Reverie 》Bob Floyd

Chapter 4

The next morning, the real training begins.

"Good morning aviators, this is your captain speaking," Maverick starts off. The group had split into teams and one by one they were all going up against him.

"We're gonna do some basic fighter maneuvers. As briefed, today's exercise is dog fighting, guns only, no missiles. We do not go below the hard deck of 5000 feet, working as a team you have to shoot me down, or else," he trails off, not quite sure how to finish his thought.

Never one to back down, Payback asks, "Or else what sir?"

"Or else I shoot back," Maverick replies. "If I shoot either one of you down, you both lose."

Listening over the radio Phoenix and Bob look at each other while Hangman is playing with a model toy jet. "This guy needs an ego check." (Says the man with the biggest ego in the room.) 

"We'll see to that," two other aviators say, over by the Foosball table.

Back in the air, Payback has a proposition. "What do you say we put some skin in the game?"

"What do you have in mind?" Maverick asks. 

"Whoever gets shot down first has to do two hundred pushups," Payback proposes.

Rooster, knowing exactly what Maverick is like, tries to get them back on task and focusing. "Guys." He does not feel like losing. Again.

Maverick, flying directly below the pair of planes, replies. "That's a lot of pushups." He doesn't sound worried at all.

"Well they don't call it exercise for nothing sir," Fanboy replies cheekily.

"You've got yourselves a deal gentlemen," Maverick confirms. "Fight's on, let's turn and burn." He stops talking, gets into position, and aims straight for the other planes.

"Fanboy, you see him?" Payback calls out to his back seater.

He shakes his head, not seeing anything. "Nothing on the radar up ahead, he must be somewhere behind us."

Maverick comes right up between the two jets, Rooster going one way while Payback and Fanboy go the other.

All the others hear over the radio is:
"Jeez."
"Oh God."
"Shit."

All three men swear simultaneously. 

"Alright Maverick, let's try not to get fired on the first day," he says to himself. He flies around the others, confusing them as to where he is.

"Tally, tally, tally!" Fanboy calls out as he spots Maverick. "Break left!" he tells Payback as Maverick flies up from behind them.

"Breaking left," Payback confirms.

As he tries to lock in on them, Maverick questions, "Hey there, where's your wingman?"

"Rooster, where are you?" Payback calls out.

"I've got your back," Rooster answers. "I'll be there soon, hang in there, hang in there."

"Come on man, hurry up," Payback calls out as Maverick gets closer.

"Break right," Rooster calls out.

"Breaking right," Payback confirms.

"Rooster may have saved your lives, but it's gonna cost him," Maverick says trying to lock onto Rooster's plane. 

"Not this time old man," Rooster says angrily. Rooster dives down, taking them both lower.

"Rooster you're too low, pull up!" Payback informs him. "You're hitting the hard deck."