𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮 || 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 {1}

~𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟~

"Time is your greatest enemy." All the pilots who has been called back to TOPGUN sat in a room as Maverick spoke. "Phase One of the mission will be on a low-level ingress attacking in two-plane teams. You'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target. Radar-guided surface-to-air missiles defend the area. These SAMs, they're lethal. But they were designed to protect the skies above, not the canyon below." Elaina tensed as Pete spoke the work lethal. She couldn't bare the thought of not coming home to her son. Katrina placed her hand over Elaina's, its like she could read Elaina's mind. "That's because the enemy knows no one is insane enough to try and fly below them." Rooster spoke, confidently. "That's exactly what I'm going to train you to do." Bradley's gaze met Elaina's. It's like he knew she didn't need to go on a mission as deadly as this one. "On the day, your altitude will be 100 feet... Maximum." Everyone in the room exchanged looks. People began to think Maverick might actually be insane. "You exceed this altitude... Radar will spot you and you're dead. Your airspeed will be 660 knots.. minimum." Now people were moving in their seats as they thought of how crazy this plan sounded. Elaina even saw a glimpse of Payback shaking his head at his partner, Fanboy. "Time to target: two and a half minutes. That's because fifth-generation fighters wait at an air base nearby. In a head-to-head with these planes in your F-18, you're dead." Now even Elaina was second guessing if she really wanted to be back at TOPGUN again as Pete continued to mutter to word dead. "That's why you need to get in, hit your target and be gone before these planes even have a chance of catching you. This makes time your greatest adversary."

"You'll fly a route in your navy system that stimulates the canyon. The faster you navigate this canyon, the harder it'll be to stay under the radar if these enemy SAMs. The tighter the turns, the more intensely the force of gravity on your body multiples compressing your lungs forcing the blood from your brain.. impairing your judgement and reaction time. So for today's lesson, were gonna take it easy on you. Max ceiling: 300 feet. Time to target: 3 minutes." Once again, everyone exchanged looks with their partners. "Good luck."

First up was Coyote, Phoenix, and Bob.

Elaina could hear how they struggled to breathe through coms. "Time to target is one minute-thirty. We are you seconds behind. Increase speed to 480 knots." Bob said. "We got to move, Coyote." Elaina chewed at the nails on her fingers. "Copy. Increasing speed." A moment of silence went by before you hear "oh, shit!"

"Why are they dead?" Maverick asked. "We broke the 300-foot ceiling and a SAM took us out." Phoenix answered. "No. Why are they dead?" Maverick asked Coyote specifically. "I slowed down and didn't give her a warning. It was my fault." Coyote spoke. "Was there a reason you didn't communicate with your team?" Maverick asked. "I was focusing on-" Maverick cut him off as he spoke. "One that their family will accept at the funeral." Coyote shifted in his seat. "No sir." Maverick then turned to Phoenix. "Why didn't you anticipate the turn? You were briefed on the terrain." Before Phoenix could say a word, he looked at Bob. "Don't tell me. Tell it to his family." Phoenix glanced at Bob who didn't say a word.

Next up, Hangman, Fanboy, and Payback.

"Hangman, ease up. The canyon's getting tighter." Payback said. "Negative, Payback. Increase your speed." Hangman demanded. "You're going to fast, man." Payback warned him. "No harm in being ahead of schedule." Hangman continued to do as he pleased. "Damn it, slow down! I can't stay on the course!" Payback yelled at Hangman. "You're gonna hit the wall! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out!"

"What happened?" Maverick asked. "I flew as fast as I could. Kind of like my ass depended on it." Elaina couldn't help but shake her head at her friends words. "And.. you out your team in danger and your wingman's dead." Rooster said. "They could keep up."

Next up, Rooster, Hurricane, and Rookie

"Rooster, were 20 seconds behind and dropping." Rookie told him. "We're fine. Speed is good." Rookie shook her head. "Increasing to 500 knots." She said. "Negative, Rookie. Hold your speed." Rookie began to be irritated. "Rooster, we're late!" She yelled at him. "We're alive. We'll make up time in the straightaway." He told her. "We are not going to make it, Roost." She insisted. "Just trust me. Maintain your speed. We can make it."

