Chapter Text
Bright and sunny days were common in California. Everyday a repeat of the last. Never changing a cycle that the pilots and the RIOs had gotten used too.
"Ready to get crushed today?" Mav asked Iceman while fixing his flight suit. Goose just shakes his head. It was the final push of their flight to graduate. He couldn't wait to be done and do something grand. He knew Carole would love to see him more. Bradley kept getting older by the minute. Goose needed to be there for Bradley.
Iceman shrugs and looks at his RIO. "Better than you two will ever be. Our points are going to be a record." Iceman smirks. Nick knew that Ice was just saying that to gloat or hell just to piss Pete off but Nick wasn't wanting to argue. Mav glared at the taller pilot pointing a finger at him.
"You-" He began to say before Goose pulled him out of the locker room back into the burning blazing heat that Top Gun had. "Why did you pull me out of there? I needed the cool off. Turn that hot-headed ass to get knocked down a notch." Pete began to ramble about something. Nick let him talk he didn't out of his system before they flew.
Nick glanced at Pete. "You needed the cool off? Well you can cool off better by not getting into an argument with ice. We are this close." Nick pushes his fingers extremely close together to exaggerate. "To graduate without another thing chipping our record. Today is our last day our last date Pete! All we got to do is pass the stuff today. Wait a bit go to some annoying meetings in the week and graduate and we are done. Doesn't that sound great?" Nick asks softly. Pete sighs a small nod from him which Goose gives him a soft smile in return. This meant so much for the both of them. They couldn't back off now.
Later on in the blazing heat.
Goose wrote down some important notes about the flight system as Charlie rambled about the safety of the flight. Check for everything. Blah blah blah. It was stuff Goose could have printed in his mind. Basic safety was easy to remember. As you repeated it every time you go into the jet.
Goose looked around seeing the other pilots they all looked to have the same expression as he did. Goose glanced at Slider. He seemed to be doodling something on his paper. Goose sits up and leans a bit trying to look at what it was. Hell he was bored he just wanted to see something! Slider pushes his glasses up and blows a bubble with his bubble gum. Shifting in his seat before locking eyes with Goose. Slider smirks lightly at him. Goose turns his head away so fast he could of sworn it could've popped off.
Why did he turn away so fast? Nothing wrong with it. Gosh Slider was such a dick! Was he though?
Goose kept wondering things about who knows what until Charlie announced the class was over. He couldn't be more pleased.
"Hey Mother Goose," The rich voice said behind him. Hairs went up on his neck from it. Nothing that Goose would admit of course.
Goose turns and smiles. "What can I do for you sli?" Goose runs a hand on his face his mustache moving every so slightly.
Slider shrugs. Gosh why was this guy so big? And so calm all the time unless he was poking his head where it shouldn't belong. Goose pauses with the questions once again. "Just wondering if your neck hurt after I caught you staring." Slider flashed him a big wide smile
Goose bites his lip thinking. "Well.. I wasn't staring just looking around. What were you drawing anyway Ron?"
"Nothin" He shrugs once again. Goose shakes his head. "What?"
"Nothin" Goose tries to mock Slider before chuckling by the stern expression on the other male. "Alright alright. See you in the sky Sli we are gonna win today."
"Yeah sure. Best believe it." Slider pats Goose's shoulder before walking away. Goose could feel where his hand used to be placed. It's odd how when someone could touch you but it feels like they are still there. The warmth they had left still lingering. Of course Slider was burning up by the heat if the day so it lingered longer.
Goose heads off to the loading dock trying to find Maverick. He's been seeing a lot less of him recently after meetings or before flight. Sometimes after Goode leaves the locker room and never sees Maverick. It didn't matter that badly as Maverick was a grown man somewhere deep down.
Eventually he did find Maverick he was near their jet. Maverick was loading up into his helmet and checking some stuff.
"The hell did you go after class?" Goose questions.
"Got tired of waiting for you to be done talking to Slider." Maverick spoke in the cockiest tone Goose has heard from him in a while.
Goose grabs his helmet and begins adjusting it. "It was for like two minutes Mav. Couldn't wait two damn minutes?"
Maverick moves his head in a way it seems like he was debating but also disagreeing. "No. Got places to be Goose."
"Really? Like what? Can't go anywhere when you got to fly 10 minutes later." Goose admitted.
"Oooh fair point.."
"Just.. let's get this today. We can do it."
"Hell yeah!"
They both load into the jet. First click of their engine goes. The second click of their seatbelts click. The ground marshaller makes sure to click the last thing in. The safety mechanism for the parachute was secured. Except there was one thing the strap for Gooses was tighter than it should be.
The jets roared into action as they began to get ready to set flight.
"Let's get this over with." Goose mumbles as they launch into the sky. Leaving the track the same time as the other pilots. Goose and Maverick glance over at Iceman's and Sliders plane. A smile beaming across Mavericks face. Flying smoothly through the air the burning heat in the jet making it feel like some sort of sauna.
"Well..it's the bottom of the ninth. The score is tied let's get ready for the big one." Goose spoke glancing in their jet. They were ready as they could ever be.
Iceman grabs the comms ready to make a comment back to the others "You ready for this one Maverick?"
"Just a walk in the park, Kazansky." Maverick smiles at the others as they begin the final flight. All the hard work finally payed off. They were going to do this no matter what happens it will be worth it. Iceman looks away with an experience that seems either annoyed by the other or something of not caring. Most likely annoyed as everyone including Goose knew that Mav could annoy just a about anyone he met. Goose didn't even understand how he managed to pull Charlie.
