Top Gun Rooster

Chapter 7: The Cave

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

"The Cave" - Mumford and Sons

Bradley's phone was buzzing while he was talking to Penny in the waiting room. He glanced at his phone. It was Hangman. Hangman calling him. That was strange. Hangman usually texted him.

"Can I meet you at the house?" Bradley asked Penny in response to her question about coming over for dinner.

"Sure, see you in a half-hour to an hour?" Penny asked.

"Sounds good."

Bradley tapped the answer button on his phone as he walked out of the waiting area.

"Hey Jake," he said, and his distress over Maverick didn't stop the tingle he got when he said Jake's name. "What's up?"

"Hey Roos," Jake replied, "Everything okay? You took off like a bat out of hell after talking to Cyclone, and you looked like something was going on."

Bradley's phone pinged.

[Payback] What was that all about?

That's what I was thinking, thought Bradley, but he realized after a moment that Reuben was referring to his meeting with Cyclone, whereas Bradley was thinking about Hangman's unexpected sensitivity. There was a caring guy under all that bluster.

"Hello?" Jake's voice said from his phone.

He quickly told Jake about Pete, trying to keep his voice steady, trying to keep from showing how much it affected him.

"Pete's going to be okay," Jake stated confidently, "he's too tough to let this get to him."

Although Bradley didn't know if this was true, it was nice to hear the words. "What are you doing tonight?" Jake asked.

"I told Penny that I'd have dinner with her. I'm heading over now."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then," Jake said, in a tone that was half a question. "Unless you want company tonight."

"I'm not sure how late I'm going to be at Penny's, but see you tomorrow? I'm going to need to know what happened during the debriefing."

"Yeah, you do. You did good, though."

Somehow, even though not much was said, talking to Jake made him feel a little better. Pete might still be in bad shape, but he felt that he could see hope instead of just the darkness. He didn't realize how closed-in he had felt until after those few words from Jake. Those words didn't seem like anything special, but it was then that the world came back. He saw what was around him again, and he saw the greenery, the palm trees and the sky. He heard the traffic again. He looked both ways before crossing the road in the parking lot to get back to his car.

Amelia answered the door when Bradley rung the doorbell. "Hi Bradley, come on in. Mom said you'd be coming by." Since he had been spending time with Pete the last few months, Amelia was familiar with Bradley.

"Thanks," Bradley said, stepping up the few steps.

"Mom's in the kitchen," she said, leading the way, even though Bradley was familiar with the house. "How's the flying?" Amelia asked.