The Need For Speed

"Good girl"

Skye's POV: 

Clicking sounds through the cockpits of each plane. My father's voice comes through the comm. system, "Dagger one, up and ready." 

Hangman speaks loudly, "Dagger spare, on standby." 

More clicking is heard as Rooster's voice comes through next, "Dagger two, up and ready." 

Then Phoenix, "Dagger three, up and ready."

Then Payback, "Dagger four, up and ready." 

Then finally me, "Dagger five, up and ready everyone. Waiting for your commands, Captain."

My father is the first one out followed by Rooster and so on. 

"Daggers descending below the radar" my father voices to everyone listening. 

I really hope we can pull this off. I don't want to go home knowing something terrible has happened to one of the other pilots. At this moment I knew that I would do anything to save these guys. I loved them like they were my family. 

I hadn't been listening for a few moments but as I come back to Maverick is the one who's talking, "Dagger attack."

Here we go. There's no way they could retreat now. I would be up and out after them in just a couple of minutes. My breathing picks up and I feel my heart beat faster in my chest. I start to look around at everyone on the runway. 

I see Jake in his plane sitting with the canopy up. He must feel my eyes on him because he turns to look at me. He squints due to the distance between us but he knows something is wrong. he speaks into the comm to me since we're so far apart, "Angel. I know it's absolutely terrifying what's about to happen, but you can do this." 

I find my mouth whispering to myself, "I can do this" over and over again. 

I can hear Maverick's breath on the comm. before he speaks. "Time to target is being set to two minutes and thirty seconds. Going in now." 

"Angel, get yourself ready to take off. You're going out in two minutes" Admiral Simpson tells me through the system. 

I nod and double check my f-18 control system before closing the canopy. I turn onto the runway. I stop as to give myself enough room to take off.

I start to listen to the voices of my friends who have been arguing. Payback is yelling, "Rooster, you have to speed up now. You have to do it." 

I hear his breathing and I know there's something wrong. He's holding back. He's in his head again. 

I whisper gently into the mic, "C'mon Bradley, forget the book." 

My dad continues where I leave off, "You can do this kid. Don't think, just do." 

I hear Rooster talking to himself, "Talk to me dad." My heart breaks in my chest when I hear him. He's scared. I can hear that much in the way he spoke. I wish I was there with him right now.

Then Payback is yelling, "Not that fast Rooster!"

I smile at the words. He can do this. 

"Only one minute now." 

I shake my hands out next to my body. As if it might take away some of the nerves from my body, but it does nothing. I place my hands in the correct position. I sit there for the minute contemplating everything I've ever done. 

Was it right to punch Ryan Mcman in the face in the eighth grade for making run of Bradley? Who am I kidding, of course it was. The kid was a little asshole. 

Suddenly my thoughts are cut short, "You need to take off in ten seconds." 

I nod before realizing he can't see me, "Yes, sir." 

I start to pick up speed for take off and the feeling is so amazing. For a minute I forget that this might be the last time I ever see this Earth. 

I get to the canyon before flying below the radar. "Hello everyone, nice to be up here with you. I'm entering the canyon now." 

I listen intently which means I hear them all let out a breath of relief. Phoenix is the one who talks, "Thank fucking god for that." 

I start to worry. "Is everything okay?" No one says anything for a minute and I struggle a bit with my breathing while trying to make it through the canyon without setting off a SAM. "Hello? Someone answer me!" 

I hear Rooster's soothing voice, "Angel, no time to talk. Get here quickly." 

I hear the desperation in his voice and that's enough to make me speed up. I increase to over 660 knots and that's a whole lot of pressure on your body. You can only imagine the relief I felt once I made the first climb. Now for the second, the most difficult. 

I start the climb immediately feeling a heaviness on my chest. "Ah, fuck man." My words come out breathless and barely understandable. 

I see my vision going in and out and I have to use every ounce of strength I have to keep myself from going into g-shock. 

I hear the other pilots talking, "Angel, do you copy?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Good girl. Where are you?" It was Rooster who had been talking not that I realized at first. 

I can't even find it in myself to flush at his words as I'm too focused on getting over this. "Second climb. Almost done." 

"You're doing so good. So good. I'm proud of you." 

"Hello? Father is still here. Anyway, Angel please get your ass over here. We really need you this is not going well." 

"I'm here. I see you on my radar. Coming up to assist right now." Immediately upon flying into the action there's shots fired at my plane. Thankfully I saw this coming and barrel rolled to keep myself and the aircraft safe. "These bitches for real thought they could shoot me." 

They all laugh at my words before continuing on with the dogfight. A plane flies quickly overhead and straight for Rooster. I hear him cursing into the system. "The-these dumbasses won't get off me. I can't shake them. I just used the last of my flares." 

I realize that I'm the only one close enough to do anything. I see the smoke in the air before anyone else and I can't stop myself from doing it. "I'm so sorry, Bradley." Then I fly between the missile and Rooster's plane. 

"No, Skye! What the fuck?" 

I wait for the right moment before ejecting. My body hits a tree on the way down but aside from that I get down safely. I have a gash on my back and I can definitely feel the blood pouring out of me and soaking through my suit. 

"Bro, fuck my life." 

Authors note 

Only one more real chapter after this. So bittersweet! 

I hope you guys have enjoyed this book!

Love you all!