Breaking from the calmer start of the flight Slider grabs the comms. "Contact multiple bogeys. Two miles. Looks like they're going away from us." Slider glances at the radar seeing the bogeys flying.
"Oh. I see em. Tally ho. Right two o'clock. I'm in." Maverick responded and begins moving the jet to head that way.
Iceman responded as well "I'm in." Both jets begin turning right. They follow behind the three bogeys. As the bogeys break off the pilots follow. They assessed higher into the air. The bogeys were swift. Being able to turn faster than the jets could respond. Iceman flys ahead of Maverick.
"That son of a bitch cut me off." Mav responded annoyed. Deep down a bit pissed. He needed this was more than Iceman did. He worked harder for this as well. "Come on come on. Jesus Christ!" Maverick says. Their jet was still following behind Iceman's and Iceman was still following the bogey. "I can take the shot." Maverick even more annoyed than before spoke.
"Come on Ice get the hell out of there." Goose says trying to balance Maverick and Iceman. They could make the shot if the other pilots weren't in their damn way.
"I can't get the angle! I'm too close for missiles. I'm switching to guns." Iceman spoke. There was worry in his voice. Of course he wanted to make the shot but it was too close. If he would just move out of the way goose and Maverick could make it. He didn't want to hand it to them.
"Ice! Fire or clear!" Maverick needed the shot. Why would Iceman just move? There's two other bogeys. He didn't need to go after the one Maverick was going after. But if course he did. It was Iceman. He always took whatever he could. "Look at this! Jesus Christ. I could take the shot right here." Maverick was getting upset so much his blood might've boiled and not just because of the burning heat.
Iceman moves the jet ever so slightly. "Give me 20 seconds the I got it." He admitted. He knows he could give it to the others he just waits. The 20 seconds could make it where they were even closer. What was Iceman doing?
"I'm moving in I got the shot!" Stubborn as always Maverick doesn't wait. He moves the jet closer. Thinking this was the right thing to do. They could get this bogey and it would be fine.
"Come on mav let's get in there." Goose spoke. They could do it just move the jet to the right angle and fire. The bogey would be hit and the first task would be done. "Come on Mav!" They had to hurry before something swift could happen. Being in the air you never knew what to expect. One minute you could be in the air with nothing and the next you got to planes right on you.
"Maverick's getting impatient. Come on take the shot." Slider glances noticing how the other jet was shifting positions. Slider knew that it was between this moment. Either Iceman would finally fire the damn guns or Mav would swoop in like he said previously.
"10 more seconds. Then I got him." Iceman responded. Slider would've shook his head at the comment if they didn't really need to fire. What was taking Ice so long to fire. He said he had it moments ago.
Goose was getting annoyed as well. They could've taken the shot a while ago if it wasn't for Ice. "Come on Ice get out of there!" Just move the damn jet out of the way. "Let's do it Mav." It was getting to a point they couldn't wait around forever to shoot.
"Ice! Come off my right. I'm in." Maverick spoke.
"Five more seconds!"
"Come off my right. I'm in."
"I'm off. Shit!" Ice's jet pulls off from the other. Due to the closeness there was nothing the other jet could do. They couldn't back up they couldn't change altitude in time to do anything.
Goose notices the jet get caught up with the air from the other. "We're in a jet wash!"
Maverick tries getting the jet to steady. "Oh Shit!" The blaring beeping noise in their ears. The swift motion as the jet spins circles. Maverick grabbing the stick trying to fight back. It wasn't doing anything. The beeping going faster the speed going faster. Hell what could they do.
"This is not good!" Goose says the obvious. It was worrying. If they couldn't steady worse will come. The jet starts to lower in altitude due to the force. "We're got a flame out Mav." God of this couldn't get any damn worse. Nick glanced around. "Engine one is out!" The flying continues. The beeping keeps going it was awful. "Engine two is out."
Pete is still holding the control. He's trying his hardest to fix the problem that they two were having. The jets were out now as well. "I'm loosing control! I can't control it." It was fighting back against them. "Shit!" Maverick says as the jet picked up speed.
Goose was starting to feel sick. The spinning the heat everything was feeling like hell. "It's coupling up Mav! We are out of control! This is not good!"
Iceman and Slider look down at the jet spinning out and the jet begins loosing altitude. They were sure Maverick and Goose would've been okay to fix it but the engines were out. Worry flooded through them. "Mayday! Mayday! Mav's in trouble!" Tom calls over the speaker. "He's in flat spin heading out to sea."
The jet spinning faster and faster as the altitude drops. It felt heavy in the jet. Heavier than it has ever felt before. "Altitude 8000." Nick breaths heavily. His eyes heavy due to the pressure. His hand on the glass. "7000." He blinks. It was getting harder and harder on them. "6000. We're at 6 Mav!" The jet continues to fall towards the water in shocking speed. The turning of the jet never slowing down. The weight on them feeling heavier and heavier per second.
Pete in the same position that Goose was facing. The heavy eyelids followed by the heavy breathing. His hand on the glass as well. "I can't reach the ejection handle!" Pete breaths heavily. He shuts his eyes. "Goose! You're gonna have to punch us out. I can't reach the ejection handle!" Pete's breathing heavy as he spoke. They needed to get out fast before they plummet into the water. "Eject!"
Nick's arms flair as he tries to grab the cord. It felt so far away. His arms could've reached if they weren't falling at such a great speed. He was leaning towards the other side of the jet due to the acceleration. The jet was plummeting. Nick leans trying with all of his force to reach the cord. Come on Nick. "I'm.. I'm trying!" He had to grab both of them but at least one of them would make it easier.
"Eject! Eject! Eject!"