Copilot | Top Gun

prologue

"I see it,"

Her voice crackled through the intercom. You smiled, knowing what she'd do.

"Nosing in three... two..."

All of a sudden a cloud of black smoke materialized to your right. A boom like a cannon shook your jet.

Louder than you could have thought possible, screams rang through your headset. "I'm hit! I'm hit! Does anyone copy? We've been hit!"

"Hold on!" You yelled. "Spider, keep a distance of three-hundred meters. We can't get caught in the exhaust!"

"Copy that!" She called over her shoulder. Your aircraft dove down.

"Spider, Arrow, land immediately!" Came a third voice over the head set. "Repeat, there are too many bogies, you have orders to land immediately!"

You threw a glance sideways to the smoking, falling wreckage. "What about Ridgeline and Roller? Did they evac? Spider, can you see a chute?"

"I see one." Came her reply.

Only one?

"Land immediately, Spider, do you copy?" The headset crackled again.

"We've got to go back for them!" You tugged your helmet off, taking the radio with it. "Chels, we've got to!"

After a fleeting glance back at you, your wingman pulled a sharp right and angled toward the wreckage.

"Dammit, Spider, turn your aircraft around!" Came the crackling voice from base.

Spider ignored it, keeping the wheel trained and ready. Enemy jets flew on every side.

"We're cornered! I can fly us out but Roller's still falling- Ridgeline, do you see a chute?" Spider ordered.

"Negative!" Ridgeline was panting, straining to breath in the toxic air. "Negative, I don't see a chute!"

"We're nosing! Arrow, get ready to-"

Something was very wrong. You were slowing down.

"The engine!" You realized. But too late.

The last thing you remembered was falling, someone yelling to pull the eject handle, then more falling...

Then finally, darkness.

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