Make You Feel My Love

Dogfighting and Betrayal

"Attention on deck!" Cyclone shouts, signaling for all Top Gun graduates to stand up tall and strong. Their desks are in  four columns with a gap in the middle for people to walk through. Each row has two desks pushed side by side. Abigail sits in the row in front of Hangman, who playfully grinned when he met her face this morning. Somehow the three beers did nothing to him. If Abigail had drank that much, she'd look dead. Her body doesn't tolerate alcohol that well, apparently.

     Warlock walks up to the podium, his eyes showing a hint of worry. "Morning. Welcome to your special training detachment. You may be seated." Chairs scrape as the 13 aviators sit back in their metal seats. "I'm admiral Bates, NAWDC commander. You're all Top Gun graduates. The elite. The best of the best. That was yesterday." Concerned looks are thrown around the crowd. "The enemy's new fifth generation fighter has leveled the playing field. Details are few, but you can be sure that 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 mission leader. The other half will remain in reserve"

    Abigail watches Hangman turn around and look at Rooster after that last part, and she rolls her eyes. Hangman is so confident in himself, that his love for himself makes him not realize how he could potentially be hurting others.

      "Your instructor is a Top Gun graduate with real world experience in 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. What he has to teach you may very well mean the difference between life and death. I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Callsign, Maverick." Warlock steps off the podium, walking back over to the other admirals. Maverick takes the stand, holding on tightly to a familiar manual.

      Abigail smirks and turns around in her seat to see Hangman's reaction. He's trying his best to hide his face, Coyote doing the same. Then her eyes move to Rooster, and if looks could kill, he would be the reason for Maverick's death. She's never seen such a cold, hateful glare. Especially from such a usually sweet guy.

      She turns back around in her seat, giving Maverick a subtle encouraging smile. He softly nods at her. "Good morning." Is what he manages to get out, then holds up the manual so that everyone can see it. "The F-18 NATOPS. It contains everything the Navy wants you to know about your beloved aircraft. I'm assuming you know this thing inside out and backwards."

     He earns a few chirps of agreement. "Damn straight." Hangman says louder than everyone else. He crosses his arms, leaning back in his seat. He stares at the back of Abigail's head, rather than at the naval aviator he unknowingly threw out of the bar last night.

      Maverick grins to himself, throwing the manual in the trash. Despite the already extreme silence, the air seemed to even freeze after his action. "So does your enemy." People look at each other like Maverick is insane, but Abigail smiles widely. She's used to Pete's antics. She knows where this is going, and she's very excited. "But what they don't know is your limits. I intend to find them, test them, and push far beyond. Today, we'll start with what you only think you know. You show me what you're made of."
   . . .

    Abigail found herself sitting in the lounge with the other graduates, all of them waiting for their turn. The radio is turned up so they can hear what the people in the air are saying.

     First up is Rooster, Payback, and Fanboy. They have to shoot down Maverick, or else he shoots them down. And depending on how bad of a mood Rooster is in regarding Maverick's unannounced arrival, this could go very wrong. And Abigail is a little worried.

     Hangman sits next to Abigail, holding onto the small F-14. She places her cheek on her fist, staring at the picture across the room from her. Admiral Kazansky. Abigail hopes to hold that title some day.