Don't Give Up On Me Now-Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 15: You give em hell and come back home to us

a/n: anything that is in italics is what control says(Cyclone, Hondo, Warlock, any of the people in the movie that tell the pilots what to do I don't know what they are called,) and bold is whatever Comanche says.

"It's been an honor flying with you. Each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission, my choices are a reflection of that." Maverick said  as we stood in the meeting room on the carrier, waiting to find out who would go on the mission. I told Maverick, Warlock and Cyclone my final decision and they accepted it, knowing the guilt that I'll have.
"Chose your two foxtrot teams." Cyclone said.
"Payback and Fanboy...Phoenix and Bob." Mav announced and there were some small smiles, and nods going around as we waited for the rest of the info.
"Choose your wingman." Cyclone said.
"Rooster." Maverick's voice announced and it was obvious Jake was a little bit upset that he wasn't chosen.
"And your decoy/backup?" Cyclone added, surprising everyone in the room besides Val and Lia. I felt their glares on me as soon as Cyclone said it, and I knew that they weren't joking last night and I have to accept it.
"Rebel." Maverick announced and I felt my sister's gaze on me, as well as everyone else's but I kept a straight face.
"Hangman is back up pilot and is going to stay here on the carrier unless needed." Maverick announced.
"The rest of you will stand by on the carrier for any reserve role that is required. Dismissed." Cyclone said and we all walked over to each other, everyone who wasn't selected gave their congratulations to Nat, Bob, Reuben, Mickey, Bradley and I. I felt my sister's eyes on me the whole time, and I just looked over everyone's face, not knowing if I'm coming back or not. Everyone left the room and Bradley stayed with me for a minute.
"Promise me that you'll come back to us. Val and Lia told me what your job is and i need you to come back home to us." Bradley said.
"Brad, I don't know what's going to happen out there, but you need to promise me that if something happens, you'll come back home no matter what and look out for my sister." I said.
"Alright but we need to make it back together." Bradley said and I nodded.
"I promise." I said and he said the same thing.
"I love you Rooster." I said.
"I love you too Rebel." Bradley said and he gave me a kiss before leaving me alone in my thoughts for a couple seconds and I headed out of the room and saw my sister waiting for me at the bottom of the steps to the deck/runway so we could walk up to the deck together. I walked over to her and I saw that there were tears in her eyes.
"A heads up would've been nice." Nat whispered.
"You wouldn't let me hear the end of it." I said quietly and she rolled her eyes.
"No, i wouldn't have but it wouldn't work because your too damn stubborn." she said.
"Just living up to my callsign." I joked and she laughed and wiped away her tears.
"I'm just a backup, like if a missile doesn't hit, I'll release one and make sure that the mission is a success. That's all my job is." I said.
"I love you Rach." Nat said.
"I love you too Nat." I said.
"Promise me that you'll come back home with me and the rest of us." Nat asked. I smiled and I nodded and we headed up the stairs to the runway that had our planes and we headed to our planes, but as I was walking to my plane, I saw Jake and Bradley talking. Jake then came over to me and gave me a hug.
"Come back home but first, give em hell!" Jake said over the loud noises of the planes being checked over and everyone getting ready.
"Always Lieutenant." I remarked. He rolled his eyes and gave me another hug before walking off. Javy came over to me with a smile on his face, and I had one on my face as well. 
"Promise me that you'll come back to us. Otherwise, I'll find you, bring you back to life, then kill you again." Javy said and I rolled my eyes. 
"I promise." I said. Everyone had wished me good luck but the girls, so I went over to Mav.
"Captain!" I yelled just as he was about to get in his jet, he turned around.
"What's wrong Lieutenant?" Maverick asked.

"Where are Lieutenants Mitchell and Kazansky?" I asked.
"They are in the control room with Cyclone and Warlock. Speak with them when we get back, we need to go." Maverick said, and his face wasn't a happy face, it was a face of sadness and worry and possibly regret. I nodded, and we said our goodbyes before he got in his jet and I got in mine, checking everything over. I closed the canopy and waited so I could take off. I strapped my mask to the other side of my helmet and just thought everything through and I'm really hoping that there's no enemy daggers for me to go after, but I probably will have to go after one since my hopes never get answered.
"Dagger 1, up and ready." Mav said through the comms.
"Dagger spare, up and ready." Jake said.
"Dagger 2, up and ready." Bradley said.
"Dagger 3, up and ready." Nat said.
"Dagger 4, up and ready." Reuben said.
"Dagger 5, up and ready." I said.
