Into Your Arms

Luna

You woke up the next morning ready to take on the day. You had slept well, and you were ready to get into your jet and get into the air as soon as possible. You had also decided it was time to leave the solemn, sulking Elena at home, and fully embrace Blaze at work. You got ready quickly, downed your coffee, and drove to the base. You were there an hour early, but you wanted to run the mission yourself without anyone from your class watching. You changed into your flight suit, and before you knew it you heard the words "Permission granted, Dagger 1." You were up in the air, and the need for speed was real this morning.

You weren't gonna lie, the mission was hard. You were weaving all over the place, low in the valley, trying to not be caught by the SAMs. You had started to feel a little bit nauseous, but pushed on. You were approaching the target fast, with 1 minute left to spare. Just enough time to pull the Gs and get you back into the air, you thought to yourself. You dropped your first bomb and hit the target right on point, and again with the second. You began to pull upward and get out of there, preparing for a dogfight when you reached the top. This wasn't the actual mission, but you still had to act like it was to get the full effect. The Gs kept getting higher, and higher. At some point, you felt yourself coming in and out of focus. You tried to force yourself to stay in tune with your surroundings. You could beat this. You had to. Just a little longer. Just...a...little...long-

All you could hear was beeping. It was surreal. You felt alive, but you didn't at the same time. Flashbacks swirled in your mind. You remembered meeting your niece for the first time, and how absolutely perfect she was. You remembered walking down the aisle to Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. You remembered your childhood pup, and how devastating it was to lose her. You remembered..meeting Bradley. All of a sudden, you jolted awake. Your engines were on fire, and you were on a downhill spiral. You heard Maverick over the radio "Elena! Wake up! DAMNIT WAKE UP!" You immediately jumped into action. You tried to turn off the fires in the engines, and at least save what you could of the jet, but it was too far gone. How long were you out? You ejected the jet, and laid peacefully in the ocean, waiting for a rescue team.

Overall, you were fine with just a scrape on your forehead. When you passed out, your head must have hit the glass window. EMT's were on the scene when you arrived back at the base, and rushing to your assistance. Pete had made the team stay in the room, not wanting to bombard you. Plus, he needed to get to you first. Once he knew that you would be okay, you were in some deep shit. You were cleared by the medical personnel, and just told to take it easy. You had some steri-strips placed on your cut, but that was about it. You heard quick paced footsteps coming your direction. You didn't even have to turn around.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! WERE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!" Pete shouted as he stomped toward you. You don't think you'd ever seen him this pissed off.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just wanted to complete the mission. I wanted to show the team that it was possible," you replied, not wanting to make more waves.

"I already DID THAT! You know damn well that  you don't go up into the air on your own! What would have happened if I hadn't shown up early, Elena?! You might not be standing here right now, that's what! I can't believe how irresponsible this was of you." Pete was passed the point of no return. You knew it might have been a dumb thing to do, but you also did it, you completed the mission. Aside from the minor detail of passing out; that had to have been the hardest part.

"Mav, take it easy on her," Bradley replied from out of nowhere. When you turned, you saw that he had come up probably in time just to hear the tail end of your ass chewing.

Pete continued to look at you, with tears in his eyes, completely ignoring Bradley. "I could have lost you, Elena. Damn it..I could have lost you." With that, he walked away. You heard him shout that class was dismissed for the day. You suddenly felt horrible, as you began to think that a lot of Pete's emotions about this were due to him losing Goose. He couldn't lose someone else that he cared about.