The group sat in the classroom again Warlock standing at the front to deliver some news.
"The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days time. As a result your mission has been moved up one week in order to avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation." He spoke. Phoenix and Storm shared a concerning look there was no way they could be ready by then they didn't even have the path and terrain figured out. Storm sighed and turned looking at Rooster.
"Sir, no one here has successfully flown a low-level course." Coyote spoke up.
"Neverthe less, you've been ordered to move on. Captain." Warlock nodded and walked back to the side letting Maverick walk to the front.
Storm sighed and crossed her arms, there was no way her father was going to let her fly this mission and she didn't want that to be true. Because he wanted to protect her but yet it was holding back Phoenix and Storm.
"We have one week left to focus on phase two. It's the most difficult stage of the mission. It's a pop-up strike with a steep dive requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles." Mav held up two fingers and Phoenix and Storm shared another look both of their eyebrows furrowed as everyone wondered how this was going to be possible.
"Two pairs of F-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Team work, precise coordination of these aircraft is essential to both the missions success and your survival. As you know the plant rests between two mountains. On first approach you'll invert directly into a steep dive. This allows you to maintain the lowest possible altitude and the only possible attack angle. Your target is an impact angle point less than meters wide." Mav went on about this damn near impossible mission.
All of the pilots sharing worried glances with each other, who would be the ones who were able to fly this?
"Egress is a steep high-G climb out to avoid hitting this mountain." Mav clasped his hands together.
"A steep climb at that speed you're pulling at least eight G's," Storm spoke up looking at her father.
"Nine. Minimum." Mav corrected her.
"The stress limit of the F-18's airframe is 7.5." Rooster looked up at him.
"That's the accepted limit, to survive this mission you'll pull beyond that. Even if it means bending our airframe. You'll be pulling so hard you'll weigh close to 2,000 pounds. Your skull crushing your spine your lungs imploding like an elephant sitting on your chest. Fighting with everything you have just to keep from blacking out. And this is where you'll be at your most vulnerable. This is coffin corner." Mav pointed as he began going on.
Storm sighed as she bit at her knuckle a thing she did when she was nervous.
They were going to fly a model track of it after and she was scared and excited. She needed to prove herself. The plain idea of even dog fighting with SAMs seemed impossible and terrifying.
Once Mav finished Phoenix opened up.
"Sir is this even achievable?" She raised her eyebrows.
"The answer to that question will come down to the pilot in the box." Mav looked over the class of pilots. All of them turning heads and glancing at others.
Finally they were up in the air practicing, "Talk to me Storm?" Phoenix called into the radio.
"We are 12 seconds late on target. We gotta move!" Storm replied looking at the radars and around.
"Copy! Try to stay with me!" Coyote responded.
"Huh? Wait who's that?" Storm looked at the radar as another air craft came into view.
"Blue team you've been spotted," Mav came over flying above them.
"Shit it's Maverick." Coyote sighed.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Storm raged.
"I'm a bandit on course to intercept. Blue team what are you gonna do?" Mav came into the radio.
"He's 20 miles left. Ten o'clock. 700 knots closer." Storm watched him.
"Your call. What do you wanna do?" Coyote asked Phoenix.
"Continue. We're close stay on target!" She responded.
"He's swinging around to the north." Storm called into the radio.
"Stand by for pop up," Coyote called.
"Be ready on that laser, Storm." Phoenix glanced back at her.
"Copy. I'm on it." Storm looked down at her laser joystick pressing it.
"Blue team, bandit is still closing." Mav flew above them.
"Popping now!" Coyote yelled pulling up.
"Talk to me Storm where's Maverick?" Coyote asked.
"He's five miles out. He's coming fast." Storm watched the radar. Storm grunted at the pressure filling her as the G's overtook.
"Targets in sight."
"Where's my laser Storm?" Coyote asked a little harshly.
"Deadeye! Deadeye! It's not good. Sorry I cant get a lock." Storm responded.
"We're out of time I'm dropping blind." Coyote responded. He dropped and instantly missed it.
"Damn it," Coyote grunted. The G force now really taking over the three as the exited the practice mountain.
"That's tone." Mav got a missile lock.
"Mavericks got a missile lock on us." Storm sighed.
"Shit! We're dead." Phoenix groaned pulling away from the imaginary climb.
"Blue team that's a fail." Mav called, "Level out Coyote."
"Coyote do you copy?" Mav called again into the radio.
"Coyote come in?" Storm called into the radio a sense of panic washing over her as his plane started making weird movements seemingly no control.
"Coyote. Level wings!" Mav yelled, "Oh god. He's in G-LOC."
"Coyote!" Storm called again. Phoenix glanced out the canopy as it happened.
"He's gonna burn in!" Phoenix yelled.
"I'm going after him," Mav pulled down, "Come on. Give me tone, give me tone, give me tone. Snap out of it Coyote come on!"
"Coyote come on!" Storm yelled as her heart began to beat faster heat washing over her face. She wasn't very close with him but she had gotten to know him. Coyote snapped out of it last minute pulling up coming out of the canyon.
Relief washing over everyone.
"Coyote are you okay?" Storm and Phoenix asked at the same time.
"Are you okay?" Mav asked.
