Chicago • Bradly Bradshaw

2

A few seconds passed, "Darkstar you are clear above 600. Increase to Mach 3.5" hondo said.

"cleared above 600, increase to Mach 3.5" maverick repeated

Maverick soared through the sky, smiling the entire time. Everything was going smoothly until Admiral Cain burst through the door.
"Admiral," evryone turned their heads.

"Just in time sir-" Hondo remained calm,

"I'm early. So are you." Admiral Cain cut him off. "Care to explain?"

"Transitioning to scramjet." Maverick clarified.

Silence.

The detector caught on to maverick's plane and eveyone watched as he sped through the sky.

"Uh Mav, Admiral Cain is asking-" Hondo started, "ordering!" Caine interrupted.

"Ordering, that we bring her down." Hondo said upset.

"I- alp- he- te-60-" Maverick pretended to be cutting out of coms.

Katherine held her smile in and looked at her fathers colleagues, few whom were not smiling.

"This is where we've had troubles with coms, sir." Hondo went along with mavericks plan.

"It's the earths curvature, called the 'Earths Bulge'" Katherine said, also playing along. "Would you like a coffee?"

Cain raised his eyebrow at the girl and she nodded, containing her laughter.

A few minutes went past and maverick reached Mach 8.

"Data is good."

Katherine smiled with relief, maybe this mission will be perfect afterall, even with the interruptions.

Maverick gripped the gears tighter and sweat rolled down his face. "Temperatures climbing, response is still stable."

"C'mon dad, I need you to send me off to Top Gun." Katherine ushered quietly.

"Mach 8.8...... 8.9"

"Mach 9."

"He's the fastest man alive" Katherine said, grinning.

Maverick looked to the sunrise, feeling that his old pal was with him, "talk to me goose." Maverick could feel goose telling him that he's got this in the bag, followed by his horrendously loud laugh.

Maverick smiled at the thought.

Katherine closely watched the Mach counter, they all anxiously waited.
Even admiral Cain was perplexed.

"Approaching high hypersonic."

9.5

9.6

9.7

"Windshield hot caution." Maverick said looking to his windows.

"Surface temp rising."

Katherine stood up quickly, her anxiety pushing through the roof. "C'mon dad, c'mon."

9.9

Maverick begged Darkstar to just push a little further, he needed this for his team and he couldn't let his little girl down.

"Come on!" Katherine said.

10.0

"Mach 10!" Everyone cheered, jumping up and hugging each other.

Katherine and Cain were the only ones who stood still, he still has to get home.

"C'mon dad, just come home..."

Katherine's heart was racing, but she knew it was gonna be okay. This company is saved.

People were clapping and shouting.

Maverick looked to the sunrise again, "just a little push.."
Maverick believed that goose had his back so he pushed with all of his might.

"No no no.. dont.." Hondo sighed.

A loud tick went off indicating an increase in the Mach radar.

10.1

"Holy shit." Katherine mumbled, of course her dad was showing off, but at what cost?

"He's got some balls." Cain said to Katherine, impressed.

10.3

Maverick looked around as everything started blaring red, it was malfunctioning. He couldn't control it, it was going down.

The screens in the radio room all went black.
"Maverick!" Hondo asked for response.

"dad!" Katherine yelled, "no no no no no.."
She put her head in her hands, this cannot be happening. No!

"Maverick!" Hondo repeated.

.______________.

Maverick walked along the street of some random town in the middle of nowhere, he stumbled his way into a cafe, feeling a bit parched.

Everyone turned their heads to see him standing in a burned pilot suit with charcoal all over his face and messed up hair.

A kid was so shocked that he dropped his spoon in his bowl of soup, mouth open.

He slowly pointed to the glass of water a waiter was holding. He gulped down the water as eveyone curisouly watched him.

"Thank you." He said to the waiter, "where am I?"

"Earth." A kid replied, wide eyed.

Luckily mavericks personal locator was still intact so he sent out a signal to the navy to show where he was, they came 2 hours later to pick him up from somewhere in Canada.

Katherine ran outside, sobbing when she saw her dad step out of the navy VX-31 rescue plane. She jumped into his open arms and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Why?" She cried.

"I'm sorry.." he whispered kissing her hair softly, "im so so sorry."

She quickly pushed away from him and scanned his face, "are you okay?!" She pushed his face around to see the scratches and bruises on his neck.

"It's part of the job sweetheart," Maverick sighed, "speaking of which, we got to get you to Top Gun, apparently they want to meet with me as well."

Katherine questionably looked at her father, her red eyes made mavericks heart break.

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