When It All Goes Up In Flames
NO ONE DARED TO SPEAK, she wished that someone was talking or least was mumbling to themselves so she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable. She had wished that her Wingman was making her usual remarks to diffuse the tension, at first she thought it was inappropriate with her bad timing, now she was missing her jokes. Brandy sigh's heavy looking at her window at the other crewmates. All of them seem to have the same look of fear in their eyes, their breathing rapid on the radio seeming to drown out communications on the other line.
"Comanche, dagger one. Standby check in." Maverick's voice play's over the radio, she was wishing that she had RIO at the moment only because of the silence of her own plane, sounds not being present only from the sound of her aircraft.
"Comanche 11, set."The officer informs them all, she looks to her right seeing Ajax look briefly over his shoulder. "Picture clean. Recommend dagger continue."
"Copy. Daggers descending below radar." He orders calmly, she breathes heavy as she lowers her plane beneath the cloud coverage, the blue sky fade away as the fog hide's the other's, she looks to both of side's seeing the shadow of Rooster's plane in front of her, her wingman right behind her as they continuing on course.
Her breathing seemed to get louder as they got lower. Maverick look's to each of the pilots behind him listening to each one of them and the anxiousness. He sighs looking forward just as they get to ocean below, it reflecting the outlines of their planes. Brandy's heart drops to her stomach as she sees the shadow of land ahead of them, Enemy base with SAM's, just like they briefed on.
"Here we go, Enemy Territory up ahead." He stated clearly, her chest heaved up and down as her heart raced more and more, Can't runaway this time Gallagher, she reminds herself, this is not like running from the police or hiding from bullies, this time the bullie's will kill you.
"Feet dry in 60 seconds. Comanche, dagger one. Picture." Maverick order's the communications, her blue eyes scanned the water below as the land got closer and closer.
"Comanche. Picture clean. Decision is yours." Communication referrals to them all, her shoulders tense as she looks down at the controls of her plane. "Copy."
Maverick turns over his shoulder to Rooster. His breathing seeming heavier than everyone else's, even his best friends. He look ahead as he comes to his decision. "Dagger attack."
Brandy turns her head as multiple tomahawks zoom overhead in the direction of the mainland, Is now a good time to say you shouldn't have taken that phone call? She ask's herself, she rolls her eyes at her own thoughts.
"Daggers, assume attack formation." Maverick order's them, she nods her head as she let's Payback and Fanboy move in front, placing herself right in the middle as Redwing nose right behind her. "Daggers set. Proceeding to target."
"Two minutes and 30 seconds in three, two, one, Mark."Maverick announces, she can hear the other's add in their own time mark's.
"Four Mark." Payback states, she reaches over flipping her own time, the thirty seconds start to drop on the click. "Five Mark." She tells, her wingman says her own mark as the continue on.
"Going in." Maverick whisper's, she gulp's watching as he starts to make the hard turn's to the left and to the right, she grunts as she jerks herself to the left as the pressure on her body begins to build.
This gives the training a run for its money, she thinks as she grunts as she is forced into the canopy window. Each of their engine's of their plane screech's as they move through the canyon, the window from the wings blowing snow off the ground.
"First Sam site overhead." Maverick points out, she looks up seeing the missile above on the rocks, she gasped softly, "Shit." She mouths out loud.
"Looks like we're clear on radar, Mav."Phoenix reasure's him, she shakes her head, that dosent mean much, Brandy thinks as she turn's, her eyes dart to her time in nav seeing they were running low on time.
She pant's with a groan as she aligns again, her eye's look to the sky seeing more SAM's aimed high, she shakes her head. "Damn these guys are good."
"More SAM's Three o'clock high." Fanboy announces, she can grumbling from Redwing on the other radio, she looks down at her time, they are going to be late if Rooster dosent pick up his speed.
"We got two minutes to target." Bob informs them, she pant's looking to her surroundings, she grunts as she forced against the canopy.
"Copy." Payback says strained, Brandy look's the missiles above with a fearful look. She shake off the nerve's as the adrenaline starts to pump in her veins.
"Rooster, speed up we dont have a lot of time!" She orders him, her eyes dart to her navigation, their only a few seconds behind the other plane's, if they dont move now the bandits will be on her and her wingman, and not enough time for her to dogfight it out.
"We're a few seconds behind, rooster. We got to move!" Payback add's, his nervous panting is heard on the radio.
"Dagger, comanche.We're picking up two bandits. Single group, two contacts." Comanche informs them, she can feel her palms pool with sweat at the new information, "What?!" She exclaims.
"Comanche, what's their heading?" Phoenix asks, Brandy strains with each turn as their speed remained the same. "Bull's-eye 090, 50, tacked southwest."
"They're headed away from us." Rooster speaks up, she shakes her head not believing her friend. "They don't know we're here."
