Call Back {Top Gun Maverick - Completed}

5: Dogfight

The engines of the fighter jets roared to life. The pilots were going to start doing some dogfighting practice hops. Hennessey stood next to her plane, double-checking that everything
was ready for take off. She walked to the other side of her plane, seeing Vulture and Rooster walking towards their aircraft.

“Rooster. Vulture,” Maverick called out. The twins kept walking, ignoring him.

“Bradley! Brandie!” Maverick continued, and the two sets of steps faltered. It was barely noticeable, and Maverick noticed it.

“Lieutenent Bradshaw!” Maverick yelled. The two stopped. Hennessey saw Phoenix and Bob opposite of her. Natasha was crouched down next to her plane. The pilot and WSO were also
staring at the unfolding scene. The twins turned around, staring at the captain.

“Yes, sir,” Bradley responded, while Brandie stayed quiet.

“Let’s not do it like this,” Maverick said, his voice much lower than earlier.

“You gonna wash us out?” Brandie asked, glaring at him from behind her aviators.

“That’ll be up to both of you, not me,” Maverick answered.

“Are we dismissed?” Bradley asked, tired of having to talk to Maverick.

The few people watching couldn't hear any more of the conversation, already struggling to hear it over the jets. Phoenix and Hennessey made eye contact, watching the twins walk to their respective planes.

Brandie was Rebecca’s WSO while Rooster was on his own. Hennessey made eye contact with Hangman from across the way. Hennessey shrugged, going back to finish checking her plane.

Maverick looked slightly heartbroken as he watched the twins walk away before glancing at Hennessey. If it was over the twins or something else entirely,
Hennessey could not tell. He turned around and walked to his fighter jet.

The first group going up against Maverick was Fanboy and Payback with Rooster. The rest of the pilots were in the lounge, waiting for their turns against their instructor. Natasha, Bob, Brandie, Rebecca, Evelyn, and Hennessey crowded the radio on the bar.

It had been set up for them to listen to the ones in the air, listening to it like a baseball game was playing on it. The rest of the pilots either played pool or sat on the couches. One of the pilots brought a small speaker, playing “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who.

“Good morning aviators. This is your captain speaking. Welcome to basic fighting maneuvers,” Maverick greeted over the comms and radio, “As briefed, today’s exercise is dogfighting. Guns only, no missiles. We do not go below the hard deck of five thousand feet. Working as a team you have to shoot me down, or else.”

“Or else what, sir?” Reuben asked through the comms.

“Or else, I shoot back. If I shoot either one of you down, you both lose,” Mav answered. Bob gave Natasha a worried look. She gave him a reassuring smirk. Evelyn and Hennessey clenched their jaws slightly.

“This guy needs an ego check,” Hangman said, observing a miniature model jet.

“We’ll see to that,” One of the other pilots said, giving another pilot a high-five.

“Sir, what you say we put some skin in the game?” Payback questioned. Marilyn and Icarus looked down, shaking their heads. Knowing Payback, this would not be good.

“What do you have in mind?” Maverick asked, wanting to know what he was about to get himself into first.

“Whoever gets shot down first has to do two hundred push-ups,” Payback answered. Fanboy grinned behind him. Hennessey’s eyes widened, of course, Mickey and Reuben would make th deal be an extreme number of push-ups.

“Guys, that’s a lot of push-ups,” Maverick responded, clipping his oxygen mask over his face.

“Well they don’t call it an exercise for nothing, sir,” Fanboy replied.

“You got yourself a deal, gentlemen,” Maverick answered, securing the offer in place.

“God damn it, Reuben,” Hennessey muttered at the radio, knowing that there was no backing out of the deal now.

“Fights on, let’s turn and burn!”

The group around the radio listened intently, wondering what was happening up there. They all remained quiet, besides the group playing pool and the song in the background. The sun shone through the long windows.

“Fanboy, you see him?” Rooster asked, it was the first time he had spoken over the comms since he got in the jet.

“Nothing on the radar up ahead,” Fanboy responded, “He must be somewhere behind us.”