Stars - Iceman (Top Gun)

Fifteen

The pilots gathered in the observation room, and the commander read out who was going to be participating in the hop.

"Iceman and Riser," He read out first.

"Yes sir," They answered synonymously.

"Maverick and Goose," he said next.

"Yes sir," They also answered.

"The rest of you, stay in the room and tune in. This is going to be a big one." The commander finished and walked out of the room.

Tom and Sarah went to their plane and hopped in. Tom was going to fly this time, while Sarah was his RIO. They had agreed to this beforehand, because Tom did not want her to get injured again after what happened.

"All clear, Riser?" Tom asked her.

"All clear," Sarah confirmed.

Beside them, Pete and Nick got prepped and were ready to fly. Sarah secretly gave them a thumbs up as a sign of good luck, and then they were launched. Tom gave the signal, and they followed shortly after.

"Gentlemen and Lady, this is Hop 31. Two weeks to graduation. Top Gun trophy is still up for grabs, so every point counts," Viper said into the comm.

*Queue "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins*

Pete and Nick were slightly higher than them in the sky, so Tom brought the plane up a bit more. The two teams stared at each other until Nick spoke.

"Well, it's the bottom of the ninth, the score is tied, it's time for the big one." Nick commentated.

"You up for this one, Maverick?" Tom asked him.

"Just a walk in the park, Kazansky." He replied back, a smile on his face.

"I'm sure it will be!" Sarah added in.

They flew through the sky for a few seconds until Sarah spotted movement in the air.

"Contact. Multiple bogeys, 1-6-5. 2 miles, looks like they are going away from us," She reported to the teams.

"Oh, I see em! Tallyho, right, 2 o'clock, I'm in." Pete replied, noticing the bogeys.

"I'm in." Tom said as he and Pete moved the planes to the right towards the group of bogeys. Sarah didn't notice how many there were until Tom really flew close to them. She was a little nervous... okay, very nervous... but she trusted Tom's flying skills.

They swooped in behind the bogeys and the whole group scattered.

"They seem to be using evasive maneuvers!" Sarah stated, watching them go every which way.

Pete managed to get behind one and began tailing it. Tom noticed it and swooped in front of Pete.

"That son of a bitch cut me off!" Pete said into his comm.

Both planes were now following the bogey. Tom was in the lead, trying to get a clean shot at it.

"Come on, come on, take the shot!" Pete said, seeing that Tom was close to the bogey. "Come on, Ice! Get the hell out of there!"

"I can't get the angle. I'm too close for missiles. I'm switching to guns," Tom flipped the switch on the dash to guns and Sarah kept on the lookout for any bogeys trying to sneak in.

"Ice, fire or clear!" Pete was getting impatient. He broke right. He was under Tom's plane at this point. "Look at this! I could take a shot right here!"

"I need another 20 seconds, then I've got him," Ice said, concentrating on the bogey.

"I'm moving in, I got the shot," Pete inched his plane forward a little more.

"Come on Mav, get in there!" Nick's voice rang through the comm.

"Maverick's getting impatient. Come on Ice, you should take the shot," Sarah told him.

"I need ten more seconds, then I've got him," Ice was close to the bogey now.

"Come on Ice, get the hell outta there!" Nick was getting tired of this too.

"Ice! Come on, fly right, I got this!" Pete was angry now.

"Five more seconds..." Tom tried to follow it.

"Come on Ice, fly right. I'm in," Pete said.

"I'm off. Shit!" Tom flew upwards, not knowing that Pete and Nick were under him.

"We're in his jet wash!" Sarah heard Pete say. She got worried. What if they couldn't get control of the plane?

"ICE! They flew in your jet wash! They are out of control!" Sarah screamed into the comm.

"I can't do anything! We would lose the bogey, and it is dangerous to go near them!" Tom said, panic creeping in his voice.

Sarah could see them spinning and Tom struggling to gain control of the plane. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She couldn't bear to watch, but this was something she just could not unsee.

"Come on, you gotta fight it Mav!" Nick said, worried. "Engine one is out! Engine two is out!"

"NO!" Sarah yelled. She felt helpless as she watched her friends plummet down to sea. "WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!"

"Goose, I'm losing control! I... I can't control it!" Pete was in full panic mode now. "It won't recover!"

"We are out of control Maverick! This is not good... not good..." Nick sounded sick.

"Mayday, mayday. Mav's in trouble. He's in a flat spin, heading out to sea!" Tom said, trying to stay calm.

"HOW CAN YOU BE CALM AT A TIME LIKE THIS? YOUR WINGMAN IS IN TROUBLE!" Sarah couldn't keep it in anymore. The stress was too overbearing for her.

"Altitude 8,000... 7,000... 6,000..." Pete started counting down. "I can't reach the ejection handle! Goose, you're gonna have to punch us out! Eject! Eject!"

The words "Eject! Eject!" echoed in Sarah's mind as she heard Pete's voice. The very words Tom said to her when she was being attacked. The words that saved her. She hoped that those words would save Nick and Pete.

"I'm trying!" Goose struggled to grab onto the loops.

"Eject! Eject! Eject! Watch the canopy!" Pete yelled as Nick pulled the handles. From the limited view Sarah had, she saw the plane seats shoot up from the spinning vessel.

Nick was ejected first, but something seemed off. She didn't figure it out until it was too late. He had hit the canopy head on. She started crying uncontrollably. She knew the worst had happened. There was no way he could have survived that. She tried to scream, but no words came out, just tears.

Pete was successfully ejected, and she watched helplessly as they floated down in the water. He managed to get Nick above water, but it was too late. He moved no more.

"Riser and Iceman, report back to the carrier immediately. The rescue chopper is almost at the premises," The commander told them.

Ice began flying towards the carrier and Sarah kept her eyes glued on the sight of Nick and Pete. The water was green from Nick's blood, and she would never be able to shake the mental image of that from her mind.

Once they landed, she ran to the shower room and cried her heart out. She didn't care who saw her, she just wanted to be alone and mourn Nick. The door opened and Tom stepped towards her. She kept crying. Her throat was scratchy, and she could not even speak.

He sat beside her and held her tight, lightly stroking her back to calm her down. She looked up and his eyes were full of tears too. Before she knew it, they were both crying on the bench, holding each other close, mourning Nick.

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Rest in Peace, Goose. You will always be missed...