Hang Me Out to Dry

Phase One

Maverick flipped through several images on the big screen in the front of the room showing the area surrounding the uranium mine that their mission was focused on. Sadie scanned the images trying to take in ever bit of information that she could regarding the topography and mission parameters. Everyone around her was focusing intently as well but Maverick's voice drew them away from the screen. 

"Time is your greatest enemy. Phase one of the mission will be a low level attack with two teams. You'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target. Radar guided SAMs defend the area, and they are lethal. But, they were designed to protect the sky above, not the canyon below."

"That's because they know that no one is insane enough to try and fly below," Rooster said pointing out what everyone was thinking.

"That's what I'm here to teach you how to do. Your altitude will remain below 100 feet and your air speed will be 660 knots, minimum. Time to target is 2 and a half minutes. This is because at a nearby airbase wait 5th generation fighters. In a dogfight against these planes you lose. This makes time your greatest enemy." He paused letting the information sink in. "But today I'm going to take it easy on you. Max altitude will be 300 feet and time to target is 3 minutes."

Sadie looked over at Fanboy who looked back apprehensive. This was going to be difficult. 

Sadie approached the start mark for the training course, Yale and Fritz following close behind her. Looking at the display in front of her she saw the imaginary line plotting out the course she was meant to take and prepared herself for her first run through. 

"Ready folks?" she called over the comms.

"Ready Casper.  Starting timer in three, two, one," Fritz responded. Sadie hit the throttle, jolting ahead of her wingmen. They flew the course cautiously and carefully, getting used to the twists and turns that would be expected of them. She pushed the jet to speed up after Fritz called out that they were behind schedule but wasn't able to control the twist needed to navigate one of the turns and watched on the display as it flashed red to indicate she had crashed. 

The next run she did with Phoenix and Bob, they arrived well after the allotted time, and the run after that with Payback and Fanboy they drifted too close together on a turn causing Payback and Fanboy's jet to spin out off course. 

Every failure caused Sadie to get more and more frustrated. No one else was succeeding but it was still a difficult pill for Sadie to swallow. It didn't help that after each run, Maverick pulled them into the classroom and made them sit and re-watch every failed attempt.

"Why are they dead?" he asked after playing Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote's run.

"We broke the 300 foot ceiling, SAMs took out our aircraft," Phoenix said trying to keep Maverick's frustration focused on her. It didn't work because Maverick singled out Coyote anyways. 

"No. Why are they dead," he said staring intently at Coyote

"I slowed down and didn't give a warning. It was my fault."

"And why didn't you communicate with your team? I need an answer their families will accept." 

When Coyote didn't say anything, Maverick turned back to Phoenix.

"And you. Why didn't you anticipate the turn?" Phoenix opened her mouth but before she could speak Maverick spoke again. "Don't tell me. Tell his family."

He waited a moment to see if anyone would speak up against him, but no one did. The pilots sat with their eyes focusing on the tables in front of them rather than their instructor.

"Next, Casper. Tell me what happened here," he continued playing Sadie's run with Fritz and Yale. 

"I lost control on the turn trying to make-up time. We crashed," she said. 

"Controlling your turns is basic maneuvers they expect that you've mastered before you're accepted to Top Gun. Why weren't you able to do it?"

"I panicked upon realizing we were behind time Sir."

"That's just it. You panicked. We can't afford for our team lead to be making mistakes from fear. You all need to do better or you're not coming home from this mission," he said addressing the whole group. Sadie felt a heavy feeling settling in her stomach, silently berating herself for making careless mistakes. She could do better, she was better. She just needed to prove it.

"Come on Casper," Fanboy whined. "It was a rough day for all of us. You need to take a break. Let's just go to the bar."

"You go, I want to stay and go through the mission information again."

"What new things are you going to find by going through it for the thousandth time?"

"I don't know Fanboy. I need to do better and I can't think of anything else to do. It's not like it can hurt."

Fanboy sighed and sat down across from Sadie at the back table in the classroom. She had papers spread out all over the table in front of her, flipping through piles with no rhyme or reason. 

"It's hurting people's perception of us," he said. "I can't have them knowing we're huge nerds."

"You don't have to stay. Go hangout at the bar. I'll be fine."

"No way. If you're staying, I'm staying. I don't need you getting a leg up on the competition and not sharing it with me." Sadie three a ball of scrap paper at her friend who easily dodged, grinning. They settled in, preparing to spend the next few hours studying.