Don't Give Up On Me Now-Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 9: Trying to get kicked out

"Time is your greatest enemy." Maverick said to start today off. We were all sitting in the meeting room as Mav was going over the mission plan, and every detail that we needed to know was involved.

"Phase one of the mission will be a low level attack with two teams and a backup pilot just in case." Maverick said as he changed the screen to the view of the mission. The screen had a top of a canyon which is the course for

"You'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target. Radar guides surface to air missiles defend the area. These SAMS are lethal." As he continued speaking, the screen changed to show what he was talking about.

"They were designed to protect the skies above, not the canyon below."

"That's because the enemy knows no one is insane enough to try and fly below." Bradley cut in.

"That's exactly what I's going to train you to do." Mav said and he faced us.

"Today, we're gonna take it easy on you. Time to target, 3 minutes, 300 feet max."

"That's because on the day of the mission, you're altitude is 100 feet. Maximum. If you exceed this altitude, radars spot you and you're dead. Your air speed will be 660 knots. Minimum. Time to target, two and a half minutes...the time to target is set for two and a half minute because fifth generation fighters wait at an airbase nearby. In a head to head with these planes in your F-18's, you're dead. That's why you need to get in, hit your target, and be gone before theses planes have a chance of catching you." Mav said this and everyone looked at each other when he mentioned the mission parameters. Someone's not coming back home from this, I know that.

"This makes time your greatest enemy." Maverick said and he said that Javy, Nat, Bob and I are up first.

We went up in the air, Javy taking the lead, Nat and Bob in the middle and me behind taking the back as the backup.

"Time to target is one minute thirty. We are two seconds behind. Increase to 490 knots." Bob said through the comms.

"We gotta move Coyote." Nat said.

"Copy. Increasing speed now." Javy said. I got ready to speed up but when Javy stopped, Nat and Bob flew up over him and I flew up over Nat and Bob. We failed the course.

//——//
A couple other teams went, Jake with Reuben and Mickey, Bradley with Yale and Fritz, then me, Val and Lia.
"Why are they dead?" Mav asked as we were looking over our trial run with the class.

"We broke the 300 foot ceilings the SAMs took both of our planes out." Nat said.

"No. Why are they dead?" Maverick questioned as he looked over at Javy.

"I slowed down and didn't give them a warning. It's my fault." Javy said.

"Was there a reason you didn't communicate with your team?" Mav questioned him. I knew he felt guilty about it.

"I was focusing on" Javy started to say but Maverick cut him off.

"What excuse will their family accept at the funeral?" We all looked at each other since we are each other's family. Nat and I don't have anyone else besides the people in this room.

"None sir." Javy said as he straightened up and looked down.

"Why didn't you anticipate the turn? You were briefed on the terrain." Mav questioned my sister as he looked at her. Nat was about to answer but she didn't get to say anything since Mav beat her to it.

"Don't tell me. Tell it to his family." Mav said as he pointed to Bob, before turning to me as I sat next to Lia and Val.

"Why didn't you stop flying and hit the breaks?" I was questioned.