Call Back {Top Gun Maverick - Completed}

4: First Day

The next morning came rather quickly, but then again, Hennessey was always awake before the sun even thought about rising for the day. Today was the first day of training for a mission a few weeks away. Evelyn, Rebecca, Natasha, Brandie, and Hennessey were all rather lucky as they lived next to each other in small dorms on the base. The walls were thin but the small spaces felt very much like a home to the Benjamin girl. Small picture frames lined almost every available space. Mainly of her mother and sister.

There were a few pictures of the family on their small sailboat after Penny divorced Amelia's dad. There were some of Amelia on her first and last days of school. Hennessey's favorite photograph, though, was the day of her graduation from the Naval Academy. Hennessey, Mickey, Natasha, Bradley, and Brandie were all in their white ceremonial uniforms, standing with their arms around each other and smiling at the camera. Next to it was her graduation from Top Gun, in the same white ceremonial uniform.

Hennessey smiled fondly at the images, grabbing her keys and running to the doors of the patio. She opened the white curtains, leaving the sheer ones in place. Maneater walked back to the door, completing her mental checklist of making sure she had everything. She wore a pair of black leggings and a simple black T-shirt, as her flight suit was in her locker. The woman walked down the hall, her footsteps were almost silent. She didn't want to wake up the other girls that early in the morning. Hennessey walked out to the dormitory entrance, heading to her powder blue and white 1983 Ford Ranger.

She drove away, heading towards a local coffee shop on the outskirts of the base. It had been her go-to morning place the first time Hennessey was at Top Gun. Hennessey decided to just go through the drive-through as very few people were out yet and order a simple medium caramel latte. The sun was barely beginning to peek out from the horizon as she made her way toward the hangar. Shout by Tears For Fears was playing through the sound system as she parked.

"These are the things I can do without. Come on,” Hennessey sang along as the song finished.

She got out of her truck and locked it, walking towards the building next to the hangar. The first sip of the hot caramel latte was as expected. Hot. Hennessey bit her tongue, having burnt it slightly on the beverage as she walked into the women's locker room. She set it on the bench between the set of lockers. Hopefully, her next sip would be a lot less painful. Opening her locker, she saw her new flight suit hung up nicely, her helmet on the shelf beside it.

The helmet was a bright, electric blue with white drawings of canine-like teeth where each ear would be. Silver and red lines adorned the space of the helmet, her call sign on the front.

Maneater grabbed the helmet, and set it next to her coffee, turning towards her flight suit. After sending a quick good morning text to her mother and sister, Hennessey set her phone, wallet, and keys on the shelf. She tugged on the olive green suit, gradually zipping it up. After the suit was snuggly on, Hennessey grabbed her coffee and helmet, heading out of the locker room. Walking down the otherwise silent hallway, Hennessey passed a few offices. She tried reading the labeled names but did not recognize any of them. Hennessey opened the door to the hangar, empty of any aircraft. Instead, rows of chairs and desks filled the space. In the front was a small podium with a tiny trashcan beside it.

Sipping more of the cooling coffee, Hennessey sat in the front row, in the furthest right seat. She enjoyed the silence, watching the sun slowly rise to and above the horizon. Footsteps from a few sets of boots alerted Hennessey of the arrival of people. Turning her head, she saw Bob, Natasha, Evelyn, and the twins enter. She smiled and took a final swig of her coffee, finishing it. Hennessey tossed the empty cup into the small trash can beside the podium from her seat.

Fanboy, Payback, Coyote, and Hangman entered together, with another handful of pilots following them. Hangman came up to Hennessey and sat in the seat beside her, glancing at her. She rolled her eyes and turned around, trying to see where her best friends sat.