"The bogey has good position right here. All right, freeze-frame." Warlock showed us on a computer simulation shown at the front of the dark classroom. "Moment of choice. The F-14 is defensive. He has a chance to bug out right here. Better to retire and save your aircraft than push a bad position." He looked back at us all. "Regan, jump in here anytime." He told her and Roosters eyes flicked over to her as I sat taking notes beside him with focus.

"Now, you stay in that diamond another three seconds, the bogey's gonna blow you
out of the sky. You take a hard right, select zone five, you can extend an escape. You made a bad choice." Warlock looked directly at Rooster as he spoke and Rooster looked down slightly knowing we were looking over his answer on the test in front of the class. "Regan." Viper prompted.

"Aircraft one performs a split S?" She watched the simulation on screen. "That's the last thing you should do. The MiG's right on your tail." She spoke to the class, leaning back as she sipped her coffee casually. "Freeze there, please." She ordered the man at the computer. "The MiG has you in his gunsight. What were you thinking at this point?" Regan walked over to ask Rooster directly, standing in front of him.

"You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead." He stated simply, knowing I would always cover his decisions and warn him if it was a bad choice.

"Well, that's a big gamble with a $30 million plane, lieutenant." She stared at him for a second longer than she should have. "Unfortunately, the gamble worked. The MiG never got a clean shot." She stated, moving back towards the screen. "Rooster makes an aggressive vertical move here, comes over the top, and he defeats the bandit with a missile shot. The encounter was a victory, but I think that we've shown it as an example of what not to do." She explained further. "Next." She prompted the next simulation.

"Gutsiest move I ever saw, man." Coyote whispered to Rooster from behind, whispering in between us as I tilted my head away from him as if he had yelled in my ear, shooting him a glare as he sat back in his seat.

"Now, then, this is a perfect example of a textbook manoeuvre." Regan continued on.

"Lieutenant." Regan called, following Rooster out of the classroom as he walked down the hallway, Trace and I having broken off towards our room on base. "Rooster" She called next. "Lieutenant." She repeated.

He managed to get into his truck, about to pull away from the base when she threw her purse at his windshield.

"Jesus Christ!" He snapped at her, getting out of the truck and slamming the door as he faced her. "And you think I'm reckless! When I fly, I'll have you know that my crew and my plane come first!"

"Well, I'm going to finish my sentence, lieutenant. My review of your flight performance was right on." She stated strongly.

"Is that right?" He crossed his arms, not really caring about her opinion on his flying decision but more so mad about her recklessness.

"That is right. But I held something back. I see some real genius in your flying, Rooster,
but I can't say that in there. I was afraid that everyone in that TACTS trailer would see right through me. And I just don't want anyone to know that I've fallen for you." She claimed and he froze up in shock.

"What?" Rooster asked her with shock.

