killshot (bradley bradshaw)

VIII

20 DAYS UNTIL MISSION

Jenna walked into the locker room the next afternoon and noticed that it was empty except for Phoenix. She figured that the other pilots must have been assigned earlier time slots for today's exercise. Jenna made a beeline for Phoenix, eager to ask her about last night.

"So Phoenix," She started. "Did you have a good night last night?"

"Oh yeah, the bar was great! I'm so glad you got to meet everyone," Phoenix replied, not meeting Jenna's eyes.

"You left a little earlier than I thought you would," Jenna said.

"Yeah I wanted to get a good night's sleep," Phoenix explains.

"I also noticed that Hangman seemed to disappear right around the same time you did." Jenna said slowly, trying to get her to fess up.

Phoenix froze and turned to look at her, face bright red.

"Busted!" Jenna yelled out, laughing.

"Okay, okay, you got me," Phoenix laughed along with her. "Don't judge me, okay?"

"No judgement here, but I seriously thought you guys hated each other," Jenna prodded

"We'll we do. But its that fact that we feel something towards each other," Phoenix explained. "It's been so long that it's kinda starting to turn into something else."

"Well that makes sense," Jenna agreed with her.

"Plus, he's really good in bed," Phoenix teased.

"Okay EW!" Jenna covered her ears. "I did not need to hear that."

They both laughed and started getting on their flightsuits. Grabbing their helmets, they headed out into the hangar and started towards their planes on the tarmac.

Phoenix turned the questioning back to Jenna. "What about you and Bradshaw? You two looked cozy on the beach last night."

"Thanks for that picture, by the way." Jenna said, blushing and covering her face with her free hand. "I don't know, really. He's flirty with me one minute but then seems really closed up the next. There might be something there, but I don't know how to get to it."

"Well Rooster does have a few skeletons in his closet that I know of," Phoenix said. "But it's not my story to tell. As for last night, he was literally glued to your side, so I think we can easily guess where his heads at."

"Well, any way this turns out, it's gonna be a challenge," Jenna grimaced. Only a few of them would get picked for this mission, and any of them could not come back from it. 

"Take it slow," Phoenix reassured Jenna. "He's one of my best friends and I love him dearly, but he doesn't open up easily. He puts up a wall in front of most people. Show him that you're there for him, and he'll show you who he really is."

Jenna thanked Phoenix for her advice as they arrived at her plane. Bob was already there, making final checks on their aircraft. Jenna waved hello to Bob and walked across the tarmac to her plane.

After making her own final checks, Jenna climbed up into the cockpit and got ready for the day's exercise. She called to the tower, requesting takeoff. When she got the go ahead, Jenna moved her plane into position and pushed down the runway, lifting off into the sky. A few minutes later, she heard Phoenix on the radio preparing for takeoff, and soon they were both up in the air.

"Phoenix, Bob, Killshot," Maverick's voice came over the radio. "Same game as yesterday, same punishment for the losers. Fight as a team to shoot me down, before I shoot you first."