She's a fighter, not a lover // A Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw story

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I watched as Phoenix and Coyote go up. The crew got me all ready to go up. I put down my canopy then put my helmet on making sure to click on my oxygen. I look down at the crew, gave them a thumbs up then saluted them. I looked forward getting ready to take off. I started to roll my plane down the runway, the start of the mission was on land not an aircraft carrier, going fast enough I pulled on my control to move up.

"Right behind you Phoenix." I told her over the radio, I looked behind me waiting for Rooster to take off. "I'm off" I heard Rooster say, "you guys ready?" I asked them. "I think so." Coyote responded. I took a deep breath checking that my oxygen mask was fully clicked in. I moved my control forward as Phoenix's and Coyote's speeds increased.

Sometimes it hits me that I'm actually in the air. I mean yeah I know I'm in the air but it's such a regular thing for me i sometimes don't realize it. "Legacy we are 2 seconds behind speed." Phoenix mentioned to me quickly. "Increase speed ." I ordered, "Phoenix and I are about to go down." Coyote informed us, like my dad said we have to go down a canyon then drop our explosives then pull 9Gs. So they were about to do the drop into the canyon.

With Rooster behind me and with Coyote in front I looked to the left of me a saw a plane, it wasn't any of us. "Rooster to your left, who is that?" I asked him wondering if he would know. I knew he wouldn't know but it as worth a try. "I don't know." He responded, shit who was it then? "Phoenix you see that?" I asked her, "What?" She asked me, "Who's that?" I heard Bob say over the radio. "Blue team you've been spotted." I heard my dad say over the radio. Great. "Shit it's Maverick" I heard Coyotes say, "What the hell is he doing here?" Phoenix asked, "Beats me." I huffed slowing down do to the two slowing down in front of me.

"Phoenix, Coyote maintain speed, don't worry about him right now." I told them, their speed increased and mine did as well.
I noticed Rooster began to slowing down behind me "Rooster speed up." I ordered, not wanting him to fall behind.

"I'm a bandit on course of intercept. Blue team what are you going to do?" My dad asked us, "He's 20 miles left. Ten o'clock, 700 knots closer." Bob informs us all. "Your call. What do you want to do?" Coyote asked Phoenix. I waited for her answer, so did the rest of us. "Continue. We're close. Stay on target." Phoenix orders us, "He's moving in fast." I mentioned to Phoenix, "wait to pop up." She told all of us. "Popping now." Phoenix explained as her and Coyote went over the invisible canyon. "Get the laser ready." Coyote told Bob, while they were getting ready to be miracle one, Rooster and I go over the canyon.

"Shit I missed." I heard Bob say I then watched them begin their 9 G climb dreading it for myself. Rooster and I couldn't proceed with miracle two because Bob missed so we followed the other two planes pulling the 9Gs. I felt heavy, like I couldn't breath. We were taught to grunt so the we stay awake. So all you could hear on the radios were grunts. My vision went blurry as I tried to stay awake. I then made to to the top so I stopped pulling, I then saw Coyote start to go down. "Holy shit." I mumbled as I saw him start to go almost straight down.

I'm guessing my dad beeped him trying to get him awake. "Come on kid wake up." I heard my dad yell, "Coyote wake up." I mumbled to myself hoping we will wake up in time. His plane had to be screaming 'altitude' by now. I watched, waiting and hoping he will wake up and pull. Nothing, still nothing. Just a falling plane. I began to lost hope, no offense Coyote, then he pulled up. I let out a breath, "holy shit Coyote. Are you okay?" I questioned him over the radio. "Yeah, yeah I think so." He answers back, "okay everyone back home." My dad order us.

I flew behind him and Phoenix, "Are you two okay?" My dad asked us, "yeah." I responded quickly, "that was a hell of a practice mission." I laughed, "tell me about it." Phoenix laughed back. "Bird strike!" I heard my dad yell, "shit!" I heard Phoenix yell, I did have time to move they got into my engines too. My fire light just turned on, fire in the engine. "Fire in one of my engines" I told them, "Fire in left engine!" Bob informed Phoenix. "Climbing!" Phoenix and I yell in unison, our altitude increased as we moved up.