V i p e r || J. Seresin

Always

Since we might as well both be grounded now, out of jobs, no more friends we decided the perfect place to go.

We walked along to the back where A petite brunette sits on her porch with a frown plastered on her face.

"I heard," she says to the two of us. "I'm sorry. What are you going to do?"

I shove my hands in my pockets letting my father do all the talking. "Ice is gone. What choice do I have?" I cough subtly, proving my existence. Dad rolls his eyes then corrects, "do we have?"

"You'll have to find a way back on your own," she glances up to and I give her a brief smile.

"Penny... we're out. It is over."

She stares at him lovingly which is disgustingly cute by the way. "Pete, if you lost your wingman up there... you keep fighting."

"Penny," I say, "it's different now."

"You wouldn't just give up. Neither one of you would. Those are your pilots. If anything happens to them... you will never forgive yourself."

At this point it's that moment where these two have a moment and I fade into the background. "I don't know what to do."

She caresses his cheek whispering to him, "but you will find a way. I know you will."

I give Penny a bone crushing hug showing my thanks. Dad and I glance at each other before we stand and walk away. We head to his bike, the one we traveled on but we stop before we get on.

"I know that look, dad. You taught me that look," a sly grin appears on his face. I know he's up to nothing good. "What are you thinking?"

"You aren't going to like it."

I scoff at him, "Frankly dad, I never like any of your ideas, but I know your ideas tend to be terribly good ones so talk to me."

After about ten minutes of him explaining his plan I find myself with my arms crossed and my mouth gapped. "That's a terrible plan," he tries to suppress a smile and I try to hide my own, "let's do it."

We ride back to base sneaking around to the best of our abilities. I send out a quick text to Jake knowing he's stupid enough to still have his phone on him.

Me: put me on speaker but don't say anything

Jake: why?

Me: why must you ask so many questions
Me: just do it!
Me: and in advance, I'm sorry.

Thankfully he obeys. As we board the F-18s I listen in on the conversation. I watch as my father is first to take off.

"Captain Mitchell and Viper are no longer your instructors. And as of today there are new mission parameters. Time to target is now four minutes. You will enter the valley level by reduced speed. Not to exceed four hundred twenty knots."

"Sir, wouldn't we be giving their planes time to intercept?" Bob. My man. Asking the important and relevant questions.

"Well Lieutenant you have a fighting chance against enemy aircraft. What are the odds of surviving a head on collision with a mountain? You'll be attacking the target from a higher amplitude, level with the north wall. Gonna be a little harder to keep your lasers on target but you will avoid the high cheating climb mountain."

Yeah that's my cue. I end the call by putting my phone in my jacket pocket and taking to the sky. I am quickly able to catch up to my father riding on his tail.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Maverick to Range Control. Entering point Alpha. Confirm, green range." He says through the comms.