killshot (bradley bradshaw)

X

19 DAYS UNTIL MISSION

They failed. And Jenna felt like it was all her fault.

They were sitting in the briefing room, waiting for Rooster, Fanboy, and Payback to get back from the tarmac. They failed too. 

The door opened and the three pilots came into the room, immediately finding their seats. Rooster slid into the same chair next to Jenna from earlier this morning and let out a big sigh.

"At least you made it to the target," Jenna offered in an attempt at positivity.

"Yeah, but Mav won't say that it's good enough," he responded back.

Maverick walked into the room and headed straight for the screen at the front. He pressed a couple buttons on the computer and the simulated flight path from Jenna and Phoenix's attempt started playing. Everyone watched as the little blue plane marked with Jenna's callsign moved through the canyon, with Phoenix on her tail. Jenna's plane sped up, then hit the breaks to go around a corner.  Phoenix's plane veered upwards to avoid hitting both Jenna and the canyon side, and entered the SAM's radar. Her plane turned red. If this were the real mission, she and Bob would be dead. Maverick turned to me, a stern look on his face.

"Killshot, why did Phoenix and Bob die?" he asked.

"Because I hit the breaks and changed speed, and she had to avoid running into me," she responded.

"No, Killshot, what did you fail to do that caused them to die?" Maverick asked again.

"I didn't communicate with my wingman," Jenna said glumly.

"That's what you're going to have to tell their families at their funerals," Maverick said. "And it's not good enough." He turned to Phoenix.

"Phoenix, why didn't you anticipate what your leader was doing? I briefed you on the terrain," Mav said. Phoenix opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Tell that to his family."

Phoenix turned to Bob, a somber look on her face, and Bob just nodded his head. Maverick moved back to the computer and pulled up the second simulation: Rooster's.

"Rooster, you got to the target," Mav started. "But you ran way over the time limit, giving 5th generation enemy aircraft enough time to intercept both you and your wingman. In a head to head with those aircraft in your F-18s, you're dead."

Rooster stared at Mav angrily, but said nothing in response.

Jenna leaned over to him and whispered, "If Mav says it can be done, it can be done. They wouldn't send us if it was a suicide mission."

Rooster slumped back against his seat and turned to Jenna. "You so sure about that?"

Maverick finished up teaching and dismissed the pilots for the day. Jenna stopped Phoenix and Bob on their way out and apologized. 

"I'm really sorry guys, that'll never happen again," she said.

"Don't worry about it Kill," Phoenix said. "We all learned something from it, and now we keep moving forward." Bob hummed in agreement and patted Jenna on the shoulder. 

"We'll see you tomorrow, Harrison. Don't sweat it," he said with a small smile. They walked out of the briefing room, and Jenna sat back down in her chair, her head in her hands. It was possible that someone wouldn't come back from this mission, and she could not bear it if it was her fault. She had to fly perfectly, and prove that she belonged here.

~

After her quick drive home, Jenna hopped in the shower and threw on some leggings and an old Naval Academy t-shirt. As she mindlessly scrolled through Netflix, her phone dinged. She looked down and saw a message from an unknown number.