"I wouldn't say that, their gonna be pissed in minute or two." Redwing remarks with a grit through her teeth, she smirks for a moment at the sound of her wingman's silver tongue.
"The second those tomahawks hit the air base, those bandits are gonna move to defend the target." Maverick reminds them all.
"We have to get there before they do. Increase speed!" He order's them, him and his set of dagger's move ahead with their speed now doubled, she couldn't move her own not till Rooster moved, she pant's as her breath starts to shake from her anxiety.
it wasn't just her life that is at stake at the moment, it was her wingmans, her best friend's, her captain's and her something else. She is still worried about herself just not at the moment.
"We got you, Mav. Don't wait for me." Phoenix order's him, the brunette grunts with the turn of the tight canyon.
"Daredevil!" We have to move!" Red Wing shouts to her team leader, She nods her head.
"I know, I know!" She pant's as her hand thumbed her control's. If she was Rooster's backseater she knew she would be yelling at him and telling him to not stupid and start moving. But she wasnt and even then she wouldn't say that to him.
"Impact. Enemy runway is destroyed!" Communications inform them, she smirks pumping her fist quickly, she returns her focus to her mission.
"Bandits are switching course to defend the target." Her eyes widen as she looked up at the SAM's that still pointed to the sky, she looks to each side of her plane, Your a sitting duck right now, you have to move and move fast, she think's as her heart raced.
"Rooster, where are you?" Maverick asks the pilot. "Daredevil, we have to go!" Ajax shouts to her
"I cant!" She shouts.
"Rooster, you need to move now!" Brandy demand's, she knew that he was caught up in his own thoughts and they were too much, she understood it and she felt awful for him.
"Come on, rooster. Bandits inbound!" Payback adds to her statements, she grunt's with a grit of her teeth. "We gotta make up time now. Let's turn and burn."
His panting increases as they keep ordering him, Redwing and Ajax both look between each other as they try to figure out their situation, Their leader isn't moving any faster and their time is becoming limited.
"Guys, we're falling behind. We really gotta move." Fanboy speak up, Red Wing scoffs.
"Yeah no shit! Fanboy." She grunts, Ajax shakes his head at his pilot's remarks. "Rooster, Come on now move it!" Ajax adds.
"If we don't increase our speed right now, those bandits are gonna be waiting for us when we reach the target." Payback remind them, Brandy pants with fear gulping down her anxiety. "Rooster."
"You can do this." Brandy reasures her friend, he takes a deep breath closing his eyes, he exhales with a shaky breath.
"Talk to me dad." He whisper's, she can feel her heart ting at his word, "Come on kid you can do it.Maverick encourages.
"Don't think,Just do." He tells him, he takes another deep breath, he grunt's as he pushes his control's increasing his speed, she smirks as he gets away from her, she grunts pushing on her own feeling the force of her plane's speed on her body.
"Jesus, rooster, not that fast!" Paypack exclaims, Brandy laughs at his surprise. "Alright kid's this is more like it!" She shout's.
"That's it, kid, that's it." Maverick encourages, she pant's with a grunt as she is forced into the canopy once more. Her heart raced as she could feel the rush of excitement in her body. "Alright let's go."
"Damn Rooster take it easy." Fanboy shouts.
"Hot damn, now we are moving." Ajax shouts, Red Wing smirks nodding her head in agreement. "Watch yourself!"
"Thirty seconds to target." Maverick reiterates. "Bob, check your laser." He order's.
"Air-to-ground check complete. Laser code verified, 1688." He confirms to his lead. "Laser is a go!" Bob state's, she smirks at the sound of his voice.
"Watch your head's!" Rooster warns them as they fly under a overpass. Fanboy looks on in shock. "Holy shit! Shit!
"Payback, you with me?" Rooster ask. "Right behind you!" He confirms.
"Phoenix, stand by for pop-up strike." Maverick orders his foxtrot team. "Dagger three in position." She confirms.
Brandy's blue eyes follow to a overpass above her, she smirked as she turns herself to the side allowing herself to slip right through with ease, she pants as she aligns herself. "Head's up Redwing."
"Woah thats big!" Red Wing exclaims, that's what she said, Brandy think's with a smirk. "Not the time." She adds with a grunt as she too fly's under the overpass, she breathes heavy as her heart raced with each movement.
"Popping in three, two, one." Maverick shouts, she can hear him grunt over her radio as she looks forward at the planes ahead of her, this was the rush she remembered loving. "Come On, Come on."
"Get me eyes on that target, Bob." He order's him, she can hear the sound of each of their grunt's over her own. "Dagger three"
"Stand by, Mav." Bob shouts, she could feel the sweat on her hand's fall as her heart raced in fear, Please, please, she gulped. "Come on, Bob, come on." Maverick encourages.
