They Call Me the Coroner | Top Gun: Maverick

Malice and Spite

Cyclone eyes Mav with forced sympathy from behind his desk. Bates stands behind him and to the side of the table with his hands folded behind his back.

Mav and I straighten our shoulders in front of them and hold our heads up like we're being inspected.

"It's impossible for me to understand what you are feeling right now. Take some time off, whatever you need, Maverick." He draws his lips into a line.

"Thank you, Sir. But there's no time. The mission-"

"Is in my hands now. I'm taking over from here. Coroner will still aid in the training of course."

I blink. He's kicking Mav out? My partner's shoulders slump and he tilts his head down in question. His military self gone.

"I'm sorry?"

"We both know you didn't want this job."

Maverick blurts. "Sir, they aren't ready."

"Well, it was your job to prepare them." He raises his brows. "But you failed to succeed."

"Sir, with all due respect to you and your reputation, Maverick is still the best person to show these kids how to fly this mission. Maybe if they just knew the mission could be accomplished-" He silences me with a wave of his hand.

That's the last time I give him the power to do that.

"You're grounded, Maverick. Permanently. "

*****

"I swear. You better find a way back to the mission, or I'm going to remove Cyclone with my own bare hands. And it won't be pretty."

Mav half grins at me, sad. "It's over for me, Coroner."

"Seriously? You're just going to give up? He doesn't care about them as much as you do. He will train them to fly the mission, not how to get home."

He blinks. "You heard him. I'm grounded."

"Jeez, Mav, you sound like a twelve-year-old who got their phone taken away." I slam my hand on the seat of my bike, then point at him. "You know he's only doing this because Ice is dead and can't save you...and because he doesn't like you...for whatever reason. If anything, it should give you the incentive to be spiteful and fight back! Those are your pilots!"

He chuckles bitterly and gathers himself on his motorcycle. "So long, Coroner."

*****

"Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor. Your new mission parameters as of today are as follows-"

The air is cold with malice. Mine to be exact. The grimace I give Cyclone is enough to make the avaitors glance at each other, concerned. Cyclone has his back turned, but I hope he can feel the holes I'm boring into the back of his head.

"Coroner." He glances back at me when I don't respond. "Care to tell them the parameters?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I wasn't briefed on new mission parameters." I kind of wish I didn't fight the urge to kick him.

Maverick is better than he'll ever be. He's the only one who can get these pilots home safe. Cyclone knew that but grounded him anyway.

I'm not great instructor, but I can hold my own. Let's just say, I'm not going to let Cyclone get away with this. These pilots are people.

People are precious.

Cue feelng like a hypocrite.

He nods. "Destination time is now four minutes." The pilots furrow their brows at the screen as it changes from three to four. "You will enter the valley level by reducing your speed and you will not exceed 420 nautical miles."