Always Interrupted | Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 5

"Time is your greatest enemy," Maverick started his lesson for the day. Everyone was in the same seats as yesterday but in a different room. "Phase one of the mission will be a low-level ingress attack in two-plane teams. You'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target. Radar-guided surface-to-air missiles defend the area. These SAMS, lethal. But 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 them," Rooster quipped.

"That's exactly what I'm going to train you to do," Maverick responded. Rooster and Free-bird exchanged a worried look. "On the day, your altitude will be 100 feet maximum." Free-bird's jaw dropped. "You exceed this altitude, radar will spot you, and you're dead." Free-bird looked back at Bob and Phoenix who shared a worried expression. "Your airspeed will be 660 knots minimum. Time to target: two and a half minutes. That's because 5th generation fighters wait at an air base nearby. In a head-to-head with these planes in your F-18s, you're dead. That's why you need to get in, hit your target, and be gone before these planes even have a chance of catching you." Hangman looked back at Rooster with a smirk. He knew this was near impossible but he was still a cocky asshole. There was no way he was real. "This makes time your greatest adversary." Maverick explained the days exercise, finishing by setting the max ceiling at 300 feet and giving the group three minutes to get to the target. Free-Bird took a deep breath and looked at Rooster. His brow was set in determination and his eyes were fiery. Here we go, she thought to herself.

Free-bird flew with Payback and Fanboy again. They started perfectly, moving fast and smooth. It wasn't until the turns got tighter that they started to lose their rhythm.

"Free-bird! We need to slow down. I'm going to hit a wall!" Payback yelled through her com.

"Okay! Reducing speed to 480 knots!" The pair slowed down, putting them slightly behind schedule. After about 15 seconds Free-bird asked, "Are you ready to speed up again? We wont make it on time if we keep up this speed." Payback grunted as they rounded a bend.

"Yea, lets go."

"Okay, going back to 500 knots." The planes sped up. They were going to make it! They weren't far from target when Payback spoke again.

"Free-bird, I'm losing control again. We need to slow back down."

"We aren't far just hold on a little longer." She responded. Just as they rounded the last bend though, Payback and Fanyboy hit the wall.

Back in the classroom, Free-bird watched as Payback and Fanboys's plane crashed into the canyon wall in the simulation on the screen in front of her.

"Why are they dead?" Maverick asked Free-bird.

"He asked me to slow down and I didn't."

"Is there a reason you didn't listen to your team mate?"

"I was focused on making it to the target on ti-"

"No. One that their family will accept," Free-Bird scowled at her mentor as he turned back at the screen. Hangman, Phoenix and Bob's simulation was played on the screen. It stopped when Phoenix and Bob's plane hit the wall.

"What happened?" Maverick asked.

"I flew as fast as I could. Kind of like my ass depended on it." Hangman said with his signature smirk.

"And you put your team in danger, and your wingman's dead." Rooster said.

"They couldn't keep up."

"Oh my god!" Free-bird mumbled under her breath. His teammate died and he's still a cocky asshole. Hangman. Wasn't. Real.

Rooster, Yale and Harvard's simulation was next. They made it, but in 4 minutes, not 3.

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

"Sir, he's the only one who made it to the target," Phoenix said.

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

"You don't know that. Just because he's late doesn't mean he's dead, he can dog fight his way out," Free-bird added.

"Your not flying fast enough. You don't have a second to waste." Hangman commented. Why was he even talking at this point?

"We made it to the target," Rooster said again.

"And superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out," Maverick responded sternly.

"Then like Free-bird said. It's a dogfight."

"Against 5th generation fighters?"

"Yeah, there's still a chance," Free-bird added.

"In an F-18?" Maverick shot back.

"It's not the plane sir!" Rooster said, looking at Free-bird.

"It's the pilot," she finished. The pair smirked at their response, they had used his own words against him.

"Exactly!" Maverick yelled. Their smiles dropped from their faces. There was a beat of tense silence.

"There's more than one way to fly this mission," Rooster said.

"You really don't get it," Hangman started. Why. Was. He. Talking. "On this mission, a man flies like Maverick here, or a man does not come back. No offense girls," he nodded at Phoenix. Free-Bird put her face in her hands to keep from screaming at him... or hitting him.

"Yet somehow, you always manage," Bob shot back.

"Look, I don't mean to criticize, You're conservative, that's all." Maverick tried to stop him but he kept going. "We're going into combat, son, on a level no living pilot's ever seen. Not even him. That's no time to be thinking about the past." Free-Bird's head snapped up as Rooster's head slowly turned to look at Hangman.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rooster asked.

"Rooster." Maverick warned.

"I can't be the only one who knows that Maverick flew with Rooster's old man. That's why him and Free-bird are so buddy buddy." Free-bird stood up out of her seat, giving Hangman a warning look. "Or what about the fact that Maverick was flying when Rooster's old man-" Hangman didn't get to finish his sentence because Free-bird ran foreword and connected her first with his jaw. She was pulled away from him before she got to do any further damage.

"You son of a bitch!" She yelled. Rooster had his arms wrapped around her middle, pinning her arms to her sides. He was lifting her away as she kicked her legs, trying to get out of his grip. Hangman stood up from the ground where he had fallen and was holding his jaw.

"That is enough, that's enough!" Maverick yelled pushing the two apart.

"I'm cool. I'm cool!" Hangman said. Free-bird was still trying to get out of Rooster's grip as Hangman stepped closer to her. Some hair had popped out of her bun and was hanging in her face now.

"She's not cut out for this mission." Free-bird spit in his face as a response.

"That's enough!" Maverick yelled again as he pushed Hangman back.

"You know I'm right," he said as he wiped his face and walked away. He made sure to glare at Rooster first, still smirking.

"Your all dismissed," Maverick ordered. Free-bird shrugged Rooster off and stormed out of the room. Rooster exchanged a concerned look with Phoenix and Bob as they watched her leave the room.

"I'll check on her," Phoenix said and followed her out of the room. Rooster turned to look at Maverick who was looking at the ground. Rooster let out a breath and sat down. What the hell just happened.

~

AN: Drama >:) Fr though why does Hangman feel the need to talk so much. No one needs his comments.