It had been a week since the incident between Maverick and Rooster, since that day Sophia and Rooster had pretty much ignored him unless it was to do with their training, even then it was very basic answers.
The admirals wanted them to be trained for any manner of mission that may come their way. Today they would be flying through low terrain canyons with a maximum of 300ft altitude and would be running a fast course. With a time limit of 3 minutes.
"You'll fly a route in your nav system that will simulate this type of terrain, the faster you navigate this, the harder it will be to stay under the radar of enemy SAMs, the tighter the turns, the more intensely the force of gravity on your body multiplies, compressing your lungs, forcing the blood from your brain, impairing your judgment and reaction times. You have all gone through your training flying at high altitudes and steady speeds, today we change that.
Everyone looked round the room shocked at what their instructor was asking of them. They had always been told they couldn't fly under the 5000ft hard deck it was the law within the Navy. The team stood up and made their way to the locker rooms to get ready for their flight. First up was Phoenix and Bob with Coyote.
"Time to target is 1 minuet 30 we are 2 seconds behind, increase to 380 knots "Bob instructed.
"We gotta move Coyote" Phoenix hollered trying to get Coyote to speed up.
"Copy increasing speed" Coyote shouted back but instead of speeding up he panicked and slowed down, this caused Phoenix to have to suddenly brake and pull up above the 300ft ceiling to avoid crashing into the back of him.
Back in the briefing room Maverick went over each team's flight before the next ones went.
"Why are they dead" Maverick asked looking between the three.
"We broke the 300ft ceiling, the SAM took us out" Phoenix lowered her head taking blame for her team failing. Sophia was sat behind the woman; she knew Phoenix would take the blame even if she wasn't at fault.
"No, why are they dead" Maverick looked over at Coyote not accepting that Phoenix was taking the full blame.
"I slowed down and I didn't give her a warning, its my fault"
"Is there a reason you didn't communicate with your team" Maverick questioned.
Coyote had tried to explain but Maverick interrupted him "One that their family would accept at the funeral"
The whole room took a sharp breath in. Jesus this had gotton deep.
"None sir" Coyote replied sinking down in his chair slightly.
Maverick Turned to Phoenix "Why didn't you anticipate the turn? You were briefed on the terrain" Before Phoenix could answer "Don't tell me, tell his family" Maverick pointed his head towards Bob. Phoenix looked towards her WSO and dropped her head in guilt.
Next up was Sophia, Hangman, Payback and Fanboy. As she got out of her seat to head out her jet, she felt Rooster graze his hand against her hip, his subtle way of comforting her knowing how much she hated being in the air with Hangman, Sophia gave him a quick smile before heading outside.
Once up in the air and at the beginning of the course Hangman had instantly sped off leaving her and the other two pilots behind.
"Jesus Hangman ease up, the canyons getting tighter" Payback screeched out struggling to keep up with the speed Hangman was currently going.
"Negative Payback, increase your speed" Hangman smirked as he sped up even more.
"You're going to fast Hangman, we are supposed to be doing this as a team" Sophia shouted, she was getting more and more pissed at him as the days went on his arrogance was getting beyond a joke.
"Come on Princess, there's no harm in being ahead of schedule" Hangman replied.
"Damn it slow down, we can't stay on the course at this speed." Sophia was absolutely fuming with the man right now; she knew she was going to fail this exercise and it was through no fault of her own.
"Shit guys we're gunna hit the wall, watch out, watch out, watch out" Fanboy screamed as their simulator.
Sophia unclipped her mask as she hit her canopy, pissed that they had failed thanks to Hangman.
"Damn it Hangman, thanks a lot" Sophia shouted as she, Payback and Fanboy headed back to base to land.
Sophia jumped out of her jet and headed back into the briefing room where she knew Maverick was just waiting to tear them apart. She sat back in her seat next to Rooster who had watched the whole flight on the screen in the room, he took her hand in his placing it on his thigh as he rubbed small circles on her wrist to calm her down.
Maverick stood up at the front of the class as the other three men had sat down.
"What happened?" Maverick looked at the four pilots.
"Well, I flew as fast as I could, kind of like my ass depended on it" Hangman smirked.
"And you put your team in danger and both wingmen are dead" Rooster piped up, pissed that Hangman would have happily let Sophia get killed if it meant saving his own ass.
"Not my fault she couldn't keep up" Hangman smirked over at Rooster knowing that using the word "she" referring to Sophia would get him riled up.
Rooster, Harvard, and Yale were up next.
"Rooster we are 20 seconds behind and dropping" Yale announced trying to get Rooster to speed up.
"We're fine, speed is good" Rooster responded.
"Increase to 500 knots" Yale called out.
"Negative Yale, hold your speed".
"Rooster we're late"
"We're alive, we'll make up time in the straight"
"We are not going to make it" Yale protested.
"Just truest me, maintain your speed, we can make it".
Roosters team finished the course, they were they only team to do so even though they were 1 minuet late. The two planes landed, and all three pilots headed back into the briefing room.
Sophia smiled at Rooster as he sat back down next to her.
Maverick took his position in front of the group once again.
"Why are you dead?" Maverick asked Rooster. Rooster glanced up at the man.
"Your team leader up there, why are you, why is your team dead?"
Sophia felt Rooster tense up at Mavericks words.
