"Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor. As of today, there are new mission parameters." Our admiral informed us, "Time to target is now 4 minutes."
The screen changes the countdown from 2 minutes and 30 seconds, then to 4 minutes.
We didn't need a slower time, we needed to get out of there alive.
I hold in my scoff, waiting for them to just tell us when our funerals are scheduled for.
The idiocy doesn't stop there.
"You'll be entering the valley at a reduced speed, not to exceed 420 knots." Admiral Bates continues.
"Won't we die?" I ask, and the room becomes thick with challenged tension.
It's silent inside of our classroom, but we hear planes taking off and landing, all the busy sounds of a well oiled machine.
I kept my eye contact at my superior, but not before Rooster looks straight at me me, his eyes begging me not to say anything more that might get me in trouble.
Well, we're already screwed at this point, right?
"Ever pilot in this room is thinking it." I start, "We've been conditioned day in and day out that our enemy has the technological advantage now. Captain Mitchell and yourself have explained that their planes are far greater than ours. With the new time line you just gave us, they'll have enough time to shoot us down."
Admiral Bates tells me condescendingly, "You have a fighting chance against enemy aircraft, more than the odds of surviving a head on collision with a mountain."
He turns back to the monitor, but I'm not finished. "Do we have a fighting chance with our F-18s against fifth generation fighters?" I'm already walking in thin ice, I might as well break it.
My question is ignored, "You'll be attacking the target from a higher altitude, level with the North Wall."
I close my eyes in disbelief, way to go Hurricane, you're one step closer to getting yourself kicked off this mission.
But my eyes popped open when the course monitor started to beep in a steady rhythm.
It only beeps when... someone was actively on the course.
No, it had to be a mistake.
"Maverick to Range Control, entering point Alpha. Confirm Green Range." The voice calls out from the radio.
"Range control to Maverick. Green Range is confirmed, but I don't see a scheduled event for you, sir."
"Well... I'm going anyway."
We watch as his plane is almost lined up at the starting point of the mock canyon.
A smirk appeared on my face, he was really going to do it, wasn't he?
The Top Gun graduates all watched in fervent anticipation.
I heard Phoenix whisper to me, "Nice."
"Seeing time to target, 2 minutes and 15 seconds." My dad told mission control.
Holy cow. Holy Maverick.
YOU ARE READING
Eye of the Storm
FanfictionBradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw and Rachel 'Hurricane' Mitchell have known each other since Rachel was born, and he was only 3. Despite their age gap, they've been best friends their entire lives, growing up right next door to each other. That is, until...
