Hold My Hand || J.Seresin

Chapter 19

While I'd never once regretted my decision to become a naval aviator, I couldn't deny how peaceful the ocean was on the carrier. Being fully stationed on a carrier, I knew it wasn't always this calm, but it sure was beautiful. Staring out at the water, it gave you a chance to reflect on life.

Just like Dad had promised, he took responsibility for bending the airframes of two jets. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Technically, my mission had been authorized, so Cyclone understood the risks of damage. Since this had been a one-time exception to graduate Top Gun, there wasn't any ceremony, not that I needed one. From what Dad had told me, he wasn't in as much trouble as predicted. He was on the carrier for the mission and would be team leader, so clearly he'd done something right.

We were in the briefing room, awaiting Cyclone, so Dad could announce the team for the mission. Jake was seated in the front row, opposite me who was standing at the front. We hadn't spoken since our fight over a week ago. I didn't know what else to say. After this mission, he'd go back to his squadron and I'd continue my work in North Island, unless orders came in to take me elsewhere.

Cyclone entered the room, and the detachment trainees stood at attention. He briefly addressed the room, before signaling for Maverick to step forward.
"It has been an honor flying with you. Each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission; my choice is a reflection of that and nothing more."
"Choose your two Foxtrot teams." Cyclone prompted.
"Phoenix and Bob." I glanced to Phoenix, giving her a smile. I know how hard she worked for this and how badly she wanted it. The next words out of Dad's mouth caught me by surprise, "Barbie and Banjo." My head turned sharply, looking at him in disbelief. I could feel the eyes of everyone on me. There must have been some mistake. I hadn't been called back for this mission, there was no way I could be selected to complete it.

I missed most of what was said afterward, but I think I'd heard Dad pick Rooster. The official briefing was a daze as well. Banjo had joined me and her facial expressions mirrored mine.
"Did you know he was gonna pick you?" She asked quietly, after we were dismissed.
"No." I answered. We were making our way towards the jets.
"You feel good about this? This is your first mission in over five years."
"Better late than never." I joked. "Seriously though, I feel fine. I ran the mission course for the first time without any errors. This'll be a piece of cake." I told her, patting her shoulder.

Banjo and I were looking over our plane, giving it one final inspection. My hand brushed over the names painted on the side. It was the first time in years I'd seen my name on the side of a jet. When I tested the planes, they never had it. Banjo cleared her throat and I looked up at her. She jerked her head out, gesturing to someone behind me. I turned and saw Jake. He spoke before I could,
"Be careful up there."
"I will." He turned away before I could say anything else. It was the first words we'd spoken to each other in days. Sucking in a deep breath, I turned back towards the plane, giving it one final inspection before climbing the ladder and getting into the seat.

Once in the air, everything had been going well. Banjo and I in our dual jet were Dagger 4, paired with Rooster in the single jet as Dagger 2. Banjo was tracking our progress on the course. We were falling a little bit behind,
"Rooster, we need to pick up speed. We're falling behind. Those bandits will be waiting for us if we don't pick up the pace." Rooster was quiet, all I could hear was his heavy breathing through the radio.
"Rooster!" I called out again. When we'd first entered the run, I'd been able to see Daggers 1 and 3, but now they were out of sight.
"Rooster!" I yelled, trying to get him to focus. Something must have shifted in his behavior because he picked up speed dramatically, leaving me in the dust.
"Guess it's go time." I told Banjo, increasing speed to keep up with Rooster. We definitely needed a faster speed to get back on track, but it made the gravity more intense while keeping such a low altitude.