They Call Me the Coroner | Top Gun: Maverick

Cyclops

All my gear is on. Flight suit. Boots. Vest. Parachute. I managed to hide my arm from inspection...but it is killing me.

When they say it gets worse before it gets better, they mean it.

I slide my hand over my black and blue helmet as I walk. "Coroner" written in white-scratchy font in the front. My steps echo in the tunnel. I slow as I spy Maverick glaring out at the ocean.

"Talk to me, Goose." He mumbles. His eyes pointed to the sea.

I smirk and inch next to Mav, waving my hand at the sky dismissively. "That's alright, Goose. I got this."

Maverick glances and smiles at me for a moment. We stand in quiet respect for the tasks ahead.

I can get a sense of what's running through his mind.

Someone is probably not coming back from this mission.

Rooster or Hangman for his fire?

If he chooses Rooster, what happens if Rooster's not ready?

If he chooses Hangman, what happens with Rooster will not be pretty.

If this doesn't go well...Mav would loose his best friend's son either way.

He gazes out, letting the breeze blow his black hair some. His eyes piercing into the water.

"I wish I didn't do that." He sighs.

"What's that?"

He points to the bubbles and spray from the engines in the water. "I threw Goose's dogtags in the ocean after he died. Right now...I kind of wish I didn't."

I put a hand on his shoulder and grin sadly. My other hand goes to my pocket and I pull out a chain with some tags on it.

His eyes cut across my hands and he furrows his brows.

"Lieutenant Jeremy Grahm. Marty." I rub my thumb gently across his name. "He got his call sign because he said 'Crack-a-lackin' non-stop and sounded like Chris Rock. He sang like an angel and lived for God like no other person I've ever seen."

Maverick glances from me to the tags. I smile, furrowing my brows and licking my lips nervously. I eye the tags, bouncing them in my hand.

"There's a lot of things we can regret, Mav." I move my eyes to him. "A lot of things we wish we didn't do. But when it comes right down to it, time doesn't go backwards and we can't fix those things."

I reel my arm back and hurl the tags into the water. They disappear into the foam from the ship's course.

"We can only move forward, learn, and grow from those things we regret and try not to make the same mistake again."

He smiles and nods. "Be a better person than you were."

"And look forward to being a better person than you are." I smile back.

Throwing Marty's tags made me feel lighter somehow. It's a bit easier to stand. A lot easier to smile.

Mav stands quiet for a long time again and grimaces. "Well, what do you think, Coroner?"

"About?"

"About Rooster and Hangman? Who do you think I should pick?"

I gaze over the ocean and purse my lips. I can't have any personal preference here. No bias.

Both fly like masters. Hangman is good until he gets cocky. That's when he starts making mistakes. Rooster is better once he gets past thinking that he has to think.