TP:M - | REDEMPTION | (Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x Male OC)

-| 01 |-

—|—^—|—
-| ONE |-
-•-•-•-

-| MOJAVE DESERT |-

"Perfect hit! Mission accomplished!"

"Let's turn and burn!"

"RPG!"

"We're going down! I repeat,
we are going down!"

"Ambush!"

"Fuck!"

"Fuck! They're everywhere!"

"We cant hold them off!"

"Ghost, I've been hit!"

"No, stay with me!"

"Ghost, I don't want to die...
I don't want to go, please.
Please, Marcus."

-[ ••• ]-

MARCUS: "Ahhhhhhh! Fuck!"

He bursts awake with sweat dripping down his chest and back. He wakes rapidly every morning due to his constant nightmares. He reaches over for Natasha in the hopes she'd be there to comfort him but then quickly remembers they've been apart for months.

His severe PTSD is the reason why he is no longer a pilot, he has trouble with day to day tasks as everything sets off his trauma. He has to take several different medications to help calm him and to aid him when needed but he feels valuable having to rely on pills to make him better.

Marcus can never get those traumatic memories out of his head and what he's been through. He is constantly being reminded of what he did and the many men he's taken away from a loving family... even taking another man's loving family away from him.

Marcus sits up and is met by a big wet kiss, thanks to his pitbull rescue, Ace. Marcus immediately laughs and smiles from his service dog's best attempt to make his owner feel safe and comfortable. Marcus was hesitant about getting a service dog at first simply because he didn't want to believe he was so far gone that he needed one. But now, the pair are beyond inseparable. Penny was the one to convince her son to get Ace.

MARCUS: "Thank you, Ace. You're such a good boy."

Marcus gives Ace behind the ear scratches and belly rubs before his door is swung open.

PETE: "Marc?! You ok?!" he asked frantically.

Marcus was startled by the sudden entry of Maverick but he quickly calmed down. He couldn't deny he appreciated the care his father has shown him.

MARCUS: "Yeah, I ah..."

PETE: "Nightmare?"

MARCUS: "Yeah." he said looking down, embarrassed.

Pete walks in and sits on the edge of his son's bed.

PETE: "Hey, they'll never go away... but you must learn to block them out."

MARCUS: "How?"

PETE: "I'll teach you. Come on, let's go." He said shuffling his feet as he lightly jogged out of the room.