Turbulence || Top Gun 1986 Fanific

Prologue

"Get out of my sight!"

The commander must be absolutely pissed right now.

"Cupid, Flame, in my office. Now."

I walk into the office, the smell of tobacco and esspresso coffee fimiliar. He's sitting at his desk, his head resting on his hands.

"Cooper turned in his wings, he won't be flying anymore."

"Sir-" I get interupted.

"Nuh-uh. I'm telling you this once, and once only."

His firm and commanding voice is the only thing motivating me to keep my back straight after that flight. My RIO and I exchange looks, his worried face expressing all his thoughts with no words needed.

"Prepare for your flight in two hours, you will fly with Dash and Camper as your wingmen. You will have the most challenging flight of your life, determining whether you will be offered an oppritunity. And if you blow it..."

The sweat running down his neck and forehead says it all. He has to make a tough decision.

"...you'll get squashed like a grape on the road. And you'll be replaced with something stronger and better. Show me what you can do"

That means more stress and nervousness than ever. It's going to be the hardest flight so far. More than three bogey's, we'd be completely out-numbered.

"Now go. Take a shower, get into a new flight suit, I'll see you on the deck in an hour and a half."

"Yes sir" we say in unison.

I exit the office, the heavy feeling on my chest is only getting heavier. What oppritunity? What does he mean? This seems like a big deal, his tone is usually harsh, but never that... uptight.

"Do you have any idea what that was about?" Flame asks me. His forehead glistening with sweat from our previous flight, and eyes wide with anticipation.

"I have no clue, must be something big though. I've never seem him so uptight" I respond.

"Maybe one of us will get the newest model to fly? There must be another one coming out soon" he adds. The excitment in his voice speaks for itself. He's always had a thing for engineering and all that jazz.

I chuckle at his response.

"Yeah, maybe."

I run into the empty changing rooms. I love being the only female pilot here. The silence is ruined by the sound of running water. I turn the knob to the blue mark, and the cold sends a jolt through my body.

I wet my hair and shampoo it quickly, the time limit seems to be getting to me. I can't help think of the stakes. What kind of oppritunity? It could either either be something life-changing, or something completely different. How could I know? There was no context on this oppritunity what so ever.

I quickly dry myself and blow dry my hair. The uncontrolable frizz is something I'll have to deal with today. I can never get enough of these knots as a pilot. The tangles of hair are almost as indestructable as a man's ego. I braid my hair quickly, with no time to fully dry it.

The flight suit slips on easier than a glove. Socks... wait, where are my socks?
I look in my bag, under my bag, I practically flip my whole locker upside down.

"Whatever" I scoff.

The white bit of colour gets my attention. There they are on the counter, tanning under the pot lights with the rest of my things. It's good I spotted them, flying bare foot in combat boots, that's a different kind of pain, and I don't want to live it.

I grab my helmet and put my aviators on as I leave the change room and head down the hall. The halls usually aren't empty like this. They're usually filled with laughter and snarky jokes around this time. But I reckon people are taking a break, taking a seat, just catching their breathe after their last flight.
Not me I guess.

I burst through the door, there isn't one cloud in the sky. That's great for flying, but horrible for my scorching scalp.
I meet Flame by the jet, waiting for the last few checks before he climbs into the cockpit.

"You ready hot-head?" I ask.

He takes the nickname like iced tea on a summer day. I've called him that since we first started training together. Well, since ever. He's my first and only partner.

"Eh."

His pause worries me, but I can tell by his face he's pondering.

"Just kidding, I'm totally ready."

I smirk at his tease, and we get the green light to climb into the cockpit.

I buckle my helmet over my braid, I really hope it stays in place. The canopy lowers slowly, and we both strap our masks on. I click the switches I need to, and then I hear the whirring of the engine.

"Music to my ears" I say under my breathe.

And I'm taxing to the runway.

"Ready Flame?"

"Whenever you are"

I grip the joystick, turning it left to align with the runway.
Left, signal that I'm ready.
Right, signal that I'm ready.
Green light from both sides.
Signal take off.

Here we go.