"I wish you didn't have to leave." Bre said as she hugged Rooster.
"I wish you were going with me," Rooster said softly, kissing the top of her head. "But I'll be home soon."
"Thought you didn't want me there?" She looked up at him with a cheeky smile.
"I lied." He smiled back and kissed her on the lips one last time before he turned to walk across the tarmac. "Take it easy while I'm gone." He said sternly.
"I will." She promised. He gave her a soft kiss before turning towards his plane. "Bradley!" She called, rushing over to him. She pulled him in, pressing her lips to his. "I love you. Come back to me."
"I love you more. And I always do." He kissed her again, this time walking away with the rest of the squadron.
Maverick walked up to his daughter. "I'm sorry you're missing this one kid."
"For good reason though." She smiled. "Take care of him and make sure he comes home."
"You know I will." Maverick hugged her.
"I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, baby girl." He broke the embrace and walked off towards his plane. They were due to land on their carrier in two hours, they'd depart from there to fly out their mission once they were closer to target.
"Sir, we've lost contact with Dagger 1."
"We have to circle back!" Rooster frantically called into the radio.
"Those bandits are closing in. We can't go back." Phoenix replied.
"He's gone, Rooster." Bob stated. Rooster sighed heavily, battling the internal devil and angel. One wanted him to go after Maverick. The other wanted to go to the carrier. Bre needed her dad, but she also needed him.
"Instruct all remaining aircraft to return to the carrier." Cyclone ordered, watching the remaining jets fly in formation on the radar.
"Yes, sir."
"Dagger 2, Dagger 3 and Dagger 4, you're instructed to return to carrier at once."
"Rooster, what are you doing?"
"Mav needs help. Return to the carrier as ordered." He said before breaking formation and heading to Maverick's last known position.
As Rooster approached, he saw a helicopter with its sights zeroed in on something his gut could only yell was Maverick. The helicopter was getting ready to take the shot, but he shot them first. Rooster quickly maneuvered around the exploding debris field, only for a missile to launch in his direction. He tried to dodge it, but his attempt was futile as the target lock sounded. He ejected before the missile hit his aircraft.
Maverick watched in horror as Rooster's plane turned into a fireball. He could see a huge pillar of black smoke rising through the trees. He took off at a dead sprint, trying to get to him as fast as he could, praying he wasn't hurt or dead.
He ran through the woods, dodge trees and jumping over branches. Finally, Rooster came into view. "You alright?" he asked, still sprinting towards the younger pilot.
"Yeah, I'm good. You alright?" Rooster said as he stood up from packing his parachute.
Maverick shoved Rooster, causing the younger man to stumble and fall backwards. He took off his helmet, tossing it aside. "What the hell?"
"What are you doing here?" Maverick questioned angrily.
"What am I doing here?" Rooster questioned confused.
"You think I took that missile so you could be down here with me? You should be back on the carrier by now!" Maverick barked.
"I saved your life!" Rooster said defensively.
"I saved your life! That's the whole point. What the hell were you even thinking?" Maverick retorted, unrelenting.
"You told me not to think!" Rooster fired back, throwing his hands up in the air.
Maverick just stared at him, dumbfounded. "It's good to see ya, but you shouldn't be here."
"Are you gonna let this go?" Rooster questioned, getting tired of the back and forth.
"No!" Maverick spun around on him. "I was trying to keep you safe so you could get back home to my daughter and your baby." He said, letting the anger and frustration spill out, disregarding his promise to Breanna in the heat of the moment.
"What did you say?" Rooster stood frozen.
Maverick stared in shock before he sighed, knowing he'd messed up, letting some of the anger go. "I wasn't supposed to tell you, but I guess the cat's out of the bag. Breanna's pregnant." Maverick panted, still releasing leftover anger and now embarrassment.
All of the color drained from Rooster's face as the news sank in slowly before hitting like a freight train. He stumbled backwards before sitting down on a fallen tree. He looked up at Maverick, "I'm gonna be a father?"
"Yeah, son. You are." Maverick said as he clasped him on the shoulder. "So, let's figure out how to get us home."
Rooster finally gained his composure. Standing up he looked at Maverick, "So what's the plan?"
Maverick pondered the question briefing before trotting off into the woods. Rooster followed.
It wasn't long before the two were perched on top of a hillside looking down at the remaining hangers and destroyed runway. Maverick eyed an F-14 sitting in a hanger near the far end of the taxiway.
"You're not serious." Rooster said in disbelief.
Maverick stood up, moving to the closer vantage point. Rooster followed.
"You've got to be shitting me. An F-14?" Rooster questioned.
"I shot down three Migs in one of those." Maverick defended.
"We don't even know if that bag of ass can fly."
"Let's find out." Maverick said, hopping up and taking off down the hill.
"Mav!" Rooster called out as he sat on the hilltop for a second, contemplating his options, "Okay." He said as he popped up and chased after Maverick, sprinting to the bottom of the hill.
"There's guys up there, Mav."
"Yep." Maverick replied.
"There's more over there."
"Okay." Maverick said as he tried to plan out their next move. "Let's start running."
