Red Bull

eleven

ONE CLOSE CALL put me on edge, my hands were nervously shaking in the cockpit. I hoped Bob wasn't as nervous as I was, and that he couldn't see me visibly shaking.

"Red Bull, deep breaths in, deep breaths in. We'll be fine, I trust you." Bob says.

Shoot, he could tell I was nervous. Maybe he was as nervous as I was, I wouldn't put it pay him.

Phoenix wouldn't do something like this—
stop Scarlett. You can only control yourself, not others.

"Okay." I say, unconvinced.

It was fine. It was going to be fine.

Today we were only putting Phase 1 and Phase 2 together. It wasn't going well, and I could tell Maverick was getting frustrated with our lack of results.

Phoenix, Rooster, Harvard and Fritz, Bob and I had been in the training room, watching and analyzing the successes and failures of the groups that went before is.

But before I knew it, Maverick had already called the last batch from the detachment to come up, which was me and Bob, and I was strapped into a cockpit.

It was our first flight since the bird strike, and I think I was so nervous, I was about to have a heart attack. (Coyote can't know about this, or else he'll cut me off completely from my Red Bulls. So it stays between you and me, got it?)

Deep breath in, and let it out.

I say, "Red Bull to Mission Control, permission for takeoff?"

"Red Bull, this is Dice. Permission granted, head to runway 6." They immediately answer back from the flight tower.

"Affirmative, heading there now." I said, already taxiing the F-18 out of its parking spot, and drove it like a car to the runway.

The statistical probability of two bird strikes back to back was nearly impossible, but with my luck... I could only hope there wouldn't be any more disasters for me.

But a new plane meant a fresh new start. I mean, I made it this far as a pilot, so the universe wasn't totally against me.

Bob responds to my movements wordlessly, starting the engines, and making sure all the instruments are working correctly. "Ready when you are, Red Bull." He says into his helmet headset.

"Okay Bob. Let's go." I whisper, but still loud enough to where he can hear me.

I grip the central flight stick until my hands turn white, and I push the lever to the side forward, increasing our speed down the runway.

When we start approaching the end, I maneuver upwards, and we're airborne.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I was gasping for it, but my heart never felt better. It was going to be okay. I was going to be fine.

I relished in the adrenaline for a second more, before I started to head towards Maverick, ready to try the simulation course again.

I spot Maverick, and I hear him over the radio a second later, "Maverick to Red Bull and Bob. Ready for Phase 1 and 2?"

"This is Red Bull to Maverick, we're ready as we'll ever be." I answer him honestly. Lying would have made me feel worse.