Copilot | Top Gun

seven

The sun was too bright.

You kept your eyes sealed tight.

"Arrow?" A strained voice said.

You drew in a long breath and tried to recall why you felt so terrible.

"Arrow, please, wake up."

You squinted, trying to understand why you were lying on the ground.

Through the slits in between your eyelids you were able to make out the shadow of someone kneeling over you.

"M— Mav?" you whispered, too weak to say much more.

"___," he breathed in relief. "Thank heavens, are you alright?"

You opened your eyes more fully and took in your surroundings. You seemed to be in a large and dry canyon. That would explain why you felt so much pain in your legs and back. You must be lying on gravel.

You tried to sit up, but Pete pushed you back down gently. As you feebly resisted him, you felt a wave of exhausted nausea overcome you and you took a shaky breath.

"What the hell is happening?"

Pete glanced at something in the distance. "I'm not sure. We both fell and I..." he looked down at you. "Gosh, I thought you were dead." He brushed a strand of loose hair from your face. "We've been here for at least twenty minutes. The chopper should be coming soon. They'll have our location."

You were suddenly flooded with the memory of falling. Falling for what had seemed like an endless amount of time.

Then, without warning, you cried out in pain. The attack on your nerves felt like a hot whip on your raw skin.

Pete was frantically trying to ease you into a more comfortable position as you felt your legs, arms, back, and ribs burn in scalding agony.

"What's wrong with me!" you managed to gasp.

Pete was able to pull your shirt up and his face told you there was a problem.

"Pete... what's wrong?"

He stayed quiet, moving to shift up the legs of your pants. His expression grew more and more troubled.

"Answer me!" You demanded.

He met your eyes. You knew he would say nothing good.

You swallowed, fearing the worst. "Am I... am I dying..." your voice died in your throat.

Pete tenderly scooped you up, trying extra hard not to jostle your bruised and broken limbs.

You realized he was carrying you to the base of an old tree. He sat down, placing your frail form in his arms. "You won't die. They'll come soon. We'll get you help."

But minutes turned into hours and while the sun set, you could practically feel Pete's anxiety rising, fit to burst.

"Okay, listen," you said after what felt to you like eons of pain. "we're stuck here. No one's coming. The tracker in the plane must have been destroyed. My chute was slashed. The fuel tank was emptied. Something's gone wrong, and we need to be prepared."

Pete tried to shush you, but you didn't relent. You ordered him to help you find a stream for some water.

"No," he said flatly. "it took almost every ounce of energy you had just to wake up and let me carry you to this tree. You'll pass out and never wake up if we try to walk that far."

You scoffed. "It can't be that far to a stream."

It was.

You convinced Pete to go searching for one to at least confirm where it was.

"There isn't one for miles." He revealed when he tramped back to the tree. The sun's last dying rays were being extinguished by the enormous mountains surrounding you.

You were beginning to worry. If a chopper came, it would find you by chance. And that was a low possibility.

But, miraculously, as you felt the last of your strength ebb away, Pete perked up, his eyes sharp and alert.

"What is it..." You mumbled, too tired and weak to try and understand for yourself.

Pete's eyes seemed to light up the darkening treesite. "The chopper," he whispered.

Your sigh of relief was masked by Pete's energetic whooping. He was dancing around, making sure the helicopter could see the both of you.

As the wind from the rotors blew your hair in every which way, you could feel the last of your energy fading. You turned to reach for Pete's hand but it wasn't there. He was still waving in the chopper.

"Pete..." You groaned, desperately weak. As you turned, you could feel your skin tearing at every crudely covered cut on your body. You inhaled sharply and saw stars before your eyes.

"___?" You heard, but did not see Pete running to you as he yelled over the beating of the helicopter's blades.

You were out before he could reach you, darkness consuming you once more.

___
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