smile | bradley bradshaw

CHAPTER ONE

-🔥-

"You've been called back to TOPGUN."

The sentence still made my body fill with anticipation as I entered the all to familiar town of Miramar, home to the best academy for fighter pilots around.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, and in just a few hours time the town would be cast into a golden hue, and then darkness.

My eyes landed on my destination, a bar I used to visit quite often, The Hard Deck. The bar is almost always packed full of people, but of course there was barely anyone there midday.

And if it weren't for a text I had received a few hours ago, I wouldn't be here quite yet either.

Approaching the building I straightened out my uniform, and then pushed the door open. There was a few people, granted more than I had imagined would be here at this time of day, but the large area was still pretty empty.

"Madeline, haven't seen you in a while," a female voice spoke as I made my way past the bar. I paused, looking over to see the familiar face of Penny Benjamin, owner of The Hard Deck.

"Hey Penny," I responded with a smile, stepping over to the circular counter. I folded my arms on top of it, and leaned against the counter.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, grabbing a glass and filling it with ice, then pouring a mixture of a few different drinks into it, and slid it over to me.

I smiled, surprised she remembered my order after all those years. "They called for the best," I responded with a shrug, bringing the glass up to my lips to take a sip.

Penny chuckled, shaking her head. "I should've guessed," she replied, stepping away from the counter. "Jake is in the back," she added, nodding behind me.

I glanced back and saw the familiar blonde head. "Thanks Penny," I said, patting the counter. "I'll see ya around," I added with a smile, before turning and heading back to a corner with a pool table.

He had a friend there, someone I had yet to meet. I passed by a few tables, and then stepped up to the elevated platform.

"Bagman!" I called out, a smirk on my lips as the blonde turned around.

"Scavenger," he replied, mirroring my smirk. "You got my text I see," he added, stepping towards me with an arm outstretched.

"Sadly, I debated ignoring it," I replied, opening up my free arm and stepping in for a side hug.

"Yet here you are, drinking at five o'clock," he said, chuckling as he turned to his friend who I've yet to meet. "This is Coyote," he said, and then looked back to me.

I stuck my hand out with a smile. "Crow," I said as he offered his hand as well.

"Heard anything about what this mission entails?" I asked as I grabbed a pool stick, moving to one corner of the table and lining it up, quickly hitting a solid into the opposite corner hole.

"Not a thing," Coyote said as I moved to hit another solid, but missed.

"Know anyone else who got the call?" I asked, stepping to stand by Hangman.