When Bradley and Brandi entered the debriefing room, all eyes turned to them. Where normally they were the first to arrive, today they were last. They might have gotten to the base earlier had the morning not been interrupted by the many kisses Bradley scattered all over Brandi. Not that she was complaining, she could get used to being woken up by his adoration for her.
Coyote shifted in his seat, smirking. "You guys look-' He cleared his throat "Tired."
Brandi pointed a finger at him. "Don't." She and Bradley slipped into their seats behind Phoenix and Bob, and she met Jake's gaze, the hurt in his eyes shook her. Her attention was ripped from him when Phoenix turned in her chair.
"I was wondering where you two ran off to last night. Nice to see that you grew a pair, Roost."
Bradley groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If another word is uttered about Brandi or myself, I think I might strangle someone."
Thankfully, he didn't have to follow through on his threat. The door swung open and Cyclone, Warlock, and Maverick walked in, all wearing grim expressions.
The aviators glanced around and sat up straighter just as Warlock took his place at the podium, all formalities forgotten. Whatever he had to share was urgent.
"Good morning. The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days' time. As a result, your mission has been moved up one week to avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation."
Brandi's heart plummeted. That would only give them mere days, there was no way anyone would come back alive if they continued with the way things were going. She shared a look with Bradley, who seemed just as concerned, but he gras[ed her hand, trying to reassure her.
"Sir, no one here has flown a low-level course," Coyote said, voicing everyone else's concern.
"Nevertheless, you've been ordered to move on." Warlock turned to Maverick. "Captain." He stepped aside, letting Mav take his spot.
"We have one week to focus on phase Two. It's the most difficult stage of the mission. It's a pop-up strick with a steep 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 aircraft 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 possible altitude and the only possible attack angle. Your target is an impact point 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."
Brandi could feel the anxiety thicken in the room.
Mav carried on. "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 climb out to avoid hitting this mountain."
"A steep climb at that speed, you're pulling at least eight G's," said Jake.
"Nine. Minimum," Maverick corrected.
"The stress limit of the F-18s' airframe is 7.5," Rooster added.
"That's the accepted limit. To survive this mission you'll pull beyond that, even if it means bending your airframe. You'll be pulling so hard, you'll weigh close to 2000 pounds, your skull crushing your spine, your lungs imploding like an elephant's sitting on your chest, fighting with everything you have just to keep from blacking out. And this is where you'll be at your most vulnerable. This is Coffin Corner.
"Assuming you avoid crashing into this mountain, you'll climb straight up into enemy radar while losing all of your airspeed. Within seconds, you'll be fired upon by enemy SAMs. You've all faced sustained G's before, but this - this is gonna take you and your aircraft to the breaking point."
Brandi has already accepted her fate by flying the course only once. "Is this even possible?"
Maverick looked at her, unwavering. "The answer to that question will come down to the pilot in the box."
~~~~~
Inside the hangar, Brandi made herself comfortable on the sofa along the far wall of the lounge. She placed her water on the coffee table and listened to the radio intently. Coyote, Bob and Phoenix were on their second run and the tension was suffocating.
"Blue team, you've been spotted," said Maverick. Brandi could only assume he had intercepted them.
"Shit. It's Maverick," muttered Coyote.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Phoenix questioned.
"I'm a bandit on course to intercept. Blue team, what are you gonna do?"
"Continue," Phoenix ordered. "We're close. Stay on target." She directed them to pull up.
The lounge was quiet as the others waited for the three to invert. Brandi sat forward, arms resting on her knees, they should be on target any moment. All of a sudden, voices shouted at one another, and finally, Coyote decided to drop blind.
"Damn it! Missed!"
The collective breath the room was holding released and shoulders slumped. Brandi hung her head and rubbed her temple, they had one last shot with the red team. But Coffin Corner still awaited them.
It didn't take long for Maverick to lock on Phoenix and Bob. "Blue team, that's a fail. Level out, Coyote. Coyote? Do you copy?"
Heads turned when Coyote didn't respond. Something was wrong, did he go into G-LOC? Brandi sprung from her seat and rushed to the windows, Coyote's plane was nosediving toward the ground. Maverick swooped down, attempting to get a lock on him. But even with all the sirens and alarms blaring, Coyote was still unresponsive. After fighting to get to him, Mav finally locked on his target.
Coyote bolted awake and gained control, pulling up just in time. Those grounded let out a sigh of relief.
"Coyote, you okay?" asked Mav.
"Yeah, I'm okay, I'm good."
"Okay, good. I think that's enough for today," said Maverick, leveling out with Bob and Phoenix. Before anyone could react, a flock of birds was pulled towards their engines. "Bird strike!"
It was too late, Phoenix and Bob were already hurtling toward the ground.
Brandi was almost pressed against the glass. "Eject. Eject, damn it!" She yelled as if they could hear her. It seemed that those were some of the longest moments in her life. But the two escaped as the jet exploded into the side of the mountain. Brandi let out a shaky breath, this was much more dangerous than any of them expected.
