Call Back {Top Gun Maverick - Completed}

7: Altitude

Hangman, Rooster, Phoenix, and Vulture watched from the window as Maverick did his push-ups. Icarus and Maneater walked into the lounge, causing almost everyone to look at them. Maneater went towards the radio, grabbing her water from earlier. Phoenix and the twins walked over and patted them on the shoulder in congratulations. Hangman looked over his shoulder at Hennessey and Evelyn as he walked out of the lounge. It was, once again, his turn to go up in the air. Rooster slowly followed after him, after giving a quick 'congrats' to the two women.

"Don't let him get to you," Brandie said before Bradley left.

Hennessey chugged her water, thankful for the fact that the lounge was much cooler than the cockpit of the jets. Rooster and Hangman were finally up in the air, which meant that Mav finished his push-ups. But that also meant a lot of pent up emotions and hostility between Rooster and Maverick but also Rooster and Hangman.

"So, Rooster, mind if I ask you a personal question?" Hangman asked. Phoenix and Icarus shared a knowing look. Whatever he was going to ask was only going to frustrate Rooster.

"Would it matter if I did?" Rooster questioned back, sounding uninterested in where the conversation was headed.

"What's the story with you, your sister, and Maverick? It seems like he's got both of you rattled," Hangman said, ignoring the fact that he was likely crossing lines.

"That's none of your business. Now where the hell is he?" Rooster asked, ending and changing the topic. Out of the corner of her eyes, Hennessey saw Brandie nod in agreement.

"Been here the whole time," Maverick stated. Whatever he had down startled both men greatly.

"Holy shit..." Hangman whispered into his comm, he sounded both amazed and starstruck. It was the quietest Hennessey had heard Hangman since she met him the evening before.

"See me now?" Maverick questioned. He must have suddenly appeared for him to ask that and startle the men that much.

"Fight's on!" Rooster shouted through the comm on his oxygen mask. Bob quickly turned the radio down some. Brandie looked beyond pissed off at this point as she got up and stood by the window.

"What is up with these two?" Hangman asked to no one in particular. Marilyn walked away, so that she could stand next to her WSO.

Hennessey watched them for a moment before looking at Phoenix. At one point, back during their academy days, Brandie and Bradley had told Natasha and Hennessey about Maverick. And they're reasoning for hating him, but Hennessey had locked that in a dark corner of her mind. She had felt it wasn't her place to know the reasoning and so she forgot.

Heavy breathing from both Rooster and Maverick's comms were the only sounds coming from the radio. No one back in the lounge knew what was going on out there.

"All right, you put us here. How you gonna etc yourself out?" Maverick asked Rooster.

"You can bail out any time," Bradley stated. He still sounded furious, which Nat and Hennessey both knew couldn't be a good thing.

"How low do you want to go, Rooster?"

That made Brandie turn around and walk back to her previous spot. Mickey and Reuben looked at the other Bradshaw twin, worry clouded their eyes. But was gone as soon as it was visible. Evelyn gave a comforting squeeze to Brandie.

"I can go as low as you, sir! And that's saying something," Rooster answered. Phoenix sighed in annoyance, Maneater knew that Rooster was going to get chewed out by at least Nat.

"What's past is past. For both of us," Maverick stated. That was the nail in the coffin for Hennessey to know exactly what was bothering Brandie and Bradley so much.

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" Rooster snapped back.

"Hard deck is five-thousand feet, fellas. You are running out of room," Hangman interrupted. Hennessey crossed her arms, she was definitely going to join Natasha in going off on Bradley.

"Your strategy is about to run us into the ground. What's your move?" Maverick asked.

"Altitude. Altitude. Altitude. Altitude. Altitude. Altitude," The automated of both aircrafts warned. The men grunted, ignoring the warnings.

"Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up!" The automated voice exclaimed, before the radio went silent. The automated voice was gone, which meant one of two potential outcomes. Either they crashed into something, or they finally pulled up and out of whatever Rooster dug them into.

Everyone around the radio remained quiet, wanting to hear the next words spoken. Vulture, Phoenix, Icarus, and Marilyn were inwardly panicking. Fanboy wrapped his arm around Maneater's shoulders, ready to bring her into a hug if she needed it. Maneater clenched her jaw as she sucked in a deep breath.

"You got it. Don't think, just do," Maverick whispered to himself, having muted his comm.

"Come on, Rooster, you got him! Drop down and take the shot!" Hangman shouted.

Everyone at the radio immediately relaxed. Maverick and Rooster hadn't crashed. Hennessey let out the breath as Mickey hugged her tightly. Hennessey returned it, though not as tight as Mickey had been. Their friend and instructor where alright.

"It's too low," Rooster said. He was being his same old self, although Hennessey would never outwardly admit it, especially in front of his twin sister.

"Too late. You had your chance," Maverick mumbled, Evelyn and Natasha having to decipher for the rest of them. Silence followed.

"That's a kill. Knock it off."

"Damn it!" Rooster exclaimed, Maverick had got him.

"Same old Rooter," Hangman said. As much as Hennessey and Evelyn disliked the cocky, blonde pilot, he unfortunately was right. Rooster was being his same old self, waiting for the 'perfect' moment to take the shot that wouldn't come.

"Go see Hondo about your push-ups," Maverick stated.

Only after Rooster was back and had finished three fourths of his assigned push-ups, did Phoenix, Icarus, and Maneater join him outside. Vulture had gone out to be with him as soon as the fighter jet had landed but returned to the lounge to watch from the window and whisper to Marilyn.

"All right, that's enough. Rooster. That's enough, man," Hondo said, trying to get the lieutenant to stop. Rooster only grunted and continued on. Hondo awkwardly walked away, giving up trying to get him to stop.

He grunted a few more times, a few loose tears mixing into his sweat. He finally stopped and sat up. He had his head hung down, so that no one could see his face if they passed him. The three women stopped in front of him, either crouching or sitting on the hot tarmac.

"Breaking the hard deck, insubordination. Are you trying to get kicked out?" Natasha asked, being rather blunt with him.

"Don't worry about it," Bradley muttered.

"Look, the three of us are going on this mission-" Evelyn stated, not getting to finish her thought.

"But if you get kicked out, you leave us flying with Hangman," Nat finished for the blonde woman.

"Talk to me. What the hell was that?" Hennessey asked, her tone was a lot softer than the other two but still held the same concern and frustration.

"He pulled my papers."

"What? Who?" Natasha asked.

That had thrown all three women off. Sure they knew Maverick and the twins had history, hell he flew with their father. But for Maverick to pull Bradley and possibly Brandie's papers, that was nothing they were expecting to hear.

"Maverick. He pulled my application to the naval academy. Brandie's too. Set us back four years," Bradley explained better.

Hennessey furrowed her eyebrows, she was going to talk to Maverick about that next time he was at the bar or at her mother's house. Why would he do that?

"Why would he do that?" Evelyn asked the question that the other two were also thinking. Incoming jets roared in the distance.