I Know You ~ J.Seresin

49

"Dagger Two?" the words rang in her mind as she sobbed in Hondo's arms. Both Cyclone and Warlock stood there uncomfortably. They too wanted to console the grieving woman, but they were not in the right to do so. Especially Cyclone for that matter. That man was the last person Tate wanted to console her right now.

Tate's breath was filled with sobs. Her body was shaking. Her eyes were tired. Tate full-heartedly believed that her best friend and the last man that was a father figure to her were now gone.

But.

Over back in the snow, a certain pilot had watched Bradley's dumb decision and watched his jet get struck down by a SAM.

"No, no, no," The jet crashes into the snow, erupting in flames. The team leader ran through the snow as he watched a parachute fall slowly to the snow, with no motion from the pilot who hung from it.

Maverick's heart sank at the sight of it, giving him flashbacks to Goose.

Maverick makes his way through the trees and the snow and finally winds up on the man who had turned back from his team to save him.

Bradley was detangling himself from his parachute as Maverick ran to him. "Are you all right?" Maverick calls. Bradley smiles at his face.

"Yeah, I'm good. Are you all right?"

Maverick frowns as he pushes Bradley down into the snow. He breathes heavily as he watches the man fall over.

Bradley's smile turns into a frown as he looks up at Maverick from the snow. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Bradley asks the man confused as he stands

"You think I took that missile so you could be down here with me? You should be back on the carrier by now!" Maverick yells as he watches Bradley stand.

How could this idiot come back? He did what he did for a reason!

"I saved your life!" Bradley yells back at the man frowning. You'd think Maverick would be more thankful.

"I saved your life. That's the whole point. What the hell were you even thinking?"

"You told me not to think!"

Maverick was stumped by the man's words. He wasn't wrong. He did tell Bradley to not think, just do, so in a sense, he listened to him.

But just on that one part.

Bradley nods at the man and throws his arms up.

He told him not to think!

They both stand there, staring at each other, panting trying to figure out what to do next.

Back on the carrier, Jake sits in the cockpit of his jet as the two fox trot teams arrive back now.

"All reserved aviators, you may exit your cockpits," calls out one of the ABEs on the taxiway.

Jake stands in his cock pit, throwing his helmet down on his seat as he jumps out of the cock pit and begins to make his way back inside the carrier.

"Hangman!" Natasha yells as she and Javy chase after the man. He ignores them making his way into the carrier.

"Jake!"

He continued inside as the two others followed him in. Jake raced through the narrow hallways of the carrier, trying to make his way to the control room where he knew Tate was.

"Jake!" Javy yells as he grabs the man's shoulder and turns him around. Jake frowns as he looks at him.

"I have to get to her! Bradshaw told me to take care of her,"