ℳ𝒾𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓁𝑒 𝒩𝓊𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 | Top Gun Maverick

Chapter 15: This is your savior speaking

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Rooster and Maverick had successfully avoided getting killed by the two fighter jets. They had taken quite a few hits, though. The plane could give out any time now. All they could do was pray that it wouldn't happen.
On the bright side, they had finally reached the sea. A sense of false freedom washed over them.
"Mav, I got the radio on!"

"Outstanding. Get us in touch with the boat."

"Copy that." Rooster was optimistic, but that optimism was short-lived as soon as the plane started beeping.

"Oh my god!" Maverick's heart dropped yet again. He tried to look around to spot the enemy.

"Where the hell is this guy?" Rooster did the same.

"He's on our nose." Maverick tried to shoot, but it didn't work. "Damn it! We're out of ammo."
A missile was now heading towards them.
"Smoke in the air. Rooster, flares!"
They managed to avoid the missile.

"That was close." Rooster watched as the missile hit one of the flares.
The plane flew right past them.
"We're out of flares, Mav!" The plane spun around, facing them again. "Shit! He's already on us." He started shooting at them. "This is not good!"
Maverick tried to dodge the bullets. He did the best he could, but it hit the left wing.
"We took another hit!"

"No, no, no!" He was worried, even scared.

The pilot kept shooting, and this time, the damage was pretty bad.
"We can't take much more of this!" Rooster stared at the panel in front of him. Everything was beeping and flickering.

"We can't outrun this guy. We got to eject."

"What?"

"We need altitude. Pull the ejection handles the second I tell you." He had already lost a daughter that day. He was not going to lose a son as well. He would have done anything to save him.

"Mav, wait-"

"Rooster, there's no other way." He flew up as fast as he could. "Eject, eject, eject!"
Rooster tried to pull, but it did not work. "Rooster, pull the handle! Eject!"

"It's not working!" He pulled and pulled with all of his strength, but nothing happened. They kept on flying upwards, and the jet was right behind them. They were starting to feel tired, about to pass out just like at coffin corner.
"Mav!" He was out of breath.

"I'm sorry, Goose. I'm sorry, Snow."

The plane launched a missile, but what the enemy didn't know was that someone had already had a lock on them. The enemy aircraft blew up alongside the missile.
They both looked back in shock and confusion after hearing the explosion.
Another aircraft popped out from the smoke.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your saviour speaking. Please fasten your seat belts, turn your tray tables in their locked and upright positions, and prepare for landing."
It was Hangman. And you could tell from his voice that he was going to brag about saving them, but it didn't matter in that moment.
He pulled up next to their plane. Looking directly at them.

"Hey Hangman, you look good." Rooster said.

"I am good, Rooster's. I'm very good." Hangman then looked around. "Snowie?" He asked, a worried expression on his face.
Maverick simply shook his head as an answer. "God damn it!" Hangman said quietly, hitting the cockpit lightly. He wanted to let out the anger that he was feeling, but even he knew this was not the best time.

"Oh shit! Not again!" Rooster sighed when he heard the beeping again. "Just leave us alone!"

"Enemy aircraft inbound." Hangman spotted the aircraft that was speeding towards them.

"There's one more..." Maverick spotted the other one. It was coming from their right side.

"What do we do?" Hangman asked Maverick. "You're the expert fighter."

"I don't know." He said quietly. "We're outnumbered. I'm out of ammo."

Hangman inhaled deeply. "I got them! You guys get back to the carrier!" He was ready to fight them both.

"No, we're not leaving you as well!" Rooster's voice cracked a little.

"There's no time, Rooster!" Hangman shouted.
The aircrafts were getting closer, especially the one on the right.

"Mav, what do we do?" Rooster shouted in panic.
Maverick felt helpless again. He felt exactly like when Goose had died, and he could do nothing but wait for the rescue and hope that his friend was going to be ok. It's always that false sense of hope that breaks you the most.
He didn't want to leave Hangman behind. He surely wasn't skilled enough to fight them both, but if he didn't, then chances are neither of them are going to make it out alive. What was he to do? Sacrifice the life of a former pilot? Or the life of Rooster? He thought of the promise he had made Emily, to bring him home no matter what. He thought of Carol and Goose. He felt like a hypocrite because suddenly there was no "Don't think. Just do." Now all he could do was think. Think of his morals, of his family, of his pilots. He felt guilty for taking Snow and Rooster on this mission.
For the first time in so many years, Maverick didn't know what to do.