Bradley walked into their shared bedroom wiping his face with his shirt he took off in the bathroom.
Mazy pulled the covers down on the bed and looked up at Bradley.
"Are you feeling better," Mazy looked up and watched Bradley walk to the other side of the hed turning his lamp on then turned the light off.
"Yeah," he chucked his shirt at the hamper and crawled in.
"You sure?" Mazy laid down squirming over to Bradley as soon as he laid down.
"Mazy I'm fine," he frowned and combed a hand through her brown hair.
"You need to be in your right mindset to fly this mission." She sighed.
"So do you sweetheart," Rooster pulled her closer, "This is your dad we're talking about that you haven't spoken to in god knows how long."
"I'm managing Bradley I'm here to do my job and I know what happened can't even compare to things. But if we're gonna do this safely and responsibly and not let Hangman get in our heads we gotta let this Mav shit past us." Mazy sighed and ran a hand over his toned chest.
"I, uh, I know I just." Bradley was out of words.
"I know, I know." Mazy frowned running a hand through his hair over and over. She knew that it would always calm him down and comfort him, "It's hard being around my dad I'll agree baby but we have something to prove and a way to do it safely. We can't let Maverick or Hangman or anyone else let anything get in our way." Mazy coaxed him.
"I'm glad to be here with you," Bradley looked at his fiancé and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'm glad out of anyone I could be with it's you." Mazy smiled and scuffed his hair.
The group sat in the classroom with Mav showing them the canyon path, "time is your greatest enemy. Phase one of the mission will be a low-level ingress attacking in two plane teams. You'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target radar-guided surface-to-air missiles defend the area. These SAMs, they're lethal. But they were designed to protect the skies above not the canyon below." Mav explained. Mazy turned and glanced at Bradley. This was fucking crazy of an idea.
"That's because the enemy knows no one is insane enough to try and fly below them." Bradley interjected.
"That's exactly what I'm gonna train you to do. On the day your altitude will be 100 feet maximum." Mav spoke.
Storm and Phoenix glanced at each other eyebrows furrowed and eyes widened.
"You exceed this altitude radar will spot you and you're dead. Your airspeed will be 660 knots minimum. Time to target: two and a half minutes that's because fifth generation fighters wait at an air base nearby. In a head to head with these planes in your F-18's you're dead. That's why you need to get in hit your target and be gone."
"Holy shit," Phoenix grunted into the radio. Mav wasn't kidding talking about the G's being forceful.
"I know," Storm replied quick, "Time to target is one minute 30. We are two seconds behind increase to 480 knots."
"We got to move coyote." Phoenix said.
"Copy, increasing speed." Coyote replied.
"Shit!" Phoenix pulled up as they almost caught Coyotes end.
"Why're they dead?" They were back in the classroom. Mav asked the group.
"We broke the 300 foot ceiling, and a SAM took us out." Phoenix answered.
"No. Why's they dead?" Mav asked coyote.
"I slowed down and didn't give her a warning it was my fault." Coyote replied.
"Was there a reason you didn't communicate with your team?" Mav raised his eyebrows.
"I was focusing on," Coyote began.
"One that their family will accept at the funeral." Mav lectured. Storm and Phoenix shared a glance and then Storm and Rooster shared one.
"None sir," Coyote shook his head.
"Why did you anticipate the turn?" Mav looked at Phoenix, "You were briefed on the terrain. Don't tell me tell it to Storms family."
Phoenix looked over at Storm.
Mav flipped the training radar back on watching it and pausing as Fanboy and Payback would've hit the wall.
"What happened?" Mav looked at Hangman.
"I flew as fast as I could. Kind of like my ass depended on it." Hangman smirked. Storm rolled her eyes she couldn't bare to listen to Hangman more than half the time.
"And you put your team in danger and your wingman's dead." Rooster looked over at Hangman.
"They couldn't keep up." Hangman smirked and shook his head.
Mav put Roosters video on and paused it at the end, "Why're you dead? You're team leader up there why are you, why is your team dead?" Mav glared at Rooster.
"Sir, he's the only one who made it to the target." Storm looked up at her dad half challenging him.
"A minute late. He gave enemy aircraft time to shoot him down. He is dead." Mav lectured her challenging her back.
