Don't think just do

Practice makes perfect

Once she was geared up Cash walked onto the runway with her helmet under her arm. this was her place, her sanctuary, her gateway to the skys. That was where she felt like she could actually breath and control what went on around her.

"you alright?" Bradley turned around when he heard her jogging up to him

"fine...just fine" she sighed

"Rooster" Maverick called from behind him

"he's like the damn grim reaper" Cash groaned

"Bradley"

"no, he's like you, always popping up unexpectedly" Brad joked

"Bradshaw!"

"he's tryna steal my call sign, should've known" Cash laughed

"Lieutenant Bradshaw!" Maverick snapped

"i'll catch up" he sighed and turned to Mav as Cash kept walking towards her jet

"looking good Elvis" Hangman called out

"bite me Hangman" the blonde flipped him off and started to go through her elaborate checks of her aircraft

____

the pilots got into the sky with ease. Cash was in the control room listening to the radio as her teammates tried out the exercise

"good morning aviators this is your captian speaking, welcome to basic flight manoeuvres. as briefed, today's exercise is dogfighting, guns only, no missiles. we do not go below the hard deck of 5000 feet working as a team you have to shoot me down or else" Maverick explained.

"or else what sir?" Payback questioned

"or else i shoot back. if i shoot either one of you, you loose."

"what you say we put some skin in the game sir" Payback grinned

"what do you have in mind?" Mav asked cheekily

"whatever team gets shot down first has to do 200 pushups"

"that's a lot of push ups" Maverick sighed

"well um you don't call it an exercise for nothing sir" Fanboy laughed

"you have yourself a deal gentlemen, let's turn and burn." Rooster and his team were up first. they failed. a group of boys went next all killed. Phoenix, Hangman and Bob went after that and were shot down, group after group they all lost to Maverick. Cash watched every route looking for every tiny detail. making a plan of her own based on their mistakes, listening to the radio with the utmost concentration. Hangman and Rooster went up as a team next and at that moment Cash's worst fear was realised. she watched from the window as Maverick crept up behind the two.

"eyes up Rooster" she mumbled as Maverick's jet spun on top of Rooster's. Rooster spun them around and they went spiralling down. she knew neither of them would back down. she watched as they hurled closer and closer towards the ground just as fast as her heart sunk closer and closer to the pit of her stomach
"pull up" she worried as they went further and further down. she could see how this ended, both of them dying in a ring of fire and toxic masculinity
"damn it Rooster pull up!" she stormed over to the radio and went to snatch it

"no" Phoenix grabbed her wrist
"you can't interfere" she pleaded

"put me on Maverick's direct channel he's gotta pull up" Cash told Bob, Phoenix had to hold her back from lunging at the boy when he didn't move
"put me on his channel!" she yelled shoving Phoenix off