Avalanche

| the impossible |

"Lieutenant Kazansky, are you completely sure you're up for flying?" Cyclone asked me.

It had been 2 days from my fathers funeral. I was in his office, sitting down, requesting to come back to work. Some would call it crazy, but it's just the way I've always been: persistent.

"I'm fine." I said as confidently as I could, because I was tired of doing nothing. Doing nothing have me time to think, and thinking was bad. I didn't want to process the loss of my father, or spend any more tears on it.

I didn't want to be seen as weak.

Hangman had checked up on me a few times, and that I was grateful for. But the pitiful looks I was getting, I couldn't handle. I just wanted to fly again.

"It's okay to take it slow, you shouldn't be throwing yourself back into work." Vice Admiral Simpson tried to assure me. I had never seen him this nice, but I knew he was friends with my father, so it made sense. I also knew that it made him feel like he had some sort of responsibility over me, especially after all that I had gone through.

"I have to. It's the last piece of normalcy I have." I practically begged.

"A top secret mission with somebody trying to kill you?" Cyclone clarified.

My eyes held his cool stare as I asked, "So Admiral Bates filled you in?"

"He did. He also showed me the top possible suspects."

"Then you realize I refuse to live out the rest of my career knowing someone has attempted to kill me twice. This is one of our only chances of catching them." I try to convince him.

Vice Admiral Simpson sighs, "I can't send you to die."

"I won't die. I'm too good of a pilot for that. They've already failed twice."

"Fine. You can start tomorrow morning. But as soon as you feel something is off, you stop. Is that clear, Lieutenant?" Cyclone says, pulling rank.

"Crystal." I say, and I leave his office.

Tomorrow. I could live for tomorrow. Just keep me in my cockpit.

❅

My fellow pilots, most of which were my former classmates, were surprised to see my presence back in the training classroom.

If they really knew me, they really shouldn't be so surprised.

Sue me, I'm a workaholic. But I really just needed a distraction right now, because this is where I felt the most vulnerable.

I sit down next to Hangman, who takes my hand, and gives it a little squeeze before our superiors enter the room.

All the attention that has been directed towards me, suddenly turns towards the front of the room to Admiral Bates.

Odd.

Uncle Maverick isn't here.

Warlock clears his throat, "Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor."

The room breaks into whispers. Why now? Why so close to the mission?

Admiral Bates stared down the room, and we silence ourselves. He continues, "As of today, there are new parameters for your mission." Our admiral informed us, "Time to target is now 4 minutes."