"Say, Phoenix," Hangman drawled. "How's about we tell everybody."Bob" stands for something? Other than Robert, I mean?" He looked over at Phoenix and Bob, smirking under his mask and eyes blazing with mischief.

"Don't take the bait, Bob," Phoenix warned her backseater. "Want to know why we call him Hangman?" she asked with mischief in her voice. 'Two can play that game, Bagman.'

"I got it. 'Baby on board.'" Hangman chuckled at his own joke. No one else laughed. Hangman rolled his eyes. "What about you, Snowman? Where'd you get a name like that?"

"None of your business!" Adam shouted. "Survive longer than me and then you'll find out." Snowman's eyes widened and he swerved just in time to not collide with Maverick.

"Shit!" Hangman shouted as Maverick flew right between them, the force of the wind making both jets turn sideways.

"Greetings, aviators. Fight's on." Maverick announced with glee.

"All right, Phoenix, let's take this guy out!" Hangman yelled, pulling into a set of evasive maneuvers.

"Watch your back, Phoenix." Rooster said, walking up to the radio in the lounge.

"Break right!" Hangman looked back at Phoenix.

"Breaking right."

"Where's he going?" Bob shouted as Hangman veered off and disappeared. Snowman stayed with Phoenix.

"That's why we call him Hangman. He'll always hang you out to dry!" Phoenix shouted, narrowing her eyes.

"Leaving your wing man. There's a strategy I haven't seen in a while." Maverick internally winced.

"Ha, remind you of anyone, Mav?" Snowman taunted, eyes gleaming with joy. "Just wait til Dad hears about this! Haha!" Maverick targeted Adam and hunted him down. "HEY!" Snowman shouted, getting hit. "So rude!"

"He called you a man, Phoenix. You gonna take that?" Hangman jeered.

"So long as he doesn't call you a man," she shot back. "Talk to me, Bob. Where's Maverick?"

Bob turned his head around and moved to see every possible angle he could see. "Jesus, his nose is already coming around!" Bob had never seen a pilot fly like Maverick did. It would take a strong, fearless person or an incredibly stupid one to fly in the same plane as him.

"Get him off me, Hangman!" Phoenix shouted, evading Maverick the best she could. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on what was in front of her.

"For all you folks at home, this is how you bury a fossil." Hangman swooped down behind Hangman, attempting a lock on the teacher.

"All right, Hangman. Time to teach you a lesson. You're out, Phoenix." Maverick announced as he locked onto her.

"Son of a bitch!" Phoenix snarled, pissed off with Hangman.

"That's it." Maverick breathed.

"Let's go, Mav. Let's see what you got." Hangman focused on shooting down Maverick.

"Come get me." Maverick and Hangman flew hard and fast, but Maverick flew into the bright sunlight, blinding Hangman.

"Phoenix, I can't see him. How close am I? Phoenix?" Hangman shouted, but got silence in return.

"I'm dead, dickhead." Phoenix scoffed.

"See you in the afterlife, Bag man." Bob sighed. Maverick got the kill. Hangman, Phoenix, and Bob went to do their two hundred pushups. Much to their dismay. Snowman had already finished his. He stayed back and counted with Hondo, waving at Hangman.

Maverick had the aviators take a short break for lunch. He looked over the schedule and cursed in the only Polish word he knew. "Hanging around the Bonus family way too much, eh?" Maverick swore again in English when Miranda popped in. "Don't give me that look, Dad. The secretary and Cyclone let me in. Ice's orders." She held up a bag. "I got your favorite. Or, at least, I hope it's still your favorite."

"Hey, thanks," Maverick took the food bag and Miranda sat next to him. "I have Hangman and Rooster next hop." Miranda sucked in a sharp breath. "I know. How did you know about Hangman?"

Miranda's eyes twinkled. "That's a story for later. Right now, you have a hop soon. Sorry about the house."

"Miranda!" Maverick snapped. "What did you do to the house?"