"Yeah, run, run." The two sprinted across the cratered run way towards the hanger. They quickly made it inside.
Maverick began checking over the gauges on the generator. "Once… Once this needle reaches 120 and the engine starts, I need you to pull all the pins and disconnect everything." Maverick said in a rush. "And then once I'm up, stow the ladder." Maverick climbed the ladder into the cockpit. Glancing over the gauges and control panel he took a deep breath, "It's been a minute, huh Mav?"
Rooster rushed to stow the ladder. He waited until the gauge hit 120 and he immediately ran to stow the ladder, pull all of the pins and disconnect the hoses before he hopped on the tail wing and climbed into the rear seat of the cockpit. "Oh My God this thing is so old!" He exclaimed.
"Canopy!" Maverick called as he taxied out of the hanger.
"Clear!" Rooster called back. "Both runways are cratered. How are we gonna get this museum piece in the air?"
Maverick didn't respond, he flipped a switch causing the wings to fan out to full capacity.
"Why are the wings coming out Mav?" Rooster quickly looked out the canopy, bonking his head on the canopy as he did so. "What are you doing Mav? This is a taxiway. Not a runway. A very short Taxiway!"
"Just hold on!" Maverick called back as the plane started rolling forward, picking up speed as they rolled down the taxiway.
"Holy shit!" Rooster called out as he was slammed backwards into his seat. "Mav? Mav? Holy shit!" He called out as he closed his eyes silently praying.
The plane gained altitude, soaring into the air. Rooster quickly switched on his ESAT.
"Sir, we're receiving a signal from Rooster's ESAT. There seems to be a malfunction."
"Have you lost him?" Warlock questioned.
"No, sir. He's supersonic."
"He's airborne." Warlock said happily.
"In what?" Cyclone questioned.
"Sir, overwatch reports an F-14 is airborne and on course for our position."
"It can't be. It can't be." Warlock said, disbelieving what he was hearing.
"Maverick." Came Cyclone's reply.
"Ok, Rooster, get us in touch with the boat."
"Working on it." Rooster said as he looked around the cockpit. "Radio's out. No Radar. Everything's dead back here. What do I do? Talk me through it." Rooster said, frantically looking around at all of the switches and breakers.
"Ok first the radio." Maverick instructed. "Throw the UHF-2 circuit breaker. Try that."
"There's three hundred breakers back here, anything more specific?"
"I don't know, that was your dad's department." Maverick said apologetically.
"I'll figure it out." Came Rooster's reply as he continued to look around, trying to figure out how to get the radio on. Movement off the side of the plane caught his attention. "Mav, tally two, 5:00 low. What do we do?"
"Okay, listen. Just be cool. If they knew who we were, we'd be dead already."
"Well, here they come. What's your plan?" Rooster asked.
"Just put your mask on. Remember, we're on the same team. Just wave and smile. Just wave and smile."
Both Rooster and Maverick waved at the two aircraft. The two of them had their heart begin to race more than normal.
They made several hand gestures towards Rooster and Maverick. "What's that signal? What's he saying?" Rooster asked.
"No idea. I have no idea what he's saying." Maverick replied while giving several of his own hand signals.
"What about that one? Any idea?" Rooster tried again.
"No, never seen that one either." Maverick continued to watch the two opposing planes. "Oh shit. His wingman is moving into weapons envelope. Alright, listen up. When I tell you, you grab those rings above your head. That's the ejection handle."
Rooster glanced up at the ejection handle, making himself familiar with the location. "Mav, can we out run these guys?"
"Not their missiles and guns."
Rooster thought about it for a brief second before speaking up, "Then it's a dogfight."
"In an F-14 against fifth-gen fighters?"
"It's not the plane. It's the pilot." Rooster encouraged. "You'd go after 'em if I wasn't here."
"But you are here." Maverick said back.
"Come on, Mav." Rooster pleaded. "Don't think. Just do."
Maverick gave it a second thought before banking hard right and opening fire on the enemy Mig.
Rooster was momentarily taken by surprise and thrown to the side of the cockpit, bouncing off of the canopy before coming to rest back in his seat.
"Tell me when you see smoke in the air." Maverick ordered.
Rooster spun around to look not even two seconds later. "Smoke in the air! Smoke in the air!"
"Hang on!" Mav called back.
"Yeah Mav! Splash one! Splash one!" Rooster cheered. "Here comes another one!"
"Rooster, flares! Now, now, now!" Mav yelled. "Splitting the throttles, coming around!" Maverick maneuvered the plane around, coming in behind the enemy Mig. "Give me tone, give me tone."
"You got him Mav! You got him!"
"Taking the shot." Maverick fired the shot, missing at the enemy Mig floated backwards falling into position behind them. "What the…"
"Holy shit! What the fuck was that?" Rooster exclaimed.
"Hang on. We gotta get low. The terrain will confuse his targeting system." Mav did a quick descent to the valley below.
"Here he comes!" Rooster called.
"Talk to me, Rooster? Where is he?"
Rooster swiveled around to look behind them, his eyes scanning the sky and terrain for the enemy aircraft. "He's still on us!"
The enemy fighter fired off several rounds, hitting their F-14. "We took a hit! We took a hit!"
