Lt. Taylor (Swift) Grace has known Bradley (Rooster) Bradshaw since they were just two years old. They had done everything together since, she even moved herself back four years when Rooster's papers were pulled out of nowhere in the academy. But, w...
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The first half of this week went by calmly. Most everyone had figured out themselves that Rooster and I were both unavailable, and probably would never be on the market again. It was an uneventful start, that is, until yesterday. Bradley got angry with Maverick, but due to his lower ranking couldn't do much about it without getting his wings clipped. I didn't understand where his sudden anger was coming from, he had been so nonchalant about it up until this week trying his best to not let Maverick get to him. The second we were dismissed that day Bradley stood straight up storming out of the room. Phoenix and I share a worried look before I stand up and run after him. When I finally reached him, running in front of him, I saw a single tear slip down his face. I grabbed his hand, pulling him outside the building and into the parking lot. We sat in the back seat of my jeep and I held him while he cried in my embrace. Finally, he admitted to me that he figured out Maverick pulled his application to the naval academy which is why we were both sent back four years, me refusing to continue without him. I had never seen Rooster upset to the extent of tears, never.
Here we are today though, trying to fly the same impossible mission not even Maverick has flown yet. At the moment he was criticizing everyone for their mistakes, constructively, of course. When he gets to Rooster, we all look confused. He was the only one to make it through.
"Why are you dead?" Maverick asks looking to Bradley.
"Mav, he was the only team leader that got to the target." I protest politely.
"He came in a minute too late."
"But my team is alive," Bradley chimes in defending himself.
"A minute late he gave the enemy aircraft time to shoot him down."
"We made it to the target." Rooster pushes.
"And a superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out."
"Then it's a dogfight."
"Against fifth generation fighters?"
"We still have a chance." Bradley fires back.
"In an F-18?"
"It's not the plane sir, it's the pilot."
"Exactly," Maverick snaps back.
"There's more than one way to fly this mission." Then, it was Jake's turn to butt in and be a wise ass.
"You don't get it do you? We're going into a level of combat here no living man has ever seen. Not even him," He implies, gesturing to Maverick. "A MAN flies like Maverick here or a MAN doesn't come back. No offense." He says looking to Phoenix and I.
"Yet, somehow you always manage," mumbles Bob.
"I'm just saying, this is no time to be thinking about the past."
He knows. Hangman knows about Goose.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bradley asks.
"Oh, come on I can't be the only one that knows Maverick used to fly with his old man, and that Maverick was flying the jet when his old man di-"
Suddenly Bradley jumps out of his chair lunging at Hangman, tears threatening to spill as he yells angrily while Payback, Fanboy, Coyote, Bob, Phoenix and I jump in front of him trying to stop him. Everyone in the room is still yelling at each other when I get to Bradley.
"Rooster!" I yell as he tries to nudge me out of the way gently and get past me to Jake. "Look at me," I say taking his face in my hands "you can't afford.."
"Hey Swiftie." Hangman suddenly yells "aren't your folks six feet under, too? Maybe if Rooster leads us we can go visit them and tell them how cute of a couple you two were..."
"OH I'LL PUT YOU SIX FEET UNDER," I yell, slapping him in the face before Bradley picks me up by the waist and pulls me away.
"Enough!!" Maverick finally yells over all the chaos. "You are all dismissed. Rooster, Swift, stay behind."
Everyone leaves except for the two of us leave. Bradley is steaming, but he's hugging me anyways because I am on the verge of tears. Maverick reassures me after a few minutes of silence.
"Taylor, it's okay. I just need you here because I know it's better for Bradley."
"Since when did you care about what's best for me you pulled my application!"
"That's not what this is about! You're not cut out for this mission kid!! You think too much in the air and if you take time to think you're dead."
"My dad believed in you," Bradley whispers getting all up in Maverick's face "I'm not going to make the same mistake."
I see the hurt flash in Maverick's eyes. I knew the story, and I knew Mav couldn't do anything to stop the two men from having to eject. It wasn't his fault Goose broke his neck when his head hit the canopy, but it wasn't Bradley's fault either, and it sure as hell was easier for Rooster to take it out on Maverick than anyone else.
Just then, Cyclone, another admiral, enters the room.
"Maverick, Swift, it's Iceman..."
"Is he..." Maverick whispers trailing off at a loss of words. Cyclone simply shakes his head. Maverick walks out and I go numb, so numb I wasn't aware I was sobbing my eyes out until I felt Bradley's touch. He cradles me as we stand on deck, my face and his shirt becoming more covered with a mixture of my tears and makeup by the minute. Iceman is gone. One of the only members of my family left is gone.
