Thelma and Louise take to the air, proving the rumours are true when they get a missile lock on their instructor. But trouble arises when Coyote falls into G-Loc and a bird strike takes out two jets.

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She gestured with the cup angrily. "You're giving me a lecture about who I sleep with when my best friend is stood right there in your shirt? Fuck you, Bradley,"

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Sorry ya'll, I've been really sick over the last week, but I'm better (for now)
Hopefully, the scarce few of you, will enjoy this.

~~~~~~~

Nora woke up to a distinct lack of a one-night stand.

Oh well. She blinked herself awake, noting the slight ache in her legs and lower regions. But goddamn, he made for good sex. Nora was gonna use him again, whoo whee! She almost text Sydney but hesitated. Sydney was still very wrong for what she did, and Nora wasn't about to let her think otherwise. She wandered into the kitchen, prepping some breakfast. She laid down two bowls of coco puffs and began eating. A few moments later, her adopted daughter walked out. "Hey Fallon," She smiled. "How'd you sleep?" Fallon, her eleven-year-old, shrugged. "Ok, I guess. It's a maths test today and I forgot to study,"

She tutted sympathetically, placing her bowl in the sink. "Oh dear... you'll know for next time," She smiled. "Come on, I'll drop you at Tom's on the way through to work if you want," She said, grabbing her keys. "Ooh, on the bike?" Nora smiled. "If you want," She said. "Can you drop me straight to school then? Oh! Actually, can you use the sidecar and take Tom too? Please, mom!" Nora rolled her eyes playfully. "If you're quick,"

~

Nora walked into work, sipping her Starbucks hot chocolate as she walked through the halls. As she turned a corner, the bumped into somebody. "Oh, sorry," She mumbled. Stepping back, she realised who she'd walked into. "No goodbye? Is that how you leave one-night stands?" She asked. "You didn't tell me you had a kid, Nora." Jake snapped. Nora rolled her eyes. "Oh relax, she was out with her friend and his family at the movies." Jake scoffed. "Yeah, but when I woke up at 1, she was very much there! What would you have done if I was naked and she saw me!?" Nora couldn't help the snort. "She'd be traumatised and wouldn't make the same mistakes as me."

"Wow, mistake huh?" Jake spat. Nora rolled her eyes. "Right, because you don't feel the same way. It was good, and I would happily do it again, you're a god in bed. But at eleven, she doesn't need to know about that stuff. I doubt she even knows what sex is, never mind how you do it," She took a large sip of her drink.

Jake stormed off with a huff, a scoff greeting her years. "Are you kidding me? You fucked Seresin!?" Nora growled. Sydney stood next to Bradley, in her flight suit, but wearing one of his tops. She gestured with the cup angrily. "You're giving me a lecture about who I sleep with when my best friend is stood right there in your shirt? Fuck you, Bradley,"

~

It was all going so well. Nora had avoided Sydney and Bradley all day, more specifically her asshole brother, but nonetheless. Jake hadn't asked her anymore about her daughter, which she was both thankful for and slightly upset about. What the hell did it matter if she had a daughter? Sure, that changes the dynamic a bit, but it doesn't mean she can't have a relationship or a good time!

But then they were asked to do some training in the air, which thankfully pushed all non-aviator thoughts to the farthest bits of her brain.

Nora watched smugly as her teammates were taken out, one by one. Despite everybody thinking, she and Sydney were just as risky as Maverick. Sydney knew his tricks and could direct Nora into performing them safely. Nora laughed into the comms as she flew under his jet. "That's a kill," Maverick said. "Goddamn it," Payback sighed. He veered off to the left. "Where are you guys? The only one on the radar is Hangman," Nat asked. "We're near, don't you worry... we've got you covered," Sydney smirked.

Despite their fight and lack of otherwise civil conversation, Nora and Sydney still hadn't spoken. It kinda sucked, but Nora was way too stubborn to admit she was wrong: even though she most definitely wasn't.

They stayed under Mav's jet as he continued after Nat. "Trust us Phoenix." Nora winked before realising nobody was watching. She slowly pulled back and up, levelling just behind her instructor's jet. "Hold... hold..." Sydney said. Nat banked left suddenly. "Sydney! Missile lock!" Nora shouted. A loud tone emitted the air. "That's a kill, sir," Nora said smugly through the comms.

"Holy shit," She heard his voice say. Heat rushed to her cheeks at it... the voice that sent her crazy only the night before...

"Goddamn, you just missile-locked our captain!" Nora snickered through the comms. "Told ya we were good," She nodded through the window at her instructor, to her left. "Well played you two. Welp, I'm out. So, unless you guys can continue without me, I'll go and do my pushups," He said. Nora shook her head. "Nah, keep training them two. Just do them when you land," She said, smiling. He shook his head. "Can't believe I was taken down by a 27-year-old," He muttered.

Nora cackled loudly over the comms.

They continued flying around with Nat and Bob and Jake, trying to avoid the missile lock from Maverick. After a while, he had Coyote fly up to train as well.

It went wrong in the blink of an eye.

Within minutes of Maverick taking going after Coyote, he fell into a G-LOC. Nat and Jake screamed at him to wake up, while Nora and Maverick flew after his rapidly descending jet to hold a missile lock. "Nearly there, nearly there! Fuck!" Sydney panicked from behind. Nora angled her jet slightly further in as she descended rapidly. "Got it! Fire!"

She pressed the button, a loud tone emitting through the air. "I've got a lock!" She cried. "Wake up Javy!" Sydney cried from the backseat. Nora glanced at her altitude monitor, pulling up when she passed into less than 200 feet. "COYOTE!" She began screaming with the others. Nora flinched as his jet disappeared behind shrubbery, leaving her with the worst thoughts possible.

Until...

Until he flew over the shrubbery, safe.

Nora exhaled deeply, opting to listen to Maverick check on him through the comms. "Well done Thelma and Louise." Mav complimented. "Thanks, sir," Sydney offered when Nora didn't speak. "Ok... that's enough for today. Come on, let's head home,"

Nora was convinced god was sitting up there, sticking his middle finger up at her.

"Bird strike! Bird strike!" Maverick shouted.

"Shit! I've been hit!" Nat swore.

"Fuck!" Sydney shouted.

Nat flicked her engine switches, cutting her right one out. "Climbing!" She and Nat shouted, flying upwards.

"Right engine's on fire Nora!" Sydney cried. "I know! I'm restarting!" She shouted back. The engine spun but continued to burn. "Extinguishing right engine!" She announced. The jet shuddered and dropped to the left. Sydney squeaked from the back. "Left engine's out!" She cried. "Shutting off left! Restarting right!"

She shut the engine off, only hearing Mav's warning too late: "Don't! Right's on fire!"

Her jet dropped.

Sydney cried out again. "Nora! Everything's on fire! We're in critical failure! We have to eject!" Nora flicked her engine back on, hopefully getting enough power behind it to climb high enough for a safe ejection.

Instead, the jet shut off.

She screamed as it plummeted 700 feet to the ground. "Eject, eject, eject!" Maverick shouted through the comms.

Distantly, she wondered if he was talking to her or Nat.

"Eject, eject, eject!" Nora shouted. Sydney pulled her bands, the canopy blowing off to the left. Nora pulled her bands the second Sydney's seat left the jet. Nora felt her seat disconnect from the craft. The last thing she knew was the sight of the desert and the pounding of her head as she smacked into the canopy.