Kalliope 》Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 5

The next morning, the group of pilots is back to work, trying and continuing to fail the course.

Rooster and his team had just flown, and although they made it to the target, Maverick was not having it.

"Why are you dead?" Maverick asks Rooster. "You're team leader up there, why are you, why is your team dead?"

"Sir, he's the only one that made it to the target," Phoenix defends him instantly.

"A minute late, he gave enemy aircraft time to shoot him down," Maverick shoots back. "He is dead."

Rooster defends himself, a disgruntled tone to his voice. "You don't know that."

And then Hangman just has to interject. "You're not flying fast enough. You don't have a second to waste."

"We made it to the target," Rooster continues to defend his decisions in the air.

"And superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out," Maverick starts to get angry, not understanding why Rooster isn't grasping this.

"Then it's a dog fight," tempers are beginning to flair between the two.

"Against fifth generation fighters?" Maverick spits out.

"Yea, we still have a chance," Rooster answers him, driving his point home.

Phoenix looks down, not knowing which side to take. And Hangman looks smug, like he knows something no one else does. (Spoiler alert, he does.)

"In an F-18," Maverick stresses.

"It's not the plane sir, it's the pilot," Rooster quickly responds, in a somewhat arrogant tone but also making sure Maverick knows his point.

"Exactly," Maverick says, straight to his face in front of everyone.

Rooster looks pissed and upset, not believing Maverick just said that. The others, who have been shifting uncomfortable lyrics during the entire exchange, glance at each other, not quite believing what they are hearing.

"There's more than one way to fly this mission," Rooster tells Maverick, chest rising and falling slightly faster than normal.

"You really don't get it," Hangman starts. "On this mission, a man flies like Maverick here, or man does not come back. No offense intended," directed at Phoenix.

Always there to defend his pilot, Bob says "yet somehow you always manage."

"Hey, I don't mean to criticize," Hangman continues, "you're consevative, that's all."

"Lieutenant," Maverick tries to stop Hangman

He doesn't even acknowledge Maverick. "We're going into combat son, on a level no living pilots' ever seen, not even him," looking straight at Maverick, who has a distressed look on his face. "That's no time to be thinking of the past," he says smugly.

"What's that supposed to mean," Rooster asks, looking pissed off.

"Lieutenants," Maverick tries again before everything blows out of proportion

"I can't be the only one that knows Maverick flew with his old man," Maverick keeps trying to get Hangman to shut up, "That's enough."

"Or that Maverick was flying when his old man," and before he can finish, Rooster is on him.

"Lieutenant, that's enough," Maverick says as Rooster jumps from his seat to go at Hangman

A fight breaks out, everyone going to separate the two men. A few guys grab Hangman, while Phoenix and Bob keep Rooster away.