Like Fathers, Like Daughter | Bradley Bradshaw

3

First day of training. And we will finally learn what type of mission they are training us for in the first place. Mostly I'm anxious to get back in the air. Whenever I'm on the ground, I'm anxious to get back in the air to be fair. I walked into the hanger where they set up tables and chairs. With a podium and a white board. A few people are here. Texas isn't yet. I find a seat. The second table on the left side. Taking the inner chair. Slowly, more pilots begin to arrive.
"Morning Athena."
I turn my head to see Rooster sit at a table on the right side. Slightly behind me. "Morning Bradshaw." I said with a light smile.
      His head nods to the empty chair next to him. I'm sure Tex wouldn't mind if he didn't get to sit with me. So I get up from my chair and walked to his treble. Taking a seat next to him on the inside seat. The rest of the tables slowly fill up. Tex arrives as well and sits on the seat across from me and next to Coyote. The two seem to hit it off pretty well. Phoenix and Bob sit in front of them and she greets me with a simple nod.
"Are you ready?" I hear Rooster ask.
I turn my head towards him. "I was born ready." I said with a smirk.
"Attention on deck!"
We all rise at the command and two figures walk into the hanger. I stand with shoulders back, my back straight and arms next to me at attention. The sound of a F-35 taking off fills the air and nothing else can be heard. As the noise calmed down, we are instructed to sit.
"I'm Admiral Bates." Bates says from the podium in front of us. "NAWDC commander. You're all TOPGUN graduates. The elite. The best of the best. That was yesterday. The enemies new fifth generation fighter have leveled the playing field."
I'm ain't worried. As my fathers say 'It's not the plane, it's the pilot.'
"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."
Rooster and I glance at each other before I look to Phoenix. She's flipping off someone by resting her middle finger against her temple. I follow the line of sight and see Hangman at the other end. I hold back chuckling to myself as Bates continued.
"Half of you will make the cut. One of you will be named mission leader." He explained. Maybe that should be my goal. I imagine many other pilots here want to be the mission leader so I would have competition. That's nothing new. "The other half will remain in reserve."
I see Hangman turn to look at Rooster. I shoot him a glare and he turns back forward to pay attention. I'm guessing the look was to say 'you will be the one in reserve.' to Rooster. "Your instructor is a TOPGUN graduate." Then it clicked. Mav is our instructor. I couldn't help but smirk. "With real world experience with every mission aspect you will be expected to master. His exploits are legendary. And he's considered to be one of the finest pilots this program has ever produced."
He is really stroking dad's ego, isn't he?
Everyone's head turns but I don't bother looking as I hear his footsteps coming down the center of the tables. I see Hangman turn and look annoyed and frustrated. Everyone seems either disappointed or annoyed as well.
"What he has to teach you may very well mean the difference between life and death. I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Call sign, Maverick." Bates concluded.
As my head turns to Rooster, my smirk faded. He didn't look annoyed or disappointed. He looked angry. Which made me confused. I thought he would be as happy as I was to have Mav as our instructor. But it seemed there was some underlying issue here.
Bates stepped down and Maverick steps up. We make eye contact for a quick second before he began his speech. He held a book we all know very well. When I was younger, I read it because Ice had a copy in his office. I remember waking up in the night and sneaking into his office. Sitting at his desk with my feet barely reaching the ground as I read through it. I even got caught one night because the lamp light shined under the door and Ice caught me. Of course he wasn't mad.
"Good morning." Mav nods as a greeting and I nod back. He holds up the large book. "The F-18 NATOPS. It contains everything they want you to know about your aircraft. I'm assuming you know the book, inside and out."
There was a few 'damn straight', 'damn right' and 'you got it.'. I added "Hell yeah." into the mix. Mav drops the book into the trash bin next to the podium. I smirk more. Just from that, I know what tacit he is using on us.
"So does your enemy." Mav continued. "But what you're enemy doesn't know is your limits. I intend to find them, test them, push beyond."
Sorry dad but I'm pretty sure Ice did that back when I was in topgun. All of the other pilots assumed that he would take it easy on me because I'm his daughter. But he didn't. In fact he pushed me harder than anyone in my life has. At times I resented him. Hated how he would target me and the others would get a kick out of it. But as I stood on the stage in my white uniform, I realized he pushed me so the trophy could be handed to me with my name engraved on it.
"Today we will start with what you only think you know. You show me what you're made of." He concluded.
We are dismissed to get ready for our first flight today. Mav stands at the door as we each walk out to the jets. Only two pares will be in the air with Mav at a time so most of us will be relaxing and listening in. He greets each of us with our call sign. To show he knows us.
"Athena." He greets me with a smile.
"Father." I greeted back. Which I regret as pilots around me start to chatter. Why couldn't I have just greeted him by his title?
The sun was shining, as it always is here in San Francisco. Dad has his own F/A-18 super hornet with black and blue painted stripes. My jet is a few down from his with 700 painted on the nose. My full name, surprisingly, under my spot in the cockpit. Texas' just behind it. I stop for a moment, running my hand on the nose. Feeling the metal against my skin.
"Rooster. Bradley. Lieutenant Bradshaw!" My father's voice reaches me. My head turns and I see Rooster stop and turn to Mav through my shades.
"Yes sir?" Rooster replies.
"Let's not do it like this." Mav pleaded gently.
This was a private conversation. I should probably focus on my plane and not the conversation. But even over the sounds of the engines, I can hear it.
"You gonna wash me out?" Rooster asks.
"That'll be up to you, not me." Maverick says.
"Am I dismissed?" Rooster asked coldy.
Maverick says more but I can't quite make it out. I turn to see Rooster walking past me. We make eye contact through our sunglasses before he keeps going. Either I ask him directly or I ask Maverick. Or I could avoid both of them and just ask Ice. I'm sure he knows. If I don't find out soon, I'll play lady Sherlock and find out myself. It's clear something is eating at them both.