Righteous - Bradley Bradshaw

~Radar Warning

The calm before the storm is unsettling. Listening to the commands being shouted across doesn't distract the team of aviators as they climb. 

"Assuming you avoid crashing into this mountain, you'll climb straight up into enemy radar while losing all of your airspeed. Within seconds, you'll be fired upon by enemy SAMs. You've all faced sustained G's before, but this....this is gonna take you and your aircraft to the breaking point." Mav's words play through Oakley's mind as she forces her eyes to stay open. 

"Radar warning! Smoke in the air!"

Snapping her eyes wide open as she reaches the top of coffin corner, the reality of the situation sets in. 

"Phoenix, break right!" 

"Emergency jettison. Dagger three defending." 

"Here comes another one!" Oakley huffs, twisting her aircraft in line so to miss the missiles. 

"Dagger one defending."

"Rooster, status."

"Smoke in the air! Smoke in the air!" 

"Break right, payback!"

"Breaking right!" 

"Sam on your six, Roost!" Flying right under a missile, Oakley flips her craft to avoid another missile, really is life and death up here. 

"Deploying countermeasures!" 

"Negative contact. Dagger one defending."

"On your six! Dagger five defending." pushing her flares, Oakley notices that number is getting dangerously low and probably wont have enough to continue. Missiles are too risky because you can't get a solid lock when they fly right over your head.  

"Dagger two defending!" 

"I'm out of flares!" Rooster shouts out. Maybe Oakley really does love him. Flying over to him it seems her and Maverick have the same idea. His life over theirs. 

"Rooster, evade, evade!" 

"I can't shake 'em! They're on me! They're on me!"  He shouts, panicked. 

Pulling her aircraft over his, she uses the last of her flares to even the playing field and get him home. After all, he's the one who is supposed to go home. She has no one to get back to. 

"Skywalker!"  The aircraft jerks suddenly to the side and plummets. 

"Oak! No!" Rooster shouts in shock watching her aircraft falling in flames. 

"Dagger five is hit! I repeat, Dagger five is hit!" 

"Skywalker is down." She can't be down, she can't be gone.

"Dagger five, status. Oak, Status!" 

"Anyone see her? Does anyone see her?"  Maverick asks. 

"Dagger five, come in! I didn't see a parachute!"

"We have to circle back." Rooster pants out, she can't be gone. There's no way.

"Comanche. Bandits inbound. Single group, hot. Recommend dagger flow south. One minute to intercept."

"All daggers flow to ecp." 

"What about Skywalker?" 

"Dagger spare request permission to launch and fly air cover."

"Negative spare." 

"Dagger, you are not to engage. Repeat do not engage." 

"Dagger two, return to carrier. Acknowledge."

"Rooster, those bandits are closing. We can't go back."

"Rooster, s-she's gone." 

"Skywalker's gone." Oakley can't be gone, she promised me. 

She promised. 

She promised me.