002 | ᵖᵃˢᵗ ᵍʰᵒˢᵗˢ

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CHAPTER TWO

Past Ghosts

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song: Stargirl Interlude - 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙣𝙙 + 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙮

⟵⌖⟶

"𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦' 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭."

𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐃𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 opposite Colette, who was fast asleep. She groaningly tossed and turned. She would never be immune to the feeling no matter how many mornings she awoke at the ridiculous hour of five thirty. Despite her body's efforts to keep her in bed, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen.

She inhaled her hot coffee as she put on her navy attire and brown leather jacket. She brushed her hair and walked out the door, ready to confront the ghosts of her past. She felt a sensation of warmth as she strolled through the corridors of Top Gun.

Top Gun had become a second home for her. A place where she grew up. She greeted her co-workers before entering her office. She adored her office space, which included a comfortable chair and a window overlooking the tarmac. Her favourite thing was seeing the aircraft take off and land during the afternoon from the large windows.

She grinned as she set her belongings down and prepared for the day. Colette became side-tracked while watching the sun turn the sky a warm hue. It was so familiar to her to see the landing crew members who littered the tarmac. A knock on her door jolted her out of her trance.

"Come on in." She turned around to face Hondo, who was standing at the door. "Hey, it's great to see you back." Standing in the doorway, Hondo stated. "It's great to be back." Colette beams. Hondo responds with a nod before continuing. "You must be there for the introduction." Colette groans slightly as Hondo says this.

"Alright, I saw this coming." Colette explains, dreading the prospect of seeing Bradley and Jake again. "They need you there, Tinker, since you're the Chief Engineer." Hondo explains with a sympathetic expression.

"I know. "Shall we get there?" Colette ends as they make their way behind the Admirals to the hangar, ready to make their entry. Colette wanted to submerge herself in her work, repairing aircraft parts and talking with co-workers. But she found herself on the path to her doom.

"Attention, on deck!" As Cyclone, Warlock, Hondo, and Colette entered the hangar, a woman yelled. The pilots arose swiftly to await instructions. Hondo and Colette move to the side as the admirals continue to the front platform.

"Good morning. Welcome to your special training detachment, take a seat." The aviators took their seats as Warlock continued. "My name is Admiral Bates. You're all Top Gun graduates, the best of the best." Colette didn't fail to notice the smirks that arose from the statement.

"That was yesterday." He continues. The aviator's faces dropped. "The enemy's new fifth-generation fighter jets level the playing field. We no longer possess the technological advantage. The success will depend on the man or woman in the box." Colette was thankful she hadn't been spotted yet.

"Half of you will make the cut, and only one will be named mission leader. Those remaining will fill any reserve positions available." Warlock explains looking towards the pilots.

"Your instructor is one of the finest pilots this programme has ever produced. His exploits are legendary. What he has to teach you may very well mean the difference between life and death." Footsteps could be heard entering the hangar. Colette smirked.

𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐎 | 𝘛𝘰𝘱 𝘎𝘶𝘯Where stories live. Discover now