Compromise-Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw-

Chapter Eighteen

"There's four of you, someone should have a lock by now." Maverick said.

"He's tailing me!" Hangman exclaimed, as he went up, then dived down, then took a hard right. His maneuvers were spur of the moment with very little thought. I kept up easily.

"I'm behind him." Rooster said. "Trying to get a lock." He added. My lock alerts went off again. I hadn't been swaying as much, as I was trying to get my own lock. "I've got it. Firing." Rooster said. My alerts blared rapidly, but I hit my flares, avoiding the missile easily. "Fuck, he used his flares." Rooster swore, sounding frustrated.

"We're coming to intercept." Payback assured Hangman. I got a lock.

"He's got a lock! He's got a lock!" Hangman exclaimed. But I didn't fire. Instead, I unmuted myself.

"You're dead." I said, before turning away from him. The comms erupted into a shocked chaos.

"Stitch!?!" Most of them exclaimed.

"Reporting to duty." I said, taking a sharp turn as I seen another jet. I was ignoring rooster behind me.

"What the hell?!" Rooster exclaimed. "We've been shooting live! Why didn't you identify yourself?"

"Maverick knew It was me." I muttered, approaching the jet I seen. I got a lock quickly. "You're dead." I said over the comms.

"Fuck." Payback sighed, turning back towards base, like I assumed Hangman did.

"Mav you knew?! And still let us shoot?!?" Rooster exclaimed loudly.

"I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't confident she could out fly you." Maverick explained calmly, though I knew he was smiling, I knew he was amused. I spotted Phoenix and Bob.

"That was messed up!" Rooster said.

"A little bit." I muttered, pulling in behind Phoenix. "You might want to stop focusing on what could have happened and focus on trying to get another lock on me." I added.

"Stitch is right. Now that you know it's her, the next lock will kill her." Maverick chimed in. Phoenix starting an incline, swaying out of my way. Though, in her incline, I got a lock.

"Sorry guys, but you're dad." I said to her and Bob. "It's just us Roost." I added, smirking. I declined my speed, letting gravity grab my jet and pull me backwards. My jet turned sharply, pointing back towards Rooster, who had been tailing me.

"Shit." He said, making a hard left turn. I followed him quickly. He dived down, then turned up. I followed. His flight pattern became sporadic, similar to Hangman.

"You need to pick a flight plan." I told him. "What you're doing now will make you a target, because it looks like you're panicking."

"Why does he get pointers." Hangman complained.

"Because he's the only one left and he's also team lead. It's good for him to know this." I answered. Rooster took my advice and picked a flight plan. He started flying a common beginner dogfighting maneuver. The only problem was it was a defensive maneuver, instead of offensive, which is what he needed. "Wrong choice." I said, before getting lock.

"Fuck." He sighed, slowing down. I pulled up beside him, glancing over at him.

"Better luck next time." I told him. He shook his head, his red helmet popping in his cockpit.

"I can't believe you two did that." He told me. "We all thought you left."

"I did leave." I said, as we turned to head back to base. "I just came back a week later." I added with a shrug. I wasn't sure if he seen it though.