"OH MY GOD. IS THAT REALLY YOU MAY AUSTIN?"

"In the flesh. It's good to see you, Penny."

Penny Benjamin and my mom go way back. Went to high school together, and have been friends ever since. They dreamed of opening a bar together near the Top Gun base where naval aviators can come hang out on their days off. It seems Penny honored my mom's dream, even without her being here.

"This is a nice place." I said looking around. Little planes were scattered across the ceiling, really fitting the name of the bar, The Hard Deck. "My mom would love it here."

"I know she would. Bought it about three years ago, been here ever since." She said while wiping down a glass. "So how've you been, Miss May?"

"Oh you know. Busy." She nodded in agreement. "It's so weird to be here. I honestly thought I would never be back to Top Gun."

"Well life is full of many surprises." she winked.

"Love the policy by the way." I said, eyeing the sign behind her. Disrespect a lady, the navy, or put your phone on my bar: you buy a round.

"Oh speaking of that." Penny hands me a beer. "Enjoy."

Out of the corner of my eye I see a familiar face. No way.

"Well thank you, Penny. I'll catch up with you later. I have some unfinished business I need to take care of."

"Well, Well, Well, Look what we have here." The unmistakable voice of Hangman rings out across the bar as I make my way over to him. "If it ain't Riot herself."

"Miss me, Hangman?" I smirked at him. Phoenix, Hangman, and some other men dressed in their Navy uniforms were scattered around a pool table.

"Long time no see, Riot." Phoenix said as she slung an arm around my shoulder. "Thought I'd never see you again after you ran off after being announced top of our class."

I rolled my eyes. "It's good to see you too, Phoenix. Mind to introduce me to your friends?"

"Jay Ellis, callsign Payback."

"Mickey Garcia. Fanboy."

"Nice to meet you boys. May Austin, callsign Riot." I nodded at them

"Interesting callsign."

"Yeah she got it because she would always complain and start a riot back when we went to Top Gun together." Hangman joked, flashing his unnatural white smile at me.

"That is not true, Bagman." I rolled my eyes. "It's obviously because I have such a fun personality, I'm just a riot."

"Whatever you say."

"Whos he?" I nod to the guy sitting, eating peanuts in the corner.

"Whos who?" Phoenix asks.

"When did you get in?" Coyote asks the man who now has our attention.

"Oh, I've been here the whole time." He smiles at us.

"Well, the mans a stealth pilot." Hangman jokes

"Literally." Coyote agrees.

"Weapons System Officer, actually." the man corrects.

"With no sense of humor." Hangman finishes turning away from him.

"What do they call you?" I ask.

"Bob."

"No your callsign." Payback asks.

There was an awkward pause.

" Uh..Bob."

"Bob Floyd? You're my new backseater?" Phoenix asks.

"Looks like it, Yeah."

"Nine ball, Bob." Phoenix nods, handing Bob her pool stick. "Wrack 'em."

Bob takes the stick. I lean back and laugh to myself as I take a sip from my beer. Man did I miss these people.

"Bradshaw?" I heard Phoenix call out to the bar. My eyes widen and I feel my heart skip a beat. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, just thought I'd surprise you." The unmistakable voice of Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw comes into ear shot. I start to freak out. I haven't heard from this man in years, I was in no way ready to see him today. But lucky for me, I don't think he's seen me yet.

"Hmm." Phoenix bends down to hit a pool ball. As she lines up her stick with the ball, she hits Rooster in the stomach with it as her ball falls perfectly into the pocket.

"Guess I surprised you back." She raises her eyebrows watching Bradley double over in pain.

"It's good to see you." He replied through gritted teeth. And that's when he made eye contact with me.

Shit. shit. Shit. He's making his way over to me. Damn, five years really did a wonder on him. He looks good, like really good. Shit Riot, get it together.

"Well, are my eyes fooling me, or is that really you, Lady May?"

Holy shit. Why did he have to use his old nickname for me? I can feel my heart beating ten times faster than it was two seconds ago.