"dagger 1 away."
"dagger 2 away."
"dagger 3 away."
"dagger 4 away."
"dagger 5 away." I took off, and we were all in the air, headed to the course.
Everyone was quiet, I couldn't stop thinking about the bandits that were possibly going to come and all I could do is hope that nothing comes our way. Maverick was leading, with Bradley and Nat next to each other behind him, and Reuben and I were next to each other behind Nat and Bradley.
"Comanche, Dagger one stand by, check in." Mav said.
"Comanche one set, picture clear, recommend Dagger continue." The Comanche operator said. Hearing that from Comanche, had relaxed my nerves a little bit, but my nerves were still slightly high so I took a couple deep breaths.
"Copy that, Dagger descending below radar." Maverick said and we all moved our planes below the clouds and we were just feet above the water.
"Daggers now below radar, switching to E2 picture."
"Enemy territory up ahead, Comanche picture." Mav requested.
"Comanche. Picture clean. Decision is yours."
"Dagger attack." Maverick said and we saw the tomahawk missiles fly over us and towards the enemy airstrip. We can't turn back now, we have to finish this mission and make it back home.
"Tomawaks airborne."
"No turning back now."  Warlock said.
"Daggers assume attack formation." Mav said and Nat went behind Mav, Bradley went behind Nat, Reuben went behind Bradley and I went behind Reuben so I would be easily able to leave and go after bandits.
"Approaching target. Two minutes and thirty seconds in three, two, one mark." Mav said.
"Two mark." Nat said.
"Three mark." Bradley said.
"Four mark." Reuben said.
"Five mark." I said and started my timer.
"First SAM sight up ahead." I looked up and saw four SAMS on the side of the mountain and they were definitely lethal.
"Looks like were clear on radars Mav," Nat said.
"Let's not take it for granted." Maverick said quickly and I nodded. I kept on taking sharp turns and going as fast as I needed to in order to keep up with everyone else.
"More SAMS up ahead." Bradley said.
"We're two minutes to target." Bob said.
"Copy. We're two seconds behind Rooster, we gotta move." Reuben said.
"Dagger, Comanche. We're picking up two bandits." Comanche said. Of course, just my fucking luck.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." I muttered.
"Comanche, what's their heading?" Nat asked and I listened to the reading of where the bandits were at, and i knew that as soon as the missiles hit the enemy airstrip, I'm going to have to go after them.
"They're heading away from us. They don't know we're here." Bradley said, hoping that I wouldn't have to go after the bandits.
"As soon as those misses hit the enemy airstrip, those bandits are going to move to protect the target. We have to move before they do, Rebel, you know what you need to do, the rest of you guys increase speed as needed." Maverick said and I nodded.
"What the hell do you mean she knows what she has to do." Nat asked, and you can tell she was panicking a little bit and slightly pissed. I flipped my aircraft around and started flying the other way.
"Rebel, where are you going?" Mickey asked.
"To do my job." I said before flying out of the mountains.
"Bandits are switching course to defend target." Comanche reported.
"I'm heading to them now." I said as I flew faster to get to the bandits.
"Dagger 2 and 4 are behind schedule." Comanche said. Come on Bradley, increase your speed, you can do it.
"Tomahawk impact in 3,2,1. The runway is destroyed." Comanche said.
"Dagger 2 and 4, increase your speed!" Mav said as I flew above and into the radar.
"Dagger 5 is now in the radar picture."
"Copy that." I said.
"You give 'em hell and show them who's the best, Rebel." Mav said.
"That's my job Mav." I said with a smirk on my face.
"Bandits are two minutes away from target. Daggers are one minute from target."
"Move it or lose it Rooster, we gotta speed up now." Mickey said but I tuned out what they were saying, well everything about Bradley speeding up. I'm listening to them, Comanche, and I'm paying attention to the two planes that are about to be in front of me.
"This is Dagger 5, the bandits are now in my sight." I said.
"Holy shit, oh my god." I heard Nat mutter, now that she realized what my actual job was.
"Fucking hell." Reuben muttered as well.
"Alright Rach, let's do this. I can do this, just get rid of the bandits and make it back." I muttered to myself as I got ready to fight the bandits. They couldn't see me since I was flying below and behind them. Suddenly, a bandit blew up in the air, wonder who did that.
"Splash one." I said and i heard cheers from my family and everyone back on the ship as well.