"Damn it!" Maverick cursed as he tried to maneuver away.
"Come on Mav! Do some of that pilot shit!"
"Brace yourself." Maverick cautioned as he pushed the lever causing the wings to expand.
"Holy shit!" Rooster exclaimed as Maverick did a steep climb only to drop the nose into a rapid descent.
"I got tone. Taking the shot." He fired the missile, but the Mig deployed counter measures, causing the missile to miss.
"Damn it!" Rooster cried out.
"Out of missiles, switching to guns." Maverick took several shots at the Mig, missing. "Come on Mav, come on!" He continued firing, finally hitting the Mig.
"You got him, Mav!"
"It's not over yet." He said, glancing down seeing that he was almost out of ammunition. "One last chance."
"You can do this." Rooster encouraged.
"Come on, Maverick." Mav said to himself as he fired again. This time getting a direct hit, causing the plane to crash into the side of the canyon wall.
"Yes! Splash two!" Rooster cheered.
Maverick changed course and headed out over the ocean, towards the carrier.
Rooster pressed several buttons, the radio and radar screen sprung to life. "Mav, I got the radio on!"
"Outstanding! Get us in touch with the boat."
"Copy that."
"Oh my God." Maverick whispered as radar alarms started sounding.
"Where the hell is this guy?" Rooster questioned as both of them scanned the sky for the Mig.
"He's on our nose." Mav said calmly.
Rooster leaned to the side, craning his neck to see around Mav's seat.
"Dammit. We're out of ammo." Mav said as he tried firing the guns. "Smoke in the air! Rooster, flares!" He quickly rolled the plane into an evasive maneuver as Rooster deployed the flares.
"That was close!" The two planes flew by each other in a narrow pass, both circling back around. "We're out of flares, Mav. Shit! He's already on us." Rooster groaned as the Mig began firing at them. "This is not good!"
Maverick banked the plane left and right as he coasted above the water, trying to dodge the incoming fire.
"We took another hit." Rooster called as the bullets pinged off of the exterior of the plane.
"No, no, no, no, no." Mav said as he continued trying to dodge the attack.
"We can't take much more of this!" Rooster cried out as the plane was struck again.
"We can't outrun this guy. We got to eject."
"What?" Rooster yelled.
"We need altitude. Pull the ejection handles the second I tell you."
"Mav, wait!"
"Rooster, there's no other way!" Mav pulled the plane into a steep climb. "Eject, eject, eject!"
Rooster grabbed the handles and yanked down.
"Rooster, pull the handle. Eject!"
"It's not working!" Rooster called out as he tried again to pull down on the ejection handle.
Mav continued his ascent with the Mig right on his tail.
"Mav!" Rooster screamed, frantic.
"I'm sorry." Maverick whispered. "I'm sorry, Goose."
The Mig fired off a missile, but before it could ascend on Maverick and Rooster the plane exploded. An F/A-18 appeared through the smoke and debris.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. This is your savior speaking." Hangman called over the radio. "Please fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables to their locked and upright positions and prepare for landing."
Maverick sighed with relief as Rooster started laughing. Maverick gave Handman a thumbs up.
"Hey, Hangman, you look good." Rooster said.
"I am good, Rooster. I'm very good." Hangman winked over at his comrades. "I'll see you back on deck." He banked right and approached the carrier.
"Maverick is downwind. No front landing gear. No tailhook. Pull the cable and raise the barricade."
"Foul deck! Foul deck! Raise the barricade!"
The crew hustled to raise the barricade as Maverick made his final approach, buzzing the tower on his way by.
"Please, don't tell me we lost an engine." Rooster cringed as the plane jolted in midair.
"Alright, I won't tell you that."
"Okay."
They landed on the carrier deck with a hard jolt, scraping across the carrier deck and coming to a halt in the catch net.
"You good?" Mav called back to Rooster.
"Yeah, I'm good."
Maverick sighed with relief. He'd kept his promise to Bre and got Rooster back safe.
As they climbed out of the damaged plane everyone was gathering around cheering the pilots on a successful mission and return home.
Hondo hugged Maverick as Phoenix hugged Rooster, both glad their friends had returned safe and sound.
Hangman approached Rooster, extending his hand in a congratulatory handshake. The two also shared a silent understanding.
"Chalked yourself another kill?" Rooster said breaking the silence.
"That makes two." Hangman said.
"Mav has five. Makes him an ace." Phoenix said cutting in, spoiling Hangman's glory. Hangman and Phoenix hugged as Rooster headed off toward Maverick.
"Captain Mitchell. Captain Mitchell." He called as Maverick turned to face him. "Sir."
Maverick pulled the younger man into a hug. "Thank you for saving my life."
"It's what my dad would've done." Mav nodded as he tried to keep his emotions in check, he pulled Rooster in for another hug.
"I'm proud of you, son." Mav said as he pulled back looking Rooster in the eye.
Rooster nodded, not able to speak in the moment. After regaining his composure, he finally spoke. "I want to ask Bre to marry me."
Maverick broke into a smile. "It'd be an honor to have you as my son-in-law."