"What Am I To You?"

Hit

Bob had gotten back to the barracks when it was dark out. He had some to take care of before he was to be discharged.

He unlocked the door and stepped in quietly. It was faintly raining outside as he took off his boots by the door.

He took his glasses off as Phoenix walked into the room. "Ah you're back." She said with relief in her voice.

He looked at her and nodded slightly. "I won't be leaving just yet." He smiled tiredly.

She nodded as she looks around as if trying to find something to distract herself from the mission and him. He placed his bag down as he started to walk past her.

"Will you still talk to me when you leave?" She suddenly said.

Bob stopped and looked at her. "Of course. What makes you think I won't?" He said almost surprised at this question.

She shrugged. "People sometimes say somethings and then do the other." He walked over to her and gently turned her towards him.

"Phoe- Natasha... Natasha Trace. I am never ever gonna stop talking to you. I am going to be texting you when I'm teaching my class being like 'this is boring. I need a rescue'." She chuckled slightly at that.

"And... and I'll stop by your work to bring you lunch if you need it. Whatever you need..." he said lovingly.

She smiled faintly. "And this is why... why you're the best guy out of this entire group." She said as she placed her forehead against his.

He let her and closed his eyes. "I'm going to miss a lot... Robert." She said quietly.

"And I'll miss you a lot... Natasha."

The group made it to the port. They got onto the ship and watched it push off.

Phoenix stayed on the deck as maverick walked over to her. "You ready?"

She nodded and looked at him. "Are you?" He chuckled and nodded.

"Yes I am." He said as he watched the waves crash against the ship as they moved further and further out to ocean.

"How are you and Bob?" He asked.

"We're doing better." She said as she looked at him. "We stayed up last night and spent time together." She said with a soft smile.

"I wish you two could do this mission together, but people above me made the call." Maverick said. She nodded and closed her eyes.

"It's alright. This isn't going to be the last we see of each other."

The pilots for the mission got into their planes and got ready to take off of the ship. Maverick took off first with Phoenix behind.

Then it was Hangman and Rooster.

Payback and Coyote were back ups.

Phoenix and Maverick raced into the battle zone. She stayed next to him the entire time. "Dagger 1 and 2 heading into enemy territory."

Bob watched the radar. "Two bandits heading our way."

"Phoenix, go underneath me and match my speed." Maverick said as he lowered his visor. "Copy." She went under his aircraft, in an effort to trick the enemy into thinking there was only one plane.

The two on the radar picked up the speed. Maverick and Phoenix then both banked opposite sides and started to engaged with two different enemies. There were clouds, so the advantage they had was that the enemy can't physically see them, or their counterparts going to blow up the base.

The bad part was they couldn't see where their targets are.

Suddenly Phoenix went vertical to get above the clouds, revealing her enemy to her, but also revealing herself. "Mav! I found one." She went inverted as she got shot at .

The glass on the canopy had a bullet go through it. She winced but continued to fight. She dove to the side and shot the enemy's engine.

As she finished Maverick finished and pulled up next to her. Bob looked at her jet as flew besides them. Her flying wasn't steady.

"Maverick... does soemthing seem off with her flying?" Bob asked.

Maverick raised a brow. "Hey... Phoenix. Everything okay?" He said with worry building in voice.

It took her a minute to respond. "I... I've been shot." She said as her plane started to descent slightly. Maverick saw the hole and crack in her canopy. "Shit!"

Bob immediately got onto the radios. "USS... Dagger two has been hit. Requesting emergency landing." He said quickly.

"Emergency landing granted. Dagger 2 please land." The ship said.

Phoenix's vision was going in an out. "Copy..." she descended down towards the boat. She struggled to watch the ship.

"Phoenix pull power." Maverick said as he was right behind her.

She pulled power and was now coming in too low. She winced and pulled the plane up and landed on the ship but her plane didn't skid to a stop until it got to the other end of the ship.

Maverick landed a distance behind her and shut down the plane. The moment the canopy was up Bob jumped out and ran to her jet as fast as he could.

"Natasha!" He yelled as he pulled her ladder down as the canopy opened. He saw her become unconscious. He unstrapped her and and took off her helmet.

"Stay with me..." he said as he pulled her out of the jet, and somehow managed to get her down without issue. He laid her on the ground by the jet as medical services rushed over.

"She got struck by a bullet. We're taking her in to surgery." The medical group said as the placed her on a stretcher. He was forced to stay behind for a debriefing.

The entire time he was in his debriefing, he just wanted to see or hear something that would prove she is okay.

Maverick stepped up. "You all did wel-"

"How is Natasha..." Bob said. He couldn't contain it anymore. Maverick looked at him. "She... is in the medical bay."

"More than that..." hangman said. Maverick looked at Ice who was in the back of the room. Ice shook his head.

"I can't tell you all this yet." Maverick said as he continued the briefing.

The group turned into an uproar. They were all demanding answers, anything about her condition.

"Fine! You all want to hear something!?" Iceman said as he walked through the room to the front. The room suddenly felt freezing as Iceman stood in front of them.

"She is in critical condition. She has been unconscious for five hours and there hasn't been a response. She is hooked up to an oxygen machine and a many other plethora of machines. If and when she wakes up, she will be able to fly again, but right now that is a big if." Iceman said.

The group was silent.

"We were hoping to not have to tell any of you that because we wanted you all to be hopeful. We want you to celebrate this success... but you guys are actually good teammates unlike the ones I've seen in the past." He said as he looked down.

"Right now there is only one person on her visiting list who is Military and that is Bob. He is the only one allowed to visit her. Her family is waiting at the port for her." Ice man looked at Bob and nodded.

Bob ran out of the room to the medical bay.

He was so scared.