Work Text:
The noise of boots walking across the deck is drowned out by the sound of the ocean around them, of the lift ahead of him as it ascends with a pair of F-18s on it, bringing them up to the launch deck. Maverick looks down again at the piece of paper he holds, and folds it another time before tucking it in his pocket. Hopefully he wouldn’t need it, but if worst comes to worst, he knows what needs to be done.
“Maverick!”, he hears Warlock call from behind him, and turns around. “You’re back where you belong. Give ‘em hell.”
Maverick nods sharply, stepping onto the waiting lift in front of him, facing back toward the admiral as he watches the lift climb out of view. On the deck, the crews are hustling to prepare the F-18s for their mission, going over final systems and ordinance checks. Maverick makes his way over to his plane. His number is on the side, and the callsign is right next to it. Almost like old times.
Rooster watches from beside his aircraft as Maverick makes his way across the deck, and before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s moving. He can’t let him go before he’s got a chance to say something. “Mav! Hey, Maverick!” Pete turns to face him, and suddenly Bradley doesn’t know what to say.
“I just.. I wanted to…”
Maverick knows, but he also knows there isn’t time. Not now. “We’ll talk. When we get back.”
Bradley just nods, not quite ready to go but knowing it’s time all the same. He makes his way back to his aircraft, saluting the chief and climbing aboard.
Phoenix looks over her controls one final time, and glances to her side. Maverick sits in his cockpit just next to her, and Hondo stands on the ladder next to him. “Hondo,” she can hear him say, “If I don’t come back, I want you to know what a damn good friend you’ve been. Thank you. And if that does happen, you know what this is for.”
Natasha sees him pass the man a folded piece of paper. Her throat tightens up at the thought, because Maverick being Maverick means he’ll likely do whatever he can to ensure their safety. Even if it costs him everything. Hondo seems to realize too, because he just nods, his face tight as he descends the ladder.
She turns her attention back to her jet, and silently promises that if something does happen, she won’t lose her head. Nobody left behind .
The launch and approach is smooth, and while Rooster is lagging behind, he picks up the pace, arriving at the target shortly after the first pair of jets. Together, their strikes manage to destroy the facility in its entirety, the ground at the bottom of the canyon now just a shattered hole.
As they crest the opposite hill, the second pair can focus more on the radio as the strain of the G forces on their body lessens at the top of the climb.
“Dagger 1, defending! Dagger 2, defending!” “Break right, break right!”
“Smoke in the air, smoke in the air!” Maverick calls over the radio as the second pair of planes ascend into radar range, Payback and Rooster instantly moving to evade, firing off flares. Together, they all cover each other, and it appears that the last of the missiles have come and gone, and they’re still alive.
Shouts of exuberance fill the air, until they hear Bob. “Smoke in the air, smoke in the air! On your six Rooster, two SAMs!”
“No flares, I’m dry!” comes the panicked reply from Rooster.
Natasha can feel it in her gut, that this is where it goes wrong. Her jet has a few left, but they’re too far, in the wrong end of a turn and unable to help.
“I’ve got you rooster” comes Maverick over the comms. “ Just hang on, evade, evade!”
She watches as Maverick dips his plane down in front of Rooster before pulling up hard, rocketing over the top of the other jet, deploying flares as he decelerates. The first missile detonates harmlessly on the flares.
Those are your pilots. Anything happens to them, you’ll never forgive yourself.
She watches, horrified, as the second missile, coming in from a greater altitude than the first, manages to bypass the flares that are nearest to it.
“Get back to that carri” comes Maverick over the radio before being suddenly cut off as the final SAM connects with the back of his jet, the fireball spreading and quickly annihilating the rear of the airframe.
The flaming remains of the jet impact the nearby mountainside, destroying everything that remains of it.
“Does anyone see a chute, any chute?” comes the panicked comms from Payback.
“No chute. He’s gone. Maverick’s gone.” Natasha says, barely managing not to choke on her words as she does so.
“Deploy Search and Rescue,” comes the voice of Warlock over the radio.
