. Now he was almost regretting coming home. It would have been easier staying away from the brother he loved more than life itself then to tell him the truth.

"Because, I went AWOL." St. John did not move or blink. He looked straight ahead afraid to look at his brother's reaction.

Now everything was clear in Strings head. AWOL. As if the heavens opened up and clarity rained down on him. No wonder Sinj did not want to face him or Dom. Sinj was a proud man and everyone did look up to him especially himself.

"What made you do it?" String ask.

"I didn't want to be the responsible for people living or dying anymore. For the first time in my life I wanted to run away. I hide for two days until I came to a town that was secured. I met a woman who was there on business. She liked me and agreed to hide me until I decided what I was going to do. Only I never got the chance. Someone that had recognized me turned me into the military that occupied the area."

"You told us that you were working undercover as an operative all this time? You would have been court marshaled for desertion if you were turned in?"

"Yeah, that is almost what happened. My superior officer from my first unit intervened when he heard of my arrest. He made a deal for me that if I worked as an operative I would be reinstated without mention of desertion. And I took it."

String was struggling with the next question. "Why all these years? Why not just let us know you were alive and ok?"

"Because, I could never face you and Dom. I know you wouldn't have cared what I had done as long as I was alive. But I could not live with you knowing what I did. After a while it just became easier to stay away."

"What made you decide to come home" String ask after a long pause.

"Mainly you. There wasn't a day went by that I didn't think about you and how I missed you. Then one day I was on a mission in France tailing a suspected terrorist. I was sitting on a park bench when this young couple with their kids sat down by me. I started wondering about you, if you ever married and if you had kids. I was so hoping I was an uncle. Then it hit me. No one was stopping me from going back to my life but me. Two weeks later I was heading home."

AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV

Dom was working on the jet ranger and Cait was walking in with the student she had just finished with a flying lesson. "You did good" Cait said patting the older women on the back.

"Well dear, you are an excellent teacher. My husband is going to be so proud of me. He always encouraged me to follow my dreams. I will see you next week. You take care now."

As Cait approached the office the phone began to ring. "I got it Dom" She shouted to Dom. "Hello Santini Air. Are you sure? OK, thank you for calling."

"Dom that was the studio. They said that String and St. John haven't shown up yet."

"Cait will ya call them and see what happened?"

"Sure Dom." Cait dialed St. John's phone.

"Uh oh," St. John said. "That will be Cait and Dom looking for us."

"What are you going to tell her"

"The truth, that we had a flat tire and no spare and we are on our way to the shoot now."