Christina has gone through relationship after relationship. Her most recent one ended just as bad as the others. Luckily, she was leaving to join the Navy. Ready to put all of it behind her.
Years later, she's the best of the best. They call her 'A...
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Walking side by side, Phoenix and I walk from our quarters to the briefing room on the USS Abraham Lincoln. We are prepared in our flight suits. The whole group is gathering for the mission briefing as well as find out who is all on the team. And who will wait in reserve. My hair is pulled back into a half up, half down style to keep it out of my face. Phoenix and I stay mostly in silence as we walk. My nerves are getting the best of me. Normally I have nervous jitters when it comes to missions. Except they are nothing like what I'm feeling now. "Are you ready for this mission?" Phoenix breaks the silence. "As ready as I'll ever be." I say. "Maverick is going to choose you as his wingman, you know that right?" She says. "You're his daughter." "And for that same reason he could decide to keep me in reserve." I point out. All of us pilots stand ready for a briefing. The silence around us filled with tension as we all wonder who will be the team to fly with Maverick. My hands are behind my back, my right hand grips my left wrist. I'm never this nervous before missions. But this special detachment has my stomach doing flips. "It has been an honor flying with you." Dad stands in front of all of us. Ready to choose his teams for this mission. It has killed me not to know. But I know he will make the best decision he can for this mission. "Each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission. My choice is a reflection of that and nothing more." He scans the crowd as he talks. I only focus on him. Standing at attention as instructed. "Choose your two foxtrot teams." Cyclone says. As if to hurry this along. "Phoenix and Bob." He turns to them and I hold myself back from smiling, being happy for her. "Athena and Texas." He turns to look at me and Tex. I let out a breath. "And your wingman." Cyclone continued. It was between Rooster and Hangman. And I had a feeling I knew who it was going to be. He took a second to say who he wanted. I guess to build up suspense. Or maybe he was wondering if he could change his choice last minute. But then he says "Rooster." And I was right. "The rest of you will stand by on the carrier for any reserve roll that is required." Warlock says. "Dismissed." I look to rooster and give him a nod. He nods back. I walked to Phoenix and we embraced. "We got this." I say. "Someone's gotta show these boys who's boss." She says, repeating what I said back at the hard deck. What seemed like a lifetime ago. We pull away and I shake Bob's hand after Texas did. "Your target is a clear and present threat." Warlock starts the breifing. We all have changed into our flight suits. "A secret uranium enrichment site under rogue state control. It's an underground bunker, tucked between these two mountains." He gestures to the screen to his left. Showing the landscape of the mountains. "Your route of ingress is heavily defended by surface-to-air missiles backed up by fifth-generation fighters. Once your F-18 strike team crosses the border, Tomahawk missiles from the USS Leyte Gulf with launch a synchronized strike on the enemy's airfield here." A black and white image of the airfield appears on the screen. "This will knock out their runway. But you'll have to contend with any planes already in the air. The moment those Tomahawks hit, the enemy will know you're coming. Your time to target will be two minutes and 30 seconds. Any longer than that, and you will be exposed to any aircraft the Tomahawks may have missed." Warlock concluded. "This is what you've all been training for." Cyclone added. "Come home safely." Easier said than done, Admiral. Once we are ready and briefed, I walked to the main deck with helmet in hand. Our jets are being prepped for take off. I walked by Rooster and Hangman. "You give 'em hell." Hangman says. Actually being civil. I walked to my jet. Running my hand over the nose. "Athena!" Hangman's voice gets my attention and I turn to see him rushing to me. He stops once he's close. "You give them an ego check, okay?" He asked. Maybe being out in reserve shrunk his ego a little. "I will." I nodded. "For both of us." I say over the noise. "You promise to have my back if things go to shit?" I asked. He nodded. "Of course. I'll be there if you need me." I smiled up at him. The look he was giving me gave me an odd feeling in my stomach. His face changed for a moment. "I'm sorry." "For what?" I asked. "For the comment I made, about your and Rooster's dad. About the past." He explained. "It's alright." I say, a soft smile growing in my face. "Water under the bridge. This is no time to be thinking about the past." I teased lightly. He just chuckled, nodding his head before he turns and heads to his jet. My head turns to see Mav and Rooster talking. This mission being what it was meant that there's a possibility that I wouldn't see Rooster again. As he walked away from Maverick, I rushed over. "Rooster!" I called out. He stops walking and turns to me. My right hand quickly clips my helmet to my waist and I cup his face. Leaning upward and pressing my lips against his. His arms wrapped around my waist and he kisses me back. I slowly pull away. "Let's kick some ass, okay?" I said. Making him smile and nod. "See ya on the other side, Athena." We separate fully and I walked to my jet. Texas was already sitting and ready. I pulled my helmet from my waist and climbed into the jet. Putting on my helmet and getting situated. Everyone was ready. I take a deep breath before putting on my mask and flipping down my visor. We got this. I got this. I was able to fly this mission in under two minutes and 15 seconds. That was also with no distractions. I have the signal and the canopy lowers over us. "Dagger one, up and ready on Catapult one." Mav's voice comes over the coms. "Dagger Spare, standing by." Then hangman's voice. "Dagger four, up and ready." I say into my mask. "Dagger three, up and ready." Phoenix says. "Dagger two, up and ready." Then finally, Rooster. Maverick is first to take off. Then Rooster, the Phoenix. Then me. My body jerks as my jet takes off forward. The wheels lift from the carrier as I make it to the edge. I bring up the tail as we get into the diamond formation. Dagger one at the front tip. "Comanche, Dagger one. Standby check in." Mav's voice comes over comms. "Comanche 11, set." A woman's voice replied. "Picture clean. Recommended Dagger continue." "Copy. Daggers descending below radar." Maverick replies. I push the control stick forward, descending down through the clouds. I can just see the silhouettes of the jets in front of me. It isn't until we descend from them that I can see my team clearly. And the ocean below us. "Here we go." Mav says. "Enemy territory up ahead. Feet dry in 60 seconds. Comanche, Dagger One. Picture." "Comanche, Picture clean. Decision is yours." Comanche replies. "Copy." Mav says. "Daggers attack." In a matter of moments, the Tomahawks fly above us. My head lifts to the sky to see them soar over us. No turning back now. As I look back ahead, I see land getting closer and closer. Dad's voice comes over the comms again. "Daggers, assume attack formation." We line up behind him. Each of us higher than the one in front of us. "Daggers set, Proceeding to target. Two minutes and 30 seconds in three, two, one, mark." "Two mark." "Three mark." "Four mark." I confirm and start my timer.
