Fight's On (Top Gun: Maverick)

Maverick.

He didn't know why he was called back to Top Gun, but he was about to find out as he stood in front of two Admirals.

"Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. Your reputation precedes you." The younger of the two officers stated.

"Thank you, sir." He replied.

"Wasn't a compliment. I'm Admiral Beau Simpson. I'm the Air Boss. I believe you know Admiral Bates." He introduced himself and gestured to the man sat next to him.

"Warlock, sir." Pete greeted the man with a small nod before saying, "Must admit, I wasn't expecting an invitation back."

"They're called orders, Maverick. You two have something in common. Cyclone was first in his class back in '88." Warlock stated to the man.

"Actually, sir, I finished second. Just want to manage expectations." Maverick replied.

Cyclone sighed as he watched the fighter pilot.

Warlock decided to get on task and began explaining the mission, "The target... Is an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant built in violation of a multilateral NATO treaty. The uranium produced there represents a direct threat to our allies in the region. The Pentagon has tasked us with assembling a strike team and taking it out before it becomes fully operational. The plant sits in an underground bunker at the end of this valley. Said valley is GPS-jammed and defended by an extensive surface-to-air missile array serving a limited number of fifth generation fighters, which in turn are backed up by a plentiful reserve of surplus aircraft. Even a few old F-14s."

"Seems like we're not the only ones holding on to old relics." Cyclone commented as the three officers looked at the larger screen as it showed the location of the bunker.

"What's your read, Captain?" Warlock asked the fighter pilot.

"Well, sir, normally this would be a cakewalk for the F-35's stealth, but the GPS-jamming negates that. And a surface-to-air threat necessitates a low-level laser-guided strike tailor-made for the F-18. I figure, two precision bombs, minimum. Makes it four aircraft, flying in pairs. That is one hell of a steep climb out of there, exposing you to all surface-to-air missiles. You survive that, it's a dogfight all the way home." Maverick explained as he looked back at the officers.

"All requirements for which you have real-world experience." Warlock stated.

"Not in the same mission. No. No, someone's not coming home from this." Maverick told them.

"Can it be done or not?" Cyclone asked.

"How soon before the plant becomes operational?" Maverick questioned.

"Three weeks. Maybe less." Warlock answered.

"Well, it's been a while since I've flown an F-18, and... I'm not sure who I'd trust to fly the other three. But I'll find a way to make it work." Pete said as he turned to face the two officers after looking at the screen.

He believed that this was what they called him back to Top Gun for.

He was wrong.

"I think you misunderstand, Captain." Warlock stated, making him question the Officer, "Sir?"

"We don't want you to fly it. We want you to teach it." Cyclone told him.

"Teach, sir?" Pete asked, confused.

"We've recalled twelve Top Gun graduates from their squadrons. We want you to narrow that pool down to six." Warlock explained as he brought the graduates up on the screen, making the fighter pilot turn to the screen.

"They'll fly the mission. Is there a problem, Captain?" Cyclone asked when he saw the man's jaw clench.

"You know there is, sir." Maverick stated as he tore his gaze from his late best friend's kid and his daughter.

"Yeah. Olivia Mitchell, aka 'Ghost' and Bradley Bradshaw, aka 'Rooster.' I understand she is your daughter and you used to fly with his old man. What was his call sign?" Cyclone asked, while he pulled their records up on screen.

"She is, and Goose, sir." Pete answered as he looked at their military records.

"Tragic what happened." Cyclone commented.

"Captain Mitchell was cleared of any wrongdoing. Goose's death was an accident." Warlock stated.

"Is that how you see it, Captain? Is that how Goose's son sees it? What about your daughter?" Cyclone asks, knowing he was getting under the man's skin.

"With all due respect, sir. I'm not a teacher." Pete told him.

"You were a Top Gun instructor before." Cyclone stated.

"That was almost thirty years ago. I lasted two months. It's not where I belong." Maverick stated.

"Then let me be perfectly blunt. You were not my first choice. In fact, you were even on the list. You are here at the request of Admiral Kazansky. Now, Iceman happen to be a man I deeply admire, and he seems to think that you have something left to offer the Navy. What that is, I can't imagine. You don't have to take this job. But let me be clear: This will be your last post, Captain. You fly for Top Gun, or you don't fly for the Navy ever again." Cyclone stated.

The words echoing in Pete Mitchell's head as he headed towards the Hard Deck.