Borrowed Time [Bradley Bradshaw]

I'm not a babysitter

If there was one thing that Crystal hated was being disrespected, yet, being her father's daughter and choosing to be in the military made her more than used to it. That's why she ignored the buzz when arriving at the base. Some people greeted her, some did their best to avoid letting her know they'd seen her. Nothing new.

An ensign is waiting for her at the entrance to escort her to Admiral Simpson's office. When they arrive there, he opens the door for her to enter. Inside she found Maverick standing in front of the desk where both Admiral Simpson and Admiral Bates were sitting.

She salutes them, taking the spot beside Maverick, as appointed by Cyclone.

"Lieutenant Commander Kazansky," Cyclone says.

"Admiral Simpson, sir."

"Do you know why you're here?" He asks.

"Commander Madden briefed me, sir."

He nodded, focusing on Maverick and something inside you said that shit was about to hit the fan.

"The hard deck is 5,000 feet above ground level." Cyclone started. "A parameter is set not just for the safety of our pilots, but for the safety of their aircraft. 5,000 feet is not just a rule. It is a law, as immutable as gravity." He exclaimed.

Crystal had been working in the base for a while now under the supervision of Commander Madden. When her superior explained to her that Admiral Simpson had personally requested her to participate in this mission she had been confused.

Of course she knew that Maverick was there, they hadn't seen each other but her father had told her about it. Besides that, there was gossip about Pete "Maverick" Mitchel being back at the Top Gun program as a flight instructor again.

Now she understood that Cyclone wanted her to watch over Pete. The only problem was that Crystal knew him well enough to know he would always find a way to bend the rules, many times with her father's aid. Her being there would do little to tame him.

"The hard deck will be much lower for the mission, sir," Maverick says.

"And it will not change without my approval!" Cyclone exclaimed energetically. "Especially not in the middle of an exercise." He added. "And that cobra maneuver of yours? That could've got all three of you killed. I never want to see that shit again."

Things were worse than she expected. Maverick was a teacher for only a couple of days before getting himself into trouble—with another Admiral, may she add. Maybe that was the reason why he only lasted two months as an instructor at Top Gun back in the day, after both he and Ice graduated.

"What exactly do you suppose you were teaching, Captain?" Warlock asks, looking at Maverick.

"That as good as they are, sir, they still have something to learn."

"You are talking about the best fighter pilots on the planet, Captain." Cyclone objects.

"And they've been told that their entire career, while they've been dropping bombs from a high altitude with little to no dogfighting," Maverick says. "The parameters of this mission call for something they have never encountered."

"And you agree with that, Icebreaker?" Cyclone turns his attention to Crystal.

"With all due respect, sir, when you believe that you are the best that is, you also believe that there's nothing you can't do. You lose track of your limits, of your weaknesses." Crystal pondered. "This mission will push them beyond anything they know and, although I don't know them personally, they would need to know that there's always something that you've never done, something you have yet to learn."