"Come on Rach, I know you can do it." I heard Val say from the ship's control room. Obviously, the second bandit was prepared since he just saw his partner blow up from my ammo. The second bandit and I were going at it for a while, flying back and forth, shooting at each other, releasing flares, getting missile lock, and while that was happening, Bradley and Reuben were still behind, and I need to get rid of these bandits so I can go help them.
"Rooster, you better speed your ass up or I'll shoot you and bring the bandits to you." I yelled, knowing that Bradley could here me.
"Talk to me Dad." I heard him mutter and my heart broke for him. I know he lost his dad when he and Mav were flying together, because Lia had told me and he also told me a couple days ago. 
"Dagger 2 is re-engaged." Thank god. I went back to focusing on the second bandit, and suddenly he was behind me and had missile lock on me.
"Hit your targets and come home." Cyclone said.
"Shit." I said as I tried to get out of missile lock, but it wasn't working since he was on my ass the whole time. Mav, Nat and Bob had hit the first target and now it's all up to Bradley, Reuben and Mickey to hit the last and final target before they all are in the SAMS radar.
"Dagger 5, status?"
"I'm alive." I said. I have to get rid of the bandit, and I tried as hard as I could after hearing that Mickey was having trouble with the laser.
"There's no time, I'm dropping bombs." Bradley said. Reuben and Mickey had protested but Bradley wasn't listening.
I flew up towards the sun, the bandit still behind me and I hit the flares and broke right, losing him in the sun and flew up behind him and took a shot, but of course he used his flares and it didn't make impact.
"Come on." I muttered. The bandit was behind me again and I did another trick, shooting down and he flew right over me, and then I took my shot and it made impact.
"Splash two!" I said.
"Thank god." Nat muttered. I made it, and now I have to make it back with the rest of everyone else.
"Bullseye, bullseye, bullseye!" The control room annouced, and everyone back on the ship had cheered and Cyclone had cut them off.
"Now they're in coffin corner." Cyclone said.
I had flown into the SAMS radar, and there were SAMS on my ass within seconds.
"Dagger five defending!" I yelled as I noticed that there was smoke in the air, and I hit my flares. I saw Bradley, Reuben, Mickey, Nat, Bob and Mav and we were all dealing with SAMS right now. Everyone was helping each other, either yelling dagger defending or break left or right.
"Shit! I'm out of flares!" Bradley yelled. I flew over to where Bradley was.
"I'm sorry guys." I said before flying behind Brad's plane and in front of the missile that was on Bradley's tail.
A/N: from here till I say so, it's 3rd person, it works out better in 3rd person for this.
"RACHEL!" Bradley and Nat had called out when they saw Rachel's plane get hit and it was going down.
"Shit! Dagger 5 has been hit! I repeat, Dagger 5 has been hit! Rebel is down!" Natasha had yelled, trying not to cry, but there were tears already streaming down her face. Rachel promised that she would come home, and now she's gone. There was still another missile following Bradley, and Mav had interfered with that one, sending him down as well.
Val and Lia were shocked, Jake was angry, same with Javy and everyone else who was close with the younger Trace girl. She did her job and saved her boyfriend's life, but at what cost?
"Mav!" Bradley yelled.
"Dagger 1 and 5 are hit! I repeat Dagger 1 and 5 are hit. Maverick and Rebel are down!" Nat yelled, frantically as everyone tried to look around for two parachutes, but nothing was in the air besides blown up SAMS.
"Does anyone see them? Does anyone see them?" Bradley panicked.
"There's no parachutes." Reuben said. They lost both Rachel and Maverick, and there's a chance that they aren't alive and coming back home.
"We need to go back!" Bradley yelled.
"Comanche, bandits inbound. Recommend dagger fly south."
"All daggers back to the carrier."
"Tell them they need to get back to the carrier now!" Cyclone said.
"What about Rebel and Maverick?" Lia asked.
"There's nothing they can do for them in an F-18! Get them back home." Cyclone said.
"Requesting permission for standby." Jake begged from his plane.
"Negative." Cyclone said.
"Admiral, launch search and rescue." Hondo said.
"Negative, we are not losing anyone else today. Get them home now!" Cyclone argued back.
"Dagger you are not to engage. Repeat you are not to engage." The control person said. Lia and Val were pissed, so was anyone who knew Maverick and Rachel.
"Rooster, those bandits are closing in. We can't go back." Bob said.
"She promised." Nat said.
"She promised that she would come back" Mickey said.
"Guys, they're gone. Maverick and Rebel are gone." Bob said.
No one could believe it, but they were heading back. All but one stubborn pilot, who still needed to speak with Maverick and ask Rachel an important question.