Below The Hard Deck | A Top Gun Fanfiction

CHAPTER XIII

I rush out of the lounge without another word, sprinting as fast as I can to the runway. Search and rescue is already being scrambled, a wild conglomeration of red jackets frantically hoping for the best yet preparing for the worst. In the near distance, a cloud of smoke climbs over the mountains and into the air. The two remaining pilots in the air land just as the rescue helicopter takes off, sending the tarmac into an all too familiar eerie silence.

"Coyote!" I yell, rushing over to the young recruit. He is, understandably, shaken up. His flight suit clings to his body due to the heavy layer of sweat covering him and, try as he might to hide it, I notice the shake in his hands as he unbuckles his helmet. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," he mumbles. "Bob and Phoenix—"

"Let's just worry about you for a second. Search and rescue is handling them." I scan his face for any visible injuries. "You look alright, but go to the infirmary to get checked out just in case." He nods, not meeting my gaze as he starts off in the desired direction. My heart breaks at the sight of the usually vibrant pilot. Poor kid just went through more traumatic moments in a few minutes than most people will in a lifetime.

With Coyote squared away, I turn my attention to Maverick. All the anger I had about his impromptu addition to the lesson plan has sense melted away. What just occurred is bigger than any training exercise. Even as I join his side, my fellow instructor stands stiffly in his place, eyes pointed towards the darkening cloud on the horizon. "Did you see parachutes?"

"Yeah," he chokes out. "Yeah, they ejected in time."A shaky, almost childlike breath escapes him. "They got out in time."

"And you? Are you okay?" Mav's jaw clenches at my question, though I can tell it's more so to try to hold himself together than out of frustration. "Pete, what happened isn't your—"

"All I could hear was Goose." His words are quite, barely above a whisper, yet carry the pain of over three decades. "It was like I was watching that day unfold in front of me all over again. And, when their canopy came off..."

"Hey." I move around so I'm facing him straight on, trying to block the view of the mountains. Taking his face in my hands, I force Maverick to look at me. "Bob and Phoenix are okay. They got out of the plane just fine and they'll be back on base in no time." Though I mean every word that I say, they do little to sooth my partner's worries. How could they when he has just been forced to relive one of the worst days of his life?

"I'm sorry." I'm taken back by his words. His hands wrap around my own, holding them tightly between us, eyes following them down. "I should've just let them run the course. If I had—"

"You wouldn't have been able to get to Coyote in time to snap him out of G-LOC," I finish for him. "Because you posed as a bandit, you were able to get a lock on him and wake him up. You saved his life, Pete. The bird strike doesn't take that away from you." My thumb lightly rubs against his cheek. "Take some time to decompress. I'll handle everything else."

"Cyclone will want to see me."

"Fuck him." My sudden use of vulgarity causes Maverick to chuckle. Against the silence and tension in the air, it's music to my ears. "If he wants to talk to someone, he can suck it up until tomorrow or deal with me. I'll dismiss the other recruits for the day and I can sort out everything with Phoenix and Bob when they get back. Just take the rest of the day to yourself."

"I at least want to meet Phoenix and Bob out here when they come in." He swallows the tears building up in his eyes. "Just to make sure they're okay. Do you mind if I stay out here while you go inside and update the others?"

I sigh. As much as I want him to just go home and relax, I also understand his hesitation to do so. This is as good as I'm going to get from him. "Alright, but I don't want you even thinking about stepping into another jet or getting within a twenty foot radius of Cyclone." I smirk. "Is that clear, Captain Mitchell?"