THE DAY OF THE DREADED MISSION WAS FINALLY UPON SKYE, WHO NOW HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. the night prior had been nothing less of a doozy, as she'd described it to katia, and skye was now left with the advice that both her father and hangman had given her. the two men had both suggested that skye tell rooster how she felt, just, you know, in case one of them died. no biggie.

skye didn't like to get worried about missions. in her opinion, the worrying was what made something go wrong. and in her line of work, there was absolutely no room for anything to go wrong. with how nervous skye was, she knew that she would have to work twice as hard to keep her mind focused on the mission. she just needed to see bradley. she needed to talk to him.

when the sun finally rose, signifying the end of a nearly restless night, skye and katia were both asleep on the floor next to each other. their blankets had all been thrown around in between them tossing and turning, leaving the living room looking like a cursed sleepover. 

"today's the day." katia was the first to speak, looking up at the ceiling.

skye rolled over onto her back, joining the blonde in studying the ceiling fan above them. "don't quote nemo right now, please." 

"can't help it." katia replied. she got up on her elbows with a tired groan, pressing a hand to her forehead. "shouldn't have had anything to drink last night."

"hangover?" the brunette inquired, standing up and heading to the kitchen to make herself a coffee. 

katia shook her head. "no. it just feels morally incorrect."

"fair enough." skye took her sunliners mug down from the kitchen cabinet, filling it with her warm, homemade dunkin brew. "i just can't believe it's today. i feel like i keep saying that, or thinking it. but it's true.. it doesn't feel real."

katia joined skye in the kitchen, thanking her when she had already brought down a mug for her. "no, i agree. doesn't feel real." they were in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes before katia cleared her throat. "you know what else doesn't feel real?"

"hm?" skye raised a brow, taking a sip of her coffee.

"that you and bradshaw have been here for weeks and still haven't managed to make out with each other." 

skye nearly choked on her coffee and she set the cup down. "i hate you." she grumbled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. the two then started a small banter, though they were both smiling. "god," skye sighed, "i hope today goes well."

katia noticed that her tone had become more solemn, more serious, and she replicated it. "it will. it has to."

the two women got dressed in the next ten or fifteen minutes, plaiting their hair and pinning it up into military grade braided buns. skye fiddled with the sleeves of her flight suit, which had never felt too tight until that exact moment. 

she looked in the mirror at the patches she proudly wore on her suit. she was a sunliner, she was a tophatter, and she was a black ace. she'd graduated top of her class at the elite navy fighter weapons school. she was the best of the best. she was one of the greatest fighter pilots in the world. and she was terrified of death. 

death was something that skye knew to be inevitable. after all, she'd lost her mother. she'd watched bradley lose his, and she'd now watched as katia lost her father. death could peak out of any corner, could grab anyone at any time and take a claim on them. but skye hated that. the unpredictability. and she wasn't ready to come to terms with it.

truthfully, skye was terrified that no one would be there to mourn her. would anyone care when she was gone? if this mission was the one to take her out, who would it hurt? katia, of course. her father. phoenix, bob, fanboy, hangman. what would rooster do?

skye was trying to focus on anything but the what ifs as she popped the collar of her flight suit and related her shoes. she then met katia in the hallway, and the two shared a look. no words needed to be exchanged between the two for them to understand that the one was feeling just as nervous as the other. 

in a matter of seconds, their arms were wrapped around each other. skye focused on the wall opposite her before her eyes shut, and she squeezed katia closer to her. "what are we gonna do today?" she mumbled into the blonde's shoulder.

katia smiled. "we're gonna wreak havoc."

"gonna start a riot." skye added, pulling away a bit to join katia in smiling. 

"hell yeah."

the two embraced again, more cheerfully this time. with another final encouraging smile, they locked their front door and got onto their motorcycles. when they arrived at the location that the aircraft carrier was to be picking them up, most of the rest of their squadron were also standing in wait. "hey!" phoenix was the first to call to them. 

skye gave katia a look silently encouraging her to talk to phoenix, and katia complied, rolling her eyes at her best friend before moving over to phoenix. 

"hey." a voice spoke behind skye, and she found herself hoping it was rooster. she wasn't disappointed to see hangman, though, standing with his hands in his pockets. 

"hey." she replied, moving closer to him. "did you sleep well?" 

"did you?" he countered.

she chuckled dryly. "fair enough." skye looked out at the sea ahead of them, thankful for her aviators shielding her eyes from the sun. it was a gorgeous day, truly. it didn't feel like the sort of day that she should be dreading. 

rooster arrived minutes later, and skye instantly made eye contact with him. she wanted to go over to him then and there, get the conversation over with. unfortunately for her, her feet didn't want to move from the ground, and by the time she thought she'd mustered up courage, the carrier had arrived. 

skye adored aircraft carriers. of course she was always going to pick the navy because of her family's connection to it, but the main reason that naval aviation had become her passion was the concept of landing on a carrier. the tailhooks, the drop and release, the history behind figuring out the exact mechanisms to use to make it all happen.. it fascinated her. aircraft carriers were like a home on water for her. and yet, for the first time in her life, she didn't want to see one or go on it. 

all skye wanted to do was talk to rooster. but he was staying clear of the entire crowd, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. skye turned as if to move closer to him, and katia noticed it from next to her. "just go talk to him." the blonde whispered, trying to be inconspicuous. 

"i tried." skye whispered back. "he's in a mood."

