Storm | B. Bradshaw

4

The past

Maverick made his way to front which everyone had their focus on him. He stood in front of a monitor that displayed a flight simulation. "Phase one of the mission will be a low-level attack. You'll be flying along the narrow canyon walls to the target. The surface-to-air missiles defend the skies above, not the canyon below." He explained.

"That's because no one is insane enough to fly below." Rooster commented. "That's exactly what I'm going to train you to do." Maverick responded. He described the low altitudes and high speeds the pilots would be flying for today's simulation. It was an improvement from the actual altitude and speed required for the mission, but it was still worrying. No pilot had ever flown a mission like this before, not even Maverick. "Time to target is two and a half minutes." "Fifth-generation fighter jets wait at a base nearby. You need to get in and you need to get out. This makes time your greatest adversary." Maverick explained.

..................

Storm was frustrated as she didn't succeed... no one did. Storm looked up at Maverick then Maverick looked at her. She sighed. "Storm... why are you dead?" He asked her. "I made it to the target, a minute late but I know what everyone is thinking... Oh she's a Kazansky, she perfect. No, your wrong. Kazanskys can make mistakes... but Mistakes aren't acceptable on missions. I should've been more focus, but I have things on my mind. So to fix things in the future, more focus is the key... because I don't want to see the heartbreak, everyone family would go through, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to one of you all." Storm explained. Maverick sighed. Storm was mind was wondering to her dad... how many days her dad got, she wanted to make every moment with her father count

"What happened?" He questioned Hangman. A prideful smirk evident on his face, "I flew as fast as I could. Kind of like my life depended on it." He answered and Vadar rolled her eyes. "Yeah and your put your team in danger and now your wingman is dead." Rooster criticized him. "They couldn't keep up." Hangman answered. "Time is the thing to worry about, not whose the fastest." Strom said to him. "Isn't that the thing your parents handed to you, the knowledge Storm?" Hangman questioned her. "Excuse me?" Storm questioned him.

"Come on Storm. You are the daughter of Iceman and Ace. You have easy, they must of had it as well, I mean everything is handed to you." Hangman said. Vadar and Domino looked Hangman. "Now, I have disagree with you, Storm has worked hard to where she is now, her parents supported her and cheered her on." Payback said as Rooster, Bob, Phoenix, Vadar and Domino nodded, agreeing with her.  "You fucking messed up." Vadar muttered. "My dad did, I do... wait... you think my mother had it easy at Top Gun?" Storm questioned him and when he didn't answered her. She huffed.

"Bagman, you give the same type of energy that men gave to my mother when she went to Top Gun. Yes, Myself, Phoenix, Halo, Vadar and Domino have much for easier. My mother? Had to prove herself and my damn goodness, she did and look at her now, for fuck sakes she was the only woman in her damn class, she would get told by her own father that she belong in a kitchen not in navy. She is the reason why us women have it so much easier now days in the navy so yeah I might be Iceman and Ace's daughter, but one thing I could say about my dad, he's supportive me, I didn't get by with my parents, I got by because I worked my ass off to get here." Storm spatted at him.

Maverick sighed. He remember the things her mother had to endure while they attended Top Gun together but one thing about it. Ace didn't let them stomp all over her, she didn't give a shit and she was badass while doing so.

Rooster whispered in her ear. "Don't let him get under your skin." He said as he gave her hand assuring squeeze before she sighed and sat back.

Maverick then turned his attention on Rooster, "Why are you dead?" Maverick questioned him. "Sir, just like Storm, he also made it to the target." Phoenix responded. "A minute late, which gave time for the enemy aircraft to shoot them both down." Maverick replied to Phoenix. "You don't know that." Rooster argued. Hangman sighed. "You're not flying fast enough." He replied. "You aren't thinking, one wrong move, someone is going to end up dead, I won't let that happen so think smarter." Vadar spatted. She was already frustrated with Hangman after what he said to Storm, he was just pushing it at this point.

"Storm and I made it to the target." Rooster stated. "And superior enemy aircraft intercepted the both of you on your way out." Maverick stated as he looked at both Hangman and Rooster. "Then it's a dog fight." Rooster said. "Against Fifth generation fighters?" Maverick questioned.

"We still have a chance sir." Rooster said not taking a defeat. "In a F-18?" Maverick questioned once more with rueful chuckle at him. "It's not the plane, sir. It's the pilot." Rooster replied. "Exactly!" Maverick flings back. Rooster looks at him for a moment and sighs in stress. "There's way more then just one way to fight on this mission."

"You really don't get it do you?" Hangman turns his head back once again at Rooster. "This mission. A man like Maverick here or He doesn't come back." He looks over at Phoenix and Storm. "No offense." He winks at them. They both scoffed. "Yet somehow, you always manage." Bob said as he made eye contact with Hangman. "This is why I adore Bob." Vadar said and Bob smiled at the woman.

"I don't mean, by any chance to criticize your conservative, that's all. We're going into combat. on a level no living pilot has ever seen. Not even him." Hangman said as he looked at Maverick. Maverick gave him a look. "It's no time to be thinking about the past Rooster." Hangman said. Storm's eyes widened as she knew that he was about to bring up Goose. "Someone say sike right now." Vadar said. "What's that suppose to mean?" Rooster questioned him.

Storm shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek. "Hangman... Don't" Domino said to him, nicely

"Rooster." Maverick called out but he ignored him."Hangman, please just stop while you ahead." Storm spatted. "I can't be the only one that knows Maverick flew with his old man and  Storm's parents..." Hangman said. "Okay that's enough." Maverick warned Hangman. "And that Maverick was flying  and Storm's parents were present when his old man-." Before Hangman could finish, Rooster leaped out of his chair and tried to go after him, Storm, Phoenix, Vadar and Bob helped grabbed him while Fanboy, Payback and Coyote grabbed Hangman while Domino stood in the middle.

"That's enough!" Maverick barked. "You son of a bitch!" Rooster exclaimed at Hangman. "Hey, I'm cool, I'm cool." Hangman said with a smile on his face while looking at Rooster. "Relax he's not worth it, just relax." Vadar assured him. "You know I'm right." Hangman said to Maverick as he left. Storm huffed "For everyone information, my mom blames herself for that, but they got caught in my dad's plane's jet wash, but still yet my mom blames herself and she's traumatized because she watched it unfold!" Storm yelled as she rose her voice at the end and tears slipped down her face. Everyone was shocked, even Rooster. He never knew her mom blame herself for his dad's death "You're all dismissed." Maverick said. 

.............

Lindsey sat on the stairs and sighed. She would be heading over to her parents house for a visit. "Hey." Bradley said. "Hey, about today." Lindsey said. 

"It wasn't your mom's fault... she couldn't control it." Bradley said. "But she blames herself, she told me this... it was after we graduated at Top Gun, the way she was talking about it..." Lindsey said as tears slipped down her cheeks. "She felt so helpless. she didn't know what to do because she couldn't shout because the radio went out... Most of all, she didn't know how she was going to tell you... she was scared that you would hate her." Lindsey said.

"Me... hate your mother... I could never." Bradley said. Then he grabbed onto her hand. "Lindsey, your mother tried, she adored my dad, I just know besides me and my mom.... your mom, had it tough." Bradley said. "Yeah... it was the final weeks and she struggled because she had nightmares and that image wouldn't leave her head." Lindsey said.

"Hey... I know it's time for a visit with your parents.... go see them... I'll see you when you get home, I'll go next visit." Bradley said. Lindsey slightly smiled, then pressed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you in a few hours Honey." Lindsey said as she got up. "Love you, Hon." Bradley said.

"Love you too."

.............