Top Gun: Phantom| Rooster

Chapter 14.

"No, no, no. Don't even think about that", I said and grabbed my car keys.
"What?", Rooster laughed.
"I'm gonna drive us to the base today", I announced and walked to the garage.

I stayed over night at his house.
This used to be on of his dads bungalows and he decided that he wouldn't renovate it, therefore all of the furniture was rather vintage.
But I liked it. It was very cozy.
My favorite part was the soft beige carpet that was all around the house as well as the little white balcony that made a sound with every step you took.

When I woke up today, he had already made breakfast.
He woke up earlier than I did so that he was finished getting ready before I had to.
I could get used to this.

Rooster was a good person. He really was.

"Oh shit", Rooster said as he grabbed the handle because as soon as I drove out of the garage I went all in.
"I hope you don't fly like you drive", he said and I laughed.
It did this on purpose to get revenge for the motorcycle.
"There is a red light, love", he said hysterically.
"You fly a jet but you get scared of a little car?", I mocked him.
"Yes, yes I do", he laughed.

Roosters house was just a few minutes away from the base so the ride wasn't too long.
"yes, still alive" He went over his body with his hands. "Everything still at its place"
I just laughed at him.
I knew he wasn't serious and just tried to make me laugh.

"The ghost and the bird", I heard Hangmans voice. "Who would've thought"
"Knock it off, Batman", I shouted.
He sat on his motorcycle, like he waited for us, just to piss us off.
"Come on, were gonna be late. Don't wanna face Maverick being pissed", Rooster said and took my hand.

I complete forgot about that.
Maverick wasn't here anymore.
We're gonna get a new instructor for the last few days.
The mission was only 3 days away but we would leave the day after tomorrow because we needed some time to get to the county.
"He ain't coming", I answered.
"What?", Rooster asked as he held the door open for me.
"Maverick is not gonna come", I repeated.
"What do you mean?", he looked confused at me.
"You'll see", I replied.

When we sat down the admiral was already in front, ready to start.
"Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor", he greeted everybody.
Not even a good morning. Not a hello.
"And as of today, there are new mission parameters. Time on target is 4 minutes. You'll be entering the valley level at reduced speed: Not to exceed 420 knots", he continued.
"The fuck is he talking about", I heard Rooster whisper.
"Sir, won't we be giving their planes time to intercept?", Bob asked respectfully.
"Well, Lieutenant, you have a chance if you fight against enemy aircrafts. What are the odds of surviving a head-on collision with a mountain?", he asked back.
"That's bullshit", Hangman said. That was the first time I agreed with him.
"You'll be attacking the target from a higher altitude. You'll level with the north wall but it'll avoid the high-G climb out", he explained.

"Sir? Does this mean the past weeks of practicing were for nothing?", I asked.
The admiral didn't bother to answer. He didn't even look at me.
"We'll be sitting ducks for the enemy missiles", I heard Fanboy say to Payback.
He was right.
We wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Suddenly, a single aircraft appeared on the screen and I heard my fathers voice coming out of the speakers.
"Maverick to Range control, entering point alpha. Confirm to range", he said.
"What?", the admiral whispered as he turned to the screen.
"Maverick, range control. Green range is confirmed but sir, I don't see an event scheduled for you", they answered.
"Well, I'm going anyway", he answered and proceeded.

Everyone had their eyes pinned to the screen.

"Setting time to target: Two minutes 15 seconds", he said and the time on target appeared on the screen.
That was faster than we needed to be. 15 seconds faster to be exact.
"damn it, Mitchell", the admiral shouted and took a few steps back to see what Maverick was up to.

That was the Maverick I knew.

He never followed the rules.

He mastered the low- level ingress with perfection. Phase one was done.
He was good in time.
But because he was alone, both miracles were on him.
"Come on, dad", I whispered as he started the laser on the target.
"Shot fired", Maverick said and started the high G-climb out.

I couldn't take my eyes of the screen to see if he hit the target.
"Bullseye! Holy shit", Bob cheered and jumped off his seat when Maverick hit the target.
"Yes", Rooster said and clapped into his hands.
"Guess you might have to rethink your decisions admiral", I said but he wouldn't look at me.

I'd be embarrassed if I were him.

My dad really showed them how its done.