𝙁𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙔 𝙏𝙄𝙀𝙎, bradley bradshaw

𝟬𝟴. 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗦𝗔𝗬 𝗜𝗧

Maverick sighed, "She's still mad at me?"

"Well sir, you did pull her from the mission. And you and I both know she's the best dogfighter here. We need her."

Maverick watched Emerson's retreating figure, "And I need her alive." He left Bradley to care for his plane and went to his own. The rest of the pilots were ready and standing by for orders from Mission Control.

"Dagger 1, up and ready," Maverick announced over the comms.

"Dagger Spare, standing by," Hangman added.

"Dagger 4, up and ready."

"Dagger 3, up and ready."

"Dagger 2, up and ready," Rooster declared.

"Dagger Alternate, standing by," Emerson finished.

Maverick's F-18 took off from the carrier and the three others followed closely behind him. As they flew over the ocean, Maverick contacted Comanche which gave the pilots the 'go-ahead' to descend below the radar.

"Comanche. Picture is clean. Decision is yours."

"Dagger attack," Maverick ordered.

The three other daggers fell into position behind Maverick's lead F-18. Above them, the Tomahawk missiles soared to their final destination at the enemy airfield. They were sent in hopes of reducing the risk of running into enemy aircraft on the return flight. Approaching the target, the pilots set their timers; it was go time.

The flight through the canyon was similar to the course of their training simulation, yet this was not the California desert. The terrain around them was littered with snow and forest. And in this reality, the SAMs above the canyon were real and lethal.

Rooster noticed the several SAMs sites scattered above him. He swallowed hard as his heart beat rapidly. His hand trembled around his center flight stick. Would one of those SAMS be his demise? His mind was clouded with thoughts of his parents and Emerson. What if he didn't return to Emerson? What if he never got to tell her how he felt? Distracted by his fears, Rooster fell behind in speed.

He was reminded of a phrase that Emerson told him during their flight training in the academy: 'You think up there, and you're dead.' Rooster couldn't let the past or his fears hold him back any longer. He took a deep breath, "Talk to me, Dad." Gaining new confidence, he increased his speed exponentially, leaving Payback and Fanboy in his dust.

Maverick, Phoenix, and Bob approached the target. Finding missile-lock, Bob shouted the coordinates into his headset. It was a hit; they accomplished miracle number one of the mission. Now Rooster, Payback, and Fanboy needed to accomplish miracle number two.

"I can't find missile-lock! Deadeye! Deadeye!" Fanboy called.

"I'm dropping blind. Bombs away," Rooster answered. Miraculously, Rooster hit bullseye. Below him, the ground imploded, destroying the uranium plant. Now, the pilots faced the G-force of Coffin Corner and the SAMs that awaited them in enemy airspace.

As the four daggers breached enemy airspace, the SAMS immediately targeted their F-18s. The shrill of their missile-lock warning systems captivated their senses. Left and right, missiles shot at the four planes. Using their own missiles and flares, the team tried to maneuver around the SAMs. Explosions occurred in every direction; it was utter chaos.

"Shit! I'm out of flares," Rooster yelled. The beep of his radar increased rapidly, alerting the pilot of his quickly approaching doom. He braced for impact, but it never came. Maverick flew straight into the course of the missile, intercepting it of its intended target. 

"Dagger 1, hit!" Bellowed across the carrier's airwaves.

"Dad!" Emerson cried out.

"Dagger Spare, requesting take off," Hangman asked Mission Control.

"Dagger Spare, take off denied." Admiral Simpson even grounded the search and rescue helicopters at the risk of losing more men.

Emerson slammed her fist against the dash of her plane. She couldn't just let her father die out there. "Fuck it." She closed the canopy of her plane. "Dagger Alternate, up and ready."

"Dagger Alternate, take off is denied. Stand down," Mission Control reminded.

"I wasn't asking. I was telling," she said, moving her plane onto the runway.

Admiral Simpson's voice spoke through her headset, "Raven, don't you dare. I will have your ass court-martialed!"

"You can court-martial me when I bring my dad home, sir."

"Your da— What?"

The flight deck crew watched as Emerson's F-18 ascended into the sky. They knew better than to try and stop the determined woman.

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