"Stand by!" He shouts again, she bites her lip hard drawing blood, she breathes heavily as it becomes more rapid at anticipation.
"I've got it. Captured!" Bob shouts, she gasps loudly in surprise. "Yes!" She pumps her fist thankful, her engine shrieks as she passes by more canyon wall.
"Target acquired. Bombs away." Maverick announces, she pant's loudly, Don't burn in dont burn in, she pleads in her head as she hears them grunting through the force of their climb out.
"We've got impact! Check, direct hit! Direct hit!" Bob shouts.
"Hell yeah!"
She exhale's with a smirk under her mask, not out of the woods yet, still got miracle number two, she reminds herself, that's her role and she better do a damn good job at it. Rooster spin around as he enters the target valley with his wingman right behind him.
"Dagger two, Status!" Maverick orders. "Almost there, Mav. Almost there!" Rooster voice plays over the radio.
"Rooster, there's something wrong with this laser!" Fanboy states, brandy scoffs at the malfunction. "Then fix it!" She shout's.
"Shit! Dead eye, dead eye, dead eye!" He repeats frantic, she grunt's frustration. "Come on, guys, we're running out of time. Get it online!"
"I'm trying!" Fanboy pleads.
"Come on, Fanboy!"
"Nearly there! Nearly there!" Fanboy shouts, she huff's irritated at their status on their laser.
"Come on, fanboy, get it online." Payback yells to his backseater, his eyes dart all around he desperately tries to get his laser to focus.
"There's not time, Im dropping blind!" Rooster announces, Brandy's eye's widen at his actions. "What!" She exclaims.
"Rooster, I got this!" Fanboy pleads with him, her jaw dropped agape as she kept on course seeing the target valley coming ahead of her, she pants. "No time, Pull up!" Rooster order's them.
"Wait!" Payback shouts at him, landing on deaf ear's as the blood pumped through his veins as he launched his missiles. "Bombs Away, Bombs away!"
The radio goes silent as she can only hear the sound of their grunts and pants on her end, followed by an explosion in the target valley, she grunt's pulling herself up spinning around as she reaglins.
"Dagger Five, Status!" Maverick shouts to her, she pant's for air as she look's down at the vent hatch that had been destroyed but the rock's and valley itself, her forehead crinkles with determination. "Dagger Five inbound, Copy!"
"Ajax laser!" She shouts to the backseater, his eyes wide as the laser spins trying to focus.
"Dead eye! Dead eye!" Ajax shouts ouloud, She lets out a shaky breath of fear, is this the end, she asks herself as she grits her teeth. I'm not dying, I will not die today, Her eyes are filled with fire, determination and the will to succeed was all that was driving her, this will not be the end I will not die here, she repeats
"Fuck!" Red Wing yells in frustration, her blue eyes widen as they get closer to their target. "Stand by." He order's as his eyes follow his screen.
"Come on Ajax! Come on!" She pleads with the man, he pants fearful looking at the black and white screen. "Standy by, Daredevil."
"Come on, I believe in you man you can do this." Red Wing reasures him, he takes a deep breath as he presses the button with the sound of tone, his brown eyes widen in surprise and victory. "I got it."
"Captured! and Ready to fire now!" Ajax confirm;'s, Brandy nods her head. "Take the shot."
"Copy, Firing now!" Her thumb presse's on the red button watching as they fall to the rock's bellow, with a grunt she pulls herself up.
The G force on her body crushes her as she gasps for air as she rises into the sky, she gag's with an open mouth as she strained.Time felt as if it had slowed down as her life was starting to come in flashes to her mind, Her going away party, her brother's wedding, the kitchen and the parties thrown, hug's between her and her siblings, her time in the hard deck, her and Bob talking, her standing on the roof watching the planes fly in the sky. This is not the end.
The explosion is heard below her as she looks up. "Bullseye Bullseye Bullseye."
"Its hit!" Ajax shouts, she gasps, if she wasn't being crushed she would be excited only now they have entered the dangerous part of their entire mission, Coffin Corner.
"We're not out of this yet!" Mavrick strains through his teeth, she pants looking to the SAMs, north of her, her eyes widen in shock, they aim straight for the air towards them.
"Here it comes."
They aim for Maverick and Phoenix as the both of the break off, her blue eyes widen as she watches in fear as they move away from one another. Brandy grunt's hard as they follow right after her.
"Smoke in the air!" Ajax says frantic to them, her eye's water over as she grunts hard doing all she could to sway them away from her. "Smoke in the air!"
A/N I AM NOT A NICE PERSON, I write angst and cliffhangers and you can contact my lawyer, anyways Happy easter to those who celebrate it, i hope it was better than the one i had last year, anyways can't wait for more of the mission stuff (Not really)