"Sir" Phoenix piped up from her seat in front of them "he's the only one who made it to the target" She protested.
"A minuet late, he gave enemy aircraft time to shoot him down, he is dead"
"You don't know that" Rooster threw back, Sophia could feel the tension radiating off him, she knew if Maverick carried on this would end badley.
"Your not flying fast enough, you don't have a second to waste" Hangman interjected. Sophia gave him a scowl praying he wouldn't carry on getting involved.
"We made it to the target"
"And superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on the way out" Maverick stated looking down at the man.
"Then it's a dog fight" Rooster had sat up straighter in his seat now.
"Against fifth generation fighters" Maverick asked.
"Yeah, we'd still have a chance" Everyone had noticed the tense argument happening in front of them, nobody knew what to do apart from just sit and watch it unfold. Sophia had a hand over eyes not wanting to watch or listen to the two men anymore.
"In an F-18?" Maverick's voice was getting louder and angrier.
"Its not the plane sir... it's the pilot" Rooster confidently stated.
"EXACTLY" Maverick shouted. This caused Sophia to sit up and glare at Maverick.
Both men took a few breaths before Rooster stated "There's more than one way to fly these courses"
"You really don't get it do you?" Hangman had started again. "On these missions we are training for, a man flies like Maverick here or a man does not come back, no offense intended" He looked over at Sophia and Phoenix as he finished is sentence with a cocky smirk on his face.
Both woman glared at him before Bob came to their defence "Yet somehow you always manage" Both of them smirking at his response.
Hangman ignored Bobs comment and carried on "Look I don't mean to criticize, your conservative, that's all"
"Lieutenant" Maverick tried to jump in, but Hangman ignored him, Rooster was getting more and more wound up, Sophia placed her hand on his thigh trying to calm him down, but Rooster brushed her away, this caused hurt to flash across her features, he had never brushed her away.
"We could be going into combat son, on a level no living pilot has ever seen, not even him" Hangman glanced over to Maverick who stared back at the cocky man.
"That's no time to be thinking about the past" Sophie's head shot up looking over at Hangman, she knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Hangman don't you dare" Sophia scowled at the man daring him to continue.
"What's that supposed to mean" Rooster asked as he sat up straighter in his seat, Sophia had placed her hand on his leg again, this time Rooster to preoccupied to stop her.
"Rooster" Maverick could see where this was going.
"I cant be the only one who knows that Maverick here is Sophia's daddy, that they both have deep deep issues with him, or that Maverick used to fly with Roosters old man and was flying when his old man.." Hangman didn't get to finish his sentence. Rooster was on his feet in a second flying towards the pilot managing to grab his collar on his flight suite before he was pulled off.
"You son of a bitch" Rooster screamed, Sophia jumped up from her seat and stood in between the two fighting me. She pushed Hangman back giving him a death glare before she turned around to face Rooster, placing her hands on either side of his face.
"Baby look at me, stop stop, he's not worth it" She took her eyes off Rooster and turned her head spitting out the last part of her sentence whilst she glared at Hangman.
Rooster visibly calmed under her touch, placing both hands on hers as she lowered them from his face.
"Oh look still defending him aren't you" Hangman laughed as everyone else had let the two men go and had taken a few steps back watching the scene in front of them.
Sophia spun round to glare at Hangman "What the hell is your problem Serasin" Sophia took a step towards him as she felt Rooster circle an arm around her waist to stop her going any further towards him.
Hangman laughed at the woman in front of him. "Just like always defending him again and again no matter what he does" He had taken a step towards Sophia looking up at Rooster as he spoke.
"Of course, I'll defend him, your being a dickhead Jake, who the hell are you to talk about our issues with Maverick or to ever bring up his dad, this has nothing to do with you, your just being an asshole, you have no right to be involved in our personal lives"
Sophia had turned to walk out the room, Rooster just in front of her when Hangman started again.
"Oh so its ok to talk about your personal life when it suits you right?" Sophia spun around looking at him, he wouldn't, they both promised to never speak of this again, he promised her. After she didn't respond, Hangman could feel the anger coming from inside and carried on his tyrant.
"Yeah that's what I thought, I was a good enough friend to talk to in the Academy when he" he pointed at Rooster "was too busy for you, I was a good enough friend to be a shoulder to cry on when he was out fucking other girls" Sophia could feel her self going pale, there is no way he was going to say what she thinks he was. "I was also a good enough friend to take you to the Doctors when you thought you were preg" He stopped when he realised what he had said out loud for the whole room to hear.
Sophia froze, she couldn't believe he had just dropped that out for everyone to hear. He promised her he would never bring it up again.
Hangman knew he had fucked up, he was angry, but he should never have said what he did, especially in a room full of people.
He took a step forward to try and console the woman in front of him "Soph, I'm so sorry, I don't know why.." He started but Sophia took a step back and glared at him, he could see she was trying to keep back tears but was failing.
As the tears fell, Sophia looked around the room, everyone was shocked looking at her or Hangman, she looked over to Maverick who was completely stunned, she turned around and was met with Roosters stunned but upset face.
"What's he talking about Soph" Rooster chocked out. Sophia tried to answer but she couldn't get any words out, she took one last look at the room and stormed out.
In that moment she was so thankful she had driven herself here this morning. She grabbed her bag from her locker and ran to the parking lot before anyone else had the chance to catch up with her.
