"Today's the day you lose, Seresin." You taunted, but the both of you knew there was no venom beneath your words.

Jake scoffed, that all too familiarly smug smirk returning to his face. "In your dreams, Lucky. All that big talk isn't gonna help you." The way he said your callsign felt like a taunt in and of itself.

Maverick, your captain, had paired the two of you up numerous times for these little dogfighting exercises he set up for the team. 'The two most competitive and most skilled pilots,' he'd called you two.

Of course, Jake, with an ego bigger than the sky, took that to heart. While everyone else grumbled after losing to their partners, he wanted to lose to you, just for the remarks and banter; push-ups be damned.

You were 5-5 right now, and determined to break the tie.

In the sky, you were flying full throttle, hands gripped tightly around the control stick. Glancing behind you, Jake's jet was right on your tail- sharp and precise, as always. Even now, miles apart in the air, you could feel his stupidly smug smirk.

Then, without warning, your engine sputtered. Your focus broke, a curse slipping from between your lips.

"Lucky, you copy?" Maverick's voice crackled through the comms. "What's your status?"

"Engine's locked." You replied, panic spiking. Your hands trembled around the control stick, eyes darting towards the red warning lights. "I'm losing power. Going down."

You watched the tiny altitude numbers begin to drop. Through the comms, Jake was telling you to eject, though you could barely hear him through your own distress. With a grunt, you reached behind, yanking at the ejection seat.

Nothing happened.

"It's jammed. I have to land." You could barely hear your own voice behind the loud beating of your heart.

A cacophony of voices-Jake's and Maverick's- grew distant beneath the blaring alarms of your jet. You were going to land this; you had to. All you had was hope, and one good engine.

Screwing your eyes shut, you yanked the control stick and braced.