Bellwether

9.

"Time is your greatest enemy." Maverick starts. "Phase one of the mission will be a low-level attack with two teams and some backup following that last team."

Kelsi mutters to Phoenix, "Wow no good morning or nice to see ya? Love you too man."

Phoenix rolls her eyes and chuckles.

Maverick pulls up an image on the screen. "You all will be flying this low-level and narrow canyon to get to your target. If you see here these are the SAMs guarding the area." Maverick zooms in on the image. "They were made to protect the skies above, not the land below."

"That's because the enemy knows nobody is stupid enough to try and fly below," Rooster speaks up. Kelsi nods, agreeing with him.

"That's exactly what I'm going to train you to do. For training today your maximum altitude is 100 feet. If you go so much as a foot higher the radars will spot you and you're dead."

Kelsi sits up a little straighter, "That's a little morbid."

Maverick looks at her and raises his eyebrows. "If you don't train and learn to not cross the line, it'll be a hell of a lot more morbid when your friends are shot down mid-air."

Her jaw slightly drops, eyes widening and she nods.

"As I was saying, your airspeed will be 660 knots minimum. Time to target: two and a half minutes."

Kelsi makes eye contact with Phoenix and she shakes her head no. This mission is impossible. Kelsi looks back to the front of the room and bites the inside of her cheek nervously.

Maverick changes the image on the screen to one of the fifth-generation planes. Kelsi was familiar with them because of the last mission she did with Broadway. She exhales.

"The time to hit the target is so low because fifth-generation fighters are at an airbase nearby. If you go head to head with one of these planes in an F-18 it's guaranteed death. I need you to get in, hit your target, and get out as fast as you can. You need to be gone by the time these planes even have a chance of catching you. This is why time is your greatest enemy."

Kelsi nods and breathes shakily.

***

The first group in the exercise went. This group included Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote. Since there was an odd amount of people, this group didn't have a backup.

The flight sounded like it was going well with the groups communicating well.

It was good until she heard Bob say, "Time to target is one minute thirty, we're two seconds behind, increase to 490 knots."

"We got to move Coyote," Nat's voice chimes in

"Copy that increasing speed now."

Since Kelsi wasn't in the air with them all she heard was Bob and Phoenix cursing.

She sighs when she hears Maverick's voice say, "Come back to base."

***

Once they made it back Maverick stood at the front of the room and faces them.

"Why're you dead?"

"Because we broke the 300 ft. ceiling," Nat answered.

"No, why are you dead." he then turned and looked at Coyote.

"I slowed down and gave no warnings. It's my fault."

"Is there any reason you didn't communicate with your team?"

"I was focusing on-" Coyote is cut off by Maverick.

"What excuse will their families take at the funeral?"