"when is he not?" katia challenged.

skye and katia stepped onto the lifting mechanism of the carrier, feeling it move them up like an elevator onto the main expanse of the ship. the sight of the f-18s immediately made skye feel emotional. this was why she enlisted. 

the two women quickly located the plane that should be theirs, willing that maverick chose them for his squadron. that was the other kicker. they could be stressed out about getting hurt only to not be going on the mission. skye didn't know which was worse. 

maverick arrived shortly after everyone else, and the entire group was then called into a recon room underneath the carrier. skye didn't like this part of the carriers. too claustrophobic when she was trying not to freak out. 

she stood with her hands behind her back and her feet shoulder width apart, katia proudly next to her in the same position. surrounding them were their friends, who were equally as nervous. rooster and hangman both in front of them, fanboy and payback to their side, phoenix and bob behind them, coyote behind them and to the right, halo and echo, fritz.. everyone that they had grown to call friends, colleagues. all awaiting maverick's choice.

"this is a very specific mission." he began, standing in a pose that mimicked his daughter. "my choice is a reflection of that and nothing more."

"pick your two fox trot teams." warlock said.

maverick looked among the group, though he'd surely already decided on them. "riot and havoc." he said, to no one's surprise. the two gave each other a look. "phoenix and bob." 

skye took in a sharp breath after that. everyone knew that hangman and rooster had been competing this entire time to be team leader. it was now down to who would be maverick's wingman. did he trust rooster? but how could he trust hangman, who had a history of leaving everyone hanging? 

"and your wingman?" warlock piqued.

maverick was silent for a moment before his eyes landed on the person in front of skye. "rooster." 

skye looked at the ground then. she knew rooster could hold his own in combat just as well as anyone else. but she was so worried about what would happen if something went wrong. if he got hurt. warlock dismissed the group, encouraging everyone who hadn't been chosen to stand by on the carrier in case they were needed for a reserve role. 

katia and skye turned around to rooster and bob, the four of them exchanging professional fist bumps and mumbling words of approval and encouragement to each other. skye glanced over her shoulder to find rooster, but he had already left the room. 

everyone then gathered into a separate room where warlock reminded them of the perimeters and goals of the mission. as if that hadn't been all they'd thought about for a month.

"a secret uranium enrichment site under rogue state control. it's an underground bunker. once your f-18 strike team crosses the border, tomahawk missiles will launch a strike on the enemy's air field." warlock said. "the moment those tomahawks hit, the enemy will know you're coming. your time to target will be two minutes and thirty seconds."

cyclone stood next to him. "this is what you've all been training for. come home safely."

skye's jaw clenched as she nodded her head to his words. she patted her hand on katia's back, the two walking together to the top of the carrier where their f-18 was sitting. katia was getting everything prepared and checking her missiles while skye conversed with one of the air traffic control men, making sure everything was under control. 

as soon as her conversation wrapped up, skye saw her father jogging over to her. he wrapped his arms around skye in a hug that shocked her. she quickly melted into it, letting her face press into his shoulder. "fly safe." he said.

"as long as you do the same." she reminded him, pulling away from the hug so she could look him in the eyes. 

maverick was squinting in the sunlight, and skye thought it was the only time she'd ever seen him outside without aviators on. "i don't like that look, ri." he said, a small smirk playing on his lips.

his daughter shrugged her shoulders, mimicking his smirk. "it's the only one i've got."

maverick's smile was proud as he patted her on the shoulder, sending her off to her jet so that he could move to his own. skye grabbed her helmet from the ground, looking at the detailing on it for a moment. she looked up to see hangman and rooster standing by each other, almost looking confrontational. 

"you give 'em hell." she could read hangman's lips well enough to see him say, and a smile came to her lips. thank god he hadn't taken maverick's decision personally. hangman then turned to walk away, and his eyes met skye's. he smiled at her, mouthing a ' be safe'. 

maverick had made his way over to rooster, and the conversation couldn't have been more awkward from far away. "i just wanted to say-" rooster began.

"we'll talk." maverick assured him. "when we get back." he then not so subtly looked to skye, hinting that rooster should go talk to her. 

they had some sort of small jab at each other before rooster looked over his shoulder, and skye finally made eye contact with him. it felt like instant fireworks and somersaults, and she felt so stupid. this was not the time, nor the place. 

"bradley!" maverick called, getting his attention once more. "you've got this." 

with a curt nod, rooster was turned back around and moving towards skye, who was pretending she hadn't been eavesdropping. when he got closer, she looked up from her helmet and gear, finding herself instantly at a loss for words. "hi." was all she could muster.

"hi." rooster said, seeming to be gathering up his thoughts. "i.. there's so much i want to say."

"me too." she agreed.

he nodded. "and i.. i want to say all of it before we leave, just.. you can't ever be too careful."

"right." 

"i guess i.. i'm so sorry that i've hurt you, skye. i know i have, and i never wanted to. i just.. i.." he struggled once more for the right words. "you just have to know that i lo-"

"all squadron members, please enter your aircraft." a static voice sounded from the speakers, and skye and rooster both looked up for the sound. 

skye looked back at rooster, giving him what she hoped was a convincing smile. "we'll talk when we get back?" she suggested, knowing it was a shitty excuse. she wanted him to finish his sentence, damn it. 

rooster seemed out of his rhythm, though, and he nodded. "yeah. we'll talk." she gave him a more tight lipped smile, turning back around. "skye!" he called. she turned back around instantly, hoping he was going to say what she thought he was. "be careful." 

she tried to hide her disappointment, giving him a nod as she put on her helmet. "you too, bradley." 

the use of his name made him smile, and they held eye contact for another moment before rooster was running off to his own jet, and skye and katia were helping each other into theirs. with a final display of their handshake, the two women were signaling for their canopy to be lowered. 

as the canopy lowered and locked in, skye glanced at the jet that moved next to her. she looked at rooster for a moment; maybe gathering strength through the reassurance of his eyes, or maybe reminding herself why she had to come back. she looked back in front of her, taking a deep breath. 

"dagger three, up and ready."