Osprey: A Topgun Fanfic

The Crash

Someone grab the tissues!

"Here they come," Viper says, and I grin. We can hear Iceman and Maverick's banter over the comms, and I hear Jester let out a tired sigh.

"You ready, Maverick?" Iceman asks, and I hear his wingman chuckle.

"Are you ready, Kasansky?" He retorts. I stay in position behind Viper, taking a peep over my shoulder at the incoming fighters. I let out another breath of excitement bubbling in me.

  "Maverick and Iceman behind us, half a mile out." I say to them, my old habits kicking in.

  "Osprey, when they reach us, veer to the right. Let's see who they follow." Viper says to me. I nod, gripping the joystick tightly in my hands.

  "Here they come!" Jester says as the fighters above us tilt, headed to us.

  I pull the plane to the right as Jester pulls to the left, and we veer away from each other.

  "Come on." I say, tilting the plane to the right and pulling around. "Where are they?"

   "Osprey, get your ass behind Maverick, he's on Viper." Jester says and I accelerate. As I glance at the radar, I see the two dots that signify Maverick and Viper. Jester and Iceman sit towards the west of them, so I speed up. White puffy clouds fly by me as I near the other planes.

  "Hey, Moose, what's the--" I freeze, my heart spasming. I take a deep breath, straightening out the plane.

  "Iceman coming in hot, watch out Osprey!" Jester calls, and Iceman cuts across the sky in front of me. He pulls dangerously close in front of Maverick, and I let out a shaky breath.

  "What the hell are you doing, babe?" I ask, speeding up and rising above them. He and Maverick are in position, and I wonder why Viper hasn't been missile locked at yet. I know they see me, but they don't seem concerned. 

  Viper seems to pause, before twisting back and forth. Iceman and Maverick follow him accurately, but I swallow my nerves. They are very close together, too close for my own comfort.

  "Time to get Mav to move." I say, twisting the plane and pulling behind Mav. I activate missile lock, and even though I don't have a precise read or a good angle, I see Goose twisting around in his seat.

  I smile as Maverick goes to twist away--

  That's when Iceman pulls to the right, flying directly in front of his wingman.

  I plug myself into the main comm channel as Maverick starts to plummet, losing both his engines to Iceman's jet wash.

  "Mayday, mayday." I yell into the comm, twisting at an angle to watch the grey plane spin out of control. "Ghostrider is out of control, both engines washed, plummeting fast. I repeat, ghostrider is out of control."

  I feel sickness pool into my stomach as the jet continues to fall, passing the hard deck in seconds. I hear Jester and Viper yelling over the comms, and I watch the Canopy of the plane pop off. I let out a breath of relief, righting the plane.

  They are alright. They ejected. They are alright.

  Thank the Lord.

***

  I am the last one to land, taxiing to the hangar. I look around for Slider and Iceman, but I cannot find either of them. After thanking the attendants, I make my way into the building. The hallways are vacant of my boyfriend and his RIO. I ask the women at the front desk if Maverick and Goose had made it back safely, but they just shake their heads sadly.

    Puzzled, I make my way towards Viper's office, still in my flight suit. It's strange how everyone is acting. It was just a crash, right?

  There is no one in the office, and I let out an upset huff, shifting my helmet onto my hip. I stop one of the hospital staff as she walks by, asking her if Maverick and Goose have made it back. She gives me a sad smile.

  "Nick Bradshaw didn't make it through the crash, honey." She says, her voice low. "He hit the canopy when he ejected, and it killed him instantaneously. I am so sorry."

  I feel like I am going to vomit, my flight suit suddenly too hot. I break into a jog, running away from her towards the medical bay. I swallow, slowing to a halt when I see Slider approaching me. His face his downcast and he walks slowly. He looks just how I feel, sick to the stomach.

  "Where is Viper?" I ask, without giving him a proper greeting. He frowns, brushing back sweaty hair from his face.

   "Comforting Maverick. He...needs some space." He says, and I swallow again.

  "Where is Iceman?" I ask. His frown deepens. "Slider, come on, tell me."

  "It might not be smart to see him right now. He is angry with himself." he lets out a breath. "But he is in the locker rooms."

I push open the locker room door.

  "Tom?" I call out. "Iceman?"

  "Go away, Ashley." His voice responds, dull and upset.  I let out a sigh, stepping into the room.

  I find him leaning against a locker, his forehead pressing against the metal. His arm is above him, his hand pressed into a fist. His eyes are closed, but when I place a hand on his arm, his eyes fly open, and he takes a step back from me.

  His eyes are shiny with unshed tears, and he glares at me in anger.

  "What?" He huffs, annoyance in his voice. His tone causes a flash of pain go through my chest, and I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat.

  "It's not your fault." I say, surprising myself when my voice doesn't waver.

"Don't say that." He snaps, crossing his arms across his chest. "I got cocky and arrogant. I wanted to win so bad that I acted out of line. I killed Goose."

  "Don't say that." I snap back, placing my hands on my hips. "People make mistakes, even you, Iceman. You can't change that."

  "If I hadn't pulled in front of him-"

  "STOP." I scream at him, and he freezes. "You can't dwell in the past, Tom, you just can't. What's done is done. Goose is dead, and there is nothing you can do about it. Absolutely nothing. We are flipping fighter Pilots for crying out loud, this shit is gonna happen." I let out a breath, wrapping my arms around myself. "Please don't blame yourself."

  His blue eyes watch me, flashes of unreadable emotion flowing through them. My eyes water, and I blink back tears.

The door opens, and I hear the slow steps of Maverick as he enters the locker rooms. I turn as he rounds the corner, his eyes on his feet. Wet tear marks are evident on his face, and I move towards him.

  "Oh, Maverick." I whisper, pulling him into a hug. He buries his head in my shoulder and he lets out a sound in between a whimper and a sob. I rub his back, tears watering in my eyes.

Why did you have to leave him, Goose?