"Good evening, Lieutenant" she nodded without saying anything else and she walked back over to her own car, leaving him stunned.

~~~

"Hey, Rooster." Coyote called him over as we all walked onto the runway together, preparing for our next flight exercise.

"Yeah." Rooster acknowledged him, walking beside me.

"You hear about Hangman?"

"What's that?" Rooster wondered.

"He won another one." Coyote claimed.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I feel the need," Rooster started towards me as the other two broke off and we were still walking towards our jet.

"The need for speed." Rooster finished.

"The need for speed." I said at the same time as we high fived.

"Gentlemen, this is hop 19. Multiple aircraft, multiple bogies. Your training is half over.
The competition for the Top Gun trophy remains tight. First place, Hangman. Second place, Rooster, just two points behind." Cyclone reported to us all as we flew up into the air.

"There they are. Three miles, left, 10 o'clock. I don't think they see us yet." Phoenix told us as she was our wingman for this exercise.

"Okay, I see them. Two A-4s, left 10 o'clock level, continue Ieft turn." Rooster ordered out.

"Good morning, gentlemen. The temperature's 110 degrees." Warlock spoke out over radio.

"Holy shit, it's Warlock."

"Warlock's up here, great." I claimed with fake enthusiasm. "Oh, shit." I mumbled to myself.

"Great. He's probably saying, 'Holy shit, it's Rooster and Sunshine'." Bradshaw smirked as he pulled on his mask.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's saying that." I grumbled back as I pulled my mask tight to my face too.

"I've got my eye on the northern bogey." Rooster reported out.

"Roger. I got the southern guy." Phoenix replied.

"Phoenix, you've got the lead, I'll cover you." Rooster told her. "Phoenix, we're losing Warlock. Let's just stay on Jester." Rooster called over to her as they broke formation in front of us.

"Roger, I'm on him." She promised.

"Sunshine, find Warlock. He's out there somewhere." Rooster gave me instructions.

"Stay with Phoenix, Roos, we're covering her wing." I warned him with the reminder.

"Sunshine, there's Warlock. 3 o'clock, low." Rooster warned as he looked to the side to see Warlock coming up on us.

"Stay with Phoenix, Roos. We're her cover." I warned again, knowing what he was thinking.

"Don't you leave me, Rooster." Phoenix said.

"Phoenix, you're looking good. I'm going after Warlock." he told her casually, before breaking off.

"God damn you, Rooster." She cursed him out, watching him fly away from her.

"Roos, don't leave her." I warned one last time, wanting to help both of my friends.

"Sunshine, Phoenix's okay. I want Viper." He promised with determination in his tone. "Stand by. Warlock's coming down."

"Holy shit, we're head-to-head. I can't believe we're doing this." I groaned when I looked forward to see that we were headed straight for Warlock in a game of chicken, reaching out I placed a hand on the canopy to brace myself. We each banked to the side, narrowly missing each other as I squeezed my eyes shut and Rooster looked back for Warlock.

"Rock 'n' roll." Rooster cheered out proudly. "Here's our chance. It's a big one, Sunshine." He called back proudly. He began chasing Warlock but was not doing too well. "Come on, God damn it." Rooster grumbled.

"Okay. Sidewinder missile selected. Come on, baby. Come on, baby." Rooster tried to set the target as Warlock swerved and dodged. "Jesus, this guy's good. Sunshine, where's he going?" Rooster asked me.

"I can't tell" I replied, watching my radar.

"Come on, baby." Rooster pleaded to the jet. "He's too close for missiles, Sunshine, I'm switching to guns." Rooster reported.

"Come on, come on, come on. Stick with me, stick with me." He breathed heavily as he tried to get a lock on Warlock. "What. . . Hold it. Sunshine, check our tail." Rooster ordered as a ringing sounded through our jet.

"Shit. There's Cyclone." I panicked when I looked back to see he had us caught.

"Bingo, Rooster's dead. You're out of there, kid." Cyclone told us.

"Shit." Rooster rested his head back in defeat.

"The Defence Department regrets to inform you that your children are dead because they were stupid." I reported in a mock tone, taking my mask off again with a sigh of defeat.

"Okay, knock it off, you two. Let's go home. Warlock has the lead."

"Thirty seconds, Coyote, and I'm coming in." Slick shouted as the men waited around for the shower.

"Shut up!"

"God, buttnose!"

"That was some of the best flying I've seen yet, right up to the part where you got killed. You never, never leave your wingman." Warlock told Rooster as he stepped up to him before walking off again, leaving the men to get cleaned up.

"Rooster" Hangman sighed. "it's not your flying, it's your attitude. The enemy's dangerous, but right now you're worse than the enemy. You're dangerous and foolish. You may not like the guys flying with you, they may not like you, but whose side are you on?" Hangman taunted.

"He left my wing" Trace complained to me about the exercise.

"I know" I sighed.

"He can't just do that" she continued as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"I know" I nodded along, tying my shoes. "I'm gonna go wait in the lobby for Rooster, I'll meet you there" I told her as we were all planning on hanging out at the hard deck for the night.

"Well, at least Warlock got Hangman before he got us. We still got a shot at it." I looked on the bight side when Rooster sat beside me on the bench in the lobby.

"That was stupid. I know better than that. It'll never happen again." Rooster beat himself up over it, knowing he would have put both Trace and I in danger that time.

"I know." I told him simply. "I know." I repeated with a smile, hoping to make him feel better.

"Ready to go?" Trace walked over to us.

"Well, if it isn't the terrible trio" Hangman mocked as he an Coyote joined us. "You two are aware that this is a flight school for the best pilots, not little girls who want attention, right?" He taunted Trace and I.

"Didn't your mother teach you to respect women?" I asked back with my arms crossed. He turned his attention to me and glared down at me as I held his gaze.

"Didn't your mother teach you when to hold your mouth?" He asked back. "Oh wait, she died and you weren't even home with her" Hangman said darkly and tauntingly, somehow figuring out about my personal life. Rooster stepped forward slightly as I was at a loss for words.

"You fucking asshole!" I shouted out, lunging towards the cocky pilot.

"Shit!" Pheonix shouted out.

"Woah!" Rooster caught ahold of my waist, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off the ground as I fought to get to Hangman. "Take a breath" he told me gently as he pulled me out kicking and screaming, taking me outside of the building.

"You better keep an eye on your backseater there, Bradshaw" he called out as the door fell shut behind us.

"Oh you mother fucker" I grumbled about to push past Bradshaw to get inside the room again.

"Danvers" Rooster caught my arms and stood in my way. "Take a breath" he repeated slowly.

"He insulted my mother" I pushed at Bradshaw defeatedly.

"I know, I know" he nodded, letting me let out my anger on him, shoving him slightly. After a few more shoves at him where he didn't budge I finally broke down crying, everything crumbling down. He silently pulled me into his arms, letting me cry it out as Trace walked out to meet with us.

"We are a team Sunshine, I will always trust you to have my back" he said. "You shouldn't blame yourself" he added to help ease my mind.

"Thanks" I mumbled, taking a step back and wiping my eyes. "I don't know about you two, but I could use a drink" I looked to my friends who both nodded in agreement.

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Question of the day: what's your opinion on Hangman?