𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐃 | 𝐛.𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎: 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫

I despise Mondays. I'm despising them even more now that I'll have to spend every Monday, well everyday actually, with Bradley. I swear I can feel his eyes burning into the back of my head. I haven't looked at him once in the fifteen minutes we've been waiting.

I got to this training detachment bright and early. I was the first one followed by Phoenix and after her everyone started rolling in.

"So, in all honesty, who do you think they're going to get to teach us?" Phoenix asks me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I look around the room and my eyes linger a bit too long on Bradley, who was already looking at me. I snap my eyes back to Phoenix quickly to avoid looking at him too long.

"I have no idea, Tasha. I just hope whoever it is can handle all of them." I say, directing that towards the guys.

"If they can, I'll be shocked. I think we're the only ones who can give them a run for their money." She smirks at me.

"Nobody does it like we do." I laugh, but I get interrupted by someone speaking.

"Attention on deck!" Chairs scrape and everyone stands.

"Morning." Warlock greets the room. "Welcome to your special training detachment. Be seated."

All of us take a seat and direct our attention to him.

"I'm Admiral Bates, NAWDC commander." He starts.

"You're all top gun graduates. The elite. The best of the best." He scans the room.

"Well that was yesterday." Warlock says, obviously shocking a few people.

"The enemy's new fifth generation fighter has leveled the playing field. Details are few, but you can be sure we no longer possess the technological advantage. Success, now more than ever, comes down to the man or woman in the box."

"Half of you will make the cut. One of you will be named our mission leader. The other half will remain in reserve." A couple of people quietly say "ooh."

"Your instructor is a top gun graduate wil real-world experience in every mission aspect you will be expected to master. His exploits are legendary."

Who the hell did they get? I think to myself.

"And he's considered to be one of the finest pilots this program has ever produced. What he has to teach you may very well mean the difference between life or death." His eyes focus on me for a moment before he turns his attention back to the middle.

Huh... that was weird.

"I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Call sign: Maverick." He says and leaves the podium.

"You have got to be kidding me." I say under my breath as I turn around to look behind me.

"Holy... your dad?!" Tasha's eyes widened.

There he is, in the flesh. My father who I was looking forward to not seeing. This can't get any worse for me.

He looks once at me, most likely trying to gauge my reaction. Then he looks at Bradley so I follow his lead. Surprisingly, he's staring at me. Not my dad, just me.

I turn around and try to focus on Captain Mitchell but I'm already annoyed at this whole situation.

"Good morning." He says, getting settled in.

"The f-18 natops," Maverick holds up a huge stack of papers. "It contains everything they want you to know about your aircraft. I'm assuming you know the book inside and out, correct?"