Sunshine (Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x OC)

Chapter 23

"Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. Your reputation precedes you." Simpson nodded to Maverick who stood at the other end of the long table.

"Thank you, sir." Maverick nodded back awkwardly.

"Wasn't a compliment." Simpson stated back and Maverick sucked in an awkward breath. "I'm admiral Beau Simpson. I'm the air boss. I believe you know Admiral Bates." he nodded to the man seated beside him at the table.

"Warlock, sir." Maverick nodded in greeting, still standing. "Must admit, I wasn't expecting an invitation back."

"They're called orders, Maverick." Warlock reminded in a slightly more gentle tone than Simpson. "You two have something in common. Cyclone here was first in his class back in '88." Warlock added the fact.

"Actually, sir, I finished second. Just want to manage expectations." Maverick claimed, with his correction. Simpson sighed at that and Bates got back on track before an argument could start.

"The target..." He began, showing the simulation on the screen behind Maverick. "Is an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant built in violation of a multilateral NATO treaty. The uranium produced there represents a direct threat to our allies in the region. The Pentagon has tasked us with assembling a strike team and taking it out before it becomes fully operational." Bates gave instructions.

"The plant sits in an underground bunker at the end of this valley. Said valley is GPS-jammed and defended by an extensive surface-to-air missile array serving a limited number of fifth-generation fighters, which in turn are backed up by a plentiful reserve of surplus aircraft. Even a few old f-14s." Bates continued.

"Seems like we're not the only ones holding on to old relics." Cyclone commented towards Maverick who gloanced over his shoulder at him with annoyance for the comment.

"What's your read, captain?" Warlock asked.

"Well, sir, normally this would be a cakewalk for the f-35's stealth, but the GPS-jamming negates that. And a surface-to-air threat necessitates a low-level laser-guided strike tailor-made for the f-18. I figure, two precision bombs, minimum. Makes it four aircraft flying in pairs. That is one hell of a steep climb out of there, exposing you to all the surface-to-air missiles. You survive that, it's a dogfight all the way home." Maverick listed off with deep and sincere thought.

"All requirements for which you have real-world experience." Warlock reminded calmly.

"Not in the same mission, sir." Maverick clarified. "No." he shook his head in thought, looking back at the screen. "No, someone's not coming back from this." He accepted his realization.

"Can it be done or not?" Cyclone asked simply, wanting a yes or no answer.

"How soon before the plant becomes operational?" Maverick looked back at them curiously.

"Three weeks. Maybe less." Warlock said.

"Well, it's been a while since I've flown an f-18, and... I'm not sure who I'd trust to fly the other three. But I'll find a way to make it work." Maverick faced them properly with his decision.

"I think you misunderstand, captain." Warlock cut in as he shared a glance with Cyclone.

"Sir?"

"We don't want you to fly it. We want you to teach it." Cyclone stated.

"Teach, sir?" Maverick asked for further clarification.

"We've recalled 12 top gun graduates from their squadrons. We want you to narrow that pool down to six. They'll fly the mission." Cyclone explained as the list and photos came up on the screen and Maverick locked his focus on two candidates side by side, Rooster and Sunshine.