Poison || Jake Seresin - TGM

03 | dont get fooled again

song for the chapter
We Don't Get Fooled Again , The Who

"Attention on deck!"

Each aviator pushed their chairs back and quickly stood as a man took the small podium at the front of the room.
"Morning." He looked over the group "Welcome to your special training detachment. Be seated."

Everyone kept their eyes forward as they sat down. "I'm Admiral Bates, NAWDC commander. You're all Top Gun graduates. The elite. The best of the best."

Danielle knew that. She looked around the room watching everyone smile as they were called the best. There had to be a catch.

"That was yesterday."

There it was.

Danielle smiled slightly to herself. She knew this would be a challenge considering they were inviting graduates back. Other's smiles faded as Admiral Bates spoke those words, or their faces twisted in confusion.

"The enemy's new fifth-generation fighter has leveled the playing field. Details are few, but you can be sure we no longer posses the technological advantage. Success, now more than ever, comes down to the man or woman in the box."

Hangman smirks, looking over his shoulder at Natasha. She simply responds by giving him the finger and looking forward once again.
"Half of you will make the cut. One of you will be named mission leader. The other half will remain in reserve."

Danielle squinted at his words. Only half. She barely knew how any of the other pilots here flew. Who knows if she was even as good as them. She needed to step up her game. Then looking over at Hangman, she saw him looking back at Rooster with a smirk. No getting caught up fighting each other.

No distractions.

"Your instructor is a Top Gun graduate with real world experience with every mission aspect you will be expected to master."
Danielle quickly focused her attention back on Bates as he spoke again.
"His exploits are legendary."

Everyone takes a moment to turn around as they all hear steps behind them.
"And he's considered to be one of the finest pilots this program has ever produced."

Danielle raises her eyebrows when she sees the man from the bar walking down between their chairs. The man that had bought everyone beers. The man Hangman threw out of The Hard Deck.
She turns her head forward to look at Hangman. His smirk instantly faded and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Danielle smiled as she noticed Coyote shift in his seat uncomfortably as he walked by.
"What he has to teach you may very well mean the difference between life and death."

"I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Call sign: Maverick." At that moment Bates steps down from the podium and Maverick takes his place.
He looks over the sea of faces in front of him as he sets a book down.

"Good morning." He looks around recognizing a few faces from the bar. Hangman, Payback, Rooster... He picks up the book and holds it up for everyone to see.
"The F-18 NATOPS." he pats the book "It contains everything they want you to know about your aircraft."

"I'm assuming you know the book inside and out." Various voices responded quickly.
"Damn right."
"Damn straight."
"Yeah."
"You got it."

Maverick looks around as everyone responds, and picks it up again. He looks at it for a moment before dropping it into the trash bin to his left.
"So does your enemy."

Danielle leaned forward in her seat. She was intrigued to say the least. Wanting to see his style of teaching and how exactly he would handle the bunch that tossed him out of a bar.

"But what the enemy doesn't know, is your limits. I intend to find them, test them, push beyond. Today we'll start with what you only think you know. You show me what you're made of."

Show him what you're made of. You got this.

Natasha and Danielle made their way out of the building carrying their helmets and bags onto the tarmac. "Well he's interesting." Natasha says, squinting as they come into the sun.

"Yeah he's got an interesting group to teach don't you think?" Danielle turns and smiles at Natasha.
They each walk to their designated aircraft and start prepping it to get up in the air.

"Good morning aviators."

Back up in the air, Danielle was the happiest she had been in a while. Watching the skyline change as she flew by mountains and seeing how the clouds swirled up above her. Felt like home.

"Welcome to basic fighter maneuvers."

Danielle turned her head for a moment to check on her back-seater, Razor. He gave her a quick thumbs up before she turned back around, banking left.

"Today's exercise is dog fighting. Guns only, no missiles. We do not go below the hard deck of 5,000 feet. Working as a team you have to shoot be down, or else."

"Or else what sir?" Danielle asks, lowering her visor over her eyes.
"Or else I shoot back. If I shoot either one of you down, you both lose."

"Sir what say we put some skin in the game?" Razor asks making Danielle chuckle.
"What do you have in mind?" Maverick asks.
"Whoever gets shot down first has to do 200 push ups."

"Guys. That's a lot of push up."
"They don't call it an exercise for nothing, sir." Danielle comments.
"You've got yourself a deal. Fights on. Let's turn and burn."

"Alright Poison, keep and eye out." Rooster says looking around. Maverick was nowhere near them, and they had no idea where he was.
Razor looks down at the radar that was empty.
"Nothing ahead." he reports to Danielle and Rooster.

"Maybe he's behind-" Danielle is cut off by Maverick flying straight up in between the two planes, causing both Danielle and Rooster to scramble to grab their controls.

"Here we go." Danielle says quietly leveling out, looking above her.

"Tally tally tally! Mavericks coming in- break left!" Razor yells looking out the window.
"Breaking left!"

Danielle flies quickly trying to avoid Maverick, maneuvering side to side trying to shake him but it wasn't working.
"Poison, where's your wingman?" Maverick asks.

"Rooster where are you?" Danielle yells, looking out her window.
"I got your back, hang in there."

Rooster flies as quick as he can, flying past Maverick. "Quick! Go left." He yells and Daniella swerves one way as Rooster went the other.

"Impressive Rooster." Maverick says, now on his tail. "But can you save yourself?"

"Poison I can't shake him." Rooster says quickly, trying to turn different ways to avoid Maverick.
"On my way." Danielle flies after Maverick, to the point where it looked as if the three of them formed a line.

"Almost.." Danielle says to herself, lining up, until Maverick suddenly stops causing Danielle to fly up above him. "What the hell!" Razor yells, squinting from the sun.

"Rooster where is he?" Danielle yells and tries looking but she lost sight of the two. Rooster noticed Maverick flying up towards the two and quickly flew in front of him, trying to distract, but ended up getting himself caught.

"That's a kill."

A/N

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