Call Back {Top Gun Maverick - Completed}

6: Maneater

Rebecca and Brandie walked to their plane, they were going to fly up with Coyote. It was the first time the two women had gotten to fly together in almost a year. It was also the first time
having Coyote as their wingman. The planes were off, coasting through the sky. Everyone was on the lookout for Maverick. Brandie turned in her seat, not seeing anything on the radar.

“Talk to me, Vulture,” Marilyn said.

“Nothing on radar so far. I don’t see him anywhere behind us yet, either,” Vulture relayed. The group at the radio glanced at each other.

“This can’t be good,” Evelyn quietly spoke.

“Come on Brandie, you got this. Kick his butt,” Rooster said to the radio. He couldn't get Mav out, but maybe his sister could.

“Tally! Tally! Tally! Mav is behind us. Closing in! Coyote, break left! Marilyn break right!” Vulture’s panicked voice crackled through the radio.

“Breaking left! Breaking right!” Both pilots called out, turning the aircraft in their respective directions. Silence followed.

“Lights out, Coyote!” Maverick’s voice broke the split moment of silence.

“Copy kill,” Coyote responded, heading back to the tarmac.

“Lost your wingman, ladies. That’s gonna cost you,” Maverick said, now focused on the WSO and pilot duo.

“Not if I can help it,” Rebecca replied.

“Who does she think she is?” Hangman questioned, getting up from the couch and standing around the radio with the others. He had experienced his own personal hell when he went against the captain alone. Rooster and Icarus glared at the cocky blond pilot before looking back at the radio.

“Break left!” Brandie exclaimed.

“Breaking left!”

Rebecca broke left, Mav following the aircraft. Rebecca began to spiral upwards for a few hundred feet. Brandie kept looking around, keeping an eye out for Maverick. Finally, Marilyn leveled out, Mav appearing behind her a few moments later.

“He’s still on us, Marilyn! Shake him off!” Vulture shouted. Hennessey furrowed her brows, trying to figure out what they were doing. The WSO and pilot seemed to be doing good so far, surviving longer than half of the other pilots.

"I'm trying to, Vulture!"

Marilyn suddenly hit the break, bringing the nose of the plane up into a cobra maneuver. As expected, Maverick flew past, only for him to turn around a few hundred feet away. Vulture’s harsh breathing filled the radio.

“What the hell was that?” She breathed out.

“That usually works! He’s on our nose!” Rebecca panicked, bringing the nose of the aircraft
down this time.

She was entering a knife-edge spin. Thankfully that broke Maverick off of them for the moment. Marilyn swung the plane around, heading nose-to-nose with Maverick. She was struggling to get weapons locked onto his aircraft. She broke left so the planes wouldn’t collide. Maverick trailed her, trying to get his weapons locked on her. Finally, beeping echoed throughout the pilot and WSO’s headsets.

Brandie popped her oxygen mask and hung her head in defeat. She wanted to beat Maverick, for her and her brother. Sweat dripped from her eyebrow. Rebecca and Brandie made a great team and gave a hard fight.

“That’s a kill,” Maverick announced.

“Copy that, sir,” Marilyn said.

“Defense Department regrets to inform you that your girls died because they lost their wingman immediately,” Vulture commented, unknowingly referencing her father. Phoenix and Rooster smiled at Vulture’s comment.

Coyote had almost finished his push-ups by the time Marilyn and Vulture landed. Rooster watched his sister from the window as Evelyn and Hennessey finally got their turn for a hop.

The two flew in a close-wing position, watching around them for any sign of Maverick.

“Fight’s on!” Maverick declared, flying above and past the two pilots. Maneater and Icarus extended their speed, trying to catch up. Hennessey flew under while Evelyn flew diagonally to Maverick.

“Leaving your wingman too, Maneater?” Maverick questioned, seeing Icarus behind him but not Maneater.

“Watch it, you two,” Phoenix mumbled to the radio, back inside the lounge, glaring at Hangman. Hangman ignored the comment. Rebecca and Brandie entered the lounge, they had finally finished with their round of two hundred push-ups.

“Oh, on the contrary, sir,” Maneater answered.

Maneater came out from under Mav’s plane. She rose to be level with him and Icarus before she went over Maverick. Maneater had put her fighter jet in an inverted negative 4G dive. Maverick stared up at the Benjamin woman in shock. That was a trick he used to do with Goose.

“Icarus, you know what to do,” Maneater said, before moving her plane to be vertical.

Icarus hummed in acknowledgment, knowing what her best friend meant. The canopy of her plane was level with the wings of Pete’s aircraft. Icarus suddenly flew past, rising higher into the sky. Icarus and Maverick flew higher and higher into the cerulean blue sky. The sun was causing a harsh glare for both pilots.

Icarus shoved the yoke forward, and the nose of the plane went down. She was in a spiral. Luckily, it was a spin that was easier to recover. Maverick and Maneater flew above her. Then Maverick realized what was going on, but it was too late. Hennessey almost had weapons locked on him. Beeping, eventually, echoed through his helmet, alongside the radio.

“That, sir, I believe is a kill,” Icarus declared. The whole lounge went silent upon the beeping, staring at the radio in amazement. Icarus and Maneater had gotten Maverick out. Bob turned the radio up, so everyone could hear it better.

“Well done,” Maverick said, he sounded amazed at them too.

“Hey, Mav, I believe you have two hundred push-ups waiting for you,” Maneater teased, happy she didn’t have to do them.

The pilots and WSOs went to the windows, watching as three jets were flying back. They watched them land and the canopies open. Large smiles that graced both Icarus and Maneater’s faces were visible as soon as their helmets were off. They hopped out of the jets, the two women embracing. When they broke apart, the two women walked towards Maverick.

“Uncle Mav,” Evelyn called out. Maverick turned around, abruptly ending his conversation with
Hondo.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, so you all can talk,” Hondo excused himself, walking away.

“Evelyn. Maneater. That was remarkable teamwork, good job,” Maverick smiled. Everyone slowly backed away from the windows, except for Marilyn and Hangman.

“Thanks, I’ll have to tell dad later. Speaking of dad, you should come by this weekend, Uncle Mav. Mom’s holding a barbecue since I’m home again, and I know they’ll be so happy to see you. So will Aunt Regina,” Evelyn invited. Hennessey say something flash in Maverick’s eyes when he heard the name Regina.

“I’ll think about it,” Maverick said. Evelyn smiled and nodded, beginning to walk away before she looked at Hennessey.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Eve,” Hennessey said before Evelyn could ask.

“Hennessey,” The Benjamin woman stated, once Evelyn was out of earshot.

“What?”

“Sir, you’re my mother’s ex-boyfriend that comes around sometimes. Amelia’s told me about everything,” Hennessey explained. Maverick nodded, noticing how much Hennessey resembled both him and her mother.

“Hennessey, this is a bit personal, but did you ever know your dad? Like your biological dad?”

The question threw Hennessey off. Why was he so interested in her father? She had always known her father was a naval aviator, as her mother and grandparents never tried to hide it from her. Yet, she never knew her own father.

“Sir, I think you have some push-ups to do,” Hennessey said, changing the topic, “Am I dismissed?”

“Yes, go on,” Maverick said, pulling up the legs of his flight suit. Hondo came back over as Hennessey left and Maverick started his push-ups.