Fly High and Go Far

ROOSTER-Chapter Nine: Risky Business and a Promotion

Though she was grounded for the mission and on her emergency leave, she turned in what leave she had left and went back to work.  That was her job, and she needed to do this for her father.  It hurts more to stay at home than to be in a plane.  Her heart ached and as she got dressed one morning, she got a phone call from Uncle Pete.  She answered it and before she could say hello, he started talking.

  "I heard you turned your leave in," he began.  "I wanted to know if you were willing to help me with teaching today."  Sammy stared at her wall confused, holding the phone to her ear.

  "Why? What do you need?" She asked, still with morning in her voice.

  "I need you to prove to the rest of the class this course can be done," Maverick piped up. 

  "Why me though?" Sammy whispered, genuinely confused.

  "Because you're the only one who has flown, on record, below one hundred feet.  And you did it at high speeds.  It's why you were selected for Top Gun," Maverick said sternly. "And like I said the other day, you were my choice for team leader. And your dad's choice."

  "Alright.  What time do you want me there?" Sam sighed.

  "Can you get here in thirty minutes for a quick pre-flight?"

  Sammy arrived right on scheduled time, running inside, grabbing her helmet, only to find everyone missing.  She found her Uncle Pete waiting by the fighters in full gear, ready to go.

  "Morning, Sammy," he shouted.  Sammy looked around feeling weird and ran towards him, putting her helmet on.

  "Where is everyone?" She asked.  Maverick waved his hand, dismissing her worries.

  "Get your plane ready to fly.  We're going up right at seven," Mav piped up, turning on his heels to his plane.  Sammy shook her head, trying to wake herself up, and then looked down at her watch noticing the time was 6:45.  She looked at her uncle, who was positioning himself in the cockpit.  Knowing him, this was another stupid idea, but she didn't dare call him out.  She was following orders.

  Her plane was all the way at the end of the lineup.  She admired her name on the side and as she climbed up the ladder, she tapped her hand on her last name.

  "Give me strength, Dad.  I need you right now," she whispered to herself.  She shut her canopy and did her pre-flight checks, making sure her gas gauge was filled, her targeting worked, etc. 

  "Seven o'clock, Echo.  I'm going to launch, and you are to launch after me," Maverick spoke into the radio.

  "Understood, sir," she replied.  Maverick pulled his jet out and headed to the runway.  Sammy followed behind him, waiting on the causeways for him to clear the runway.  As soon as he was in the air, she contacted the tower and launched herself.  The two of them, the moment they were in the air, the controllers answered confused as to why two fighters who did not have any trips scheduled were in the air.

  "Captain, you don't have an event scheduled.  Neither are you Lieutenant," the controller spoke from the tower.  "You are cleared for test run alpha.  Please continue on."

  "Echo, you good to go?" Maverick asked.

  "Yes, sir.  I'm cleared for flight ops," Sammy replied, flying straight behind him.

  "Set the clock to two minutes, fifteen seconds," Maverick ordered.  Sammy breathed in deeply.  "Starting course in three, two, one." Maverick gunned it, allowing Sammy to gun it as well.

  "Mark Dagger Two," Sammy spoke into the radio. 

  Flying at low altitude and at fast rates was something Sammy had not done in years, but like Maverick had said earlier, she had done it before.  She followed Maverick's every move.  Her grunts were clearly audible as she did full rotations in her jet, avoiding imaginary mountains.