Danger Zone • Top Gun: Maverick

• Chapter Twenty-Seven •

Time seemed to have slowed down as the trio awaited the impact of the missile but it had never came, as a loud boom echoed through their ears causing them to look behind them and find the aircraft burning and tumbling to the waters below.

Through the black smoke, an F-18 appeared and an all-too-familiar southern, cocky voice filled their cockpits.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. This is your saviour speaking." Jake said, a cocky grin evident in his tone. "Please fasten your seatbelts, return your tray tables to their locked and upright positions, and prepare for landing."

The trio released breathes of relief, and Bradley had surprisingly let out a chuckle as the pilot pulled up next to them.

"Hey, Hangman!" He said as Emerson gently hit the side of her fist against the canopy as a sign of gratitude. "You look good."

"I am good, Rooster." Jake replied with a smirk. "I'm very good."

"Of course, you are." Skye responded with a small smirk of her own as she playfully rolled her eyes.

All of a sudden, another F-18 had appeared from beneath them and pulled up, inverting itself between the two F-14s.

"Greetings!." Pete's voice echoed over comms as he stared down at the trio - Emerson, Bradley, and Skye laughing at their father and uncle. "You kids will be the death of me."

"Well, we gotta keep you on your toes and make sure that heart of yours is still kicking, Pops." Emerson teased with a smirk.

The Captain chuckled lightly with a fond shake of his head as he rolled his F-18 back over to the side, relieved that his daughter, godson, and niece were safe and unharmed.

"We'll see you back on deck." Jake stated and turned his jet off to the right, with Pete in tow - the two pilots guiding the F-14s back to the carrier and landing with ease.

"This is Lieutenant Skye 'Siren' Kazansky, coming in for landing." Skye announced to the carrier control tower. "Deathwing and Rooster are downwind, no front-landing gear and no tail hook. Pull the cable and raise the barricade."

Emerson and Bradley watched as Skye landed aboard the carrier before the brunette had turned the F-14 onto its side, flying past the bustle of the crew raising the barricade and, at the same time, buzzing the tower.

As they made their turn around, Emerson released what was left of the landing gear before the F-14 gave a sudden jolt at a loss of one of the engines.

"Please don't tell me that we lost an engine." Bradley mumbled and closed his eyes regretfully.

"Alright, I won't tell you that." Emerson responded with amusement evident in her tone.

"Okay." The tall pilot said as he prepared himself for a very bumpy landing.

The brunette giggled as they neared the runway of the carrier. "You're such a stressball." She teased.

Gently easing the joystick forward, the F-14 was caught by the barricade that had jolted the couple forward roughly in their seats for the lack of a front-landing gear.

Emerson breathed a sigh of relief as crew members scrambled towards the jet with extinguishers in hand. "You good, babe?" She quizzed, glancing at her boyfriend behind her.

"Yeah, I'm good." Bradley replied.

With that, Emerson opened the canopy, and the couple immediately unbuckled themselves and removed their masks and helmets. As they stood in the cockpit, the brunette wrapped her arms around the tall pilot and kissed him passionately before climbing out - all while Naval officers rushed towards the two F-14s with loud cheers.