Aviothic-Top Gun: Maverick

✈︎Prologue✈︎

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Those 10 words

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Lennox hums to the radio as she makes her lemon-honey tea and heads to her balcony to enjoy the sunrise like she does most mornings. As she begins her meditation her phone rings. She groans, annoyed at being interrupted.

"Who could possibly be calling me this early," She mutters to herself, her phone reading 6:33am. "Hello," She answers.

"Hello," A man's voice speaks, "Is this Lieutenant Lennox Blackwood?" The man asks.

Lennox raises a brow curiously, "This is she."

"This is Vice Admiral Beau Simpson," He introduces, "I'm a senior official at Top Gun." Hearing Top Gun completely throws Lennox off guard.

"Okay..." Lennox tries to figure out why someone from there would be calling her, especially since she graduated 10 years ago...

"We'd like for you to come back to Top Gun," Beau informs. Those 10 words cause Lennox to freeze and almost drop her phone.

She takes a minute before responding, "Um what?"

"We've selected 14 of the country's top pilots and best Top Gun graduates to return for a mission we will assign you," Beau gives her the run down. Lennox's ears start to ring slightly. "You'll be briefed and start training next Monday, pilots will need to arrive this weekend."

Lennox inhales and exhales sharply before answering. "And you're sure my name is on the list, sir?" She checks, finding it hard to believe anyone from Top Gun would want her back.

Beau clears his throat. "Oh yes Miss Blackwood, your name is indeed here, on the list," He says, with a hint of distain in his voice. "Your squadron has informed us you are in fact clear to fly, now." She can't help but chuckle, summing up right away she will not be very fond of Mr. Simpson.

"I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world," She confidently accepts the offer, no hesitation. If she was one of the very few to be chosen for a mission, it must be big. Her head is spinning at the thought of having to go back, but more importantly at the thought of who else is getting this phone call.

"Great. More information will be sent your way soon. We look forward for your return," Beau states unenthusedly, breaking Lennox from her thoughts that have caused her to breakout into a cold, stress sweat. And with that the line goes dead.

"What. The fuck. Just happened?" Lennox breathes out.

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After surfing for a few hours to destress, not that she doesn't do it everyday anyways, Lennox checks her phone as she dries off to find it being blown up by her closest friend, Phoenix.

She decides to just call her after catching up on the texts.

"Please tell me you got the call," Phoenix answers immediately after the first ring.

"Um, obviously," Lennox laughs, as if there was ever a doubt she wouldn't. "No way you're getting to go on some top secret mission without me."

"Ugh, Lightning, I can't believe we're getting this opportunity! This is huge. I've heard we're two of the only three girls to get picked," Phoenix informs Lennox, causing her to shake her head. Of course Phoenix has inside information already.

"Your point?"

"We've gotta step it up," Phoenix says firmly.

Lennox hums in amusement. Phoenix has always worked her ass off double-time to prove herself, something Lennox respected and admired from the moment she met Natasha Trace. "Phoe, I'm gonna be the best pilot there, man or woman doesn't matter. You just wait," She smirks, already itching to be back to flying, finally.

Her squadron she's stationed at now mostly has her doing ground work, not allowing her to shine at her full potential. But she is determined to go all out to do whatever it takes for this mission.

"Just- don't do anything crazy, okay? I can't have you getting kicked out after day one," Phoenix chuckles.

While Phoenix works hard to follow orders to prove why she should be there, Lennox goes out of her way to break them to show why she is there.

"Go big or big home, right?" Lennox's body buzzes with excitement and determination.

"I can feel your smirk from here," Phoenix remarks.

"Good," Lennox smiles proudly, "Then my work here is done."

Phoenix sighs heavily, "Well, I better get to packing, and so do you."

"Yes mom," Lennox rolls her eyes playfully. Although Phoenix can't actually see her, it's as if the two are on FaceTime with Lennox's very expressive conversation.

"You know you'll just procrastinate and pack at the absolute last minute," Phoenix teases.

"Ugh, that's it. You officially know me too well. I'm ending this friendship now," Lennox scoffs, holding back laughter. "I can pack light since I'm staying at my beach house down there," She boasts, but inside Lennox already dreads having to move back into the house she hasn't stepped foot in since she was last in North Island.

"Oh, that's right, you never sold it. Lucky," Phoenix groans before taking a deep breath. "This is it Lightning. This is the chance we've been waiting for in our careers."

Andddd, right back to seriousness.

"Then we better make the most of it," Lennox nods, a fire lighting inside of her. She can already taste the somersault feeling one gets when a rollercoaster drops from high above. The floating out of your body feeling when you hit a bump in the road driving just a little too fast. The sweet oxygen you breathe in as you step foot in your plane. The warm, sweat of a tingle you get when your hands wrap around the wheel. This. This is her moment to feel alive once again. To have her dream back, her passion.

Flying was her safe haven. Her drug. Her reason for existing. And no one's ever gonna take that away from her again. Phoenix has fired Lennox up, and now she is locked and loaded.

"Damn right. See you this weekend," Phoenix says.

"See you this weekend." And with that their call ends and Lennox feels more alive than ever.

We'd like for you to come back to Top Gun. Those words play over and over again as she grabs her things and heads for the house.

Fights on.

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Authors Note: AHHHHH, it's finally happening!! I've had this book planned since May and started writing this summer, but now the day is finally here to start publishing. I'm so excited for this book, y'all have no idea <<<<3333

Hope y'all enjoyed the prologue, this is just the beginning ;)