"Why are you dead?" Rooster shifted in his seat. "You're team leader up there. Why are you, why is your team dead?" Rookie looked away from her hands and at her teacher. "All due respect sir, but we're the only team here that made it to the target." She said to him. "A minute late. He gave enemy aircraft time to shoot him down. He is dead." Rooster shook his head. "You don't know that." All of a sudden Hangman speaks up. "You're not flying fast enough. You don't have a second to wait." He said to Rooster. "We made it to the target." Rookie spoke, defending her team leader. Although she didn't agree at first, her team is the only one that reached their goal and made it to the target. "And superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out." Maverick said. "Then it's a dogfight." Hurricane finally spoke. "Against fifth-generation fighters." Maverick said making himself very clear. "Yeah. We'd still have a chance."

"In an F-18." Maverick said. "It's not the plane, sir. It's the pilot." Rooster said raising his voice. "Exactly!" Silence filled the room and you could cut the tension with a knife. For a moment, not a single word was spoken. "There's more than one way to fly this mission." Rooster said. "You really don't get it." Hangman spoke. "On this mission, a man flies like Maverick here, or a man does not come back." Hangman moves his gaze to Phoenix. "No offense intended." Rookie was so tempted to get up from her seat and slap the living shit out of Jake for him comment towards her friend. "Yet somehow, you always manage." Bob said, defending his partner. "Look, I don't mean to criticize. You're conservative, that's all." Hangman said to Rooster. Rookie felt maybe Hangman had completely forgotten that she could hear every word he was saying. "Lieutenant." Rooter shifted in his seat. "We're going into combat, son, on a level no living pilot has ever seen." Hangman looked at Maverick. "Not even him." Maverick seemed shocked by this pilots words. And so did Rookie. She was a lost for words. "That's no time to be thinking about the past." Hangman looked directly at Rooster. It was silent for a second before Rooster spoke again. "What's that supposed to mean?" Rooster said, encouraging Hangman to speak more. "Bradley." Rookie spoke, being serious enough to call him out of his callsign. "I can't be the only one who knows that Maverick flew with his old man." Rookie stood from her seat. "Jake, that's enough." She knew exactly where he was going with this. "Or that Maverick was flying with his old man when he-" Rooster didn't hesitate to stand from his seat and throw himself towards Hangman pushing him towards the wall. "That's enough!" Maverick yelled. Rookie rushed over and tried to make her way in the middle of all the pilots. "You son of a bitch!" She finally broke through and stood in front of Rooster. "Hey! Hey, look at me!" She yelled at him. Slowly his gaze met hers. "He's not cut out for this mission. You know it." Hangman said. Rookie turned to the disgusting boy she called a brother so so many years. She lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. Hurricane stood next to her covering her mouth in shock at the sudden contact. "You are pathetic, Jake. Last time I checked, he cared about the team he was leading and didn't leave them for dead! That automatically makes him a better pilot than you'll ever be. And for you to bring up his past with Maverick? To bring up his own father? That's anothr level of low, Jake. Even for you." Jake looked at the girl he called and sister and didn't know what to say. "Don't ever contact me outside of work, again. And you can forget about seeing my son anytime soon." Jake shook his head. "You know I'm right. Don't let your feelings for him cloud your judgement on who's the better fit for team leader." He avoided eye contact with the two women he grew up with as he walked out of the room. "You're all dismissed."

Everyone walked out of the room. Elaina followed loosely behind Bradley. "You don't have to follow me, I'm fine." Bradley spoke. "I'm not following because of that." He stopped and turned to the girl who had defended him. "I want to take you somewhere." Elaina told him. "Take me where?" A smile formed across her face. "I want you to come with me to get Levi a dog." He laughed and her smile faded. "Oh, your serious?" She nodded. "Oh. Uh, sure, I guess. But why?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Katrina's gonna spend all her time trying to understand why Jake did what he did, and Natasha and Bob seem to have a little thing going on. Your my last hope before I go ask Pete." He chuckled. "Let's get this show on the road then, shall we?"

°•°•°•°

word count:
A/n: 1676
What exactly do you think will happen between Jake and Elaina? I mean he pushed her buttons and Bradley's. Maybe even Katrina's.
But besides that, at least Bradley and Elaina are getting closer!!