Beyond the Horizon | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Part Eleven - As Reality Sets In

The next morning was as chaotic and rushed as it could have possibly been. We had to pack our flight bags for the next few days, pre-flight checks, as well as preparing the course to the aircraft carrier. All of which had to be done before seven in the morning. 

We were expected to have all arrived on the carrier by nine in the morning, but the earlier the better. With the speed of the F-18s, there was no issue in arriving at the carrier by eight. It was a fairly relaxing, and somewhat boring, flight. I guess it's all the calm before the storm. 

In preparing to land on the carrier, I dropped the hook, lowered the landing gear, and increased throttle (in the event the cable that's meant to catch the plane breaks, I'd still have enough speed and force to takeoff again). Thankfully, the cable catches my plane, and I'm brought to a screeching halt as I lower the throttle, preparing to follow the directions of the flight deck crew. 

Almost instantly, the tow comes by and starts dragging my plane and I to a 'parking stall' on the side of the ship. I fold up the wings of the jet as we get closer to the rest of the parked aircraft. In flight school, we learned about the physics and buoyancy of aircraft carriers, but I'll always be fascinated by how easily it seems to hold dozens of thousand pound aircrafts. A mountain of work made to look as easy as breathing.

Once my ladder has been opened by the flight deck crew, I hop out of the cockpit, grab my flight bag, and head inside. After a few moments of wandering around aimlessly, I find a small group of the team huddled in a meeting room. I place my hand on the cold metal bar and crack the door open. I move to go stand by Phoenix, who waits holding two coffees. When I arrive at her side, she hands me the cup with a smile. 

I graciously accept, and start drinking, letting the warm liquid warm my insides.

"We've been told that our last briefing is happening soon. We just have to wait for the rest of the team to fly in, and then we'll head down to a hanger for the briefing," Phoenix informs me. She looks like didn't sleep much last night. Nerves probably kept her awake. 

I nod.

The door to the meeting room opens once more, and Rooster, Harvard, and Omaha walk in, looking just as sleep-deprived as the rest of us. I smile at Rooster, and he smiles back tiredly. 

The room begins to quiet again after the three finish greeting everyone else. In the silence, my anxious thoughts start to get louder. 

What if something bad happens? What if someone doesn't come back from this? What if we fail?

I'm aware of the severity and the risks that come with this mission, with my career, really, but that doesn't make thinking about it any easier. Any number of small things could happen and it could change everything.

It felt fairly real before, when we were doing practice runs, testing our abilities to handle the terrain and difficult parameters, but now that we're actually on the carrier awaiting our final briefing... I'm realizing what I felt before feels like nothing compared to the weight of worry that sits on me now. 

"Getting pretty real, isn't it? Are you ok?" Phoenix asks me, seeing the worried expression painted on my face.

"It just happened so fast," I say in a small voice. She rests her head on my shoulder and I revel in the comfort of our proximity. As if it was magic, standing here as we are seems to quiet the ocean of worry that floods my brain.

I close my eyes and inhale deeply. But before I can exhale, I the door open, followed by a low gravelly voice. 

"Captain Mitchell has arrived. He will be in shortly to deliver your briefing." And with that, Warlock leaves, closing the door behind him.