"I'm okay. I'm good." Coyote took some deep breathes.
"Good. Good. That's enough for today." Mav sighed.
"That was close," Phoenix came up next to Mav.
"Too close," he responded. A bird hit Mavs windshield flying back.
"Bird strike! Bird strike!" Mav called panicked once again. It hit one of Phoenix and Storms jet engine a whole new thing flooding over everyone.
"Bird strike!" Phoenix yelled as they got a fire warning on the jet.
"Phoenix," Storm called her voice full of worry, "Left engines on fire!"
"Climbing!" Phoenix pulled up trying to get the fire to go out.
Mav felt the pain and scarcity wash over him. Not this.
He couldn't lose his own daughter the way he lost his best friend.
Bradley couldn't lose her. What would he do without her.
"Throttling back. Shutting off fuel to left engine. Extinguishing fire." Phoenix called as she did the tasks they were taught.
Mav watched panicking. No. No. No.
"Right engine is out!" Storm yelled.
"It's still spinning! Trying to restart it!" Phoenix responded.
"Phoenix and Storm it's on fire! Don't start-" Mav yelled.
"Throttling!" Phoenix called.
"Oh my god." Mav panicked. No. No. No. this couldn't this couldn't be happening again. Not to Mazy. He needed her, Bradley needed her. She was the only family both of them had.
"We're on fire! We're on fire Damn it!" Storm screamed panicking lacing her voice as they began spinning down.
"Extinguishing right engine!" Phoenix yelled.
"Phoenix! Mazy you need to punch out! Punch out!" Mav yelled. He didn't want to use her name while flying but he was not just their instructor he was Mazy's father.
"Warning lights everywhere! Hydraulic failure!" Storm shouted. Her eyes wide her face washed over red. This couldn't be how it ended. He had heard about the stories of her father and Goose. She couldn't leave Bradley not like this.
"Flight controls! I cant control it!" Phoenix panicked.
"We're going down Phoenix! We're going in! Tell Rooster I love him!" Storm screamed panic flushing every single part of her body. Her heart ached, fuck her whole body ached as she felt tears pricking her eyes.
"You can't save it! Eject! Eject!" Mav yelled.
"Eject! Eject!" Phoenix screamed as both her and Mazy pulled the levers ejecting themselves. Their plane burning into the side of a canyon exploding.
Bradley sat in a conference room alone. Silent.
He watched it all happen listened to it on the radio he couldn't do anything about it. Once Phoenix and Mazy were brought into the bases hospital he couldn't see her because he wasn't technically family. A simple, "I'm really sorry sir you can't go see her."
Mav said she was going to be okay but they were keeping them both overnight. Bradley didn't know who to be mad at. Mazy? Maverick? Himself?
He bit his lip as he kept a tight grip on his own hands. He stared down at the simple silver band he wore. It was a small gift Mazy had gotten him on their one year anniversary. Something for them to have when either one was deployed to know that they were with them even if it wasn't physically.
He couldn't go home.
He couldn't go home to an empty house without the light and love of his life.
Mazy lit up the darkest of rooms for him always.
Every night of mourning. Every night of PTSD. They were there for each other. Now Bradley was alone. She wasn't gone but they couldn't be together on possibly the hardest moment of their lives.
The door opened and Maverick walked in taking a few steps towards him.
"Like I said they're keeping Phoenix and Mazy overnight for observation but they're going to be okay. I promise you that. Mazy said she wants you to not worry about her. I know that's damn near impossible but she doesn't want you worrying. She wants you to go home and sleep." Mav rambled.
"That's good. I've never lost a wingman. I couldn't imagine losing her." Bradley sighed looking down at his hands again before running them across his face, "I don't know what I'd do without her."
"You're lucky. We both are. I don't know I could never forgive myself. I want to blame myself for this but I know there's no holding Mazy back." Mav sighed, "If you fly long enough though it will happen."
"Easy for you to say." Bradley responded, "No wife, you neglect Mazy. Nobody to mourn you when you burn in." Bradley let the harsh words flow.
"I know I wasn't always a good father for Mazy. Bradley go home." Mav sighed, Mav knew growing up he neglected her but he did love Mazy. He loved her so much that he couldn't bare to look at her when he left for missions incase he didn't come back, "You need to get some sleep you can see Mazy in the morning."
"Why'd you pull my papers at the academy?" Bradley yelled at Mav as he was leaving, "Why did you stand in my way?"
"You weren't ready." Mav shook his head.
"Ready for what?" Bradley charged at him, "Huh! Ready to fly like you?"
"Ready to forget the book. Trust your instinct don't think just do. Mazy knew how to do that you didn't." Mav turned stepping up to Bradley, "You think up there. You're dead. Believe me."
"My dad believed in you," Rooster said above a whisper, "I'm not gonna make the same mistake."
"Maverick." Warlock stepped in to get the other man.
"Just go home Bradley I'll tell them to let you go see her in the morning." Mav turned on his heals and followed Warlock out.
Bradley stood there dumbfounded. He had just been compared to his fiancé. He had just been told the truths of his life. He just wanted to hold Mazy. Run his fingers through her soft brown hair, gaze into her green eyes.
He needed her he couldn't just go home in a mental state like this.