Fly With Me // Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter Four

All of the aviators head towards their aircraft after changing into their flight suits for the pre-flight inspection. Rooster and Razor trail wordlessly behind the rest of the recruits. "Rooster," they hear Maverick call out from behind them. He ignores the man and keeps walking forward. "Bradley," he calls out again.

"You need to talk to him," she says, still facing forward. Razor knew that this would be an unwanted opinion. She also knew that they won't make it through the next three weeks unscathed if they don't at least find a way to work civilly.

Before he can argue with Sophie, Maverick calls out to him again. "Lieutenant Bradshaw." This time it was an order. Rooster stops in his tracks as the brunette pilot makes her way over to her jet where Rebound is already waiting for her.

While they complete the necessary inspections, Razor looks over to the two men she left behind. Everyone could tell that they were in the middle of an intense conversation, but no one could hear the words exchanged between them due to the roaring of the jets. Razor knew that Rooster had no intention of letting go of his grudge against Maverick. She wasn't trying to tell him he had to forgive and forget, but he did need to find a way to work with him. Easier said than done. She shakes her head at the stubborn man and focuses on her jet.

Once everyone finishes their pre-flight, Payback, Fanboy, and Rooster head up in the air, while everyone else heads to the break room. Sophie sits next to Hangman on the couch where he's playing with a model fighter jet. "What's up with your boyfriend and Maverick?"

"Leave it alone," she says, warning him.

He puts his hands up feigning innocence as they listen to the aviators up in the air. They've made a deal with Maverick that if anyone can shoot him down he'd do two hundred pushups, but in return, if he shoots any of the recruits down then they'd have to do the pushups instead.

"This guy needs an ego check," Hangman says aloud to everyone.

Razor scoffs, "And you'll be the one to give it to him?"

"Damn straight."

They listen to the radio as they hear that Rooster got shot down after saving Payback and Fanboy. The next group gets ready to go up in the air while Sophie watches through the window as Rooster completes his pushups. She decides to give him space and prepare for her turn in the air. Maverick is already getting to him. She could hear it through the radio.

She and Rebound make their way to their hornet and climb up. She closes the canopy when they're both securely in and reaches her hand back to Rebound. He takes ahold of it and squeezes it. "You're my eyes and ears."

"And you're my leading woman," he recites back. She brings her hand back to the throttle and they lift off into the air after getting the okay from air control. They're flying with Coyote in this exercise. She knew him a little because he was good friends with Jake and knew that he was a good pilot, but they'd never flown with him before. There's always a learning curve when flying with someone for the first time. They fly side by side until Mav announces that the fight is on.

"Rebound you see him," Razor asks while keeping her eyes moving in all directions to locate their target. Suddenly, he comes out of nowhere behind the two F-18s.

"Oh shit," Coyote yells out, "Break right, Razor."

Razor listens to him and moves to the right and drops some altitude, hoping that they can get behind him. He instead drops down and follows them.

"Coyote, he's on our tail," Rebound yells into the comms, "Get him off of us."

Razor keeps flying fast and swerves right and left trying to confuse his targeting system and get him off them. Coyote drops down to their altitude and flies in front of Mav, saving his wingman, but sacrificing himself in the process. "You're out, Coyote."