Atlas: A Top Gun: Maverick Fanfiction

Chapter 27: The Reconciliation

A/N: Me being generous and giving you ANOTHER chapter right before class? I guess it's kinda on brand. Have a treat and let me know what you think!

It was early—way too early to be awake. But to be fair, they had barely slept the night before. "You should sleep in. You know, to counteract the pneumonia I'm sure we're both going to get," Jake murmured against her collarbone.

She let out a slight whine, glancing to the side at the time. "One of these days, we're going to be able to wake up at the same time, you know that?"

"But today is not that day," Jake pressed a kiss to her shoulder and then his gaze landed on the bruises on her knuckles. "What, did you get in a fight with someone?"

"The floor, actually." Kelsey deadpanned.

Jake just shook his head at her. "You've got a friggin' good right hook. But that doesn't mean you should be punching the floor."

"Well yesterday was...something else," Kelsey admitted, finally sitting up and looking at him seriously.

In the dim light of morning, Jake thought that Kelsey looked something akin to a goddess. Bathed in dim sunlight and bared, she had never been more beautiful to him.

"I do mean what I said last night. I'm sorry," Jake breathed out, eyes never straying from her. "I'll do better."

"You better." Kelsey retorted pointedly. "So you and my brother—"

"Ugh, that's the worst start to a sentence either."

"I'm well aware." Kelsey deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "You're really getting along?"

"That's....kind of a stretch. We're in a temporary alliance for you." Jake explained, waving in her direction. "Though if he sees those hickies, he might hit me again."

"That would be warranted." Kelsey couldn't help the slight grin on her face. "Promise me you'll play nice today?"

He knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Bambi, I swear to God that I will be as charming as I can be today."

"Not sure if that's worse." Kelsey said, hands tracing over his hands. "But I will take it as a win. But so help me Jake Seresin, if you ever pull this kind of shit again, I won't hesitate to dump your ass."

"Noted."

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"We have one week left to focus on Phase 2. It's the most difficult stage in the mission. It's a pop-up strike with a deep dive requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles. Two pairs of f-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Teamwork; precise coordination of these aircrafts is essential to both the mission's success and your survival. As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. On final approach, you'll invert directly into a steep dive. This allows you to maintain the lowest altitude possible and the only possible attack angle. Your target is an impact point that is less than three meters wide. The two-seat aircraft will paint the target with a laser bullseye. The first pair will breach the reactor by dropping a laser-guided bomb on an exposed ventilation hatch. This will create an opening for the second pair. That's miracle number one."

"The second team will deliver the kill shot and destroy the target. That's miracle number two. If either team misses the target, the mission is a failure. Egress is a steep high-g climbout to avoid hitting this mountain." Maverick continued.

Jake's gaze was locked onto the screen, concern shooting through his bones. "A steep climb at that speed, you're pulling at least 8 g's."

"Nine, minimum." Maverick corrected quickly.