"Afraid it is, Bradshaw. It's been a while. You look good." I try to reply cooly. I can't tell if he can see through me or not.

"I-uh, You look good too." He was taken back a bit by my compliment. "What brings you back? I thought I would never see you again after you high-tailed it outta Top Gun."

"Oh you know, got some really unspecific detachment orders from the Navy the other day, and now I'm back." God, I've missed his face.

"Well it's nice to have you back, Riot." He moves to stand next to me. "You know-"

"Bradshaw, as they live and breathe." Hangman interrupts him, making his way over with a few more beers.

"Hangman. You look ... good."

"Well, I am good, Rooster." He takes Bob's pool stick. "I am very good. In fact, I am too good to be true."

By habit, Rooster and I make eye contact and I roll my eyes at Hangman's comment. Maybe our friendship hasn't completely gone away.,

"So," Payback interrupted. "Anybody know what this special detachment is all about?"

"Well a missions a mission. They don't confront me." Hangman resumes his game of pool. "What I wanna know, who's gonna be team leader? And who's gonna have the guts to follow me?"

Ah, classic hangman.

"Hangman, the only place you'll lead anyone is an early grave." Rooster retorts. I snicker along with a few other aviators who have gathered around the pool table.

"Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel." Hangman shoots right back at him, wearing a shit eating grin. "I love this song" He smiles as he walks away.

"Well, he hasn't changed." I remarked to Phoenix and Rooster. Hangman, Phoenix, Rooster and I all went to Top Gun together. Although we were all in separate classes, apart from Phoenix and I, we still hung out.

"Nope, he sure hasn't." Rooster makes his way over to the piano, that I never noticed was in Penny's bar. After pulling the plug to the music, he sits down and starts playing a riff.

Phoenix and I exchange a look and make our way over to him. He starts playing an all too familiar song, Great Balls of Fire.

As he starts singing, and most of the bar too, I can't help but join in and start dancing. Just like old times. He looks up at me and smiles as his fingers dance across the keyboard. Phoenix and I dance together, laughing and singing along. Even Bob was nodding along. This felt great, I really needed this.

-¯'★'¯-

We watched as more pilots made their way into the bar.

"What the hell, what kinda mission is this?" Fanboy asks what we were all thinking.

"That's not the kinda question we should be asking." Phoenix answers. "Everyone here is the best there ever is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?"

-¯'★'¯-

"ATTENTION ON DECK." The next day, all of the pilots who were at the Hard Deck last night are now seated in a makeshift classroom facing Admiral Bates standing at podium, about to figure out what the hell this mission is about.

"You're all Top Gun graduates, Elite. The best of the best. That was yesterday. The enemy's new fifth generation fighter has leveled the playing field. Details are few, but you can be sure we no longer possess the technological advantages. Success, more than ever, now comes down to the man or woman inside the box."

At this comment I see Hangman make a look towards Phoenix, who flips him off in return.

"Half of you will make the cut. One of you will be named mission leader. The other half will remain in reserve. Your instructor is a Top Gun graduate with real world experience in every area that you will be expected to master. His exports are legendary. He is considered to be one of the finest pilots this program has ever produced. What he has to teach you could very well mean the difference between life and death. I give you Captain Pete Mitchell, callsign Maverick."

Pete Mitchell flew with my dad. They were pretty close, and the most I know about him is that he is one of the most impulsive and reckless pilots my dad has ever met. I'm intrigued to find out what he will be teaching us, because I know it will be far from ordinary.

"Good Morning." He greets. I can already see Hangman trying to suck up to him.

"The F-18 NATOPS." He holds up an instructional pamphlet we were all given when we enlisted. "Contains everything they want you to know about your aircraft. I'm assuming you know the book inside and out."

After a few agreements, he dumps the book in the trash can.

"So does your enemy."

And we're off.

A/N

AHHH, big reunion for Riot! Here is a longer chapter to make up for the intro chapter yesterday. In tomorrows chapter we will get more action and 1 on 1 with rooster and riot!

I do really hope you guys are enjoying this so far. I do appreciate the feedback.

- CJ