"I'm working on it! It takes time to move everything!" Miranda held up her hands in mock defense. "I promise by later it will not look like a bomb exploded in our house. Well, that's a lie. Evan and I already cleaned it up. Good luck, Dad!"

The next hop soon began, and Maverick flew close beneath the two pilots. The tension in the lounge was thicker than the mist in the early mornings on an overcast day. "Who the hell are you?" All eyes turned to Miranda who sat on the couch, playing with the same model plane Hangman played with earlier that week.

"Miranda Mitchell," Miranda introduced herself with a two-finger salute. "I'm bored, so I had Cyclone let me in. So, bets on who gets shot first? I bet Rooster." Adam and Derek rolled their eyes and sat on either side of her.

"That explains absolutely nothing," Payback deadpanned.

"Ooh, I wanna hear this, but quiet please!" Miranda leaned toward the radio.

"So, Rooster, mind if I ask you a personal question?" Hangman asked in a thick southern drawl.

"Would it matter if I did?" Rooster shot back with a sigh.

"What's the story with you and Maverick?" Hangman wondered. Miranda, Adam, and Derek winced and looked horrified. Of all the personal questions, that's the one he asked. "It seems like he's got you rattled."

"That's none of your business," Rooster snapped, swiftly ending the conversation. "Now where the hell is he?"

Maverick flew up. "Been here the whole time."

"Holy shit." Hangman watched Maverick swing up and invert right above Rooster.

"You see me now?" Maverick asked, looking down at Rooster, the other pilot glaring up at him.

"Come on, let's get it over with," he said in a parental tone.

"Fight's on!" Rooster snarled with rage. The two dove down, curling each other.

"What is with these two?" Hangman asked, watching it unfold in real time.

Breathing heavily, Maverick looked around. "All right, you put us here. How you gonna get yourself out?" He was giving Rooster the chance to back down.

"You can bail out anytime!" Rooster shot back and shot Maverick's offer to pieces.

"How low you want to go, Rooster?" Maverick's voice grew dark. Both pilots radiated years of pent up anger.

"I can go as low as you, sir!" Rooster snapped. "And that's saying something." Maverick knew that jab was meant to hurt him. He hated how those simple words stabbed his gut over and over again.

"What's past is past." Maverick yelled. "For both of us." 'I'm sorry, Goose.'

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" The two continued to spiral downward.

"Hard deck is 5,000 feet, fellas. You are running out of room." Hangman warned. Phoenix and Bob exchanged a worried look. Everyone in the room had gathered around the radio except for Miranda, Adam, and Derek who looked outside the window. Miranda's grip on the plane tightened even more. 'Fuck you, Rooster. Haven't you hurt him enough?'

"Your strategy is about to run us into the ground." Maverick saw the rocky terrain get closer and closer. "What's your move?" he asked Rooster.

"Altitude. Altitude. Altitude." The automated voice warned as Maverick and Rooster got lower and lower, maintaining eye contact. Neither wanted to back down.

"Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up!" The watchtower ordered. Maverick pulled up first, followed by Rooster. The two flew through the mountainous and hilly terrain.

"You got it. Don't think, just do," Maverick coaxed, looking back at Rooster.

"Come on, Rooster, you got him!" Hangman encouraged, watching from above. "Drop down and take the shot!"

"It's too low," Rooster made an excuse, not wanting to take an unnecessary risk.

"Too late. You had your chance." Maverick pulled up above Rooster and dove down. Rooster looked up. Maverick took the shot. "That's a kill. Knock it off." The hop was over.

"Damn it!" Rooster roared.

"Same old, Rooster," Hangman lamented.

"Go see Hondo about your push-ups," Maverick ordered, flying back to base. Rooster fumed as he completed his pushups alone. Hondo sighed. "That's enough, Rooster!" He walked away, leaving Rooster alone with his anger.

Hey guys!

I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter! Things are starting to get ramped up. Comments and votes are appreciated. I love hearing from you all!

Have a wonderful day!

~Kat