When Mazy was a teenager when she started to know things and call her dad on his shit. She constantly was left on a base over seas sitting in a house unsure if her dad would come back.
Mazy tried to keep contact with Bradley as they grew up. Usually it was over email until they were older and had phones.
Mav knew if he challenged Mazy she wouldn't back down.
"You don't know that," Rooster shook his head.
"You're not flying fast enough. You don't have a second to waste." Hangman shook his head.
"We made it to the target." Rooster shrugged.
"And superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out." Mav stepped forward. Mazy was ready to jump in.
"Then it's a dog fight." Rooster sat forward.
"Against a fifth generation fighters." Mav yelled at him.
"Yeah we'd still have a chance." Rooster was getting mouthy with him and Mazy knew this wasn't going to go over well.
"In a F-18." Mav began.
"It's not the planes sir it's the pilots." Rooster raised his voice.
"Exactly!" Mav yelled and he knew as he said that, that he shouldn't have. Roosters face faltered and Mazy looked back at Rooster quick then shot her dead a death glare. Her eyes narrowing and she sat forward more.
"There's more than one way to fly this mission." Mazy butt in.
"You two really don't get it. On this mission a man flies like Maverick here. Or a man doesn't come back. No offense intended." Hangman smirked at Storm and Phoenix.
"Yet somehow you always manage." Storm leaned forward smirking at Hangman. Phoenix scowled at the blonde both just wanted to punch him.
"Look I don't mean to criticize. You're conservative, that's all." Hangman began.
"Lieutenant." Mav warned.
"We're going into combat on a level no living pilots ever seen. Not even him." Hangman nodded to Mav, "That's no time to be thinking about the past that goes for you too, Mazy Mitchell." Hangman let the M roll off his lips. Mazy saw red at that moment and Phoenix grabbed her leg to keep her down.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rooster glared at Hangman.
"Rooster, Storm." Mav warned the two.
"I can't be the only one that knows Maverick flew with his old man and that Maverick is Mazy's old man." Hangman smirked.
"That's enough," Maverick raised his voice.
"Or that Maverick was flying when his old man," Rooster jumped at his throat. Storm was up in a second and grabbed onto Rooster.
"Lieutenant that's enough!" Maverick scattered forward grabbing his daughter off of Rooster as Payback and Fanboy grabbed Rooster and the rest grabbed Hangman.
"That's enough!" Mav yelled.
"You son of a bitch!" Rooster pointed at Hangman.
"Hey come on!" Coyote yelled. Mav had his arms wrapped around Mazy a similar way he would have when she was younger.
"Let go of me!" She squirmed out of his arms.
"I'm cool, I'm cool. Hey hey," Hangman got out of grip a little chuckle escaping his lips, "He's not cut out for this mission. I'd rather Phoenix and Storm as my wing women."
"That is enough." Mav had enough of this. Phoenix grabbed Storm to keep her from going at Hangman's throat.
"You know I'm right," Hangman looked at Mav and took a step towards Rooster.
"You're all dismissed." Mav breathed out he didn't know how to respond or what to do. Hangman left. Phoenix, Storm, and Rooster hanging behind.
It was just the three left in the classroom. Phoenix looked at the two, "Mazy why didn't you tell me." Phoenix breathed out.
"It's not something I'm proud of," Storm looked down Rooster wrapped an arm around her protectively, "My dad wasn't emotionally present when I was growing up either. My mom died when I was young and I've pretty much spent my whole life hopping around military bases. Once I graduated I left when he wasn't home without notice."
"I'm really sorry," Phoenix hugged her.
"I love you Nat," Mazy rubbed her back.
"I love you too," Phoenix sighed and opened her arm up for Rooster. He sighed and joined their hug.
"We love you too Bradley." Phoenix giggled. Bradley chuckled lightly and kissed Mazy's head.
"Hangman is such a prick." Mazy groaned as she came out of the attached bathroom to the bedroom.
"I know," Bradley looked up from his phone. He was sitting on the bed against the head board.
"My dad called me a few times but I don't wanna answer him." Mazy sighed and dropped her towel opening one of Bradley's drawers and pulling out a shirt. She threw it on and a pair of lace panties. Bradley loved how comically large his clothes were on her.
"Let's just sleep it off darlin'" Rooster grabbed Mazy by her waist and pulled her into bed.