“No flares visible, no chute, remains of the jet were destroyed completely on the mountainside.” Natasha reports.
Silence fills the radio, until suddenly a shouted “Damn it!” comes. Rooster.
“Dagger Wing, two bogies still inbound. Return to carrier.”
Natasha knows she has to take charge, now that Maverick is gone. “You heard them, form up on me Dagger, best speed to carrier, gotta outrun those bogies.”
Together, the three remaining F-18s bank toward the carrier, accelerating to escape the fighters chasing them.
The mood on the deck is somber, the crews prepared to help land and stow the four jets as they arrive. A great cheer goes up as the first jet becomes visible in the distance, swiftly followed by the second and third. The excitement suddenly dies when no fourth jet appears. Somebody isn’t coming home.
Hondo watches with dread, because he knows what likely happened. Something went wrong, and Maverick took the hit for someone else. The first jet down is Dagger Two, and even after it is safely on the deck, Rooster still doesn’t get out. Dagger Three and Four make it down safely, and still Rooster hasn’t gotten out. The other pilots look grim. The reserve pilots join them as they make their way over to Dagger Two, and Hondo follows when Phoenix catches his gaze and signals him over.
“Rooster,” Hondo says, “I need you to get down here.”
They watch as Rooster climbs down the ladder, his face crumpled, holding back the tears. The others support him as they lead him back to the briefing room. Hondo can see the admirals waiting, their faces grave. Together, the group sits, waiting. “The mission was a success,” Warlock says gravely. “The enemy facility is destroyed”
Hondo stands just to their side, and clears his throat. “Maverick gave me this,” he says, pulling the piece of paper from his pocket as the focus of everyone shifts to him. “He said, in case things go wrong.” Rooster looks as though he almost can’t bear to hear it, but nods slightly, needing to know what it says. The others are completely silent.
Hondo looks down as he unfolds the paper, seeing Maverick’s writing on it. “I wrote this while I was waiting for my ride up to the deck, so it’s short, but I hope it can convey what I want. First thing, Rooster, is that while you may resent me for pulling your papers, I believed you weren’t ready at the time. You flew this mission today because you’ve found that spark you needed.”
Rooster puts his head in his hands, and Bob reaches over to rest his hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“Natasha and Bob, Payback and Fanboy, I couldn’t have asked for better foxtrots to follow us. While I don’t know for certain how the mission will go while I write this, I can’t see any other outcome than success with pilots like you all.”
Hondo realizes he’s reached the end of the note, and turns it over, hoping to find more.
“We’ll be heading back to port shortly, and you all have an enforced two week leave. Take your time to relax,” Cyclone says. Warlock stands beside him, still as a statue.
As soon as they’re back ashore, the squadron make their way to The Hard Deck in tow with Hondo, because they know Penny isn’t listed as next of kin or anything, but she deserves to know.
They arrive before opening time, hoping to catch her. The whole squadron in their dress whites. Penny looks up as the door jingles, her face lighting up as she sees the mass of white, before she frowns, craning her neck as though she could spot Maverick, as though he were only hidden behind the rest of them. Together, they approach, silently, hats off, their faces grave. Hondo steps forward, he’ll deliver the news, Rooster and Phoenix following him.
“Ma’m,” Hondo says, his voice quiet. Penny’s face crumples at the tone, knowing what’s coming but hoping against hope all the same. “I regret to inform you that during his most recent mission, Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell was killed in action.” At this, Penny breaks down, a sob wracking her body. It’s all the others can do not to join her, remaining stoic. Her daughter peeks out of the back room at the sound, before rushing over at the sight of her mother. She knows what this visit means.
“K’know, Pete loved you like the son he never had, Bradley.” Penny says, holding her daughter to her side. “He told me, his biggest regret was that he couldn’t have done better by you.”
At this Bradley’s face crumples, and Penny moves to embrace him, pulling Hondo in as well, the rest of the squadron gathering around them.
“To Pete Mitchell. To Maverick.”