automatic stop, bradley bradshaw

thirty.

SKYE MITCHELL TRUTHFULLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW SHE'D WOUND UP RIGHT WHERE SHE'D BEGUN. getting called back to the top gun program after graduating hadn't been on her bingo card, nor was getting trained by her father. but, hey, sometimes life throws crazy things at you.

after graduating from top gun, skye and her best friend katia kazansky joined the black aces strike fighter squadron based in lemoore, california. they had been recommended to the squadron by their good friend, natasha trace, callsign 'phoenix', who had been in the top gun program with them.

skye and katia had graduated at the top of their class, and therefore were immediately well respected upon their arrival into VFA-41. the black aces quickly became a second home to the women, who could practically fly super hornets in their sleep at this point.

their friendship with phoenix had flourished during this time, and the three women were rarely ever seen apart when on base. katia, who had recently gotten out of a toxic relationship with phoenix's old backseater, jake 'fang' logan, had been pulled out of her depressive slump by her friends, who would force her to play just dance with them (among other methods) in order to cheer her up.

the fast eagle squadron, as their radio callsign called them, were an extremely accepting and fun group of people. "first to fight, first to strike", the undersides of their planes all said. skye liked being in the squadron, because it encouraged more team playing than she had been used to previously. she and katia typically flew smaller missions, though, which often left her frustrated, longing to be of service.

skye and katia's helmets, which already matched, were soon decorated with a black aces decal, which had also been added as a patch to their flight suits.

the squadron didn't have frequent deployments (their last deployment being in 2016), which was great for skye and katia, who had wanted to be in the squadron for the purpose of staying in california. california, after all, was where katia's family was.

iceman 'slay' kazansky, as his daughter and her best friend constantly referred to him, had faced radiation for his throat cancer that resulted in damage to his vocal chords. though he was still facing treatments, his vocal chords were completely shot. he didn't talk anymore, and skye constantly missed his witty jokes and stories about flying.

though he wasn't of relation to skye, he was an uncle to her, and she had immediately understood katia's reluctance to leave the state he resided in. even if he was okay one day, that could change at any moment. because of that, they had both made the decision to accept phoenix's proposal to join the black aces.

skye certainly didn't regret joining the squadron. she had learned a lot, and had, at the same time, been able to teach those around her just as much. but, as fun as it was, she often found herself laying in bed at night wondering if she'd made the right choice.

in addition to the offer from phoenix, her favorite person, bradley 'rooster' bradshaw, had given her and katia an invitation to join him with his squadron, the golden warriors.

it had taken nearly everything in skye to turn him down, wanting nothing more than to continue flying with him. throughout their time in the top gun program, she had found herself steadily falling in love with the man. the timing, she figured, just wasn't right, though, and fate had driven them apart.

skye had never wanted to be away from bradley as long as she was. she truthfully was hoping that he'd show up to the family gatherings that she assumed her father was inviting him to, but he never did.

for some time, skye considered calling him. she hated calling people. in fact, she hated almost anything that had to do with her phone, a distaste that she had definitely inherited from her father. it felt ingenue, she thought, to call him after so long.