Kalliope 》Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 12

The morning of the mission had finally arrived. Waking up wrapped in each other, The couple reluctantly separated so Bradley could get ready. Cat, Ronen, and Kai were coming over in a few minutes so they could say their goodbyes as well.

Cecelia went to the kitchen to make some breakfast, making sure he had something to eat before leaving. About half an hour later Bradley came downstairs with his bags, ready to go. Cat and the boys had shown up ten minutes prior and were already eating some breakfast while trying to keep Cecelia's spirits up. She was looking a little pale, the worry from before coming back full force.

All five grabbed their plates and sat at the table for a family meal, talking about anything and everything. But soon, it came time for Bradley to head to the base. And no one was ready to say goodbye. They all knew this would be coming, Cecelia specifically had dealt with this multiple times before. This one just felt more dangerous, more final.

Kai and Ronen both gave Bradley one of those handshakes-turned-into-a-hug hugs and wished him luck. Cat hugged him fiercely while also saying she would kill him herself if he didn't come home. He just gave her an extra squeeze for that, knowing she meant it.

Then it came time for the hardest goodbye. Cecelia all but launched herself into Bradley's arms, her arms around his neck, clinging to him for dear life. The tears she had desperately tried to keep in began to leak out. Bradley whispered sweet nothings into her ear, promises of how he would come home and they could really start planning their future. He whispered of the amazing wedding they would have, all the people they loved there as witnesses, and the talent filled reception that was bound to happen.

Pulling away, he wiped the tears off of her cheeks, though they were quickly replaced with new ones. Leaning in so their foreheads were touching, he released a breath. "I love you so much. I will do anything and everything I can to come home. I promise you that."

Cecelia squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before looking into his eyes once more. "And I love you. More than I could ever say. Come back to me."

With that, Bradley took one last look at his family before heading for his truck, already steeling himself for what was to come.

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In the briefing room of the carrier, Maverick and Cyclone stand at the front, ready to assign placements for the mission.

"It's been an honor flying with you," Maverick starts, "each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission, my choices are a reflection of that and nothing more."

He surveys the pilots he's been training for the past two-ish weeks. In his mind, none of them were ready, hell he was barely ready. But this had to be done. And some had more promise than others.

Cyclone stands next to him. "Choose your two foxtrot teams."

"Payback and Fanboy," Maverick lists the first pair. "Phoenix and Bob," he finished off.

Both pairs give nods, accepting their official positions and beginning to mentally prepare themselves.

"And your wingman," Cyclone continues.

After a moment of hesitation, Maverick calls out one name. "Rooster."

Cyclone looks slightly concerned while Rooster looks up in surprise.

"The rest of you will stand by on the carrier for any reserved role that's required," Warlock informs the rest. Hangman looks slightly downcast, hoping he had been chosen for the mission. "Dismissed"

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Back at home, Cecelia has just gotten paler as the day goes on. The others have done their best to cheer her up. It had worked for a long while, especially when they were recounting one of the funniest moments from the night before.